Approved May 15, 2025
Town of Los Altos Hills
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 4:00 P.M.
Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California
Present: Mayor Kavita Tankha, Vice Mayor Rajiv Bhateja, Council Member Stanley Mok.
Council Member Linda Swan, and Council Member George Tyson
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Peter Pirnejad, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Deputy City Manager Cody Einfalt, and City Clerk Arika Birdsong-Miller
1. CALL TO ORDER (4:00 P.M.)
Mayor Tankha called the meeting to order at 4:05 P.M.
2. ROLL CALL
Mayor Kavita Tankha, Vice Mayor Rajiv Bhateja, Council Member Stanley Mok. Council Member Linda Swan, and Council Member George Tyson were present.
3. PUBLIC COMMENT (Public Comment is Limited to Items which are the Subject of the Special Meeting)
1. Michael Grady, a Los Altos Hills resident, thought the lawsuit was dismissed in July without prejudice and then commented on the fence that was installed by Ms. Wang around the Fenwick property. He noted that the fence was still largely intact, even after numerous planning commission meetings directing it to be removed. He noted that while some of the fencing was removed, most of it had not been and questioned why the Town has not taken action to enforce its rules.
2. Rohit Advani, a Los Altos Hills resident, thanked Vice Mayor Bhateja and Councilmember Mok for stopping by Saddle Mountain and requested the Council consider limiting the impact around the neighborhood. He also asked that they reconsider maintaining Lot 2 as a single-family residence and focus on Lots 4, 5, & 6.
3. Hari Sankar, a Los Altos Hills resident, noted that he was led to believe the primary focus of the Twin Oaks owners was to create a farm, which he supported. Since then, he learned that was not the case and felt they presented an inaccurate representation of their development plans. He noted he felt they were not acting in good faith, did not support their development plans, asked that they be considered as regular property owners for development purposes, and stated the Town should negotiate from a position of power.
4. John O’Connell, a Los Altos Hills resident, emphasized that all residents should follow the established Town development processes equally. He explained that proposals conforming to Town rules were typically approved by staff, while those that did not were escalated to the Planning Commission, with some decisions appealing to the City Council. He expressed concern that Town staff and Councilmembers had become too closely aligned with a particular resident, which he believes should end. He also mentioned submitting a packet of information to the Council and raised concerns about illegal grading.
Los Altos Hills Special City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 Thursday, March 20, 2025
5. Bridget Morgan, a longtime Los Altos Hills resident, stated she has lived in Los Altos Hills for almost 50 years and has followed land development issues within the Town the entire time and stated she agreed with the residents of Saddle Mountain – that the Town would be making a big mistake negotiating with the owners privately. She stated she felt most of the Town residents agreed with her perspective and criticized the lack of transparency with the public on this issue.
6. Lanvi Evans, a Los Altos Hills resident, reminded the Council that they were elected to serve the community and expressed concern that residents had been misled during the Housing Element process, which she believed was flawed. She referenced a petition signed by over 1,000 residents calling for amendments to the current Housing Element. She urged the Council to cease negotiations with the property owners and to limit any rezoning considerations to Lots 4, 5, and 6, providing supporting reasons for this request.
7. Ian Earnest, a Los Altos Hills resident, expressed strong opposition to placing high-density housing on the upper portions of the property, calling it a poor planning decision. He noted that increasing public awareness of past development issues with this site has cast the property owners in a negative light. He criticized the proposed developer agreement as illogical and unfair to the rest of the Town and urged that any development be concentrated on the flatter, more suitable areas.
8. Martha Bowden, a Los Altos Hills resident, referenced a February 2023 Town Crier article, stating that California’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) agency did not require the rezoning of all seven parcels of the Twin Oaks property. She criticized the lack of transparency in the Town’s negotiations with the property owners, arguing it was not in the Town’s best interest. She noted the owners' push for high-density housing on steep terrain, a proposal the Planning Commission opposed, and urged the Council to end discussions with the owners, asserting that development on steep slopes should be nonnegotiable.
9. Sue Welch, a Los Altos Hills resident, criticized the Town’s decision to designate three questionable sites for multi-family housing, stating it has created significant challenges and jeopardized the Town’s ability to meet its RHNA obligations. She urged the Town to halt negotiations on a development agreement for the Twin Oaks site, noting the lack of transparency. She advocated removing the Twin Oaks property from the multi-family housing list, restoring its R-A zoning, and identifying alternate locations for future housing.
She also raised concerns about development on the Fenwick parcel, referencing a clause in the 1985 Williamson Act agreement that affirms the Town’s zoning authority remains intact and requested the City Attorney provide comment.
10. Joanna Young, a Los Altos Hills resident, urged the Town to consider the lessons from the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, highlighting the financial and safety impacts they had on cities and residents. She questioned the adequacy of the Town’s water supply for firefighting in the area and warned that high-density development on hillsides would pose serious safety risks to the community.
4. ADJOURN TO CLOSED SESSION TO DISCUSS THE FOLLOWING:
A. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation
(Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1))
Los Altos Hills Special City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 Thursday, March 20, 2025
Sea Landing Limited Partnership v. Town of Los Altos Hills, Case No. 22-CV-400255 B. Conference with Legal Counsel – Anticipated Litigation (Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(2)
Significant Exposure to Litigation – Two cases –
(Potential Litigation Related to: (1) SB330 Issue related to Twin Oaks property and (2) Options for Housing Element and Land Use Element Amendment and Zoning/Objective Development Standards)
5. ADJOURN CLOSED SESSION
Mayor Tankha adjourned the Regular Meeting to Closed Session at 4:27 pm.
6. REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
There was no reportable action from the Closed Session.
7. ADJOURN
The meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully,
Arika Birdsong-Miller
City Clerk