Approved July 21, 2025
Town of Los Altos Hills
City Council Special Meeting Minutes
Friday, June 20, 2025 at 9:00 A.M.
Council Chambers, 26379 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, California
Present: Mayor Kavita Tankha, Vice Mayor Rajiv Bhateja, Council Member Stanley Mok, Council Member Swan, and Council Member George Tyson
Absent: None
Staff: City Manager Peter Pirnejad, City Attorney Steve Mattas, Deputy City Manager Cody Einfalt, Community Development Director Jay Bradford, and City Clerk Arika Birdsong-Miller
CALL TO ORDER (9:00 A.M.)
Mayor Kavita Tankha called the meeting to order at 9:00 AM.
ROLL CALL
Mayor Kavita Tankha, Vice Mayor Rajiv Bhateja, Council Member Stanley Mok, Council Member Linda Swan, and Council Member George Tyson were present.
1. PUBLIC COMMENT (Public Comment is Limited to Items which are the Subject of the Special Meeting
There were no Public Comments.
2. PUBLIC HEARING
A. Consideration and potentially Waive Reading and Introduce an Ordinance of the Town of Los Altos Hills Designating Fire Hazard Severity Zones Pursuant to Government Code Section 51179 based on the CalFire Maps
Mayor Kavita Tankha recused herself from the discussion of this item. Vice Mayor Bhateja presided over the meeting in her place.
Community Development Director Jay Bradford stated that due to the quick turnaround, no visual presentation was provided. He explained that, based on Council directions at the June 18th meeting, staff prepared a First Reading of an Ordinance incorporating the Cal Fire base map without adjustments or local amendments.
Mr. Bradford noted that Attachment 1 of the staff report included the proposed ordinance and Exhibit A, which contained two maps: one showing GIS imagery generated from the Cal Fire output files, and another showing the official Cal Fire base map. He explained that both maps are identical, with no modifications or local amendments, and that using the Town’s GIS system allows staff to streamline processes and support future efforts related to project guidance and fire safety. The staff report also addressed the relevant background and reasoning behind prior mapping discussions.
Los Altos Hills Special City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 Friday, June 20, 2025
Assistant Fire Marshal Brad Fox and Community Development Director Jay Bradford provided an overview of how the Santa Clara County Fire Department and Town staff will enforce Fire Hazard Severity Zone (FHSZ) designations, especially when parcels have multiple zone classifications. Assistant Fire Marshal Fox explained that while the FHSZ designations may be new for Los Altos Hills, they have been enforced in other jurisdictions such as Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Monte Sereno since at least 2008–2009. In those cases, if a parcel has multiple zone classifications, the highest hazard designation is used for enforcement. This approach simplifies implementation and is reflected in the property profile reports used by building and planning departments.
Jay Bradford added that while Cal Fire released a general-use PDF map, the Town relies on its GIS system, which incorporates Cal Fire’s GIS data, allowing for detailed, parcel-specific analysis. This GIS data is considered the Town’s sole source of truth and is already being used to support permit review, defensible space efforts, and home hardening enforcement. The GIS system is publicly accessible, which supports transparency and helps residents, realtors, and developers understand the fire hazard designations affecting individual parcels.
There was discussion about the number of impacted parcels, and Jay clarified that while 50 properties were locally adjusted—33 moved into the Very High FHSZ and 17 into High—more than 150 parcels overall are affected by the new designations. These adjustments were made based on on-site evaluations conducted by Town staff in partnership with the Santa Clara County Fire Department, using Cal Fire’s criteria. Staff emphasized that the Town did not alter Cal Fire’s designations but simply highlighted the highest designation per parcel for clarity and enforcement.
Public Comment:
1. John O’Connell, a Los Altos Hills resident, stated that he had submitted an email the day prior containing statistical information and noted that the topic is emotionally charged. He emphasized the importance of metrics in decision-making and expressed concern about classifying an entire 44.5-acre parcel as being in a “Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone” based on a small portion of it having high fire risk. He explained that Cal Fire uses the geographic center of a parcel to determine the fire zone classification, which implies that over 50% of the parcel must fall within that zone for it to be categorized as such. He cautioned that altering parcel boundaries could invalidate Cal Fire’s data, and once changes are made, they may not be reversible.
2. Eric Bredo, a Los Altos Hills resident, explained that he is glad that it seems like the Council is leaning towards going with the CalFire designation.
3. Dinesh Khurana, a Los Altos Hills resident, expressed support for the Council’s consideration of adopting the Cal Fire map. He noted that residents in his neighborhood had submitted letters requesting an independent investigation into the City’s previously modified fire map. He stated that the neighborhood is also prepared to pursue a referendum if the original version of the map is adopted. Mr. Khurana referenced communication from their legal representative indicating that, in the event of a tie vote and the Mayor’s recusal, the City may be required to adopt the unmodified Cal Fire map. He urged the Council to act in good conscience and questioned how designating approximately 50 homes and 100 parcels as high fire risk would meaningfully reduce fire danger in the community.
Los Altos Hills Special City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 Friday, June 20, 2025
4. Dave Stewart, a Los Altos Hills resident, emphasized the importance of Home Ignition Zone inspections, noting that individualized assessments help homeowners better understand wildfire risks without feeling overwhelmed. He questioned the effectiveness of adopting a more severe fire hazard map, suggesting it would impact only a small number of homes with limited actual mitigation. Instead, he advocated for prioritizing strategies proven to be more effective, such as offering Hi-Z assessments to all properties in red zones on either map through an opt-out rather than opt-in approach. Mr. Stewart highlighted that this method, used in places like Marin and Truckee, can engage more homeowners and lead to meaningful improvements. He also recommended revising Town ordinances to make it easier to thin trees and improve crown separation, stressing the need to prioritize wildfire hardening over visual screening. He concluded by expressing concern over the Town’s evacuation planning, calling it elementary and in need of further development.
5. Hassan, a Los Altos Hills resident, emphasized the importance of honesty in government and expressed serious concerns regarding the Town’s handling of the fire hazard map process. He described his and his neighbors' experience trying to understand the Town’s rationale for supporting staff-recommended maps, stating they encountered misinformation, errors, and a lack of transparency. Hassan alleged the staff report contained inaccuracies and misleading statements, and that efforts to seek clarification were met with delayed responses and evasiveness. He stated that this led them to believe the report’s deficiencies were known to staff.
Hassan thanked the Council for reading their emails and meeting with residents, and urged the Council to adopt the original Cal Fire map, asserting that alternative maps lacked substantial evidence and the process failed to provide proper notification. He concluded by calling on Council members to unite in support of town-wide measures to reduce fire risk.
6. Sunita Sethi, a Los Altos Hills resident, thanked the Council for their work and noted that the fire hazard map discussion had helped educate the community and encourage civic engagement.
She urged the Council to listen to the will of the residents, emphasizing the high level of public participation. Ms. Sethi also encouraged the Council to follow the recommendation of the Emergency Preparedness Committee, which voted 5–2 in favor of adopting the unmodified Cal Fire map. She stressed the importance of focusing on effective wildfire risk mitigation measures and ordinances, rather than continuing to debate map versions. Lastly, she called for greater transparency and public participation in future processes, asking that any survey results or questionnaires used for gathering community input be made available on the Town’s website and shared with the public in advance.
6. Cheryl Evans, a Los Altos Hills resident,
Council Member Mok made a motion to Waive Reading and Adopt an Ordinance of the Town of Los Altos Hills Designating Fire Hazard Severity Zones Pursuant to Government Code Section 51179 based on the CalFire Maps. Vice Mayor Bhateja seconded the motion.
MOTION PASSED: 3-0
AYES: Bhateja, Mok, Tyson
NOES: None
RECUSE: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: Tankha, Swan
Los Altos Hills Special City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 Friday, June 20, 2025
3. ADJOURN
Vice Mayor Bhateja adjourned the meeting at 5:14 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Arika Birdsong-Miller, City Clerk