Approved August 20, 2026
TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES
Thursday, June 18, 2026, CALL TO ORDER – 4:30 P.M.
Mayor Bhateja called the Regular Meeting of the City Council to order at 4:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Mayor Rajiv Bhateja, Vice Mayor George Tyson, Councilmember Stanley Mok, Councilmember Linda Swan, Councilmember Kavita Tankha
Absent: None
A quorum was present.
1. PUBLIC COMMENT (Public Comment is Limited to Items which are the Subject of the Special Meeting)
The City Council received public comments pertaining to the Closed Session item.
John O’Connell stated that the legal matters discussed should not be wasting the Town’s time and money. Regarding the CalHDF Linebarger brief, he said it portrays the Town as avoiding multifamily housing, while he believes the Town’s decision was based on legitimate safety concerns, including evacuation of 40–80 seniors from a four- to fivestory building in a high fire hazard severity zone with limited access. He stated that the Town should clearly explain why the project was denied rather than defend against a narrative that it relied on process and technicalities to deny the project. Regarding the Grady case, he said the Town had more control over the matter and that, had the City Attorney advised the Council to direct the Town Manager to comply with the law, the litigation could have been avoided. He criticized the legal costs associated with the case and expressed concern that the Shield case was headed in the same direction, noting that it had already exceeded 140 hours and $60,000.
2. CLOSED SESSION
A. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation
(Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1))
Grady v. Town of Los Altos Hills, Case No. 25CV457402
B. Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation
(Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9(d)(1))
Linebarger et al. v. Town of Los Altos Hills, Case No. 25CV475174 The City Council adjourned to Closed Session.
3. REPORT OUT OF CLOSED SESSION
The report from the closed session occurred at the beginning of the 5:30PM meeting.
4. ADJOURN
Mayor Bhateja adjourned the meeting.
Respectfully Submitted,
Arika Birdsong-Miller