Residents urge Los Altos commission to study synthetic surfaces, some call for moratorium

Public commenters pressed the Los Altos Environmental Commission to broaden and accelerate study of artificial and other synthetic ground coverings and to consider temporarily halting new installations until formal recommendations are drafted.

Laura Fay, a 30-year Los Altos resident, told the commission she supports formation of an ad hoc committee to examine synthetic surfaces beyond “artificial turf,” including pour-in-place rubber surfaces used in playgrounds. She urged commissioners to consider an ordinance rather than only a policy and to study guidance from a variety of cities rather than rely solely on Sunnyvale and Palo Alto, which she said differ from Los Altos in scale and context.

Andrea Walt, who identified herself as co-founder of Community for Natural Place Surfaces, recommended the commission include knowledgeable members of the public and local organizations (for example, Greentown and Rotary) in any study group. Walt asked the commission not to wait for the Sunnyvale process to finish before beginning local work, noting the Sunnyvale timeline is unclear and that certain analyses (health, maintenance, water use, microplastic runoff) can be gathered independently.

Both speakers urged the commission to consider a temporary moratorium on synthetic-surface installations until the city has clear recommendations. "I encourage the committee to consider the topic more broadly to be synthetic surfaces versus simply artificial turf," Fay said. Andrea Walt added that public-health and environmental concerns, such as microplastic runoff and permeability, justify the study’s scope.

Commissioners discussed the policy’s proper framing during work-plan deliberations. Staff and commissioners noted the item was placed under the work plan element labeled “reduce flood risk,” but several commissioners and public speakers said health and environmental impacts would be clearer and more actionable framing. Commissioners agreed the project should be titled to reflect public and environmental health and that the commission would put notes in the work-plan materials clarifying expected outcomes, possible deliverables (e.g., policy vs. ordinance), and whether a moratorium should be recommended to council.

The commission did not take a vote on a moratorium at the meeting; public comments and commission discussion will inform a future agenda item and potential staff recommendation to city council.