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Los Altos Hills forms housing‑element and Green Sheets ad hoc committees after heated debate on transparency and public participation
Summary
Following extended public testimony, the council voted to create a standing housing‑element committee and separately formed an ad hoc committee to draft a council‑initiated Green Sheets ballot measure, aiming to codify select town character protections while noting state legal limits.
The council on March 19 approved two measures aimed at managing housing‑element work and preserving elements of the town’s founding Green Sheets. After a protracted discussion about committee design and transparency, council established a standing housing‑element committee to advise on housing element implementation and directed staff to draft potential charters.
Staff recommended an ad hoc structure for flexibility; the city attorney explained the legal and procedural differences between ad hoc and standing committees, including Brown Act notice requirements, recusals and advisory weight. Residents largely urged a standing committee, arguing it would increase transparency and public trust after previous controversies over ad hoc processes. Others favored an ad hoc model for flexibility and broader participation.
The council voted to establish a standing committee (motion passed 3–1) and asked staff to return with draft charters, membership procedures and outreach plans. Separately, council re‑started a prior directive and voted to form an ad hoc committee to identify which Green Sheets principles should be proposed as a council‑initiated ballot measure. The ad hoc committee will review the Green Sheets, identify items that remain viable under state law, and draft ballot language and a timeline for a council‑initiated measure intended to appear on an upcoming consolidated election. Councilmembers named to the ad hoc will work with legal staff to shape the proposal.
City legal staff emphasized that any zoning controls placed through a ballot initiative must still comply with the general plan, state housing law and other state and federal constraints. Council directed staff to estimate costs of a council‑initiated ballot measure and to assess potential CEQA implications early in drafting. Several residents warned that a rushed or unrefined initiative could be undermined by state law changes and urged careful vetting.
The ad hoc committee and staff will report back to the council with recommended language, an outreach plan, and an estimate of fiscal impact and staff workload prior to any decision to place language on the ballot.
