Los Altos council adopts ordinance to regulate camping and storage of personal property in public areas

Los Altos City Council voted 3–1 on April 14 to adopt by title and waive first reading of a new municipal chapter that establishes rules for camping and for the storage of personal property in public areas, emphasizing outreach and safe-storage procedures while retaining a misdemeanor provision for willful obstruction of enforcement.

The measure, introduced by Development Services Director Stephanie Williams, creates a framework requiring outreach and coordination with county service providers before enforcement, notification procedures with at least 48 hours’ posted notice, and a process for safe storage of personal property with a retrieval period (staff said storage would be available up to 90 days). Williams told the council the ordinance was informed by a state model ordinance and the U.S. Supreme Court’s…