League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 4, 2003 Election
	Ronald D. Packard Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Los Altos

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mtn. View Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. Do you feel that our community needs a high-caliber, public swim complex and if so, how should the city accomplish this?

The city needs a pool complex, and SPLASH has made efforts to gather the funds to do so. It is unfortunate that the City ignored any negative impacts on the neighbors, and brushing aside its serious obligation to do an EIR. As a result, the City was sued by the neighbors, lost, and required to pay tens of thousands of dollars of attorney fees incurred by the neighbors. This has delayed the entire process. At this point, the most prudent approach is to receive the EIR and carefully consider all recommendations and mitigating steps to lessen the impact. I believe an acceptable pool complex (possibly of a smaller scale than originally proposed) is feasible without unreasonable negative impacts on neighbors.

2. What would you propose to solve parking availability in downtown?

As a attorney and property owner who works in the village, I know that parking in some areas often is a problem, and once the economy improves, it will become an even greater problem. Some businesses have refused to locate in the village due to their perception of a parking problem. The current permit program may help better define the problem, and possibly help solve it. If the permits do not cure the problem (or merely spread it to adjacent residential areas), then parking structures (preferably underground) are the likely long-term solution. The obvious challenge is funding.

3. What do you see as the City Council's role in helping to preserve and enhance the vitality of our creeks and riparian corridors and their function for conveying storm water runoff?

The City Council has an important role in dealing with creek preservation and runoff needs. The role should include continued active participate in the regional Water Resources Protection Collaborative Effort, and implementing land use decisions which balance the rights of the creekside residents with the needs for preservation and runoff. The Water District currently has authority to impose restrictions on the property owners for a set distance from the creek center. At present, I fail to see the need to increasing that distance.