Public safety and thoughtful housing policy, grounded in the realities of our terrain and our town.
Public Safety
As a Fire Commissioner of Los Altos Hills, I have seen firsthand why land-use decisions in our community cannot be separated from emergency preparedness.
Our own General Plan recognizes that Los Altos Hills faces heightened wildfire risk because of its steep hillsides, canyons, vegetation, narrow and winding roads, and neighborhoods with limited points of ingress and egress. That is why the Town’s Safety Element requires that development have an acceptable level of fire protection, adequate water supply, and adequate emergency-vehicle access — including alternate emergency access for neighborhoods that could otherwise become cut off.
Driveways and access roads must accommodate emergency apparatus, including adequate width, vertical clearance, turning capability and vegetation clearance.
Many Los Altos Hills roads are narrow and two-lane. During a wildfire, those same roads must simultaneously carry outbound residents and inbound fire and law-enforcement vehicles.
Emergency planning should account for cumulative evacuation demand, particularly in neighborhoods with only one or two practical exits.
The Town’s emergency-road network exists specifically to reduce the danger of neighborhoods becoming inaccessible if blocked by fire, a fallen tree, utility lines, a collision or another hazard.
Adequate water supply, hydrant availability, water-main capacity and reliability are fundamental components of fire protection.
Town evacuation-preparedness guidance calls for defensible space and, among other measures, roughly 20 feet of driveway clearance and 15 feet of vertical clearance for emergency vehicles.
Responsible housing policy and responsible fire-safety policy are not competing objectives. The obligation is to make sure that as our community changes, emergency access, evacuation capacity, water infrastructure and wildfire resilience keep pace with it.
Housing Policy
Los Altos Hills has steep terrain, narrow roads, wildfire and evacuation constraints, limited sewer infrastructure, and environmentally sensitive areas. Those realities should shape how housing requirements are implemented.
Local expertise matters. Residents, firefighters, engineers, planners and environmental professionals understand conditions that may not be apparent in a statewide policy framework. Their knowledge should help identify workable sites, appropriate infrastructure improvements and responsible alternatives.
Higher-intensity development should be evaluated in the context of road capacity, emergency access, evacuation constraints, topography, utilities, water availability and proximity to services.
Parcels with better roadway access and fewer environmental or topographic constraints may be substantially better suited to additional density than isolated hillside properties reached by narrow roads.
The Town already permits ADUs and has adopted state-compliant standards and pre-approved resources to facilitate their construction.
Where state law requires ministerial approval, the Town should make full and careful use of legally permissible objective standards governing access, setbacks, building placement, height, drainage and site design.
Stewardship
Summitting Mount Kilimanjaro taught me the true importance of a resilient mindset and the power of making progress step by step. I apply this same perseverance to Los Altos Hills — whether tackling state housing mandates, fortifying our wildfire defenses, or navigating complex town budgets, I believe in steadily climbing every obstacle to protect our community’s future.
We are temporary custodians of a community that will belong to generations of residents long after we are gone. Our responsibility is to leave them a community that is safe, beautiful, connected and worthy of being called Los Altos Hills.