LAH rekindles debate over Foothills Park
The recent Los Altos Hills City Council-supported proposal to exchange fire protection funds for Foothills Park access drew more than a few raised eyebrows when it hit the local papers last week.
Certainly, the proposal was unusual: $135,000 from Los Altos Hills, which could be used to beef up Palo Alto-area fire protection by funding an understaffed fire station. In exchange, Palo Alto would have to relent on its controversial residents-only policy for Foothills Park and allow Los Altos Hills residents in. The 1,400-acre Foothills Park is on Page Mill Road, not far from town borders.
Even though the proposal has little chance of gaining favor with the Palo Alto council, it does call attention to that city’s longstanding policy of Foothills Park exclusivity. The policy is unique because there are no other public parks in Palo Alto (or any nearby community, for that matter) that prohibit visits by nonresidents unless accompanied by that city’s residents.
If nothing else, the recent news exposure rekindles the debate over park use, which hopefully leads to an eventual change of this questionable policy. Los Altos Hills residents, or anyone else, should not have to wheel and deal to visit a public park.
Day worker center in touch with reality
A Los Altos letter writer recently chimed in on the story of a search for a new day worker center. He suggested a few places in Mexico.
The sentiment suggests that nothing should be done for these workers because they are here illegally. Better yet, some say, action should be taken to round up these workers and take them back to their home of origin.
But such ideology is a far cry from reality. The reality is, the workers are not going away anytime soon. Workers have been loitering on local street corners for approximately 20 years. And as long as residents seek out their cheap labor for the seemingly endless number of housing remodels, they’ll be here another 20.
From a practical standpoint, having a local day worker center makes sense for both employers and employees. Employers have a definitive place to go and, ironically, there’s an accountability about hiring through the day worker center instead of off the street. Likewise, any employer abuses can be registered through the worker center.
The efforts to secure a new center should be community supported because it is clear this area has made an investment in the workers and their services. Regardless of the national debate over immigration, the local issue should be viewed from a realistic, not ideological, perspective.
