Prop. 19 only undoes some damage
Regarding the article “Repercussions of Proposition 19 hit close to home for Los Altos native,” April 12:
Proposition 19 undoes only some of the damage done by Proposition 13.
As long as someone is living in the house, it would make sense to hold the tax down, especially for those on fixed incomes.
But the tax liability must be based on its current valuation; any shortfall between the tax paid/collected should accrue as a lien against the property, to be paid off upon transfer of ownership, by inheritance or sale.
So now the tax goes up – at least the homeowner does not have to make up the shortfall in taxes paid versus what they would have been at proper assessed value, sans Proposition 13 caps.
It is unfortunate that Stephen Field may have to sell the property or rent it out.
Real estate experts can better advise if he should keep ownership and rent, or sell, but it seems to me it is not a sell or rent, but more a sell or not decision.
Azmat Malik
Los Altos
Blown away by leaf blower abuse
I am blown away that after 32 years of banning noisy leaf blowers in Los Altos, we still have no effective solution.
Perhaps it is time to place the responsibility on the homeowner/resident who hires the gardening service rather than on the gardener who may not be aware of the regulation.
It is impractical for gardeners to own their own electric leaf blowers.
One solution would be for each homeowner to purchase an electric leaf blower and keep it in a designated spot for use by their own gardener.
The battery life is more than sufficient for the gardening tasks of one residence. Electric leaf blowers are reasonably priced and have lightweight rechargeable batteries that are easily removed from the blower and can be taken inside and recharged.
For some electric tool product lines, the same battery can be used for other electric tools such as lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers.
An electric leaf blower is as quiet as a hair dryer and does not emit fumes.
Vicki Levy
Los Altos
