A group of Los Altos residents and downtown businesses have launched a ballot initiative that would stop City Council from selling, repurposing or altering eight downtown parking plazas without a vote of the people.
“Before any single city council makes irreversible decisions about these irreplaceable assets, residents deserve a vote,” said JoAnne Estill, a resident who belongs to the group ForLosAltos, which is trying to put the issue on the ballot.
Council is moving forward with plans to put a multi-story parking structure on Parking Plazas 1, 2 and 3 along with a performing arts center and a park.
According to a statement from ForLosAltos, state law gives the city until April 2 to prepare a title and summary for the measure. Once complete, ForLosAltos will launch a signature-gathering effort. The group hopes to obtain 3,000 signatures from registered Los Altos voters to qualify the measure for the November 2026 ballot or a future election.
Council can also choose to approve the ForLosAltos proposal directly without requiring an election.
“This initiative gives City Council a clear path: adopt the ordinance now or let the voters decide,” said resident and ForLosAltos volunteer Cindy Andrews. “We are not opposed to thoughtful change. We are asking that the public have a meaningful say before public land is permanently altered.”