I e-mailed the five candidates for Los Altos city council the following question on September 8, 2024:
Per Doug Tallamy’s work, using locally native plants in landscaping is important in restoring ecosystem health, rebuilding the food chain. Using natives also reduces the risk of introducing new invasives and diseases into surrounding wild areas. They require less water and other inputs vs many exotics, saving resources. And they help connect us with what is unique and special about the place where we live.
Would you support development and implementation of a policy giving preference to locally native plants on city properties for new plantings and maintenance of old ones?
4 of the 5 candidates responded. I had trouble finding contact info for the 5th candidate, Eric Steinle. I ended up using an e-mail address from his paperwork filing for the race, but it’s possible his lack of response just means he never saw my question. If he does respond later, I’ll update this to include it.
Here are the 4 responses, ordered by the candidate’s full name:
It took me a bit of time to dig into this topic and form my thoughts. I actually ended up even consulting with Vicki Moore, a Los Resident and founder of Living Classroom.
The short answer is yes, I would be supportive of a policy that gives preference to locally native plants on city properties. In addition to the benefits you cited, I would add that I would want the city to show leadership and set an example on this front, ideally inspiring residents and sparking conversations.
That said, my research did turn up AB1573 from 2023 which died in the Senate. The challenge was that among other problems (cost being a major one), the feasibility of growing enough native plants to support this legislation was fairly low. In fact, some prominent nurseries in the State were actively campaigning against the bill. So I’d like to understand how we’d address and mitigate those concerns before moving forward with such a policy.
If we’re talking about just Los Altos (vs county wide across jurisdictions), I could see it making sense for new full site developments or properties over a certain square footage for example.
From Ibrahim Bashir, September 11, 2024
Yes. In fact, I support a policy giving preference to locally native plants not just on City property, but throughout the City of Los Altos. As Mayor, on January 23, 2024, I asked City Staff to bring before the Council a tree protection ordinance for the Council’s consideration. I voted in favor of ordinance 2024-506, which is the City of Los Altos’ new tree protection law. (Section 11.08 of the Los Altos Municipal Code.) This ordinance applies throughout the City, including City-owned properties.
The new law favors native trees over non-native and invasive trees, and I favor expanding that protection to native plants.
Native species of plants generally use less water than non-native species, are easier to care for, remain healthy longer, are usually more fire resistant, and promote a healthy biodiversity.
To learn more about the City’s tree protection ordinance, please visit this site: https://www.losaltosca.gov/development-services/page/tree-removal. I would be delighted to work with any member of our community who has ideas about how we can extend our tree protection.
From Jonathan Weinberg, September 21, 2024
Yes.
Honestly, I’m a little surprised there’s not already a policy in place to that effect.
From Larry Lang, September 8, 2024
I would support a policy giving preference to locally native plants on city properties for new plantings and maintenance of old, as long as that preference is defined in a way compatible with our required Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance. Per State Building Codes, all local agencies must adopt, implement, and enforce either the State’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) or a local Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (WELO) that is at least as effective as the State’s. Of course, native plantings would meet the plant criteria. An exception to this preference would be in our Historic Heritage Apricot Orchard which we will maintain to its historic standards. We should also encourage locally native plants for residential landscaping, especially when front lawns are being removed and replaced with water efficient landscaping.
From Sally Meadows, September 21, 2024.
A big thanks to the candidates for responding. I’m also pleasantly surprised that all four who responded gave at least a qualified “yes”. Thank you!
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