Since robbers brutally invaded two homes in Portola Valley in 2016, home security has been an important topic of community discussion, including implicit questions as to how to warn thieves and burglars away.
The town’s ethos, as described in its residential design guidelines, includes a high priority concern that man-made structures, a category that includes signs, be subservient to the natural features around them. Signs in Portola Valley are low key, few in number, usually wood, usually painted brown and located discreetly.
Is there a low-key, discreet but effective way to inform would-be burglars and thieves that they’re being watched? The council on April 26 gave every indication that it is taking this question quite seriously.
Maybe a sign-design contest. Maybe a series of signs to keep the message fresh. Maybe neighborhood initiatives to create custom signs, an effort that could double as a way to build community spirit.
Town Manager Jeremy Dennis will be working with Town Hall staff and neighborhood-watch officials to consider the possibilities and return to the council with options.
Motion-sensitive lights
The council did take some action on home security, approving recommendations from the Architectural and Site Control Commission to change the residential design guidelines to encourage the use of motion-sensitive lights, provided they meet the standards of the International Dark Sky Association.
The guidelines had specifically discouraged use of such lights, but the commission was swayed by information that they actually reduce the amount of light pollution.
‘Don’t mess with us’
During the public discussion about signs, before the push for creative solutions took hold, a fall-back sign seemed to be carrying the day: a white rectangle outlined in dark blue depicting a simplified eyeball and text saying that police will be called.
If that sign and the others in the same vein had feelings, that night would have been hard for them.
“I hate all those (conventional) signs. They’re all heinous,” said Councilman John Richards, adding that there’s no evidence that they actually reduce crime. They also don’t build community, he said.
His proposal: unique signs for each neighborhood. “‘This is the Brookside Drive neighborhood watch. Don’t mess with us.’ Something like that,” he said.
Weighing in on conventional warning signs, Councilwoman Ann Wengert was brief and to the point. “I think they’re ugly as heck,” she said.
Conventional warning signs also did not agree with Councilwoman Maryann Derwin. Encountering one, “I immediately think this is a high crime area,” she said.
Warning signs have been going up on private property in town, but they’re currently not allowed in the town’s right-of-way.
The Architectural and Site Control Commission suggested that warning signs be located only where license-plate-reading cameras are going in soon at the town’s borders, and essentially nowhere else. That idea didn’t draw many fans, particularly among residents who want warnings close to home.
The council, with support from the few members of the public who were in the audience, seemed to settle on having staff come up with a master plan. The idea: post the right number of signs in the right places, with a desired side effect of dissuading residents from posting their own signs.
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