OMG - California's Accountability and Enforcement Division of the Housing and Community Development Department appears to be fine with risking killing citizens. The roads in the Very High Fire areas in PV are so narrow you cannot get a fire truck past a car in places, and these roads are miles long, through steep brush covered hills, with no other way out. Considering climate change, the State should be buying up these properties to reduce density and get people out of there, not forcing more building. These state bureaucratic fools are risking burning up low income people by putting them in unsafe ADUs. Apparently they are just fine with that as long as they make their Newsom quota. Well burning up people is one way to solve the problem of housing insecurity. In the Paradise Fire (84 + dead) many were low income. I guess if they don't care, why should I?

Meg:

the state isn't actually trying to make this happen. They just want it to look like they're actually "doing something" when they don't.

Call the state's bluff. They are way outside the bounds of reason on the issue of an extreme housing shortage and where affordable housing needs to be built. There's complete cognitive dissonance in Sacramento.

This is unbelievable. Many of us who live in PV don't believe we could evacuate the town in case of a wildfire. And the YIMBY crowd in Sac wants to maroon folks in the most dangerous spots. Their lack of attention to detail in Sacramento is going to get someone killed.

Liesel,

Yes it is the elected officials in Sacramento, but you can look in our back yard: both Marc Berman and Josh Becker voted yes for SB9 as well as continuing to promote ever-increasing reduction in local control.

At some point, it might be time to elect public officials who at least pretend to support individual liberties and aren't committed to a heavy-handed, top-down governance - rather than continuing to double-down on 'more of the same'.

Wow, I guess you people should leave PV if it's so dangerous to be there! Or is the danger ok for you, but not ok for new people? Always thinking of others, how altruistic!

Betsy:

You are 100% correct. A submit that a very large majority of local residents are upset with the direction of CA. Quite frankly, I d not see any good news going forward. Our legislators are driving up the coast of everything & showing their "Virtue" on our backs. SB-9 is just a recent example. We are still spending >$100B on a (not so) High Speed Rail that will never meet what we voted for & is a Net Carbon/Greenhouse gas disaster for at least 50 years.

Yet, we keep voting the same Democratic legislators back each election. Nothing will change, & things will get worse as we elect representatives that owe their loyalty to their Party rather than to us.

We must replace them with any alternative in Nov. The other alternative could be another (Different) Democrat, Independent, or even a Republican. WE have to send a message that "Enough is Enough" & throw out Bermqn, Becker & Eshoo!

Seismic safety, wildfire safety, and harmony with nature and wildlife were the underlying principles of Portola Valley's small town design. Riparian, trail and wildlife corridors were planned and instituted through out our town 50 years ago. The wisdom of maintaining and enhancing these scenic and environmentally functional corridors is ever more evident. They help to clean the water for the bay, clean air, moisten the earth and to help stabilize climate weirdness. Ironically, the income discrepancy is increasing and this needs to stop. Planning could move in the direction of decreasing the costs of permitting and incentivizing affordability without losing our commitment to the global environment and the open spaces and trails which we offer the Peninsula..