Attachment 8 - Protest to Proposed Assessment Report (APN 537-23-046)Attachment 8
From: Stefanie Hockemeyer
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2021 3:46 PM
To: 'jim@
Cc: Matt Morley <MMorley@losgatosca.gov>; Kumre, Moe (Moe.Kumre@cep.sccgov.org)
<Moe.Kumre@cep.sccgov.org>
Subject: FW: Weed Abatement Protest - APN 537-23-046
Dear Mr. Cunningham,
I am in receipt of your objection and protest to the proposed assessment and collection charges
to your parcel (APN 537-23-046) from the Town’s Weed Abatement program you submitted to
the Town Clerk.
Due to high fire risks, the Town is taking abatement requirements very seriously to make sure
property owners are meeting their obligations. The Town is also investing significant funds in
vegetation management to ensure the safety of the community, especially along
roadsides. There is little tolerance for exceptions to this program.
The Town of Los Gatos Municipal Code Chapter 11, Article II et seq requires property owners to
prevent potential fire hazards based on the California Health & Safety Code to provide
protection for the property and any nearby structures by clearing hazards according to
Minimum Fire Safety Standards. It also authorizes the County to remove the weeds if the
property owner fails to do so and to recover costs through an assessment on the property tax
bill for each parcel.
The Program is a cost recovery program administered by the County on behalf of the Town and
is funded from fees assessed on the properties included on the assessment list. Every year
while in the program, each of the property owners are charged an annual compliance
inspection fee and some incur costs for additional inspections, administrative, and abatement
fees. The charges for your parcel are for the annual compliance inspection and failing to trim
tall grass around a small, abandoned shed on your property, for a total of $550. Attached are
the pictures of the inspection.
Once a parcel is placed in the program, it will remain until it displays compliance for three
consecutive years, at which point it will be removed.
After speaking with Moe Kumre, Weed Abatement Program Manager, he confirmed that he
spoke to you and stated that this is a situation we try to avoid, with the grass growing uphill to
a wooded structure. All of the documentation that was provided to you by the Program
indicates that you must have 30 feet of clearance around any structure.
Based on this information, the recommendation from staff to the Town Council will be to
uphold the charges of $550 to your parcel.
Attachment 8
Sincerely,
Stefanie Hockemeyer ● Executive Assistant
Parks and Public Works ● 41 Miles Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Ph: 408.399.5761
www.losgatosca.gov
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From: Jim Cunningham >
Sent: Monday, August 2, 2021 3:38 PM
To: Clerk <Clerk@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Weed Abatement Protest
Good afternoon,
For APN 537-23-046 I was fined $550 for failing to trim tall grass around a small, abandoned
shed on my property.
I did my best to comply with the weed abatement program since moving to Los Gatos 2
years ago, spending portions of 2 weekends trimming over 300 feet of roadside, but didn't
realize the shed on the hill was needed since it is a very small abandoned shed.
The attached photos show before and after. The photo WeedAbatementShedTrimmed.jpg is a
recent photo after I trimmed, while the other photo shows before trimming as taken from your
inspector. Now that I know this shed needs to be trimmed I completed the work myself as
soon as the photo arrived, I would like to protest the fine since the work is completed and I did
not realize the shed requirement.
I will now know to trim this area in future years.
Thank you.
James Cunningham
210 Wooded View Dr
Los Gatos CA 95032
Attachment 8