Agenda Item
7. 22-870 Action on a Council Written Request (Council Policy 030) Submitted by Vice Mayor Jain Requesting to Place an Agenda Item at a Future Council Meeting to Discuss working with the Water District and any other agency with Jurisdiction to Widen the San Tomas Aquino Trail. The Discussion Should also include a Discussion of the Costs of a Study to Look at all the Opportunities for Widening the Trail and Associated Costs
I support discussing the San Tomas Creek Trail with the Water District so long as discussions work to meet Santa Clara County's One Water Plan. This includes sections D3-D6 for restoring natural creek functions while mitigating flooding. Specifically, 2017 USGS research states that California climate change includes prolonged drought punctuated by possible megafloods. We need to preserve fresh water while simultaneously providing sinks for flooding, e.g. creek banks may need to be widened.
I am writing in support of discussing the San Tomas Creek Trail, with the condition that the discussion include exploration of rebuilding the trail to eliminate grade crossings of the trail with the pedestrian bridges leading into Levi's Stadium. The current practice of trail closures disrupts the use of the trail by commuters and the many people who use it for recreational use. This interference was never identified as an impact in the Stadium EIR. It should be remedied. B. Doyle