By KATHERINE PETERSEN
The Sunnyvale City Council voted 5-2 Nov. 26 to form a joint task force to work on issues affecting youths and their families.
Councilmembers Jack Walker and Landon Noll opposed forming such a group.
The group will be composed of members of the city's already-established boards and commissions, as well as other members of the community, said Jim Webb, an administrative assistant in the city manager's office.
Details such as who will be chose and how have yet to be ironed out. Webb should have a report ready for the council to review before April 1997.
In its vote, the council also decided that issues affecting families that are not already handled by a set commission or board will be directed to the Housing and Human Services Commission, Webb said. He gave community safety as an example of such an issue.
Councilmember Pat Vorreiter hopes that by establishing such a forum, affected families and children will not fall through the cracks.
"If a neighborhood has a graffiti problem or a problem with youngsters staying out later than they should, parents and neighbors will have somewhere to take their concerns," she said.
The council voted against forming a new commission, geared toward families, but found a compromise with the Joint Task Force.
Vorreiter would like to see some of these meetings held in neighborhoods and at schools.
Councilmember Manuel Valerio agreed, adding that he wants to see more young people attending these meetings who might be afraid to address the council.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 18, 1996.
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