The State - News from Dec. 19, 1985

English was declared the official language of the city of Los Altos. Vice Mayor Roger Eng, a Chinese-American, said the City Council resolution, which passed 4 to 0, was a way to “head off outside groups that might try to force us to print agendas in other languages.” The measure for the Santa Clara County city was urged by Dinesh Desai, a naturalized U.S. citizen from India, who said an official language is as necessary as having all Americans “drive on the right side of the road.” Desai is a member of U.S. English, an organization founded in 1983 by former U.S. Sen. S. I. Hayakawa (R-Calif.) to promote the use of English. Desai said he opposes bilingual ballots because they send voters a message that it is not necessary to learn English.