It is a good thing that the Lins have a lot of money and there is still a tremendous demand for multi million dollar houses.

Frederic, Kevin, and Jennifer Lin were back before City Fathers with a new Kottinger Hills project Oak Grove. But even before the Planning Commission and the City Council met to discuss the issues likely to be raised in a $282,000 Environmental Impact Report the city demanded for the project, opponents issued plenty of reasons to scuttle it. All the tired old reasons were used 10 years ago when the Lins sought and received council approval for their project that was eventually overturned at the polls.

Area neighbors including Kottinger Ranch residents did not need to wait to get their winks and nods from the appropriate planning commissioners and City Council members. Mayor Jennifer Hosterman, always hostile to development, insulted the Lins with questions regarding their motives and suggested that money was their only interest and they surely have some figure in mind to sell their property to the city for open space. Counselor Matt Sullivan, still trying to find his council legs, was less confrontational and simply asked that this project we delayed until after the General Plan update is complete—in about two years.

The wild card this evening (a Planning Commission and City Council workshop February 8, 2005) was ex-mayor Tom Pico who spoke for the project. Mr. Pico voted against the Lins 10 years ago and led the ballot initiative to disallow the approved Kottinger Hills golf course and housing development. This new proposal, assured Mr. Pico, was different and so different that counselors would embrace it after full discussions. Wow! So that is what he means by FACILITATOR in his recent ads.

The most irksome part of the Kottinger saga is that area residents wrote to City Hall to lament the loss of trees, the increase in traffic, increased school enrollment, and the loss of views. What a bunch of self absorbed, pretentious collection of NIMBYs. They did not even mask their pretentiousness by leaving out “their view” complaint. While every other street is gorged to the gills, these people have the unmitigated gall to suggest that 98 Charter Properties homes will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back when it comes to traffic and school enrollment. Finally, these people know how easy it is for wealthy people to plant trees. The Lins and Charter Properties would be most happy to plant 500 trees to replace the 122 that must be removed--that is 122 trees out of 12,000 trees on the 560 acres.

What is more, the City Council is the developer of the Callippe Preserve Golf Course and Open Space and that project was approved to save 400 acres from development. The Lins and Charter Properties are proposing to set aside 495 acres for permanent open space. And, this is not good enough. Sell their property hell. Perhaps the council should just ask the Lins straight out to set it all aside for open space and simply write it off as a charitable contribution. That is about what private property ownership is worth to the eco extremists and their plants on the City Council.

 

News Opinion

City should purchase Vervais Park house

The house on Vervais Avenue, which cannot be sold because of zoning snafus, should be purchased by the city so that the owners can get on with their lives. Since the city finds that impossible right now, then the property should be rezoned so that Janice and Gary Duclair can sell as they have planned.

There is simply no excuse for this situation. For the sake of the Duclairs we hope this is not one of those times that “things move a little slowly in Pleasanton.”

Mayor Jennifer Hosterman needs to go to charm school

The motivation of the Lin family regarding their Kottinger Hills property is none of Mayor Jennifer Hosterman’s business. To publicly inquire about it shows very little couth.

She is probably correct that profit is the sole motivation for developing Oak Grove at Kottinger Hills. There is no altruism involved in building multi-million dollar houses. She was also probably only thinking out loud about how much of a bond issue it would take to acquire the 560 acres for a park.

She just has not learned that there is a difference between being an agitator, a candidate, and a counselor and being mayor.

One of her colleagues will have to buttonhole her and let her know that she has been embarrassing and will need to keep her private thoughts private. It will not likely be Counselor Cindy McGovern. She is new to the council and sparred with the mayor in her first meeting. It will also not likely be Counselor Matt Sullivan who has acted similarly when he sat on the Planning Commission and thinks nothing of using the same “bring it all down” rhetoric. So the chore will likely be Counselor Steve Brozosky’s. He has served with Ms. Hosterman for a couple of years. And by all accounts, Mr. Brozosky graduated from council charm school with flying colors. If being odd man out is uncomfortable for Mr. Brozosky, City Manager Nelson Fiahlo will have to deliver the message. That is no small chore since he serves at the pleasure of the mayor and council and this mayor has a little bit of a temper.

Finally, maybe ex-mayor Tom Pico could deliver the message. Mr. Pico, a friend of Ms. Hosterman’s and gentle person, might be successful in delivering the news. Now that Mr. Pico is in the private sector he’d probably want to be paid for consulting. And, why not, several former employees are under consultant contracts with the city.

Between a rock and a hard place

In this day of term limits, it just stinks when politicians extend their terms. It is too bad that the Pleasanton Unified School District must do just that in order to save nearly $100, 000 in election costs. The board voted to move school board elections to even number years to coincide with city, county, and state elections so that costs could be shared by more governmental entities.

Even board members did not like the feel of this plan and were very reluctant to approve it. Their community outreach produced few if any objections to the plan. Gloria Fredette and Pat Kernan are the first to have their terms extended.

Many were looking forward to a spirited debate this fall between Mr. Kernan and Ms. Fredette and fresh faces from two years ago Mark Moses and Michael Jerkovic. It can only be hoped that these kind of qualified candidates will still be around in two years to advance a positive debate for improving our schools.

In the meantime, the stench is no worse than planning schools they cannot build and selling school sites that could be used for schools currently under discussion.

Quick Opinion

Where, oh where will our schoolhouse be built?

A technical high school is a good idea for Pleasanton. Not all of our high school students can perform at the college level. Many, who are not college material, simply take seats from more qualified students. To provide the best possible education for these students vocational- technical schools are the answer. Actors, chefs, computer programmers, and cabinetmakers are held in high esteem or should be.

Several critical questions must be answered before moving forward with this idea. First, where will this school be built? Second, how many students will make the switch to a vo-tech environment. Is there a vo-tech curriculum that meets the needs of the information age? Are there enough qualified teachers for such a vo-tech curriculum?

Guest Opinion

Vanessa Kawaihau is probably correct but she is preaching to the choir. The rest of the city just does not understand her stats


Vanessa Kawaihau writes a well-reasoned letter to the editor in the Tri-Valley Herald, February 10, 2005. The problem is only her neighbors and the bureaucrats understand it.

What she is saying is that the city is duplicitous. It will not ease Ms. Kawaihua’s mind to know that double-dealing in Pleasanton is not new. The house on Vervais Avenue is another current example. But there are plenty of other examples.

The deceit emanates from the City Council and filters all the way down to the planning and building departments through the Planning Commission. The two departments are almost never held accountable—their touchy feely supervision is too agreeable. With a new City Manager, perhaps this will change.

The City Council has had an anti-development mentality for the past 15 years. In the last eight years, the mayor and council have appointed like-minded people to committees, commissions, and task forces and the anti-development stance gets dug in there. Staff members, with a “liberal” education behind them, are also anti development and happily apply their personal agendas to projects that come before them at the counter at City Hall. That is if the developer is from the private sector. If the city is the developer, as is the case of the Callippe Preserve Golf Course and Open Space, then all bets are off.

Ms. Kawaihua, the way to change things is to elect different people to the City Council. The City Manager and the senior department people understand 3 to 2 votes at the council level. We are hoping your letter writing will stir up a higher level of interest in the entire community and not just in Happy Valley.

 

-30-