By Clarence Cromwell
Support seems to be growing for a less restrictive historic-preservation ordinance in Monte Sereno, but the council vote promises to be close.
As Monte Sereno's five councilmembers considered gutting the city's heritage-preservation ordinance at a Jan. 28 special session, councilmember Suzanne Jackson joined the two newest councilmembers in supporting the proposal to make historic-preservation laws voluntary.
"Voluntary [compliance] is extremely important," Jackson said.
New councilmember Joel Gambord--who proposed the new policy--plans to sit out of the final decision, if the statewide authority on political scruples rules his vote a conflict of interest. Gambord's home--the John Steinbeck house--was added to the historic homes inventory because of its famous former occupant, and the new ordinance might lift current restrictions on the house. After stumping his own lawyers, Gambord asked the state's Fair Political Practices Commission whether he can vote on the contract without a conflict. The commission hasn't answered yet.
In the meantime, Gambord learned that it's acceptable to attend public hearings on the issue, he said. He was conspicuously silent at last week's meeting.If the FPPC tells Gambord not to vote, the reformers could lose their majority, leaving the council split 2-2. Gambord is backed by his soft-spoken compatriot Gordon Knight and councilmember Suzanne Jackson. Councilmember Dorothea Bamford remains the anchorperson among those pulling for status quo historical preservation.
Mayor Jack Lucas is another wild card: He's been wobbling on the fence since November.
Lucas has said only that he's willing to hear Gambord out on the issue; at last week's meeting, he commented that the town may need a process to let homeowners appeal their placement on the historical inventory.
"I think a homeowner is entitled to the right of appeal," Lucas said.
The rewritten version of the historical ordinance presented last week didn't even pass muster with those who want to reform the preservation code.
Bamford and Jackson want to keep an explanation of the point scale for rating houses, something omitted in the new version of the ordinance. The existing law tells historic committee members when they may rate a house a 10 and when they must give zeros.
All the councilmembers want to emphasize laws and programs that favor historic-property owners, including the Mills Act, a 1976 state law that gives a tax break for those who preserve historic property, they said. The city needs to let people know what's in it for them, Lucas said.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, February 5, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.