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Editorial
Open space district should allow resident to buy trees
A local fight over saving some trees has a rather strange twist: the company that intends on harvesting the wood is apparently in a relatively neutral position between two environmental interests.
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, a public entity dedicated to preserving wilderness, has found itself being cast as the villain by Los Gatos resident Candi Wozniak. If the name rings a bell it's because she was once married to Apple Computer co-founder and Los Gatan Steve Wozniak.
Candi Wozniak is trying to save 45 redwood trees from the chain saws of the Big Creek Lumber Company.
Big Creek owns the timber rights to the trees even though the trees are on land owned by the open space district. Apparently, the district bought the land, but could not afford to purchase the timber rights from Big Creek.
When Wozniak learned that the trees, which border her property, were in danger of getting cut down, she offered to buy 45 of them from Big Creek for $50,000. Big Creek agreed to the offer.
The only thing left was that the open space district needed to approve the arrangement, which seemed like a technicality. Instead, the district nixed the deal.
The denial apparently stemmed from bad blood between the district and Wozniak. The district alleges that Wozniak's llama pasture crosses over onto the district's land. Also, the district says it found that trails made by motorcycles, which are not allowed on the district's open space, originated from Wozniak's property.
The district justified its denial by inferring that Wozniak's actions are selfish, and that based on her past behavior, she's not to be trusted when it comes to environmental concerns.
Wozniak and Big Creek have circumvented the district by basically cutting the same deal a different way. So far, the district hasn't tried to intervene.
If the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District is smart, it will allow the deal to stand and let Wozniak buy the trees.
For one thing, the trees would remain upright, which adheres to the stated goal of the district. Also, if it persists in blocking the deal, the district will probably create a public relations nightmare for itself. The district has learned this lesson in the past when it used eminent domain laws to acquire land.
Wozniak, who described herself as "a frustrated martyr," should tone down the self-serving rhetoric and respect the district's property.
If the trees end up on the back of a logging truck, the loser in the court of public opinion will likely be the district. If it stubbornly attempts to punish Wozniak by mounting a legal challenge, the district should reconsider this strategy, let sleeping dogs lie and let the tall trees stand.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
