Saratoga News

An example of unbridled arrogance

By Jim Shaw

SONIC is deeply concerned about the direction of the Saratoga City Council regarding Measure G. From their comments in the media and at the April 20 Town Hall meeting, the council seems intent on establishing procedures for Measure G that are carefully designed to work as poorly as possible. Now that the council has lost the Measure G election, they are determined to punish Saratogans for going against the wishes of the council.

Specifically, the council intends to place any development application that falls under Measure G on the ballot first, without environmental review or city project review. This will force an unnecessary number of applications to the ballot. It will also mean that residents have to vote on development applications that are not yet defined in terms of project detail or environmental consequences.

Additionally, it means that projects that would have been denied at the Planning Commission or City Council level, and would have never reached the ballot, will now go in front of the voters. SONIC's consistent position has been that Measure G affects general plan changes and zoning changes, and that single-family residential home additions or home remodels that exceed the zoning or general plan limits should be handled through the current variance procedures. Councilmembers spent the last several months telling Saratogans that it would be burdensome to have Measure G apply to home remodel and addition projects, even if it was only the very occasional project that exceeded zoning and general plan guidelines. SONIC agreed that such an interpretation would be burdensome and has emphasized from the outset that the intent of Measure G was not to affect remodels or additions. Now that the council has some choice, they are evidently going to enact the initiative in the manner they said would be most difficult.

Saratoga residents should be aware that at the request of the city, SONIC presented the city staff with suggestions about the two questions discussed above, as well as other major issues in developing procedures for Measure G.

In addition, SONIC made arrangements so that the city could avail itself of consultation from the law firm that wrote Measure G (the same firm that wrote and successfully defended Napa County's Measure J six years ago, and then helped Napa enact the measure). The city staff never so much as discussed our suggestions or the use of the law firm with the City Council. Absolutely no mention was made of SONIC's suggestions during the Town Hall meeting on Measure G. The council insists on discussing the intent of Measure G while excluding from the debate the proponents of the initiative and the law firm that crafted the initiative.

This is really about contempt for the voters and contempt for the elective process. Since the City Council did not get its way, councilmembers are going to make sure that Measure G is administered as badly as possible, so that they can then say "I told you so."

It is reminiscent of the months after the passage of Prop. 13, when many elected and appointed officials suggested they would leave the rest of government intact and cut police and fire services. Saratoga is a small community but this is a big-time example of unbridled arrogance by city officials toward the voters.

Jim Shaw is treasurer of SONIC, which put Measure G on the ballot.