Stan Bogosian










Two council seats, moratorium measure on November's ballot

By Kara Chalmers

While neither city council member has ruled out the possibility, Stan Bogosian and Ann Waltonsmith both say they have yet to decide if they will run for council again.

There will be two open positions on the Saratoga City Council for the Nov. 7 general election. As of yet, no new names have emerged as contenders for the seats.

Mayor Stan Bogosian's term ends in November, but he said he is not sure he will run for reelection.

"I am still weighing those options, there are a lot of things left to do on the agenda for the city," he said. "But I have to balance those against my family and personal commitments and business commitments."

Bogosian is a part-time instructor for ACCTS, a consortium of community colleges for traffic safety in Santa Clara County. He also runs his family's timber business in Washington.

When Saratoga Mayor Jim Shaw died last August, the council appointed Waltonsmith to finish his term, which, like Bogosian's, ends in November.

Ann Waltonsmith is a full-time clinical psychologist. She has a private practice and also works with a local branch of a national HMO. She said that before she decides whether to run, she has to be sure she can be available for her family, a member of which might have surgery next year, she said.

"Saratoga gets a lot out of all of its volunteers," Waltonsmith said. "Now that I have been doing this, I certainly appreciate all the time and energy that volunteers give to Saratoga."

Also on Nov. 7, citizens will vote on a ballot measure, which, if passed, would extend the current moratorium on residential development of commercially zoned land in the city to March 15, 2002. Less than 1.6 percent of Saratoga's land area is designated for commercial development. According to the city's General Plan, residential development is allowed on commercial areas only if the city's planning commission approves a conditional-use permit for the developer.

At present, the moratorium prohibits any residential development on lands zoned as retail commercial, professional administrative, gateway landscaping or planned development. The moratorium, which was approved by the council as an urgency measure on March 15, will expire on Dec. 31, 2000 if it is voted down in November.

Ann Waltonsmith










According to council members and citizens who support the moratorium, the current economy makes it more lucrative for developers to build houses rather than develop commercial spaces in Saratoga. Supporters say they are afraid the city may end up being a true "bedroom community" in the future, with very few shopping centers or office buildings, if more residential development of commercial land is allowed.

Opponents of the measure, including councilman Nick Streit, the only council member to vote against adopting the interim ordinance and placing the measure on November's ballot, say that the moratorium is an extreme measure that does not relieve the city's real problems concerning business districts. Economic viability of the city's commercial areas should be enhanced through other means than a moratorium, opponents say.

On June 21, the city council passed resolutions calling the general municipal election for Nov. 7 and placing the measure on the ballot. Again, Streit voted against placing the measure on the ballot, saying that he does not see the urgent need for a moratorium.

Citizens interested in running for a council seat can formally file beginning July 17. The filing period ends Aug. 11.

If Waltonsmith or Bogosian fail to file for candidacy by Aug. 11, the deadline for filing or nominating will be extended to Aug. 16.

According to a spokesperson in the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters office, optional candidate statements cost candidates about $400. The fee covers handling, printing and translating the statement into English or Spanish.

Any voter or group of voters can file a written argument for or against any ballot measure with the City Clerk's office no later than Aug. 1, according to the California Election Code. Arguments may not exceed 300 words. Rebuttals to arguments may not exceed 250 words and must be filed no later than Aug. 7. One council member will draft a ballot argument in support of the moratorium measure, according to Bogosian.

The name or names of the voters who submitted them must accompany all arguments and rebuttals. If voters submit more than one argument for the measure or more than one argument against it, the City Clerk will pick one for each side. No more than five signatures are allowed per argument.

The 10-day-review period for public inspection of arguments is Aug. 2 to 15, and the review period for inspection of rebuttals is Aug. 8 to 21.

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