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Published on 10/06/1999 All articles from this issue

LAH council bowed to political pressure

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Editorial

Just when we thought the Los Altos Hills City Council seemed ready to turn the corner, along comes new planning commissioner Charles Wong and a new controversy that has left egg on the faces of councilmembers.

To our knowledge and despite the best of his intentions, Wong still has not fully met all town regulations with regard to his own property. Yet, as a commissioner, he sits in judgment of others to make sure they meet theirs.

This double standard seems to be lost on Wong supporters. They staged a huge lobbying effort at the Sept. 2 council meeting to keep Wong on the commission, an effort that was successful by its intimidation of those with honest questions.

This, above all else, is what bothers us about the situation. The council allowed the Wong saga to reach the public stage, where it became a political issue. Now, instead of looking at the facts of Wong's permit history, the council became concerned with image. How would they look if they bounced a commissioner in front of his family, friends and neighbors?

This is not to say Wong could not become an effective commissioner. We applaud his willingness to serve his community in such a challenging role. But better he settle his permit issues first before assuming a commissioner's role. He stated he did not intentionally violate town rules. We believe him, but as our mothers often told us, "Ignorance is no excuse."

Sadly, the council showed no backbone. So what happens from here will be up to Wong himself. We understand he has taken steps in the right direction. We hope he will move quickly to bring his property into complete compliance with town planning regulations.