Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Editorials

Who represents the voice of the people?

A handful of residents, bolstered by a strong presence from the town's auto dealerships, came to a May 28 public hearing intent on sinking a long-in-the-works plan for improvements along Los Gatos Boulevard.

Several hundred people participated in the Michael Freedman forum, the design charrette and followup meeting more than 18 months ago. The result was a Planning Department publication: A Vision for Los Gatos Boulevard.

Since then, the General Plan Committee and the Architectural Standards Committee have developed specific guidelines to implement the vision.

So where were all the boulevard enthusiasts May 28? Our guess is they figured--as the town planners clearly did--that those who attended would primarily work on fine-tuning a plan that has been highly visible for more than a year.

Town planners are now faced with a wrenching dilemma. Were "the people" speaking on May 28? Or did those 200-plus people who participated in the design process really represent the voice of the people?

One thing's for sure: The auto dealers fully intend that their voices be heeded above all others. In the preface to his comments blasting the idea of bike lanes and a pedestrian-friendly boulevard, Jim McHugh asked what percentage of the town's sales tax comes from auto dealers.

The answer is a lot. The message was clear.

Another wrenching decision: Planners must now decide whether to trust their own judgment and the ideas that have evolved with much community participation.

Or do they agree that might makes right, and toss out nearly two years of community effort to create a vision for the boulevard?

It's unfortunate that the auto dealers chose not to communicate their concerns much earlier. It would have made a lot more sense for planners to have those important issues as one of the givens all these months.

It would be a travesty and a slap in the face to the community to simply toss all the work that's been done to date.

Now that the cards are all on the table, let's find a way to keep the vision and make it work for everyone.

Tough decisions

The Town Council did what it had to do last week. Armed with a staff-prepared budget and testimony from a packed house at the council chambers, the five councilmembers made some tough decisions. And in doing so, they carried out the will of the people.

The town had warned that, without passage of the utility-users' tax, services would have to be cut.

Leaders of the Measure C opposition, meanwhile, painted the utility tax vote as a referendum on the council itself. And when the measure was defeated, they insisted that the outcome proved people had lost confidence in the council.

What the outcome of the vote proved was that given the choice between paying more taxes or putting up with less service, the people would rather do with less service.

The council will finalize the budget June 17. It's tight, and in some cases, it may even seem cruel. But it is the will of the people.