Five, six, seven? Numbers continue to fluctuate on planning body
Council will publicize one vacancy on commission
Nachison fate undecided
By Nathan R. Huff
Los Gatos' planning commission has been a ship on rocky seas lately, and the water doesn't appear to be calming anytime soon.
The Town Council majority agreed on June 19 to readvertise the empty seat on the planning commission, despite previous talks of reducing the commission from seven to five members. While an appointment would technically bring the number of commissioners back to seven, only six seats would be filled if commission chairwoman Laura Nachison takes the leave of absence she is contemplating.
The commission is still short a seat after the departure of Sandy Decker, who resigned to run for town council. Two applicants appeared in May following Decker's March resignation, but the council, anxious to shorten commission meetings and the building project backlog, delayed making any appointments while it considered slashing the number of commissioners.
The council, at the urging of commissioners, declined to reduce the commission to five members on May 22, and instead asked the body to speed up the process from within. The majority of commissioners have stated that they do not feel the process is broken, and that the backlog and late meetings are a function of the robust economy and influx of development applications. However, town staff is now compiling a list of possible reforms--among them more meetings, shorter audience speaking times and more study sessions--that the commission will consider.
Nachison's leave of absence would further complicate matters. Council members are faced with the choice of not appointing anyone and effectively creating a temporary five-member commission that would return to six with Nachison's return. If the council does appoint someone as planned, the commission will have six members until Nachison returns.
"I don't think it's that big of a deal," Councilman Jan Hutchins said, explaining he doesn't feel the risk of 3-3 votes by a six-member commission is that serious. "We'll deal with it when and if it happens. [Nachison] is such a wonderful commissioner, I'd like to leave the seat open for her."
Mayor Steve Blanton, who has been the only steady supporter of reducing the commission to five, said the current situation offers an excellent opportunity to test the effectiveness of a five-member group.
"[Having] six on a quasi-permanent basis is the worst of all worlds," Blanton said.
Joe Pirzynski, the only other council member present on June 19, said much of the council's decision hinges on what Nachison decides to do and whether any qualified applicants file to fill the vacancy.
"The council has decided that we will continue to look at seven as the optimal number," Pirzynski said, adding that he thought the issue of 3-3 votes was more a "theoretical than realistic" issue. "If you look back at the number of meetings held with six [commissioners] already, I haven't noticed any real problems finding a majority."
Nachison said she was waiting on the council's reply regarding the length of leave that would be acceptable. Her letter of resignation has not been officially withdrawn, as was previously reported, and Nachison's last meeting could be on June 28, if the council does not make a decision. Nachison believes she will need at least six months to stabilize her new medication.
Vice chairman Paul Bruno, who would take over when and if Nachison resigns or takes a leave of absence, agreed with Pirzynski that the history of planning commission votes shows very few ties or 4-3 votes. However, depending on who was appointed, that could change. "Depending on who the individuals are, you could get 3-3 votes on some issues," Bruno said.
Leaving it at five could be even more problematic though, Bruno said. Unless town codes regarding the number of commissioners are changed to make five the norm, four of the seven seats must be filled to form a quorum, even if there are only five active commissioners. "The town code says seven," Bruno said.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
