Bud Lortz, director of community development, asked the Los Gatos Town Council to consider streamlining the development review process for a replacement facility at 15200 Los Gatos Blvd. The luxury car dealership exploded due to an apparent gas leak Jan. 7, seriously injuring two plumbers who were working inside. The building, a former Flames restaurant, was rendered unusable.

The urgency ordinance will allow the town's development review committee to approve a replacement facility, given that it meets specific criteria. The planning commission would normally approve such a facility.

Lortz presented two options for the council if it decided that the approval process should be expedited. The first was the ordinance, the other a resolution that would still require planning commission approval but direct the body to review and act on building applications "as expeditiously as possible," taking no more than two meetings to reach a decision.

The council voted unanimously to adopt the urgency ordinance, which required a finding that there was a current and immediate threat to public health, safety or welfare. That finding was made based on the town's belief that the Auto Mall generates critical sales tax revenue to Los Gatos—revenue it would lose if the owners decided to rebuild in a different city.

Mayor Mike Wasserman said he felt the situation warranted speedy review because it was unique. Most other applicants, he said, are prepared for a longer review process.

"This business, these people, their lives were instantaneously changed," Wasserman said.

Councilwoman Barbara Spector said she was especially comfortable with the decision because the application would still need to meet specific criteria about building size, height, location, use and architectural standards. In addition, it would be the first application subject to the town's draft commercial design guidelines, which were reviewed by the development review committee Jan. 12.

Animal trap code

The council also voted 5-0 to repeal a section of town code that prohibited the use of body-gripping animal traps. The code section received attention last summer when coyotes were sighted in several Los Gatos neighborhoods and pets were reported missing or killed.

Santa Clara County Vector Control District representatives said they would not trap any coyotes because of the town code. The town council voted Sept. 2 to notify vector control that the ban did not supercede a section of the California Fish and Game code allowing government employees to use padded-jaw traps when there is a human health or safety risk.

Town Attorney Orry Korb proposed an ordinance repealing the trap ban because he said that it was redundant with the state code and in fact slowed down vector control's ability to respond to a safety risk last year.

Mary Paglieri of Little Blue Society, an organization that attempts to resolve human-animal conflicts, spoke to the council. She said that trapping is not the best way to deal with a coyote problem, and that a public education campaign and habitat changes should be implemented instead.

"These are proven, more effective methods," she said.

Two other women, both members of the county animal advisory commission, spoke to the council advocating the same response.

But council members explained that they were not making any decisions about how to deal with coyotes, but rather eliminating any stumbling blocks to dealing with them in emergencies.

Councilman Joe Pirzynski objected to one statement by county commission member and Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley Director Janet Alexander that Los Gatos was advocating the killing of coyotes.

"For us to sit hear tonight and hear that is very difficult," he said. "We will never take the 'kill first and ask questions later' approach."

End of Haunted Forest

In another unanimous vote, the town ended its association with the Haunted Forest event that began in 1995. The Halloween event took place at Oak Meadow Park and was started as a Los Gatos Police Foundation fundraiser.

Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Capt. Dave Gravel told the council that by 2003, the event actually required unpaid town staff time valued at $30,000 and earned only about $5,000 for the foundation. At one point, the event raised as much as $35,000.

The town did not officially sponsor the event last year, Gravel said. A private vendor took over its operation but still used the foundation-owned props and storage facilities. Town staff and members of the public noticed that the event had diminished in quality, and some visitors apparently thought it was still sponsored by the town.

Though 20 percent of the 2004 proceeds is slated to be given to the police foundation, that amount is only $2,600.

Pirzynski said he had been involved with the event at its inception, and that he observed the same problems.

"I think, as Capt. Gravel indicated, it has run its course," he said.