Courtesy Sunnyvale Councilmember Pat Meyering
Voters in Sunnyvale were sent a Sample Ballot & Voter Information Pamphlet by the County Registrar.
On Page 44, there is a half-page Impartial Analysis of Measure M. It says the Proposed Changes of Measure M affect “Leases in excess of 55 years . . .”
None of the leases at the Sunnyvale Office Center have a duration of more than a few years.
Jim Griffith voted several times over public opposition to sell a portion of Raynor Park. Jim voted over public opposition to allow the new owner to exclude Sunnyvale residents from use of the remaining “public park” space when the new owner wanted to conduct activities on the “public” park land.
Measure M, the Public Land for Public Use Act, requires such city council decisions to be approved by a simple majority of voters. Santa Clara + Milpitas are seeking approval by two-thirds of voters.
At the October 4th city council meeting Jim and the City Attorney disagreed with each other. Everyone should watch the video. The Attorney stated that there was no guarantee that passage of Measure M would lead to an increase in litigation. This statement undercuts Jim’s assertions about additional legal fees in regard to Measure M.
At the October 4th city council meeting the City Attorney also discussed a court ruling in a case involving the City of Anaheim, California. The court held that the intent of the writers of the measure is given weight. Everyone should watch the video of the council meeting.
The City Attorney did not say there is no distinction between a lease and a use permit. Measure M explicitly identifies a minimum lease length of in excess of 55 years. None of the leases at the Sunnyvale Office Center have a duration of more than a few years. None of the space at the Sunnyvale Office Center is open to the public. No lease of offices in the building requires a vote.
Anyone can see the Sample Ballot & Voter Information Pamphlet produced by the County Registrar by going to:
https://eservices.sccgov.org/Rov/
After you enter your street address + zip code you can go to a pdf of the pamphlet.
The Impartial Analysis of Measure M states it affects:
“ • Leases in excess of 55 years affecting Public Park or Community Service Amenity land owned, held or controlled by the City.”
Jim’s assertions about Measure M are inconsistent with the facts. Similarly, Jim told residents at a Sunnyvale city council meeting in 2013 that the final city report on selling a portion of Raynor Park would be available 2 weeks before the Dec. 3, 2013 council vote on the sale.
That didn’t happen. The report was only available a few days before the vote. Residents complained at the Dec. 3, 2013 council meeting that what Jim said did not turn out to be true. Jim said since he makes the rules, he can change the rules. Everyone should watch the video of that city council meeting.
Measure M will not result in any additional votes because the council majority knows future sales of park land will be defeated at the polls.
Gustav Larrson’s assertions omit the context which produced Measure M. Gustav voted over significant public opposition to proceed with an expired contract to finalize the sale of 3.5 acres of prime land in Raynor Park. Gustav voted over significant public opposition to allow the new owner to exclude Sunnyvale residents from using the remaining portion of “public park” space when the new owner wants to conduct activities on the “public” park land.
The cost of Gustav’s vote is the loss of rare park land in a heavily populated neighborhood. Gustav has repeatedly voted to put further demand on Sunnyvale’s limited remaining park land. He voted to grant deviations from Sunnyvale’s written Building plan to allow developers to build high-density apartment towers. Gustav solicited and took money from those same developers.
Watch how Gustav votes in 6 weeks, at the 7 p.m. city council meeting on Tues. December 13, 2016. A developer, called De Anza Properties, wants land on Wolfe Rd., at the intersection of Fremont Av. [about 5 blocks from the remnants of Raynor Park] rezoned. That land currently has 2 single family residences. The developer wants special permission to tear down the 2 houses and build 138 residential units on that exact same land. According to records in the Sunnyvale City Clerk’s Office, Gustav has solicited and taken $3,000 from that developer – De Anza Properties.
That data is available online at:
http://static.netfile.com/agency/cos/
and
http://specialinterestwatch.org/
Pat Meyering
VOTE Seat 5: PAT MEYERING Reelect for Sunnyvale City Council
VOTE YES on Sunnyvale Measure M
eyesunnyvale.com 