Accusation against council rejected

In our March 22 issue, we reported a complaint filed by former council member King Lear with the District Attorney’s office stating that three sitting members of the Los Altos City Council violated the Brown Act. The action claimed that the three conspired prior to the March 14 council meeting to pass a resolution regarding Gay Pride Day.

Our story was incomplete since by press time no evidence was found by the DA’s office to validate the complaint, which was tossed out the next day.

We regret that the story we ran, listing Lear’s accusations against these council members at length, may have left the implication of “guilty until proven innocent.”

Good compromise plan by Pinewood

Pinewood School officials have to be applauded for their compromise on expansion plans that have swayed the majority of surrounding residents and garnered the unanimous vote of the city council.

What a difference from last year’s plan with its strong neighborhood opposition. So why the big turnaround that resulted in the council’s March 14 decision? The turning point was school officials’ agreement to drop plans for building on newly purchased property along Covington Road, which would have allowed for up to 160 students. Residents already resented the fact that Pinewood for years had 125 students at its existing Campbell Avenue campus when city rules allowed only 108. The school also helped mitigate traffic by offering plans for a long driveway paralleling Fremont Avenue that would pull traffic from the street.

Other efforts to win approval included an agreement to provide annual reports on enrollment and traffic reduction plans. Pinewood officials also are considering a separate entrance to the campus for pedestrians and cyclists. The council, in turn, made the 125-student limit legal, which will not add traffic since the neighborhood was living with that many students in the first place.

All and all, this was a good ending to a situation that at one time was creating great divisiveness between the prestigious private school and its neighbors. It just goes to show what a little compromise can accomplish.