Council Member Rob Moore’s “informational update” on the Los Gatos housing situation contains several inaccuracies. He downplays his role in the Town’s failure to meet the Housing Element deadline (January 31, 2023), which led to Builder’s Remedy applications.
The LGCA advocated for years for the Town Council to first complete the Housing Element since
1) it would identify the exact number of parcels required to be rezoned to accommodate the RHNA numbers and
2) there was a statutory deadline to accomplish this. There was no statutory deadline to complete the Land Use Element. If the Town missed the deadline to adopt a compliant Housing Element, Town would be subject to the Builder’s Remedy as well as other penalties.
On September 11, the Los Gatan ran a front-page story with the headline – “Swenson reduces
unit count by 262 for formal ‘Residence at Newtown’ application”. The article went on to claim
the changes were “monumental” and included lopping off more than 50 feet of height from a
planned tower complex from their original SB 330 application.
The Finance Commission discussed for over an hour the Staff’s 5 Year Forecast, analyzing the forecast as a whole and carefully listening to the Staff’s presentation and comments. The agenda called for the Finance Commission to make a recommendation to the Town Council to either accept or reject the forecast as presented. The Finance Commission’s role was not to opine on individual assumptions but rather to review and determine whether the Council should rely on the Staff’s work product taken as a whole.
Taxes and Public Spending, Money and Finance, Work Research by SIEPR Senior Fellow Joshua Rauh on U.S. pension plans raises questions about their managers’ financial optimism. February 5, 2024 | Lee Simmons Executive Summary Public sector pensions in the US face a … Continued
Rob, we would be delighted to sit down with you and fully explain our concern. If you didn’t understand our letter, why not reach out directly and ask us for clarification? Wouldn’t that have been the responsible action to have taken as opposed to posting nonsense on NextDoor? How is that helpful to anyone?
More than 20 million Americans are covered by state and local government pensions. Unlike the 401(k) plans found in the private sector, these “defined benefit” plans promise to pay retirees a set amount of money every month for the rest of their lives.
For most public workers, these generous programs are a cornerstone of their financial security; for many, they’re one of the main attractions of government jobs. Yet the plans, by their own reckoning, are underfunded to the tune of $1.6 trillion.
A big thank you is in order to Mayor Badame who provided the leadership over the HE drafting process after a year of the TC allowing Staff to directly control the HE drafting process. By establishing a focused Town Council … Continued
Executive Summary: Debunking Moore’s Claims on Land Use and Housing This document criticizes Los Gatos council members’ Moore’s and Ristow’s handling of land use and housing issues. Here are the key points: 2040 Land Use Element: Ristow and Moore … Continued