Councilwoman Nancy Pyle took a seat on the Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force on Jan. 10 after Mayor Ron Gonzales' unexpectedly announced in a memo just moments before the start of the regular meeting that he had voluntarily removed himself from all city committees. In the memo, Gonzales recommended Pyle fill his position as co-chairman on the task force, which he has led with co-chair and councilman Forrest Williams for the past four years.
The council was scheduled to decide at last week's meeting whether to remove Gonzales from his committee positions as further punishment for his failure to reveal relevant facts in a 2000 garbage contract with NorCal Waste Systems that cost taxpayers an additional $11.25 million to cover labor costs. He was censured last month.
Pyle, who has just finished her first year as representative for District 10, said she was pleased by the council's unanimous decision to follow Gonzales' recommendation and appoint her to the task force.
"The development of Coyote Valley will directly influence District 10 and its residents, so I'm confident that this appointment is good for our district as well as the city," Pyle said.
As co-chairwoman, Pyle will lead the task force in its review of a development plan that includes transforming 7,000 acres of the Coyote Valley into a pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented community with 25,000 homes, 50,000 jobs and 50,000 residents. The specific plan likens the development to a new town within the city with its own schools, parks, a man-made lake and public transit that includes a Caltrain stop. While on the task force, Gonzales pushed to remove city triggers intended to slow the development of housing.
Binders of information on the project have already arrived in the District 10 office, and Pyle plans to meet with city planners in the next couple of weeks to "get caught up to speed," said Pyle's spokesman Lee Wilcox.
As another consequence of the censure vote, Gonzales agreed during the meeting to present his budget message to the council earlier than he normally would.
Council members said they need to take a closer look at Gonzales' responsibilities following his actions with Norcal. Receiving the mayor's budget message earlier would allow for more review time, they said.
Councilwoman Madison Nguyen replaces Gonzales as a board member with the Valley Transportation Authority, which has been working to extend BART to San Jose. Councilwoman Linda LeZotte was named as a committee member of the San Jose/Santa Clara Treatment Plant Advisory Committee, and Councilwoman Judy Chirco will take Gonzales' place on the Habitat Conservation Plan Advisory Group.
Councilman Ken Yeager, who led the charge to have Gonzales step down from his committees, said he was glad to see him agree to the proposal.
"I was surprised, but I was glad," he said. "When I saw [Gonzales'] memo [that named the appointments], I had a sense of relief because it was not going to be a drawn-out discussion."
He said the fact that Pyle and Nguyen are green council members should not be a hindrance.
"Because of term limits, you have turn-over, and we'll lose people on all those committees," Yeager said. "Now is the time to start preparing new council members to be the experts. It's better to happen now than later."
Yeager, who chaired the city's blue ribbon task force on ethics, said the council has to work hard to demonstrate it is serious about having a transparent government.
"There is a cloud over city hall," he said. "All of us have to be much more diligent to have an open government. We restore that confidence by our actions, not just our words." |
