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Who has bought and paid for Menlo Park's Zoning Rules?

Original post made by Mary Gilles, Menlo Park: Sharon Heights, on Oct 22, 2014

The admission today by Patty Fry that she and Mike Lanza are not the authors of Measure M is absolutely stunning. This is the ultimate deception perpetuated by the Measure M campaign. Aside from being completely duped into thinking that Fry and Lanza were heroic residents who were going to save Menlo Park from the DSP, a plan that was developed collectively through a thoroughly open and transparent process involving the entire city council, thousands of residents, staff, consultants and commissioners, supporters of Measure M now are faced with the surprising admission that they were mislead and that the Measure M zoning rules for Menlo Park were secretly written by some unknown attorney who was financed by an unknown someone? Who are these people? Where do they live?

Do the residents of Menlo Park care that their city zoning code (Measure M if passed) is being corrupted by some outsiders whose identities remain a secret? Is this how Menlo Park should run their government when someone disagrees with the outcome of open and transparent process? Measure M leaders are dishonest and not acting in the spirit of transparency. The are not to be trusted.

Comments (9)

Posted by Peter Carpenter
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Oct 22, 2014 at 6:27 pm

Peter Carpenter is a registered user.

It turns out the unnamed lawyer works for the Sacramento firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn.

And the reason Save Menlo does not worry about complying with FPPC disclosure requirements is that the Executive Director of the FPPC is Erin Peth who was an attorney with the Sacramento firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn from 2003 to 2007.


Posted by Wow!
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Oct 22, 2014 at 7:17 pm

Boy oh Boy! Peter Carpenter, the Atherton resident, now accusing the FPPC of not doing its duty, because an ex-director of the FPPC, (many years ago), is with the same firm which employes the lawyer that drew up the Initiative.

Sorry Peter, pretty sad... your objections don't hold water, and the FPPC has told you to buzz off.

PS Peter: Why don't you complain about the fact the consultant firm used to draw up the Specific Plan, was at the same time employed by Stanford University on another project. Now here is a real conflict, [portion removed.]

========

Realtor MaryGillis, who appears regularly in support of the DuBoc, Winkler, Boyle, Jellins, etc. crowd (the pro development crowd at any price), writes [portion removed.] above here. Mary [portion removed], the initiative process is part of the State constitution, and the issue involved here is a perfect use of this form of Voter rebellion.

Please vote yes for Measure M.


Posted by Peter Carpenter
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Oct 22, 2014 at 8:16 pm

Peter Carpenter is a registered user.

Why won't Save Menlo identify their lawyer? Who are the lawyer's and the lawyer's firm other clients?

What is Save Menlo hiding?


Posted by morris brown
a resident of Menlo Park: Park Forest
on Oct 22, 2014 at 10:44 pm

The Atherton resident, Peter Carpenter, again and again writes:

Why won't Save Menlo identify their lawyer? Who are the lawyer's and the lawyer's firm other clients?

What is Save Menlo hiding?

Peter: Please see this letter as posted on the Menlo Park Council email log:

Link:

http://ccin.menlopark.org:81/att-8507/C001c_-_SENT_Ltr_to_City_Council_re_Measure_M_conflicts.pdf


SaveMenlo has not been hiding this information. Does this satisfy you?


Posted by Peter Carpenter
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Oct 23, 2014 at 7:26 am

Peter Carpenter is a registered user.

If Keith Wagner from Davis wrote Measure M then what is Save Menlo paying thousands of dollars to the Sacramento firm of Olson, Hagel & Fishburn for?


Posted by more litigation
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Oct 23, 2014 at 11:41 am

Keith Wagner's letter is exactly what we'd expect. Before the election, Wagner will take the stand that, "the city isn’t doing anything wrong yet", but after the election, Wagner describes a situation that is, “ripe for more litigation."

“Until something happens, the process is moving forward,” Wagner said. “The city attorney has a view that something should happen but nothing adverse has happened. So far, the city isn’t doing anything wrong yet.” Web Link

Wagner, though, acknowledged that the conflicting legalities would create a situation that’s “ripe for more litigation." Web Link


Posted by fact checker
a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Oct 30, 2014 at 6:42 pm

Why would anyone think that a group of residents would NOT engage an attorney to write their initiative? Did the pension reform crowd really write their own initiative a couple of years ago, without any legal support?

Gilles rhetoric is out of line. "admission" is not at all the same as "stated", a term that would be more appropriate. As Brown stated, Save Menlo has not hidden the name of its attorney


Posted by fact checker
a resident of Menlo Park: Allied Arts/Stanford Park
on Oct 30, 2014 at 6:44 pm

Why would anyone think that a group of residents would NOT engage an attorney to write their initiative? Did the pension reform crowd really write their own initiative a couple of years ago, without any legal support?

Gilles rhetoric is out of line. "admission" is not at all the same as "stated", a term that would be more appropriate. As Brown stated, Save Menlo has not hidden the name of its attorney

The headline is a telling one -- who paid for Menlo Park's zoning rules. With all the money flowing to council candidates from development interests (more than 50% EACH), one can only wonder.


Posted by Menlo Voter
a resident of Menlo Park: other
on Oct 30, 2014 at 6:49 pm

Menlo Voter is a registered user.

fraud sayer says: "Why would anyone think that a group of residents would NOT engage an attorney to write their initiative?"

No one. But, why would those same people who make a huge issue about "outsiders" commenting on measure m, hire an outsider as an attorney.? Let alone complain about outsiders, all the while taking money from Atherton residents to fund their initiative? Why indeed.


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