Senate committee to hear Cordell conflict bill Senate committee to hear Cordell conflict bill (January 09, 2004)

Contracts between Stanford, city still frozen

by Bill D'Agostino

Representatives from the city of Palo Alto and Stanford University will be traveling to Sacramento on Wednesday, on behalf of a bill aimed to cure Councilwoman LaDoris Cordell's conflict of interest dilemma.

Mayor Bern Beecham and Interim City Attorney Wynne Furth will be among those traveling on Jan. 14 to attend a meeting of the state Senate's Local Government Committee.

According to California Government Code 1090, cities cannot enter into agreements with the employers of its council members. As Cordell was running for council last year, Stanford University -- where Cordell works as vice provost -- was thought to be exempt from the law, like other nonprofits. But because Stanford is a nonprofit with a trust it isn't off the hook - something the city discovered after Cordell was elected to the council.

There are other exception to the law that Cordell herself does not meet.

State Sen. Byron Sher, a former Palo Alto mayor, introduced a bill (SB1086) to correct the problem on Jan. 5, the same day Cordell was sworn-in. Sher's proposed change would allow a nonprofit "entity" to be exempt, not merely a nonprofit "corporation."

Senate bills normally require a month after being introduced before they can be voted upon, although if four-fifths of the Senate agrees, that requirement can be waived, Beecham said.

The bill needs a two-thirds vote to pass, and then would go to the Assembly and the governor for final approval. In the meantime, no agreements can be negotiated -- and no current contracts can be altered -- between Stanford and the city. -- Bill D'Agostino

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