--Jocelyn Dong
Election over land-swap?
The Palo Alto City Council will be caught between a costly election and a potential lawsuit over a small piece of land and a seemingly small problem on Monday night.
A few years ago, the school district accidentally placed a few portable buildings from Walter Hays Elementary School slightly over the boundary of city-owned Rinconada Park. The gaffe was discovered in 1998, but it's unknown when it occurred, according to the city.
After years of asking for exemptions, the school district said it wanted the land permanently, because moving the not-so-portable portables was a cost it didn't want to bear in these bleak financial times. The district agreed to give up some equivalently sized land to make up for the park's lost .193 acres.
But a few long-time members of the community argue that a 1965 voter-approved amendment to the city's charter forbids such a swap, and have threatened a lawsuit if the two sides go ahead with the swap.
In November, the city's Parks and Recreation Commission recommended the city ask the public, via an election, whether it wants to give the council the ability to forever swap such minor portions of parkland. Such an election would cost $100,000 if done in November, 2005. The district has offered to pay half if the election is done in that year. If the ballot measure failed, the city could force the district to remove the portables.
That 1965 charter amendment was passed to make it next to impossible for the city to give up any of its parkland. Some argue it's one of the reasons the city has so much green space despite the high cost of land.
--Bill D'Agostino
City, firefighters reach accord
Negoiators with the City of Palo Alto and its firefighter's union have reached a tentative agreement on the terms of a new, two-year contract, both sides reported Tuesday.
"It's been very productive negotiations," said Tony Spitaleri, president of the Palo Alto Firefighters, Local 1319
"A tentative agreement has been reached," City Manager Frank Benest said.
The union membership, numbering about 120, now has to vote to ratify the contract. By union by-laws, that vote must be open for 10 days, Spitaleri said. Neither the union nor the city would reveal details of the negotiations. --Bill D'Agostino
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