Like most of you we received a colorful mailer today explaining that we could have a great future together if we simply voted out our town council, rescinded all the recommendations of our housing committee, and elected some other set of people who would apparently care more about our town than the people we have already elected and spend hundreds of non-paid hours caring about our town.
This was confusing to me, as I hold the people who serve our town in high regard, and think they do a really good job. They have a really-tough challenge balancing all the nuances of state mandates, our general plan, and apparently random incoming fire from people who want to turn a couple tweets into a crime.
The mailer is short on names (none) and accurate information (little). For starters, the actual name of the PAC is “OUR FUTURE TOGETHER PAC OPPOSING HUGHES, DERWIN, AND RICHARDS FOR TOWN COUNCIL 2022.” Just to make sure everyone has their “cards on the table” this isn’t a group designed to help fix PV. It is in place to defeat our current town council (and based on its website, that includes using any number of misleading quotes).
PS The mailer says “our neighbors,” but I asked all of ours and none of them knew anything about it. The only names I could find on the filings are Bruce Roberts and Ellen Vernazza.
I’m all for considered discussion of our alternatives as a town. We do, indeed, need to decide on how to plan for around 300 new housing units in Portola Valley over the next 8 years. A large number need to be (and arguably should be) available to people who otherwise couldn’t afford to live here.
Let’s have that discussion. Out in the open and with our cards on the table. — Dave Cardinal