Expecting harsh criticism for their firing of San Benito County
Planning Director Rob Mendiola last week, the Board of Supervisors
instead received praise for their decision from the few people who
spoke about the issue at packed meeting in the board’s chambers
yesterday.
Hollister – Expecting harsh criticism for their firing of San Benito County Planning Director Rob Mendiola last week, the Board of Supervisors instead received praise for their decision from the few people who spoke about the issue at packed meeting in the board’s chambers yesterday.
Meanwhile, supervisors added conviction to their action by announcing the hiring of an interim planning director to replace Mendiola.
Before the board began its public comment session at the beginning of the meeting, however, Board Chairman Reb Monaco indicated they anticipated a verbal assault from angry residents by telling the large audience, “We’d appreciate it if you’d avoid personal attacks on the board of supervisors or county staff.”
But the statement may have been unnecessary, as the only complaint about Mendiola’s termination came in the form of a calm request for the board’s reconsideration, four area residents actually voiced their appreciation and support for the board’s May 3 decision to release Mendiola, and Acting County Administrative Officer Susan Lyons’ announcement of the hiring of an interim planning director was met with little reaction from the crowd.
One of the Mendiola supporters in the audience – and the only one who spoke yesterday – was Linda Roma, an agricultural commissioner’s office employee who said she’d worked with the former planning director for years and had never seen him display any behavior that would warrant termination.
“I feel that his family name has been slandered,” Roma said. “Rob is a very trusting, honest man. I just think that he didn’t get a fair shake.”
But the predominant message during Tuesday’s public comment was one of gratitude to the supervisors for firing the long-time planning director.
“I’d like to thank you all for starting the clean-up of the planning department,” said real-estate agent Bernadette Abramson, who added after her 20 years in the business she’d been frustrated with the way “some of us (real-estate agents) are treated one way while others are treated another way” when it comes to dealing with properties in the county’s sphere of influence.
Hollister resident Jose Rodriguez also told the board he supported its decision to fire Mendiola.
“I am one of the ones who has been through the trauma of dealing with the planning department over the years,” he told the supervisors.
And Robert Rodriguez said he hoped after the supervisors fired Mendiola, county residents would “start looking at the County Board with respect rather than as something that’s against them.”
Yesterday’s meeting also brought the announcement the board had found a new interim planning director just one week after asking Mendiola to leave the at-will position he held for more than 20 years.
Lyons read the audience a press release announcing she had hired Michael Bethke, a Santa Cruz-area resident who has served as the planning director for the cities of Half Moon Bay and East Palo Alto, to fill Mendiola’s position until the county finds a permanent replacement.
“Mr. Bethke… has indicated he will place a priority on ‘rolling up his sleeves and helping with the work to be done’ and also putting in place the procedures and training necessary to earn the trust of all the residents of San Benito County,'” Lyons read.
Bethke will take office May 16.
Mendiola’s attorney, San Jose labor lawyer Phillip Griego, who last week would only tell the Free Lance “the book is not closed” on his client’s employment with the county, said Tuesday he had heard Mendiola had already been replaced, but had no comment.
Now that the board has released Mendiola, whom many considered one of the last proponents of slow growth in San Benito County government, the future may hold revisitations of controversial planning department issues such as the county’s one percent annual growth-cap.
While Monaco said Tuesday the board members have not discussed revoking the county’s 1 percent growth-cap or any other growth policies, several supervisors said they were aware there might be some pressure review the county’s growth ordinances.
“We need to be aggressive, we need to fuel our economy, we need to fuel our tax base,” said Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz. “That means we need to evaluate the one percent growth, we need to evaluate our workforce, we need to evaluate our retail businesses. We need to make sure we have smart growth, not out-of-control growth. I think the first thing we need to do is figure out what do we have in terms of infrastructure. We need to know that what we have is adequate (to support more growth).”
Supervisor Anthony Botelho agreed.
“As far as I’m concerned, I’m more concerned with the efficient management of the planning department,” he said. “I think the one percent growth cap has a lot more to do with other intangibles, like infrastructure.”
And Monaco said he also wasn’t predicting any radical decisions any time soon.
“I don’t see anything changing right away at all,” he said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
