Los Gatos Town Council voted Tuesday to revoke its censure of a planning commissioner after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue the town for violating that commissioner’s First Amendment rights.
The case caught the attention of the Northern California chapter of the ACLU, who threatened in March to sue the town if the censure was not revoked. More than two dozen people spoke during the hours-long meeting Tuesday. Speakers got rowdy, and Ristow had to ask residents to stop applauding or speaking out of turn several times.
The council also voted to hire outside counsel to probe all its planning commissioners and councilmembers for potential conflicts of interest or biases after Councilmember Matthew Hudes voiced concerns about Clark’s role as assistant manager of advocacy and public policy at West Valley Community Services overlapping with her role on the planning commission. WVCS provides food, housing and support services to low-income and homeless people in South Bay communities including Los Gatos.