Corruption in Berkeley, CA
Berkeley zoning board member admits flouting city building rules.
The city council in Berkeley, CA spent weeks fighting the marines recruiting office in Berkeley, trying to shut it down. But now when a civil servant is caught in a huge corruption case they play the three monkeys: no see, no hear, no talk.
A Berkeley planning official who also is an aide to a City Council member has admitted to sidestepping the city's strict building and zoning rules while doing work on his home.
Ryan Lau, an aide to Berkeley City Councilman Darryl Moore and who was appointed to the city's influential Zoning Adjustments Board in January, said he stopped construction on his Carleton Street home and is seeking permits for it.
Lau's boss said he should have known better.
"When I heard about this, I was flabbergasted and disappointed," Moore said. "But I know Ryan is a good person and he'll do the right thing and make the situation right. I hope as a young man it's a hard lesson learned."
Lau said he tore down a crumbling garage at the house he bought in April and built a new one and added a room to it.
"I concede I was totally in error by not getting permits ahead of time," Lau said Friday. "I guess I should have had better judgment, and I'm working with the planning department to rectify the situation."
Moore said the city permitting department has a policy of charging double for people who get caught doing construction without permits.
Moore said he's still mulling any disciplinary action he might take against Lau for sidestepping the process.
"I also expect him to do whatever the city requires and that he not get any special treatment," Moore said.
Make me a believer! The city workers laugh at us twice: we pay their salaries, and they cheat on their taxes and fees.
from:
berkeley reporter
city:
Berkeley, California
date uploaded:
3/15/2010 3:32:23 AM
