By Brian Anderson
Valley Times

Feb. 26, 2000

PLEASANTON — Opponents and supporters of a proposed $50 million bond measure squared off at a forum Thursday, where some called the Bernal property a field of dreams while others said Measure I -- which would raise money to buy it -- is a financial farce.

The 11/2-hour televised debate centered on a 502-acre swath of property straddling Interstate 680 south of Bernal Avenue. Voters will be asked March 7 whether they want Pleasanton to buy the land from San Francisco as part of a complex deal.

"Obviously, this community desires open space," said bond measure supporter Keith Wardin during the forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters. "This is the last open space that we have. In time, there will be no opportunity for extensive open space."

But Gerry Brunken, who opposes the measure, said the land would not necessarily be preserved as open space.

"With Measure I, I really don't know what I'm going to get, except an initial bill for $50 million," Brunken said. "I don't know how this is going to work."

San Francisco, which has owned the property since the 1930s, wanted to build 1,900 houses, a golf course, parks and a commercial center on the land. Officials from that city agreed to sell the land to Pleasanton for $100 million -- half of which would come from the bond sale and the other half from the sale of 72 acres of prime commercial land back to San Francisco.

The deal would leave Pleasanton with 430 acres that a task force said could be used for a fire station, cemetery, community center or fourth high school.

The bond measure would increase property taxes about $40 a year for every $100,000 in assessed property value. Over 30 years, the price tag for the average property owner is closer to $30 a year, according to Pleasanton projections.

That's a small price to pay, supporters said at Thursday's forum, attended by about 40 people.

"The price is right for this property," said Pleasanton Mayor Ben Tarver. "This is minor in terms of the amount of money we're spending overall to accommodate growth."

As opponents took jabs at buying the land and uncertainties surrounding its use, they focused on city staff's role in assembling and presenting the bond proposal.

Dennis Beougher, a former Pleasanton assistant city attorney, said the perception exists that city staff downplayed drawbacks of the land purchase and zeroed in only on its merits, at the direction of the City Council.

"It is the perception that their jobs are dependent upon getting the approval for City Council," Beougher said, referring to a city-prepared document answering Bernal property questions of Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce officials.

The issue boils down to control, supporters argued. If the bond measure passes, Pleasanton will control the Bernal property. If voters defeat Measure I, San Francisco could go ahead with development plans, leaving Pleasanton out of the loop, Tarver said.

"Instead of trying to ... dig ourselves out of holes and traffic congestion and overcrowded schools and water shortages, we can invest our money in buying the property so the demands for those services don't exist," Tarver said. "This is a case where every Pleasanton voter has to make a decision of what the future of Pleasanton should be."

The taped forum will be broadcast on Channel 29 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday.