A few weeks back, the Pit Saga of the last several years finally wrapped up completely. I spent a month putting together a documentary about the craziness induced into our lives by a County Planning Department that somehow manages to act both maliciously and ineptly at the same time–all over a giant pit created by the guy who built our house back in the 1960s.
Here’s the video:
The six-plus-year saga spent dealing with the Santa Clara County Department of Planning–as we tried to fill a giant hole created by the original owner of our property almost 60 years ago–took many unexpected twists and turns, which included in no particular order:
-Being ghosted by the Santa Clara County Department of Planning on several occasions;
-Numerous incidents of ineptitude on the part of that same department;
-Possible retaliation, in the form of deliberately-imposed delays, that caused this saga to drag on far longer than it should have;
-Being threatened by a member of County staff in front of witnesses.
01:12 The History of the Pit; 08:45 Trying to Fill the Pit; 14:32 The Bureaucratic Maze that is County Planning; 32:21 The Saga Continues; 46:25 What Came to Light: Budgets, Staffing, Salaries and a Dirty Cop
Outside sources cited:
-Savannah-Chanelle Vineyards and the Institute for Justice: https://ij.org/case/santa-clara-fines/
-News Article: County Planning Backlog Issues Raise Local Concerns: https://losgatan.com/memo-county-plan…
-News Article: Resident Fights to Keep Home After County Permit Issues: https://losgatan.com/resident-who-unc…
-News Article: CZU Insurance Access Blocked Before Two-Year Deadline: https://losgatan.com/county-blocked-h…
-News Article: Farmers Insurance Extends CZU Claim Deadline for Resident: https://losgatan.com/farmers-insuranc…
-News Article: Homeowner Reports County Counsel for Elder Abuse: https://losgatan.com/homeowner-report…
-News Article: Gatos Gardens Legal Fight Fuels The Hill, The Fury: https://losgatan.com/the-hill-the-fury/
-Public Records: https://www.susanjbassi.com/public-re…
-Felony Criminal Indictment of Peace Officer Tyson Green: Santa Clara County: https://www.documentcloud.org/documen…
-Change.org Petition: https://www.change.org/p/stop-santa-c…
-ABC News Coverage of Arrest: https://abc7news.com/post/santa-clara…