BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT
Daily Post Staff Writer

A majority of Palo Alto City Council voted tonight (Sept. 9) to keep a report secret on a former planning commissioner who was accused of trying to get special treatment from a tow yard.

The same four council members who reappointed Commissioner Forest Olaf Peterson decided to keep the report secret. They are Vicki Veenker, Greer Stone, George Lu and Julie Lythcott-Haims.

Councilmen Pat Burt, Ed Lauing and Keith Reckdahl wanted to release the report while redacting the names of those who were interviewed by an investigator.

“This is about the credibility of this council,” Burt said, calling out the majority for an “ethical lapse.”

The majority said they were worried about protecting the identities of witnesses who were promised confidentiality, and the report is moot because Peterson resigned last month.

“We’re fighting over something that would be hard to redact, could chill future whistleblowing, breaks our word to witnesses who participated and honestly isn’t all that useful in the first place,” Veenker said.

The report looks at Peterson’s actions after his daughter’s 1994 Ford Mustang was impounded by police because of a DMV registration issue on Jan. 6. 

At the tow yard, Peterson allegedly tried to get a discount, suggested that he could “change the rules” and said he had police friends who would agree with him.

“His repeated invocation of his role appeared intended to influence the outcome of a private commercial matter in his favor,” the tow yard owner said in a complaint to City Manager Ed Shikada. 

Shikada hired an attorney for up to $50,000 to investigate the complaint on March 9. The report ended up costing $15,334 and was sent to council on April 7.

Council voted 4-3 to reappoint Peterson to the Planning and Transportation Commission on April 13.

The city released the original complaint, but not the full report, on July 9. 

Peterson resigned on Aug. 9, the day before council was scheduled to consider removing him.

Veenker said she supported Peterson because the city didn’t get video from the tow yard that he said would exonerate him, and the tow yard owner didn’t sit down for an interview after sending in the complaint.

“The investigation was thin and one-sided,” Lythcott-Haims said.

Lauing said residents should see the report so they can decide for themselves. Reckdahl said it looks like the city is trying to hide something.

Burt went a step further and said Peterson’s actions were the most serious abuse of position he’s seen, and the majority’s vote was “shocking.” Burt pointed out Peterson is president of the Silicon Valley Working Blue Democratic Club, which carries significant weight in local politics.

“This is not just about whether Mr. Peterson had an ethical or legal lapse,” he said. “What was the ethical lapse of the majority of this council?”