Sunday afternoon at Del Mar Woods was a hoot! (Or route, depending on your point of view.) Henry Abarbanel met his Waterloo in the person of citizen Gary Gevisser, 101 11^th Street. Abarbanel blithely ignored a question by Gevisser, who told him, “you work for us, Mr. Council Member…answer my question, please.” A dark look came over Abarbanel’s face but he ignored the request and went on with his agenda:

He’s telling people that the school district wants to cash out the Shores school site and the city has to buy the site and develop it with a joint-use with the school for city offices, to avoid having it commercially developed. Abarbanel said he doesn’t know of any purchasers waiting in the wings. With its Public Facilities zoning and the city’s planning and design process, there’s no reason to think that anyone can do anything on the property more intensive than what’s there now. He implied that a future Council might change that. When I suggested a citizens’ initiative requiring a 2/3 vote before any change would prevent that, he couldn’t disagree. Notwithstanding these holes in his theory, he persisted with his agenda, which is that there’s a danger and we must buy the school before someone else does. He ignored the larger issue of the importance of the school as a school to the community both today and in the future. He also ignores questions about what happens to the city hall site after offices are moved to the school.

Abarbanel said the value of the site is $5-$6 million, based on an appraisal the city hired. He says the school district’s consultant appraised it at $15 to $20 million based on commercial use even though the zoning doesn’t allow such uses. He said he expects the city will offer $12 to $13 million. This implies that the school district won’t sell at the actual market value of $5 million value based on current zoning. Why would the city want to pay twice the appraised value? Someone else asks Abarbanel where the city gets $13 million. Abarbanel says the General Fund and “maybe Irwin Jacobs”, and a bond issue that would cost each taxpayer about $500 per year. John Haraden asked if the city could issue bonds while there is still a large unfunded liability of several million to repair the Torrey Pines Road bridge. Abarbanel says that Caltrans may have a change of heart.

Gevisser says, “Too bad. Proposition N, the tax you tried to put over last year, would have helped.” Abarbanel shoots back, “no one knows how I voted on the property transfer tax, it was a secret ballot!” Gevisser says, “not so, Council Member, you voted to put the tax measure on the ballot. You and your friends on the Council said that we needed the tax measure to cover a deficit. You urged us to vote for it.”

I wanted to get back to the subject. I said I am concerned that, as a joint developer of the property, the city would not defend planning codes that are in place to protect the neighborhood. Abarbanel leaped from his chair and lunged at me, coming to rest in a half crouch not far from my chair, straining to sustain the noticeable girth of his belly. His face beet red, he shook his finger at me and screamed, “Michael, shut up! I’ve had it with you!” There was a moment of silence. A look of confusion crossed Abarbanel’s face as he realized that Gevisser was saying, “Now we see your true colors, don’t we, Council Member?” Abarbanel backed toward his chair at the front of the room. Gevisser said, “that’s right, sit down, take a deep breath. I’m impressed, Council Member. I didn’t think you had the physical agility to move that quickly, as grossly out of shape as you are.”

This assessment seemed to offend the sensitivity of the group of about 16 older people, eliciting groans of protest. Harry Friedman and Ralph Reisner told Gevisser he had to leave. Gevisser said that it was Abarbanel who had jumped out of his chair—and he screamed at me, not him. An older fellow, looked to be in his 80s, approached him, holding an empty beer bottle by its neck. It was ironically comical to see this old fellow confronting the athletically fit younger man as he walked out.

I personally favor more structured debates but this was more interesting than I’d imagined a Sunday afternoon meeting with a group of older citizens in Del Mar Woods about the city’s plan for a new city hall, for which it is willing to give up the defense of a unique and precious school. Abarbanel began again to guide the agenda leading to his plan to give people a choice between a) selling the school to a [phantom] commercial developer vs. b) having the city purchase (but not describing the city’s development plans). Given the choices he offers, and that he does not fully inform them about the zoning protections or the city hall scheme, Abarbanel plans to walk away saying people want the City to purchase the school property. Never mind that a show of 8 to 10 hands in each of the dozen or so meetings Abarbanel is conducting around town this summer is not statistically meaningful, Abarbanel’s story is so incomplete as to misinform.

I asked Abarbanel to participate in a public debate with a moderator to allow opposing ideas to be presented. He declined, telling me that there were “no opposing views”. Then he said he hadn’t declined. Then he said he doesn’t have time between now and September (during which time the Council plans to approve an offer to the school district). Abarbanel said that he prefers to control the conversation—that a moderator doesn’t suit his style. He sees no benefit to a moderated forum. Then he said I should ask “Jerry” (Finnell) instead of him. He said that he isn’t “a good debater”.

Instead of a forum to flush out all the issues, Abarbanel is conducting meetings in which he gives only his view. He guides the conversation so that he can say there was a consensus for a decision he’s already made. Last Sunday, we saw what happens when his agenda is seriously questioned. Abarbanel’s one public announcement of these meetings list private addresses and dates, but no times, and gave his own phone number as the contact. The Council meets in closed session and already plans to take an action to make an offer on the school before September. What about the public’s right to open meetings?