Judge orders Jobs back to court over house
A California court has order the Apple CEO and his lawyer to explain the benefits of demolishing the dilapidated dump and demonstrate that alternatives have been researched. Or, put another way, a sympathetic judge has run out of cards to play.
Bloomberg reports that Uphold Our Heritage, a group determined to celebrate the life of an early 20th Century copper baron and the 30-room domestic temple of excess he built as his residence, has again turned to courts to further delay Steve Jobs’ eight-year effort to raze the run-down Woodside, CA mansion and replace it with a more modest, efficient and modern home for his family.
A state judge ordered Jobs and preservationists back to court where the Apple CEO must comply with the bench’s 2006 order to explain the benefits of the demolition and show that they have researched alternatives. The court “retains continuing jurisdiction to make any order necessary” to enforce its original directive, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Marie Weiner wrote in her ruling.
Democracy delayed
Thereupon, the Woodside town council postponed until June 23 a final vote on the demolition because the permit paperwork wasn’t ready. The council has previously approved the knock down in the years since 2001, when Jobs began seeking their permission.
The duality of the U.S. court system, which can be credited with turning the balance against segregation and also dragging matters best left to local authorities endlessly on, like this one, is both a source of pride and irritation. Is there a better way?
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