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8.A <br /> Page 56 <br /> The purry contc�sting the admini.ctrutive citation may request onc� continuance,for uny reasan, in writing, <br /> not less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of the scheduled hearing. The deferred hearing will not <br /> be deferred mare than ninery (90) duys after the request for hearing was made. A request for <br /> continuance made less than twenty-four (24) hours before the scheduled hearing may be granted by the <br /> administrative hearing officer based on exigency only. [Emphasis added.] <br /> o Therefore, since the intent of the Council with respect to granting continuances is unequivocally <br /> expressed in this section. I believe it is reasonable and appropriate to apply this procedural rule <br /> with respect to our request for a continuance, since the relevant ordinance is silent as to this <br /> particular point. <br /> • Second, equity and fair play require that our request for a continuance be granted, as we are extremely <br /> disadvantaged with respect to the other participants involved in the Hearing, that is, our neighbor, Bob <br /> Carroll, and the Planning Departrnent. Both Mr. Carroll and the City have professionals familiar with <br /> the subject matter either on retainer or on staff -- individuals, who, as part of their everyday 9-to-5 paid <br /> work, are available and able to prepare for this Appeal Hearing. Collectively, these individuals have <br /> worked with relevant subject matter, I am sure, for at least 40 - 50 years. In stazk contrast, I do not have <br /> any such expertise or experience, nor the time or resources to engage those who do on such a <br /> compressed timetable. As 1 explained last evening: <br /> o I do not have any knowledge or experience in matters relating to construction or architecture, and <br /> must literally start frorn the beginning to enable myself to provide a well-reasoned basis for our <br /> Appeal Hearing. Perhaps even more significantly, my Roldex is bereft of any contacts in these <br /> fields, so I have been and continue to be on my own re finding the experts who can assist us -- <br /> and whose schedules permit them to assist us within the currently allotted time frame. I can <br /> assure the Council that I started reaching out to identify and contact people I thought might be <br /> able to assist us in preparing for this Appeal Hearing (e.g., architects, urban planners, arborists <br /> who have demonstrated a concern for our issues) the very day Ms. Vonderlinden informed me of <br /> the Hearing date. I have had some success locating and getting in touch with such individuals; <br /> but, candidly, we do not have any realistic prospect of them generating materials useful to the <br /> Council to make a fair determination based on fact and on Redwood City's Guiding Principles <br /> (as so eloquently and repeatedly expressed by your own goodselves last evening with reference <br /> to the Stanford in Redwood City Project) in time for the currently scheduled November 22nd <br /> Hearing. <br /> o I am a self-employed, one-man consulting firm. I have no staff to assist me in my research and <br /> preparation. Moreover, when I am working on preparing for this Hearin�, I am not able to work <br /> to provide an income to support my family. Being able to reduce the need to engage in intense <br /> research, and being permitted to spread my preparations over a longer period would enable me to <br /> more successfully keep all these balls in the air. <br /> o The Holiday Season is upon us, and I can report to you that at least one of the experts who is <br /> necessary for the proper preparation for our Appeal Hearing will be visiting her family the entire <br /> week of November 22nd, preceded and followed by pre-existing commitments through the <br /> truncated work weeks in November and December. She said she would only be able to start <br /> reviewing our case in early to mid January. Others have also made reference to their currently <br /> full schedules for the remainder of this month and for Deceinber. <br /> o While conducting this Hearing on November 22nd would clearly disadvantage us, there is no <br /> obvious disadvantage to Mr. Carroll if the matter is put over, since Faragraph 23 of his NOA <br /> clearly states "No site work such as grading and/or excavation shall take place during the winter <br /> months, unless prior approval is obtained from the City." Froin what I know about the soil <br /> condirions on our adjoining hillside properties, it seems to me imprudent for the City to pennit <br /> z <br />