News Briefs News Briefs (January 27, 2006)

Clear Channel trial delayed

The long-awaited showdown between a former Clear Channel subsidiary and the city of Mountain View will have to wait two more months. A medical emergency befalling company attorney James Wagstaffe led Clear Channel to ask for more time to bring his partner up to speed on the case.

On Monday, Judge William Elfving ordered the trial, which was supposed to start in early February, be put off until April 10. A mandatory settlement conference scheduled for Feb. 1 will also be delayed.

Wagstaffe is a partner with the San Francisco firm Kerr & Wagstaffe LLP. He may still be able to serve as the lead counsel for Bill Graham Presents. The order says that H. Sinclair Kerr will try the case in April if need be.

Orion Park residents out by early summer

The Army announced this week that it will give 147 civilian families until June 30 to vacate their homes at a Moffett Field housing complex.

In early January, Army officials announced plans to evict all residents of Orion Park to make way for construction of a huge, $70 million combat training center for every branch of the armed forces. Military families could get new housing elsewhere on the base, while civilians who had been paying below-market rents and getting free utilities were on their own.

The deadline was extended to June 30 due to last week's Pentagon decision to delay implementation of all 2005 Base Realignnment and Closure (BRAC) decisions for a year. An Army press release sent Monday said the new deadline will give residents more time to look for housing and is designed to allow families to finish the school year before moving.
-- Jon Wiener

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