A member of Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board, and an aide to a Berkeley City Council member, is hoping to keep his job after it emerged he had failed to get appropriate permits for work done on his west Berkeley garage.
Ryan Lau was cited Monday by the Building and Safety Division of the Berkeley Planning and Development Department for “work without permit” and “work concealed without inspection” for construction done on a garage on his property located on Carleton Street.
“I didn’t get the permits for the work that I did,” Lau told the Daily Californian. “There’s not much I can say except that it was a mistake.”
Lau has taken a leave of absence from the board while he clears the situation up and council member Darryl Moore, with whom Lau works as an aide, said he expects him to do everything that’s necessary to bring his garage up to necessary code and standard.
Update The Oakland Tribune reports that Lau has now resigned.
