Muslim Community Association to Seek Imposition of Sanctions against LSI Logic Before Santa Clara Superior Court; LSI Logic Seeking to Close Islamic School, Says MCA.

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 11, 1997--The Muslim Community Association of the San Francisco South Bay has filed for an imposition of sanctions against LSI Logic and its attorneys.

LSI Logic Corporation will appear before the Santa Clara Superior Court on Thursday, September 11, at 9:00 a.m. in San Jose, CA. LSI Logic is seeking an order to enforce a previous court writ vacating the Muslim Community Association's (MCA) conditional use permit.

MCA's attorney, Javed Ellahie, said, "MCA believes that LSI's motions were filed in bad faith, were without merit and were filed solely for the purpose of harassing the Muslim Community and the City of Santa Clara."

Background: Four years ago, the city of Santa Clara granted a use permit to the Muslim Community Association for a house of worship and school. LSI Logic, a semiconductor corporation across the street, filed a lawsuit against the city for allegedly violating its own zoning laws. The Superior Court upheld the city's decision but the Appellate Court revoked MCA's use permit pending the completion of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The MCA complied with the court's decision and fully cooperated with the city in the EIR process. The Planning Commission is expected to hold its final hearing on the EIR soon. According to Ellahie: "By going to court before the Planning Commission's hearing, LSI Logic is seeking to shortcut the EIR process, bypass the city of Santa Clara and close the Islamic school." On July 18 and 28, LSI Logic appeared before the Superior Court seeking an ex parte order to close the school but was turned down.

Dr. Mahboob Khan, a veteran semiconductor engineering manager, said, "While LSI Logic is raising objection to the Granada Elementary School under the pretext of safety concerns, young children and teens from a drum and bugle corps practice almost daily in the parking lot of a building adjacent to LSI Logic's facility. The building is also used three nights a week as a bingo parlor by senior citizens, some in wheelchairs. Across the street, Gold's Gym has a day care facility for young children. Most important, LSI did not object to the construction of a housing facility, with more than 400 children across from its giant Milpitas plant while it was still operational. As to the allegation that the city violated its own zoning laws, the Superior Court judge ruled that the city did not violate its zoning laws. This ruling was echoed by the Appellate Court judge as well. City zoning laws allow the mayor and the city council to grant a conditional use permit for usage not originally designated for that area."

Worth mentioning is the fact that the Silicon Valley is peppered with schools and churches in light industrial zones. A case in point is Rainbow Montessori School and Day Care in Sunnyvale, a neighboring city, located across a mere fence from AMD, a semiconductor facility five times the size of LSI Logic. AMD is also in the middle of a residential area where hundreds of children live. LSI Logic is also raising concerns over liability and safety factors. MCA and its semiconductor experts argue that stringent safety procedures imposed by the Federal, state, county and city officials are strict enough, and the presence of a school does not increase any liability.

Dr. Khan added, "The semiconductor industry is one of the safest in the country. By drumming up the issue of safety hazards and toxic spills, LSI Logic is giving the industry's impeccable safety record a bad name. While many semiconductor companies are building day care facilities inside their plants to accommodate parents, LSI Logic has gone the other way by objecting to a school across the street." The former mayor of Santa Clara Eddie Souza said, "LSI Logic Corp.'s legal actions (against the Islamic school) appear to be based solely on intolerance." Souza's quote was echoed by Herb Schmidt's, Lutheran pastor at Stanford University, who said, "If this (Islamic center) was a synagogue or a Catholic parochial school, this would not be happening."

For more information, see MCA's web page: http://www.save-our-school.org

CONTACT: Council on American-Islamic Relations, N. Calif.

Abdu Salam, 408/986-9874

pager, 408/231-9655