The Campbell Reporter
Letters & Opinions
Speak Out
'Yes' on Measure A
is not the answer
Measure A fails because it's trying to fix something that's not broken. Bonnie Anderson's statements (letters, Oct. 11) prove that she is either unaware of the county's current General Plan regulations or she's using scare tactics to achieve her political goals.
Environmentalists, farmers, hillside property owners, Realtors and taxpayers have worked together to create well-written and effective regulations over the life of the current General Plan, which was designed to strengthen environmental protections on the hillsides.
Measure A will strike all of those regulations from the General Plan and replace them with poorly written and untested rules conceived by radical environmentalists who are tired of participation in the public process.
A perfect example of this is the new "viewshed" ordinance that was unanimously approved by the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors last month. This ordinance heavily restricts the development of new homes or additions on the ridgeways and hillsides. This ordinance, written over a three-year period with consensus from all the stakeholders, will be overridden by a poorly written section of Measure A if approved by voters.
I invite Ms. Anderson to go to the Registrar of Voters and view the financial disclosure forms filed by the opponents of Measure A. If she had done any research on the topic, she would have learned that the funds actually came from voluntary contributions from Realtors with two local associations in Santa Clara County, whose contributions are administered by their state association in Los Angeles.
Second, I invite her to view all the signs in opposition to Measure A, at least the ones that have not been vandalized, which farmers and homeowners have proudly displayed on their property.
I apologize to Ms. Anderson for voters in the county, like me, who are making her "angry" by exhibiting our First Amendment right to free speech.
In that sense, I am glad this "anger" is only resulting in attempt to infringe on our Fifth Amendment right, not our entire Bill of Rights.
Carl San Miguel
Santa Clara County Realtor
Campaign donations
are actually 40 percent
As a candidate for Campbell City Council, I appreciate any viewpoints on various issues and welcome anyone to contact me with any questions or concerns that they may have. However, I want to correct the erroneous statement made in regard to my campaign contributions in the Oct. 25 editorial in The Campbell Reporter.
The Reporter wrote that I received less than 1 percent of campaign contributions from Campbell individuals and businesses.
To the contrary, more than 30 Campbell residents and businesses have supported my campaign financially, which comprises approximately 40 percent of my total campaign contributions. I am also providing The Campbell Reporter a complete list of campaign contributions from Campbell individuals and businesses. These disclosure forms are also available to the public and can be obtained at Campbell City Hall, located at 70 N. First St.
I am distressed by the inaccurate reporting of financial contributions, and the resulting inflammatory opinions generated from this erroneous fact-finding. The highly regarded Campbell Reporter should conduct accurate fact-checking and not compromise its journalistic integrity to provide the truth in lieu of hysterics. The people of Campbell deserve better.
Evan Low
Merrimac Drive
Youth represents the
future of our city
I have been a resident of Campbell for 26 years and I wanted to comment on a recent article I found on Yahoo.com, written on Oct. 18 by Martha Irvine, AP national writer.
The article she wrote was in reference to young people running for office, and I believe it shows a lot of relevance to our own City of Campbell.
"Jim Hunt, president of the National League of Cities, has seen the effect of such barriers frequently, most recently at a gathering of local government officials in Illinois. 'I looked over the crowd and saw a plethora of gray hair,' says Hunt, who is also a longtime city council member in Clarksburg, W.Va. 'If we're going to continue on and have a vibrant country, you've got to look at that audience and see some young eyes looking back at you."
He estimates that about 5 percent of elected officials at the local level fall into the 18- to 35-year-old range. People interested in growing a corps of future leaders just wish there were more of them. There's also a lack of diversity.
This article reminded me of our very own Campbell City Council candidate Evan Low. We have a unique opportunity to focus on our future and elect an individual with energy, talent and passion. It is time to open the doors to a candidate who can better relate and serve the needs of all ages.
Campbell needs young faces who can provide insight on new thoughts and help the city progress toward a better future. Our city will be much better off with someone like Evan Low on the Campbell City Council.
Raymond Uyehara
Calado Avenue
Son can't ride on the
coattails of father
I had the opportunity to talk with many Campbell residents at the Oktoberfest in downtown Campbell on Oct. 21. I was a volunteer in candidate Jane Kennedy's booth during the event.
I heard many comments regarding the candidates and the future of Campbell. Most were very positive on where Campbell is heading. A few addressed the need for a change in the downtown area. While only a few of these comments were made, when I inquired how long these individuals lived in Campbell, their responses were less than three years. This confirmed why we need to vote for experienced long-term leaders in our city.
When I explained what Campbell was like when I first moved here in 1990, they appeared to have a better understanding. The city of Campbell has made drastic changes over the last six to seven years. During this time, Dan Furtado and Jane Kennedy have been on the council and Tom Francois has been a planning commissioner. I trust all three of them. They have a proven track record.
If a resident hasn't been around long enough to see how things were, it's hard to appreciate where we are and where we are going. Most things worthwhile take time.
With regard to Art Low's comments last week issue of the Campbell Reporter (letters, Oct. 25), this touched me deeply.
As a parent of adult children I can understand his pain. I would rather hear someone say a negative remark about me rather than hear something said about either of my children. I think any parent would feel the same way. But, I feel Art may be a little off-base with some of his concerns.
Art is a much respected business owner here in Campbell. Evan certainly has a great role model to look up to. But Evan must be considered on his own track record, not his father's. He cannot assume he can ride on his dad's coattails to win this or any other election.
Evan's made unacceptable statements in interviews that he's accountable for. He has not done a good job familiarizing himself with the real issues in Campbell. This may be due to the fact that the majority of his life has been in the Almaden area. He is or was a member of the Almaden Kiwanis club.
He states he lives in his father's condo in Campbell, but only for the past three years. He pays no property taxes, and it's questionable if he's ever held a paying full-time job.
Bringing these issues to light is not mudslinging. They are important facts that Campbell residents should know and consider when voting for someone who will be making important decisions on their behalf.
Our focus needs to be on keeping the city's stability. With time, hopefully Evan can prove his commitment to local public service.
I personally think so highly of Art Low that should Art decide to run for council in 2008, I would be more than happy to volunteer coordinating his precinct walkers as I have for Dan Furtado and Jane Kennedy.
Dorene Shirley
Campbell
How would candidates
vote on name change?
There is a small block of granite at the base of the American flag in front of the Campbell City Hall. On the attached bronze plaque it references our service- men and -women by saying, "Dedicated in honor of all those who serve and sacrifice for our country." Due to its small size, it is probably not noticed by many people.
When I attended the candidates' forum in the Campbell council chambers on Sept. 21, I submitted a question regarding greater recognition of veterans, but time limitations did not allow for my question to be asked.
My question or suggestion to the candidates was as follows: There is no real veterans' memorial in Campbell. I would like to suggest a low-cost, high-visibility way to provide for such a memorial. This could be done by renaming the Campbell Community Center to the "Campbell Veterans Memorial Community Center." The cost of new signage and city literature would be the only expenses incurred.
I wanted to know if the candidates would support such a suggestion. I would also like to know how many people in Campbell would be interested in establishing such a memorial.
Our servicemen and -women have done and are doing their part to ensure our freedom. It would be a respectful thing to finally and properly recognize them here in Campbell. The time to consider this has never been more right, especially as we member those who have served our country this Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
David Larson
Campbell
Clarification
In the Oct. 25 issue of The Campbell Reporter, we stated that Evan Low received less than 1 percent of his campaign contributions from Campbell residents and businesses. This information was based on the reporting period covering July 1, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2006, the required time frame for disclosing contribution information on California Form 460. When we received a summary of the entire calendar year to date, it was clear Low's total contributions of $24,635 were greater than 1 percent from the Campbell community. In fact, $10,610 came from Campbell, including $5,000 from Steven Cloud, owner of R.V. Cloud, $1,500 from Low's family and $500 from Sandhill Property.
