Editorials

Annexation fallout: covering for county

The jurisdictional dispute that flared up during the Jan. 3 Town Council meeting illustrates the problem caused by county pockets within town limits. Police Chief Larry Todd said that without a directive from the council, he could not make Englewood Avenue a high priority for patrolling--even though traffic racing through the neighborhood clearly is a problem.

County pockets, according to Todd, are not heavily patrolled by the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department, the agencies with jurisdiction in the county.

When Councilman Randy Attaway suggested that he doesn't think the council should make a habit of providing services to county residents who want nothing to do with the town, Councilman Jan Hutchins defended the Englewood residents, saying he wasn't ready to ignore the danger "just because they had the audacity not to be annexed."

Unfortunately, this argument makes it sound as if the town is pouting because the neighbors didn't want to be annexed. The reality is that the county--in asking the town to annex the pockets--served notice that it is no longer interested in providing service there.

When those residents reject annexation, they are telling the town--we want our tax money to continue going to the county and that's who we want to provide services to us.

Attaway was not being mean-spirited when he suggested that the town not get into the habit of taking up the slack for the county. The town needs to provide services to those residents who pay for them.

Not Enough Space

In these times of population growth and traffic congestion, the concept of "open space" has become as sacrosanct as motherhood and apple pie. So, who could oppose efforts to create a commission for open space in Monte Sereno? Monte Sereno residents, that's who.

While we seriously doubt that a commission-- or even a list of homes on a trail--would lower the property values in one of the priciest neighborhoods in the South Bay, we do think homeowners had legitimate concerns when they packed the Monte Sereno Council Chambers to protest the creation of a commission.

It makes sense to try to preserve the few open areas of the city, but with property so expensive in Monte Sereno, it's unlikely the city could ever purchase land for open space--the frustrated efforts to save Kenneth Peake's Claravale Dairy stands as a sorry example.

Monte Sereno isn't a big enough community to be worrying about areas of dedicated open space--especially when that open space will necessarily impinge on private property. It would be better for the city to exercise some control over the floor-to-area-ratio of house to land if preserving open space is a real concern.

Police Report

Nicknames serve purpose, even when they're cheesy

Grant helps school library make important purchases

Obituaries

Picture From the Past

Sports Briefs

Los Gatos girls win three basketball games

Wildcats defeat Fremont at Bianchini Memorial

LG girls soccer team defeats Milpitas

Youth baseball, softball teams hold signups

Annual Hot Stove Banquet to be held Feb. 1