Letters

Neighbors' support didn't matter on LG Country Club

Your recent editorials are perplexing to me. You supported McCarthy and SummerHill Homes developers for discussing changes in their projects with their neighbors as if it were a new concept. All residents and adjoining property owners on Bear Creek Road unanimously supported the Los Gatos Country Club project (LGCC) following nearly a year of open-house tours, which you also enjoyed when personally escorted by me.

Your earlier editorial (Sher Genius) was in praise of state Sen. Byron Sher's lobbying efforts to provide funding via formation of the California Conservatory, which provided $3 million grant and $3 million loan to purchase my land. This behind-the-scenes political maneuvering bypassed the majority of voters who voted down funds to be allocated by the state for purchase of said land.

High-level arm twisting provided Midpeninsula Open Space District's land-grabbing efforts as successful regardless of a private property purchase agreement held by me, a lifelong Los Gatos resident. This vision began over 20 years ago, as acknowledged by Craig Britton in his deposition.

The local media must honorably serve as an "unbiased watchdog" printing the facts and thereby preventing politically powerful groups from overstepping their limits and violating individual's property rights. Why not print the facts and expose the underhanded actions of a tax-supported district that runs roughshod over private land owners?

Small groups of well-meaning special interests control Mid-Pen's decisions. Mid-Pen's directors and executive boast publicly that they own "... over 40,000 acres in Santa Clara County." I wonder how many others had to suffer from their greedy acquisitions? As a neutral reporter, why don't you print exactly how much land is owned by public agencies in our county and the state?

I know that almost 90 percent of Nevada is federally and state owned, which removes it from the tax base and public income which is off-set by gaming. Your negative messages via DeCinzo's 11 cartoons depicting me and the property negatively were unfair. We all are interested in the protection of the environment without violating any one's civil rights. Isn't that written in Mid-Pen's original by-laws?

Your failure to act as an unbiased public reporter helped to allow logging, loss of $25 million of tax-payers money, huge profits to outsiders, loss of annual tax revenues and income for local nonprofit agencies and schools (Los Gatos High's athletic program, San Jose State's golf teams.) Furthermore, I was going to bequeath all of my assets in a trust for San Jose State University in perpetuity.

Therefore, the neighbors did support LGCC, and the community did stand to benefit from recreational and financial donations from frequent fundraisers.

The same people who opposed the LGCC project now own it! Why not do some homework and discover that the only people speaking in opposition to LGCC worked in association with Mid-Pen?

There must be a fair unbiased reporter in this county who will reveal the truth. I now reluctantly rely on the legal system for justice.

Pietro G. Denevi
Los Gatos

A thought for the new year

Let love for God be the center of our lives in the new millennium.

Andrew Johnston
Los Gatos

Hikers should be welcomed by neighbors

I read with interest the plans for Guadalupe College in the Jan. 5 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. For many residents of Los Gatos, Guadalupe College has become a familiar landmark as well as a destination when hiking the trails on St. Joseph's Hill. It is for this reason that I believe that concerns about the future utilization if this land should not just be limited to residents on Foster Road.

You mention the concern of a resident of Foster Road that there should not be access to St. Joseph's Hill through the Guadalupe College property. I disagree. As a hiker, I have often hoped that expansion of the St. Joseph's Hill open space could include access to other roads around the Los Gatos area.

Enabling cyclists, hikers or runners to expand or vary their evening jaunts by ascending Foster Road to St. Joseph's Hill and then returning down via Lexington Reservoir, would greatly expand the recreational opportunities in Los Gatos.

Other residents on other roads around Los Gatos have welcomed the runners and cyclists that pass their houses; some on Jones and College have even provided drinking fountains for which I, for one, am very grateful. These people, who welcome the active community of Los Gatos, make Los Gatos such a colorful and welcome place to visit and to live. Indeed, economically the town surely benefits as well. The coffee-shop community receives a kick-start in the mornings from the runners, hikers and cyclists who use the Los Gatos Hills as an exercise ground. And the sports shops partly thrive because of the availability of this local resource.

I hope that the developers of the Guadalupe College site also see the active community as a resource and recognize that their residents may also like to hike directly onto St. Joseph's Hill from their front door. Parking issues can be addressed. Most people running or biking the trails leave their cars on the bridge in the center of town. Thus for environmental and for reasons of safety (I believe Foster Road is quite narrow in places), I would agree with the resident that motor-vehicle access to the trails along Foster Road should be prohibited.

However, unless town planners believe that permitting trail access would be a real danger to residents and trail users, I ask the developers of the Guadalupe College land to welcome the community of runners, hikers and cyclists and permit access to St. Joseph's Hill from Foster Road.

Julia Bradshaw
Los Gatos

Some Englewood residents pay taxes to the town

As an Englewood Avenue resident, I was very pleased when the City Council announced approval of the enforcement of the traffic laws on Englewood Avenue despite the jurisdictional confusion.

What seems to escape some people's notice, including some on the council, such as Randy Attaway, is that one end of Englewood has many properties already annexed into the town. We pay our taxes to the town and deserve services from the town. Our children are at risk from the irresponsible driving on our street and our requests for help for over a year have been falling on deaf ears, until now.

I appreciate the annexation issue is causing problems and sincerely hope that my remaining county neighbors join me in the town very soon.

In the meantime, I am truly grateful to the Los Gatos police for helping to make our neighborhood safer for our children.

Simon Patience
Los Gatos

Don't be so quick to judge chain stores

Many letters have appeared in your paper recently opposed to "corporate" establishments, to having too many chain stores in Los Gatos. Such stores, it is feared, will destroy the atmosphere of unique, one-of-a-kind shops that appears to be a general aim. It is not a bad aim, but this 40-year-resident of the area believes there are some points to be kept in mind.

For instance, what about the banks that dot the landscape? "Chains," right? Whole Foods is part of a chain. Safeway and Nob Hill are chain stores. Walgreens, Rite-Aid and Longs are extremely popular among the locals, if not the visitors.

And then there are Staples, Office Depot, Chevron, Union and others. We had a great little "dime" store downtown once--Sprouse-Reitz--and that's been gone so long that few remember it. When it left, little remained to attract locals to downtown, except for occasional shopping trips where parking is so scant.

We obviously can't go back to the days when local artists and artisans could afford the rent to set up shop in the basement at Old Town, and high rents have sent many a small shop out of the area. In the meantime, all of the establishments I've mentioned have made real contributions to the community. They donate to our local functions, and many of their workers live right here in Los Gatos.

I'd like to single out one "chain" restaurant for particular mention--Baker's Square. It has become my 97-year-old mother-in-law's favorite restaurant. The waiters treat her like a queen, and she's not the only one. On any given day, look around. The place is filled with seniors and families because the food is reasonably priced, the menu varied, and the service is prompt and courteous.

Recently, the restaurant donated 31 chairs to the Redwood Estates community for its newly restored but almost empty Pavilion, a really worthwhile and much appreciated gift.

So, as we're talking about chain-intrusion, let's be aware of how many benefits many of these chains give us and what a necessary part of the community they've become. We can't go back to the '60s and really don't want to, do we? I don't.

June Sythe
Los Gatos

Children's hospital would be great addition to town

I would like to express my wholehearted support of your Dec. 15 article in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times regarding using the North Forty for a children's hospital for Silicon Valley. As a Los Gatos resident of over 20 years, a parent of two school-aged children and a consultant to the hospital-planning organization, I see great value in building and staffing a children's hospital in our community.

In embarking on this project, I have been most struck by the single fact that San Jose, although the 10th largest city in the United States, is the only city in the top 50 which does not have its own children's hospital. Today, through the foresight of many people, we boast an Arena and a Tech Museum. But with all the wealth generated in this area, we are lacking something more vital, the confidence that all our ailing children can be properly served.

Last week, I met with Dr. Richard Fox, a local pediatrician strongly supporting the idea of a children's hospital. He told me about a child he had recently seen in his office who needed immediate surgery. Due to a lack of local facilities, he felt forced to send the child up to Stanford for her critical care, requiring the parents to become familiar with entirely new physicians, rather than those they have trusted and known.

It is extraordinarily stressful to do this at the very moment when your child is most in need of extensive care. It is also highly problematic to send children to Stanford for South Bay residents as commute gridlock is a harsh reality for commuters, but is unacceptable when one's child is dangerously ill. This problem is particularly acute for residents of the southern part of Santa Clara County.

The location of the North Forty near Highway 85 would ease the concerns and travels of many parents.

In sum, as Kelly Baidal said in the article, "My heart and soul are in this project." I fully concur. It's time has come. I thank you for including such a timely and important topic in your newspaper.

Michele Kremen Bolton, Ph.D.
Principal Partner, ExecutivEdge of Silicon Valley

Hearing loss column ignored support system

Rita Baum's recent column on hearing devices in the Jan. 5 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times was missing one important message: Self-Help for the Hard of Hearing is also a valuable support system of people with a hearing loss.

Having "been there, done that," we can be understanding and helpful in sharing experiences and having speakers address our problem with its whys, whats and what nexts.

We meet on the third Wednesday of the month (not July or August) at the Moose Lodge, 1580 Hamilton Ave., San Jose. (That is almost the corner of Meridian and Hamilton.) Refreshments and chat-time begin at 12:30 p.m.; the meeting takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. A call to 408.249.0354 can answer some of your questions.

Dorothy M. Thompson
Los Gatos

Awareness of hospital issue is important

Thank you for printing the Dec. 15 article, "Pediatrician Eyes North Forty for Children's Hospital." My husband and I wholeheartedly support this project. As the parents of two children, one of whom has been critically ill, requiring several surgeries and care by various specialists.

This is a very timely article, due to the fact that San Jose does not have a children's hospital. San Jose is such a technologically advanced city and yet one of the only cities lacking in such an important commodity.

Many of the physicians and specialists I know reside in Los Gatos and read the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. Kudos to Nathan Huff for an article well written. Thank you for helping the community in creating awareness on this issue.

Janelle Dawson
Hollister

University Avenue is primarily a residential street

Our dear friend and neighbor Cooper was killed on Sunday. Cooper had quiet ways, but was always happy to greet his neighbors and friends. He was kind and gentle. He made us all smile. Cooper the dog was struck and killed by a car when he wandered across our street, University Avenue.

The speed limit on University is 25 mph. The average car appears to travel at least 40 mph down our stretch of road. The residents of our town have voted University the "Best Shortcut" from one end of town to the other (a distinction none of us cherish). We are asking all residents and visitors to Los Gatos to remember that it is primarily a residential street.

We have to back out of our driveways. We have pets, and we have children who occasionally chase a wayward ball into the street. We all know the risks of a high-traffic street and try to be careful, but we can't always see around parked cars. Pets will escape and wander, and children sometimes act like children--impetuous and careless.

If you are traveling too fast to stop when these instances occur, the results can be disastrous--even deadly. Please consider this when you drive down University Avenue. Please obey the speed limit, which exists for the protection of all who use the road.

We can't help dear Cooper, but we do hope you will all help our neighborhood avoid such losses in the future. You may get to the other side of town a few seconds later, but it will be worth the wait.

Christine Metzger & Steve Kittinger, Kim Rothermel & Ryan Cronin Kelly Dougherty & Mark Senigo, Christina Perry, Chris Cummings
University Avenue residents

High rent forces Los Gatos census office to move to Sunnyvale

Editorials: Children's hospital

Obituaries

New in Town: furbelows fabrics

Picture from the Past

Sports Briefs

High school basketball

Los Gatos High School wrestling

Los Gatos High School girls soccer