Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Town budget should itemize spending

Town Manager David Knapp stated in the 1995-96 Adopted Budget that we are "losing talented people because our employees' salaries are less competitive." In the case of our top three managers, we are more than competitive at the expense of our other employees. In addition, our police budget exceeds other larger jurisdictions in overtime and material costs. Until we address these issues, we will always have problems with having a balanced budget.

I have repeatedly asked the Town Council and David Knapp's office for a complete salary and benefits package for the manager, attorney and police chief. Since I have repeatedly asked for but not received this information, I had to do an analysis of the information based on the 1996-97 preliminary budget and the adopted budget for 1995-96. The information indicates that the top-level managers' salaries are well above what has been told to the public.

Within the police budget, we spent $230,00 of overtime for our sworn officers. Campbell had $179,500, which included all of its department's overtime for sworn officers and non-sworn personnel. Reducing police officers, as is now proposed, will only cause more overtime salaries at time-and-a-half as opposed to paying a regular salaried officer. This type of practice only perpetuates an already difficult situation.

My other area of concern about the Police Department's budget is the materials costs. There is no complete itemized list for the materials, so we as taxpayers can see exactly where our money is being spent.

If our managers are getting top salaries and benefits, let's reduce some of the fringe benefits. Let us also become more cost-efficient within the Police Department by reducing overtime and material expenditures. When managers are advocating reduction of services by eliminating positions within our more critical areas of public safety, it should not be in exchange for those same managers receiving above-superior employment packages.

I beg every Los Gatan to come to the Town Council meeting June 17. Save our services!

Carol Ann Weber

Los Gatos

Ranger program needed in the community

The future of our park rangers is on the line. As part of the 1996-97 budget-balancing process, the Town Council plans to cut the ranger program.

Los Gatos park rangers need vocal support and your attendance at the council meeting June 17, 7:30 p.m. in the council chambers.

The rangers, who are paid less than police officers, save the town money while doing their great job.

They patrol parks and trails to provide a safer environment for park users, including patrolling at night. Their presence has reduced the use of drugs, alcohol and vandalism in the parks by over 90 percent since the ranger program began. Without the rangers' constant vigilance, things will return to the way they were before the program started.

Their presence in the parks allows police officers to be busy elsewhere and acts as a deterrent to would-be troublemakers. It also cuts down on maintenance and repair costs due to vandalism.

They maintain trails, signs, and lights in the parks and perform many park-related construction projects. If it were not for the rangers, these responsibilities would have to be completed by others at a greater cost to the town.

If you get hurt on the park trails, it will be the medically-trained rangers who will come to your aid.

Rangers also provide animal control services for injured or dangerous wild animals. They remove dangerous wild animals from residential neighborhoods adjacent to our parks.

Your actions of writing a letter to the council or coming to the meeting and speaking in their support will save our park rangers.

April & Mike Maiten

Los Gatos

Belgatos Park needs presence of rangers

We are now in our second year in Los Gatos, living only a few doors away from Belgatos Park. Cars routinely cruise up Belgatos Road toward the park at all hours, only to turn away when they see either a ranger truck or the closed gates at night. You might only guess what they had in mind; the park seems to be a magnet for anyone looking for a dark place to visit.

When our kids hike the trails and play on the new playground, we all appreciate the cleanliness, lack of graffiti, open trails, and the controlled poison oak. The restroom and picnic facilities are always safe and clean. It is a pleasure to bring visitors to our neighborhood park.

The only thing keeping the park from becoming an overgrown, routine hangout and party location, along with the predictable trash and property damage, are the presence and activities of the park ranger. How does the Town Council plan to protect our parks and keep them a pleasant place to visit without the park ranger services?

Dave Katra

Los Gatos

Sheriff's Dept. would solve budget problems

On May 29, I was prepared to show the Town Council how they could save $1.5 million by replacing the Los Gatos Police Department with the services of the sheriff's department, but I was cut off at three minutes, and unable to present all the facts. In answer to Mr. Knapp's negative reply to this issue, I would like to present facts that refute his statement that the sheriff's department would supply inferior police services. Yet the police department is being cut by one detective and a records clerk for a sum of $168,000, plus adding to its budget the maintenance costs, which were previously covered up elsewhere in the budget.

The following services presently used by the sheriff's department are far superior to the present services of our police: county communication system, county detective division, county narcotic division, county records division and sheriff's patrol service.

The county's communication system is state-of-the-art, and they are spending another $6 million on it this year.

The county has seven detectives who are in closer contact with all the law enforcement agencies in the county, and without a doubt in closer contact with state and federal agencies. County Narcotics Division is in touch with all law enforcement agencies, and their Records Division has state-of-the-art filing and recovery.

Sheriff's patrol cars are being equipped with the latest in computers and wireless communication systems, plus the addition of other patrols in case of a real emergency.

The use of this service would reduce our police employees by 64. No more labor contracts, medical programs, and perks. It could open the door to the investigation of our administration department and create further cuts in unnecessary staff personnel.

The sheriff would no doubt hire most of our patrol officers, and we would not notice any change in service except the savings in money. The savings would provide money for expansion of the library into the upstairs portion of the present police department, and there would be money for the park rangers the council said we needed years ago for the proper supervision of our parks.

Remember, elections are coming up in November. We need councilmembers who understand economics and facts pertaining to running a government on a pay-as-you-go basis.

Bill Quigley

Los Gatos

Is new sports bar trying to be cute?

So I'm driving down Highway 9 toward home last week and glance over to check the progress on the new sports bar going in where Fiorillo's stood for many years. I'm shocked to discover the name of this new Los Gatos establishment to be "Double D's."

Cute? Fun? I think not. I find this name offensive and tasteless as it obviously refers to a particular part of the female anatomy.

The fact that this sign will be prominently displayed at the entrance to our downtown greatly troubles me. First impressions are everlasting. Is this the image Los Gatos wants to project to residents, visitors, and impressionable children? That we condone degrading women?

Granted the owners' names may very well be Dave and Dennis, but the image this name conjures up is undeniably that of a large female bust, just the ticket when you're trying to attract that single, white, male with all that disposable income.

Still having a hard time seeing the humor in this days later, I took an informal poll of my friends and neighbors who live and work in Los Gatos--progressive, conservative, young and old alike. The general consensus was in line with my initial reaction to the name "Double D's." It is sexist and tasteless and we are dismayed that this has been approved.

Given the controversy over the Hooters restaurant chain, didn't anyone think this name may be offensive to the female population of this town?

I'm not an ultra-conservative and I'm not an active feminist. I do, however, advocate respect and fairness for all regardless of race, creed, color, sexual orientation and gender. The name Double D's was considered apropos for a sports bar from a marketing standpoint, I'm sure. What the owners obviously did not realize is that it displays a total lack of respect for women--and men.

Deborah Deverse-Gaches

Los Gatos, deborah@pong.milan.com

Could be that a dome is just what name implies

The Freudian school of thought was very fond of making a phallic symbol out of anything sticking up or out, and in a recent letters to the editor, the Dome, now emerging on top of the new Byer building, was duly declared another example of erotic art!

Reminds me of a story about Dr. Freud, who while lighting an after-dinner cigar, presumably after a long working day of discussing phallic symbolism with his students, exclaimed: "Well, gentlemen, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." And, maybe, a Dome is just a dome.

Jens E. Kjemtrup

Los Gatos