Letters
Banks could be better neighbors
For years I have been disturbed at the two large banks in our little town--namely, Wells Fargo and Bank of America--because they sit on their huge, usually empty, parking lots right in the middle of town, while the rest of us scramble to find a place to park.
Wouldn't it be nice, especially during the holiday season, with the town's "Parking Partner" program, if these two institutions would join in the community spirit and turn over a portion of their parking lots to the general public?
I actually approached a bank official about this issue, and his attitude was somewhat arrogant and hostile. Basically, he said that the bank owns that land, and they can do whatever they want with it. He's right, of course, but not very civic-minded.
Now, with the latest ATM controversy, these two banks, once again, are displaying an attitude of aggressiveness and greed [by refusing to make free ATM service available to those who bank at other banks]. According to news reports, Adam Radinsky, deputy city attorney in Santa Monica, said, "This action is just the latest bullying tactic by banks and shows their utter disregard for consumers."
My sentiments exactly!
Jan Foss
Los Gatos
Merchants chipped in once again
On behalf of the Los Gatos Museum Association and the Tea chairwomen, we would like to personally thank the following Los Gatos merchants for their continued support of the Historical Home Tour 1999 benefit:
Steamers, Country Essence, Toll House Hotel, Icing on the Cake, Mama's Bakery, Good Earth Cafe, Los Gatos Coffee Roasting Co., Peet's Coffee and Tea Co., Lunardi's, the Safeway stores in Los Gatos and Campbell, Whole Foods Market, Le Boulanger, Noah's Bagels, Tapestry, Lisa's Tea and Treasures, Diddams and Nob Hill Foods.
Penny T. Sink Patti Shore
Tea Chairwomen and The Los Gatos Museum Association
It's time to move on from the '50s nostalgia
I have the greatest empathy for those who are losing that small orchard on Blossom Hill Road. I used to drive down Blossom Hill Road decades ago and look down on a huge splash of orange in the summer as apricots were laid out to dry where houses now line your area.
Playing in the eddies of incoming irrigation water was de rigueur for kids living near orchards.
But ... since when is losing an orchard a sign of the times? The letter to the editor in the Nov. 17 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times [and other recent references to people missing the orchard] must mean times past. With a few nostalgic exceptions, this valley's orchards and vineyards vanished ignominiously about 20 years ago. I think people's sorrow is akin to bemoaning the death of the last carrier pigeon.
I think we should abandon this "what Los Gatos used to be" idea, except for historical purposes. We have to. Looking at the town now with a 1950s point of view won't get us anything but frustration.
Someone ought to compile a book of memories of people who lived here back then. I'd buy one. For those who can remember, let's store those memories up in a place that only those who lived here back then can know. And then, let's move on.
Oh ... and don't forget to extend a friendly hand to those "Internet execs" who move in where your orchard used to be. They're our new neighbors. Let's make them feel welcome. That's what Los Gatos has always been about.
Warren Smit
Monte Sereno
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
