Los Gatos Weekly-Times Letters Holiday program was nearly nixed by 'uptightness' So now even our children's winter glee club programs are under the threat of extinction due to another case of "political correctness." Case in point, my children's school in Los Gatos has a volunteer (before school) glee club. Each year the glee club puts on a magnificent winter program in which they sing Christmas, Kwanzaa and Chanukah songs. Because of the complaint of one parent (out of 150), the principal was ready to buckle under and allow no songs with the words Jesus, God or Lord in them. To follow, the Chanukah and Kwanzaa messages must be banned as well. If we want to have generic winter programs so be it, but it is clear that we lose a lot of culture and appreciation for others' beliefs when we do this. How can we foster cultural sensitivity and appreciation in our children when we as adults (maybe only one!) are so uptight that we are unable to let our children sing, let alone talk about other cultures and beliefs. Kudos to all of the teachers (of different beliefs) who stood their ground on this one and fought for the singing rights of our children. Had we as parents known of this situation, we would have been right there with you! We are elated that the glee club will continue its moving and enriching program for one more year. But alas, we wonder, is this program a dying breed because of one "politically correct" principal! Long live diversity! Kathleen Kennedy Los Gatos Commissioners should listen to staff planners I wanted to take this opportunity as a design professional and resident of Los Gatos to express my recent disappointment in our Planning Commission and their decisions. I have attended many of the recent hearings only to find that the planning guidelines set forth by the codified ordinances and, more specifically, the general plan have been totally ignored. The planning staff does an exceptional job evaluating the projects that come before them to ensure that each project is in compliance with respect to the relevant planning ordinances established for the particular planning zone. What disturbs me the most is the Planning Commission's willingness to deny projects, even with the recommendation for approval supplied to them by the planning staff. I am not referring to denial based on the architectural design, but rather personal feelings about the design parameters that contradict what is written. Each zone is designated, and design parameters are established based on these zones. Recently, the Planning Commission's denials have included such reasons as "too high" or "too close to the property lines" even though the project is entirely within the parameters set forth by the zoning ordinances. Why do we even have these design guidelines if the project is subject to denial based on the commissioner's opinion rather than the codified ordinances? If the commission is against two-story homes, then rewrite the zoning ordinances to say so! I have witnessed neighbors in opposition to projects with a "I have mine; you can't have yours" attitude which the commission usually supports. Each neighbor should be allowed to build 100 percent within the allowed design parameters set forth by the Town Code. If someone wants more distance from their neighbors, they should buy a house or a lot in a neighborhood or planning zone that has more restrictive setbacks, instead of one where houses are permitted to be closer together. It is a relatively simple logic. This is exactly why we have a general plan with specific zones and restrictions for those zones. Every time a project is denied at the Planning Commission, where a recommendation of approval has been supplied by the planning staff, it undermines the authority of the staff and in turn, citizens lose confidence in the guidelines that we are expected to trust to design our homes. Even more detrimental to the process is the fact that now these denied projects end up at the Town Council on appeal and take precious time away from the agenda, when they should have been approved at Planning Commission or staff levels. The council has far more important items on the agenda to deal with, such as the parking situation and other infrastructure concepts. We, as a community, need to start trusting and supporting the opinions and recommendations of the planning staff, who are professionally educated in the field of urban planning and design, and evaluate each project based on its design merit and compliance with the planning ordinances. Ordinances which, by the way, have been set forth in the town code to preserve the integrity of our town. Michael Rowe Los Gatos Auto dealers lend a hand to CASA In this season of Thanksgiving, I find myself wanting to give thanks to a community organization. The Silicon Valley Auto Dealers Association has, once again, made a very generous donation to Community Against Substance Abuse. This association holds an annual golf tournament at La Rinconada, and donates the proceeds to charities and nonprofit organizations. Their very generous donation, along with others, and our own fundraising, allows CASA to provide drug use prevention education and sponsor alternative activities. In Los Gatos, the dealers involved include Anderson Chevrolet Oldsmobile, Los Gatos Acura, Los Gatos Honda, McHugh Lincoln Mercury, Moore Buick Pontiac GMC and Swanson Ford. Thank you to The Silicon Valley Auto Dealers Association and each dealer member for their very generous donation. Kim Bidermann CASA Chairwoman Newspaper should leave town and take DeCinzo, too Those of us with adolescents at Los Gatos High School have a tremendous respect for the methods being used by the high school administration and police department to keep the campus a safe and secure environment for learning and personal development. By continuing to print personal attacks on both the police and high school staffs, it is apparent that the Los Gatos Weekly-Times does not share our pride in the efforts of these organizations to keep LGHS free of many of the risks and conduct seen in too many other Bay Area high schools. If it's the attitude of the Weekly-Times that DeCinzo's cartoons represent acceptable standards of media responsibility, then it's an insult to the moral conduct expected by the community of its local news agent. With the acceptance of the attitude illustrated by DeCinzo in the Weekly-Times, perhaps it's time for the Weekly-Times to leave town. And take DeCinzo with you! Bill Ferguson Monte Sereno Board member needs lesson on gerunds In the Nov. 18 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, Andrew Fanelli is quoted as saying, "It's going to take a while for people to get used to me being elected." As an incoming member of the Los Gatos Union School District Board, Mr. Fanelli should refrain from public statements until he goes back to high-school English class and learns what a gerund is. Then he can properly say, "It's going to take a while for people to get used to my being elected." Kent Joseph Los Gatos DeCinzo does have fans, after all Ah, the denizens of Los Gatos are at it again. What an insular and unsophisticated bunch they are! They simply don't comprehend a practical cartoon for what it is. My hope is that Mr. DeCinzo will continue his intelligent observations of the peccadillos of the political and police scene in this forum. Some of us really appreciate him. B.G. Foley Los Gatos Fanelli deceived voters by saying he was a teacher I voted for Andrew Fanelli in the recent election. My reason for doing so was the description of his occupation as a "teacher." I thought, "At last, here's an opportunity to put an education professional on the board; someone who has paid his dues with years of effort in seeking a teaching credential, someone who has been in the trenches of the public school system absorbing the realities of budget shortfalls, overcrowded classrooms, the impossible demands of parents and politicians." Here was a chance, I hoped, to put a veteran, an expert and someone who has proven his commitment to public education on the school board. I was misled by the description of him as a "teacher." As a voter, I was cheated of my vote, and I believe that hundreds of other Los Gatos voters were also misled. He is a martial artist, a profession with which I am familiar. I studied martial arts as a young man and while I was in the military. Last year my son earned his black belt in Tae Kwon Do after six years of study and work. Fanelli and I would both agree that mastery of the martial arts carries with it a stern obligation to a code of honor. For him to take office based on misrepresentation, whether intended or not, whether it was his fault or not, would violate the code by which I know he lives his life. It would be dishonorable. It could be argued that we are all "teachers." As an upper-belt, my middle school-aged son, instructed lower belts. Does that make his occupation a "teacher"? My next-door neighbor house-trains his dog. Should he list his occupation as "teacher?" When someone lists his profession as "teacher," especially on an important public document, it means a licensed professional educator. I appeal to Andrew Fanelli as a martial artist, a man of honor and a gentleman, to please resign his seat on the school board now. Nothing good can come of his taking a dishonorably earned position; in the long run, it will be the worst possible stain on his reputation. Please do the right thing. Robert Jenkins Los Gatos Sore loser gets voter attention Never have I seen such a diatribe by a loser in an election as appeared in the Letters to the Editor section in the Nov. 18 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. Based upon what he wrote, I am glad I did not vote for Erin Garner. Please remind me not to vote for him the next time he runs for City Council. Sylvia Moore Monte Sereno [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, December 2, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. 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