"Alive ... and Loving Life" is a community initiative. It is not an organization. Alive ... and Loving Life will not focus on drunken driving awareness education. Alive ... and Loving Life is a community effort. Mayor Sandy Decker, Police Chief Scott Seaman, Principal Trudy McCulloch and high school Superintendent Dr. Cindy Ranii have gathered together students, community volunteers and existing organizations to delve deeper into how our community can raise our kids safely. A community forum and continued open discussions provide opportunities for residents of Los Gatos to become a part of the effort at any time.

CASA is an organization that encourages healthy lifestyle choices and provides education, peer-run programs such as Friday Night Live LGHS and Club Live Fisher, parent networking and positive alternative social activities such as dances, concerts and ski trips. CASA has been a key contributor to Alive ... and Loving Life, along with the Los Gatos­Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation, A Place for Teens, the Southwest YMCA, Eastfield Ming Quong, Calvary Church, the Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Department, the sherriff's office, and many, many more. These are organizations working together with students and community for the Alive ... and Loving Life effort.

The strength of this effort, or initiative, is in the students that have a passion for change, for making things better in Los Gatos, and the community groups and community members that are dedicating many hours working together. Many students have stepped into leadership roles in projects such as "Cops and Kids," "Parents and Kids," "Teachers and other Caring Adults," and the "Passion for Music" and other alternatives group for which CASA is one of the sponsors.

The vision for this Alive ... and Loving Life initiative is: We want our community to be "a safe community committed to sharing responsibility for each other while supporting youth to be healthy, capable and confident in life." This is not a new organization but a movement, an effort that we can all support.

—Kathy Winkelman, CASA co-chairwoman, Los Gatos


Town needs soccer fields for its youth

We need soccer fields in Los Gatos!

My dream is that someday soon, someone with vision and an understanding of keeping our youth safely occupied will donate property to build a soccer field in Los Gatos. It's a dream with question marks, because in our town we are so landlocked that every available patch of green grass is marked for development for everything but a soccer field.

As a second-year president and a board member of the Los Gatos United Soccer League for the last five years, I have found that the most daunting task is to provide fair access to practice and game fields to all the members.

In an average season, we have around 2,100 participants in the league, which averages to about 1,100 families in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Union, Saratoga, San Jose and Los Gatos areas.

League statistics (2002-03 season): 1,700 players—800 female, 900 male; 300-plus parent volunteers (coaches, managers, organizers, board members); and 170 referees—40 adult referees, 130 teen referees.

The league has existed since the mid-1970s, so it's safe to say that we have been a community entity for at least the last 25 years, with at least 1,500 parents and players participating every year. Over 25 years the total number of participants in the community could be at least 10,000 members, with future growth estimated at 5 percent per year.

Our numbers are greater than all the other local youth sports groups put together, and we provide gender equity and access for all.

We have always served the community's families, with volunteer parents and the cooperation of both the Los Gatos Union School District and the Union School District, and each year our soccer program has been growing.

But we're busting at the seams.

We've had to restrict the amount of teams allowed at the competitive and select team levels and enforce quota systems on the recreational league based on practice and game field limitations. This forces youth from our area to join neighboring leagues due to the fact that we don't have ample playground space for our kids. Nothing is sadder than telling a parent or player that there is no room left for them to join. We are a soccer town.

It's to the point that we have players showing up at state parks, church fields and even the front lawn of Los Gatos High School (all places where league soccer is not permitted), and I have to answer to the complaints.

It's sad. The kids are just looking for a place to play.

In our town of affluence and known affinity for the finer things in life, we are letting a very important portion of everyday life disappear forever: a field for kids to play on.

Is it possible to have someone save a green space for soccer? I hope so. But someone needs to act quickly.

Neighboring communities like Cupertino, Santa Clara and Almaden have set aside fields and space designated for soccer for good reasons. Soccer is the No. 1 participation sport in the United States, and the No. 1 sport in the world. The United States is just a little behind due to the fact that, as a nation, it wasn't promoted as an "American" sport until the 1990s. But the popularity of the game with both players and parents as well as recent World Cup, San Jose Earthquakes and San Jose CyberRays professional soccer successes have brought soccer forward into the national and local spotlights. If you throw in Stanford, San Jose and the powerhouse Santa Clara soccer teams, you could argue that we are the center of the soccer universe. We have professional soccer players living in our midst, and Olympic development players as well. Soccer is growing, and we are feeling the effects.

We just need someone with insight and influence and a similar bold dream to help it grow in Los Gatos.

—Ed San Juan, President Los Gatos United Soccer League


Don't 'disparage' Monte Sereno council's vote

What is going on in your newspaper in regard to the USA Patriot Act? After two meetings on the issue, in March 2003 Los Gatos passed a resolution to uphold freedom, privacy, the right to due process and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures even if requested to do otherwise. The title of reporter Linh Tat's article read "Council votes to uphold civil liberties, rights of residents."

Council member Diane McNutt was quoted as saying, "The area of human and civil rights is our responsibility. It's the responsibility of every level of government." Another council member reported that the Los Gatos­Monte Sereno police chief wanted to uphold individual rights.

When after two meetings in June the Monte Sereno City Council passed a similar resolution introduced by Barbara Nesbet, the title on reporter Gloria Wang's article read, "Council passes Patriotic Act resolution in tight 3-2 vote." The two council members who opposed it were quoted first. Vice Mayor Erin Garner said, "It's more of a federal issue, and I do believe it is partisan."

Next you, editor, who had had no comment on Los Gatos' vote, weighed in: "Get over it and get on with it! The issue has little to do with life in Monte Sereno." You, too, quoted Erin Garner's remark that residents had told him, "We didn't put you in office to comment on the activities of our president's administration." You add, "Isn't that the truth!"

Excuse me? If the civil rights of a Monte Sereno resident are being trampled on by the feds, isn't that a matter of local concern? A resolution such as this may give the Los Gatos­Monte Sereno police and city council a chance to be involved. It is not a partisan issue, nor is it one that Barbara Nesbet would rationally have brought for political purposes. It is in line with the council majority's concern with the larger matters that can affect residents, not just potholes and trees. Why disparage our council majority? If partisan politics have determined your stand, shame on you!

—Dorotha F. Bamford, Robert W. Moncrieff, Lora Lee Moncrieff, Monte Sereno


Fisher thanks Calvary for its hospitality

Fisher Middle School would like to extend a big, heartfelt thank you to those at Calvary Church for their kind hospitality in allowing our school to use their lovely facility for this year's eighth grade promotion ceremony. Over and above opening their buildings to us, they also supplied wonderful people to help with the ceremony. We truly appreciate Calvary's generosity in being such a magnanimous member of our community.

—Fisher Eighth Grade Graduation Committee, Los Gatos