Without support for Measure B and the campaign to save the Santa Clara County libraries, communities throughout the county stand to lose valuable library services.

Measure B asks for an increase of eight dollars annually on the library tax county residents already pay. This is a solid investment, not only in the libraries, but also in the community as a whole.

These funds are critical. Library usage has skyrocketed in the past 10 years, due to cuts in school library funding, a higher demand for Internet access, and more people moving into the area.

Measure B would ensure that money would continue to be available, and that library hours, materials and services would not be diminished.

The county libraries are not something that this county can afford to do without. Without the community's investment in Measure B, the libraries will suffer, and in turn, communities in Santa Clara County will lose a valuable resource.

Supporting this measure is a long-term investment. It is critical that we work together to keep county libraries strong. Invest in your library and vote yes on Measure B.

Carolyn King

Saratoga

Measure B, a local library funding measure, will appear on the March 2 ballot for voters living in the Santa Clara County Library District, which includes the cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Morgan Hill, Monte Sereno and Saratoga, and the unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County.

—Editor

Lunardi's is more
than a market—
it's super

The intent of this letter is to commend Lunardi's Supermarkets highly for employing some handicapped people in their store. My son, Kevin Klose, a Down's
syndrome young man, is one of those handicapped people employed in the Los Gatos store. It is hard to describe how enthusiastic Kevin is about his challenging job, and how proud he is to tell us when he comes home that he has done a good job, and that his supervisors have praised him.

I want to thank them for the opportunity given to him to work there, and I want to thank all his co-workers for treating him like a "normal" person.

Especially, I want to express my sincere gratitude to his immediate supervisors, David Lucia and Steve Pinney, for patiently teaching him ever-more-challenging jobs and developing the best in Kevin. He has become a proud, productive citizen in our society.

My wife and I have been patronizing their Los Gatos market ever since it opened about 20 years ago for all our food needs. We consider their supermarket an outstanding pillar in our community in all business and human-relations respects.

Alfred Klose

Los Gatos

Counting on the
council's wisdom
in Sobrato deal

Let's see—120,000 square feet of office space (light commercial) with 295 apartments, and likely an athletic field ... on 12 acres with basically two in/out points. (Heed not those expressing parking concerns. Compared to downtown Los Gatos on Friday night, Sobrato is a piece of cake.)

Let's assume that 75 percent of the 295 tenants (average one car per unit) leave between 7 and 9 a.m. Two exits—another piece of cake.

Now, let's add in the daily exodus of those pesky office workers.

Note: One of the two exits is also used by workers in the office complex on the
immediate next parcel owned by South Bay Development. (Indeed, long term, new developments directly enhance the regional values of all in proximity.)

Point: The revenue ups for our town (and Sobrato) are most generous, proportional to risks.

But since the aim is a win-win, the council should re-revisit and review once again (and publicly discuss) the traffic-impact reports, and possible remedies to yet unforeseen worst case scenarios.

Example: How might the town expand existing in/out points if traffic volumes dramatically increase over the next 10 years? Would it seek an easement with the connected parcel's owner, now South Bay Development?

Long term, closing a big deal correctly is important. We rely on the council's wisdom.

Joanne Hall

Los Gatos