This letter is in response to the letter from Egon Jensen ("Mayors should not come out making promises," April 20), which expressed a negative attitude toward the attempts of our new mayor to introduce a fantastic new community effort. Mayor Mike Wasserman's launch of Community Unity has created 24 service projects that were suggested by hundreds of committed and excited community volunteers and 53 organizations that have agreed to work together to accomplish these projects.

This Community Unity project is now fully operational. Instead of complaining and spreading a negative cloud into our community about our new mayor's enthusiasm, why don't we applaud his ability to rally together all the good people that helped make this happen and all the good people that will be undertaking the service projects chosen?

I personally look forward to witnessing this phenomenal community commitment over the next six months and seeing the "fruits of our labor," such as painted meeting rooms, new sprinkler systems, children's murals, cleaned trails, community gardens, etc. In fact, Egon, I would like to personally invite you to join me and the rest of the team to work on our community garden project. Wouldn't it be great for you to be able to move forward with the rest of us instead of allowing a few failed projects to dampen your spirits and keep you from joining in to accomplish some awesome improvements for our town?

You can reach me through the Chamber of Commerce, which, by the way, has a member base of more than 400 Los Gatos business owners who regularly volunteer in many ways to better our community. I look forward to hearing from you.

Brenda Hammond

Los Gatos

Religious fervor
gives reader
cause for alarm

Your April 20 cover story on Dianne Speicher ("Chosen One") gave me pause. Although she seems to have the best interests of children in mind, her methods alarm me. The kind of religious fervor associated with speaking to God and hearing God speak may not be in the best interest of children.

A little caution regarding the promulgation of fervent belief might be in order. Is there not a fine line between extreme religious fervor and neurosis?

Stan Gildersleeve

Los Gatos

Motorists have enough concerns without bikes

My concern is about bicycles—a touchy subject for both sides. I do not ride a bicycle; my children do. They grew up here when the town was smaller and our citizens obeyed the traffic rules, but even then streets were mostly for cars. Bikes were ridden on less busy streets and did not make themselves a nuisance.

Now is a different time. Everyone expects the other person to respect their rights but they do not respect ours.

I have noticed that bikers are always partially in the bike lane, if there is one; in other words, they ride on the line. They do not get halfway into the bike lane as they should. They ride the line and the cars have to slow down and go at their pace, staying behind them until they can find a way to pass. The biker also swerves his bike onto the car lane intentionally to draw attention to himself. Naturally I am going to slow down even more. He is using my time for him to ride his bike. The bikers do not show drivers any courtesy.

Frankly, I think in today's traffic the bikers should not ride on the busy downtown streets. It is not always hometown people who are riding; they drive to town and bring their bikes and prevent us from doing our business in a reasonable time. The town is not for play alone; some of us do have things to do.

Further, motorists make U turns in the middle of a street to get a parking place on the opposite side of where they are driving. One lady driver with a long car caused five cars to have to stop and wait while she executed this turn and parked her car.

Then the pedestrians do not obey the rules and go to a crosswalk; they jaywalk anyplace they choose, again inconveniencing the driver.

So between illegal turns, bikers and jaywalkers, the driver has far too many things to consider while trying to get around town and some need eliminating. Therefore, bicycles should not be ridden on our busy streets.

N. Caperton

Monte Sereno

Many bicyclists
pay no attention
to the rules

I live near the Johnson Space Preserve, which is frequented by bicyclists. Out of the hundreds of bicyclists I have watched pedal up and down this street, only a very few pay attention to the rules of the road. Have the rules changed? I always thought bicyclists were supposed to follow the same rules as motorists. In other words, a stop sign means stop and wait your turn! I have watched many a "near miss" because these rules aren't followed.

Katy Hartsell

Los Gatos

Trouble at night
on the streets
of Los Gatos

Something is going on at night on our main streets these days. It appears that sometime late Sunday evening, someone attempted to break into our store (The French Cellar, 32 E. Main St.). Thankfully, glass was not broken and only the doorframes and lock were damaged from probably a hammer and screwdriver.

We are located among other businesses and apartment residents—and a block away from the police department. It never, ever occurred to us that we would be victims of crime on such a street.

My points are these: Ours is not an isolated incident. In recent months, other downtown businesses have been vandalized or burglarized. Yet, there has been no press coverage that I can recall, giving us the details we deserve to know. We need as a mixed-use community to be now more than ever constantly vigilant and aware of what is happening around us.

Please, stop, look and listen and be involved. This "problem" is not going to go away quietly. And if the outside sounds are disturbing, call 911.

Sallie Robbins-Druian

Los Gatos

DeCinzo cartoon
isn't funny, and it's misleading

The DeCinzo cartoon in your April 13 issue is not just unfunny—which is bad enough for a cartoonist—it's also highly misleading and entirely misses the point of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District acquisition of the 16075 Overlook Drive property. Subsequent letters not only miss the point but take cheap shots to push their authors' agendas.

I've lived in Saratoga for 30 years and am a longtime user of the El Sereno Open Space Preserve. Twenty years ago I used to pass through the open gate at 16075 Overlook Drive to enter or exit a beautiful trail connecting Los Gatos and Saratoga. Approximately 12 years ago, the renters put a chain on the gate. Undeterred, and knowing it was Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District land anyway, I climbed over the gate. When barking dogs were added I picked up my pace. But when the dogs ripped my clothes five years ago, I gave up.

For me and countless other local users, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District purchased entry to a beautiful trail overlooking the entire Santa Clara Valley.

Kudos to board members Pete Siemens, Jed Cyr, Mary Davey and Nonette Hanko and General Manager Craig Britton for this acquisition.

Gibson Anderson

Saratoga