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Speak Out
Say no to bond issue
My family and I have lived in the West Valley-Mission College area for 39 years. I am a former member of the Saratoga City Council.
When the West Valley-Mission Community College District was first forming in the 1960s, I carried petitions door to door to help build support for the bonds required. I am in favor of, and willing to pay for, real education and academic excellence for our students, but I regret my early work in support of the community college district.
The college district has now voted to place a $268 million dollar bond issue on the ballot in March. That will cost those of us who are homeowners in the district a staggering $715 million dollars in extra taxes. Not a penny of this money will improve education programs in the district.
The district already receives more than $100 million a year, and most of that is our tax money, not tuition. Forty percent of its students are from outside the district, not even our responsibility, while our students wait, sometimes years for required classes taught by teachers being paid minimum wages. In the last several years the administration has lost millions of dollars due to cost overruns and curious accounting problems.
I no longer support the community college district that I helped to get started. I urge residents to vote "no" on Measure E. The West Valley-Mission Community College District does not need and sadly cannot be trusted with this extra tax money from us.
Cheriel Jensen
Saratoga
Vote yes on Measure E
Last week, Victor Monia's letter to the editor in The Campbell Reporter Jan. 9 issue contained misinformation relating to the West Valley-Mission Community College District bond measure.
Our committee is working to ensure that every voter in the district's service area becomes informed of the facility needs at their community colleges and obtains the facts about the district's long-term, comprehensive, strategic planning process, which indicated the district required more than $400 million to improve aging facilities.
Monia's letter ignored that in order to fund student needs, the district has worked hard to obtain grants and private donations and judiciously used its state budget resources.
Unfortunately, Monia's letter also failed to mention that maintenance is usually low on the list of state budget priorities, particularly during a recession.
Monia's letter ignores the fact that the district board of trustees voted to place a bond measure for $268 million on the March 5 ballot at a public meeting posted in the same manner as every board meeting, and after numerous public meetings were held to discuss the district's facility needs.
Simply put, Measure E, which covers essentials only, will cost homeowners $14 per $100,000 of assessed value. This should not be confused with market value. And let's not forget that this amount is tax deductible.
Monia misled readers when he indicated that $3,000 to $5,000 in additional property taxes will be paid. The amount is projected to be paid over 25 to 30 years--not as much as he would like you to believe once the math is done.
The district is not being greedy as suggested but is working to bring our campuses up-to-date and provide our students with safe and current facilities.
The money will remain in the community and upgrade buildings that are more than 30 years old, built long before classrooms and labs relied on computer technology.
And as we've stated, independent audits will be conducted annually.
Measure E would allow West Valley and Mission Colleges to bring campus buildings up to health and safety standards; renovate science and computer labs, classrooms, and job training facilities, and obtain new technology; update equipment used for classes in health care, law enforcement, and fire science; replace 30-year-old temporary buildings; and repair roofs and upgrade energy, plumbing, sewer, heating, ventilation, and other inefficient, costly systems.
Each year thousands of students take classes at West Valley and Mission Colleges to transfer to a four-year university or acquire skills for a career. Measure E is good for the West Valley-Mission Community College District, the students it serves, and the community as a whole. Invest in your community's future by voting "yes" on Measure E.
Chris Constantin
Co-chair of Citizens for West Valley-Mission--Yes on Measure E Committee
Trustee, WVMCCD Board
All faiths lead to God
I read with much interest Moryt Milo's column on learning about different faiths in The Campbell Reporter's Dec. 26 issue. Milo's view on the need for understanding, which leads to tolerance, is well received. I am, however, concerned about the shortcomings, of many religions, including my own (Protestant). I believe that many of the religious leaders, particularly at this time, should have spoken out about the need to fully embrace tolerance, and, hopefully, the formation of many interfaith groups to promote learning and understanding about each other, which is so necessary.
In my own case I had to remove myself from a marvelous group of people due to their belief that only they would find the path to heaven. I don't understand why we can't rejoice in the fact that we share one God and concern ourselves not with the many different methods of worship.
Alan Grace
Hamilton Avenue
Keep the air clean
I read Randy Attaway's letter about residential wood burning in the Dec. 5 issue of The Campbell Reporter and wanted to thank you for giving this issue the exposure it deserves. Wood fires account for up to 43 percent of the wintertime air pollution in the Santa Clara Valley. In addition to the particulates produced by these fires, substances called dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are released in the smoke. Dioxins are the most carcinogenic chemical compounds we know of, and one third of all dioxins released into the environment are from wood fires. This is why boxes and bundles of firewood for retail sale in California have warnings stating, "All wood, including this wood, produce chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm when burned."
If you have access to electricity or natural gas, there really is no good reason to burn wood for heat. We don't need the extra air pollution. We are so lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Let's make it even better by keeping the air we breathe as clean as we can.
Tim Higgins
Gwen Drive
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Campbell, California
