Letters

Council should heed recommendation

As reported in your Feb. 6 edition of The Courier, the Cupertino Planning Commission has recommended to the city council the elimination of a portion of the Cupertino General Plan (Policy 2-80) that provides a large loophole for developers to exploit our hillsides in a manner inconsistent with the General Plan zoning, as well as the nature of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Let's hope the city council follows these recommendations at its March 4 meeting. The hillsides are a scarce and fragile resource for our community. The citizens of Cupertino have repeatedly expressed their desire to have the hillsides protected from high-density development. The members of the planning commission recognized the inherent danger associated with this Policy 2-80 loophole and voted unanimously in recommending its elimination.

The current threat to our hillsides is the proposed development of Canyon Heights Academy, a K-12 private school with projected enrollment of 1,500 students. This proposed project wants to exploit Policy 2-80 to build a school on hillside land zoned for 12 to 14 single-family residences.

To illustrate the detrimental effect this loophole represents for this proposed project, let's compare impacts. Assuming a nominal population of three people per household unit, the current zoning for 12 to 14 residences would add the infrastructure impact (roads, utilities, buildings, etc.) to support approximately 36 to 42 people. However, the proposed 1,500-student school could be viewed as having an impact on the hillsides similar to a 500-unit apartment complex.

It is unwise for our elected officials to let such an out-of-scale project even be seriously pursued in accordance with normal General Plan review processes. However, to let such a project "sneak under the tent" using a loophole such as Policy 2-80 is unconscionable.

I encourage all citizens who care about the preservation of our precious hillside resources to attend the city council meeting and help ensure this loophole is eliminated at once.

James and Constance Guidotti
Cupertino

Surveillance cameras-bad idea

The proposed camera system for Homestead High School, mentioned in your Feb. 20 article, is ludicrous. I fail to see any connection between working with a local business and placing surveillance cameras on a campus to spy on students.

When presented with all the facts, the reasoning offered by Mr. Reese seems skewed. Mr. Reese cites a past act of vandalism as his justification for the system. The problem with this is twofold. One, the cameras will be directed inward upon a quad with nothing to deface. The acts of vandalism he mentions occurred away from the quad. Therefore, these locations are not visible from the quad, so the chances the cameras will tape anything useful equate to almost zero. Two, the cameras will be on during the day. How many acts of vandalism do you think occur in broad daylight in front of several teachers, assistant principals and student conduct liaisons?

However, if students are truly "indecorous" enough to warrant such surveillance, I propose another plan. Schools should just issue each incoming freshmen class a tracking device to be worn on the ankle at all times for the four years they attend high school. This way the administration can know at any time where a student is with absolute ease. It beats staring at a blurry computer screen trying to tell one "deviant" student from another.

Gerald Wong
Cupertino

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