Your March 23 article on the Stevens Creek trail left out some important facts. The city council approved an 8- to 10-foot-wide regional multi-use trail, possibly with 5 additional feet of shoulders, through Cupertino's only small nature and rural preserve, McClellan Ranch. This nature preserve was dedicated to preserving the city's natural and rural past.

It is used by human and non-human residents and visitors in many related ways, but the city ordinance that established it prohibits active recreational use, such as bicycling and in-line skating, as well as other normal recreational activities found in regular parks (e.g., ball playing, picnicking). This trail will use approximately 3.5 percent, or 0.55 acres, of the east side of the preserve, land used now by wildlife, the 4-H club, and/or the community gardens, depending on the exact route. The west side of the preserve has been largely degraded through a use permit between the city and a private developer who is using the park land to access and park vehicles and store construction materials and debris for his house construction project on an adjacent lot.

Although the council does not want a concrete or asphalt trail, they do want it hard and smooth enough for in-line skaters to use. How that will be accomplished is yet to be determined.

Dozens of residents either spoke or sent letters to the council asking that McClellan Ranch not be used as a through route for regional bicycle, in-line skate, scooter, etc., usage. They suggested other alternatives to putting the trail through the small preserve. They included Master Gardeners and community gardeners, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society directors and members, Rolling Hills 4-H Clubs leaders, representatives of neighborhood groups, and many residents who enjoy the peace and tranquility, native animal and plant observation opportunities, and relaxing environment of McClellan Ranch as it has been for the last 30 years. Other recreational uses have been proposed for McClellan Ranch since its dedication as a nature and rural preserve in 1975. This is the first city council in all these years to approve an ordinance- prohibited usage of McClellan Ranch.

Deborah Jamison

Cupertino

Naming garage contest
brings out locals' ire

De Anza Director of College Services Donna Jones-Dulin has to have an ego as big as that monstrosity of a parking garage to suggest we citizens respond positively to her "gesture of gratitude" by suggesting names for that blunder of out-of-control-bureaucracy.

I have a list of names, but these are the only ones I could cull that are printable in a family newspaper. Note the word community has been omitted from these names.

De Anza Chutzpah Parking Center, De Anza Hubris Auto Monument, De Anza Campus That-Once-Wuz Memorial, The DeAnza "Don'tAskMeFerKash" Cathedral, T. Rex; The Monster That Ate De Anza College, The Demise of De Anza Community Spirit Tomb.

Enough? Detect sarcastic irony in these? I invite you to create your own contributions!

Burt Schmitz

Cupertino

San Jose benefits from Home
Depot at Cupertino's expense

I've noticed recent commentary in the Courier concerning the day laborers at Home Depot on the corner of De Anza Boulevard and Bollinger Road. Their presence has become more noticeable and a greater inconvenience to pedestrians since Home Depot forced them off of the parking lot and onto the sidewalks. Every Home Depot attracts day laborers since the stores serve as employment centers between contractors and laborers. If pedestrians now feel intimidated and uncomfortable with having to navigate through this congestion, just imagine how middle school students will feel trying to get to school now that school boundaries have been changed.

I was hoping that the city of Cupertino would work with San Jose to install a sidewalk on De Anza Boulevard across from Home Depot, but I've noticed that it hasn't happened yet.

It may not be common knowledge that all commercial properties on both sides of De Anza between Bollinger and Highway 85 reside in the city of San Jose and, I assume, outside of the jurisdiction of Cupertino. That means that the city of San Jose receives all of the tax revenue from these business establishments but allows Cupertino residents to suffer any inconvenience.

That would include the graffiti-covered trailer truck abandoned for years at the De Anza-Highway 85 shopping center, clearly visible at the northbound Highway 85 entrance. Since the city of San Jose has recently promoted the concept of eminent domain to take ownership of blighted and neglected properties, I think that the city of Cupertino should exert eminent domain over commercial areas along De Anza Boulevard that are causing urban blight in Cupertino. The city is being short-changed and I think it's time for our elected officials to do something about it.

Ann Shirkey

Cupertino

Piece about API scores
and testing was right on

What an insightful editorial ("Why are we so focused on the test scores?" March 23)! While our students push themselves through many competitions and focus only on one thing, they may lose the critical ability to accept themselves for who they are, learn from their mistakes and bounce back from their failures. As a parent, I want my children to be successful in a way they can define for themselves. And hopefully, we have instilled in them values that help them choose the right course in life. I know I am not going to be there for them forever.

I came from Taiwan as a young woman to pursue higher education in the United States. As fate would have it, I met my husband here and we settled here and started a family. Being an immigrant, I admit that I wasn't able to be care-free because I had to build a life for myself here and I had no extended family around. I have to work harder to ensure that I, together with my husband, can provide a good life for our children.

However, I wanted a different kind of education for my children, specifically because I went through the kind of education that focused on disciplined learning and "inside the box" thinking. I wanted my kids to enjoy schools because they want to learn and not because they have to. I wanted them to know that it's OK to fail sometimes and that we all make mistakes. We just need to learn from these mistakes so we don't repeatedly make the same mistakes in life.

Through the years, I have always told them that I don't really care about the grades, but I care that they pay attention in class and they learn what the teachers teach. Grades are a way of measuring if they have met the teachers' expectations.

While at the dinner table the other day, my two kids were discussing college rankings (one is a college sophomore and one is a senior in high school). We all agreed that what really matters is what you get out of your college education and not the rankings.

It is ironic that we fuss so much about the API. Ask any high school student if STAR tests are important--the answer most likely will be that they don't really care about the STAR tests and I doubt anyone would prepare for it as they do for the SAT.

Pei-Pei Yow

Cupertino

Testing is just one tool
in the education system

Sandy Sims asks, "Why are we so focused on the test scores?" I'll tell you why. It is because a vocal subset of administrators, teachers, parents, newspaper editors and politicians will not stop complaining. They complain that "teachers will teach to the test" or they complain that "testing emphasizes knowing the 'right' answers" (wait--this is a bad thing?).

On the other hand, there are thousands of administrators and teachers, and millions of parents and students, who are not focused on the test scores and who are not complaining. These people see testing for what it is: one tool among many that help us understand how students are learning and how learning can be improved. They don't let the tests rule their schools or their kids' education. They take tests in stride, work to improve where improvement is needed, and move on.

Louise Christy

Sunnyvale

Library should get support
from library patrons first

How very curious! We, "the good old taxpayers," are being asked to not only extend the current county library parcel tax to some year in the future but to tax ourselves with a brand-new tax! The very slick mailer that I just received fails to cite how long of a period that "voters have an opportunity to continue support in two ballot measures."

I'm curious about how a special county election can get approved (by who?) and a citizens group election request can't. And what is this election and campaign costing us taxpayers? Why should any county service be able to call a special election just so that its non-essential/non-public safety service(s) can be continued at the level they wish?

OK, so what makes the county library system more important than other county services? Is the county park system not important? Are other county services less than our county library system? Not to me! I park at Stevens Creek and I pay. I put my kayak in Stevens Creek and I pay. It is my decision to park and/or launch my kayak at Stevens Creek. And I should pay for this privilege, not you!

Fellow voters, look at your property tax bill. Consider just what is being asked of you.

Tell the county library system to start collecting for its usage services as well as for its babysitting services and then ask us for our hard-earned dollars to support its "services."

Question: How do you handle your own budget shortfalls? Do you cut expenses? Do you take a second job? Do you turn to your neighbors and ask for their support before you show some responsible stewardship?

Let's tell the county library system to first try to support its own system with its own users and then knock on our door after it has its users step up with support.

Bob Hendrickson

Cupertino

Why did the city build a
library it can't pay for?

I just read the editorial in the April 6 issue of the Courier about the paper's support for Measure A and Measure B, the library tax, in the upcoming elections.

What I don't understand is why cities like Cupertino (and they are not unique) spend huge amounts of money on things like this new library, knowing full well they have no idea how to pay to keep it operating properly.

The fact that the state took $10.7 million of our property taxes was really not a very well-kept secret. We all knew that a state that is totally broke was going to do things like this.

Did the decision makers who authorized the building of the library not know that Measure A, which funds 20 percent of the library system's operating costs, will expire in June?

It is like someone buying a very expensive car or house on the assumption that they were going to receive an inheritance that would pay their car or mortgage payments and, much to their surprise, they don't get the inheritance and have to give it all back.

Does anyone think anymore before these decisions are made? There are many thoughtful and intelligent people in Cupertino that we should use to keep us from making these really dumb decisions.

Jim Carlisle

Cupertino