Why all the local hullabaloo about the trains passing through at night and tooting their horns at grade crossings?

I am confident the trains were here before my life began and, most certainly, before I moved to Cupertino 41 years ago.

I enjoy the presence of the trains and their sounds, whether morning, afternoon or night.

It's amusing to read some of the local folks now have awakened from apparent long comas to recognize those parallel steel rails over their back fences are used for something more than jogging, walking dogs and disposing of unwanted garden chemicals.

The trains and their tooting horns are most welcome in my life. They inspire warm recollections of preparing our babies for bed between six and seven each evening, about 35 years ago, as the trains tooted their horns at the Rainbow Drive grade crossing a couple of blocks away.

I recently told my kids on the phone about the current outcry, and both of them fondly recalled the tooting horns of their childhood bedtimes. In fact, my son said he still has occasional difficulties getting to sleep at night without someone tooting his horn.

The Union Pacific, trains and tooting horns are good things--daytime, nighttime or any time. Keep 'em!

Gordon Frolich

Cupertino

CCC is not aligned with
the Libertarian party

I continue to be dismayed by the level of misinformation Charlie Ahern (Letters & Opinions, Aug. 24) is promulgating on behalf of the ABC and the attempts to align me and the CCC with Libertarians when in fact I never met one.

Furthermore, I discontinued my association with the CCC over six months ago and have been writing these letters as a Cupertino resident. Here is another contribution on behalf of truth (at least, I think so).

To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, it's not that the Alliance for a Better Cupertino advocates lack intelligence, but that they know so much that isn't so. To wit, Ahern continually implies that the Libertarian Party has something to do with the CCC and the ballot measures when in fact there is no relationship whatsoever.

Further, he attempts to demonize those who support the ballot measures as "radicals" when in fact over 4,000 Cupertino residents' signatures placed them on the ballot. Are there 4,000 radicals in Cupertino?

Ahern states that he is not a paid political consultant but neglects to identify those who are, how much they are paid and who pays them--information that would be very helpful to the voters.

The question is also raised as to the rationale for the standards of the ballot measures. It should be obvious to even the most casual observer that thousands of residents do not want to live in high rise canyons that obliterate the surrounding hills, increase traffic, concentrate pollution, diminish our educational system, increase city costs and deficits and just to accommodate developers and social engineers.

The falsifications and accusations by the Alliance for a Better Cupertino advocates is a clear indication of their desperation and fear that the citizens of this city will actually be able to have a say in their own future.

Robert L. Garten

Cupertino

Initiatives mean to uphold character of Cupertino

In his Aug. 8 letter to the editor, Charles Ahern posed questions about Measures ABC. He stated that he is not a political consultant.

He is, however, the treasurer for the Alliance for a Better Cupertino committee, a small group opposing the three architectural standards initiatives on the ballot for Cupertino in November.

Ahern's letter was prompted by a letter to the editor by Robert Garten, a member of the Concerned Citizens of Cupertino and a long-time Cupertino resident. He is not a political consultant as Ahern inferred in his letter.

Ahern also wrote: "Fact: Measure C calls for building setbacks of 35-feet." He also asks, "where does that number 35 come from?" That setback number is from the General Plan (1993). All three of the measures: A (density), B (height), and C (setbacks), are designed to preserve the quality of life in Cupertino. None of them affect single family residences, duplexes, triplexes or fourplexes, and none affect existing buildings, which are grandfathered into their current envelope. Large, dense projects are also allowed as exceptions to the measures if built in the expansive Vallco Park Planning District.

The goal of the Concerned Citizens of Cupertino's Save Our City Committee is sensible growth for Cupertino. The initiatives were written to help support the quality of our schools, preserve scenic views, control traffic congestion and retain the value of our homes. They are also designed to give residents a better voice in the future direction of the city.

These initiatives originated from frustration that our city government often amends the city's General Plan and listens more to outside interests and developers than to its own residents.

Unrestricted growth in Cupertino is ongoing and allowed by city officials who are continually amending the General Plan. The initiatives hope to uphold the character of Cupertino by enforcing the architectural standards in the General Plan and of course, sensible growth is supported by the initiatives for residential or business buildings.

Whenever an over-sized, character-changing development comes before the city council, residents will no longer be forced to organize hundreds of people simply to have their opinions recognized.

I strongly encourage residents to become familiar with the text of the initiatives, located on our website: www.cupertino.cc

Dennis Whittaker

President, CCC

Save Our City Committees