The Cupertino Courier

Letters & Opinions

Steven Decinzo

Cartoonist's View

Speak Out

After I watched the Measurex project (Parks at Monta Vista) public hearing on March 8, I believe deeply that our city council is dividing the city into east and west Cupertino and that the boundary line is De Anza Boulevard.

Patrick Kwok says that housing developments should be along Stevens Creek, where there is easy access to public transportation, according to the General Plan. Because the Measurex property is in the wrong location and because 38 people from west Cupertino were against it, he turned the project down. I think we don't need to have public hearings anymore. As long as the development is along or close to Stevens Creek, there is no reason for the city council to vote down the project.

City council members keep saying east Cupertino is the heart of downtown and it's OK to put high-density housing there. East Cupertino residents have to sacrifice to make our city better. While residents on the east side of Cupertino suffer from traffic jams, air pollution and overcrowded schools, schools in west Cupertino enjoy money from the eastside developments without sacrificing a thing. Why does our city council have a double standard?

West Cupertino residents might think they are safe from high-density development. However, when Cupertino High is overcrowded, students will float to Monta Vista High. When Collins Elementary School or Lawson Middle School is overcrowded, the district can shuttle students to Lincoln elementary/Kennedy Middle School or even redistrict. The ultimate result is everyone in Cupertino shares the problem in some way.

If 94 houses on 12 acres is too high a density, why isn't 135 condos on 5 acres too high-density? The city council must stop the double standard. Their standard really divides the town in two. In the near future, our mailing address will be East Cupertino instead of Cupertino.

Steven Twu

Cupertino

DeCinzo's cartoons say
so much, with few words

I want to say how much I enjoy the "Cartoonist's View" by DeCinzo in the Cupertino Courier. Week after week, he consistently targets what is happening in Cupertino and pokes fun at those responsible for making the decisions, which permit unchecked over-development in our city.

Every Wednesday, when we receive the Courier, I go right to DeCinzo's cartoon. Often, it is the best part of the paper for me.

I was particularly impressed with the timeliness of his cartoon when the crane broke and fell on Vallco. The accident happened on Monday night, and his cartoon was in the paper Wednesday of the same week.

I was even more impressed by DeCinzo's artistic talent and views when I compared copies of the Sunnyvale Sun and the Cupertino Courier, which came out the same week.

Some of the articles that were pertinent to both cities appeared in both papers. However, DeCinzo's illustrations were two separate cartoons; and the one which deals with Sunnyvale events is entirely different from the one in the Courier. Furthermore, I believe the Silicon Valley Community Newspapers publishes papers in other nearby cities besides Cupertino and Sunnyvale, and DeCinzo may illustrate local issues for those cities as well.

It is said that "a picture is worth a thousand words." DeCinzo says so much with his cartoons, using so few words. We are very lucky to have him to point out both the subtle and the obvious in such a clever manner. Many thanks.

Rusty Britt

Cupertino

Article about housing brings both hope, despair

When I read the March 15 Courier article, "Thousands may line up for low-cost housing list," and learned that the Santa Clara County Housing Authority will be accepting applications for its housing voucher, I was filled with joy and anticipation that my family may finally get into affordable housing. At the same time, I was filled with despair because I will be competing with many families in the same homeless situation as myself.

I wasn't always homeless. I worked for the county of Santa Clara for 18 years, and I was in the process of buying my first home, a "rent to own" arrangement, when I lost my job in 2001.

I lived off of my savings until I depleted it in 2003. I had a hard time providing for two children as a single mother on my disability income. I became delinquent in all of my bills. I had to make the tough decision to move my family into a shelter, just to make ends meet. Currently, we are staying at Sobrato Family Living Center, which is transitional housing.

Getting into a more permanent housing solution, like Section 8, would make a huge difference by allowing my family the continuity of remaining in one place.

Every time I move my grades suffer, slowing me down (but not stopping me) from achieving my goal to finish school. Similarly, it affects my children's ability to learn.

I would like to thank your newspaper for bringing the story and the needs of low-income families such as myself to the public's awareness.

Julie Loredo

Santa Clara