Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Vasona is best site for PG&E substation

Aggie Potter claims I exaggerated in my Feb. 11 letter in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. Let's look at the facts:

Potter says she doesn't want the substation relocated to someone else's neighborhood, yet PG&E's preferred Vasona location is in an area that has been zoned light industrial for decades, while some of Potter's proposed locations may be in your back yard.

If you live in the Oak Hills neighborhood, two of her favorite alternative sites would call for additional high-tension lines and towers through your neighborhood, as well as unsightly new above-ground distribution lines on Los Gatos Boulevard.

Some of you may lose portions of your back yard, or your whole home, to accommodate the towers. Every alternative to the preferred location requires these additional lines that impact new neighborhoods.

The preferred location comes as no surprise to Charter Oaks or other local residents. Charter Oaks bought their land from PG&E in the '70s. The existing transmission lines have been there since 1959, and PG&E planned this project in 1973. The location has been signed indicating its future use for years.

Potter claims only industry will benefit from the plan. But PG&E forecasts a 26 megawatt deficiency in our area this summer if nothing is done. Rejection of their proposal will cause a minimum one-year delay to do another EIR, with additional time for more hearings and construction.

Potter claims the town should be reviewing PG&E's plans, but she knows that's the California Public Utilities Commission's responsibility. The town's authority is pre-empted by this state agency.

If Potter has her way, the CPUC public meeting scheduled for March 23 will be flooded with her opposition group, while the rest of us sit passively at home. As she put it: "We [Potter et al.] are considering what's best for all of our neighbors." Is that so?

Peter Fournier
Los Gatos

Village House's volunteer workers are appreciated

I would like to express public and belated appreciation to the many wonderful founders, capable staff and devoted volunteers of the Village House which recently closed. They gave of themselves unselfishly for so many years.

Not only did Village House provide needed funds for Ming Quong Children's Center and subsequently to Eastfield Ming Quong, but they offered the community a delightful place to enjoy a very special lunch. We miss it already.

When Fred was in practice in Los Gatos, we always celebrated staff birthdays and Christmas with luncheons at the Village House. Our daughter had her wedding reception there just 10 days after the damaging 1989 earthquake. Volunteers managed the miraculous cleanup in time.

Also, I have personally attended many group meetings at Village House over the years and appreciated the gracious atmosphere and superb service.

Thank you! Thank you! Village House has closed but will not be forgotten.

Martha Carlisle
Los Gatos

Councilmembers refuse to listen to the residents

After leaving the March 2 Town Council meeting, I have never been as disappointed in the "democratic process." Our elected officials failed to listen to or support the residents who oppose PG&E's proposed Vasona substation.

We had seven speakers and reports ready for our presentation. Mayor Linda Lubeck ran a very tight show and failed to allow our representatives to fully express their concerns. She did, however, allow PG&E attorney Charles Lewis to address the council. The end result was that the council again managed to stall in making a recommendation for one or more alternative sites prior to the California Public Utilities Commission hearings scheduled for March 23 (Academy Award night) at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

The residents of Los Gatos will now go into those hearings without the backing of the Town Council.

(Mayor Lubeck did, however, schedule Town Hearings on April 6--too little, too late!)

One of the documents presented to the council was the expert testimony of Walter J. Cavagnaro, former director of the California Public Utilities Electric Power Division and consultant for the Vasona area residents and Boccardo Corporation.

Mr. Cavagnaro discussed the city of Fresno regarding transmission lines (230 kV wires) and said that Fresno required PG&E to place lines underground with the cost being picked up by all PG&E ratepayers. [He said that] PG&E appealed this decision to the Supreme Court and lost.

Why has our Town Council listened to PG&E stating that the undergrounding of 230 kV wires and removal of towers throughout Los Gatos would cost $32 million if all the Town Council needs to do is request that the California PUC require the 230 kilovolt wires in Los Gatos be placed underground at no cost to this community?

The Town Council has failed to do its homework, and that could result in the absolute trashing of our neighborhoods.

We have been working with Almaden Valley residents who face the same PG&E problem. PG&E is attempting to place a power station next to custom homes in that area. PG&E has told those residents that new transformers are needed to prevent brownouts (sound familiar?) when our understanding is that Almaden will be connected to the proposed Los Gatos Substation (via Hicks substation) to provide increased electric power to all of Silicon Valley. This was acknowledged by PG&E attorney Charles Lewis at the CPUC Jan. 6, 1998, scheduling hearing. The "ring the valley" with eight 230 kV wires and the supporting electric power stations will become a reality. However, let us make certain that such a great force of electricity is not placed in the middle of a high-density residential and recreational area.

Almaden residents are very fortunate because they have a council representative who is very supportive. San Jose made sure the residents would be heard by demanding that a mediator would preside over the dialogue between PG&E and the Almaden Valley residents.

Why have the residents of Los Gatos not been given this same opportunity? Rather than having residents fight each other (NIMBY), we could have resolved the electric-power station problem in an intelligent and professional manner.

Regardless of whether you are concerned about hillside development, parking in downtown, traffic on University Avenue, high-density developments or other community issues, the council must listen to its residents. If this council is unable to perform this task, then maybe we should look for one that can.

I urge all residents of Los Gatos to attend the March 23 CPUC hearings and hope the testimony of residents can be based on facts and common sense rather than emotion.

Ann Burns
Los Gatos

Golf course ensures better fire protection

We of Los Gatos have a choice--another county park with many Bay Area visitors leaving an unanswered, proven fire danger, or fire protection with a well-managed country club that preserves historical and ecological requirements.

The 200-plus acres off Black Mountain Road can be used by all of us and by our children and grandchildren and kept in its natural state. Develop a bird and animal sanctuary, public hiking trails and keep 95 percent as managed open space for all of us. Do we want another park for the few who reserve their park area one year in advance so that group can use the park exclusively?

Pete Denevi's proposed country club will offer facilities that the public can use with professional guidance and learn sports that every generation can enjoy with public access. Bottom line is critical fire protection for all of us with preservation of a beautiful natural area which is offered with the country club proposal.

Wilma and Tom Wilson
Los Gatos

SummerHill offers generous compromise

Larger, more expensive homes built on the Heintz property would not blend into the existing neighborhood nearly as well as those proposed by the SummerHill developers.

Sandy Anderson, in a recent letter to the editor, speaks of the concessions on SummerHill's part as no sacrifice; however, cutting the number of homes to 47 certainly is a business sacrifice, in addition to the design changes SummerHill is also conceding to. In all the objections raised by a few, I have not seen anyone offering their own house to be removed and the land put back to its undeveloped condition of 50 years ago, when I moved into this area.

Some of the homes on the north side of Blossom Hill Road are built on property that was part of the original Heintz ranch and property. Things look pretty nice there now, so what makes some people think that the proposed development will not be as nice, or better, and raise the general value of all the homes in the immediate area?

Some do not realize that the apricot trees are gradually dying, and most are infested with borers and should be removed. Irrigated orchards in the valley and the Hollister area produce three times as many tons per acre as this area.

In addition, some of the pine trees interplanted in the orchard area are not well suited for this area and are also gradually dying. Since the trees are dying out, before too long the property will become an open hillside of weeds and a couple old houses and a big barn, whose structural integrity is becoming compromised by age and little or no maintenance. This condition will not enhance the view for the neighborhood, nor the traffic along Blossom Hill Road.

Presently, the area in the hills behind the proposed housing development is private property with no trespassing posted. Without the development, the property could remain private and the no trespassing enforced. I am confident that horse owners and hikers would like to see the open space developed as proposed by SummerHill, as the SummerHill proposal links these trails to the existing trails from Santa Rosa to Belgatos Park. The trail link and expansion can only happen if the SummerHill proposal is approved.

If the SummerHill proposal is not approved, another will come along sometime in the future, but without these civic and community features. If another developer determined on full development of the whole 100-plus acres comes along, this would end any opportunity for the open space preservation in one of the few remaining locations in the Los Gatos area.

Ray Elam
Los Gatos

[ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ]