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Letters
We don't want the town to turn into Valley Fair
I couldn't agree more with the opinion expressed by Rhodie Firth in the Feb. 20 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. Since its renovation, I try to avoid Valley Fair. Even Nordstrom is now too big to easily navigate, and the rest of the mall is so huge, I have yet to get from one end to the other in a single visit.
Regarding Marty Woodworth, our new redevelopment agency manager, who takes some credit for Valley Fair's expansion, I, too, am a little scared by his accomplishments and how they relate to our town.
Perhaps I need to attend more town meetings so that I can better understand the long-term goals for Los Gatos. Do we really need Mr. Woodworth's style of redevelopment?
When we chose to live in Los Gatos, we were charmed by the art galleries and coffee shops, the funky antique stores and boutique clothing shops. In six years, we've added GapKids, Sur La Table, Borders, Chico's, and Williams Sonoma, and now the Sharper Image is coming to town. All the stores whose catalogues stuff my mailbox are now coming to a street near me. I don't think this is such a good thing.
Since Valley Fair erupted, I find myself spending more money right here in town. Clothing may sometimes be more expensive, but it is distinctive, and convenient and the service is personal. The time and aggravation I save avoiding the traffic jams and crowds at the mall are well worth whatever extra I pay shopping locally.
When I tell friends our new rug came from Accent on Rugs, they raise eyebrows and say, "Wasn't that expensive?" I tell them that failing to find the guidance I sought at Macy's, my experience here in town was one of expert, personal and friendly service, and I spent exactly as much money as I would have elsewhere. I bought my paint at The Avenue, and I doubt the employees at Home Depot or Builders' Square could have offered me the time or valuable advice the talented and creative women there provided.
Locally owned businesses develop relationships with the community that are hard to achieve with large chains.
Am I naive to think Los Gatos can retain its charm and personality? Has the economy changed so much that we need the giant retailers to survive? How can concerned residents learn more about the redevelopment agency, and make sure our opinions are heard?
Kate Lepp
Los Gatos
DeCinzo's cartoons bring smiles to some readers
Right on, Mr. Stagnaro! Your brilliant defense of DeCinzo was most welcomed. Satire and cartoons are indeed a very valuable tool in communicating important issues.
There are days when I laugh out loud at some of DeCinzo's cartoons. I still remember the one showing monster mobile homes; what better way to show disdain for the "monsters" among us!
Some folks have a hard time in life because they take themselves so seriously; therefore, they have a difficult time with satire and humor. For myself, I would love to meet DeCinzo. How about a contest of some sort with the prize being "spend an hour with DeCinzo?"
June Fromm
Monte Sereno
Writer supports cartoonist's humor
Please! Enough of the DeCinzo bashing! He is a satirist, not an elected politician! He's a comic, an entertainer, a person with an opinion. Sometimes I find his pieces hilarious, such as the Whole Foods piece. Sometimes I find them painful. Sometimes I don't have a clue. So what?
Get a grip, a life, whatever, and stop wasting this space with drivel about how annoyed and disappointed you are with the cartoonist and the paper for continuing to live up to our right to enjoy free speech. There are so many other problems in this town that need to be discussed, such as traffic, parking, building development, politics and schools.
Whole Foods is expensive and I only shop there when I want to pay a premium for something only they have. Other times I shop at the more commercial stores that "push chemical-laden, packaged foods where service consists solely of unhappy, underpaid checkout clerks."
Actually, I shop at Lunardi's most of the time and none of what Mr. Pounds says is true about that store--the employees are very helpful, knowledgeable and courteous, and there are selections of organically grown produce and reasonably healthy packaged foods. Good enough for me.
Beyond the obvious reasons Mr. Pounds gives for the higher prices, why does one really have to pay so much for healthy food? Is it really worth it? How much more healthy will I be shopping at Whole Foods versus Lunardi's? Why do so many people choose not to pay such high prices? Mr. DeCinzo seems to be wondering. I wonder if anyone else is.
What Mr. DeCinzo illustrated in his piece regarding Whole Foods was not shameful; it was another excellent example of his right to express his opinion whether or not you or I like it or hate it. For me, beyond an occasional chuckle, I am reminded weekly about what a wonderful country I live in that allows people like Mr. DeCinzo to express and be heard.
Yes, even when he goes after a subject about which I am sensitive and I feel a little pain or guilt--and he has. If Mr. DeCinzo does a good job, I suspect we will all fall victim to his pen at some point. That's America; and that's the Constitution; and that's why I live here.
Mr. Pounds considers the DeCinzo cartoons "merely an annoyance to ignore," yet he still appears to be reading them. Based on the activity in this section over the past months, it appears most of Mr. DeCinzo's critics continue to read his work, and some of them continue to feel the need to express themselves. Maybe the DeCinzo-bashing letters aren't so bad after all--the critic certainly has the right to express their view just as Mr. DeCinzo does. And they do give me something else to laugh at besides the cartoon.
I would suspect that Mr. DeCinzo also enjoys the attention--I believe someone told me he does. Maybe we'll see a satirical piece on the DeCinzo critic in the near future and then more letters! I sure am glad I'm an American!
Kevin Jones
Los Gatos
Nostalgic journey back to newspaper delivery
For a short time, I delivered those square-folded papers I carried in a big white cloth bag over my shoulders while riding my bicycle (after school on University Avenue during the sixth grade). We folded those papers in a partially enclosed shed in back of the Royce Street building next to the train tracks.
I was an apprentice under an older boy by the last name of Fremiere (not sure about the spelling), son of a local real estate agent/owner at the time (about 1953-'54).
I never made it into the big time of winning a prize, and in fact, shortly thereafter my family moved to Saratoga, where I still attended the University Avenue Grammar School, taking the Los Gatos High School bus into town. I continued at Los Gatos High because there was no Saratoga High School at that time.
Franc Fallico
Anchorage, Alaska
Los Gatos feels sting of loss of bumblebees
A much greater loss than the few heads of daffodils lopped off or the non-native trees uprooted by vandals recently are the lack of honeybees and the native bumblebees. Without those insects, there will be far fewer flowers everywhere.
This is the first year in the 60 years I have lived in this area I have noticed this occurrence. Either someone has used insecticide near their nesting sights or, in the case of bumblebees, their nests have been ripped apart by grading for human home construction or landscaping.
Their plight is something the Los Gatos planning commission and the town council should take into consideration before handing out building permits.
Mary Keith Osborn
Los Gatos
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
