Blitz by homeowners group leads to football 'stadium' issue defeat
By Rebecca Ray
The 50.7 percent approval from Santa Clara and Santa Cruz county voters wasn't enough--the West Valley-Mission Community College District's $268 million Measure E bond needed 55 percent of the vote to pass.
Had Measure E passed on March 5, the district could have used the bond money to repair and renovate its facilities.
The district also could have used the money to undertake its proposed upgrades to the football and track venue at West Valley College, which nearby residents have opposed since the college first took up permanent residence in Saratoga in the early 1970s.
The district is proposing the installation of up to 3,500 permanent aluminum bench seats, lighting and sound systems, a permanent scoreboard, a press box, restrooms, landscaping and a snack bar at the facility, which has no permanent seating.
Before the election, the district estimated that $5.5 million of the bond money would go toward athletic facilities at West Valley, including the football and track venue. District officials said they weren't sure how much of the $5.5 million would go toward the venue, since the board of trustees had not approved any such plans.
The proposed facility upgrade, which opponents refer to as a "stadium," was one reason why members of the West Valley Homeowners' Association urged residents to oppose Measure E. Members of the association, an organization of South Bay homeowners, fear that the proposed upgrades will create more noise, light and traffic.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
