Letters

Local schools need support for parcel tax

Because we care about the quality of education in the elementary and middle schools in this community, we are writing to thank you, the Los Gatos community, for your past support and to urge your continued support of the parcel tax during the Measure B election on April 9.

We pride ourselves on graduating well-rounded, responsible, contributing individuals. Funds from the parcel tax have enabled us to provide our students with a broad and enriched educational experience, while at the same time maintaining small class sizes.

The parcel tax has always been an expression of the community's support of education. It is an essential ingredient in keeping our schools strong while allowing a measure of local financial control. The parcel tax offers our students the opportunity to attend schools that offer quality programs in the best academic environment.

We thank you again for recognizing the value of excellent schools and supporting education in Los Gatos.

Dorothy Rouse
Tina Orsi-Hartigan
Trustees of the Los Gatos Union School District

Traffic light needs to be top priority

I agree wholeheartedly with your editorial of March 20. During my tenure on the Monte Sereno City Council the past seven years, I have worked to enact a solution to the traffic hazards at this crossing.

Yes, our city council did deliberate a number of other options for that intersection. The appropriate decision was made (finally) and it is now in Los Gatos' "ballpark." That section of Winchester Boulevard is in the jurisdiction of Los Gatos, and they have the final say as to when the construction will actually occur. I am patiently hoping that it will be completed by the end of the summer and functioning by the beginning of the next school term. It will have taken eight years for the safety of our children to be rectified.

I also read your front-page article about the renovation of the Town Plaza. Although aesthetically this may be a much-needed improvement, I hope that it will not hamper the timeline for putting in the stoplight and reconfiguring the Daves/Winchester intersection.

The much-needed lane reconfiguration and construction of a "safety island" around the light would be a less-daunting situation, not only for the children who cross to go to Daves Avenue School, but also for the many joggers, runners and bicycle enthusiasts who need to navigate across Winchester.

Although you reported that the Town Plaza Park improvements will be "one of its largest and most public improvement projects," I hope the construction of the traffic light at Winchester/Daves will be viewed as the most worthy and long-awaited public projects that both Los Gatos and Monte Sereno will undertake.

The final approval hopefully will be forthcoming. Let's now grease the slow "wheels of government" and see how fast we can complete this project. Eight years has been too long!

Suzanne Jackson
Councilmember
City of Monte Sereno

Conditions ire longtime town resident

I read the [letter] this week by Ray Davis and the one previously by Rhodie Firth [regarding Los Gatos redevelopment]. I agree with both wholeheartedly.

I have been a resident of Los Gatos for 30 years. I can see the congestion--Los Gatos Boulevard looks like Stevens Creek Boulevard. One question uppermost in my mind--why does the town council not take some of this land for a senior center? Saratoga and Santa Clara have outstanding centers and activities.

I own two pieces of property in Los Gatos--one in Blossom Manor and one in Los Gatos Village.

An orchard was taken on Bascom across from Landmark. In its place an office complex was built. One year has passed--it is still vacant.

Incidentally, the cartoon by DeCinzo depicting the town council and developers was right on target.

Evelyn Lecznar Checke
Los Gatos

Parcel tax needs voter support

Eleven years ago our family decided to move back to Los Gatos. The reputation of the schools was the deciding factor in our choice of Los Gatos. We are so fortunate to have the benefit of excellence in education at our schools. We are strong supporters of the parcel tax, which allows our children to enjoy programs such as art, music and science, and to benefit from small class size.

The programs and services the parcel tax pays for allow our children to enjoy a well-rounded academic program. Over the years we have been impressed with all the teachers and staff that we have come to know. Many of these are our neighbors and friends.

We do not want to see any programs or services cut, teachers or staff lose their jobs, or class sizes soar. We don't want the reputation of our schools to be anything but the best. This community needs to continue its support of the parcel tax to ensure quality education for all of our young neighbors.

On April 9 there will be a special election to renew the parcel tax. Please support education in Los Gatos by voting "yes" on Measure B.

Martha and Dennis Geiszler
Los Gatos

More to it than just a stoplight

Last month the Monte Sereno City Council sent a letter to the Los Gatos Town Council that included the entire text of paragraph two of the consultants' recommendation. In brief, it stated that a safe crossing at Daves required more than a light by itself. It was recommended that, in the interest of safety, one unneeded northbound lane be removed, and that Winchester Boulevard be narrowed for at least 400 feet in either direction.

Lights do not make a crossing safe. Without the recommended street improvements, the light is an attractive hazard providing a false sense of security. Remember that the majority of pedestrian accidents in Los Gatos are at Blossom Hill and Los Gatos Boulevard, where there is a light.

The Monte Sereno City Council copied this recommendation verbatim from the first traffic consultant who looked at how the intersection interacts with the neighborhood. All previous consultants did not consider the unsafe nature of the street. While this process took longer than just slapping up a light, thank heavens Monte Sereno City Council got a comprehensive study of the area.

We could have seen the light sooner had the previous consultants not ignored concerns brought up at the public meetings. And we could already have the light had not the Los Gatos Town Council ignored the comprehensive white paper prepared by the neighbors. Now we will see if the Los Gatos traffic engineers are up to the task of following the consultants' clear and reasoned recommendations and will build a crossing intersection that is safe enough for kids to use.

Mark Brodsky
Monte Sereno

Congratulations on 'no on E' victory

I want to thank our many members who worked hard and contributed so much in the recent campaign against Measure E. I also want to thank the tens of thousands of residents of the West Valley-Mission Community College District who evaluated the "Yes on E" and "No on E" campaigns, and voted to defeat this excessive bond measure.

One of the college district trustees, Don Wolfe, told the Mercury News that "the voters were duped"; what a shame that Mr. Wolfe and the district don't have more respect for the democratic process and more faith in the voters of our area.

Make no mistake, this was pure grassroots politics against big money, special interests and corrupt practices. We raised less than $45,000. They got $25,000 from Salomon Smith Barney, the bond underwriter. We got a check early in the campaign for $7 from a lady who wrote that it was all she could afford but that she felt strongly about the issue. They hired a professional campaign consultant for over $50,000. We had a group of neighbors sitting around a kitchen table trying to figure out how to run the campaign.

In the end, we defeated Measure E in nine of the 10 geographic jurisdictions encompassed by the college district. Our deepest thanks to everyone for a fantastic effort and an inspirational victory.

Victor Monia
President
West Valley Homeowners Association, Saratoga

Correction

In the March 20 news briefs, the VTA bus line ending at Winchester and Knowles was incorrectly identified; it is actually Line 38. The VTA also wants to emphasize that the fare increases are proposed and not yet decided. The proposed increases range from five cents to $1, depending on the type of fare and age of rider.

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