Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Caltrans still continues fight after accidents

Over the years, there has been little about DeCinzo's cartoons with which I agree. But his Aug. 5 jab at Caltrans [which suggested that in addition to the plaque honoring those who lost their lives on Highway 85 prior to the building of the barrier, that there should be one for Caltrans "who fought so hard against the barrier in the first place"] hit the target dead on.

I do have a disagreement, however. It is the tense of the verb. The fighting by Caltrans is not in the past. They continue to fight. Just recently, Caltrans persuaded the Superior Court of Santa Clara County to dismiss the wrongful death claims of the surviving family of a Highway 85 victim. Instead of meeting the family at the negotiating table to discuss how to support two children and the grieving husband, Caltrans buried this young family in legal paperwork and strong-arm tactics to deny them even the chance to have a jury decide their case. Go get 'em, Steve!

Paul H. Izor
Attorney at Law, Los Gatos
Past President, Santa Clara County Trial Lawyers Association

Cupertino resident admires our Council Chamber art

You people in Los Gatos have the luck (or careful planning) to be endowed with a terrific art showplace in the Los Gatos Council Chambers. This is the second of these I've attended. What a showplace!

I just went this evening to a thoroughly enjoyable exhibit of some 20 people paintings by Amy Finger. These are mostly of people like you and me in Bermuda shorts, straw hats and slightly potted bellies (with dogs) at sunlit outdoor events; people at California-sunny outdoor art shows seemed to proliferate. But her subjects aren't limited.

Her paintings are clean, slightly modern realism, with a touch of real-people whimsy. One I liked was of people (with a couple of patient dogs) waiting to buy ice cream from an outdoor vendor, titled "HaagenDogs."

A portrait I fell in love with is that of a sitting woman, slightly chinless with a body to match, her feet not quite touching the floor, fuzzy red hair, but her confidence is that of an elegant grand lady. First you look, then you giggle--warmly! At least, I did. The woman is all of us, male or female.

Ms. Finger, unpretentious, married with a couple of young kids, told me she studied at the Art Students League in New York and the Parsons School of Design. Her paintings show it. Add in Ms. Finger's astute people-watching personality in the paintings, her ability to catch people in a spontaneous passing moment ... well, you have to see rather than read! (Surprisingly, she isn't gallery-represented.)

So I say, great stuff, Los Gatos! Keep it up! I'll be back to see more!

(As for my audacious presumption in making the judgmental statements above, I was educated in both engineering and art, and was voted Outstanding Senior Artist at DePaul University in Indiana in 1948.)

Burt Schmitz
Cupertino

Development would further increase traffic

I am writing to express my serious concern about the project being proposed at 330 University Ave. I am a neighbor to the proposed project.

University Avenue is a major artery in town, although it is unclear if it has been so recognized by the town. The street is very busy, and cars rarely drive the speed limit. The intersection of Highway 9 and University Avenue is often congested and already overburdened. There will only be one access road for all these new homes, right onto University Avenue!

With the renovation of Old Town, I anticipate the traffic in the area will increase. The project as proposed, 30 homes on less than four acres, seems more than excessive.

Los Gatos is a wonderful place to live. Let's keep it that way.

Maureen Heath
Los Gatos

Edelen neighbors argue that traffic study was flawed

The residents of Edelen District are gravely concerned about the proposed development at 330 University Ave. This proposal would place 30 new three- and four-bedroom units roughly opposite Bakers Square at Highway 9 and University Avenue.

The portion of the intersection that services cars entering and leaving University Avenue at Highway 9 is stressed as it is--and traffic generated by the "new" Old Town, once it opens, can only make a bad situation worse.

The proposed development would ask that the intersection at Highway 9 and University Avenue support over 300 additional trips per day. The problem would be compounded due to the fact that residents of the development would need to make an immediate left across University into the development after clearing the intersection.

A single drive opening on University Avenue would be the only ingress/egress for the residents' vehicles. As University Avenue is frequently backed up with cars attempting to turn right onto Highway 9, well past the proposed development's driveway, cars would then queue up on the opposite side of the street as they waited to turn left into the drive. This queue could support only a few vehicles before impacting Highway 9 itself.

The traffic report commissioned, and accepted, by the town for this proposal finds that the additional traffic generated by the development would be inconsequential. We believe that finding to be inaccurate. The report considered only that portion of the intersection adjacent to the proposed development--one quarter of one intersection. The comparable intersection studied was the intersection of Highway 9 and N. Santa Cruz Avenue--not a comparable situation at all.

Also of concern is that traffic was measured only on Tuesdays and, therefore, sidesteps collecting Thursday-through-Sunday-evening traffic data. We believe that this traffic report is inadequate. The town's endorsement of this report seriously undermines our faith in the town's practice and evaluation process as it applies to traffic data. [We don't believe that] the town has [an adequate] process to evaluate the cumulative effect of all [the various] proposals on traffic in Edelen or any other district.

On Aug. 26, in the Town Council Chambers, the Planning Commission again considers the proposal for development at 330 University Ave. Our views need to be heard. The community has a responsibility to work with the town to formulate practices and processes that ensure responsible development for Los Gatos. Neighbors from Almond Grove should attend as well. If it becomes inconvenient to get to Old Town by way of University Avenue, it would be more convenient to find a way through your district!

Brian Drugge
and other Edelen District neighbors

Correction

A last-minute update in last week's story about council candidates in Los Gatos and Monte Sereno resulted in Jack Lucas being identified as the mayor of Monte Sereno. We actually know that the mayor of Monte Sereno is Suzanne Jackson.

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