Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Letters

Hutchins, Lubeck are best choices in council race

Much is said by social analysts and the press about the apathetic American voter. Let us in Los Gatos prove "them" wrong. Let's show them that we do care who our government leaders are; that we acknowledge what they do does indeed matter, especially at the local level where government actions touch us in our daily lives; that we can be responsible voters and make the effort to find out who the candidates are and what they stand for so we can make an informed decision.

For my part, I have thought about what I want to see in a leader and have decided to support Jan Hutchins and Linda Lubeck for Town Council.

Fiscal conservatism, responsibility and accountability are essential elements of any manager of the public trust. Linda Lubeck, a professional accountant, knows how to look at the numbers, in all their volume and complexity, and discern the practical implications and potential traps hidden in them. Jan Hutchins has also demonstrated fiscal responsibility by virtue of successfully managing to balance the revenues and expenses of his own Los Gatos-based business.

A true leader, however, must be much more than a manager. And of the four candidates running for the two seats, only Jan and Linda have shown that they can go beyond the managerial and exert real leadership. They have positive visions of what kind of community Los Gatos is and can be, motivated, in part, by the fact that they both are raising families in town. They know how to tap into and understand people's concerns and desires for their community and get them involved in jointly finding solutions and directions. And they are not afraid to eschew the political backroom and "tell it like it is."

Indeed, from personal observation, it seems to me that both Jan and Linda, each in his or her own distinctive and uniquely charming way, are genetically incapable of anything but frank, open, honest, amicable and (most important!) good-humored confrontation of truth in a noncombative, nonaggressive, nonthreatening, even (or especially!) nonpolitical manner--traits we need to breed more of in our political culture.

Let's give Jan Hutchins and Linda Lubeck the chance to spread those political genes on Town Council--not with each other, of course, but ... well, you know what I mean.

Mike Abkin
Los Gatos

Derailing Good Sam charitable trust might not be such a bad idea

With the Good Sam Charitable Trust on the right track (continuing the railroad metaphor used in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times editorial in the Oct. 9 issue), will the state try to switch the $56 million freight off the fast, main, nonprofit line onto some dinky county-tax siding?

The trust accumulated a lot of assets while operating during 20 years as a nonprofit, non-taxpaying business. People insisted on giving them money, and though their eleemosynary (love that word) souls were pure, the freight simply accumulated in spite of all the trust could do.

Eventually being a nonprofit became too great a burden, and they sold everything, freight and rolling stock.

Immediately, there was state interference. The ledger lookers in Sacramento worried about the big balance that just automatically grew from the money so freely given Good Sam by their grateful customers. The state said $56 million of the proceeds--a small part--is due the folks who paid the taxes during all those years that the trust rolled along as a nonprofit, non-taxpaying, eleemosynary institution.

The $56 million excess freight they accumulated due to the non-tax paying status over the years is $56 million in deferred county taxes.

Once a nonprofit, always a nonprofit. The trust is still trying to do good for the county. They freely volunteer their services in our behalf. They offer to take immediate charge of the $56 million deferred taxes without any help from the county. After administrative expenses, they will dole out as much of the interest from the $56 million as they see fit in whatever fashion they see fit, they promise.

Wouldn't it be a shame if the attorney general sidetracks this rapid rolling double-header into the tax collector's freight yard?

Well, Valley Medical Center could use it.

Forrest Crumply
Los Gatos

Reporter erred in painting candidate as a 'spoiler'

I am writing to clarify what I consider to be a misinterpretation by Clarence Cromwell in the Monte Sereno candidate profiles in the Oct. 9 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times. He states that "Knight appeared more concerned with defeating Hobbs than winning a seat for himself."

This statement unfairly infers that I am a "spoiler" rather than a serious contender.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. I am, in fact, most serious with regard to winning a seat on the Monte Sereno City Council and, when elected, promise to work diligently for the principles in which I believe, namely to provide greater communication between the public and the city.

Ms. Hobbs is also a candidate and has an equal chance for election as do the rest of the contenders. If she is elected, then it will be because that was the desire of the voters.

I regret that your reporter perceived my comments incorrectly.

Gordon Knight
Monte Sereno

Council should uphold planners on truck move

On Sept. 25, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to deny the relocation of the Anderson Chevrolet truck division to the corner of Los Gatos Boulevard and Shannon Road. The residents in the area were delighted with the decision, and the town should be, too. The decision is being appealed and has been scheduled for the Oct. 21 council meeting.

Unlike all the existing dealerships which are buffered from neighbors by either multi-family or light-commercial developments, the subject lot backs directly up to a well established single-family residential neighborhood. That type of direct impact is inappropriate and extremely insensitive to existing residents.

Secondly, that corner is at one of the most dangerous and awkward intersections in Los Gatos. Children walk to and from the nearby schools daily. A car dealership with all the test drives would only exacerbate the already poor conditions. Public safety is at stake here. A car dealership doesn't belong in a residential area.

Furthermore, this flawed idea goes completely away from the objectives of the Los Gatos Boulevard Plan which states: "New and relocating auto-related businesses shall be located north of Los Gatos-Almaden Road ... ." It also provides that Los Gatos Boulevard shall deintensify as you go southerly on the boulevard toward more residential areas. Shannon Road is at the most southerly end of the boulevard study.

Finally, the increase in tax revenue would be negligible considering that this would be the relocation of an existing Los Gatos business. A new outside business at that location would bring in more tax revenue.

So you can see that the unanimous decision of the Planning Commission was right on target. Members were sensitive to the issues of safety and welfare, the impact of the residential area and the boulevard plan, and they were realistic about the increase in tax revenue.

James Rees
Los Gatos

Letter writer made mistake of attacking the messenger

Those objecting to the Larry Todd story in the Sept. 18 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times would be well advised to redirect their criticism where it belongs, namely, the subject of the article.

They might ask themselves the following questions: Is there any single item in reporter Clarence Cromwell's piece that is not true, cannot be confirmed and verified, or might be construed as misinterpretation or an attempt to sensationalize a straightforward new article?

Did or did not Todd's report to the council call the teens involved in the June 22 incident members of "two rival gangs" and characterize the rock throwing as a "retaliation attack?"

It did.

Did or did not Todd subsequently qualify his report by saying that is what Juvenile Court Judge Ronald Lisk declared while presiding over the case?

He did.

Did or did not Judge Lisk say only that the behavior "resembled" what gang members do?

He did.

And did or did not Dave Aikman, a gang expert for more than 20 years, say he doesn't see any signs of gang activity in Los Gatos, and that the incident in question didn't bear the markings of a gang?

He did.

Did or did not the mother of the principal teen offender say there was no gang activity involved and that she thought "they're just trying to scare people to get them on their side--to get money"?

She did.

Did or did not Town Council members say they tossed aside Todd's claim that the June 22 incident occurred during a gang "retaliation attack"?

They did.

All this actually happened. So, where's reporter Cromwell's misinterpretation of the facts? Where's the so-called "vicious personal attack on Todd"? What's self-serving about the article?

Readers who object to the Todd story remind me of the king who didn't like the news a messenger brought and ordered him killed. In the present case, some readers are attacking a newspaper for reporting the documented actions and words of a public servant.

Frank J. Stagnaro
Los Gatos