Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Editorials

Proclamation looks to stormy days ahead

Los Gatans might be surprised to know that it is Winter Storm Preparedness Week in their town. Mayor Joanne Benjamin signed the proclamation, and Town Clerk Marian Cosgrove attested to it.

The Los Gatos Weekly-Times seldom reports on these almost weekly proclamations, which are, for the most part, ceremonial.

But with half the streets in Los Gatos in some stage of repair, the patio area in front of Town Hall completely torn up and PG&E racing against the clock to make power for some 10,000 mountain residents more dependable, it seemed worth mentioning.

It's also, not coincidentally, Winter Storm Preparedness Week in the state. After last winter's disastrous floods in the Central Valley, Gov. Pete Wilson is also racing the clock to rebuild levees.

Blame it on El Niño.

Much of the work that's being done in Los Gatos was actually planned before El Niño became the hottest news item in the country. But, of course, the threat of a wetter than usual winter gives all the projects a sense of urgency.

In recent years, town staff members have had to divert their energy on rainy days to move office furniture and files out of the way of raindrops that landed on the patio and soaked through to their offices below. With a stormy winter predicted, time is of the essence.

And that goes double for PG&E work in the mountains. The utility company has committed some $2 million to upgrade circuits that PG&E says are responsible for frequent outages that have lasted for days.

All the work on streets and roofs and cables notwithstanding, the real reason the state and the town joined in proclaiming this Winter Storm Preparedness Week is to remind individuals that they, too, should be preparing for stormy days ahead.

In addition to clearing gutters and making necessary repairs to roofs, those who live in areas susceptible to flooding are being encouraged to look into the National Flood Insurance Program.

El Niño has received a flood of news coverage in recent months, bringing with it the danger that people will lose interest and ignore the warnings. That's why we have proclamations.

Los Gatos parents care

For 15 years, the Los Gatos Elementary Educational Foundation has spearheaded a drive to help local schools maintain high standards in spite of cutbacks following Proposition 13.

This organization of dedicated parents has raised more than $1 million to supplement the education of Los Gatos' students with science and computer labs, physical education equipment and school counselors.

Volunteers will be on the phones Nov. 2. Answering the call of the annual Phone-A-Thon will ensure that Los Gatos schools continue to provide the best possible education for their students.

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