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Letters
West Valley should pay for the cleanup
On Jan. 17, I attended a West Valley-Mission Community College District governing board meeting to hear what the board planned to do about the tons of waste concrete the college dumped into Vasona Creek.
Instead of proposing a plan to clean up the mess they illegally created, they simply bemoaned the high cost of such a project while attempting to pass the buck of responsibility for cleanup onto the community.
Case in point: Frank Jewitt, a governing board member, said that if members of the community are so concerned about the damage done to the creek and the danger to downstream properties, that "maybe you could take out your checkbooks tonight and write a check to help us with the costs."
Uh, excuse me? Why should we pay to clean up a mess that the college created? And how is it that one of our elected officials has the nerve to take such a contemptuous and insulting tone with members of the community that they have wronged?
The fact that West Valley College tried to get away with trashing a beautiful creek and endangering downstream residents is despicable, but then for them to suggest to the community that they should help pay to clean it up is completely outrageous.
I have heard in the past that this board was arrogant and condescending to the community, but that they were attempting to be more responsive and cooperative with the college neighbors. If Frank Jewitt's comments are the result of them trying to better their relationship with the community, maybe they should go back to simply ignoring us.
Dionne Niemi
Campbell
The Public Safety Plaza not needed downtown
The City Council appears to be headed toward developing a Public Safety Plaza at the main intersection in downtown Saratoga. I suggest that this part of Saratoga is already overdeveloped and that we don't need this Public Safety Plaza.
The Sheriff's office is serving much of the West Valley from the back room of the Village Post Office and parks about 50 patrol cars and employee's cars in the area. I believe the sheriff's use of the post office was to be a temporary thing when it started around 10 years ago.
Some folks seem to think there is a benefit to Saratoga having this large sheriff's presence in our town. I'm skeptical of that idea. I think the only deputies that really are helpful to us are the ones assigned to Saratoga. The rest just drive through when they're going on and off shift adding traffic to our streets and neighborhoods. The sheriff's substation should move to Cupertino.
The Federated Church has grown a lot in recent years and is using the surrounding neighborhood for on-street parking several days per week. They clearly need additional parking themselves and shouldn't be providing parking for the sheriff's deputies. In our historic old part of Saratoga our streets are too narrow to handle the resulting crowding and traffic.
The voters of the Saratoga Fire District overwhelmingly approved Measure F to build a new fire station on the site. Let's stop pushing for over development on this site and get on with building the fire station that the voters approved. That's enough development for this little corner of Saratoga.
Alan King
Oak Place
An additional signal light will cause more trouble
Last thing we need is extra signal lights at Kirkmont Drive and Seagull Way on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. The traffic is crawling in the mornings even without these lights. Placing new signal lights will push the traffic closer to schools. Was there any study done on the effect on traffic?
Eugenia Gelfand
Sarahills Drive
Improved relations had been hope for chancellor
We recently read of West Valley-Mission Community College District Chancellor Salter's resignation. We have no experience with Chancellor Salter's ability to mend fences with faculty members, but we have witnessed firsthand her ability to promote friction and rancor between West Valley College and citizens of the city of Saratoga.
We have attended a number of meetings at the college over the past months and have been very saddened, shocked and angered by the indifference and disrespect that has been shown to guests in attendance.
A prime example is her influence in "railroading" a $268 million bond issue through the WV-MCCD Board process. The bond, now known as Measure E on the March ballot, superficially appears to provide funds for renovation and upgrading of college facilities; no one would argue that classrooms need repair and upgrading.
However, what is purposely hidden within the bond is the fact that a large amount of the money raised will not be used for repair and upgrading. Instead, it will be used to construct a large, fully functional football stadium on the WVC campus and for other non-renovation items such as paying off existing long-term debt of the district.
The campus of course, is located in the heart of a residential area. Not only did Chancellor Salter fast-track the bond approval, she made certain that there was no public notification of the proposed bond and therefore, no public input.
Several months ago, we attended a meeting wherein international students' requested additional English instructors and classes, counseling and other academic support to improve their ability to function in their WVC classes. With two exceptions, the entire board, with Chancellor Salter's approval, ignored the students' requests.
These students are paying much larger fees and apparently have minimal representation and support. It appeared to us that Chancellor Salter treated students with the same disdain that has angered so many in our local community.
I am optimistic and genuinely hope the new chancellor will endeavor to improve relations with Saratoga officials and residents as well as promote the academic needs of both college campuses.
Barry and Mary Cohen
Kenosha Court
Investment in community college worth protecting
There have been a number of letters in your newspaper lately discussing Measure E: the facilities bond measure for the West Valley-Mission Community College District on the March 5 ballot. As a recently retired employee of 27 years I feel I am in a good position to comment on the district's needs and activities.
Each working day, I came into contact with students whose lives were changed by attending classes at West Valley College. Some students were on welfare until they learned skills for a job as a paralegal, physical therapist or technology administrator. Other students I got to know received the counseling and classes they needed to transfer to a university and are now working in professions like teaching, law, medicine and public safety.
I have been privileged to work with an innovative and caring staff, faculty and administrators over those 27 years.
West Valley College is helping build a better community for all of us by educating leaders for our valley. The college needs help to fulfill this responsibility. The campus looks beautiful from the outside thanks to hardworking groundskeepers, but the buildings are almost 40 years old. Like a house that old, our buildings need major maintenance. Our roofs leak; our ventilation, heating and energy systems are outdated; and our science labs are in need of modern equipment.
Too little has been said in your paper about the positive contributions of the district. Most people are thrilled to have a community college in their neighborhood because they are able to use the pool, tennis courts, driving range and walking paths, not to mention taking personal fulfillment classes--and what a bargain at $11 per unit.
Over the years my family and neighbors have enjoyed many of the college's excellent theater and musical productions.
I hope you'll look into Measure E for yourself at the website: www.wvm-yes-on-e.org. It's your community college and your investment is worth protecting. Vote "yes" on Measure E.
Shirley Litzinger
Los Gatos
We'll be paying for 38 years for Measure E
The West Valley-Mission Community College District has developed an innovative new method of public funding. The college district has placed a $268 million bond issue--Measure E-- on the March 5 ballot
A careful review of the bond project list reveals that more than $22 million of the bond proceeds are slated to pay off past long-term debts of the district.
Let's see: the college district has been unable to live within its budget in prior years so why not ask homeowners to retire the district's debts by paying extra property taxes?
Measure E requires residents to pay $3 in new property taxes for every dollar the district receives. If Measure E passes, it will cost us $66 million to pay off $22 million of the district's existing debt.
The entire $268 million bond issue [could] actually cost us $715 million, and we will have to pay for 38 years. What an outrageous burden for taxpayers in the district.
Jeffrey Becker
Aloha Drive
Unstable college district a good reason to vote 'no'
Chancellor Linda Salter's abrupt resignation is another important reason not to vote for Measure E, the West Valley-Mission College District's bond issue, that [could] cost voters $715 million in new taxes [over the life of the bond].
Salter's resignation, while necessary, underscores the management instability that has plagued the college district for a number of years. Salter's replacement will be the fourth chancellor in four years and there have been three presidents at Mission College and three vice chancellors for business services in that same time.
Does this sound like an organization that will make good use of hundreds of millions of dollars of additional revenue?
Vote no on Measure E in March.
Don Whetstone
Vickery Avenue
State will fund majority of the Gateway project
The Gateway and the Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road improvement project is one of the sweetest deals the city of Saratoga could have ever made. A little history lesson is in order here for you newcomers. Originally this street was Highway 9; later it was Highway 85, all under the jurisdiction of the state of California.
The state was responsible for upgrading and maintaining the street, which they did not do because our funds went to other cities who fought harder for the money.
When the new Highway 85 opened, the state intended to just turn the street over to the city. The city refused and has been negotiating ever since to get the proper amount of money to upgrade the street to Saratoga standards. The state has wanted to unload this responsibility and finally agreed to an amount demanded by the city.
You are very right in saying that this is taxpayers money. It is money from taxpayers in Oakland, Bakersfield, Chico, Fresno and all over the state of California, and I would bet that the smallest portion of the pot comes residents of Saratoga.
This money is not a gift from the state to be used wherever, it is dedicated for this project and if it is not used as agreed to with the state, it must be returned. The traffic lights are not an option; they are a necessity. The speed limit here is the highest of any stretch for a business district between Big Basin Way and El Camino.
Neither of the traffic signals is funded by this proposal and money will come from other sources.
Squealing tires are an everyday occurrence here, but still hard to get used to even after 32 years. We have had one little boy hit by a car trying to cross (not a pleasant sight) and accidents, near misses too numerous to mention. We have had our delivery van hit, one of my employees was hit and a wild driver ended just a few feet from our front door!
It's about time for the Gateway to be upgraded to be a proud part of Saratoga and just not the slums on the other side of the tracks.
Carl Orr
Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road
The northeastern part of Saratoga would benefit
M. O. Kaplan's letter "Gateway proposal is a boondoggle" reflects her short-sighted and self-centered nature. (Eleven uses of "I," "me" and "my," as if no one else lives in Saratoga.)
To "create a pedestrian walkway along the Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road is beyond me." Yes Ms. Kaplan, it is well beyond you. "I certainly will not spend even an additional second of my time just because there are some trees and a walkway."
What about other people, particularly those families who live in the northeastern part of the city? Don't you think that they would use and enjoy an attractive Gateway Corridor?
This section of the city--the other side of the railroad tracks--has been long neglected by previous city councils. With you as a former planning commissioner with a myopic view, I now understand why it has taken so long to beautify this area.
S. O. Johnson
Kirkmont Drive
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
