Saratoga News

LETTERS

Don't let initiative kill senior project

I acknowledge Meg Caldwell's family's wishes for me to have peace. What would accomplish that goal would be for the seniors in Saratoga to be assured a home in the future at the Odd Fellows complex. Unfortunately, her friends--Jeffrey Schwartz, et al.--are doing everything possible to prevent that from happening with various specious arguments about traffic (if traffic were to double at Odd Fellows, the road would carry two cars per hour instead of one, etc.).

This group threatens the city with intimidation by litigation. A very small, vocal group has held both Odd Fellows and West Valley College at bay for 20 years. This is wrong! When they could not coerce the City Council, they had their people elected. The citizens summarily rejected this group in 1994 and voted in a council of professional, objective people who care for the future of our seniors.

The latest tactic is the so-called Neighborhood Preservation Initiative, motherhood and apple pie. They hope the citizens will reject the senior projects at Odd Fellows.

Don't fall for the initiative ploy! The Odd Fellows site is perfect for a senior project, with the added plus of having an experienced staff to operate it. Of course the initiative is anti-senior. Look at who is behind it and who primarily funded their initial mailing--the neighbors.

Karen P. Anderson

Sea Gull Way

Who authorized telephone poll?

As a resident of Saratoga, I have not been active in the local political scene. However, that does not mean that I have ignored local issues affecting our community. In an era when political activities are becoming more polarizing and controversial at the national level, it comes as somewhat of a shock to realize that this type of activity has expanded to the local level of politics.

This week, my wife and I each received a call from a person claiming to be conducting a survey regarding the Neighborhood Preservation Initiative. I asked for clarification of the types of questions that the "surveyor" was posing. She began by asking whether I supported the initiative and whether I would vote for it.

When I didn't respond to her question immediately, she informed me that there were a number of organizations opposed to the initiative and that the city attorney had stated that "even a person wishing to add a room or expand their patio would have to obtain a vote from the voters" in order to undertake this type of change.

In addition, the "surveyor" stated that the League of Women Voters, the Saratoga City Council and the Good Government Group were opposed to the measure. I attempted to find out who was paying for the survey, but the person claimed not to know. The tone of the call was unmistakably not in favor of the initiative.

It would be enlightening to myself and others in the Saratoga community to learn who authorized this type of survey and the purpose behind the method of presentation. One can only wonder what type of involvement our elected officials and the other organizations had in this matter and who paid for the sponsorship. I would hope that the Saratoga News would use its powers to investigate and report the findings to its subscribers.

John O. Everson

Saratoga
via email

DeCinzo cartoon raises questions

The cartoon of Patricia Shriver in the slammer by Steven DeCinzo was highly thought-provoking. What did it mean?

Was it to protest the clowns at City Hall or the horrible city councils of the '80s who chose to pay her $73,000 annually? Was it because she gets $2,300 monthly as a pension--after only nine years of "service"? Some service.

Was it about anyone under CalPERS qualifying [for a pension] after only five years? Or was it just unhappiness with the councils who allowed mass desecrations of the oaks and gave us the freeway?

Thought-provoking indeed, Mr. DeCinzo. Nice job.

Todd Walsh

Plymouth Drive

Are we being sold to the highest bidder?

Is the city of Saratoga being sold to the highest bidder? During the past week, my house has been besieged by the unwanted calls of a telecommunications company. These young adults' (teenagers?) sole purpose is to convince Saratoga voters that they should vote no on Measure G on March 26.

These numerous calls would be offensive enough if the information they were dispensing was correct, but this appears to be an amateur attempt to brainwash the voters of Saratoga with "survey" questions that are false, inflammatory or misleading.

If this is how the no on Measure G forces are going to influence Saratoga voters, this city has already been sold out to these pro-development interests. I cannot believe any member of the Saratoga City Council endorses the tactics and misstatements being made by these young people.

Having read many articles in the Saratoga News regarding Measure G, I feel that I have an understanding of what it will do when passed. It won't take away homeowners' rights. Instead, it will protect homeowners and neighborhoods from encroaching commercial development and increasingly offensive traffic.

Highway 85 has already destroyed the peace and tranquility of the majority of Saratoga. Measure G is a means of salvaging the very little peace and tranquility left. My family moved here over 20 years ago when Saratoga was beautiful, rural, peaceful, safe, unhurried and a safe place to raise a family. Unfortunately, Saratoga is fast becoming a clone of San Jose, and unless something like Measure G starts protecting this city soon, we might as well let San Jose annex it.

Mary Jane Karas

Saratoga Creek Drive

Council ignores Nelson concerns

My husband and I continue to be disappointed in the City Council's apparent intention to cancel the Williamson Act contract on the Nelson Gardens property early so that the owners may develop the garden into a nine-home housing tract.

By both the manner in which the environmental impact report was handled and the way they are moving quickly to cancel the Williamson Act contract without evaluating any of the concerns we and our neighbors have, it is apparent that the City Council is not protecting Saratoga's dwindling open space/park acreage. The City Council continues to focus only on facilitating the development of the remaining empty lots in Saratoga.

Early cancellation of the Williamson Act contract is supposed to be done only under extraordinary circumstances. There are no such circumstances here in Saratoga. Without much investigation on our part, we are aware of the 15 new houses on the old Kerwin Ranch, the five new houses on the old Saratoga Nursery property, the 50-plus new houses on the Odd Fellows property, the 90-plus new homes on the Paul Masson champagne plant site, and the eight-plus new houses on the Saratoga Courtyard site.

Why have they rushed through the environmental impact report without investigating our concerns? One particular concern is the flooding and drainage problems that already exist in the neighborhood. Development of Nelson Gardens may very well exacerbate the problems. There is a new earth slump forming on top of an old slump area just up the hill from Nelson Gardens. Large quantities of dirt have slid onto Saratoga Hills Road in the past from that slump area.

Development of Nelson Gardens may open up other potential areas of concern. We neighbors continue to struggle with periodic large quantities of moving water, as well as chronic underground springs. However, the City Council seems to just ignore the voiced concerns because they don't want to find a real problem that they would have to deal with.

We are again asking them to not allow early cancellation of the Williamson Act contract on the Nelson garden. We are asking them to do their job of protecting the dwindling acreage of open space/parks in Saratoga. We are asking them to protect Nelson Gardens as a special historic and educational public garden.

Ann Waltonsmith

Saratoga Hills Road