Saratoga News

LETTERS

Cable upgrade was no improvement

Two excellent articles in the Feb. 8 Chronicle discussed the reluctance of our cable companies to carry the Turner Classic Movie station.

Turner has more than 4,000 classic movies, including all the RKO, MGM and pre-1948 Warner films.

Our cable was upgraded, but we just got more home shopping and garbage I just don't watch.

I urge all interested Saratogans to call South Bay Cable and urge them to improve what comes into our homes. Maybe they will listen.

Nick Binasik

Fourth Street

Alain Pinel's help invaluable to SEF

The Saratoga Education Foundation would like to thank Carole Rodoni, president, and Harry Murray, vice president, of Alain Pinel Realtors in Saratoga for graciously opening up their offices and making their phones available to our volunteers for SEF's Phonathon on Feb. 4.

Their support helped make it possible for SEF to obtain $70,500 in pledges from parents, community members and school staff. These funds will go toward essential school programs in the Saratoga Union School District and enable us to continue to provide the best possible education for our children.

Thank you for being a leader in our community by supporting our children and our public schools!

Pam Hoffman,
SEF Phonathon chairwoman
Cyndy Riordan,

SEF president

Survey breaks laws requiring disclosure

Early last week, our family dinner hour was interrupted by two phone calls purporting to be a Measure G related "survey."

The caller attempted to engage me in a Measure G discussion. She refused to say her name and refused to give a campaign committee name. After some questioning, she said "Protocall" was behind the call. She refused to say who was behind "Protocall," or who was financing the "survey," but finally admitted she was being paid and was calling from Pleasanton.

Needless to say, I declined to engage in a conversation with an anonymous, paid caller from outside the city concerning a city ballot measure. I told her not to call me again.

About 20 minutes later, I received another such call. Again the caller would not say her name or who was behind the call. I asked for her supervisor. After much background buzz, a man came to the phone, but he also refused to reveal any names and refused to disclose the anti-Measure G campaign effort. Neither would he say who was financing the "survey."

Without disclosure of a name or a committee, this anti-Measure G phone campaign under the ruse of a "survey" is illegal.

Saratoga News, thanks for your story today [Feb. 7] revealing that a person by the name of Michael Fox is behind it, and in addition perhaps "members" of our own City Council, perhaps "members" of the so called Good Government Group (GGG), and even perhaps "members" of the Los Gatos-Saratoga League of Women Voters!

Nothing surprises me about the GGG. Like clockwork, they bubble up with large development advocacy each city election. Their goal seems to be to make Saratoga as much like San Jose as possible.

Who can say what motivates Mr. Fox?

But why would our elected officials break the disclosure rules?

It is very unsettling that local League members would engage in a campaign that breaks the disclosure rules the League's state and national levels worked so hard to establish.

And why would these people be against allowing Saratogans the right to vote upon issues that are important to the future of our community?

Cheriel Jensen

Quito Road
CherielJ@eworld.com

Whatever happened to Corinne Asturias?

We appreciate receiving the Saratoga News every Wednesday. We do look forward to it and enjoy all the information in it.

We have been missing the very interesting and thought-provoking articles of Ms. Corinne Asturias. We are wondering what the reason might be for the absence of her column.

Kathleen John Haleblian

Saraglen Court

Corinne Asturias is now working as managing editor of Metro, our sister newspaper. Her column is on indefinite hiatus. --Editor

Telemarketers' call gives false picture

Last week, I received a telephone call pressuring me to use my name in a newspaper ad opposing Measure G. When I asked the young man whether he was a Saratoga resident, he paused and then said that he was. When I asked for additional information, he simply hung up on me without warning.

I was astonished. He and the other voices I could hear in the background sounded like telemarketers. This young man tried to convince me to oppose Measure G with a barrage of charges that grossly misrepresented what the initiative says.

I hope that other Saratogans will join me in rejecting these tactics, e.g., the lies, the dirty tricks and the out-of-town hired political operatives.

I intend to vote for Measure G because I believe it will help us maintain our open space and the character of our city, our schools and our neighborhoods.

Cynthia Barry

San Marcos Road

Are Saratoga voters ready to study issues?

Many Saratoga citizens have long held genuine concern for preserving open space within the city's sphere of influence wherever possible. I share this view.

Audio, visual and traffic impacts on our beautiful city, caused by Highway 85, bring this issue to the front burner. Supporters of Measure G hope this charter amendment will prevent or slow increasing high-density developments.

My experience as a planning commissioner for Saratoga, however, suggests that Measure G could require many hours of work/study for the voters. Let me explain.

During January 1996, I spent at least 50 hours on Planning Commission items. This time was spent studying applicant proposals for development, visiting sites, talking with neighbors and other concerned parties, questioning Community Development staff, attending Planning Commission and City Council meetings and reviewing volumes of the city's code and general plan. Each application is unique, requiring individual attention and study.

There is considerably controversy on the number of applicants who will actually be referred to a citywide vote. Let us assume planning commissioners spend 500 hours per year and that only one in 10 proposals is referred to a city vote. If voters only require about half as much time as I do just to study Measure G issues, they will spend about 25 hours each year on Measure G.

Admittedly, this is a rough estimate. But is Measure G a practical solution? I don't think so.

Alfred A. Abshire

Solana Drive

Protect open space with Measure G

I live on Oak Street in the Village area. Because of some of the very old homes and small rental houses on Oak Street, there is frequent discussion of which houses may be torn down and which lots will be developed, and in what manner. There is great pressure for high-density development. Most residents in the Village area do not want additional high-density development.

I am strongly in favor of Measure G because I have no confidence that the City Council or the Planning Commission will respect this neighborhood's wishes with regard to rezoning or general plan changes. They have voted against the interests of too many other neighborhoods, even when those neighborhoods were almost unanimous in opposing changes in the direction of high-density use, or changes from residential to commercial uses.

They ignored our neighborhood's wishes on two recent land-use issues. I hope that other Saratogans who want to protect our open space and protect the integrity of their own neighborhood will join me in supporting Measure G.

Erna Jackman

Oak Street

Montalvo ignoring neighbors' concerns

As we approach springtime and the beginning of the 1996 Montalvo concert season, I feel that it is time once again to attempt to set the record straight.

Superior Court Judge Jack Komar did allow the decibel level of the Montalvo concerts to increase to 65 dba "but not to exceed city of Saratoga ordinance sound limitations for this type property." That's what it says on page 2, paragraph 2 of the court order. For some unknown reason, the press quotes the first part of the sentence but not the last.

The city noise ordinance provides that noise levels cannot exceed 6 dba above the ambient noise level for the neighborhood [Code section 7-30.050(a)]. Our acoustical engineers' readings show the ambient noise levels in the Montalvo area to be well below 40 dba.

I met with the city manager in February 1995. At that time, I gave him a copy of the court order. I offered to provide him with a professional acoustical engineer's report showing the ambient noise level readings for the Montalvo neighborhood. I was advised that only the city readings would be acceptable and that the readings would be taken before the next concert series. The city has chosen to ignore its own law in order to facilitate Montalvo's violation of the law. To my knowledge, no readings were ever taken.

It is clear that the City Council has its own agenda regarding Montalvo. It is also clear that the city continues to ignore its own laws in pursuit of its own agenda. This arrogance on the part of the council is the very reason for the initiative by Saratoga residents to take back control of the development of our community.

Montalvo has made no meaningful attempt to comply with the court order or the city noise ordinance. They do what they feel they need to do to further their own interests. It would be nice if they showed a little more concern for their neighbors and made an attempt to comply with the court order.

W. Allen Geggatt

Madrone Hill Road