Letters

Perlin is a fair, competent, knowledgeable city official

I opened my Saratoga News this evening and learned that City Manager Larry Perlin had been fired. I'm outraged! Who is running this carnival, anyway? I've worked with Larry Perlin since he first came here, initially as the city engineer and in the last few years as the city manager. Larry is a competent, fair, knowledgeable city official. He always looked out for the public's interests in his dealings with me, which over the years have included controversial hillside homes and landscape beautification projects along Saratoga Avenue.

Larry's passing is not the first time I've felt this way. It also happened in 1997, when Harry Peacock was unceremoniously fired. When are the citizens of this city going to wake up and realize that we have a bunch of loose cannons dictating the future of our community?

As a typical Saratoga citizen, I don't get involved in politics or city business, except as required by my business. I assume they know what they are doing and are looking out for our future. How wrong I am! I'm afraid that we are being led by a few special-interest groups that care about neither us nor our concerns. Good, strong, professional leaders have been terminated by these groups so their own interests can be made to look like our priorities.

It's time for us to realize that Saratoga is not the same as it was 30, 20, or even 10 years ago. Ethic diversity and astronomical real estate prices are here to stay. It's time to get leaders that represent a majority of the people, not just special-interest groups. Leaders who understand what it takes to successfully run a city. That realize they must hire good people and then get out of their way. Who understand what it takes to guide a small, affluent community into the next century. I wonder if there is anyone out there like that?

Paul Conrado
Bella Vina

Parks and Rec Commission supports Proposition 12

The Saratoga Parks and Recreation Commission endorses Proposition 12 (Safe Neighborhood Parks, Clean Water, Clean Air and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2000) because it provides money directly to local park and recreation agencies, including the city of Saratoga. This proposition reflects the first comprehensive effort in nearly two decades to preserve coastal resources, improve air and water quality and provide our children with safer places to play, and its passage is critical for every resident of California.

This bond measure will not raise your taxes. The principal and interest payments will be paid over the next 25 years from the state General Fund. What a great win-win situation for California! As our population continues to grow, so should our resolve to protect the environment, for now and the future.

This bond measure is supported by a variety of state and local civic organizations that recognize the value of clean air, clean water and safe parks to all Californians. For a list of supporters, please visit www.safeparks.org.

Money raised by this proposition will be used in our city and neighborhoods to make them better. The passage of this proposition is a significant opportunity for Californians to improve the quality and quantity of park and recreation programs and facilities throughout the state. Your Parks and Recreation Commission encourages all voters to consider Proposition 12 and to vote March 7.

For additional information about Proposition 12, please visit www.safeparks.org.

Saratoga Parks and Recreation
Commission members
Saratoga

Library bond is not a 'foolish expense'

As a senior citizen and 34-year resident of Saratoga, I am in that category of Saratogans Elaine Hocker feels compelled to protect from the "foolish expense" of a library bond.

To put Ms. Hocker's fears to rest, I should note that my friends and neighbors, many of whom are seniors, realize that there is substantial benefit in owning a home in a community which values its schools and libraries. Saratoga property has never been more valuable, in large part because of its appeal to families who want their children to benefit from a good education. That means schools and libraries.

No community worthy of membership in an advanced civilization would favor a bookmobile (Ms. Hocker's suggestion) over a library. Consider the experience of children in a library, the place where love of the written word and the wonders of the expanding imagination are nurtured.

As for our senior citizens, the library offers customized services such as Large Type books, books on tape, one-on-one technology training and more. A larger library will accommodate retired citizens and others who want material unavailable now at this overcrowded facility, and, with improved acoustics, will provide valuable space for all ages. A fine library is a worthy legacy.

Ruth Gipstein
Saratoga Library Commissioner

Vote yes on library bond for future of community

When I was a little girl in Council Bluffs, Iowa, a good part of my free time was spent in the public library. Since my mother did not drive, I had to take a city bus. During those hours that I remember with great fondness, I discovered the vast and magical world of Dr. Doolittle, Little Women, A Tale of Two Cities, and numerous other places to visit in my mind's eye. I strolled the stacks and let my mind travel to exotic places that Iowa could not provide.

I have been a staunch supporter of the Saratoga Library for 24 years. My family has benefited from it in so many ways I can hardly enumerate the importance it has had to us, including research for elementary school, junior high school, high school, college, a master's program and law school. Not to mention that I always knew where my two rambunctious boys were spending their time.

I was troubled by the comments of M. Elaine Hocker in the commentary in the Feb. 9 issue of the Saratoga News who now feels that because she and her family and friends have outlived the benefits from our local library over 43 years, that these services and benefits should not be enlarged, extended and available to the new residents of Saratoga and their children. She uses arguments like senior citizens cannot afford this luxury, they do not use the library facilities, and are too ill to take advantage of the storehouse of knowledge.

My husband and I are 60 and 79 and we must speak out for our generation that makes use of this library and others frequently. We do research for our businesses, check out books for our book club, read the magazines and newspapers, and research our travel plans extensively--all thanks to the Saratoga Library and their very kind and helpful staff. Because one of us is a senior citizen, late fees are not charged, just in case we overlook the due date.

Yes, in the future, modern technology will benefit the libraries of the nation that have had the foresight to prepare for these advancements. Access to more computers and online services will be needed for the growing population of families here. If we do not expand our library, one or more generations of our children will lose the benefits that our children had. The population of children has increased in our community in the last 5 years and anyone who visits the library after 3 o'clock during the week can witness the activity of dozens of children chatting excitedly about the literature they have discovered, and see them staggering out the door with armfuls of books. This is owed to their parents, who are dedicated to securing the best future possible.

I hope the parents of these children and those of you who are dedicated to the quest for knowledge no matter what age you happen to be will vote yes for the Saratoga Library expansion bond issue come the March ballot. And, please, don't forget that fascinated little girl who wandered through her library in Council Bluffs, Iowa, so many years ago.

Sandra Dolmatch
Glen Brae Drive Resident of Saratoga for 24 years

User sees no need for changes at library

I was so glad to see Ms. Hocker's commentary in the Feb. 9 issue of the Saratoga News deploring the proposed Saratoga library remodeling. I use the library regularly, and cannot see any pressing need for change.

There are still spaces on the shelves for more books and I have never seen all the computers in use, even at the busiest times, after school and on weekends. If a book is out or temporarily unavailable, there is a convenient and free way to have a copy sent from another location.

Sometimes there is a line to check out books, but that is usually because all three of the checkout positions are not being manned, and even then, the delay is only a few minutes. There are also two machines where books can be checked out without even waiting in line.

The only improvement that needs to be made is to persuade parents that the library is not a free after-school babysitting service. There is a period each weekday when the place is overrun by unruly children conducting loud conversations in groups, and apparently not making any use of library resources. That is a problem of misuse of facilities, not inadequate facilities.

The other important factor is the beauty of the library location. The view looking south from the traffic lights by Scotland Drive is one of the indisputably finest in the area. The orchard, lovely forested hills towering above, and the sun catching in the stained glass of Sacred Heart's cross form an uplifting sight.

The current building blends into this setting well while a new structure would take a long time to become weathered, even assuming it was designed to fit in, and the damage caused in the process of building will take years to recover. How on earth did they come up with the astronomical figure of $15 million for this? I hope Saratogans will have the sense to vote this one out.

Fay Knight
Glasgow Drive

Hocker's arguments flawed, unrealistic

In M. Elaine Hocker's commentary in the Feb. 9 issue of the Saratoga News, she finds it "morally reprehensible" to incur debt that will be passed on to our children. As a soon-to-be parent and a 31-year, lifelong user of the Saratoga library system, I find it morally reprehensible to think that Saratoga voters could refuse to pay for the renovation and expansion of the one community facility that will support growth and learning for our community, our children and grandchildren in the 21st century.

Ms. Hocker requests clarification on two issues. The first is whether Saratogans use the library. In June of 1999, an opinion research/public policy analysis firm conducted a survey of professionally selected Saratoga voters and discovered that out of 400 people contacted, 113 being over the age of 65, 68 percent used the library once or more per month. In contacting 15 times as many people as Ms. Hocker did, it is clear that we Saratogans do use our library.

The second issue was whether libraries will become obsolete. Ms. Hocker's example of a "wristwatch-size reference library" is intriguing and perhaps technically feasible given significant improvements in interface design theory, storage capacity and bandwidth. Nonetheless, this type of technology will not address the much larger issues of intellectual property, copyright law, and subscription costs.

Amazingly, the technology for distributing this information to the desktop computer has been around for more than 15 years, but the costs associated with its protection from unlicensed distribution make it prohibitive to the average citizen and it certainly will remain so for the foreseeable future. Technology may move quickly, but the legal establishment moves at a more sluggish pace.

In the past five years, in the heart of Silicon Valley where the technology that Ms. Hocker speaks of has entered our workplaces and our homes, library usage has increased by 50 percent. As information becomes more accessible, libraries are becoming more essential to our communities than ever before.

Ms. Hocker's arguments are flawed and unrealistic, and her vision of community is questionable. The library is the place where our community can go to share knowledge, culture, experiences and opinions - those types of interactions will be hard to come by if we are all sitting in our own homes waiting for a "non-human" bookmobile to deliver our next glimpse of humanity.

I encourage fellow Saratogans to vote yes on Measure N. Our future as a vibrant, healthy, viable community depends on it.

Mary Matlack
Orchard Road

Heritage Orchard is neither a park nor recreation area

The Saratoga Parks and Recreation Commission meeting of Feb. 7 had on the agenda a presentation by council member Nick Streit regarding utilization of the Heritage Orchard. The Parks and Recreation Commission should have notified the Heritage Preservation Commission of the Heritage Orchard item on the agenda. They did not.

Any change to a designated landmark, in this case the Heritage Orchard, must be brought before the Heritage Preservation Commission. It was inappropriate for Streit to make such a presentation to the Parks and Recreation Commission. The Heritage Orchard is neither a park nor a recreation area. All this smells of the phrase "coming in the back door."

Robert A. Peepari
Vice Chair, Heritage Preservation Commission

Liz Kniss is best supervisor choice for Saratogans

I've looked closely at each of the three candidates for county supervisor on the March 7 ballot and I'm convinced that Liz Kniss is the best choice for Saratogans.

Liz Kniss is the mayor of Palo Alto and a manager for Sun Microsystems. She's served on the Palo Alto City Council and School Board since 1985, where she balanced 14 consecutive budgets and spearheaded a city audit that saved taxpayers millions. Kniss' efforts on her City Council have protected open space and created a commuter shuttle that connects neighborhoods to transit points. At Sun, she led a project that wired thousands of schools to the Internet for improved education opportunities.

On the Board of Supervisors, Kniss' priorities will be to improve transit options, to reduce traffic congestion and to protect our open space.

Kniss is a thoughtful and effective moderate backed by former Supervisors Dianne McKenna and Becky Morgan, by Silicon Valley business and technology leaders. On March 7, I encourage Saratogans to vote Liz Kniss for County Supervisor.

Gillian Moran
Farwell Avenue

Photos: Great Race and Highway 9 closure

Editorial: Yes on Measure N

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