Letters

Congratulations on 'no on E' victory

I want to thank our many members who worked hard and contributed so much in the recent campaign against Measure E. I also want to thank the tens of thousands of residents of the West Valley-Mission Community College District who evaluated the "Yes on E" and "No on E" campaigns, and voted to defeat this excessive bond measure.

One of the college district trustees, Don Wolfe, told the Mercury News that "the voters were duped"; what a shame that Mr. Wolfe and the district don't have more respect for the democratic process and more faith in the voters of our area.

Make no mistake, this was pure grassroots politics against big money, special interests and corrupt practices. We raised less than $45,000. They got $25,000 from Salomon Smith Barney, the bond underwriter. We got a check early in the campaign for $7 from a lady who wrote that it was all she could afford but that she felt strongly about the issue. They hired a professional campaign consultant for more than $50,000. We had a group of neighbors sitting around a kitchen table trying to figure out how to run the campaign.

In the end, we defeated Measure E in nine of the 10 geographic jurisdictions encompassed by the college district. Our deepest thanks to everyone for a fantastic effort and an inspirational victory.

Victor Monia
President
West Valley Homeowners Association

Student says, 'And E is for education'

Measure E did not pass. The West Valley-Mission Community College District was asking for a little assistance from the community by way of Measure E.

Voting "yes" would have enabled the district to build new classrooms, upgrade and repair old ones. It would have also brought much of the 35-year-old school up to state and federal standards. At a recent West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees meeting, this issue came to the forefront in a laughable manner. Several members of the Saratoga Homeowners Association, in their revelry over Measure E, proclaimed: "See, the voters have spoken and they don't support you or your colleges."

Wrong! The majority of voters and community members did support the district. In fact, 51 percent of them supported it. I'm not a rocket scientist or a political science major, but I do believe that constitutes a majority. At least, I think that's how it works in this country. It's laughable to bend the truth to serve the selfish interest of the minority who would hide the fact that the majority of voters were in support of Measure E.

Saratoga Homeowners Association got what they wanted, so there's no need to disseminate misinformation. Originally I had congratulatory tidings. However after last week's disgrace of degenerate behavior, I have only this to say: Shame on you. Yes, shame for placing more importance on property values and portfolios than on education and the future.

I say again, shame, shame, for actively working to hoard your prosperity while inhibiting the opportunity of others to be prosperous. Yes, that's right, shame, shame for not understanding that for many students, West Valley and Mission colleges are the last and only hope they have.

I would still like to say congratulations, and since the Saratoga Homeowners Association won't accept it, I say it to those in support of Measure E. Congratulations and praise to you for understanding that education is the surest way by which we advance as a society. I praise you for being enlightened enough to understand that giving the West Valley-Mission Community College District the resources it needs would elevate the caliber of education. In turn, I praise you for understanding that better education makes better workers and better citizens who are then better able to contribute back to their communities--all of our communities.

Vinh Phan
Student Trustee
West Valley-Mission Community College District

Chamber should be able to vote its conscience

What happened to democracy in Saratoga? An editorial in the Feb 6 issue of the Saratoga News caught my attention, for a couple of reasons. First, because I used to reside in Saratoga. Second, because I managed the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce from 1975 to '78.

The editorial told how the Saratoga City Council had their dander up because the Chamber didn't bow to their directive to vote a certain way in local elections.

Apparently, punishment for thinking and voting independent of the city's directives means the Chamber will be punished ... like a naughty child. No more funding for services provided to the community by the Chamber should be given until the "naughty child" is reigned in and sufficiently scolded. Meanwhile, like every other Chamber of Commerce across our great nation, the service continues on a daily basis.

Where do you think new residents go when they need to find information about purchasing a home, checking out local schools, banks, business opportunities, public transportation, libraries, jobs, etc.? You guessed it--the Chamber of Commerce. They don't go to city hall and have coffee with the city manager and inquire about schools and housing and jobs.

I'm proud to stand with the current Chamber members, staff and board of directors for having the courage to vote according to their own conscience when it comes to the best interests of Saratoga. This is what democracy is all about.

The business members of a Chamber of Commerce in every community pay sales tax and property tax, along with inventory tax, gas tax, cigarette tax, liquor tax and whatever other tax the municipality can make them cough up. They also dig deep into their pockets to support Little League, Pop Warner football, girls and boys AYSO, and every other nonprofit group that needs a helping hand. In a retail/service business community such as Saratoga, there is only so much money that can be squeezed out of the small businesses. Without the return of some portion of tax money to the local Chamber of Commerce, services that the community require and need cannot be met. Oh, I forgot room tax, another place where the city should see fit to invest in the community via the Chamber of Commerce.

Keep democracy alive in Saratoga. Support the local Chamber of Commerce the way it has always supported Saratoga.

Sandi (Cuenca) Sumner
Eagle River, Alaska

Sheriff's Report

Commentary: He's kooky for Girl Scout cookies

Photo: Saratoga Education Foundation's annual Jog-a-Thon

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Obituary: Clare Einhorn

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