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Letters
Saratoga will miss its old drugstore
Yes, it will be a very sad day if Saratoga Drug Store is forced to close. The excellent service and friendly smile and all of those goodies that one cannot live without--is there really nothing to be done to save it and keep it's quaintness within our town?
Where else will be able to buy a Saratoga mug, T-shirt and post card that is walking distance from my house?
I thoroughly agree with Nancy Leasia's letter in the June 30 issue of the Saratoga News about the hassle of Longs and the impersonal service.
By the way, do we really have commissioners who are afraid to order a Jamba Juice?
Jane Wightman
Saratoga
Good-by to the old Saratoga Drug Store
The following is an addendum to Nancy Leasia's excellent letter printed in the June 30 edition about the Saratoga Drugstore. The letter ended with the question "Can't we do something? Twenty-two points, plus triple-word-score, plus fifty points for using all my letters. Game's over. I'm outta here. Can't we do something?"
Last week, I ran into the drugstore for a few things, and spoke with Ray Rossi. There is nothing left to do. As the proverbial saying goes, "The die is cast," "the deed is done." Mr. Rossi will be evicted in a matter of weeks.
Nothing will change the situation, so I would simply like to make a few comments from the heart: I felt great sadness at the hopelessness of this small-town saga. The cold-bloodedness and greed of the landlord make good fodder for 19th-century historical fiction. We have lived near Big Basin Way for 20 years, and there was a great sense of comfort in the knowledge that all drug store amenities, stationery and even a copy machine were just around the corner, that questions and concerns would be addressed immediately, warmly and personally.
My daughter received her first "real" job, as a cashier and delivery person, from Mr. Rossi. He was a kind and understanding employer; he was patient in teaching new skills to a 16-year-old and always interested in the nuances of high school social life. Many young people received their initiation into the working world with Mr. Rossi, and no one could have asked for a better first job experience.
So, I end with a "goodbye" and a "thank you" to both Mr. and Mrs. Rossi. You will be gone from the Village, but will remain in our warmest memories. As my daughter said, "Future tenants will have big shoes to fill."
Margaret Bielski-Szalay, Magda Szalay
Paul Avenue
One more nail set in Village coffin
"One more nail," as the old saw has it, "in the coffin." Yet another roadblock, that is, for those who celebrate an image of a Saratoga Village that nourishes and sustains its myriad but fast-fading ties with its colorful past. In this case (one of all too many in recent years), we refer to the impending closure of Ray Rossi's landmark Saratoga Drugstore.
At the calculated risk of sounding like a head-in-the-clouds romantic or a stubborn old opponent of modern times, I hasten to sound a familiar refrain of warning: "You'll be sorry!"
And indeed we surely will--unless there is still a proviso, an escape clause, attached to this sorry scenario, which will slowly yet surely erase first one vestige of Saratoga's past and next another. It amounts to this: If those of us who still care--and there are many of us--are sufficiently wary, alert, and decisive, we can exercise no little clout in defense of our heritage.
We can speak out in voices loud and clear whenever we confront an endangered landmark. Naïve hyperbole? At first blush, it might seem so.
And yet, and yet. In far-flung places here and abroad, there is an accelerating--and frequently effective--backlash afoot in the face of those who champion such tired (and suspect) cliches as "progress," "keep up with the Joneses," and "bigger is better." Not so. To take considerable liberties with the titles of two splendid novels, we can, Mr. Thomas Wolfe, "go home again!"
To boot, Monsieur Marcel Proust, there is no little to be gained from a "remembrance of things past." That is, a more human-scaled world is in the offing if we are willing to stand up and be heard. Boldness, not timidity, is the watchword.
The alternative? Little need to search far for an answer. That bigger is not necessarily better--and that the latest and hottest fad is not always worth pursuing--is, surely, all too apparent. That so much of our everyday world that is trashy, showy and meretricious tells the perceptive among us that there are other, more soul-satisfying modes of life.
But enough. What I am trying to suggest here is that a sufficient number of us have seen it all happen before: the uglification and trivialization of our landscape, all too often in the name of the fast buck and a stance that often seems suspiciously close to a me-first, public-be-damned outlook.
And so, I beg you, if you agree, speak out! After all, it is our Village.
Hal Hodges
Saratoga
Jackman defends decision on Saratoga Jamba Juice
Regarding Steve Enders' article in the June 30 issue of the Saratoga News about Jamba Juice being unable to win approval next to Starbucks, I would like to make a correction. I was not "scared away by the throngs of teenagers at Jamba Juice." Teenagers do not scare me. Their zest for life and excitement and, yes, just being noisy are things that I enjoy about teenagers.
Since the last Planning Commission meeting, I have been to Jamba Juice at El Paseo, had a smoothie and they could certainly become habit-forming for me.
My whole concern with Jamba Juice and the reason I voted against it is the proposed location between Longs and Starbucks Coffee. That end of the center is close to the residents on Blauer Drive and Regan Lane.
I do have visions of large numbers of high school students coming down Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road after school, turning into Blauer Drive and settling at Jamba Juice and Starbucks. Being exuberant teenagers, there will be noise.
The only problem is the location of the noise near residents who will be impacted by Starbucks; let's not double that impact.
I think that Jamba Juice would be an excellent addition to Argonaut Shopping Center, both for teenagers and those of us who are just a bit older. I would like to see all of us working together to find some way to locate Jamba Juice toward the middle of Argonaut Shopping Center.
Erna Jackman
Saratoga Planning Commission
Eight reasons why city denies Jamba
Here are eight reasons why Saratoga officials might deny Jamba Juice, which sells fruit drinks, a permit to operate in Argonaut Shopping Center: The officials have unresolved childhood conflicts over fruits and vegetables; if kids want to drink, let them buy beer; Saratoga's high school students should drive to Prospect and Saratoga Avenue for lunch rather than stay near their school.
Saratoga kids need to be toughened up by sending them out of Saratoga into nearby cities' gang territories; Saratoga doesn't need tax revenues to fix up its crumbling streets; Saratoga's citizens don't need an accessible, full-service shopping center; Saratoga is not a family-friendly place; and political posturing is more important than common-sensed leadership.
Henry P. Kaplan
Saratoga
What's so scary about our teenagers?
I am perplexed by the admission of Commissioner Erna Jackman, who stated that "she was scared away by the throngs of teenagers" at the El Paseo Jamba Juice and fears that if one were to open at Argonaut "we're going to have Saratoga High School there." I guess I don't see the problem with that. What could possibly have been so frightening?
Were they dressed in "gothic" garb? Were they packing pistols? Were they being abusive to other customers?
Wake up, Saratoga! With the painfully obvious need for teens to have a safe place to gather, why not delight in the fact that they're drinking juice instead of holing up somewhere drinking booze! I, for one, happen to think the teen population on the whole is a pretty good bunch of kids who need advocates, not narrow-minded, "frightened" critics. Let's not "squeeze" our teens or Jamba Juice out of the picture so offhandedly.
As regards the larger picture of the Argonaut renovation, I'm eagerly awaiting the grand opening. The place was a dump when I moved here 2 l/2 years ago and I applaud the effort to fix up the center and put a new face on Saratoga's stretch of Saratoga-Sunnvale Road. All the ridiculous arguing over Starbucks' and Jamba Juice's hours, outdoor seating and trash potential seems a bit overblown.
Allyson Kavner
Leonard Road
Jackman wrong to let kids scare her
This is in response to your June 30 article on the Jamba Juice permit request. According to the article, Commissioner Erna Jackman voted to deny, or at least delay, the juice store's permit at Argonaut Shopping Center because she was "scared away" by a group of teenagers at another local Jamba Juice.
She is apparently afraid that the juice store will become a wing of Saratoga High.
I am not a teenager. I am a middle-aged woman. And I think that Ms. Jackman's comment is a sad reflection of how Saratoga views its kids. What facilities do we have here within our city limits to address the needs of teenagers?
Do you expect them just to stay home and play video games? Out of sight, and out of mind? Or do you want them to cruise out of town, to San Jose or some other neighboring community, so that you don't have to deal with them? What is wrong with teenagers congregating at a local juice store? Isn't this a better place for them than at the mall, or up in the Saratoga hills where they smoke?
Or do you prefer the latter because you don't have to look at it and be afraid?
What are you afraid of? Teenagers are our future. Have you stopped and talked to any of them lately? I have, and I find them very interesting. They are not at all like me, but then I wouldn't want them to be. I wasn't like my parents, either. That's the way it works. Or have you forgotten?
I have been in the position to see kids do very well, and to see kids struggle with fitting into society. I find that what they usually want is to be included, respected and to be seen as valid, no matter what they look like, or what they're wearing.
Shunting them out of Saratoga, and out of your sight, will not accomplish this.
So, before you decided to send them out of town, why don't you walk up to one and say "hi"? You may be surprised to find someone you'd like to know, and with whom you'd like to have a juice.
Galyle Lavelle
Saratoga
Unfair to associate Jamba with bad Odwalla juice
Upon reading the June 30 article regarding Jamba Juice's efforts to locate at the Argonaut Center, I was disturbed by two points. First, I'm very sorry children were made ill by the Odwalla incident, but an unfair insinuation was made that Jamba Juice could be negligent in the same manner.
They squeeze their juices fresh at the time it is ordered. This differs immensely from a bottled juice that is transported to stores. I have enjoyed being a customer of this establishment since it began as Juice Club. It is not a hang-out spot. People get their nutritious drinks and leave. The people who live by the Argonaut Center do so by choice. Of course it will be more congested there than in non-commercial neighborhoods.
This brings me to point number two. I was appalled that Erna Jackman was "scared away by the throngs of teenagers" at the El Paseo Jamba Juice. I happen to like teenagers. They brighten my life and inspire me with their optimism and capacity to be caring to others. Saratoga High School is one of the most respected in the state. I can't believe Erna Jackman is fearful of these young people congregating at Argonaut. They are members of our community and deserve our respect.
I have never been bothered by anyone at any of the numerous times I've been to three of Jamba Juice's locations. I think that their locating at Argonaut would be great. I'm tired of Saratoga's double standard. It's OK to build on every inch of available space, but it's not OK to accept businesses that attract and serve "throngs" of community members.
Joy E. Joyce
Russell Lane
Heritage Orchard honors Saratoga's rural history
I disagree with the suggestion that all or part of the Heritage Orchard of Saratoga should be used for soccer playfields. The Heritage Orchard honors our rural history and is the only piece of orchard left in Saratoga that is safe from development. All other small bits of orchards (privately owned) are rapidly being developed.
When we in Saratoga were trying to save the Nelson Gardens as a demonstration orchard and garden, the argument was that "we have a public orchard--the Heritage Garden." Now, four years later, that argument no longer seems to hold.
In my opinion, the Heritage Orchard should not only be saved but be more utilized as a hands-on demonstration orchard and garden, where school groups could participate in nature studies and gardening adults could learn and share gardening tips and techniques.
Open it up to appropriate educational use for all. Let's not fence it in, put in grass and a P.A. system and use it for soccer competition. The present pristine "look but don't touch" orchard invites people to say, "What good is it? So build something on it." Personally, I think we need more public outdoor gardens, orchards, open space and playfields. Let's not just fight over the remnants we have. The pie should be made bigger, not divided up over and over so that different groups defending different public lands are pitted against each other.
For example, why not use a public and private partnership to buy new land options? Perhaps there are some parcels that could be bought specifically for soccer playfields. That action would expand the amount of open public land in Saratoga. Perhaps the idea of a public/private partnership for special projects in Saratoga is more acceptable to the city leadership, than it has been in the past.
Ann Waltonsmith
Saratoga Hills Road
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
