Letters
The Saratoga Creek issue provides history lessons
It is fortunate for Saratoga residents, and particularly for small children in Saratoga, that one of the major sources of pollution of Saratoga Creek has now been identified definitively (Saratoga News, July 5) and will be fixed relatively quickly by the Sanitation District. However, the history and lessons of the Saratoga Creek pollution controversy extend well beyond the banks of the creek.
Eight years ago, Saratoga resident Don Whetstone tried to tell the city and other government entities that the creek changed colors several times a day from dumping or discharges upstream, and that the creek was obviously polluted. Whetstone's concern was the many young children who play in Saratoga Creek, and were endangered by high levels of biological contamination.
Initially, Whetstone was ignored, then derided. When he brought video recordings of the pollution to a city council meeting, the city suggested Whetstone was dumping things in the creek himself, then running downstream for the "photo opportunity." At one council meeting, former Mayor Karen Anderson held up a glass of clear liquid proclaiming "the creek water is so cotton-pickin' clean you can almost drink it." When Whetstone paid for state-certified laboratory tests of creek water that showed off-the-charts concentrations of coliform and fecal coliform, former city manager Harry Peacock said there were no federal standards governing water quality in the creek. That falsehood was repeated for years.
Don Whetstone and I, as principals in Friends of Santa Clara County Creeks, were joined by San Francisco Baykeeper, and the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (now "Earth Justice") generously agreed to represent us pro bono. We gave the city and the Santa Clara County Water District formal notices that we intended to file suit for Federal Clean Water Act violations if they did not attempt to remediate the situation. The water district settled quickly and constructively, agreeing to measures to help understand the creek contamination. The city stonewalled; in 1995, we filed suit. What followed was five years of unnecessary litigation and several hundred thousand dollars of unnecessary legal costs. The former city council allowed the former city attorney to refer this complex, specialized litigation to-- surprise--his own firm.
The Gillian Moran-led council adamantly rejected any substantive attempts at settlement, whether formal or informal. For years, the city clung to positions such as "all urban streams are equally polluted, ... it's the result of deer and other wild animals in the hills," and my particular favorite, "it's raccoons in the storm water drains and pipes."
These explanations were belied by the actual water test data from the creek. The city spent $10,000 to publicize an "expert report" that was factually inaccurate and methodologically amusing. The city seemed intent on exceeding the biological pollution in the creek with its own rhetorical pollution.
Once the current city council was elected, they settled the five-year-long lawsuit quickly, fairly and constructively. Their secret? They took negotiations away from the former city attorney's law firm, and negotiated principal to principal.
As a direct result of activities spelled out in the settlement, the investigation planned and coordinated by Whetstone identified a stream of sewage flowing directly into the creek. The cause was exfiltration from leaking sanitary sewer lines and infiltration into storm sewer lines, confirming Whetstone's primary hypothesis from the outset of this saga. (His secondary hypothesis, migration from broken or overflowing septic systems, will likely be revealed as an additional source of substantial biological pollution in Saratoga Creek.)
What was discovered last month could have been discovered and fixed eight years ago. The most important lessons in this unfortunate chapter of Saratoga's history do not concern urban creeks, fecal coliform or the like. Rather, they center on the city's willingness to hear its own residents and to investigate problems. Here, the city's response was to stonewall, obfuscate, prevaricate and litigate. For good measure, they tried to kill the messenger, impugning the integrity of Don Whetstone.
In the end, it is Don Whetstone who has been vindicated on grounds of science, tenacity and character, and it is people like former manager Harry Peacock, former Mayor Gillian Moran and former City Attorney Mike Riback who must bear the responsibility for these expensive and unnecessary years of strife.
Jeffrey A. Schwartz
San Marcos Road
Clinton should not block bill to repeal estate tax
As one who is unusually prosperous, I am outraged that Bill Clinton may block a bill that would end America's shameful discrimination against those of us guilty of dying while rich, (DWR).
I refer to Clinton's threatened veto of legislation that would repeal the estate tax. The so-called "death tax" is an unjust, immoral penalty imposed on successful people and their rightful heirs in order to subsidize those too dull or lethargic to make it on their own.
Of course this is an election year, so being successful makes me a convenient target for the President and other Democrat politicians who are anxious to rip off the wealthy in order to score points with middle and lower class voters. Never mind the fact that rich bashing is an evil campaign tactic.
But those capable of logical thought will quickly conclude that the rich should be taxed less because we use less of the services that are paid for with taxpayer dollars.
Simply put, my family and I are completely self-sustaining, and we do not need or want any government services. Therefore, what possible justification can there be for the government to steal my hard-earned money at the time of my demise?
Oh, and what about the President's constitutional duty to serve all Americans, including the rich who just happen to be the smallest and most abused minority in America?
Ralph Rumbold
Pierce Road
Chamber of Commerce is taken for granted
I work at the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce office. Last Friday evening, I left the Chamber at about 4:50 p.m. (we are officially open until 4:30 p.m.). A couple came into the office as we were closing. They were attending a concert at Villa Montalvo and were interested in finding out about Saratoga. I gave them as much information as I could and supplied them with our Chamber Directory and Map and directed them to our display cabinet. Meanwhile Abby Krimotat, the Chamber executive director, was responding to similar inquiries on the phone even though she had myriad other Chamber matters to deal with. This was a typical Chamber situation, so at the time it did not seem of major significance to me.
Far from the crude, greedy creature cartoonist DeCinzo portrayed the Chamber, we are professional, polite, generous and enthusiastic about our work. We promote the city of Saratoga in every way we can by replying to the constant emails, phone calls and numerous inquiries from walk-ins.
We do all this while trying to run an office whose prime purpose is to manage the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce.
We are often run ragged trying to do the best for Chamber members and act as the local tourist office.
I am sometimes in awe of how much the Chamber does achieve, including organizing the Celebrate Saratoga! Street Dance, the Citizen of the Year Award, the Business Person of the Year Award and the Annual Crab Feed. We enthusiastically promote community activities, answer numerous inquiries regarding the Rotary Art Show, the Strawberry Festival, the Hometown Fourth of July Picnic and the downtown Christmas Open House.
As with many good things, I feel the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce is being taken for granted and not recognized for its value to this community.
Carmel Scott
Saratoga Chamber of Commerce
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
