Saratoga News

Letters

If enough people care, tire burning will stop

Up until a few months ago, I had a friend of whom I was very proud. I learned how many other people had been positively influenced by his life when my mother sent me a copy of the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune published Sun., July 21, 1996. There was Matt, good to see as ever. How sad that he died of cancer at the young age of 26, one month before graduating from medical school.

I am writing to you because I feel the sadness of my old community at the loss of one promising youth and hope to keep my new community from the loss of several more.

I recently learned that Kaiser Cement in Cupertino is trying to secure permission to burn 2 million tires annually without public notification or consent. The cancer-causing chemical components will fall most densely into an area of Cupertino that houses De Anza College, several elementary schools and other heavily attended public facilities.

I hope that you will let community members give their children a chance to realize their dreams by letting them know that Kaiser's permission to burn is not yet "concrete." Please tell your readers that they can contact the Bay Area Air Quality District and ask that an environmental impact report be performed before Kaiser is given its permit. Perhaps if enough people express their concern, Kaiser will use a cleaner method to dispose of their tires. Maybe then we could save the someone's life--someone as good as my friend Matt.

Nancy H. F. Mautino
Santa Clara

Project Crackdown is making a difference

Saratoga Rotary, in conjunction with an outreach parish of the Federated Church of Saratoga, has taken kids from Nancy Lane in San Jose to our district's "Day at the A's" event for three years.

Nancy Lane is a targeted area for Project Crackdown. It was not when we began this project. Alvin Hill, a San Jose Project Crackdown employee, is now assigned to Nancy Lane. Since his assignment, since Project Crackdown, we have noticed major changes. For example, at this year's game, even fans around us commented on how well-behaved the kids were. In our group, there were 37 kids, five parents, Hill and three Rotarians. We filled a bus, barbecued for the group and enjoyed a wonderful day. More important, so did the kids--some of whom had never been to a major league game. This effort is making a difference to the kids.

Project Crackdown is making a difference. We are witness, and we are delighted to be a small part of an effort that is working.

John Hoiness
President, Saratoga Rotary

Walled, gated houses nothing to boast about

I would like to respond to James A. Cunningham's response [Aug. 14] to my response to his earlier letter regarding "big houses" in Saratoga.

Mr. Cunningham's attitude, in my opinion, is tending to separate even further the haves and have-nots in our society (not just Saratoga). This can be exemplified by more and more of these large walled and gated "big houses." Connotating fear of the unwashed, these "big houses" give more the appearance of the type of society many of our forefathers fled. I can't see boasting about this superiority.

Robert E. Wallace
Foothill Lane

Thanks to all who helped on picnic

Our sincere thanks to the many community-minded merchants and other organizations which provided door prizes, food, beverages and financial support for the 1996 public safety picnic sponsored by the Saratoga Public Safety Commission.

This annual event recognizes the Sheriff's deputies, firefighters, paramedics and other local emergency-response personnel for the highly effective services they have delivered to our residents and community businesses during the past year. Such an expression of appreciation at a personal level salutes the around-the-clock efforts of those professional men and women who help assure the well-being of everyone living or working in our city.

The picnic uses a minimum of public funds since it is supported by community businesses and organized and staffed by commissioners and other volunteers who prepare and serve food.

Ken Biester
Chairman, Saratoga Public Safety Commission

California Dreaming with Silly Hall bunch

Even though I heard rumors to the effect that some of our folks in the City Council were toying with the notion of buying the Mountain Winery for, like--gasp!--some $5.6 million, I had dismissed this out of hand, thinking, "This too preposterous even for the Lilliputians of Silly Hall."

Silly me, instead! I just about fell off my kitchen stool when I read the Saratoga News disclosure [Aug. 14] that our very own private agenda weenies are at it again! Not the usual: the creek or why we can't afford a litany of otherwise important and useful functions like the expense of after-school facilities and recreation for teens, help for our library and schools, traffic-control improvements, parking, etc. Sorry folks, we can't seem to be able to afford such extravagant amenities.

So please understand my confusion and possibly straighten me out. Am I wakening from a Rip Van Winkle snooze to a new Saratoga? Is this this the same Saratoga proposing a utility tax to (hopefully) cover a persistent shortfall of $1.4 million? The same Saratoga facing the replacement of a damaged fire/police facility to the tune of another $2 million (that we don't have). The same Saratoga that can't afford the monitoring and assurance of a healthy creek? The same Saratoga that gave up Measure G as (gasp!) an alternative to the Silly Planning Commission?

If so, we are in very deep yogurt about this matter. And if I haven't been asleep through some near miraculous changes for Saratoga, I think we're due for some big changes-- in Silly Hall and elsewhere ASAP. And while we're waiting, I'd like to propose a name change to more appropriately reflect or sad state of being. Call us SaraSappy!

Art Allen
Saratoga

Corrections

It's the Crowell house that Mary Reitano suggested saving in her Aug. 14 letter to the editor. We misspelled the name in that edition.

In a story about West Valley College's new president in the Aug. 14 Saratoga News, the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the college was incorrectly identified. The lawsuit was filed by the city of Saratoga.

We regret the errors.