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Letters
Is cartoonist showing personal political taste?
DeCinzo is a terrific cartoonist. My complaint about DeCinzo is that he is not an equal-opportunity satirizer. He seems to have favorite subjects to lampoon, and he flogs them relentlessly.
I'm all for keeping city officials' feet to the fire, as a previous letter writer points out that DeCinzo does, but I haven't seen him hold any council feet close to the fire since the current council took over in 1998. Prior to that, selected council members were virtually weekly fodder for DeCinzo. What gives? Is DeCinzo's own political agenda showing?
Karin Dowdy
Brook Lane
Wolfe's arguments appeal only to the uninformed
Ex-Councilman Don Wolfe, writing a commentary in the Sept. 15 issue of the Saratoga News, dramatically sheds tears for the poor litigant consumer, who gets almost nothing while his attorney "profits millions" from a judgment or settlement. His opinion (not fact) concludes that the cost to each taxpayer in California, because of this injustice, is $574 per year and nationwide is $1,200 per year.
Really now, Don, does your heart bleed for the plaintiff-litigant or are you in reality representing the insurance industry?
Typically, those representing the selfish interests of big business quote statistics having no backup. Citing the Benedictin case, he fails to state that this drug resulted in thousands of women incurring suffering and death before it was taken off the market. He thinks defibrillators are not used because of the threat of lawsuit. In fact, they are not used where qualified personnel cannot be found to administer the necessary treatments. That is why they are rare in shopping malls.
Since Wolfe is not a lawyer, he doesn't understand contingency fees. These fees that are charged by lawyers are at the claimant's option. Most average people cannot afford to pay the cost, let alone the hourly fees, of a competent lawyer. Without this option, most people would be unrepresented and the casualty insurance claims adjuster would be free to deal directly with the claimant and lowball him or her with respect to settlement offers.
Neither Wolfe nor his cohorts, in sympathy with him, explain how fees paid by the client to his attorney have any effect on the taxpayer. Perhaps it is because a client represented by an attorney is able to extract a more just settlement from an insurance company than without an attorney.
It is certain that Wolfe has never served as a juror and, just as certain, has never spoken with a judge of the Superior Court or other court personnel to obtain the information for his article. He is correct in his assertion that our elected officials pay little attention to his brand of logic.
Somewhere our elected officials get informed by hearing arguments on both sides. Wolfe and his ilk appeal to the "uninformed," hoping to get an initiative on the ballot. Statements are always appealing to the public that tell them their taxes are going to go up if they act in a certain way.
I suppose he advocates that awards should only be given to cases with merit, but, as far as I know, that is what is going on today with the current jury awards. Wolfe does not tell you the entire facts concerning the hot coffee verdict, which has become a whipping boy for the so-called meritless claims. The other side of this case has never been fairly presented to the public.
The insurance industry wishes you to believe that the jury, judge and defense attorneys were all incompetent and stupid in this case. Wolfe cannot truthfully discuss this matter, as that would violate his job description. Further, prison inmates cannot sue taxpayers as a matter of law. And, even if they could, for a broken cookie? Wolfe, get real!
William G. Clark
Former city attorney
Horseshoe Drive
Willys Peck's columns keep readers coming
SAM is fantastic, but we're glad he didn't win out. We love Willys Peck's columns! They are the best reason to subscribe to the Saratoga News. Even if he were to write only one column per quarter, we would grab the newspaper hot out of the mailbox and look for that page!
If he has the facts on the short, happy life of the Saratoga Community Gardens, we would be very interested in that story (history, chapter). Where is the closest community garden to Saratoga now, not counting the beautiful orchard at the library?
Gail and Doug Cheeseman
Kittredge Road
Kudos on unbiased motorcycling article
Read your article ("Curves Ahead," Sept. 22), and it's nice to see a publication give at least a somewhat positive slant on the riders in the area. Although I live in San Francisco, I've been riding the Santa Cruz Mountains, including Highway 9, since 1988.
Gary Jaehne is a good riding buddy as well. A couple of things I must clear up, though:
I didn't realize that Alice's restaurant is towards Los Altos. I always thought it was 15 miles north of the Highway 9/35 intersection. Alice's is not primarily a Harley hangout; there are some Harley cruisers that frequent the lot, but the vast majority of the riders are sportbike owners.
The gathering place is not Alice's restaurant proper, but the larger parking lot across the street, in front of the market. Most of the hardcore Harley owners can be found a few miles west on Highway 84, in the town of La Honda. Their hangout there is a place called Applejack's.
Custom-fit one-piece leathers can indeed run up to (and beyond) $2K. But you can get off-the-rack leathers at most any motorcycle shop for as low as $299. And this includes body armor in critical spots.
Just my $.02. Good reporting!
Jeff Paris
San Francisco
Peckler relay invites community help
The third annual Peckler Memorial Relay is scheduled for Oct. 17. The race is in memory of Jim, Jill and Jeff Peckler--active volunteers of CASA (Community Against Substance Abuse), A Place for Teens and other community organizations--who were killed by a drunken driver.
We encourage the public to participate--walking or running with family and friends. We hope to see children involved as the route is easy. The beneficiaries are those who provide services for our community, especially young people. They are CASA, A Place for Teens and the Teen and Family Counseling Center. The Peckler example of community commitment is one to which we can all aspire. Come join us at a special event for a good cause and enjoy the fun and activities at the finish line.
Call 408.867.2546 for more information.
Tina Kellogg
Cody Lane
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
