Letters

Fire district needs better leadership from commission

At the Saratoga Fire District commissioners' meeting on Oct. 18, they were asked what they had done to enhance the safety and security of Saratoga in the light of the recent events that have changed our world. There was an embarrassed silence of a few seconds and then the chief started to tell us about Santa Clara County.

He was interrupted and asked what they had done for Saratoga. After more silence, he decided that "nothing out of the ordinary" was the correct response. One of the fire captains then corrected the chief, and volunteered that a terrorism training class was scheduled for the very next day.

The assistant chief also said that he had recently received some briefings on bio-hazardous materials. We felt better after their comments, but were dismayed that the commissioners and the chief didn't even know what was happening in their own department.

It's a shame that the professional staff has to take it upon themselves to run the Saratoga Fire District. In the past few years it has been they who have done most of the work that the leadership should have done.

Vote for Dolloff and Ford on Nov. 6.

T. M. Blaisdell
Junipero Way

Former politico considers coming out of retirement

I read reporter Oakley Brooks' story on reapportionment of the state Senate and the new 15th District senator that would be forced on us Saratogans.

Your story did not point out the politician who is the beneficiary of this gerrymander that joined most of the Republican-leaning portions of Santa Clara County (Saratoga, Los Gatos, Almaden Valley and Morgan Hill) with the totally unrelated agricultural areas featuring Santa Maria and Pismo Beach. That politician happens to be the former mayor of Santa Maria, Republican state Assemblyman Abel Maldonado.

Through his 33rd Assembly District, he represents 40 percent of the voters in the new state Senate district (northern Santa Barbara County and all of San Luis Obispo County). He was able to force us into the 15th through a deal that Democratic and Republican state senators cut to keep the 15th District in which he lives Republican.

My wife, Lillian, and I felt, as do I am sure many of your readers, that this Maldonado political deal was outrageous. I feel that, unlike some of the Saratoga leaders listed in your story, we do not necessarily have to live with his deal.

After my steam was up about all this--and independent of me, a number of Santa Cruz County and Monterey County leaders have also been up in arms on this same matter--I analyzed this situation.

I came to the conclusion that we could make lemonade out of this lemon of a reapportionment. This new state Senate district affords an exciting opportunity for my comeback that fits my ideology of an outspoken mainstream Republican with a streak of independence.

The strengths I would bring to the campaign are my experience as a leader in the state Assembly, in the U.S. Congress for eight years and my record as a legislator who got things done for our people, such as my law on welfare reform called GAIN.

This campaign would be tough to wage, but it is definitely winnable. My would-be opponent, Assemblyman Maldonado, is a rich 33-year-old president of an agri-business company who is vice chairman of the Assembly Agricultural Committee. Besides upsetting people in our area with his plan, Maldonado has some unhappy conservatives in the south. His 2000 conservative index rating regarding his votes in the Assembly was a low 56 percent with the California Republican Assembly, the largest California Republican volunteer organization. His low rating was mainly caused by his votes for the state budget and for some gay-rights bills.

I would be pleased to hear from my fellow Saratogans for or against whether or not I should run to take charge of this state Senate district for all of us.

Ernie Konnyu
DeHavilland Court

Denial of new station is based on political motives

In regard to your article in the Oct. 3 issue article, and a letter from D. Whetstone: Unfortunately you did not mention the FEMA grant for facility upgrades that was made available in the mid-'90s and for which the fire district did apply. Apparently steel in one wall of the existing building prevented them from being included in the grant.

Mr. Whetstone implies that the fire district wasted money in designing a new station. I find it hard to believe that, after working with the city planning director, heritage commission and the city council over a period of five years, the design of the building would still be in question. As I understand our current building codes, the replacement of one facility with another of the same kind--i.e., fire station replacing fire station--particularly in this case, does not require variances.

If anyone is at fault the city bears the blame. I think at least once in five years someone in the city should have spoken up. I think the whole denial of the project is based on self-serving political motives rather than on design or land-use considerations.

We need a station now, and Geddes and Long are the commissioners to make it happen. We don't need a pipe dream and another $20 million bond issue.

I, for one, won't vote for it.

Henry Clarke
Retired commissioner
Saratoga Fire District

Why change something that works so well?

The upcoming election for Saratoga Fire Commissioner is about who is going to control the future of our fire safety services. Is it going to be politicians in the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and county bureaucrats, or us Saratogans, locally?

The two candidates from the Firefighters and Citizens Task force, Mr. Dolloff and Mr. Ford, are catering to special interests--the firefighters' union, a few of the firefighters and county politicians.

We have a great fire department with a great insurance rating that costs us less than if we were with the county. Why change something that's working so well?

We support Joe Long and Jay Geddes for fire commissioners. If you agree, please vote for these candidates. Don't let us lose our local control!

Russell and Susan Perry
Via Regina

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