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Letters
Chancellor criticized for recent comments
I wonder if people in this city know what West Valley Chancellor Linda Salter really thinks of them? When she testified in front of the California Assembly committee on local government (she was opposing a bill that would have prevented the West Valley College stadium construction), here is how she described Saratoga residents who disagreed with the district.
"They have a lot of money and a lot of time to support NIMBY interests." I hadn't realized that most of us have more time and money than we know what to do with or that many of us were NIMBYs. That testimony was within weeks of the full-page ad, which the college district bought, in which Salter explained that she recognized the need to be more sensitive to this community, and that the college district was going to "turn a new leaf."
Salter also told the Assembly committee, "We are very careful about the type of activities we allow [at the track site]." That testimony was at the same time that they scheduled an 8 a.m., Sunday morning event at that site with extremely loud amplified rock music. One wonders what kind of event we would have if they weren't "very careful" about what they schedule, and if they weren't trying to "be more sensitive" and "turn a new leaf"?
Joy Clinton
Aloha Avenue
We need to address the important issues
Thank you for your excellent editorial in the Nov. 14 issue of the Saratoga News. It is so important that we get down to the serious, important issues facing our country and our valley. The unemployed, the closing companies, the homeless and the dipping economy immediately leap to mind.
I also want to commend reporter Rebecca Ray for writing a fair, balanced report of this board item. That's the way it happened!
Nancy Rucker
President, Board of Trustees
West Valley-Mission Community College District
Local legislators helped district obtain grant
State Sen. Byron Sher and Assembly member Rebecca Cohn were both instrumental in the Saratoga Union School District's receipt of an excessive-cost grant of $1.18 million from the state allocations board. With their help we were able to get a letter of concurrence from the state architect's office that the historic building at Saratoga School posed significant health and safety risks to students when it was found to be lacking steel reinforcement in its foundation.
The condition was discovered during construction and was unexpected since state-approved plans from a 1972 renovation of the building showed steel reinforcements present in the foundation of the historic building. The Saratoga Union School District had to act to ensure student safety. We replaced the foundation before students returned, believing that we would qualify for an excessive-cost hardship grant from the state of California. Our state legislators stepped forward and helped the district receive the grant and get reimbursed for a major portion of the costs of the foundation reinforcement.
In August, Sen. Byron Sher and his staff were extremely helpful in arranging face-to-face meetings with the staff of the office of public school construction and the division of the state architect. At that time, we received verbal agreement that our project would receive an excessive-cost grant to pay for a portion of the work. When that did not materialize in September, Assembly member Rebecca Cohn was able to obtain the letter of concurrence that had been promised to the district in August. The state allocation board allocated their funds at its meeting on Oct. 24 in Sacramento.
It is gratifying to know that our state legislators are so responsive to local student safety issues. We appreciate the assistance of Assembly member Cohn and Senator Sher in helping Saratoga Union School District obtain this critical funding.
Stephanie Petrossi
President, Board of Trustees
Saratoga Union School District
Reader displeased with coverage of doctor's trial
While I have been on the East Coast for the last several years, I still consider myself a Saratogan at heart. I am still up-to-date on the latest happenings in the neighborhood and will browse through a copy of the Saratoga News when I've got a chance. Usually, I find the material to be well-written, interesting and educational. However, with respect to the coverage of the trial of Dr. Robert Bowman, I believe that this was not the case.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to tell anyone how to do their job. But as a fellow journalist, I was extremely displeased at the Saratoga News' coverage of the trial. At first glance, I was horrified by the initial headline that ran. I had to do a double take as I thought Dr. Bowman had been convicted of some ludicrous charges.
Obviously, I know that he could never be guilty of such things, but the headline threw me off. Second, there was no immediate followup once the trial had been completed. For those of us who were there, it took less than 30 minutes for the jury to unanimously rule Dr. Bowman not guilty.
Listen, I am not writing this letter to solely criticize your publication. I am taking this opportunity to also tell you that if you'd asked any of Dr. Bowman's friends for an opinion, they would have told you that he is one of the most wonderful, generous, warm individuals that you'll ever meet.
Our families have been next-door neighbors for about 20 years, and in that time, he has become a cherished friend. In fact, if you were to ask anyone in this neighborhood, they would attest to the fact that you couldn't ask for better friends or neighbors than the Bowmans--they are quality people who are always there to help others. No questions asked.
I look forward to reading a future article on Dr. Robert Bowman--one on his trial verdict. It's easy to sensationalize community scandals, but it is important to follow through on their coverage to the end.
Aarthi Rajaraman
Arroyo De Arguello
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
