Saratoga News

Letters

Some 200 sleeping bags were donated

Your Community article on "Saratoga Rotary seeks sleeping bag donations" was excellent. Perhaps you would like to know the community's response to this service project?

An interfaith group of several local churches organized to assist the Saratoga Rotary obtain donated sleeping bags for Homeless Care Force. Each group of volunteers received 100 packets to take door to door in their local neighborhoods asking for old sleeping bags to be donated, or for financial contributions to purchase sleeping bags for the homeless. This is urgently needed now that it is winter. On a certain date, group volunteers returned to pick up the donations and take them to Quito Market for pickup by Saratoga Rotary and delivery to Homeless Care Force.

Agencies and churches involved in obtaining 200 to 250 bags and/or financial donations to purchase sleeping bags are: Ascension-Roman Catholic; Boy Scout Troop 488 (Carolyn Chang); Boy Scout Troop 566 (Mary McCloud); Boy Scout Troop 580 (Diane Segal); Saratoga Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints-Mormon; Prince of Peace-Lutheran; St. Andrew's-Episcopalian; West Hope-Presbyterian.

For further information, please contact Fred Peterson of the Saratoga Rotary (867-5850) or Elder Dave Francis (446-1401) of the Saratoga Stake High Council who was in charge of the LDS efforts to support this interfaith community service project.

Teri Jones
Saratoga Stake director of public affairs,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Allendale Avenue

Starbucks will give new life to Village

As a merchant on Big Basin Way, I believe Starbucks will give new life to the Village, which is badly needed.

All of the Starbucks I have seen fit beautifully with their neighbors and they become part of the community.

Parking is not a problem at the end of the Village where Starbucks wants to locate. There are at least 50 empty public parking spaces. At the time when Starbucks would be busiest, such as early morning hours, the shops are not open; therefore, people will use Starbucks' own parking, or park on the street, and should they need more they can use the 50 empty public parking spaces. Why would anyone park on Oak Street when they have these parking spaces in the Village?

I welcome Starbucks as a neighbor.

Harry Lulla
Saratoga Wine and Spirits
Big Basin Way

Why the low voter turnout last election?

I am an international exchange student from Japan enrolled at West Valley College. This was the first election I had an opportunity to observe here in the United States. I am currently studying English and political science and have followed the election closely.

I watched the conventions in Chicago and San Diego, as well as the debates between the top two presidential candidates. I was extremely impressed by the enthusiasm and passion of the delegates and their supporters. Even though I am not a registered voter, I was amazed at the low number of voters who actually took part in this election. I was very surprised to see that only 49 percent of the registered voters went to the polls, the lowest since 1928.

It is strange to hear the American people complain about their government, taxes, health care, welfare and other issues and not even take the time to go to the polls and perhaps make a difference. This makes no sense to me. I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to respond with your readers' opinions on why such a low voter turnout this past election.

Yoshiyuki Kubo
gcabral@ix.netcom.com

Did non-Saratogans vote in recent election?

In light of the recent election results, some of us thought it of interest to throw another "monkey wrench" into the whole election results equation.

I am aware of at least one and probably many, many more non-Saratoga residents who voted in the most recent election on city of Saratoga issues. In particular, this person (who lives in the county, but has a "Saratoga" mailing address) voted against the city tax issue and an incumbent councilmember. The ironic thing is this person hasn't even been billed the city tax on his/her PG&E utility bill. If this person was sent a ballot which mistakenly included these "purely" Saratoga ballot matters, then rest assured that so were his/her neighbors (I suspect numbering well in excess of 77).

Given the closeness of the most recent Saratoga election results and the country's predisposition to ignore elections because "they really don't matter," what's happened in Saratoga kind of puts into perspective that federal judge's most recent preliminary injunction halting the voters' will insofar as Proposition 209, don't you think?

Of course, I guess it's always possible that the vote-counting software was preprogrammed to ignore voters on issues appearing on ballots cast by non-Saratoga residents; however, I wouldn't bet on it. Would you?

Aaron Katz
Saratoga P.O. Box

Would you exhibit pieces of stolen art?

What value is art? Is art something to be viewed, shared and enjoyed? Would you be proud to exhibit or receive a work of art that has been stolen from the artist?

These questions may seem a bit strange, but they are relevant. On Friday evening, Nov. 29, during the Saratoga Village's 20th annual Open House, several pieces of art were taken from the Ægis Gallery of Fine Art, 14531 Big Basin Way, between 6 and 7 p.m.

Three works by a Saratoga resident, Yoju, had just been placed on exhibit that day in preparation for the Holiday Open House. These fine miniature paintings were painstakingly created with love, care and skill, and were included as part of the special exhibit of "Small Treasures" for the month of December at the gallery.

It is difficult to understand, or accept, the idea that one of our neighbors would feel it necessary to just take these paintings. While it was not the first time art has been surreptitiously removed from this Saratoga art gallery, I would like to hope it is not a reflection of our own community.

So, if you happen to see a small painting signed by Yoju, you may want to ask from whence it came.

Steve Deiwert
Via Roncole

Salivating for Starbucks

My shop is three doors from the proposed Starbucks location in an area that gets very little foot traffic. The idea of their occupying the proposed site makes me positively salivate. This feeling is shared by every merchant that I know within the immediate vicinity.

Arthur Mintz
Saratoga-Los Gatos Road

Correction

In the Nov. 27 issue of the Saratoga News, Renee Erkson's name was misspelled in a news story about fictitious business names. The name of her business is Argonaut Glass and Showers.