In spite of the legal decision, on the college's behalf, Elaine Alquist is sponsoring AB 3046; that bill, if passed, will circumvent the law and allow WVC to construct a stadium.

Even the new chancellor of West Valley­Mission College has stated that Mission College is the best location for a stadium, if one is ever built; Mission College has the space and the easy access. Chancellor [Stan] Arterberry rightly wants to focus on improving education and fiscal responsibility.

But the majority of the current WVMCCD board isn't willing to obey the law, nor support its new chancellor. It is time to elect board members that support the new chancellor's goals.

—Marcia Fariss, Saratoga Glen Place


Voter supports Kline in city council race

I support Norman Kline for Saratoga City Council. Mr. Kline is a lifetime resident of Santa Clara County and the owner of a Saratoga small business. He was product manager at Lockheed from 1980-86 and marketing manager at Apple Computer from 1986-91.

He was the chair of the Santa Clara Planning Commission and a member of its architectural committee. He has extensive experience in residential planning, city ordinances and financing.

Norman Kline will be a major asset to the city council.

—Daniel Hoffman, Vineyard Lane


Voter opposes Wolfe in college board race

Don Wolfe wants you to re-elect him to the West Valley­Mission College Board. Here's why you shouldn't do it.

Here's how Wolfe has voted on open government:

* Wolfe voted to cut in half the time allotted for public participation at board meetings.

* Wolfe voted to stop producing regular summary minutes of governing board meetings and switch to minutes that only record motions and actions. Wolfe led this move.

* Wolfe twice rejected proposals to televise governing board meetings over local access cable TV, even when it was documented that it would cost the district almost nothing. Wolfe argued against publishing the governing board's agendas on local cable access bulletin boards for free.

Here's how Wolfe has acted:

* Wolfe campaigned for trustee saying he was opposed to a stadium at West Valley College, but as soon as he was elected he became a strong advocate for the stadium.

* On several occasions, Wolfe has engaged in tirades where he yelled at and demeaned district staff members at public board meetings. He regularly interrupts fellow trustees and makes snide comments about them, making governing board meetings unprofessional.

* Wolfe has repeatedly said he wants to repeal the Endangered Species Act.

* As a Saratoga City Council member, Wolfe voted to initiate litigation against the college district. Once elected to the college board, he voted to continue the litigation against the city of Saratoga. The district spent over $500,000 losing this six-year court fight, while costing the city of Saratoga over $250,000 in legal fees—and all of that was your tax dollars.

Wolfe's day job? He's the head of something called "Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse."

Please vote for someone other than Don Wolfe for West Valley-Mission Trustee.

—Vanessa Hammer, Granite Way


Barnes spending too much in campaign

t is my understanding that Andrew Barnes, one of the candidates for city council, is planning to spend as much as $30,000 of his own money to get elected.

One has to ask why someone who registered to vote only seven months ago (in spite of living here for 14 years) and who has not been actively involved in Saratoga (until two months ago when he addressed the city council on the basement issue), suddenly wants to be elected so badly that he is willing to spend a large amount of his own money.

I believe that Saratoga's voters are smart enough to suspect a hidden agenda when a candidate is willing to invest such a significant amount of money in order to gain a seat on our city council.

—Bruce Lichorowic, Saratoga


Barnes sets the record straight

I am glad to see that Ms. Fariss is so concerned about my qualifications for public office. I wonder why she didn't include comments on the other candidates. The facts she has are wrong. The word she should have used is re-registered to vote, which is required when you move from one part of the city to the other. And I have voted in many elections in the last 35 years but not all.

As to issues, well I believe that the West Valley stadium is a dead issue, so why comment. I have attended many of the council meetings along with commission meetings to learn all the facts. As to the signs, she was right—one got misplaced and I want to thank you for returning the sign to me.

—Andrew Barnes, Old Wood Road


Heintze column was the best

Thanks for running Carl Heintze's column of Oct. 16 regarding Sgt. Poohaw—probably, in my opinion, the best article to date in the Saratoga News. Carl need not worry about being alone in his skepticism regarding our leader's call to arms. The scent of Iraqi oil permeates the whole affair.

—Alex Bernyk, Williamsburg Lane


Reader can relate to words in column

To Carl Heintze—great column in [the Oct. 16] issue! I have a president (?) and had a first sergeant just like that. (Try humor in these dark days.)

—Vic Ulmer, Paseo Presada


Supporting King in council race

My neighbor, Kathleen King, is running for Saratoga City Council, and I know she would make an excellent council member. I have known Kathleen and her family for the last 10 years as a neighbor, as an involved parent, as the chairwoman of the Silicon Valley Children's Hospital Foundation and as a friend.

Kathleen has the characteristics we need in a council person—a willingness to listen, great perseverance during adversity and strong interest in her community. Her ability to bring people of diverse opinions together and make positive things happen is inspiring in today's environment.

She wants to preserve the unique character of our city, continue to clean up our creeks, and prevent deterioration of our traffic situation.

—Susan Hannibal, Paul Avenue


City should not impose its will on homeowners

As a former city council member, I can recall the issue of one story homes in Saratoga Woods having come up at least 10 years ago. The city council then, wisely, suggested that the homeowners association itself could solve the problem by amending its CC&Rs.

There is no need for the city to take any action and waste any more time on it. If the residents themselves do not have the support to amend the CC&Rs, then the city should not impose its will on the subdivision. What we found was that, while residents near a proposed two-story addition were opposed to it, the majority of residents wanted to reserve the right to expand for themselves! Saratoga Woods talked of amendments then but could not get the vote.

—Karen Anderson, Morgan Hill


'Perhaps' Heintze went too far

My enjoyment and usually thoughtful consideration of Carl Heintze's column was marred and diminished by Carl's considered but ill-chosen use of "perhaps" on two occasions in the Sgt. Poohaw column.

It is inappropriate for Carl to diminish and undermine in any way the legitimacy of George H. W. Bush as president of the United States. His use of "perhaps" on two occasions was patently intended to do just that. While Carl or anyone may disagree (I do) with the way President Bush is going about the nation's business with Iraq, and publicly critique that performance, Carl does a disservice to the nation by making sly aspersions on the legitimacy of the current president.

Carl went past justifiable critique and used "perhaps" for one reason and one reason only. That usage was not germane to the issue he was raising, and in that regard was poor writing on Carl's part. Regardless of your politics or how you voted in the last election, such aspersions contribute to an air of distrust and disunity. While I normally admire and appreciate what Carl has to say, in this instance I was disappointed. My opinion of his future writings is (perhaps) permanently damaged.

—Carrell Killebrew, Glen Brae Drive


Councilman throws his support to King

When I decided not to run for another term as a city council member, I looked for candidates who were qualified to fill the position I am leaving. I was interested in a potential candidate that would support the same pledges I made to voters four years ago. I pledged to take the long view in city issues, to clean up Saratoga creeks, to support Measure G and planned growth and to be courteous and service oriented. I have met my commitment and I believe Kathleen King is the best candidate we have to continue this work.

Kathleen wants to regulate development to preserve the character of our city; revitalize our commercial districts, playgrounds, and parks; and to continue the clean up of our creeks. She has experience managing large groups of people, including managing bigger budgets than our current city budget through multiple economic upturns and recessions, and creating long-term plans involving multiple international companies. She is smart, caring, hardworking and a good friend.

—John Mehaffey, Saratoga City Councilman, Treasurer for the Committee to Elect Kathleen M. King