The West Valley­Mission College Board of Trustees hired a new president for West Valley College for $141,290 base pay plus $6,000 travel plus $18,000 housing allowance. The $18,000 housing allowance for the new president triggered an additional $18,000 for the chancellor, vice chancellor and president of Mission College to the tune of $72,000 just for housing.

This is the same district that has cut supply budgets from academic departments so that faculty cannot afford basic materials such as printed syllabi, chalk or Xerox paper, the same district that has warned of layoffs and fiscal crisis. While the four top administrators enjoy an increase to their pay, students scramble to get limited sections of core classes, employees continue to fear for their jobs and faculty work more for less.

A trustee's reply to public comment on the decision was "let's move on."

At the same meeting, another trustee proposed that the board subsidize candidate filing fees for the November board election because they had become so expensive.

On July 15, that same board has on its agenda a proposal to restore 3.62 percent of lost wages to executives and managers (from the alleged fiscal crisis of 2003­04) but no mention of restoring lost wages to the classified staff or restoring lost benefits to the faculty or restoring classroom supplies or restoring cut classes.

There are fundamental questions here about priorities. And politics. And people. This coming election will answer what the voters have to say.

Stay tuned.

Pat Andrews, Instructor

West Valley College

We need to protect
Village buildings

There has been a great deal of talk about our historic downtown lately. These are my thoughts.

The Village is an entity where the sum is greater than its individual buildings. You may find that the historic nature of one or other is not significant individually, but all together make up the town. So losing them, one by one, will have a tremendous effect overall.

We must call for a full and complete report on each and every Village structure which includes alternatives to demolition. The applicant should present a full range of options including restoration, renovation, adaptive reuse or relocation. Demolition should be the last resort only after other options have been explored.

Although Corinthian Corners buildings have updated facades put on them in the late '60s or '70s, they are typical of the single-story business building built in the '20s that characterizes the Village in its heyday. One was built by Dr. Hogg and was home to Clark Plumbing and other businesses.

It should concern us all that there are now five vintage buildings being considered for renovation.

For instance, Arthur Mintz Photography was used by California impressionist painter Theodore Wores for more than a decade where he created a wonderful garden that is featured in many of his paintings.

Please let us remember that cities and towns across America have found that the charm and beauty of preserved entities means good business for all.

Jill Hunter

Lomita Avenue

Decision on football
field at WVC wrong

I am so disappointed with the neighborhood surrounding West Valley College and those supporting the decision regarding the football field. Every time I drive past Prospect High School and see their football field with bleachers, I think to myself, "I can't believe that Prospect High School has better facilities than West Valley College."

I attend games at Saratoga High School and sit in their bleachers and watch the improvements going on there, I think why is it OK for these two high schools in the city of Saratoga to have nice facilities, yet a place of higher education can't even provide a place to sit?

I attended one football game at West Valley two years ago. It was on a weekday afternoon, and I was shocked to be told I had to bring my own folding chair and climb to the top of a dirt hill to sit and watch the game.

Then they had this little truck drive in with a little scoreboard for the game. Unbelievable!

And all this nonsense is because some neighbors don't want a "stadium"? Do bleachers and a scoreboard constitute a stadium?

I understand the resistance to lights, but bleachers and a scoreboard?

I know it cannot be a traffic issue, because there are many more students attending the college on a daily basis than there would ever be coming to a football game. I find it embarrassing to be a Saratogan when this topic comes up in conversation. I make it very clear that I believe strongly that this decision is wrong. It is wrong for the community, it is wrong for the college and it is wrong for Saratoga.

Pam DeBarr

Lolly Court

Thanks to local
elected officials

All too often, we, the public, fail to appropriately thank those individuals who serve us in local elected office. Instead, many complain about what they do or do not do, without offering help or solutions.

Since not many individuals run for city council or school boards, most of us should feel lucky to have the leadership we have. I certainly do.

Therefore, for all of us who choose not to run, I would like to loudly thank the Saratoga City Council members, the Saratoga Union School District Trustees and the Los Gatos­Saratoga Union High School District Trustees for doing something that most of us are not willing to do.

I know that we do not always agree, but that does not at all diminish the respect we should have for your willingness to run and your commitment to serve.

Mark Linsky

Barksdale Court