Your editorial, "Serious questions facing the city of Saratoga" (Feb. 8), is rather outrageous. You editorialized strongly against the utility tax on the November ballot and now that it failed, you are going to try to find out why city staff are leaving and many citizens want to speak to the city council at a retreat? You can save some effort and investigation because the answers are obvious and I will provide them to you.

City staff are leaving because they see no future here. City government expenses are far outstripping city revenues and without the utility tax to balance that equation, the future will be loss of city jobs, little for merit pay, raises or benefits and loss of valuable city projects.

Almost all of the people who wanted to attend the city council retreat were going to advocate that particular programs or services not be cut. With 60 or 70 speakers, it would not have been a council retreat, but more of a public hearing on the future budget. All of those individuals will still be heard. The various projects and services that must be eliminated will be discussed during the next several council meetings, although your editorial failed to mention that fact.

Then we come to your "silver bullet" magic solution to the budget crisis: sell the North Campus and use the revenues for the general fund. Using one-time capital asset sale revenue for operating expenses flies in the face of the most basic principles of responsible fiscal management, another principle you fail to discuss in your editorial. In three or four year years when the North Campus sale monies are expended, and when the gap between expenses and income is that much larger, what shall the city do then? Shall we sell our parks, Heritage Orchard, or perhaps the Senior Center and part of the Civic Center complex?

It is a rather old newspaper trick to help create bad news and then editorialize about "how could they let this happen?" The simple truth is that the city council members and city officials were being truthful about the city's financial crisis last fall and now there are no good alternatives except the loss of valuable staff, programs and services. You wouldn't listen then and evidently, you aren't looking or listening now.

Vanessa Hamner

Granite Way

Anxious to see city
issues explored

[I would like] The Saratoga News to fully explore and clarify (editorial, Feb. 9):

1. Reasons why staff members are leaving.

2. Residents so concerned about the operation of the city that they planned to attend a city council retreat, so the retreat is cancelled!

(Only 60 to 70 residents surfaced—the tip of the iceberg?)

3. The controversial purchase of the North Campus in 2002 and sitting idle since. Obviously no city purpose is clear. Was there personal gain here?

Then the Waltonsmith letter!

It is obvious from the above cited issues that these public matters need to be addressed openly and that root causes of such matters must rest with the people in office and, during elections, be addressed by candidates.

Overall, all these matters raise serious questions about the incumbent clique. The primary and only purpose of those positions entrusted by the people should be for the people.

I really support the Saratoga News to explore the cited issues and more in the weeks ahead—and on a continuing basis.

In closing, thank you for having the fortitude and integrity to publish Speak Out and the pertinent editorials.

Vito A. DiMucci

Saratoga

Important for students
to study other cultures

I am a student at Redwood Middle School. I think that different religions and cultures should be introduced to middle school students. It should be interesting to learn about our community's diversity. It is important for us to understand each other's religions and cultures so that we can work together.

Alan Wang

Saratoga

Supporting actions
of Senator Boxer

Pardon me for being suspicious, but when I read a letter such as the one published Jan. 19, I am led to question the motives of the writer. I wondered what makes him write about Barbara Boxer at this time? I did a Google search for the name "W.E. Sirvatka" and found several letters which Mr. Sirvatka had written in the past several months and I think the phrase taken from his May 26, 2004, letter is illustrative: "Or have the liberals convinced us we are not at war?"

Senator Boxer should be commended for challenging the Bush election machine in the Ohio vote count. She should also be commended for challenging the president's nominee for secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, a close, personal confidant of the president, concerning "Ms. Rice's past statements about nuclear weapons in Iraq" before the invasion ( New York Times , page 1, Jan. 19). It is only when we demand that our government and its operatives are truthful that Democracy will flourish.

Marcia O. Kaplan

Sevilla Lane

Many contribute to the
Mustard Walk's success

The fourth annual Mustard Walk was held on Feb. 6. By all accounts, it was a huge success.

I wish to thank the citizen volunteers who worked together to make it such a sweet, fun-filled day. There were many who gave their time, but I especially want to acknowledge Lee Murray for arts and entertainment, Paul Conrado and the Santa Cruz Mountain Home Wine-Makers for wine tasting, Bob Semichy for bringing his wonderful vintage cars, the Butter Paddle for their assist with mustard tasting, Norm Koepernik for the beautiful banners in the orchard and Blaney Plaza, Phylis Ballingall for organizing the volunteers and making sure nothing was left undone, and the Mustard Queen—our very own City Clerk Cathleen Boyer—who graciously helped direct folks to various venues throughout the day.

Special acknowledgement goes to Saratoga's Rotary Club for acting as co-sponsor—in particular, Dan Floyd, Rotary president, who stepped in when he recognized his organization could be of service; and Connie Palladrino and Debbie Rice, Rotary members who volunteered their time and talent as face painters.

Another very special thank you goes to Rick and Ann Waltonsmith. Their annual participation is a generous gift to our community. Their donkey cart rides are the highlight of the Mustard Walk.

We are also grateful to the city council and city management for providing direction and funding for this year's event.

Patricia Bailey

Foothill Lane