Saratoga News
Letters & Opinions
Speak Out
Company, cops can't
help stop trash bandit
This is in response to your article in the Saratoga News ("Neighbors talkin' trash about late-night bandit," May 24).
Maybe Aaron Johnson, district manager from Green Valley Disposal, should communicate his concerns about revenue to the people who answer the phone every day, because they obviously don't understand.
Then, he should express his concerns to the sheriff's department while he's at it, because they're not too worried about it, either.
There has been a man stealing recyclables in my neighborhood for over a year. I've caught him several times, even got his license plate number. After all, if I'm going to go to all the trouble to recycle, I don't want some guy stealing it!
Both Green Valley and the sheriff's department told me there was nothing they could do. So much for doing my part.
Now I leave the recyclables on my property, not in the street, and bring them out just before the truck comes. This guy does not speak English, but my guess is that he'd understand very quickly if he trespassed on my property.
By the way, he drives an older-model gold Toyota Camry--if anyone cares. I'd give you the license plate number, but I "recycled" it.
Nancy Miller
Blauer Drive
Trash bandits cause
a risk for residents
It is with great amusement and surprise that we read your article on recycling material bandits ("Neighbors talkin' trash about late-night bandit," May 24).
We were particularly intrigued by the comments made by the Saratoga police, who might have been more informed. We think that, besides being a menace to the neighborhood, it's also an absolute safety concern that there are strangers foraging around our houses in the dead of night--who knows what other things they may be looking for? While I understand the "what you put on the curb is public property" rule, does that also mean that if my child left his bike sitting on the curb, then it's perfectly legal for a stranger to walk up and claim it? I'm hoping the answer to that question is "No!"
In August of 2005, we had these same bandits repeatedly strike our street for the first time, which we alerted the Saratoga police about with a letter dated Aug. 14, 2005. So we have been hit within the last year, and by the way, they did take some neighbors' paper recyclables that included junk mail, which could make it an identity theft issue.
Since the police stated this was not outside the law, we organized a neighborhood drive to put out our recyclables only on the morning of the pickup, which seems to have worked in preventing the return of these scavengers. After we did some asking around, we learned this is a citywide nuisance and this is mostly an organized activity run by an Asian group--this was confirmed by one of our neighbors returning home late one Tuesday night who ran into the driver of the car with its headlights out, digging through his trash as he pulled into his own driveway!
Our opinion, as most of our neighbors feel, is that this does pose a sizable security risk to our tranquil neighborhoods and that the police ought to figure out a way to address the fears of a concerned citizenry.
S. Nag and D. Wyckoff
Harleigh Drive
Something must be
done about bobcats
I have lived on Pierce Road for 35 years and have (had) a magnificent cat registered as Shan su Ki-ko, the Fonze. I called him Ki-Ko. He would come when he was called. He was so friendly. He would greet all my visitors and was very unique.
One night I did not close my front door properly and Ki-Ko sneaked out. I called him for hours but to no avail. He probably greeted a bobcat and "boom." My neighbor saw a bobcat and her two cubs strolling down her driveway. She secured her dog and horses.
I am heartbroken and my Ki-Ko can never be replaced. I have talked to many of my neighbors, and they all agree. Something has to be done to trap these animals and move them to an appropriate area.
Lois Davis
Pierce Road
Saratoga is no place
for a soccer complex
I am a neighbor (35 years) as well as a former president of the Saratoga/De Anza CYSA league, so I feel I have had experience with both sides of the Kevin Moran Park issue. My kids have played since they were 7 (the minimum age at that time) to the end of their college career. Two of my sons played for Steve Samson at Santa Clara University.
My sons have gone on to do volunteer coaching for their own children, and my daughter has become a professional coach.
When we were trying to put on a viable program for the youth of Saratoga and others, it was an uphill battle on the subject of fields. The fields we played on required constant maintenance, which included the weekly filling of holes caused by gophers, and walking the fields before each game to remove any sharp objects. These included a can (which we missed and caused a girl to need stitches), needles, broken glass beer bottles and other items. When the city was asked for help to clean up the fields, they responded that Saratoga was a minimum-service city, and there was no money to maintain the fields.
I'm sure the sports people are looking at the beautiful sports complexes other cities such as Pleasanton have for their youth. What they have to realize is that these cities planned for the fields almost before they built the homes. They are located in areas that have plenty of parking, no close neighbors and land that is almost all commercially zoned. The easy access helps to control the crowds and minimize the friction between the sports families and the neighbors.
Kevin Moran Park is in the middle of a quiet neighborhood (except for the freeway). The neighborhood is more than 40 years old and composed of many families who have lived there most of that time. This is not the time or the place to build a sports complex, no matter how much some of the families want it.
The neighborhood has watched the trees grow for the last 25 years and needs them to buffer them from the freeway. The orchard has gone to seed (maintained by the city?). The older trees should be replaced, and a Boy Scout troop or a group of citizens could be empowered to look after them.
In keeping with the neighborhood, meditation gardens, more game tables and other passive activities could be incorporated. We need a place of peace in Saratoga when all the other parks are filled with sports activities.
Believe it or not, there is life after soccer.
Barbara Barone
Northampton Drive
If teens build it,
they would come
(In response to "Council wants a place for teens, but not at Warner Hutton House," June 14), let them build a new one for themselves!
No, I'm not joking. Is there not a piece of land large enough for a small building the teens could call their own? How large is Warner Hutton House? It doesn't look very large. I am sure if the teens were to build something for themselves, there would be less of a concern about them trashing the property. I am also sure there are many members of the community who would donate time and materials to help them if they show a determination to get it done.
Christina Vanslow
Seagull Court
Residents value the trees in Kevin Moran Park, too
As an environmentally concerned resident of Saratoga, I was delighted to read in the May 31 issue of the Saratoga News this quote from Manny Cappello: "We as a community value our large trees." This was Commissioner Cappello's response after voting to deny a homeowner's second attempt to remove what they considered an unsafe tree (i.e., falling branches had damaged the roof, the occupants were afraid to mow the lawn or to let their grandchild play in the back yard for fear of being injured by falling limbs).
Staff arborist Kate Bear stated in the same article the cedar tree was valued at $20,000, and the city requires a replacement of equal value.
These comments lead one to assume that every large tree in Saratoga is valuable, and should only be cut as a last resort. However, this begs the question, why then are the stately redwood trees and other large trees that have been growing in Kevin Moran Park for at least 35 years going to be cut down to accommodate an oversized soccer field that rivals Stanford Stadium?
No monetary value can be placed upon these trees' immense contribution to the community. Besides absorbing deadly emissions and buffering some of the noise from the Highway 85 corridor, they also absorb solar rays, thereby cooling the surrounding areas while giving off life-sustaining oxygen.
It has become apparent there are different standards for judging the value of large trees. Those growing in residential property can only be cut after all efforts to save them have been exhausted; whereas the large trees growing in Kevin Moran Park, seemingly, can be cut down without any objection from the city officials in charge of protecting and preserving them.
Since no one knows the environmental consequences the loss of these trees, and the added pollution generated by the cars coming to and from the soccer field, will have upon the neighboring community, I feel the final plans for the soccer field should be postponed until the residents of Saratoga vote on this issue. Only then will we know whether we as a city do value our large trees.
Aleene Wanter
Brockton Lane
Newspaper delivery change begins June 28
Beginning with our June 28 issue, the Saratoga News will be delivered directly to homes rather than mailed. It is our goal to make this change in our distribution system as seamless as possible.
The Saratoga News has been distributed by mail as long as anyone in our company can remember, and we have valued our relationship with the Saratoga post office. What's more, we receive few reader complaints about delivery problems.
Unfortunately, the cost of mailing the papers has become prohibitively expensive. Additionally, postal regulations on second-class mail put restrictions on the advertising that pays our bills and even on the amount of editorial content we put in the paper.
After much discussion, we've decided to deliver the papers in Saratoga using the same system that has been a successful circulation model for the seven other weekly newspapers published by Silicon Valley Community Newspapers.
Because of cost savings we will realize from the change in our delivery system, we are happy to report we will be able to increase circulation by more than 1,000 homes.
Beginning next week, the Saratoga News will be delivered on Wednesday and Thursday each week.
While we are making every effort to minimize problems, we realize there are likely to be glitches. We hope you will bear with us during this transition period.
To report delivery problems, please call Laverne Feally in our Los Gatos office, 408.354.3110, ext. 20.
--Dale Bryant, executive editor
