The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Letters All animals will have a place to go Thank you for taking time to interview me regarding the new direction of the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley. I enjoyed talking to you and sharing the new hope and future that is awaiting the animals, employees and volunteers at the Humane Society. I do have one concern in reading the story that was printed in the Dec. 30 issue. In the first paragraph you state, "Beginning in July, stray animals picked up by Cupertino's or Sunnyvale's animal control services will no longer have a place to go--the shelter in Santa Clara won't take them any longer." this statement is incorrect. As we discussed, the Humane Society has returned the sheltering responsibility back to the nine cities we have contracts with. Although plans are not yet finalized, a new shelter will be built by the cities to house stray animals. The Humane Society will not transition the stray animal program until this shelter is built. Therefore, there will always be a place for animals to go. I know that this transition and all the components that go into creating this new shelter will take time. In the meantime, the animals will not suffer and the Humane Society will provide food, care and shelter until this new shelter is ready to accept stray animals. I would appreciate a retraction of this statement informing your readers that stray animals will have a place to go and that the Humane Society will take these animals until the new shelter is ready to accept them. Christine B. Arnold Executive Director, Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley We've seen prohibition before; it doesn't work I would like to remind crusaders against smoking of the mess we had when we crusaded against drinking. Carrie Nation's crusade against drinking gave us Prohibition, bathtub gin, bloody gang wars and Elliot Ness. Roosevelt ended this mess by repealing Prohibition. Are we willing to go through this mess with smoking? Tony Di Leonardo Sunnyvale Beware, planners: make room for parking Last week's article about the Sunnyvale Town Center got me thinking. Part or all of the parking structure will be removed to make room for the new movie theaters and shops. The owners say they will double the foot traffic, which means they will double the number of people. This does not make sense. They are removing most of the parking and expect twice as many people? I hope more parking is also being planned. Lack of parking is the problem with the new movie theater by Mission College in Santa Clara. When I first saw the billboard saying a BIG new theater complex was going to be squeezed into the empty field, I thought, "There is not going to be enough parking for a big theater complex." As the buildings were going up, it was clear that more than a theater complex was being built. Then I thought, "There is certainly not going to be enough parking for the big theater complex and all these other shops." The first, and last, time I went to see a movie at this theater, I had to park at the extreme end of the parking lot. Why could I see the problem so clearly and the city planners could not? Several big projects are planned for the downtown area. I hope the city planners are making sure they fit together well. Are there easy to follow sidewalks to connect the various projects? Is there going to be enough parking? These simple things can make these separate projects more enjoyable. If it is easy and enjoyable, more people will go downtown and they will spend more time and money downtown. Ernie Swanson Sunnyvale Nice job on the year in review issue I wanted to commend you on 'The Year in Review' issue. You did an excellent job, as always. The Sun has always been an impartial and fair source of news in Sunnyvale--and in my opinion one of the best newspapers in the valley. Keep up the good work! Sandra Skolnik Sunnyvale Some still find old tokens are valuable I am a lover of history and I have a somewhat unusual hobby. I collect old tokens used by stores, barber shops, pool halls, bakeries, saloons, forts, and other businesses years ago. The tokens were good for trade or merchandise or for a loaf of bread, one drink, one shave, one ride or whatever. They were usually made of metal, and while having the general appearance of a coin, they were made in all shapes and sizes. I know that this request is relatively unimportant, but as our elderly pass away, and the younger members of the family inherit their possessions, tokens and other items are considered junk and thrown out. I do get a great deal of enjoyment from my hobby, and I do believe that these concrete reminders of our great heritage are worth preserving. I have reason to believe that some of these tokens were used in your area, and I would be most interested in obtaining some of them for my collection. I would like to hear from anyone having one or more of these tokens or from anyone that might be able to help me. Any help that you can give me of any kind is greatly appreciated. My address is: Travis Roberts, Box 1168, Bellaire, Texas 77402. Travis Roberts Bellaire, Texas Planners' ordinance is the way to go I support the new zoning ordinance as proposed by the planning commissioners. While I've already had my privacy invaded by an absolutely ridiculous monster house, I'd hate to give up on the community doing the right thing. Having attended and spoken at several Planning Commission sessions, I was quite disappointed by the weak proposals that were to be considered Jan. 6. After an entire year, the commission didn't seem to have developed the backbone to do the right thing and materially change the rules. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that at that meeting, the commission reversed course and recommended a sliding FAR (floor-area-ratio) scale. I've always felt that FAR changes would be the only thing that materially addresses the problem. I am sick and tired of a small self-centered segment of the population who have a strong interest dictating what happens in the community. The commission seems to have finally recognized the benefits to the quality of life and property values of having more conservative zoning laws. I wish they had done it sooner for my situation, but nevertheless, they deserve kudos for coming to the right decision. I strongly urge your support of the new proposed rules. They are the right thing for the community. John Mracek Cupertino [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 20, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.