The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Letters

The city doesn't control Moffett

I am writing to correct your Aug. 26 article titled "City allows corporate jets at Moffett." I am concerned the article gives the false impression that the city controls Moffett Federal Airfield, which it does not. The lead sentence, "Corporate jets owned by tenants at Moffett Field can now use the airstrip after the Sunnyvale City Council approved a new list of priorities and policies for the complex at the Aug. 18 meeting," is simply incorrect.

Moffett Federal Airfield is controlled by the federal government, with NASA as the operator. The city has no direct control over the actions taken by the federal government or the use of the airfield. What the City Council did on Aug. 18 was to adopt a policy position saying the city will "support ancillary and limited use of a government airfield for tenants of a government facility." The city adopts policy positions in part to influence the decisions of other government agencies. Simply adopting a policy position does not require, mandate or allow anything to happen at Moffett. Only NASA and the federal government can do that. They control who the tenants are and who uses the airfield for what purposes.

Robert La Sala
City Manager

Everyone could fit into Texas; there's plenty of room

Ms. Holtslander suggests that our kids be brainwashed into believing that there are too many people in this world. Is this true?

Let's see.

The '98 Almanac says Texas has a land area of about 262,000 square miles. Projection for the world's population by 2020 is about 7.6 billion people. So let's put us all in Texas. How crowded are we? Are we jammed together standing on top of each other in layers out to the moon? Nope--one layer! Imagine that! Could we live that way? Of course not. But there would be the rest of the world left to expand into.

Too many people? Nyet! Seems to me some people live in a mental cocoon fed with mantras that have no basis in truth. Break out of your chrysalis, folks. You might even turn into something beautiful--a conservative, for example.

R. Bowlby
Cupertino

Neighborhood parks shouldn't be booked beyond capacity

I would like to clear up some misunderstandings printed in a letter by D. Chan in your August 19 edition. He/she has completely missed the point of my concerns.

First, I am certainly not opposed to Sunnyvale citizens using Las Palmas Park. What I, and many of my neighbors oppose, is booking the park for events that exceed the capacity of the facilities as determined by the Parks and Recreation Department. There is room for 192 citizens to barbecue and picnic, yet there are frequently parties of more than 350 persons at a time.

The Sunnyvale employee event was scheduled for 800 persons, nearly four times the capacity. Nobody in Sunnyvale can enjoy the park when there are no nearby parking nor any tables, play equipment or restroom facilities available.

Second, this problem is not limited to Las Palmas Park. Sunnyvale is blessed with many beautifully maintained parks, all within a short walk or drive of most residents. Unfortunately, other nearby cities have not been so farsighted in their recreational planning and maintenance. Large groups from outside Sunnyvale regularly overwhelm many of our parks. Persons from Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Fremont, and San Jose do not pay the taxes that support our parks, and sometimes prevent local (Sunnyvale) use.

All I ask is that the policies developed by the city of Sunnyvale for park use, such as the scheduling of large events at the Baylands, be followed.

And by the way, Washington Park is the closest park to City Hall, not Las Palmas. Proximity is not the issue. Equitable enforcement of park regulations so that all Sunnyvale citizens may enjoy our parks is the concern.

Pamela Kittler
Sunnyvale

Citizens deserve full disclosure

I agree with June Gates' letter in the Sept. 2 edition of The Sun.

I, too, would like to have an explanation and full accounting of what went on behind the city's illegally held closed-door meetings. If the citizens are not going to be provided this information, then what good did it do for the Mercury News to sue and win this Brown Act and Public Records Act case? As a businessman and taxpayer in Sunnyvale, I want the details out in the open so that I can see for myself exactly what it was that the city did secretly behind closed doors.

Don Johnson
Sunnyvale

By what means should we take care of the population 'problem'?

I am intrigued that people are discussing population growth with the view that overpopulation is a real and present danger.

Their presumption is that a human life is a net liability to society and the planet. If any individuals claim to truly believe this, then I challenge them to prove their belief. Let them do society and the planet a favor by taking their own lives. Their actions will tell us where they stand on this issue.

The presumption is wrong and so, therefore, is the conclusion that the human population is a "problem."

Andrew Lowd
Cupertino

[ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ]

The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper

Letters

The Sun
Sunnyvale's Newspaper