The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Letters Why steal boys' bikes? About a month ago, I read in the opinion section about the boy who had his Halloween candy stolen from him and I thought that was bad. Just a few weeks after that, my two grandsons, who with their mother and sister have been living with us for over a year and a half, had their bikes stolen. Since these boys practically lived on their bikes, it was quite a blow to them. I have always said that if parents would question where and how their children get things they know do not belong to them, it might make things better in this world. I know it is hard for parents to see all that their kids do as they have to work, but they should make an effort to notice. Since these boys' father contributes nothing to their welfare and their mother just got laid off her job, it really does hurt. If anyone that reads The Sun knows anything about these bikes (they were stolen in the Cherry Chase area off Mary Avenue) it would be appreciated if they would give a call. Betty Cardinali Sunnyvale To contact Ms. Cardinali, please call Maggie Benson at 255-7500. --Editor There is more to this than noise Sunnyvale's Nov. 24 noise forum may prod our city to revise the toothless noise ordinance which allows unregulated leaf blower operation every day of the year. A city which takes pride in quality of life would not permit a noisy business--like a motorcycle shop-- to operate in a residential area, yet we have no defense against the invasion of privacy by daily leaf blower assaults. The forum began with a summary of Sunnyvale's general noise standards, which exempt leaf blowers of 60 decibels in residence yards and patios, and 45 decibels in home interiors. Anyone using a simple sound-level meter can verify that the repeated intrusion of leaf-blower noise far exceeds those reasonable specifications. Noise louder than 80 decibels is routine; the din penetrates our homes daily, even in cold weather when doors and windows are closed. Leaf-blower apologists at the Sunnyvale forum, including an equipment salesman who instructed the audience on the distinction between democracy and communism, advised us not to worry--they assure us that education will halt the abuses we endure. Do leaf-blower users not already know that they invade our privacy and foul our air? Do they not know that many Sunnyvale residents work in their homes and are forced to interrupt their businesses when noise intrudes? That blowing debris into streets to be scattered by traffic is unsanitary and blocks storm drains? That holidays (especially Thanksgiving Day) and Sundays deserve respect, as do funeral services in our churches? That napping children are awakened by noise? And that adults also sleep during the day--the medical, law enforcement and fire professionals who work at night and must cope with noise while they try to rest? That wet leaves cannot be moved efficiently by leaf blowers running at full throttle when a rake would do the job in a fraction of the time? That many of our neighbors live with allergies, eye problems and serious respiratory diseases that are aggravated by filthy air? Leaf blowers blast air at speeds up to 200 miles per hour, forcing us to inhale contaminants such as pollen, bacteria, rat hair, mold spores, dried dog droppings, mites and tiny insects. They are also responsible for huge amounts of hydrocarbon pollution. The claim that "education" will halt leaf-blower abuse is ridiculous. Sunnyvale has ignored this problem while cities as small as Los Altos and as large as Los Angeles have banned the use of gasoline-powered machines. Sunnyvale can retard the degradation of public health by regulating leaf-blower usage. Our city staff is being lobbied by leaf-blower advocates, but residents were given little advance notice of the public forum last month. The City Council expects staff recommendations for noise ordinance revision in February and residents who want relief from this nuisance should communicate promptly with the Community Development Department, Box 3707, Sunnyvale, CA 94088; fax 730-7715. Silence will give consent to continuing noise and filthy air if we do not ask for action now. James Lincoln Sunnyvale It's not the engineers, it's the company Tony DiLeonardo complained in a letter to the editor that the volume of TV commercials was too loud. I was one of the "engineers responsible," and I can tell him where to complain. Disney/ABC locked out 2,400 engineers, camera people, editors and writers Nov. 2, 1998. For 19 months of negotiations their attitude has been "take it or leave it." They have locked us out and have taken away our health care. The volume levels on KGO-TV vary from inaudible to ear-splitting because the scabs that replaced us don't know what they are doing. See the NABET/CWA Local 51 Web site for more information: http://www.igc.apc.org/nabetlocal51/lockout.html" Phillip P. Pflager Cupertino Lions Club sends a hearty thank you The De Anza Lions Club of Cupertino, would like to thank the management of the Sunnyvale Pak-N-Save food store and all their patrons who contributed so generously with money and food donations at the stores doors, during the Thanksgiving Holiday on Nov. 21 and 22. Our Club collected enough food and money to fill 79 baskets of food for local needy families. Of course, each basket included a nice turkey. We thank you all. You all can be proud of your generous donations, which made this possible. Thank you! Don Lang Cupertino [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, December 16, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.