This is in response to a letter that I saw deriding council members for taking to task the city manager and other employees of the city. I did not see any problem with the interaction between the council members and the city manager.

From reading the charter of the city government, it seems to me that the city council oversees the city manager's office. The city manager's office is directly accountable to the elected members of the city council and serves at the discretion of the city council.

There are similar examples if you look at the federal and the state government. There are numerous occasions that one must have seen on C-SPAN where the congressional committees are chiding or admonishing various government officials like the defense secretary, CIA director and FBI director, to name a few.

It is the job of the elected city council members to keep tabs on and oversee the management of the city government. In this process, there are bound to be disagreements, arguments, chiding and taking to task some members of the city government. I see this as democracy at work.

Having said that, I agree there has to be civility while conducting business. I did not see anything in the exchange on Sept. 16 city council meeting which would warrant it as rude or uncivil.

—Vinay Bannai, Sunnyvale


Reader knows what it's like to have a new role

I really loved the article in the recent Sunnyvale Sun entitled "Accepting New Stations in Life can be Hard." Kudos to Sophie for picking a young grandma to share her life. I remember the yummy taste of icing on graham crackers when my mother would make graham cracker sandwiches with the left-over cake icing.

Living life as a quadriplegic the past six years, I've certainly learned a lot about being "drop-kicked" into a new station in life, and I can honestly say it is a frightening experience, not unlike your new role as a grandma.

I compare it to being cast in a new stage production. Suddenly there is a brand new role to play, except it's not a play, it's for real. And, it can be one of the greatest challenges we face. We're never an instant success, but we focus on the on-going journey to achieve some degree of satisfaction in the process. It's terribly awkward at first, but each experience is valuable. An opportunity to learn valuable lessons in our new station in life and also to teach valuable lessons we have learned from our previous station in life. But I can only imagine being a grandma as you can only imagine being a quad. I believe that each station in life is a new opportunity to be the best we can be.

—Carol Montgomery, Sunnyvale


Abandoned cats at Town and Country are feral

I was perusing the Internet for a vet in Sunnyvale who treated a dog that was set on fire and found the Sun's article on parrots in Sunnyvale.

I used to live in a four-story apartment building near the Town and Country Village (and post office). There was a flock of parrots, just like the picture, that lived there in the trees by the restaurant/bar on the Mathilda side. They were beautiful and captivating.

There are also many abandoned cats that live in the Town and Country Village, too. It is deplorable that people are so irresponsible as to allow this to happen. Feral cats are destined to have a terrible life, having to forage for food every day. They will wildly propagate, fight, and become diseased and/or be killed by vehicles.

It is a sad life just because someone did not spay or neuter their pet.

I wish people were more responsible.

—Linda Alexander, Sunnyvale


Tax revenue growing, politicos overspending it

While there have been many opinions expressed about Prop. 13, pro and con, no one seems to want to discuss the facts about the revenue generated by property taxes in the state of California.

The California Board of Equalization publishes an annual report that lists all of these facts and it is available to all on the home page of the BOE.

What is most interesting is that property taxes grew an average of 4.7 percent per year over the last decade. They went from $17,687 billion in 1991­1992 to $24,767 billion in 2000­2001.

This is due to new construction and old homes being sold to new owners.

Wouldn't we taxpayers like a 4.7 percent tax-free raise every year? Yet the Sacramento politicians find this not sufficient for their tax and spend policy.

Can you imagine what the rate of increase would be if Proposition 13 were not in place? Start compounding your property tax bill by 6 or 7 percent every year and see how long you could continue to pay your taxes.

—Charles Shoemaker, Sunnyvale