Thank you for bringing to light the issues surrounding the Best Buy/PETsMART project on El Camino Real.

We have owned a home on Chopin Drive for 34 years and are very concerned. We suggest that citizens of Sunnyvale drive down El Camino Real (or Chopin Drive) and view for themselves this eyesore that has been created by Sandhill Development and approved by our city council. We also suggest that citizens stand in their own backyards and imagine how they would feel looking at Sunnyvale's "Berlin Wall" or the brilliant blue Best Buy sign looming overhead.

We sincerely hope that Best Buy will finally realize that they have made a terrible mistake by insisting that the blue wedge be part of their architectural plan in their new Sunnyvale store and consider changing it.

Their store at Santana Row is a tasteful building with an unobtrusive sign.

It's too bad that our city council approved this monstrosity, even though our own planning commission unanimously recommended against it. It is not what neighborhood residents envisioned. We were told that they would be "one-story buildings."

Is our city council truly concerned about our Sunnyvale citizens' quality of life or are they just concerned about the tax dollars generated by a "big box store?"

Please remember this issue when going to the polls. Is your neighborhood next?

Ray and Jerilyn Strong

Sunnyvale

Tim Risch is messenger;
Spitaleri past is problem

In response to Robert Lawson's letter (Aug. 10) about www.thetruthabouttony.org and his comments on Tim Risch, I disagree.

Does Spitaleri's established inability to responsibly manage his own affairs make him a strong candidate for city council? I think not.

Risch has performed a public service by collecting and making available for review Spitaleri's public records.

The records are relevant because they show the character of a man who has repeatedly failed--as recently as 2003--to pay income tax, property tax and his mortgage all while being head of the Palo Alto Firefighters Union since 1972.

Spitaleri's records speak for themselves.

When you add Spitaleri's too-close ties to PSOA to his sorry history, you must question whether he would, as a council member, apply sound, unbiased judgment to all city issues and, especially public safety issues.

This concerns me because a new contract with PSOA will be negotiated next year.

It takes courage and a great effort to run for office. It takes more courage to run for office after loosing an election.

Risch is running for re-election and has taken on the risky and courageous role of messenger. I hope Lawson would agree that we should not shoot the messenger. Risch will get my vote.

Ken Jorgensen

Sunnyvale

Info on webpage is part of public information

I strongly disagree with Robert Lawson's letter to the editor in the Aug. 10 edition of The Sun.

Negative campaigning is definitely a turnoff for voters, but the flier that Tim Risch mailed out about Tony Spitaleri is pertinent to the voters of Sunnyvale so that they can make an informed decision about the candidate.

The information posted at www.thetruthabouttony.org is all part of public record and is about the character of Tony Spitaleri or the lack there of.

How can we trust a potential city council member with spending the taxpayers' money prudently if the said candidate cannot manage his own finances reasonably?

The voters of Sunnyvale have a right to know about the candidates when they enter the polls to vote.

I will be voting for Risch.

Buddy J. Boettcher

Sunnyvale

Pattern on website shows candidate's true character

If the shoe fits ...

We now know, according to the very factual documentation on www.thetruthabouttony.org, that council candidate Tony Spitaleri has a rather unsavory record and background that calls into question his capability for holding elective office.

We now know that he's threatened to sue the city, didn't pay his taxes on time, and ran ugly, misleading political campaigns in other communities that employed scare tactics and misrepresentations, frightened senior citizens and tarnished the reputation of elected officials.

Contrary to Robert Lawson's letter (Aug. 10), Spitaleri has a pattern of financial skullduggery and divisive and dirty campaign tactics that is breathless in its scope. It's a sad commentary on the true character of Spitaleri, and it does not bode well for the future of Sunnyvale if a person like Spitaleri is elected to the council.

Tim Risch has nothing to apologize for. We should thank him for pulling back the curtain on the real Spitaleri!

M. Falk

Sunnyvale

Bacteria causes meningitis; it's not a virus

The Sun provided a valuable service by printing the warning about meningococcal infections in students living in college dormitories.

Making parents, students and staff members aware of this contagious disease is important. Certainly, those concerned should check out the vaccine with a reputable clinic or physician.

The Sun's source is quoted as saying: "The virus is not common, but it is one of the most deadly infections there is ..."

I suppose that the degree of deadliness is arguable. The etiology is not. The causative organism of meningococcal infections is Neisseria meningitidis, which is a bacterium, not a virus.

Mary Talbot

Sunnyvale