There's always one sour grape in the bunch. Let Fritz Robinson (Letters, Feb. 22) go out and patrol the streets of Sunnyvale. Maybe that way he'll find out what the police have to put up with.

He should look to the bright side of things and look at how well protected he is when he steps into Starbucks.

As a Sunnyvale citizen all my life (68 years) who remembers when we had a volunteer fire department, I'll even buy the coffee the next time I see a policeman at Starbucks.

John Wahl

Sunnyvale

Remember job cops do
after Starbucks break

In response to Fritz Robinson's letter (Letters, Feb. 22), hey, Fritz, you seem to be making your rounds to Starbucks. You know what? We all do; those of us who work are allowed coffee and lunch breaks.

Before you go out and try to get our police and firefighters in trouble, you should thank them for all the things they do to protect and help us by putting themselves in front of those who commit crimes.

Also those firefighters are the ones who charge into burning houses to save lives and homes.

After having their Starbucks coffee, officers Richard May, Earl Scott and Andrew Stevens were shot and killed in the line of duty. Officers Michael Walker, Erick Many and David Romero were killed in accidents. Many more could be added to this list of heroes. And they are our heroes.

And yes, they do take their breaks and drink their coffee. You and that so-called cartoonist De Cinzo need to get off their backs and go out and buy them a cup of coffee.

Robert Soria

Sunnyvale

Cops are taking a coffee
break, so lighten up, OK?

Regarding Fritz Robinson's letter (Letters, Feb. 22): So maybe the officers are on a break. Maybe they are having a staff meeting. Maybe they're slacking a little bit that day. Maybe, but so what?

You are talking about the police and firefighters who risk their lives everyday (and if you doubt this, ask the CHP about it) to keep our city and us as safe as possible. I'm sure if you look around at other city employees, or employees at any business, you will find wasted time throughout their eight-hour days that no one cares about.

So maybe we can take the officers and firefighters off the top of that pedestal once in a while and give them a break. I would rather my tax dollars be wasted on their coffee breaks than many of the other wasted dollars in city/state government.

So back off a little and save your judgment until you actually become a police officer or firefighter, or at the very least understand their jobs.

Jennifer Hern

Sunnyvale

Reform is badly needed
for SV council elections

I've been dismayed for quite some time about the negative campaigning and the amount of money spent on elections at the state and federal level. It seems to get worse with each election.

Now that all the reports are in, we see the same thing is happening in Sunnyvale.

During the last election for three city council seats, over $300,000 was spent on campaigning by all the candidates. One candidate even exceeded $ 100,000 for his campaign. In addition the amount of negative campaigning that took place was the worst I have seen in the 47 years I have lived in Sunnyvale.

It doesn't have to be this way. We need to establish a level playing field and stop the waste of money. Our neighboring city to the south, Santa Clara, has had an ordinance in effect for several years that, among other things, has each candidate agree to spend a maximum amount of $25,000 on their campaigns.

If they agree to this, then they are allowed to accept donations of up to $500 from each contributor.

If they don't, then the maximum allowable contribution from any one source is $250. Compare this to Sunnyvale, where there are no limitations and candidates unwittingly obligate themselves to large contributors.

The negative campaigning could essentially be eliminated if Sunnyvale did the same thing as most of the other cities in the Bay Area, which is to award the open seats to those who get the highest number of votes in the election. You can hardly badmouth all the candidates that are running.

If you're in general agreement that something needs be done, please attend the council meeting on June 13, when the legal staff will present the results of a study on options available for revising Sunnyvale's election procedures. Tell the council what you think.

Werner Gans

Lanark Court

Spending limits will give
advantage to incumbents

I respectfully disagree with Susan Kitchens' opinion piece (Opinion, March 1) suggesting the city adopt campaign contribution limits.

Spending limits prevent a lesser-known, but better qualified, candidate from getting the exposure necessary to get the equal opportunity to compete in the race with candidates that are in the news every day.

This is seen very clearly in national and state elections where campaign finance laws have served to favor the incumbent, who finds it easy to reach the voting public through the news media and letters to constituents without spending private money.

I do agree with Susan that city funds should not be spent on a candidate's behalf, even if indirectly.

I would also like to propose a voluntary spending limit that has worked well in some cities, where a candidate can receive a special mark next to his name on the ballot if he decides to limit his own spending. That would have the advantage of letting voters decide how important spending limits are while not violating the spirit of the right of free speech.

Steven Schoch

Bluebonnet Drive