The Sunnyvale Sun

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Former art professor's
ideas for downtown

The June 7 article in The Sun, "Sunnyvale gets tough on plans for downtown," indicates yet another effort is being made by the city of Sunnyvale to force the redeveloping agency, Fourth Quarters Properties, to meet its obligations. It is time to terminate a relationship that can only result in a waste of money, urban crowding, inconvenience and traffic congestion. The solution to the present problem is simple: Stick with a mall design, and engage in modification or rebuilding only where it is essential to guarantee structural safety.

This current costly project is simply a means for the redeveloper to make money; it has nothing to do with real civic needs. And it is certainly not the result of a vote by the people of Sunnyvale. In fact, the redeveloper will modify his plans periodically to squeeze whatever funds he can out of his clients, using every excuse possible, from rising construction costs to increasing the number of residential units for possible greater revenue. And the redeveloper will himself, of course, continue to live in a Los Altos Hills-like setting, wherever in the country he may actually reside, never setting foot in the densely populated and traffic-filled potential slums and urban blights he has erected across the nation. And then, in another 20 years or so, redevelopers will perhaps again encourage the City Council of Sunnyvale to build a mall, as they did in the 1970s, arguing it will provide the citizens of Sunnyvale with a large, covered shopping area, where they can walk safely without the fear of automobile traffic. And so the circle of redevelopment repeats itself endlessly.

In my own case, I cannot any longer take my wife in her wheelchair safely to the City Center to visit the shops in the mall, as we did in the past. The promised eclectic Hollywood Spanish architectural design of Fourth Quarter Properties, roofless and exposed to the sun and rain, and with a grid of streets to cross, will rob us of the simple pleasure the old mall once afforded us.

It should be noted that the handsome Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan designed by Giuseppe Mengoni, with its glass roof, shopping arcade, cafes, and restaurants, was opened in 1878, and it is still standing today, and remains a popular meeting place for the Milanese, as well as a major tourist attraction. Moreover, it is unquestionably one of the precursors of the contemporary mall. And it has stood the test of time because it is thoroughly functional.

William M. Gaugler

Sunnyvale

FUHS superintendent does not deserve an increase in pay

Fremont Union High School District Superintendent Steve Rowley has requested an early renegotiation of his contract for more favorable conditions. The school board must now determine if his performance is deserving of an early new contract.

What appears to be most lacking in Superintendent Rowley is his ability or willingness to listen to what lower-level subordinates and parents have to say. It is essential for an executive to communicate to both subordinates and customers that he values their opinions and cares about their needs. Such communication motivates superior employee performance and results in customer satisfaction.

There is ample evidence of Superintendent Rowley's lack of these essential communication skills. Asians have the greatest presence in our district. Yet his comments in the Wall Street Journal article and his rebuttal to its editor indicate a total lack of sensitivity and empathy with the Asian community, his biggest tax-paying customers. He neither has an understanding of why Asians put so much emphasis upon education nor comprehends why this is so beneficial to students and crucial to this nation's economic survival. His interactions with the Asian Americans Parents Association and the FUHS Foundation are at an all-time low, according to members. Bilateral communication with local school staff and teachers is almost nonexistent.

In proportion to the complexity of his district and the number of schools he manages, Superintendent Rowley is one of the highest-paid and-compensated superintendents in the state (data from Department of Education school report cards). In light of all these facts, how can the board consider his performance worthy of further compensation?

Frank Geefay

Cupertino

Maternity leave is reason for absence, Hamilton explains

I find it appalling that a woman of childbearing age in a leadership position has to defend her right to take maternity leave. It's depressing that there are still people who believe a woman's place is in the kitchen and not the council chambers.

A recent letter to the Sun called for my resignation, citing my leaves as constituting too many absences and rendering me unable to do my job. But the letter writer omitted one crucial fact.

Since she knew about those leaves, she must have known the reasons: my son's birth in 2004 and my daughter's upcoming birth in August.

This writer is eligible under the Family and Medical Leave Act for such a leave. Unless her intent is to ban all women of childbearing age from running for elected office, I don't understand why she believes it is necessary to deny elected officials the same benefit that she and other women have under federal law.

Sunnyvale is a diverse community with a diverse council. We each contribute something valuable to governing this community. Elected officials are not eligible for the FMLA benefit, and Sunnyvale's charter does not mention maternity leave. My colleagues value my contributions enough to grant me the standard maternity leave twice and I thank them for it.

Being a councilmember is a job. A bit unconventional, subject to intense public scrutiny, but still a job. I swore an oath to serve this community and to uphold the constitutions of both the United States and the state of California. I did not swear to sacrifice my right to have children. No employer can ask that of anyone.

I expect that people will disagree with my views, and I respect their right to criticize my work on the council. To call for my resignation based on absences accrued while on maternity leave is disingenuous and insulting, not only to me, but to every mother and father who became parents while working and took maternity or paternity leave.

I work hard to balance my personal obligations with my council duties, as parents do every day. I will continue to do my best as a councilmember, not only because that's what I was elected to do, but because my daughter should never have to defend herself to anyone, especially another woman, who would tell her to quit her job because she wants to have a child.

Melinda Hamilton

Councilmember, city of Sunnyvale