The Sunnyvale Sun

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Council challengers,
not incumbents,
deserve your vote

The recent Sun editorial regarding city council endorsements was disappointing. It reminded us of grade school, where leaders were chosen based primarily on what group they belonged to or whom they associated with. The editorial failed to mention any substantive issue facing our city and gave the public absolutely no objective criteria to judge the incumbents from the challengers.

After four years, the incumbents have failed to deliver on the promise of a new downtown, as the area still resembles an open pit, giving the excuse that the prior developer the council approved didn't perform.

Four years ago Sunnyvale was the fifth safest city in the nation. Today we are 38th. Violent crime is up 7 percent and vehicle theft up 68 percent. Thefts are down because our downtown shopping has been decimated. Our public safety budget is 25 percent higher than four years ago, but we have few officer positions to show for it because the higher cost is mainly due to higher employee wages and benefits. The city's reputation, as well as its finances, was irreparably compromised by this council in the controversial city manager-city attorney dismissal fiasco that unnecessarily cost the city over $500,000.

The new library tax on the ballot this year is the third major city tax in less than four years and additional major fee and tax increases have already been approved or are planned. City employees are receiving wage and benefit increases at more than double the rate of increase in the private sector. Public safety officers received a 28 percent increase in compensation over the last four years alone. Residents deserve a council that cares for their residents' wallets more than pleasing the employee unions.

Both the district attorney and the grand jury determined that Sunnyvale violated state election laws when it installed new members prior to the registrar of voters even certifying the election. Despite prior warnings from the superseding agency, the council violated the law anyway and hid this from the public and then refused to answer reasonable questions regarding their inappropriate conduct. Elected leaders need to be accountable to the public.

The present council voted irresponsibly when it chose to continue lifetime medical benefits for themselves at taxpayer expense.

Finally, the current city council has missed nearly four times the meetings as the prior council did from 1999 to 2003. Proper attendance at council meetings is a key component of good government, regardless of whether the council chooses to label the absences "excused" or "unexcused.'' The reason is simple: as an elected official no person can replace, no other person can vote in place of, and no other person can represent the public when an elected official is absent. Whenever a council member is absent from official meetings, the people's representation is compromised.

For the above reasons, we are supporting the challengers who we believe have the vision, abilities, qualifications and education to lead Sunnyvale into the future.

Tim Risch

Former Sunnyvale vice mayor

Yolanda Risch

Former chair Sunnyvale
Planning Commission

There should be
a 'no' vote on
Measure B bond

Why do we need to accommodate after-school programs in a new library? Why can't they use the schools? If extra space is needed for more books, etc., then add on to the existing building for a minimum of the cost.

No exemptions are mentioned for seniors. We shouldn't have to pay for something we will get very little benefit from in our remaining lifetime. In a recent forum some city council members said they would favor an exemption for seniors. Then why isn't it being discussed/included?

We don't need to compete with Cupertino just because they have a "state of the art" library. It's time to change our council, too.

Glenis Koehne

Danforth Terrace

Everyone pays
if the library
bond is passed

In her letter in the Sept. 26 issue of the Sunnyvale Sun, Micki Falk talked about the property tax effects of the proposed library bond measure and made this statement: "Renters don't pay so the tax will fall on just homeowners."

This is not correct. Landlords would also pay this property tax and pass it on to their renters as with any other business expense. Of course, there would be a delay from the time the tax is imposed and the rents go up, but it would happen in a year or two.

The fact is that everyone who lives or shops in Sunnyvale will pay for the new library if the bond measure passes.

Steven Schoch

Bluebonnet Drive

New library will
allow 'Friends' to
contribute more

Measure B on the November ballot will create a unique addition to the Sunnyvale community. The design plan is a truly inspired concept--to construct a "green" environmentally friendly library building next to the community gardens' edible produce and flowers. Sunnyvale has the opportunity to not only finally catch up to other cities' libraries but surpass them in design and innovation.

I am a proud member of the Friends of the Sunnyvale Library. The Friends is an all-volunteer organization that holds book sales to raise funds for children's summer reading, storytellers, author programs and library supplies, services and materials that are in addition to those provided by the staff, who are coping with crowded conditions. The library staff shares as much space with the Friends as possible, but currently this congestion forces the Friends to sort bags of donated books twice a week in a small back hallway of the library. Then we squeeze a few boxes underneath a counter and transport the other 30-plus boxes to our sale location at Raynor Center for storage, three miles away. This lack of appropriate sorting, storage and sales space in the current library directly affects the amount of funding that the Friends can contribute to the library. Measure B will address this situation. The Friends strongly endorse Measure B, and we are excited about the possibility of increasing our contributions to library programs.

Every morning, people line up at the Sunnyvale Library, waiting to access the web, borrow a book or take their child to a reading program. This is a well-used and well-loved library, with polite and helpful staff. But the present building is stretched to capacity. The Sunnyvale population is ever-expanding, yet Sunnyvale has less library space and fewer services per capita than our neighbors. Sunnyvale is at the center of technology and innovation. In this community literacy is highly valued and access to information is crucial for children, students and seniors. A modern library is a basic service of any vital city. Sunnyvale has the opportunity with Measure B to demonstrate how intelligent planning and environmental sensitivity can produce an outstanding model for others to follow. I urge a Yes vote on Measure B.

Danielle Maddox

Treasurer, Friends of the
Sunnyvale Library