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Speak Out
Blackouts on hot days pose risk to older folks
My wife had a stroke last September, on the second evening of two 99 degree days. Her left arm and left hand remain weak and impaired. She was away from home a month in the hospital and a rehab center. We saw the rehab doctor a month ago, and she was told to stay out of the sun and remain cool.
I am sure her situation is not unique. In Willow Glen, especially, there are many older people in the area whose lives and health will be at risk this summer during rolling blackouts on hot days.
Air conditioners and fans are useless without power. Probably not much can be done about it in the short term, but there should be no obstacles to Calpine's construction of its 600-megawatt Metcalf Energy Center, which has been blocked by Mayor Ron Gonzales and the city council because it would offend Cisco, which has planned an industrial campus that would employ 20,000 power-consuming workers in the same area.
If city hall's opposition is fueled by hefty campaign contributions from Cisco I do not know, but it is simply unreal in the face of the need for power to save lives and health as time goes on.
San Jose needs Calpine in Coyote Valley more than it needs Cisco, which is laying off as many as 8,500 workers and halting construction on projects still under way. The company says it still intends to build the Coyote Valley headquarters, but conditions that have put it into a financial bind with large inventory for which there is no demand, would suggest it will not happen soon.
When there is an obstacle to public health and welfare it should be removed. That goes for Mayor Gonzales and his flunkies on the city council. It would be a long, cumbersome process, but would be worthwhile if it succeeded. I understand that the council's vote is not subject to initiative action, all's the pity, which does not give us the right to express our wishes on this matter at the polls, until these people have to face the voters again. I suggest that we not forget this disservice when their names appear on the ballot again.
Gov. Gray Davis, state legislators and many others have declared that Calpine must be built, and it is expected that the Public Utilities Commission, which can decide the issue, will agree. But the council can put roadblocks in the way by not providing needed infrastructure. It should swallow its pride, admit its mistake and cooperate with Calpine under the general welfare clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Council members might even return campaign contributions, if any, to Cisco, which needs the money.
Since I will be 91 at the end of this month, I am not in very good shape to lead a crusade. But I have a good battle cry for anyone who can take on the job: "Re-VOLT"
Dick Barrett
Santa Maria Avenue
Correction
In a recent article about the Posey Garden flower shop ('Bob Barone sells his shop but plans to remain a WG fixture,' April 18) the store's former location was listed incorrectly. It was originally located at Lincoln and Minnesota avenues.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
