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Speak Out
He puts his money where his car is
I just read your story "Artist sees no beauty in new 'sick' radio ad" [April 19] and found it very ironic and sad that the city I live in allows a tasteless billboard to be displayed but thwarts someone who obviously has artistic talent from putting up a sign to denote their own business. When Edward [Sakai] first opened up shop I stopped by to check out his store. Even though some of the pieces didn't strike my fancy, there was still a lot of very interesting and beautiful art. Edward and I talked about his lack of a sign and what he wanted to do and it seemed very similar to an existing sign on a downtown beauty supply store. Instead of focusing on trivial matters such as signs, why not focus on key issues like the lack of downtown parking causing downtown businesses to lose patronage? I know not enough parking has forced me to stay away from the downtown area and take my business elsewhere.
David W. Bellizzi
via email
Doc finds cure for 'morning sickness'
Disgusted by the totally sickening KSJO "Morning Sickness" billboard, which shows two ugly pregnant women's bodies, with men's heads, I have decided never to tune in this radio station again and never to buy any products it advertises. A photo of this ill-conceived billboard is on page 12 of the April 19 Resident.
Dr. J. Reid Scott
Walden Square
Bill offers some hope for Alzheimer's care
As you have previously reported, demands for decent, quality facility care for our aging parents and grandparents will become increasingly important--and increasingly difficult to come by. Sadly, many of our fellow Bay Area residents are struggling with placement as Alzheimer's cases explode.
However, AB 1753, the Alzheimer's Training Act of 2000, is a small but promising bill making its way through the Legislature. It deserves not to be lost among the bigger ticket items. It would require staff working in facilities which specialize in Alzheimer's care to complete minimum training on how to care for these residents' unique needs.
I know from first-hand, personal and professional experiences the challenges in running a good Alzheimer's facility. As Family Services Manager for the Bay Area Alzheimer's Association, I speak to hundreds of families through our website (www.alzsf.org), respite program and Helpline (800.660.1993). Over half of these are from family members seeking information on housing and care for their loved one with dementia.
Few families are able to choose a facility in advance and are very vulnerable to marketing terms that may be a poor substitute for truly specialized care needed by people with Alzheimer's. In the Bay Area, the cost of care at these types of facilities averages $3,500 a month but can approach $5,000. Neither Medicare nor Medi-Cal pay this. Families pay for this care themselves. They also pay with the emotional stress that surrounds all such placement decisions. AB 1753 is the first step in ensuring facilities entrusted with care of their loved ones are equipped to truly do just that.
Alexandra Aranda
Family Services Manager Alzheimer's Association of the Greater Bay Area
He says machine is dispence-able
Jim Spence's endorsement of Ken Yeager points up just how powerful the Gonzales political machine has become. The mayor can't tolerate the possibility of an independent city council that might balance his power, so he has somehow gotten Spence to throw his support behind the candidate whom Spence is most politically opposed to.
I didn't get the impression from Spence's campaign that he would be a rubber stamper for the mayor. Spence knows Yeager will be. Is Spence a strong gay-rights advocate like Yeager? Spence must think that Yeager did a really, really good job on the airport monitoring committee. Or could it be that Spence thinks Yeager will make a good replacement for Manny Diaz when he moves up (and Spence takes Yeager's place on the council).
I was sadly disappointed to see Jim Spence abandon his principles so completely. A few weeks ago he was spending a lot of his own money because he believed his values, honesty and skills would best serve the people of our district. Now he has sold us down the Guadalupe River.
If you want Mayor Gonzales to have free rein without the City Council getting in his way, take Spence's advice and vote for Ken Yeager. If you think District 6 should be competently represented on the City Council, vote for a real neighborhood advocate who isn't using the council seat as a political spring board. Vote for Kris Cunningham.
Bill Aaron
Redbird Drive
Forget about planes, the problem is trains
I am writing this email in response to seeing Mayor Gonzales on the evening news today, Wednesday, April 26. Mayor Gonzales held a news conference in the Rose Garden, expressing his outrage that SFO and the FAA were going to change the flight pattern of planes landing at SFO. He contended that the planes will increase noise in the Rose Garden neighborhood and that it would negatively affect the quality of life in the neighborhood. Well, Mayor Gonzales speaks out of both sides of his mouth! While he uses this news story as a publicity stunt to enhance his image as the neighborhood mayor, he deliberately allows a Caltrain maintenance facility to be built in the same neighborhood. This facility will operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week. The increased noise and air pollution from the activities taking place in this maintenance facility will have a far greater impact to the neighborhood than planes will flying over at 5,000 feet! What a buffoon! The citizens who live in the Rose Garden, specifically in the Garden Alameda neighborhood, will do whatever we can to see to it that Mayor Gonzales only serves one term. For more information on us, see our website at www.stopcaltrain.com.
Dawn Clark
Pershing Avenue
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
