I am writing in regard to the article in the Jan. 29 issue of the Willow Glen Resident about PG&E's tree trimming. I have no trees in my backyard, but six of my neighbors' trees affect my property. My sunlight is cut off, and my neighbors' leaves, avocados, branches, flowers and so on fall into my yard.

I've asked my neighbors to trim the trees but to no avail, and the city does little to trim trees.

I don't feel PG&E should have to trim the trees. It only adds to our bill. The city should make the homeowners submit information on what type of tree they plan to use in their yards, and the homeowner should keep these trees trimmed. This would prevent growth up into the wires and eliminate a lot of the problems.

—Mitzi Hughes, Curtner Avenue


Watch your children and don't complain

Ms. Peruzzi gets a slick little park [Hummingbird Park] and whines that there's no gate to keep her precious little ones out of the street.

I have a suggestion for Ms. Peruzzi: She can do what parents have always done when their kids are outside playing—watch them like a hawk. Also, teach them not to go out into the street.

I grew up in Los Angeles, where parks had no fences. My folks watched me when I played. My son grew up playing in Golden Gate Park, also without fences. Constant parental alertness is all it really takes.

—John Michael O'Connor, Carrington Circle


Longtime WG resident recalls Bloom's shoes

As a resident of Willow Glen for almost 70 years, I was very interested in the Feb. 26 article in the Willow Glen Resident about the history of old Willow Glen.

I assume Mr. Emerson is the son-in-law of Mr. Lawrence of Lawrence's Drug Store fame. In the story Mr. Emerson discusses the closure of Bergmann's Department Store, and he stated that after the closure "there was noplace to buy shoes."

Not true! Bloom's Shoe Store, the oldest shoe store in San Jose, had a branch store right across the street from Bergmann's, next to George and Inman's, a classy men's store.

My great-grandfather was one of the founders of Bloom's, and I even worked in the Willow Glen store in the early 1950s.

And yes, Willow Glen is a special community.

—Sally Levy Ravel, San Jose


School district, stop looking for a bailout

Can you believe the San Jose Unified School District board defines compassion as placing a parcel tax measure on the June 3rd ballot?

Since 1988, the voters have passed two bond measures for more than $650 million.

What have we spent our money on? Why hasn't the school board made cuts throughout the district to its top-heavy administration and bloated staff?

The San Jose Unified School District has more than 32,000 children attending its schools and has a budget in excess of $200 million. Why do salaries encompass more than 85 percent of the budget?

In the real business world, a business would not allocate a disproportionate percentage of its budget or it would find itself going bankrupt.

What the school board needs are conservative fiscal policymakers to run the school district. But the board members have been managing the district poorly, and every time there is a problem they run back to the voters to bail them out so they don't have to make the tough decisions.

It's time for board members to stop asking the taxpayers to bail them out.

Because when the district says, "It's not about the money," the truth is, it's always about the money.

—Michael Johnson, Jonathan Avenue


Wake up, people, and stop siding with Iraq

To all the naive people protesting the war in Iraq: Do you honestly think that Saddam Hussein would have revealed that he had chemical and biological weapons and missiles—which he swore he did not have—had President Bush not sent an overwhelming force to the Persian Gulf?

Saddam knows now that we have terrible and precise weapons—and will use them if we have to in order to stop his manufacturing and building of weapons of mass destruction that would threaten the entire world—and this has brought him to realize that we are serious about his absolute need to disarm.

This is what is called strategy, a strategy for peace, and I applaud the president for having such unswerving courage.

—Gene Carrington, Willow Glen