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Published on 06/08/1998 All articles from this issue

Letters to the Editor

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Don't destroy our 'village'

Despite the constant planning commission exceptions granted, I continue to believe in our forefather's vision of Los Altos as a distinct village.

We witness remodeling of quaint single-story homes on a daily basis - destroying our original charter - rooms plopped over garages, bedrooms dropped on roofs, garages converted to family rooms. We might as well install street lights in our neighborhood, build sidewalks town-wide, and tear down our rural mailboxes to completely destroy our former blueprint. Let's cut down trees and encourage businesses to adopt Los Altos.

Please, planning people, don't be mugwumps. Either re-enforce original building concepts and keep Los Altos a beautiful village, or cast aside all building plans.

Jane KellyLos Altos

Quality of life takes precedence

I would like to applaud the Los Altos City Council for their diligence in upholding the general plan and zoning codes that have maintained our fair city as a haven amongst local communities and that have historically elevated and preserved the property values of our entire community. The gas station at the corner of Grant and Fremont has been operating in violation of zoning and without a use or business permit since 1994 and has been an anomaly in the middle of an otherwise totally residential area since 1966.

I was somewhat astounded by fellow citizens who expressed the opinion that the greater good of the community would be served by granting a permit that violates our general plan and zoning codes. Do we really want to send the message to our City Council that the convenience of buying cheap gas a mile closer to home should take precedence over the creation of consistent neighborhoods in our city? Have they thought through the implications of granting nonconforming use permits on a citywide basis? Perhaps they need to stand back and reconsider their priorities for our community in the long term lest we begin to corrode the longstanding residential nature of where we live.

In my opinion, the quality-of- life issue is far more important then convenience, especially when you can go a mile in any direction from this corner and find a variety of gas stations readily available in properly zoned commercial areas.

Thank you again to the City Council for saving us from (in some cases) ourselves.

Lynn and Fritz LiepertzLos Altos

What Cal Water really offered Purissima

After reading "Purissima Hills Water District says no to Cal Water buyout (May 13 Town Crier)," if I were a customer of Purissima Hills Water District, I too, might have rejected the offer it described. But I also might be interested in the offer Cal Water actually made. Our offer is composed of three main components:

1. Purchase the water system for about $8 million (a 30 percent premium over its book value). There are many ways to return this $8 million to Purissima's customers. The method that seems to benefit customers the most is including a rate reduction in their bills every month.

2. Immediate rate cut of 30 percent. Even if this rate does increase, it will still be lower than what otherwise would have been charged by Purissima.

3. A guarantee to continue providing Hetch Hetchy water.

Additional benefits to Purissima customers include: full-time access to two additional supplies in emergencies; service from the state's largest investor-owned water utility; around-the-clock regular and emergency service from our large staff; and courteous service from our local customer service office.

Over the past 20 years, Cal Water has made arrangements to purchase or operate over 50 water systems. In the negotiations for these contracts, we have developed unique provisions to meet the particular needs of the customers that system served. We would do the same with Purissima Hills Water District whether the issue is rates, water supply, customer service or anything else.

James L. GoodVice President, Corporate Communications and Marketing,California Water Service Company, San Jose

Love letter from mom to a LAHS graduate

Last year, my daughter, Sarah, wrote a letter to The Town Crier expressing heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful people in her life. Interestingly enough, the response to her letter was polar. Those who know Sarah and our family felt that it was just like her to be so thoughtful and appreciative. And yet those who do not know her or our family were concerned that her letter sounded like one of teenage angst and suicidal goodbyes. Let me assure you, she is alive, well, and happy. And now it's my turn.

Sarah is one of my best friends. On June 10 she graduated from Los Altos High School. In the fall she will be attending Whittier College on a Merit Scholarship. We are so proud of her. This past year she maintained great grades, performed and toured with the internationally-acclaimed LAHS Main Street Singers, worked part time at McWhorter's, was a responsible "third parent" in our busy household of six (she's the oldest of four children), coached her sophomore-age brother's fall soccer team for the second year in a row, and helped with the carpooling of her younger siblings. Sarah is truly a remarkable teenager.

She's what every parent wishes for in a child. We are so lucky to have her.

And in barely three months Sarah will be heading off for a new world. I'll only be a phone call away, and e-mail is pretty good, too. But life, as we have known it, will not be the same.

We will miss her everyday presence, but she will be with us every day in our hearts and prayers.

Thank you, Sarah, for gracing us with your presence for the past 18 years. We love you.

Rebecca Hayman

Los Altos