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Published on 04/28/1999 All articles from this issue

Letters to the Editor

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What happened to the village?

Four years ago, health problems forced Barbara and me to sell our Los Altos home of some 15 years and retire to Mexico. For us, it was a very difficult time. We both so loved it here.

With enough improvement in the health department to now allow it, we wanted to come back for a visit. Truthfully, both of us have always really wanted to return to "our village" home.

These past two weeks have been a reality check. That friendly village is gone. We could not believe the change in just those few short years. Far from being a friendly place, it has become a very commercial place. People we have known for many years now tell us that their plans are to sell and move, the sooner the better. The climate is now hostile and the political anger we see in people we thought were pretty apolitical is shocking. Our "o1d days" contacts with the Los Altos police happened only twice over the years. Both were kind offers to help when a minute or two of rest was needed. Several of our Los Altos friends told us they now avoid the downtown area altogether and they have a strong dislike for the current police department.

In Mexico, we are very familiar with this feeling about police. There are plenty of stories about contacts with the federal police. However, within the town where we live, the local police are much more like the Los Altos police of old, friendly and helpful.

We are returning to Mexico with our homesickness now cured. What on earth have you people done in only four years to this wonderful little village?

Don and Barb MyersEnsenada, Mexico

Silent cyclists pose accident risk

I am a daily morning walker on the pedestrian and bike path from Los Altos Avenue to Arastradero. On many occasions, these swift, silent bikers are suddenly upon us from behind with no warning.

I personally have had many narrow escapes from being hit. It would seem most important that bikers should have some audible warning signals on their vehicles that would let us walkers know that they are approaching so that we could step aside and rescue ourselves. If cars are required to have horns, shouldn't bikes have a reasonable facsimile?

An alternate solution would be to have eyes in the back of our heads, but, unfortunately, we weren't put together that way.

Marilyn Thompson

Los Altos