ReaderWire ReaderWire (January 14, 2005)

Flying high

Kudos to the Palo Alto Park Rangers, Public Works, Dispatch, Operations and Fire Department.

Over the last four days we have had increasingly higher tides culminating in Monday's (Jan. 10) highest tide for 2005. Each day those of us on the levee watch observed potential and actual danger spots and reported those to the city.

In every case the response was to solve the problem at hand rather than to start a discussion about whose responsibility it was or who owns the levee. As a result, Monday's high tide was fully contained and what might have been major damage to the airport and the planes based there was averted.

On behalf of the entire aviation community -- thank you.
Peter Carpenter
Chair, Joint Community Relations Committee, Palo Alto Airport

Hometown amusement

Often my old hometown newspaper (the Palo Alto Weekly) is a source of amusement and the Jan. 7 story, "We Won't be Shushed," sure delivered.

I have an idea. Clearly the elections of 1992 and 1996 were perfectly run, right? I mean, where was this group after those two elections?

Why don't they ask Ohio election officials for a copy of their records and procedures they used before? Long lines at polling places -- my goodness.
Steve Frake
Springfield, Virginia

Spending reduction

The points made by Paul Losch (Weekly, Jan. 12) deserve amplification.

What seems to escape so many citizens is the fact that neither Sacramento nor Washington creates the money that everyone hopes to get from them. Governments get their money from us, the people, via taxation, and then redistribute it to "programs" of their choice.

If we want to have enough for our own purposes, the only meaningful strategy is to find ways of sending less of our money to government entities. If we keep more of it we can decide for ourselves.

Of course, if state and national government entities receive less, they will have to reduce their expenditures. What is wrong with that?
Daniel Lazare
Barbara Drive, Palo Alto

Praise for Freeman

I would like to thank City Council member Hillary Freeman for her recent comments to reporter Bill D'Agostino, of the Palo Alto Weekly, regarding the need for Police Chief Lynne Johnson to show more leadership by clearly stating her department's polices and her officers' responsibilities ("Police again face racial questions," Weekly, Jan. 7).

Her statements: "Right now there's a huge gap between what's going on with the police and what the community hears. There's ample opportunity for people to come up with their own conclusions," were particularly on point given the seemingly endless exposure of one form of misconduct by the police department after another.

When is City Manager Frank Benest going to take his head out of the sand regarding the need to replace this police chief, and when is the City Council going to show sufficient backbone to insist on meaningful and permanent citizen oversight of this rogue department?

I hope Freeman does not let City Manager Frank Benest, or anyone else, attempt to chill her willingness to continue to ask the hard questions about the ongoing pattern of racism and rampant misconduct by members of the police department. Keep speaking the truth.
Aram James
Los Robles Avenue, Palo Alto

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