Publication Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Letters
Letters
(May 11, 2005)
Officers should leave
Editor,
Palo Alto police officers Kan and Lee must be retried. Eight jurors out of 12 voted to convict. Next time, the officers may very well be convicted. They should not be put back on the street.
The support shown them so far by the police department, the police chief and the union would simply embolden them to treat more citizens roughly in the future. And other officers may also be encouraged to be unnecessarily rough with people. We as a society cannot allow this to happen.
These two officers must be removed from our police force but they won't be unless they are convicted. The principle that the police are to protect and not abuse people is too important to abandon.
Natalie Fisher
Ellsworth Place
Palo Alto
Barton's fantasy
Editor,
John Barton's bashing of the right in his attempt to defend teachers' advantages ("Guest Opinion," May 4) may play well with most of his readers, but it is more divisive than helpful.
It is hardly right-wing to think that it should be easier to move ineffective teachers on to other lines of work. Quick granting of tenure, protected by union rules and lawyers is not available to most employees (read: parents, voters).
Job and career changes may happen to most employees at any point, due to their becoming ineffective with time, to business changes or downsizing. Would the quality of education (for our children) suffer if it were to become possible to remove teachers found to be ineffective at any point in their careers?
It is possible that the ability to fire for cause could be abused by the left-wing educational establishment, to purge itself of people not left-wing enough.
The defined-benefit retirement plans of public employees seem more anomalous to more of us as that kind of benefit is rapidly becoming rare. Everybody else is being shifted to pay-as-you-go retirement benefits; why not teachers?
Such plans can be generously funded up-front, without creating future liabilities (for our children) that we are increasingly nervous about.
The idea that there is a business-right-wing conspiracy to divide education from business is the fantasy of a person possibly interested in higher political office.
Raymond R. White
Mayview Avenue
Palo Alto
'A' makes the grade
Editor,
When our family was transferred to the Bay Area in l964, we paid a premium price (a whopping $34,500) to buy a house in Palo Alto because of its reputation for good schools.
We witnessed first-hand how parents, teachers, administrators and good financing can make for excellence in education. Our four children benefited from this good basic training and now seven of our grandchildren have been privileged to be in the Palo Alto school system.
Needless to say, we are two senior citizens who fully support passage of Measure A, the renewal of the school parcel tax, on the June 7 ballot. Even if we did not have children or grandchildren in the schools we would still support Measure A, as good schools make for a good community.
Mae and Al Kenrick
Ramona Street
Palo Alto
Parades and ... sprouts?
Editor,
The May parade last Saturday (May 7) delighted us older citizens. Seeing the bright and happy faces of the community's children is a perpetual source of optimism.
But there was a dark side.
For all the warranted and beneficial emphasis on fruits and vegetables, old prejudices lurked. Brussel Sprouts. Where were they? Why no representation?
As good for us as many other vegetables and better than most, they deserve prominence, not rejection. When next there's a nutrition theme, I hope parade organizers will give pride of place to that tiny, sniffed-at cousin of the courtly cabbage.
Good health suggests it. Fairness demands it.
Ray Bacchetti
Webster Street
Palo Alto
Don't bury Wingspread
Editor,
I am writing in response to the proposed elimination of Wingspread from the 2005-07 budget. Wingspread is the only evening program for teens in Palo Alto.
The plans to eliminate Wingspread really scare me. I have been extensively involved at the theatre for six years, since I was 8. Ever since my first show I have yearned to be part of Wingspread. Now that I am 14 and eligible to be in Wingspread, the program I have desired to be in ever since I set foot on the stage is slated to be eliminated.
The feeling I have is almost exactly that of receiving an acceptance letter from Harvard only to find out that the university is going to close its doors. It does not feel good.
It also concerns me that it is a teen program that has been selected to be cut, especially one that takes place in the summer. I feel that programs for teens are very limited, especially ones at later times like Wingspread. It disquiets me that if there are no alternatives for teens, many of them will be on the streets, doing very unpleasant things.
Please consider this point of view when finalizing the city budget for 2005-07. It would be most appreciated.
Andrew Litt
Bayshore Road
Palo Alto
Proud utility history
Editor,
As a follow up to the Weekly's article on May 4, here is additional information about our proposed utility rate increases.
Palo Alto, along with the rest of the country, has been subjected to higher energy prices over the last three years. Wholesale electricity and natural gas supply costs have increased close to 100 percent over this period. These increases combined with declining utilities sales continue to impact our operational costs.
Despite these proposed increases, the combined utility bills in Palo Alto historically have been, and still are, lower than surrounding communities, even when a utility service such as water or gas may cost more for a period of time.
Over the past 100 years, our individual utility charges have not always been the lowest, but overall consistently competitive. The City Council's Finance Committee will meet on May 19 to review these proposed increases.
In Palo Alto, our customers receive almost all utilities listed on one bill, and not the multiple bills required in surrounding communities. Our utilities are owned by the community, so all policies and decisions are made here rather than remotely in another area of the state. We are responsive to service requests and are available any time, day or night.
Since 1896, this city-owned utility has provided the high quality and reliable utility service that Palo Altans value. We continue to offer services targeted to this community's needs such as 24/7 appointments, resource efficiency rebates, low-income assistance, renewable energy and financial support to city services.
We remain committed to serving this community and providing the reliable and high quality service that Palo Altans have come to expect. Look for details of our proposed rate increases and customer satisfaction survey results on the Web at www.cpau.com or give us a call at (650) 329-2161.
John Ulrich
Director of Utilities, City of Palo Alto
Hamilton Avenue
Palo Alto
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