By Kerns approval just the beginning

The approval of the Kerns home in Los Altos Hills shows what politcal support and campaign endorsements by Bill and Betty Kerns will do for the Toni Casey, Steve Finn and Emily Cheng triumvirate on the Los Altos Hills City Council. Thursday, Aug. 22 was payoff time for the Kerns’ application.

If one had seen a mock-up of that ridgetop house, it really resembles The Forum North, destroying a pristine ridgetop view for a large part of Los Altos Hills. The side of the ridge will be scarred with a steep driveway and deep cuts and high retaining walls. While other cities touched by Silicon Valley wealth are trying to preserve undeveloped ridge tops, our “New Guard” eagerly encourages development with total disregard for the environment or the aesthetics of our town.

We are beginning to see what the “New Guard” will do to the town, not what they are going to do for the town.

Look out. There’s more of this to come.

William C. DowneyLos Altos Hills

Lawsuit appropriate to ensure open space

The Los Altos Park Association (LAPA), a community-supported, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and expansion of Los Altos open space, wishes to respond to your editorial of June 21, “Lawsuit Could Prove Costly” and the subsequent and related letter that you published from David Skiver, “Accept it as Part of Life,” on June 28.

LAPA was formed by citizens who refuse to “accept as part of life” the continued destruction of the open space in our community. Our membership increases daily as the community watches our fields transformed into concrete jungles like the Egan School site. LAPA believes that lawsuit against the school board is neither frivolous nor unfounded as your editorial suggests, and is definitely not motivated by greed as Mr. Skiver has assumed.

Some facts:

The lawsuit has nothing to do with refurbishing schools. The contention is over the current plans by the school board to keep or erect permanent structures on what were once playing fields. Planned structures include 1) for-profit day care business and 2) second “pay-as-you” gym. Long-term development plans are vague and the Egan negative declaration casts doubt on the removal of the project’s “temporary structures” in a certain number of years.

There is no government agency responsible for enforcing the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The responsibility of enforcement falls to the citizens of the community through organizations such as LAPA, and the lawsuit is the appropriate and recommended action to ensure enforcement.

LAPA can be contacted by confidential email: lapa_openspace@hotmail.com.

Lynda KayeAlexander D. GlewLos Altos Park Association

Thanks to those tending to public plants

Our sincere thanks and compliments go to the men and women who tend our public planted areas. They do a beautiful job. The planting at the corner of San Antonio Road and Main Street is particularly attractive. It reminds us of an impressionist painting. It is a perfect entrance to the downtown for residents and visitors alike.

Dorothy Grenbeaux

Los Altos