By Send letters to editor Bruce Barton at the Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022, or e-mail:

Downtown hotel

makes good sense

Why is there such resistance to the new hotel at First and Main? I saw the plans and the business design, and it incorporated many attractive additions to our downtown area. The attractive hotel would generate business and room taxes, and it would bring diners and shoppers with discretionary income into our town and to surrounding retailers.

When I read your editorial (Aug. 27) on the terms for the hotel presented to Roxy Rapp, all I could think was, “Who wrote this ridiculous proposal?”

Here are my guesses: 1) My ex-wife’s attorney; 2) Fidel Castro; 3) Tony Soprano; or 4) a consultant.

Just last November, a 40-foot-high multiplex movie theater was proposed by the city council to replace a Los Altos Village parking lot. The council’s initial proposal was to literally give the property away, offer a below-market lease for the theater developer, build the parking garage at taxpayer expense, and not gain any income for the city except the tax on the popcorn sold.

Now that was the Godfather’s deal!

Just eight months later the tables have turned. Now all of a sudden the council cares about income. Talk about inconsistency!

The plan stated in your editorial makes sense. If the city sold the property and invested revenue, we would recoup the current rental income for the property and have even more future income, based on present value calculations. But my guess is that once the council gets the money, it will never reach an investment and will be quickly gobbled up.

Once again, the council has done an about-face on an issue. Once again, the taxpayers are footing the “bill of indecision” with consultants. Let’s not confuse people who simply have time on the council with people who have the ability to make leadership decisions. Once again, we are reminded that we need new people on our city council, people with money management and business experience.

The voters of this town have had quite enough of turnarounds motivated by hidden agendas. No other hotel developer will accept a deal with the city’s hand so deeply in the pocket of a free-enterprise business. The city should get out of the property management business. They have no experience in it — as is patently obvious by the plan set forth on the hotel.

I applaud Rapp for walking away from the city deal on the hotel. It is definitely not the Godfather’s offer.

John C. Shoemaker

Los Altos

Third term is

the issue here

Constructive debate is healthy for our community. That’s why I was pleased to see the letters from Donna Shoemaker supporting Randall Hull’s and my position and from Cheryl Weiden and David Jaques opposing our views.

In my opinion, the topic of debate is not whether Francis La Poll served this community well during the past two terms, but whether any elected official should be rewarded with a third term for defying the term limit law passed in 1999 by an overwhelming majority of the residents of Los Altos. La Poll’s public service record is the subject of another debate at another time.

Weiden claims she is puzzled by Hull’s desire to see a city council with a new perspective and new blood. She wonders what is so bad about Los Altos that needs drastic change. One need look no farther than the editorial comment in the Aug. 27 issue of the Town Crier to understand why change is necessary. Again — another debate at another time.

She goes on to state that she doesn’t recall seeing La Poll’s name in the ordinance. I don’t recall seeing Bill Clinton’s name or Ronald Reagan’s name in the law that barred them from a third term. Unfortunately, La Poll happened to find a loophole in the way our law was written. Legal, maybe. Unethical, I think so. Jaques states that he would prefer to see three experienced councilmembers available to mentor the new members. If the truth be told, I suspect John Moss and King Lear would find it refreshing to work with three eager new members. Watch any video of previous council meetings and notice the tension between several of the councilmembers. One of the remaining councilmembers was instrumental in getting the two-term limit on the ballot.

I predict La Poll will find himself running not only against the other candidates but against the strong supporters of term limits as well.

Ken Girdley

Los Altos

Grave injustice done

toward Bullis families

I had mixed feelings as I read Sara Ballenger’s descriptions of the wonderful renovations of Los Altos School District’s elementary schools. While I am truly pleased that my Los Altos friends’ children now have attractive, well-built neighborhood schools with up-to-date facilities, I feel that a grave injustice has been done to Bullis families. With their property taxes, Los Altos Hills families in the school district are paying around $20 million of the renovation bond.

Bullis families were also promised renovations, yet they received worse than nothing — they lost their school. Although we live in the Palo Alto Unified School District, I can imagine the outrage they feel. And, living just two blocks from Bullis, we share in the loss of the only social gathering place in town. As do the Bullis families, we now deal with the frustration of traffic congestion, 200 mornings a year, on our way to our new, non-neighborhood commuter school.

Finally, I am perplexed by the lack of outcry by Los Altos parents against the school district board. Why have Los Altos parents permitted their school district board to deprive Los Altos Hills families of a neighborhood school, while enjoying the benefits of the disproportionately generous support of Los Altos Hills families for the school district’s enrichment programs? Do Los Altos parents believe that injustice is acceptable as long as their own children benefit from it?

Nancy Kelem

Los Altos Hills

Cringing over

political correctness?

I was outraged to read in the Town Crier (Sept. 3) that the city is considering a negotiated settlement in the day worker lawsuit.

Although I feel there is a definite need for immigrants to fill entry-level jobs that they have historically filled since this country was formed, I do not believe these jobs should be filled by illegal aliens.

You may think you are helping them, but that help is fleeting as these people have no way to climb the ladder of success and become citizens (without more amnesty programs).

Eventually, they become a financial burden on the state, counties, cities and towns because they have no rights and, although a basic wage is OK for a couple of years, these people are condemned to that wage forever.

Because much of the work is backbreaking, they can’t do it for too many years and ultimately become a medical burden to local governments.

The United States needs to recognize the need for temporary workers and establish a reasonable quota for such workers. The quota should be filled, first by honest illegals already in the country, before allowing others to enter.

Afterwards, all other illegals should be evicted.

If you are truly considering a negotiated settlement, you are acting like “the gang that couldn’t shoot straight” when, after you enacted a good ordinance, you decide to cringe in the face of what some might call “political correctness”. I call it blackmail. Stand up for your beliefs or resign from office.

We need leadership, not Quislings.

Edward Kelley

Los Altos

Thank you

for cleaning up

I wish to commend Mrs. Kay Olson of Los Altos. She is the only person who has the common decency to clean up after her dog on daily walks.

The many other dog owners should be ashamed of their lack of courtesy.

Roy Smith

Los Altos