Regarding Jerry Clements’ column (“Miramonte bike path: No change,” March 6):
I’m a former member of the Los Altos Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission (now the Complete Streets Commission) who reviewed the current Los Altos Bicycle Transportation Plan.
In the print edition of the Town Crier, we’ve long required that letters to the editor include real names, or as close to real as we can verify. Online, we followed a different convention. Any reader could post a comment on our articles using an alias. Some commenters chose to use vague or constantly changing aliases, while others used an identifiable nickname that cloaked their “real life” identity but maintained a consistent voice.
After decades of talk, the city of Los Altos is on track to rebuild its dilapidated Hillview Community Center. Well, maybe not.
It seems at least three members on the five-member Los Altos City Council are not satisfied with the current design and footprint, which they contend is too small and too costly. Mayor Lynette Lee Eng thinks the city can get a better “bang for our buck.”
Have you ever experienced pure bliss?
I did recently. I’m going to try to explain it – though I’m not sure I fully can.
For years, we and our friends in the newspaper world have operated under a double standard. In print, we’re all about accountability. Letters to the editor must have names. Information in news stories must be attributed. Online, however, we’re not as accountable. In our collective desperation for people to use our websites, we’ve allowed readers to offer their feedback anonymously. As all of us are well aware, anonymity emboldens some to be aggressive, even hurtful, in their comments. We’ve encouraged and enabled that cowardice.
We want to change that. Our first step has been encouraging people to use their real names online – no more pseudonyms like “Los Altan” or “Fed Up.” We may get fewer comments, but we feel it’s the right thing to do. We encourage our newspaper friends to follow suit.
Los Altos can do better with crime prevention.
South Los Altos is experiencing an epidemic of home burglaries. I consider three in three weeks an epidemic.
Recently a number of young future leaders met with Sen. Dianne Feinstein to urge her to support Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey’s Joint Resolution for a Green New Deal.
Feinstein attempted a head fake, advocating a watered-down bill that would fall far short of what is needed to avoid what scientists overwhelmingly agree is a looming planetary catastrophe.
The Town Crier welcomes letters to the editor on current events pertinent to Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. Write to us at 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022, Attn: Editor, or email editor Bruce Barton at bruceb@latc.com. Because editorial space is limited, please confine letters to no more than 200 words. Include a phone number for verification purposes. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
You can also have your say right here at losaltosonline.com – scroll to the bottom of any story to add a comment.
