Letters to the Editor

Is RDA helping sewer costs?
The recent notice sent to property owners regarding proposed
sewer rate increases raises many questions as to how this project
is going to be paid for. My main concern is the lack of RDA funds
being used.
The city amended the Redevelopment Agency plan in 2002. The
amended plan increased the amount of tax increment that the RDA
could collect from $87 million to $650 million through the year
2033. Of that, $295 million was to be for public infrastructure
improvement. The public and the city council need to be reminded
that in 2002, we were told that this RDA amendment would provide
long term sustained financing with a dedicated stream of money for
construction of large projects like the new sewer plant. What
happened to that promise?
Despite these facts there is no mention of the RDA’s financial
participation in the notice sent to property owners by the city or
in the consultants waste analysis study. Why?
Who will be the main beneficiaries when the new sewer plant is
completed? The city and the RDA. New development will increase
revenue to the city and the RDA.
It clearly is unfair that the RDA will benefit financially, yet
is not a full financial partner in paying for the new sewer
plant.
I urge the city council to withhold approving these unreasonable
sewer rate increases until the RDA is included in helping to pay
for the cost of a new sewer plant.
Aurelio Zuniga
Hollister
Is RDA helping sewer costs?

The recent notice sent to property owners regarding proposed sewer rate increases raises many questions as to how this project is going to be paid for. My main concern is the lack of RDA funds being used.

The city amended the Redevelopment Agency plan in 2002. The amended plan increased the amount of tax increment that the RDA could collect from $87 million to $650 million through the year 2033. Of that, $295 million was to be for public infrastructure improvement. The public and the city council need to be reminded that in 2002, we were told that this RDA amendment would provide long term sustained financing with a dedicated stream of money for construction of large projects like the new sewer plant. What happened to that promise?

Despite these facts there is no mention of the RDA’s financial participation in the notice sent to property owners by the city or in the consultants waste analysis study. Why?

Who will be the main beneficiaries when the new sewer plant is completed? The city and the RDA. New development will increase revenue to the city and the RDA.

It clearly is unfair that the RDA will benefit financially, yet is not a full financial partner in paying for the new sewer plant.

I urge the city council to withhold approving these unreasonable sewer rate increases until the RDA is included in helping to pay for the cost of a new sewer plant.

Aurelio Zuniga

Hollister

How can we afford rate hike?

First, I’d like to say that I agree 100 percent with Sue Hutson in her letter to the editor in the Aug. 6 issue of the Pinnacle. To raise rates to such an extreme is unbelievable! How many families can afford to pay $124.40 per month for this service?  Let’s put it another way: Can you afford to pay $1,492.80 per year to flush your toilet?  That’s $7.20 less than $1500.

Second, I called the City Clerk’s office at 831-636-4304 to inquire if they will accept anything like a petition. The answer was “all property owners would need to submit individual protests.” Please people, do this. It affects all of us. In the letter sent out by the city recently it states “if a majority of the affected property owners file written protests, the proposed rate changes will not be imposed.”

Since so many people don’t read through these mailings, I have an idea. If each person reading this would speak to their neighbors to urge them to write a protest, we could save ourselves a whole lot of money.  With gas, food, and other expenses increasing steadily, can we really afford not to do this?  I will definitely be bringing up the subject with everyone I come into contact with.  The deadline to submit protests is at or before the public hearing on Sept. 5.  It must include address and/or Assessor Parcel Number, identity of the owners and signed by the property owner. 

Claudia Grahn

Hollister

Planning Commission fails residents

This is to follow up on Tracie Cone’s letter (Pinnacle, Aug. 13) about the planning commission’s vote on the controversial San Juan Vista Estates. Actually, the action of a majority of the planning commission is worse than previously reported. There were restrictions on the home size and placement voted on and approved.

The final vote by the planning commission was hurried and confusing, apparently because the three-year-old map of the project was days away from expiring. There has been no written report that would allow residents to understand exactly what the decision was. The chairman even made the comment that this was a “whole new project,” which may be why the applicant had not started from scratch rather than seek changes in the project that already had been finalized by the former Board of Supervisors.

This is not how developments are supposed to move forward. All of this confusion and secrecy does not earn the trust of the citizens of our community.

Bob Cruz

Hollister

Active lions around Anderson Park

During the early morning of Aug. 12, a mountain lion from Anderson County Park scaled our six-foot fence and killed two of our goats approximately 100 feet from our bedroom window. It killed a third goat, dragged it to our back gate, and partially ate it. That morning three sheriffs came to our house, inspected the dead animals, told us there was nothing they could do, and advised us to move our goats off the property to prevent further attacks.

We called Anderson County Park to let them know what had happened only to find out that there had been five separate lion sightings and a deer kill in the past six weeks. The lion returned the next night and finished eating the one it started the night before. Those three, or what’s left of them, have since been buried, and we have removed all but four of the animals from the property; two are locked in our garage at night, and two are still vulnerable to attack.

Being warned of entering lion habitat when on a ride or hike is one thing, but having such a bold, active lion in the area is another completely. We know people are normally not lion-food, but attacks do happen and people using this area or living near it should be aware of this activity.

Nicky Austin

Morgan Hill

Street Fest security was lax

Did anyone else notice something missing from our 20th annual Street

Festival on Saturday? Where were the ABC, the DOJ, the ATF and the CHP? Also missing were the surveillance cameras and the helicopters flying overhead Don’t the citizens of Hollister deserve the same protection at the Street Festival as we receive at the Biker Rally?

This leaves me with one more question. Are we over-protected at the Biker Rally or under protected at the Street Festival?

Gregg Bonturi

Hollister

Takes issue with CMAP claims

Concerns expressed by reporter Kate Woods and CMAP’s director Suzanne Saint John-Crane about the demise of public, education and government (PEG) channels should AB 2987 (the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006) pass are unfounded. The bill not only assures the future of such stations, but builds in a 1 percent fee that would finance the operations going forward.

Authors of the bill, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, told the Senate Appropriations Committee Monday that they were accepting amendments that would “grandfather” PEG channels under the same terms that are in any existing franchise agreement. In fact, 70 percent of cities don’t even have PEG channels. Under AB 2987, for the first time many cities will have the financial wherewithal to start such programming.

For Ms. Saint John to suggest that there are not public, education and government channels in Los Angeles is also simply false. Such programming is not only robust, but the moderator of a long-running public affairs interview show is now a Los Angeles City Councilman.

Finally, to claim that when a homeowner had a complaint about cable service they would have to go to the state Public Utilities Commission is flat out wrong. The bill clearly states that local jurisdictions would continue to handle compliance with customer service standards.

Consumers want a choice of video provider and the lower prices that will bring to them.

Erin Garvey

Executive Director, Californians for Technology and Video Choice

Mudslinging by innuendo

A short time ago, the editorial staff of The Pinnacle was shedding gallons of crocodile tears over the destructive tone of local elections.  The revulsion did not stop them from running one of the most scurrilous “political” ads of all time.  It was so bad the paper was apologizing even as they were depositing the cash it generated.

During that cycle of “do as we say, not as we do,” the paper pointedly commented on an innocuous vehicle sign as an example of the politics of destruction.  The offending sign said, “No Cone Zone” in opposition to Tracie Cone’s candidacy for office.  Agree or disagree with the sentiment, that’s a pretty mild expression of preference.  It was not a personal attack, nor an accusation of corruption.

Now, in her August 13 letter to the editor on planning priorities, Tracie Cone, who is once again running for office, is back at the same old stand.  She has accused the board of supervisors of being corrupt.  To quote her, “I guess the current Supervisors answer only to those who bought their seats.”  It’s mudslinging by innuendo.

No matter where you stand on development, those charges are unproven nonsense.  It’s an attack on the integrity of our local officials without a shred of evidence.  At some point, the people of the county must decide that Tracie Cone’s brand of win-at-all-cost politics is not what we want or what we need.

Marty Richman

Hollister

Grateful for donation

Compassion Pregnancy Services was recently taken totally by surprise by the incredible generosity of one of our local businessmen.  On Sunday, Aug. 13, Alfred Chacon made an amazing financial donation to us as a part of Trust Realty’s Grand Opening Celebration.  We are so grateful for his unexpected gift.  We are thankful to be part of a community where giving, generous business people like Mr. Chacon reach out to touch the lives of our teens, women, their boyfriends and husbands by supporting Compassion Pregnancy Services in such a generous way.

Angie Roland

Executive Director

Compassion Pregnancy Services

Knucklehead driver is being watched

On Aug. 10 at approximately 5 p.m., a guy was driving a white Toyota traveling between San Jose and Gilroy southbound on U.S. 101. There was a motorcycle driver ahead of him in the fast lane. We all know that the “speed of traffic” is always over the speed limit at least in the middle and fast lanes.

So it wasn’t as if the motorcycle driver was going under the speed limit. The car was going faster than the motorcycle and instead of slowing down like most good drivers do, he kept at his speed and moved up to the right of the motorcycle thus sharing the fast lane.  Because of this maneuver, he forced the motorcycle out of the fast lane to the left.

Luckily the motorcycle driver was not new to defensive driving or else he would have certainly crashed and been seriously injured, it not killed. When the car driver was pulling his stunt, the cars behind the situation all quickly reduced their speed. The driver of the white Toyota sped past and traveled at about 95 mph. until he came to his exit.

Mr. “I own the entire freeway” – you had absolutely no moral or lawful right to drive so recklessly.  I take great personal offense at what you did because motorcycle driver is my fiance. I have spread the word on your description and your car and your license plate number to all our friends and relatives who travel where and when you do.

Renay Winn

Hollister