Letters to the editor Letters to the editor (January 09, 2004)

Police should go after bigger crimes, not alcohol and cigarette sales

Editor:

With violence and property crime rates exceeding that of its neighbors, don't Mountain View police have something better to do than shaking down retail clerks who sell cigarettes and booze to 20-year-olds who have already been experimenting with drugs since they were pre-teens?

Mike Linksvayer
Sunnyvale

School supporters lay out case for Measure J

Editor:

We are responding to the letter written by Elizabeth Reus, published in the Jan. 2 issue of the Voice.

Ms. Reus states, "It is unclear why the district needs a hefty $1.6 million parcel tax" and that she was "unable to attend the public meetings held in support of the tax." Why would anyone write a letter to the editor claiming to be woefully uninformed -- she doesn't know what is going on, but she doesn't like it? Ironically, Ms. Reus lives on the same street as the Mountain View-Whisman District office.

California public schools are primarily funded by taxes collected by the state. Measure E was an attempt to provide a stable source of income that would stay in our district. The measure, which needed a "super majority" of 66.6 percent to pass, was approved by 62 percent of the voters.

The new parcel tax -- Measure J on the March ballot -- raises significantly less money and uses a different formula to accommodate the concerns of businesses and landlords. Measure J will last five years and cost most homeowners only about $6 a month. Seniors are eligible for exemptions.

All of the money raised by Measure J will stay in Mountain View to benefit public elementary and middle schools. These local funds cannot be taken away by the state. An independent citizen's oversight committee will ensure funds are spent only to protect essential educational programs.

The largest parcels will pay no more than $600 a year. This is not going to drive any business out of Mountain View; to the contrary, Mayor Mike Kasperzak and Chamber of Commerce President Carol Olson have signed the ballot statement in support of Measure J. The biggest opponent to Measure E -- the Tri-County Apartment Association -- has promised, "not to oppose" Measure J.

There is a widespread impression that this money is spent only on "enrichment" programs (art, music, sports) that are either expendable in hard times or should be paid for by parents. The fact is, the money raised by the Mountain View Educational Foundation has gone to restore funding for librarians so that the libraries at the elementary and middle schools could stay open. Janitorial services have been cut and all health clerks (who care for students who are ill, injured or require medications) have been eliminated.

Perhaps the most pressing need for stable, local funding is to maintain small class sizes and prevent the closure of one of our seven elementary schools (a painful process our neighbors in Los Altos just went through). The cost of educating our children is not going down. The costs of health insurance and workers' compensation for teachers and staff keep going up, as they do for all businesses.

We say, "Children are our future." Let's put our money where our mouth is and provide an excellent education for all our students. We would not want our police, fire departments and hospitals funded by bake sales and donations. We should not expect that of our schools.

Nelson and Robin Iwai
Carmelita Drive

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