Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 02/03/1997 All articles from this issue

Letters to the Editor

printer friendly version

Disturbing trend in the neighborhood

As a longtime-resident of Los Altos, I have noticed a disturbing trend in my neighborhood. The first being the profusion of dog droppings on the sidewalks, front yards, street curbs and public areas.

As most everyone seems to obey the leash law and all houses in the area have their own back yards, there is no logical reason for dog owners to allow their pets to deposit piles of feces on or in front of their neighbors' property.

If you cannot obey the law and pick up after your dog, keep it home and let it foul your own yard and not mine.

My other concern is a growing minority of homes in my area whose front yards are in varying degrees of neglect, many overgrown with weeds and bushes badly in need of trimming. Some have not seen any maintenance in over a year, yet the homes in this area are valued over $500,000 and some of the worst offenders have multiple foreign luxury automobiles parked in their driveways.

Come on people, show a little pride and respect for yourselves and your neighbors. If you can afford to live in Los Altos and drive a Mercedes or BMW, you can afford to maintain your yard if you are unable or unwilling to do it yourselves.

Harry Wolfe

Los Altos

A disgusting look at poultry industry

In "Tired of Turkey?" Dick Pidgeon suggests that the poultry industry is an efficient food supplier (Jan. 8 Town Crier). This is not true. It's just that consumers don't see the hidden cost at the cash register.

Consider the environmental cost, for example. According to a poultry researcher at the University of California: "The amount of animal wastes produced in the United States is staggering. In chickens, for example, the daily production of wastes is essentially equal to the amount of feed used. For every truckload of feed brought onto the farm, a similar load of waste must be removed. A 1 million hen complex, for example, produces 125 tons of wet manure a day."

An article in the Oct. 7, 1996 issue of "Feedstuffs" (the weekly newspaper of the agribusiness) states: "Factoring in feed efficiency and carcass yield, it takes about 4 pounds of grain to produce a pound of poultry." So much for efficiency.

In addition, the poultry industry is filthy. The birds have spent their entire lives in poop. The main atmospheric ingredient they breathed before being slaughtered was excretory ammonia.

This toxic gas - the result of manure overload - gets into the birds' bloodstream, penetrates egg shells and wrecks their immune system. It is thus a major cause of salmonella, e. coli and other food poisoning diseases of meat and poultry consumption costing taxpayers between $5.6 billion and $9.4 billion annually, according to USDA's "FoodReview."

The deeper one delves into the poultry industry, the worse it is - cruel, dirty, disgusting, and grossly inefficient.

Karen Davis, Ph. D.

President, United Poultry Concerns, Inc.

Potomac, Md.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Pidgeon thanks you for your response and is concerned about the revelations brought forth in your letter. He plans to address the subject in a future hospitality column.

Glad condo plans are being reconsidered

I am thankful that my lack of notice on the hearings for the Etruscan three-story condo project has resulted in a greater awareness of what is being proposed. At least 100 other neighbors have sent letters or signed petitions opposing a three-story building on this corner of Foothill Expressway and El Monte Avenue.

This is a very important decision for Los Altos. This corner is the major gateway into our town. In my opinion, we deserve and can get a much better building than the one proposed. I think it is too massive and out of scale with the rest of the town. Because of the proposed density, it lacks shape and imaginative design. It would be 10 feet taller than the new office on the McElroy corner and two-thirds the length of a football field in length, with no change in roofline.

It would be the first building outside of the downtown triangle over two stories high and would set a precedent for many more proposals to go three stories or more.

The planning department staff recommends this project because it gives us two below market rate units. They fail to point out that it would scrap three affordable houses in the process of construction. A two-story project would provide one BMR unit, and is economically feasible.

The City Council will consider this project at its Feb. 11 meeting. The Planning Commission has recommended two-story zoning. I encourage all citizens of Los Altos to express your opinion to council members by letter or at that meeting.

Thomas E. Harrington

Los Altos

How about memorial at St. William site?

I commend the Veterans Memorial Committee for efforts to recognize all veterans by establishing a memorial in Los Altos. Although most of us may have entered the service from some other community, it is fitting for Los Altos to provide recognition to those who served in some tangible way.

I would like to propose a memorial approach which would be more meaningful to me than the suggested monument that may be located in Shoup Park.

Instead, why not have everyone refer to the St. William School property, as we now call the newly acquired city park land, as "Veterans Park"? Then the committee could lobby to have "Veterans Park" approved as the official name by the city.

Lastly, solicit the support, participation and contributions of all Los Altans to transform the facility into a fitting veterans memorial.

I submit that a beautiful, well equipped and much used park more closely represents what all past and present veterans believe was the purpose for which they served - a peaceful place remembered with family and children without fear, under God's protection.

Please turn your thoughts to a living tribute rather than some cold stone or steel reference to the past.

John Mandle

Los Altos