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Quarry sale plan
a win for neighbors
I was pleased to read the proposal announced by Supervisor Joe Simitian to buy the Lehigh Quarry and Cement Plant (“Quarry and cement plant may be bought and closed,” B1, Feb 11). What a brilliant idea to turn the land into open space and possibly housing.
We live in south Los Altos and are constantly reading about violations at the plant. For decades, they have been polluting our rivers and releasing mercury and greenhouse gases into our air. We are also breathing fumes from cement trucks that are constantly going to and from the quarry.
This proposal needs to move forward fast so let’s contact Simitian’s office with ideas and support.
Barbara Kyser
Los Altos
Mall owners’ parking
fees feel like greed
I am hugely disappointed that the owners of Valley Fair Mall are charging customers and employees for parking.
It certainly sounds like greed. I bet the Valley Fair Mall owners are rich. The owners claimed that they are charging for parking because some people park there overnight. I doubt that is the reason. Besides, if there were illegal cars parked, all Valley Fair had to do was put up signs against overnight parking, then tow the cars that violate. That is a simple, easy solution.
This reason to charge for parking put out by the Valley Fair Mall owners feels both deceptive and greedy.
Robert Hoop
Sunnyvale
With COVID rates high,
keeping masks right call
I am very happy that Santa Clara County will continue to enforce the indoor mask mandate. Ram Srinivasan (“Santa Clara County should relax its mask mandate,” Page A12, Feb. 13) must not have elderly parents living in this county or children too young to be vaccinated. The elderly are still at high risk of COVID complications even after boosting. And children under 5 won’t have access to vaccines till April at the earliest.
I understand that vaccinated adults want to move on from COVID, but our positivity rate is still very high. My biggest fear is that relaxing the mask mandate now will cause cases to go up in March.
Let’s have protections for a few more weeks. We’ve come so far already. I’d rather have a maskless summer when positivity rates get down to 2%-3%.
Nina Seth
San Jose
Plenty of reasons for
county to keep mandate
In response to the Feb. 13 Letter to the Editor “Santa Clara Couty should relax its mask mandate,” (Page A12) we would like to point out that the Santa Clara County COVID-19 dashboard reflects only cases that are reported. Many cases are not tested, many positive home tests are not reported. COVID cases in the hospitals are dropping but not low. Though Santa Clara County has good vaccination rates, there are many who are still not vaccinated or boosted and many who are immunocompromised.
In a May 28, 2020, Letter to the Editor, 12 infectious disease doctors praised Public Health Director Dr. Sara Cody for protecting the welfare of our residents; they credited her for saving many from suffering and death. Instead of being “disappointed and upset” with Cody, we should be praising her for wise guidance based on science and data and for her courage in standing firm despite a great deal of pressure and antipathy.
Betsy Strong, MD/MPH, and Enoch Choi, MD
Los Gatos
Where’s student input
in school mask debate?
John Woolfolk’s recent article “When will California lift school mask mandate?” (“Students to continue wearing masks,” Page B1, Feb. 15) seems to take for granted that students anxiously await the removal of mask mandates. In interviewing student activists, pediatricians and state government officials, it seems students have been left out.
I recently celebrated my 18th birthday on a high school campus of half-empty classrooms, underpaid substitutes, and an atmosphere of fear. Many of our students feel unsafe with campus COVID protocols, while the district continues to pander to a vocal minority of parent activists and remove safety rules. This comes in spite of high case numbers, decreasing attendance and student pushback. For another local example of student sentiments regarding COVID, one only needs to look to the recent Oakland student protests.
I wonder if, in the future, those who argue about masks in schools will bother to ask those wearing them.
Page Murray
Los Gatos
Increased representation
will increase democracy
The Joe Mathews Opinion piece “If the U.S. democracy crisis has a capital, it has to be Los Angeles” (Page A13, Feb. 13) is an excellent analysis of the undemocratic U.S. government.
We must realize that our Constitution was written to secure a union of several disparate states. This is why Wyoming has the same number of senators as California. Admitting voting senators and representatives from Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., would increase representation and diversity in Congress.
As Mathews suggests, increasing the number of representatives in Congress would make the body more democratic and representative, and it would also increase the likelihood of the Electoral College selecting the more popular president.
Robert Lindley
San Jose
