Celebrate California Arts Day Today
Dear Editor,
California Arts Day is part of the National Arts and Humanities month-long celebration of arts and culture throughout the country. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the arts in every community in California and to celebrate every art form. I am delighted that Mayor Steve Tate is recognizing this celebration here in Morgan Hill with a resolution marking California Arts Day, presented at the City Council meeting Oct. 3.
At the Sept. 25 meeting of the Morgan Hill Library, Culture and Arts Commission, our commission heard from Josh Russell, communications manager for Arts Council Silicon Valley, who presented the recent findings of the Americans for the Arts’ “Arts & Economic Prosperity” report, which his group coordinated on the local level. He described the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences here in Santa Clara County. The study found that nonprofit arts and culture are a significant industry here – one that generates $166.5 million in local economic activity, supporting almost 4,000 full-time equivalent jobs and generating $80.28 million in household income to local residents. The full report is available from the Arts Council’s Web site at www.artscouncil.org.
Commemorating today as California Arts Day 2007 is the perfect reminder to carve out some time to celebrate the arts here in our community by taking our children, our parents, and our friends to enjoy the rich variety of arts right here in our town. Stop by the new Morgan Hill Library and see the wonderful sculptures, paintings, and mural that enhance the great new space. Get yourselves tickets for South Valley Civic Theatre’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace (playing through Oct. 13, 2007). Mark your calendars for The Poppy Jasper Film Festival (Nov. 9-11, 2007). Purchase artwork from a local artist. Sign your kids up for an art, music or dance class. Appreciate the wonderful public art projects located around our community. Create some art and music of your own!
Emily Shem-Tov, Morgan Hill Library,
Culture and Arts Commissioner
Trap and Kill Cat Policy Isn’t a Sound County Budget Policy Either
Dear Editor,
I’d like to respond to Greg Van Wassenhove, county agriculture and environmental management director, who along with other county officials has suggested that an agency facing a $227-million budget deficit has no spare cash to manage colonies of wild cats.
After being trapped, neutered and returned, feral cat colonies are maintained by caring volunteers, at no additional cost to the county. However, the cost to trap, hold, evaluate, and euthanize these feral cats, as was being proposed, will cost the county tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars.
Judy Shapiro, San Jose
Police Dispatch Services Best Provided by City
Dear Editor,
As a Morgan Hill police officer and citizen of Morgan Hill I feel I am compelled to respond to Mr. Grzan’s Oct. 2 Times guest column. I realize that Mr. Grzan should scrutinize the monies spent for city government and ask the question of whether we can do it cheaper or better. What he fails to mention is that both options do not always have the same answer.
Mr. Grzan argues that there is a cost savings in Monterey County where they have consolidated dispatch services for the agencies there. There is a similar consolidation in Santa Cruz County. There is no such consolidation in Santa Clara County and as such one would have to be created. Perhaps one option would be to see if other Santa Clara County entities are willing to have us provide dispatch service for them.
Mr. Grzan lists his residency in Morgan Hill as being 13 years. Mr. Grzan should recall when he first moved to Morgan Hill the city manager had reduced our service levels due to the council’s revocation of a utility tax. A study was completed by Chief Steve Schwab as to the cost savings and quality of service provided by contracting with the County of Santa Clara and City of San Jose for police and dispatch services.
The study pointed out, that among other issues, the delivery of police and dispatch services was best provided by the city and that the cost savings were minimal. The study also noted that having local control makes the decisions of service levels subject to the council’s dictates and not the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors budget balancing whims. The study was truly a comparison of services, salaries, overhead and infrastructure and was all encompassing as to costs.
How often and how many times must we study this issue? Is there a set amount of time in which these costs would change from one way or the other? Or, is it simply part of the latest election rhetoric which must be addressed every two to four years?
I attended a city council special meeting July 20 regarding public safety service levels. At the conclusion of the meeting I offered each and every council member (Mr. Grzan included) the opportunity to talk to me regarding the differences between contract dispatch services and having our own. To date none of the council Members have sought me out (possibly because four out of five consider the issue moot). I had the experience of working under contract dispatch services during my first year (1986) as a police officer in Morgan Hill. I can tell you from first-hand experience that without our own dispatch services and the myriad of ancillary duties they perform it would be necessary to hire 12 additional staff personnel to handle all of the reporting requirements associated with missing children/adults, protective orders, recovered/stolen property, warrants, animal calls, and even as simple as letting the public into the building after hours. Where is the savings to be found?
I appreciate Mr. Grzan’s support of public safety and hope that he can come to terms with the reality of the importance that our own dispatch services provide to the community. As always, I am willing to discuss these issues with anyone and coffee is not required. I must warn you though, these discussions will be based upon the facts I have personally experienced and not hypothesis.
Sergeant David Myers, Morgan Hill Police Department
