Support advanced health services in Santa Clara County – Yes on Measure A
Dear Editor,
This November, the health of Santa Clara County residents for generations to come will be decided by us, the voters, through Measure A. One in four of us are treated at Valley Medical Center or at a local Santa Clara County clinic.
If ever in an accident, we are likely to be taken to Valley Medical Center because they are the closest level 1 trauma center. Measure A not only will fund crucial services in the emergency room, but it will serve burn victims, children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, cancer care patients and other trauma services.
Please join me in voting yes, vote Yes on Measure A and stand for health services for the residents of our county.
Steve Tate, mayor, City of Morgan Hill
Mosque size doesn’t matter, it’s all about who’s building and who has influence
Dear Editor,
It escapes me to understand how people would say that a mosque in San Martin is inappropriate for an rural area due to its size while absolutely directly across the valley floor in a separation of less than 3.0 miles, John Fry is building a 164,000 square foot (if not bigger – and originally just 64,000 square feet) replica of the mosque-like Cordoba Castle of Spain.
Can someone explain to me the difference?
Mark Grzan, Morgan Hill
Approval of Islamic center shows that Supes don’t care about rural San Martin
Dear Editor,
It was a sad day for South County Residents when the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to approve the Cordoba Center Project’s use permit for mosque and cemetery in San Martin.
Opponents of the Cordoba Project left the hearing with all the unanswered questions they arrived with. However, we did get the message loud and clear that the Board places the needs of the 50 to 100 SVIC families from South San Jose to Hollister in San Benito County, over the needs, health safety and welfare of its 7,027 San Martin residents.
SVIC had their three attorneys’ on hand (general, land use and 1st Amendment) as they made numerous emotional statements justifying why they should be able to do what every other church can do.
One big problem, every other church isn’t located in an area that has additional land-use policies and ordinances specific to that site. SVIC has made it clear they will not acknowledge that pesky little fact.
County Planning sent the applicant a letter on Sept. 19, 2011 advising them that their project would be more appropriately suited in one of the South County cities (Gilroy or Morgan Hill) where urban uses are intended to be located and that the Cordoba Project may not be appropriate for a rural unincorporated community such as San Martin. Apparently they ignored that letter.
What hasn’t been reported is the dirty little facts of the project. Anyone can access the file so it’s no secret. But I doubt the Board of Supervisors wants the public to know that the file contains fraud, excessive discrepancies/contradictions of documents and land-use policy and zoning violations. If you knew, you might want them to do something about it.
A major topic still in question is the percolation tests. Ann Peden from the county Department off Environmental Health gave new data stating they have 17 valid perc tests. Unfortunately they haven’t been able to produce them, so I guess we’ll just have to trust they all exist. Hmm, I wonder if she’s referring to perc tests that previously failed and are now valid because she waived all the requirements?
That brings up the fraud.
“All three lots were observed . . . by DEH staff, to be failing the percolation tests …, however, the percolation test results submitted by the applicant’s consultant show all lots passing the percolation test.” (Ref: letter to applicant 8/20/07). But we know the Board isn’t going to enforce zoning ordinance 5.80.020 where it says if you commit fraud it invalidates the permit. So whose job is it?
Even the high-speed rail slated to go through the Cordoba property didn’t make the board blink. And what happened to the archeology report requested? Guess that was waived along with the Environmental Impact Report, waste discharge requirements, World Health Organization requirements, “local serving” codes, wet weather testing, cemetery noticing requirements, and everything else that might get in the way when you force a square peg into a round hole all in the name of “special interests”.
Georgine Scott-Codiga, Gilroy
‘It’s time we stop supporting parties and candidates like they are ball teams …’
Dear Editor,
In my prior letter I asked people to think. I said it is important that we use history and reflect upon our opinions, no matter what you believe.
Clearly Frank Crosby does not want to do that. He simply takes talking points and then uses them as if there is no other possible conclusion. It is time that we stop supporting parties and candidates like they are ball teams.
I said that I am supporting Mitt Romney for president because he has committed to free markets, a judicial system founded on the rule of law, free press and free speech, and a government constrained by the constitution. Frank responds back with talking points and puzzlement because he does not want to think any deeper about his position. It is a tell that Democrats and Frank don’t even believe in a middle class. Frank’s talking points use the 2% and 98%. There is no room for a middle class with those numbers. However, that is probably the percentages for a ruling class and everyone else.
He also says that to give $691 billion to hospitals and insurance companies “will not reverse the decline of middle class income.” Last time I checked insurance companies and hospitals provide good middle class jobs and a service we all need. The Affordable Care Act, which is an oxymoron since insurance rates and health care costs have gone up at a faster rate than prior to the law, is really a shift from meaningful middle class jobs providing a service we demand to government employees.
Lastly, it is hard to understand Frank’s use of the talking point “forward”. What does that mean? Again I ask that voters think and use history and reflection to decide their vote. What does “the sensible way forward for America” look like?
Under Obama: bigger more oppressive government, $10 trillion more in debt, higher taxes including people in the middle class, higher health care costs, less health care, less free speech, an activist judicial system, permanent unemployment and underemployment, more corruption based on government spending, more dependence on foreign oil, more misuse of American military power in “kinetic” actions, more embassy takeovers, more incompetent leadership.
As for Frank’s advice to vote for all Democrats for congress, there is also some history to look at. California is ruled by Democrats. The state has no idea what their revenue actually is. The state has a huge deficit, debt, spends why out of its means and continues to spend; how about that bullet train? The government from Sacramento becomes more oppressive everyday with meaningless regulations.
So is this forward for the middle class?
Mike Brusa, Morgan Hill
