Publication Date: Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Letters
Letters
(July 20, 2005)
Cookbook catastrophe
Editor,
Remember the great old TV series, "Cheers"? The theme song included the words "where everybody knows your name."
That's the way it is at the Cookbook, the great little family restaurant in Town and Country, which is about to be closed down by the management.
Here is that rare family restaurant -- with pictures of kids and their drawings on a bulletin board -- where the food is great and the prices are low. This is as stupid as the closing of Fresh Choice in the Stanford Shopping Center.
I urge customers who agree with me to call on the management and do a little table pounding.
Harry Press
Escobita Avenue
Palo Alto
City knows "nos"
Editor,
This letter is not specifically in support of a new auto row, or the Hyatt hotel, or Albertson's, or Edgewood Plaza or even the parking fees at Baylands. And I certainly understand and applaud the impulses of Palo Altans to keep our city livable.
But it seems to me that whatever the issue is before the city now, if it involves business, or increasing revenue, it is voted down. And while that may be nice for neighborhoods and traffic in the short run, in the long run it means cutting a lot of services and activities that we have come to take for granted.
We do not have to say "yes" to every potential new or expanded business, hotel or retail development, but we also cannot afford to just keep saying "no."
Janice Hough
Bryant Street
Palo Alto
Keeping schools healthy
Editor,
David Lieberman (Letters, July 13) suggests that the parcel tax (Measure A) voters overwhelmingly approved last month to support Palo Alto schools should have been lower, since Santa Clara County just announced higher-than-anticipated property-tax revenues for the last 12 months.
In announcing the increased revenues, however, the county assessor warned that county residents should not expect similar increases in future years. This is a critical point because Measure A lasts for six years.
No one can predict the extent to which property-tax revenue will grow over that time, but it is likely the growth rate will vary significantly. In fact, the increase in property-tax revenue last year was just a small fraction of this year's increase. That's why passing Measure A, which provides a stable source of school funding, was so important for the ongoing health of our schools.
Palo Altans for Government Efficiency (PAGE) reported earlier this year that even with Measure A our school district is likely to face additional cutbacks several years from now. If we're lucky, increases in property-tax revenue will reduce the need for further cutbacks and will soften the financial blow that continued enrollment increases and state funding cuts have inflicted on our schools.
Without Measure A, dramatic cutbacks would have occurred, hurting the education of our community's children.
Palo Alto schools and families owe a huge debt of gratitude to Palo Alto school district residents, who passed the parcel tax and affirmed their commitment to keeping our schools healthy. Thank you.
Jon Foster
Channing Avenue
Palo Alto
Senior rebuttal
Editor,
I object to David Hood's statement (Weekly, July 15) that seniors who voted for the school tax and then took the tax exemption have done a "contemptible, despicable" thing and should be "ashamed of themselves."
Mr. Hood doesn't know anything about the financial status of these seniors and should basically mind his own business. Simply because one owns a house in Palo Alto does not mean that one is wealthy.
Many who are now seniors purchased their homes back in the '50s or '60s when homes were affordable and now are "home poor," meaning that almost all their money is tied up in their home equity and they are living on a fixed income of social security and perhaps a small pension.
One can support the concept of a tax to support our schools but not be able to afford to contribute as much as the new tax requires. If one has to decide between food and medicines or paying for a school tax the decision is an easy one.
Nancy Deussen
Greer Road
Palo Alto
Measure about money
Editor,
David Hood in his letter called seniors despicable for voting for the school tax and then opting out (referring to a story on July 8).
Before castigating seniors he should know that the pro-Measure A people sent a mailer to all seniors (remember they were given a list of exempt voters by the Palo Alto Unified School District) asking for a yes vote and -- wink, wink -- including the form for which they could opt out, plus instructions for filling it out and sending it in.
The message was clear: Vote yes, and opt out. I would call that a blatant attempt at vote buying.
Which is more despicable, Mr. Hood? I wouldn't blame the seniors here. The school district has had that exemption policy in place for years.
Now, I am a just-over-the-line senior, and the receipt of this mailer, which also contained personal information, irritated me so much I voted against Measure A, even though I believe in quality education, apple pie and mom.
Further, I now plan to opt out as well. The Measure A people wanted to win at all costs and, in my opinion, stooped really low to get what they wanted by using this tactic. Mr. Hood should also remember this issue was not really about improving education it was about M-O-N-E-Y.
District academic performance will not increase substantially, I suspect, but the budget sure will.
Bill Witt
Carlson Circle
Palo Alto
Real police review?
Editor,
Congratulations to the commissioners who resigned from the Palo Alto Human Relations Commission (HRC) because they felt the commission was not qualified to be a police review board.
A great number of Palo Altans have written to newspapers with irrefutable arguments against the use of HRC for police review. A great number of Palo Altans have gone to the City Council and HRC meetings with irrefutable arguments against the use of HRC for police review.
The American Civil Liberties Union regional expert on police matters has stated publicly that the HRC did not have the right competency to be a police review board.
What else should Palo Altans do to have the city rescind its absurd appointment and start assembling a police review board whose members will have the time and qualifications to make serious investigations of police complaints and who have the legal clout to punish police misdeeds they unearth?
Christiane Cook, Ph.D., J.D.
Emerson Street
Palo Alto
Szechwan kudos
Editor,
I understand that a restaurant reviewer must form an opinion in one or two visits to a restaurant. Just to give an alternative perspective on the Szechwan Cafe reviewed by Dale Bentson in the July 8 issue.
The Szechwan Cafe has served my family delicious meals since our teenagers were babies. We've eaten literally hundreds of meals there. Each one has been characterized by the consistent personal care that Lilly and Adam put into everything at the restaurant.
We get their takeout for our client lunches and many of the long-time business people of California Avenue are regular customers.
The food is wonderful. I've never seen the Szechwan Cafe have an off day.
Peter Fox
Ramona Street
Palo Alto
...and brickbats
Editor,
I have to disagree with Dale Bentson's description of Szechwan Cafe as a "solid neighborhood restaurant" (Weekly, July 8). I have been a long-time customer of the restaurant and recently my experience has been middling at best and disappointing more often than not.
The food I picked up tonight was no exception. First, the green-beans dish was cooked with pieces of stale pork. Secondly, I made the mistake of asking for ginger chicken following Mr. Bentson's recommendation. Lo and behold, the dish consisted largely of huge pieces of scallion with some rubbery chicken breast thrown in.
And this after chef Adam Sun's insistence that he would make something special for me and my friend.
A call from home upon sampling the takeout was met with denial at first, followed by promise of a free meal. Good luck to Adam Sun, but I will take my business all the way to Mountain View next time. That is, if I do not move my home in despair after so many failed attempts to find good Asian food in Palo Alto.
I write this letter not only to point out an unrealistic review of this sub-standard restaurant, but also to lament the lack of cheap and authentic Asian restaurants in Palo Alto. If the boondocks (read San Mateo, Mountain View, Sunnyvale and Milpitas) can boast wonderful and cheap Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese and Korean restaurants, why can't Palo Alto? Should we Palo Altans start a Committee of Concerned Eaters to remedy this sad situation?
Arani Sinha
Stanford Avenue
Palo Alto
Loving our soldiers
Editor,
How much does our President Bush love the "fighting Americans" in Iraq (as he says often)? Well, it seems he loves them so much he has even proposed new taxes on veterans -- such as a $250 user fee for Veterans Department services and double prescription drug co-payments for veterans.
Thanks to our "American Freedom Fighters" -- they too can come home with terrific injuries and have to pay more for their care. Kudos to the president for finding another way to screw them (as if the 9/11 connection wasn't bad enough).
Donnasue Jacobi
Haight Street
Menlo Park
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