It’s Developers Who Should Reflect on their Impact
I was ready to get the “fixins” out for a batch of s’mores after reading your contributor’s piece “Transformative Mediation: A Tool for Balanced Growth” (Los Gatan Sept. 18).
That is, until I reached the conclusion where it says “Transformative Mediation offers a promising approach to achieving balanced development by promising dialogue, understanding and collaboration, mediation can help ensure that new housing projects are more welcome additions to the community.”
Sorry, but the implied notion that the housing projects can be more welcome additions to the community flies in the face of the uproar over the multiple housing towers proposed for LG and residential areas.
Eighty-foot towers staring down into peoples’ yards—some residents spent their entire savings to live in a quiet, peaceful and “private” location—does not need to be “sugar coated” now that artists’ conceptions of towering megaliths and population increases of up to 6,000 are showing up on Nextdoor.
You can get the flavor of the majority sentiment.
Perhaps the inverse of the author’s thinking: through Transformative Mediation, developers eager to cash in on the ill-conceived Builder’s Remedy, might understand the angst their projects are creating and decide to pull back and reconfigure, knowing the catastrophic impact they are creating.
Craig Steen
—via email
Opera in the House
First of all, I very much enjoyed the recently published story about the Opera House. I sincerely enjoy these types of stories.
The story certainly implies that opera has never been performed in the Opera House. I had always known that, so when I produced the first TEDx Los Gatos in 2012, I made certain to make that happen. (Another group did a TEDx in Los Gatos at Netflix five years after the one I did in 2017, and there was a TEDx Los GatosHighSchool in 2017 as well).
I invited a friend of mine to give a talk about opera and perform during the event.
You can see her on YouTube here: youtu.be/CVgx07KccLY
In fact opera has been performed once—and only once—in the opera house in our fine town!
Jonathan Knowles
—via email
Jyl Lutes for Board of Education (Area 3)
I’ve lived in Santa Clara County for over 60 years, and during that time, I’ve seen the critical issues impacting our public education system—declining enrollment, inadequate school funding, increased demand for student services and gaps in equity.
One candidate running for Trustee Area 3 for the Santa Clara County Board of Education stands out: Jyl Lutes.
As a former teacher of 30 years, Jyl Lutes has shown she can tackle these issues head-on and understands the challenges schools face.
From advocating for increased funding for classrooms, to supporting teachers and students with real, impactful solutions, her leadership has been invaluable as a school board member, city council member, and educator.
I’ve witnessed her dedication to improving education for all students, not just a select few.
We need a leader with real-life classroom experience to navigate the complex issues in education, and Jyl Lutes is that leader.
Together, we can ensure that our students, educators, and families have an ally in Trustee Area 3 by voting for Jyl Lutes on Tuesday, November 5.
Tim Wallace,
Naglee Park
*Letters are edited for length and clarity
