May 2, 2004

LETTERS2theEDITOR

More parking costs more dollars

Editor,

Councilman Yeager conveniently failed to mention in his article on More Parking, safer crossswalks for Lincoln Avenue (April 2004 edition of the Willow Glen Times) that the city (read here “taxpayer”) will not only pay $750 per month for two and a half years to maintain the Bank of America Willow Glen parking lot, but will also pay $25,000 to repaint the lot!

If the Bank of America in Willow Glen was truly a “good citizen”, as the councilman refers to it, (which is ludicrous, because the bank is a corporation, and not a real person, and does not have the same rights that citizens do) it would open its parking lot to the public, free, without the city (again, read here, “taxpayer”) having to pay anything. 

Perhaps they’ve forgotten that we taxpayers bailed out the banks in the 1980s to the tune of billions of our hard-earned dollars because they had made bad investments. Perhaps they’ve also forgotten that since 1995, the banks have been enjoying the benefits of free federal deposit insurance, read again “free,” which, for a $100 million bank, means about $230,000 savings annually, according to the FDIC. (That’s right, we taxpayers guarantee that if the banks make bad investments with our money, we’ll back them up with $100,000 per account and they now get that guarantee free of charge). And, have they also forgotten that the banks pay no property taxes in California where their branches sit, while we the taxpayers make up for it? 

So, the banks owe us taxpayers big time. And one very small way the Bank of America can show it’s appreciation to our taxpayer generosity at the April 15 ribbon cutting ceremony, (which is also, coincidentally, the federal taxpayer due date), is by repainting the lot and maintaining it themselves at their expense.  Are you listening Councilman Yeager and the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association?

Joseph Czosek

Beware of yard thieves

Editor,

Just an FYI to anyone who might have accessible landscaping.

I have 12 rose bushes at the edge of my yard that produce beautiful roses each year. Over recent years, I have seen kids steal them, people stop their cars and grab one, and there is not much you can do about it.

This morning at 6 a.m., I looked out the window to find a woman clipping the choice roses! I went out (which probably wasn’t very smart) and asked her what she was doing and why. She said she was picking them because she loved them! I guess that is now an acceptable reason for stealing?  She walked away and around the corner. 

As I was getting in my car anyway to go walk with a neighbor off of Curtner, I saw her turn around and walk back, get in an old camper type car with someone else and speed away. She didn’t look homeless. She was heavy and had long straight hair down to her waist. She carried a large blue canvas bag that was filled to the brim with something, plus my roses sticking out of the top!

I don’t know whether this falls in the category of a crime, so I haven’t reported it to the police. I didn’t get close enough to get the license number because I was afraid that someone might have a weapon.

It’s just “BEWARE” to everyone. 

D.T.
Willow Glen

Editors’ Note: This letter follows news reports of crimes on the Peninsula and in Southern California of thieves stealing trees, bushes and plants out of people’s yards. Please be careful if you see this happening and call the police or get a license number and call the police.