10 April 9, 2015 www.alamedasun.com Alameda Sun OPINION Letters to the Editor AEF tips its hat Editor: Alameda Education Foundation’s (AEF) Adopt A Classroom program achieved a new record this year. In March, we made our 189th presentation for the 2014-2015 school year. To put it in perspective, six years ago we did 39 adoptions, and we have now topped that by 150. AEF has donated $94,500 to classrooms thanks to generous members of our community. I would like to thank the following donors from February and March: 2014 Alameda Zombie Crawl; AEC Living at The Lodge at Harbor Bay and AEC Living at Elder’s Inn. A big thanks to the following Realtors from Harbor Bay Realty: Guy Blume, Nancy Joy Gordon, Nancy Evans, Jane Friedrich, Barbara Bolton, Walt and Judy Jacobs, Ringo Liu, Maureen Shandobil, Karin Fox, Steve Cressy, Steve Sorenson, Soyoung Lee, Donn Gutierrez and Hanna Fry. Our hats are also off to Franklin Elementary School PTA and families; the Garber family; Perforce Foundation on behalf of employee Kate Rockwell and the Tricia Collins-Levi Fund. Thank you to all our donors for recognizing the value of supporting our classrooms and for their generosity. General support for AEF enables us to give 100 percent of each donation to our teachers. More information is available at www.AlamedaEducation.org. — Kathleen C. Woulfe Adopt A Classroom Chair Letter describes Mayor as ‘dictator’ Editor: The Alameda Sun article (“Mayor, Staff Defend Bay Farm Trees,” April 2) was interesting to read. I did not realize that when I voted for Trish Spencer for Mayor I was voting for a dictator. The article, if correct, stated that “cutting down trees on private property is not illegal.” In addition, the article mentioned that a permit was not required. But Spencer decided that it was not right and ordered the removal of the trees to stop. Spencer and City Planner Andrew Thomas have demanded that a plan be presented. I am assuming the plan must fully meet Spencer’s approval. It is wrong when a mayor can create her own law and issue a stop order simply because she doesn’t like what is happening. Spencer acted just like every other dictator, intimidating her opponent and acting as a tyrant to get her way using the authority of her office as a club. Alameda does not need this kind of mayor. — Paul Stagnaro Editor’s note: Mayor Spencer did not arbitrarily issue the stop-work order. She did it after consulting with City Planner Andrew Thomas. Thomas witnessed what Harbor Bay Landing Shopping Center’s Ken Liu had already done. He told the mayor that the tree cutting was beyond the normal scope, that some of the trees had been cut down for no apparent reason and that Liu had no plan in place to replace the trees he had cut down. Alameda Sun publisher Dennis Evanosky witnessed the exchange between Lui and Mayor Spencer and Thomas. The exchange was cordial and in no way dictatorial. Liu, in fact, agreed with what both Thomas and Spencer had told him. The Sun has since learned that the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) on Bay Farm Island do not, in fact, allow the arbitrary cutting down of trees. Lui was able cut his trees down because commercial property owners are exempt from signing these CC&Rs that exempt commercial property owners. This is evident in the following letter. Commercial loophole exists for tree removal Editor: I recently read your article about the tree removals at the Harbor Bay Landing Shopping Center (“Mayor, Staff Defend Bay Farm Trees,” April 2). As the architectural standards manager for the Community of Harbor Bay Isle Owner’s Association, Inc. I would like to make a point of clarification. Although the city of Alameda does not usually require property owners to obtain permission prior to removing trees, the Community of Harbor Bay Isle Owners’ Association does. There is a strict architectural review process in place for all 2,973 homes within the Community, which each owner agrees to when purchasing their home and signing the Covenants, Conditions & Restrictions (CC&Rs) These CC&R’s help maintain the beautiful urban forest environment that Harbor Bay Isle is known We convey the Alameda experience, both past and present, through an informative, financially viable community newspaper, in print and online. The award-winning publication by Stellar Media Group, Inc. An Adjudicated Newspaper Established 2001 23,000 copies delivered FREE Every Thursday SUN STAFF Eric J. Kos & Dennis Evanosky Publishers Ekene Ikeme, Sports Editor Laurel Yeates, Calendar Editor Carrie Beavers, Marketing & Operations Janet Crandall, Account Executive Editorial Interns Morgan Wolfe, Chris Ringewald Online Partner www.thealamedan.org Contributors Ron Salsig, Ed Jay, JoanAnn Radu-Sinaiko, Gil Michaels, Irene Dieter, Mike Rosati, Mike Lano, Jeffrey R. Smith, Maurice Ramirez The Alameda Sun is a member of: Business Association 3215J Encinal Avenue, Alameda, CA 94501 Editorial n 510-263-1470 Advertising 510-263-1471 Finance/Production 510-263-1472 Fax 510-263-1473 www.alamedasun.com for. Unfortunately, even though the Harbor Bay Landing is a member of the Community of Harbor Bay Isle, the CC&R’s do not apply to commercial properties. Generally, the Community Architectural Committee only allows removal of trees that are diseased, have structural issues, or are in decline/already dead; in most cases, replacement trees are required. The CAC also restricts severe or malicious pruning, and may require that a Certified Arborist Report be provided. We encourage any Harbor Bay Isle homeowners to contact us at 865-3363, with any tree-related questions, or prior to starting any exterior projects. — Christina Hanson Adopt-a-Bed update Editor: The Midway Shelter for abused women and their children would like to thank the generous people who donated to the shelter in March. Some donated several times; two donors chose to remain anonymous. Midway would like to thank Helda Moya, Maxine Bolf, Brocade Communications and Alameda Point Partners. TL Partners II LP donated in March as did Betty Sanderson, Virginia Krutilek, Rich and Susan Sherratt and Marina Village Optometry. The shelter couldn’t survive without generous people like Alan and Kathryn Hanley, Delores Bartalini, Amber Brose, Val Rogers Gerhart and Elaine Kofman. The women and children are grateful to donors like Joanne McKray, Beverly Church, Diane Coler-Dark, Carol Gerdes and Robyn Wu, Mary Tarpley gave in March as did, Richard and Susan Osanna, Patricia Sahadi, Ronda Nixon, Joen and Edward Barbera and Mary Butler. Helen Sause, Kathey Paget and Virginia Neuhoff each sent a donation, as did Louis Toepfer, Kent and Lynette Dupuis, David and Joyce Denyven and Joyce Mercado. The shelter also received donations last month from Barbara Gibson, Donna Danielson, Sarah Cruz, Sandy Keh and Ruth Gray. United Mechanical & Metal Fabricators, Inc., sent a donation, as did Robert Wondolleck, Claire Meehan and John White. William and Donalynne Fuller helped the shelter with a March donation, as did Donald Kelley and Susan Getman, Mary Scott, Judith and Gary Blank, Najee and Adilah Bilal, and Teddy Tabor. Finally the women and children at the shelter would like to thank Dominic McKenna, Jenifer Sejera, Jim Franz, Christine Buck, Donald and Dianne Lippi. If you’d like to see your name among the generous April donors to the shelter, send a check to Alameda Homeless Network, P.O. Box 951, Alameda CA 94501. To learn more, call 523-2377 or visit www.midwayshelter.org. — Ginny Krutlek Get behind Clement bike lanes The Alameda Sun received a copy of this letter from BikeWalk Alameda. The Transportation Commission recently voted down the proposal to put protected bike lanes along Clement Avenue in favor of traditional bike lanes along the route. At the meeting about 10 business owners spoke about truck traffic and the importance of keeping the lanes open to truck traffic. Several bike riders talked about how they’ve been biking for 25 years and like traditional bike lanes or no lanes at all. Unfortunately, only a handful of people spoke about how protected bike lanes bring more than just the “usual” bicyclists out. Or that having trucks fly by at 35 mph, while riding a traditional bike lane is not safe or encouraging. We ask that those in favor of these bike lanes, send a letter to the Assistant City Manager Alex Nguyen ([email protected]) and Transportation Coordinator Gail Payne ([email protected]). Let them know that you are disappointed that the Transportation Commission decided to ignore the overwhelming support for protected bike lanes from the community meetings. Tell them you would like to see the item returned to the Transportation Commission at its Wednesday, May 27, meeting. — BikeWalk Alameda Joe Heller Stagnant Lagoons Cause Problems Monty J Heying Built more than 50 years ago, the lagoons that stretch from Court Street to Westline Drive have evoked mystic phrases like, “Venice of California.” They border some of Alameda’s nicest homes. On Google Maps, the lagoons look like a thin blue cutworm crawling across the city of Alameda. But beauty and cache come at a price. Some see the lagoons as an attractive nuisance. Recently a man was seen dumping a tub of soiled cat litter over the railing of his second floor balcony. These lagoons have aesthetic appeal, but for some they have become an ecological nightmare. Global warming has turned stagnant bodies of water into algae farms. Algae love still water, heat and bright sunlight. Last year was the hottest on record in Northern California, with a record number of sunny days as well. By contrast, the tree-shaded lagoons on Bay Farm Island were designed with 1970s-era technology. No fingers impede flow. An aeration system keeps the water oxygenated. The aging lagoons These lagoons have aesthetic appeal, but for some they have become an ecological nightmare. in Alameda proper are not aerated have little shade. Without an aeration system, algae growth in these lagoons must be controlled with chemicals. Its these chemicals I have a problem with these chemicals. Over the past 10 years, signs have been posted at Alameda’s beaches warning not to go into the water. Some unknown hazard makes peoples’ legs sting. Could the mystery source of that sting be chemicals released from the lagoons? Our beaches are covered with sand reclaimed just offshore. Was that sand tested for toxins first? Are children and mothers safe in that sand? Last October I observed someone from Clean Lakes Inc. taking a water sample from a Commentary lagoon. According to its web site, Clean Lakes is a global expert in “clarifying” inland waterways with toxic agricultural chemicals. A city engineer told me that the company was basically a lagoon janitorial service. I’m not that gullible. The same engineer told me the lagoon dredging solids were dumped at Alameda Point on a toxic “hot spot.” Well, what about the liquids, you know, the ones that went out that pipe into San Francisco Bay? Last October I also observed a plume of grey sludge and debris in San Leandro Bay that I strongly suspect came from dredging the lagoons. This will be hard to prove, but Cal Fish and Wildlife said they would send someone out to take samples. I recently filed a complaint with the Regional Water Quality Control Board. We will get to the bottom of this. Maybe these 1950s-era lagoons should be filled in, made into a park. Monty J Heying lives in Alameda. Our City Needs Sensible Traffic Plan Mark Greenside I love bike lanes. When I ride my bike, I want to be safe, and separated from cars and pedestrians. Not that long ago, a bike lane was a bike lane: a designated place where people could ride their bikes and not get hit by cars. Bike lanes have become the first line of offense in the war against drivers and cars. Bike lanes aren’t for bikers, they are against cars. They lie at the heart of traffic demand management and “smart” growth philosophy brought to us by city planners, who are not traffic or civil engineers, They speak as if they’re talking science, but it’s hope, belief and faith they’re pandering, and they’re willing to push their beliefs onto the doubtful. Their goal is to reduce vehicular traffic and greenhouse gases, a goal all of us can agree with. Their plan is to do it by making driving and parking more difficult and costly. They reduce the required number of parking spaces for new developments to discourage residents from owning and driving cars. They also reduce the number of parking places on the streets and increase parking fees and fines and the number of parking meters. They also build fewer and smaller driving lanes designed to make driving more difficult and complicated, as anyone who has driven on the new Shore Line Drive well knows. It is an effort doomed to fail because traffic demand management and smart growth require effective, reliable, efficient, comfortable, affordable mass transit that takes you where you want to go, when you want to go. This doesn’t exist in Alameda or the Bay Area, and it won’t in the foreseeable future. It costs too much. Cars are part of the psychology, Commentary mythology, geography, sociology, anthropology, and economics of the country. Every decade since 1930 has seen an increase in the number of cars in the Bay Area. The greatest increase came between 2000 and 2010, which included three years of recession. The Federal Highway Administration recently reported a driving increase of 1.7 percent between 2013 and 2014. Waging war on cars is a loser. Waging war on what fuels them is not. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission recently issued a report, Vital signs (www.vitalsigns. mtc.ca.gov.) The report found that: n 67 percent of all commuters are solo drivers, a statistic that has remained constant for decades. n 10 percent of commuters take transit, the same as in the early 1990s, and a three percent decline in total ridership since 2002. n The average Bay Area resident boarded a bus, train, ferry, light-rail vehicle or cable car 79 times in 1991, compared to just such 68 in 2012. From 1991, ridership dropped 17 percent at AC Transit. n 51 percent of freeway delays occur in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. n Bike commuting grew from 43,000 riders in 2009 to 55,000 in 2013; an increase of only 3,000 riders a year for the entire Bay Area. Cars are not diminishing in numbers or use. A study that depends on fewer cars will fail, and the result will be a traffic nightmare. Remember the line, “If we build it, they’ll come.” Well, if Alameda builds the 4,000 to 6,000 new housing units the planners want, (85 percent of which are market priced), 5,000 to 12,000 more cars will be on our roads. The Alameda Sun is independently owned and operated. The newspaper is supported by its advertisers and subscribers. The Sun focuses on just the news that affects the residents of the city of Alameda, from the West End to the East End, from Bay Farm to Alameda Point. Alameda needs slow growth, affordable, not market-priced housing and a traffic plan that makes sense. More bike lanes and buses won’t offset the congestion. Alameda needs slow growth, affordable, not market-priced housing and a traffic plan that makes sense. The question is what are our newly elected leaders doing to protect us from our planners? Mark Greenside is a resident of Alameda and a retired professor of political science, history, and English at Merritt College in Oakland. Our Letters Policy Opinions in Letters to the Editor are the express views of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Alameda Sun, its advertisers or staff. Letters to the Editor are welcome from the community. Letters must include a name and phone number for verification purposes. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters are subject to editing for length, clarification and legal considerations. Please try to limit letters to 250 words. Mail your letters to Editor, Alameda Sun, 3215 J Encinal Ave., Alameda, CA 94501, or e-mail them to [email protected].
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