Letters 

Treat locals with respect
Student Ben Biesek wrote a letter to the editor that was titled "Treat students with respect" (Sept. 21). Students should also remember to treat the regular residents with respect. Most of the students are great, hard-working, studious guys and gals. Only about 10 percent are the pits. Immediately after WoW (Wreck Our World), the fun begins. The students act as if they own our town.

They speed down Foothill at 80 mph, walk across streets on green lights, run red lights (I almost got killed last week with that one). They toilet-paper older residents' homes. They stick beer cans and McDonalds wrappers in my neatly manicured hedge. Bicyclists never stop at stop signs. Rude kids walk down the sidewalk four abreast, nearly knocking you off. Their God-awful boom-box car stereos and extra-loud mufflers are so loud in front of my house that they rattle the dishes in my kitchen. They skateboard down the middle of Chorro and surrounding streets. They play ball in the middle of the street and give you the finger as you drive by. Their loud parties and music are torture to most residents. Does every other word out of some students' mouths have to be the F word?

In conclusion, I get along very well with my student neighbors. I don't know if it is the cookies that I give them or the butter and eggs that they borrow from me, but we have a mutual respect for one another, regardless.

It is the terrorist students with their reckless immaturity who come here and think that they can do anything that they want to do who spoil things for everyone.

Yes, these same things occur year after year after year, and seem to get a bit worse every year (20 years, for me). It does get a bit much, but when one is in constant contact with the majority of students who are the greatest, there is no better place to live than right where I live, here in San Luis Obispo.

Fortunately, there is always another lovely, quiet summer to look forward to!

Naoma Wright

San Luis Obispo

Madeline's owner is a saint to Cambria artists
In the recent review in New Times of my art show, "Confluences" ("Meeting of the minds," Sept. 28), a mistaken impression may have been received by some that the owner of Madeline's, David Stoothoff, was responsible for the removal of two nude charcoal sketches by Stephen Price from the show. A customer at his restaurant asked that they be removed, and it was more an act of considerate gentility on his part, rather than censorship, that prompted their removal.

David has been an unfailing and generous supporter of the arts for years in Cambria. He has hosted many artists' receptions at his beautiful restaurant, providing gourmet food and wine at his own expense, and offers his walls as display space at no profit to himself. This generosity places him just shy of sainthood in the hearts of artists here in Cambria. In no way did I intend to impugn his taste, morals, or cultural awareness. In fact, nudes frequently appear in the art shows at Madeline's, and have caused no ripple up to now.

My ire was directed primarily toward the sorry state of arts education in this country, and certainly not toward David, for whom I feel only the deepest gratitude.

Celeste Goyer

Cambria

Dalidio's put upon, no matter what
The facts of the matter are simple. When the land was farmed, people complained about the dust and noise and pesticides. When it lay fallow, people complained about vermin and that it was "unsightly." Now, the complaint is that development is bad.

Seems no matter what Mr. Dalidio wants to do, he's put upon. It seems everyone wants him to pay (taxes, etc.) for what various other entities want. My solution is simple. Let the bigmouths pay him fair market price for the dirt, and then they can have their own way. My guess is all he wants is OUT!

Will C. White

Halcyon

Non-SLO residents: Leave Dalidio vote alone
To all non-residents of SLO city who plan to vote no on Measure J (the Dalidio Ranch initiative) because you feel that non-local voters shouldn't have a say on development within the city (which it isn't): You hypocrite! The only way to be true to your conviction is to abstain from this vote and leave it up to us city residents!

Kevin P. Rice

San Luis Obispo

Don't believe Dalidio's deceptions
I was shocked at the "pro Dalidio" bias exhibited in the Sept. 20 Measure J article ("How does Measure J measure up?") from the many photos of smiling "environmental" developers, to the drawing, which never showed even one store, even though there will be at least 10 big-box stores! Parking lots were also not labeled, but instead drawn to look like vineyards or large, tree-dotted fields! The reader was misled into thinking that the entire mall will be just a butterfly field and open green space!

Where are all the stores and parking? Only one small "dot" is labeled "restaurant and retail area," when, in fact, the majority of the mall is retail and commercial! The "residential" area shows no condos, and even the sewage-treatment area is labeled "retention ponds."

We have become used to deception from developers who stand to make millions of dollars from these projects. In all fairness to your readers, you should print an article to show the "other side" and the reality of this project. Inform your readers how the developers aren't paying their fair share of the project only $8 million of the projected $49 million, forcing us county taxpayers to pay the rest and to deal with the traffic and headaches created by this monstrous development (sounds like Willow Creek in Nipomo).

Citizens of SLO have already voted this Dalidio project down in the last election. Please, citizens of SLO County, don't believe these deceptive tactics. Vote no on Measure J!

Margaret Savoldi

San Luis Obispo

Dalidio's share doesn't seem fair to me
Signs around town on most of the vacant lots say that Measure J is the "fair choice." Fair? I don't think so. Please. Fair? The 51-page Dalidio Ranch initiative states on page 31 that "$4 million is the fair share of the Dalidio Ranch Project for the Prado Road overpass of Highway 101 and associated on and off ramps to 101," together with the land for the road.

Read this (and the whole 51-page measure) yourself. Just go to www.slocounty.ca.gov and do a search for "Measure J" and click "full text of Measure J," and then, in the PDF document, do a search for "overpass." You will see the statement that the $4 million is the fair Dalidio payment (in money) for the Prado overpass.

The current best estimate is $50 million to $55 million for the overpass. It is not expected to be built for at least five years. In just five years, the cost will most likely be around $65 million to $75 million.

Using the average estimate of $70 million, the Dalidio $4 million "fair deal" is 5.7 percent of the cost of constructing the Prado overpass.

Don't you think that the Dalidio Ranch Project should pay at least half, or $35 million? You decide in November what is "fair."

W. David Lees

San Luis Obispo

Dalidio won't play by the rules
I saw old Ernie Dalidio on TV last night touting the Texas and L.A. developers' megamall (bigger than all of downtown SLO!) as if it's nothing more than an organic farm.

What's most striking about old Ernie is his assertion of righteous entitlement to sell out to the developers. That's right: Entitlement. "It's my land, I should be allowed to do what I want with it!"

No matter that the land's zoned and shown in the general plan for agriculture, that the good people of SLO voted down a smaller project there, that Ernie never even tried to get a project approved by the county.

Ernie asserts that he should be allowed to bypass all development review (no public hearings, ever), be exempt from state environmental law (unlike any other developer), not have to pay to fix the problems he causes (like traffic gridlock on the 101), and build a crowded mall in a dangerous airplane flight zone (where one jet has already crashed!). The public should just give him all of this. Plus, the increase in value of his land from ag to commercial. Because he's ENTITLED to it!

Bah! Humbug! As members of society, we all agree to play by the rules. Ernie won't play by the rules. He's just a big crybaby who wants to write his own game a game that only he can win.

This is no way to do public planning. Vote no on Measure J.

Robert Taylor

Atascadero

Erik Howell should lead Pismo Beach
I have worked with Erik Howell on the Board of Education for nearly 12 years. Although a great loss to the school district, his candidacy for mayor represents a tremendous opportunity for the people of Pismo Beach. Erik is intelligent, hardworking, and cares about the children of our community. Most importantly, his skills as a leader have been a huge asset in bringing our governing board together as a team. I encourage the voters of Pismo Beach to vote for Erik Howell. He will be a mayor you can truly be proud of.

Georgie O'Connor

Arroyo Grande

Our schools deserve John Spatafore
As a 21-year veteran at San Luis Obispo High School, I would like to recommend reelecting John Spatafore to the San Luis Coastal Unified School District Board of Education.

Our schools function as intellectual, social, and service organizations in San Luis Obispo. We deserve superior educational support, and John Spatafore offers us clear, logical, compassionate, and intelligent guidance.

I love teaching, and I'm proud of our schools. I want to thank John for his dedication and service not only to education, but to all our shared futures.

Eldra Avery

San Luis Obispo High School

We know John Spatafore: He's good
We have been fortunate to have known John and Deb Spatafore for 15 years: Our daughters went to public school together, we have worked on various community activities with them both, and we have witnessed John's keen intellect, genuine caring, understanding of the issues, and profound communication skills at work on the San Luis Coastal School Board. When it comes to politics, our household is sometimes split. But a child's education is not a political issue, and a good school board member is partisan only to the welfare and education of our children. John is an insightful analyst, an articulate advocate, and a respectful consensus-builder. He brings creativity, civility, and passion to the SLCUSD Board, and we both strongly urge a vote for John Spatafore to retain that seat for the benefit of our community's children.

Bob and Debbie Wacker

Los Osos

New hunting bill for veterans is ridiculous
Correct me if I'm wrong, but disabled veterans would be better off enjoying life, not death. Most have witnessed and participated in death. It is a very traumatic thing to be a part of.

The plan to open Santa Rosa Island 30 miles off Santa Barbara's coast to hunting by disabled veterans is ridiculous.

This is another example of abuse of power by elected officials. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., put this into the bill for defense spending guidelines for next year. This has nothing to do with defense. It has been opposed by Sens. Boxer and Feinstein, Rep. Capps, and many national parks representatives, among others.

Rep. Hunter hasn't even been to this National Park he wants to turn into a hunting ground. His idea, meant to give combat-injured veterans somewhere to go for hunting and recreation, is narrow thinking. Why does hunting have to be part of the mix? There are many great outdoor experiences for vets and their families already in place with camping, whale watching, hiking, exploring. There are more than 2,000 species there, 150 of which exist no place else on Earth.

It would be a travesty to open this peaceful place to gunfire.

Marty Brown

Atascadero