I'm a new resident in Morgan Hill and have been doing my grocery shopping at the Safeway on E. Dunne Ave. and Hwy 101. I had heard about the string of attacks on women in late March in the parking lot there and at the other Safeway on Tennant Ave. During one of my first visits to the store I asked one of the clerks if the suspect had been caught and they confirmed that he had not.
In the evening on May 18th, I visited the same Safeway store on E. Dunne Ave. around 9:30pm to pick up some groceries and to use the Wells Fargo ATM and was completely surprised that the parking lot was pitch black with three of the four overhead pole lights burnt out. Being concerned and feeling uncomfortable in the parking lot, I asked to speak to a manager. I let her know that the lights were out and that I felt unsafe coming into the store and asked that they fix them. Her reply was that it wasn't Safeway's responsibility, but it was the landlord's instead. I told her that may be the case, but it was Safeway's responsibility to put the request into the landlord a to get the lights fixed.
I was back at the store two weeks later on June 1st and spoke to another manager who told me they would take care of repairing the burned out lights.
Tonight, June 10th, 23 days since my first visit, I went to the same store around 8:30pm. I was flabbergasted that the lights are still burned out and the parking lot is still very much in the dark. I again asked to speak to the manager on duty. I voiced my concern that the parking lot lights had not been fixed and that I, as a female customer, didn't feel safe shopping there. He said that a request had been put in but that they were waiting for the maintenance company to fix the lights. I told him that it should only take one escalated phone call by the Store Manager to get a truck out there to get the lights fixed. He said that they would have to call the District office to make the request.
Safeway should make customer safety a number one priority and it's obvious they do not. Residents of Morgan Hill should be aware that Safeway is not taking corrective action to provide a well lighted parking lot, especially after the attacks in the same parking lot back in March and knowing that the suspect in those attacks is still at large.
S. Knauss, Morgan Hill
The only clear winners in the drug war are the cartels
Dear Editor,
If health outcomes determined drug laws instead of cultural norms, marijuana would be legal. Unlike alcohol, marijuana has never been shown to cause an overdose death, nor does it share the addictive properties of tobacco. Like any drug, marijuana can be harmful if abused, but jail cells are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents.
The first marijuana laws were enacted in response to Mexican immigration during the early 1900s, despite opposition from the American Medical Association. Dire warnings that marijuana inspires homicidal rages have been counterproductive at best. White Americans did not even begin to smoke pot until a soon-to-be entrenched federal bureaucracy began funding reefer madness propaganda.
Marijuana prohibition has failed miserably as a deterrent. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available to adults older than 18. The only clear winners in the war on marijuana are drug cartels and shameless tough-on-drugs politicians who've built careers confusing drug prohibition's collateral damage with a relatively harmless plant.
Robert Sharpe, policy analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy
It's time for a Tea Party to protest out-of-control spending
Dear Editor,
Let's have a Fourth of July Tea Party in Morgan Hill and demonstrate our concerns about the federal government's out-of-control spending of our tax dollars.
On Saturday, July 4, we can meet in Morgan Hill at 9 a.m. at the corner of Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road and demonstrate against our government's outrageous spending programs. Bring your homemade signs. At 10 a.m. we can enjoy watching our super Fourth of July Parade.
Fred Amoroso, Morgan Hill
Take advantage of great park system
Dear Editor,
I couldn't agree more with Supervisor Yeager about the value and appreciation for our nearby open space. Regardless of what the Board of Supervisors decides about the management of Henry Coe State Park, we should all take advantage of the incredible regional park system that Santa Clara County has to offer, with 28 parks encompassing nearly 45,000 acres.
The parks cover a broad expanse of creeks, lakes, mountains, redwood forests, rolling grasslands and oak woodlands. Special features include off-leash dog parks, an archery range, shooting range, a bicycle racing track and a motorcycle park.
Park system users can enjoy hiking, biking, picnicking, camping, golfing, fishing, boating, hang gliding, horseback riding, water skiing, and more. In addition, parks staff organize group activities such as star-gazing, summer concerts, and stroller hikes. They have even organized a Healthy Trails program to help individuals plot their path to fitness.
So while we are all making decisions about how to enjoy our summer season, we should remember the great assets we have locally and experience all that our county parks have to offer. More information can be found at: www.parkhere.org
Teresa Alvarado, south San Jose
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