Published July 20th, 2011
Letters to the Editor
Editor:

June 28, it was raining in the master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, dining room and family room. Yes, inside the house. Having removed the shake roof on the back side of the house, we thought we had adequately tarped for the forecasted rain. Amid frantic runs for more tarps, juggling of buckets and moping with towels, we called the Moraga Fire Department, specifically Station 42 on Moraga Road. We were a sopping, bedraggled lot as three uniformed knights arrived to our rescue. After repositioning tarps on the roof they helped spread tarps inside the house to prevent further damage to floors and furniture. It is easy to take our town employees for granted, grumbling about how much they cost. In time of need the Moraga Fire Department was efficiently helpful and this is our public thanks for a job well done to Captain Dick, Engineer Campisi and Firefighter Gehling.

Steve and Joanne Hansen
Moraga

Editor:
What do these Lafayette streets have in common? Shangri La Road, Silver Springs Road, Sky Hy Circle, Quail Run, Corte Rinaldo, Tilden Lane and Mountain View Lane? They are some of Lafayette's 283 private or partially private streets. These private streets are special, members of Lafayette's committee to raise taxes live on them. This committee wants to raise every ones taxes to repave short dead end public streets. At least that's their excuse for wanting to gouge their neighbors. Short dead end streets have higher property values than comparable homes on major streets. So it's tax everyone, to make the rich richer. The tax proponents will call any tax opponent greedy. They always do.
Private streets are all over Lafayette. Downtown or out of town. Long or short. Narrow or wide.With or without signs designating that they are private. Most apartment complexes are on private streets. Most streets made after 1968 are private. You can order the list of private streets from City Hall, on line or for 40 cents.
No matter how much road tax is raised, no matter how bad their condition is, private streets can not be repaired with public money. Not even the potholes in front of the Lafayette post office.

Bruce R. Peterson
Lafayette


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