Letters: Property rights | Mahan’s vision

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Preservation agency
violating property rights

Re: “Preservation agency aims to force sale of family land” (Page A1, Nov. 6).

“Nobody would allow a two-story mansion to be built in the middle of Golden Gate Park,” said Andrea Mackenzie, the authority’s general manager.

That’s not a legal reason to justify taking away this man’s property rights. It’s also an ineffective analogy. Golden Gate Park is public property. This man wants to build a home on his private property.

This is a case of a taxpayer-funded organization operated by unelected bureaucrats taking away property rights from an individual for no measurable public benefit. It seems greedy for the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to go after 4.6 acres when they already control thousands of acres in Coyote Valley.

Their offer isn’t even fair. The compensation should be enough to purchase an equivalent property, not just $50,000 more than he paid two years ago.

Tom Ferro
San Jose

Mahan’s vision for S.J.
is coming to fruition

I am writing to commend San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on his good work to help implement noticeable improvements to the San Jose downtown area since he took office in January.

Before I retired in August 2022, I rode the VTA Light Rail daily from the Santa Teresa station to my place of employment in North San Jose. For many years, I was saddened to see daily the deteriorating and dangerous conditions in San Jose, particularly along the route of Highway 87, the Children’s Discovery Museum and St. James Park.

Today I rode the Light Rail along my familiar route. Downtown has transformed into a cleaner, safer and more livable environment for San Jose residents and visitors. This positive transformation should rightly be attributed to Mahan’s leadership.

Good job, Mayor Mahan.

Mark van Wyk
Morgan Hill

Civilian casualties raise
questions of Israeli intent

The World Health Organization estimates that 67% of the 10,000 Palestinians killed are women and children and that 420 Palestinian children are killed or injured every day in the present Israeli bombardment of Gaza.

These statistics raise serious questions about the true Israeli intentions.

Rosemary Everett
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
Campbell