How wonderful to see our south San Jose neighbors so concerned with what happens to our beautiful neighborhood. It's very encouraging to know that so many of us are now willing to bring this part of San Jose to its rightful placing "one of the best places to live in the valley."
We all got together yesterday to look at the information set out by the Calpine Corp. outlining there new power plant and joined in the generous luncheon they offered and then we took to the streets. Like a bunch of hippies from Berkeley we disrupted the traffic on Santa Teresa Blvd. waving our protest to the passing cars.
Funny how so many of us are against the power plant because our children will all chock to death on its small amount of emissions. Yet on the other hand most of us are for the Cisco project with 20,000 automobiles coming into our neighborhood each day emitting 10 times more emission then the power plant.
How hypocritical of us but what the [xxxx] our house will be worth more money and so what if our kids cough a little they'll get over it.
The truth is dear neighbors your house won't be worth a [xxxx] even if ten Cisco move here or the power plant doesn't get built. Willow Glen and the Rose Garden neighborhoods have homes just like ours but worth 5 times that of ours, they don't have a Cisco next door to them. What they do have is pride in where they live, they take good care of there homes and they wont allow the garbage that is predominant across our neighborhood. South San Jose will only prosper if we clean up our act, take pride in the house and street where we live keeping it clean and neat. You want a cause to rally around? Start with the street you live on.
Will South San Jose be the next Willow Glen? It will depend on the love you have for your house and the pride you show for your neighborhood and not because of Calpine or Cisco.
Drop your protest and pick up a broom!

Francis Paul Czyz
resident of south San Jose 24 years