Letters to the Editor: A Section 8 crisis in a world with abundant luxury condos
As someone who has recently moved from an area with affordable housing to a city with luxury property, I am appalled that so many of our community are moving to the suburbs with the belief that these housing developments are affordable. How sad and greedy is it to not see that a good deal is being offered for an area that is already full of families. We need more people to move out of the city and more of us to move into the suburbs because the city is full of the wealthy.
I am grateful to be able to choose among the luxury developments within the borders of our community. They are affordable and the amenities are excellent. I have lived in my home for 18 years. My wife has lived in the same home for 20 years. We plan to remain in our home for another five years. But, we will not live in the suburbs or the exurbs.
Our community is being attacked by city hall and the developers. To quote the recent editorial in the “Voice of the Victims of the Prop. 8 Lawsuit” by Judge Vaughn Walker: “All of the issues were well briefed by plaintiff [the city of San Jose, CA, and the developers of the new Westfield Valley Fairview mall site]. The city could have just as easily settled the suit.”
The city, through the Mayor’s Office, has been making a number of negative statements about the lawsuit and the community. What makes the statement in the “Voice of the Victims of the Prop. 8 Lawsuit” even more disturbing is the Mayor’s response to the community’s comments about the lawsuit, which was delivered to the San Jose City Council by San Jose City Attorney Mike Aguirre.
“I believe that the City should have been able to settle the lawsuit without litigation,” Aguirre said. “I believe the City should have given a more positive reception to the community. It would have been great if we could have been able to do that.”
As a resident of the city over 20 years, I see how quickly the city is closing its eyes to a lawsuit and how quickly the community is coming together to fight this lawsuit. The City and the developers of the Westfield Valley