The Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club doesn't understand the difference between high-density housing in urban areas, and high-density housing in suburban areas. There is a distinct difference between what the Loma Prieta Chapter is advocating in terms of development, and the national Sierra Club's position.

The national Sierra Club states its position against suburban sprawl on its website: "Sprawl creates crowded schools in the suburbs and empty, crumbling schools in center cities. New development puts more children in suburban schools, but does not pay for the new schools that inevitably must be built."

This is precisely what is happening in Cupertino (the suburb), and San Jose (the center city). San Jose is closing schools in its urban center as residents move to suburbs such as Cupertino and Fremont, and to San Jose's own suburbs. We have decaying, empty school campuses in the center city, and overcrowding in the suburbs, just as the Sierra Club warned.

As the Sierra Club stated, the new development doesn't generate sufficient revenue to pay for the new schools that would alleviate both overcrowding and traffic congestion. If we want more condos in the suburbs, then we need to build more schools and roads.

Instead of building new schools, the district is forced to place more portables at existing school sites. Unfortunately, school libraries, computer labs, cafeterias, auditoriums, playgrounds and playing fields are not expanded to accommodate the increased student population. School principals have warned parents that more portables are coming as new condo complexes are completed. The Sierra Club's web site states, "20 percent of school kids in California learn in temporary classrooms," but some Cupertino schools have nearly 40 percent of students in portables.

I was a member of the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club for more than 20 years, including serving in leadership roles in two of their activity sections. I even met my wife on a Sierra Club hike. The Loma Prieta Chapter lost its way when it teamed with developers to advocate for suburban sprawl.

Vote No on D & E. Stop suburban sprawl and save our schools.

Steven Scharf
Cupertino Courier Letters
Wednesday, September 13, 2006