My bride-to-be does not get to proofread my column before I submit it to the paper.

EDITOR,

EDITOR,

EDITOR,

Hopefully, our county supervisor, Mark Stone, will not approve the construction of the new La Bahia hotel in Santa Cruz. At least, not as it is presently planned, with its projected height to be four stories and blocking the ocean views of the residents on Beach Hill. The hotel could have been built by now, but the developers will not budge from their insistence that the height be well over zoning regulations. They say that they must have that fourth story for two large and, we must assume, very expensive penthouses. The new La Bahia will not be just a hotel. It will be a four-star hotel. Meaning that it's not going to be a place where the grandkids can stay and be close to the Boardwalk.

EDITOR,

The recent arrival of two tobacco shops in Scotts Valley has caused concern for some residents, particularly parents of young and impressionable students. Some of the recent phone calls and e-mails I have received noted the close proximity of one smoke shop to our local middle school, as well as concern over the pipes, bongs and related paraphernalia often associated more with the drug culture than tobacco use. The smoke shop near the middle school offers ice cream snacks, which one parent likened to an attractive enticement for curious students.

With the help of my mother, my future mother-in-law and my bride-to-be, it looks like I’ve finally compiled a guest list. What I didn’t realize when I signed up for this job was that I would be slaving on this thing late into the night to perfect a list of close to 400 people — some of whom I don’t even know.

EDITOR,

In recent opinion (“Trim pensions before raising taxes,” Letters, Feb. 18), it was suggested that the fire and police department take a cut in their pensions. I cannot fault the writer for his misinformation regarding the pension system, which he knows nothing about. I am a retired San Jose firefighter. The Mercury News has reported our retirement questions incorrectly. It sells papers. Because it is in print doesn't make it the truth, including my opinion. The San Jose police and fire retirement system is a private system, negotiated by the members. Firefighters and police put money into the system instead of taking salary increases — an option that was not always granted to us. Check with the San Jose Police Association and Firefighters Union for the correct facts on this subject. The Mercury is politically biased.