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Letters

Patriot Awards deserving

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your excellent coverage of the two recipients of the 2012 Ed Kinney Community Patriot Awards. Each year the nominating committee reviews the nominations submitted by committee members for people who have made a positive difference in the Pleasanton community. This year's awardees, Jan Batcheller and Tony Macchiano, have outstanding records of service.

Friends and family members of Jan and Tony, as well as past award recipients, attended the eighth annual Ed Kinney Community Patriot Awards reception on Monday, April 23, at the Museum on Main. Each year Ed Kinney's memory is honored by the presentation of these awards to worthy community members in the hope of inspiring others and motivating them to make a positive difference in Pleasanton.

Jan and Tony can best describe their motivation. Jan says, "I am in debt to this community .... I believe we should leave our community better than we found it."

Tony similarly says, "I have to give back .... You just need to help people and the community to be a good place."

The awardees will be introduced to the community at the Fourth of July Celebration in Wayside Park. Ed Kinney shared his love of the community as he served as master of ceremonies for "Celebrating Freedom and its Evolution Since the Revolution," Pleasanton's all-volunteer community event for the Fourth of July.

As of 2012, Ed Kinney Community Patriot Awards and reception are a 501(C)(3) nonprofit under the umbrella of the Tri-Valley Community Foundation.

Barbara Hempill, Communications Committee, CommunityPatriots.org

Wants lawsuits considered in Walmart bid

Dear Editor,

I would like to commend the Pleasanton City Council and in particular it's mayor for the civil handling of the contentious issue of a Walmart grocery store moving into the former Nob Hill site on May 7th. I attended out of curiosity as a former resident of the Meadows.

It appears that there may be no legal reason for denying Walmart a permit despite the fact it would be an undesirable addition to the community.  If this is the case, I suggest a review of the standards for licensing businesses. Communities should be able to have broad control over ensuring that businesses they license adhere to fair business and labor practices. The history of lawsuits, for example, should be a consideration as well as the impact on the community.

Google the words "Walmart sued" and you will get 2,860,000 hits. According to www.wal-martlitigation.com/howmany.htm, Walmart is sued 2 to 5 times per day in federal court alone. The suits range from goods falling on customers to sex/age/disability discrimination among its employees, and more recently stockholders over the Mexican bribery scandal. If Pleasanton cannot legally say no to such a corporation, its licensing practice needs to be fixed.

Eloise Hamann