THE DAYS WHEN working farmers actually positioned their own scarecrows in Santa Clara Valley fields have slipped into quaint memories of yesteryear. Now farmers seem eager to applaud any and all actions of cash-wielding Cisco and the City of San Jose. After decades of backbreaking work in the hot Silicon Valley sun, farmers stand ready to reap the joys of the area's high-tech harvest. Kenneth Saso, a longtime local farmer, says he's tired of broken promises of development and wants to finally unload his land and retire. Saso likens local environmentalists' efforts to fight the development as the equivalent of stripping him of his 401K and social security plans.
People talk about wanting to save open space and agricultural land.
But if the people want to save it, they should buy it. Until environmentalists offer cash, Saso sees industrial development as his only way out. Without anyone in power fighting for farmland preservation, token scarecrows dotting CoyoteLand will be stuffed with money, but they won't have an open field to stand in. 2000 Metro Publishing Inc. Metroactive is affiliated with the Boulevards Network .