MILPITAS has generally had a friendly, cooperative relationship with the various owners of the GreatMall ever since it was the Ford Motor Co. assembly plant. Of late, however, the tenor of the rhetoric at the city council meetings has been heightened by several real or imagined grievances or misunderstandings.

Some of these raised voices have been sounded over the huge pole sign on a patch of city-owned land at Interstate 880 and Montague Expressway. Vice Mayor Bob Livengood, ironically a former management staff member at GreatMall, is irate that the land lease deal for the sign only brings in about $10,000 a year. He says it ought to bring in a lot more or be pulled down.

On the basis of the signs on the city-owned land and a private site along Interstate 680, mall representatives say they were able to attract several key tenants. GreatMall has the dubious California distinction of not being located adjacent to a freeway, a siting which is rare for any giant regional shopping complex. To make up for that lack, the city actively assisted in getting the signage, which even included over-riding a protest by Caltrans because of its proximity to traffic lanes.

Councilman Armando Gomez has taken up the cause of cost-sharing at GreatMall for the four full-time Milpitas police officers stationed there. About half of the cost is paid for by the mall's owner, the Simon Co.

Police Chief Dennis Graham has compiled a report showing the crime statistics at GreatMall

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compared to the rest of the city. Some of the categories, notably shoplifting, assaults and thefts relating to autos, total a significant proportion of the city's entire crime rate. Overall this represents about one fifth of all incidents of serious crimes. Shoplifting itself at the GreatMall is 60 percent of the city's overall total. Assaults, which tend to come toward the end of drinking evenings at the major sports bar-restaurant at the GreatMall, also are a serious policing problem.

Without question the council is wise to raise issues of these types. The council members also have an obligation to recognize the inherent partnership between the private owners and the city government, which has facilitated the mall's growth and success. Thus we ought to look toward courteous and rational approaches to problem solving as opposed to flamboyant rhetorical flights. Even in an election year, this shouldn't be too much to expect.