Los Altos Town Crier » 2000 » April

Los Altos employees consider joining Teamsters union

The Teamsters union could start representing Los Altos public employees for the first time in the city’s history.

Employees in the city’s Public Works Maintenance Department were slated to cast their votes last Monday to decide whether or not to join the Teamsters union, Local 350, said Michael Ramon. He is a city maintenance worker and president of the Los Altos Public Employees Association (LAPEA) which currently represents the department’s 21 employees.

LAH residents still miffed over vandalized election signs

More than a month has passed since the Los Altos Hills’ last election, but discussion still persists over stolen and vandalized election signs. At last Thursday’s city council meeting, after Emily Cheng was sworn in as the newest council member, questions arose over placement of signs. Mayor pro tem Steve Finn delivered a speech about respecting one another’s opinions.

Cheng said people came on her property and stole her election signs and Dorothea Schreiner, treasurer for Jim Steiner’s campaign, said more than 50 of Steiner’s election signs were stolen.

June target for farmers’ market

AThursday evening farmers’ market in downtown Los Altos is gradually taking shape, even though the idea hasn’t been presented to the city council for official approval. As soon as the mechanics of traffic and parking are determined, the market could start on State Street in early June.

At the April 3 Los Altos Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee meeting, members agreed a downtown farmers’ market on Thursdays could have a positive effect on downtown business.

News Briefs

Los Altos Police arrested two men last week who allegedly tried to burglarize a home on Portola Avenue while the resident was sleeping.

The Los Altos resident called police in the early morning hours on April 3 after he heard noises at the front of his home, police said.

Council’s El Monte traffic dilemma

El Monte Avenue could be the next target in the city’s effort to control traffic in Los Altos. This month, the Los Altos City Council could decide how to enable police to use radar enforcement without raising El Monte’s 25 mph speed limit.

El Monte is a street where officers are prohibited under state law from using radar to enforce the speed limit, unless the posted limit is within 5 mph of what 85 percent of the motorists on that road travel. The disparity between the posted speed limit and the surveyed speed limit could lead to tickets that are rejected by the courts if radar is used.

Council gives go-ahead to Hills recreation, horse programs

Several residents and parents of Los Altos Hills want to establish summer recreation programs for children and families of Los Altos Hills. They have willing participants, instructors and venues. What they don’t have is liability insurance and money for program mailings.

That’s where the Los Altos Hills City Council comes in. And that’s why council members heard from town rec supporters at last Thursday’s meeting.

Comment

Anyone for a Komodo dragon?

Commentary

It’s with well-deserved pride that I am able to tell you that I’ve been made the exclusive importer of Komodo dragons for all of Los Altos Hills and the Adobe Creek watershed.

Opinion

Letters to the Editor

Mac’s closing - what a travesty! Sixty years of tradition, friendly service, and good food down the drain, and all because of money, money, money. The result is another traditional enterprise in downtown is lost because a building owner seeks to extract high rent from his tenants.

One of the few remaining constants in downtown Los Altos has been Mac’s, and now it is gone, alas.

Trappings of technology tidal wave

The Living Experiment

A friend recently sold her Los Altos home, moved out of state, and is now enjoying a quieter, more rural life. Her family works less, saves more, and their kids finally have enough time for free play. She was relieved to leave behind a shifting mindset she had seen emerging in the valley.

Save The Date

Mayfest activities, including the Kiwanis Pet Parade and Rotary Fine Art in the Park, downtown Los Altos.

July 8 and 9

Community

Easter event filled with ‘Mad Science’

The Los Altos Village Association will host a free Easter egg hunt and a Mad Science Fire and Ice Show on Saturday at the Community Plaza on Main and State streets in downtown Los Altos. Organizers expect more than 300 children to attend.

The Mad Science Fire and Ice Show will feature magical chemical potions, the wonders of dry ice and the dynamics of air pressure. “Mad scientists” in lab coats will also demonstrate the three states of matter, a gassy taste test and a super, spectacular bubbling potion.

Hidden Villa tour celebrates Earth Day

Hidden Villa, the Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation and the Northern California Solar Energy Association will celebrate Earth Day 2000, Saturday, with the Hidden Villa Sustainable Home Tour. The tour will showcase nine architecturally diverse “green” homes in the mid-Peninsula area.

Guided tours by knowledgeable architects, builders and homeowners will take place on the hour (except noon) from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at each location. Features on view include straw bale walls, passive solar heating and lighting, photovoltaic systems, gray-water recycling and use of salvaged lumber.

Hidden Villa’s White House benefits from $28,000 historical preservation grant

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitan has announced the Board of Supervisor’s approval of grants for two North County historical projects.

A $28,000 grant has been approved for Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills for exterior restoration of its White House building. The second grant of $22,000 was approved for the Museum of American Heritage in Palo Alto for completion of the garden master plan at Williams House.

Pages of the Past

Note: All Town Crier issues from 1975 are missing from our archives. For this month, “Pages of the Past” will feature events in our town in 1950 only.

In the news: Pan American Airways announced the first transatlantic jet passenger trip.

Girl Scouts supplying needy students

The girl scouts work through an American Red Cross School Chest program that gives students an opportunity to donate school supplies that are taken for granted, but are hard to find in a school in Kosovo.

Through the program, students at local schools donate school and recreational supplies for 40 students. The chests are then distributed, via the Red Cross, to disadvantaged schools and classrooms around the world.

Seniors News

Today: 9:30 a.m., board of directors meeting. Ideas, suggestions and comments about the center are encouraged.

Friday: 1 p.m., armchair travel, featuring a trip to the Gulf Coast and the French Quarter in New Orleans.

Therapist, mentor, quarterback to speak at 6th annual Los Altos Community Prayer Breakfast

The power of personal prayer will be the focus of the sixth annual Los Altos Community Prayer Breakfast, scheduled for 7-9 a.m., Friday April 21, at Hyatt Rickeys at Palo Alto.

Featured will be Normajean Hinders, a renowned psychotherapist, speaker and author; Jim Stump, a spiritual mentor to male athletes at Stanford; and Steve Stenstrom, a former Stanford and San Francisco 49ers quarterback, now with the Detroit Lions.

Library News

Children are enjoying the new Curious George stuffed animal in the Los Altos Library, purchased by the Friends of the Los Altos Library.

Mark your calendar on June 19 for the start of registration for the children’s Summer Reading Program.

Wednesday

Mountain View Parks and Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., 201 Rengstroff Ave.

Ongoing

Community Briefs

The 2000 Foothill College Flea Market will start the season 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The market will be held in Parking Lot 7 on the Los Altos Hills Campus, 12345 El Monte Road, and visitors must purchase a required campus parking permit for $2. The market is free.

Vendor space is available for all market dates. A single space (16-by-16 square feet) is $18, $15 for vendors over age 65 and Foothill students. Corner spaces are available for $25.

Police Report

April 7, 10:25 a.m., 100 block of W. Portola Avenue: Police said a teen suffered a head injury after running into a pole.

Theft

Art students become mentors at docents show

Mountain View High School artists showed elementary and middle students how to take their art to the next level last week at the annual Los Altos Art Docents art show.

Mountain View High School has its own art department; the docents do not teach classes in the school.

Los Altos geography whiz earns trip to state competition in Sacramento

In the school round of the National Geographic Bee, Los Altos resident Alex Hopkins breezed through questions like “which sub-Saharan river has Africa’s largest drainage basin?” and “name the two land-locked islands that border India.”

The fifth-grader at St. Simon School was a little stuck when asked about land formations in Sweden, but still prevailed to win the school round of the bee, passing a qualifying test with flying colors and advancing to the state round of the competition.

Schools

Proposed MV-LA charter school spurs funding concerns

A group of educators associated with Homestead High School in Cupertino would like to give students an alternative to traditional public schooling, and they’ve designated the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District as the place to do it.

However, such a school could cost the district students, teachers and money.

Schools Briefs

Construction at Bullis-Purissima Elementary School has been postponed from 2000 until 2001, due to complications stemming from a possible re-design of the school’s facilities.

At the regular board meeting April 3, Los Altos School District officials decided to begin construction at Santa Rita School in 2000 to take the place of Bullis-Purissima in the district’s construction timeline.

On Deck:

the local sports lineup for April 12-18

Baseball

LA students’ art on Earthquakes tickets

Art work by two students from Los Altos elementary schools are featured on San Jose Earthquakes season tickets for the 2000 Major League Soccer season.

Original drawings by fourth-grader Conor Tiffin from Loyola School and kindergartner Rebecca Moll from Montclaire Elementary School were among 16 submissions selected to appear on the tickets.

Sports

Sports On The Side

San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Joe Cannon of Los Altos Hills was named Major League Soccer’s Player of the Week April 3 for his performance the prior week. The St. Francis High graduate notched his fifth career shutout and posted a career-high nine saves in the Earthquakes’ 0-0 draw at Miami April 1. He was selected MLS Player of the Week by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association.

Lifesavers

Gymnasts swinging into action

After enjoying great levels of success in past seasons, the Los Altos and St. Francis gymnastics teams have high hopes for this year.

Both teams were top contenders in the Central Coast Section a year ago, with the Lancers finishing second and the Eagles fifth in the CCS championships.

Bommarito sets school record in Owls’ win over Cabrillo

Foothill Roundup

Last Friday was a banner day for the Foothill College women’s swimming and diving team.

Titans are Gunn-ing for a title

Prep Baseball Report

Armed with a deep pitching staff, solid hitting and valuable experience, the Gunn High baseball team is searching for its first undisputed league championship since 1976.

Lancers preparing for golf showdown with Serra

Softball

Gunn High picked up its second victory of the season last Thursday, edging Fremont 7-6 in Sunnyvale.

Mountain View girls remain perfect in division

Around The Track

Eagles soar past Wilcox

World United takes first step toward CYSA State Cup

World United’s march toward the California Youth Soccer Association State Cup got off to a successful start the weekend of April 1.

The under-17 boys soccer team won all three of its preliminary-round games to earn a bye in the round of 16, played last weekend.

Before you trash annual report, read the fine print

Corporate America spends millions of dollars each year producing annual reports that most shareholders casually glance at and throw away. That can be a mistake if you don’t read the fine print.

Several accountants provided insights into understanding what information the annual report provides.

Out with the old, in with the new

The latest moves in the downtown retail exchange

Moving vans have been busy downtown bringing in new retailers and moving out old established stores. Mac’s American Grill (formerly Mac’s Tea Room) closed its doors March 31 after 62 years in business, but Mac’s’ closing is only the most notable of many downtown changes currently going on.

Business

Eshoo introduces bill to protect employee stock options

U.S. Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who represents the 14th district that includes Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, recently introduced a bill that would overturn a Department of Labor attempt to include hourly employees’ stock option profits in overtime pay calculation.

If companies are forced to include these options when calculating an employee’s overtime pay, these companies will simply stop offering them to hourly employees, Eshoo said. She called it a “lose-lose situation” for employers and employees.

The commuter’s prayer, or words to motor on

Jean on the Job

Some lucky residents of these communities don’t commute at all. Some of you don’t go to an office at all. Some of you don’t hit the highways during commute hours at all. For the rest of us:

Business Briefs

The 12th annual Los Altos Chamber of Commerce Business EXPO 2000 is scheduled for 4-7 p.m., April 27, in the Los Altos Youth Center 1 N. San Antonio Road, Los Altos.

EXPO 2000 showcases Los Altos retailers, restaurants, professionals and service businesses from the Los Altos area. In past years, more than 300 visitors attend the annual EXPOs.

Start doing your homework on technology stocks now

Stock Report

A quiet feeling is growing on Wall Street that bullish investors in technology stocks will soon be facing a shake-out separating the winners from the losers. It means more homework is necessary to identify quality companies.

Transactions

Los Altos

486 Alicia Way - G. Tirado to S. Cai for $930,000.00

Stanford Lively Arts gala to feature Marsalis

Stanford Lively Arts’ 30th Anniversary Gala Concert and Swing Dance - featuring the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis - is set for 8 p.m., Friday at Stanford University.

The event will be held at the Gala Pavilion, which will be erected especially for this event adjacent to Frost Amphitheater.

Saying ‘I Do’ to the great outdoors

Plain or fancy, weddings at local venues can seem like breath of fresh air

Remember, you read it here first: Outdoor weddings are “in.”

Special Section

Brides: Make the most of your hair-raising experience

The bride’s wedding day stands alone as perhaps the most photographed days of her life. It is the one day when a classic look is essential, right down to the hairstyle and the makeup she wears.

The bridal party’s hairstyles should reflect the overall style of the wedding, whether it be formal or simple. Kristy Gobright, owner-stylist of Salon 121 in Los Altos knows that in order to have a successful wedding, it’s necessary for a consultation months before the wedding date.

High-tech’s role in planning a successful wedding

In today’s faced-paced society, it seems as if technology is incorporated into almost every aspect of our lives. Now it seems as if another traditional landmark event is going increasingly high-tech: the wedding.

According to Michelle Hodges of San Jose’s I Do Weddings and Events, “technology and the World Wide Web play an enormous role in weddings and wedding planning today.” Hodges herself is online almost all day, communicating with many of her colleagues, as well as with prospective clients.

Modern marriages made in Cyberspace

In-between “Will you marry me?” and “I do” lies a hope chest filled with plans, questions and details, details, details. The excitement and anticipation of the Big Day is laced with logistics: where to hold the ceremony, whether to invite Uncle Charlie and Aunt Kate, the date, the reception, the size of the wedding - the list blossoms like the flowers you envision carrying as you walk down the aisle.

Fortunately, you’re getting married at an ideal time. The World Wide Web offers all the resources for planning your perfect day through an innovative new site - the Internet complement to the popular magazine Town & Country, known for its elegance and style. Women.com Networks, considered the premier women’s online network, designed tncweddings.com as “everything from an interactive one-stop wedding resource to a total support system for the bride and her wedding party,” says Ellen Pack, founder and senior vice-president of Women.com.

Engagements

Diana Popek and Michael Simmons have announced their engagement to be married Aug. 12 in the Memorial Church, Stanford.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Tom and Mary Popek of Los Altos. She graduated from Saint Francis High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University.

Dream weddings and honeymoons

I recently gave an eight-hour lecture at Foothill College on honeymoons around the world. Before we met with clients, I had them fill out an information sheet giving me the following:

When and where is the wedding?

A checklist for today’s groom

Times have changed. Tradition has put the bride in charge of most of the wedding planning in the past, but today’s groom is expected to share in more of the responsibilities than ever before.

In this day of the Internet, the groom can check his browser and learn about his new wedding-planning roles. Almost every church denomination provides a Web page and links that offer advice for his every move. Even a good search engine reveals many useful planning sites.

Local travel experts offer tips for ideal honeymoons

After the hustle and bustle of planning a wedding comes the fun part for many couples: the honeymoon. The honeymoon can be a time for newlyweds to relax, spend time alone together, and possibly to visit an interesting location for the first time. Starting out their married lives together, couples want their honeymoon to be just right, but the perfect honeymoon destination can mean very different things depending on the couple.

For newlyweds who love romance, Loretta Merry of A Cruise Loft, a Los Altos travel agency, suggests a cruise to the Caribbean.

Food and Wine

Shrimp nachos for celebrating Cinco de Mayo

Town Crier Staff Report

The Mexican community will celebrate one of its biggest celebrations May 5. Cinco de Mayo, or Mexican Independence Day, commemorates a battle fought in 1862 when Mexican troops beat off the invading French, who were far better equipped and outnumbered them three to one.

Dittmer’s a mecca for speciality meat-lovers

Local family continues European traditions at Mountain View shop

Most people probably put little thought into the packaged meat they plop into their grocery baskets. For Mark Bubert, preparing meat is an art, a tradition, a part of his family’s ancestry.

Professional cook says she loves her rice cooker

Time Savers

“Time Savers” reviews kitchen gadgets and other techniques that will help readers save time in the kitchen. It appears monthly in the Town Crier’s Food & Wine section.

Food Bites

Second Harvest Food Bank will expand its food distribution programs throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties due to the success of the annual Holiday Food Drive, officials announced last month.

The food drive raised 5.4 million pounds of food for local communities, officials said.

Ideas for summer wining and dining

A wine group that I have been a member of for years recently had a Pinot Noir tasting at Bernardus Lodge. The lodge is past the village toward the end of Carmel Valley. The facility is quite new having just been open since late last year. Ben Pon, the owner of the Lodge and the Bernardus Winery, has built a lavish retreat. It appears no expense has been spared.

The restaurant features the exquisite cuisine of Cal Stamenov, late of the Highlands Inn. Sommelier Mark Jensen assembled the extensive, but pricey wine list. Mark has also moved over from the Inn.

New grill adds zest to ‘Valley’ food scene

A group of Town Crier staff restaurant reviewers, known as “The Lunch Bunch,” descends upon unsuspecting local lunchtime haunts once a month to critique their offerings in the Food & Wine section. The Lunch Bunch visited Valley Bar & Grill in Mountain View recently.

Restaurant: Valley Bar & Grill, located at 194 Castro St. in Mountain View.

People