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Archives » 2000 » Volume 53 , Issue 48, Published on Wednesday, November 29, 2000NewsStarting holidays off right
Longtime parade-goer finds Festival of Lights’ familiarity a comfort hey arrived in droves with thermoses in hand, tables in tow, and carrying blankets, chairs and children. Some spread out buffets, sipped wine from glasses and shared fondue from crockpots. Others celebrated birthdays, tossed balls, and gathered for family get-togethers. MROSD’s mountain bike ban takes effect this weekLocal bicyclists will be banned from 13.6 miles of public trails along the Peninsula starting this week. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s decision last July to phase mountain bikes from seven of its 25 preserves goes into effect Friday. The new policy will close off trails to bikes at Foothills, La Honda Creek, Los Trancos, Picchetti Ranch, Pulgas Ridge, Teague Hill and Thornewood open space preserves. City and public works employees to agree on new contract after 10 months of protests, bitter labor negotiationsTeamsters union to accept city’s latest proposal for better grievance procedures The 10-month labor battle between Los Altos city management and the Public Works Department was winding down last week with the expected approval of a new labor contract. News BriefsThe Los Altos City Council is scheduled to hold a work session at 7 p.m. Monday at Hillview Community Center Room 11, to determine what criteria the city should consider when selecting a final project for the city-owned property on the corner of First and Main streets. The council last month narrowed the list of project proposals for the .78-acre site to five, including three proposals for a hotel-restaurant-retail combination; one plan for a single-story retail center; and another for a six-screen movie theater. Peninsula Los Altos to release controversial police audit ThursdayThe city this Thursday is scheduled to release a draft of the Los Altos Police audit that allegedly contains damning feedback about the department’s administration. The release comes nearly a year after the city commissioned the report and two weeks after a Los Altos resident threatened to go to Superior Court to have the audit publicly released. The Los Altos City Council last January paid consulting firm Hughes, Perry & Associates $35,000 to review and audit the police department’s operations. The review was intended to find ways to improve the department’s organization, to achieve more effective use of manpower and to reduce staff and save costs without decreasing the level of service, according to a staff report from City Manager Phil Rose, released in November 1999. Candidate to ask for LAH council election recountDepending on the cost, candidate Sandy Humphries said she may ask for a recount of votes in the recent Los Altos Hills City Council election. “We are going for a recount to rebuild the public confidence in the system,” Humphries said. “A lot of my supporters have insisted we do this.” CommentBest cable access option: Partner with MVSince 1985, local residents have been producing programs for cable access television at Foothill College, many of them very good. “Suzanne’s Studio,” “Los Altos History” and “Grand Piano” are three of our favorites. Foothill officials, however, want to close down the studio and free up the space for other needs as enrollment at the community college continues to skyrocket. Cable access participants can continue to operate at the studio until Dec. 31. After that, their options are fuzzy. OpinionLetters to the editorThe last thing we need in Los Altos is a hotel. There are already many hotels on El Camino and a Residence Inn being built on El Camino Real in Los Altos. We also do not need a mammoth theater. A small theater would be very nice. In our opinion, the council and city merchants are thinking of more money in their coffers and not of the people who live in town. The qualities that have made the downtown area a nice place to be are already being eroded. Dirty sidewalks and traffic being only two of the problems and with more people, they will only increase. Another issue is squeezing condos into any small space available. We don’t need a larger population and bulky two- and three-story buildings in town. Thanksgiving cornucopiaA View from the Hills Thanksgiving. A time for counting blessings, a time to acknowledge life’s goodness. If you are warm, well-fed and able to enjoy the smiling faces around your holiday table, color yourself lucky. City needs to address complex questionsOther Voices One of my goals as the new mayor of Los Altos is to improve public discussion of city council issues of concern to area residents. East PA foundation among TC Holiday Fund recipientsTown Crier Staff Report The Town Crier this season launched the first Town Crier Holiday Fund to provide support for needy families, particularly those with children. All grants from the fund will be made to family support agencies in the county that do not have extensive traditional funding capability. CommunityLibrary NewsThe Friends of the Library of Los Altos will hold their annual holiday gift book sale from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday in the Los Altos Library program room. The sale will feature used books in quality condition. No checks, please. For more information, call the Los Altos Library reference desk at 948-7683, ext. 3519. ‘Paint the Town’ book benefits a host of non-profit organizationsTown Crier Staff Report A book that is a virtual time capsule of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills at the turn of the millennium has been published as a unique fund-raiser for local non-profit organizations. Community Briefs“Hearts and Flowers,” a fashion show and luncheon presented by the Los Altos Federated Woman’s Club, will be held 11 a.m., Feb. 3, at Michael’s at Shoreline restaurant. Donations are $30, with proceeds going to Los Altos Teen Help Center, Morgan Center and Alzheimer’s Association. For tickets and information call (408) 252-0265 or (408) 737-2788. Upcoming EventsBreakfast With Santa, sponsored by the Los Altos Village Association 8:30 and 11 a.m., La Gondola Ristorante, 242 State St. Dec. 1-24 Realtors combine forces for $35,000 in donations to non-profitsRecent charity events sponsored by the districts (Los Gatos-Saratoga, Los Altos-Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Atherton-Menlo Park) of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors raised more than $35,000 for local non-profit organizations. Most of the checks were presented last week. The Los Gatos/Saratoga Districts held a pumpkin auction during their weekly housing tour meeting. The event raised $5,100 for Operation Reindeer, the Children’s Shelter, Harvest Food Bank, and the American Red Cross. Holiday BriefsMusic is in the air Saturday and Dec. 16 when the Aurora Singers, led by John Reed and the Merrie Olde Christmas Carolers, stroll the streets of downtown Los Altos. Carriage rides throughout holidays Baking artist encourages family fun at LAH gingerbread workshopJudee Biggles, self-styled “frustrated Los Altos Hills artist,” whose talents include jewelry making, drawing and painting, will conduct a Family Gingerbread Workshop Saturday at Los Altos Hills Town Hall. Participants of all ages will have an opportunity to learn Biggles’s decorating secrets as they work on gingerbread facades. Rotarian receives national award for leadership in AIDS workplace programsDushan “Dude” Angius, vice-president of Lawson-Hawks Insurance, Mountain View, and former president of the Rotary Club of Los Altos, has been honored as the first recipient of a special award from the Center For Disease Control and Prevention’s National Business and Labor Responds to AIDS Program for his “exemplary leadership in HIV/AIDS workplace programs.” Presented at the National Business and Labor Conference on HIV/AIDS in Washington, D.C., the first-time award recognizes Angius’ efforts during the past decade to promote AIDS education and awareness. The award, designated the Dude Angius Award, will become an annual award to honor other individuals who are dedicated to a high level of leadership and support for HIV/AIDS programs in the community, the workplace and/or among peers. No DSL? Just think about the Los Altos folks back in 1913Pages of the Past Do you have DSL yet? No? Well, relax and look back to the year 1913 when there were only 32 phones in the entire city. Talk about a family affair. If you were in need of phone service back then, you paid a visit to the home of Charles Schmaling to make the deal. That’s where the company headquarters and switchboard were located. Employees? None. Plaza tree lighting kicks off holiday seasonDespite cold temperatures, hundreds of Los Altos residents turned out last Friday night for the annual city tree-lighting ceremony kicking off the holiday season in the downtown Community Plaza. Groups of school children, dressed in red, lined the plaza stage to sing holiday songs. Donate your old cell phone to aid domestic violence victimsYour old cell phone may be the key to quick relief for domestic violence victims. Fine Homes and Estates, Seville Properties of Los Altos, has joined the campaign to collect wireless phones to help these victims. Realtor Shelly Potvin will accept donations of cell phones Mondays through Fridays, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., until Jan. 15. KMVT awarded for bulletin boardsThe station received this honor during the recent WAVE awards, presented recently in Sacramento. They are sponsored by the Western Region of the Alliance for Community Media. KMVT won in a field of more than 500 participants from six Western states. KMVT 15 received five WAVE nominations in total. They included three staff-produced programs for Best Community Bulletin Board, Best Community Event Coverage, Best Channel Pronto, and two resident-produced programs by “Outlook Video” for Best Magazine and Best Community Event. Noted scientist unlocks mysteries of the Stanford Linear AcceleratorWhat exactly goes on at the Stanford Linear Accelerator? Wolfgang K.H. Panofsky shed some light on the question when addressing a small group of Los Altos Kiwanis members at their meeting last week. The famed physicist projected charts and photos documenting the inception and evolution of Stanford’s Linear Accelerator Center, SLAC, and reminded the Kiwanis members, “We want to be good neighbors. You drive over it on 280 all the time, so why not come in and take a tour of the two-mile building?” ‘Spirit of Sharing’ lights up holidaysFoothill Disposal employees will collect new toys, games, books, canned goods and non-perishable food items curbside on residents’ regularly scheduled recycling or garbage day. Residents simply put canned goods and toys in a bag, mark the bag clearly with “Spirit of Sharing,” and place the donation curbside on their regularly scheduled garbage or recycling day. Larger items should be dropped off at Foothill Disposal in Mountain View at 935 Terra Bella Ave. Seniors NewsFollowing is a list of special events for the month: Today: 12:30 to 2 p.m., flu shots will be offered. Shots are free to current Los Altos Senior Center members, but a donation is appreciated. A $5 donation is requested from non-members. Preference will be given to those over age 55. LEGO challenge: save villagers from erupting volcanoAfter the Saturday basketball games, nine students at St. Nicholas School in Los Altos change from their team tank tops to T-shirts emblazoned with a brown bat, wings outspread over a red LEGO “B.” They are not becoming Batmen but Big Authentic Technological Scientists, B.A.T.S. Fourth-grade students Michael Kasianchuk, Radley Angelo, Stephen Vidovich and Louis Perez de Lara; sixth-graders Adam Garcia and Nicholas Fylstra; and seventh-graders Andrew Merrill, Andreas Camerrana and Brandon Angelo are learning and using skills more often associated with the movers and shakers of Silicon Valley startups to participate in the FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Challenge. Bags of books encourage kindergarten literacyAfter trial runs in the neighboring Mountain View and Whisman school districts, a program that sends books home in bags has come to Los Altos School District kindergarten classes. Once upon a time in the East Bay, a factory worker named Judy Buchanon noticed her fellow workers, though they cared very much for their children, didn’t know how to teach them to enjoy books. She found books which she put in bags so that the workers could take them home and read with their children. Workers returned the books on Fridays and she restocked them Mondays. SchoolsNoteworthiesThe College Board, a non-profit association of schools, college and educational organizations, sponsors this program to provide national recognition of the exceptional academic achievements of Hispanic high school seniors and to identify such seniors for colleges and universities. Shahram Miri, son of Mike and Connie Miri of Los Altos and a Mountain View High School graduate, was inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society at the University of San Diego. Mira was named to the fall and spring semesters’ deans list for the 1999-2000 academic year. Schools BriefsThe Board of Trustees of Menlo School in Atherton announced a creative new plan designed to help the school’s employees cope with rising costs on the Peninsula. Menlo School Board Chairman Eff Martin and Head of School Norman M. Colb announced the creation of the Menlo School Educators’ Fund (MSEF). Menlo’s board will invest $2 million for the 2000-2001 school year, and pledges a similar commitment each succeeding year, in venture capital funds. De Anza, Foothill College bookstores unify operationsWhen the Foothill College bookstore continued to produce deficits while the De Anza bookstore showed profits, the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees decided on a business plan to unify the Foothill and De Anza bookstores. The plan went into effect this year. Sports On The SideEric Chaves of St. Francis High last Saturday finished second in the boys Division III state finals at Woodard Park in Fresno. The senior ran the course in 15 minutes, 30 seconds. Los Altos senior Aaron Kaye placed 43rd in the race with a 16:33. On the girls’ side, St. Francis junior Julia Gordon took 37th in Division III, clocking a 19:36. Heading down under Owls to face Shasta Saturday in 4th annual Silicon Valley BowlThe Foothill College football team has established itself as one of the top community college programs in the state the past three seasons, compiling a 26-6 record and a pair of bowl victories. On Saturday, the Owls hope to finish another stellar season with their third Kiwanis Silicon Valley Bowl victory in as many years. Foothill upended Fresno 31-0 in last season’s bowl game. SportsNew Los Altos High coach Matthews looking to fill Testa’s wrestling shoesWhen the school year started, Los Altos High athletic director Monica Lodge was still desperately seeking a wrestling coach. Candidates to replace Nick Testa, who resigned in February after nine years as coach, were few and far between. St. Francis grad leads Dons to 3rd round of soccer playoffsThe De Anza College women’s soccer team, coached by St. Francis High graduate Cheryl Owiesny, came a win away from reaching this week’s California Community College Championships. The third-seeded Dons fell 2-1 to No. 2 Ohlone in the third round of the Northern California regional playoffs on Nov. 21. Inkster enters LPGA Hall of Fame, as Los Altos writer predictedBack in the early 1980s, I was a sportswriter covering most of the major pro and celebrity golf and tennis events in Palm Springs. In April of 1985, I was assigned to write a story on pro golfer and Los Altos resident Juli Inkster for Meredith Newspapers. At that time, the Los Altos Town Crier was owned by Meredith and would be one of the newspapers where the story would appear. Sherbakov nets CCS tennis crown with victory over HodzicCCS Girls Tennis Playoffs Lena Sherbakov was less than thrilled with her performance in last week’s Central Coast Section individual tennis tournament, but the Los Altos High senior still played well enough to claim the singles title. China Antique Co. opens for discriminating collectorsWalking into 390 State St. and seeing the rare treasures is like walking into a museum. Harvey West and Xiaobo Yao-West opened The China Antique Company in Los Altos after looking at other cities from Monterey to the mid-Peninsula. Stock market still jittery over election uncertaintyStock Report Even though George W. Bush was awarded Florida Sunday, stocks will continue to be jittery over what might happen next. There are also plenty of worries about corporate earnings. BusinessLos Altos financial planner offers tips to make life less taxing at year’s endIt’s no fun, but year-end tax planning is upon us, and a little planning will almost always help reduce the taxes you owe. There are survival methods that are especially useful to consider at year’s end. Foothill students ready to put on their dancing shoesUnder the artistic direction of Foothill College dance instructor Bubba Gong, the Foothill Repertory Dance Company this weekend presents “Tapestry 2000.” The 16th annual fund-raising dance concert will feature original student works, experimental pieces and favorite repertory selections. ‘Triumph’ opening this week in PAThe musical previews today through Friday and opens Saturday. Show times are scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays; 8 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m., Saturdays, and 2 and 7 p.m., Sundays. Tickets cost $20-$38. Your HomeGardeners, go with Mother Nature, spare (or share) those volunteer seedlingsAt this time of the year, as the garden slims down to its lean bones, you might notice volunteer seedlings growing strong and perky in the wrong places. To Mother Nature, of course, they are growing in the right places - they seeded and sprouted on their own and are growing just fine. As Buddhist verse observes, it is easy to move the most towering of trees when it is tiny and pliable, so instead of rooting out the invading bush or tree seedlings, consider potting them and creating a new feature for your garden. If these are the plants that like your soil and sun well enough to multiply themselves efficiently, perhaps a hedge or small grove of them would work well - and if it doesn’t work, you won’t have spent any money on the plants. Home BriefsLos Altos interior designers Marcia Miller, ASID, and Steven Stein, ASID, of MILLER/STEIN have won an award of excellence from Sunset Magazine for their design of a 100-year-old house in Palo Alto. With elements like cherry cabinets, copper-framed panels of new and antique glass, and a marble-topped maple island cabinet, the local design team integrated a kitchen/playroom/dining area which blends harmoniously with the rest of the home. Their design appears on page 143 of the November issue of Sunset. ‘Homes for the Holidays’ tour Knitting needles fly locally - even children, teens design projectsKnitting needles are clicking faster than ever at Uncommon Threads on State Street. There’s a resurgence in the venerable art of knitting, with crowded classes and waiting lists for beginners in the heart of Silicon Valley. “I’ve been in business 11 years and October was the best month ever,” said Louise Spangler, owner of the popular store, one of the most comprehensive sources for knitting supplies in the Bay Area. Artistic Furniture Services brings old back to life“Almost everybody has something stored away, and they say, ‘If only I could find someone to fix this.’ Well, I’m that person,” said Steve Slusser, owner of Artistic Furniture Services. He estimates that about 95 percent of his business comes from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, although he travels as far north as Burlingame and as far south as Morgan Hill to pick up furniture and art objects for restoration. Christmas in every cornerLinda and Ed Dodge mix holiday, everyday antiques in their longtime home “This is our first and only house,” Linda and Ed Dodge said of their expanded ranch house near St. Simon’s Catholic Church and school. Grant: A structure for every garden and a rose in every potBill Grant, retired from a career in education, now travels the world with garden-lovers, touring the great public and private gardens throughout Europe and beyond. His fondness for garden structures was the subject of a well-illustrated talk recently for the Western Horticulture Society at Loyola School. He urged members to consider adding pillars, fences, festoons (swinging chain or rope supports for roses), sheds, gates and pergolas to their gardens. PeopleSuccessful follies and a Red Triangle awardeeStrictly Candids GREAT FUN AT THE 2000 FOLLIES: The Bus Barn Stage Company put on a wonderful and witty Oct. 14 performance of musical satires, “Low Thoughts and High Prices, or, Politics as Usual,” which was produced and directed by Vicki Reeder and written by Chet Frankenfield and Vicki. After the show, everyone had a great time under the tent sipping wine and tasting appetizers donated by A.G. Ferrari Foods, Acme Baking Company, Ay Ay Ay, DeMartini Orchard, Draeger’s Market, Italian Delicatessen and Le Boulanger. Organizers gave a special thanks to Bank of Los Altos, Los Altos Garbage Company, and Bob and Marion Grimm. The evening was a huge success with talented actors, delicious food and an enthusiastic crowd. Anniversary & WeddingJack and Esther Forbes, long- time Los Altos Hills residents, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Oct. 14. The family gathered at Hugo’s Restaurant, Ricky’s Hyatt House, Palo Alto, to celebrate this special occasion. The event was arranged by son, Ross Forbes and daughter, Mary Anne Casella. They were joined by daughter-in-law Mary Forbes, son-in-law Ron Casella, granddaughter Karen, and her husband, Dave Adamski, and their children, Hailey and Austin. Also in attendance were Rusty Epps and Kaylene. ObituariesPauline Drury died Nov. 10. A native of Alabama, she was 78. Mrs. Drury was a tech clerk at Philco Ford. She is survived by her son, Rufus Drury Jr. of Mountain View; and grandchildren, Eric and Emma Drury. Stepping OutStanford drama department producing sci-fi play ‘R.U.R’The Stanford University Department of Drama this week presents a new adaptation of Karel Capek’s classic science fiction tale, “R.U.R.” The play is scheduled for 8 p.m., today through Saturday, in the Little Theater in Stanford University’s Memorial Auditorium. ‘Hour’ is near for Bus Barn’s latest playThe Bus Barn Stage Company opens it production of “1940s Radio Hour” this week at the Bus Barn Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. “Radio Hour” previews Thursday, opens Friday and runs through Dec. 30. Cardinal Ballet spinning tale of ‘The Nutcracker’Cardinal Ballet, formerly known as Stanford Ballet, will perform its seventh annual community production of “The Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday, at Palo Alto High School. Discover Clara’s delight when she receives a Nutcracker on Christmas and travels to the Land of Sweets filled with Chinese Tea, Spanish Chocolate, Arabian Coffee, Russian Bon Bons and many other friends. This performance focuses on Act II of the traditional production and intends to be an entertaining way to introduce children to the magic of ballet. |
In Our OpinionEditorialWe’ve recently covered the passing of two of this community’s most involved and committed volunteers, Lee Lynch and Billy Russell. They represented an era when people helped out, not so they could get their name on a building, but because it was simply the right thing to do. There’s a new generation of volunteers hard at work right now in this community who are carrying on their legacy. The level of involvement in the recent Los Altos Relay For Life event bears this out. |
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