Holidays in words, pictures

When Mary’s arms were empty

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the song says. The holidays are wonderful, but not because of the often unbridled materialism that seems to consume us this time of year. No, the wonder lies in our opportunity to look within ourselves and be thankful for what we have while reaching out to those who have little.

He heard the angels sing - without going to heaven

Have you ever been to heaven and heard the angels sing? I didn’t think so. However, if it’s any consolation, neither have I. But I came close to the real thing in setting and sound at Christmas 1996 in Chapel Hill North Carolina.

Barbara and I were visiting our son Jim and his family for the holidays and while there, Jim arranged for us to attend a nearby Southern Baptist church on Christmas eve. Having eaten an early dinner, we managed to gang-tackle their two squirmy kids and lasso them with neckties before speeding off in the general direction of the church. We barely made it before the services started.

Illegal dumper caught in the act with woodchips in LAH

The driver of a van dumping wood chips on Los Altos Hills properties on several occasions was caught in the act last week and given a citation for the illegal acts.

Sgt. Luther Pugh with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said a Ravensbury Avenue resident, returning home on Dec. 11, saw a 1977 Chevy van with a wood chipper attached to it pulling out of the yard of her neighbor. The neighbor noticed a freshly-dumped load of wood chips on the property, took down the license plate number and called the Sheriff’s Office.

News Briefs

The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has added 10 to 15 additional patrol units to the streets this holiday season to target drunk drivers as part of “The Avoid the 13″ anti-drinking and driving campaign.

The units will be deployed throughout the unincorporated areas of the county, as well as the sheriff’s contract cities, which includes Los Altos Hills. The addition of these units could increase staffing in particular areas by 50 percent.

Los Altos hires new planning director from Saratoga to begin work in January

Los Altos hired a new planning director last week following a 10-month search. James Walgren will join the city staff on Jan. 8, filling the vacancy left by Larry Tong, who resigned from his four-year post last February to work as a planning director in the East Bay.

Walgren has worked as community development director for the city of Saratoga for nearly 12 years and as the city’s planning manager for the three preceding years.

Mountain View neighborhood restricted to one-story homes

While Los Altos neighborhoods are yet to be impacted by a single-story overlay ordinance passed earlier this year, 75 ranch-style homes just across the border in Mountain View are likely to stay mostly single-story because of a similar ordinance.

With overwhelming resident approval, the council at its Dec. 12 meeting introduced an ordinance to rezone to a one-story overlay zone. This is the first application Mountain View officials have received from a neighborhood under new rezoning procedures approved this past June.

Los Altos resident looks to protect more trees under a possible change in the city ordinance

More trees could escape the saw blade in Los Altos if resident K.B. Herndon can muster enough community momentum to change the city’s tree protection ordinance.

The longtime Los Altos resident said she wants a city ordinance that will include more types of trees under its protective blanket. The current ordinance protects certain varieties of trees, including oak, redwood, sycamore and laurel, that measure 48 inches in circumference, at 48 inches above the ground’s natural grade.

LA extends cable contract with AT&T for 6 months

Los Altos city management extended its cable television contract with AT&T for another six months in order to allow the city more time to finalize a new agreement with the cable company. The contract extension will keep the current agreement in place through June 30.

This isn’t the first time the city has asked AT&T for an extension.The city has been negotiating with AT&T for a new cable contract over the past year, when AT&T acquired the city’s cable service, TeleCommunications Inc.

Police make arrest in theft of human tissue samples

Police last week arrested a 22-year-old woman for allegedly stealing a car parked in front of El Camino Hospital that was transporting human tissue samples to a local pathology lab Nov. 27.

San Jose police linked the Mountain View auto theft to Roseanne Caroline Decarli, Dec. 10, after they stopped her for driving another car that had been reported stolen out of Newark.

Letters to the editor

At her home in San Francisco, I once asked Charlotte Shultz, chief of protocol for the city, why she worked so hard at volunteering.

“Because I’m afraid, if I don’t, they’ll send me back to Texas.”

Christmas story according to Luke, Ch. 2

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

Highlights after 8 years on Los Altos Hills council

Other Voices

As I conclude my second term on the Los Altos Hills City Council, it is only natural to want to look back over the years and think about some of the accomplishments during that time. There are several for which I feel great personal pride. These are my top five.

Where did the year go?

Reflections

Friends are beginning to ask what happened to the year 2000. Remember the big “hoo hah” about the millenium? It seems I just got used to writing 2000 on my checks, but the newspapers write about the year 2004, 2005 and 2035! We’ve made our New Year’s Eve plans, but there isn’t the same anticipation, though many will say that this is the true millenium. The very idea of time is so evanescent, yet so with us.

Pages of the Past

The Dec. 27, 1972, edition of the Town Crier reported that Christmas decorations ranging from a moving Santa and prancing reindeer to a set of life-size replicas of Peanuts characters captured awards in two annual Los Altos holiday decorating contests.

The Board of Realtors attracted more than 50 entrants in its home decoration contest. Winners of the originality title were Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Cravens, who had erected the life-size display of Peanuts characters at their Morton Avenue home.

Police Report

Dec. 12, 12:40 p.m., Interstate 280 & Magdalena Road: Vehicle slid off roadway. Information forwarded to CHP.

Disturbance

Help One Child supports foster children, families

A network of church members and one Los Altos Hills couple’s mission to empty children’s shelters, may be the only avenue for some children to become part of a family.

Just ask Janet and Ron Mires. The Mountain View couple regularly takes foster children into their home to integrate them into a functional family setting. They currently have six children, two biological children, two adopted children and two foster children. The Mires admit that this is rewarding, but not always easy. Through the non-profit group Help One Child, which provides emotional and sometimes financial support, the Mireses said they have been able to continue taking in children.

Donate your old cell phone to battered women

Your 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 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, until Jan. 15.

Dare to volunteer with the city of Los Altos as a New Year’s resolution

Do you resolve to get more involved in community life in 2001? The City of Los Altos seeks residents for a number of interesting and important committee and commission vacancies.

Inactive for some time, the Bicycle Advisory Committee needs members. They advise city staff and council on promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety, updating the city’s Bicycle Plan, prioritizing bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects, and identifying and prioritizing potential handicap access ramp locations within the community. Regular meeting times can be established by new committee members.

Seniors News

Notes: Memberships are due. Cost is $12 a year if your zip code is 94022, 94023 or 94024. All other zip codes are $17 per year. “Spotlight,” the Los Altos Senior Center monthly newsletter, can be mailed for $3 per year, not included in the annual membership fee.

AARP Tax-Aide program is looking for volunteers to assist with tax preparation for the 2000 income tax season. Volunteers receive comprehensive training to help low- and middle-income people with special attention to those age 60 and over.

Library News

Some titles ordered include Better Homes & Gardens Wood, Dr. Dobb’s Journal, Java Developer’s Journal, Kitchen Gardener and Morningstar Stockinvestor.

Geographic Adventure, Stitcher’s World, Windows 2000 and Windows NT.

Realtors’ programs provide happy holidays for less fortunate

Walk into any Coldwell Banker office in Los Altos. The lobby resembles a clothing store on one side and a toy store on the other.

That’s because this holiday season, the offices of Coldwell Banker have joined in the support of two projects, “Operation: One Warm Coat” and “Toys for Tots.”

Calendar

Los Altos Senior Center reopens. Hours are 9-3 p.m., Monday through Friday, 97 Hillview Ave.

Jan. 3

Community Briefs

A public forum intended as an exchange of ideas on improving health and human care needs is scheduled 9:30-11:30 a.m., Jan. 9, in the multipurpose room of the Mountain View Senior Center, 266 Escuela Avenue.

The forum, sponsored by the Senior Care Commission, will feature new county Supervisor Liz Kniss, who will kick off the meeting with opening remarks. Chairwoman Maureen Wadiak of the Community Serivces Agency said “This is a great opportunity to inform the Board of Supervisors about the critical health and human care services needed in Santa Clara County.”

Upcoming Events

Santa Claus makes daily appearances, noon to 4 p.m., at Rancho Shopping Center, Springer Road and Foothill Expressway.

Jan. 27

Holiday Briefs

The Los Altos Village Association is sponsoring one-half hour carriage rides around the downtown this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The carriages can comfortably seat four-to-six adults passengers.

LASD board changes direction, goes with new construction at Covington

In a move that surprised some, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees last week decided on new construction at Covington School after weeks of discussing no new construction in the elementary schools in the interests of parity.

Trustees have been wrestling with downsizing their $94.7 million renovation plans after encountering construction costs that pushed original plans $40 million over budget.

Noteworthies

The Santa Clara County Board of Education inducted Andrea Leiderman of Mountain View for her third four-year term at the Dec. 6 meeting. Leiderman represents Palo Alto Unified, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Whisman and portions of Fremont and Mountain View-Los Altos union high school districts.

Schools Briefs

Parents of preschool children who will be attending kindergarten in the Los Altos School District in the fall of 2001 are invited to attend an informational meeting 7:30 p.m., either Jan. 18 or Jan. 23, in the multipurpose room at Almond School, 550 Almond Ave.

Kindergarten classroom teachers and members of the school district administrative staff will make presentations. A question and answer session will follow and additional information will be available.

Los Altos Robotics teams enjoy challenge and success

The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) held its Northern California State Tournament at the San Jose State University Event Center Dec. 3. The competition, sponsored by Adept Technology Inc., included 70 Northern California teams.

Three Los Altos teams participated, two from Oak School and one from St. Nicholas School. All three received recognition for effectively meeting the simulated “Volcanic Panic” challenge by building and demonstrating a robot capable of responding to a volcanic eruption and rescuing lives and property.

Prep Soccer Summary

SF girls shut out Saratoga; LA boys crush Cupertino

Town Crier staff report

On Deck: the local sports lineup for Dec. 20-26

Boys Basketball

Today

Sports On The Side

Foothill women’s water polo players Susan Janocek and Dee Dee Meisenbach have been named All-Americans for their play this year. Janocek also earned first team All-NorCal honors and was named first team All-Coast Conference. Meisenbach made second team All-NorCal and was voted Coast Conference MVP. The rest of the Owls’ starting lineup made second team All-Coast Conference: Missy Bommarito, Kristen Matteis, Clarice Macdanal and Laura Thompson.

On the slopes

Lady Owls ‘run out of gas’ in loss to West Los Angeles

Foothill College Basketball Roundup

Foothill men rout Hartnell

Area teams nearly make the grade as CCS honorees

Although no area teams won a 2000 Fall Season Scholastic Championship Team Award, a few came awfully close.

The awards, instituted by the Central Coast Section Board of Managers in 1985, recognize the varsity team from each CCS sport with the highest collective grade point average of all the teams competing in that sport during the season.

Eagles are on the rise; Spartans are struggling

Boys Hoop Scoop

Lancers play tough

Panthers on the prowl for a state crown

Girls Hoop Scoop

Eagles grounded

Gas prices decline three months in a row in Northern California

Bay Area motorists received an early holiday present Thursday when an average gallon of regular unleaded self-serve gas came down 8 cents from November and 14 cents from the record set in September.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded self serve gas in the Bay Area is $1.84 for 87 octane, $1.94 for 89 octane, and $2.04 for 92 octane.

Business Briefs

Catalytica Inc. (Nasdaq: CTAL) announced that it expected to close the acquisition by DSM N.V. and spinoff Catalytica Energy Systems last week.

For each share of Catalytica Inc. owned on Dec. 15, stockholders are expected to receive between $9.26 and $10.44 as the cash consideration to be paid in the acquisition and between .13 to .18 shares of the spinoff, Catalytica Energy Systems.

Stocks tumble on possible recession warnings

Stock Report

Wall Street’s big fear is that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has pumped the brakes of the economy so hard it’s going into a skid. The stock market is looking at the big ‘R.’ That’s not risk - it’s recession.

What’s a renter to do?

So you just don’t have an extra million lying around to plunk down on the condo fixer-upper in Los Altos and the $12,000 rental charmer in Palo Alto is just about $10,000 over your budget. What does it take to find an affordable (or somewhat affordable) home in the San Francisco Bay Area? Is it all just luck? A little. Is it “who you know?” Sometimes. According to the experts, it’s mostly work.

Terry Feinberg, vice president of association and industry support, Rentals.com, advises renters to approach a home search as if they are looking for a new job. “The market is so tight and competition for units so fierce that a prospective renter must take every action possible to ensure success in finding a home,” said Feinberg.

Transactions

Cupertino

10223 Alhambra Avenue - Fujii Trust to C. & S. Pang for $562,000.00

Los Altos author Jarmy publishes short story collection

Not many engineers write short stories in their retirement years, but then Howard Jarmy’s life has been full of surprises.

A professional-level trombone player when he graduated from high school, he was offered a chair in the Chicago Opera Orchestra, but decided instead to earn a degree in mechanical engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology. For years, he continued to play his trombone in dance bands and to do musical transcriptions.

5th Avenue glows with story, dolls created by sisters raised in Los Altos

Two sisters raised in Los Altos have lit up New York City’s Fifth Avenue this holiday season.

Their book, “One Enchanted Christmas,” based on memories of their grandmother’s San Francisco home, is featured in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue department store, with recorded readings of its pages broadcast to the sidewalks outside.

A surprise for mom and a benefit for Clausen House

Strictly Candids

A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY FOR MOM: Recently, three sisters surprised their mom, Henrietta Sih, with a 60th birthday party at the 3 FISH restaurant in Menlo Park. Yes, she was surprised. The Liu sisters, Dorothy (Seattle), Louise (Hong Kong) and Jennifer (Palo Alto) had spent months of long distance calling planning the party for their mother.

Obituaries

Teresa Lam, a 17-year Los Altos resident, died Nov. 15. She was a native of Hong Kong.

Mrs. Lam worked as a pharmacists for Long’s Drug and later at Kaiser Permanente and a Mountain View clinic until she was stricken with colon cancer. She received her doctor of Pharmacy for the university of the Pacific.

Hanukkah and freedom - joyous blend for Latvians

Along the Spiritual Path

Tomorrow evening, Jewish people around the world will start the eight day celebration of Hanukkah which dates back to 165 B.C. It commemorates a victory over invaders who tried to eradicate the Jewish religion and the joyous rededication of the temple in Jerusalem, when a meager supply of lamp oil miraculously lasted for eight full days.

‘Triumph of Love’ lives up to title

Theater review

The Lucie Stern Theatre audience reacted with cheers and applause as the seven TheatreWorks stars bowed to acknowledge the delighted reaction of the opening-night audience for “Triumph Of Love.”

Wait for the video to see Cage in ‘Family Man’

Film Vitals:

Movie Review

Museum teams up with Kepler’s for online bookstore

The Museum of American Heritage and Kepler’s announced Monday their jointly created online bookstore. The MOAH Bookstore, available through the Web site of the Museum of American Heritage, makes more than a million titles available to Web surfing shoppers.

A portion of the proceeds of each sale benefits the Museum of American Heritage. Kepler’s provides order fulfillment and shipping services, offering 1-2 day delivery to San Francisco Bay Area customers. The MOAH bookstore may be reached at www.moah.org/shop.

Take the road to Monterey, enjoy gardens along the way

Trip will leave you smelling like a rose

You don’t have to fly to England to visit historic and beautiful gardens. In fact, within walking distance of downtown Monterey, you could spend a couple of days just meandering from one beautifully-designed garden to the next. Historical Association volunteers have planted the gardens around the city’s many adobe landmark buildings and maintain them year-round.

Book Beat

Tomorrow night at 7 p.m., young listeners, age 3 and up, are invited to wear their pajamas and hear winter stories at “Bedtime Storytime” at the main Los Altos Library. The program will last half an hour.

- Carolyn Barnes

Santa Clara County’s suicide and crisis service targets mainly troubled teens

Recent statistics show 22 percent of teens queried said they have seriously considered suicide. This causes great concern to officials at the Santa Clara County Suicide and Crisis Service.

Fortunately, the county’s service, which provides 24-hour, 7-day telephone suicide and crisis intervention, provides education and training, mainly in middle and senior high schools, to “educate teens to recognize the warning signs of suicide, to caution them against ‘keeping the deadly secret,’ and to advise them to get adult help,” said spokesman Matt Schenone. “In collaboration with the County Death Review Team, we are sponsoring a conference Jan. 31 on teen suicide prevention and postvention for educators.”

Patients: put these humane, compassionate - and oft underused - Web sites to work

Media focus on the Internet of late has primarily been on the rising and falling expectations of an economy based on e-business. What we sometimes fail to point out is that in addition to the retail and information aspects of the Web, there are Web sites devoted to the disposition of humane services for the public, rather than commerce, that often go unnoticed and are therefore underused.

Two such services come to mind. The first is the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) Web site, RxHope at www.rxhope.com. This Web site provides access to programs that make prescription drugs available to those who cannot afford them. Nearly every pharmaceutical manufacturer participates in these programs, and for those who fall within the requirements of eligibility, they’re a godsend.

Interested in avoiding the flu? Hospitals provide information

Hospitals in Santa Clara County are aggressively preparing for the flu season.

“Influenza and pneumonia are among the leading causes of death in adults 65 years and older,” the hospital report cited. “Adults of any age who have heart disease, diabetes or chronic pulmonary or respiratory health conditions are also at risk.”

Shop till you drop

Some may be hiding their depression in a flurry of holiday activity, expert says

While many may be dreaming of a white Christmas, for some, the holidays will more likely be blue.

Doctor offers life strategies for those stricken with serious illness

Diagnosis of a serious illness leaves many patients fearful of an uncertain future. There are often too many questions and too few answers.

Dr. William Buchholz, a medical oncologist practicing in the Mountain View-Los Altos area since 1978, hopes to answer some of these questions during a Jan. 26 lecture, “Medical Treatment Decisions.” The lecture is scheduled noon to 1:30 p.m., in the El Camino Hospital cafeteria.

How to influence kids on the spiritual meaning of Christ

Keys to Parenting

Question: What suggestions do you have for making the Christmas season less focused on how to deal with the stress of buying presents, decorating the house, baking, partying and etceteras? I know all about the stressbusters of exercise, taking time for myself and letting go of expectation, but somehow, in December, those healthy things take a back seat to the lists, schedules and projects. I’m afraid my children are missing the spiritual sustenance of this season by my frenetic December behavior.

‘Memory Walk’ raises $325,000 for Alzheimer’s programs

The non-profit Alzheimer’s Association, Greater San Francisco Bay Area chapter, announced that its annual event, Memory Walk on Treasure Island, raised more than $325,000, $75,000 over this year’s goal.

Nearly 3,000 residents from the Bay Area participated in the October event. More than 115 teams were formed, many by family members honoring a loved one lost to Alzheimer’s disease.

How to tell a cold from the flu

House Calls

Cold and flu bugs can both cause coughing, sore throats and runny noses - but that’s where the similarity ends.

Health Briefs

El Camino Hospital conducts an ongoing series of lunch-time lectures on cardiac health featuring El Camino Hospital physicians and other professionals. Topics include nutrition, exercise, physiology, medications and stress management. The series is free and open to the public on a drop-in basis.

El Camino Health Line