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Archives » 2001 » Volume 54 , Issue 22, Published on Wednesday, May 30, 2001NewsStories of pride over prejudice
LAH resident Connie Young Yu relates father’s tales of perseverance in San Jose’s Chinatown Connie Young Yu grew up listening to her father, John C. Young, tell stories about his childhood in San Jose’s Chinatown. Her father was the younger of the two American-born sons of Young Soong Quong. Soong Quong, as an 11-year-old boy in 1881, had immigrated to San Jose from the Kwangtung province of southern China. Council sets guidelines on controversial affordable housing projectTown Crier Correspondent The Los Altos City Council reviewed and received strong resident feedback on controversial plans for affordable housing at the Loyola Corners business district last week then established guidelines for setbacks and density. Another ’status quo’ budget in store for Los Altos officialsEven with an anticipated $485,100 increase in general revenues over last year, the proposed 2001-02 operating budget for Los Altos is expected to maintain the status quo. Expected operating expenses for the city is $17.8 million. “We don’t have new revenue streams, so we’re looking at different ways of utilizing the pie,” said Starla Jerome-Robinson, Los Altos assistant city manager. El Monte traffic report revised, ready for reviewTown Crier Correspondent Consultants delivered a revised traffic-calming program for El Monte Avenue to the City of Los Altos last week. The city allocated $25,000 last June for the consulting firm TJKM to study the El Monte traffic flow and create a mitigation plan. News BriefsLos Altos-area residents could be voting on a parcel tax for the Palo Alto Unified School District and a bond measure for the Cupertino Union School District in the June 5 election. Cupertino officials are seeking an $80 million bond to renovate school facilities and relieve overcrowding. The bond would continue work on a facility modernization program begun in 1989 when half the district’s elementary schools were renovated with funds from the sale of surplus property. Voters passed Measure A six years ago to finance a second phase of renovation. Measure C would address additional renovation and expansion needs. Police ReportMay 22, 8:29 a.m., Jay Street: Caller reported a person in the home was possibly having a heart attack. Victim was reported dead at 8:39 a.m. Forgery Los Altos Council decides to keep housing fundsThe Los Altos City Council decided to hold onto nearly $300,000 in affordable housing grants for as long as possible, rather than hand the money over to a non-profit agency in Cupertino as discussed earlier this year. Santa Clara County each year allocates Community Development Block Grants from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to cities within the county to address local housing needs. Federal guidelines mandate that each city spend the money within 18 months or give it back. CommentA visit to a veteran’s cemeteryA Side of Clyde National cemeteries are like large books on a coffee table. They’re never opened and collect dust until someone becomes intrigued with the content. On a hot day last week I visited a national cemetery. OpinionLetters to the EditorOn May 17, the LAH council majority passed (by 3 to 2) an ordinance increasing allowable impermeable surface (MDA) by up to 50 percent on “constrained lots” - those “grandfather lots” too small to comply with slope density. The new ordinance may be good or it may be bad, it’s hard to say. Nobody seems to know just how many of these “constrained” lots there are - more than 50 percent of the town according to Thursday’s oral report to the council by the “LUF Committee.” Other estimates range downward to 10 percent of the town or less. Isn’t anybody curious about whether the new ordinance will apply to only a small fraction of the town or to more than half of it, and about where these lots are? Wouldn’t this make a difference in the ordinance’s impact on runoff, erosion, groundwater recharge, grading, slope stability, and natural setting? Shouldn’t we know these things before enacting such ordinances; aren’t we required to by law (The California Environmental Quality Act)? Covington pools mean dollars, but make no senseOther Voices Heads up, Citizens of Los Altos! It seems our City Council is showing its true colors once again by allowing itself to be mesmerized by dollar signs. First it’s the anonymous $1 million bribe to put in a controversial theater at First and Main streets. Now it’s $3.5 million in the form of an aquatic center disguised as a “community pool,” to be situated at the end of a dead end street in a residential neighborhood. CommunityHidden Villa to open new Hostel SaturdayThe public is invited to tour Hidden Villa’s new hostel at its opening celebration 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Saturday. Hidden Villa is the oldest continuously operating hostel in America and home to the country’s first multiracial summer camp. A brief ribbon-cutting ceremony will dedicate the hostel to continue the humanitarian and environmental legacy of Frank and Josephine Duveneck. Trash hauling day in Los Altos Hills scheduled for June 9The four locations for drop-off are: Town Hall parking lot, 26379 Fremont Road; Foothill College, parking lot C; Altamont Road at Black Mountain (Westwind Barn); Page Mill Road at Arastradero (West). Residents are advised to arrive early because trucks will leave at 2 p.m. Items accepted include all non-recyclable materials, up to 32 gallons per household of debris from demolition or construction of buildings and structures; and 32 gallons of concrete, asphalt, rock and dirt. Downtown L.A. Farmers’ Market offers 41 booths, fresh produceTown Crier Correspondent The Los Altos Farmers’ Market is open for the season, which means it’s time for shopping in the streets for produce. and other goodies. Library NewsThe Whodunit? mystery readers’ group will discuss “The Bone is Pointed” by Arthur Upfield from 10:15-11:30 a.m., June 6, in the group study room at the Los Altos main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road. The group normally meets the first Wednesday of the month, and welcomes new members. Other summer dates are: July 11, “Booked to Die” by John Dunning; Aug. 1, “Judgment in Stone” by Ruth Rendell. Community BriefsThe Los Altos Hills 2001 Spring Family Picnic, sponsored by the Town of Los Altos Hills, is scheduled 1-4 p.m., Sunday, at the Little League Field on Purissima Road, Los Altos Hills. Complimentary dinner will be provided: 1/2 chicken; 1/4 lb. all-beef hot dogs; veggie burgers; chili; tossed salad; garlic bread; sodas, beer and wine; and ice-cream sundaes. Firefighters from the Santa Clara County Fire Fighters Local No. 1165 will cook the barbecue. Rancho rustles up annual pancake breakfastArmed with pounds of sausage, syrup and pancake batter, the Rancho Merchants Association is gearing up for its annual “Rancho Roundup” pancake breakfast, 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday. The breakfast is a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) fund-raiser for the elementary schools in the Los Altos School District. Expert tells Morning Forum Electoral College should goJack Rakove’s pet project is the elimination of the Electoral College. The Stanford University professor of history and political science told the Morning Forum audience May 15 that “the Electoral College is based on the fiction that a state votes as one entity.” Equestrian event showcases the talents of local ridersSome of the area’s finest young riders and horses jumped to the head of their classes when they competed at the annual Westwind Barn Horse Show, held April 28. Little Division champion was Ashley Black on her mount, Rosie Boy; Reserve champion was Meredith Malnick of Los Altos on Merrilegs. Medium Division champion was Martina Brehmer; Reserve champion in this division was Karen Buehler. Large Division champion was Michelle Geer on Tiger Bey; Reserve champion was Kathryn Basiji of Los Altos Hills on Busby. WeatherPatchy night and morning low clouds near the bay, otherwise mostly clear. Lows in the 50s. Highs from the lower 70s at the bay to the lower 90s well inland. Click for Los Altos, California ForecastClick for current weather and forecast Timeline short for theater campaignThe Los Altos Cultural Association’s fund-raising campaign to outfit the theaters at Mountain View and Los Altos High schools is just getting started, but hopes are high.”The theaters are scheduled to be completed in October,” said association chairman John Moss. “We need to get the money together as quickly as possible.” The association is working to raise $300,000 to cover costs not covered by a 1995 bond measure. SchoolsSchools BriefsThe Los Altos- Mountain View branch of the American Association of University Women will present Marge Gratiot, superintendent of the Los Altos School District, with the 2001 Status of Women Award at the June Celebration 3-5 p.m., June 9. Gratiot was named Los Altan of the Year for 1999 by the Los Altos Town Crier, and was named Superintendent of the Year by the state of California in 1995. Students simulate space in new program for teens
Local middle-school students can travel out of this world at the new weeklong Space Academy program at Space Camp in Mountain View. Space Camp came to Mountain View in July 1996, as a non-profit organization funded by the Space Camp Foundation, said Lynn Brown, programs manager. Inspired LAHS student builds a hovercraftWhen Los Altos High School senior Beth Wildanger thought about her senior project for her English class, one word sprung to mind - hovercraft. Wildanger, who hopes to become a mechanical engineer, became inspired last summer while attending a three-week engineering camp at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terra Haute, Ind. ‘World’s Largest Run’ Saturday at ShorelineThis Saturday the YMCAs of the Mid-Peninsula and Santa Clara Valley, including the El Camino branch in Mountain View, will co-host a 5-kilometer run and walk commemorating the 150th anniversary of the YMCA’s founding in the United States. The YMCA World’s Largest Run will begin at 7 p.m. on a certified course at Shoreline Park in Mountain View. SportsPinewood, Los Altos rewarded for making the gradePinewood School and Los Altos High have both won Central Coast Section 2001 Spring Season Scholastic Team Awards. The awards recognize the varsity team from each CCS sport with the highest collective grade point average (GPA) of all schools competing in that sport during the spring season. PA Tomahawks reach finals of Junior Lacrosse playoffsTown Crier Intern The Palo Alto Tomahawks varsity boys lacrosse team reached the championship round of the playoffs last month. Alumni beats LAHS varsity baseball team in annual gameA team of Los Altos High alumni beat the school’s varsity squad 15-4 on May 13 in the seventh annual Bob Baird Memorial baseball game. The game is played each year in memory of former Eagles coach Baird, who died of Leukemia in 1988. Sports On The SideWest Bay Water Polo is registering players for its spring/summer club season. Girls ages 11-18 and boys 13-18 can play for the club, based at Los Altos High. Practices are 4-6 p.m., Monday and Wednesday (girls) or Tuesday and Thursday (boys). Practices increase to four days a week starting June 18. Cost is $265, plus U.S. Water Polo registration, which is required prior to club registration. To register or for more information, attend a practice or call Travis Wyckoff at 941-9560. Run in the park Cannon posts another shutout; Quakes win 2-0Goalkeeper Joe Cannon of Los Altos Hills recorded his second-consecutive shutout as the San Jose Earthquakes last week won a team-record fifth game in a row. The 2-0 win over the Dallas Burn on May 23 put the Quakes five points ahead of their nearest challenger for Major League Soccer’s Western Division title. St. Francis High boys golf team clubs the competition at NorCalPrep Boys Golf Playoffs Based on the bus ride home, it would be difficult to tell that the St. Francis High boys golf team had just captured its first Northern California championship. Evans takes over as owner of Gold Star GymnasticsAfter nearly a month of negotiations, Gold Star Gymnastics Academy in Mountain View has a new owner. Pam Evans took over ownership on May 16 from Cynthia Zirpolo, who opened the business five years ago. Business BriefsChuck Thacker and Butler Lampson of Microsoft Corp. will speak on “The Xerox Alto: A Personal Retrospective,” Monday at NASA Ames Main Auditorium (Building 201), Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View. A reception will follow in the Computer Museum History Center’s Visible Storage Exhibit Area (Building 126). Thirty years ago, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center created a paradigm shift in computing. Many of the technologies that make today’s personal computers attractive, including high-quality graphical user interface and laser printing, were mature technologies at the center by the end of the 1970s. The platform on which many of these technologies were developed was the Alto personal computer. BusinessDow support level appears to be 11,000 for nowStock Report The Dow got down as low as 11,005 last Friday before buyers pushed it away from the 11,000 support level. Volume was ridiculously low in the trading of stocks, but that always happens before a three-day weekend when the stock market is closed the following Monday. From farmers to Web sites - Chamber turns 50 years oldTown Crier Correspondent Fifty years ago, a group of farmers, business owners and community leaders formed the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will celebrate its five decades of progress 7 p.m. Friday at the Crowne Plaza Cabana in Palo Alto. WeddingsMichelle Stevens and Gentry Underwood were married April 22 in Carmel Valley. The bride is the daughter of Nancy and Tom Stevens of Los Altos. She graduated from Los Altos High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Stanford University. PeopleNoteworthiesCharlotte K. Jarmy, columnist and drama reviewer for the Town Crier, and her husband, Howard, each recently entered the California Writers Club contest for an opening passage, written in the vein of “It was a dark and stormy night…” Charlotte’s entry won Dishonorable Mention, while Howard’s won Honorable Mention. Judith Steiner, executive director of Trust for Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills, was among five finalists in the first Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership Award, sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Nonprofits. Steiner was recognized on May 10. Under Steiner’s supervision the organizations budget has grown to more than $2 million annually. ObituariesLawrence E. Newcomb, a Los Altos resident, died May 7 in Redwood City. He was 79. Mr. Newcomb was a retired hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. Stepping OutPYO closes concert season this weekendThe Peninsula Youth Orchestra presents its final concert of the season at 5 p.m., Sunday, at the Cañada College Main Theater, 2400 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City. Under the direction of Mitchell Sardou Klein, the concert will feature PYO concerto winners Leon Hsu of Los Altos Hills and Edward Couch of Fremont. They will solo on Bach’s “Double Violin Concerto.” CYS scheduled to perform free concertThe California Youth Symphony’s Associate Orchestra will perform a free concert at 2 p.m., Sunday, in the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College. The program will include von Suppé’s “Light Calvary Overture,” Saint-Saëns’ “Suite Algérienne” and Eric Coates’ “London Suites No. 1 and No. 2″ MVHS Drama Dept. putting on Café NightThe Mountain View High School Drama Department presents its annual Café Night at 8 p.m., Friday, on the school campus. The evening begins with a performance of “Man and God.” Director Nelle Smith, a junior, describes it as “a comedy with intellectual humor.” Over a dinner conversation, a man (played by Samson Lahti Parsel) and God (Hannah Dibner) question religion in today’s society. The one-act play also features Chelsea Berthoud as a waitress. El Camino Youth Symphony playing SundayThe El Camino Youth Symphony performs its season finale at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, at Smithwick Theater, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. Conducted by Dr. Camilla Kolchinsky, the symphony will conclude its 38th season with performances of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” Lalo’s “Symphonie Espagnole,” Debussy’s “Premiere Rhapsody” and Dvorak’s “Violin Concerto.” Waite to lead Schola Cantorum Saturday and SundayMountain View-based chorus Schola Cantorum will perform a concert titled “Quintessential Baroque” at 8 p.m., Saturday, and 2 p.m., Sunday, at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. Saturday’s performance will be preceded by a free preconcert Preludes lecture at 7:15 p.m. Special SectionDon Wuertley Memorial Garden honors Pilgrim Haven SamaritanTown Crier Correspondent Longtime resident Don Wuertley passed away two years ago, but the memories of his generosity and kindness are more vibrant than ever at Pilgrim Haven Retirement Community on Pine Lane in Los Altos. Thanks to an unprecedented outpouring of enthusiasm for gardening, many people have participated in creating the Don Wuertley Memorial Garden, near Memorial Hall on the Pilgrim Haven campus. Your HomeHoly Moses! Praying mantises hard at work in Mountain ViewTown Crier Correspondent As interest in organic, pesticide-free gardening increases, critters such as praying mantises are attracting more local admirers. Military quarters go high style at San Francisco Designer ShowcaseRoominations I must admit that I’d burned out on designer showcase houses a couple of years ago, having attended too many in too brief a period. The over-the-top decorating on view, in room after room, overloaded my circuits and made me long for empty spaces. Home BriefsParticipants in “Transform Your Home in a Day, For Free!” - a one-night class sponsored by the Palo Alto Adult School - will learn how to redecorate a home without having to buy any new furnishings, how to create a new floor plan, how to balance color in each room and how to accessorize. Handouts will be provided explaining the step-by-step process. Taught by Kit Davey, an interior designer who specializes in redecorating, using only what you already own, the class is scheduled for 7-9 p.m., June 6, at Palo Alto High School, 50 Embarcadero Road. To register, send a $25 check to Palo Alto Adult School, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301. The name, day and time of the course should be included with the check. The fee may also be paid by credit card over the phone by calling 329-3752. |
In Our OpinionLetters to the Editor
Leo Long earns local honorsIn the April 30 issue of the Town Crier, you were right to congratulate and thank Dick Henning from Foothill College for four decades of service to the community. I met him at Foothill as student body president more years ago than I’ll admit. Great guy. |
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