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Archives » 2002 » Volume 55 , Issue 25, Published on Wednesday, June 19, 2002NewsCouncil to set new building fees compliant with state lawLos Altos Hills Los Altos Hills is scheduled to change the way it calculates building permit fees this week following a recent study indicating that the current fees could be in violation of state law. News BriefsPacific Bell is scheduled to expand DSL service to nearly all Los Altos residents by Oct. 1, Stacey Wagner, director of external affairs, told the Los Altos City Council last week. About 130 residents along El Monte Road should expect service by July 1, she added. DSL is a service that enables customers to connect to the Internet or corporate networks at lightning-quick speeds while talking on the phone at the same time. The availability of Pacific Bell’s DSL service is determined by the distance between a residence and the company’s central office. The central office feeds service into gateway boxes, or vaults, located in specific areas in Los Altos. Customers must live 12,000 feet or less from the company’s office in order to receive service at the connection speed advertised. Police ReportJune 11, 7 a.m., Ranchita Court, and June 12, 10:20 a.m., Wessex Avenue: Residents reported two separate incidents of mail stolen from their homes’ mailboxes. Major injury accident Gunmen ransack salon, threaten owner
Los Altos Two gunmen burst into a Los Altos nail salon last week and forced employees and a customer into a bathroom at the back of the shop while they ransacked the store. The men escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash, Los Altos Police Sgt. Tom Connelly said. Design, not size, holds up Walgreen’s plansNational pharmacy chain must relocate side door entrance and get city approval before moving forward Design rather than size postponed the Walgreen’s project slated for downtown Los Altos last week. The Los Altos City Council sent Walgreens’ Second Street store plans back to the drawing board May 11. The holdup? A corner door entrance. OpinionCommunicate with your shareholdersOne of the major concerns nagging the Los Altos School District is community concern over accountability. Despite what administrators may think are reasonable measures on their end to be accountable, many residents in the district community aren’t buying it. Why? It’s quite obvious that the state is facing a severe budget deficit and 75 percent of the district’s funding comes from the state. But for some, the district hasn’t been good at telling people specifically how its funding is used. They don’t understand how district finances could go from being stable less than two years ago to a $3 million deficit this year and a projected $4.5 million shortfall next year. Letters to the EditorI would like to thank Job Lopez for convincing me that Los Altos and Tom Anderson are on the right track. Lopez’s ultraliberal perspective is a disservice to those hard-working, honest Latinos legally seeking employment and support for their families. This country is built upon laws. Lopez’s attempts to declare for all of us which laws should be followed (those helping his agenda) or ignored (not helping his agenda) is arrogance in the extreme. The rhetoric is over the edge. His conveniently worded pleas for “justice” and human rights smack of situational ethics. A strange summer awaits usReflections “June is busting out all over!” That wonderful song from “Carousel” really sets the tone for the beginning of a long, lazy summer. Roses, petunias and impatiens charm us from every garden. Our first heat wave came early this month as it often does, just as students are taking finals and signing yearbooks. That’s the way it is -,whom am I kidding? CommunityHistory museum salutes first neighborhood of Los Altos in exhibit“Homes and Gardens of Los Altos: The Architectural Heritage Show” is currently on display through Aug. 18 at the Los Altos History Museum. This exhibit features the history of the Orange, University and Palm avenues neighborhood, the first to be settled in Los Altos. The focus will be on various styles of architecture found in Northern California, including Craftsman, Victorian, Ranch and California Mission. “Music and Memories: The History of the Los Altos Garden Club” will be held 4 p.m., June 2. Community BriefsKaye Payne will speak at 7:30 tonight on 31 rarely seen works by Flemish painter Michael Sweerts on exhibit at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor. The free lecture is at the Los Altos main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. Payne, who heads the outreach speakers program for the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, also will talk about Sweerts’ contemporaries Bernini, Rembrandt, Vermeer and Rubens. Payne specializes in relating art to social history. She holds an education degree from UC Berkeley with a special intterest in art history. Mountain View to celebrate centennial with ice cream socialTown Crier Correspondent Organizers expect next week’s social to be the largest event during the centennial celebration year. Los Altos filmmaker’s premiere will send audiences ‘Somewhere in Venezuela’Town Crier Editorial Intern It’s inexpensive, it’s digital and it’s “real.” Los Altos, LAH residents awarded for Red Cross workTown Crier Report Los Altos resident and American Red Cross volunteer Judy Boore was honored by the Palo Alto Area Chapter of the American Red Cross at its annual meeting last Thursday at Mountain View City Hall. SchoolsFoothill College celebrates diversity and acceptance with gay heritage monthRainbow flags can be seen all over campus at Foothill College, as part of this month’s gay/lesbian heritage celebration. Gay heritage is just one of five cultures that Foothill College acknowledges through its heritage months, beginning in February with African-American Heritage Month, Women’s History Month in March, Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April and Latino Heritage Month in May. Schools BriefsThe Mountain View-Whisman School District announced June 10 that it has chosen Jim Negri as the superintendent of the newly merged district. Currently, Negri serves as deputy superintendent of the Pleasanton Unified School District. He replaces Patricia Bubenik, who was let go by the board of trustees in October. This will be Negri’s first job as superintendent. MV-LA PTA Council gives to district KLASS kicks off parcel tax campaignWith the experience of losing the April 9 parcel tax special election under its belt, the Keep Los Altos Schools Strong campaign committee will try to pass the parcel tax for the Los Altos School District again this November, with one major difference - professional campaign consultants. The committee is expected to hire Barry Barnes and Jared Boigon, from Terris and Barnes, a San Francisco-based consulting firm with a history of working on school bonds and measures. Teacher to help South African preschoolsWhen Brenda Millhem, director of Los Altos Christian Preschool, heard about the plight of preschoolers in South Africa she had to help. “I was at a conference last November for the Association of Christian Schools International and heard what was going on there in South Africa,” Millhem said. “One teacher’s preschool is in a metal storage shed and has cardboard furniture and dirt floors. They have never had anything. They don’t even have coloring crayons.” SportsNew coaches take over local volleyball teamsSt. Francis hires Olympian Oden Town Crier Staff Report Sisters from Los Altos to take part in Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon in AlaskaThree sisters, two from Los Altos, will participate in the Mayor’s Midnight Sun Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, this Sunday. Shaida Kashani, 40, and Showle Khalessi, 45, of Los Altos plan to walk, and their sister Sheri Bass, 44, of Burlingame intends to run the 26.2-mile course. Sports On The SideMountain View resident Nicole Teter placed second in the women’s 1,500-meter run June 8 at the Oracle U.S. Open Track and Field Meet at Stanford University. Teter ran the race in 4 minutes, 11.70 seconds. Tennis wrap Koehler’s kick helps his team win Italian soccer tourneyLos Altos resident Danny “Dano” Koehler and his teammates on an under-13 boys soccer team showed Italy that Americans can play Europe’s most popular sport. The team of select players from around the Bay Area, named De Anza Santos, last month won the Giovani Speranze Europee international youth soccer tournament in Rozzano, Italy. Olympic gold medalist Cribbs to speak at AAUW meetingAnne Warner Cribbs, CEO of the Bay Area Sports Organizing Committee, will be the guest speaker at Saturday’s meeting of the Los Altos-Mountain View Branch of the American Association of University Women. The meeting is slated for 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Program Room at the Los Altos main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road. Los Altans help team claim titleThe Endangered Species, a Bay Area-based field hockey team with four Los Altos players, won the under-19 women’s division of the 2002 Cal Cup Tournament in Moorpark. Thirty teams competed in this division over Memorial Day weekend. The Endangered Species won the first four games of their flight, beating the San Diego Rush, San Diego Finest, Newport and Campbell Express. That placed them in the semifinals against the San Jose Fly and then the Camarillo Cougars. Twisters sending two teams to nationalsTwisters Gymnastics will be well represented at the United States Association of Independent Gymnastics Clubs National Championship meet later this month. Twisters of Mountain View has qualified a girls team and a boys squad for the meet, which runs Sunday through June 30 in Orlando, Fla. TC seeks names of college-bound athletesIf so, please let the Town Crier know so we can publish a list in an upcoming issue. Include the athlete’s name, sport, class and where he or she went to high school. To phone in this information, call 948-9000, ext. 315. Send e-mails to peteb@latc.com. Faxes may be sent to 948-6647. Letters should be addressed to Town Crier, Attn.: Sports Dept., 138 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022. Driven Dreyfuss makes Youth National Team
Rebecca Dreyfuss was disappointed, but not discouraged, when she failed to make the varsity girls water polo team at St. Francis High as a sophomore. “It made me want to make it even more,” she said. BusinessEstrellita restaurant keeps up with trendsTown Crier Correspondent Estrellita is the oldest restaurant in Los Altos. It was started in 1958 by Dona Maria Bustamante, otherwise known as Estrellita. In 1978 the Corlay family bought the restaurant from Estrellita, and it has maintained the same family operation. However, the restaurant is now undergoing some changes. Are we at the bottom yet?Stock Report Were last Friday’s stock lows the bottom? When does investing begin to be fun again? Check your garage for odd and kitschy giftsMore than a decade ago, Mary McCusker, a Town Crier employee at the time, spent many lunch breaks browsing at the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop across Main Street. The Discovery staff targeted her as a buyer of weird and unloved items. McCusker became friendly with volunteer Diane Brauch, also a buyer of strange pieces. On one visit, after close scrutiny, McCusker purchased a handmade orange Austrian pottery lamp base shaped like a two-headed camel. She paid $2 for the lamp; but her family didn’t share her appreciation so the lamp spent the next 10 years in the garage. Transactions1194 Bubb Road - G. & B. Haytko to M. Chen for $920,000.00 7623 Elderwood Court - I. Houfek to Laitinen Trust for $940,000.00 Institutional trustee may offer helpQ: I have an aunt who has substantial assets but is in poor health. She is concerned that at some point she would not be able to take care of investment decisions, bill paying, taxes, and so on. No family member lives close enough to lend a hand. Is there a way for her to have these things done for her if she needs the help? A: People have varying reasons for needing help in this area. Some are like your aunt, while others have children close by but they lack the skills necessary to handle financial matters. Many people have successfully utilized corporate trustees to hold assets, pay bills and take direct investment decisions. Unlike an individual, a corporate trustee is always around. In addition, it has no personal feelings about the tasks at hand and can usually act objectively. Your HealthRonald McDonald House doubles capacity to meet growing needTown Crier Report After receiving approval from the City of Palo Alto’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) to begin long-awaited expansion efforts, the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, announced today that families residing at the House will begin relocating to a nearby hotel in Mountain View. The effects of Syndrome XInsulin resistance is the cause of Type 2 diabetes, also a major factor in developing cardiovascular disease About 10 to 20 percent of the population inherits the tendency to become insulin-resistant. While most people might be aware that insulin resistance is the cause of Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes, they may not know it has even more far-reaching effects on the body. Preventing dog bites: Be safe and smart with man’s best friendHouse Calls For thousands of years, humans and dogs have formed supportive, beneficial and emotional bonds. Although dogs offer their human guardians unconditional love and companionship, one has to remember that they’re not always friendly to strangers, especially children. Connecting body, mind and spiritRecreation department offers qigong class this summer Modern life can be hectic, and the stress can affect one’s physical health and sense of well-being. Los Altan Tom Rogers has found an ancient Chinese tradition he believes helps bring life into balance - qigong (chee-gung). He is set to teach an introductory qigong course through the Los Altos Recreation Department, with weekly sessions beginning tonight. Health BriefsFor Those in Pain in Mountain View is the co-sponsor of a pain management support group that meets 1:30-3:30 p.m., the first and third Wednesdays of each month, in Room N of the Park Pavilion, 2400 Grant Road, Mountain View. The cost is free. For information, call (800)216-5556. Golf fitness through PilatesMuscle strength and flexibility may improve golf swing and prevent injuries Long, sunny summer days mean more opportunities to enjoy golfing. Unfortunately, it can also mean golfers, particularly beginners with inconsistent swings, have a greater risk of joint and muscle injuries - especially in the hips and lower back. It’s important for parents to discuss facts of life with their kidsKeys to Parenting Q: A few weeks ago, there was an article in the newspaper about a high-school official in Poway who sent home girls who were wearing thong underwear. My understanding of underwear is that it is underwear, and unless the wearer wants it to show, it doesn’t show. Can you help me understand this picture? It’s not necessary to drink eight glasses of water a dayThe Corner Pharmacist Q: Drinking eight glasses of water each day seems like a lot. I only drink half that amount. Do other beverages count toward the total? What are the health benefits of drinking so much water? MidPeninsula Hospice provides home careTown Crier Correspondent When asked the question “Where would you prefer to be when your life draws to a close?” nine out of 10 respond, “In bed, at home, with loved ones giving comfort.” |
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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