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Archives » 2002 » Volume 55 , Issue 41, Published on Wednesday, October 9, 2002NewsA new start for the arts
CSMA breaks ground for new center In a region where creativity, innovation and building for the future count as the cornerstones of success, the Community School of Music and Arts made its mark Sept. 21 under a sunny sky in the middle of an open field at San Antonio Circle, Mountain View. About CSMA and its permanent home:1.6 acre campus at San Antonio Circle (between Central Expwy & California St.), Mtn. View City of Mtn. View-owned land leased by CSMA for 55 years + 5-year renewals (total: 80 yrs) De Anza bomber receives 7-year prison sentenceThe De Anza College student who plotted to blow up his Cupertino campus with homemade arsenal last year will serve seven years in a state prison, a Santa Clara County judge decided last week. Al Joseph DeGuzman, 20, was sentenced on two charges - possession of a destructive device in a public place and possession of a destructive device with intent to cause harm. Superior Court Judge Robert Ahern was forced to dismiss more than 100 of the counts against DeGuzman because of prior court rulings that applied to his case, he said. Two similar open space initiatives could end up on Los Altos Hills ballot next springCouncil drafts own measure days after resident group submits initiative for approval Los Altos Hills News BriefsIn order to improve customer service, Los Altos City Hall has installed an updated telephone system with new numbers. For general information, call 947-2700; code enforcement, 947-2775; police, non-emergency, 947-2770; planning department, 947-2750; and recreation hot line, 947-2792. Police ReportSept. 30, 3:39 a.m., Altos Oaks Drive and Miramonte Avenue: Police impounded a driver’s car during a routine traffic stop. The driver had a suspended license. Burglary Developer pushes forward with hotel plansTown Crier Staff Report Developer Roxy Rapp said last week he plans to continue working with Los Altos city officials on the hotel development slated for First and Main streets despite the Los Altos City Council’s recent decision to possibly consider other options for the .78-acre site. Political mischief continues in LAH with threatening phone callsSheriff’s deputies still have no suspects after vandalism done to the properties of three town officials over the weekend of Sept. 28-29. In addition some continue to get threatening phone calls and one council candidate may enlist the services of the FBI. The victims of last week’s vandalism - Councilwoman Toni Casey, and planning commissioners Bill Kerns and Charles Wong - strongly suspect the acts were politically motivated. All three had hard objects thrown through their front windows just two days after the planning commission recommended approval of a revised town pathways map that eliminated 15 miles of planned off-road paths. OpinionLetters to the Editor1. It creates synergy. It does not compete with other businesses; it complements them. 2.It helps establish and enhance a sense of community. The Living ExperimentVoting with the head and the heart - again Here we go again. Last spring I wrote about voting with the head and the heart and why passing Los Altos School District’s parcel tax increase was the right thing to do. By a painfully slim margin last April, our community failed to pass the measure. The $333 parcel tax increase, Measure H, is again up for election on Nov. 5. CommunityLos Altos Hills forms own parks and rec dept.
Joseph Karpanty doesn’t profess to be much of a preacher, but said he believes recreational programs break down barriers. Karpanty, 37, was named Los Altos Hills’ first Parks and Recreation Coordinator Sept. 3, and heads the newly created Parks and Recreation Department. He assumes responsibilities previously performed by a handful of dedicated volunteers. Library NewsWednesday: Slide-lecture on the historical background of Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” by Susan Shilliglaw, director, Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University, 7:30-9 p.m., Program Room. Oct. 23: Theatrical presentation of “Pastures of Heaven” by John Steinbeck, by Word for Word Performing Arts Company, 7:30-9 p.m., Program Room. Halloween Spooktacular returns to downtownDowntown Los Altos will host its annual Halloween Spooktacular Oct. 31, featuring free entertainment, trick-or-treating, contests and a performance by the Egan Intermediate School Music Department. The event will take place in the Community Plaza on Main and State streets. The Spooktacular will feature trick-or-treating at the stores in downtown Los Altos, with entertainment for costumed children from noon to 3:30 p.m. Los Altos engineer wins a prestigious awardKnown for his pleasant manner and sense of humor, Frank S. Young, a Los Altos resident for 27 years, received this year’s prestigious Attwood Award from Conseil International des Grands Reseaux Electriques. The Paris-based International Council on Large Electric Systems gives the award annually to engineers who have made a consistent and significant contribution to electric power over their lifetimes. Broder expresses optimism tempered with concern over country’s futureDavid Broder, national correspondent for The Washington Post, whose twice-weekly column covers a broad aspect of U.S. political life, was in Los Altos Oct. 1 to share his views on “The Political Scene: November and Beyond” with members of the Morning Forum. Describing himself as an incurable optimist about the United States, he confessed that he once worried that the country was spinning out of control. But that was in 1968, when Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy had been assassinated, and demonstrations and urban riots became common occurrences. The country was mired and divided by the war in Vietnam. Los Altan to address groups about rare spinal diseaseLongtime Los Altos Hills resident Marge Shively will be delivering three talks in October on spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Spinal muscular atrophy is the leading inherited cause of death in children under 2. Shively’s first presentation is Sunday at Foothills Congregational Church, 461 Orange Ave. in Los Altos, beginning at 11:45 am. Pet adoption for stray cats this SaturdayThe personnel of Humaninal Connection find homes for semi-feral and feral cats at barns, estates and ranches where they welcome the extra help in controlling rodents. Workers have been successful in “socializing” many of the feral cats to become good pets. Humaninal Connection is also involved with domestic cats and kittens. They network with other organizations to connect cats and kittens with good homes. LWV election forum set for Oct. 17The Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters will sponsor the first of two Candidates’ Forums for the Nov. 5 election on Oct. 17. It is scheduled for 7-9:30 p.m. at the Mountain View City Hall, City Council Chambers, 500 Castro Street. The forum will feature candidates for the El Camino Hospital District, the Santa Clara Superior Courts, No. 16 and No. 9, the 14th Congressional District, and the 22nd State Assembly district. News from Los Altos History MuseumThe car exhibit, organized by Collections and Exhibits Manager Allyn Feldman and local car aficionado Bob Mabe, will feature one luxury car and one typical car for each decade since the city of Los Altos’ incorporation in the 1950s. The free craft displays may whet appetites for the annual California Country Americana Antique Show, scheduled for the same weekend at Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave. The craftsmen’s demonstrations will include two woodcarvers, a painter specializing in New England-style scenes and a hooked rug making expert. Fall Festival gets a taste of successCelebrity chefs’ demonstration draws huge crowd The Fall Festival had something for everyone in the family. Colorful face painting and finger printing for children, exotic rides for teenagers, toe rings for yuppies and cooking hints for everyone from famous chefs. Dinner and concert benefit Poor Clare nunsProceeds from the evening will assist in the rebuilding of the Poor Clare Monastery in Los Altos Hills. The monastery, built in 1920, was originally the home of the Gibson family. Today, it badly needs repairs and earthquake retrofitting. Donations of $15 per person or $25 per family will go directly to the monastery building fund. Los Altan lends hand in West AfricaTown Crier Staff Report A couple of weeks after graduating summa cum laude from Santa Clara University in June, Los Altos resident Charlotte Vallaeys boarded a plane for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Vallaeys lived and worked in the remote village of Bereba, located in the southwest of this landlocked west African country, one of the poorest in the world. For five weeks, she helped evaluate and provided assistance to a village library. CalendarMidpeninsula Regional Open Space Distrct Board of Directors, 7:30 p.m., district offices, 330 Distel Circle, Los Altos. Mountain View Parks and Recreation Commission, 7:30 p.m., 202 S. Rengstorff Ave. Community BriefsThe Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters is sponsoring a forum for candidates running for the Los Altos Hills City Council. The forum will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Oct. 16, at Los Altos Hills Town Hall, 26379 Fremont Road. The candidates are Steve Hubbell, Janet Vitu, Bill Kerns, Breene Kerr and Dean Warshawsky. SchoolsMountain View High School officials reassure neighbors over student issuesThe problems with traffic and parking at Mountain View High School aren’t as bad this time of year as they are later in the school year, when sophomore students start getting their driving licenses. The high school hosted a neighborhood meeting last Wednesday in the library to discuss student-related issues and how to prevent problems in the future. Schools BriefsAstronomer Leo Blitz from the University of California, Berkeley, is scheduled to present “The Making of the Milky Way: Survival of the Fittest,” an illustrated non-technical lecture, 7-8:30 p.m., tonight, at the Smithwick Theater at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Visitors must purchase a campus parking permit for $2. No science background is required and the lecture is appropriate for ages 13 and up. The lecture will discuss how the Milky Way galaxy was formed and continues to form from smaller groupings of star and cosmic raw material. Expert says local districts constrained by arbitrary state funding formulaLocal school districts are in a “fiscal straightjacket” thanks to an arcane state funding formula and a lack of local control over most funds they do receive, a state education expert said during an Oct. 1 forum on school finances. Michael Kirst, director of the Stanford School of Education and a former member of the state Board of Education, said districts like the Los Altos School District and the Mountain View-Whisman School District are designated as revenue limit districts, “based on the money (communities) were spending before the early 1970s.” Traffic calming proposal for Almond Ave.Installing roundabouts and narrowing bike lanes along Almond Avenue will cause drivers to slow down and drive more safely, according to a team of traffic consultants who presented preliminary designs for the Almond Avenue Traffic Calming Project last Thursday. The design proposal is part of an effort by the Almond School PTA’s Safe Routes to School Committee to improve pedestrian and bike safety along Almond Avenue and a portion of El Monte Avenue. The work is funded by a $50,000 grant from Santa Clara County. Blach School - a model campusThe future is bright at Blach Intermediate School. The junior high school, built in December of 1958 and remodeled this year, re-opened in August as the first high-performing, energy conscious school in the state - with the help of Pacific Gas & Electric. Blach School is one of only three schools in California to receive a $500,000 grant from PG&E, to be used for incorporating energy-efficient lighting, heating and ventilation designs into its remodeling and renovation plans. SportsOn Deck: the local high school sports lineup for Oct. 9-15Friday Mountain View at Lynbrook, 3:15 p.m. Sports On The SideHe didn’t stay retired for long. Bernie Quintero, who led the Los Altos High softball team to a pair of Central Coast Section titles during his 17-year tenure, has unretired. Quintero announced his retirement last spring, but changed his mind last month. “The girls convinced me,” the Mountain View resident said of his players. “I started with them and most of them are juniors, so I’ve decided to graduate with them.” Quintero is seeking an assistant coach for his team and also is looking for a head coach for the JV squad. To inquire about these positions, or to take pitching lessons from Quintero, call 965-8153. Players wanted Homestead wins a wild one over Mountain View in footballTown Crier Correspondent While Homestead High’s marching band put on a halftime salute to the American frontier and the wild west, its football team - with collaboration from Mountain View High - staged the gridiron version of the “Gun Fight at the OK Corral.” LAHS loses on last play; St. Francis posts shutout
Prep Football Digest St. Francis 28, Pacific Grove 0 Owls improve to 11-2 in men’s water poloThe Foothill College men’s water polo team last Friday won its Coast Conference opener in convincing fashion, 19-6 over host Cabrillo. The Owls (11-2 overall) scored six of their goals in the final quarter. Eagles eye division titleLAHS tennis team battling Lynbrook Youth is being served - and doing the serving - at Los Altos High. Foothill routs rival De AnzaQuarterback Chris Bolding came off the bench to lift the Foothill College football team to a 42-7 home win over district rival De Anza last Saturday night. The freshman took over late in the first quarter for Jeffrey Williams, who had thrown two interceptions. Lancers out to defend CCS crownComing off a season in which it won its first Central Coast Section championship, the St. Francis High field hockey team can’t help but think repeat. “We talk about it a little,” head coach Kathy Lincoln admitted, “but we don’t look past our next game.” BusinessPet shop owner makes sure blaze is not for the birds
Town Crier Editorial Intern About 60 very lucky birds made it out of the Croy fire along the Santa Cruz Mountains, thanks to local pet shop manager Gretta Roberts. If not for Roberts’ aid, the birds would have been in big trouble. Many places to put money besides the stock marketIf your stock portfolio doesn’t provide you with the safety you desire, there are other conventional investments that might allow you to sleep better at night. However, there is no investment that doesn’t carry a risk. Here are some suggestions to consider, but first let’s take those declining stocks. What to look for in a new computer, from CPUs to platformsTech Talk Q: I am in the process of buying a new computer. What should I look for? Should I get one with the fastest CPU out there? Or are there other criteria? So you haven’t sold those stocks yet?Stock Report Long-term investors are facing tough choices these days. Either sell low or face more punishing losses. Special SectionWest Bay’s production of ‘Tosca’ set to openWest Bay Opera this weekend launches its 47th season in Palo Alto. The locally-based company’s production of “Tosca” opens Friday and runs through Oct. 20 at the Lucie Stern Theatre. David Sloss (music director) and Kenneth Tigar (stage director) helm “Tosca,” which will be sung in Italian, with English supertitles. EngagementCarine Paige Lindauer and Jason Michael Gursky have announced their engagement to be married in November. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Ilona and Charles Lindauer of Los Altos. She graduated from Los Altos High School and has degrees from UCLA and the Johns Hopkins SAIS School of International Studies in Washington, D.C. She works in the Internet Payment Services group of Wells Fargo Bank in Walnut Creek. Follies take on Enron, M. StewartThis week the curtain rises on the ninth annual Los Altos Follies, a benefit for the Bus Barn Stage Company. The music parody, inspired by recent national headlines, will first be performed Thursday and culminates with a black-tie optional gala Saturday night at the Bus Barn Theatre. KGO-TV entertainment reporter Don Sanchez is scheduled to host Saturday’s gala for two performances, set for 7 and 8:15 p.m. Gien’s ‘The Syringa Tree’ taking root in Mtn. ViewTheatreWorks, by special arrangement with Matt Salinger, will be America’s first regional theater to present playwright Pamela Gien’s “The Syringa Tree” since its OBIE award winning Off-Broadway run. The play, to be performed at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., will preview at 8 p.m. tonight, Thursday and Friday. It opens at 8 p.m., Saturday, and runs through Nov. 2. |
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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