Man held for defrauding senior citizen out of $10,000 and a Cadillac

Sheriff’s deputies from Santa Clara County arrested a Cupertino man March 12 for elder fraud and grand theft.

Keenan Fields, 48, allegedly defrauded an 81-year-old widow out of $10,000 over a five-month period.

Education for all

All students learn differently. And rather than have those differences separate students — teachers, parents and the students themselves in the Los Altos School District work to turn those differences into assets.

The district has a range of programs in place to help students with a variety of abilities, from minor learning disabilities to behavioral challenges. By law, a district is responsible for the special education of a student from age 3 until 22, or until the student graduates from high school. Since the Los Altos School District has elementary schools only, it is responsible for students from age 3 through eighth grade.

Simitian’s cell phone ban clears first hurdle

Holding a phone while driving could end up costing California motorists a $20 penalty under a new cell phone ban drafted by Assemblyman Joe Simitian that cleared its first legal victory this month.

The Assembly Transportation Committee gave Simitian’s bill the green light March 3 with a 14-to-five vote after defeating the ban twice by a single vote in 2001 and 2002.

Hit-and-run driver turns himself in to LAPD

The hit-and-run driver who allegedly struck a 6-year-old Los Altos boy as he crossed Miramonte Avenue on his bicycle last month turned himself in to Los Altos Police March 11.

Retired Mountain View pediatrician George Kirn drove himself to the police station after receiving a letter informing him that District Attorney Diane Northway had issued a warrant for his arrest for felony hit-and-run.

Noise, lights from El Camino projects annoy residents in nearby neighborhood

The seclusion and safety of a dead-end street attracted Sue Bewley to Ray Avenue 30 years ago. These days, the Los Altos resident must keep her windows and curtains shut to buffer the noise and bright lights from the 156-room hotel that abuts her side yard.

Bewley says the neighborhood has been far from quiet since the city approved the construction of the 9,600-square-foot Rambus building and Marriott Residence Inn behind her neighborhood along El Camino Real, over the past two years.

Crisis spurs call for finance reform

Davis, while still finding money to renovate San Quentin prison, is proposing $128 million be slashed from the 59 basic aid districts in California. These districts, which include the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District, get a measly $120 per student but get to keep property tax revenues. This has greatly helped districts in affluent areas.

However, Davis’ proposal, as it stands, would probably force the Mountain View-Los Altos district into receivership because the proposed takeaway of approximately $12 million for next year amounts to 33 percent of the district’s annual $32 million budget. That leaves $20 million. Given that $10 million goes for straight operating costs such as utilities, $10 million remains for salaries - typically 83 percent of the budget.

LETTERS OF MARCH 19, 2003

much older

OBITUARIES FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 19

Senior Vice President, Life Sciences Research at Incyte Genomics, a resident of Los Altos Hills, died peacefully March 5 at the age of 50, after a heroic battle with lung cancer. Jeff is survived by his son Eric, his brother Scott, and his parents Janet and John. Jeff made friends easily, and was loved and respected by those whose lives he touched. Dedicating his life to genetic research, Jeff sought to discover new treatments for disease.

Jeff was extraordinarily intelligent, creative, and courageous, with a very strong character and spirit. His passion for scientific inquiry was fueled by a powerful character and spirit, tempered only by an unswerving sense of humor. Jeff was born November 4, 1952 in Columbus, Ohio where his parents and brother still reside.

Weddings

Send your wedding, engagement or anniversary announcements to Richard Billings at the Los Altos Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022.

Photos are welcome. If you want your photo returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. For more information, call 948-9000, ext. 318, or e-mail

New GOP chairman Sundheim visits locals

In the latest effort to unify a chronically fractured California Republican party, more than 150 invited guests came to Jan and Bob Fenwick’s home March 12 to hear newly elected state party chairman George “Duf” Sundheim.

The turnout served as a business meeting for SPARC (South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition) and included Sundheim’s strategy for winning.

Fourth annual ‘Run for Zimbabwe Orphans’ to be held March 30

For Los Altos resident Ellen Clark, the road to helping children halfway around the world is a mile-long race course.

Since March 2000, Clark, a PE teacher at St. Joseph School in Mountain View, has been putting on “Run For Zimbabwe Orphans,” a one-mile run that raises funds for the Makumbi Children’s Home in Makumbi, Zimbabwe.

Second Harvest Food Bank facing increased demand for services

As rich as California is in agricultural resources, nearly four million Californians are hungry or live on the edge of hunger.

Speaking before the Los Altos Kiwanis Club last Tuesday, Mari Ellen Reynolds, director of development for the San Jose-based Second Harvest Food Bank, said the agency feeds 143,000 people a month and the need continues to grow.

Foothill College to cut library program

John Hogle has been in shock since learning that the library technology program at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills will be cut in June due to low enrollment.

Hogle, who teaches a database-search class, had to break the news to his 33 students. Many are enrolled in the two-year certification program that they will be unable to complete at Foothill.

A missed opportunity

After pulling off one of its greatest comeback victories less than two days earlier, the Pinewood School girls basketball team ran out of gas — and miracles — last Saturday afternoon at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

For the fourth consecutive year, third as a Division II team, the top-seeded Panthers’ dream of reaching the state final was shattered at the NorCal Division II title game. This time, it was at the hands of Vacaville High, which won 58-49.

It’s tax season again: Help is easy to find if your late

During this tax season, everyone’s attention turns to the tax burden that weighs heavily on all of us.

With all of life’s distractions, the fact remains, you have to pay your taxes by April 15. Certified public accountants like Richard Yamaguma have a full-time job taking care of their clients.

‘What did you say?’

It might come as no big surprise to learn that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) is the most commonly diagnosed behavioral affliction in children, showing up in 3 percent to 5 percent of school-aged kids. What you may not know is that up to 4 percent of adults in this country also have it.

According to drug manufacturerr Eli Lily, as many as 8 million American adults have AD/HD also known as attention deficit disorder (ADD) or hyperactivity, and is characterized by an abnormally short attention span, poor impulse control, and sometimes, but not always hyperactivity.

Where leaders are born

There isn’t a better way to find out how your community ticks than enrolling in a leadership program. Most Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce staffs run the programs. When you examine the alumni, Leadership Mountain View (LMV) stands out.

Jerome “Jerry” Jones, present chairman of the Mountain View Chamber of commerce, is an alumnus of the class of 2000.

Kasperzak looks for ‘win-win’ as both mediator and MV mayor

When it came time to seek his second term on the city council, Mountain View Mayor Michael Kasperzak didn’t hesitate for a second. Having served as both mayor and vice mayor since being elected four years ago, the restless former lawyer felt compelled “to finish the things I began.”

Since his first term kicked off in 1998, Kasperzak, 49, has devoted much of his energy to city housing and transportation issues, among other concerns.