Doing business in a dawdling economy

The conflict with Iraq is only about 3 weeks old, but retailers in downtown Los Altos report they are already feeling the fallout of the war.

“We had record sales in 2000 and 2001, and 2002 was good. This year January and February were the strongest we ever had, but then came March and sales dropped out of sight because of war jitters,” said Fred Sischka, owner of Fast Frame. “I don’t expect April to be any better, because it’s tax time.”

Adobe Creek restoration plan scrapped

Several Los Altos Hills residents sighed with relief last week when city council did away with the Santa Clara County Water District’s controversial plan to restore Adobe Creek.

The decision came during a lengthy April 3 public hearing that drew more than 50 residents to town hall. After council voted 4-to-1 to reject the project, approving cheers and overwhelming applause erupted from the audience.

Police report more sightings of Oak Avenue groper

The man who groped a Los Altos mother near Oak School March 24 has apparently been looking for more victims. Los Altos police said residents have since reported a man fitting the suspect’s description acting suspiciously in Los Altos, Cupertino and Sunnyvale.

A San Jose police artist released sketches of the man April 1 based on descriptions from the mother and another woman whom he apparently followed in Sunnyvale the same day. The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department is investigating reports of a similar man seen loitering near a school in Cupertino’s Rancho Riconada neighborhood.

Pottery buff steals outdoor ceramic vases from Los Altos/ Los Altos Hills yards

A man posing as a pottery buff is allegedly snatching up decorative outdoor antique vases from Los Altos yards when residents aren’t home, to add to his illegal collection.

Los Altos police said the man is suspected of having stolen about one vase a week over the past month from private residences in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. The vases have ranged in value from $500 to $1,000 each.

Congregation looks ahead one year after destructive fire

One wouldn’t think parishioners at the Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Redeemer would have much to celebrate on the first anniversary after an arsonist destroyed their Los Altos church. But much like Dr. Seuss’ residents of Whoville who wouldn’t allow the Grinch to destroy their spirit, parishioners found reason to celebrate Sunday.

They held a feast in front of the empty dirt patch where their church once stood; sang and rejoiced during a special prayer service; and even went as far as to describe their recovery as a joyous process.

Bitter outcome to church-day-care partnership adds to local child-care shortage

After nearly 20 years in the Los Altos area, Early Horizons parents and children are without a local center. How it happened is subject to debate, but the daycare center’s departure this month from its site at Christ Episcopal Church on Border Road means even fewer options for parents mulling Los Altos child care alternatives.

Approximately 65 families had been attending Early Horizons at the church site, said parent Liza Levin who has two children at the center. Early Horizons signed a two-year lease with Christ Episcopal in 2001 after being forced to leave its longtime space at Covington School, which Los Altos School District officials planned to reopen as an elementary school.

Residents have until Friday to express preferences on town hall design

Los Altos Hills residents got one last chance to check out four proposed new town hall plans last week before the April 11 deadline to vote on a design.

Architects assigned to draft new looks for the Fremont Road building presented their designs at a public hearing April 3. Residents have until 5 p.m. Friday to mark their selection in a town-issued survey.

Plan dead, flooding potential remains

We say a victory of sorts because rejecting the plan doesn’t solve the problem of potential flooding. In fact, the decision means the project, after years of planning and millions of taxpayer dollars in design costs, is dead with no alternative plan in place.

Part of the problem lies in the water district’s rigidity. District officials have imposed upon themselves a mandate for designing channels to meet the capacity of a 100-year flood. Pardon the expression, but such a plan doesn’t wash when set against the treescaped beauty of Los Altos Hills. The large number of trees targeted for removal to make way for rather large cement-lined creek banks amounts to overkill. In addition, some experts said the district’s plan would not address such a flood anyway; that is, one of such magnitude that it hits on average once every 100 years.

LETTERS OF APRIL 9, 2003

to do with Iraq war

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

OBITUARIES FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 9

passed away on March 25, 2003, after a courageous battle with lymphoma. She was born in Port Henry, NY on December 18, 1916, the eldest of 6 children born to Genevieve (Lacy) and Aaron Strong. In 1938, she married George Barnatone and settled in Pittsford, NY, where their only child, Patricia, was born in 1942. During World War II, while George served under General George Patton in France and Belgium, “Lee” began working for the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY, and continued under their employment for the next 35 years, transferring to the new Palo Alto Lab in 1954. For the next 20 years the family resided in Los Altos, until Lenore and George moved to Plaza del Rey in Sunnyvale, where he passed away in 1989.

Lenore will be dearly missed by her devoted family, Patricia and Melvin Dorin of Mountain View, her beloved grandsons James Ellsworth of Brooklyn, NY and Marcus Dorin of Chico, her sister Mary McCarthy of Victor, NY, brothers James Strong of Rohester, NY and Patrick Strong of Yuma, AZ, and numerous nieces and nephews, as well as many dear friends and extended family. She was a founding member of St. Simon’s parish, a more recent member of St. Martin’s parish, and very active in park activities and the Kodak Retirees’ Association. Her sweet smile and loving heart will be cherished by us all.

David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower discuss their White House years

While most Americans were preoccupied with news of military action in Iraq, David and Julie Nixon Eisenhower spoke about their heritage and life in the White House during their Celebrity Forum lecture March 21 at Flint Center, De Anza College.

Looking chic in her pink suit, Julie said the modern White House is referred to as the “Goldfish Bowl.” “When David and I lived in the White House, it was closer to the real world than it is today. In 1953, my father had only a few Secret Service agents trailing him. Today, the vice president has more than 100, and that is hard to accept.”

Litter lifters earn City Pride Award

The founding members of the “Los Altos Litter Lifters” would like to add a legion of new members to the roster. So far, Lou and Trudi Brossard are the sole members of the informal organization they started about two years ago. For their efforts, the Brossards have earned Los Altos Chamber of Commerce’s first City Pride Award.

The Brossards have been avid hikers for years and residents of Los Altos since 1965. After Lou had angioplasty about two years ago, they began walking to downtown Los Altos every day except Sunday, when they walk “the dish” at Stanford. It didn’t take long for them to discover there was a lot of trash along their three-mile walk.

Churchill, history of freedom subject of Los Altos Morning Forum lecture

Professor J. Rufus Fears gave the April 1 Morning Forum audience a one-hour condensation of his 36-lecture “History of Freedom” course by focusing on the leadership qualities of Winston Churchill as an example of statesmanship. A professor of classics at the University of Oklahoma, Fears has been chosen as Professor of the Year three times.

In Fears’ opinion, history has produced only four true statesmen: Churchill, Pericles of Athens, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. According to Fears, four characteristics define a statesman — bedrock principles, a moral compass, vision and the ability to build consensus. Fears recounted how Churchill embodied these characteristics during his long career.

Fitness center offers ‘escape’ with gallery of paintings

When thinking of fitness centers, rarely do things like oil paintings, watercolor portraits or black-and-white photography spring to mind.

Yet, at one Mountain View exercise facility, these are as much a part of a well-rounded workout as treadmills and Nautilus machines.

Public comments on Bullis Charter School

The supporters of the Bullis Charter School presented their charter to the Los Altos School Board of Trustees, as required by law, March 31, followed by a public comment session.

Some Bullis-Purissima parents have been working to start a charter school since the district’s Feb. 10 decision to close the K-6 school in Los Altos Hills, beginning with the 2003-04 school year.

Students write to troops in Iraq

Anne Marie Bevolden’s second-grade class at Los Altos Christian School will soon become pen pals to service men and women stationed in the Middle East.

Students are writing letters as a part of the American Red Cross pen pal program, “Operation Enduring Response.” Every class at LAC is taking part in the program.

Spartans seek a leader

The Mountain View High softball team’s recent struggles aren’t necessarily due to a lack of hitting, pitching or fielding.

The Spartans 0-4 start in the SCVAL De Anza Division, according to head coach Robert Herrera, has more to do with the absence of a vital intangible.

Eagles haven’t been as successful as coach Dye expected them to be

This was supposed to be the year the Los Altos High swimming and diving teams made some serious waves in the SCVAL De Anza Division, with the boys challenging for the league title.

But the season has not gone nearly as well as Eagles head coach Dan Dye had anticipated. After losing at Gunn last week, the Los Altos boys sunk to 2-2 in the division and the girls fell to 1-3.

Intero Real Estate opens office in Los Altos

Intero Real Estate Services, a full-service real estate company, has opened its Los Altos office at 496 First St. The building, previously occupied by the Packard Foundation, has 11,000 square feet and a capacity for 80 real estate agents.

Intero Los Altos will be the sixth Intero office to open in the Silicon Valley region within six months. As vice president and managing partner, longtime Los Altos resident John Thompson will manage the office.

Los Altos restaurants ride out down economy

The days when martini lunches, corporate dinners and venture capitalists kept local restaurants overflowing ended with the sour economy and war with Iraq. Most restaurant owners say they are scurrying for customers just to “hang in there.”

Dinner crowds have dwindled the most in Los Altos, while lunch still draws in diners, owners said. They attribute part of the decline to office vacancies and fewer people working in downtown retail shops.