Los Altos wildlife

Walking around in her blue Kiwanis T-shirt, Peggy McKleroy is trying to organize groups into marching order. The pets and their owners just keep coming, because it’s getting close to marching time. McKleroy is getting the Girl Scouts together and calls for help.

Heidi Aronson of Girl Scout Troop 615 is trying to calm her hidden 8-month-old pet called Peanut Butter. It eventually comes out of hiding, and it turns out to be a hamster. Others in the staging area are putting the final touches on costumes and breaking out the dog’s brush for the last time.

Homecomings and military news

The United States’ declared victory in Operation Iraqi Freedom last month hasn’t signaled celebration for David Scott’s family, who are uncertain of his whereabouts.

The Los Altos resident has remained on duty in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Middle East transporting troops as a Black Hawk side gunner in the 101st Airborne Division, known as the Screaming Eagles. The 101st is the Army’s only air assault division and has the reputation of being one of the toughest divisions.

Parking fees increased at Foothill and De Anza

The increase from $11 to $24 per semester unit is not the only fee increase that will confront students at Foothill and De Anza colleges this fall. At their meeting May 5, the board of trustees approved additional fee increases.

One of the largest of these will be for parking services. The state allows a maximum of $100 a year for this service, and the board increased it to the maximum level.

Dip in local property values means tax decrease for some

The Peninsula’s economic slowdown will mean lower tax bills for thousands of Santa Clara County residents this year as property values continue to plunge.

County Assessor Larry Stone announced last week that the market value of at least 32,756 properties dipped below their assessed value during the past year, requiring the county to readjust those property owners’ 2003-04 tax bills.

LA architect tapped to build new LAH Town Hall

Nearly one month after narrowing down a choice for a new town hall design, Los Altos Hills City Council is considering Los Altos-based architect Peter Duxbury to bring that design to life.

Duxbury was bumped to the top of the list of candidates when the new town hall committee voted unanimously May 13 to recommend him for council approval. Council will make its final choice at a public hearing May 29.

Coach hopes to set a block on demolition of gym at Rosita

A man who has been living quietly at the former St. William’s Parish Hall site the past 10 years is orchestrating a late-blooming bid to save the building from a planned demolition.

Roger Smith said he wants to save the 40-plus-year-old building, located at 401 Rosita Ave., not so he can continue to live there, but to preserve a girls volleyball team which uses the site. Smith coaches the Cosmos junior girls teams which have used the hall’s gymnasium on a limited use basis since the city of Los Altos purchased the 5.5-acre Rosita property in 1996.

LETTERS OF MAY 21, 2003

on Adobe watershed

If it needs doing, do it now!

It has taken me about eight months to realize that I have changed very little over the years. I had a tendency to put difficult decisions off then and usually do the same now. It takes me forever to decide to balance my checkbook, only to find that it just won’t balance. I put off phone calls that are problematic, only to find that the problems still are waiting for me. Journey with me to my past.

It was 1947, and the young college student could give scant attention to scholarly pursuits. All her thoughts and dreams were centered on the young man who had recently proposed marriage. What could be more natural? However, since she was enrolled in a senior course, which could affect her future as a teacher, she made a monumental effort to concentrate on her studies.

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 MAY 14

A Memorial Mass and fellowship in honor of Arthur “Art” J. Scott is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, at St. Simon Catholic Church. Scott, 42, was a prominent realtor who also volunteered in the community. He took his own life April 28. St. Simon Catholic Church is located at 1860 Grant Road, Los Altos.

beloved husband of Pauline DeKraker, died peacefully on May 7, 2003 surrounded by his loving family. Glenn was born in Boulder, CO on February 16, 1926, but spent his youth in Albuquerque, NM. Following his stint in the Navy, he began a wonderful fifty-seven year marriage to the love of his life, Pauline Dittmer and moved to Palo Alto, CA to complete his education at Stanford University. Following graduation, they moved to Springfield, IL, where he joined Sangamo Electric Company, and they started their home in Los Altos Hills. Glenn began an entrepreneurial career that resulted in the founding of several software companies in the media and advertising industry.

St. Joseph the Worker Center manager named ‘Woman of the Year’

The California State Assembly members recently announced their designees for “Woman of the Year.” Maria Marroquin, manager of St. Joseph the Worker Center in Mountain View, received the award from Sally Lieber, California State Assemblymember for the 22nd District.

Marroquin was recognized for her efforts to provide jobs to day workers in this area — Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino, parts of San Jose, and most of Santa Clara. She has ensured hundreds of men and women the potential for a more secure future.

Los Altos teen gets ‘Switched’

Many people often wonder what it would be like to live as someone else and see life through a different set of eyes. Los Altos resident Matthew Sereni got the chance to live out that fantasy recently on a new life-swapping reality series.

Starting next week, the ABC Family network will begin airing “Switched!” a half-hour show that gives teen-agers from different parts of the country a crack at trading identities.

Krauses give $2 million to Citadel for leadership ed

The Krause Foundation of Los Altos Hills is giving $2 million to The Citadel Foundation to support, advance and endow leadership activities conducted by The Citadel.

Initiated by Bill and Gay Krause, the gift will fund The Krause Initiative in Leadership and will endow and establish The Krause Chair in Leadership.

Los Altos Boy Scout Troop 37 marks 85 years of involvement

Boy Scout Troop 37 has scheduled a celebration 6:30-8:30 p.m., June 2, to mark its 85th anniversary.

In July 1917, when the scouting movement was less than a decade old, Stanford teacher Herman Peters submitted the names of a dozen boys, 12 to 14, with a petition for acceptance. By early 1918, the Los Altos charter was approved, designated as Troop 1.

Budget cuts continue, forcing layoffs in Foothill-De Anza district

The Foothill-De Anza Community College District provided details of the 2003-04 budget cuts, which include the elimination of a large contingent of classified employees. With the possibility of bumping rights, last Monday’s meeting turned into an emotional event.

“We are not happy with these cuts. You (district board) have to consider the budget crisis, but we must work together,” said Javier Rveda, chapter chairman for Foothill-De Anza SIEU Local 715. “Don’t forget the contribution we have made to this district. This is no fault of our own, so don’t forget who we are.”

Governor modifies Basic Aid cuts to relief of MV-LA high school district

The Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District was able to breathe a small sigh of relief last Wednesday, when Gov. Gray Davis withdrew plans to take away the state’s Basic Aid funding for schools.

A Basic Aid district receives a basic amount of general funding from the state, since the local property tax revenue within the district exceeds what could be provided under other state funding formulas.

MVHS Principal Hyland named ‘Champion’ for youth

The Mountain View-Los Altos-Los Altos Hills Challenge Team honored Mountain View High School Principal Pat Hyland with the 2003 Challenge Team Champion for Youth award at its eighth annual benefit breakfast May 8.

Hyland received plaques from the cities of Mountain View and Los Altos and a certificate of appreciation from the California State Assembly for her activism and advocacy for youth in Santa Clara County.

Falcons bring Spartans to their knees

Last Thursday was Seniors Appreciation Day for the Mountain View High baseball team, and its coaching brain trust had a dilemma: how much playing time to dole out to its seniors in the regular-season finale against Saratoga that had major playoff ramifications.

While the Spartans had enough Central Coast Section power points to have locked up a playoff berth before the contest, the Falcons needed the win to help their chances of making the postseason tournament.

Moving On: Eagles, Lancers qualify for CCS

When a baseball team is rolling like Los Altos High, the playoffs can’t begin soon enough.

“They’re confident they can win, and they’re eager,” head coach Sandy Wihtol said of his Eagles, who enter Thursday’s Central Coast Section Division II opener on a six-game winning streak. “They’re eager to get out there — and they’re ready.”

Led by Lozares, Lancers cruise to CCS golf crown; Los Altos’ Sines finishes 12th

At the end of last week’s Central Coast Section championship tournament, St. Francis High golf coach Dave Ferriera approached a group of his players to find out how the team had fared. Their expressions gave nothing away.

“I wasn’t sure if they had won, finished second or what; there wasn’t any jubilation or excitement” said Ferriera, who didn’t get to follow his players around the course because he had to marshal the event with the other teams’ coaches. “They were nonchalant. I guess they’re not going to get excited until it’s all done.”

Dog-grooming salons thrive in Los Altos

If you’re not among the canine cognoscenti, you probably wonder what all the big fuss is over pooches — but visit a Los Altos dog-grooming shop and you’ll realize that “man’s best friend” is no misnomer.

“I have a couple of dogs coming in before 8 a.m. the day of the pet parade,” said Debbie Willson, dog grooming operator at Beaugay’s in downtown Los Altos. “When they march down Main Street, the owners want to be proud of their pets.”

Looks like the market is running out of steam

There’s a bunch of statistical indicators that show the market has run out of steam. We have risen too fast, and it appears the market is in a consolidating phase. Don’t look for a big drop, but there will be some scaredy-cats taking profits this week.

We will get another batch of economic data on Friday that will offer more clues about what lies ahead, and I look for the market to finish out the week with light selling. Just call it a dip or a pullback, but have the broker put a stop on whatever you do.

New clinic offers nonsurgical options to fight effects of aging

Dean Vistnes, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon, is hoping his SkinSpirit Skincare Clinic & Spa — which opened earlier this week in downtown Palo Alto — will turn some people away from the surgical suite and point them toward alternative therapies.

“With the new nonsurgical options available today, combined with a top-notch at-home skin-care regimen, you may be able to stave off major surgery indefinitely,” Vistnes said. “There’s nothing you can do to stop the aging process, but there are many things you can do to affect the age you look. Our mission is to honestly educate people about taking control and understanding how to use the proven technologies and medical-grade products to achieve visible results safely.”

Pets can be good for your health

When it comes to keeping her spirits up, Mountain View resident Phyllis Olson doesn’t know where she’d be without her dog, Louis.

“He’s helped me through some difficult times,” the 87-year-old said of her Papillon. “He’s always been there for me.”