Roger Brunello: Life after bread

Born into baking, Roger Brunello can remember sitting on a bench watching his father Paul mix dough and batters for the family bakery in the tiny Northern California town of Weed. Roger followed his father into the business when the family moved to the Bay Area in 1956 and opened El Real Bakery in Palo Alto.

“Eventually I wanted to open my own bakery with a place that served excellent sandwiches made with fresh-baked sourdough bread,” said the longtime Los Altos resident. “I was looking for a place, and decided to open one in my hometown.”

LASD’s superintendent to retire next year

Marge Gratiot will retire as head of the Los Altos School District at the end of the next school year, she announced Monday night. She will have worked as an educator for 37 years by then - all but two of those years in this district.

The superintendent said her letter requesting the board of trustees’ permission to retire was “the hardest letter I have ever had to write.”

4-H riding for the handicapped in trouble

Westwind Barn’s 4-H riding for the handicapped program is in jeopardy.

As a result of this year’s budget deficit, Santa Clara County is considering cutting its financial support for UC-Cooperative Extension programs including 4-H, Master Gardeners and farm outreach.

LA housing remodel takes a twist: Neighbors want bigger project

In a city where residents historically are the ones pushing planning officials to deny larger home remodels, one Los Altos project recently took an unusual twist.

Residents on San Luis Avenue rallied together to ask the council to approve a home that the planning commission said was too bulky and formal to fit the street’s character.

County library budget bleaker than anticipated

Santa Clara County’s public library system faces a $3.6 million decrease in funding this year and possibly a $9 million drop next fiscal year, according to a preliminary budget that the Joint Powers Authority, which governs the countywide system, presented last week.

The $23.2 million budget proposed for fiscal year 2004-2005 is 12 percent less than last year’s operating budget for the 10 libraries in the countywide system, which includes the Los Altos main and Woodland libraries.

Library measure set for next year

Library funding may come back to voters next year during a special election. The Santa Clara County Library Election Committee last week recommended putting another bond measure on a special ballot in June 2005.

Voters in March narrowly defeated Measure B, which would have extended and increased parcel tax money that has provided the library system about $5.7 million annually, or 23 percent of its revenues over the past 10 years. The tax is set to expire in July 2005.

Sewer rates increase $24 annually per residence

An anticipated $4.4 million overhaul of the city’s sewer system means Los Altos sewer rates will increase for the second consecutive year.

The increase, which the Los Altos City Council approved last month, will add $2 a month to existing single-family residential rates. The increase means households will pay $19 a month, or $24 more a year, for sewer service. The new rate comes on the heels of a $4-a-month increase approved last year following nine years of no rate adjustments.

Praying for someone’s health could violate the law

Praying out loud for someone’s health in church - no matter how well intentioned - could end up exposing congregations to penalties under a new federal law.

Since April 14, 2003, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services began enforcing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the federal government has set restrictions on public prayer.

Libraries should stay county

A $2.6 million shortfall in anticipated state revenue, combined with $1 million additional costs for staff retirement and health benefits result in a $3.6 million shortfall for fiscal year 2004-2005. The defeat of the countywide Measure B in March threatens the loss of $5.7 million annually, or 23 percent of its budget. If the libraries cannot place a bond measure on the ballot in June 2005 and pass it, the county libraries will lose that $5.7 million. The cuts will result in more limited hours and fewer staffers.

Some of us have pondered whether Los Altos would be better off independent from the county. After all, our community has long vigorously supported the libraries, and Los Altos itself approved Measure B with more than 70 percent of the vote.

LETTERS OF MAY 5, 2004

In a March 31 letter from Dick Hasenpflug, chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee for Finance (CACF), there was a strong bias against Bullis Charter School and a misrepresentation of the facts. Hasenpflug claimed a subcommittee of the CACF had recently concluded that the charter school would jeopardize existing programs in the Los Altos School District. This is a false statement and raises serious questions about the role of the CACF and district finances.

OBITUARIES FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 5, 2004

Janet Lear Harris passed away April 23, 2004 after a short illness. As an infant born in 1914, Janet was left on the doorstep of P. E. Lear in Oakland, who subsequently adopted, loved and raised her. The former concert pianist, homemaker and avid reader who loved animals and orchids, is survived by her son Dave (MaryJo) Harris of Folsom, daughter Daphne (Richard) Poytress of Lincoln, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren. A resident of Folsom the past five years, Janet was preceded in death by her loving husband Homer B. Harris in Los Altos where she spent the previous fifty years. Janet’s passing brings great sadness to all who were fortunate enough to have known her. A private family memorial will be held.

Robert Stroud steady with the beat, generous with humor and love

Robert Howard Stroud, a talented, gentle man often seen in public with a drum kit in front of him, died April 21 at his home in Los Altos Hills after a two-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Mr. Stroud was 85.

Born 1918 in Minnesota, Mr. Stroud’s love of the drums began as a student at Palo Alto High School when he played in the school’s marching band. He played the drums in the Fort Warren Band, where he was stationed in the service during World War II. He played drums in a number of other bands, most notably the South City Orchestra, Palo Alto Elks Club Band and Ye Olde Towne Band.

From Starbucks to support in Iraq: Foothill student attending to wounded soldiers

Sakura Dao Pham, a solider with the 2nd Medical Brigade serving in Baghdad, is organizing a volunteer effort to assemble care packages for American soldiers injured in the line of duty.

Pham, who grew up in Sunnyvale, worked at Starbucks on Main Street and went to Foothill College before being sent to Iraq. She is 20 years old.

Banker Allen to receive Realtors’ Community Service Award

Wyatt Allen of Mountain View has been selected as this year’s recipient of the prestigious Community Service Award, presented by the Los Altos/Mountain View District of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. The award, established in 1964, honors men and women who have given their time, leadership and experience to benefit the community.

Allen, a vice president at Bank of Los Altos and father of three, has served as director and president of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on the board of the Los Altos Village Association.

Rambus’ top employees ‘chip in’ to renovate East Palo Alto ministry

When it came to helping out, even the president and CEO of a big high-tech company such as Rambus were not above donning T-shirts and picking up a hammer.

In an April 24 event formerly known as “Christmas in April” but now called “National Rebuilding Day,” approximately 80 Rambus employees joined volunteers from every walk of life to renovate properties all over the Bay Area.

Artists open studios to public this weekend

Silicon Valley Open Studios offers an opportunity to meet painters, sculptors, potters and glass artists and view their art in their own environments. Most of the artwork is for sale. Buying art directly from the artist is an easy and fun way to start your art collection.

This year’s event spans the first three weekends this month and includes nearly 500 artists.

Bullis’ acceptance of Egan camp indefinite

The board of Bullis Charter School may have accepted Los Altos School District’s offer of Egan camp school for next year; then again, it may not. It’s hard to tell.

In a letter to Marge Gratiot, district superintendent, Peter Evans, chairman of the Bullis Site Task Force, said the Bullis board accepted the offer “under duress, under protest, and without waiving any legal rights of Bullis Charter School under applicable local, state or federal law, such as Proposition 39 rights and remedies.”

Obesity killing children, physician says

The fat are getting fatter. Obesity in the United States has reached epidemic status, according to Dr. Tom Robinson, director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto.

“Obesity shortens life. This will be the first generation to have a shorter life span than their parents,” he said.

Spartans close in on title; Lancers wrap up WCAL

When it comes to the race for the SCVAL El Camino Division title, one thing’s for certain: the winning baseball team will have the initials “MVHS.”

What remains unresolved is whether it will be Mountain View High School or Monta Vista High School, though that could be cleared up by week’s end.

Farmers market returns bigger, better

Thursday, the fifth annual Downtown Los Altos Farmers’ Market will open. Due to its popularity, the market has added an additional block on State Street and now stretches from Second to Fourth streets. There will be 10 new farmers and six new food vendors as well as arts and crafts sellers.

“We’re going to have 60 to 65 booths altogether,” said Ted Garrett, executive director of the Los Altos Village Association which sponsors the farmers’ market.

A toast for Mother’s Day

Most local wineries will be open and several are offering special Mother’s Day toasts Sunday.

The vines are heavy with ripening grapes in all directions at Thomas Fogarty Winery high in the Portola Valley Hills. There are exciting views in every direction; on a clear day, you can see San Francisco.

Not enough bang for the bucks

During the late 1960s, what hippie could possibly have imagined the VW logo on the front of that flower-bedecked “peoples’ wagon” might one day be emblazoned on the front of a 12-cylinder “limousine” costing more than most folks’ annual salaries? Or that the most expensive Volkswagen would be selling for more than the biggest Mercedes-Benz?

As inconceivable as it might have seemed then, we drove both this past month - the new Volkswagen Phaeton with its 12-cylinder engine, stickered at a phenomenal $107,000 and the current Mercedes-Benz S500, selling for a lesser but still jaw-dropping price tag of $87,670. Both prices include a gas-guzzler tax of more than $1,000 since the cars are rated at 15-25 miles per gallon.