Paths debate winds on

The debate over off-road pathways in Los Altos Hills continues.

Toni Casey, former Los Altos Hills councilwoman and three-time Los Altos Hills mayor, alleges the pathways committee is not notifying the public about decisions regarding the city’s pathway system.

Coastside annexation postponed

Superior Court Judge Mark Forcum issued a temporary restraining order July 13 preventing the San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission from certifying the County Elections Office’s count of protest forms opposing Coastside Protection. The decision postpones approval of the annexation of 220 square miles of coastline by the Los Altos-based Midpeninsula Open Space District as part of its Coastside Protection Program.

Forcum ordered a re-evaluation of the protest forms with P.O. box numbers or addresses altered by a third party because 1,757 of the 5,340 protest forms submitted June 11 were rejected by the County Elections Office. Another hearing is set for tomorrow before a different judge, who will consider issuing a permanent restraining order. All signatures thrown out by the elections office will be reviewed before the hearing.

City shaves down Los Altos Hills Town Hall budget costs

After weeks of consulting with contractors, Los Altos Hills city staff, the planning commission and TBI, the firm in charge of building the new $4.2 million Los Altos Hills Town Hall, shaved building costs, bringing construction bids for the new town hall down to $173,000 over budget. The city council approved the new bids July 15.

Slight adjustments were made to plans for structural concrete, earthwork and roofing materials, among other packages that were sent out for rebidding. The planning commission also opted to go with cost-effective and durable fiber-cement siding, which simulates wood siding, rather than cedar or redwood siding, which has increased in cost over past months.

Media allowed to report on ‘harebrained’ ideas

The Los Altos community group that excluded a reporter from its meetings earlier this year out of fear that members would be “tarred and feathered in the media” for what some have called an open exchange of “harebrained ideas” agreed last week to open its doors to the public. A council discussion about whether paid city staff members should participate in groups that report to the council with ideas that could change city policy but exclude the public, such as the Downtown Revitalization Task Force, prompted the decision.

“We never had a policy,” said Julie Rose, chamber president and member of the task force. The reporter left before the group decided whether members felt comfortable brainstorming with a reporter taking notes, Rose added. At the last meeting, Rose said the group agreed on a policy to open meetings to the public.

Public comment adds hours, expenses to pool study

More opinions will mean more money to complete a court-ordered environmental study of the proposed pool project at Rosita Park. The Los Altos City Council last week increased the amount initially budgeted to complete the final Environmental Impact Report after receiving a higher-than-expected number of public comments that consultants say will add an estimated 50 work hours to the project. Consultants David J. Powers & Associates must review every comment as part of the study.

The city initially budgeted 30 hours of time for review of public comments. Consultants expect to spend 80 hours reviewing what residents had to say about the impacts a three-pool complex could have on the Rosita neighbhorhood.

Editorial

Media access to downtown planning meetings gives residents a chance for input, too
The downtown revitalization committee’s decision last week to allow media members to attend meetings was justified and appropriate.
There was a question over whether paid city staffers could participate in meetings not open to the public. But […]

Letters to the Editor

Appreciate thoughts on fuel efficiency
Mogens Lauritzen

I applaud the letter by Matthew Savage, age 18, regarding automobile fuel efficiency.
We, as adults, have a moral obligation to leave Earth in the same or better condition as when we received it.
We must remind ourselves that it is our animal instinct to exploit […]

July thoughts

There is a constant dichotomy in all aspects of the world now. How different are “Spiderman 2″ and “Fahrenheit 9/11″? They are oddly in competition for audience and profits.

We had a full week devoted to the funeral of Ronald Reagan. The media pushed the event to the point that we became numb. The contrast with another former president, Bill Clinton, struck me as he is very much alive and starting his book tour with a vengeance. The media showed the voluble Clinton holding forth to cheering audiences.

Obituaries

ROBERT BUSS
Robert Buss, long-time Palo Alto area resident, died at home in Los Altos Hills on July 5th. He was 91.
Born in Provo, Utah in 1913, he moved with his family to Palo Alto at age 10 and graduated from Palo Alto High School. He earned his […]

Engagement

Amy Harvey and William Hu
Amy Stratton Harvey and William Nai-Han Hu are slated to be married Saturday at Silver Creek Country Club in San Jose.
The bride-to-be is the daughter of Dr. Edward and Janet Harvey of Green Valley.
She graduated from Armijo High School and California State University, Chico, with a […]

Community Briefs

Fund-raiser for Honduran water project
Estrellita Restaurant in Los Altos is assisting Peace Corps member Chrissy Hopkins in her efforts to bring drinking water to a poor village in Honduras.
The Honduras Water Project Benefit is scheduled 5-7 p.m., Sunday, at the restaurant, 971 N. San Antonio Road. Hopkins, a Los Altos native, […]

Egan track to be made regulation length

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees last Thursday awarded Jensen Corp., the only bidder, the contract for renovating the track and infield at Egan Junior High School and replacing turf where 18 portables were just removed.

Jensen’s base bid was $638,888 for the track and infield and an additional $63,000 for the new turf. Because no funds are available for renovating the baseball field, the board did not approve the $268,000 alternate plan for doing so. The district considers the field adequate as it is for the junior high softball program.

Bullis has new deadline for use agreement

Los Altos School District is well along with preparations to receive students and staff of Bullis Charter School at the Egan Junior High School camp Aug. 23, but at press time it still had not received the signed Facilities Use Agreement from the Bullis board of directors.

District trustees had hoped to review and take action on the signed document last Thursday. Attorneys for both sides of the deal have been negotiating the agreement since March 15, when the district made the offer for the coming school year to the Bullis board. The charter school’s deadline for accepting the agreement has been extended several times from the original May 1 date.

Schools Briefs

LA Parent Preschool seeks all alumni
Los Altos Parent Preschool plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary with an all-alumni reunion Aug. 21. The school is looking for the more than 500 families that have played together since 1954 to join a fun-filled 1950s theme party.
For more information, logon to www.lapp.coop or call […]

‘This is his game’

Every year, players say they are honored to play in the annual Charlie Wedemeyer High School All-Star Football Game. This year it’s even more of an honor for many of those involved - including local players like Shawn Girouard.

Today’s 30th-anniversary game, set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. at San Jose City College, will honor fallen soldier Pat Tillman. The former Leland High defensive star played in the contest 10 years ago, then went on to star in college (Arizona State) and the NFL (Arizona Cardinals) before joining the Army Rangers. In April, he was killed on a mission in Afghanistan.

Stock market fails to produce summer lightning

It’s the summer doldrums, and stocks are trading unfeelingly. Industrial indicators show mixed results, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Greenspan offers his testimony on semiannual monetary policy this week, and we spend more than $40 when we fill up our gas tank.

Yawn. Can the news get more boring for the stock market?

New guitar fits into violin-size storage case

For years, the same problem plagued Phil Green.

An avid guitar player, he found it difficult to drag along a bulky conventional acoustic guitar on business trips. Too big to fit in the overhead storage bins on commercial airliners and too fragile to check in with his luggage, the acoustic guitar Green wanted to take with him was seen as a traveling hassle rather than a welcome sight.

Beware the euphoria of today’s housing prices

As of July 6, there were 48 single-family homes available in Los Altos, with prices ranging from $849,000 to $4.5 million. The median price was $1.295 million.

The Multiple Listing Service also showed 57 single-family homes available in Los Altos Hills, where home prices range from $1.295 million to $15.9 million. Homes priced at less than $1.8 million sell quickly in the Hills.

Transactions

Los Altos
425 Becker Lane - M. Gaskill to W. & C. Beisheim for $1,677,000.00
1200 Carmel Terrace - P. & J. Cook to I. Absar for $1,480,000.00
1686 Christina Drive - E. & J. Klein to Kamin Trust for $1,226,000.00
224 Delphi Circle - Martorell Trust to Buckheit Trust for $1,658,000.00
2108 […]

Living with no cure

The only thing worse than suffering the baffling array of symptoms that characterize multiple sclerosis is receiving the diagnosis. The pronouncement from the neurologist is a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

Both my husband, Lou, and retired Palo Alto High School biology teacher, Angelo Cortopassi, remember the verdict handed down without context: “You have MS, the cause is unknown, there is no cure.” The different disease progressions were not explained.

El Camino Hospital receives highly regarded national award

Professional Research Corporation (PRC) last month presented the 2004 President’s Award to El Camino Hospital at their Client Education Conference attended by hospital leaders from across the country. The Mountain View hospital was recognized for scoring at or above the 90th percentile in all five of the top-ranked categories of customer satisfaction.

El Camino was the only recipient among the 300 hospitals nationwide participating in the survey, and the first hospital in the company’s history to score high enough to earn the President’s Award.

El Camino patients unhappy with Dialysis Center expansion

In 2003, El Camino Hospital initiated a project to improve the efficiency of the dialysis service line, which has led to the dissatisfaction of some patients. The board received information regarding the changes at their meeting last Wednesday.

Officials deemed it was necessary, as dialysis has changed from a fee-for-service model to a more capitated model. The change provides financial incentives to keep patients well, which fee-for-service does not.

Diego 5 pounds closer to ditching his diet

A few more weeks have come and gone since my diet began, and I must say, things don’t appear to be going too badly.

OK, so it hasn’t been easy, but I’m still sticking with my plan and I will see it through to the end.

MS-ridden journalist offers disjointed chronicle of coping with disease

Bouts of career and family interspersed with chronic illness sums up Richard M. Cohen’s book “Blindsided” (HarperCollins, 2004). Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early 20s, as his journalism career was ascending, Cohen recounts his 30-year struggle to “lift his life above illness.” He describes denial as a valuable coping mechanism, one that he leaned on until his blindness and deteriorating health nudged him toward acceptance.

The narrative is choppy and disjointed, and at times Cohen seems to be speaking out of both sides of his mouth, first dismissing a guide to MS that simplistically advises keeping a good attitude, then agreeing that a good attitude is a cornerstone to good health. Similarly, Cohen at first limits disclosure about his illness, then decides that disclosure is important, then suffers the consequences of disclosure during a job interview with an executive producer of “NBC Nightly News.” In a way, Cohen’s writing style mirrors a disease that leaves no easy answers, only ambiguity.

Ladies gain ‘hats-on’ experience

There is only one rule if you join the Red Hat Society, a national social club for women. The rule applies to the club’s dress code: women older than 50 attire themselves in bright red hats and purple clothing; women under 50 wear pink hats and lavender clothing.

The three Red Hat Society chapters based in Los Altos include the Los Altos Ruby Reds, the LoLas, and the Oooo LaLa Ladies. The LoLas and Oooo LaLa Ladies are open for new members and all embrace the club’s mantra that aging gracefully can be fun and frivolous.

Business should be compatible with owner’s lifestyle

According to the latest figures from the American Association of Retired Persons, 16.4 percent of workers aged 50-plus are self-employed, compared to 10.2 percent of the overall work force, and people aged 45-54 make up the fastest-growing group of new business owners in the United States.

People 50 and over need to be very clear on what they do and don’t want when selecting a retirement business. The new self-study training program “Starting a Business in Your Fifties And Beyond” (www.bizstarters.com/50plus.cfm) shows prospective business owners aged 50 and up how to select and launch a business that matches their desired retirement lifestyle.

Datebook

Datebook items are run on a space-available basis for entertainment, non-profit events, low-cost classes and groups of wide interest in our circulation area. Deadline is noon, Tuesday, for the next week’s paper. We do not guarantee items will appear. Notices must be typed and include a contact name and number. Mail to Datebook, Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022; fax 948-6647; or e-mail peteb@latc.com (no attachments).

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