One to ‘row’ on

Dorthe Clarke is getting good at getting up really early - which she jokes is “something my husband thought he would never live to see.”

Clarke rises at 5 a.m. four days a week to drive - quite often in the dark - from her Los Altos home to Lexington Reservoir.

Poll of the Week

Here are the results of last week’s poll:

Should the Los Altos School District accept a $5 million offer for the Bullis-Purissima School site?

Los Altos could ask residents to pay for additional services

Los Altos residents may have to cough up additional money if they want more than basic services in town. City staff is recommending that the Los Altos City Council ask voters to go to the ballot every two years to decide whether they want to fund any new or expanded services.

The idea of asking voters to “pay-as-you-go” was among the suggestions in this year’s budget that the council was scheduled to approve Tuesday after the Town Crier’s press deadline.

No sale, district tells Hills

Bullis-Purissima School won’t change hands, the Los Altos School District told the Los Altos Hills City Council last week. By direction from the school board, Superintendent Marge Gratiot wrote to Mayor Mike O’Malley that the Bullis site “has not been for sale, and is not for sale now.”

School district trustees discussed the council’s offer in closed session before the regular board meeting June 6. Vice President Margot Harrigan, presiding in Jay Thomas’ absence, told the small audience of PTA presidents and regulars, “You should know this board is not now nor has ever been interested in selling that site.”

LAH town officials say Palo Alto slighted residents during Mayfield planning process

Los Altos Hills officials continue to delve into how notification that Stanford University planned to develop 430,000 square feet of office space along Arastradero Road slipped through the cracks.

City staff and the council were unaware until about a month ago that as part of the Mayfield Agreement between Palo Alto and Stanford, the university could build out its research park at the triangle formed by Foothill Expressway, Arastradero Road and Hillview Avenue.

Homestead teacher receives prison sentence for sexual relationships with students

The former Homestead High School teacher arrested twice for having sexual relationships with three students will spend the next four years and four months in state prison, a Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge ruled June 8.

Brett Michael Bartlett, 26, was arrested at the high school first in February for having unlawful sex with two students, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old.

Los Altos Hills council deems Bullis site ‘public’

The Los Altos Hills City Council voted this month to designate the former Bullis-Purissima School site a “public elementary school” in a decision that may be related to the city’s lawsuit against the Los Altos School District, which owns the site.

The council amended the town’s general plan to add the word “public” to the description of the Fremont Road site. City Planning Director Carl Cahill said the amendment was a clarification because the plan specifically denotes private schools. Narrowing the use provides greater consistency in the plan, he said.

Comment

Importance of trail grant to Los Altos
Aaron Grossman

Thank you for the very good article on June 8 about the trail in Los Altos, or rather its lack of progress.
The Friends of Stevens Creek Trail is a small, registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a very limited budget. However, we felt […]

A new cosmos?

Scientific new discoveries about our universe lead to more questions than answers. Where does the universe begin and where does it end? We look up at the sky and have to realize we are seeing an infinitesimally small part of it. Is there such a thing as an end or is it infinite? We hear there are billions of galaxies with planets and moons. The sun we see is only one of many stars. Oh, my God, can there be other places light years away that living entities populate? Can they see and judge us as idiots?

The evolution versus creation controversy is alive again, so the powerful TV and news media tell us. Where does each of us absorb our beliefs? My mother wouldn’t recognize the word evolution, and my father, despite his scientific background, rarely looked beyond the evils of the recent past. Does education help mold what we think? My anthropology class at Hunter College implanted in me a deep acceptance of the incredibly slow movement of matter as it changed into what we are today, human beings.

In grateful recognition to my fellow officers

I wish to take this opportunity to extend my thanks to each and every member of our department for the fellowship and professionalism you have demonstrated in my tenure with this agency. The fellowship and professionalism I have shared with each of you is something I will cherish for many years to come.

Obituary Notices

MARY LOU WALLACE
Mary Lou Wallace passed away peacefully on June 3, 2005 in Santa Cruz at the home of her daughter, Patti Palma. She was 90 years old.
Mary Lou was born in Oakland, CA and grew up in San Francisco where she met and married Walter Wallace, the love of her […]

Troops 321 and 90 honor 12 gold and silver award recipients

At a banquet held in their honor at the Garden House in Shoup Park May 15, 12 high school and junior high school members of Los Altos-based Girl Scout Troops 321 and 90 were recognized for earning their Gold or Silver Awards.

Six girls received the Gold Award, the highest achievement in Girl Scouting. It is earned by only about 3,000 young women annually in the United States. To earn the Gold Award, a high school student must earn four Interest Project patches, the Career Exploration pin, the Senior Girl Scout Leadership Award and the Senior Girl Scout Challenge, then plan and implement a Girl Scout Gold Award project, approved by the Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County Council, that requires at least 50 hours of work.

Los Altos resident shines light on solutions for the poverty-stricken people of Nepal

Things are cooking in Nepal. Allart Ligtenberg, a 28-year Los Altos resident, is helping the people of that mountainous nation by disseminating low-cost solar cooking technology as an alternative to burning wood fuel.

Ligtenberg, 62, spends four to five months each year traveling the globe to promote the use of solar cookers. He has traveled to Mongolia, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile. But he returns to Nepal year after year, in spite of its grinding poverty, civil unrest and a violent Maoist insurgency. The country’s beauty and its people captivated him on his first trip there 26 years ago.

Roe v. Wade attorney talks about progress of women

Sarah Weddington, who argued and won Roe v. Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court at age 26, spoke to Morning Forum members June 7 about the progress women have made since that famous 1972 decision that legalized abortion.

Weddington, speaking on “The Supreme Court and You,” is the author of a popular book, “A Question of Choice,” which details much of her work in this area.

Community Briefs

Israeli-Palestinian conflict discussed
The World Affairs Council and the Los Altos Library have scheduled “Walls and Bridges in the Israeli - Palestinian Conflict,” 7:30-9 p.m., June 22, at the Los Altos main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road.
The presentation will include photos by Jennifer Kuiper based on her personal experiences working with […]

Remembering Memorial Day

During the Memorial Day holiday, eight Girl Scout troops from Los Altos Service Unit 8 placed flags on the graves in the veterans section of Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Cupertino. Girls from troops 307, 199, 1170, 1059, 416, 617, 1087 and 1166 all participated.

Calendar

Today
Los Altos Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission, 7 p.m., community chambers, city hall, 1 N. San Antonio Road
Community Health Awareness Council, 3:30 p.m., 711 Church St., Mountain View.
Mountain View Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m., city hall, 500 Castro St.
Thursday
Los Altos Hills Town Council, 6 p.m., town hall, 26379 […]

Pet of the Week

Maxwell is a neutered male Giant Lop rabbit available for adoption at Palo Alto Animal Services. The crew there describes Maxwell as friendly and playfully active. If you have room in your heart for Maxwell, come to Palo Alto Animal Services, 3281 E. Bayshore Road, or call 496-5971.

Chinese brush painting at Main St. Cafe

Four local brush painters, Diana Chien, Victor Chien, Patricia J. Machmiller and Yu Chun Hui, will display artwork Thursday through June 30 at Main Street Cafe & Books.

The works are rooted in traditional Chinese brush painting with an added Western slant.

LAHS grad helping immigrants become U.S. citizens

Los Altos High School graduate Luis Aguilar is assisting Mexican immigrants to obtain U.S. citizenship through the Citizenship Project at California State University at Monterey Bay.

Aguilar became involved with the project though CSUMB’s Service Learning program. Service Learning is a required course, which combines 30 hours of community service in the local Monterey community with classroom work, four hours a week. Aguilar promotes the importance of getting citizenship in order to attain voting rights.

Alta Vista graduates moving up and out

Alta Vista High School has graduated the last class of students whose entire time at the school has been in the old buildings behind the district offices. This year’s ceremony was held in the Spartan Theater on the adjacent Mountain View High School campus. Next year’s ceremony will take place in the school’s brand-new building.

Thirty-seven seniors and one graduating junior bid an emotional farewell to the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District’s continuation high school last Friday.

MVLA Middle College students open discussion of human rights violations

More than 100 people attended the first public event of Students Ending Rights Violations (SERV) at Foothill College last week, and many stayed after the two-hour presentation to continue asking searching questions of the panelists, all of whom have experienced rights abuse firsthand.

One audience member said, “If tonight is any indication, the Foothill community is ready to hear a progressive message.”

BCS students show results of drama, dance lessons

More than 80 percent of Bullis Charter School students participated in two full-scale musicals and a dance recital this spring.

The first musical was “Mary Poppins,” performed by students from kindergarten through fourth grade in late May. Convincing British accents, expressive delivery of lines, colorful costumes and live music made the show a hit for its sold-out audiences.

LASD to cut library hours, freeze teachers’ pay

Funding for library aides next school year will be at 75 percent of the current level unless something happens to save the program - again. PTA presidents, however, have told the Los Altos School District not to expect them to run to the rescue this time.

The PTAs have been making up the difference in funding for library aides to keep the school libraries open. As PTA presidents in the audience nodded emphatically, several speakers told trustees that the PTAs have given libraries all they can for now. Superintendent Marge Gratiot persevered in suggesting that PTAs discuss the possibility when they reconvene next year.

Bullis to regain public school status next year

Housing the extended-day kindergarten next year is bringing Bullis-Purissma reinstatement as a public school.

Los Altos School District trustees voted 4-0 last week to apply to the state Department of Education for reinstatement.

CUSD discusses school board candidacy

The Cupertino Union School District has scheduled an informational meeting for prospective school board candidates for the Nov. 8 election, 7 p.m., Tuesday, in the District Office Board Room, 10301 Vista Drive.

The meeting will include a discussion of the role and job description of a board member and the timeline and procedures for filing for the election..

Eighth-graders no more

Los Altos School District eighth-graders celebrated their graduation from junior high school Friday. Natalya Copeland and Irena Trifunovic address students and parents during the Egan Junior High School graduation ceremony Friday morning.

Warriors youth basketball camp coming to Foothill next week

Don’t expect to learn the finer points of the windmill dunk or around-the-back pass at the Warriors Basketball Camp, which comes to Foothill College in Los Altos Hills next week.

Although the youth camp is run by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, it doesn’t focus on all that fancy stuff pro players can do.

Widening trade deficit offset by steady growth

The Nasdaq fell a slight 0.04 percent for the week aided by Friday’s marked decline. The tech-heavy index has slowed after an 11 percent rise from its April low. The S&P 500 gained a modest 0.02 percent and the small company S&P 600 climbed 0.08 percent. The 10-year U.S. Treasury note boosted its yield 10 basis points or one tenth of a percent to settle just above 4 percent.

Rates tend to rise when investors perceive faster growth and fall when they see a slowdown in growth and a subsequent rise in inflation. Alan Greenspan spoke before Congress on Thursday and said growth is steady and “measured” increases in interest rates would likely continue.

Men’s grooming is booming for Father’s Day

One local beauty spa is redefining the feminine pampering typically associated with salons. American Male Salon & Spa in Mountain View provides its customers a mug of beer and up close views of the NBA playoffs during pedicure and manicure appointments, referred to as “foot and hand detailing” sessions. If the name or menu didn’t give it away, this spa is for men only.

General Manager Phil Sacino said the rationale is simple - provide pampering in a masculine setting.

Business

Lightning struck twice on the top of Half Dome in Yosemite Park in 1985, killing two hikers who might have lived if they had known more about lightning. In “Shattered Air” (Burford Books, 2005), Bob Madgic, former principal of Los Altos High School, tells the complete story.

In this well-organized, readable book, Madgic introduces the key characters, sketches the grandeur of Yosemite and Half Dome, describes the storm in detail and uses firsthand accounts to explain the tragedy.

Displaced Jews connect through lost love and novel

The rumors of the novel’s death have been greatly exaggerated. It’s ailing, but there are episodes of robustness. One of these is Nicole Krauss’ second book “The History of Love” (W.W. Norton and Company, 2005). Krauss’ prose sings, her characters feel like real people, and the sum of each word and each chapter is a book that addresses themes of loneliness, belonging, the how and when of dying.

At Kepler’s Books in Palo Alto Thursday, Krauss read an excerpt from the first chapter, first published in The New Yorker. The reader meets Leo Gursky, a lonely 80-something Jew displaced from his native Slonim by the Nazis. He finds refuge and a career with a cousin. Gursky says, “If he had been a shoemaker, I would have been a shoemaker; if he had shoveled shit, I, too, would have shoveled. But he was a locksmith. … It’s not what I would have imagined for myself. And yet.”

Mtn. View Library turns 100

The Mountain View Public Library is getting ready to blow out 100 candles. An ongoing authors series, an exhibit about the library’s history and a birthday party scheduled in September top the lineup of events commemorating the library’s centennial.

This spring the library tailored its popular “Author! Author!” series to mark the 100th birthday, inviting local authors or authors who write about topics of local interest to give talks through September. All talks are free to the public.

Progress made on construction of medical facility at Emporium site

Now that the old Emporium department store at El Camino near Highway 85 has been demolished and ground has been broken, the construction crew at the future site of Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s main campus is preparing to pour the foundation.

The medical foundation launched construction of the 250,000-square-foot, three-story facility March 29 with a formal groundbreaking ceremony on the 9.66-acre property vacant for approximately nine years. The $153 million project’s expected completion date is spring 2007.

Mtn. View councilman speaks out on VTA, council ticket perk, housing problems

Former software engineer turned councilman, Greg Perry is known for refusing to be silenced when it comes to speaking out against political practices that he views as dishonest.

Since his election in 2002, Perry has gained the reputation of council watchdog through his refusal to stand down on high-profile issues such as the council’s Shoreline ticket perk and the Valley Transportation Authority’s plans to bring BART to San Jose.

Replica ‘pumps up’ Rengstorff House

One of the last architectural relics of Santa Clara Valley’s agricultural past has been added to the property occupied by Rengstorff House at Shoreline Park.

A water tower has been erected on the property as part of the restoration of the historic house that Mountain View volunteers rescued from ruin and turned into a museum.

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. The deadline is noon, Tuesday, for the next week’s paper. Notices must be typed and include a contact name and phone number. Items may be submitted via e-mail (peteb@latc.com); fax (948-6647) or post (138 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022).

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