Campbell’s balancing act

The Town Crier had an opportunity in July for an informal conversation with California’s finance director Tom Campbell and his wife of 27 years, Susanne. A member of Congress 1989-93 and 1995-2001, Campbell has a prolific resume that includes a 20-year stint as a Stanford University law professor and a term as state senator. While a state senator, Tom established his headquarters in Los Altos and became a fixture in the area’s local political community.

Last year he took a leave from his position as dean of UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business to become director of California’s Department of Finance.

Controversial condo project’s future to be decided

The Los Altos City Council will decide Tuesday night the fate of a proposed condominium project at 5100 El Camino Real that more than 400 residents have petitioned against. The project has prompted at least one resident to run for a council seat this fall and was the catalyst for a review of the city’s ethics code and possible changes in zoning laws.

The planning commission says the 29-unit, three-story condominium proposed for the corner of El Camino and Distel Drive, where Yamane’s jewelry store is located, meets all of the city’s criteria and is recommending that the council approve the project.

Settlement possible in charter school case

Negotiations are under way to settle Bullis Charter School’s lawsuit against the Los Altos School District. The district has not ruled out sharing the Bullis-Purissima Elementary School campus, Superintendent Tim Justus said last week.

“The reality is the charter school is going to be in existence for years to come and we will need to coexist somewhere in the district. We began looking at coexisting at the Bullis site, and that’s where we left it,” Justus said.

Campbell voices opinions on Nov. 8 ballot issues

Prop. 74, Public school teachers

Prop. 75, Public employee union dues

Like Tom, Susanne Campbell is all business

Tom Campbell isn’t the only powerhouse with a connection to UC Berkeley in his family. His wife, Susanne, works as executive director of the UC Berkeley-based Institute of Management, Innovation & Organization. The program is affiliated with the Haas School of Business.

Because of their demanding jobs, the couple split their time among three residences: their home in San Jose, a small apartment in Berkeley and another apartment in Sacramento.

Los Altos Hills horses targets of paint balls, darts

Someone is using horses for target practice in Los Altos Hills.

Last week, Phil, a 38-year-old horse, was struck by two darts at Fremont Hills Country Club. In late June, three of the country club’s horses were hit by paint balls, also during the night.

Los Altos council race heats up as list of candidates grows

The race for a seat on the Los Altos City Council is on. Three potential candidates who took out papers have filed. A fourth candidate was scheduled to file Tuesday, City Clerk Susan Kitchens confirmed Monday. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. today.

There are two four-year seats up for grabs this November when incumbents King Lear’s and John Moss’ second terms expire. Neither Lear nor Moss is running for a third term.

Judge scheduled to make final call on Rosita pool plan

Los Altos officials were still waiting Monday morning to hear whether Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Leslie Nichols would give the city the go-ahead to move forward on the community pool complex proposed for Rosita Park. He ordered the city in 2003 to conduct more environmental studies after a neighborhood group, called the Rosita Neighborhood Coalition, filed suit against the city to halt the project.

Nichols was scheduled to determine Friday whether the city had complied with his order. After listening to three hours of testimony from both sides, Nichols said he had not come to court with a prepared decision. The judge wanted to listen to all sides.

Police crack down on LA leash laws

The Los Altos Police Department is warning dog owners to keep their dogs on leashes of no more than six feet or face fines after a 10-year-old girl was bitten at Montclaire Elementary School. The girl was hanging out Aug. 3 at the school when three dogs that were unleashed started fighting nearby, said Sgt. John Hughmanick. The girl’s leg was wounded in the melee and required medical attention.

The owners of the dogs were in the vicinity and had allowed the dogs to run loose, which is against Los Altos’ leash law, Hughmanick said.

Identity theft hits spike in LA

Incidents of mail theft have been “running rampant” in Los Altos in recent weeks, according to police. Dozens of victims have had mail stolen and checks for hundreds to thousands of dollars laundered. Others have had their identities stolen.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in theft of outgoing mail,” said Sgt. John Hughmanick. “It’s a spike that has picked up since late spring to the present. It appears that we are at one of the higher levels of this type of activity.”

LA personnel committee will report findings on conflict of interest complaint Tuesday

Los Altos’ personnel committee has until Tuesday to determine whether a planning commissioner with financial ties to a condominium project up for council approval properly followed state disclosure laws and if better training of appointed officials is needed.

The Los Altos City Council last week asked the committee to review an informal complaint that a resident filed against Penny Lave for allegedly violating California’s disclosure laws. According to the complaint, the minutes of the meeting from which Lave recused herself failed to disclose the details of her conflict of interest.

Editorials

Bullying not a big problem in LA
Last week, we featured a back-to-school story about the anxieties students face in starting a new school year. A major source of anxiety after students have settled into classes is the classic problem of bullying.
Parents and teachers used to dismiss bullying as an irritating […]

Foothill-De Anza earns failing grades for Griffin House

The Board of Trustees of Foothill De Anza Community College District voted on Aug. 1 to tear down Griffin House, a 1901 house built for Willard Griffin, a founder of Del Monte Packing. And while the destruction of the building is a tragic loss of an irreplaceable architectural and historic National Register landmark, there is a far more disturbing aspect of this situation. The facts that the district staff and board have used in justifying tearing down Griffin House are simply not true and in some cases start to look like the oldest excuse in the world: “The dog ate my homework.”

So why is Griffin House being torn down?

Not to forget - not to ever forget

What is the purpose of remembering some of the devastating events of all time? Some might say, “What’s the use of regurgitating tragic moments? They can’t be changed. Let’s move on.” The very phrase “let’s move on” can be anathema to others who believe that remembering yesterday leads to a brighter today and tomorrow.

Obituary Notices

MERLE WINN
11/11/1919 - 8/6/2005
Survived by: Daughters Virginia Lee Winn of San Jose, Nancy Albertson of Merced, and Son, Buff Winn of Portland, OR; Sisters, Bee Anderson of Columbia, MO, Frances Hunter of Sikeston, MO, Lee Kaempfer of Aledo, IL, Mary Dale Jones of Sanford, FL; and Brother Jim Magill of St. […]

Weddings

Katherine Spinola and Nouhad Husseini
Katherine Spinola and Nouhad Husseini were married May 7. The ceremony and reception were at the Carlyle on the Green in Bethpage, N.Y.
The bride is the daughter of Carl and Betty Spinola of Greenlawn, N.Y. She graduated from John Glenn High School and Boston College. She is employed […]

Anniversary

Wayne andJoyce Anderson

Dr. Wayne and Joyce Anderson are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this month. The couple was married Aug. 12, 1955, in Montebello.

Backyard bounty doesn’t need to go to waste

That fruit tree forgotten in a corner of the back yard, with ripe fruit speckling the lawn, has a new calling: feeding the hungry of this community. Village Harvest, a local volunteer organization, wants families to turn their fruit trees into a healthy source of food for the area’s low-income and disabled population.

Village Harvest, which began as a 4-H project for a few enthusiastic gardeners, now has about 150 volunteers and has harvested 79,465 pounds of fruit so far this year. Its volunteers collect from those who won’t be using their backyard fruit, such as the elderly and moms busy with children, as well as harvesting at larger commercial sites.

Terpening’s ‘expressive landscape’ oil paintings coming to Viewpoints

Town Crier Report

A solo show of oil paintings by Ed Terpening- featuring expressive, colorful, local landscapes and seascapes painted in “plein air” (in the open air) - will be presented during September at Viewpoints Gallery in Los Altos.

Seniors News

Here are some services offered at the Los Altos Senior Center, 97 Hillview Ave., 947-2797:

• Council on Aging, HICAP: Insurance counseling the third Tuesday of every month with Roy Ito. Call senior center for appointments.

Classic cars a crowning feature of LA picnic

Town Crier Report

Among the many events at this year’s Los Altos Community Picnic, set for Aug. 28 at the Los Altos Civic Center, is an exhibit of classic automobiles and trucks dating from the early 20th Century.

4th annual LA picnic adds attractions for teenagers

Town Crier Report

The city of Los Altos is hosting the fourth annual Community Picnic for Los Altos residents and their guests 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aug. 28, in the City Civic Center located off San Antonio Road and Hillview Avenue.

Backyard growing tips for gardeners of all abilities

A backyard gardener doesn’t need special skills or strong arms and a 20-foot ladder to harvest produce throughout the year. In this area’s gentle climate, a few fruit trees can produce food for family and donation with a minimum of effort.

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No mystery to readers

special to the town crier

Last week, we asked readers if they knew the origin of this landscaping sample in the middle of the vacant lot at the intersection of Main Street and San Antonio Road in downtown Los Altos. Not surprisingly, our readers are well informed. Most of them noted that the display came from a business participating in last month’s Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival. The Pond Shack of Mountain View created the display as a promotional item, but the display was not taken down once the festival was over. Los Altos city officials say they are working with the Los Altos Village Association and the business owner to have the display removed. But LAVA’s Executive Director Ted Garrett likes it, “especially if water is cascading down. We’re interested in keeping it there.”

Common Ground expert to discuss ‘Starting Your Own Fall Garden’

Town Crier Report

Drew Harwell will speak on “Starting Your Fall Garden,” 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 27, at Common Ground Organic Garden Supply and Education Center in Palo Alto.

Form + Function offers free seminar on green building for homeowners

Town Crier Report

Form + Function, specializing in building with environmentally friendly construction methods, will host a free summer seminar series locally.

How to avoid IRS attention to your next tax return

I was employed by the Internal Revenue Service for more than 22 years, 18 of which I spent in the Bay Area. I hope this column can impart to readers some of the insights gained during my tenure.

I was a field agent. Field agents meet with taxpayers at the company’s place of business. After examining the books and records, the agent determines the scope or extent of the audit.

Hidden Villa to honor local activist

Dolores Huerta, the community activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in 1962, will be honored at the 10th annual Josephine and Frank Duveneck Humanitarian Awards Dinner at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills on Sept.10.

The annual event recognizes exemplary humanitarians at the national, regional and local level. Also being honored are Los Altos residents Nan and Chuck Geschke and Mountain View teacher Kristina Underdal.

Community Briefs

Looking for LEADers
The Los Altos Community Foundation is accepting applications for the 2005-2006 Leadership Education ADvancement series. LEAD is a community involvement education course aimed at Los Altos and Los Altos Hills residents interested in meeting current leaders, learning about the programs that support today’s community and how to become involved. Since […]

Both sides walk away from Cupertino case

The Cupertino Union School District and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) have settled their lawsuit to their mutual satisfaction in time to start the school year with a clean slate. U.S. District Judge James Ware dismissed the case last Thursday, stipulating that the claims in the case cannot be argued again.

The lengthy complaint filed by the ADF in November was whittled down to one allegation by May: that teacher Stephen J. Williams’ principal violated his freedom of religion by vetting his lesson plans for references to his religious beliefs.

Strong competition for school board races

The boards of trustees of several local school districts will see hotly contested races this fall.

The terms of longtime Los Altos School District trustees President Jay Thomas, Vice President Victor M. Reid III and Duane Roberts expire in November. The election to fill their seats on the board may signal the return of Francis La Poll to local politics. The former Los Altos mayor, councilmember and member of the LASD Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Finance is among the six individuals who pulled papers by Monday morning. Only Kathryn Uhlir filed by press time.

Bullis ready for first mainstream students since 2003

Next Wednesday, 100 kindergartners and their parents will cross the quad at Bullis-Purissima Elementary School and head toward the flags marking their classrooms.

They will be the first extended-day kindergartners in the Los Altos School District and the first mainstream students to return to Bullis since it was closed in June 2003.

Schools Briefs

Non-profits plan financial aid seminar
College Track and Admissions Academy, two non-profit organizations in East Palo Alto, have scheduled a financial aid seminar for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Cubberley Community Center Auditorium, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Karla Monterroso, program manager for College Track, will lead an in-depth discussion […]

Local students perform well on state tests

Students in local school districts performed well on the tests in the state’s 2005 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program, according to preliminary results released Monday.

Patty Boettcher, assistant superintendent for instructional services in the Los Altos School District, said Monday that district staff have not had an opportunity to analyze the state data yet. However, the scores for 2005 are consistent with those of previous years and even show a slight increase.

Raising the flag

The flags you will soon see hanging from the belts of local elementary-school students are not a new fashion trend for the fall. They just go with the school T-shirts, shorts and mouthguards required to play in a flag football league debuting in Los Altos.

Los Altos School District parents Vince Giocomini and Jerry Sorensen are launching the league, inspired by the scores of youngsters they’ve seen playing pick-up football games.

Large cap indexes make slight gains

The large cap indexes managed to gain slightly for the week largely on the back of a strong move higher in energy related issues. The IBD Oil and Gas-International Exploration industry group jumped 9 percent and the Oil and Gas-US rose by 6 percent for the week, bringing the S&P 500 up a meager 0.3 percent. Meanwhile the Nasdaq index lost 1 percent while the small-cap S&P 600 gave back only 0.1 percent marking two straight weeks of decline for these benchmarks. There were some earnings disappointments in the tech area, which contributed to the drop. The tech heavy Nasdaq rose nearly 8 percent since beginning a rally in April, but has given up almost a third of that gain recently. Some traders think a pull back is healthy.

Oil prices hit new highs last week with a barrel changing hands at $67.10 before retreating to $66.86 for the weekly close. For reference July 20 the price settled in at $56.72 per barrel. Crude has jumped 53 percent in 2005, a move that affected the stock market much less than predicted. Nevertheless, black gold would have to top $90 per barrel to exceed the inflation adjusted peak set in 1980. Limited refining capacity is blamed by some for a near buying frenzy in oil. U.S. refineries are reportedly running at 95 percent capacity and demand is at peak levels.

From a multitude, a movie: digital pictures as film

Pat Miler retired from the corporate world this year only to find a new business calling: creating DVD movies from digital pictures. Miler’s knack for video-making started as a fun project to help preserve pictures of her son’s year in kindergarten and blossomed into a full-blown business venture, Digital Memories by Pat.

Clients typically provide Miler with a CD of digital photos and work with her to select a soundtrack and text. The movies play in any DVD player and can be posted online and linked through e-mail. A sample film of a birth announcement combines classical music, shots of the new baby and parents and animated text narrating birth information. Miler uses Apple’s iLife software to design a film that sets digital pictures in motion.

Los Altos coffee

A coffee store can be found on almost any corner these days. Downtown Los Altos has four coffee shops - Peet’s Coffee and Tea, Starbucks, The Village Pantry and Mainstreet Café and Books - all within a three-block radius. Any cup will deliver some necessary morning caffeine, but for quality and flavor, it pays to be a discerning consumer.

A cup of coffee can be judged on its freshness, its roast, how well it has been made and the subjective qualities of its flavor. Preference can be the most important step in picking a coffee drink - some people just don’t like espresso, for instance, while others love the darkest, earthiest shot possible.

Seven secrets for simpler, healthier, tastier salads

We’re at the height of the fresh produce season, as a visit to any famers’ market can attest. Here are some tips to make those vegetables taste their best when preparing a salad:

• Be kind to your wooden salad bowl. Never soak it in water. Clean quickly with warm water, then rinse in cold and dry immediately with a clean kitchen towel.

Great Fun at Kapalua Wine and Food Festival

Maui lore has it that the volcano Mauna Kahalawai created the West Maui Mountains separating Heaven and Earth, and that on the adjacent lands of Kapalua, Lake Manowai became “the source of life.” The resident Gods must be smiling down on the Kapalua Festival, as it was a tremendous success.

Fat-replacement product marketed as FDA labeling rule looms

Z-Trim, the zero-calorie, fat-replacement product that is said to reduce fat, calories and carbohydrates without sacrificing taste, seems to be in position to benefit the packaged foods industry and consumers in the face of a portentous regulatory deadline.

By Jan. 1, 2006, food manufacturers must include on nutrition labels an indicator of the total grams of trans fat included in the product because of a Food and Drug Administration mandate. The time limit has food industry players anxiously examining options in the interest of avoiding a negative image in the regulatory spotlight.

Allende revives swashbuckling hero

Ladies, if you can read “Zorro,” by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, 2005), without growing fond of Zorro, you should see your cardiologist for a checkup. Never has an action hero been so playfully, sweetly, heroically imagined.

Gentlemen, if you like swashbuckling adventure stories, you may or may not like Allende’s “Zorro.” It depends on your tolerance for extensive character development.

Discover Scotland’s remote Shetland Islands

On the far north of coast of Scotland, the Shetland Islands resonate with fresh North Atlantic winds and surging seas. There is a grandeur and a wildness about the scenery of this remote land, no part of which is more than three miles from the sea, crashing waves and towering cliffs.

The Shetlands are famous for their large seabird colonies and rare migrants. Since my favorite bird is a puffin, I jumped at the chance to go with a colleague from the Scottish Tourist Board after attending a conference in Aberdeen. We traveled by Northlink Ferries, which was a delight. You can drive your car onboard, where there is a restaurant and comfortable cabins for the overnight journey.

Art exhibit moves between sleep, wakefulness

An exhibit at the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles, “Lucid Dreams,” touches on themes from Oedipus to Jean Cocteau’s “Orpheus.” The show strikes the subconscious zone between dreaming and wakefulness. One French critic, Gaston Bachelard, proposed that dreams are building blocks to the imagination.

The exhibit’s contemporary works flow from two 20th Century artistic movements - surrealism and art deco. The French surrealists took their doctrine partly from Sigmund Freud’s idea that dreams represent manifestations of hidden urges.

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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