Greening Up

Setting back the clock, raking leaves and higher energy bills are all certainties in fall.

But Los Altos Hills resident Ian Earnest doesn’t have to worry.

LAH drops lawsuit against LASD

The Los Altos Hills City Council spent $97,067 on its yearlong lawsuit against the Los Altos School District. The council dropped the suit last week.

The town sued the district, claiming the district needed a conditional use permit to operate private preschools at the former Bullis-Purissima Elementary School site, zoned for only public, not private, education. The district asserted that it did not have to comply with local zoning ordinances, according to state educational code.

City raising Springer speed limit to help nab speeders

Los Altos officials are preparing to raise the speed limit on Springer Road as a way to slow down motorists. Increasing the posted speed limit from 25 mph to 30 mph may seem like a backward approach to the problem, but officials say it’s the only way - short of spending a large amount of money that the city doesn’t have on traffic-calming devices - to control motorists who drive too fast.

Councilmembers last week agreed to increase the speed limit on one of Los Altos’ busiest streets on a six-month trial basis. Traffic engineer Tom Ho ssid the city would begin erecting new speed limit signs next week.

Police Blotter

Hit and run

Sept. 29, 7:35 a.m., Magdalena Avenue at Interstate 280 off-ramp.

News Briefs

Woman injured

by unleashed dog

Los Altos City Council approves meeting conduct code

By Linda

Those who don’t mind their manners at Los Altos City Council meetings could find themselves in jail or facing a $1,000 fine under a new ordinance intended to maintain order.

LA City Council mulls 3 options for pools

The Los Altos City Council voted for more options, more studies and more time to decide what type of swimming pool center should be built at Rosita Park at a special meeting last week that many had hoped would bring an end to the pool saga.

The council unanimously directed city staff to evaluate three options: a two-swimming pool center with a wading area, a single pool with a wading area, and the original pool layout that neighbors challenged in court.

Change could be in the wind for Westwind Barn

The Los Altos Hills City Council is considering improvements for the town-owned barn on Altamont Road.

Councilmembers indicated during their Sept. 15 meeting that they are receptive to the idea of restoring Westwind Barn, although they stipulated that the project should be less expensive than the $4 million renovation of Stanford University’s Red Barn. That project included installing towering palm trees outside and imported Brazilian walnut for the barn’s interior, containing 67 stalls.

Editorials

Attention voters: Election ahead
As the November election draws near, we take note of some important local races that could determine significant changes in direction for our Los Altos School District board of trustees and Los Altos City Council.
In the school district race, seven candidates are vying for three seats on the […]

Letters to the Editor

Public safety experiment is fatally flawed
Mark Atherton

On Sept. 27, the city council voted to raise the speed limit on Springer Road so that the speed limit is closer to the actual speeds driven with the hope that police will be able to effectively use radar and control speeding on Springer. The measure […]

Remembering 1968 Los Altos like it was yesterday

I have finally come home. After a quarter century of filling my years experimenting with different lifestyles, cultures and plumbing situations, I have returned to claim the suburban birthright for which my Los Altos childhood groomed me. That’s just what happens. Sooner or later, we become our moms and dads, often marrying them, and then we end up living within some version of what we grew up with. I haven’t “ended up” yet, but here I sit at the end of a cul-de-sac.

I’ve lived in Berkeley, Santa Cruz and San Francisco in search of groovesters and a homegrown urban pulse. I have lived in Japan, Sri Lanka and Burma and had bald-headed monks as a part of my daily commute. All the while I have been searching for my tribe. Finally, as I sit next to my pool skimmer at the end of a cul-de-sac with the address painted on the curb, I’ve got to admit. I have arrived home. But it’s not Los Altos.

Obituary Notices

LORAYNE B. HOPPER
Lorayne B. Hopper entered peacefully into rest at her home in the company of her family on September 21, 2005, after a brave battle with multiple illnesses.
Lorayne was born on May 28, 1928 to Blanche and Walter Kransky in Madison WI. She was the beloved wife and soul […]

Millie Gallo: A passionate artist with ‘irrepressible zest for life’

Millie Gallo loved art and life. Those who knew her could attest to her seemingly endless supply of energy and enthusiasm. The longtime Los Altos Hills resident made friends as naturally as breathing and seemed as comfortable around strangers as with lifelong friends.

Mrs. Gallo died unexpectedly Sept. 19 while vacationing in Mexico.

Noteworthy

The Daughters of Charity Health System (DCHS) has named Stephanie Battles vice president of Human Resources. The system, with offices based in Los Altos Hills, includes five hospitals and medical centers in Northern and Southern California.

“I am thrilled with Stephanie’s decision to join the System leadership team,” said Bain Farris, DCHS president and CEO.

Anniversary

Donald and Virginia Holt
Donald and Virginia Holt of Los Altos celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary Aug. 23 at a dinner party hosted by their three children, daughter Donna-Lee and husband Bob Hendee of Glenwood Springs, Colo.; and sons, Ron Holt and wife Ellen of Vancouver, Wash.; and Don Holt of Los Altos.
The […]

TC welcomes wedding, engagement, anniversary announcements

Send your wedding and engagement announcements to Leverne Cornelius at the Los Altos Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022.

Announcement forms are available by calling Leverne at 948-9000, ext. 300. She can either fax them or e-mail them to you. Photos are welcome. If you want your photo returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Information also can be sent to Leverne at her e-mail address, levernec@latc.com. For more information, call her at 948-9000, ext. 300.

Engagement

Lindsay Cordes and Michael Hayes
Lindsay Cordes and Michael Hayes have announced their engagement to be married Sept. 3, 2006, in San Jose. A reception will follow at the Cinnabar Hills Golf Club.
The bride-to-be is the daughter of Joan Cordes of Mountain View and Chris Cain of Palo Alto. She graduated from Mountain […]

A balm for barking dogs and wayward fences

When frustration with a neighbor, tenant or landlord runs high, community mediation can help solve the conflict without litigation or escalation. This week the City of Mountain View Mediation Services celebrated its 30th anniversary. Also this past week, the Los Altos Mediation Program joined forces with local non-profit Project Sentinel to enhance its administration.

The Mountain View and Los Altos community mediation groups offer a forum for disputing parties to communicate and consider possible solutions.

New Orleans journalists worked to publish as waters rose

Journalist Doug Parker grew up in Los Altos and graduated from Homestead High School and San Jose State University. He is now photo editor at the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. After evacuating New Orleans, the newspaper staff set up a temporary office in Baton Rouge from which they have been publishing with the help of local papers. Parker spoke with Los Altos Town Crier reporter Eliza Ridgeway over the phone on Sept. 27 from Baton Rouge.

“Things here are less crazy, or more organized crazy. Power is back on in a few parts of the city. The streets are dry, but everything is dead. There isn’t a single plant alive, or a single blade of green. It looks as if an atomic blast went through. White, sickly looking decay covers everything, and it stinks. The streets have basically become a toxic waste dump.

TC solicits traffic questions

What are your chief concerns about Los Altos traffic? What questions would you like answered? We’d like to hear your questions as we prepare to engage local traffic officials in a roundtable discussion about traffic issues in Los Altos. We will forward as many of your questions/concerns as possible. Send submissions to editor Bruce Barton at the Town Crier, 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022, or send e-mail to bruceb@latc.com.

Local man aboard USS Truman assists in relief effort

Robert “Bob” Milo, 23 - who grew up in Los Altos attending Loyola elementary, Pinewood Junior High, and Los Altos and Mountain View high schools - assisted the Katrina relief effort as a crewman aboard the USS Harry Truman.

Milo, the son of Linda and Jeff Milo of Los Altos, is a supply sailor aboard the Truman with the ranking of E-4 Petty Officer Third Class Storekeeper. The Truman, the newest aircraft carrier in the U.S. fleet, was the command headquarters for the Katrina relief operation in the Gulf region.

Katrina Roundup

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Los Altos-area businesses, organizations and residents have come together to aid the devastated communities in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Donating money is one of the best ways to assist the relief effort, but there are additional ways to lend your support. Here’s what you can do at the local level:

Los Altos Community Foundation

Los Altos Relay For Life tops nation in online donations

Los Altos Relay For Life, held last June at Los Altos High School, raised more than $160,000 online, tops in the nation for such donations, announced event co-chairwoman Jeanne MacVicar.

Including all contributions, the annual benefit for the American Cancer Society grossed more than $480,000 and netted $458,471 after expenses, far exceeding this year’s Relay fund-raising goal of $375,000, MacVicar said.

Former San Jose top cop discusses ‘Teddy the Cop’ at Morning Forum

Joseph D. McNamara, Research Fellow at Hoover Institution and internationally renowned expert in criminal justice, spoke to the Los Altos Morning Forum Sept. 20. McNamara, known locally as police chief in San Jose for 15 years and in Kansas City before that, did not discuss his career.

His topic was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. Although McNamara related many events and anecdotes from throughout Roosevelt’s life, he concentrated on the years 1885-1887 when Teddy, then 36, served as New York City Police Commissioner.

Locals among 10,000 walkers expected to ‘Walk to Cure’ for juvenile diabetes

“It’s a daily, lifelong struggle,” said Tavia Norheim, a freshman at Los Altos High School, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes five years ago. “This disease doesn’t get better, or ever go away.”

Tavia, the 14-year-old daughter of Joan Sherlock and stepdaughter of Los Altos Hills Mayor Breene Kerr, will be part of a team called Tavia’s Terminators when the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation holds its annual “Walk to Cure” Sunday at Shoreline Park in Mountain View.

Community Briefs

Wildlife Conservation features Goodall
Renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall is the keynote speaker at the 4th annual Wildlife Conservation Expo Saturday and Sunday at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.
The Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), a non-profit organization that funds community-based wildlife conservationists, is sponsoring a lineup of 12 of the world’s leading […]

Calendar

Today
Mountain View Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m., city hall, 500 Castro St.
Thursday
Los Altos Hills City Council, 6 p.m., town hall, 26379 Fremont Road.
Los Altos Planning Commission, 7 p.m., city hall, 1 N. San Antonio Road.
Monday
Los Altos School District Board of Trustees, 7 p.m., 201 Covington Road.
[…]

Pet of the Week

Palo Alto Animal Services has an armful of four-month-old guinea pigs that need new homes. Guinea pigs can make fun and enjoyable small-animal companions. To adopt a guinea pig, come to the animal shelter, 3281 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, or call 496-5971.

Chefs Who Care fund-raiser for CSA at Bella Vita

Chefs Who Care, the monthly Community Services Agency fund-raiser that rotates among area restaurants, is scheduled Monday and Tuesday at Bella Vita, 376 First Street, in Los Altos.

Two seatings - 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m - will feature a full Italian menu with choice of entrée, coffee and dessert.

‘Beyond Obvious’ art on display at Main Street Cafe & Books

A dozen area artists active in the Santa Clara Water Color Society have banded together to create a 30-day display of their work at Main Street Cafe & Books. Their 60-piece show has been dubbed, “Beyond Obvious Artists” and includes dramatic water color creations.

The group trained in a 10-week class taught by Mike Bailey of Santa Cruz. His unique approach to design and composition is effective. Rather than a “paint like me” style, “coaches and critiques the work that comes as studio work out of his lectures,” said a spokesman for the artist group.

Los Altos artist lends talents to support Healthy Kids

More than 150 gathered Sept. 25 at Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside for the Healthy Kids 4th Annual Wine Tasting Benefit. Hosts were Hall of Fame Coach Bill Walsh, Stanford cardiologist and winemaker Dr. Thomas Fogarty, wine connoisseur Bert George and philanthropist Eric Brandenburg.

Among local residents participating was Los Altos artist Agnes Derbin-Caulfield, who was among a group of plein air painters creating works to be auctioned off.

Fall Festival another winner

The Los Altos Chamber of Commerce’s 14th annual Celebrate Los Altos Fall Festival held this past weekend was another success, according to Chamber executive director Julie Rose.

“The weather was very cooperative,” she said. “We feel generally the crowd was up from the year before and sales were up. I’ve heard nothing but positive comments.”

Senior center offers talks on maintaining mental fitness, new Medicare drug plan

The Los Altos Senior Center has scheduled two workshops, “Total Brain Fitness” and “The Medicare Drug Benefit, Tuesday.

10:30 a.m. to noon: During the Senior Health Chat, Social worker Susan Diamond will offer tips to help keep the brain healthy and active. She will include information on nutrition, mental aerobic workouts, managing stress and depression, and “laughing yoga.”

Lecture series commemorates 100th anniversary of SF quake

The Great San Francisco Earthquake of April 18, 1906, is estimated to have killed more than 3,000 people and left 225,000 homeless along California’s San Andreas Fault. It ranked as the worst natural disaster in the United States before Hurricane Katrina, which is still under evaluation.

To commemorate the centennial of the historic temblor, the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University have scheduled a series of lectures focused on the 1906 earthquake and strategies on coping with major seismic events in the future.

Los Altos Methodist represented at ‘Memory Walk’

Los Altos United Methodist Church is sending a team to participate in Saturday’s Memory Walk, an annual fund-raiser sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association of the Greater Bay Area.

The Memory Walk begins Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at Treasure Island. Free shuttles run from the Embarcadero BART station on Market Street in San Francisco to and from Treasure Island. On-site parking is also available. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m.

Dropping of Los Altos Hills’ lawsuit leaves one to go for school district

Los Altos Hills’ recent dismissal of its lawsuit leaves Los Altos School District officials only one small step from the right side of the courthouse door, at least as far as cases involving the district’s only campus in the Hills are concerned.

The town filed suit nearly a year ago in solidarity with Bullis Charter School against the district, the board of trustees and the three commercial preschools that had signed leases for space at Bullis-Purissima Elementary School in the 2004-2005 school year. By late September, the school district had spent nearly $50,000 defending itself against the town’s claims and approximately $260,000 in the charter school’s suit.

FHDA to appoint director to fill Andrea Leiderman’s empty chair

The vacancy on the Foothill-De Anza Community College District board of directors left by the death of Andrea Leiderman will be filled by appointment the day after the Nov. 8 statewide special election. The appointed director will serve the remainder of the term, which expires November 2007.

FHDA directors have scheduled a special meeting for 9 a.m. Nov. 9 to vote to fill the empty seat rather than hold a special election that, according to the Office of Voter Registration, would cost the district $1.85 million. Leiderman’s successor cannot be elected Nov. 8 with candidates for the board’s two expiring terms, because the seat became vacant after the district filed for the statewide election.

Celebrating freedom to read

Since 1982 the American Library Association (ALA) has sponsored Banned Books Week every September with the help of public and school libraries. Posters have gone up at the Los Altos main library with the slogan, “Read banned books: it’s your freedom we’re talking about,” and at the Mountain View High School Library, challenged books on display stretch along the center of the room.

In 2004, the ALA was notified of 547 challenges to books in schools and libraries, and estimated the reports represented a quarter of the total. A challenge is when a person or group objects to a piece of reading material and attempts to have it removed or restricted. Challenges occur most often in schools and are typically unsuccessful.

PA School for Jewish Education launches 35th year of classes

The Palo Alto School for Jewish Education reopened Sept. 11 for its 35th year and is accepting new students.

The school assists parents in fostering their children’s Jewish identity by emphasizing Jewish culture, history and values.

Noteworthies

Acacia Newlon-Yafai of Los Altos Hills has been awarded the Larry Kranich Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 for the 2005-2006 school year through the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation.

Newlon-Yafai is a graduate of Los Altos High School, where she was a National Merit Scholar, belonged to the California Scholarship Federation and received the Governor Scholar Award. She is a mass communications major at UCLA.

Students raise thousands of dollars for disaster aid

From coin drives to car washes, students in the area have contributed generously to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. Some classrooms have helped particular families, and one school is providing free tuition to a 5-year-old who lost her home in Hurricane Katrina.

Here are just a few efforts by students at local schools:

School districts now must report spending per student, teacher, school

California school districts must begin reporting their spending per school site, including teacher salaries and amount per student, according to a bill Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law last week.

State Sen. Joe Simitian’s (D-Palo Alto) SB 687 bill increases the information school districts share in their annual School Accountability Report Cards by requiring that spending per pupil and the average teacher’s salary be reported on a school-by-school basis.

Reading expert scheduled to speak at Covington

Kristin Powell, reading specialist and founder and director of The Reading Clinic, will speak at 9 a.m. Oct. 19 in the Covington Elementary School Multipurpose Room.

Powell’s talk is sponsored by the SELPA 1 Community Advisory Committee (CAC), an all-volunteer group of parents of children with special needs, and will cover such topics as critical thinking skills, what it takes to be a good student in an aggressive and competitive environment, and auditory and visual processing for reading and comprehension.

Leggo my Lego: Los Altos robots set to scrimmage

Get ready for the robot rumble! Twenty-three teams of fourth- through eighth-grade Los Altos area students will run their robots against each other in tuneup scrimmages for the sixth annual Los Altos Robotics FIRST LEGO League qualifying tournament.

The public is invited to watch the fun, cheer the teams on and consider being part of a Los Altos Robotics FIRST LEGO League team next season.

A nifty fifty

Don’t be fooled by the final score: St. Francis 50, Riordan 28. Friday’s game really wasn’t that close.

If head coach Mike Mitchell hadn’t mercifully pulled his starters by halftime - with the host Lancers leading 36-14 - they might have eclipsed the school record of 63 points.

Small- and mid-cap stocks show strong gains

The eventful quarter is over. But amid two hurricanes, grandstanding in the U.S. Senate on a Supreme Court Chief Justice and a brutal fire in Los Angeles, is there anything positive to crow about?

There is if you were an astute portfolio allocator. The small-cap stocks as measured by the S&P 600 rose 5.1 percent in the quarter. This group has provided leadership since the bear market of 2000-2002 ended. Many sharp investors have moved money into other areas expecting a rotation into large stocks. But their sharp edge was filed off as they ignored the simple relative health indicators that continue to point to strength in small- and mid-cap companies. If your advisor overlooked this fundamental fact, perhaps it’s time to look for a new advisor.

AutoShow in motion

Flooring pedals, squealing tires, opposite lock drifting and sending orange cones flying into the next parking lot. OK, you’re not supposed to do any of that, but when a company sets up 75 cars on a custom-made racetrack and lets anyone old enough to rent an R-rated movie drive, that’s what will take place.

General Motors’ motivation is clear: The traditional test drive just doesn’t cut it. Better idea: To make the customer bond with your product, invite the truly interested ones and let them test it. No sales pressure. Better yet, show the public the guts you’ve got by inviting the competition along.

2006 Mercedes CLS500: A luxury sedan in a sports car suit

Parked in the early morning sun in front of the Seamen’s Memorial at the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge, our Mercedes CLS500 attracted more attention from passersby than any other car we’ve driven recently.

There certainly are some head-turning body styles being crafted today, but “attention-getting” isn’t the first adjective one normally associates with Mercedes-Benz. For all too many years, Mercedes has been known for its conservative - dare we say stodgy? - styling. Solid flanks, slab sides, substantial grille, upright and uptight.

In our key basket: Audi A3, Subaru Forester, Dodge Charger

We drove several cars that are worth your consideration. Here are capsule reviews of some of the cars whose keys have recently been in our key basket.

2006 Audi A3

Realistic short stories follow chain of events

Melissa Bank rocketed to fame and fortune with her first book, “Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing,” which, despite its title, was mostly not about the outdoors. Bank’s new book, “The Wonder Spot” (Viking, 2005), takes place, like the first, in suburban Philadelphia and New York City.

Both books are fiction, but the stories ring so true that they must be based on real-life experiences. In both books we follow a young, educated, suburban woman through her youth and post-graduate jobs in publishing.

Books Briefs

Library book group reads ‘Samurai’s Garden’
The Los Altos Library book discussion group meets 7:30-9 p.m. on scheduled Wednesdays in the small conference room. Everyone is welcome to attend.
On Oct. 19, the group will discuss “The Samurai’s Garden,” by Gail Tsukiyama. A young Chinese man, recovering from tuberculosis, goes to Japan […]

Rejuvenation, relaxation at the Ranch

I arrived mid-afternoon sticky from travel and numb from work. I stumbled into the gazebo hammock and surveyed the verdant grounds. My head grew heavy and soon I was fast asleep. I was on my annual trip to Rancho la Puerta in Baja California and “the Ranch” was already working its magic on me.

Each August for my birthday, I visit the Ranch to rejuvenate, read, eat well and engage in myriad activities for an entire week. The combination of sumptuous surroundings, delicious food and intense physical activity recharges me. It is the summer camp I never had as a child and its restorative qualities never fail to send me home feeling lean, rested and peaceful.

Rejuvenation, relaxation at the Ranch

I arrived mid-afternoon sticky from travel and numb from work. I stumbled into the gazebo hammock and surveyed the verdant grounds. My head grew heavy and soon I was fast asleep. I was on my annual trip to Rancho la Puerta in Baja California and “the Ranch” was already working its magic on me.

Each August for my birthday, I visit the Ranch to rejuvenate, read, eat well and engage in myriad activities for an entire week. The combination of sumptuous surroundings, delicious food and intense physical activity recharges me. It is the summer camp I never had as a child and its restorative qualities never fail to send me home feeling lean, rested and peaceful.

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).

THEATER

Doves to descend on Shoreline Saturday

They’ve hit No. 1 in their native England and have released three critically acclaimed albums in the United States. Yet it’s a good bet that few Americans have Doves featured on their iPods.

Like most British rock bands not named Coldplay, Doves are struggling to make inroads in the U.S.