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Archives » 2005 » Volume 58 , Issue 44, Published on Wednesday, November 2, 2005NewsReviving music, life
Playing the trumpet is more than a hobby for Robert Smith. It helped save his life. In 1948, the professional big-band musician put down his trumpet for good, or at least that’s what he promised himself. He was tired of constant touring and needed a stable career to support his family. LA sewer plan could mean big tax hikes for residents
The main message residents can take away from Los Altos’ long-awaited sewer master plan is more money. Residents could face another fee hike in the coming year to pay for capital projects, staff additions and new equipment recommended for the city’s aging sewer system, built nearly 50 years ago. A full slate of candidates on Election DayLos Altos area voters will have plenty of choices when they go to the polls next Tuesday. In addition to the eight statewide initiatives, residents will decide races for the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees (seven candidates for three seats, a board majority), Los Altos City Council (four candidates for two seats), Foothill-De Anza Community College District (four candidates for two seats) and the Cupertino Union School District (five candidates for three seats, a board majority). In Los Altos Hills, many residents will vote for Palo Alto Unified School District candidates (four candidates for two seats). Election Briefs Locals needed as election officers Election Information eneral election information and results: Los Altos City Council candidates: Where they stand
With next Tuesday’s election approaching, we thought it helpful for readers to have one last look at the Los Altos City Council candidates and where they stand on specific issues - in their own words. We hope this chart proves helpful. Our thanks to Los Altos resident Eric Lutkin for the idea. LA council rejects bid for zoning change at downtown buildingsOpening up some of the downtown’s perimeter businesses, those located off Main Street, to uses other than restaurants and retail isn’t in the city council’s crystal ball. The council decided Oct. 25 not to rezone five properties in the city’s downtown. Westwind Barn, LAH Town Hall slated for cell towers
Two cell towers planned for town hall and Westwind Barn have city officials and residents weighing improved cell-phone coverage versus aesthetic concerns. Los Altos Hills is notorious among Bay Area cities for its spotty coverage. The planning commission voted last Thursday to recommend installing a Verizon cell-phone monopole at Westwind Barn. The recommendation will come before the city council Thursday and be open to public discussion. LAH moving forward with drafting new energy conservation ordinanceLos Altos Hills is one step closer to implementing new energy conservation standards. The city council Oct. 20 directed the staff to draft a revised energy-efficiency ordinance that would address two-thirds of the environmental initiatives committee’s recent proposal. Correcting a correctionA correction in this week’s print edition of the Town Crier incorrectly noted an advertisement by council candidate Randall Hull mistakenly included Virginia “Ginny” Lear as a donor. In fact, the misinformation was included in a Palo Alto Daily News article, not an ad. Hull has not listed donors in any of his advertising. CommentConsider LASD strengths when casting voteParent leaders from all eight of our Los Altos District schools have concern over some of the political rhetoric that has surfaced during the current election campaign for three seats on our school board. As a parent leader, I believe it is important for each member of the community to be aware of the complete information about our schools. Letters to the Editor Don’t take LAEF, PTA for granted As the potential school board members jockey and tell us how wonderfully they would manage money to keep this district in tip-top shape, I would like to bring up a point which I have heard none address. EditorialNo doubt, you are already weary from the pummeling of countless television ads on the state propositions. You’ve heard next Tuesday’s election consists of initiatives forwarded by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and that we are being asked to vote on issues he and the legislature can’t agree on. Some see next Tuesday as a test of the governor’s effectiveness and popularity. Others dismiss the election as a waste of taxpayer money. Still others see an opportunity for voters to weigh in on important issues. ObituariesObituary Notices JURGEN ANNEVELINK PeopleWeddings & Engagements Erin Griffith and Michael Frost Italian delegation may expand Los Altos’ Sister Cities programSeven visitors from the Italian city of Bassano del Grappa spent a week in Los Altos last month to share culture and discuss forming a sister cities relationship with the city. The cities first connected through Valeria Bertacco, an Italian student who studied electrical engineering at Stanford on a Los Altos Rotary Club scholarship. “Our goal is to forge relationships between people in the two countries. We do things on the personal level,” said Chuck Lindauer, executive vice president of the program. “If we visit a sister city, we wouldn’t just stay in a hotel, we would actually stay with the families and get to know them. It’s just one person to another.” CommunityCSMA’s McConnell named fund-raiser of the year
Angela McConnell, executive director of the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center, has been recognized as outstanding professional fund-raiser of the year by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) in Silicon Valley. The annual award honors a fund-raising professional who has at least 10 years of experience and has demonstrated creative leadership, effective team participation, commitment to volunteerism and participation in and support of many nonprofit organizations. Community Briefs AAUW schedules bullying program ‘Haunted Trees of Carob Lane’ our pick for best spooky story
“One late October night, as I rounded the corner, a carob tree lowered his branches, and as quick as a bee sting, seized my body whole, and lifted me high up in the air. Into the crook of a gnarled branch I was placed, as the carob trees howled their ghastly tune …” So wrote Andrew Pejack of Los Altos in his tale, “The Haunted Trees of Carob Lane,” our pick for the best submitted spooky story for 2005. Pejack will receive a gift certificate to Linden Tree Children’s Recordings & Books in Los Altos. Other honorable mentions, including those we failed to find space for in the print edition but presented online at www.latc.com: “The Monster in the Closet” by Rebecca Andrews; “Halloween Dancers” by Howard Jarmy; Siddharth Shankar’s “Deadly Halloween”; and “The Ghost” by Katie Kirsch. Los Altos Morning Forum audience warms up to lecture about South Pole
Living and working where a warm day is -30 F, where the oxygen level is incredibly thin and where the air is so dry the humidity only averages 2 percent is not for the faint of heart. But Emma Fuller, who spent three “summers” at Antarctica’s Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, told a Morning Forum audience Oct. 18 why so many “Polies” choose to return to the unforgiving environment. Fuller was first hired as a dishwasher in the most remote kitchen on earth. Three austral summer seasons later (October to February), Fuller was promoted to supervisor of South Pole Station logistics, a department responsible for food, water, heat, air and equipment for the 260 summer workers and scientists. Cal Water officials say they’re meeting the increasing water demands in Los Altos
With anticipated water needs rising rapidly in the Los Altos area, the folks at California Water Service Company, responsible for the city’s supply, want residents to know they’re on top of it. Dan Armendariz, production superintendent for the company, which has offices at Loyola Corners, told members of the Los Altos Kiwanis Club Oct. 25 that the Los Altos area has experienced a 3 percent growth in service connections since 1996 but a 14 percent growth in consumption. Wine tasting event to benefit RotaCareThe Rotary clubs of Los Altos, Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Cupertino and Palo Alto are sponsoring “A Santé,” a wine-tasting event benefiting the RotaCare Clinic, 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday at the historic Del Monte Building, 100 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale. In addition to tasting, the event features gourmet cuisine and silent and live auctions. Cost is $50 per person. The RotaCare clinic offers free medical care to the needy. For more information, call 940-7154. Pet of the Week
These two wonderful cats need your help. Ricky and Lucy are eight years old and have been lifelong companions. They are quiet, well-behaved cats that like nothing better than to receive love and affection - which they gladly return. Please come to the shelter and adopt them today. Call 496-5971 or visit Palo Alto Animal Services, 3281 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto. Calendar Today Los Altos City Council endorses emergency preparedness fund raising
The Los Altos City Council has endorsed a fund-raising drive to outfit a new mobile City of Los Altos Emergency Response trailer, obtained with grant funding in September. Volunteers are being trained to operate and deliver emergency search, rescue and medical equipment from the trailer to any location in Los Altos. Residents are encouraged to make tax-deductible contributions, which will be accepted at the Police Department until the end of November. Checks should be made payable to the City of Los Altos Emergency Preparedness Fund. The success of the fund drive may also determine the ability of the city to purchase and supply additional emergency preparedness trailers. Friends of Library hosts record-breaking book saleFriends of the Los Altos Library recently held a record-breaking used-book sale at Hillview Center, raising $22,600 in support of local libraries. Every week Friends volunteers gather to sort, clean, price and store new books donated by the community. Sales are held four times a year, and a Friday night sale is reserved for members of Friends of the Los Altos Library. ‘Build A Box’ resurrectedEva Scott is carrying on the tradition of her late husband, Art, by resurrecting a charitable program he began in 1987, called “Thanksgiving Build A Box.” The program provides Thanksgiving dinners to needy families by delivering a box with turkey, stuffing mix, cranberry sauce, vegetables, potatoes, dinner rolls and pumpkin pie. For more information about the program and how to donate, call (408) 399-1426 or e-mail eva.scott@cbnorcal.com. Goodall appearance at Wildlife ExpoOrganizers of the Wildlife Conservation Expo, Oct. 8-9 at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, described the event as a “huge success,” attracting more than 1,500 people. Hundreds stood in line to hear world-acclaimed primatologist Jane Goodall, including the young fan pictured above. Community-based conservation is the key to saving endangered species around the globe, according to leading wildlife conservationists who gathered for the fourth annual forum. Wildlife Conservation Network, which sponsored the event, is a non-profit in Los Altos that supports entrepreneurial conservationists working with local communities to save endangered species. For more information, visit www.wildnet.org. Knitting adds productivity and sharing to Rotary’s Partners for New Generations
Partners for New Generations (PNG) Mentoring Program originated with individual mentoring that pairs a single mentor with a single student. Several years ago, PNG member and Rotarian Bob Adams introduced group mentoring when he helped coach a basketball team at Alta Vista High School. Gates Foundation pledges $15 million to MV computer museumThe Computer History Museum in Mountain View announced that the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged a $15 million gift to the museum’s campaign. The museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the artifacts and stories of the Information Age. “The impact on our society of the computing revolution is simply breathtaking - it has changed the way we work, play, learn and communicate,” Gates said. “It’s our responsibility to collect the artifacts and stories today that will explain this incredible change to future generations. I believe that the Computer History Museum is uniquely positioned to do this, and Melinda and I are pleased to join other industry leaders to offer our support.” El Camino doctors show advanced skills to peers
El Camino Hospital interventional cardiologists’ skill with advanced techniques for peripheral vascular disease recently won them the opportunity to perform before an international audience of their peers. Drs. Frederick St. Goar, Raymond Shaheen and James Joye were the only West Coast team among 25 leading medical centers from around the world demonstrating innovative procedures by live satellite broadcast to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s 17th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics symposium in Washington, D.C., Oct. 17. Los Altos football team defends against pesky solicitorsBeginning this month, the Los Altos Eagles football teams are kicking off a fund raiser with the help of the Los Altos Neighborhood Network. The team will sell front-door-friendly “No Solicitation” decals to all Los Altos residents. In accordance with the “No Solicitation” ordinance passed by the city council last February, the stickers provide the door-side notice required by law to stop pesky and sometimes dangerous solicitors. Artist donates painting for public television auctionProminent local artist Anna Wu Weakland will have a painting auctioned by KTEH-TV in its annual benefit auction Nov. 9-13. Weakland painted the Chinese symbol for “tiger” on handmade rice paper for the auction. The picture-word stands for strength and vitality, Weakland said. Stedman describes changes, challenges for United Nations at Los Altos library
Dr. Stephen Stedman described his experiences as research director of the United Nations’ High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change for an audience at the Los Altos main library Oct. 19. The panel generated a major report, “A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility,” approved by 185 heads of state including President Bush at the Summit of the 60th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in September. The Peninsula Chapter of the World Affairs Council, the Los Altos Libraries and the League of Women Voters of the Los Altos-Mountain View Area co-sponsored the program. LA History Museum holds open houseThe Los Altos History Museum will hold an open house and gala reception 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday at the museum, 51 S. San Antonio Road. The evening will feature seasonal foods, live music and a preview of the museum store’s holiday offerings. Charter school lawsuit saga continuesWhen a Superior Court judge issued a summary order Sept. 9 dismissing Bullis Charter School’s yearlong lawsuit against the Los Altos School District, a spokesman for the charter school called the ruling “just one more episode in a very long saga.” As foreshadowed, the school’s directors filed notice Oct. 21 of their intent to request a new trial against the district and the lessees of the two preschools at the Bullis-Purissima Elementary School site. SchoolsCACF gears up to pass parcel tax reauthorizationWith parcel tax authorization expiring in 2007, the Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Finance has shifted gears and accelerated to pass reauthorization of the allocation widely seen as necessary to prevent further slowdowns in the Los Altos School District’s funding. The group plans to meet every other Wednesday from today through mid-December to produce a six-year financial forecast and strategic recommendations to present to district trustees and staff at the first school board meeting in January. Schools Briefs Oak Holiday Faire held this week Farce is anything but earnest
The St. Francis High School drama department has scheduled performances of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10-12 and 17-19 in the school’s Little Theater, 1885 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View. Tickets cost $10. To order, call 968-1213, ext. 224. From left, Jessica Uher of Los Altos plays Cecily, Alex Valhov of Fremont is Algernon, Andrew Colford of Los Altos plays Jack Worthing, and Jillian Lawson of Saratoga is Gwendolyn in St. Francis’ production of the Wilde farce directed by Laura Rose. Oak zooms at Grand Prix
More than 300 students lapped the course in the Oak 100 Grand Prix Oct. 15. Nearly 200 children completed 100 laps. All laps combined totaled 25,000, or 2,500 miles. Participants exceeded the fund-raising goal of $40,000. More than 150 volunteers staffed a “DMV” registration booth, monitored the course, marked the lap cards, handed out incentives, sold food, staffed a first aid booth and ran the raffle. Scott Chan loaned his race car to help set the theme. County honors CSMA teacherSanta Clara County recognized Angely Chen, a music teacher with the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA), with its Asian-American Hero Award in recognition of her contributions to the arts and music education. Since 1997, Chen has taught classroom music in CSMA’s music-in-the-schools program, which brings weekly instruction to children at local elementary schools. She teaches the Kodaly music curriculum in grades K-3 in the Los Altos School District. The Cupertino resident has also taught in the Mountain View-Whisman and Cambrian school districts. SchoolsThird-grade Brownies in Pinewood Troop #75 trick-or-treated in reverse on Riverside Drive to aid Second Harvest Food Bank. On Oct. 18, the Brownies went door to door and asked for donations. They left a shopping bag with a list of instructions and the most-needed food items. On Oct. 25, they returned and collected 31 bags of donated food - enough to fill a 6-by-5-foot bin. They also left a bag of candy for donors to hand out on Halloween. Local Scouts raise funds for Louisiana schools
Los Altos Hills fourth-grade Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts attending Nixon Elementary School in Palo Alto work together to raise funds to benefit seven public schools and the Head Start program in St. Tammany Parish, La., sister district of Palo Alto Unified School District. Cub Scouts represent the Pacific Skyline Council, Stanford District, Pack 140, Den 4. Girl Scouts are members of Troops 296, 388 and 955. The Scouts promoted a school supplies drive at Nixon for the Louisiana students, then sorted and assembled complete kits. They also sold drinks at the Bridge of Caring Carnival Oct. 23 at Palo Alto High School. From left, Kyle Humble, Los Altos Hills; Ryan Dempsey, Ken Noh and Austin Hancock, all of Palo Alto; Catherine Yu, Los Altos Hills; Jenny Dally, Stanford; Thomas Rasmussen, Los Altos Hills; Ben Akey, Stanford; Eric Noh and Christian Meldrum, both of Palo Alto; and Bo Rasmussen, Los Altos Hills, helped raise funds for Louisiana schools affected by Hurricane Katrina. Hard-working students blossom with constant attention
“Imagine yourself as a kid in a class - you don’t know how it works. You feel frustrated, angry. You kick, hit, get disciplined, sent to the back of the room, suspended, expelled. This happens over and over and over again.” So Michael Gennette summarized the typical school career of students with complex emotional and developmental disorders. The executive director of Achievekids, a non-profit organization for such children and teens, said these students respond well to the one-on-one attention they receive in the two Achievekids schools. Eagles celebrate homecoming
Members of Mexico Lindo dance group perform during the Los Altos High School Homecoming Parade held Friday. Spartans march away with top honors
The Mountain View High School Spartan Marching Band marched away with top honors and six other trophies at the Foothill Band Review in Pleasanton Oct. 22. The Spartans won the Parade and Field Show Champion Grand Sweepstakes Award, given to the band with the most points in the parade and field events. More than 45 high school bands participated in the review, hosted by the Foothill High School Marching Band in Pleasanton. Happy homecoming for Eagles
Despite the final score, this was not what Eagles players and coaches have come to call “Los Altos football.” Los Altos trounced hapless Lynbrook 30-0 Oct. 29, but a lack of focus was the central theme as the Eagles delivered a sloppy performance that could well have been their downfall against a tougher opponent. SportsPinewood tennis team (8-0 league) isn’t showing its age
Youth is being served - and doing the serving - at Pinewood School. The Panthers’ varsity girls tennis team is among the youngest in the Central Coast Section, comprising six freshmen, four sophomores, a junior and a senior. “This team is great - lots of freshmen but lots of heart,” Pinewood head coach Craig Corfield said. Spartans snap the streak
The streak has come to an end. The Mountain View High girls volleyball team last week defeated rival Los Altos in a league match for the first time in eight years. “It wasn’t on our list of goals for the season, but obviously it was something we wanted to do,” Mountain View coach Gerrie Phillips said after the 25-21, 25-15, 25-18 win Oct. 24. “It wasn’t a huge focus, but it was a huge relief that we did it.” Local boutique offers trendy but timeless holiday stylingSeasonal trends can inspire just about anyone, from fashionistas to fashion phobics. This holiday season, hip Los Altos boutique Crimson Mim has scheduled personal styling sessions that can help women complete an outfit with a fabulous touch or put together something entirely new. At the holiday styling event Nov. 8-10 from noon to 8 p.m., Crimson Mim owner Christine Campbell and Bay Area stylist Darlene Dull will help women of all ages and styles find something perfect to fill out their wardrobes. BusinessPositive GDP numbers rally marketsFriday’s positive GDP report showed the economy grew 3.8% in the third quarter, giving investors the catalyst necessary to get back into the markets and push the major indexes up. The Dow shot up 172 points to close at 10,402, the Nasdaq rallied 26 points to close at 2,089 and the S&P500 ended the week at 1,198, a 19-point increase. As reported last week, President Bush nominated a new Federal Reserve Bank chairman. More information and analysis has been done to help understand what is in store for the nation’s monetary control system if the U.S. Senate confirms the nomination. Increased costs and shortage of college housing leads parents to consider second homes in college townsAs thousands of families send their children off to college for the start of the school year, many face increased housing costs, on and off campus, as well as a shortage of housing options. The situation is prompting a growing number of parents to consider an alternative to traditional dorms or off-campus apartments: buying a second home for their children’s stay at college. Whether it makes financial sense depends on a number of factors, from living costs in a particular college town to tax laws to the emotional makeup of the student. There are pluses and minuses about making this kind of an investment and you would be well advised to talk to your financial advisor before making such a move. 2006 Mazda MX-5 - A thoroughly modern classic sports car
With the MG, the British can properly claim to have introduced the excitement of sports-car driving to these shores, but according to the Guinness Book of Records, the title for best-selling sports car of all time passed to Mazda a year or so ago, when Mazda Miata sales outdistanced those of every other sports car manufacturer. Time enough for Mazda to rest on its laurels and go on to some other niche, right? Based on our experience with the new 2006 Mazda MX-5, we’re pleased to say that rather than discontinuing the roadster in the face of recently disappointing sales, they’ve just introduced a new, and definitely improved, model without screwing up any of the good things that made the original Miata such a treat. On the RoadMan without a country has plenty of charm
Imagine sitting by the fire, talking to an old friend. That’s the mood of “A Man Without a Country” by Kurt Vonnegut (Seven Stories Press, 2005). He has the talent of writing as though he were speaking casually to an acquaintance. In this new, small hardback, Vonnegut, one of the grand masters of American literature, chats about a variety of subjects. BooksLocal author’s teen fantasy casts magical spell
Thirteen-year-old Rachel is visiting Venice with her parents when her mother vanishes. They had just visited a shop with hundreds of snow globes containing incredibly lifelike figurines. Eventually her hapless father marries the strange, beautiful woman who works in the shop, who turns out to be not just an evil, awful stepmother but also an actual witch, queen of the sea witches. “Prisoners Under Glass” (Scroll Press, 2005), by Los Altos author Ruthven Patrick, will likely appeal to the same audience that reads the Harry Potter books. Books
The first shot kicked me hard in the cheek and shoulder. The buckshot from the 12-gauge shotgun hit the dirt in front of me, but my clay pigeon, an orange disc, continued to fly off into the distance. “Pull!” I said, and another clay pigeon shot into my line of sight. The buckshot again hit nothing but air and dirt. TravelDATEBOOKDatebook 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 |
In Our OpinionLetters to the Editor
Leo Long earns local honorsIn the April 30 issue of the Town Crier, you were right to congratulate and thank Dick Henning from Foothill College for four decades of service to the community. I met him at Foothill as student body president more years ago than I’ll admit. Great guy. |
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