Fielding traffic questions

Traffic affects every Los Altos resident who bikes, drives, walks or toddles along the city’s streets. No wonder traffic has often been cited in resident surveys over the years as the No. 1 problem in the community.

Residents can help solve the traffic problem by doing more than just driving safely. A seven-member traffic commission assists city council, staff and police, volunteering their time to plan improvements for neighborhoods.

Fire service increase may put damper on Rosita funding

The future of the Rosita pool complex in Los Altos is murky. That’s because a $1.65 million fee hike for county fire services is expected to drain funds set aside by the city for community projects.

A bargaining team comprising Los Altos councilmembers, city staff and Los Altos Hills fire officials has been negotiating a new contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Protection District. Los Altos officials were stunned last month to learn that the city would go from paying just over $3 million annually to paying $4.67 million under the proposed contract.

El Camino Hospital chief Lee Domanico resigns

El Camino Hospital’s CEO of five years, Lee Domanico, resigned last Wednesday. His last day on the job in Mountain View will be Jan. 8.

Domanico said he is leaving to head a hospital system similar in size to those he led in Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Legacy Health System in Portland, Ore., comprises five hospitals, a full-service research facility, a hospice agency and a range of clinics.

LA police nab drug dealers supplying high school students

The Los Altos Police Department has had a busy month. Since mid-November the department has made four drug arrests in two separate cases, denting the operation of at least one suspected narcotics ring in the city. Three additional arrests are pending.

The chain of events for the first case began Nov. 16 when officers made a routine traffic stop for a minor traffic violation and uncovered a small quantity of narcotics.

Football fans brawl at Foothill

A Saturday night football game turned violent at Foothill College Dec. 3 when spectators brawled after a championship match between Half Moon Bay and Seaside high schools.

Campus security estimated 50-100 spectators broke into fistfights before the stadium was cleared. No arrests were made. One man refused treatment for light injuries, said Foothill-De Anza District Police Sgt. Al Asuncion.

Sun sets on second terms of Councilmen Moss and Lear

Ron Packard marked the beginning of his term as Los Altos’ 35th mayor by immediately getting down to business.

Packard was passed the gavel Dec. 6 by David Casas, a father of two who juggled his mayoral duties with his job as a business executive.

Bicycle committee request gets wheels spinning

The power struggle between Los Altos city staff and the city’s bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee (BPAC) appears to be settled, but not without some intervention on the part of the city council.

The dispute began last month when BPAC asked to review and give feedback during the design stage of certain projects being handled by staff. Members of the group wanted BPAC to assume the role of providing recommendations for certain projects early in the design process.

Santa’s cookies

Let’s ignore for a moment the frenzied, commercial aspects of Christmas. Let’s forget all the rushing, all the shopping, all the things that make us crazy this time of year. Let’s remember, instead, Christmas when we were children.

We adored the freshly cut tree, of course, and gifts all dressed up in reds, greens, golds and whites. We even liked the pointy, store-bought bows that always popped off when my sister and I moved the presents around. Then there were the cookies, fudge, gingerbread and the case of pink Florida grapefruit someone sent us every year. And the smells of the holidays were glorious - pine, chocolate and peppermint. Fires in the fireplace were more magical at Christmastime. So were the mugs of hot cocoa our mom handed us when we came in shivering from the snow.

Poetry Corner

It’s All Relative
Age is merely relative,
So we’ve all been told,
Dewy-eyed teenies
Think 20 is old.
Twenty sees 30
As not all that’s nifty,
And think of the trauma
One faces at 50!
Fifty, happy to survive,
Dreads the big one - 65.
Seventy’s alarming quite,
Every hair’s now snowy-white.
But […]

Letters to the Editor

Why the Neutra move?
John Burr

Can somebody explain why the Neutra house that was moved on to the Hillview site is a good idea?
Other than being designed by an architect with some social concepts, that house presents nothing architecturally significant.
Every time I drive by it I think this must be the […]

Editorials

Restrictions to force parking solution
The Los Altos City Council reacted properly, albeit later than sooner, to three years of neighborhood complaints by instituting restricted parking during school hours around Los Altos High School.
Councilmembers on Nov. 29 took action after hearing resident complaints about an increasing parking problem due to 2002 high school […]

Obituary Notices

AILEEN SULLIVAN PAIONI
Aileen Sullivan Paioni passed away peacefully on Friday November 18th from a short illness at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, CA. She was comforted in her last moments by her husband of 57 years, A. T. “Mike” Paioni and family friends Judy and Megan Gallagher, wife and daughter of […]

Weddings & Engagements

Noelle Roux and Jeffrey Dunn
Noelle Roux and Jeffrey Dunn were married Oct. 1. The ceremony and reception was held at the Thomas Fogarty Winery in Woodside.
The bride is the daughter of Eve and Henry Roux of Los Altos.
She graduated from Los Altos High School, received a bachelor’s degree in political […]

Births

Zachary Millar Peterson
Zachary Millar Peterson, a baby boy, was born Nov. 17 to Jessica Millar and Mark Peterson of Mountain View.
Grandparents are Pat and Eric Millar and Lorraine and Jim Peterson, all of Los Altos.
E-mail birth announcements to levernec@latc.com.

People

Los Altos Girl Scout Troop 1084 at Loyola Elementary School is sponsoring the Family Giving Tree, established to provide needy individuals and families with clothing, bedding, household supplies, car seats, educational supplies and toys. To encourage their fellow students to participate, the girls spoke at their Monday morning school assembly. Pictured, from left to right, are third-graders Erin Goldberg, Lindsey Arrillaga, Lauren Weldon, Maegan Nevalsky, Haley Huntington, Elena Estrada, Savannah Buchner, Hope Young and Julia Burns. Not pictured are Kate Morrissette and Christina Meehan-Vernon.

People

Several Los Altos-area residents, including Nobuko Saito Cleary and Margaret Abe, figured prominently in the Japan Society of Northern California’s “Centennial Award of Honor Gala: Celebrating the Past, Envisioning the Future,” held Oct. 29 at the Hyatt Regency in Burlingame.

Award presentations were given to Tatsuro Toyoda, senior adviser of Toyota Motor Corp. and chairman of the Toyota Foundation, and Scott Cook, co-founder of Intuit Inc. Saito Cleary was gala committee co-chairwoman along with Kathleen Kimura.

Iraqi visitors see progress and stability growing in their country

Yousif and Alia Matty visited Los Altos last week with messages of optimism from the heart of their native Iraq.

Yousif, a Christian in a Muslim country and pastor of his own Kurdistan Evangelical Church, doesn’t see an ongoing war in his strife-ridden country, as many Americans do. He said the war ended with the capture of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, currently facing trial for murdering thousands under his rule. He sees progress in his country, particularly where he lives in Kurdistan, to the north.

Morning Forum speaker ponders world where appliances assert their rights

Is your toaster arguing with you?

Morning Forum members learned how close that possibility is when Steve Chiolero spoke about “Living with Robots” last week.

Run, walk and roll into the new year

The Los Altos Recreation Department invites families, friends and neighbors to participate in the 2006 New Year’s Day 5K Fun Run, Walk and Roll. The noncompetitive race begins at 9 a.m. New Year’s Day at the Community Plaza, corner of State and Main streets in downtown Los Altos.

All ages and ability levels are encouraged to participate.

In time for holidays, Kiwanis speaker offers tips on thwarting effects of stress

And you thought smoking was bad.

“Stress is six times more likely to produce cancer and heart disease than smoking or cholesterol,” said Greg Burns, a professional psychological counselor who spoke to Los Altos Kiwanis Club members last week. Burns quoted from a surprising new American Psychological Association (APA) study.

Speaker moves Rotarians with story of triumph over HIV and harsh upbringing

Los Altos Rotarians were floored during a Dec. 1 club meeting recognizing World AIDS day when a guest speaker related a heart-rending story about succeeding in life despite a horrific family history and testing HIV-positive.

The 26-year-old speaker from the Southeast, whose name is being withheld at her request to protect her privacy, is in her last year of law school at a prominent university and already has a master’s degree in international politics. Her academic success comes despite being orphaned at age 1 when her father went to prison for life for killing her mother, being abused at her aunt and uncle’s home and then being placed in an undesirable foster home. She subsequently contracted HIV in her teens from someone she loved and trusted and was left completely on her own at age 17.

Calendar

Today
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District Board of Directors, 7:30 p.m., district offices, 330 Distel Circle, Los Altos.
Los Altos Hills Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m., town hall, 26379 Fremont Road.
Thursday
Los Altos Hills City Council, 6 p.m., town hall, 26379 Fremont Road.
Los Altos Planning Commission, 7 p.m., city hall, 1 […]

Pet of the Week

Morgan, a 2-year-old neutered male cat, is quiet and well-mannered. His owner died, and now Morgan awaits a second chance for a loving home at the animal shelter. You can meet and adopt Morgan today at Palo Alto Animal Services, 3281 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto, 496-5971.

Community Briefs

Main St. art collection on display
A new art exhibit, the “Main Street Holiday Collection,” is currently on display at Main Street Cafe & Books in downtown Los Altos.
Jim Smyth is among the group of prominent artist/teachers whose works are showcased in the collection. Smyth, known for his life drawings and paintings, […]

Red tape remains major barrier to progress in state energy policy, experts tell LWV forum

Four years after California’s energy crisis, dealing with bureaucratic red tape remains a major obstacle to overhauling the state’s energy infrastructure.

All five panelists at a Dec. 3 League of Women voters-sponsored conference agreed: the state’s energy policies must change and must change fast. Past Mountain View-Los Altos League president Jane Turnbull facilitated the forum held at Los Altos High School.

Kiwanis makes the cut

Los Altos Kiwanis Club member and Town Crier Associate Publisher Howard Bischoff prepares a tree for a customer at the club’s tree lot at Albertsons market, 2175 Grant Road at Arboretum. The lot is open 3-8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, see the brief on Page 19.

Holiday Fund charities bring hope foremost, along with clothes and food

Donors to the Town Crier Holiday Fund, now in its sixth year, have pledged $80,0000 in matching funds to encourage more people to contribute. Thanks to the challenge grant, each dollar given is doubled.

Those who provided challenge grants in the past are returning this year: Steve and Michele Kirsch Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Skoll Community Fund, Rambus Inc., Charles and Nan Geschke Foundation, William and Gay Krause Foundation, Los Altos resident Ed Dowd and Silicon Valley Association of Realtors, and a new matching fund donor, Everlasting Private Foundation.

New technology allows El Camino surgeons to confirm graft success during operation

El Camino Hospital is one of only seven medical institutions in the United States to introduce an advancement in coronary artery bypass graft surgery that allows surgeons to see how well blood is flowing through a new graft so that they can make necessary corrections during the operation.

Without this technology, dubbed the SPY Intra-operative Imaging System, surgeons have to wait until after the surgery to determine whether grafts are successful. Unsuccessful grafts can lead to complications and repeat surgery.

‘ChopShticks’ offers a ‘traditional’ alternative to winter holiday festivities

“ChopShticks: An Evening of Chinese Food and Comedy” is scheduled Dec. 24 and 25 at Ming’s Restaurant, 1700 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto.

The show, organized by Los Altos resident Gloria Goldblatt, celebrates the holidays in the “traditional” Jewish way: listening to great comedy, eating Chinese food and doing a mitzvah (Yiddish for good deed). Ming’s will open at 6:30 p.m. with dinner at 7 p.m. and the show set for 8 p.m.

Holiday Briefs

Santa visits Rancho
Santa Claus is scheduled to make daily appearances at Rancho Shopping Center through Dec. 24.
Santa is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. appearances at the shopping center, corner of Springer Road and Foothill Expressway, in Los Altos.
St. Nick in the Village
Santa Claus is scheduled to […]

New Alta Vista campus ready for school

After 38 years of wandering, Alta Vista is coming home. Faculty, staff and students will soon make the school’s fifth move - into a brand-new school designed just for them next to their current campus on Bryant Avenue in Mountain View.

Krissy McIvor and Jennifer (Jenna) Ireland, both seniors and members of the school’s leadership class, conducted a tour of the new campus last week. Krissy moved to the area four years ago from a suburb of Sydney, Australia, and Jenna describes herself as Japanese American. They made it clear that they love their school, their teachers, freedom to learn at their own pace and a teaching style appropriate for kinesthetic learners.

Students must prove residency, reregister in 2006 to remain in MVLA

In January and February, all current freshmen, sophomores and juniors in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District must verify and reestablish residency in the district. They will have several opportunities to do so at their home school.

Last year the district adopted stricter residency standards but did not reregister students. Neighboring Fremont Union High School District, like MVLA a Basic Aid district, implemented a reregistration program last year that found 300 out-of-district students, including incoming freshmen, on the rolls. Disenrolling those students saved the Fremont district $2 million in teachers’ salaries and benefits. Spokeswoman Cindy McArthur said the district did not dismiss any teachers but adjusted staffing by retirements and “tightened … formulas.”

Pinewood students ‘wrapped up’ in helping others

It is easy for students to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season during November and December each year. In the midst of parties, concerts and shopping excursions, and in addition to the regular drill of homework, tests, sports and extracurricular activities, the students at Pinewood School of Los Altos make time to serve the community.

Over the past few years, each class of students in grades kindergarten through six sponsors needy children through the Adopt-a-Family Program, which matches donors with children and their caretakers involved with the Santa Clara County Child Abuse Prevention Center. The program, a joint effort of the Santa Clara County Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Committee and the Santa Clara County Department of Family and Children’s Services, is administered by the Child Abuse Prevention Center.

Schools Briefs

SELPA schedules forum
SELPA 1 CAC has scheduled a coffee and panel on “Resources for Parents, Discovered by Parents,” 8:45-11 a.m. Jan. 25 in the Covington Elementary School multi, 205 Covington Road, Los Altos.
The panel will present information on service providers for educational assessments, occupational therapy, tutors, life coaches, behavior consultants, medications, […]

MVLA debaters win Academic All-American Award

Stephen Hess and Prashant Rai of Mountain View High School are the first students in the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District to receive the National Forensic League’s (NFL) Academic All-American Award.

Both seniors compete across the country in Lincoln-Douglas Debate as members of the MVLA Speech and Debate Team. Because of their winning records, the team is now ranked seventh in the nation. Nationally, Prashant is ranked fifth, and Stephen 33rd. In the West, Prashant is ranked second and Stephen sixth.

Mountain View’s press causes Los Altos distress

What the Mountain View High boys basketball team gave up to Los Altos on the inside, it more than made up for in the backcourt.

The Spartans’ full-court press was enough to overcome 21 points from Eagles center Brett Perrotta Saturday in a 73-68 home win.

LA won’t reach goals without scoring them

The Los Altos High boys soccer team’s goals for this season include winning the SCVAL El Camino Division and making the Central Coast Section playoffs.

The Eagles will need to score goals to reach their goals, though, and that’s been a problem.

Continued growth may trigger Federal Reserve intervention

Last month the U.S. service industries index reflected continued growth after reporting the biggest acceleration in more than three years in October. Productivity rose at its fastest pace in two years.

When each worker can produce more, then the cost of that product or service goes down. “So what?” you might exclaim. Well, there is a complex relationship among productivity, interest rates, inflation, standard of living and apple pie. Well OK, not the apple pie, but the others are for real. Actually though integrated, the relationships are not that complicated unless you are a politician or a financial journalist trying to squeeze flashy headlines out of thin air.

New business goes ‘Full Thread Ahead’ with knitting innovations

Walking into Full Thread Ahead, the new knitting and yarn store on Main Street, you’re likely to be greeted by exuberant owner Hollis Bischoff. For the casual observer, the neat displays and cascading colors have instant appeal. Shiny birch floors set off full walls overflowing with vibrant colors. For the knitter, it’s a comfort haven.

“I love the wonder of taking a simple ball of yarn and turning it into something magical,” Bischoff said with panache. A former vice president of a high-tech analyst firm, Bischoff said her new job is not entirely different from her management career. “Just as before, I go in and learn something new every day.”

Swedish Christmas Eve

Christmas was the special event when I was growing up in Los Altos in the early 1950s. Our family gathering included grandparents, aunts, uncles and young cousins. There was always a fire in the main living room of our home to greet the guests on Christmas Eve.

My mother and aunt shopped, made the Christmas cookies and decorated the house weeks in advance. We children waited for the big moment - Santa’s arrival at our ranchita on Grant Road. We assumed he went to everyone’s home, not just ours. We were just lucky to see him in person and not to have to wait for Christmas morning.

Cookies for Christmas Eve platter

A few Christmas Eves ago, I was responsible for the cookie platter. I put it off, knowing I could do it in an afternoon if push came to shove. But a series of last-minute gift shopping in heavy traffic made it impossible to find baking time.

I arrived at my brother’s with a few pathetic biscotti. He stared, raised an eyebrow like John Belushi, and we both laughed. Now I bake cookies way ahead and freeze them or store them in an airtight tin. Just keep it a secret, or they will be gone before the event - like Halloween candy.

Local delivers scoop on ‘Stand and Deliver’ school

Local journalist Joanne Jacobs, formerly a copy editor for the Town Crier, then an op-ed columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, has published a book about a San Jose charter school that recruits students who are failing and promises them a chance to go to college. A long-time resident of Palo Alto, Jacobs moved to Los Altos in October.

“Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea and the School That Beat the Odds” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2005) tells the story of Downtown College Prep, a “Stand and Deliver” charter school created by two young teachers, self-proclaimed “grumpy optimists” Greg Lippman and Jennifer Andaluz.

Open space district offers free area hikes

Docents from the Los Altos-based Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District have scheduled a number of free activities, all taking place in the district’s open space preserves during December.

• Dec. 21, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Explorer Hike: A moderately paced excursion of 3-5 miles with a variety of elevation gains at Fremont Older Open Space Preserve. The route will be determined by trail and weather conditions.

Datebook

Datebook items run on a space-available basis for local entertainment, non-profit events, low-cost classes and groups of wide interest. 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