Oh, the funds they have raised

Approximately 2,000 volunteers from throughout the community made a marathon out of the fight against cancer this past weekend, raising funds for the American Cancer Society in Los Altos’ third annual Relay For Life. As of Sunday morning the relay had raised $598,800, within easy reach of organizers’ $600,000 goal.

That marks a significant increase over last year’s total of more than $480,000. Funds continued to come in and will be tallied through August.

LAH settles Winbigler lawsuit

A settlement agreement last week capped one of Los Altos Hills’ most storied development sagas: the fate of the former Winbigler estate.

The 7-acre property on Campo Vista Lane housed a cream-colored chateau-style house, recognized as a historical landmark, from 1926 until 2002, when new property-owners Gordon Campbell and Maria Ligeti razed the house, sparking town-wide outrage.

Los Altos School District discusses options for charter school

The Los Altos School

District Board of

Police Blotter

Burglary
June 23, 7:56 p.m., and June 24, 9:03 a.m., 1200 block of Altamead Drive: fireplaces taken on successive days from locked residential construction site.
Health and Safety Violation
June 23, 7:20 p.m., 1300 block of McKenzie Avenue: teenagers found in possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and an illegal […]

News Briefs

LAH pursues increased tax funds
Los Altos Hills’ pursuit of AB 117, state legislation to adjust its property-tax return, is still held up in the Legislature over the question of its fiscal impact on the state. Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Cupertino each receive approximately 4 percent of the property tax […]

Dean Warshawky becomes LAH mayor

Dean Warshawsky took over the reins as mayor of Los Altos Hills June 22, succeeding Councilman Breene Kerr. With the changing of the guard, the city council reviewed the big issues of 2006-2007.

Warshawsky said that when he and Kerr were elected four years ago, neither could have imagined how big the school district reform issue would become. “And it is going to outlive any one of us,” Warshawsky said. He said the council’s goal would be to bring the issue to residents for a vote.

New LAH budget plans for infrastructure, retirement

The Los Altos Hills 2006-2007 budget calls for $2 million in capital spending on pathways and sewers, drawn from both the town’s general fund and project-specific funding. Town revenues are up, due in part to increasing real estate tax income, which has risen nearly 8 percent. The town has included funding accrual for retirement health benefits for town employees in the budget.

The largest capital spending projects planned for the coming year include construction of a $1 million diversion station for a sewer system that will feed into Palo Alto, which has greater capacity than Los Altos. Another $1 million, which includes funding from the Valley Transportation Authority, is directed toward continuing pathways projects.

No longer a pipe dream: Skate park idea gets moving

Skateboarders and their fellow long-boarders are now one step closer to their long-held wish. Taking cues from several articulate teens, the five members of the Parks, Arts & Recreation Commission (PARC) voted June 21 to forward a recommendation to the city council for the development of a permanent skate park in Los Altos.

The recommendation, if approved by the city council, would place the skate park in queue for city capital improvement projects.

Mayor asks council to reconsider Neutra cottage on city property

A small structure known as the Neutra cottage, named for its famed architect Richard Neutra, may find its days on city property numbered because of a missed deadline brought to light by Los Altos Mayor Ron Packard.

An agreement made last year between the city and the Los Altos Community Foundation (LACF) allowed for the cottage relocation from a private residence in Los Altos to city-owned land next to Hillview Community Center.

Council mulls options for Cuesta Annex

After the Mountain View City Council voted in February to proceed with the Cuesta Annex master planning process, two workshops, scheduled for July 29 and August 19, will help determine the future of the 12-acre site. The workshops are open to all Mountain View residents.

Citizen groups, with widely differing visions of how the Cuesta Annex should be used, are actively following the progress of the planning process while they continue to advocate their vision of the best use of the site.

Hidden Villa board makes camp cut official

After an emotional meeting Thursday that lasted several hours, the Hidden Villa Board of Directors approved a 2007 budget that includes the suspension of its 12-day residential summer camp program and a staff reduction of 19 percent.

Board Chairman Tom Livermore said before the vote that the 2007 budget had to be cut by $350,000 and that the only way to do that was to reduce staff and adjust programs.

Editorial

LA Relay brings community together
Summer is officially upon us. For most, it’s the season of escape as we embark on vacations providing relief from the pressures of school and the workplace.
However, there’s no escape from cancer. Even if we have been fortunate to avoid the daunting disease, the same cannot be said […]

Letters to the Editor

Appreciates article on Lyme disease
Thank you for your article on Lyme disease (June 21). You do your readers a great service by reporting about the large medical burden of the disease on Lyme patients and the few doctors who are dedicated enough to learn about it and treat it appropriately. Given that […]

Truth be told

“An Inconvenient Truth,” the movie about Al Gore’s PowerPoint presentation on global warming, is getting both favorable reviews and a fair amount of publicity despite the fact that it is (a) a documentary and (b) about a dismal topic. That has to be a good omen for something, though I am not sure exactly what.

Even the movie’s title impresses me because it isn’t as upbeat as American audiences would normally stomach. Granted, I’m the type who would run out to see a film titled “A Blinding Truth That Pierces, Then Shatters the Phony, Flimsy Veneer You Used to Call Security,” but most people, I believe, would not be so inclined. I think it’s great that the Gore film doesn’t attempt to hide its theme underneath a manipulatively patriotic moniker or some otherwise misleading oversimplification and/or amplification, like “Freedom Fries,” or “Death Tax.”

Obituary Notices

GEORGE LARSE
July 20, 1926 - June 14, 2006
A fifty year resident of Los Altos, California leaves behind his loving family, wife Alice, son Peter, son David and his daughters Emily, Amanda, and Jessica, son John, his wife Pat and their son Joseph, daughter Taia, and her husband Jim Smith and their […]

Engagement

Lisa Smith and Conor Schofield
Lisa Smith and Conor Schofield have announced their engagement to be married Sept. 10 in Eugene, Ore. They will be the seventh couple in three generations of the Schofield family to be married on that date.
The bride-to-be is the daughter of Chuck and Sandy Smith of Klamath […]

Noteworthies

The Albert L. Schultz Jewish Community Center (ALSJCC) in Palo Alto announces the election of eight new board members, including Shelley Doran, Amnon Landan and Sharon Leslie of Los Altos. Their positions become active July 1.

Currently senior director of external affairs for Webcor Builders, Doran is a former planning commissioner in Los Altos Hills. She has served as a board member for the Ronald McDonald House at Stanford, the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos Village Association.

Fourth of July Annual ‘Glorious Fourth’ set for Tuesday

This year’s annual Los Altos celebration of Independence Day - the “Glorious Fourt A Musical Tribute to the 4th of July” - is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday at Shoup Park, 400 W. University Ave.

Ye Olde Towne Band will be tune up their instruments that morning as residents, friends and family gather from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Attendees are welcome to come early and stake out space for their chairs or blankets on the grass.

Fourth of July Union Presbyterian holding annual breakfast

For 35 years, Los Altos Union Presbyterian Church, 858 University Ave., has scheduled a pancake breakfast July 4 - this year is no exception.

With patriotic music in the background, church members will serve pancakes, sausages, orange juice, fresh fruit and coffee from 8-11 a.m. in the church’s fellowship hall.

Mtn. View Obon Festival set for July 15-16 at Buddhist Temple

The midsummer Buddhist holiday the Obon Festival & Bazaar is scheduled for 4 to 10 p.m. July 15 and noon to 9 p.m. July 16 at the Mtn. View Buddhist Temple, 575 North Shoreline Blvd., across from the Safeway Bailey Park Shopping Center.

Although often viewed as a Japanese cultural festival, Obon is actually a deeply religious tradition.

Fourth of July Filip Road in Los Altos continues its tradition

For 50 years the residents of Filip Road - a small, quiet neighborhood off Springer Road in Los Altos - have gathered every July 4 to share meals, stories and reminisce about past events.

The original owners of the land where 16 homes now sit had stories very similar to others who settled in the community during the middle of the last century.

Festival’s KIDZONE bound to delight children

Pint-sized festival-goers will have a lot to look forward to at the 2006 Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival July 8 and 9, thanks to a little help from local businesses.

KIDZONE stage performances will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The entertainers selected for the 2006 stage were chosen because of their proven ability to delight both young children and adults.

Town Crier Holiday Fund invites grant requests for 2006

At year’s end 2006, the Town Crier Holiday Fund will launch its seventh year of raising funds for non-profits in Silicon Valley. The fund supports about a dozen active small agencies like Truck of Love and East Palo Alto Kids Foundation and specific programs within larger established non-profit, such as the dental assistance fund within the Community Services Agency.

“Now that the fund has grown to more than $150,000 annually, we are open to considering additional groups,” said publisher Paul Nyberg. “To qualify, the agency must have a 501(c)(3) designation, have a board of directors and have current financial records.”

LASD adopts $38 million budget

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a projected budget for the 2006-2007 school year at its June meeting.

General-fund revenues are estimated at $38.4 million, about $9,255 per student, a 4.9 percent increase. General-fund expenditures are estimated at $37.9 million, about $9,143 per student and $192,000 per classroom, up 2.9 percent.

Egan graduates share accomplishments

Egan Intermediate School’s annual rite of passage, Portfolio Day, has become a tradition for eighth-graders heading off to high school. The graduates assemble “collected works” that demonstrate their accomplishments in junior high and formally present a portfolio to one or two adult interviewers.

Parents, school district employees, city staff and local business representatives gathered at Egan June 8 to bear witness to the students’ academic and social journeys.

College Briefs

Host families needed for Chinese students
Families are needed to host students from China going to De Anza College (by bus) for two weeks this summer. The host dates are July 18-30, and reimbursement is $600 for room and board.
For more information, call Kristi Clarke at 949-3091 or e-mail k.clarke@mindspring.com.
Foothill commencement set […]

Pinewood Class of 2006

Mahruss Abdollahi

Elizabeth Altmaier

Oakland takes over Lancers

When Mike Oakland explored leaving the college ranks to coach high school baseball, the Santa Clara University assistant figured out exactly where he wanted to go.

“After going through the interview process, there was only one high school position I was interested in - and it was St. Francis,” Oakland said. “No other school interested me.”

Ichikawa impresses at State Am

After becoming one of the youngest golfers to ever reach match play at the California State Amateur, Adam Ichikawa faced another daunting challenge.

The 14-year-old from Los Altos drew Eric Justesen in the first round Thursday at Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Palo Alto Oaks’ arms tire in Best of the West tourney

The Best of the West Invitational couldn’t have started much better for the Palo Alto Oaks last week. The area’s semipro baseball team went 4-0 to win its pool at Santa Clara University’s Stephen Schott Stadium.

That’s as good as it would get for the Oaks, though. Sunday morning they fell to the Salinas Packers in the semifinals at Stanford University’s Sunken Diamond, then fell apart in the consolation final that afternoon at Santa Clara. The Oaks led 8-0 after two innings, only to see the San Diego Stars rally for a 12-9 victory.

Volatility in markets caused by investors, not events

Recent volatility in the markets has brought anxiety for investors in recent weeks. Saber rattling by Iran has resulted in choppy oil prices. In addition, the Federal Reserve’s steadily raising interest rates has led to alternating fears of economic slowdown and inflationary growth. As I’ve written before, you cannot have both a slowdown and hypergrowth at the same time - yet the fears remain and have led to some panicky reactions in the markets.

But remember: Volatility is not caused by events, it is caused by people. People buy and sell, and their thoughts and emotions are often responsible for their actions.

Los Altan brings home coffee roasting passion

The bean’s the thing at Los Altos’ newest coffee shop, Mr. English Coffee Roasting Company, 325 State St. It offers fresh-roasted coffees from around the world - many organic or fair trade. Weekday mornings, the aroma of crisping beans wafts out the door from the Diedrich roaster the owner calls the world’s best commercial roaster.

High-maintenance coffee-drinkers can order the unusual latte macchiato.

A backyard oasis

For an escape from the frantic pace of life in Silicon Valley, many on the Peninsula are turning their back yards into mini-oases with koi ponds. A small pool, some water plants and a minimum of maintenance are all it takes for homeowners to have the famous red-gold Japanese fish literally eating out of their hands.

“I think of a pond as a daytime fireplace,” said koi pond professional Ken Snarr, of Ken and Barbara’s Pond Service in Mountain View. “The bubbling water blanks out noise from a freeway or street, and it is very serene to sit and watch the fish.”

Filoli schedules Flowers in the Home

Filoli has scheduled “An Evening with the Roses” 4-6 p.m. July 20, a talk by Bay Area author, designer and avid gardener Carolyn Parker.

Parker, writer of the visually stunning “R is for Rose: Reflections from a Passionate Rose Lover” will discuss her new book and give a special slide presentation on rose history and horticulture. Her talk will be followed by a wine and appetizer reception which includes an after-hours visit to Filoli’s beautiful rose garden.

Garden club learns how to nurture fragrance

David Kirby, a nationally known horticulturist for Monrovia Nursery, spoke to the Los Altos Garden Club June 20 on how to grow fragrant plants in the garden.

He brought dozens of plants as examples of how, with the right knowledge of watering and nutritional needs, home gardeners can easily create their own beautifully smelling gardens.

Better scratched than refinished, says expert

Karen Emerzion, president of the Glass and Decorative Arts Club, boiled down a talk by W. Brooke Sivo, vice president and director of American furniture and decorative arts for the auction house Bonhams & Butterfield, into this message:

“If you acquire something old, don’t screw around with it, leave it alone, don’t refinish. It will have more value.”

Benefits of homeownership examined by the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors

As national homeownership month wanes, John Tripp of Foundation Trust Mortgage reminds residents of the Bay Area that owning a home is the best step anyone can take, “Because you feel attached to the community and you have a greater sense of responsibility to your neighbors, to the schools, to the betterment of life and everybody.

“By owning a home, you, as a homeowner, are an integral part of the quality of life” said Tripp, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors Board of Directors.

A backyard oasis

For an escape from the frantic pace of life in Silicon Valley, many on the Peninsula are turning their back yards into mini-oases with koi ponds. A small pool, some water plants and a minimum of maintenance are all it takes for homeowners to have the famous red-gold Japanese fish literally eating out of their hands.

“I think of a pond as a daytime fireplace,” said koi pond professional Ken Snarr, of Ken and Barbara’s Pond Service in Mountain View. “The bubbling water blanks out noise from a freeway or street, and it is very serene to sit and watch the fish.”

LA residents may qualify for home repair help

Los Altos provides home rehabilitation loans to residents through its Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program. Funded through the federal Community Development Block Grant program, the program provides low-interest amortized or deferred loans up to $50,000, to income-eligible homeowners.

The funds may be used for home repairs that correct housing code violations, alleviate overcrowding, minimize potential fire hazards and improve health, safety, accessibility and home security conditions. Examples of eligible work include electrical and plumbing repairs, new flooring, heating and weatherization improvements, kitchen and bathroom remodels, painting, roof repair, structural reinforcement and repair of termite damage.

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