Open Space preserves nature nearby

Stroll into Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve any weekday morning, and you are likely to spot Rainey and Rodger Alleman chatting with other visitors and offering help as they too trot the trails.

In their forest-green volunteer trail-patrol vests, the gray-haired Los Altos couple form a particularly unintimidating auxiliary to the rangers who work the park. They offer trail suggestions next to the big map at the entrance, greet other park regulars and point out interesting flora and fauna.

Simple monument memorializes profound heroism of 9/11 passengers

Note: In recognition of the fifth anniversary of 9/11 Monday, Los Altos resident Katie Nutter offers a firsthand account of her experience visiting the Pennsylvania site where Flight 93 went down.

It was an unimpressive sign in an inconspicuous place, in the middle of nowhere.

LAH garners $400k annual tax rebate

The coffers of Los Altos Hills are set to swell this year, and for many years to come, thanks to the success of Assembly Bill 117, which will redirect nearly $400,000 of funding to the city every year. The state Senate passed the bill and the governor signed it last Thursday.

AB 117 focuses on four cities in Santa Clara County - Los Altos Hills, Saratoga, Monte Sereno and Cupertino - that each received about 4 percent of the property tax collected from their communities, while other California cities receive about 7 percent. Based on an agreement signed in 1987, those four cities received a smaller proportional return because they were unique in not having to support the county court system.

News Briefs

‘78 murder suspect fights extradition
Scott Schultz, arrested in the 1978 killing of Los Altos teenager Laura Beyerly, announced last week that he will fight extradition from Colorado to Santa Clara County. Santa Clara County prosecutors will present evidence to a judge in Larimer County, Colo. requesting his extradition.
If the extradition […]

Fire damages St. Francis cafeteria

A two- alarm fire burned the roof and ceiling of the cafeteria building at St. Francis High School Sept. 5, according to the Mountain View Fire Department.

The fire spread after someone apparently dumped used barbecue coals in the dumpster adjacent to the building. The coals possibly were dumped after a Friday night back-to-school event, said St. Francis spokeswoman Kate Kiely.

PG&E to credit customers after July heat storm

Pacific Gas and Electric Company last week received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to provide financial relief to every electric customer with a one-time credit based on their electricity bills for the period that includes the July heat storm.

The Heat Storm Bill Credit is set at 15 percent for all residential customers and 10 percent for all other customers, including agricultural, business, commercial and governmental entities.

Driver of auto in fatal bike accident booked

John Peckham, 31, of Mountain View died Friday after being struck by a car while riding his bicycle on Old Page Mill Road in Palo Alto, according to the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner.

The automobile driver, Chevelle Bailey, 41, of Fremont was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail and is being charged on four counts: driving under the influence, hit and run, vehicular manslaughter and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

Editorial

The Los Altos City Council’s recent decision to go with a community-driven process to build a long-awaited pool strikes us as the right move.

In the works right now, after years of litigation threatened to derail the effort, is a design and construction process for a community pool, located at the end of Rosita Avenue in back of Covington school.

Letters to the Editor

A needless stop sign
A new stop sign has been installed for no obvious reason on El Monte Road at Altamont Road in Los Altos Hills. This extremely quiet intersection was served just fine by the existing stop sign on Altamont that allowed El Monte traffic to travel unhindered. Drivers on Altamont never wait […]

Delicate digits

When I e-mailed my friend Katie to tell her that I had broken my toe vacuuming, she replied, “Vacuuming? Nah, you’ve got to be kidding. Nobody could break a toe vacuuming. Stub it, maybe. Jam it, possibly. Break? No way.”

But an X-ray showed that it was, indeed, broken. As injuries go, vacuuming is about as lame as it gets. Katie, whose mother once broke a finger pulling down her many layers of clothes in a ski resort bathroom, suggested I come up with a better story. Her ideas included breaking my toe by kicking a game-winning soccer goal barefooted, hitting it on the high dive while doing a triple flip, rollerblading down Lombard Street or leaping out of a burning house with a rescued baby.

John Cameron Oberlin, 91: Los Altos Hills man embraced the challenge of mountain climbing

John Cameron Oberlin, longtime resident of Los Altos Hills, died Aug. 27 at 91. A patent lawyer, Mr. Oberlin was also known for his diverse accomplishments as a mountaineer and horticulturist.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1914, Mr. Oberlin graduated from Harvard University in l935 and from Western Reserve University Law School in 1938.

Obituary Notices

EVELYN DIGIORGIO GRANT
Evelyn DiGiorgio Grant, daughter of Rosario and Carmelina DiGiorgio, passed away on Sunday, August 13, 2006, in Pasadena, California of natural causes at the age of 90 years. A former resident of Los Altos, she was a member of the DiGiorgio Fruit Corporation family, which was originally from Sicily […]

Weddings & Engagements

Jennifer Young and Chris Miller
Jennifer Young and Chris Miller were married July 8 in Memorial Chapel at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. The bride’s sister, Amy, was the maid of honor, and the groom’s sister, Jennie, was the “best man.” A reception followed at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Conn.
[…]

Local group hosting event to promote organic farm, despite impending land sale

In what appears to be a reprise effort to thwart the sale of the last remaining farmland in Mountain View, Grant Road Farm, to developers for residential housing, a local citizen’s group has scheduled a community event Sept. 30 to raise awareness for the need to set aside 5 acres for an organic farm on the site. The gathering is set for 8:30-11 a.m. at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church on Grant Road.

“Why Should We Save the Last Farm?” sponsored by the Mountain View Farmlands Group, will feature a panel of speakers, including chef Jesse Z. Cool, familiar with organic farming and land-use techniques.

Attractions draw crowd to Los Altos picnic

Hundreds of people enjoyed bright sunshine Sunday while taking part in a variety of family-friendly attractions at the city of Los Altos’ fifth annual community picnic.

Co-chair of the event with Lynette Lee Eng, Marian Cooper estimated that the turnout was larger than last year’s picnic. Cooper thanked all those who made the event possible.

Stanford and El Camino team up to offer diabetes support

Those living with a chronic illness such as diabetes often have trouble finding adequate support and resources in their quest to manage their diseases.

The Stanford Patient Research team seeks to fill that need by inviting all adults who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes to participate in its upcoming diabetes self-management workshop and study. The free workshop will be held at El Camino Hospital for two-and-a-half hours each week beginning Sept. 16.

Altos Oaks Drive’s split personality - where residents abide and doctors thrive

Altos Oaks Drive near Rancho Shopping Center is a street with a split personality. At one end near Miramonte Avenue, it’s straight like a stick. On the other end, it curves and slithers along snakelike to Fremont Avenue.

Less than a mile long, the hybrid street bears two distinct elements - a long, straight block of well-kept houses that suddenly joins the winding stretch of road where doctors, dentists and physical therapists ply their trade in one-story medical office buildings.

Community Association for Rehabilitation featured in Los Altos Main St. Cafe art show

“I love making art!” said Noel Pino, artist and client of Community Association for Rehabilitation Inc. (C.A.R.).

The original artwork of Noel and his friends from the L.E.A.R.N. adult day program at C.A.R. are on display at the Los Altos Main Street Cafe & Books, located at 134 Main St., through Sept. 30.

Community Briefs

A Plein Air painting extravaganza
The inaugural Plein Air Art & Music Fest is scheduled Sept. 30 in downtown Los Altos.
Local musical groups will join local artisans in a day of outdoor painting in the “Paint the Town” tradition. The artists can paint a scene of their choice within the downtown triangle: […]

Children have nature-deficiency, author says

Though children are taught extensively about the dangers the environment faces, their personal contact with nature is diminishing, according to an author scheduled to speak Sept. 28 at Foothill College.

Richard Louv, who wrote “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder” (Algonquin Books, 2005), believes that society is contributing to children’s lack of experience with nature. Louv, in partnership with Hooked on Nature, the Rudolf Steiner College, California First 5 and the Waldorf School of the Peninsula, will be addressing nature-deficit disorder in children during his Foothill speech.

YMCA helps children stay active after school

As Los Altos and Mountain View children head back to school - to sitting at their desks for six or more hours a day - parents may be seeking additional ways for their children to stay active before, during and after school.

Experts agree that school-age children need to be moderately to vigorously active for at least 60 minutes a day. While increased focus on academic testing has led to many academic after-school activities, the rise in childhood obesity and the elimination of physical education at many schools make it increasingly important for parents to strike a balance between academic enrichment and playful, recreational activities for their children.

Schools Briefs

FHDA seeks applicants for oversight committee
The Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees seeks applicants for appointment to the independent, volunteer Measure C Citizens’ Oversight Committee, which will review and report to the public on the district’s Measure C bond expenditures. Measure C, a Proposition 39 bond measure requiring 55 percent […]

Pinewood robotics team shoots for FIRST

In the Silicon Valley, it seems as if a lot of good inventions tend to come out of small, disorganized garages. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that another group of young entrepreneurs has decided to give the approach yet one more go.

The Pinewood Robotics Team, now entering its third season, once again hopes to partake in the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition. FIRST, founded in 1989 by Segway HT inventor Dean Kamen, has evolved into one of the most prestigious multinational robotics competitions in the world. In the 2006 season, more than 28,000 high school students on more than 1,100 teams participated in 33 regional events in the United States and Israel.

Menlo College names new president

The Board of Trustees of Menlo College announced Sept. 5 the selection of Dr. Timothy Haight as the college’s eighth president. Haight, currently dean of the College of Business and Economics at California State University, Los Angeles, will assume the presidency Jan. 1.

Menlo College currently serves five students from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. Nearly 150 alumni of the college live in the Los Altos area.

Noteworthies

Eric Crites of Los Altos Hills was named to the dean’s list at Syracuse University in Syracuse, N.Y., for the spring semester. Students must achieve at least a 3.4 grade-point average to make the dean’s list. Crites is studying in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

Ryan Paul Davis of Los Altos Hills graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., in May.

New fitness center gets teens moving

When Los Altos Hills resident Patrick Ferrell, an experienced management guru and former CEO for a string of Silicon Valley startups, caught the entrepreneurial bug again a few years ago, he sought the advice of local teenagers.

That’s because his latest project - Overtime Fitness Center in Mountain View - is custom designed for the videogame-era crowd. The spotless workout facility is replete with videogame monitors on exercise bikes, a 15-foot mountain-climbing tower and even a cafe that offers healthful servings of smoothies, wraps and salads.

A quiet confidence

If you expect the coach of the Foothill College football team to make any bold predictions about this season, then you don’t know Marshall Sperbeck.

Despite coming off another successful campaign - the Owls won their seventh bowl game in eight years - Sperbeck approaches this season like all the rest: cautiously optimistic.

Lancers short in height, not heart

Coach Kim Oden’s assessment of her St. Francis High girls volleyball team might make a good slogan for a T-shirt.

“We’re short and feisty,” the Lancers’ fourth-year coach said.

Local high schools win big in football

If you went to see a local high school football team play last Friday in hopes of catching a close game with a dramatic ending, you probably left disappointed.

There was little reason to stick around until the end of the games involving Los Altos, Mountain View and St. Francis highs. Their games were over before they were over, as each of these local teams won in a rout.

Oil find in Gulf may offer solution to dependency on Middle East

As I reported last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index is up nearly 3 percent since July. But not all groups have participated in the rise, and even stock market leaders have had spotty returns. This leads professional traders to wonder if the upward move is sustainable. After all, a perusal of the front page of The Mercury News or The New York Times one day could convince you that things are pretty bad: Mrs. McGillicuddy lost her job over in Teaneck, N.J., Cal lost another football game, or some reporter just figured out that New Orleans was built 3 feet below sea level and President Bush wasn’t the one who did it.

But seriously, back to the markets - in the first few days after Labor Day, trading volume picked up in leading stocks and more groups firmed up. This is very positive and could be seen as a rally-confirming event. As I mentioned last week, stock valuations based on earnings have been at the low end for the last several years. Since corporate earnings are the chief driver for stock prices and low valuations translate to bargain prices, this can be seen as a positive situation.

New women’s apparel store opens downtown

Stuart’s Apparel, Nellie K. Inc., a women’s clothing store offering contemporary fashion, shoes and accessories, opened Sept. 8 on Main Street in downtown Los Altos.

The store was previously located in the Town and Country Village in Palo Alto for 14 years.

Local real estate market offers opportunity for savvy buyers and sellers

A lot has been written lately about the cooling of the red-hot real estate market, both in the South Bay and across the country. It’s hard to go a day without some news story suggesting the “bubble is about to burst,” the sky is falling or something equally catastrophic.

But what’s missing in the avalanche of news coverage is the fact that while home sales have indeed slowed down, the current housing market offers a unique window of opportunity for savvy buyers and sellers to profit - a window that may not be open again for many years, if ever.

Taste of a lifetime

Lew Platt was a collector’s collector. He was always thoughtfully acquiring bottles to share with people who enjoy the pleasures of a fine wine.

He was an avid collector of 1945 Bordeaux, and last month I was included in a tasting of the best of the ’45s. It was a bittersweet experience for all of us as Lew, retired chairman of the board, president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co., passed away last year. Lew’s wife, Joan, had the tasting this year as “A Toast to Lew.” Knowing Lew, I think he would have enjoyed the experience more than any of us, for his happiness and joy in giving and sharing would have been deeply fulfilled.

Paris: of shoes and clips and escargot . . .

Let me tell you how much I love Paris. I love Paris for the waiter who showed my son how to use the silver escargot clip and tiny fork as well as for the hotel receptionist who finally coughed up the gorgeous top-floor corner triple overlooking both the Tuileries garden and the Pyramid in front of the Louvre, tried to renege, then presumably decided it was easier to explain to someone else that the double they were getting was in reality the triple they had reserved.

After a bit of pandemonium at the Avignon TGV train station - the official explanation involved lots of shoulder-shrugging and narratives of train cars mysteriously getting reversed - we arrived at the Gare de Lyon late on a Saturday afternoon. My son, who last visited Paris in utero nearly 12 years ago, was fascinated by the Eiffel Tower, so that became our first destination.

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Mountain View names new rector

St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Mountain View has named a new rector to serve the congregation, Nathan Speck-Ewer, a 31-year-old graduate of Yale Divinity School.

Speck-Ewer replaces Rev. Kevin Phillips, who served the church for 12 years. Search committee members said they are confident Speck-Ewer can continue Phillips’ legacy of growth. The congregation has burgeoned from an average of 60 attendees in 1994 to 300 in 2006, with young families making up a large part of the demographic.

Datebook

Datebook items are run on a space-available basis for entertainment, non-profit events, low-cost classes and groups of wide interest in our circulation area. The deadline is noon Tuesday for the next week’s paper. Notices must be typed and include a contact name and phone number. Items may be submitted via e-mail (peteb@latc.com); fax (948-6647) or post (138 Main St., Los Altos, CA 94022).

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