A run for the Hills

This year’s Los Altos Hills City Council campaign has centered on the school redistricting issue, but longstanding questions of property rights, development policy and town politics underlie the race this fall.

Three candidates are vying for two open seats on the council in the Nov. 7 election. Challenger John Vidovich has taken on incumbents Breene Kerr and Dean Warshawsky, both of whom are completing their first term in office.

Hearing looks at ‘green chemistry’ practices

State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, convened a hearing in Los Altos Hills last week to gather information about “green chemistry,” a movement that seeks to make California’s chemical production and consumption less toxic to people and the environment.

The Silicon Valley meeting was one of a series Simitian is holding across the state to decide what the Legislature can do to minimize harm from chemicals and produce sustainable, green chemical production alternatives. He is chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality.

Los Altos Hills council candidates sound off on development, open space

John Vidovich
Age: 50
Family: Married with three daughters, one son
Job: Farmer, almonds, raisins and pistachios; builder; De Anza Properties
Background: Born in Palo Alto, grew up in unincorporated Los Altos Hills
Moved to Los Altos Hills: Six years ago
Challenger John Vidovich brings irreverent energy to the table and enters the […]

Carr, Sinunu continue to battle for first woman as county DA

No matter which candidate wins the race for Santa Clara County district attorney, a woman will lead this often-overlooked but vital prosecuting office for the first time.

However, there are major differences between the candidates, former family court judge Dolores Carr and current chief assistant district attorney Karyn Sinunu.

Voter league sponsors two election forums

Two October forums sponsored by the League of Women Voters are scheduled to showcase local candidates and outline the pros and cons of 13 statewide propositions on the Nov. 7 ballot.

• District Attorney, Mountain View City Council. County and city candidates will speak at a forum 7 p.m. tonight at the Mountain View City Council chambers, 500 Castro St. Dolores Carr, a Superior Court judge, and Karyn Sinunu, chief deputy district attorney, are contending for the office of Santa Clara County district attorney. Eight candidates are seeking three open spots on the Mountain View City Council. Also on the agenda is a discussion of the pros and cons of Measure A, a land-use initiative that would govern open space in unincorporated areas of the county. Co-sponsored by the leagues from Palo Alto and Los Altos/Mountain View.

News Briefs

Sale pending for downtown lot
A local developer has agreed to buy the former Shell gas station site at the intersection of San Antonio Road and Edith Avenue in downtown Los Altos.
Los Altos resident Jeff Warmoth confirmed Monday he has begun escrow to purchase the high-profile property.
The purchase price was not […]

El Camino Hospital mulls financing options

The El Camino Hospital Board of Directors met Oct. 3 to review financing options for the $250 million in revenue bonds needed to complete its new $480 million earthquake-safe hospital.

Executives from Citigroup Inc., the hospital’s bond underwriter, presented bond scenarios to the hospital board, including the advantages and disadvantages of fixed-rate bonds, variable rate bonds and bond insurance.

Day Worker Center celebrates 10 years

The Mountain View Day Worker Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary Oct. 20 with an original play documenting the life experiences of day workers, who will bring their real-life stories to the stage.

The event begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Community School of Music and Arts and is sponsored by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View).

Planning commission nixes bank drive-through

At a meeting of the Los Altos Planning Commission Oct. 5, the commissioners recommended denial of a Bank of the West request to continue the use of its drive-through service on Main Street.

The commission would rather see retail developed on the drive-through property.

Editorials

Kerr, Warshawsky for LAH council
With one glaring exception, we’ve appreciated the work of incumbent Los Altos Hills councilmen Breene Kerr and Dean Warshawsky. Running on a platform of “getting things done,” they’ve done just that, from leading town efforts to rebuild Town Hall to improving the town’s pathway system.
While we’re not […]

Letters to the Editor

Be wary of Measure A promises
The importance of protecting the beauty of Santa Clara County’s hillsides, ranchlands and ridgeways was perfectly illustrated in the Sept. 13 article “Open Space Preserves Nature Nearby.”
There is widespread public support for land purchase programs like POST and the SCC Park Charter Fund. However, Measure A, […]

If a man speaks in a forest

At a kids’ soccer game last weekend, one of the dads told a story about the secret to a co-worker’s successful 20-year marriage. The colleague said, “Well, when my wife and I were first married, we decided that I would make all the major decisions, and she would make all the minor decisions. In all these years, there have been no major decisions.” At this all the husbands laughed and so did the wives who were within earshot.

My husband then shared the message written on a favorite T-shirt, worn by an extremely kind-hearted therapist friend who has been happily married to his wife for two decades. The T-shirt says, “If a man speaks in a forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?” And the resounding answer among the men and women gathered at that soccer game was, “Yes!”

Obituary Notices

STANLEY J. STANAVITCH
Stanley J. Stanavitch, loving husband of 50 years to Lucille B. Stanavitch passed away on October 1, 2006; beloved brother of Helen Stavisky and brother-in-law of Peter Stavisky and Vivian K. Williams; Great Uncle of Lance W. Williams, Debbie Williams Colee and Kenneth Colee; Great Great Uncle […]

People

Dave and Carol Gielow, 50 years

Dave and Carol Gielow celebrated their golden anniversary Sept. 9 at their home in Los Altos Hills.

People

Clifford and Rebecca Kirby, 50 years

Clifford and Rebecca Kirby, residents of Los Altos for 46 years, were married June 2, 1956, at Calvary Baptist Church in Los Gatos.

Residents grace magazine covers

In addition to the Town Crier, local residents have had their faces showcased in other prominent publications recently.

Los Altos resident Bill Coleman, a co-founder of BEA Systems and his latest company Cassatt, was featured on the cover of the Sept. 19 issue of Forbes magazine. As part of a cover story, “The New Barbarians,” Coleman talks about the next tech boom, one that will be bigger than those previous. The article refers to “The Cheap Revolution,” a move toward less expensive chips and open-source software that cuts costs by as much as 90 percent over previous practices. Coleman is quoted in the article as saying, “We’re about to see a huge tectonic shift, more dramatic than anything in the past. This is the next boom, the next big storm. Things are going to get really wild.”

Music For Minors continues to fill need 30 years later

Music must go. That’s what happened in Los Altos in 1976 when the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees cut music education as a cost-cutting measure.

To the rescue came a group of Junior League women led by Los Altos resident Grace Johnston. They formed Music For Minors, a music education program that continues to fill a need 30 years later.

Los Altos family celebrates as HP awards equipment to Ronald McDonald House

Los Altos resident Craig Pampeyan had a personal reason to be thankful when his employer, Hewlett-Packard, awarded the Ronald McDonald House in San Francisco $17,000 worth of new computer equipment.

The non-profit Ronald McDonald facility, which houses families of children receiving treatment for life-threatening conditions, including cardiac and transplant patients, was one of 104 recipients of HP donations this year.

‘Partners’ youth mentoring program gets boost

Partners for New Generations (PNG), a Los Altos Rotary-based organization that recruits and places mentors and tutors in the local schools, recently received recognition and support for its efforts.

Partners supporters have been honored by Rotary International, which conferred its Significant Achievement Award on the Los Altos Rotary Club for its work with PNG. Rotary International is a service organization comprising 1.2 million business and professional leaders in 32,000 clubs across more than 200 countries.

LA Community Foundation names advisory board for disbursing Packard funding

The Los Altos Community Foundation has established a Community Grants Programs Advisory Board for its grantmaking program.

The foundation is in charge of disbursing funds given by the Los Altos-based David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Los Altos students learn philanthropy firsthand

New to Los Altos, the Youth Venture Philanthropy Board is already hard at work to make a difference in the lives of youths.

Los Altos Mayor Ron Packard, councilmembers and Los Altos Educational Foundation members were on hand as six young Los Altans introduced themselves to the community Sept. 25 at the Los Altos Community House and explained the goal of their board is to oversee youth philanthropy projects.

LAEF kicks off $1.5 millon campaign

The Los Altos Educational Foundation (LAEF) has scheduled its annual phonathon Oct. 16-18 to launch its 2006-2007 campaign for funds in support of the Los Altos School District (LASD).

During the phonathon, volunteers call district parents to solicit donations, which may also qualify for matching funds. This year’s goals include raising the $1.55 million target and enrolling every family in the campaign, with a suggested tax-deductible donation of $800 per student.

Schools Briefs

FIRST LEGO League sets tuneup scrimmage
Sunday, 27 teams of fourth- through eighth-grade Los Altos area students will run their robots against each other in a tuneup scrimmage for the seventh annual Los Altos Robotics FIRST LEGO League qualifying tournament.
The teams will face off from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. in the multipurpose […]

Los Altos High marching band thanks community, begins its season

The award-winning Los Altos High School Eagle Marching Band and Color Guard presented its 2006 field show, “Reflections,” as a thank you to the community for its support Sept. 30 at Mountain View High.

The Mountain View High School Spartan Marching Band and The King’s Academy Marching Band also performed their new field shows.

Birthday book library program blooms

Birthday tradition in Los Altos has taken a literary turn, adding books to the cakes, presents and cards that mark the day.

Two parent volunteers hatched the idea at Almond Elementary School two years ago, suggesting that parents donate a new book to the school library to commemorate their child’s birthday. A nameplate is affixed inside to celebrate the student and his or her birth date.

Tolbert, local schools administrator, shared zest for life and passion for youth

Former Los Altos High School Vice Principal Louis Tolbert, director of the El Cajon project serving at-risk students, died Sept. 26 after a long illness. Mr. Tolbert was 43.

Mr. Tolbert, also a former Mountain View High School counselor, was known as a passionate advocate for local students. He joined the Los Altos High School community as a vice principal in 1995.

Laptop learning a virtual hit with students

Recording podcasts, surfing the Internet for information and creating virtual reports are among the daily tasks sixth- and seventh-graders in the Los Altos School District are assigned.

In the past students wrote and researched traditional hardcopy reports. This year, students are recording podcasts and downloading images they find doing research on the Internet in class.

Eagles’ second-half surge leads to win over Falcons

Saratoga made the big plays, but Los Altos High made more plays that mattered - enough for a 31-21 homecoming win in Saturday’s football game.

Saratoga’s touchdowns came on plays of 50-plus yards; Los Altos didn’t have a play exceed 20. The Eagles, however, put together long drive after long drive and dominated the second half.

Sports

So much for enjoying the win - even if it was Los Altos High’s most notable volleyball victory of the season.

Less than 24 hours after the Eagles beat league juggernaut Los Gatos for the first time this decade, it was back to business.

Coming together

Gerri Baldwin isn’t a coach consumed by wins and losses. All she asks is that her Los Altos High field hockey players give it their all.

“To do the best we can,” she said of her expectations for this season. “I’m not worried about our record or what place we’re in. Maybe that takes the pressure off them.”

Wine shop opens on Main Street

Vino 100, a wine store that offers wines at $25 or less per bottle, opened on Main Street Oct. 4.

The idea of a wine store offering a variety of wines is not unique. But Vino 100 takes a different approach by offering 100 moderately priced wines from small wineries from around the world with an onsite staff to assist customers with their purchases.

November election campaigns heat up

Politics in California is about to heat up again as a big election looms in November. Phil Angelides is the Democrat running for governor on an anti-war platform (don’t tell him that governors don’t influence foreign policy), most statewide officeholders are retreading their Birkenstocks for another high post and Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has endeared himself to Democrats by introducing massive spending packages.

Local two-time candidate Steve Poizner is campaigning to be the next insurance commissioner. To most people, this seems like an out-of-the-mainstream post. I mean, insurance is boring, right? Poizner’s opponent may be uniquely suited to the position, especially

SILVAR’s Home for the Holidays fundraiser scheduled Thursday

Realtors and affiliates of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR) have scheduled the ninth annual Housing Industry Foundation (HIF) Home for the Holidays charity benefit 5:30-10:30 p.m. Thursday at the Avalon in Santa Clara.

HIF is a non-profit charity that helps individuals and families in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties remain in stable housing. Emergency Housing Grants, at the core of HIF’s homeless prevention program, provide one-time emergency assistance without red tape to help individuals or families with rent, mortgage, utilities, security deposits and certain repairs.

25th Anniversary Recipe Contest

The judges may not have realized when they were upstairs choosing the winner of Le Boulanger’s 25th Anniversary Recipe Contest last Wednesday that three of the four finalists waiting downstairs were hoping for second place.

The second place prize was two nights for two in Napa Valley with dinner at French Laundry - the only restaurant to win three stars in the Michelin Guide’s first ranking of Bay Area restaurants. Just getting a reservation at French Laundry is a monthslong venture.

Ephron explores the foibles of an aging klutz

Nora Ephron, one of America’s top humorists, has come out with a new book, “I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman” (Knopf, 2006).

Who over 50 doesn’t feel bad about their neck? No part of the human body exhibits aging more cruelly than the neck. Ephron writes, “You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn’t have to if it had a neck.”

Curl up with a cozy Cornwell

A cozy Cornwell? Sounds like an oxymoron. Patricia Cornwell, arguably the top mystery writer of our time, started the CSI phenomenon with her series of books about chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. Cornwell usually shows us the goriest details of dead bodies, and she reaches new depths in detailing the agony of dying. Cozy she is not.

Until now. Perhaps just to show her virtuosity, Cornwell has written “At Risk” (Putnam, 2006), an almost-cozy mystery. Originally a series for the New Yorker, “At Risk” follows likable detective Winston Garano through an ordinary procedural mystery.

American in Austria unravels the names and norms her new country

I finally got an Internet connection to our new place, the top floor of a villa built in 1880 in the village of Wöllersdorf. We are asked two questions about our new home: Do you have a kitchen? and Is that in the Piesting Valley?

It is common practice in Austria for renters to do major kitchen remodels, then dismantle and reinstall them when they move. Rents tend to be long-term, and laws protect renters to ensure a stable quality of life. So, when you buy a house that happens to have renters in it, the renters come with the house and can stay there until the term of the rental contract is up, often 5 to 10 years or even longer. And yes, we are lucky to have a kitchen, as well as 12-foot-high ceilings, wide-plank pine floors, an old tile wood-burning stove, four balconies and 18-inch-thick walls. Our enormous windows look out over woods in back, a gingko tree to the south and the Piesting Valley to the west.

Follies flourish

The Los Altos Follies went off without a foible last weekend.

A benefit for Bus Barn Stage Company, the annual musical takes jabs at local and national politics. Vicki Reeder, board president of Bus Barn, helmed the 13th annual production - titled “A Salute to Sixteen Scandals” - Thursday through Saturday at Bus Barn Theater.

Stepping Out

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