Bill Coleman In the vanguard of another computer revolution

Spend a few minutes talking with Bill Coleman, CEO of Cassatt Corp., and you’ll quickly discover that he has enough energy to light up the room. When your goal is to create a billion-dollar software company, you need a turbocharged constitution to make it happen.

Coleman, 58, a Los Altos resident for 22 years, is singularly focused on making Cassatt, an enterprise software and services company he founded in 2003, a leader in its field.

Pay more or lose program, Gutierrez tells city

Keith Gutierrez, longtime naturalist at Redwood Grove Nature Preserve, has given the city an ultimatum: If officials do not accept his request for increased funding, he will leave his post and take his programs elsewhere.

Gutierrez, employed as an independent contractor, contends that he is not fairly compensated for programs he manages and runs at Redwood Grove. His three-year contract with the city is up for renewal, and he said he is planning to ask the council for more money. The council meeting Tuesday was after the Town Crier press deadline, so the decision could not be included in this article.

Day Worker Center play celebrates 10 years

The audience overflowed to the sides of the theater at the Community School of Music and Arts’ Finn Theater Friday. Supporters, fundraisers and community luminaries attended to celebrate the Mountain View Day Worker Center’s 10th anniversary.

After Assemblywoman Sally Lieber welcomed the crowd, volunteers launched a short documentary video on the history of the center from its sparse and temporary beginning at St. Joseph Church in Mountain View to its climactic local immigration march in May.

Community Foundation must pay to stay, landlord says

A nine-year lease for the Los Altos Community Foundation’s property expires this month. The landlord, California Water Service Company has notified the non-profit foundation that it would have to pay higher rent or buy the property.

Since 1997, when the non-profit moved the Community House, originally the De Martini House, across San Antonio Road to its current location at 183 Hillview Ave., the foundation has paid $1,200 a year in rent - far below the market value, said Shawn Heffner, Cal Water director of corporate development.

Eucalyptus ban raises debate in LAH

The question of whether to allow eucalyptus trees in Los Altos Hills continues to be contentious.

In a July amendment to the town’s landscaping ordinance, the city council banned five species of eucalyptus tree, mandating their removal from private property at the time of site development permits.

News Briefs

Stanford trail may be back on track
The long-delayed construction of a trail through Los Altos Hills may be back on track after a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge on Oct. 12 dismissed an environmental challenge to an agreement between the county and Stanford University.
The Stanford-funded trail, planned to connect […]

Former HP CEO Fiorina talks about ‘Tough Choices’ and good values

For former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, there’s no success like failure.

The world-renowned businesswoman and part-time Los Altos Hills resident charmed a large gathering during an Oct. 20 appearance at the Commonwealth Club of California in Santa Clara, the latest public appearance in support of her new book, “Tough Choices: A Memoir.” The book’s title references her stormy HP reign, which began in 1999 at the height of the tech boom, and ended with her unceremonious firing in February 2005.

Statewide initatives seeking infrastructure spending increase

The 13 statewide measures on the November ballot address issues ranging from infrastructure development to the government’s ability to seize private property. Five of the propositions come from the Legislature, with the governor’s backing. The other eight were placed on the ballot by petition, a process that gives California’s residents a chance to vote directly to change laws.

Proposition 1A. Should California amend the state constitution to strictly protect transportation funding?

Editorial

Voters in the Nov. 7 election will have no less than 13 statewide initiatives awaiting their decision. Billions of dollars in bond money for everything from school facilities to flood control projects hangs in the balance. Here are our takes on these initiatives:

Proposition 1A would keep gas tax funding strictly for transportation projects. We don’t buy the funding flexibility argument suggested by opponents. Yes.

Letters to the Editor

Council supporting Westwind Barn
In last week’s Town Crier, Los Altos Hills candidate John Vidovich took out a full-page campaign advertisement in which he invoked the name of our organization, Westwind 4-H Riding for the Handicapped. He stated his strong support of this program and Westwind Barn, but in so doing, implied that […]

To forgive, divine

Shortly after 9/11, an event was sponsored in New York for the benefit of the police officers and fire fighters who had sacrificed so much during that tragedy. I think it was a concert/tribute-type thing, but my memories are now vague. What I remember clearly, however, is that Richard Gere was a celebrity participant, and when he spoke, he suggested that it would be worthwhile to acknowledge that - even when confronted with such horror and grief - peaceful, nonviolent roads might still be walked. Gere was then almost booed off the stage.

In the raw aftermath of 9/11, it was understood that justice and vengeance were the most natural response to an attack on our nation’s soil. But it did make my heart sink a bit when I heard peace being booed. Maybe, I thought, one might sit stone silent and make a mental note to never elect Gere to high office, or remark to the guy in the next seat that Gere is better off preaching to the choir in Tibet. But booing peace? I wondered if that were a stunning insight into our national soul, and would we as a people ever opt to, as the John Lennon song goes, give peace a chance?

Obituary Notices

TOSHI VAN BLITTER
Toshi Van Blitter, loving mother and grandmother, died suddenly on October 3, 2006 of arterial dissection to her heart. She was 72 years young and will be profoundly missed. A kind and generous woman, she was a devoted mother and grandmother to her five grandchildren. Mom lived the past […]

Weddings

Amy Adams and Peter Harding
Amy Adams and Peter Harding were married May 27. The wedding and reception were held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.
The bride is the daughter of Doug and Judy Adams of Menlo Park. She graduated from Menlo School and received bachelor’s degrees […]

Anniversaries

Andrew and Liana Cauz, 50 years
Andrew and Liana Cauz celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary last month. They were married Sept. 8, 1956, in Palo Alto, and have been active in the Los Altos community for more than five decades. They celebrated their anniversary with a trip to Spain followed by a trip […]

Noteworthies

Foreign exchange student Irina Logunkova of Sytvkar, Russia, visited Los Altos for three weeks during August and September. Los Altos Sister Cities Inc. sponsored Logunkova, who attended the Foothill College Work Experience Program.

Logunkova also visited Los Altos in 2000 and worked at Linden Tree Children’s Recordings & Books. Her host family, Pat and Betty Farrell of Los Altos, held a reception Aug. 31 that included Sister Cities board members and previous host families.

Build-a-Box Thanksgiving giving grows

Los Altos volunteers are gathering again this year to prepare complete Thanksgiving dinners for families in need, by way of the Build-a-Box program.

The program, headed by Eva Scott in memory of her husband Art, is in need of volunteers and donors to assemble the dinner boxes Nov. 20.

CSA in need of volunteer drivers to pick up food donations

In an affluent community, it’s easy to overlook the fact that fresh fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods aren’t readily available for the working poor.

Eating a fresh, nutritious meal is a problem for many low-income residents, who, through an unexpected emergency or financial predicament, must choose between paying rent or buying food for their families. Their children often go undernourished and hungry.

Photojournalist flashes message on world health

An animated speaker, photojournalist Karen Kasmauski sees her job as creating photos both beautiful and educational. Kasmauski, a National Geographic contributing photographer-in-residence has traveled extensively in Africa, Asia and throughout the world, focusing much of her career on world health issues.

In her Los Altos Morning Forum presentation on Oct. 17, Kasmauski presented poignant, haunting photos in an introductory DVD manifesting the substance of world health issues through her creative eye.

49er great adds to Jazzercise celebration

After 26 years of teaching Jazzercise, Barbara Peterson still has maximum jump. It’s hard to imagine anyone putting more jazz into Jazzercise.

Peterson, a longtime Los Altos Hills resident, celebrated her 26th Jazzercise anniversary Saturday with a crowd of her aerobics students and other admirers at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge. Football Hall-of-Famer Steve Young, a former Peterson neighbor, came by to add to the festivities.

Stanford professor promotes more effective approach for democracy

The United States should promote democracy, but first we have to learn how, according to Michael McFaul, professor of political science and director of the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law at Stanford University.

McFaul drew on his research on democratization and regime change in nondemocratic states for his Los Altos main library address, “Promoting Democracy: Can We? Should We?” last month to the Peninsula Chapter of the World Affairs Council.

Homestead marching band wins tournament

The Homestead High School Mighty Mustang Marching Band won the Grand Sweepstakes in the Cupertino Tournament of Bands Oct. 14, performing their 2006 field show “Flight Paths.”

Homestead scored 187.3 in the Grand Sweepstakes and swept the remaining four categories, the Field Show Sweepstakes, the Music Sweepstakes, the Marching Sweepstakes and the Showmanship Sweepstakes. Homestead also won first place in the parade portion of the tournament.

Oak students write to save pumpkin patch

Concerned fifth-graders in Lenore Lovoi’s fifth-grade class at Oak Avenue School have joined the effort to save a portion of the Grant Road farm, well known by local families for its annual pumpkin patch and Christmas tree farm.

Earlier this year, the property owners sold the 15-acre farm to Summerhill Homes of Palo Alto, which intends to develop the property into single-family homes. At the end of September, residents formed Mountain View Farmlands Group and proposed saving 5 acres for a local farmland.

Homestead to host FUHSD staff dodgeball tournament

Homestead High School’s Future Business Leaders of America organization will host a Fremont Union High School District staff dodgeball tournament to raise funds for the Sunnyvale Public Library. The event is scheduled 6:30-9:30 p.m. Nov. 2 in the large gym at Homestead.

The library is launching a Library of the Future Program to plan for additions and changes needed to keep current with technology and trends.

Noteworthies

Matt Crowley, 1988 Mountain View High School graduate, received an MBA degree from the University of Phoenix in technology management. He previously graduated from UC Irvine with a bachelor’s degree.

Kevin Chaves, 2004 St. Francis graduate, ranked 31st in the NCAA Division III as a member of Occidental College’s men’s cross-country team. Chaves finished second overall at the UC Riverside Invitational with a time of 24:23 in the 8k race. At the UC Irvine Invitational, he finished third with a time of 24:59. Chaves also placed third at the Big Wave Invitational in Honolulu, with a time of 15:38 in the 5k race.

Nature Deficit Disorder can hinder children’s mental and physical growth

Q. As a parent of school-age children, I am concerned when I read in the press about all the (seemingly) never-ending list of children’s “disorders.” I understand some of the school-age disorders, such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but what is Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD)? For all I know, it could be a lack of trees and flowers; but it sounds more as if it is about people. Is it about our children?

A. You are very perceptive. It’s not only about nature having a deficit as we lose farmlands to developers, it’s about our kids experiencing a “deficit” in their contact with the outdoors. NDD pertains to a lack of trees and flowers and a child’s experience of them, and it also refers to today’s child’s preoccupation with a “virtual experience” through the “techie” toy. With the popularity of TV’s reality shows, computers, Game Boys, Xboxes, iPods and other equipment that cuts the user off from the sights, sounds and smells of the world of nature, a new “disorder” has entered our vocabulary: NDD.

Foothill-De Anza board appoints Citizens’ Oversight Committee members

The Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees Oct. 16 appointed seven residents, including representatives from Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, to the Citizens’ Oversight Committee. The group will be responsible for reviewing Measure C bond-related expenditures and reporting to the public. Appointees are Ralph Adams, Phyllis Bismanovsky, Dexter Dawes, Carol Johnson, Jim Sandstrom, Jim Walker and Sarah Wiehe.

The Citizens’ Oversight Committee is required to satisfy the accountability requirements of Proposition 39 bond measures such as Foothill-De Anza’s Measure C, approved by 66 percent of district residents in June. The duties of the Citizens’ Oversight Committee are to inform the public about expenditure of bond proceeds, review expenditure reports and financial audits to ensure that bond proceeds were expended only for the purposes set forth in Measure C and present an annual report to the board of trustees.

Los Altos students compete in robotics

A student prepares to run his robot at the Los Altos Robotics FIRST LEGO League (FLL) scrimmage Oct. 15 at Covington School. Fourteen teams competed at the Covington scrimmage and 13 other teams competed at the Oak Avenue School scrimmage.

The FLL robotics program is for children from fourth grade through 14 years of age. The next State Tournament Qualifying Local Competition will take place 1:15-5:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Covington and Oak schools.

FHDA appoints new technology chancellor

The Foothill-De Anza Community College District has hired Dr. Fred Sherman, who chaired the system’s technology standards committee, as vice chancellor of technology. Sherman will oversee the district’s Educational Technology Services (ETS) department.

“I’m excited to be part of a first-class educational institution here at Foothill-De Anza,” Sherman said. “I look forward to working with the excellent faculty and staff in order to keep the district at the forefront of educational technology and provide a technologically rich learning environment for our students.”

Mtn. View bounces back, beats host Milpitas 17-14

Rebounding from a tough loss the previous week, the Mountain View High football team edged Milpitas 17-14 Friday night.

The Spartans, who failed to hold on to a third-quarter lead against Palo Alto the week before, improved to 2-1 in the SCVAL De Anza Division and 5-2 overall.

Eagles move forward without leading rusher, prevail 42-0

Los Altos High’s leading rusher won’t play the rest of the season, yet football coach Jeff Kalb isn’t panicking.

“Not at all,” he said. “We think were as good, if not better, in some ways.”

Flag football flourishing in Los Altos

After School Athletics recently kicked off its second season of flag football in Los Altos, and organizers said it’s bigger and better than the first.

ASA founders Vince Giacomini and Jerry Sorensen, Los Altos residents who both have sons participating, have expanded the league. Last year only elementary students in the Los Altos School District could participate; this year Blach Intermediate School and Egan Junior High have been added.

Minh’s brings Vietnamese style to LA cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine has come to the intersection of First and Main streets as Minh’s. Owners Jenny and Dung Nguyen have transformed the space at 397 Main St., formerly Shanghai Gourmet, into a quiet retreat of widely spaced tables, dark wood and soothing colors. On the deep red rear wall, a peaceful Buddha face gazes out over the room.

Minh’s takes the grilled meats, aromatic sauces and noodles of pan-Asian cuisine and adds an emphasis on fresh vegetables and herbs that makes Vietnamese cooking unique. Jenny clues diners in to the subtleties of her dishes, many of which come with a suggestion from the chef.

U.S. population and Dow hit all-time highs

By now everybody knows that the population of the United States hit 300 million last Tuesday, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. How do we know the milestone was reached on Tuesday? Don’t ask - after all, it’s the government.

In 1967 the bureau counted a total of 200 million Americans. Let’s do the mat The United States gained 100 million people in 40 years. The Pew Hispanic Trust reported that 55 million of those are immigrants. That influx is necessary for a thriving retail industry, which is getting a boost this year from expanding sales.

Author succeeds in making the unlikable appealing

My friend Lucy gave me her copy of “44 Scotland Street” (Anchor, 2005) as an example of an author doing an outstanding job of portraying an unlikable character in a sympathetic way.

The author, Alexander McCall Smith, who also wrote the “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency” series and “The Kalahari Typing School for Men,” is also a professor of medical law at the University of Edinburgh.

Deadpan comic Bob Newhart offers laugh-out-loud moments

Good news: Bob Newhart is not going to retire. He believes those who have the ability to make people laugh have an obligation to continue doing so. Besides, he loves making people laugh. His book, “I Shouldn’t Even Be Doing This: And Other Things That Strike Me as Funny” (Hyperion, 2006), replays his most famous bits, recounts the major events of his life and throws in chuckles all along the way.

The first line of the introduction reads, “I realize that most people skip the introduction and the acknowledgments. If you are one of those people, then you’re not even reading this.”

50th high school reunion gathers students of segregation

Los Altos resident Barbara Carter recently traveled to Guthrie, Okla., to attend her 50th class reunion. Returning to the heartland gave Carter a chance to reminisce about the friends - and food - of her past, and to take comfort in what has changed since she graduated from the historically black high school during the era of segregation. Following is her account.

Guthrie is a historic city, with antique shops. I had country gravy with biscuits, and my friends (from Oklahoma) laughed at me for wanting that - they don’t eat that way.

An uncommon family

By Kaye Ross

Town Crier Staff Writer

‘Tankless’ water heaters becoming more common

Hot-water heaters are not sexy. They are primitive, hulking creatures. They heat 40-75 gallons of water 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We use them briefly in the morning or evening to take showers or wash our clothes - the rest of the time they heat water that nobody is using.

Water heaters’ inefficiency is evident in the numbers: Water heaters make up 14 percent to 25 percent of a household energy bill. When they are located in the house, they also heat the house all day long. In the summer, we pay to heat our water, then we pay to cool the house.

Organizing a closet is fun, satisfying with some guidelines

One of the most rewarding tasks you can accomplish in the home is organizing a closet, because it can take just a few hours before you see striking changes. If you compare the time spent to the many hours it takes to organize photos, recipes or an entire office, you can easily see how true that statement is.

Organizing just one closet may jump-start a whole house organizational effort because it is so gratifying to see such immediate change into an orderly and attractive finished area. Plan at least a day ahead so you have all the necessary items on hand and all your decisions made.

LA’s only ‘mountain’ set for demolition

At an elevation of 13 feet, it isn’t much to shout about but it is, after all, the only mountain in Los Altos.

It has achieved a certain amount of notoriety because motorists stop, gawk and back up for a better look. And walkers and joggers invariably slow down as they pass.

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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