No rain on the parade

Even though the 29th annual Festival of Lights parade appeared close to a rain-out Sunday afternoon, a devoted crowd of optimists arrived downtown for an evening of glittery floats and robust holiday music.

Lee Lynch, president of the Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade Association, said organizers remained hopeful that the rain would let up by early evening. She was right, and by 7 p.m., the parade was off to a buoyant start.

Four applicants compete for vacant Los Altos council seat

Four candidates have applied for a seat on the Los Altos City Council, which was left vacant when Kurt Colehower announced his resignation earlier this month.

City Planning Commissioners Phoebe Bressack and Megan Satterlee, former Los Altos Mayor and Councilman Louis Becker, and newcomer to city government David Gustavson, a longtime Los Altos resident, are scheduled to be interviewed by city staff today.

E-mail requests underscore redistricting controversy

Los Altos Hills resident Mark Brier read excerpts from e-mails written by Los Altos School District board members that appeared to contradict the district’s public statements.

He read passages, acquired through a public records request, describing redistricting as “not totally devastating (to the district),” and asking, “what other strategy will help Bullis Charter School go away?”

Sewer rates go up as city examines issues

In the wake of public outcry over the fifth sewer rate increase in as many years, new questions have arisen about how the city of Los Altos handles its sewer funds.

The increase goes into effect in 2007 and amounts to $2.75 per month for residents and $4.70 per month for those living in the county unincorporated area between Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. The rate hike was adopted when the city’s sewer master plan was introduced last year.

El Camino Hospital construction continues on schedule

A major milestone in the construction of the new $480 million El Camino Hospital (ECH) will be reached in two weeks when crews begin assembling a crane that will be used to erect the steel for the new main building, said Ken King, vice president of facilities services. Construction crews have begun to pour foundation footings and set up retaining walls, King confirmed.

“Several thousand yards of concrete are being poured,” he said.

Crested cranes fly the coop in LAH

An unusual pair of Thanksgiving birds paid a visit to Los Altos Hills residents last week when two runaway crested cranes, the exotically colored national bird of Uganda, arrived on Fremont Road. Bemused neighbors and town employees did a double-take, then turned to the Internet to identify the 4-foot-tall, tuft-headed visitors.

The birds, City Clerk Karen Jost sleuthed, had been accidentally released from the aviary of a town resident she declined to identify. They first turned up at Town Hall Nov. 17, walking around the grounds and perching on the roof. The birds, which have a 6-foot wingspan, are “spectacular,” Jost said.

Multiple recycling bins stay for now

Los Altos residents will wait until at least 2008 before they have the option to use a single bin for their recyclable garbage. City leaders postponed the decision due to the high cost of implementing the change.

At Nov. 14 meeting, Los Altos City Councilmembers voted down single-stream recycling and called for lower bids than the Los Altos Garbage Company (LAGCO) submitted.

Police Blotter

Petty theft
Nov. 14, time unknown, Linden Avenue: Unidentified suspects took mail from a resident’s mailbox. The victim reported that a female in a white vehicle fled the scene.
Nov. 14, time unknown, Angela Avenue: Suspects took mail from a resident’s mailbox. The victim reported that an African-
American male was seen taking […]

Letters to the Editor

Pilot was fortunate

Charles N. Baker

Los Altos schools are getting crowded

Los Altos is justifiably proud of its small schools and the high- quality education they provide. Our elementary campuses were originally constructed for 300-400 students and for many years were able to stay below 500. Those days are long gone. Today official policy targets maximum elementary school size at 560 students. But two of our schools already exceed that, and another is very close.

What happened? Following national trends, school enrollment in our community peaked in the 1960s, then declined by more than 50 percent through the mid-1980s. As a result, schools were closed. The total number was reduced from a high of 14 to only 8 by 1980. Enrollment began to climb again starting in 1984. Today total enrollment in the Los Altos School District, at 4,158, is 57 percent higher than in 1984. But the total number of district schools has remained fixed at 8 percent.

Biking to happy

I finally found a bike I can ride around town for errands. I am staying out of my car, saving gas, hearing more Ranchero music than ever before and lowering my blood sugar. Of course, I could walk. I need to walk off this dangerous inherited apple shape and still get my lists done, but I have to decide between the milk or the Mocha Mix, because both would become too heavy about two blocks from walking home.

I prefer walking to jogging and delight in the exhausted, but content, feeling after a long hike followed by a hot shower to remove the ticks. I never miss the Skyline treks with my “Thursday Hike for Health” group through Hillview Community Center.

People

Kirsten Tobey and Ben Saenz

Kirsten Tobey and Ben Saenz were married June 17 on the shore of Lake Alpine. Their reception was held at Bear Valley Lodge.

People

Katie Van Thillo and Travis Huff

Katie Van Thillo and Travis Huff were married July 30.

Holiday Fund recipients EPAK Foundation, Sunday Friends helping students, families

The Town Crier Holiday Fund raises donations each year for a group of Silicon Valley area non-profits that benefit residents in need. This week, three non-profits that support children are highlighted.

East Palo Alto

Judge Edwards stresses urgent need to help abused children

When a child enters the juvenile court system, he or she should be treated with the same urgency as if brought into a hospital emergency room, according to former juvenile court Judge Leonard Edwards.

Edwards was the featured speaker of the Los Altos Morning Forum lecture series on Nov. 21.

Westwind holiday barn-lighting set for Sunday

The Los Altos Hills community has scheduled its holiday celebration and barn -lighting 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Westwind Barn, 27210 Altamont Road. Santa will ride off into the sunset in true Hills style after the barn-lighting ceremony, scheduled for 4 p.m.

Adults can sample home-baked cookies, hot cider and wine tasting with local vintners. Children will have the opportunity to participate in games, craft tables and face-painting activities. Local student choirs will sing traditional carols and holiday music and welcome all to sing along.

Local schools prepare for emergencies

When students hear three short bells over the P.A. system and the words “code red,” like clockwork they close the blinds, turn off the lights, shut and barricade the door, gather at the center of the room and duck below window levels.

The drill is part of an emergency-preparedness program offered to students in the Los Altos School District and the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District by Code Red Training Associates, a San Jose-based business founded by Carla Holtzclaw. The company organizes the school drills in conjunction with local authorities, such as the fire and police units.

St. Francis alumna set for trip to space

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected astronaut Megan McArthur, a 1989 St. Francis graduate, to participate in NASA’s final trip to the Hubble Space Telescope, scheduled for launch in 2008.

While on the mission, shuttle astronauts plan to extend and improve the observatory’s capabilities through 2013.

Blach students blossom in leadership class

Fifteen eighth-grade students at Blach Intermediate School are working together, through a leadership class, to bring spirit to their campus.

The leadership class is a new elective available to eighth-graders. The leadership students work closely with the student council to plan events.

LA Robotics sends eight teams to championship

Los Altos Robotics held its eighth annual First Lego League (FLL) qualifying tournament Nov. 18, with eight teams advancing to the Northern California Championship Tournament scheduled Jan. 20 in San Jose.

The competition required tournaments at Loyola and Oak Avenue elementary schools to accommodate the increase in participation: 119 students from at least 14 schools formed 27 teams.

Schools Briefs

Bullis Charter School schedules open house
Bullis Charter School has scheduled an open house 7 p.m. Tuesday at the school, 102 W. Portola Ave., Los Altos.
Parents are invited to learn more about the school and the application process for the 2007-2008 academic year.
For more information, visit www.bullischarterschool.org or call 947-8876.
Covington PTA […]

BCS chosen for public awareness campaign

The California Charter Schools Association, which supports the charter school movement statewide, selected Bullis Charter School as one of approximately 50 charter schools across the state to participate in the My School! program.

Selected schools agree to incorporate the program into curriculum projects and community activities, and create dialogue among educators and parents about what their school means to them. Bullis Charter School announced its support for the My School! public awareness campaign Nov. 13.

St. Francis participates in food drive for the needy

St. Francis High School students raised money to purchase groceries for 569 families in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties as part of the school’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive.

The Thanksgiving Food Drive has been a Service Club tradition for more than 30 years. Donations this year totaled more than $18,000.

Owls hold all the cards Foothill reloads with talented recruits

When it comes to talking about her team, Foothill College women’s basketball coach Jody Craig is like a bad poker player. She can’t contain her excitement about the hand she holds.

The Owls are flush with talent, boasting perhaps the best class of recruits in Craig’s 11 years as coach. They have athletes, they have size and they have depth. Oh, and they have the intangibles as well.

Los Altos falls to SI in football semifinals

Despite winning its first CCS playoff game in 21 years last week against Mills, the Los Altos High Eagles weren’t going to be satisfied until they rode the playoff train into the sunset carrying a championship trophy.

Unfortunately, all the confidence and determination in the world could not overcome costly mistakes and turnovers when playing another quality team like the St. Ignatius Wildcats. Miscues and an inability to put points on the board resulted in a disappointing 33-14 loss at Foothill College, ending a dream season.

Los Altos startup takes aim at the Yellow Pages

In his spare time, Ben Smith enjoys hunting. But when he’s at the office, as chairman and CEO of the Internet startup MerchantCircle Inc., he tracks down a different kind of prey, worth about $15 billion. He intends to kill the Yellow Pages.

“They are enormously profitable monopolies,” Smith said. “We want to take that $15 billion revenue stream and cut it to a billion. … The first objective has to be to destroy their business.”

REITS offer high yields, tax breaks and liquidity in real estate investment

The broad stock market averages continue to move higher against a backdrop of falling energy prices, higher wages, strong corporate earnings and reasonable valuations. But trees don’t grow from the sky, and the markets will undoubtedly let a little air out of the balloon at some point.

The institutional real estate market has eclipsed the strong stock market indexes this year - and for several previous years. What is driving that rise in price? Institutional real estate is often measured by the performance of a class of securities called Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

French high-wire artist tells of derring-do between the two World Trade Centers

On an August night in 1974, French high-wire artist Philippe Petit surreptitiously strung a cable between the North and South towers of the World Trade Center. “To Reach the Clouds” (North Point Press, 2002) is Petit’s account of the planning and execution of his illegal feat of derring-do.

It began with the heist of a newspaper article announcing the “Trade World Center” in the winter of 1968 in a Paris dentist’s office.

In arduous pursuit of a Viennese fish

The downstairs neighbor at our apartment in Baden gave us her 12-liter aquarium along with gravel, filter and goldfish food. “Get three goldfish - two orange and one black - for luck,” she recommended.

We drove to Fressnapf, a local pet supply store. We visualized our aquarium filled with healthy, happy, colorful fish - just like the ones in the blue-lit tanks stacked floor-to-ceiling in the back corner.

Warm up with wintry Open Space hikes

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District plans free, docent-led outdoor activities year-round in regional preserves. This Saturday, docents Rebecca Pickart and Suzanne Schleck have planned a “winter warm-up” hike from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Rancho San Antonio.

The strenuous 7.9-mile hike includes a vigorous elevation gain of 600-800 feet, including a couple of steep climbs. The route passes open meadowland, with oak forests and big vistas.

Holiday Home

Thanksgiving leftovers and autumn pumpkins may still be around, but at four homes in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas - or Hanukkah.

These architecturally distinct homes, resplendent with holiday trappings, will be open to the public for three days during the 18th annual “Christmas at Our House” tour presented by the Women’s Club of St. Francis High School in Mountain View. Festivities will begin at 4 p.m. Thursday with a twilight tour and preview party. On Friday and Saturday, the homes will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Hedgerows offer a sanctuary for songbirds

Look around any neighborhood, and you’ll see rows of shrubs marking at least one boundary of many properties. Blocking undesirable views, muting noise, deflecting wind, providing shade and privacy, and keeping out dust are some of the services a hedge provides.

But instead of a flat, green monoculture, what if these boundaries were planted with an undulating, multilayered assortment of evergreens and deciduous shrubs, with displays of flowers and fruit throughout the year?

Home organizer clears cluttered lives

Eve D’Onofrio is right at home in a messy house.

D’Onofrio, a Los Altos-based professional organizer, helps people straighten out their cluttered rooms, gives emotional support to those who have trouble parting with objects of sentimental value and provides techniques for staying organized.

Nature takes its course with pretty and functional wildflowers

There is nothing quite as pretty and quaint as a field of wildflowers. They are also lovely in the home garden, scattered over large areas, planted in pools of color, in perennial beds and even in container gardens.

Annual wildflowers are planted now for spring and summer blooms, and it’s easy to tuck them here and there around the garden. The winter rains should keep them watered in, and the cold damp air will keep the ground moist.

Obituary Notices

WILLIAM “BILL” JAMES NEWMAN
February 5, 1923-
November 15, 2006
.
Bill passed away unexpectedly at home in Cupertino at the age of 83. He was born in Colorado, raised in Texas and settled in Cupertino to raise a family. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Margery (Roach) Newman, […]

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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