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Archives » 2007 » Volume 60 , Issue 14, Published on Wednesday, April 4, 2007NewsTed Hoff
For Los Altos Hills resident Ted Hoff, it was nothing more than a simple conversation about a job offer. But some might say it was a phone call that changed the world. Subsequent events resulted in Hoff’s taking a lead role in the invention of the microprocessor, which in turn led to the personal computer revolution. Los Altos votes to change elections to 2008In an effort to save the city money and increase voter turnout, the Los Altos City Council voted 4-1 last week to change the city’s general election to November 2008 to coincide with statewide elections. The council voted March 27 to have the city attorney draft an ordinance that must be adopted into law by next month. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters requires the requested date change no later than 113 days prior to the Nov. 6 election. Initial pool plans get Los Altos council’s hardy approvalPreliminary pool plans for Rosita Park met with unanimous, enthusiastic approval from Los Altos City Council members last week. Members heralded the latest design as family friendly and widely appealing. Details about lighting glare and sound walls must still be refined, but the March 27 meeting marked a collegial milestone in a project plagued by often hostile debate from residents living near the pool site. Los Altos faces civil lawsuit over sewer chargesA civil lawsuit filed against the city of Los Altos and Santa Clara County alleges that Los Altos officials unlawfully overcharge residents and property owners in the unincorporated pockets of the city for sewer service. The Los Altos Golf & Country Club and unincorporated Los Altos resident Tom Burns filed the action March 12. Attorneys representing Los Altos and the county have yet to respond to the charges. News articleWestwind renovation planning begins With an agreement in place for future governance at Westwind Barn, a Los Altos Hills committee is convening tonight to plan for the historic barn’s renovation. The meeting, open to the public, is a first step in determining how to allocate funds from park bonds, the town and the […] Los Altos resident Zoglin chosen for hospital boardLos Altos resident John L. Zoglin, appointed to the El Camino Hospital District Board of Directors March 27, comes from a lineage of health care and public service. “I have a strong history of family ties to medicine and public service. It’s part of my family culture,” Zoglin said. CommentEditorialA long-running, divisive situation over control of historic Westwind Barn in Los Altos Hills has come to the best possible ending - with a compromise, of course. The town council and the non-profit Friends of West- Letters to the EditorThanks to local paramedics It would be remiss of me not to publicly thank the incredibly well-orchestrated emergency paramedics and ambulance team that responded within minutes of a March 8 911 call on my behalf. With a dose of mud, young couple gets marriedI traveled to Seattle last month to crash my cousin Dave’s wedding. He and his fiancée, Heather, had planned to marry quickly and quietly on the beach but made the mistake of telling the family beforehand. Before they knew it, relatives were swooping in from every corner of the United States. You see, it wasn’t just a wedding - it was a wedding before his deployment to Iraq. Dave and I have known each other since we were infants. We played Scrabble as teens. He taught me that if one swings a baseball bat in the Virginia evening, a streak of pulverized fireflies will light up the air. We’ve become more strange to each other over recent years. He’s a young man embedded in army culture, and I have to struggle to keep up with how it’s changing him. ObituariesObituary NoticesJOSEPH ANTHONY FRANCIA He raised the food we ate and cultivated the love we shared…. Community‘Fur’ flies at SV Humane Society eventLos Altans prominent among participants at fundraiser A handful of local residents walked the red carpet March 24 at the Humane Society Silicon Valley’s Fourth Annual Fur Ball Fundraiser at Santana Row in San Jose. Local takes dark matter into his own hands
Los Altos Hills resident Jerome Drexler is obsessed with a mystery that has baffled astrophysicists and cosmologists for decades. Drexler is the acknowledged inventor of the laser optical storage system and former CEO of Drexler Technology Corp., which became the Mountain View-based LaserCard Corp. in 2004. Residents gather for Voices for Peace vigil
A solemn crowd of peace activists filled the Los Altos Community Plaza March 19 to mark the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War and to remember those who died. Los Altos Voices for Peace, a grass-roots organization founded during the lead up to the Iraq War, organized the event, which drew more than 100 people by organizers’ estimates. A sea of 331 blue flags bore the names and ranks of the Californians who have died in action in Iraq. An even larger host of white flags, poignantly anonymous, represented the Iraqis who have died in the war. There is no consensus on how many Iraqis have died during the engagement, with estimates ranging from 65,000 to 600,000. Tech pioneer makes a case for GPS in LA museum talk
Technology once utilized by the U.S. Department of Defense to help mobile submarines target the position of enemy missile sites has evolved into a science targeting more benign locations. Charles Trimble, founder of Trimble Navigation, discussed the Global Positioning System (GPS), its history and utilization March 18 at the Los Altos main library as part of a series of conversations sponsored by the Los Altos History Museum to highlight its current exhibit, “Scene from Above.” SchoolsLASD tops the state in API test resultsThe Los Altos School District ranked as the top-scoring elementary district in the state based on the 2006 Academic Performance Index Base Report released March 27, scoring a composite 960, up 11 points from 2005. Mountain View High School welcomes Japanese exchange studentsFestivities celebrating the Japanese culture kicked off March 21 at Mountain View High School as students welcomed 31 teenage delegates from Iwata, Japan, for a weeklong stay. The visitors participated in the Mountain View High School-Iwata Minami High School cultural exchange program, staying with host families of Mountain View students. Iwata is a Sister City to Mountain View, a connection established in 1974. The city is located midway between Osaka and Tokyo. Schools article Los Altos Rec offers The Los Altos Recreation Department has scheduled public speaking, debate, effective grammar and comprehension, and creative writing classes for 5-14-year-olds. Student art show exhibits more than 3,000 piecesArtwork featuring snowmen, leprechauns, tigers and dragons decorated four rooms at the Hillview Community Center last weekend during the annual Student Art Show, which showcased the artistic talents of every student in the Los Altos School District. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade produced more than 3,300 pieces of art, the majority during docent-led art lessons at district schools. Oak school schedules recycling eventsAs environmental advocates prepare to celebrate the 38th annual Earth Day on April 15, the nature and garden club at Oak Avenue Elementary School is sponsoring several events to help increase awareness about recycling. Ann Hepenstal, a parent volunteer at the school, works in the nature garden with children to teach them about planting, harvesting and tasting the bounty. Another area of the garden is filled with native plants, and Hepenstal said the children learn about the different animals that are attracted to the varied foliage. SportsEagles edge Panthers
Every time the Los Altos High baseball team scored Saturday, Burlingame responded. But Robert Cave curbed those responses enough to earn the save as the Eagles held on for a 10-9 win to open the Knights of Columbus Serra Classic. Los Altos led 10-6 when Cave entered the game in the sixth inning, inheriting a bases-loaded jam. The junior got out of the inning with two runs scored. LA girls swim team tops Mtn. View for first win of year
The Los Altos High girls swimming and diving team won its first dual meet of the year, defeating rival Mountain View 107-79 Friday at home. Coach Andrew Maisel said his Eagles were paced by double-event winners Veronica Tse and Shuya Lou in the SCVAL De Anza Division meet. Tse, a sophomore, captured the 100- and 200-yard freestyles. Freshman Lou prevailed in the 500 free and 200 individual medley. Bishop on a mission to rule the poolBrooke Bishop entered this season, her third on the Stanford University women’s swim team, focused on getting stronger and getting better. “I’m training a lot, more so on dry land - power work,” the Mountain View High graduate said as the season began. “I’m also working on my stroke technique. My start and my flip is another area I work on.” BusinessLocal Internet firm connects docs
When Marc Bandt, president and CEO of Curbside M.D., looks at the future of physicians, he sees the Facebook and MySpace crowd. His Los Altos firm, which describes itself as a “professional social network for the medical community,” provides highly secure Internet and Web-based tools that enable physicians to communicate and create social networking sites. There’s no place like home when it comes to tax breaksAs tax season swings into full gear and I get ready to write that annual check to Uncle Sam, I’m thankful once again that I own my own home. Real estate - whether it’s your primary residence or an investment property - provides the average person with huge tax advantages that no other investment can match. And in recent years, the IRS has only made it more advantageous to own property. The April 15 tax deadline should serve as a good reminder to renters that they would be wise to make this the year they buy a home. While renting has some benefits, including a little more freedom and avoiding paying for repairs and property taxes, you can’t help but feel like you’re just flushing money down a black hole each month. March Madness in the business worldBusiness executives who play basketball or other team sports learn the fundamental elements of teamwork. Solo athletes do not necessarily learn the same lessons from their sports. All athletes, however, benefit from the discipline, energy and fun of competition. The March Madness over men’s and women’s basketball reminds those who work in the business field of the basic tenets of competition. Basketball and business are similar because: On the RoadFamily favoritesIf your family has outgrown your car but the thought of shopping for a new one fills you with dread, the American Automobile Association of Northern California has news that might help. AAA and Parents magazine have teamed to choose the top 15 new vehicle models for families. This year’s list - revealed last month - includes nine newcomers and six returning favorites. Acuras come up aces
These days, even if you need four doors, a reasonable backseat and decent trunk room, you can still get a car that offers performance that will please any driving enthusiast. In recent weeks, we’ve driven two Acuras that illustrate the point. The 2007 Acura TL Type S, priced at $38,800 in the version we drove, is in Consumer Reports’ “upscale” category. The 2007 Acura RL, priced at $53,870 with all the option packages as we drove it, is classified in the “luxury” category. A Wedding to RememberModern cakesRemember the old saying, “Like a kid in a candy store”? Well, engaged couples now have just as much of a variety of decadent delights to choose from when shopping for wedding cakes. Whether you fancy rich, heavenly, all-butter cakes, have a passion for European-style cakes with fruit and nuts, or crave classic cakes with mousse filling, there are now more choices than ever to help make your special day deliciously memorable. Satura Cakes The perfect honeymoon could include the weddingDestination weddings combine the ceremony and the honeymoon in one trip. The couple’s family and friends travel together to witness the wedding and share a holiday. I still see a majority of honeymoons booked for classic South Pacific destinations such as Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji and the Cook Islands. For those with bigger budgets, a destination wedding in Australia is popular, including visits to Sydney, Queensland and the islands in the Great Barrier Reef. Distinctive dressing for the wedding guestIn today’s casual world, we don’t get much of a chance to dress up. There’s no better opportunity than a wedding to put on your finery, try something different and shine. “Our customers are always looking for special occasions to wear their beautiful dresses,” said CeCe Telesco, a sales associate at Crimson Mim, a boutique on Main Street in Los Altos. Fool-proof a wedding with research, planningYou are planning a big spring or summer wedding and want it to be perfect. While you can’t complain about your mother’s floral designs, many problems can be prevented. The Better Business Bureau tracks wedding-related complaints throughout the year and offers the following tips. • Researc Bridal magazines and books can help you develop checklists and timetables for planning a wedding. Upcoming bridal showsBridal shows offer one-stop shopping for people beginning the process of planning a wedding. Professionals who serve every aspect of a wedding, from flowers to gowns to honeymoons, gather under one roof to display their wares and pitch their products. Some upcoming commercial wedding events include: Bless This Day DatebookDatebookDatebook 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 LifestylesYoung and giving“Kids these days,” every generation says, sometimes with a dismayed roll of the eyes. We hear about social phenomena such as the MySpace universe, cell-phone ubiquity and the flavor-of-the-month in scandalous teen fashion. But the stereotype of teenagers as self-absorbed hedonists needs a retake. A philanthropy movement is afoot among young people. For every parent in Los Altos who drives a Lexus, there may be a child actively participating in community service. Some service projects are inspired and initiated by youth, but schools across the nation have taken steps in recent years to mandate service learning as part of a well-rounded education. What starts as a school community service day blossoms, for some students, into a longer-term commitment to social awareness and philanthropy. Market targets over-30 gamers, but are they game?According to a recent report on PBS, the market for video and computer games primarily targets adults over age 30. First-generation gamers continue to play into adulthood and account for the enormous sales boon in recent years. There was no evidence of such a demographic at the Los Altos Library last month when teen services librarian Sarah Neeri shared her cache of PlayStation 2 games to an eager group of two - this reporter and a middle-aged man who hung around briefly. How to follow the rules of sportsmanshipIt’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game. Everyone wants to be a winner, but not everyone wins. Sometimes we lose, and there is a lesson to be learned in being a good sport. Whether you win or lose, you need to be able to handle yourself in the proper way. If you are a good sport when playing games, you are likely a good sport in life. Following are a few pointers in sportsmanship. On the field or court: ‘Merrily’ rolls into Mtn. View
TheatreWorks’ closes its 37th season with “Merrily We Roll Along,” scheduled to open this week and run through April 29 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Based on the 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, Stephen Sondheim’s modern musical is the American story about dreamers and dreams. It features the Sondheim songs “Not a Day Goes By,” “Good Thing Going” and “Our Time.” |
In Our OpinionEditorialWe’ve recently covered the passing of two of this community’s most involved and committed volunteers, Lee Lynch and Billy Russell. They represented an era when people helped out, not so they could get their name on a building, but because it was simply the right thing to do. There’s a new generation of volunteers hard at work right now in this community who are carrying on their legacy. The level of involvement in the recent Los Altos Relay For Life event bears this out. |
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