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Archives » 2007 » Volume 60 , Issue 15, Published on Wednesday, April 11, 2007NewsHidden Villa moving forward
Spring at Hidden Villa is a full-sensory experience, greeting visitors with orchard-blossom fragrance, early vegetables and the sticky-soft wool on newborn lambs. The historic farm and wilderness preserve in Los Altos Hills made headlines last year for its cancellation and subsequent reinstatement of a beloved overnight camp, and related financial woes. Today, Hidden Villa members are hatching new plans to engage the community more than ever. Despite last year’s announcement of budget shortfalls, Hidden Villa’s new board of directors is hopeful the 60-year-old non-profit organization is back on track. The board has eked out funds by revising its fundraising model and keeping its traditional programs intact. Big changes planned along First Street downtownThe face of First Street could change dramatically in upcoming years, with a boutique hotel in the works, part of the post office allocated to office space and the possibility of significant changes to the Safeway parking lot. After vetting plans for second-story or underground parking lots for Safeway, the council is now considering expanding and reconfiguring the grocery’s street-level lot. Public works director steps downJim Porter, public works director for the city of Los Altos, tendered his resignation March 30, with his last day in office set for April 20. Porter, who has served eight years in the position, has taken a job as director of public works for San Mateo County. Porter’s announcement marks the second major staff resignation this year. In January, City Manager Phil Rose announced his retirement, effective May 5, with the condition that he would continue as a consultant until the position was filled. City staff hope to have a new city manager by July. Plans to fill Porter’s position are not yet clear, said City Clerk Susan Kitchens. Planning commission reorganizes to revitalizeThe Los Altos Planning Commission rotated its seats during its public meeting April 5, shifting commission members to different subcommittees. The seven-member commission, which reviews and formulates recommendations to the city council on all subdivision plans, architectural and site improvements, seated Jon Baer to fill the seat vacated by Kate Disney, who termed out in March. Kitty Uhlir was elected commission chairwoman and Ken Lorell was elected vice chairman. Study supports organic farm idea at Grant Road FarmIf the preservation group Mountain View Farmlands has its way, a 5-acre organic farm will coexist with a planned housing development at the former Grant Road Farm. To prove that its organic farm proposal is viable, the group released a feasibility study April 1 declaring that the idea could be a win-win financial arrangement for the property developer and the current property owners. New member Jon Baer steps upAvid historical preservationist and longtime Los Altos resident Jon Baer has been a familiar voice in town over the years, largely behind the scenes. But as the city’s newest planning commissioner, he will take on a more visible role. City council members appointed the articulate and practical-minded Baer March 13, confident that he’s a strong candidate for the position on one of the city’s most powerful commissions, which reviews housing and commercial development projects. Police Blotter Mountain View crash Mountain View police arrested two people Thursday in connection with a stabbing that occurred approximately 10:25 p.m. April 4 after a traffic accident on Highway 101. Adobe Creek plan comes to public hearing
The Santa Clara Valley Water District restoration plan for Adobe Creek Reach 5, 10 years in the making, has been drafted and is scheduled for a public hearing. The Draft Engineer’s and Environmental Impact reports can be viewed online and at the Los Altos main library through May. The water district has scheduled a public hearing on the proposal 7 p.m. April 26 at the Hillview Community Center in Los Altos. CommentEditorialA March 27 Los Altos City Council decision to change the council election date to even-numbered years makes sense from both fiscal and voter participation perspectives. A 2002 federal mandate required ballots printed in four additional languages, driving ballot printing and setup costs substantially higher. The 2007 election could cost the city as much as $172,000. Consolidating with statewide elections and other jurisdictions beginning in 2008 could save the city as much as $133,000. Letters to the EditorHoping LASD promises come true I was appointed by the Los Altos Hills City Council to work with our school districts to assure the return of neighborhood public education to our town. I have been encouraged that the Los Altos School District appears ready to reopen a public school at the Bullis site. BirthdaysIf you’re like many people over the age of 30, your birthday goes something like this … When you wake up in the morning, the thought that it’s your birthday is an instant downer. You take a long, appraising, disapproving look in the mirror. One year older and it shows. ObituariesInger Sagatun-Edwards: Scholar advanced court systems’ family lawLos Altos Hills resident Inger Sagatun-Edwards, a dean at San Jose State University and an expert on families and criminal law, died April 2 of pancreatic cancer. She was 62. Her passionate curiosity about human behavior in society led to a career of research and writing on the modernization and reform of the criminal justice system. She developed a broadened concept of justice that connected social services, courts and community resources, interweaving child protection, family work, drug treatment and even fundamental issues of equality and human rights. Obituary NoticesNANCY BERGMAN DELVILLAGGIO August 15, 1946 - CommunitySCV artists exhibit springtime inspirations
A spring theme adorns the walls of Main Street Cafe & Books, where several members of the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society are exhibiting their paintings through April 29. Watercolors depicting flowers, landscapes, waterscapes and abstract art are featured in the society’s “Spring Mix” exhibit. Los Altos Rotary symposium examines the future of AIDS in America, abroadAs part of Los Altos Rotary’s ongoing work to educate about the impact of HIV/AIDS in the United States and abroad, the club hosted two experts in the field at a March 29 symposium. Dr. Deborah Gould, assistant physician in chief at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, discussed AIDS in black America. Dr. Arthur Ammann described his work fighting mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa. He is president of Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and a clinical professor of pediatrics at the UC San Francisco Medical Center. LALE marks National Library Week with double celebrationThe Los Altos Library Endowment (LALE) will observe National Library Week, April 15-21, by presenting its fifth “Speaking Volumes” event, which hosts an important, contemporary author of national status, and its 10th payment toward the augmentation of science and technology resources at the Los Altos Library. Local author Ron Hansen, Gerard Manley Hopkins Professor at Santa Clara University and currently affiliated with the Creative Writing Program at Stanford, will discuss his most recent book, “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (Harper Perennial, 1997). The book has been made into a film starring Brad Pitt, scheduled for release this year. Los Altos History Museum hosts Mother’s Day tour of 6 homesThe Los Altos History Museum has scheduled the 6th Annual Spring Home & Garden Tour 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 12, Mother’s Day. Spanning nearly a century, six homes dating from 1905 to 2000 will be open. Underwritten by Northern Trust, tour proceeds benefit the Los Altos History Museum. Tickets include refreshments and a garden boutique. An evening gala at a signature Los Altos estate, “Tenuta il Poggio,” is scheduled 6-8 p.m. May 11. The tour provides funds to support professionally produced, locally curated exhibits in the history museum. Guests can choose the tour alone ($30, members; $40 nonmembers) or the tour and the reception ($125). SchoolsDe Anza administrator Judy C. Miner named president of Foothill CollegeFoothill-De Anza Community College District trustees unanimously confirmed Judy C. Miner as the sixth president of Foothill College April 2 in recognition of her deep commitment to strengthening the college for students, faculty and staff and her capacity for accomplishing it. “We are all thrilled that Dr. Judy Miner has agreed to become the next president of Foothill College,” said Board President Hal Plotkin. “Dr. Miner is an outstanding administrator and an engaging individual with a long track record as a tireless advocate for students. District ponders placement of special-needs facilitiesA new site the Los Altos School District is considering for special-needs preschoolers, located next to the planned community pool on Rosita Avenue, has one Los Altos City Council member concerned about the potential impact on students and neighbors. District officials are eyeing placement of up to three 960-square-foot portables in back of the Covington School campus, at the site of the Rosita minipark. The site is next to old tennis courts set for demolition to make way for the new pool. Councilman David Casas said the site, one of three locations under consideration, is incompatible, chiefly because of noise issues. Los Altos High launches new technology tradition
With the goal of encouraging more students to pursue careers in science and technology, a committee at Los Altos High School designed a new program it hopes will become an annual event - Science & Technology Week. The school officially launched the event April 4 and 5, with a scaled-down version of what organizers hope will evolve into a weeklong program. Respected scientists and engineers from the community addressed the students about their fields of interest and the work they do. SportsEagles make case for elite statusThe Los Altos High baseball team fell one victory short of the championship in the Knights of Columbus Serra Spring Classic. But the Eagles confirmed something they hope has more of a lasting impact than a title - they belong among the Central Coast Section’s elite. Despite its 15-5 championship-game loss to host Serra Thursday, Los Altos (16-6) more than held its own in the Classic’s loaded field. Burlingame, Bellarmine and San Benito, teams that are perennial postseason contenders, each had designs on winning the tournament - and the Eagles beat them all. LA sweeps Matadors on the track
The Los Altos High track and field team made the most of its last home meet of the season, sweeping Monta Vista Thursday. The Los Altos boys cruised to a 91-32 victory to improve to 4-1 in the SCVAL De Anza Division, while the girls prevailed 74-53 to raise their record to 3-2. Staying in the moment
The potential for big things is there - St. Francis High’s baseball team is teeming with talent and experience. Yet new coach Mike Oakland tries not to imagine what the Lancers could accomplish this year. Most coaches preach taking the season one game at a time; Oakland’s philosophy is more extreme. BusinessLocal health store has new owner, same namePeggy’s Health Center, a familiar downtown destination for alternative health-care products since 1973, has a new owner. The store, which sells nutritional supplements, was purchased in October by Goretty Alonso, a chemist and biotechnology entrepreneur. S&P’s index reflects broad range of businessesThe Standard & Poor’s 500 index may not be the oldest index in the country, but it is one of the most widely used and followed on Wall Street and Main Street. While the popular Dow Jones Industrial Average comprises 30 large companies, the S&P 500 is made up of 500 large and small U.S. domestic companies. These companies are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq National Market System. Food and WineNeighborhood Italian
Brothers Felipe and Gabriel Gutierrez are experiencing the long, hard hours of new restaurant owners, cooking at and managing Pompeii, their new Italian restaurant on State Street. Seven days a week, customers are guaranteed a Gutierrez encounter and, Gabriel said, their Los Altos customers have been the best possible promotion for the young restaurant. “At the beginning they didn’t know us, but now they know our names,” Gabriel said. “We’re trying to make it family style, we want people to talk, laugh - a lot of people in town know each other, and I see people eating at one table and talking to another.” April vegetables herald the spring season
For the epicure, spring is cause for anticipation. Flowers trumpet the season’s arrival, promising a cornucopia of sun-ripened produce in the months to come. Even April, on the cusp of the growing months, has its own treasures. The root vegetables of April provide a welcome indulgence for palates impatient for the return of fresh produce. Deeply sweet and luxurious when cooked, the homely beet is April’s diamond in the rough. Once thought of as pauper’s fare, what beets lack in fine breeding they make up for in versatility. Freshly grated beets enliven salads with crisp gold and crimson highlights. Roasted beets pair well with young cheeses, such as chevre or feta, complementing the cheeses’ salty butterfat with sweet, earthy depth. When grapes meet global warmingOne of California’s largest agricultural cash crops is the wine industry, and its revenues, more than $15 billion annually, could be seriously impacted a temperature increase in the coming decades. Global climate change will affect the region’s wine grapes, wrote Los Altos resident Christopher Field, a researcher in the department of global ecology at the Carnegie Institute at Stanford, “with several regions changing from optimal to marginal or impaired.” Our winemaker at Sarah’s Vineyard, a local winery, always said if you don’t have a good partner, you can’t dance - and if you don’t have good grapes, you can’t make good wine. Technology has given winemakers some leeway to work with slightly deficient fruit, but they cannot perform miracles. That is why there are good and bad vintages, depending on the quality of a given year’s grape crop. Savoring the value of service well servedThe owners of a family-run French restaurant in a nearby town made the charming decision to mark their 35th anniversary by serving their March 20, 1972, luncheon menu - at the original 1972 prices. The idea was clever, and the tab furnished a curious reminder of inflation: my glass of Earthquake Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi ($14.50) loomed monstrously on the tab against the 1972-priced four-course French luncheon for two ($18). But the real story of the meal was Andre, our waiter, who single-handedly held down about 15 tables with panache. If providing thoughtful service is an all-too-rare grace, Andre embodied grace under pressure. Spice box provides a toolkit for Indian cookeryA traditional spice box - “masala dabba,” as it is known in India - is a must in every Indian kitchen. It is a round, stainless-steel box containing lidless stainless-steel cups, each holding one spice. The box has two lids, one to keep spices fresh and the other a decorative outer lid. The box also comes with a small spoon. You fill the individual boxes with the main Indian spices that you use the most. I personally have cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, chili powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder and salt. The box, ever present in Indian kitchens, is to an Indian cook what a color palette is to an artist. Stepping Out‘Enchanted April’ arrives in Los Altos
Bus Barn Stage Company’s production of “Enchanted April” - Matthew Barber’s story of four English women who break free of their rain-drenched sorrows by renting a castle in sunny Italy - is scheduled to open this week and run through May 5 in Los Altos. Romance abounds in this Tony Award-winning comedy, set in 1922 post-World War I England. Lotty Wilton and Rose Arnott, two London housewives in desperate need of enchantment to offset their joyless lives with their proper English husbands, rent a villa in Italy for the month of April. Two vastly different London ladies - an aging dowager and a young, beautiful socialite - join them but for less obvious reasons. Tuscany transforms in many surprising ways, especially when husbands, lovers and handsome landlords suddenly appear, and love blooms once again amid the sunshine and wisteria. DatebookDatebookTHEATER “Enchanted April.” Bus Barn Stage Company. Matthew Barber’s drama about four English women who break free of their rain-drenched sorrows with a holiday in a rented castle in sunny Italy. 8 p.m. Thursday through May 5. Bus Barn Theatre, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. 941-0551; www.busbarn.org. |
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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