Local medical facilities take big leap forward

When it comes to having access to exceptional medical care facilities, local residents are fortunate.

Today, two of the largest health-care institutions in the area, El Camino Hospital and Camino Medical Group (CMG), are reshaping themselves into leading-edge, 21st-century medical centers. Both organizations are pursuing aggressive expansion plans that incorporate state-of-the-art medical technologies while maintaining a high standard in patient care.

LASD board considers four attendance-area options

The Los Altos School District Board of Trustees began a review of four attendance area designs presented by the Attendance Area Committee, and listened to public input on the topic at the April 23 board meeting.

Superintendent Tim Justus said the district must redefine the district’s attendance areas because Almond and Santa Rita schools are nearing their maximum population of 580 students each, and Bullis-Purissima School is scheduled to reopen in 2008.

Invading moth touches down in

Much of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills is under a plant life quarantine, thanks to the appearance of the Little Brown Apple Moth. Although virtually impossible to distinguish visually from other little brown moths, the apple moth is in fact an exotic, and possibly menacing, newcomer to the area.

When a retired Berkeley entomologist discovered one of the moths in his backyard in February, it was the first time the insect had been spotted in the continental United States.

LA election unchanged, council discussion tabled

In an anticlimax to discussion over changing the city’s election dates, Los Altos City Council members voted unanimously to keep business as usual for now.

At the April 24 meeting, the council voted to postpone making any change in the date of the council election this year. The decision could be revisited after the November election, in which three council seats are up for re-election.

SWAT explosive breech training

Residents near Parma Way in Los Altos last week heard a series of explosions throughout the day as the Los Altos Police Department SWAT team practiced explosive breech entries in a vacant home.

Owners of the home at 742 Parma Way, who had planned to demolish the structure later in the week, offered the single-family home to police for training exercises.

LAH council approves conservation, wildlife revisions to General Plan

Broad debate over town values and individual rights in Los Altos Hills, triggered by the discussion of proposed revisions to the town’s General Plan, occupied much of the April 26 council meeting. The most heated debate was not over the details of the actual revision, but rather the overarching questions the revision process raised.

“The General Plan updates do not impose any new requirements for residents, nor do they relax any requirements,” Mayor Dean Warshawsky said in an opening speech in which he tried to defuse some of the concern among residents that had preceded the meeting.

News Brief

LAPD turns murder case over to DA

After more than 15 years, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office has charged Bernardo Bass, 46, of Santa Clara with the murder of Dawn Sanchez.
In 1991, Bass was charged with murder after Sanchez, then 31, disappeared. She was last seen leaving with Bass from […]

Police Blotter

Identity theft

April 13, 1:07 a.m., El Camino Real and Ortega Avenue: Identity theft was reported.

Drug arrest

April 14, 10:45 p.m., Fallen Leaf Lane and Ben Roe Drive: Police made an arrest for a drug violation.

Vehicle burglary

April 15, 2:46 a.m., 1500 block of Carob Lane: A vehicle burglary […]

Editorial

Los Altos School District officials last week began the agonizing process of redrawing attendance areas to accommodate the projected reopening of Bullis-Purissima School in fall 2008 and the increase in schools population.

Administrators presented four options, all of which naturally offend some parents. Any change adopted is bound to leave people unhappy, because drawing new attendance lines requires moving some students away from their friends and into longer commutes to school.

Letters to the Editor

Survey available on dog park

Recognizing the large population of our four-footed friends in Los Altos, the members of the “Dogs in Parks” Subcommittee of the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission (PARC) would like to encourage the community to take the time to fill out a survey published in the Soap Box […]

Goals to improve transportation picture

Earlier this year, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed me to the nine-member California Transportation Commission, a four-year term of part-time citizen service. Appropriately, I view this as a labor of love.

With transportation and traffic congestion cited as the foremost frustration of Los Altos and other Bay Area residents for 30 of the past 32 years, the appointment is incredibly important to our region and state. Yet in the 30-year history of the commission, there has only been one other person from Silicon Valley to serve, and that four-year term ended several years ago.

Obituary Notices

MATTHEW ALAN GRAVIANO

September 26, 1984 -
April 14, 2007
Matt was born and raised in Los Altos. He graduated from Saint Francis High School and was a proud senior at U. C. Santa Cruz. His Bachelor of Arts degree will be awarded posthumously in June.
Matt was a kind and […]

Young bobcat returned to the wild in LAH

Los Altos Hills reclaimed an unusual resident last week when a young bobcat, dubbed Antonio, was released in the Rhus Ridge Open Space Preserve April 25. The kitten, abandoned by his mother, had a rough start in life last year, wandering the trails of Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve on his own.

Open space rangers at one point found the bobcat marooned overnight in the women’s bathroom. Rangers intervened and placed the cat at Morgan Hill’s Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center, known for its innovations in bobcat rehabilitation. It was there that Antonio gained his nickname. He was taught to avoid humans (a bobcat’s only natural predator) and to hunt for himself.

Local artists show their creativity at Silicon Valley Open Studios

Silicon Valley Open Studios, a program of the non-profit Silicon Valley Visual Arts, has scheduled a series of events in Santa Clara County and on the Peninsula, including the Los Altos area.

Local artists will be showing 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 12 and 13 as part of the Northern Santa Clara County segment of the event. An exhibition of local Open Studios work is currently on display at Main Street Cafe & Books, 134 Main St., Los Altos.

Author Hansen explains a writer’s life at Los Altos Library program

Hard work and rejection are constant companions of the impassioned writer. But for the successful ones, so are patience and perseverance - just ask author Ron Hansen.

Some 20 years after Hansen authored “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” a major movie, starring Brad Pitt, based on that novel is scheduled for release in September.

LASD staff selects two interim principals

The Los Altos School District staff promoted two sixth-grade teachers to serve as interim principals at Almond and Loyola schools for the 2007-2008 school year.

Loyola sixth-grade teacher Lynn Boskie will take Linda Eckols’ position. Eckols will retire from education at the close of the school year. Covington sixth-grade teacher Joe McCreary will replace Jeff Baier as Covington principal. Baier will assume a new role as assistant superintendent of instruction and curriculum for the district.

Los Altos Community Botball team places second

The Los Altos Community Botball team placed second in the Ninth Annual Northern California Botball Tournament April 21. The tournament, sponsored by the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics in conjunction with NASA Ames Research Center and Santa Clara University, took place at the Leavey Event Center at SCU.

Students in the Botball program use science, engineering, technology, math and writing skills in a hands-on project that reinforces their learning by designing, building, programming and documenting robots.

Spartans stay sharp

Motivation hasn’t been a problem for the Mountain View High softball team. If the challenge of keeping up with the SCVAL De Anza Division’s top teams weren’t enough, there’s the players’ desire to stay in the starting lineup.

“They work hard to keep their spot because they know someone will take it if they don’t,” head coach Jake McKenzie said. “It gives them more of a competitive edge.”

Los Altos slips into tie for first place

Coach Sandy Wihtol could accept the first loss; his Los Altos High baseball team faced one of the top pitchers in the section. But the second setback to Los Gatos last week was a different story.

Wihtol couldn’t excuse the way his Eagles lost 8-7 in 13 innings. Los Altos left 14 runners in scoring position and on three occasions failed to hold the lead with two outs and two strikes on Los Gatos batters.

Gradiska puts Pinewood track team on the map

Pinewood School is known for its success in girls basketball and, to a lesser degree, tennis - but certainly not track and field. The school’s Los Altos Hills campus doesn’t even have a track.

Pinewood’s 17-member track team is suddenly garnering attention, though, thanks to Angela Gradiska. The freshman is not only keeping up with the best sprinters in the Central Coast Section, she’s beating them.

Mountain View grads Hooper, Nelson sign with NFL teams

It’s been 17 years since a Mountain View High graduate has played in the NFL. That could change come fall.

Two members of the class of 2002, safeties Trevor Hooper and J.D. Nelson, signed with pro football teams Sunday after not being selected in last weekend’s NFL Draft. Hooper, a Stanford University graduate, signed with the Buffalo Bills; University of Oregon grad Nelson agreed with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Local Internet firm helps shoppers search, find and buy at the local mall

Town Crier Staff Writer

The standard search engines are marvelous tools, especially when you want to find and buy something online. But try using them to locate the nearest store that carries your favorite running shoes and you’ll find they come up short.

Market celebrates the new record

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index of 30 large U.S. stocks, hit the magic number last week and the trumpet roared and the sirens rang out.

The magic number, it turns out, was a big integer with a lot of zeros. Hitting an all-time high last October was heralded, but it seems Americans are more enamored of round numbers - probably a result of the decimal-based number system we use. Remember, computers use a binary system based on 2 instead of 10.

Approachability reaps benefits

This is the third in a series of columns detailing reaction to the book I wrote with my daughter Laura Hollands-Steck, “Approachability: The Key to Influence” (Hollands/Steck, 2005). In my previous column, a senior technical fellow and officer of a company lamented his mistake in not being open with others. This week, that same employee shares the benefits he gleaned from the book, including his behavioral changes, his new lease on life and new career possibilities.

He said: “In conflict situations, I would usually blare out or flame out. Then I would retreat. After that, I could barely bring myself to make eye contact or any contact at all. This resulted in behavior on my colleagues’ part to exclude me on discussions that were obviously essential to my technical knowledge and projects.

Lisa Smith and Conor Schofield

Lisa Smith and Conor Schofield

Lisa Smith and Conor Schofield were married Sept. 10 in Eugene, Ore. They are the seventh couple in three generations of the Schofield family to be married on Sept. 10. The ceremony and reception were held outdoors amid the rose gardens at The Country Inn in Eugene.

Elaine Wang and Doug Cameron

Elaine Wang and Doug Cameron

Elaine Wang and Doug Cameron were married Jan. 27 in San Francisco at the Fort Mason Chapel followed by a dinner dance at the Marines’ Memorial Club & Hotel.

Top-notch top-downs

With winter behind us, our thoughts turn to sunny Sunday drives in the hills. For these, a convertible is the only proper vehicle.

Unfortunately, even with the enviable weather the Bay Area offers, not every day is sunny, nor is every trip a short one without freeways. Purchasing a convertible, like most cars, is a long-term, for-better-and-for-worse proposition.

View vintage vehicles at upcoming events

Some local residents may not realize how many automotive treasures are parked behind garage doors in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. The owners of these vintage vehicles often display them at community events, such as the ones listed below.

• Los Altos Kiwanis Pet Parade. An array of fine cars will transport pets and their owners down Main Street at the 60th-anniversary event, scheduled May 19.

Help for home cooking

The idea behind Dream Dinners is distinctly modern - that consumers, mostly women, want the look and feel of wholesome home cooking, without the bother of shopping, washing and chopping.

At the new Dream Dinners franchise in Village Court, Los Altos, a customer arrives, dons a maroon apron and scoops, pours and measures preprepared ingredients into provided pans and Ziploc bags. Slap on a label with cooking instructions, and you’re ready to head out the door with ready-made meals - made by you, mostly.

Keeping business all in the family

If you’re standing in line outside the Los Altos Coffee Shop on Second Street because the place is packed, don’t be surprised if the staff recommends a little jaunt down Foothill Expressway to Brian’s Restaurant in Rancho Shopping Center.

Odd? Not at all, said the coffee shop’s new manager and cook, Marissa Whitlock.

Celebrating a Vintage Affaire

I recently accompanied local residents Dave Pratt and Mary Johnson to the Ridge Vineyards for a Vintage Affaire Gentry photo shoot commemorating the Affaire’s 25th year. Dave and I have worked on the Affaire since its inception, and Mary is this year’s president.

Vintage Affaire is a fundraiser for the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. The event has raised more than $5 million for the center. The function this year will take place at a residence in Woodside on July 21. There are silent and live auctions, and a bevy of vintners will be scattered throughout the gardens to pour their finest wines. In addition to Ridge, a few of the wineries represented include Far Niente and Nickel and Nickel, Patz & Hall, Duckhorn, Ramey, Testarossa, Silver Oak, Arietta, HdV, Chalk Hill and Rubicon.

Allende tells a passionate, bloody tale amid conquest of Chile

Isabel Allende’s “Inés of My Soul” (HarperCollins, 2006) fictionalizes the real life of Doña Inés Suárez, a ferocious, sexy woman who helped the Spanish colonize Chile in the 1500s. Her story is passionate and bloody.

“This novel is a work of intuition,” according to the Author’s Note, “but any similarity to events and persons relating to the conquest of Chile is not coincidental.”

Teacher and librarian visits Linden Tree

Linden Tree Children’s Recordings & Books in Los Altos has scheduled Andrea Stenn Stryer, author, teacher and librarian, to discuss her new book, “Kami and the Yaks” (Bay Otter Press, 2007), 5-7 p.m. Thursday in front of the store, 170 State St.

“Kami and the Yaks,” set in Nepal, is the story of a young, deaf Sherpa boy whose family is in dire straits because its yaks are missing. Though his family does not think he can help in the search, Kami sets off in the opposite direction to find the animals. He uses his heightened sense of observation to compensate for his lack of hearing. Kami faces many challenges in his quest, including a dangerous lightning storm in the mountains.

Datebook

THEATER

“Treasure Island.” Music School of Sunnyvale’s musical production, adapted by Jill Denny and featuring 140 students. 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Spartan Theater, Mountain View High School, 3535 Truman Ave. Donations: $5-$10. (408) 739-9248.

Way beyond yoga

“Wellness,” the new-age concept fusing marketing and lifestyle, has gone mainstream. There’s big business in hormone balancing, chakra massaging and self-help books, and in increasing awareness that herbal teas are not meant only for the long-haired yogi - you might enjoy them, too.

The newly opened Elephant Pharm in Los Altos demonstrates the broadening reach of alternative health products. Customers can still find aspirin and Vicks VapoRub on the pharmacy’s shelves, but they are snuggled next to elderberry and zinc lozenges (they boost the immune system) and “Just for Kids” herbal tea.

A young entrepreneur offers fashion and insight

The arrival of another stylish, high-end clothing boutique is not, perhaps, earth shattering in downtown Los Altos, where a handful of popular stores already reign. But there is something so distinctly San Francisco-chic about 151, the name and address of a new women’s clothing store on Main Street, that locals are taking notice. Owner Amanda Frazer, a Bay Area native, said she’s delighted with the comparison to San Francisco vogue.

“That’s exactly what I was aiming for,” said Frazer, 27. “I wanted to give people a touch of San Francisco without their having to drive up.” Frazer displays her elegant and richly feminine aesthetic throughout the store.

Styling for the seasons

Attention to the waistline is one of the trends of the season. High-waisted trousers and pencil skirts with belts are definitely in.

Dresses are popular in different lengths and shapes. Minidresses of the 1960s are back in style, as are babydoll dresses, shift dresses, halter dresses and smocked and kimono dresses.