Who is Doug Schmitz?

Some point to Schmitz’ track record as proof that he’s the right candidate. In Lake Oswego, many city officials credit Schmitz with major renovations of the downtown, building a dog park and the city’s annexation of 300 acres for park and open-space usage. Some detractors argued in the local newspaper, the Lake Oswego Review, however, that Schmitz placed local and national chain businesses above preserving longtime Lake Oswego shops.

Ultimately, Schmitz won over the council members, who praised his ability as city manager.

News Brief

Valley Water fills local seat

The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors appointed Cupertino resident Patrick Kwok to fill the vacant District 5 seat, which represents Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Cupertino, Saratoga, Palo Alto, Stanford and parts of San Jose. Kwok was scheduled to join the board Aug. […]

Enormous marijuana grove found in LAH

Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies found a massive marijuana plantation in a far corner of Hidden Villa last week, a discovery that has environmental implications for Los Altos Hills.

Illicit growers appear to have snuck from Page Mill Road onto the non-profit nature preserve, raising 32,000 marijuana plants on approximately 10 acres of steep hillside. Deputies cut down the marijuana Aug. 2 and 3, but the fertilizers, pesticides and rat poison that were used to farm the plants linger as pollutants in the area.

Fire destroys back of restaurant, arson ruled out

Investigators at the scene of a two-alarm fire that destroyed the back portion of the Satkar Authentic Indian Restaurant at 233 State St. on Sunday afternoon have ruled out arson and narrowed the cause to an electrical malfunction, fire officials said Monday.

No one was in the restaurant when the fire began at approximately 1:30 p.m. Neither the Voila hair salon nor Lin’s Toy Cupboard, which flank the restaurant, were damaged inside, county fire officials said. Smoke damage, however, did char cinder blocks on the side of the Lin’s Toy Cupboard building.

Council to vet petition process, tree protection

The Los Altos Planning Commission recommended changes to a development appeals process and increased protection for town trees last week, at the same time tightening zoning standards for unincorporated communities in the Country Club area. At the end of this month, the city council will evaluate the recommendations.

The commission recommended sending appeals from the Architecture and Site Review Committee to the Planning Commission rather than to the city council. New home applications currently come before the three-member review committee, a subset of the Planning Commission, and are appealed directly to the city council. Commissioner Randall Hull said the change would allow the full seven-member commission to evaluate appeals.

Planning commissioners join council race

Los Altos Planning Commissioners Megan Satterlee and Randall Hull have joined the race for a seat on the city council. Incumbents David Casas and Ron Packard are running for re-election, while Mayor Curtis Cole said he would not run again. Three seats are up for grabs in the November election.

Both Hull and Satterlee have sought positions on the city council before. Satterlee was one of three finalists considered for appointment to the council last December, when Councilman Kurt Colehower resigned after accepting a position as CEO of Arrow Electronics. Former Los Altos mayor Lou Becker won the appointment and will serve on the council until 2009.

Town Crier publishers, guests survive Tahoe crash

An 18-wheel truck rear-ended the red Acura SUV driven by Town Crier Publisher Paul Nyberg Friday, totaling his vehicle and injuring the three passengers: Nyberg’s wife, Liz, human resources director of the paper, and long-time community volunteers Bob and Lois Adams.

The couples were traveling in the Lake Tahoe area on Highway 50, after surveying local damage from the Angora fire. As traffic slowed to a stop, a blue Peterbilt truck slammed into the back of the Nybergs’ car.

Letters to the Editor

Sidewalks offer traffic relief

Regarding the “Growing Pains” article (July 25), I wanted to offer an idea from my perspective in nearby Mountain View.
I think additional sidewalks, or any size paved pedestrian-friendly paths, would offer some traffic relief. Firstly, with the current heavy traffic in Los Altos, parents are less likely to […]

Editorial

It seems like a good idea. Address the problem of people moving their cars within two-hour downtown parking zones, using a computerized tracking system instead of chalking tires. Generate more city revenue by “altering” employee parking permit fees.

However, Los Altos City Council members on July 24 rejected most aspects of a plan presented by parking enforcement officer Rod Sayre. While the electronic monitoring remains under consideration, the council was correct in turning down a plan requiring visitors to move from two- to three-hour zones to avoid getting ticketed. The current system allows drivers to move vehicles within the same parking zone.

The beauty of the book

“Online books are going to replace paper books. Mark my words,” a budding novelist told me with great confidence one day in the year 2000.

Back then it seemed like every farfetched idea here in Silicon Valley was destined to turn to gold. The Internet, the stock market and real estate were enjoying explosive, giddy growth. Witnessing the birth of the millennium further fueled the frenzy of endless possibility in the Valley.

Memories and a lesson from Casey, the dachshund puppy

Casey never met a stranger he didn’t love, and his absence leaves many broken hearts.

The 7-month-old dachshund puppy with soft, red-tan hair and big almond eyes and a pretty face loved to be held by children and adults. His long body would snuggle under your arms or around your neck as he returned the love he received.

Obituary Notices

FRANCES L. HEATH

DAVID JEFFERY BARRETO

DAVID B. BURNS

The King is back

On Aug. 16, it will have been 30 years since Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” left the building. Elvis died of a medication-induced heart attack in Memphis at 42.

But his memory lingers on. The Los Altos History Museum is helping to perpetuate his legacy with two Elvis tribute events scheduled next week.

Los Altos team raises more than $10K for pool

The Los Altos-based Covington Critters Swim Team surpassed its fundraising goal, raising more than $10,300 in contributions for the Los Altos community pool project at a swim-a-thon July 25 at Mountain View High School.

Swimming a combined total of 4,450 laps (64.2 miles), the members and coaches of the team generated donations through per-lap pledges and cash gifts.

Outdoor sculpture competition now under way in Los Altos

Los Altos’ Ninth Biennial Sculpture Competition is now accepting entries. Headed by the Public Sculpture Committee, an advisory committee to the Parks, Arts and Recreation Commission, the competition is open to submissions through Nov. 7.

Within the Los Altos city limits, more than 20 sculptures of all types are prominently displayed. Some of these sculptures were purchased and donated to the city, and the artists have donated others.

Volunteer Julie Cummer leaves legacy of love and learning

For Juliann (Julie) Foord Cummer, education was a passion and researching was a labor of love. That interest was fully realized when Mrs. Cummer took a lead role in the creation of the well-received 2004 Los Altos History Museum exhibition on legendary local author Wallace Stegner.

Mrs. Cummer, 63, a perennial behind-the-scenes volunteer with local schools, the museum and numerous other community efforts, died unexpectedly July 25, according to family members.

County sheriff visits TC to offer progress report

Despite a shortage of deputies and deep budget cuts, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office continues to provide quality service to communities such as Los Altos Hills, Sheriff Laurie Smith said in a visit with Town Crier staff last week.

Smith, one of two women statewide first elected to the position back in 1998, told the staff she also probably held the distinction of being one of the last Sheriff’s Office “matrons.” This was the pejorative term describing the few women in law enforcement, like Smith, when she first joined the department in 1973.

More emergency preparedness classes scheduled for Los Altos Hills residents

Los Altos Hills’ Emergency Services Coordinator Mike Sanders still has room in his emergency preparedness classes in August and September.

Sanders meets with residents at the El Monte Fire Station to teach a condensed, three-hour introduction to “personal emergency preparedness,” the survival skills an individual or family needs to survive safely the first 72 hours of a disaster. Local authorities predict that after a major disaster, many or most citizens will need to fend for themselves for up to three days before they are reached by organized relief efforts.

TC back-to-school fund for Tahoe fire victims

The Town Crier is supporting an Angora Fire K-12 Back-to-School Fund to help students whose families lost homes in the Lake Tahoe fire at the end of June.

The Angora Fire, as it has become known, started June 24 from an illegal campfire. The fire, which spread over 3,100 acres, burned 254 homes of mostly working-class families who lost everything.

Town Crier holding 60th anniversary celebration

The Los Altos Town Crier turns 60 years old on Sept. 9 and the paper is celebrating with a party at its offices, 138 Main St.

The paper is seeking out former staffers and other friends for this invitation-only event, scheduled 5-7 p.m.

Los Altos student empowers peers with campaign against genocide in Darfur

Los Altos student Allison Hoffman intends to prove to her peers that teenagers can make a difference.

Hoffman, a senior at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, is part of the Youth Alliance for Darfur Action, a coalition of high school students on the San Francisco Peninsula dedicated to raising awareness about the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. From the founding group, six especially committed students emerged. They developed the idea and oversee the alliance. Hoffman is one of them and is determined to expand high school students’ awareness of the genocide.

Noteworthies

Aaron Vorbau of Los Altos graduated June 23 with a master’s degree in specialized ministry from Western Seminary in Sacramento.

Ashley Brooke Trepanier Hannebrink of Los Altos Hills gradated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College in July. Hannebrink is the daughter of David and Renee Hannebrink. She majored in government and minored in art history.

CSMA announces campaign to match million-dollar Finn challenge grant

Local philanthropist Steve Finn presented the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center an early gift for its 40th anniversary - a $1 million challenge grant.

This is not the first time Finn has shown his strong support for CSMA and arts education. Previously, he was the lead donor for the school’s multimillion-dollar capital campaign to build a permanent home at 230 San Antonio Circle in Mountain View. In recognition of that gift, CSMA’s state-of-the-art, 25,000-square-foot facility, which opened in 2004, is named Finn Center.

Foothill Gala celebrates $500,000 in support

The Foothill College Commission raised more than $100,000 at its seventh annual benefit gala July 29. That figure met the commission’s overall goal of $500,000 from all seven events.

Donation checks are still coming in, said Lori Thomas, publications and publicity coordinator for Foothill College.

Comeback highlights The’s effort at U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship

Tessa The didn’t win the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, but she did pull off one of the biggest comebacks in the history of the prestigious golf tournament.

The Los Altos resident reached the round of 16 the hard way: She had to win the last five holes to force a tie, then beat match-play opponent Elyse Okada in a playoff.

Grieb grabs glory in ArenaBowl XXI

The season is over, and Mark Grieb is still winning.

Just days after quarterbacking the San Jose SaberCats to a 55-33 victory over the Columbus Destroyers in ArenaBowl XXI - earning Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Game honors in the process - Grieb was voted his team’s MVP for the season.

The nationals, at last

The pressure was on Los Altos Hills residents Kevin Santora and Nashad Gadrej, along with several other members of the South San Jose/San Juan Ruckus club soccer team.

As the elder statesmen on the under-19 squad, this was their final chance to get the Ruckus out of its regional rut and into the national tournament.

Roche, Gallagher make their marks at JO track meet

One claimed a gold medal, the other set a season record. The USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships proved to be a memorable meet for Los Altos residents Casey Roche and Kieran Gallagher.

Roche won the pole vault in the Young Men’s division (ages 16-18); Gallagher ran the fastest 800-meter time of the year among Midget Girls (11-12).

Downtown businesses looking to capitalize on festival, Farmers Market

Residents from all over the Bay Area flock to downtown Los Altos for events such as the weekly Farmers Market and the yearly Arts and Wine Festival. But some local merchants question whether or not these visitors are boosting their businesses.

“Every event the (Los Altos) Village Association does is for the purpose of bringing people downtown,” said Nancy Dunaway, the association’s executive director.

Sudoku puzzle books by the numbers

When I wrote a Town Crier book review about Sudoku puzzles in 2005, my point was that Sudoku is the best kind of addiction - fun, harmless and good for your brain.

Sudoku is a logic-based puzzle in which several numbers are to be filled into a 9-by-9-grid of squares so that every row, column and 3-by-3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Painters distinguish the South of France

France has inspired some of the world’s best-loved paintings. For your next European vacation, consider planning a theme trip, following the trail of French artists through the countryside.

Begin in Provence, a sunny southern region that conjures memories of a rural idyll. It has inspired images of sunflowers, olive trees and wheat fields basking in the sunshine. Some of Provence still looks as it did when painters such as Cézanne and Van Gogh worked there toward the end of the l9th century. Aix-en-Provence is an elegant town of l7th- and l8th-century mansions.

Back-to-school blues

It’s coming, and the wishes of every child in the district can’t stop it. The new school year steadily approaches, inspiring anything from impatient excitement to resignation, mild nervousness or a healthy dose of heart-pounding terror. And that’s just in the parents.

But don’t worry, there’s good news - there are practical steps parents and children can take to get the school year off to a good start. Even for the most reluctant student, a little effort in the last weeks of summer can ease the transition.

New Works at Foothill

The office break room takes center stage at Foothill College’s third annual New Works Festival, opening this weekend and running through Aug. 18 in Los Altos Hills.

The festival, presented by the Foothill College Drama Department, premieres eight vignettes set in the office break room.

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).

THEATER