Foothill turns 50

What began as a small idea at a brainstorming session during an education conference in Atlantic City, N.J., in 1956 has developed into a community landmark that continues to meet the challenges of the evolving Silicon Valley community.

Foothill College, founded Jan. 15, 1957, celebrated 50 years of growth and excellence with a Celebration and Community Open House on the Los Altos Hills campus Sept. 25.

City calls for analysis on First and Main site

The Los Altos City Council is again seeking proposals for the city-owned property at First and Main streets, a parcel of land it hopes to develop as a gateway to downtown.

The council unanimously directed staff to recommend an approach to leasing or selling the property and whether or not to retain the lots’ zoning for a hotel. City Manager Doug Schmitz estimated that he could return to the council with recommendations for developing the site within six months.

Fall Festival celebrates the season this weekend

Downtown Los Altos celebrates autumn with the 16th annual Los Altos Fall Festival, scheduled 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the parking plaza behind Main Street off San Antonio Road.

“Fall is in the air, the leaves are falling, it’s a great time to have a festival and bond with your neighbors,” said festival co-coordinator Julie Rose, executive director of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the event.

Recreation projects fuel contentious LAH meeting

The Los Altos Hills City Council and residents debated which local recreation projects to prioritize in the coming year at a lengthy and sometimes heated meeting Sept. 27.

With redistricting in the rearview mirror, council members have turned their attention to parks and recreation facilities, specifically with an eye to developing more town venues for business and play.

Long-awaited pedestrian crossings out to bid

The flashing pedestrian crossing lights planned for San Antonio Road inched a step closer to reality last week when the Los Altos City Council approved advertising for bids 
on the planned project, which staff finished designing last month. The lights themselves may not be flashing before the new year.

The city has been planning the five crosswalk lights, estimated to cost $216,000, for the last two and a half years. The flashing lights will be embedded in the pavement of crosswalks at San Antonio Road’s intersection with Pepper and Angela drives and Loucks, Hawthorne and Hillview avenues. The lights are intended to improve safety by signaling oncoming cars that a pedestrian is in the crosswalk.

LA considers green building code changes

The Los Altos Planning Commission has scheduled a meeting 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Los Altos Youth Center to consider adding green building requirements to city code for both residential and commercial developments.

The proposed amendments offer different standards for residential and commercial construction. New single-family and multiple-family projects and major renovations would require GreenPoint rating, which weighs factors such as energy efficiency, water conservation and indoor air quality. The rating system was developed by Build it Green, a nonprofit environmental construction organization. Staff estimated that GreenPoint verification for new homes will cost approximately $500-$700.

Police Blotter

Commercial burglary

Sept. 25, 7:56 p.m., 100 block of Plaza South: Someone broke in to the Somewhere in Los Altos salon and stole equipment.

Civic center planners to seek public input

The Rebuilding Los Altos Citizens Committee is meeting officially for the first time next week to begin planning for what could be massive renovations of city-owned properties clustered along San Antonio Road and Hillview Avenue. The group is scheduled to present a preliminary report on the project to the city council Tuesday.

The council-appointed committee, largely comprising an ad hoc group that has met over the past six months, includes Paul Foerster, Bill Bocook, Bob Adams, Bob Grimm, Karen Greguras, Dan Brunello, Paul Nyberg, Randall Hull, Jean Mordo, John Moss, Mike Abrams, Roy Lave, Dave Snow, Wallace Leung, Katie Matice, Jeff Warmoth, Dan’l Lewin, Nancy Tucker and Paul Gonella, as well as City Councilmen David Casas and Lou Becker. Community representatives and local groups with a stake in future renovations are expected to weigh in on the committee’s work over the coming year.

West Loyola annexation plans move forward

The town of Los Altos Hills formally forged an agreement with Santa Clara County to make pavement improvements in advance of the West Loyola Annexation.

City council members voted unanimously at their Sept. 27 meeting to bring county roads up to Los Altos Hills standards before annexing the unincorporated area.

Explorer still excites

People who know we test-drive a different car nearly every week sometimes ask us what we own ourselves.

Aside from the 1959 Austin-Healey we use for weekend fun, the 1960 MGA race car that gets its workouts at local race tracks and the 2006 MINI Cooper S we acquired when I was editing a MINI magazine, our vehicle of choice is a 2006 Ford Explorer Limited – the third Explorer in a row we have leased.

Ford features Sync System

Ford Motor Company is offering the optional Sync System powered by Microsoft. The system provides full-integrated connections for mobile phones and digital music players, controlled by steering-wheel controls or voice commands.

The system was easier to demonstrate than to explain. Answer a cell-phone call as you’re walking toward your Ford Focus, Lincoln Mark X or Ford Explorer – the three models first to offer the capability – and all you need to do when you get in the driver’s seat is hit the phone button on the steering wheel. The system automatically recognizes your phone’s Bluetooth interface and seamlessly picks up the connection, transferring your conversation to the hands-free speaker system in the car.

Maintain those belts to prevent engine damage

Q: I’ve been told that my vehicle’s hoses and belts should be replaced. Where are these hoses and belts, and why do they need to be replaced?

Surprising Spectra

We’re spoiled by the wide variety of high-quality automobiles available today. As journalists, we often have difficulty deciding which one we want to drive next. The only catch is that many of the cars we drive come with price tags as breathtaking as their performance.

Recently we were pleasantly surprised by the car we tested, as much for its satisfying performance, quality and design as by its reasonable price. The car we drove, the 2007 Kia Spectra SX, is a four-door sedan with some nice performance upgrades. The version we tested, equipped with optional anti-lock brakes and an in-dash CD changer, was priced at just over $17,000, including destination charges. It would be perfect for a value-conscious young family or a practical older couple who don’t need a fancy nameplate on the grille.

Pastor awarded ‘hero’ designation by CSA

Celebrating 50 years of commitment to compassion, the Community Services Agency of Mountain View and Los Altos honored several hometown heroes at its annual recognition breakfast Friday at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña in Palo Alto.

Executive Director Tom Myers welcomed “the largest hometown heroes celebration we’ve ever had,” recognizing many past hometown honorees, past presidents, volunteers and committee members in the audience, as well as elected officials or their representatives.

Calendar

Today

Mountain View Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m., city hall, 500 Castro St.

Ohlone Day at Rancho San Antonio offers glimpse into Indian life

An appearance by Keith Gutierrez, naturalist at Redwood Grove in Los Altos, will highlight Ohlone Day, a unique living history festival, scheduled 1-4 p.m. Oct. 20 at Deer Hollow Farm in Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. The day offers an opportunity to tour a replica Ohlone Village and learn the history of the Ohlone people, who occupied the Bay Area for 10,000 years. There will be hands-on activities and demonstrations of Ohlone daily life, including acorn grinding, fire starting, cooking, rope making, music, games and archery demonstrations for the whole family.

Farm staff and volunteers created the Replica Village, normally reserved for school field trips. It contains sleeping and shade shelters, an underground sweathouse, a granary and a village community center. These structures are made in much the same way as the Ohlone built them, with willow branches embedded in the soil.

Former editor offers ‘Sunny’ perspective on life in LA

Editor’s note: This is the sixth installment in a series of articles profiling former Town Crier staffers in celebration of the paper’s 60th anniversary this year. This week, we feature Sunny Merik Lockwood, known to Town Crier readers as Sunny Merik, who succeeded Tuck Shepherd as Town Crier editor in 1985-87. The following question-and-answer interview offers Lockwood’s memories from her Town Crier days.

Doctors, donors celebrate opening of Fogarty’s innovative institute

Acelebration marked the official opening and dedication of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation in El Camino Hospital’s Melchor Pavilion Sept. 25.

Hospital staff, donors, potential donors and medical equipment industry representatives gathered in the 4,500-square-foot space to toast the institute’s founder, Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, and the team that made his vision a reality.

Los Altos plein air reception set for Saturday

A reception and exhibition are scheduled 5:30-7 p.m. Saturday at Main Street Cafe & Books for artists who participated in the plein air painting competition held Sept. 21-23 in downtown Los Altos.

Participants from around the region completed 43 paintings depicting scenes from around downtown Los Altos.

‘Roses of Hope’ benefit for ACS set for Sunday

Local Longaberger Home Consultants Franci Davidson and LeeAnn Diehl, in conjunction with the American Cancer Society, have scheduled the second annual Roses of Hope Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Sunday at Michaels at Shoreline, 2960 Shoreline Blvd. in Mountain View.

Kelly Corrigan, newspaper columnist, author and cancer survivor, will speak on “How to Help Those You Love Living with Cancer.” Corrigan designed a Web site, www.circusofcancer.org, to teach people how to help a friend through breast cancer.

CSA needs volunteer drivers

The Community Services Agency, which provides social services for local residents, is seeking volunteers to pick up donated food from local stores.

The agency needs help for 1-2 hours on Wednesday and Thursday mornings and on an on-call basis. Volunteers must have a valid California driver license and current insurance and must be 21 or older.

Community Briefs

Museum sponsors fashion show fundraiser
The Los Altos History Museum has scheduled a fashion show fundraiser featuring the elementary school community noon to 2:30 p.m. Oct. 12 at Shoup Park’s Garden House, 400 University Ave., Los Altos.
Tickets are $60 for museum members, $65 for non-members and guests. Reservations are required and payment must be made in […]

Los Altan paints new logo for the American Legion

Longtime Los Altos resident Thelma Ackley has been painting porcelain china for 47 years, but she had done only a few projects with tiles. When Bill Goss of Los Altos American Legion Post 558 asked her to paint tiles bearing the Legion logo, she accepted the challenge.

The finished product, a detailed image installed Sept. 20 in front of the Legion Hall on First Street in downtown Los Altos, bears witness to Ackley’s painstaking work and smooth transition from china to tile.

LEAD program can be life-changing experience, according to past participants

Taking a Los Altos Leadership Education ADvancement (LEAD) course can be a life-changing event. Some alumni call it “Los Altos 101” because the program introduces people to the local government and community programs that create today’s news.

Last year’s LEAD graduate Eliza Ridgeway, a Town Crier staff reporter, said the program inspired her to write about community events and local residents.

Local Parkinson’s support group boosts symposium webcast Oct. 11, 12

The Parkinson’s Patients Support Group is facilitating regional access via a video webcast to a symposium on Parkinson’s disease scheduled Oct. 11 and 12 in New York.

The symposium, “Frontiers of Science and Clinical Advances in Quality of Life,” marks the 50th anniversary of the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. The event will be archived on the foundation’s Web site for a year.

Winemakers sought for LAH event

The Westwind & Wineries III organizing committee is seeking Los Altos Hills grape growers and winemakers for its third Westwind & Wineries event, scheduled March 30.

Westwind & Wineries events introduce Westwind Barn and local vintners to the community. The March event will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the historical barn, located on Altamont Road in Los Altos Hills.

Indian art focus of LA Library exhibit

PinkMango, a Bay Area organization whose goal is to create a forum for the appreciation and dissemination of the Indian visual arts, has scheduled two events at the Los Altos main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road.

• Through Oct. 31 – “India Unveiled: Paintings by Mithila Women Artists,” an exhibition and book launch by Indian artist Malavika Prakash. For more information, call 948-7683.

Local realtors raise funds for homeless

The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors has scheduled its 10th annual Home for the Holidays fundraiser 5:30-10:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at The Avalon, 777 Lawrence Expressway, Santa Clara.

Sponsored by Coldwell Banker, the event will feature a Halloween theme, a buffet dinner, live and silent auctions, a raffle, live music and dancing. Tickets are $50 in advance, $60 at the door, and the public is invited to attend. This year’s grand-prize drawing is a trip for two to Hawaii, donated by the Housing Industry Foundation Board of Directors.

Pet of the Week

Local schools present lecture on drug trends

For parents confused about drug lingo or concerned their teenagers are exhibiting signs of drug abuse, an upcoming presentation on current drug trends could help ease their worries and arm them with information.

John Vigallon, president of the Northern California Juvenile Officers Association, is scheduled to speak on local drug trends 7 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Mountain View High School theater, 3535 Truman Ave.

LA students named Castilleja National Merit semifinalists

Thirteen seniors from Castilleja School in Palo Alto, including four from Los Altos, have been named 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program semifinalists, representing 21 percent of the senior class.

The students are eligible to become finalists and continue in the competition for more than 8,200 Merit Scholarship awards worth $34 million.

Los Altos Art Docents kicks off year with luncheon and art presentation

The annual luncheon for Los Altos Art Docents, held Sept. 13 at the Historic Adobe House in Mountain View, featured a keynote address by Native American art specialist Fred Rehmus, chairman of the membership board of governors at Stanford University’s Cantor Art Center.

Rehmus, a longtime collector of Pacific Northwest Native American Art, shared his passion and knowledge during a slide show that included examples of Native American masks, totem poles, bentwood boxes and baskets. Many of the objects from his private collection are on display in the Rehmus Family Gallery of Native American Art at the Cantor Art Center.

Schools Briefs

SELPA 1 CAC sponsors parent lecture
SELPA 1 CAC, an organization that aids parents of children with special needs, has scheduled Lynne Muccigrosso, a sexuality educator, to discuss how to talk about sexuality with children 9-11 a.m. Oct. 24 in the Covington School multipurpose room, 205 Covington Road, Los Altos.
Muccigrosso, an education consultant, author and advocate […]

‘Adopted’ soldier visits Almond students

David Sigua, brother of local fallen soldier Will Sigua, made a simple request at his brother’s memorial service last winter. He suggested that people support the troops through the Soldier’s Angels program.

I put that request into action, getting my entire fifth-grade class at Almond School involved.

Volunteers help local students attain early literacy

Los Altos resident Duane Stauffer smiles broadly when he talks about the joys of tutoring the very young, whose futures in reading mean all the difference in the world.

“The statistics show that if (students) can’t read by the third grade, they’re probably going to struggle the rest of their lives,” he said.

Local robotics teams to compete in Northern California Robot Games

Students from 30 Northern California FIRST Robotics teams are scheduled to compete at the Northern California Robot Games at Woodside High School Oct. 13.

The Western Region Robotics Forum, a not-for-profit organization supporting Bay Area FIRST robotics teams, is organizing the competition.

Local seat open on county committee

Santa Clara County school board members are scheduled by Nov. 3 to fill three vacant seats on the Santa Clara County Committee on School District Organization, the panel that determined the fate of redistricting in Los Altos Hills last January.

The primary responsibilities of the committee are the reorganization of school districts through territory transfers and unification and the establishment/rearrangement of governing board trustee areas in the school districts.

Washington wows ’em MV senior returns interception, punt for touchdowns in win over rival LA

With its offense struggling, the Mountain View High football team had to get creative to produce enough points to beat rival Los Altos Friday night. The Spartans scored on defense and special teams in defeating the Eagles 19-17 at Foothill College.

“The defense came alive and the special teams,” Mountain View coach Dan Navarro said. “We did what we had to do on offense, and Arthur came through.”

Los Altos teen comes from behind, wins MV City Championship

Having to beat just seven players to win a golf tournament may not seem that impressive – until you exam the circumstances.

Tessa The was not only the youngest golfer at the Mountain View City Championship, but she also beat a former pro and an aspiring one to claim the women’s title.

Riling up the Panthers

No mean girls here. The 12 players on the Pinewood School volleyball team are a pleasure to be around, according to new coach Cayse Kaveny, but they may be too nice for their own good.

“They’re a nice bunch of girls – you almost want to put a mean streak in them to get them to be more competitive,” Kaveny said. The Panthers are competing, improving to 10-5 with Thursday’s home sweep of Eastside Prep, but Kaveny said they’ve let a few close matches slip away. Three of Pinewood’s losses were in five games.

The best in class

Alex Swetka recently achieved something tennis greats Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Roger Federer may never do. Swetka this year has won clay, grass, hardcourt and indoor national championships in the men’s 90 and over division.

That is a big accomplishment – but win or lose, I still enjoy playing and that’s a big thing,” said the Mountain View resident and founder of Swetka’s Tennis Shop. “It doesn’t faze me when I have a loss and that’s a big thing in tennis.” Of the four majors, Swetka’s most impressive win may have come in April at the National Hardcourt Championships in Rancho Mirage.

Homestead’s scheduling starts to pay dividends

The Homestead High girls volleyball team is beginning to reap the rewards of playing a challenging non-league schedule.
    “We set up a tough preseason to prepare us for league, and so far it’s paying off,” said Matt Hoffman, in his first year as coach.
    The Mustangs have won their first three SCVAL De Anza Division […]

Editorial

The Nov. 6 election will feature four candidates for three seats on the Los Altos City Council. But despite five open seats for school district representatives, local voters won’t have an opportunity to cast ballots.

That’s because no one has stepped forward to challenge the incumbents for seats on the Los Altos School District and Foothill-De Anza Community College District boards. Three incumbents on the Foothill-De Anza board, Laura Casas-Frier of Los Altos, Betsy Bechtel and Hal Plotkin will continue their duties uncontested; ditto Margot Harrigan and Bill Cooper in the Los Altos School District.

Letters to the Editor

A good addition to the ‘Village’
A very generous and community-minded couple want to reopen Foodland at 994 Los Altos Ave. as a small cafe and gathering place, yet Planning Commissioner Randall Hull says, “Because of parking and circulation problems, staff is not recommending it” (Sept. 26).
All the talk about keeping Los Altos a village seems […]

It’s college application time

Full disclosure: I actually enjoyed writing my college application essay. The question was, “If you were to write a book, what would you write about and why?” I remember sitting on a beanbag chair – this was the ’70s – in the student body office at my school, pondering my response.

Noteworthy

Director lauded for work at Pilgrim Haven

Karen Jenney, executive director of Pilgrim Haven retirement community in Los Altos, has been named executive director of the year by Pilgrim Haven’s parent company, American Baptist Homes of the West (ABHOW).

Weddings & Engagements

Gordon McCreight and Robin Casey

Robin Casey and Gordon McCreight were married Aug. 4 at the Lakeside Meadow at Glenbrook, Lake Tahoe, Nev. The bride’s father officiated.

Weddings and Engagements

Mark Christopher Mitchell and Mary Katherine Kenagy

Mary Katherine Kenagy and Mark Christopher Mitchell have announced their engagement to be married Jan. 26 at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Wash.

Wolfgang Panofsky, acclaimed Stanford physicist, arms control advocate

Wolfgang K. H. “Pief” Panofsky, professor of physics at Stanford University and director emeritus of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), died of a heart attack at his home in Los Altos, Sept. 24. He was 88 years old.

Mr. Panofsky was a renowned particle physics researcher, an accelerator builder and an administrator of basic research. In parallel with his science career, he pursued two other interests of interrelated historical significance: nuclear arms control and international peace and security.

Community leaders join tribute to beloved volunteer Ken Kaye

Hundreds of mourners, many of them prominent Los Altos community leaders, paid their respects to the family of Kenneth Kaye during a Sept. 18 memorial service at Congregation Etz Chayim in Palo Alto. Mr. Kaye, a Los Altos attorney and beloved community volunteer, died Sept. 15 after a lengthy bout with cancer. The assembly hall at the congregation overflowed with Mr. Kaye’s friends from his many active years as a community builder.

Rabbi Ari Cartun, leading the service, spoke of a man who was as active in family life as he was in public life, where he helped numerous non-profit organizations. Among them were the Community Services Agency, Miramonte Mental Health Services, the Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC) and the Los Altos Mediation Program. He was also active in the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and Los Altos Kiwanis Club where he served as a past president.

RONALD FRANCIS PRIOSTE

Los Altos Firefighter, beloved son, father, brother, uncle and friend, Ronald Francis Prioste passed away on Friday, September 21 at his family home in Napa after a brave fight with cancer. Ron was born May 24, 1959 in San Francisco to Ronald Frank Prioste and Judith Ann Christen Doherty.Ron served as a recognized fire-fighter […]

HARRY A. PETERSON

Family man, mechanic, sports enthusiast, traveler, a familiar face in downtown Los Altos.  Harry Peterson passed away Thursday Sept. 20th in Mtn. View. He was born in Seattle, WA in 1920 and raised in Palo Alto.  He owned and operated Peterson Brake &          Wheel in Los Altos. He was a veteran of World War […]

ALLEN BARBER

Passed peacefully on Sept. 23, 2007, at age 80. Moved to Sunnyvale in 1937 where his family owned and operated a motel. Allen and his future wife, Carole Andersen, graduated from Fremont High and attended SJSU. Allen and Carole settled in Los Altos in 1960.

Around the country in five months

When Los Altos native Christy Mehrlich landed her 1976 single-engine Piper Arrow, Kilo, at Mineta San Jose International Airport Sept. 24, the 24-year-old was exhausted. Christy dedicated her solo journey from Indiana to California to Angel Flight, a non-profit organization that offers patients in need free flights to care facilities.

After her 2005 graduation from Indiana University, the Pinewood School alumna stayed in Bloomington, Ind., and began a six-month preparation for a solo flight across the country. Christy took off May 2 with her California hometown of Los Altos as the final destination.

What’s hot in Los Altos

The Cure at Shoreline

The Cure headlines Saturday’s Download Festival at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. This will be the veteran British band’s last concert of the year in North America, having recently postponed its U.S. tour. The Download Festival bill also includes A.F.I., Kings of Leon, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, She Wants Revenge, Metric, The Black Angels, 65daysofstatic and Vau De Vire Society. The concert is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.

Library event features ‘Body Worlds’

The Los Altos Library has scheduled Walter Bortz, M.D., medical adviser to the Health Trust, to speak on “Inside Out: Learning about Your Body Can Be the First Step Toward Improved Health and Wellness” 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 at the main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road.

The presentation will feature a female torso preserved by “plastination,” a process invented by physician and anatomist Gunther von Hagens, whose work is on display at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose as part of the Body Worlds exhibit. His proprietary methodology extracts fluids and fats from specimens and replaces them with reactive 
resins and polymers, allowing an unprecedented look inside the human body to determine how it can be affected by disease and lifestyle choices.

Better manners for kids? Start with the adults

Manners are the backbone of your personality.

Art studio celebrates 25 years in Los Altos

The Packard Art Studio of Los Altos celebrated its 25th anniversary Aug. 23 with an exhibition at SPUR Projects gallery in Portola Valley.

More than 350 people attended the celebration, at which 63 student and professional works were on display.

‘Balcony’ opens

Broadway actress Camille Saviola stars in TheatreWorks’ production of “Golda’s Balcony,” opening this week at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. It closes Oct. 28.

Saviola plays Golda Meir, who rose from impoverished schoolgirl to prime minister of Israel, in the one-woman drama from Tony Award-winning playwright William Gibson (“The Miracle Worker”). Aaron Davidman, artistic director of Traveling Jewish Theatre Art, directs.

Interest-rate cuts engender benefits – and negativity

Last week I wrote about benefits derived from the economy when interest rates decrease, including business expansion, more jobs, higher wages and lower mortgages. I recently read an article published in the San Jose Mercury News lamenting that the rate cut would only help businesses and financiers but leave average homebuyers in dire straits. While the article successfully perpetuated negativity, it did not tell the truth about the interest-rate picture.

Yum Yum Tree sprouts new roots

Sunnyvale’s loss became Los Altos’ gain when Christine Kendall moved her women’s clothing shop from its 25-year location in Sunnyvale’s Town and Country Village to its new location at 165 Main St.

A steady stream of customers, both old and new, helped Kendall celebrate Yum Yum Tree’s grand opening Sept. 27. She wasn’t surprised by the turnout.