Accident awareness

Parents of schoolchildren and traffic-aware residents are scheduled to celebrate Crossing Guard Appreciation Day Tuesday, a local tradition that highlights Los Altos’ inordinate interest in traffic.

As every city council member will attest, traffic control and safety is a standard issue on the campaign stump, and a critical matter of local concern. An analysis of city traffic data reveals predictable problems and settings that lead to collisions, yet ongoing logistical and funding barriers block traffic solutions.

LASD suspends full-day kindergarten

Facing a probable reduction in state education funds that could result in a deficit of up to $1.1 million, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees voted Jan. 28 to suspend the full-day kindergarten program for the 2008-2009 school year.

The vote was 3-1 in favor of suspending the program, with trustees David Luskin, Mark Goines and David Pefley voting affirmatively. They said they were reluctant to cancel the program for a year but felt it was necessary because of the possible deficit. Trustee Bill Cooper dissented, and Trustee Margot Harrigan was absent.

County emergency fee approval upsets LAH staff

Despite a letter of protest drafted by the Los Altos Hills City Council, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 Jan. 29 to assess a fee for emergency response and disaster preparedness services on every telephone line in the county.

County residents and businesses can expect a new charge tacked onto their phone bills beginning May 1.

Post office eyes Third Street in search for downtown relocation site

Postal services may migrate to the heart of downtown Los Altos when the First Street post office closes in 2009 or 2010, and postal officials are considering making the move permanent.

Consumers who need to buy stamps, drop off packages or maintain post office boxes may find themselves at the former Bank of the West building at Third and Main streets, or at some to-be-determined temporary location downtown as the 100 First St. building is redeveloped.

Neighbors balk at Miramonte School’s requested 50-student expansion permit

Residents in the Los Altos area surrounding Miramonte School, near Blach Junior High School, may have to deal with an additional 50 students in their neighborhood, and they aren’t happy about it.

“The traffic in the area is crazy,” said resident Andy Hawryluk. “At 8 and 3, you can’t get out of your driveways.”

News Briefs

City releases new parking guide

Los Altos’ new map of downtown parking is available at www.ci.los-altos.ca.us and at city hall, 1 N. San Antonio Road. It shows which parking spaces are available for downtown permit holders and which are designated for all-day, three-hour, two-hour and 20-minute parking.

Editorial

The Los Altos City Council’s Jan. 22 decision to allocate $14,600 to begin investigating what the city can do to reduce air pollutants comes across – initially – as the right thing to do in this era of CO2 emissions consciousness.

As part of the recent action to evaluate current greenhouse gas emissions at the city level, the council directed Mayor Val Carpenter to add her signature to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement.

Letters to the Editor

Resident questions LASD lawsuit

Mark Goines’ (president of the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees) letter to the editor (Jan. 30 Town Crier) was a glaring example of the vendetta that the school district has against the Bullis Charter School.

Taking It Personal

Human beings are amazingly resilient. We arise each day for a new journey, fall asleep after countless struggles – and stresses – and wake up to do it again. It’s hard not to feel robotic during the routine moments that plague our everyday lives: turn off alarm, take shower, make coffee, drive to work, return phone calls, drive home, check mail, pay bills, cook dinner, brush teeth, go to sleep. It’s often the moments between the routines that bring zest to the monotonous or stressful, even if only a little bit.

For a co-worker, it was replacing her office chair with a pink medicine ball as she typed her articles last week. For others, it’s maintaining organization – keeping separate calendars for personal and work appointments, yet still entering them into the phone. For my boyfriend, it’s singing in the shower – though he won’t be the first to admit it. And for my grandmother, it was studying her ancestry and family history.

Wedding: Heather Hardwick and Ian Rhodes

Heather Hardwick and Ian Rhodes were married Sept. 22 at Stanford Memorial Church. A reception was held at the Los Altos Golf & Country Club.

The bride is the daughter of John and Gloria Hardwick of Los Altos. She graduated from St. Francis High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from Stanford University. She is vice president of Menlo Consulting Group in Los Altos.

Engagement: Giselle Miller and Sean Berwald

Giselle Miller and Sean Berwald have announced their engagement to be married in the spring of 2009.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Jeffrey Miller of Los Altos and Karen Hensman of Mountain View. She graduated from Los Altos High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from UCLA. She is employed as a teacher at Crossroads School in Santa Monica.

Scouting News

Four Boy Scouts from Troop 30 in Los Altos have earned Scouting’s highest honor, the Eagle Scout rank.

Stephen Hine, Brian Walz, Jack Jandro and Clark Tella are scheduled to receive their Eagle awards at a Court of Honor ceremony 2 p.m. Sunday at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos.

Main Street Cafe exhibits Valentine art

Main Street Cafe & Books has scheduled “From the Heart,” an exhibition by artist members of Fine Arts League of Cupertino, through Feb. 29. An opening reception, sponsored by the Los Altos Cultural Association, is set 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday at the cafe, 134 Main Street, Los Altos.

The exhibition showcases 40 paintings that commemorate Valentine’s Day.

El Camino Hospital Foundation plans annual gala

The El Camino Hospital Foundation has scheduled its annual gala, “Spotlight on Our Future,” April 5 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.

The black-tie-optional evening will celebrate technology at El Camino Hospital, known for its adoption of pioneering software and cutting-edge equipment to improve patient care.

Chamber honors notable members at awards dinner

The Los Altos Chamber of Commerce presented awards to six outstanding chamber members at its annual awards dinner, held Jan. 30 at Chef Chu’s restaurant.

Dan Brunello of Le Boulanger received the Chamber Member of the Year Award, presented by 2007 Board Chairwoman Kamrin Knight Desmond. Le Boulanger opened its first store in Los Altos in 1981 and now boasts 17 locations from San Mateo to San Jose. The chamber recognized the company’s generous contributions to the community and its longtime support of the Business EXPO, golf tournament, Fall Festival and community guide.

Art-n-Fun holds crafts weekend demonstration

Art-n-Fun, 167 Main St. in downtown Los Altos, has scheduled an Arts ‘n’ Crafts Weekend 12:30-5:30 p.m. Feb. 16 and 17.

The event aims to promote community art awareness and allow people of all ages to interact with art and artists in a personal and entertaining manner, according to organizers.

Community Briefs

Crimson Mim shares the love

Employees at Crimson Mim in downtown Los Altos are inviting shoppers to “Share the Love” in anticipation of Valentine’s Day.

LASD hires new principal for Bullis-Purissima

Erica Gilbert, currently a principal at a Sunnyvale elementary school, has been named Bullis-Purissima School principal effective next month, announced Los Altos School District Superintendent Tim Justus.

“I think it’s an opportunity of a lifetime to be a principal and open a new school,” Gilbert said. “I’m extremely excited to work in Los Altos and to get to know the community.”

Homework time lightened for LASD students

After more than a year of information collection and discussion, the Los Altos School District Board of Trustees Jan. 28 approved changes, effective immediately, to address concerns with the homework policy.

At four separate school board meetings, trustees evaluated the changes, which would reduce the time requirements for homework and promote parent-teacher communication.

Technology week educates LAHS students

Los Altos High School students heard from Silicon Valley’s high-tech innovators during the school’s annual Science and Technology Week in January. The goal of the event was to translate math and science concepts into concrete applications.

Students viewed demonstrations and presentations from Darin Billerbeck, president and CEO, ZiLOG; Sheila Brady, director, Apple Computers; Michael T. Jones, chief technologist, Google Earth and Maps; Nancy Keith Kelly, senior vice president, Hill & Knowlton; Felix Kramer, CalCars.org; Martin Kreig, Peninsula Experimental Bicycle; Creon Levit, NASA physicist; and Nila Patil, Ph.D., geneticist.

Beating Priory proves too tall an order for Panthers

The Pinewood School boys basketball team scored just five points in the first half of Friday’s game while trying to figure out how to get around Woodside Priory’s two big men, 7-foot-2 Greg Somogyi and 6-9 Dinko Marshavelski.

The Panthers had more success on defense, as coach Andrew Slayton determined the best way to neutralize Somogyi and Marshavelski was to slow the pace and give them fewer chances to touch the ball. The strategy led to Woodside’s two big men combining for a modest 14 points, but visiting Pinewood couldn’t overcome its offensive woes and lost 49-39.

Blach wrestler Lemak makes school history

Stefan Lemak recently became the first Blach Junior High wrestler to capture a division championship at the county meet.

The eighth-grader won the 135-pound weight class at the Santa Clara County Junior High Wrestling Championships in December at Andrew Hill High in San Jose.

Tigers spoil Senior Night for St. Francis High girls

Senior Night was an emotional and inspirational experience for the five St. Francis High girls playing perhaps the last home basketball game of their careers.

But emotion and desire weren’t enough to beat Notre Dame-Belmont, which prevailed 46-33 Saturday in Mountain View.

Hills native Cannon returns to SJ Earthquakes

The face of the new San Jose Earthquakes is a familiar one to many local soccer fans.

The newly reformed Earthquakes last month brought back Los Altos Hills native Joe Cannon, a goalkeeper who helped the previous version of the team win a Major League Soccer championship in 2002. The St. Francis High graduate left San Jose the next year and has played for three teams since.

Foothill women top Chabot in basketball

Up 10 points at halftime last week at Chabot, the Foothill College women’s basketball team wasn’t satisfied.

“For our kids, it was a little bothersome,” Foothill coach Jody Craig said. “They felt they hadn’t played well.”

Sweet season

If the commercial hysteria of the Valentine season has suckered you or your honey into a need for sweets, consider seeking out a house-made dessert that adds some culinary pride to the celebration of chocolate, sugar and fat.

Head to Casa Lupe on Main Street for an interpretation of the dessert fritter buñuelos, in this case a crispy, sweet tortilla topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with cinnamon and honey.

Okra demystified – in defense of a vegetable

Okra is a versatile vegetable that can be prepared in a number of different ways. Many people are unfamiliar with its taste and miss out on the delicious recipes for the tall, annual herb.

Always select fresh and green young okra pods, because they tend to be the most tender and easiest to cook. Larger okra pods may be overmature and tough with brown seeds inside. A fresh okra pod will have white seeds hidden within it. Avoid buying okra that looks brown, shriveled, dry or decayed.

Krug’s new release banks on reputation

As I perused K&L Merchant’s online list of new wines recently, I noticed a bottle of Krug Champagne listed for $3,999. I guessed this was a case price for an older vintage – wrong, this was for a bottle!

It was a 1995 Krug Clos d’Ambonnay. I next assumed Ambonnay was a big bottle size, like a Methuselah or a Salmanazar, that I had never heard of. Wrong again. Ambonnay is a village in the northern part of Champagne.

Food Briefs

Sumika adds jazz on Tuesdays

Japanese restaurant Sumika has added live jazz performances every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. during dinner. The restaurant serves kushiyaki-style grilled dishes in addition to traditional Japanese cuisine.

In search of lost recipes

A stray index card or remembered pastry can inspire recipes and stories from the culinary past that deserve a second helping. Send your stories and fondly remembered recipes to elizar@latc.com. Los Altos resident Stanley Mazor reminisces about his culinary exploits at Chez TJ in Mountain View.

“Cleverly, our babysitter looked through my wife’s recipe box, noting index cards that were tattered and stained, reckoning that these were the most used and popular for the meals she could cook for our two boys while my wife and I vacationed in Hawaii many years ago.

Kiki Strike strikes again: Kirsten Miller introduces new book to local readers

Giant squirrels run rampant through New York City streets, a hungry ghost inhabits the halls of an opulent mansion and two deadly secrets are about to be revealed. Who ya gonna call?

For avid readers of author Kirsten Miller, the city’s only hope for protection is Kiki Strike and her band of five delinquent teenage females, the Irregulars. Miller was on-hand at the Los Altos main library Jan. 29 to unveil her second book in the Kiki Strike series, “The Empress’s Tomb” (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2007). Miller talked about her own life experiences that helped shape the characters in the series and the twisted plots that only they can unravel.

Ann Packer to discuss ‘Songs Without Words’ at LAHS

Best-selling author Ann Packer connected with readers with her first novel, 2002’s “The Dive from Clausen’s Pier.” The story, about a woman faced with leaving her fiance after he is paralyzed in an accident, had one critic pronouncing Packer as “one of our most gifted chroniclers of the interior lives of women.”

Now Packer, born to Stanford professors, has a second novel out, “Songs Without Words,” which has also received strong reviews and enhances her “gifted chronicler” reputation. “Songs” centers on two longtime women friends whose relationship is severely tested over tragic and near-tragic events in their lives.

What’s hot in the area

Library displays Camera Club Work

The Los Altos main library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, has scheduled an exhibition of works from the Camera Club of Los Altos through February. The photos include a range from film to digital and color to black and white, covering a variety of styles and techniques.

Diamond shines in concert series

For more than 20 years, singer/songwriter Charlotte Diamond has teamed with Linden Tree Children’s Recordings & Books of Los Altos to provide yearly concerts benefiting the work of Music For Minors.

This year is no different. Diamond is scheduled to perform 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday at Foothill College’s Smithwick Theatre as part of Linden Tree’s annual Family Concert Series. Proceeds benefit Music For Minors, a non-profit organization that originated in Los Altos and continues to recruit, train and place music instructors in classrooms throughout Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

Experts offer advice, insights during LAHS Writers Week

Los Altos High School will feature appearances by approximately 30 established writers at its 23rd annual Writers Week Monday through Feb. 14.

Writers will visit all the English classes during the four-day period, and students will have an opportunity to interface with at least two writers. The classes review the writers’ works prior to their scheduled visit, and each author will discuss his or her work as well as the craft of writing.

West Bay Opera performs Mozart’s ‘Così fan tutte’

West Bay Opera’s production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” in Italian with English titles, conducted by Barbara Day Turner and directed by Douglas Nagel, is scheduled Feb. 15-17 and 22-24 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Curtain time is 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays. There is a post-performance discussion with the cast Feb. 15.

“Così fan tutte” is a story of love and betrayal with the inevitable happy ending. Set in 1700s Naples, the story follows the misadventures of Don Alfonso, who convinces two young officers, Ferrando and Guglielmo, to test the faithfulness of their girlfriends. Mozart wrote some of his most sublime music for the opera as he and master librettist Lorenzo da Ponte mocked the popular practice of swapping girlfriends and boyfriends in the Viennese Courts.

Bus Barn does well with Stoppard’s underwhelming ‘Thing’

The Bus Barn Stage Company’s latest production, Tom Stoppard’s Tony Award-winning “The Real Thing,” is very good. Note I said “production.” We’ll get to the play itself later.

Bottom line, the acting from all seven members of the cast was superb, at least in the performance I saw Saturday night. In particular, Matthew Purdon negotiates the intricate, machine-gun fire dialogue of the main character, playwright Henry, quite nicely. Ditto for Chloe Bronzan, who plays the other main character, Henry’s wife Annie. Tom Gough (Max) and Deb Anderson (Charlotte) handle their supporting roles deftly, as do Thomas Gorrebeeck, Madeleine Sykes and Jack Starr.

‘Religious Literacy’ strives to educate citizenry

Get out your pencils; we’re going to take a pop quiz.

1. Name the four gospels of the Bible. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Make travel a family affair with multigenerational trip

Travel is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children and grandchildren. The opportunity to see other cultures as you bond as a family is something you should not pass up.

As a travel agent, I increasingly see holidays planned as multigenerational affairs, with more and more grandparents taking their grandchildren on journeys they will remember for years.

Copper Canyon train trip nearly sold out

Space for four travelers is still available on the April 11-19 Town Crier Train Tours trip to Copper Canyon in Mexico.

“For train buffs, Copper Canyon is a grand sequence of tunnels and trestles intermixed with the natural beauty of sparsely populated lands,” according to Bob and Marion Grimm of Los Altos, who made the trip in 1997.

Oh, yeah? SezWho?

As the Internet information highway continues to expand with connecting roads in the form of blogs, discussion boards, chat rooms and YouTube, debate rages as to whether information from such sources can be trusted.

The perplexing problem tickled the fancy of computer gurus and Synopsis co-workers Tedd Corman and Jitendra Gupta.

Local realtors’ group supports president’s stimulus package

The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors hailed the recent announcement of an economic stimulus package tentatively agreed to by congressional leaders and President George W. Bush.

The proposal includes a provision for homeowners: a one-year increase to $625,000 nationwide and up to $729,000 in high-cost areas like the Peninsula and the South Bay in the conforming loan limit for loans that government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can purchase. The current limit is $417,000.

Realtors reach out to seniors, homebound

Special to the Town Crier

Electoral College protects smaller communities

Super Tuesday is over and the field of candidates has been culled down and ready to move on to the next phase.

Most of you know that each citizen votes, but in the end the Electoral College picks the president. Why do we have this system that may seem distant and archaic to the average big-city editorial writer? What’s wrong with electing the person who gets the most popular votes?

Resident Kathleen McClenahan, pursued passion for sports despite setbacks

Kathleen Ann (Kathy) Roberts McClenahan, a 40-year resident of Los Altos, died Feb. 2 after a 13-year battle with breast cancer. She was 61.

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