The age of the internet and social media has not been kind to newspapers. It seems a week doesn’t go by without a newspaper closing or merging into something less than what it was.
For most of its 72-year history, the Los Altos Town Crier has operated in the black. Thanks to its historically strong partnership with the community, the Town Crier continued to be profitable even as surrounding papers disappeared. But even your Town Crier has struggled financially over the past few years.
It’s nearing the end of 2019, and we have our thumbs ready for takes on the most recent local news developments.
Thumbs-up: To the Los Altos School District for finalizing its 10th-site purchase. The complex deal for the 11.65-acre site in the high-density San Antonio area of Mountain View is a huge win for the district – as it currently stands, the district is paying less than $28 million of the $155 million purchase price, with the city of Mountain View (which gets park space) and developers paying the rest. Construction is still years out, and it hasn’t been decided which school will occupy the site. But it’s a certainty that local students will benefit from it.
One of the many benefits of our great democracy is our right to question authority. And we appreciate those who take advantage of this right to air concerns with the purpose of exposing wrongdoing. We aim to do so ourselves.
But at what point does valid criticism become something else? When do questions turn into unfounded accusations?
Bad weather led to the first-ever cancellation of the downtown Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade Dec. 1.
Obviously, everyone’s disappointed, from the parade organizers to the thousands of young children who were looking forward to their storybook characters coming to life.
The 40th anniversary of the Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival, scheduled this weekend, gives us an opportunity to weigh its impact on downtown Los Altos.
Decades later, the festival remains Los Altos’ most popular event. Each year, we gather to celebrate sunny summertimes and enjoy a weekend escape.
Congratulations are in order for Jan Pepper, now beginning her second one-year stint as Los Altos mayor. Pepper previously served as mayor in 2015.
She will now preside over a city council that is well intentioned but could stand to improve its efficiency. Meetings have been dragging on and on. We have a suggestion.
Summer 2019 is here, and, of course, we’re all thumbs.
• Thumbs-up: To the actual start of work on a new Hillview Communty Center. Demolition and construction will soon begin on a 24,500-square-foot, $34.7 million center to replace old, run-down facilities that formerly housed an elementary school many years ago. Estimated time for completion is December 2020. After decades of talking about it, Los Altos is finally getting something done.
The Town Crier welcomes letters to the editor on current events pertinent to Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View. Write to us at 138 Main St., Los Altos 94022, Attn: Editor, or email editor Bruce Barton at bruceb@latc.com. Because editorial space is limited, please confine letters to no more than 200 words. Include a phone number for verification purposes. Anonymous letters will not be printed.
You can also have your say right here at losaltosonline.com – scroll to the bottom of any story to add a comment.
