By most accounts, the 41st annual downtown Los Altos Festival of Lights Parade Nov. 25 was pure holiday bliss. Thousands of spectators gathered along Main and State streets to witness the procession of floats and performers, their smiles beaming as brightly as the colorful lights decorating Santa’s float and the uniforms of the local high school marching bands.
News Features
Los Altos resident fights to ensure carriers don't violate federal law with delayed delivery practice
Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Los Altos resident Ron Ligon said construction crews working across the street from his house have blocked access to his mailbox on multiple occasions. His mail carrier has refused to exit his vehicle and deliver the mail on foot, citing a policy instituted by Postmaster Anli Zhao.
Los Altos resident Ron Ligon is on a mission to ensure that the Miramonte Avenue U.S. Postal Service adheres to federal policy that requires a mail carrier to deliver his mail even if access to his mailbox is obstructed.
Ligon said that after engaging in fruitless discourse with Postmaster Anli Zhao over the USPS holding his mail because construction trucks blocked his mailbox, “I told her, ‘If you want a war, you’ve got one. Because I’m retired. I’ve got time.”
Rotarians want shade for downtown plaza
Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
People attended the dedication of Veterans Community Plaza in downtown Los Altos on Sept. 19, 2017, above.
People attended the dedication of Veterans Community Plaza in downtown Los Altos on Sept. 19, 2017, above.
Members of the Rotary Club of Los Altos have been instrumental in the development of the downtown Community Plaza. Twenty-five years ago, they funded reconstruction of the plaza, located at the intersection of Main and State streets. A year ago, the club’s Veterans Committee, led by Ron Labetich, successfully lobbied the city council to rename the spot Veterans Community Plaza.
Animal shelter overhaul inches forward
Courtesy of Pets In Need
Pets In Need playgroup coordinator Alex Onitsuka plays with adoptable dog Daisy.
With a unanimous vote of approval, the Palo Alto City Council last week signed off on a five-year, $3.7 million operating agreement with Pets In Need, the organization selected to take control of Palo Alto Animal Services. In addition to Palo Alto, the Bayshore Road facility provides animal control and sheltering services to Los Altos and Los Altos Hills residents.
Pets In Need queries community about future Animal Services needs
Mollica
In anticipation of assuming operations of Palo Alto Animal Services, the contract provider for Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, Redwood City-based nonprofit Pets In Need recently published a community survey to gauge residents’ interest in potential programs and services that could be available after the takeover, expected in early 2019.
Pets In Need Executive Director Al Mollica spoke with the Town Crier last week about the ongoing survey, his hopes for a Palo Alto City Council meeting tentatively scheduled Monday and the steps his organization is taking to help humans and animals displaced by the California wildfires.
Erosion-damaged section of Stevens Creek Trail reopens
Courtesy of Santa Clara Valley Water District
Part of the Stevens Creek Trail near El Camino Real in Mountain View, damaged during storms last year, has reopened to the public.
Part of the Stevens Creek Trail near El Camino Real in Mountain View, damaged during storms last year, has reopened to the public.
Cyclists, joggers and walkers can now use the portion of the Stevens Creek Trail near El Camino Real in Mountain View that washed out during the heavy storms of 2017.
A temporary detour has been in place for nearly a year, and the repairs are now permanent.
