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Volume 49, Number 42, Published on 10/07/1996

News

Four candidates ponder the future of the town

Preservation and respect of Los Altos Hills' natural beauty is the theme for all four candidates vying for three seats on the city council in November.

Cutting pathway vegetation irks Los Altos Hills residents

The Town of Los Altos Hills has 93 miles of pathways, which the Town's maintenance staff is required to preserve and keep clear of vegetation.

Day worker job center hearing set as organizers eye former Gary's Video site

The City of Mountain View has scheduled an Oct. 15 hearing on a proposed site for a new St. Joseph The Worker job center to help employ the mostly Latino workers who congregate along El Camino Real in Mountain View and Los Altos. However, job center supporters face an uphill battle as they attempt to show they can peacefully co-exist with skeptical neighbors.

Los Altos child to return home following alleged kidnapping attempt by troubled mom

Seven-year-old Jaime Butler was set to return to his Los Altos home Monday after an alleged kidnapping last Thursday by his biological mother who has a history of mental instability and abusive behavior.

News Briefs

The Board of Directors of Westwind Barn met with their insurance agent to review insurance policies and related safety practices. As a result of the assessment, the agent recommended that Westwind place signs at the driveway entrance to the barn off Altamont Road and at the trail entrance. The signs will read: "Pass at your own risk. You assume that risk, whether known or unknown, in the presence of horses."

Comment

The real presidential election

Sauntering into Adventure Toys and Teachers' Supplies on Main Street in Los Altos, I noticed a number of children's books on elections. Since this is an election year, co-owner Angela Sherry demonstrated different books on U.S. presidents to me, including one on the presidential election process. They also have a book on display that features how to have your own classroom election, including a teacher's instructional guide.

Editorial

With the November election comes a whole slew of new state initiatives, including more bond proposals asking us for more money, questionable legal reforms, confusing campaign and health reforms, and another attempt to legalize marijuana.

Aren't women getting too much sports coverage?

Dear Wondering about Women in Sports: What's next? A professional women's basketball league in our Bay Area! Oh, thank you, thank you, for a chance to slip in my favorite cause.

Letters to the Editor

The Sept. 4 letter from Nancy Martin, concerning the proposed GTE Mobilenet monopole at Hillview Community Center, caught my attention. I have been curious about the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for some time, particularly since reading "The Body Electric" by Robert O. Becker, M.D., and Gary Selden. They say, "The dangers of electropollution are real and well documented. It changes, often pathologically, every biological system. What we don't know is exactly how serious these changes are, for how many people."

Community

Cheetahs take center stage for Los Altos Hills weekend

The recent sightings of mountain lions in the Los Altos Hills area have raised red flags for some residents. A well-intentioned resident posted signs warning of mountain lions, but wrongly displayed a picture of a cheetah. What's the difference? Plenty, according to organizers of a Los Altos Hills event happening 2-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, which calls attention to the cheetah's plight.

Library Notes

Newly-revised Internet training sessions are now available to the public at the Los Altos and Woodland libraries.

Morning Forum speaker says Russia faces anxious winter

Russia is entering a perilous period in its history with the questionable health of leader Boris Yeltsin, an expert on Russian affairs told Morning Forum visitors last week.

Local Nazi death-camp survivor returns to Holocaust site in Sarvar, Hungary

Special to the Town Crier

Pages of the Past

The Oct. 13, 1971 issue of the Town Crier advised its readers that memories of early Los Altos, captured in a collection of oil paintings by Mrs. Anna Knapp Fitz, were on display at the Los Altos Public Library during October 1971.

Mountain lion sightings continue - residents frustrated

Mountain lion sightings continue to mount in Los Altos Hills as concerned and frustrated residents cite a lack of help from wildlife agencies.

AAUW voter education campaign aims to stir up sluggish voters

In 1994, 2,550 woman who voted in 1992 in Los Altos and Mountain View did not go to the polls.

Nation 'void of leadership,' Stanford provost tells Los Altos foundation

There is a vacuum in our leadership today, according to Stanford University provost Condoleezza Rice. "We don't have anyone like Presidents Roosevelt, Truman and Jefferson to lead us. It's a tremendous void," she told the Los Altos Community Foundation Sept. 28 at its fifth annual brunch in the Los Altos Golf and Country Club.

Community Briefs

The Los Altos Rotaract Club, a community service group sponsored by the Los Altos Rotary Club and Rotary International, is seeking career-minded individuals between the ages of 18-35 as new members.

Almanac

Wednesday

Anne Frank exhibit in Mountain View promotes diversity

In an effort to build tolerance and respect for diversity, Mountain View's Anne Frank Exhibit Committee and Silicon Graphics Inc. will present the renowned "Anne Frank in the World: 1929-1945 exhibit" from Oct. 13 through Nov. 11. in the fourth floor gallery in City Hall, 500 Castro St.

Los Altos Weather

Schools

Dog day afternoons

Two local boys have the solution for dog owners who do not always have time to take their pets for a walk. Travis Martin and A.J. McGillis have started their own business of walking and caring for dogs in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

Computer thefts at high schools more than $20,000

During the summer more than $20,000 of computer equipment was stolen from Los Altos and Mountain View High schools while construction was under way. School officials did not learn of the thefts until school had began in the fall. At that time they reported the losses to police.

Local students, staff dedicate new campus center at Castilleja School

The residence hall at Castilleja School in Palo Alto was renovated this past summer and is now the Arrillaga Family Campus Center, which was dedicated on Sept. 27.

Local resident headmaster at Woodside Priory school

Special to the Town Crier

Homecoming dance creates controversy at LAHS, date changed to accommodate more students

The Los Altos High School administrators and the Associated Student Body officers (ASB) have struggled with the scheduling of the homecoming dance.

Sports

Foothill falls to Gavilan, 21-20

Special to the Town Crier

MVHS kicks off soccer tourney

All teams play in round-robin format and are guaranteed three games. Entry fee is $90 per team for up to 10 players and $9 extra per additional player. Entries must be postmarked by Oct. 15.

Los Altos' Hill leads pack, volleyballers keep winning

Town Crier Staff Report

Pinewood nets fine soccer start

Town Crier Staff Report

THIS WEEK IN SPORTS

Football

Sports Shorts

BAKING KICKS: American Youth Soccer Organization Region 43 is holding a bake sale from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Santa Rita Elementary School, 700 Los Altos Ave. in Los Altos. Featured goodies include cakes, brownies, cookies, pies and jams. All proceeds benefit AYSO.

Athlete Of The Week

A Pinewood High senior center forward for the boys soccer team, Brand has 14 goals and four assists this season. "It's not so much the goals, but his attitude on and off the field," Coach Michael Tetzlaff said of Brand's success. "He's a great leader and takes his task very seriously." On the goal front, the coach said that Brand uses his speed to sometimes break past two or three defenders to score close-range netters.

Foothill finally gets players, strives to improve its game

Town Crier Sports Editor

Mtn. View comes back, beats Gunn

Special to the Town Crier

Girls hockey, polo teams stand tall

Town Crier Sports Editor

Business & Real Estate

Low fees on Mutual Funds can be vague, expert says

Special to the Town Crier

Farmers Market to feature guest grower Saturday

If you like dry beans of any kind, a visit to Loyola Corners Farmers Market this weekend may put you in mood for bean soup. And those who like their beans in a jar for kitchen decorations should be pleased with the different dry bean varieties and colors available.

Local inventor inducted into Inventors Hall of Fame

Four Silicon Valley scientists, including a Los Altos representative, and three other honorees were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame Sept. 21 at Akron, Ohio.

Los Altos sales tax revenues up 14 percent

Los Altos sales tax receipts for the final quarter of the fiscal year 1995, were 14.2 percent higher than the same quarter one year ago. Fiscal year receipts for all of Santa Clara County were up 15.0 percent

Information on lead based paint disclosures

The Town Crier ran an article on lead-based paint hazard disclosures in the new booklet form in the Sept. 18 edition. PenWest officials want to clarify that the booklet is available for $2 at the PenWest office, 321 Second St., in Los Altos.

Realtor's lobby to protect property rights

There are few careers that affect people in the same way that real estate does. If you ever bought or sold a home, the real estate agent practically becomes a member of the family during the stressful time of getting the home ready to show, marketing it, having an open house and going through the closing process.

Coldwell Banker president earns new designation

Larry Knapp, President and Chief Operating Officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Services of Northern California, earned the designation of Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager from the National Association of Realtors.

Business education on the Internet

The Altos Education Network is the first totally web-based educational institution. Altos currently offers courses in entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship which are specially configured to take advantage of the Net's capabilities.

Weekly Special

Chocolate is toxic to cats, dogs so take care at Halloween, vet says

Special to the Town Crier

Anniversaries

Longtime Los Altos Hills residents Dee and Dave Gulick celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Oct. 6. Their children, Elizabeth Gulick of North Hollywood and Kate Dillon of Warren, Vt., wish them a happy anniversary.

Obituaries

William Wesley Anderson, founder of Anderson's Service and Appliances in 1934, died Aug. 6 in Mountain View. He was 84.

The next generation of cruise ships

Special to the Town Crier

Visiting Germany: Where the tours don't go

Rudy Ligtelyn, owner of Ligtelyn Travel Counselors in Los Altos, was recently appointed to the Advisory Board of the German National Tourist Office and made a business trip to Northern Germany at their request. These are his observations on Northern Germany.

Dogs and trucks can be a lethal combination, take heed

Special to the Town Crier

Shannon keeps the pressure on incumbent Byron Sher

Having lost the primary election for the 11th state Senate District to Byron Sher last March, Republican challenger Patrick Shannon has continued his attacks on the Democratic incumbent to make up ground. Shannon lost to Sher 55 percent to 45 percent in the primary.

Koppel-Simitian race becoming dogfight

Three things stand out in the Barbara Koppel, Joe Simitian race for the north county seat on the county board of supervisors: both bring experience from their work in city government; both see different directions to head if elected; and both have served up charges and counter charges that are turning the campaign into a dogfight.

Candidates: Quality care key to turnaround

Where do we go from here? That's the main question candidates for the El Camino Hospital District board will have to address at a time when the hospital is in a state of flux.

Legal, health reforms up before voters

Our thanks to the local League of Women Voters for providing the following material. Among the initiatives generating interest are Prop. 209, which targets Affirmative Action programs, and Prop. 211, which is intended to thwart frivolous lawsuits.

Lempert focuses on improving schools, Laliotis to help businesses

Los Altos Republican Ted Laliotis and San Mateo Democrat Ted Lempert each brings a different focus to his campaign for the 21st Assembly seat in Sacramento.

Three local candidates rally for two open seats on board

The Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District Board of Trustees has two seats to be filled this election. Philip Faillace, Kim Farmer and Greg Ohls are the candidates who hope to fill the positions.

Water district candidates offer expertise

Water is essential to life, but conservation and usage issues surrounding it aren't usually foremost on our minds. Likewise, the "races" for the local Santa Clara Valley Water District seat and Purissima Hills Water District posts in Los Altos Hills don't exactly turn heads.

Eshoo, Brink vie for 14th Congressional District

Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) will be seeking her third consecutive term to the U.S. House of Representatives 14th Congressional district on Nov. 5. Her opponent for the second straight year is Ben Brink, who won the republican nomination in the March 1996 primary election with 86 percent of the vote.