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Volume 50, Number 47, Published on 11/24/1997

News

Hospital district: Audit encouraging, facilities upgrades on the way

Directors of the El Camino Hospital District unanimously accepted results of the district's audit for fiscal year 1996-97 at the Nov. 12 board of directors meeting. While the audit identified some areas needing improvement, overall results were favorable.

Top teams shooting for a title

Town Crier Staff Writer

Secondary dwelling units key to approving Los Altos Hills housing element

Los Altos Hills City Council members hope to encourage construction of secondary dwelling units as a keystone to satisfying state affordable housing requirements and winning certification of the town's housing element. The council held an information-only discussion of the proposed housing element at its Nov. 19 meeting.

Council sends Koo Koo Roo sign to spell-check

Koo Koo Roo signs continue to ruffle local feathers and had city council members crying "fowl" at their Nov. 18 meeting.

Arson cited in fire at Los Altos video store

Town Crier Staff Writers

Community house moves to new home

The quaint 1920s bungalow perched on a patch of land across from the Los Altos City Hall, was scheduled to be moved to its new spot on Hillview Ave. at 7 a.m. Sunday, said Bruce Bane, public works director for Los Altos.

Council to evaluate firms for city manager search

City council members created a list of 14 criteria they will use to select a search firm to help the city find its next city manager.

Comment

Still in search of a solution for the mentally ill

Other Voices

Letters to the Editor

I thought the 4-part series was really great journalism. I don't normally read the Crier, but was told about this series and read it from cover to cover.

A surfeit of potties

A View from the Hills

Will Koo Koo Roo do Los Altos right?

Such stores have earned Los Altos downtown a reputation as a charming, even laid-back place to go shopping. But to what effect does a corporate-type store with absentee owners have in undermining that charm? Some of these stores have contributed nothing more to the downtown other than take up space, while taking their profits out of town. That's their prerogative, but hardly in keeping with the tradition of most downtown Los Altos merchants.

Community

CSA needs volunteers for kitchen

The Community Kitchen serves hot meals to low-income and homeless families and individuals four evenings a week.

Community Briefs

Ted Lempert, the state assemblyman representing our 21st district, will host a one-hour town hall meeting 11 a.m., Dec. 13, at Los Altos City Hall, 1 N. San Antonio Road.

Police Report

Nov. 17, 2:48 a.m., 200 block of State Street: A caller reported seeing a male wearing all black exiting Video Man Store through a broken window and then heading toward Safeway. Police arrested two juveniles.

Almanac

Thanksgiving - city offices closed.

Festival of Lights Parade set to shine again this Sunday evening

Special to the Town Crier

Kris Casto - a long swim to become Los Altos mayor

Kris Casto is a doer. During a September weekend, this Los Altos Master Swimmer swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco one day, and from San Francisco to Sausalito, under the Golden Gate Bridge, the next.

Elizabeth Holtzman brings politics into focus at Morning Forum

Special to the Town Crier

No more local calls for postal help

The western region began coming on-line last Thursday, said Jewel Hamilton, station manager at the Miramonte postal station in Loyola Corners.

Pages of the Past

The Nov. 29, 1972, issue of the Town Crier was an anniversary salute to the city of Los Altos, incorporated 20 years earlier on Dec. 1, 1952. The Town Crier rang its own bell, too, "humbly calling attention" to the fact that it was its 25th anniversary,

T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G - and what it means for some Los Altos retailers

Special to the Town Crier

Downtown tree lighting, holiday singing set for Friday

The Los AItos Village Association will co-host with the Town Crier the annual downtown holiday tree lighting ceremony 6 p.m. this Friday in the Community Plaza, located at Main and State streets.

Operation: One Warm Coat gets under way

Operation: One Warm Coat will again be collecting coats, jackets and sweaters to distribute the Bay Area homeless and others in need at the Coldwell Banker offices in Los Altos through Dec. 15.

Six locals honored for outstanding fund-raising

The National Society of Fund Raising Executives-Silicon Valley Chapter honored six outstanding community members from Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View as "Distinguished Volunteer Fund Raisers" on National Philanthropy Day, Nov. 18.

Library News

Everyone is welcome to attend these monthly sessions.

MidPeninsula Hospice celebrates 20 years of care

Special to the Town Crier

Two local women among 75 noted for achievements

Two Mountain View women were among the 75 who were nominated from Santa Clara Valley for 1997 Women of Achievement awards sponsored by The Women's Fund.

Los Altos Weather

Schools

Next for HS renovations: Science and art buildings

Town Crier Staff Writer

Schools officials await questionable new state achievement test

The California State Legislature approved a new standardized achievement test Nov. 14 for grades 2 through 11 that has left local administrators raising their eyebrows.

Noteworthies

Brett Moser Parker of Los Altos was among the 1,251 freshman accepted to Southern Methodist University this year. SMU is a private, comprehensive university located in Dallas.

Schools Briefs

Blach Intermediate School will hold its annual Holiday Faire from 12:30-4 p.m., Dec. 5, in the school's multipurpose room, 1120 Covington Road, Los Altos. Students will be making and selling jewelry, candles, holiday decorations and good.

Sports

Foothill women aiming for state title

The Foothill College women's basketball program is quickly establishing itself as the team of the 1990s in Northern California community college circles.

This Week in Local Sports

Boys Basketball

Mountain View bows out in semifinals

Special to the Town Crier

Los Altos High's Hill crowned CCS champ

Town Crier Staff Writer

CYSA offers youth soccer players an alternative to local AYSO league

Special to the Town Crier

Foothill golf team finishes third in state

The Foothill College women's golf team came up short in its bid for a state title Nov. 17.

Locals make their mark at college level

In September, we published a list of former high school athletes now playing in college. Since we received such overwhelming response to this feature, we're going to take it a step further. From time to time, we will highlight outstanding performances by some of these athletes. Here's our first installment:

St. Francis girls spike the competition

Let's face it, with the exception of Mitty, the Central Coast Section has been one giant snore to the St. Francis High girls volleyball team.

Business & Real Estate

Chamber's interest in city affairs grows

Formation of the new government affairs committee of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce signals the chamber's intent to become more involved in legislative issues affecting the business community.

Chamber discusses city's role

The agenda is a discussion of economic development for all parts of town, the city's role in economic development, and mutual goals of the city and the chamber in economic development. The meeting is scheduled for 7:45 a.m. in room A of the Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Avenue.

SmartPermit to speed-up building process

Helping make Silicon Valley companies competitive faster is a goal of SmartPermit, an Internet building permitting system developed under the auspices of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley. Los Altos has been involved in the development process since its beginning in May 1994.

Being the premier source of information for home-buying consumers as well as members is a major goal of the new leaders at PenWest Peninsula West Valley Association of Realtors, headquartered in Los Altos.

"Yes, we are a Realtors' association, but we offer so much to the public as a whole," said Shannon Elam, the new public relations director for PenWest.

Transactions

Cupertino

The charismatic engineer - getting beyond the pocket protector image

Special to the Town Crier

Weekly Special

A melodramatic search for the truth

Special to the Town Crier

St. Francis Women's Club presents

"Christmas at Our House," the annual holiday house tour benefiting St. Francis High School, marks the beginning of the holiday season for many local families.

Get creative with holiday gift wrap materials

This year, plan for some "homegrown" gift wraps, reflecting your own creativity and affection. Collect simple supplies as you do your regular errands, in grocery or hardware stores, and create trimmings from recycled or unorthodox sources.

Holiday greens and ornaments sale to benefit garden projects

The Garden Club of Palo Alto will hold its biennial holiday greens and ornament sale, "Holiday Affaire," on Saturday, December 6 at Cubberley Community Center in Palo Alto from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

San Jose Holiday Festival

Christmas at Filoli

Country cottage charm in town:

Lindsay Rand's storybook home

Poinsettias stars in holiday book

Definitive proof that poinsettias are NOT poisonous...a man who owns 60 different poinsettia-printed ties...how to pick out the freshest poinsettia plants.

Holiday gifts galore at Antique Emporium

Hootie and the Blowfish, President Clinton's Secret Service men, and Crosbie, Stills, Nash and Young have all shopped at the Antique Emporium at Hyatt Rickeys on El Camino Real.

Weddings

Veronick Kelly and Robert A. Hammer were married Oct. 21 in Cabo San Lucas. A reception was held Nov. 9 at Villa Hotel, San Mateo.

Obituaries

August Lee Judkins, a self employed pilot who flew espionage agents and equipment across the Gobi for the CIA during the Cold War and who received the Distinguished Flying Cross from World War II and the Korean War, died Oct. 30. A 32-year Los Altos resident, he was 73.

'Moon' rises at Lucie Stern Theater

It should be a riotous evening of pitfalls and pratfalls when TheatreWorks presents the Northern California premiere of "Moon over Buffalo," the latest Broadway hit by Ken Ludwig.

'Happy Hunter' sets its sights on Bus Barn

Special to the Town Crier