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Published on 12/22/1997 All articles from this issue

A year: Looking back

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Land issues and people who made a difference fill the news this past year

January

The Town Crier welcomed the new year by naming Dick Henning, dean of community services at Foothill College, as Los Altan of the Year for 1996.

Henning, 61, a goodwill ambassador to the Los Altos community for nearly 30 years, has become well known for bringing nationally regarded figures to his Celebrity Forum speaker series at the Los Altos Hills campus.

Storms pounded the area during January. There were no floods locally, after a week of torrential rains, but 15 residents did request sandbags.

For the holiday "Avoid the 13" campaign, Los Altos police snapped handcuffs on 18 during the 20-day December effort, almost double the previous year.

Shock rippled through town after a popular Egan Intermediate School physical education teacher was arrested on charges of child pornography. Local police, who assisted with a search warrant at the school, said no evidence was found at the campus.

Richard Vargas had been with the district since 1988. He later resigned his position.

City burglary rates soared during the first week of 1997. Los Altos police said 21 cars were broken into and four businesses and four homes also were burglarized.

The three-story condo plan for Fremont and El Monte avenues started through the city planning process for a second time. A glitch in notifying residents first time around forced the project to start over. The 24-unit Etruscan condo project became the 16-unit Rosewood Residences.

The Los Altos City Council agreed, at the Jan. 14 annual goal-setting meeting, that their top priority for the year was developing a master plan for the 5.6-acre city-owned site at 401 Rosita.

Traffic calming was second on the list of 13 goals and an independent review of the public works department was No. 3.

A jury found Los Altos police officer Rafael Rosario guilty of sexually assaulting women while on duty. The verdict was announced Jan. 21 after a six-week trial where he faced 12 charges.

Parents from the Los Altos Parent Preschool took the first step in bringing a class action lawsuit against the school where five children were allegedly molested by a parent helper.

James Alvin Stiritz, a Los Altos resident known as "Grandpa Jim," faced 15 felony charges for child molestation. Hearings in the criminal proceedings were scheduled for March.

February

Local cops were into their eighth month without a labor contract. Their union lawyer said the talks were at an "impasse." The two items that kept the negotiations at a log jam involved health insurance for retired officers and a grievance procedure.

High school board members voted Feb. 10 to reject the claim of parents who alleged their children were molested at the Los Altos Parent Preschool, a program that the high school district runs as part of its adult education program.

The board denied any negligence in the molestation case involving Stiritz. Since the parent helpers at the school are technically students enrolled in the adult ed program, the school did not do a background check on Stiritz.

"There is a whole series of privacy issues out there," said Don Phillips who was superintendent at the time. Phillips is now superintendent in Palo Alto.

Los Altos City Council approved the two-story 16-unit Rosewood Residences condo project at its Feb. 11 meeting. Residents rejoiced, as they had not wanted the three-story 24-unit project originally proposed.

Folks gathered Feb. 19 for the first of the task-force meetings to begin the planning for the 401 Rosita site.

The council approved Shoup Park as the site for the veterans' memorial at its Feb. 25 meeting.

March

Local residents Lynn and Rick Bell won the $17 million state lottery March 1. They bought the winning ticket at Jerry's Liquor and Deli on San Antonio Road in Los Altos.

Students at Los Altos High School weren't happy after police ticketed cars without parking permits that were parked in the school lot.

Principal David Brazer paid the student tickets because, he said, the school decided that "there was not enough publicity" of the ticketing for the students.

El Camino Hospital District approved a budget March 6 that showed a $2.6 million loss after six months in the fiscal year of 1996-1997. Beginning Jan. 1 Camino Healthcare was no longer part of the district's budget.

The $2.6 million loss included a one-time $1.1 million in non-recurring legal fees.

New management of the only motel in town, the Four Seasons, said changes were coming.

"We'll have new people here, and we'll operate it differently," said George Lau, manager of the corporation that bought the motel.

Police, until that time, received more calls to the Four Seasons than to any other single place in town.

A fast-forward through the police log for 1997 shows that police are still making almost weekly treks to the Four Seasons for calls from assaults to domestic violence.

Former police officer Rosario was taken into custody two weeks before his 32nd birthday. He now is a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and began serving a three-year four-month sentence in San Quentin.

On March 4 the city held its first study session on the proposed Tree Farm plans, a mixed-use project for El Camino Real, including 92 condos and a 100,000-square-foot three-story office building. The plans later were scaled back to 87 condos and 95,000-square-feet of office.

Residents packed Room A at the Hillview Community Center to share their concerns with city council and planning staff, including Larry Tong, planning director.

Except that no planning commissioners came. That may have been one of the first public signs of trouble between the planning commissioners and the city that later erupted in August.

Court hearings continued in the Stiritz case. A Los Altos mother shocked the courtroom when she told how James Stiritz, from jail, continued his pattern of pursuit by sending a Valentine letter to her 8-year-old daughter.

Stiritz was held to answer to 13 charges of child molestation and the trial was scheduled to begin in June.

April

A two-alarm fire at the Pelton family's Los Altos Hills home drew 34 firefighters from six fire stations and caused an estimated $350,000 in damages. The fire started from smoldering ashes left in a container in the garage.

The Los Altos School District pulled out of the 401 Rosita plan, saying that informal discussions with the Los Altos City Council about developing the former St. William School 5.5-acre site did not meet the district's "educational concerns."

Seven of nine members of the El Camino Hospital Foundation resigned in protest April 15 saying the administration wanted to spend foundation money to off-set current hospital budget needs rather than to benefit the community's long-term needs.

A rare attack by two cats on a dog at Los Altos Hardware store on First Street left one German shepherd guide dog bloodied and one customer injured.

May

Los Altos Planning Commissioners unanimously approved J. David Knudson's plans for his Rosewood Residences, 14 two-story condominiums at the corner of Fremont and El Monte avenues, at the regular meeting May 1.

Plans for 92 residential condominiums, including eight very low income units, and 100,000 square-feet of office space for the 4.75-acre Tree Farm site in north Los Altos were well received at a joint study session with the city council and planning commission May 5.

El Camino Hospital officially went public at the May 13 district board meeting when the hospital district's board designated the district as the sole member of Camino Healthcare Management. The filing essentially signified the change in hospital management from a private corporation to a publicly run hospital.

The James Alvin Stiritz trial scheduled for June 9 was delayed after the Los Altos resident known as "Grandpa Jim" suffered a stroke in mid-May. Stiritz, 62, faced 13 charges of child molestation.

June

In response to Proposition 208, the campaign spending measure passed by state voters in 1996, the Los Altos City Council approved a spending ceiling of $12,000 for each candidate for the council elections.

After a six-month investigation of misconduct among the custodial staff, the Foothill-De Anza Community College District Board of Trustees terminated 12 of 13 employees, who appealed to have their jobs back. The investigation documented misconduct from theft of district property to tardiness and sleeping on duty.

Despite pleas from members of the Los Altos Hills Planning Commission at a June 4 meeting, the Los Altos Hills Town Council introduced an ordinance reducing the number of members on the commission from seven to five in an attempt to increase efficiency and reduce conflict.

Richard Vargas, 47, former Egan Intermediate School physical education teacher who faced felony charges of selling and distributing child pornography, was scheduled to be arraigned in court June 25.

With a 74.1 percent majority at the June 3 election, voters in the Los Altos School District approved Measure A, a parcel tax increase that will be used to maintain programs in the district's eight schools. Los Altos was only the second district in California in which the community approved an increase in an existing parcel tax.

Friday the 13th was a lucky day for Black Jack the cat, who was discovered in Los Altos six days after he jumped into a neighbor's moving truck in Salt Lake City. Black Jack's family flew him back home to Utah.

July

The Los Altos City Council confirmed resident sculptor R. J. Truman as the artist of choice to create "Cradle of Liberty," a depiction of a soldier holding a baby, for a Veterans Memorial at Shoup Park.

Los Altos officials opened a skate park in the Hillview Community Center parking lot for the second straight summer, drawing a swarm of skaters. Both skaters and city officials pointed to improvements, such as the fencing, made over last year's first attempt at a skate area.

The 18th annual Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival, which typically draws 100,000-plus visitors from all over the Bay Area, took place July 12 and 13.

Los Altos School District officials reported computer-related thefts at the district office on Covington Road July 9. Investigators speculated the thieves had strong knowledge of computer components and were particular about what they wanted. The thefts prompted the district to change its security system.

Los Altos planning commissioners considered whether or not to change city zoning for the south end of the downtown to allow ground-floor office use. The Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and Los Altos Village Association opposed the proposal.

James Alvin Stiritz, the Los Altos resident charged with multiple counts of child molestation, was released by a county court after suffering a stroke that left him on life-support systems.

As a result of Megan's Law, Los Altos residents were, for the first time, able to access a CD-ROM database of registered California sex offenders at the local police department.

August

Los Altos, along with other mid-Peninsula communities, had its area code changed from 415 to 650.

Protesters in favor of Internet restrictions at county libraries visited the Los Altos Main Library to plead their case. They touched on an issue facing parents, children and librarians nationwide - protection of children from pornography and offensive material versus censorship.

The Los Altos City Council, facing a vocal contingent opposed to increased air traffic at Moffett Field, adopted a resolution opposing general aviation, including air cargo flights or expansion of airfield operations.

The success of the Farmer's Market at Loyola Corners was undermined by restricted parking access. Some market supporters said the city was slow to react to a request to "bag" no-parking signs on weekends.

Four candidates filed for two open seats on the Los Altos City Council. Incumbent Bob Gray announced he would not seek re-election because he was moving out of the area.

Los Altos mother Vicki Yort came to the rescue of her 4-year-old son, Judd, saving him from drowning in the pool of their residence. Her 7-year-old daughter, Lani, called 911.

The Los Altos City Council voted at a special Aug. 24 meeting to dismiss planning commission chairwoman Gloria Bauer. The council removed Bauer following an obscenity-laced tirade aimed at city staff during a study session. Bauer said she had become frustrated with the staff's slow turnaround time on agenda items.

September

El Camino Hospital officials reported the hospital was in the black, following several deficit-ridden years in which the revered institution was saddled with a controversial integrated delivery system. The hospital reported about $15 million income during the first six months of 1997.

The Town Crier staff celebrated the paper's 50th anniversary in operation with a reunion party that included a march to City Hall to witness the reading of a congratulatory proclamation by Mayor Francis La Poll. The paper celebrated its golden decade with such features as "50 Who Made A Difference," and a series on Los Altos and the paper's history. It also sponsored a 1947 Hit Parade concert and commemorated a bench to celebrated Town Crier editor Tuck Shepherd. The paper's first issue came out Sept. 9, 1947.

Bob Gray resigned before the end of his council term to move to Roseville.

The Los Altos City Council approved the moving of the former De Martini house from city-owned land at Edith Avenue and San Antonio Road to 183 Hillview Ave. The action capped several months of questions and controversy as to whether to scrap or find some use for the 1920s bungalow.

Meanwhile, a tangible timetable emerged to transform the "dust bowl" often known as Twin Palms Park at the corner of Edith and San Antonio, into land with some greenery. Especially vocal in the need for dressing up the city-owned property were residents of the Parc Regent senior housing complex next door.

A recommended extension of the franchise agreement between Los Altos Hills officials and the Los Altos Garbage Company brought residents out in force at a Sept. 17 meeting to question plans for yard waste collection.

October

Shock rippled through city hall following Los Altos City Manager Diane Gershuny's announcement of her resignation. Gershuny said she had been considering this step for a while and intended "to pursue another career unrelated to city management."

The city council approved the hiring of Oakland-based Snider and Associates to sort out problems among council members, planning commissioners, the city manager, city planner and senior planner. Marilyn Snider began work immediately, conducting individual one-hour interviews with each person involved.

Planning got underway for development of a park on the undeveloped land on the corner of San Antonio Road and Edith Avenue next to the Parc Regent condominiums in Los Altos. Over a dozen Parc Regent residents were actively involved in development of the master park plan.

The El Camino Hospital District board of directors formed a subcommittee to research and analyze three organizational options for the district. Richard Warren, the hospital's chief executive officer and administrator, told the board it was time for the district to move out of the transitional period following its January return to public governance and establish direction for the future. The subcommittee will report back in first quarter 1998.

November

Los Altos voters chose two new faces and failed to reelect the incumbent in the Nov. 4 city elections. Voter turnout was light - 22.7 percent of residents came to the polls and 5.9 percent voted by absentee ballot. Former school board member John Moss finished first in the four-way race for two seats, with 33.6 percent of the vote. King Lear joined the council, receiving 30.3 percent of votes. Incumbent Patti Williams received 25.7 percent and newcomer Steve Smiley received 10.3 percent of the votes.

The Los Altos City Council voted conceptual approval of the Tree Farm project, with a streamlined process for plan checks and 59 conditions of approval. Los Altos has never used a streamlined process before in the planning department.

The Tree Farm project includes plans for 87 condominiums and a three-story 95,000-square-foot commercial building for the 4.7-acre parcel on El Camino Real near Los Altos Avenue. This version has been scaled back from the original plan calling for 92 condos and 100,000-square-feet of office space.

In exchange for the variance for a three-story building, developers are planning for eight below-market-rate condos in the plans.

Since upgrading classroom technology, Los Altos schools became targets of an unprecedented number of burglaries. Randy Kenyon, Los Altos School District assistant superintendent of business services, said school break-ins were not an issue until more computers were added to offices and classrooms. A high number of bicycle thefts had also been reported.

The Los Altos Hills Town Council agreed to revisit the town's off-road pathways process before implementing any more pathway proposals. Residents also asked for more input into the town's general plan at a joint meeting of the town council and planning commission.

The need to review Los Altos' residential design guidelines was on top of everyone's list at a four-hour conflict resolution session involving members of the planning commission, city council and city staff. During the session, each group had a chance to tell the other what they needed from that group to do their job.

Reflecting confidence in the integrity of hospital administration, the El Camino Hospital nurses union agreed to use interest-based bargaining in contract negotiations. The technique focuses on the common interests of the negotiating parties rather than on demands and conflict.

Audrey Fisher, the first woman to serve as mayor of Los Altos, died Nov. 26. She was 93. First elected to city council in 1964, Fisher served until 1980, and then moved on to a term with the Santa Clara Valley Water District. She was a driving force behind development of the Los Altos History House Museum.

After much public debate, the former De Martini family home was moved to it's new location next to the city's community center of Hillview Avenue. The Los Altos Community Foundation has leased the structure, now known as the Community House, from the city for office use by local nonprofit organizations.

December

By Bruce Barton, Joanne Griffith Domingue, Linda Taaffe and Carol Tiegs

Town Crier Staff Writers

A review of 1997 shows a recurring theme: land-use issues that weave in and out of stories .

Parks, residential design questions, third-story applications, second living units, house colors, plus a boom in Los Altos building kept council meetings going until 3 a.m. and the planning folks busy.

The granddaddy of all projects for Los Altos, the Tree Farm development, with 87 residential condominiums and 95,000-square-feet of office space, came before the city. Beginning in March it was in and out of study sessions and council meetings all year.

The demands of the land issues created stress in city hall, the planning department and city council.

The city council fired the chairwoman of the planning commission in August for swearing at the planning staff in frustration over not getting help she requested.

Two other planning commissioners resigned in the fall.

City councilman Bob Gray resigned in September.

The city manager resigned in October.

In November voters elected two new faces, John Moss and King Lear, to the city council. Incumbent Patti Williams was defeated.

Against the backdrop of land-use issues, we at the Town Crier celebrated our 50th anniversary of bringing news to our readers in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View.

As part of that anniversary we've celebrated people, 50 Who Made a Difference, which is the Town Crier's way of recognizing those who have had a positive impact on the life of the city.

The year closed on an up note with city folks holding a team-building session, looking ahead with optimism, and mayor Kris Casto leading her "sweet and precious" city into a new year.

And we at the paper look forward to beginning our second 50 years delivering the news to our valued readers.

A 16-member citizen advisory committee was appointed to explore options for improving the Sherwood Triangle area of Los Altos. The area under study includes the north entry of town at San Antonio Road, El Camino Real and Sherwood Lane. The city has hired a consultant to work with the advisory committee to bring a plan to city council by July 1998.

A man, armed with a semi-automatic weapon, robbed two Los Altos stores on the same day during business hours. Robberies took place at Hartman's Fashions in Rancho Shopping Center at Foothill Expressway and Springer Road, and Java City in the Village Court Center at San Antonio Road and El Camino Real.

The Los Altos City Council elected John Richie and Penny Lave to fill two vacant seats on the planning commission. Richie, an attorney, fills the term of Gloria Bauer, which runs through 2001. Lave, a former city council member, mayor and planning commissioner, fills the remaining term of Honor Spitz, which runs until February 1998. Planning commissioner Leon Pirofalo announced his resignation Dec. 10.

The search firm that brought Los Altos its last two city managers was hired by city council to find its next one, also. The Sea Ranch-based firm of Hughes, Perry & Associates was to begin work before the end of the year on finding a replacement for City Manager Diane Gershuny, whose final day will be March 13, 1998.

Area resident Andrew Grove, chairman of Intel Corp., was named Time magazine's Man of the Year.

Bob and Marion Grimm were awarded the Town Crier's 1997 Los Altans of the Year. Bob, a former Los Altos councilman and mayor, has been active in everything from the Festival of Lights Parade to United Way and the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. Marion has been the driving force behind Los Altos History House Museum improvements, and active in a variety of causes, from the American Red Cross to the Los Altos Arts Committee.