The Los Altos Police Department will be holding a sobriety checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., this Friday on San Antonio Road, southbound at Hawthorne Avenue.
Police also will check for seatbelt compliance and current drivers' licenses, said traffic officer Paul Arguelles.
The checkpoint is scheduled at the beginning of the Columbus Day weekend.
Another factor for choosing this weekend, Arguelles said, was the Los Altos High School homecoming this Friday.
The checkpoint is a requirement of the Traffic Safety Grant, which funds the two local traffic enforcement officers.
Domestic violence annual conference
Three leaders from the Los Altos area participated in the county's seventh annual conference on domestic violence, held last Friday in the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.
Los Altos Hills resident Judge Leonard Edwards, a nationally-recognized juvenile judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, participated in a panel on domestic violence, child protection and the juvenile court, titled "Implementing Model Polices."
Los Altos Police Chief Lucy Carlton moderated a panel on awareness and advocacy. Carlton served as chairwoman of the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council for the past two years.
Los Altos resident Judge Eugene Hymen of the Santa Clara County Superior Court participated in a workshop on intervention: domestic violence courts, criminal and juvenile.
In 1998, the Los Altos Police Department handled 40 cases of domestic violence.
At its meeting Sept. 28, the Los Altos City Council voted a proclamation affirming the city's commitment to ending family violence, raising public awareness and finding innovative solutions to the problem.
Facilitator to work on Miramonte issues
The Los Altos City Council, in a 3-2 vote, approved hiring a facilitator to work on issues remaining regarding Miramonte School construction.
At its Sept. 28 meeting, the council agreed to ask San Jose-based park designer Jay Beals to work with the private school, its neighbors and city staff on issues remaining surrounding the school's proposed multi-purpose gym.
The neighbors have been concerned about potential noise, traffic and the size of the 14,000-square-foot building. School officials have worked for compliance with city codes for height, setbacks and parking, and for sensitivity to neighborhood concerns.
Councilmembers King Lear and Kris Casto voted against hiring a facilitator, because they did not feel many issues remained and that those remaining could be resolved by city staff, said city clerk Carol Scharz. Therefore they did not feel it was necessary to spend additional city funds.
MV residents evacuated
Firefighters evacuated eight Mountain View residents from their homes early Thursday morning after a residential gas line broke. A spokesman from the Mountain View Emergency Communication Center said a resident at the 300 block Tyrella Avenue called 911 at 7:30 a.m., Sept. 30, to report a "strong odor of natural gas."About 23 members of the Mountain View Fire and Police departments responded to the call and confirmed that the odor was coming from a broken gas line, the spokesman said. A PG&E electric crew had been digging a hole for an additional electric power pole when workers struck the gas line, said a PG&E gas crew foreman. Police closed off the roadways and evacuated. A PG&E gas crew capped the gas line and residents were allowed to return to their homes by mid-morning.
- Town Crier Staff Reports