hollie kucera of atherton competes in nationals this month ... · hollie kucera of atherton, who...

PORTOLA VALLEY art gallery to move to Allied Arts Guild. Page 5

J U L Y 1 2 , 2 0 0 6 w w w . A l m a n a c N e w s . c o m V O L . 4 1 N O . 4 5

T H E H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R F O R M E N L O P A R K , A T H E R T O N , P O R T O L A V A L L E Y A N D W O O D S I D ET H E H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R F O R M E N L O P A R K , A T H E R T O N , P O R T O L A V A L L E Y A N D W O O D S I D E

Hollie Kucera of Atherton competes in nationals this month [2]

Hollie Kucera of Atherton competes in nationals this month [Page 12]

2 ■ The Almanac ■ July 12, 2006

a p r . c o m

R E D E F I N I N G QU A L I T Y S I N C E 19 9 0Re a d i n g b e t w e e n t h e e m o t i o n a l l i n e m a k e s t h e d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n f i n d i n g a h o u s e a n d a h o m e .

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Diana Beuttler paintingsThis watercolor of Filoli’s Sunken Garden is one of the paintings by Diana Beuttler of Menlo Park on display at Mike’s Cafe, 150 Middlefield Road in Menlo Park, through August. Ms. Beuttler has been a member of the Menlo Art League for many years and shows her work at the league’s yearly exhibitions, as well as at the Pacific Art League.

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This week’s news, features and community events.

For Classified ads, call 854-0858For all other calls, phone 854-2626News: Ext. 213Display advertising: Ext. 233Fax: 854-0677

■ E-mail news to (no photos please): [email protected]■ E-mail news photos with captions to: [email protected]■ E-mail letters to the editor to: [email protected]

THE ALMANAC (ISSN 1097-3095 and USPS 459370) is published every Wednesday by Embarcadero Publishing Co., 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025-4455. Periodicals Postage Paid at Menlo Park, CA and at additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for San Mateo County. The Almanac is delivered free to homes in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside. Voluntary subscriptions for $25 per year are welcome from residents of the above circulation area. Subscription rates for businesses and for residents of other communities is $40 per year and $55 for two years. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Almanac, P.O. Box 7008, Menlo Park, CA 94026-7008. Copyright ©2006 by Embarcadero Publishing Co., All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

Also InsideCalendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Obituaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Police Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

On the coverHollie Kucera of Atherton, who recently won a statewide rodeo competition in the category of “cutting” (keeping a cow from the herd), practices the skill at the Jess Ranch in Livermore. See pictures and story starting on Page 12.

The Almanac offices are at 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025.

To request free delivery, or stop delivery, of The Almanac in zip code 94025, 94027, 94028 and the Woodside portion of 94062, call 854-2626.

FIRST SHOT

C A L L I N G O N T H E A L M A N AC

Atherton■ New law puts time limits on home-building projects in Atherton. Page 5

Menlo Park■ New tax? Council awaits survey results. Page 16■ Public comment sought on housing, office projects. Page 19

Portola Valley■ Art gallery moves to Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. Page 5

Schools■ Menlo Park district schools: Rising revenues cover growing costs, enrollment. Page 7

Road fatalities■ Palo Alto teen dies in auto crash on I-280 in Woodside. Page 8■ Teen charged in freeway crash that kills Tongan prince, princess in Menlo Park. Page 9

Viewpoint■ Editorial: Put parks measure on the ballot. Page 22

July 12, 2006 ■ The Almanac ■ 3


BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAMPints – Also Frozen Yogurt – Organic $2.49MEZA TRADITIONAL HUMMUS10 oz. – Also Moroccan – Roasted Eggplant $1.99PARTNER’S WALLA WALLA SWEET ONION CRACKER5 oz. – Also Cracked Pepper – Fresh Garlic $2.49COLE’S WILD MOUNTAIN HONEY16 oz. $2.79PEPSI-DR. PEPPER-MOUNTAIN DEW12 oz. 6-pack cans – Plus Calif. Redeem Value $2.29CHARMIN BIG ROLL BATHROOM TISSUE4-Roll Pack $2.49

When the weather is warm, time to drink wines that are lower in alcohol and not too oaky. Reds and whites that fall into this category tend to refresh, instead of fatigue. Also, high alcohol wines really don't taste good if they get too warm. So, here are a few fun and delicious suggestions:

2005 Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc, California . . . . . . . Reg. $10.00 Sale - $8.99As the name implies, this dry white smells and tastes of sweet grapefruit.

2005 Chignin “Anne de la Biguerne,” Vin de Savoie Reg. $13.00 Sale - $11.99A crisp, vibrant, penetrating white with old-vine intensity and length.

2004 Mastroberadino Sannio Falanghina, Campagna Reg. $20.00 Sale - $17.99An interesting and sophisticated replacement for Pinot Grigio.

2005 Cartlidge & Browne Pinot Noir, California . . . Reg. $11.50 Sale - $9.99A tasty Pinot that’s light, fresh and juicy. Try it chilled!!

2004 Zerbina Ceregio, Sangiovese di Romagna . . . Reg. $13.50 Sale - $11.99The essence of Sangiovese. Pure, racy and flavorful. No oak!

2003 Michel Rey Julienas “Tres Vieille Vigne,” Beaujolais Reg. $21.50 Sale - $18.99The most pure, riveting cherry-like fruit with earthy complexity.

Crisp

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Which Wine with What Food?

Those who steadfastly adhere to the “red wine with meat, white wine with fish” rule may be better served by bending it a bit. After all, the rule makes no provisions for chicken, pasta, and vegetarian dishes. With this in mind, it is a good idea to focus on a dish’s spices and sauces as much as their primary ingredients when selecting a compatible wine. Full-bodied wines are usually best suited to rich, spicy dishes, while more subtle dishes call for lighter wines. It’s important, too, to realize that although reds generally may be considered to be full-bodied, there are also many full-flavored, full-bodied whites. Conversely, there are also many subtle reds that could go well with many fish dishes.

We carry a wide array of wine that will be the perfect accompaniment for whatever type of meal or party you are planning. We are very knowledgeable about the wines we carry so if you need assistance, please don’t hesitate to ask. We also carry an incredible variety of fine cheeses from around the world, as well as just about everything else you might need. That’s what we are here for. Come by and see us.

Hint: Try serving Beaujolais (a dry red wine) with lightly flavored fish dishes, and Chardonnay (a dry white) with fuller-flavored dishes.

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Sleep to the soothing sounds of gravel Strange nocturnal noises emanating from the Cal-train tracks in Atherton this week can be attributed to work crews doing “routine maintenance” from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Monday, July 10, through Thursday, July 13. Maintenance crews will be aligning the tracks by replac-ing and smoothing the gravel ballast beneath the rails. It hardly sounds like delicate work, but Caltrain spokes-man Jonah Weinberg says that crews will work as qui-etly as they possibly can.

Quenching patriotic fervor There’s one sure way to put a damper on a festive evening of fireworks — turn on the sprinklers. That’s exactly what happened a few minutes after the end of the fireworks display that accompanied the annual Stanford Lively Arts Independence Day concert with the Preservation Hall jazz band. Ticket-holders enjoy music and fireworks from the con-fines of the Frost Amphithe-ater, but there are plenty of other spots on the Stanford University campus where locals gather to watch the fireworks for free. An Almanac reporter was among the good-natured throng of families gathered at Cobb Track and Angell Field who watched the fireworks on July 3, and she had just cleared the grass at the center of the track when shrieking erupted behind her. In the semidarkness, stragglers were frantically scooping up blan-kets, babies and backpacks while attempting to dodge a drenching. It was either a serious oversight or a cruel but effective method of getting everyone to go home.

Honk if you love flag-covered tricycles Let’s hope it was patriotic feelings and community spir-itedness that motivated all the honking heard on the El Camino at Santa Cruz Avenue as Menlo Park’s do-it-yourself kids parade blocked traffic while en route to the carnival at Burgess Park. Wave with all your fingers, folks.

M E N L O P A R K | A T H E R T O N | W O O D S I D E | P O R T O L A V A L L E Y

Short takes

Atherton: No more endless construction

By Andrea GemmetAlmanac Staff Writer

Gentlemen, start your hammers. On July 21, a new law will impose stiff

fines on Atherton construction projects that drag on for years. The Atherton City Council on June 21 unanimously adopted a new ordinance that puts a three-year limit on the largest residential projects. Ordinances go into effect 30 days after the council votes to adopt them. In recent months, the council

has been addressing construc-tion-related issues ranging from parking prob-lems and noise to drainage and run-off woes. Interminable construct ion projects are an ongoing complaint in Atherton, especially for resi-dents unfortunate enough to live near them. With the new rule, all new building construction, remodel-ing and renovation projects must

be completed in one year, two years or three years, depending on the square footage involved. If they aren’t, builders are going to have to pay. After

a 30-day grace period, daily fines will be imposed, start-ing at $200, and increasing

to $400 after two months; they escalate to $1,000 a day when projects go 121 days beyond the time limit. The maximum fine is capped at $250,000. Builders are also going to have to put up a $30,000 refundable

deposit once they bump up against the time limit. The clock starts ticking when the original building permit is issued. Projects of 2,000 square feet or less get 12 months from permit issuance; projects of 2,001 to 4,000 square feet get 24 months; and projects of 4,001 square feet or larger will have 36 months. Atherton town staff studied the average length of construc-tion projects over the past 10 years and told the council that the vast majority of those proj-ects wrapped up in less than three years.


The maximum fine is capped at $250,000.

■ New law puts time limits on home-building projects in Atherton.

Portola Valley art gallery to move to Allied Arts GuildBy David BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

The 35-year tradition of having an art gallery at Portola Valley Town Cen-

ter will end August 1, but a new tradition may start after the gal-

lery relocates to the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. Opening day is set for early September. The new but smaller gallery at the Guild at 75 Arbor Road will open on to a flower garden and display the works of eight artists: a photographer and seven paint-

ers, said gallery manager Julia Seelos. The gallery is also look-ing for a sculptor or a potter and two more painters, she said. Visitors can expect to see plenty of representational plein air art — works painted outside amid the real-life com-

plications of a changing scene and ever-changing light. As a co-op gallery, mem-ber artists will share staffing duties as they did in Portola Valley. “When you go into our

The Almanac/Marjan Sadoughi

This building at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park is set to be the new home of the Portola Valley art gallery, which has planned a goodbyereception for Saturday, July 29. The town terminated the gallery’s lease as part of plans to destroy the 1950s-era complex of buildings at Town Center to make way for new construction.

See GALLERY, page 8


One of the Nation’s Best. Right in Your Backyard.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford has again been named one of the best pediatric hospitals in the nation by U.S.News & World Report.

Ranked the #1 children’s hospital in California, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital is a world class hospital devoted entirely to the care of children and expectant mothers — all under one roof — right in your backyard.

Learn more about Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at www.lpch.org

Allied Arts GuildA Hidden Gem!

Visit our galleries and specialty stores for unique gifts

Explore the three acres of lush gardens and courtyards with fountains

Dine in the exquisite Blue Garden or indoors in a Mission style-setting

July Special HappeningsJuly Special HappeningsJuly 13, 22, 27- “Summer Sampler”- Art classes for ages 8-10

July 15, 29- “Summer Sampler”- Art classes for ages 11-13 Renaissance Spirit. For details call 650.329.1492

July 15- Grand Opening, The Artisan Shop Operated by Woodside- Atherton Auxiliary

July 20 through 22- Annual Traditional Shop Sale 40% off selected items, Christmas items 50% off

July 22- Family Fun Drawing with Robert Dvorak (ages 5-12 + adult) See AAG website or call 650.323.4798

July 25, 26- Still Life and Portrait Watercolor Workshop with Jeannie Vodden. For details call 650.323.4798

Allied Arts GuildOpen Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

75 Arbor Road at Cambridge Ave in Menlo Park. Traditional Shop 650.325.3259

Restaurant 650.324.2588

www.alliedartsguild.orgProceeds benefi t Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford.

For answers to any questions you may have on real estate, you may e-mail me at [email protected] or call 462-1111, Alain Pinel Realtors. I also offer a free market analysis of your property..

Realistic Pricing

Q: How have interest rate hikes in the past two years affected pricing?

A: The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates 17 times since summer 2004. In our market area these rate hikes have had a moderating effect on most housing prices but espe-cially in the range below $2 million. If you are going to put your property on the market and it is in this price range, you would be well advised to price it conservatively. If you price it too high you risk being overlooked by buyers who are feeling the pres-sure of these rising rates.

In spite of higher rates, the hous-ing market remains fairly strong, especially in the prime locations. This is partially due to low inventory relative to demand. Much has been

written about a slowing housing market but while volume is down, prices in the lower ranges have remained steady.

If your property is in the $2 - $5 million range, or above $5 million, prices are more fluid. Demand is less in these ranges and this has affected prices. There are still strong sales in the high range but many properties are taking a long time to sell. The best advice if your property is in the higher ranges is to price it well and be patient, as it may take awhile to find the right buyer.

In spite of recent rises, inter-est rates are still very attractive if viewed historically. Provided our economy is strong, the local hous-ing market should be very good.

REAL ESTATE Q&Aby Monica Corman

By Marjorie MaderAlmanac Staff Writer

Increases in property and parcel tax revenues and a record $1.6 million founda-

tion grant will enable the Menlo Park City School District to cover rising expenses, according to a budget recently approved by the Board of Trustees. Under the plan unanimously approved by the board June 21, spending will total $23.5 million in the budget year that began July 1, about 2 percent more than in the previous year. Those expenses are in part driven by growing enrollment in the four schools of the K-8 district. Enrollment is expected to reach 2,229 students, a growth of 4.5 per-cent, in the 2006-07 school year. Revenues of $24 million are anticipated, an increase of approximately 4 percent. The budget reflects an initia-tive to contain costs for special-education students, said Super-intendent Ken Ranella. Instead of transporting students to expen-sive county-operated program, many of them will remain in the district, where new programs and services have been created. The move is expected to reduce the growth in special-education costs, which soared by more than $300,000 in each of the past two years, he said. In the new budget year, those costs are estimated to rise less than $90,000. The district is saving $140,000 through reduced costs for work-ers’ compensation and state unemployment insurance, Mr. Ranella said.

Revenues rise While many school districts receive additional state money when enrollment rises, that’s not the case with so-called “basic aid” districts like Menlo Park, which keep their local property tax funds since they amount to more than the district’s revenue limit, determined by the state. The Menlo Park district receives 88 percent of its revenue from

local sources: property and parcel taxes, foundation grants and rent. The rest comes from the state and federal government. Most of the district’s revenue comes from property taxes, which are expected to produce $15.4 million for the year, a 5 percent increase. Actually, the county assessor projects a 7 percent gain in assessed prop-erty values in the district. If that happens, the district will gain another $248,000, said Diane White, the district’s chief busi-ness official. Revenue from the district’s three parcel taxes is projected at $4 million after a 3.2 percent increase in the taxes due to inflation as measured by the Bay Area Consumer Price Index. After the increases, the three taxes will total $527 a year per parcel. The private gift of $1.6 mil-lion from the Menlo Park-Atherton Education Founda-tion will fund science, technol-ogy and music education, as

well as teacher training and libraries. The district also receives $300,000 a year from leasing to the German-American Inter-national School the district’s O’Connor site property on Elliott Drive in Menlo Park. Increases in revenues from the state are anticipated, but won’t be added until details are known, said Ms. White.

Spending plans Salaries and benefits for dis-trict teachers and other staff account for nearly all of the spending: $19.7 million. Teachers and certificated per-sonnel have increased to 154.8 full-time equivalents, from 152.4 last year. The budget anticipates that the district will add four teach-ers a year to deal with enroll-ment growth. Other expenses include $2.4 million for services and opera-tions, and $1.2 million for books and supplies. A

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Pedestrian struck A pedestrian was struck by a vehicle near the corner of Gordon Avenue and the Alameda de las Pulgas at about 8:10 p.m. Thursday, June 29, in unincorporated Menlo Park, said Officer Tracy Winston of the California Highway Patrol. The pedestrian was taken to

the hospital with only minor injuries, the CHP said.

Sherman’s march atWoodside Book Club “The March” by E.L. Doc-torow will be the subject for the meeting of the Woodside Book Club at 11:15 a.m. Tues-day, July 11.

The book tells of the last years of the Civil War when Gen. William Tecumseh Sher-man marched 60,000 Union troops through Georgia and the Carolinas. Copies of the book are available for checkout at the library. Guests may bring a sandwich for an al fresco lunch after the meeting.

■ NOTES

Source: Menlo Park City School District, June 2006

Property tax revenuesProperty tax revenues have grown fairly steadily in the Menlo Park City School District. Each bar represents a fiscal year, which starts July 1. Property taxes are expected to provide 62 percent of the district’s $24 million in projected revenue during the budget year that started July 1.


N E W S

gallery, you’re always talking to an artist,” said Ms. Seelos. In the new gallery, visitors will be able to observe artists at work at an easel — perhaps painting scenes from the garden — and converse with them while they paint, said Ms. Seelos. The artists may be instructing visitors as well. Ms. Seelos said she has high hopes for the gallery hosting workshops for three or four would-be artists learning to use such mediums as pastels, oils and watercolors. The gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and on Sun-days during December. The gallery is smaller at 650 square feet, about 50 percent smaller than the longtime Portola Valley gallery. Unlike its current

location, however, the new gal-lery is embedded in a residential neighborhood. “We’ll have foot traffic, which we haven’t had out in Portola Valley,” said Ms. Seelos. The people at Allied Arts “are just wonderful to work with,” she said. “I’ve been going over there for years just to paint any-way. To be going over there on a daily basis is really exciting.”

Saying goodbye “We’re going to miss Portola Valley,” she said. “It’s kind of a shame, but hopefully a lot of our clients and collectors will come with us. ... We’re hoping this is going to be a good move.” The gallery had little choice but to move. It and the studios of eight artists in residence, all housed in a group of 1950s-era one-story school buildings, are about to be torn down. The town of Portola Valley is in

the midst of executing a plan for the 11.2-acre site at Town Center, which includes demolishing the school buildings this fall. In their place, but away from an earth-quake fault that runs under them, will be a $20 million complex expected to include a library, Town Hall and community hall/activity building. In looking for a new home, the gallery considered the Spur Proj-ects gallery in Portola Valley and sites in Ladera, Los Altos and Palo Alto before settling on the Allied Arts Guild, said Ms. Seelos. Reflecting its history with the town, the new gallery will be named Portola Gallery, said Ms. Seelos.

New blood Of the 14 artists now showing at the Portola Valley gallery, six will make the move to Menlo Park: Ms. Seelos, Kim Fancher Lordier, Karen Barone, Barbara von Haunalter, Gladys Robin-son and Linda Patterson. The rest either have other priorities or other options for displaying their work, said Ms. Seelos. New to the Portola Gallery will be photographer John Gravritis and painter Waif Mul-lins, said Ms. Seelos. A

Auto crash kills teenon I-280 in Woodside Friends and relatives of Garth Li, 16, of Palo Alto are grieving after Garth was found dead in a 1983 BMW that hit a concrete-and-metal center divider while heading south on Interstate 280 in Woodside early on the morn-ing of July 6. A makeshift memorial has been established on the side of I-280 where he died. The memo-rial is on the off-ramp at Farm Hill Boulevard, in Woodside, from the southbound lanes. In addition, a memorial service has been set for 6-8 p.m. Thurs-day, July 13, at Roller Hapgood & Tinney Funeral Home, 980 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Emergency crews found Garth alone at the wheel of the car near the Farm Hill Boulevard exit, said Officer Ricky Frank-lin of the California Highway Patrol. He was identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office. Garth had recently com-pleted his sophomore year at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, according to the school’s student directory. It is not clear what caused the gray BMW 318 to leave the road at a “high rate of speed” and hit the divider, the CHP said. Because the case is still open, the coroner has not released information on the cause of death. Garth may have been driving illegally. During the first year

after receiv-ing a provi-sional license — issued to all drivers under the age of 18 — drivers are not allowed to drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. without the company of a licensed adult at least 25 years old, according to the Web site of the California Department of Motor Vehicles. This restriction, which went into effect in January, ref lects recent statistics showing a dramatic increase over the last five years of “citations/serious accidents involving provision-al drivers (between) 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.,” according to a teen-oriented set of questions and answers on the DMV Web site. The provisional license driv-ing restriction has exceptions, such as for medical reasons, but except for “emancipated minors” — teens who aren’t living at home — all the exceptions require notes from authorities that spell out the need to drive during these hours. Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call CHP officers Melhus or Franklin at 369-6261.

— Bay City News

Garth Li

Report due this week onBayfront Park playfields A report on the costs and fea-sibility of building playing fields at Bayfront Park, a hot-but-ton issue in the community, will be presented to the Menlo Park Parks and Recreation Commis-sion this week. City staff plans to brief the commission on a consultant’s study at the commission’s meet-ing Wednesday, July 12, starting at 6 p.m., in the Onetta Harris Community Center, 100 Termi-nal Ave. in Belle Haven.

Check AlmanacNews.com for a news update on the meeting. The call for playing fields

at the 160-acre park, built on top of a closed

landfill off Marsh Road, has sparked a community-wide debate. The City Council is scheduled to decide at its July 18 meet-ing whether to put an advisory measure on the November 7 ballot, asking voters if they want playfields at the park.

■ MENLO PARK

Sand Hill complex sold for $131 million Sand Hill Commons, a two-building office complex at 2882-2884 Sand Hill Road, was sold June 30 for $131.5 million, the broker reported. The 133,000-square-foot property was acquired by ING Clarion of New York, the management arm of ING Real Estate, said Gary Willard, managing director of NAI BT

Investment Services Group, which brokered the deal. The property was purchased for $992 per square foot — the highest per-square-foot price ever paid for a multi-tenant building on the West Coast, Mr. Willard said. “This deal is certainly an indicator of the desirability of real estate on the Midpenin-

sula,” he said. Tenants of the complex include venture capital firms and market research companies. The change in ownership will not affect leases held by current tenants, Mr. Willard said. The previous owner, Bob Courson of Sand Hill Com-mons, will continue to manage the properties, Mr. Willard said.

Sand Hill Commons, a two-building office complex at 2882-2884 Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park, was acquired for $131.5 million.

A final reception at the Portola Valley gallery at 765 Portola Road is scheduled for 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 29, said Ms. Seelos. The gallery will close for good on Sunday, July 31.

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Woman charged in freeway crashthat kills Tongan prince, princessBy David BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

San Mateo County prosecutors have charged Edith Delgado, a Redwood City woman, with

three counts of vehicular man-slaughter with gross negligence in connection with a July 5 accident on U.S. 101 in Menlo Park that killed three people, including a visiting prince and princess from the nation of Tonga. Ms. Delgado, 18, pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment hearing July 7 before Judge Thomas Smith of the San Mateo County Supe-rior Court, who set bail at $3 million, said Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe. Ms. Delgado is alleged to have caused the accident after her Ford Mustang struck a 1998 Ford Explorer that then rolled over several times. The victims were a Tongan royal couple — Prince Tu’ipelehake, 54, and Princess Kaimana Tu’ipelehake, 45 — and the driver, East Palo Alto resident Vinisia Hefa. The Tongan community throughout the Bay Area mourn-ed the loss of the prince and princess. Tongan Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu attended a memorial gathering in East Palo Alto Friday night. “We will continue on,” said Viliami Teu, a senior pastor at the Tongan Christian Assembly of God in East Palo Alto. Pastor Teu said the prince and princess were beloved and visiting the Bay Area’s sizable Tongan com-

munities to promote democratic reform in their home country. The accident occurred on Bay-shore Freeway at about 9 p.m. July 5 north of the Willow Road exit in Menlo Park, the California Highway Patrol reported. Two northbound lanes of the freeway were closed for about two hours. Ms. Delgado’s next court appear-ance is set for 9 a.m. Thursday, July 13, when her defense attorney is expected to file a motion to reduce bail, Mr. Wagstaffe said. She is unlikely to make bail unless it is lowered, he added. If convicted, she could be imprisoned for up to eight years, or longer if prosecutors prove she was racing with another vehicle at the time of the acci-

dent, Mr. Wagstaffe said. The CHP reported that wit-nesses saw her racing, but Mr. Wagstaffe noted that “there is no evidence of alcohol or drugs (and) no evidence of a speed contest.” If there was a race, the other vehicle may have been a black Cadillac Escalade that exited the freeway at Marsh Road, said CHP Officer Ricky Franklin. Ms. Delgado has a clean driv-ing record and received her driver’s license in February, Officer Franklin said. Anyone with information is asked to call CHP officers

Pohrman or Franklin at 369-6261.

Seat belts were on All three victims in the Explorer were wearing seat belts, said Dep-uty Chief Harold Schapelhouman of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, who was among the first to arrive on the scene. The Explorer, he said, was hit from behind, rolled over “sev-eral times,” then apparently got snagged by the front end and “catapulted ... into the air, after which it landed on its roof.” The collapsing roof probably killed the passengers in the back seat, he said. The driver probably died after being halfway ejected out of the driver’s side window, then crushed after the overturn-ing vehicle came to rest partially on top of her, Mr. Schapelhouman said. To reach the passengers, fire-fighters had to cut away the vehicle’s rear door and the pil-lar between the front and back seats, he said. “At first, we thought the people in the backseat were salvageable,” he said. “They were quickly evalu-ated and both were deceased from significant head trauma from the rolling of the vehicle and having it land on its roof after being cata-pulted into the air.” “Side airbags don’t always work in a rollover and there are no protective devices built into the roof of your car,” he said. A

— Bay City News contributed to this report.

The Tongan community mourned the loss of

the royal couple.

Thinking about running for local office?■ Candidate seminars set; filing period opens July 17. For all you folks who think you might want to run for city coun-cil or school board, but don’t know what’s involved, Warren Slocum, chief elections officer for San Mateo County, has help. You can unravel the mysteries of running for office at one of two seminars for potential candidates

on Wednesday, July 12, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; or Saturday, July 29, at 10 a.m. Both workshops will be held at the election office at 40 Tower Road in San Mateo. Candidates can file to run for half a dozen local offices from July 17 through August 11. Elections will be held this November for the Menlo Park and Atherton city councils; the Menlo Park, Las Lomitas, and Ravenswood school districts; the

Sequoia Healthcare District; and two wards of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. The seminars will introduce potential candidates and inter-ested citizens to the elections staff, and answer questions about rules, deadlines, and pro-cedures — including campaign finance reports — they will have to comply with. “There are important issues that candidates must consider before throwing their hat in the ring,” Mr. Slocum said. “Our candidate seminars help demys-tify the process and hopefully encourage interest in running for public office.” The agenda for the candidate seminars, the Candidate Hand-book and Resource Guide, and an RSVP e-mail link are avail-able at the county’s election Web site, shapethefuture.org. Or call Mark Numainville, candidate filing officer, at 312-5370.

Corrections■ There were two mistakes in the June 28 Almanac cover story, “Seeing eye to eye.” John French, who owned Devoncourt, is a for-mer world champion hunter rid-er, but the horse was not a world champion, as was mistakenly stated in the story. Trainer Ron Keller of Full Cry Farm rides in grand prix competitions, but

Devoncourt has not been ridden in that class of competitions, as was mistakenly stated in the photo caption on Page 14.

■ In the July 5 issue, a cap-tion with a picture of the San Mateo County coast had an incorrect name. Susan Ford Dorsey is chair of the board of directors of the Peninsula Open Space Trust.

By Marion SoftkyAlmanac Staff Writer

The next big hurdle for proponents of a one-eighth-cent sales tax to support parks and recreation in

San Mateo County comes next Tuesday, July 18, at 10 a.m., when the Board of Supervisors will consider placing the a measure on the November ballot. The board will take final action August 1. If approved by four-fifths of the board, and two-thirds of county voters in November, the measure would funnel an additional $16 million a year into park programs in the county, its 20 cities, and three special districts. The one-eighth-cent tax proposed by Parks for the Future would raise the county’s sales tax from 8.25 percent to 8.375 percent. Each resident would pay an average of $18.10 cents per year, according to Parks for the Future. “The value of parks is tremendous; they maintain the quality of life in San Mateo County,” said Julia Bott, president of the San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Foundation, which is spearheading the drive for the measure. She noted that San Mateo is one of only two counties in the inner Bay Area without a funding source

dedicated specifically to parks. The county’s 16 parks have been hurting from several years of tight budgets. According to Parks for the Future, the county’s Parks and Rec-reation Division has more than $100 million in deferred maintenance and unfunded capital improvements. Its budget was reduced by some 40 percent between 2002 and 2005; and staff has dropped from 94 full-time employees in 1990 to 55 in 2006. Meanwhile, vis-its to county parks have increased by 250,000. Although the budget situation is bet-ter now, Ms. Bott argued, “One of the reasons for this measure is to cushion against bad years.” A working group including park supporters and representatives from the county, cities and special districts has worked out a formula for dividing the money from the sales tax. The cit-ies would receive 52 percent, or some $8 million a year; and the county would get 42 percent. Three special districts — the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and the Ladera and Highlands recreation districts — would get the rest. If the measure passes, Menlo Park stands to receive $328,733 a year, accord-

ing to the allocation proposed by Parks for the Future. The smaller towns of Atherton, Portola Valley, and Woodside would each receive $205,000 per year; the county would get $6.3 million; and the special districts, $906,601. Money from the tax would have to supplement existing park budgets, Ms. Bott stressed; it could not replace existing funds.

Building support Park supporters were encouraged by an April poll showing that more than 70 percent of likely voters would support the measure. The Parks for the Future team has also been seeking support from cities and agencies. So far, Belmont, San Carlos, Brisbane, the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space, and the City/County Asso-ciation of Governments support the tax measure. The Atherton Town Council is sched-uled to hear a presentation Wednesday, July 19, and the Ladera Recreation Dis-trict was scheduled for one July 10. The Woodside Town Council is due to vote on a resolution of support July 11. For information, call Ms. Bott at 321-5812, or go to supportparks.org. A

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12 ■ TheAlmanac ■ July 12, 200612 ■ TheAlmanac ■ July 12, 2006

Hollie Kucera turned heads when she won the Califor-

nia high school state champion-ship in cutting, a rodeo event, during the state finals last month in Bishop, California. After all, it was only the second year the 16-year-old had competed in the event, in which the rider and horse separate a cow from a herd and prevent it from rejoin-ing the herd. But Hollie’s feat does not seem as unexpected when you con-sider she has been participat-ing in rodeo events since she was about 8 years old. She got a helping hand in cutting from her older sister Kirsty, who also competed in high school. Kirsty passed her cutting horse, 4-year-old CiCi Slippin’, on to Hollie about a year ago. “(We) definitely help each other out,” Hollie says of the four Kucera girls. “Kirsty espe-cially, she taught me every-thing I know about rodeo and riding. My mom taught me how to ride horses, but Kirsty really got me going.” Hollie, who just finished her sophomore year at Palo Alto Prep, found herself in third

place heading into the final round of competition at the state finals. She finished the meet, posting a score of 217, and went to watch a movie under a tree. A few minutes later, the girl who had been in first place approached her, gave her a hug and walked away without saying anything. Later, the girl’s mother came by and told Hollie she had won the event. The victory qualified her for the national high school rodeo in Springfield, Illinois, from July 24 to 30. Hollie made the switch to cutting from equestrian vault-ing and jumping, essentially gymnastics on a horse, which she quit because the judging system had grown “too politi-cal,” she says. Her mother, Hei-di, competed in English-style equestrian events on the East Coast before moving West. Though Hollie only recently began to compete in rodeo, she has been practicing it for years. Her mother introduced her to the sport because she wanted to familiarize her four daughters with as many styles of riding as possible. When she

Hollie Kucera of

Riding highRiding high

Hollie Kucera, who won the California state championship in cutting last month, practices roping on a plastic bull at her family’s Big Vine Ranch in Atherton.

July 12, 2006 ■ TheAlmanac ■ 13

saw a flier for “Eddie Cohen’s Roping Clinic” in a local feed store about eight years ago, Heidi Kucera called the num-ber and spoke to Cohen. According to Hollie, Cohen asked her mother, “Can I yell at them?” She told him that he could, and Cohen began to train the girls in rodeo events. Horse riding is no small part of the Kuceras’ daily lives. Their property contains a stable, a grazing field and a small track where the sisters practice roping. It was easy for the sisters to ride around the area when they were younger, excursions that Hol-lie remembers fondly. “We would go out when I was about 4 and double up on horses, with two of us on each horse,” she says. “(We would ride) to the Bay from here. We’d be gone for eight hours, and have to call my mom to pick us up at the horse trail. We did so much stuff we shouldn’t have done. We rode through yards, all over the place.”

Hollie’s familiarity with the

animals is evident as she walks around the Kucera property with Kirsty. She stretches some of the hors-es’ hind legs, explains how their circulation works and describes what makes a good race horse. “Some people are scared of horses, but they won’t hurt you,” she says. “They’re basi-cally just big dogs.” Hollie recalls an incident when a horse bucked her and almost rolled over her in a river, then got up quick-ly when it realized that she was there. But Hollie hasn’t always been so lucky. She has torn ligaments in her knees four times — just part of the terri-tory, she says. While most parents teach their children responsibility by making them clean their rooms or do the dishes, Hol-lie was cleaning the family’s entire stable by the time she was 10 years old. Some of the lessons she learned were harder to come

Atherton competes in nationals this month

Photos by Marjan Sadoughi • Story by Sean HowellTop Hollie takes a moment to play with her dog, Duke, at the family’s grazing field. Above: Hollie with her horse CiCi Slippin’, 4, at Jess Ranch in Livermore. Hollie and CiCi won the California High School Rodeo Association cutting championship in June. They make the 90-minute trek to Livermore, the near-est practice facility, three to four times a week. Cutting is a rodeo sport in which the rider and horse try to stay between a cow and the herd. Judges critique the speed and smoothness of the horse, and the horse’s ability to mirror the movements of the cow.See RIDING HIGH, page 14

14 ■ TheAlmanac ■ July 12, 2006

by. When Hollie was 9, her first horse broke its leg. Her mother left the decision of whether to euthanize the horse up to Hollie. She chose to put it down, and says she cried for a week afterward. Hollie was faced with a similar decision a week before the race in Bishop. Bubba, her roping horse, took a spill and shattered its ankle while walking back to the stable. Her mother was visiting the East Coast at the time, so Hollie and Kirsty had to handle the situa-tion on their own. “It was actually harder the second time,” she says. “He was my best friend. I had him for three years.” Hollie was forced to compete in Bishop on a horse that she had trained with for only three sessions, though she says it takes about a year to get in tune with a horse. Without her roping horse, she failed to qualify for nationals in three other events — team roping, break-away roping and barrel racing. One possible downside to Hollie’s dedication to horses is that it doesn’t leave her with much free time. When school isn’t in session, she works with the horses much of the day, feeding and cleaning them. At school, she says, she focuses on her work and tries to be as efficient as possible so she can spend more time with the horses. Being away from them wasn’t as much of a problem until she started high school — her mother home-schooled her before then. She says she hasn’t spent a day away from horses in the last year, apart from a family vacation to King’s Can-yon over the July Fourth weekend. “We’re going on a cruise in Italy in August, and I don’t know how I’m going to deal with that,” she jokes. By then Hollie will know how she fared at nationals. No matter how she does there, she can still claim the family cutting record — for now. Holly scored a 77 in December out of a possible 80, just enough to edge Kirsty’s 75. The feat is listed on a small whiteboard on a wall of the Kuceras’ stable; the board keeps track of family records, rather than competitions that the sisters have won. Family bragging rights will continue to be important to the Kuceras. After cutting in high school, Kirsty is now competing professionally in the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association. A

Clockwise, from top left: Hollie shows off her Queen crown from the Dis-trict 2 competition in 2005. With her horse Cayote, 5. Hollie’s horse saddle. Cattle wait to be roped in Livermore. Hollie leads Cayote out to a field at the Atherton ranch. Nailing on Cayote’s horse shoe.

RIDING HIGHcontinued from page 13


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By Rory BrownAlmanac Staff Writer

The Menlo Park City Council may soon decide whether to ask voters in November

to approve a new tax — such as a parcel or utility tax — to help balance the city’s budget. The decision could come at the council’s July 18 meeting when the city will be armed with

results of a survey of registered voters, members of the busi-nesses community and com-mercial property owners, who were asked what kind and size of a tax they would support. The survey results are due to be released shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday, July 13, on the city’s Web site, MenloPark.org. The results will be contained in a staff report attached to the

council’s July 18 meeting agen-da, said Assistant City Manager Audrey Seymour. Putting a tax measure on the ballot requires support by three council members, and so far only two — Kelly Fergus-son and Andy Cohen — have indicated they would favor asking voters to decide. Voters, said Ms. Fergusson, should be given the opportu-nity to choose between a tax increase or ser-vice cuts. The deadline to put a tax mea-sure on the November ballot is August 11. A general-purpose tax, which would not be limited to a spe-cific city service, would require a simple majority to pass. Of 1,600 surveys mailed to business and commercial prop-erty owners, 119 were completed and returned to the city, said Ms. Seymour. In addition, some 400 registered voters responded

to a phone survey. The survey was conducted by Godbe Research of Half Moon Bay at a cost to the city of $24,000.

Is a tax necessary? The council recently approved a budget that would increase

spending by 9 percent over the fiscal year that ended June 30. To spend this much, the city plans to draw $1.85 million from the city’s u n a l l o c a t e d reserves of $21 million. If a

new tax is adopted, the amount drawn from reserves could be reduced or eliminated. Councilwoman Fergusson said if a new tax is not adopted, the council will be forced to make “another round of deep cuts, which may possibly affect basic city services.” But Councilwoman Lee Duboc said it’s “too early to tell” if the city needs a new tax. She noted that Stanford University’s hotel

and office complex on Sand Hill Road, approved by the council in June, is expected to bring in additional revenue. She also noted that the Novem-ber ballot may be “overcrowded” with state and county tax increas-es. “I don’t want to put something on the ballot if it’s an automatic no,” she said. “The last thing I would want to do is overwhelm voters.” Three of the five council seats are also up for election in November. About 90 percent of participants in the city’s February budget work-shops supported at least a 1 percent tax on utility bills to help balance the city’s budget. Ms. Fergusson said the workshop results “clearly indicate” that residents support putting a tax measure on the ballot. A 1 percent utility tax would cost a household with about $175 in monthly utility bills an addi-tional $21 a year, and add about $800,000 a year to the city’s cof-fers, according to a staff report. An election on the measure would cost the city about $27,000 — $1.50 per registered voter. A

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Voters should be given the opportunity to

choose between a tax increase or service cuts, said Councilwoman Kelly

Fergusson.

New tax? Council awaits survey results■ The views of residents and businesses are expected by Thursday.

Check AlmanacNews.com for a story on the survey results after they are released.

■ MENLO PARK


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Town Council nixes seed money for school baseball fieldBy David BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

The on-again, off-again plans for a baseball field at Corte Madera School

in Portola Valley are apparently on again, as is the controversy that enveloped the idea three years ago. Neighbors of the school, for children in grades 4-8, don’t want the field, citing the poten-tial for noise, trash and illegal parking along Alpine Road. Softball and Little League enthusiasts want to expand the town’s baseball venues, particularly in light of the pending closure of the field at Town Center for up to a year and a half while the center is being rebuilt. What’s different this time is that the proposed field is smaller — junior- rather than senior-sized — and it doesn’t encroach on town-owned land as did the field proposed three years ago.

The idea for a field resurfaced at the June 14 Town Council meeting in a proposal by Mayor Steve Toben and Councilman Ted Driscoll to spend about $4,000 in town money for an architect to design the field and up to $6,000 more for draw-ings. “The intent (of the proposal to

the council) was to provide some seed funding for a design so that people could talk it out,” said May-or Toben in an interview. The council rejected the idea in a 3-2 vote. The

ball field project’s future is now up to the group trying to raise $150,000 to build it. Council members Maryann Moise Derwin, Richard Merk and Ed Davis voted no. Such spending carries too much weight, Mr. Davis said. “The moment we start sending mon-ey to the field, we are putting the stamp of approval on (it),” he said. “If this is going to be entirely funded by gifts, let the

first $5,000 do the design.” After the vote, Neil McKin-non, who chairs the Parks & Recreation Committee, said the council has “abdicated its lead-ership” on the matter.

Lawsuit The Portola Valley School Dis-trict had included a “renovated” field in a $6 million construc-tion bond measure approved in 2001, but it was later dropped by a community advisory commit-tee. After being sued by baseball enthusiast Lindsay Bowen over the breaking of a promise made in a school bond measure, the district agreed to allow a field on campus but not to fund it. Any field would also have to address neighbors’ concerns and avoid interference with soccer field activities, said district Superintendent Anne

Campbell. In remarks to the council, Mark Lockareff of the recre-ation committee said committee members had talked with neigh-bors “extensively,” had explored alternative sites and had studied field usage. He said he expects the need for fields to grow. “We have not just a temporary need for a field. We have a long-term need,” he said. “We’re try-ing to come up with a proposal here that will make everybody happy.” His committee apparently missed resident and field oppo-nent Jessie Schilling. Calling Mr. Lockareff ’s assertion about talking with neighbors “disin-genuous,” she said she was never contacted. Resident Danna Breen also opposes a field. “There is just too much use (at Corte Made-ra),” she said in an interview.

“It used to be really sleepy over here. ... My opinion is thumbs down.”

Looming field shortage? Brad Peyton, the town’s rec-reation facilities coordinator, told the Almanac that, between upper-level Little League and adult softball, Ford Field on Alpine Road is used “pretty close to capacity.” The field at Town Center is meant for younger players, Mr. Peyton said. If Town Center construction forces its closure, kids will have to find other meadows on which to set up their temporary backstops and bases. A junior-sized field at Corte Madera could bridge the gap, Mr. Lockareff said. Ms. Campbell noted that local school fields are already suitable for such activities. A

Send your comment on this story to [email protected]. Note if it’s for publication, and if so, include your full name; residence (street and town); and phone number. Your phone num-ber will not be published.

■ PORTOLA VALLEY

Enthusiasts want to expand baseball

venues in light of the pending closure of the

Town Center field.

■ Neighbor concerns: noise, trash and parking.

Gregory Gallo named to leadership post Gregory Gallo of Menlo Park is the new secretary and treasurer of the American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley. Mr. Gallo is a part-ner in the law firm of DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary in Palo Alto.

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Los Trancos sewers delayedSixty-two homes in Los Trancos Woods won’t be getting sewers this year, because the low bidder has refused to sign the contract to do the work; JMB Construc-tion wants more money. The West Bay Sanitary District promises to re-bid the project this year, and begin construction as early as possible next year. In a letter to the 62 property owners who are paying for sew-ers, General Manager Time Clayton wrote, “I want to assure you the District remains com-mitted to this project.” The dispute arose after the district board on May 17 award-ed the contract to JMB Con-struction for a low bid of $2.0 million. The only other bidder was Ranger Pipelines, which submitted a much higher bid of $2.8 or $3.5 million, depending on the route of the sewers. Shortly afterward, JMB Con-

struction claimed it had made errors in its bid, and asked the district to renegotiate the price. In his letter, Mr. Clayton argued that JMB had not docu-mented any errors. He wrote, “The District has rejected the assertion that JMB mistak-enly underbid the project by $500,000 to $700,000.” At its meeting Monday, July 10 (after the Almanac’s deadline), the board will consider a recom-mendation to reject the other bid from Ranger Pipelines. This bid was $700,000 to $1.3 million above the engineer’s estimate, Mr. Clayton wrote. Meanwhile, the district board has conducted several closed sessions about possible litigation against JMB. One option could be to reclaim the 10 percent per-formance bond posted by JMB, Mr. Clayton said.

— Marion Softky

Town Center fund adds $1 million Seven Portola Valley residents have answered a challenge from residents Bill and Jean Lane to match their gift of $500,000 toward the building of a new Town Center complex. The proposed $20 million complex includes a library, Town Hall and community hall. The donors’ names and the sizes of their gifts are being withheld pending written per-mission of the donors, said Sally Ann Reiss, co-chair of the nonprofit Portola Valley Com-munity Fund, which is raising money for the project. The major donor campaign,

begun in April 2005, had a goal of raising $10 million by the end of June. As of April 2006, the fund had $2.6 million in actual donations and written pledges for $2.45 million, said Steering Committee co-chair Jocelyn Swisher. A new fund balance will be announced in July, said Ms. Reiss. A public campaign for smaller donations is set to begin in September. The overall goal is to raise $16 million to $17 mil-lion to complement $3 million

coming from town reserves. With this $500,000 challenge grant, the Lanes’ increase their total donation to the Town Cen-ter complex to $1.5 million. Other major donors, in chron-ological order, are residents Charlene and Derry Kabcenell, who gave $500,000 in December and pledged another $500,000 if the fund’s total reaches $8 mil-lion; resident and Cisco Systems chairman John Morgridge, who donated $1 million in March; and Silicon Valley real estate developer and resident John Arrillaga, who recently pledged $2.5 million.

Lower utility tax in Portola Valley? Portola Valley voters may have a chance this November to lower the town’s tax on utility bills, now set at 5.5 percent. The Town Council plans to discuss and vote on a resolution authorizing a November election at the Wednesday, July 12, coun-cil meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Historic Schoolhouse at 765 Portola Road. The town expects to receive $544,000 in utility tax revenue

during the current fiscal year, said Town Administrator Ange-la Howard. This number reflects a potential loss of $47,000 in revenues, assuming a decision in favor of Verizon Wireless in a lawsuit brought by the city of Palo Alto over Verizon’s refusal to tax cell phone calls on nation-al calling plans. While utility tax revenues may shrink, property tax rev-enues are rising, due in part to

a county decision to allot more revenues to the town to comply with a state law. The expected jump for the 2006-07 fiscal year is $438,000, said Ms. Howard. Also on the agenda for the July 12 meeting is an update on fundraising for a new $20 mil-lion complex at Town Center. As of April, the Portola Valley Community Fund reported $2.6 million in donations and $2.45 million in pledges.

■ PORTOLA VALLEY

Family & Children’s Services in Palo Alto is sponsoring a new support group for men and women dealing with divorce. The group will meet for 10 weeks from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, starting July 11, at

375 Cambridge Ave. in Palo Alto. The group is for individuals, not couples. For more informa-tion, call 326-6576, ext. 204. There is a fee and pre-registra-tion is required.

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Public comment sought on housing, office projects

Menlo residents show real school spirit Menlo Park residents Deedee and Burt McMurtry must have fond memories of their alma mater. The two Houston natives who attended Rice University in the 1950s recently pledged $32 million, Rice President David Leebron said. This latest gift from the McMur-trys, along with some of their earlier donations, will go toward supporting the school’s residen-tial college system and building a

new college. The 10th residential college will be called the Burton and Deedee McMurtry College, Mr. Leebron said. Mr. McMurtry is a private investor and founding partner of Technology Venture Inves-tors and Institutional Venture Associates. Ms. McMurtry is an active vol-unteer and serves on the Directors Advisory Council at the Cantor Art Museum at Stanford University.

Projects planned off El Camino Real in Menlo Park are approach-ing key checkpoints. The Planning Commission has set a public hearing for July 24 on a proposal by the San Mateo-based O’Brien Group to build 135 apartments and 22,500 square feet of commercial space near the intersection of Oak Grove Avenue and Derry Lane. The hearing is set to start at 7 p.m. in the council chambers. The final environmental impact report (EIR) for the proj-ect is scheduled to be available for public comment July 14-24. The EIR will be on file at the main library and the first f loor of the administration building

at the Civic Center. Send com-ments to [email protected]. Another proposal — one by developer John Beltramo to build a 26,800-square-foot office building and 16 town-houses near Valparaiso Avenue — was scheduled to be consid-ered by the Planning Commis-sion on Monday, July 10, after the Almanac’s deadline. Check AlmanacNews.com for a news update. If approved, the proposal is tentatively scheduled to go before the City Council at its August 1 meeting.

Commissioners reappointed The Menlo Park City Coun-cil’s June 27 meeting was a good night for commission-ers seeking reappointment. Transportation commission-ers Rhoda Alexander and Eric Doyle were reappointed to terms that are scheduled to expire July 2010. The council voted 4-0-1 to appoint Ms. Alexander and Mr. Doyle. Councilman Andy Cohen abstained. The council unanimously reap-pointed Thomas McDonough and Anna Zara to the Library Commission. Both terms are scheduled to expire July 2010. Jeff Jahnke, a new applicant, was unanimously appointed to

the Environmental Quality Com-mission. His term expires in August 2010.

Merging dispatch centersnow up to Menlo Park Menlo Park and San Carlos police dispatchers may need to acquaint themselves with each others’ cities. The San Carlos City Council voted 4-0 on June 26 to approve a five-year contract that would transfer its four dispatchers to Menlo Park. The dispatchers would become employees of Menlo Park, and dis-patchers from both cities would be cross-trained, as they would take calls from both cities.

The Menlo Park City Council is expected to vote on the contract in the next two months, said City Manager David Boesch. If the contract is approved, Menlo Park would receive $574,713 a year from San Carlos — a figure that would increase 5 percent annually. The payment will cover the salary and benefits of the new dispatchers, and there will be no net cost to Menlo Park, Mr. Boesch said. If the deal is approved, Menlo Park would have three, instead of two, dispatchers on each 12-hour shift, which would “increase the city’s backup capa-bility,” he said.

■ MENLO WATCH

Teodoro sentencedfor embezzling Lawrence Teodoro, a former resident of Atherton and Menlo Park and the former chief finan-cial officer of a Hayward toy company, has been sentenced to 34 months in prison and ordered to pay $1 million in restitution to Timeless Toys Inc. U.S. District Judge James

Ware sentenced Mr. Teodoro, 41, on June 29, following his conviction of embezzling $1 million from Timeless Toys. Evidence submitted to the court showed that Mr. Teodoro had set up a secret bank account and used it to finance business ventures and personal expenses, including Hawaiian vacations, escort services, and purchases from “high-end jewelers and

clothiers, fancy hotels and spas (and) boutique wine shops,” said U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan. The scheme came to light after the bank that held the secret account sent word of an overdraft to the Timeless Toys’ chief executive officer. Judge Ware called Mr. Teodoro’s behavior “despi-cable.”

— Bay City News

■ NEWS BRIEF

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Champs of two leagues battle in annual July Fourth contest.By Sean HowellSpecial to the Almanac

Peak Performance of the Alpine/West Menlo Little League beat Draeger’s of

the Menlo-Atherton league, 10-2, on July Fourth in the annual meeting between the champions of each league. The game, played at Burgess Park in the Menlo Park Civic Center, felt like it could have been opening day, with a big crowd in the stands and bunting hanging from the outfield fence. Dylan Cook led Peak’s offense with two home runs, both line-drive shots to center field, and five RBIs. He also went 4-4 at the plate. Luke Quinton pitched the entire game for Peak (16-6 Alpine League), allowing only two runs in six innings. “(The win) couldn’t feel bet-ter,” Peak head coach Gary

Prioste said. “I’m really proud of these kids. They started the year 3-3, but they stuck with it. It’s a great lesson in resilience.”

The loss was Draeger’s second in postseason play after an unde-feated regular season (23-0), the first in Menlo-Atherton history. Draeger’s head coach John Foster said that the team held back its top pitchers in order to save them for the All-Star tournament. “We’ve had better days, but (Peak) played well. You have to give them credit; they were bet-ter today,” Foster said. “It was a fabulous journey. Nobody wins all their games.” Draeger’s struck first with a run in the bottom of the second inning, but Peak took the lead with four runs in the top of the third. Ryan Di Gregorio homered in the fourth, but Peak responded with three runs in the fifth inning when Cook hit his first homer, Luke Thomas hit an RBI single and Quinton came home on a wild pitch. Cook’s second home run, a three-run shot in the sixth, put the game away. He led the team in batting average during the regular season with a .463 mark, but his coach said that he does not consider him a home run hitter. James O’Donnell pitched the first three innings for Draeger’s, and Jack Beckwith finished the game on the hill. A

Peter Cetera headlines Summer Symphony Singer-songwriter Peter Cetera and a 42-piece orchestra con-ducted by Arnie Roth will take the stage at Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater for the 2006 Summer Symphony. This is the 47th year for the annual benefit for the Children’s Health Council. Since 1986, Mr. Cetera’s hits as a solo artist have included “The Glory of Love,” from the movie “The Karate Kid II”; “The Next Time I Fall” with Amy Grant; and “No Explanation” from the film “Pretty Woman.” Prior to his solo career, he was the voice,

songwriter and bass player for the rock group Chicago. S a m a n t h a Mohr, KPIX television mete-orologist, will be mistress of c e r e m o n i e s . Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. for picnicking and pre-concert jazz performance. Quin Whitman is chairperson of the event for the second year. Proceeds will benefit Children’s Health Council services for chil-

dren with behavioral, learning and developmental problems. Major sponsors include See’s Candies, Guidant Foundation, NetJets, and Sand Hill Foundation. Tickets to the concert are $50 for adults and $25 for children in lawn seating. Chair seating is $75. Picnics can be ordered directly from Il Fornaio restaurant in Palo Alto and picked up at the event. Concertgoers will receive a picnic order form with their tickets. Food and beverages will not be sold at the concert. To order tickets, call 617-3859 or go to www.summersymphonyorg.

Cowboy poetry event at the Mounted Patrol grounds There’s like to be some yip-pee-ky-yi-yaying going on at the Mounted Patrol grounds in Woodside. The Mounted Patrol of San

Mateo County is hosting its “11th darn-near annual” West-ern Music & Cowboy Poetry event on Saturday, July 22, celebrating the songs, stories,

poetry and mystique of the Wild West. Featuring Sourdough Slim, Belinda Gail, Buckaroo Bob Weber and Pat Richardson, the event is open to the public; giant belt buckles are optional. The barbecue starts at 5 p.m.; tickets are $10. The performance is set to start at 7 p.m. “cowboy time”; tickets are $15. Proceeds benefit the Mounted Patrol’s charitable organizations. The Mounted Patrol grounds are located at 521 Kings Moun-tain Road in Woodside. For information and tickets, call 851-9570, or go to mpsmc.org.

Peak Performance winsLittle League classic

Pitcher Luke Quinton of Peak Performance allowed two runs in six innings against Draeger’s on July Fourth.

Peter Cetera

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Patricia L. HolmesRan horse stable at Wunderlich Park Patricia L. Holmes, who oper-ated the horse boarding facility at the historic Folger stable at Wunderlich County Park in Woodside since 1971, died of complications from melano-ma on June 28. She was 60. Friends are invited to celebrate Ms. Holmes’ life at a gathering at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 23, at the Folger stable, 4040 Woodside Road. Ms. Holmes was an accom-plished horsewoman and a fixture in the Woodside equestrian com-munity. Laura Stevens, her friend and assistant, said that before her death Ms. Holmes worked hard to take care of her boarders and find another operator for the stable who could take over her lease with San Mateo County. The once-opulent stable build-ing is the focus of a privately fund-ed multi-million dollar restoration project by the Friends of Huddart and Wunderlich Parks. Besides running the board-ing stable, Ms. Holmes was an impassioned supporter of Welsh Cobs, winning numerous breed-ing awards and serving as a judge at horse shows. She rode her farm’s founding sire, Cyffylliog Pende-fig, in the 1984 Olympic games’ parade of breeds in Los Angeles, her friends said. She was also involved in found-ing the Urban Decay Cosmet-ics company with Sandy Lerner. When her role was disputed, Ms. Holmes filed a lawsuit and won nearly $1 million. Ms. Holmes was a champion of both horses and humans who served as a teacher, mentor and friend to a new generation of

young horsemen and horsewom-en, her friends said. She was preceded in death by her parents Clyde and Jean Hol-mes. She is survived by her brother Greg; two nephews; and her friend and assistant Laura Stevens. Memorial donations may be sent to the Peninsula Humane Society or any animal charity, especially those that help cats.

Elizabeth ReinhartLongtime Menlo Oaks resident Elizabeth “Betty” Reinhart, a 50-year resident of the Menlo Oaks neighborhood in Menlo Park, died May 20 at Stanford Medical Cen-ter. She was 80. Born in San Mateo, she was the daughter of Charles N. Kirkbride, San Mateo’s first city attorney and early civic leader, and Mabel S. Kirkbride. She graduated from San Mateo High School before heading to Missouri to attend Stephens College for two years. She com-pleted her education at Stanford University in 1948. She met Robert “Bob” Rein-hart at a Stanford folk dancing group, and they were married in 1953. Mr. Reinhart died in March of this year. When her three children were growing up, Ms. Reinhart bal-anced motherhood with work as a family property manager and as a volunteer for the Bay Area Girl Scouts, American Asso-ciation of University Women and other organizations. She also spent many happy hours cultivating her garden, family members say. She was one of the first mem-bers of the Palo Alto Co-op, a booster of public education, and was a supporter of the San Mateo and Menlo Park histori-cal associations. She is survived by her daughter, Ann Reinhart of Los Angeles, sons Mark of Chico and Rodger of Pescadero; a brother, Harold Kirkbride of San Mateo; and seven

grandchildren. Services have been held. The family suggests a new planting in one’s garden as a remembrance.

LaPrele JohnsonCommunity volunteer LaPrele Thompson Lindsay Johnson, a longtime resident of Atherton, died June 27 at her home. She was 96. Ms. Johnson was the wife of the late Joseph Cyril Johnson, a land developer and former president of the San Francisco Home Builders Association. Mr. Johnson died in 2000. Ms. Johnson was born in Ogden, Utah. Her childhood was spent at schools in Odgen and, during the summer, on the Utah ranches of her father, Walter Lindsay, founder of the Lindsay Land and Livestock Co. As a young women, she moved to the Bay Area with her fam-ily. She met her future husband through their activities in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They drove to Utah, with her mother as chaperone, to be married in the Salt Lake Temple on November 15, 1933. Beyond her family, Ms. John-son’s greatest satisfaction came in service to others and in her church, say family members. She was active in community organi-zations, including those concerned with the care of children with mental and physical challenges, and in education. She was a teacher and leader in her church’s Wom-en’s Relief Society. She was also a volunteer worker in the Oakland temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ms. Johnson is survived by her three children, Annette Johnson of Atherton, Kathleen Eyring of Bountiful, Utah, and Craig Johnson of Atherton. She was the mother, grandmother or great-grandmother of 53 descendants at the time of her death. Funeral services have been held, with burial at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto.

■ OBITUARIES

This information is from the Atherton and Menlo Park police departments and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. Under the law, people charged with offenses are considered innocent until convicted.

ATHERTON

Fraud report: Resident gave check for $190 to door-to-door solicitor, a 19-year-old white male wearing blue shirt and ripped jeans, Maple Avenue, July 3.

MENLO PARK

Burglary reports:■ Classroom broken into and bath-room vandalized with graffiti, Belle Haven School, June 30. ■ Bicycle stolen from locked garage, 1600 block of El Camino Real, July 3. ■ Miscellaneous items stolen after front door lock vandalized, first block of Robert S Drive, July 3. ■ Burglary after screen door slashed, 200 block of Ravenswood Avenue, July 3. Robbery report: A business owner locked doors after seeing three men in ski masks outside casing the place,

1900 block of Menalto Avenue, July 4.

Assault report: Person assaulted by man wearing tuxedo and carrying a brief-case, 600 block of Menlo Avenue, July 2.

Auto burglary reports:

■ Stereo equipment stolen, 1100 block of Sevier Avenue, June 30.

■ Window smashed and CD player stolen, 400 block of Glenwood Avenue, July 1.

■ Stereo speaker and cash stolen from two vehicles and another ransacked, 1200 block of Willow Road, July 2.

PORTOLA VALLEY

Auto burglary report: Wallet with credit cards, driver’s license and $12 in cash stolen from possibly unlocked vehicle, 500 block of Portola Road, July 1.

WEST MENLO PARK

Battery report: Woman eating alone at restaurant approached by male stranger wanting to converse. She politely refused, he yelled at her, slapped her face, then left on foot, Dutch Goose restaurant at 3567 Alam-eda de las Pulgas, July 1.

■ POLICE CALLS

Patricia Holmes

Let Us Hear From YouLetters to the editorand guest columns are welcome.Mail your comments to The Almanac, 3525 Alameda de las PulgasMenlo Park, CA [email protected]


More important things to get riled aboutEditor: It is with growing disbelief that I watch the pro- and anti-bicycle argument play out in the pages of the Almanac. As an outsider — a Brit who has lived in the U.S. six years and in Woodside just two years — I have come to the conclusion that the anti-bike faction is exactly what is wrong with the U.S. in general. Selfishness, and an inability to see things from other points of view. It looks like you think you own the world, folks. Of course, none of us likes our tranquility to be disrupted. That

Residents of San Mateo County are blessed in many ways. Prime among them are our county and city parks. From the oaks and barbecue pits of Flood Park, to the

forests and trails of Huddart and Wunderlich parks, the tidepools of Fitsgerald Marine Preserve, and the forests of Pescadero and Memorial parks, the county’s parks provide us with vast and diverse opportunities to recreate, learn, and enjoy. City parks, also, enrich the lives of residents, particularly children, with playgrounds, fields, sports, and entertainment. Consider Burgess playing fields, concerts in Fre-mont Park, community events in Holbrook-Palmer Park. There’s Little League at Ford Field, and kite-flying at Bayfront Park. But our parks need help. As much as people love them, parks are optional. At budget time, parks often lose out to cops, safety, payroll and required programs. For several years, park supporters throughout the county have been looking for a solution to persis-tent budget shortfalls for parks. The result is called “Parks for the Future.” It proposes a one-eighth-cent sales tax for 25 years to fund park and recreation programs throughout the county. If it passes with a two-thirds vote in November, the county, 20 cities, and three special districts would share an additional $16 million annually for park and recreation programs. The proposed tax was set at one-eighth cent because polls showed that voters would support that amount; a poll taken in April showed better than 70 percent support. The Parks for the Future tax would raise the sales tax in San Mateo County from 8.25 percent to 8.375 percent. The average resident would pay $18.10 more each year for purchases. The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors is due to consider placing the sales tax on the ballot when it meets Tuesday, July 18. (The meeting starts at 10 a.m. in the County Center in Redwood City.) The supervisors will cast a follow-up vote August 1. We hope they will put the tax on the ballot. The tax is a minor bur-den that will greatly enhance the quality of life in San Mateo County. The predicament of county parks illustrates the need for the new tax. Many cities face similar challenges in funding

park and recreation programs. San Mateo County operates 16 parks totaling almost 16,000 acres, plus three regional trails. Over recent years, the parks division has amassed more than $100 million in deferred main-tenance and capital improvements. This can translate into dirty restrooms, more litter, and less attention to landscaping, fire pre-vention, and serving the public. In the tight budgets after the dot-com bust, the parks division

saw its budget shrink 40 percent; since 1990, full-time employees have dropped from 94 to 55. Yet visits to county parks have increased by 250,000. Another $16 million would allow the county and cities to catch up on maintenance, protect more

habitat, add programs, and fund improvements or even expansion. The county and cities could choose their priorities for park enhancement. The law would require that they fund new pro-grams; they could not replace existing park funds.

If Parks for the Future passes, San Mateo County stands to get an additional $6.3 million per year for park programs. Menlo Park would get $328,733; Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley, $205,000 each; the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space

District would get an additional $634,620; and the Ladera Recre-ation District, $90,660. It strikes us as odd that there has not been more enthusiasm by cities and districts to support this tax. So far, only Belmont, Bris-bane and San Carlos have endorsed it. Others may follow suit. Woodside’s town council is set to vote July 11 on a staff recom-mendation to support the measure and Atherton has a presenta-tion from park supporters scheduled for July 19. In Portola Valley, Town Administrator Angela Howard said she is aware of the tax measure, but hasn’t seen any correspondence asking the Town Council for an endorsement. Menlo Park has no plans to take a position on the measure. We believe this tax offers tremendous value to the people of San Mateo County. Our parks nurture our own health and well-being along with our magnificent landscapes and wild creatures. We urge our towns to get on the bandwagon and support the proposed parcel tax. We urge the supervisors to let us vote on it.

All views must include a home address and contact phone number. Published letters will also appear on the Almanac web site: www.AlmanacNews.com

EMAIL your views to [email protected]. Indicate if it is a letter to be published.

FAX to Editor at 854-0677.

MAIL or deliver to:Editor at the Almanac, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025.

CALL the Viewpoint desk at 854-2626, ext. 222.

Editor & PublisherTom Gibboney

EditorialManaging Editor Richard Hine News Editor Renee BattiLifestyles Editor Jane Knoerle Senior Staff Writers Marion Softky, Marjorie Mader Staff Writers Andrea Gemmet, David Boyce, Rory BrownContributors Barbara Wood, Bryan Wiggin, Kate Daly, Bill Rayburn, Miles McMullin, Katie BlankenbergSpecial Sections EditorsCarol Blitzer, Sue Dremann Photographer Marjan Sadoughi

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Published every Wednesday at 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 854-2626 FAX (650) 854-0677 e-mail news (no photos please) to: [email protected] photos with captions to: [email protected] letters to:[email protected] Almanac, established in September 1965, is delivered each week to residents of Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Woodside and adjacent unincorporated areas of southern San Mateo County. The Almanac is qualified by decrees of the Superior Court of San Mateo County to publish public notices of a governmental and legal nature. Decree No. 13500 continues the Menlo-Atherton Recorder (granted Oct. 24, 1927). Decree No. 147350, issued Nov. 9, 1969, covers The Almanac edition. Subscriptions are available at $25 per year for delivery to ZIP codes 94025, 26, 27, 28 and 94062. For other ZIP codes, 1 year is $40, and 2 years $55.

Serving Menlo Park,

Atherton, Portola Valley,

and Woodside for 40 years.

■ WHAT’S YOUR VIEW?

Ideas, thoughts and opinions about local issues from people in our community. Edited by Tom Gibboney.

EDITORIALThe opinion of The Almanac

LETTERSOur readers write

Courtesy of Caroline Stipe

Our Regional HeritageThis view of Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo Park looks west toward the foothills. Reader Caroline Stipe estimates the photo was shot in the 1960s. It appeared on a color postcard published by Elmo Hayden at the Menlo Camera Shop.

Put parks measure on the ballot

See LETTERS, next page

Since 1990, full-time county parks employees have dropped from 94 to 55. Yet visits to county parks have increased by 250,000.

By David Buckley

Ifeel strongly compelled to respond to Dave Gildea’s Guest Opinion last week regarding privatization of Menlo Park’s

Burgess pool complex. Here’s a different view of the situation from someone who, unlike Mr. Gildea, can offer an unbiased view, as I neither person-ally know Mr. Sheeper (who is now running the pool), nor am I a user of the pool itself. First, privatization of the pool complex was never considered at all during the entire Your City/Your Decision budget process, which sought public input on how the city should close its projected budget gap. Instead, it was brought up literally at the last minute — deliberately, I believe — by Councilwoman Mickie Winkler, who introduced Mr. Sheeper with his proposal on the very night that the City Council was to vote to authorize hiring city employees to run the new pool. As a result of this last-minute ploy, there was very little public discussion of whether handing over the keys of a brand new, multi-million dollar city facility to a private party was appropriate, warranted, or justified. But even worse, there was no solicitation of

alternative bids for running the pool. As a result, Mr. Sheeper got an amazing sweetheart deal — not only does he pay abso-lutely no rent to the city for using the facility (he admitted afterwards that he would have paid rent if the city had asked), but the city also helps pay his operating costs up-front, then bills him later for reimbursement. Such a setup is analogous to you or I being able to run a restaurant where some-one gives you a brand new place, fully-equipped and completely rent-free plus they pay for your food supplies up-front. Now that’s the definition of “sweetheart” in my book. But of even more concern should be the recent scary incident that occurred June 16 at the pool under Mr. Sheeper’s watch, when eight toddlers using the children’s pool were apparently exposed to chlorine gas when an emergency stop button was inadvertently pressed by one child. This incident brings up the fact that, while Mr. Sheeper evidently has extensive experience as a triathlon trainer, he does not appear to have much experience in actually running a pool complex. In my view, this makes handing over pool opera-tions to him without seeking proposals from

anyone else a particularly dubious decision by the City Council. And Mr. Sheeper’s reaction to the incident — denying that anything out of the ordi-nary occurred and then having the unmiti-gated gall to place blame on “parents panic” for their kids physical reactions (reactions which, according to a registered nurse present at the scene, included: gasping for air, coughing and vomiting, with one boy appearing lethargic and losing conscious-ness) — calls into serious question both his

honesty and his ethics. The city should be thanking its lucky stars that the incident turned out to be a “near miss” for, despite whatever contract language that

may be in place with Mr. Sheeper, I would bet that the city would still be held legally liable for any serious injuries that could have easily occurred in this case. So from my point of view, instead of pat-ting the City Council on its back for making such a dubious decision, residents should be seriously questioning the wisdom of this deal with those council members who voted for it, namely Mayor Nicholas Jellins and council members Mickie Winkler and Lee Duboc.

David Buckley lives on Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo Park.


Continued from previous page

V I E W P O I N T

LETTERS

By Tracy Cox

In the June 28 Viewpoint editorial, “Woodside’s Bike Overload,” the writer raises a few questions about the need for permits to limit bicycling events.

As a Woodside resident I am glad that elected officials are watching out for the residents’ safety. The main reasons encroachment permits are issued is to be able to make people aware of upcoming events, to be sure that these events are properly insured and monitored by the event coordinators, and most importantly, that these events are not compromising the safety of residents or participants. It is not, as the writer implied, a popular-ity contest. Additionally, these rides are not approved by the Woodside Bicycle Com-mittee, but rather the committee makes a recommendation, in their experienced opinion, as to whether the ride is safe, monitored where necessary, and on approved routes. After some debate and possible changes they give the application to the Town Council for permitting. The Bicycle Committee can approve as many rides as are brought to it, but the ordinance clearly states that only

two encroachment permits are allowed per month. In last month’s case, three rides were recommended, but only two could be approved. The council approved the two other rides on a first-come, first-served basis. The

town is working hard to keep the public and event coordinators informed of all events taking place each month so they may schedule appropriately. Cycling events are very common in the Bay Area; they are a great way for people to raise money for charities such as the ALS, the National Diabetes Association and others. However, every weekend large numbers of recreational cyclists ride through Woodside. Each Saturday upwards of 200 cyclists share Old La Honda Road with its 42 households during the morning hours. On a recent Saturday a large un-permitted charity ride was also sharing the town’s roads.

On Old La Honda there were approximately 80 more riders than usual between the hours of 9 and 10 a.m. How can anyone call this safe for cyclists or motorists? Old La Honda Road is a narrow, winding and steep road; it has 33 blind curves and very limited sightlines along its approximately four miles. These two reasons alone should be red flags for event

planners, but apparently they are not thinking about the safety of their participants or the residents. Fortunately no one was hurt during the un-permitted charity ride, but there were a few near misses, angry words exchanged, and ill feelings from both cyclists and residents. Woodside ordinances specifically exclude non-arte-rial roads, such as Old La Honda, from encroachment permits, not because a few angry residents voice their opinions, but because it is a set-up for disaster. Have you any idea what it is like to drive around a turn and come face to face with a group of 20 cyclists? I do, and it is quite unnerving and upsetting, but I am not going to be pushed to the point of road rage. Cycling is a recreational activity that provides great exercise and does not pollute the environment. Driv-ing my car to the store is not recreational, nor is it very much fun, but using Old La Honda Road is the only way I can access my home. When you start looking at state vehicle codes please remember that there is a difference between riders and drivers commuting to work or doing errands and those who use the roads for personal training or charity events. Perhaps this is where change can begin. California lawmakers need to update these vehicle codes to reflect current road usage. That way we can all be on the same page.

Tracy Cox lives on Old La Honda Road in Woodside.

Bikes, windy road a dangerous mix

GUEST OPINION

Another view of Menlo pool deal

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goes for me as much as anyone — I live just behind Alice’s Restaurant and the screaming of motorbikes through the sum-mer months doesn’t delight me. I used to live facing King’s College Chapel in Cambridge, one of the most tourist-clogged places in the whole of England. But one adapts — the motor-bikes and the tourists are not there the whole time, after all. And there are times when I, too, am a tourist, clogging up some-one else’s street. It goes around. My message to the vocal anti-bike minority of Woodside is, take to heart the sensible and construc-tive editorial in June 28 Almanac, and just take a good hard look at yourselves. Your shrillness and hysteria is beyond all bounds and betrays an ungenerous nastiness. This is supposed to be a free country, right? (That’s why you invaded Iraq, isn’t it?) And there are much more important things to get riled about.

Susanna BraundBlakewood Way, Woodside

Who could oppose a charity bike ride?Editor: A bicycle ride for charity, on beautiful roads built and main-tained by San Mateo County. Who could be against that? I think it’s the cars that are against that. But beware Wood-side residents: Ye who follow your cars will live in a garage owned by an oil sheik!

Elaine HaightCowper Street

Palo Alto

GUEST OPINION


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