News Worth Knowing: Los Altos Week in Review Makes Its Debut

Los Altos Patch is pleased to introduce Los Altos Week In Review, our new feature that highlights important news you might have missed in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. We'll also give you a head's up for what's on tap, you can start your week off in an informative and entertaining way.

Today we're covering the period between Nov. 14 and Nov. 20. Expect to see this feature on Sundays in the future. 

And of course, as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Now, on to the week's news worth knowing in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills. 

1. Los Altos Environmental Activist Mary Davey Remembered

The week was filled with tributes to , who died last month at the age of 80. The celebration of Davey's life culminated Saturday at Holbrook-Palmer Park where more than 100 friends and family members people gathered to remember her. Those there included San Mateo County Supervisor Richard S. Gordon and California State Senator Joe Simitian, chair of the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.  

The Los Altos Hills Town Council approved a permanent tribute to Davey Thursday when it voted to rename the Moody Road/El Monte Road path, the "Mary Davey Path."  The council also approved plans to landscape a portion of the path, adding at least three new trees and a bench with a marker bearing Davey's name.

Davey, remembered for leaving behind a legacy of public lands, was active in the movement to create the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. She also helped found the Committee for Green Foothills and was a founding board member of Hidden Villa Trust. 

2. Local Cement Plant Criticized 

The controversy over Permanente plant will continue into the new year when the Los Altos Hills Town Council looks again at whether the plant has the right to use the land where it is currently storing quarried rock.  City leaders are concerned about the environmental impact of plant operations as well as questioning whether whether Lehigh can use what's called the East Materials Storage Area (EMSA) for storing quarried rock that cannot be used for manufacturing cement.

Lehigh says it has "vested rights" to the area because  has been used historically by the quarry, and so is part of an existing conditional use permit. City leaders are studying  whether Lehigh  does that have privilege.  Early next year, the council will seek a public hearing with the Board of Supervisors on the issue.

A public hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday, but was postponed to late January or February after planners said they needed more time to research the issue.  The currently seated Los Altos Hills council believes Lehigh does not have the legal right to use the EMSA.  The body will form a committee to look into the cement plant controversy in December, once newly elected council members are seated. More cities are looking critically at this issue, including Los Altos and Mountain View.  

3. Day Worker Center Gets New Home 

More than 200 people showed up for the party last week that marked the opening of the new  in Mountain View at 113 Escuela Av. An estimated  20 percent of the day workers' employment comes from Los Altos, and Los Altans were active on the committee to develop the new space, which serves the greater Mountain View-Los Altos area. It will provide opportunities for more hours of employment, additional programming to build jobs skills and perhaps most importantly, add to the developing sense of community.

The center was previously located at Trinity Methodist Church on Mercy and Hope Streets, where it had a small office and use of the church's hall and kitchen. It's a bit of a homecoming to the neighborhood, because the Calvary Assembly of God Church a few blocks away, on California and Escuela avenues, was the first center before Trinity gave it a temporary home. Now the Day Workers Center has a building all its own—with 3,496 square feet of space—more than enough for two staff members, volunteers and the 50 day workers who are expected to show up each day.  Best of all, the building is mortgage-free, s saving of $3,000 a month.  That money will be directed toward projects and services. 

The  center will stay focused on its mission to provide a safe and credible place to match employers to employees needing work. The center will be open from 7 am until 5pm—three more hours daily than before—Monday through Saturday.

4. Shoup House Celebrates 100th Anniversary 

It's been more than a century since Los Altos was founded and that event was remembered last week with a tribute to town founders . The Los Altos History Museum celebrated the University Avenue home built by the Shoups 100 years ago.  Tricia and Bill Jennings current owners of the Craftsman-style home, unveiled a  plaque facing Adobe Creek.  The plaque commemorates the Rose Wilson Shoup Garden and Rose Shoup as "the mother of Los Altos." Paul Shoup is often called "the father of Los Altos" for creating the town in 1907, with partner Walter A. Clark, as president of the Altos Land Company. 

The event ended up being a kind of family reunion for the Shoup family. It was the first time the extended Shoup family had been together since their grandparents were alive.  Some 34 members of three branches of the Shoup family—as well as those with ties to the Shoups were there, such as the Kagawa family members whose father was the chief caretaker.

In May, the Shoup House will be part of an open house tour organized by the Los Altos History Museum. The Rose Sharp Memorial Garden, where the grotto and stand of bamboo trees established by Shoichi Kagawa nearly 100 years ago, will be on view for the public.

5. Making a Compost Bin in Your Own Backyard 

Making your own can be easier than you think. All you have to do is decide where to put the compost, pile up your kitchen scraps and yard waste and let nature do the rest. Patch columnist  points out that composting in your yard saves time and energy. Instead of going elsewhere, you can look right at home for the compost you need. 

Why make compost?  There's a couple of good reasons. Compost creates topsoil that is fluffy and rich in organic nutrients—the heart and soul of organic gardening.  You can make an enclosure to hold your compost or you can just let it pile up.  Your choice, but either way will work.

If you do make an enclosed bin, make sure you have access to air. Otherwise, things can get rather smelly. And if you do make a bin, don't make it too small. Decomposition is an active process that needs a bit of space. So when putting together a compost bin,  remember the song, "don't fence me in." 

6. A Conversation with a Los Altos Author

Los Altos Hills author talked about his award-winning book, "A Complete Guide to Public Speaking" with Patch columnist  last week.  Grippo acknowledged that almost everyone has a fear of public speaking at one point in their lives—including him.  Although he took public speaking classes in college, Grippo said he didn't really get public speaking down until he went to work for SRI International.  Those were the days before Power Point, he said. Resorting to the age-old axiom that practice makes perfect, Grippo said he got better by repeating every speech and presentation over and over until it became good enough to take to an audience. 

Grippo moved into the world of biotech, and once there he realized how difficult it was for scientists to move away from the jargon to share their information. He put together more presentations where he outlined the structure of giving a speech. But Grippo says it wasn't until he retired, that his wife who gave him the idea of writing it all down, giving birth to his book.

Now Grippo's book has gone to win a Reader's Favorite award as best nonfiction self-help. A Complete Guide to Public Speaking is available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

 A Few Things Coming Up

Here's a remnder about a few things that are coming up. 

7. Thanksgiving Day:  The first on Thanksgiving Day.  The race is raising money to help children with cancer and their families, and fund needed pediatric cancer research. The race takes place at Shoreline Park in Mountain View with 5K and 10K courses.  Registration begins at 7:30am; the race starts at 8:30am. The event will feature prizes, free food and coffee. There will also be a kid's fun zone. 

8. Wednesday Nov. 24:  Get your tickets now for the , coming up on Friday, Dec. 3, at 11:30am.  The deadline for purchasing tickets is Wednesday, Nov. 24. Los Altos and Los Altos Hills will honor and recognize volunteer service in their communities. This year's award recipients will be celebrated at a grand luncheon at the Fremont Hills Country Club, with special guest speaker, Linda Thor, chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. Reservations are $30.  For more information or to RSVP, call 650-941-7222 or 650-941-1697, or click here to print out an RSVP card and mail it.