Vote for Kim Mesa, Gustavo
Gonzales, Patricia Potter for ARUESD Board
This is our opportunity to choose trustees we can
trust!
Three Trustee seats on the Alum Rock Union Elementary School District are up
for grabs on this Election Day – Tuesday, November 7th. NNV is supporting one
incumbent and two newcomers.
Incumbent trustee, Kim Mesa, the current board president, has earned
reelection to the board. She is smart, strong and focused. Even when faced with
strong opposition, Kim confidently maintains her cool and works hard to keep the
wellbeing of the children of Alum Rock foremost on the agenda.
Newcomer Gustavo Gonzales should be elected to the board. He will bring fresh
points of view and new energy to the board. He is resourceful and will be able
to resist the old boy cabal.
Patricia Palmer is a newly retired Alum Rock teacher who has watched the
workings of the board and district for many years. She is devoted to the
children of Alum Rock and is considered “fearless” as a fighter for their best
interests. She’ll be a good addition to the board.
We need Kim, Gustavo and Patricia on the ARUESD School Board. The teachers
and parents – and most of all, the children – deserve a school board where the
trustees can work together effectively and make good, ethical decisions.
Lighting of the Village
“Let there be light - in Alum Rock!”
Historic Alum Rock Village will twinkle and glisten on the evening of Friday,
December 1st (this
date may change – watch the NNV Community
Bulletin Board) as it welcomes the community to a very special first-of-a-kind
winter holiday event. The village shop windows will come alive with thousands of
white lights in the first (Annual?) Lighting of the Village event!
The hours will be 5:00 to 7:00 PM. The member businesses of the Alum Rock
Village Business Association will stay open past their normal closing hours and
invite community members to become better acquainted.
Tables of free refreshments (Hot cider and cookies? Perhaps goodies from
Village restaurants?) will be stationed on both sides of Alum Rock Avenue.
A central stage will be erected in the area in front of the former Brasil
Auto Repair shop. Music will fill the air. Strolling vocalists are expected.
Fine prizes will be raffled. There will be a piñata for the children. Perhaps
even the Story Lady at the Roberto Cruz-Alum Rock Library will be on hand to
read to little tykes.
In case of rain, the Community Room at the library will be a backup site for
the merrymakers who it’s hoped will throng the sidewalks of our charming little
Village.
Click here and
here for photos of The Village and our banners.
Please Re-elect Trustee Kim
Mesa to Alum Rock School District Board
“Commitment, communication skills, professionalism” among her strengths
By Edie Pricolo, 45 year Alum Rock Resident
For as long as I've known Kim Mesa, she's been a constant source of encouragement
for me to believe that the Alum Rock School District can once again become a
highly regarded district. All of my kids attended Alum Rock schools at a time
when our reputation was top notch. However, I was very worried that when my
grandson became school age I would have to insist that he go to a private
school. Knowing that board members like Kim are taking the lead in protecting my
vested interest, I feel much more comfortable with my grandchildren attending
schools in this district. Not only has Kim entrusted Alum Rock to educate her
three children, she herself attended 1st grade through 8th grade in Alum Rock
and graduated from W. C. Overfelt High School.
Although Kim is a single parent and works full time at San Juan Bautista
Child Development Center as Development Director, I know how many hours beyond
the regular board meeting she commits to her board position. She works hard to
ensure that she stays on top of issues affecting Alum Rock students, and she
communicates regularly to the other board trustees, the superintendent and
community members. I know this district has benefited from her professionalism
as well as the fact that she has taken the time to get board training to become
a better trustee.
Kim's commitment to taking responsibility for the well being of Alum Rock
students goes way back, starting with taking office in PTA when her oldest son
was in kindergarten. From there, she held offices on the School Site Council,
the District Advisory Council, G.A.T.E., the Alum Rock Educational Foundation,
and the Neighborhood Advisory Council.
She is currently the President of the Alum Rock School Board, and I couldn't
be more proud to know her. Her message and actions are consistent. In a letter
she wrote to me, she said: "By establishing bonds between the school district
and the community, we are making progress toward excellence in our schools.
There is more to be done, and with thoughtful governance and a well-trained
Board, Alum Rock can, and will, become a high achieving school district."
Click here for a photo of
Kim.
Clareview Avenue ARUESD
Candidates’ Night
Kim Mesa and Gustavo Gonzales
impress attendees
By Edie Pricolo
On Tuesday evening, October 17th, ARUESD Board candidates Kim Mesa, current
board president up for re-election, and Gustavo Gonzalez, first-time candidate,
met with a group of interested neighbors at my home. The people who came to ask
their questions were knowledgeable about the board functions and concerned about
the path they might take in the future conduct of school business here in the
district. To quote one of the attendees: "… the dialogue was invigorating and
intelligent. That was the best Q&A session with politicians that I've ever been
at because of the seeking spirit in that room … even though I promised myself to
sit and be quiet, the discussion was so lively I just couldn't resist getting
involved."
Kim and Gustavo were both clear on their vision of how the board can become
more vital.
More parent involvement was felt by both to be key to the success of our
children here in the community. I was impressed with their ability to answer
thoughtfully and concisely on any subject broached and I think everyone went
away satisfied that their questions had been addressed fully.
I was very pleased with the information gathered and the warm, decidedly
courteous way everyone interacted with each other. They represented in the very
best way that part of the old East Side that I love and the reason why I
continue to live here in the neighborhood.
The Real Estate Market in
Perspective
Don’t panic!
By Eileen Parks
Don’t panic! We certainly have seen changes in our real estate market in the
past several months, but the “bubble” (a term I have learned to hate) the media
sensationalizes is just that, sensationalism. True, things have slowed down. It
is taking longer to sell a home right now than it did six months ago. If someone
has to sell, they may choose to re-price their home to appeal to a larger pool
of buyers. Inventory is ticking up a little, but not a lot. Interest rates are
up a little, but not a lot. Folks, it’s just not a catastrophe, a bust or a
panic. Our market has needed a correction for a long time and I see this as a
very normal business cycle. We could not continue with multiple offers and
overbidding forever. Predictions are that we will see a 5% increase over the
next year. It’s not a lot, but real estate is still a good place to keep your
investment safe.
Many newspaper articles I have seen paint a dire picture. I would encourage
you to keep the negative news in perspective. Dig through the whole article, not
just the headline. The real truth is often buried ¾ of the way through an
article. Either the numbers are a nationwide average, or are based on sales in
the Chicago area, or are based on other numbers which skew the results.
We live in an incredibly desirable area where, despite a lot of building, the
housing demand still doesn’t meet the need, where land is running out and where
the job market is still good. Our housing market may continue to do some
adjusting, but I believe it will be quite healthy for the foreseeable future.
NNV Note: Eileen Parks is an NNV Founding
Sponsor and a Broker Associate with Windermere Properties.
Scrumptious One-of-a-Kind Fine
Jewelry Designed Just for You
Jewelry Designs by Marco right here in Alum Rock
Village
While it may be true that the cobbler’s children have no shoes, it is not
necessarily true that the jewelry designer’s wife has no jewelry. At least not
if you’re the wife of Alum Rock Village’s outstanding designer, Marco Rodriguez!
Marco designs and creates the most beautiful and unusual pieces of jewelry
you could ever want. And, because it was his and his wife Genevieve’s 25th
wedding anniversary early last month, Marco made her an absolutely one-of-a-kind
pendant featuring an Australian boulder opal and brown and white diamonds set in
yellow and white gold. It is definitely an example of what every woman dreams –
to have real jewelry and something that no one else has!
Marco has had his shop next door to Mario’s Barber Shop for the past fifteen
years. He consolidated his business there from three smaller locations around
town. The Rodriguez children all attended St. John Vianney School, so when a
spot for a shop became available down Alum Rock Avenue in the Village, it seemed
a natural.
NNV asked Marco how he happened to become a jeweler. He says he was always an
artistic kid with a bent for drawing and designing. His uncle was a jeweler who
let young Marco learn the trade from the ground up (read: sweeping up the shop,
for instance, and learning to polish metals). He’s come a long way since those
teen years and now does every phase of jewelry design and fabrication except one
type of inlay.
We have known Marco for several years, but, not until recently when we saw a
wonderful bangle style medical emergency I.D. bracelet which he created for a
neighbor, did we have any idea of the very special sorts of things he can
fashion. This particular bracelet is eons ahead of the standard link-style
identification bracelet with the flat engraved panel. This one is a real piece
of gold jewelry designed by the neighbor’s husband to convey his profound
feelings during his wife’s fight against leukemia. Marco lovingly took the
design and made it into a work of art which still, of course, proclaims the
message an I.D. bracelet is meant to do.
Marco’s life revolves around his small shop and his family. All of his grown
children attended St. John Vianney School and have gone on to college. His
smallest child, a ten year old daughter bringing up the rear, is now a fifth
grader at SJV School. Her daddy has long been a major volunteer for St. John’s
scrip program. Marco also serves on the board of the Alum Rock Village Business
Association (ARVBA).
So what does Marco Rodriguez want you to know about himself and his business?
He takes pride in his novel designs and will create jewelry to your order. He
will make a rendering of your selection. He will clean, polish and check the
mountings of the jewelry he makes for you – quarterly, gratis. He also does
jewelry repairs and is happy to melt down your old outmoded pieces and make
something new and up-to-date reusing the materials. If you have old watches, he
enjoys embellishing them for a new look. And, he does mundane things like put
new batteries in your watch.
So, next time you’re next door at Mario’s for a haircut (or waiting outside
while your husband, boyfriend or son gets some tonsorial attention) feel free to
pop into Marco’s unpretentious little shop and let him show you some of his
designs. You will not be disappointed!
Click here for photos of Marco
and his jewelry designs.
Last Minute Kudos Department
Alum Rock Neighborhood Coalition – Veronica and
Richard Wildanger
Alum Rock Neighborhood Coalition – Serving Alum Rock since 1993
The members of the Alum Rock Neighborhood Coalition (ARNC) have been our
community’s unsung knights (and ladies) in shining armor since 1993. They have
been graffiti vandals’ worst foes. They have painted out miles of territorial
“tags” left behind by gangbangers and wanna-be “muralists.”
They have beautified the Alum Rock neighborhood with landscape plants and
fresh paint where needed. They have held clean-up days where they swept up the
litter dropped by others. For many years, they took it upon themselves to paint
and maintain the big concrete East Highlands sign at Alum Rock and Brundage.
Take a close look - that is one big sign and giving it a couple coats of
paint is an effort not to be sneezed at!
The organization started as the brain child of a group of local real estate
people who hoped to improve the neighborhood. Some of the early founders’ names
are lost in the haze of time, but longtime standout volunteers include Richard
Calhoun, Steve Pollock, Primo Ramos, Karen DeLong and Officer Jim Roach. Also
involved along the way have been Ellen and Gary Rauh, Rene Morgan and Eileen
Parks. James Lick science teacher, Nella Henninger and her Project Earth
students pitched in as well.
Now it comes to our attention that the volunteers of ARNC have decided to
fold their tent and disband. They deserve their rest. And, they deserve a
million thanks from our community. It is rare to find a group of selfless
volunteers who are willing to do the most thankless tasks to improve a community
– and all with no horn-tooting or egos showing.
Thank you, thank you, Alum Rock Neighborhood Coalition. The
community is in your debt.
Richard and Veronica Wildanger – Hillcrest Neighborhood Watch Founders
Sometimes it takes new blood in a neighborhood to get things stirring. This
is the case with Richard and Veronica Wildanger who moved into the Hillcrest
neighborhood in recent years. When the neighborhood began suffering mail thefts
and pilferage from vehicles, it occurred to the Wildangers that a Neighborhood
Watch group was in order. Working with the County Sheriff’s Department, they
very effectively organized a community meeting at Foothill Presbyterian Church
to mobilize the Hillcrest Neighborhood Watch. Their community on the western
edge of the San Jose Country Club now has fantastic coverage of Neighborhood
Watch signs – most houses sport a sign in a window!
Via e-mail, Veronica has sent out countless alerts and warnings to their
membership when suspicious people or activities threatened their serene streets.
She has even posted lost pet information! Recently, the Wildangers helped
organize an information session to acquaint the neighborhood with a group home
which was proposed for a single-family residence in the neighborhood. Richard
acquitted himself admirably when he found himself the unofficial “go-to” person
in a very tense situation.
The Wildangers have organized picnics and parades in Hillcrest - things that
no one had seen in the neighborhood for years. They’re the kind of folks who,
when they see the need for something to be done, they don’t look around to see
who else might take care of it. They just do it!
Richard and Veronica are also active at Saint John Vianney where they lead a
married couples group. Don’t even ask about their “spare” time!
Veronica comes from an East San Jose family very proud
of its Mexican heritage. One of her brothers is Captain Jose Guerrero, the San
Jose Fire Department’s Wildland Officer. Richard’s Los Altos family is equally
proud of its European traditions and heritage. They have a true blending of
cultures at their home. Richard and Veronica are both Market Research Analysts,
but Veronica is a stay-at-home mommy for their little girl for the present.
Click here for photos of
Richard and Veronica.
Rauhs Celebrate 6th Grape
Harvest – With Flair
Works by East Valley Art Leaguers enhance vineyard
Ellen and Gary Rauh treated scores of neighborhood friends to another of
their fantastic annual “Veraison” parties – this one on the last Saturday in
September commemorating their sixth harvest. The weather that day was “broody”
at best, but the generous flow of wine and steady stream of hors d’oeuvres kept
everyone warmed and content to the point that the threatening skies were
scarcely noticed.
A special treat was waiting in the vineyard below the Rauhs’ beautiful
multilevel home. There, several canopies had been erected as shelters for a
full-fledged art show featuring the work of the fifty+ members of the East
Valley Art League. Ellen and Gary’s neighbor, Sally Holt, who is president of
the group this year, arranged to present this show of framed art to the harvest
party guests.
The theme of many of the paintings was - no surprise - vineyards, grapes and
wine. Sally had challenged the artists to create around this theme. Many members
were inspired to paint glorious vineyard landscapes or still-lifes of the dusky
fruit. They voted among themselves to choose the most outstanding representation
of the Rauhs’ winemaking hobby – and then they presented it to Gary and Ellen as
a thank you for the opportunity to share their work with the community.
Although Mother Nature did not provide the “perfect Indian Summer day” which
Ellen and Gary optimistically predicted in their invitation, the rain thankfully
held off until the following day – when it arrived in a flurry and cut short by
an hour the YSI Wildlife Festival in Alum Rock Park. Perhaps this timing is
indicative of Gary and Ellen’s close association with Mother N. Why not –
they’re folks who’ve “never met a stranger” and who generously burnish
friendships. It wouldn’t be surprising if the old gal was in their debt, too!
Click here for photos.
Teresa Faz - New San Jose
Redevelopment Agency, Business Manager for ARVBA
Loves to work with neighborhood groups, she says
What restaurants do you patronize?
Teresa Faz was recently hired as a Development Officer by the San Jose
Redevelopment Agency. Among her assignments is to serve as Business Manager for
ARBVA and mentor the fledgling Alum Rock Village Business Association.
Teresa has been working in city government for 15 years (all in the Community
Development and Police Departments), consulting with small businesses for five
years - and possesses two degrees – a B.S. in Organizational Behavior and a
Masters in Public Administration, both from the University of San Francisco. She
is bilingual in Spanish (speaks, reads, and writes fluently) and has used this
skill to reach the Hispanic community in order to educate them as to city
policies and procedures and for the purpose of improving their businesses.
Teresa has a high level of technical, professional, and hands-on expertise in
the following areas - forming partnerships in the community,
government/community relations, economic development, redevelopment,
neighborhood preservation, code enforcement, planning, building safety, and
housing. She has also served as president of a statewide 35 member non-profit
board on several occasions, so she is well versed on working with non-profit
boards and associations.
She began meeting with the members of the association at their October
meeting - just in time to help with plans for ARVBA's first big community
marketing event, the Lighting of the Village, on December 1st. Teresa is originally from
Mexico, lived in Texas, and has resided in California since the early 70's. She
grew up in the Campbell area where she still resides. Click here for a photo.
What restaurants do you patronize?
The San Jose Redevelopment Agency knows our NNVESJ readers have been asking
for more restaurants and retail stores. Click
here to take a
brief survey to let the Agency staff know more about your restaurant
preferences. When you complete the survey, click the Back Button on your Web
browser twice to return to New Neighborhood Voice. Questions about the survey
may be addressed to Anne Stedler at (408) 795-1817 or
anne.stedler@canjoseca.gov.
David Cohen for Berryessa
School Board
Long history of public service,
super credentials
From David Cohen
I am a product of public education and hold a PhD from UC Berkeley. As the
father of a 3-year old daughter and a new baby boy, I have observed how much
kids love learning new things, and our system needs to harness that enthusiasm.
My priorities are:
- Make sure that testing requirements do not excuse us from finding creative
ways to guarantee the success of each child in our diverse student body.
- Teachers must be properly rewarded and compensated for their crucial work.
- Schools must have courses in art, industrial arts, and music, so that every
student will have an opportunity to excel.
- Strong counseling programs are needed so that children at all capability
levels will be properly supported.
It is important that our school board works well
together and also serves as a strong, independent body, asking tough questions
and demanding accountability from school administration.
- Our schools should be accountable to parents, teachers, and of course our
children.
- As chair of the San Jose Library Commission, I helped lead the fight to fully
fund our community libraries and also worked to pass the latest voter-approved
measure providing supplementary funding for our branches.
- I have reviewed budgets and worked directly with members of the community.
I am endorsed by all five of the current Berryessa school board members and
the California Teachers Association of Berryessa. I have strong support from
members of school boards across Santa Clara County and am proud that many
community activists and elected officials, including Congressman Mike Honda,
Senators Elaine Alquist and Liz Figueroa, Supervisors Jim Beall and Pete McHugh,
and San Jose Councilmembers Madison Nguyen, Cindy Chavez, Judy Chirco, Nancy
Pyle, and Ken Yeager, also support me.
I have lived in the Berryessa area for over eight years. There are four
candidates running for three spots on the board, including just one incumbent.
Of the non-incumbents, I am the only one with governmental experience, having
served on the library commission for five years. I believe that it is important
to encourage young people to develop leadership skills and a desire to serve the
community. For over a decade, I worked with a national college service
organization called Alpha Phi Omega. As an advisor to the UC Berkeley chapter, I
helped strengthen their program of service. As chair of the section covering
Northern California and Nevada, I worked with students on a dozen campuses. I
facilitated workshops on effective communication, leadership development,
creativity, and conflict resolution.
More about my campaign is available at my website,
electdavidcohen.com.
"David Cohen will bring creative ideas to the Berryessa School District. His
strong leadership skills will ensure that our children achieve to the best of
their ability. The Berryessa School District will have a valuable asset in David
Cohen."
- Congressman Mike Honda
"I know how important it is to have strong leadership for our schools. David
Cohen has been an active member of the San Jose community and will be a smart,
fair, and hard working school board member."
- Councilmember Madison Nguyen
Click here for a photo.
Linda Vista and Ryan
Elementary Schools Earn Awards
Both recognized as Honor Roll Star
Schools by business community
From ARUESD
Alum Rock Union Elementary School District announced that Linda Vista
and Ryan Elementary Schools have been selected by the California Business for
Education Excellence (CBEE) Foundation and Just for the Kids-California (JFTK-CA)
as two of 304 public schools in California to receive the title of 2006 Honor
Roll school.
Schools receiving this distinction from California’s business community have
demonstrated consistent high student academic achievement and have made
significant progress toward closing achievement gaps among all their students.
The CBEE Foundation/JFTK-CA Honor Roll is made up of two different awards, the
Star School Awards (100 schools) and Scholar Schools Award (204 schools). Honor
Roll schools are being recognized because they are on track to meet the goal of
100% grade-level proficiency by the 2013-2014 school year as required by federal
law. In addition, CBEE Star Schools are those with significant populations of
socio-economically disadvantaged students that have shown a significant increase
in grade-level proficiency over four years for all subgroups. Linda Vista and
Ryan will receive recognition as Honor Roll Star Schools! A full list of Honor
Roll schools, sorted alphabetically by county, can be found at
www.cbeefoundation.org.
Norma Martinez, Superintendent, commented, “We are honored to have two of our
outstanding elementary schools selected as Honor Roll schools and recognized by
California’s business community. Our teachers and administrators continually
demonstrate commitment and tireless efforts to ensure the focus is on student
academic achievement and ultimately reaching grade-level proficiency for all
students. Linda Vista and Ryan stand well above the rest of the schools in the
state in getting all students to grade-level proficiency. We are extremely proud
of their accomplishments over the last five years.”
To recognize the success of Linda Vista and Ryan, the CBEE Foundation will
honor the schools at an awards dinner on November 14th in San Francisco. The
Superintendent and Board President will accompany the principals and staff from
each school.
Illustrious Neighbor
Illustrates Professionally and For Fun
Ritch Waldron welcomes your assignment
A couple of years ago neighbor Sandra Dixon, then a Linda Vista Elementary “PTA
Mom,” came to visit us at NNV. She was interested in sharing her Marketing
expertise with our fledgling publication. She brought with her a portfolio of
programs and artifacts from jobs she had done. She freely shared ideas with us
and, perhaps most intriguingly, showed us examples of graphic art done by
another neighbor, Ritch Waldron.
We were fascinated by his sweet water color paintings of flowers and birds
and his pen-and-ink sketches which Sandra had used in her work. We vowed to get
in touch with Ritch at the first opportunity, but we became swept up in
producing the newsletter and lost track of his contact information. Every so
often, a little morsel of paper bearing an e-mail address for “Waldron Graphics”
would surface - only to disappear again into the morass that is the NNV office.
Last month it worked its way to the top again and we e-mailed Ritch before it
submerged again.
We asked him if he had an illustration which would personify November for the
final edition of NNV. Indeed he did and he immediately sent us his “Maples” from
2004. It’s a water color for which he used a “fairly dry brush for most of the
details,” he says, (because we asked about his technique), and he added, it’s
“on heavy weight cold press watercolor paper.” We think it’s perfect and we’re
so glad we asked!
Ritch is in his late 50’s and lives near Penitencia Creek Road just below
Alum Rock Park. He’s a free lance graphic artist by trade. He does a lot of work
for restaurants in the area. He illustrates menus, posters, newspaper and
magazine ads. He’s done work for the State Parks for use in their signage and
recently did a series of floral drawings which were carved in granite blocks for
donors to the park at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. In the past, he’s done
illustrations for a book of photos of Muir Woods – you can still buy the book at
the park.
Ritch says that his favorite subject is nature – animals and plants. He keeps
busy doing graphic art for a living and paints “fine art” (mainly for friends)
when he has time. He tells us that he always welcomes more work. You can contact
him at waldrongraphics@comcast.net.
Click here for photos of
Ritch's work.
Robust YSI Wildlife Festival
Dampened by Fall’s First Rainfall
Dorothy Johnson honored
Fun day Sunday truncated by chilly showers
The area around the Youth Science Institute Nature Center in Alum Rock Park
was chockablock with displays, programs, demonstrations, animals and even fire
trucks on the first day of October. The community came out to learn about nature
in the most painless fashion – from scores of experts and volunteers. As usual
there were snakes to touch and raptors to watch and crafts to do. Smokey Bear
was even on hand to remind everyone of fire, one of nature’s most dangerous and
dramatic elements.
For the first time that anyone could remember, the Lick High School Choir and
Band students had a table at the festival. They were promoting their fundraiser
– selling fire extinguishers and first aid kits – to earn funds for performance
garb. The choir members performed an impromptu serenade to the delight of
everyone in hearing distance.
The food tent had a different appearance this year. Peggy Sue’s did the
catering for a pleasant change. The fare was hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie
burgers - same as usual – but everything seemed to taste better with Peggy’s
imprimatur.
The San Jose Fire Department brought out their stunningly painted Shark
Engine for all to see. And, there were firefighters of all stripes on hand to
reinforce the message that San Jose is surrounded by hazardous Wildland Urban
Interface neighborhoods which pose the threat of wildfire. The neighborhoods
surrounding Alum Rock Park are perfect examples of WUI’s.
As always, there was a parade of amusing and entertaining educational
programs unfolding in the stage area. This year, the program was interrupted by
YSI’s Executive Director Susanne Mulcahy honoring Animal Curator Dorothy (“D.J.”)
Johnson’s 25 years of service to YSI with a small plaque and a big hug. Then,
just at the moment when the Reptiles and More folks were preparing to regale the
audience with their scaly pals, big fat cold raindrops began pelting everyone
who wasn’t under cover.
You have never seen a group of folks decamp so fast! Tables were cleared and
boxes trundled to cars in the blink of an eye. Within minutes there was hardly a
sign of wildlife or festival. But, even though rain was running down many backs,
smiles were nearly ubiquitous. Everyone knew that the rain signaled the
beginning of the end of the 2006 fire season. No one begrudged Mother Nature her
adverse weather demonstration even if she literally stole the show.
Click here for photos.
NNV Note: Several late
October neighborhood grass fires had WUI dwellers and fire fighters anxious for
Mother Nature to get on with the rainy season. "You go, Girl! and bring on that
wet stuff!" was the consensus.
County Cannot Impose
“Landmark Status” On Your Home
New preservation ordinance says they’d need your
consent!
Over the past three years, nine community meetings were held to forge a
historic preservation ordinance which would prevent historic homes in
unincorporated Santa Clara County areas from being razed or altered
significantly.
The draft ordinance was approved early last month. The idea was to give the
members of the County’s Historical Heritage Commission a tool that would give
them effective means of enforcement to do “real preservation.”
However, a last minute near-afterthought provoked by the concerns of owners
of historic homes at Stanford prompted the Board of Supervisors to vote 3-2 that
landmark status could not be imposed without the consent of the property owner.
Supervisors Blanca Alvarado and Jim Beall cast the nays stating their concerns
that this new condition takes the teeth out of the ordinance.
Supervisors Don Gage, Liz Kniss and Pete McHugh wanted assurance that
homeowners have a say in whether the rules (which the Stanford homeowners
consider overly broad and restrictive) could be applied to their homes. Pete
McHugh successfully added a proposal that makes a one-year pilot program of the
voluntary ordinance.
October 6 Farewell Party for
Nora Conte
Retiring librarian of the Roberto
Cruz/Alum Rock Library
By Tanya Freudenberger
After enjoying a terrific spread, surrounded by some of the most beautiful
bouquets of flowers I've ever seen, the crowd settled down to listen to Nora's
staff and community members praise her caring dedication to other people's
growth. The staff told story after story about her encouraging them to not give
up -- to take this class or accept that challenge. They all said that because of
Nora, they are successful at what they do and are looking forward to
accomplishing more in their lives.
Community leaders expressed their gratitude for Nora's ability to take the
library and love for reading books right into the neighborhoods and schools
without reservation. For anyone in that room who did not have any previous
interaction with Nora, they knew her strength of character and determination
before the evening was over.
Click here for a photo.
NNV Note: Before she left, Nora told us that
she hated to leave our wonderful library, but she was looking forward to a new
position at the San Benito County Library which is just ten minutes away from
her San Juan Bautista home.
California’s First Lady
Declares Mathson’s Arbor Society a Model of Volunteerism
From ARUESD
California’s First Lady, Maria Shriver, visited Alum Rock’s Lee Mathson
Middle School to launch the
CaliforniaVolunteers.org program and to recognize the school’s Arbor
Society. The First Lady lauded the contributions of Mathson students for their
tireless efforts. Speaking to various media outlets from Northern California,
the First Lady held up the work of Mathson students and their relationship with
the Our City Forest foundation as a “shining example of volunteerism.”
Mathson Principal Glenn VanderZee and staff hosted the special event honoring
this outstanding program. Mathson’s Arbor Society is coordinated by the school’s
counselor, Adelina Whitecrow. The Arbor Society is a model for students to
volunteer in a program and learn about the program. Students water and prune
trees around the campus and work with Our City Forest to learn the
benefits of trees in the community. Students also receive applications for tree
planting from the neighborhood and assist in the planting of trees. Our City
Forest and the Mathson Arbor Society have planted and maintained over
seventy trees on the site.
The First Lady also learned how to plant a tree from young volunteers and
encouraged other young people and adults to follow the lead of Mathson students
and give back to their communities in this service-oriented manner. In her
comments to the press, The First Lady stated, “In my family, we were expected to
serve others, it was not an option and I expect my children to do the same.”
Finally, The First Lady thanked the students for their commitment to
volunteerism and for their contributions to Mathson’s Arbor Society.
Click here for photos of
Maria Shriver at Mathson.
Richard Brown’s Alum Rock
Park
Vivaldi’s Choice
We asked Richard Brown, our stellar neighborhood photographer, to choose four
of his favorite photos for publication in this, the final edition of NNV.
Richard has generously sent us his beautifully composed and photographed scenes
of Alum Rock Park during the last couple of years. We should have known it would
not be easy for him to choose just four, but as you will see, he ruminated for
a while and devised a plan of attack for this assignment. He titled the e-mail
accompanying his photos “Vivaldi’s Choice” referring to Antonio Vivaldi’s 18th
century Four Seasons violin concerti.
Here’s what Richard wrote:
At first, I had no idea how I could pare my selection down to a swan song of
just four pictures for this issue. It became somewhat less daunting when I
decided to limit it to a depiction of some general aspect of the park. This
eliminated all the close-ups, the flowers, critters, etc., thereby reducing the
choice to my ongoing feeble efforts at capturing the park's many faces, perhaps
a mere few dozen so far. And finally, a theme. Four pictures, four seasons,
what a novel concept.
Winter: I had a lot of choices here but what I think of most is the clean
fragrant air after a rain and the damp mossy greenness. Spring: Say it with
flowers, a field of sorrel. And a stream...ok, it includes a critter who's made
himself part of the landscape. He's having a Huck Finn moment, asking what could
be better than a warm rock on a balmy spring day. Summer: weekend holiday,
barbecues and sounds of play in the central area where this is a familiar sight
to everyone. Fall: The lighting was perfect for this one and what can I say, I'm
a hopeless romantic.
Click here for Richard's
favorite photos of the Four Seasons of Alum Rock Park.
Santa Clara County Parks and
Recreation Department Celebrates 50 Years
Fun factoids about local parks
From Santa Clara County Supervisor Pete McHugh,
District 3
In September, the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department
celebrated the 50th anniversary of its inception. This golden legacy has
resulted in one of the largest regional park systems in California, with 28
county parks covering nearly 45,000 acres. Over the years, the Department has
made great strides to achieve its mission to provide, protect and preserve
regional parklands for the enjoyment and education of all generations. To
celebrate the Department’s 50th anniversary, park staff wishes to highlight some
best-kept secrets of various county parks. These facts showcase the unique
features of our county parks and include fun facts about the Department’s
operations.
The Board of Supervisors officially established the Santa Clara County Parks
and Recreation Department in 1956. Soon after its establishment the Department
began to acquire and develop key land locations such as Ed Levin Park and the
Alviso Marina. The Department later focused on the expansion of several existing
popular parks and purchased additional land, such as at Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear
Ranch in San Martin. Most recently, the County and the State received a donation
of almost 300 acres in the middle of San Jose for a new park. The County will
name this area the Martial Cottle Park.
As a result of these acquisition efforts and coupled
with the parks’ unique features, the department provides outstanding
recreational opportunities to all County residents. The unique features listed
below highlight some of Santa Clara County’s history and exemplify opportunities
available to park visitors.
Ed Levin County Park contains a rock wall made by ancient human inhabitants
that lines the summit of Ed Levin County Park. It snakes its way to the hills of
Berkeley, constructed by unknown people for unknown reasons.
Coyote Hellyer County Park contains the Velodrome, a paved and banked oval
bicycle track circling 1/5 mile around and is one of only four in the Western
United States.
Mount Madonna County Park was named by the recluse poet, Hiram Wentworth,
since its 1,897 foot peak reminded him of “Madonna”, Italy’s designation of the
Virgin Mary.
Anderson Lake County Park contains remnants of a historic stone winery built
in 1869.
Calero County Park is visited annually in the winter months by a bald eagle
who stays at the Calero Reservoir. It is also home to 1,000 bats that live in
the backcountry of the park, called “Calero Bat Inn”
Vasona Lake County Park has a variety of rare and interesting trees, including
a species of redwood tree once thought to be extinct and the Roosevelt redwood
tree originally planted in Campbell by President Teddy Roosevelt.
In addition, the following information includes fun
facts about the operations and services of the parks:
• The department equips its parks with so much toilet paper that one weekend of
toilet paper meets the needs of two families of four for one year.
• Turf mowing at parks amounts to a mow strip with a distance that can reach
Chicago and back each year.
• The total of boating miles at county parks equal to a cruise around the world.
Since 1972, the Department receives funding from a Parks Charter Fund. The
Parks Charter Fund sets aside 1.425 cents per $100 of assessed valuation in
property taxes. The Department must devote these funds to the expansion,
development and stewardship of the Santa Clara County park system. This past
June the voters overwhelming supported continuing the Parks Charter fund until
June 30, 2021. This support will allow the Department to continue the great work
it has accomplished over the years. Santa Clara County is fortunate to have a
vast Parks and Recreation system that provides many learning and recreational
opportunities. I congratulate the Department on its 50 years of success and urge
all residents to visit a park near you.
Pete McHugh
Supervisor, District Three
Santa Clara County
www.pmchugh.org
pmchugh@bos.sccgov.org
Click here for the
County Parks Web site.
Neighborhood Health Pro Takes
On Eastside Real Estate
Gaby Figueroa wants to help you become a homeowner!
An eleven year veteran of Eastside Planned Parenthood Clinic in Alum Rock
Village, Gabriela Figueroa is adding a whole new arena to her resume. Gaby is
marrying the world of real estate to the medical world which was her first love.
Gaby has never been one to take the line of least resistance. She graduated
two years ago from San Jose State with a Bachelors degree in Public Health, but
not before a ten year odyssey through academia where she undertook all sorts of
disparate courses simply because they looked interesting. And, she excelled in
them!
Nowadays she continues to do a small amount of part-time work at Planned
Parenthood following several years as the Prenatal Coordinator there. Her “day
job” is as a Clinical Health Educator at Kaiser Santa Teresa.
As if those jobs weren’t enough, Gaby has embarked on a career in Real
Estate, too! She has joined Century 21 Golden Hills (owned by Francisco
Gonzalez and Bob Fernandez) where she is looking forward to putting her
bilingual English/Spanish skills to good use. She knows the challenges faced by
Latino would-be-homeowners and wants to help them clear the hurdles.
NNV can speak to Gabriela Figueroa’s hard work ethic because she’s been a
neighborhood asset for so many years. If you’re looking for an agent who will
absolutely tirelessly go the extra mile for you (or your friend or family member
who has homeownership as their lifelong dream), you can’t go wrong with dear
Gaby.
You can call her at (408) 238-1200. Century 21 Golden Hills is located at
2680 S. White Road, Suite 159, San Jose, 95148.
Click here
for a photo.
Alum Rock Park Railroads to
be Commemorated
Get on board to help tell the story
of this Eastside historical treasure
By Bonnie Bamburg
Have you wondered about the history behind the large
concrete structures at the entrance to Alum Rock Park? They are the remains of
railroad service into the park. With leadership from San Jose Park Ranger Roger
Abe, a group is forming to assist in interpreting those remains and telling the
story of rail service into the park. Some research has been done, but there's
more to be done as well as designing plaques and adding other enhancements so
the story can be told and preserved.
Funding will need to be secured to create and maintain
the interpretation plaques. This is a very worthwhile endeavor to preserve yet
another of the wonderful aspects of East Side history as we learn from the past.
To obtain information about meetings, to join or
contribute to this project you may contact Ranger Roger Abe at Alum Rock Park
Ranger’s Station, or call Bonnie Bamburg (408-254-7171). The group expects to
get back to work in November.
Click here
to read more about the trains in Alum Rock Park. Click
here for old postcards illustrating
the trains.
Joan Elenore Petersen Balcom
3/29/25 – 10/22/06
By Karen (Balcom) Hokanson
Every community has some people who are special, mostly because of their
dedication to serving others. My mother, Joan Balcom, was one of those people.
She moved to the East Side of San Jose in 1957 to help her husband (my dad),
Donald, care for his mother by working in the apricot orchard which had been in
the family since Donald was 10 years old. Forty-nine years later, she was still
passionately concerned about her East Foothill community, checking on elderly
friends and keeping up on political issues affecting our hillside community.
Born in San Francisco on March 29, 1925, she was adopted at about one year of
age by Victor and Nina Zanette Petersen of San Francisco. Joan was raised in a
diverse ethnic and cultural neighborhood in San Francisco and went to school
first at West Portal School and then, because it was closer, to Sunnyside
School.
It was when she was at Aptos Jr. High that she walked across the Golden Gate
Bridge on its opening day. She even went to the World's Fair on Treasure Island.
For high school she attended Lux High School, the women's portion of the
Lick-Wilmerding-Lux School.
World War II began while she was a senior in high school and she joined the
Ambulance Corps while still in school. She helped man the First Aid stations on
the San Francisco waterfront as each pier had a station. She experienced her
first taste of real racial hatred when friends from school were sent to
relocation camps because they were of Japanese descent. She knew that this was
wrong, very wrong.
Following graduation she joined the Army as part of the Women's Army Corps.
She was sent to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia for Basic Training. There, she was
exposed to a segregated society for the first time. It was hard for this
California daughter of immigrants to experience such abuse of people. Her
worldview expanded further as she followed her Army assignments to Staten
Island, New Jersey, Auburn, CA, and Battle Creek, MI.
After her enlistment, Joan went on to college, beginning at San Francisco
City College and then to San Jose State College. While in the Army, her work as
an Occupational Therapy Aide gave her the desire to become an Occupational
Therapist. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from San Jose State in
Occupational Therapy in 1952.
Joan met her future husband, Donald, on a San Jose State field trip to Death
Valley. That fall he was her chemistry lab instructor at State. The result was
44 years of marriage, one son and three daughters. When first married, they
lived in San Francisco in the house where Joan grew up on Monterey Blvd. The family
moved back to San Jose two weeks after the birth of their second child. Don was
needed to manage the apricot orchard for his mother and that fit well with his
return to teaching at San Jose State.
Two of Joan's daughters now have their own homes on
the East Foothill ranch where they grew up. Karen works at Dove Hill Elementary
as a Library Tech and Kristen is a Lieutenant in the Santa Clara County
Sheriff’s Department. Son Robert’s family lives here part-time. A heavy
equipment operator, his home is in Anderson, CA, but he and his wife work here
in the Santa Clara Valley. Joan's middle daughter, Sharon, is an RN and lives
with her family in Suffolk, VA. Joan had a total of six grandchildren, two
step-grandchildren and one step-great grandchild. She cared for six elderly
relatives, her husband, four children, three grandchildren and still found time
and energy to be involved in the following activities and organizations
throughout the years:
PTA - Linda Vista Elementary School (1961-75 and 89-99),
William Sheppard and Joseph George Middle Schools (1967-77),
James Lick High School (1969-81),
Pala Rancho Council, District level, State level in a variety of offices,
committees and task forces.
4-H - parent/leader
Santa Clara County Fair Association and Ag.-Hort. Committee
League of Women Voters
Berryessa Grange
American Association of University Women
Business & Professional Womens’ Association
Women in Careers
Occupational Therapy Association
Literacy Volunteers of America - San Jose Chapter
South Bay Literacy Alliance
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
Committee and Board member of many church activities
Literacy Tudor, Sunday School Teacher, Women's Group
Literacy Consultant for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Sierra Pacific Synod ELCA Literacy Coordinator
Mt. Cross Women's Retreat Board
Save the Alum Rock Library Committee
American Legion, Willow Glen Post 318,
Women’s Army Corps Veterans Association, Nor-Cal chapter #111
and on, and on, and on!
Some of the recognitions and awards she received over the years included the
1988 National PTA Honorary Life Membership, Business & Professional Women’s
Association’s Woman of the Year award and a Trail Blazer Volunteer Recognition
Award from the Alum Rock School District for her years of promoting literacy
even before it was a popular issue to support. Working since the age of 11,
(stocking shelves in a nearby grocery store) Joan worked almost all her life,
including at the following places: DeWitt General Hospital, CA, Halloren General
Hospital, NJ, Percy Jones General Hospital, MI, San Francisco Post Office,
Oakland Post Office, Army Base Post Office, San Jose Main Post Office, The Army
Signal Corp, US Army (rank of Sergeant), Morrison Rehab. Center - San Francisco,
Goodwill Rehab. Center - San Jose, Hope Adult Development Center - San Jose,
Alum Rock School District (Community School Director) - San Jose, PEO Home (OT)
- San Jose, and of course … apricot cutting every summer on the Balcom Ranch.
In Joan's retirement years, she could be found living part-time in Northern
California, next door to the house once owned by her grandparents. Located in
the little railroad townlet of Delta on the Upper Sacramento river, just north
of Lake Shasta, you could find her happily volunteering, busy visiting friends,
volunteering at the local elementary school, Seniors group, singing in her
church choir and even learning to line dance with friends from her Weight
Watchers group. She was part of the founding of the Women’s Army Corps Veterans
Association, Nor-Cal chapter #111.
Some of my favorite memories of my mom include going to all kinds of museums
and to the Audubon movies being shown at San Jose State. Every vacation trip
included stopping at wildlife refuges, bird sanctuaries and fish hatcheries. A
strong passion for rock hounding has now been passed along to her children. The
grandchildren will probably catch that urge too!
Mom was an outspoken person regarding issues she championed. Many friends
have shared that "Joan was always known for telling it like it is!” Issues
involving Education, PTA and literacy, found her to be a tireless advocate.
She always made sure she knew who was representing her and her interests, and
she made sure they knew who she was! I still remember her talking to local
or state legislators as if they were long time friends and finding they
responded to her the same way. As a child, I often wondered how they knew my
mom. As an adult, I realized that she was one of those folks who wrote to,
talked to, and regularly met with “Those Sacramento People.” She knew where
their local offices were located and she knew where their legislative offices
could be found. I’ve decided that she was a good role model.
Through it all, Joan has been a loyal friend, cheerful helper, willing
volunteer, dedicated advocate, passionate speaker, optimistic community worker,
dedicated wife and daughter-in-law, loving caregiver, mother, grandmother and
great-grandmother. Her passions and her dedicated presence will be missed by
more folks than she would ever have imagined.
Click here
for a photo of Joan Balcom.
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East Foothills Community
Wildfire Protection Plan Update – Part 2
What are the results? What happens
next? Where can I find more information?
Judy (as usual) wants to know
Judy: I want to hear more about the
East Foothills Community Wildfire
Protection Plan. I’m a lot more interested now after the
recent fires in our area, particularly the
September 24th wildfire below Suncrest.
I had hoped that we’d get though this fire season without a major fire nearby.
Allan: Remember that the 2000 fire in the same area happened in late October.
All it takes is some dry hazardous fuel, some wind and something to start the
fire.
J: You’ve been up to that area since the recent fire with CDF Battalion
Chief Mike Stonum. How did it look?
A: It’s a large area that burned – even larger than it looks in Richard
Brown’s photo because it wraps around the hills. Obviously, the home at the top
of the hill came through this fire OK because it has so much good Defensible
Space. However, the fire came much too close to some other homes with less
Defensible Space – and it burned some fences and decks before the San Jose Fire
Department and the CDF got it stopped.
J: Yes, we were fortunate that the fire started during the day when the
CDF planes could drop fire retardant and the wind wasn’t bad like it was during
the October 2000 fire. Did you know that another big fire could occur there?
A: Yes, the San Jose Fire Department had identified that area as a high fire
danger area – and I’m sure most of the nearby residents recognize the danger.
Obviously, some of them, like the people at the top of the hill, have done a lot
to protect their homes.
J: How will this Community Wildfire Protection Plan help us? Does it
identify these high fire danger areas?
A: Yes, let’s look at the Field Hazard Overlay Map for this part of the East
Foothills. The consultants made a map like this that covers the entire East
Foothills CWPP area.
J: The who, what map? And who are these consultants?
A: The consultants are fire behavior consultants from Dudek, a company in
Southern California that does this kind of work. They’ve worked with a lot of
fire departments and other organizations in that area.
J: Why did the FireSafe Council choose a company from Southern California
rather than someone in this area?
A: Dudek responded to a competitive RFP. Two other companies also responded
but they were not local either. The council chose Dudek based on their
competitive price, “can do” attitude and excellent references.
J: OK, tell me more about this map. What does it show?
A: Dudek modeled slope, aspect, and vegetation/fuel types to generate a map
of the high fire danger areas.
J: I can guess that slope means how steep the hills are. What’s aspect?
A: Aspect is the direction the hills face. West and south facing slopes get
more sun and the grass and other vegetation is dryer and more fire prone. And
consultants and scientists who work on this have studied the types of vegetation
and how they burn in wildfires. Dudek used five fuel models for this area
ranging from tall grass to various kinds of trees.
J: How do they make a map from this?
A: Satellite photos and other existing data are used to generate the map. And
the field surveys we talked about last time were used to validate the computer
models.
J: OK, how does the map look around the Suncrest fire area?
A: Let’s look at this piece of the
map from Suncrest and Boulder down into Alum Rock Park. The redder areas
are the high fire danger areas.
J: Is this the highest fire danger area on the map?
A: No, the eastern part of Alum Rock
Park looks like this going east from the intersection of Penitencia Creek
Road and Alum Rock Avenue in the park. Fortunately, there aren’t very many homes
there.
J: That doesn’t look good at all. Where are some of the other problem
areas?
A: There are many problem areas further south along Clayton and Quimby Roads
as they go up to Mt. Hamilton Road. And, in general, there are areas to be
concerned about wherever there are grassy fields or other fire prone vegetation.
J: What can property owners and residents do to protect their homes?
A: Create Defensible Space around their homes. Replace old wood shake roofs
with fire resistant roofs. And all the other things we’ve talked about. The
Santa Clara County FireSafe Council has a new edition of
Living With
Fire in Santa Clara County available now which has been updated with the
latest inputs from fire departments and the new recommendation for 100 feet of
Defensible Space around your home.
J: Is that 100 feet in diameter or 100 feet from your home? Many lots like
ours are only 100 feet wide!
A: It’s 100 feet in all directions from your home or to your property line.
More Defensible Space is recommended on steeper slopes.
J: I know they don’t want us to get rid of all the plants and trees on our
property and just have bare dirt around our homes. What do we need to do?
A: The idea is to plant lower, fire resistant plants closer to your home and
to limb up the trees and clear out hazardous fuels out to 100 feet around your
home. There are several ways to do that. Here’s the
CDF graphic from the
back cover of Living With Fire which shows two ways to meet the
recommendation (PDF File).
J: Where can I find this new version of Living With Fire?
A: Click
here. And the other CWPP references are at the end of
our previous
article. If you’d prefer a paper copy of Living With Fire, you can call the
FireSafe Council’s Executive Coordinator, Jan Cokely, at (408) 975-9591 or
e-mail JanC@SCCFireSafe.org.
J: When will you be finished with this CWPP? How will these maps and other
things be used?
A: We still have some more parts of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan to
write and the fire departments and others who are involved will need time to
review it. I expect the first public version to be available early next year. If
anyone would like to see the first public version and help review it, they can
e-mail me at AllanT@SCCFireSafe.org
or call (408) 272-7008.
The CWPP will be used to organize projects to reduce hazardous fuels and to
apply for more grants for these projects. It will also help the FireSafe Council
do more targeted Community Outreach and Education. Our mission is mobilizing the
people of Santa Clara County to protect their homes, communities and environment
from wildfires.
Click here
for the Fire Hazard Overlay map pieces discussed above.
You Dig It?
Area gardeners, both "Master" and casual,
share their wisdom and experiences with Eastside gardening and related topics
here.
November Hot
Topics
By University of California Cooperative Extension
Master Gardener Bracey Tiede
Call the Master Gardener Hotline at (408) 282-3105 with your gardening questions or check out our website at
www.mastergardeners.org/scc.html.
Poisonous Plants: As we approach the holidays, there are a lot of
questions on poisonous plants. Fortunately, many of these plants have a very
bitter taste that limits the amount of the plant eaten. Poinsettia and mistletoe
should be kept away from curious children, and be careful with other flowers and
plants such as azaleas, calla lily, carnation, daffodil, foxglove, hydrangeas,
iris, lantana, narcissus, poppy, sweet pea and tulips. Different parts of the
plant may be toxic. To learn more, see
http://www.calpoison.org or call 1-800-222-1222 for emergency information.
Citrus Bud Mite: Have you ever seen weirdly shaped lemons or oranges
that appear to have 'fingers'? The Citrus Bud Mite attacks newly forming flowers
and fruits. The mite is only visible with a magnifying glass and has a elongated
yellow body with four legs that appear to come out of its head. The mites feed
inside the buds, killing them or causing a rosette-like growth of the subsequent
foliage and distortion of flowers and fruit. The problem is usually limited to
just a few fruit on the tree. This is one of those pests that is best left
alone. The oddly-shaped fruit is edible.
Sooty Mold: Aphids, scale, mealybug and whitefly all excrete sticky
honeydew that is colonized by sooty mold fungi. By itself, the fungi cannot kill
the plant but it can coat the leaves to the extent that sunlight is prevented
from reaching the leaf surface. Ants protect the sucking insects from their
predators in order to eat the honeydew produced by the sucking insects. Keep
ants out of trees and away from sucking insects by applying a sticky compound
such as Tanglefoot (tm) on a tape wrapped around the trunk. Trim back tree limbs
touching buildings, fences or other access points as well. Baits such as ant
stakes placed under trees and shrubs may help reduce ant foraging. A strong
stream of water will wash the mold off leaves. The mold can be washed off fruit
with mild soap and water. For ant information, see
www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7411.html.
Fall Planting: Now is the best time to pull up worn out plants and
shrubs and replace them with fresh, healthy specimens. Larger plants such as
perennials and shrubs need time to put down roots and settle in before they will
bloom well. Here in the Santa Clara Valley, most plants do their growing in the
winter with our mild temperatures and regular rainfall. This gives them a head
start on surviving our hot, dry summers. Newly planted shrubs will need summer
water the first few years, decreasing in amount over time.
With this article, I bid farewell to New Neighborhood Voice. It's been a lot
of fun pulling together this information to help you garden better and safer.
Remember to call the Master Gardener Hotline with any gardening question you may
have. We are staffed on Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 12:30pm, except
county holidays. Good Gardening!
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www.CurtisHort.com, (408) 280-7339, CA Lic #826409
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landscaping services: design/consulting, renovation, maintenance
Specializing in
native and drought-tolerant landscapes.
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Native Streetscaping
Neighborhood volunteers want to give
Lake Cunningham’s Tully Road frontage a facelift
By Arvind Kumar
If you drive or walk along Tully Road from White Road towards Capitol
Expressway, you go past Lake Cunningham Park, one of the largest parks in San
Jose. What you see on the right is the park’s chain link fence, behind which
lies a tree-lined berm (actually a flood-control levee).
Between the sidewalk and the fence is a long, narrow strip of bare soil. With
the winter rains, weedy annuals like oats (Avena sp.) and perennials like
pepperweed and curly dock come up here. Park staff must resort to herbicide
spraying to keep the area looking neat, and the chemicals must be reapplied year
after year. This toxic solution to weed control can’t possibly be good for the
environment.
Well, things are changing. This July, park supervisor Bill Guraro tried
something different. With free woodchips from a local tree service company and
labor from the San Jose Conservation Corps, the entire ½-mile long bed was
mulched. The golden brown woodchips immediately improved the appearance of the
bed. Park supervisor Guraro liked it so much, he also mulched the frontage along
White Road. Now the park’s appearance along both Tully and White Roads is much
improved.
Inspired by this, neighborhood volunteers are
getting ready to landscape portions of the frontage along Tully Road with
flowering native shrubs. The following native shrubs and grasses have been
selected because they are:
• sun loving
• clay tolerant
• drought tolerant (when mature)
• flower during different seasons
• slow growing
• low maintenance
Even though some plants are from the chaparral community (fast draining
soil), they do well in dry and sunny San Jose gardens. The
planting plan shown covers a 100’
long section of the bed, and is meant to be repeated throughout the ½-mile long
bed. It is designed to provide flower and berry color throughout the year.
In March, the magenta-pink blossoms of the taller redbud will create a
pleasing contrast with the blue thyrses of the somewhat shorter Wheeler
Canyon ceanothus. A month later, the flannel bush will explode with
large, mustard yellow flowers, again playing off the blue of the ceanothus.
In May, the spectacular flowers of the Matilija poppy will command
attention. This is the largest poppy flower in the world.
In summer, St. Catherine’s Lace will be covered with cream flowers.
Its gray foliage will contrast nicely with the dark green of the coffeeberry,
a shrub that looks neat and tidy throughout the year. Nearby, the deergrass
will be resplendent with its flower wands swaying in the slightest breeze. This
bold and architectural plant brings dynamism to the dullest landscapes.
In winter and in time for Christmas, the toyon will be covered with
red berries, reminding us why early settlers called this shrub California holly.
The plants will need to be watered the first 3 seasons until they are
established. After that, they will survive and thrive just on what Mother Nature
provides. In about five years, the drive along Tully Road should become a long
more, dare I say, scenic route.
Neighborhood volunteers are initiating and implementing this project. Given
the length of this area, the project will be implemented in phases over several
planting seasons. Volunteers will plant the shrubs, and water them through
summer and fall. If you drive by, give them a honk to show your support. And if
you have the time, come and help out with the planting and watering. Join the
Lake Cunningham Volunteers yahoogroup to learn more:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lakecunninghamvolunteers.
Arvind Kumar bids adieu to NNV, Judy and Allan, and all readers of NNV, and
encourages all to continue exploring California’s remarkable native plants.
Click here
for the planting plan.
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run your ad in New Neighborhood Voice, E-mail JudyET@NNVESJ.org
or call (408) 272-7008
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Want
to write or take photos for New Neighborhood Voice? NNV welcomes reporters,
essayists, poets
and camera bugs. More “Voices” = a richer NNV. E-mail JudyET@NNVESJ.org or call
(408) 272-7008.
--------------------------------
Co-Existing With Wildlife in
a Shared Habitat:
The Wildlife Center of Silicon
Valley at work in our community
By Jamie Evans, WCSV volunteer
How many times in your life has Fluffy the cat brought a bird into your house
that escapes from her clutches and flutters away into your window curtains? You
beat Fluffy to the drapes (although you really want to beat Fluffy) and grab
this tiny, feathered creature. You feel its racing heart beating furiously
against the palm of your hand. You are relieved to have won the race against
Fluffy, but now what are you going to do with this injured bird that your very
own Fluffy has maimed?
Or what about the branch in your front yard that the wind blew down last
night onto the hood of your new car? As you carefully remove it so as not to
further injure the paint job, you simultaneously see a small dent in the hood
and 5 tiny baby squirrels nestled deep inside a small enclave. Despite the fall,
they remain peaceful and sleeping within. You are really happy about this and
congratulate yourself for not immediately smashing the branch to the ground as
punishment for the dent in your new car. However, what are you going to do with
these babies?
Both situations can be handled by contacting the Wildlife Center of Silicon
Valley (WCSV), located at 3027 Penitencia Creek Road, San Jose (408 929-9453)
and speaking with Frances Ruiz, the Operations Assistant, Ashley Kinney, the
Animal Care Assistant, or with any other staff or volunteer member who is
available at the Center. You may also go online to www.wcsv.org, where you will
learn how to deal with common wildlife issues and where you can find links to
additional help.
You find out that the injured bird needs treatment, but WCSV is closed or you
are unable to drive the bird to their location. You may take the bird to the
Humane Society of Silicon Valley (HSSV) at 2530 Lafayette St., Santa Clara (408
727-3383), where WCSV transport volunteers arrive twice daily to transport
wildlife to the WCSV. Another resource is San Jose Animal Control (408
578-7297). Their officers provide wild animal rescue services to the public and
bring these animals to the WCSV for care.
The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley is a non-profit organization dedicated
to the rehabilitation and release of injured, sick and orphaned wild animals. It
is the brain child of Janet Alexander, the current Director of Operations.
Previously, Janet worked for HSSV when it also received and cared for wildlife.
When the HSSV decided it would no longer support the caretaking of wildlife,
Janet rounded up volunteers and started WCSV, as we know it today.
Each year WCSV treats over 5,000 birds and mammals from almost 150 different
species that populate Santa Clara County neighborhoods and rural areas. The
patients are diverse: hummingbirds, hawks, owls, pocket gophers, deer, bobcats,
coyotes, foxes, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, waterfowl, ad infinitum. The
volunteers are as diverse as the patients they serve, as are their reasons for
serving.
Volunteers range from the minimum age of 16 to 70 plus. They are trained in
animal handling and restraint, nutrition, feeding, cleaning, wound management,
suturing, zoonotic diseases and laboratory techniques. Youthful volunteers, like
UC Santa Cruz pre-veterinary college student Zoe, are the promise of a future
for the preservation and caretaking of wildlife. When asked why she returns each
year to supervise a shift at WCSV while attending college fulltime, she replies
that she “likes it.” I would reply that it’s dedication.
The age 60-plus group of volunteers seems to have found its way to WCSV via
some unique pathways and most unusual biddings. Billie Zwolinski has volunteered
a minimum of 3 out of 7 days per week with WCSV since February 2001. Billie was
rocking and singing lullabies to crack babies at Stanford Hospital in the
volunteer capacity of “cuddler” when she found a baby squirrel and brought it to
WCSV.
Billie recalls that Carmel de Bertaut, the Animal Care Coordinator,
“snatched” the baby squirrel from her and “ran with it” when she learned that
Billie had fed it bread prior to bringing it to the Center. Billie sensed a life
change coming on, and decided to volunteer at the Center so that she could
continue “cuddling” in a different venue. She soon found out that to cuddle was
to kill and that to tame wildlife was to kill it, so Billie found a new
challenge: to tame Carmel and cause her to be a people person.
Fortunately, that never happened and even Billie is glad that it did not.
Carmel de Bertaut remains dedicated first to the wildlife she serves and second
to everything else. She is wildlife protection personified.
Darlene Ristrim also began her volunteer work with WCSV in 2001. Darlene
says, “I always wanted to work with animals and give back to wildlife the
enjoyment it has given me.” She said she fears that with the rapid development
of urban life, wildlife has suffered, and she is here to make a difference. You
ought to see the difference she makes when she cuts bamboo from her yard and
makes it into magnificent perches for the many enclosures at the Center.
(Warning: Get out of the way when she’s wheelbarrowing gravel, unless you’re
wildlife!)
The next 60-plus volunteer is a retired pediatrician who will not allow me to
use her name. She still has not overcome the shameful event that brought her as
a volunteer to WCSV. It was a lovely spring morning, balmy warm breezes stirring
the grass, birds chirping, and…yes, that was the problem - birds chirping. Her
dog Trixie, a Boston bull terrier mix, was paying way too much attention to the
birds chirping and decided enough was enough. Right in front of this retired
pediatrician, Trixie swallowed a female house finch. The pediatrician knew it
was a female house finch, because for the next week the male finch sat on her
fence looking for his lost love while the retired pediatrician developed an
overwhelming guilt complex.
While enduring the Trixie-finch episode, the retired pediatrician saw an
article in the newspaper describing the work of WCSV and an invitation to the
public to volunteer. Driven by guilt and a need to atone for Trixie’s misdeeds,
she came to WCSV as a volunteer. With her incredible medical background, she
soon became a shift supervisor and still serves as a very dedicated and
guilt-ridden volunteer!
WCSV has benefited from its age 60+ male volunteers as well. There’s Dale
Kochenburg, affectionately called “The Squirrel Catcher,” because of his ability
to round them up from their enclosures for release. Dale became aware of WCSV
when he took an injured hawk to HSSV in 2001 and learned that it would be
transported to WCSV. Out of curiosity, Dale checked out the WCSV for himself and
became a volunteer at the Center as well as doing home care for the squirrels.
It’s fun watching this big guy morph into Mr. Nanny when bottle feeding the
babies.
Dale was mortified by the recent decision by Mountain View officials to trap
and kill the squirrels in Cuesta Park because they were biting people while
trying to get treats from them. This is an example of how people harm wildlife
by feeding and taming it. As Dale said, the answer to this problem is to educate
the public in how to interact with the wildlife around them and let the wildlife
remain wild.
Then there’s Bill Paker. In March 2000, he was a member of a community action
program sponsored by his workplace at Sun Microsystems when he was assigned to a
painting and cleanup project at WCSV at its former location on Senter Road. He
was retiring that coming May and decided that his building and maintenance
interests could be well utilized at WCSV. Bill also volunteered for Habitat for
Humanity, so he brought with him a wealth of talent and know-how to the Center,
along with an incredible sense of humor and “telling it like it is.” He spends
several days a week at the Center on many diverse projects. He is a gourmet
cook, whom other volunteers have described as “very colorful.”
The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley is always seeking dedicated volunteers,
both young and not as young, as well as financial support. Trudi Burney, the
Education Coordinator, is available to give informative talks on wildlife and
species specific topics such as raptors or hummingbirds. She may be reached by
calling the Center or directly e-mailing her at tab01@sbcglobal.net.
Everyone is invited to come on down and check out the Wildlife Center of
Silicon Valley Sunday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Enjoy the
displays, interacting with wildlife staff and volunteers, and learning about our
volunteer and wildlife internship programs. Find out how you too can make a
difference.
Click here
for photos.
FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions)
