January 1, 2007

The Year in Review

A look back at 2007 Willow Glen news, events

By Carol Rosen
Editor

It was a year like any other year, with births, deaths, issues and problems. It was a time for new politicians but it was also a time to bring back old festivals with a new touch. While 2007 is gone, many of the events that happened last year will live on in 2008.

There was an election and there were retirements. The city demolished the old library branch and started building a new one. Lincoln Avenue storefronts filled as fast as they emptied. Older trees were cut down without permits, setting the e-list and people in motion to halt any further such tree surgery. The Founders’ Day parade took place along with an Italian Festa that brought large crowds to Lincoln Avenue. A new Willow Glen Elementary graced Lincoln at Minnesota and celebrities visited.

New city government
Early in January, a new mayor and two new council members took office, although two seats remained open. Probably the biggest change to hit San Jose happened Jan.1 when the newly elected Mayor Chuck Reed spent the day visiting fire and police officers and other city workers on the job despite the holiday. Reed, who took office a week later, set a new tone for the city allowing residents to provide their feedback on important budget items and the council to work toward achieving citizen wants and needs. He also made it clear that he preferred building jobs before houses,
Another political change came in March, when newly elected District 6 Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio took over the seat vacated by Ken Yeager, who was sworn onto the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in December 2006. Oliverio appeared to bring a different perspective to the office, showing the same concerns for parks and recreation, with greater concern for spending. The city also hired a new city manager, Los Gatos City Manager Debra Figone, who accepted the job at her old workplace and was fully established in her new position after the summer break.

The council was finally fully staffed in May, and passed an incredible amount of measures. Among them were regulations banning smoking in parks, rules regarding council member expenditures and city reimbursements, retiree benefits, a new South Side Police Substation, a task force to deal with the General Plan Update, determining the fate of the Berryessa Flea Market, a code of conduct for meetings and study sessions, sunshine recommendations, parking charges for evenings and weekends to earn money to clean up city-owned garages, a new soccer stadium and the Willow Glen Spur Trail.

Following are some of the stories that helped define 2007.

January

A star-studded cast of city officials discuss the new Willow Glen branch library and break ground. At least 75 community members and library officials joined them to witness the beginning of the new branch and take part in its inception. It took two and a half days to demolish the building in early February and the library should be completed in 18 months.

A ceremony is held before Ken Yeager, who had been instrumental in much of the library design and a fixture at every community meeting, finished his last few days as District 6 city council member. Yeager was sworn in as District 4 county supervisor on Dec. 12. A host of who’s who in South Bay politics was scattered throughout the chambers, as Yeager became a supervisor.

After more than a year of discussion, Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services offers a facility re-use plan with four options that appeared to please City Council members.

Jim Beall, who has spent his adult years in service to the city of San Jose and the county of Santa Clara, takes on a new role as an assembly man for the state’s 24th District. In that capacity he serves the northernmost part of Almaden Valley.

Saturday, Jan. 13 starts out as a peaceful serene morning in Willow Glen, but events soon turn noisy when a tree service begins cutting down three Sycamore trees. Police were called and Willow Glen’s e-list activated. The tree service had no permits, but police at that time were unaware they had the power to stop the cutting. A meeting a week later brought out a crowd of residents as well as City Attorney Rick Doyle, Police Chief Rob Davis, City Arborist Ralph Mize, Deputy Traffic Director Kevin O’Conner, City Council member Nora Campos, Rhonda Berry from Our City Forest, Mayor Reed’s Chief of Staff Pete Furman, District 6 Chief of Staff Megan Doyle and District 8 Chief of Staff Rabia Chaudhry representing Vice Mayor Dave Cortese who was ill. Candidates for the vacant District 6 council seat, Pierluigi Oliverio and Steve Tedesco, also attended.

The ceremony is short, but the message is clear: It’s a new day in San Jose politics and Chuck Reed is leading the way. The 38-minute inauguration began with two new and three incumbent council members taking the oath of office. The two new council members are Pete Constant for District 1 and Sam Liccardo for District 3, who were joined by incumbents Nora Campos for District 5, Madison Nguyen for District 7 and Judy Chirco for District 9.

February

The City Council unanimously grants approval of a conditional use permit to the Alano Club West on Minnesota just west of Lincoln.

A neighbor finds Mango and Bentley, two Labrador retrievers who escaped from Carol Bean’s backyard in mid-January, in Stockton and returns them. The dogs had been with the Bean family since shortly after Carol’s husband Larry died in 2005.

The City Council unanimously votes for Dave Cortese to serve as vice mayor.

Various groups hold forums to get views on District 6 council candidates Steve Tedesco and Pierluigi Oliverio.

Willow Glen’s Andrea Villasenor-Perry, who has been advocating for children and families for 20 years, is now director of Youth and Family Services at Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.

March

Jonah Chung is a smiling 5-year-old who likes to play on computers. The child, who suffers from autism, needed a service dog that has been trained for two years to not respond to Jonah’s movements, but to provide ease in a school setting, give him some safety and to help curb Jonah’s separation anxiety. The Willow Glen community, the Chungs’ friends, Jonah’s school—Sunny Days Preschool, which is an early intervention preschool program for children with disabilities--and friends and co-workers from James’ job at PayPal contributed $18,000 in 10 days. The family gave the overage to the canine rescue facility to help it serve other families.

Pierluigi Oliverio and Steve Tedesco rarely agree about anything except that they want the best for the district and its inhabitants.

The Watoto Children’s Choir from Kampala, Uganda visits Silicon Valley and entertained people at the Trinity Presbyterian Church. Their performances helped raise $10,227 to help alleviate the AIDS pandemic in Uganda and many residents signed up to sponsor Ugandan orphans.

Lisa Jacobs, director of Joint Youth Ministry in San Jose, is honored as the “Adult Role Model” Asset Champion at Project Cornerstone’s Fourth Annual Asset Champions Breakfast, on March 1 at the San Jose Fairmont.

April

Cameras flash and the audience claps as Mayor Chuck Reed and City Clerk Lee Price swear in Pierluigi Oliverio, just seconds after the City Council unanimously certified the March 6 election results declaring Oliverio the winner.

Local residents join dignitaries to help open a new bridge on Willow Glen Way. The bridge offers area residents a number of benefits including future flood control over the Guadalupe River as well as traffic and pedestrian improvements.

Michael Mulcahy is elected president of Willow Glen Business Association and he hopes to focus on beautification, community events and economic vitality

On World Water Day, a group of middle and high school students from Willow Glen founds the African Water Project to
help build wells and clean water projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

The 25th annual Willow Glen Lifestyles Home Tour to benefit the San Jose Day Nursery, is again be held on two days so that visitors can see six homes as well as view several boutiques, raffle drawings of entertainment packages, complementary refreshments and box lunches also were available.

For the sixth year, Vin Santo Restaurant turns into northern Italy for about 150 people for the annual fund-raiser for Willow Glen Elementary School. People crowded the restaurant, bar and even a couple of tents in the parking lot where student art was available for viewing or purchase along with silent and live auctions.

The San Jose City Council votes unanimously to adopt a revised “green” building policy requiring all new municipal buildings over 10,000 square feet to be constructed to achieve a minimum Silver level certification with the goal of achieving Gold or Platinum certification.

May

The San Jose community straps on their running shoes and comes out in droves to celebrate the life of Almaden’s native son, Pat Tillman, at the second annual staging of Pat’s Run.

The Junior League of San Jose hosts its 38th annual Volunteer Recognition luncheon saluting Willow Glen resident Dolores Wright, She received her crystal bowl from Maribeth Portz, San Jose Junior League president, who also lives in Willow Glen.

Pierluigi Oliverio, the new city council member for District 6, announces a pilot maintenance proposal for the Rose Garden, creating heated discussions at city hall and throughout District 6.

There’s a new network, Willow Glen 2.0, that’s designed specifically for people living in Willow Glen. Designed to be similar to MySpace or Facebook, it’s a social network for adults living in Willow Glen who want to meet neighbors, plan social events or just connect with people.

June

At least 130 adults attend Willow Glen High School to talk about their careers and give students pointers about what they do for a living and how they got there.

The plea bargain for the man who hit and killed a Pioneer High School student Marcus Keppert while driving drunk is set aside. New information showed George Xenos was driving 31 mph over the 45-mph speed limit, rather than the 5-16 mph over the police investigators initially reported.

The odds of two alumni serving as principal of the high school they graduated from are probably astronomical, but it happens right here in Willow Glen. On June 30, current Willow Glen High School Principal Elaine Farace retired after spending her entire career of 38 years with the San Jose Unified School District. Another Willow Glen High graduate, Shannon McGee assumed her position.

Things are changing on Lincoln Avenue; new stores are establishing themselves and some older stores are expanding. That expansion was most apparent with Fleurish, the store located at 1335 Lincoln Ave., which by mid-June expanded into the recently vacated Victoria’s Dance and Costume at 1331 Lincoln. Victoria’s moved off Lincoln to Bascom Avenue.

Project Cornerstone honors Willow Glen’s Felecia Mulvaney as the volunteer of the year. She received the award at the annual Volunteer Appreciation event May 11 in the Kelley Park Amphitheater. This event honors the 1,100 parent volunteers who generously donate their time to deliver Project Cornerstone's School Partnerships programs in their children's schools.

The Los Gatos branch of the Daughters of the Revolution honors Willow Glen’s Jim Zetterquist for historic preservation with the DAR Medal of Honor from Los Gatos branch DAR regent Kristin Khanna.

This year’s Willow Glen Relay For Life makes at least $185,000, easily breaking last year’s record of $109,000. The Willow Glen High School All Stars came out in force. However, while the relay was an even bigger success, there was sadness as Kathleen Pizzo, a committee member of relay for the past six years, passed away shortly before the event took place. Kathleen was a cancer survivor who experienced a recurrence of the disease a year ago. She died on April 9.

July

Although there is little room to dance in the street, the crowds are quite enthusiastic and the music is great at the 12th annual Willow Glen Business Association’s Dancin’ on the Avenue. The 2007 edition of the event broke records in the number of people attending, an estimated 35,000, as well as sponsorships and beverage sales.

Charges are dropped against former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales by Santa Clara County District Court Judge John Herlihy. Nearly a year after a grand jury indictment, Herlihy dismissed all charges, including those of bribery, conspiracy and misappropriation of funds because he said that “erroneous instructions” were given to the grand jury necessitating him to drop the charges. He also dismissed charges against Gonzales’ aide Joe Guerra and Norcal Waste Systems.

While City Council members keep silent about the problems in the City Auditor’s office and its six employees on leave, an attorney for one of those employees files suit against a deputy auditor and the city. Attorney Robert Bohn Jr., representing Jennifer Callaway, one of eight senior program performance auditors, filed suit against Deputy Auditor David Moreno and the city claiming sexual harassment and a sexually hostile environment.

Not even the early leak of the final Harry Potter book can put a damper on the excitement at Hicklebee’s bookstore. Children started lining up before the store opened, at 6:59 a.m., arriving in costume while their parents came with coffee to brave the early morning hours and be first in line for the last Harry Potter book.

Fathers’ Day is a double celebration at Pam and Mike Foley’s home where parents and the community are invited to meet Erin Green, the new principal at Willow Glen Middle School. More than 40 people attended to meet the former principal of Trace, Corey and Hester elementary schools.

Crowds fill St. Christopher’s parking lot for the 49th annual three-day festival, breaking records from previous years. At least 15,000 parishioners and residents spent time at the yearly fund-raiser, which is just a bit different each year.

A group of students, mostly from Willow Glen, takes a 15-mile hike in Death Valley to collect money for and make people aware of the shortage of water in African countries through the African Water Project. The group of 28 students left Badwater, which is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, and hiked 15 miles in temperatures ranging from the low 90s early in the morning to 121 degrees.

Willow Glen High School’s graduation day is bittersweet for all the students as the seniors say good-bye to high school and everyone says good-bye to retiring Principal Elaine Farechi. A unique class, there were more than 93 percent heading off to college after claiming $1.86 million in scholarships.

August

Robert Doorndos takes checkered flag at third annual San Jose Grand Prix after lap-one crash nearly ends his day

San Jose native Jim Arbuckle, 72, dies as he had lived, enthusiastically racing through life with charm and style. He rode off for his morning bicycle jaunt from the family home on Franquette Avenue in Willow Glen as he did on most days, but later died.

A lot of people in this world have never seen 7/07/07, but then there’s Virginia Silveria who has seen the date twice. Even at 102, she’s still quite active. She continues to take walks, not just in her neighborhood, but throughout the Willow Glen area—to the bank to the post office and even to Mojo Burger, which she says is great.

An electrical fire at the Willows Senior Center causes major fire damage to the senior center’s kitchen and minor damage to the dining area.

Barbarella, the clothing boutique and beauty salon on Lincoln, has roughly $4,000 worth of merchandise stolen from its outdoor display. Two women pulled up in front of the store and took quite a few trips back and forth from the racks and baskets of clothing in the storefront.

Two local nonprofit groups that help those less fortunate put supplies in backpacks for low-income families that won’t be able to buy the necessary tools and the pack to carry them. The Family Giving Tree kicked off its seventh annual Back-to-School Drive recently to hand out more than 13,000 backpacks with school supplies.

Mayor Chuck Reed announces that the San Jose City Council has fired City Auditor Gerald Silva in a unanimous closed-session vote. “Over the past five months, the city council has been considering complaints of inappropriate behavior and retaliation made by members of the city auditor’s office,” Reed told reporters at a hastily called news conference. “The city council retained an outside investigator and outside legal counsel to assist the council.”

Willow Glen Elementary’s backfield is the place to be on warm Thursday nights in July and August as Music in the Glen keeps the neighborhood rockin’ and a rollin’ for six weeks.

The sweet and savory aromas of Assyrian food can be smelled for blocks, enticing a large crowd to attend the 17th annual Assyrian Festival. Councilmen Forrest Williams and Pierluigi Oliverio spoke to the crowd about the importance of celebrating neighbors’ traditions.

It is announced that the San Jose Grand Prix will no longer be held in San Jose due to commercial and residential development in and around the 1.5-mile downtown track that would “continue to limit the options available to the Grand Prix for revenue growth and expansion,” said its sponsors.

September

Willow Glen Elementary School opens its doors to students for the 2007-08 school year with a brand new look. While students spent the summer lounging, going to the beach or just hanging out, those constructing the new building finished the outside, allowing Principal Dayle D’Anna to invite officials from San Jose Unified School District to help cut the ribbon officially opening the school

San Jose Police continue to investigate the death of John Carl Riggins, a 59-year-old homeless man, found in an alley between Vin Santo Restaurant and the Thrift Box. Police called the death “suspicious” but wouldn’t release any details. Shortly after his death, a sizable group of Willow Glen residents held a vigil in his honor. Led by a bag piper, they carried candles from the alley where he died to the Boulangerie. It is a sad time for Willow Glen.

The San Jose Police Department Burglary Unit investigates several reports of suspects impersonating Water District employees, or construction workers who contact senior citizens at their homes. The suspects say they are with the Water District or construction crew, doing work in the area due to problems with the water lines.

Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, health officer of Santa Clara County, announces that there is the possibility of exposure to hepatitis A for customers of the Jamba Juice on Lincoln Avenue. While the risk to the public's health is low, public health informational efforts are needed to protect the public's health and prevent the spread of illness.

Streets, sidewalks and stores are crowded as the Willow Glen Business Association leads off a weekend of fun on Lincoln Avenue, reviving Founders’ Day and possibly starting a new tradition with the 27th annual Italian Festa. The two-hour parade was filled with bands, floats and cars and led off by honorary grand marshal John Buzzone, and grand marshal Pierluigi Oliverio, both of whom are Italian.

October

Peter Yarrow of the 60s singing sensation Peter, Paul and Mary brings his guitar and new book, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” to help Willow Glen Elementary celebrate the opening of the new school building. A crowd, estimated at 600, came to get their pre-ordered books and enjoy the free mini concert put on by Yarrow, while Willow Glen Elementary got a chance to show off its newly finished building.

Presentation High School senior Danielle Gong (pictured above) qualifies for the Olympic trials in the 200 individual medley recently in southern California. The 17-year-old Campbell native will participate in the Olympic trials next July

One thing Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio promises during his campaign is to use Web tracking software for District 6 residents and his staff to follow questions, concerns, complaints and problems once called into the office, which he does.

Booksin Elementary School holds its 20th annual walkathon at the school field. The walkathon was a fun, daylong event filled with music, food and activities along with an entire day of walking by students, teachers, families and even alumnae. It was not unusual to see kindergartners walking 15 miles that day with some of the older children walking 20 and even 30 miles to make money for the school.

A giant-sized crowd of 250 to 300 children and adults meet Alice Walker, the author who has written a huge number of books including about six or seven for children at Hicklebee’s. Her visit was part of the World Day of Peace, a West Coast tour she undertook for her new book “Why War Is Never a Good Idea,” the companion to a book she published last year called “There is a Flower at the Tip of My Nose Smelling Me.” Walker read from both books, signed books and answered questions from everyone who asked during her 90-minute stay at the bookstore.

November

It is the perfect Willow Glen High homecoming--a beautiful day, a great parade and a winning game with lots of alums present followed by a wonderful dance. It was quite a day for the high school, especially beating James Lick by a lopsided score of 40-6.

More humans than beasts crowd the Willows Senior Center on Oct. 20 to view cats, kittens, puppies, dogs, bunnies, gerbils and hamsters. Most of them also filled out applications in hopes of offering a home to a potential new family member. The animals were only part of a fair held by Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio to place animals in good homes. Veterinarian Dr. David Reed of the Bascom Animal Hospital was on hand for low-cost shots, clipping and nail clipping services and to provide information on the care and feeding of the animals.

Nearly 900 people crowd the First Congregational Church of San Jose at Hamilton and Leigh for the 35th annual Pumpkin Patch Boutique. Surpassing last year’s record of 850 paid attendees, the more than 100 volunteers from the auxiliary saw many items fly away quickly and some didn’t even have time to pick up the bargains themselves. In addition, all of the 350 lunches sold out, although a few pieces of cake were left over.

The Willow Glen Business Association and the office of Councilmember Pierluigi Oliverio contribute to Willow Glen Elementary School to ensure the start of the holiday season on Lincoln Avenue. The annual tree lighting ceremony went off without a hitch.

The Philanthropists of the Year award go to Rick Fezell, partner at Ernst & Young in San Jose and Molly Fezell, founding member and current chair of United Way's Women Leading Change, for their leadership and commitment to philanthropy. The couple lives in Willow Glen.

A new store opens on Lincoln Avenue, with Home & Garden having a tentative opening date during the week of Nov. 8. The new store was the brainchild of Meg Picanco, Carmen Grande and Steve Gilbert, who are well versed in interior design and home furnishings. Picanco is quite familiar with the business--she and her mother Nancy Biagini and sister Katie Palacio owned and operated Casa Casa on Lincoln Avenue for more than 13 years.

December

Time and scenery change in downtown Willow Glen. The strip of shops on Lincoln Avenue today offer a vibrant presence, quite different from the surfeit of empty storefronts visible five years ago.

Most of the changes can be attributed to the Willow Glen Business Association, which has changed along with the Avenue. Over the past five years, the group has expanded its members and added a board that includes not just business owners but members of the community, many of whom own business outside the strip of shops from Minnesota to Coe along Lincoln Avenue.

Top Silicon Valley CEOs race through Target, tossing toys in shopping carts for low-income boys and girls, elbowing the competition in a timed race…and then pulling out their personal checkbooks to pay at the cash register. The annual CEO Shopping Challenge, held at the start of the holiday season, benefited the local nonprofit organization, The Family Giving Tree.

The Willow Glen Foundation holds its annual fall Wine Tasting and Auction fund-raiser and people of all ages attend. For the second year in a row, the foundation, which supports activities for Willow Glen Middle and High Schools, experienced high attendance thanks to the atrium in the Garden Theater Building, which was donated by SDS/NexGen Real Estate and Investments. More than 300 people attended.

Susan Max is not your typical grandmother. The Army Reserve captain has spent most of the past year serving her country in Baghdad. The 59-year-old Max is the mother of four and grandmother of four. Being in Iraq as a soldier is “an interesting experience at this time of my life,” she told the Times.

More than 300 people from San Jose come together on Dec. 1 using brightly colored orange tote boxes to wrap gifts of care and compassion for Christmas for people on the other side of the world. That Saturday, the Journey Church hosted a World AIDS Day event at Pioneer High School. The “1,000 Boxes Of Hope” event drew a huge crowd from San Jose, including Mayor Chuck Reed.

The San Jose City Council passes ordinances to build the South Side Police Substation, with construction to begin in February. The substation received a low bid of $60 million, about $7 million short of the money appropriated from the bond measure. The city manager’s staff scrambled to find the money, which includes taking the $1.1 million appropriated for public art. In the end, the council voted to include the exterior and interior artwork, if Williams can find the money.

Everyone loves a parade, especially a hometown event, and it is no different when San Jose’s finest lead off the annual Holiday Parade. But it was the last float that everyone was waiting for, and it hit the jackpot when Santa Claus showed up in his big red sleigh, sandwiched between two Nutcrackers with dancers all around.

Happy New Year from the staff of the Willow Glen Times!