The Cupertino Courier News Briefs Sheriff spokesman retires from force Sgt. James R. Arata Jr., a 31-year veteran of the sheriff's office, retired on Dec. 30. He was honored by the force Jan. 22 for his years of service. Arata, who spent his early years working as a training officer and a patrol deputy in Cupertino, spent the last five years working in the media relations unit as the sheriff's public information officer. "I'm going to miss the people that I worked with, not only the people within the sheriff's office, but friends that I made throughout the county over the 31 years," Arata said. Arata's ties to Cupertino go beyond having served as a patrol deputy. His family is originally from Cupertino and Arata Way is named after his grandfather, who had an apricot orchard in the area. In retirement, Arata will continue teaching media relations courses at San Jose State and consulting with some government agencies. He also plans to travel and spend time with his family. Driver crashes into restaurant window A car crashed through the window of the Southland Taste restaurant in the Cupertino Village on Jan. 28. At approximately 10 a.m., a man visiting the United States on business drove a rented Ford Taurus through the roof support post and into the restaurant. No one was injured in the crash. Southland Taste does not open for business until 11 a.m. The man accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake, said Sgt. John Hirokawa, Sheriff's spokesman. Damage is estimated at $10,000, said Calvin Chen, restaurant manager. [ Back to Contents Page | Cupertino Courier Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Cupertino Courier, February 3, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.