Rose Garden Resident

Cover Story

2007 Year in Review

Rose Garden continues to blossom with new businesses

By Linda Taaffe

The Rose Garden spent much of 2007 honoring the old and celebrating the new as residents proved again this year that a little effort can go a long way in preserving and improving their portion of San Jose.

Nearly every month in 2007 was marked by the opening of a new business or the celebration of a longtime community staple.

Neighbors gained a new park off Lenzen Avenue, and the Municipal Rose Garden got a boost when residents recruited volunteers from throughout the Peninsula to help clean it up after the city cut back on its maintenance due to budget woes.

San Jose MarketCenter at the corner of Coleman Avenue and Taylor Street celebrated more grand openings in 2007 with Trader Joe's, Carl's Jr. and Wing Stop, among others. Plans for Sweet Tomatoes is in the works.

At the core of change was The Alameda, which saw the opening of several new businesses and the improvement of several of the street's historic buildings.

The Towne Theatre on The Alameda got a facelift thanks to $30,000 from the San Jose Redevelopment Agency. Down the street, the Spanish Revival building at 865 that once served as a Packard dealership was targeted for restoration as part of its new role as the headquarters for Biggs Cardoza Associates.

A former bungalow became home to Crema Coffee Roasting Company at 950 The Alameda, and the J. Morgan Gallery of art glass opened inside the historic Julia Morgan-designed mansion at 1650 The Alameda. Wine Affairs opened at 1435 The Alameda. The owners of Rosalena's announced plans to open Rosie's New York Pizza across the street in the former Ho Mei Do site.

At the end of The Alameda, a demolition crew took down the drive-in at the corner of Stockton Avenue on June 2 to make way for the Whole Foods Market scheduled for that site.

Local schools also saw improvements. Renovations of the playing fields at Lincoln High School got under way with work expected to be finished in April 2008. Construction started on a 7,000-square-foot science complex at Lincoln High School, and ground was broken on Dec. 3 for a two-story, 18,000-square-foot building to house classrooms at Trace Elementary School.

If the upcoming year mirrors 2007, we can expect the Rose Garden to continue to blossom without losing its charm.

January

The runoff to replace District 6 San Jose City Councilman Ken Yeager moved into high gear as Pierluigi Oliverio and Steve Tedesco opened campaign headquarters. The two were the top vote- getters in the November 2006 election, when Yeager was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. Yeager assumed duties of his new office, and the runoff vote was set for March 6.

Megan Doyle served as chief of staff for District 6 to maintain representation of residents during the runoff campaign.

The city of San Jose announced plans to hold a series of forums to jumpstart work on parks. This included revamping the Greenprint guidelines approved seven years ago, which called for investing $1.2 billion in parks by 2020. Park officials said they hoped to present the modified Greenprint to the city council in early 2008.

San Jose Unified School District forged ahead with its plan to install stadium lighting at local high schools, including Willow Glen and Lincoln. The lights will allow the school to host more home games. The district held community meetings to discuss the proposal and said it would go before the school board in March.

Dick's Bakery at the corner of Hamilton and Meridian avenues marked 60 years in business on Jan. 12 by giving away samples of its signature burnt almond cake. Dick Sota started the bakery, and his brother Clarence joined him as a partner. Dick, 84, retired, but Clarence, 80, continues to work in the family business.

Paul Hay was named superintendent of the Metropolitan Education District, following the retirement of Tim Hallett. Hay had been assistant superintendent. MetroED provides vocational training to 50,000 students in Santa Clara County.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's board of directors adopted a no-smoking policy at all VTA shelters, transit centers and light rail station platforms. Officials said they would begin enforcing the ban when signs about the policy were in place, probably in spring 2007.

Allied Appliance on Lincoln Avenue in Willow Glen marked 50 years in business in 2007. The vacuum cleaner sales and repair shop has been in the Mendence family for three generations. It was founded by Mel and Helen Mendence.

San Jose City Council moved toward approving the formation of the Strong Neighborhood Commission, a 30-member, all-volunteer body composed of three neighborhood leaders from each of the 10 city council districts in San Jose.

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors said they wanted to make a "fresh start" to improve and strengthen their relationship and end squabbling.

San Jose Police Department's Safe Passage Program, a week-long campaign from Jan. 22 through 26 to calm traffic at local schools, resulted in 816 citations and 356 warnings being issued, 49 vehicles impounded and 14 drivers arrested.

San Jose's legendary Emile's restaurant changed ownership. Founder Emile Mooser sold his namesake operation after 33 years to Alexandra Dorian. It closed after New Year's Eve and re-opened on Jan. 18.

San Jose City Council approved using an $18,883 donation from Happy Hollow Zoo to purchase bullet-resistant vests for K-9 police units. The money was raised by Elena Hansen, Lea Mehrkens and Diane Truong, who volunteered at the zoo and raised money for the "Vest-A-Dog" program.

February

The Santa Clara County 911 Communications Center announ-
ced the upcoming installation of a $500,000 phone system that displays mobile phone callers' approximate location when they call for help. The county receives more than 38,000 calls each month.

San Jose police Chief Rob Davis announced that any companies removing a tree without a permit in hand would be given a cease order. This new policy follows the illegal removal of three sycamores at the corner of Camino Ricardo and Willow Street on Jan. 13, 2006. An outcry and criticism from tree-loving residents followed the illegal cutting and the property where the trees were cut down was vandalized, with signs reading "Tree Killer." The property owners were ordered to plant four trees on the property and to purchase another 16 for Our City Forest to plant elsewhere.

The HIV testing and counseling program at the Billy DeFrank LGBT Community Center expanded from four hours in a single evening a week to four days, 44 hours. The expansion was made possible by a $10,000 grant from Gilead Sciences.

United Way Silicon Valley introduced 211, the newest information and referral service phone number in Santa Clara County. Call specialists can deal with 140 different languages and answer questions about everything from day care, schools, job training, counseling and emergency shelters in the county.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office marked Valentine's Day by releasing statistics showing domestic violence-related deaths dropped to five in 2006. In 2005 the figure was 10 and in 2003 it was 21.

Rystad's Limited Editions at 1013 Lincoln Ave., celebrated its 40th anniversary in business. One of the first collectibles stores in the South Bay, it was founded by Dean Rystad; son Bob now works there as well.

San Jose Police Capt. Richard Fairhurst, who commanded the department's western division, retired after a 30-year career. He was replaced by Lt. Rich Calderon, who worked alongside him.

The San Jose Fire Department announced plans to build a new station in the Willow Glen-Cambrian neighborhood. No site was named and no construction timetable issued.

Car thefts were on the rise throughout San Jose, with a 30 percent increase in stolen cars in 2006, from 2005 according to statistics released by the San Jose Police Department.

The San Jose code enforcement department announced it would add staff to improve response time on complaints about code violations.

marked for 911 emergency dispatch services. Inaccurate information provided by local telephone companies responsible for charging the monthly surcharge was cited as the cause.

Rotten Robbie became the first gas company in San Jose to offer B20 biodiesel fuel at selected area stations.

The San Jose Grand Prix was held July 27-28 in downtown San Jose.

Breathe California hosted the 34th annual Camp Superstuff for children suffering from asthma.

San Jose Unified School District announced plans to install solar power systems at four high schools. Willow Glen and Lincoln High Schools will be converted in the next group.

Victoria's Dance & Costumes reopened at 1921 W. San Carlos St. on the edge of the Rose Garden area after operating on Lincoln Avenue for 30 years.

August

At the request of District 6 San Jose City Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio, the city council unanimously approved a dog run and public restrooms at Del Monte Park, the new 2.2-acre park to be built at Auzerais Avenue and Los Gatos Creek. There are no public dog parks in the district.

San Jose City Council approved a new code of conduct for the public attending its meetings. Anyone causing a serious "disturbance" or who engages in "disorderly conduct" will be ejected or arrested.

A female food handler at Jamba Juice, 1140 Lincoln Ave., exposed customers to Hepatitis A while working there 11 days in August. Customers were advised to see their doctors to check for the liver disease.

San Jose City Council voted to repair and reopen four city swimming pools over the next five years.

San Jose Rotarians pledged $17,500 to equip 29 San Jose parks with swings for children with special needs.

September

Mineta San Jose Airport opened a cell phone waiting area for drivers picking up passengers, with space for about 50 cars.

Bob Kieve, CEO of radio stations KLIV and KRTY and a columnist for Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, was honored as the first recipient of Silicon Valley Leadership Group's Community Cornerstone Award.

Chinese in San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley, co-authored by Lillian Gong-Guy and Gerrye Wong, was published by Arcadia as part of the Images of America book series.

A program that gave grants up to $5,000 to new teachers to encourage them to move to San Jose was so successful that the San Jose Education Foundation announced it will expand the project.

San Jose City Council directed staff to make an exception to union rules to allow volunteers to work in city parks.

The San Jose City Council approved a $199 million redevelopment budget that will fund community centers and parks.

San Jose Grand Prix organizers said they plan to hold their race elsewhere in 2008.

The Bureau of Justice gave San Jose police a $250,000 federal grant to strengthen management of the city's 2,281 registered sex offenders.

Caltrain hosted a grand opening and public tours of its new $139 million maintenance center off of Stockton Avenue on Sept. 29.

The Columbus Park Horseshoe Complex opened Sept. 14.

The installation of stadium lights at five San Jose high schools, including Lincoln and Willow Glen, was postponed while waiting for installation permit approval by the California Public Works Department.

San Jose City Council approved the formation of a new neighborhoods commission to act in an advisory capacity to the council.

October

Silverleaf Antiques and Home Furnishings opened at 1343 The Alameda. The business had been located on Lincoln Avenue until it lost its lease and closed on Dec. 28, 2006.

The 18th annual Walk for AIDS Silicon Valley, one of the oldest AIDS walks on the West Coast, took place on Oct. 21.

San Jose Earthquakes officials announced their intention to build a new, privately funded professional soccer stadium near Mineta San Jose Airport.

Councilman Pete Constant announced his proposal to install anti-pornography software in all San Jose city branch library computers. San Jose-based Christian Values Advocacy Council is backing the move.

Two Bellarmine College Preparatory students were taken into custody, accused of throwing homemade bottle bombs at a Pioneer High School homecoming dance and at a private birthday party.

The San Jose City Council selected the Bank of America building at First and Santa Clara streets as the preferred site for a Bay Area Rapid Transit station. It's expected to cost $50 million to make the building earthquake-safe.

San Jose City Council unanimously approved Mayor Chuck Reed's Green Vision for the city. It's a plan with 10 environmental goals to achieve in the next 15 years, including creating 25,000 "clean tech" jobs.

San Jose firefighters traveled to Southern California to help "mop up" areas burned in wildfires.

San Jose Office of Economic Development launched a website to help entrepreneurs start and grow businesses in San Jose at www.businessownerspace.com.

November

San Jose City Council voted to move forward in negotiations with the Union Pacific Railroad Company to purchase a 3-mile stretch of land that cuts through council districts 3, 6 and 7.

Helen and Eddie Owen were named 2007 Distinguished Citizens of the Year by the Santa Clara Council of Boy Scouts of America and honored at a dinner Nov. 15.

The city of San Jose extended a pilot program allowing secondary units to be built in the back yards of single-family homes until April 30 or until 100 applications have been filed.

Bill's Café, a Willow Glen institution for almost three decades, opened a second Bill's Café at the corner of Naglee and N. Bascom avenues in the Rose Garden area.

San Jose City Council voted to continue working with developers and San Jose Earthquakes officials to build a new, privately funded professional soccer stadium near Mineta San Jose Airport.

San Jose City Council asked staff to continue working on a plan to raise sewer rates 15 percent in 2008, bringing the average homeowner rate from $23.56 to $27.09 a month.

After San Jose city crews started demolition on Nov. 18, all that was left of Stephen's Meat Products at 105 S. Montgomery near HP Pavilion was the signature neon pig sign out in front.

San Jose building inspectors went on strike over a dispute on how disciplinary matters would be handled under a new contract.

December

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Dec. 6 for Merrill Gardens, a 98-unit senior care facility on Meridian and Curci Drive.

Lissa Shoun took ownership of Andy's Pet Shop, the venerable 56-year-old institution on The Alameda. Owners JD Duncanson and Dennis Thomas, who bought it in 2005 and revitalized it, said they are retiring.

San Jose building Inspectors ended their strike and returned to work on Dec. 12.