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Photograph by George Sakkestad
Justin Weber checked his reflection in the mirrored sides of a fire engine when he visited the Saratoga Fire Department with his classmates at Primary Plus Preschool.
1999 Year in Review
July
The Sixth District Court of Appeals refused to hear an appeal of its June decision that the Saratoga Drugstore, a longtime fixture in the village, would have to leave and that the owner, Ray Rossi, could not collect court fees. Rossi had leased the drugstore on Big Basin Way since 1978.
The City Council hired Richard Taylor as city attorney. Taylor, based in San Francisco, was well-versed in land-use and environmental law but had little civic experience. Jonathan Wittwer, an attorney based in Santa Cruz, was hired with Taylor to help with planning issues. Taylor was instrumental in drafting Measure G and providing legal services to the support group Save Our Neighborhoods Initiative Committee. Mayor Jim Shaw said the decision was based on the potential for land-use issues to emerge, such as the annexation of the Mountain Winery, and the majority of council members wanted an attorney who could handle those issues, he said.
The county Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to earmark $9 million for a project to reduce noise on the Highway 85 "corridor," an unusually loud six miles of highway that passes through neighborhoods in Saratoga, among other cities.
Wildlife investigators' trips to the Saratoga Hills became more frequent, as residents filed reports of unwelcome furry neighbors, such as coyotes and deer, intruding on their property. Carolyn Martin, a Tollgate-area resident, found a carcass of a fawn that appeared to have been mangled by a much larger animal. A wildlife specialist with the county determined that a bobcat, a mountain lion or a coyote could have killed a fawn that size.
Planning Commissioner Erna Jackman reversed her position and voted to approve Jamba Juice's application to open at the Argonaut Shopping Center next to Starbucks. Her vote, along with that of Commissioner George Roupe (who was absent at the commission's first vote in June), secured the store's opening and location. However, the City Council "called up" for review the decision because opposing neighbors were absent from the meeting when planning commissioners voted to approve the juice bar. The council said it would take up the issue with the Planning Commission in September.
The City Council decided to keep the Heritage Orchard off the list of potential sites for a city "hub" location when it created a list of church, school and privately owned sites for such a complex.
The Saratoga Fire District Commissioners approved a $6 million ballot measure for a new fire station for the November election. The fire station had been a Saratoga landmark on the corner of Saratoga and Highway 9 since 1923.
Gov. Gray Davis signed into law Assemblywoman Elaine Alquist's one-year extension bill to delay the state law mandating longer stays for animals in shelters.
Photograph by George Sakkestad
Mayor Jim Shaw died in office. His cancer had been diagnosed just before he stepped into the mayorÍs job.
August
Flags at City Hall flew at half-staff to honor Mayor Jim Shaw, who died at 72 at his home after a year-long battle with cancer. Shaw was elected to the City Council with Stan Bogosian in 1996, and was elected mayor in 1998, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Shaw successfully campaigned for the passage of Measure G, the growth management initiative, prior to being elected to the council. Shaw is remembered as someone who cared about the community, a dedicated public servant who worked right up until he could no longer fulfill his duties, a sincere, witty and respectful person. Vice Mayor Stan Bogosian said he would not ask the council to vote him in as mayor until the end of Shaw's term in November. He said that until then, he would serve as mayor pro tem.
Trustees of the Hakone Foundation voted unanimously to renegotiate their contract with the city because Hakone Foundation Executive Director Lon Saavedra said the current agreement did not serve the long-term goals of Hakone Gardens and made it difficult for the foundation to secure large donations from corporations and individuals.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved the plan for Villa Montalvo's "Orchard of Artists," 10 cutting-edge cottages and a common room for the Artist in Residency program. Five architect/ artist teams designed the cottages.
A report of a cat mutilation in the Aloha Avenue neighborhood in Saratoga brought the number of such cruel killings to 11 in the San Jose area. All the reports were of cats that had been cut in half, gutted, skinned and left on or near the cat owners' property. Officials at the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley described the killings as the most vicious acts against animals that they had witnessed in years.
Saratoga district firefighters surprisingly announced they would not support a bond measure for a new fire station, so the board of fire commissioners pulled the measure from the November ballot. Firefighters said they wanted to contract with the Santa Clara County Fire Department for what they said would be better fire and medical services for the people of Saratoga and the firefighters also. Firefighters agreed that the district needs a new station, only not so big as the one commissioners were proposing.
Ray Rossi, owner of the Saratoga Drug Store, filled his last prescription and closed his store for good at the end of the month. In July, Rossi lost a bid to appeal a previous court decision that determined the store could not stay in its spot, forcing him to leave.
A two-alarm fire gutted a home at 12556 Wardell Court, when newspapers the occupant was burning in her gas fireplace flew out and landed on the living-room rug. The occupant suffered minor burns and minor shock. Damage to the home and its contents was reported to be $300,000.
September
Saratoga went on-line, providing citizens and visitors with a website offering an abundance of information about the city, its programs and its regulations. The site, www.saratoga.ca.us, was created by Saratoga resident and Boston College sophomore Dan O'Connell, who worked closely with city manager Larry Perlin.
The city of Saratoga emerged victorious from a first-of-its-kind legal dispute with Santa Clara County, collecting more than $730,000. The money collected compensated Saratoga for losses suffered when Saratoga voters failed to renew the city's utility-user tax in 1996. The loss of the tax forced city officials to reduce staffing and many city services.
In other legal matters, the city of Saratoga and the town of Los Gatos filed for a temporary restraining order against AT&T over its proposal to bump community-access stations KSAR and KCAT from Channel 6 to Channel 15. A judge did not grant the order and AT&T went ahead with the channel change. Instead, the judge called for a hearing to take place in October at which AT&T would be made to show cause for moving the channels.
Saratoga's City Council was reorganized when council members unanimously voted to appoint Ann Waltonsmith to fill the council seat left vacant when Mayor Jim Shaw died. Waltonsmith, who left her position on the Planning Commission vacant, assumed her new role on the City Council Sept. 1 and will hold the position until November 2000.
There were also promotions at the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department Westside Substation as Capt. Jeff Miles assumed command. Miles, a 27-year veteran of the department, replaced Capt. Robert Wilson, who was selected as the county undersheriff by Sheriff Laurie Smith. Capt. Cary Colla, who had taken over many of Wilson's supervisory duties, moved to the Hall of Justice in San Jose to serve as commander of court security in Santa Clara County. Miles was recommended by city managers as their top choice. The reorganization came after an almost 10-year freeze on hiring and promotions that began in 1987.
1999: The Year in Review
January - March 1999
April - June 1999
October - December 1999
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
