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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Sara Maeda, left, and James Migdal, spend the morning at Patty McCaul's daycare in Sunnyvale, creating artistic masterpieces with paintbrushes and hands. McCaul applied for grant money to help fix up her renovated garage/playroom, which is too cold for the children to play in during the winter.
The year in review 2001: October-December
By Jana Seshadri and Amy Jenkins
October
Just a friendly game of baseball
The Sunnyvale City Council and staff battled each other at Ortega Park on Oct. 6 for the annual council (and friends) versus staff softball game. The game went neck and neck for the first three innings, but council members eventually won 21-10. There was a barbecue banquet in the picnic area later for the winners and losers.
Arts day celebrated
Ponderosa Elementary school's "Starting Arts" program celebrated Arts Day, Oct. 10, with entertainment by instructors. There was tap, swing and salsa dancing, in addition to music. The after school program is made possible by a grant and offers students lessons in everything from arts and crafts to drama.
Walker drops out of Assembly race
Mayor Jack Walker announced his decision to drop out of the race for the 22nd Assembly District on Oct. 25. Joining several of his colleagues, Walker endorsed Democrat Rod Diridon. Walker did not rule out the possibility that he might run for State Assembly in the future.
Culture clash
The International Street Faire brought together many cultures to watch professional dancers, eat, and do arts and crafts. The faire was held on Olive Avenue and had crafts like Indian Henna temporary tattoos, Kumihimo Japanese weaving and Japanese brush painting on ceramic tiles. Ethnic food booths satisfied a wide variety of tastes with African, Mexican, Asian and Indian cuisine.
Casa de Amigos collects for UNICEF
The children at the Casa de Amigos Mobile Home Park collected pennies instead of candy while they trick-or-treated during Halloween for UNICEF. Spearheaded by Manager Ann Olsen, the children had a check for $5,000 ready for UNICEF's representative at the Halloween party at the park's community center. The Sunnyvale City Council later commended Olsen for her efforts and gave her and the children a plaque of appreciation during the Nov. 11 city council meeting.
November
Fowler, Howe and Miller take elections
The Nov. 6 election results came as no big surprise--Sunnyvale residents chose experience by electing incumbents Fred Fowler for Seat No. 1, Julia Miller for Seat No. 2 and veteran Planning Commissioner John Howe for Seat No. 3 for the Sunnyvale City Council. Campaign contributions, the city council's responsibility to communicate effectively to residents, managing growth in the city and the crematorium in a residential area were all critical issues and were debated during the campaign.
Court hears crematorium case
Thomas Dwyer's case against the Sunnyvale City Council, regarding the Wyant and Smith crematorium, was heard in the San Jose Superior Court on Nov. 6. After hearing both sides, Judge William Cain said he would send his ruling by mail to both parties. The crematorium started to function on Oct. 2, though many residents in the immediate neighborhood of the mortuary were not aware of it.
Fowler is mayor amid controversy
Fred Fowler was sworn in as the new mayor on a 4-0 vote, with council members Walker, Vorreiter and Valerio all abstaining from the vote. Vorreiter had earlier recommended that Walker continue as mayor for another term to maintain continuity. Congressman Michael Honda was present at the Nov. 20 city council meeting to swear in Fowler, Julia Miller and John Howe as new council members. Councilwoman Miller was sworn in as the vice mayor. Howe replaced council member Jim Roberts, forced to step down due to term limits.
New autism center opens
The Pacific Autism Center for Education opened its new group home, The LaMar home, at 854 Gary Ave. in Sunnyvale, ready to house six autistic and/or developmentally disabled adults. PACE, headquartered at 572 Dunholme Way in Sunnyvale, is a nonprofit organization that provides educational and day programs to 55 autistic individuals ranging from 3 to 22 years of age. PACE already owns and operates five group homes, and the LaMar Group Home will be the sixth.
Armory requires IDs
According to federal regulations, the Sunnyvale Armory has put in place an identification requirement for its clients. When it opened its doors for the homeless in November, the Armory will not let anybody in for overnight shelter unless he or she has a picture ID. The Armory is equipped to make a picture ID on the spot if a person does not have one. The new measures are for security reasons, according to Sgt. Major Larry Ellsworth, of Policy and Liaison Operation.
Veterans remembered
Members of the Digital Clubhouse in Sunnyvale were invited to Washington, D.C., on Veteran's Day to share their World War II Memories Project. The project began in 1998 and aims to preserve the memories of veterans by using their voices combined with photos from their scrapbooks and off the Internet. Young people are in charge of using technology to create digital movies.
Learning to love to read
The Raising a Reader program spread to several Sunnyvale preschools, including California Young World. The program was started by the Peninsula Community Foundation and provides low-income students with red canvas bags full of books, which are circulated among families throughout the year. Teachers and parents also learn the value of reading to young children through instructional books and videos.
December
Clare Phillips wins Athena Award
Clare Phillips, employee relations manager at Advanced Micro Devices in Sunnyvale is this year's recipient of the Athena Award. The Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce chose to recognize Phillips with the award, given annually to those who exemplify community service and professional excellence throughout the country.
SCS gives to community
Sunnyvale Community Services opened its Christmas Center for its clients--low-income families--to come in and "shop" for groceries, gifts for their children and family members and household items. The yearly event, run almost completely by volunteers, allowed families in need to shop with dignity, Director Nancy Tivol said. Families were allowed five bags full of groceries, gifts for their children and a household item.
Court for city in crematorium case
Judge William Cain ruled that the city of Sunnyvale did not have to rehear the application for the crematorium in the Wyant and Smith Mortuary. Thomas Dwyer lost his case against Sunnyvale. Cain stated in his ruling that the city did notify residents by mail, posting notices and in the newspapers. Cain added Dwyer did not comply with the statute of limitations when he filed his lawsuit. The city council granted the use permit on Dec. 12, 2000, and Dwyer filed his case in May 2001, after the 90-day time limit had expired.
Senior Center named
Heeding Director of Parks and Recreation Robert Walker's recommendation, the Sunnyvale City Council unanimously voted to retain the name for the new senior center as simply, the "Sunnyvale Senior Center." The issue had been a battle of wills between the seniors in Sunnyvale and city officials. Walker said the city considered the name "older adult center" because it hoped to lure more 50-year-olds to the center. But seniors did not want the name changed. Expecting the debate to peak at the meeting, several seniors were ready for debate, but Walker stole their thunder by acceding to their wishes at the beginning of the meeting. Construction for the new center is scheduled to begin in February 2002.
Sparks win Section 2 championship
The Sparks, a girls under-16 soccer team from Sunnyvale won the Section 2 championship with a thrilling overtime victory over Half Moon Bay 3-2. It was the first Section 2 championship for the Sunnyvale team in more than a decade.
Privately funded rail station opens
Sunnyvale Mayor Fred Fowler, Vice President of Jay Paul Company Tim Hennessey and Valley Transportation Authority Chairman and council member Manuel Valerio jointly cut the ribbon and officially opened the new Moffet Park Light Rail Station in the Ariba Plaza Project in Sunnyvale. Funded completely by Jay Paul Company, the new station, which cost $5.7 million, lies between the Lockheed Martin and Bayshore/NASA stations.
Cohen becomes principal owner of SVCN
David Cohen, publisher/CEO of Silicon Valley Community Newspapers, became the principal owner of the company on Dec. 19. The company publishes six community newspapers in Santa Clara Valley, including The Sun. Earlier in 2001, SVCN, which was under the umbrella of Metro Newspapers, began operating as an independent company.
Year in Review 2001
Year in Review 2001 Introduction
January-March
April-June
July-September
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
