CBS-5 PUTS EYE ON ALUM ROCK part 2

CBS-5's Marla Tellez and her cameraman interview Mario the Barber at his shop in Alum Rock Village for an upcoming segment on Eye on the Bay. Lucas Ramirez, 4, enjoys the trim.

The date was set, the calls were made and the camera crew from CBS 5's Eye on the Bay rolled into Alum Rock Village to focus on the characters and places that make our neighborhood unique.

As tour guide for this trip around the East Foothills, I wanted to expose Bay Area television viewers to as much as possible. So we started early, at James Lick High School. Principal Bill Rice showed us around the recently renovated campus including the new athletic fields. But the highlight of the trip to the home of the Comets was a sneak peek at the new Media Magnet facilities, which are absolutely top-notch. We saw the state-of-the-art television studio, control room and a non-linear edit suite. We also saw the plans for the media lab which will include approximately 30 more edit suites for film and vido production.

Next it was off to another Village landmark, Peters Bakery. Nancy Peters graciously showed us around the shop offering tastes of their classic items like burnt almond cake, plus their newest specialty, pineapple upsidedown cake (do try it). Then we hit Mario's Barber Shop for a chat with Mario while he cut my son Lucas's hair. As expected, Mario had great stories to tell about the neighborhood and the people who make it special. While in the Village, we also hit YSI Thrift and Gift, Treasure Chest Aquarium and Pets to see the 1,000 gallong shark tank (we were "treated" to a viewing of a shark feeding frenzy!), and the Dr. Roberto Cruz Alum Rock Library. Then it was off to Reynaud Drive for a sequence on what it was like growing up in the area. There, we interviewed my friend and neighbor Dan Gentile, Sr. who showed off his classic Ferarri and Alfa Romeo cars. Dan is also a living piece of Silicon Valley history. He holds 3 patents for chip design during his time at Fairchild Semiconductor, the company that "started it all" in Silicon Valley.

Our next stop was the National Hispanic University where we spoke to Roberto Cruz II about his family's educational contributions to the Alum Rock area. His father, Dr. Roberto Cruz started the NHU 25 years ago and his mother Lupe, teaches at Linda Vista Elementary. We also learned that San Jose and Santa Clara County have special citations in store for the school's award-winning debate team.

Then, it was off to the crown jewel of the neighborhood, Alum Rock park. Suffice it to say,this sequence will be one of the highlights of the show, so you'll just have to watch. Even I was surprised and amazed by what I saw.

With our earlier slices of cake starting to wear off, it was time for lunch at Mark's Hot Dogs. After a quick bite, we trekked off to see an another Alum Rock landmark: Cesar Chavez' home on Scharff Avenue.

We ended the day with a few more shots of neighborhoods and views from Miradero at the top of the East Highlands. Although a bit hazy, we could see Alum Rock and San Jose spread out beneath us, and glistening in the afternoon sunlight.

Overall, we shot over an hour's worth of footage for what will be a 5 minute segment. We don't have an air date yet, but keep watching this space for an update when a date has been set. I would like to thank Marla, her cameraman Scott and her Producer James Reid for coming to Alum Rock and giving our area some positive attention. And finally, thanks to all the readers of The Neighborhood View who wrote and emailed me suggestions on what to see and do. As you will see, we packed a lot of your suggestions in.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO HELP PRESERVE ALUM ROCK RAILROAD HISTORY

photos courtesy Silicon Valley History Online

By Park Ranger Roger Abe, Alum Rock Park

From Downtown San Jose it came up Alum Rock Avenue, along Kirk, to Penitencia Creek Road. It carried families to picnics in "Little Yosemite". It ran through fragrant fruit orchards and olive groves, and to climb on, it only cost a quarter—what is it? If you ask local historians or train buffs, you might get a knowledgeable answer, but most people wouldn’t have a clue. This, of course, excludes those of you who have seen Judy Thompson’s Alum Rock Park History--still available online in the New Neighborhood Voice Archives. Don’t you think there should be something right here to tell the story?
There is no visible explanation for the old elevated roadbed abutments decorating the creek and the hillsides as you meander up Penitencia Creek Road into Alum Rock Park. Currently there is nothing on site to explain that railroads existed here from 1896 through the 1930’s and impacted local culture, politics and economics with all the related drama surrounding railroads. 25 cent fares, train crashes, saloons, dance halls, hotels, restaurants, bathhouses, zoos, the Natatorium, business scandals, a world-wide popular spa destination, crowded park use, bankruptcies--those abutments may no longer carry "The Big Red Cars" but they and their cohort, the Alum Rock Trestle, (all about 96 years old) represent an era during which railed mass transit served both the park and the neighborhoods on this side of town.

There are few now who remember those times. If you would like to help commemorate the Alum Rock Railroads, please contact the Park Rangers at Alum Rock Park at 259-5477 or e-mail roger.abe@sanjoseca.gov or rob.reynolds@sanjoseca.gov. The park is seeking help in the form of funding, partners or sponsors, historical photos or information or volunteers to create historical markers to tell some of the stories of the Alum Rock Railroads—a grand, but nearly forgotten part of our community heritage.

NHU takes on USC and wins!

East San Jose's National Hispanic University took on the best...and won!
NHU's Ethics/Debate team defeated the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business to become California Regional Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Champions.
The NHU Debate team went undefeated in the 8-team competition hosted by Chico State on December 2nd, beating the host, CSU San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Santa Cruz and the University of Southern California in route to the title.

Clockwise from left: Prof. Michael Jordan, Juan Ruiz, Ana Castro and Team Captain Xavier Flores.

This was truly a story of David versus Goliath as the team from the 25 year old, little known university serving 600+ nontraditional college-going undergraduates in the East Foothills defeated the team from a 126 year old, premier institution with 16,500 undergraduates for the title. The NHU Debate team was founded in 2003 by a group of 5 students that were interested in philosophy. The team has faced obstacles including inexperience, and a lack of confidence.

But the biggest challenge may have been the fact that more than half of the team had to debate in their second language- English.
""It was difficult at the beginning. I was the one with the heaviest accent and the least amount of confidence", said senior, team captain Xavier Flores.

The Ethics Bowl competition is inspired by TV’s College Bowl, but modified rules adapt the game to the subject of ethics. In Ethics Bowl a moderator poses questions to teams of three to five students. Questions may address ethical problems on classroom topics (e.g. cheating or plagiarism), personal relationships (e.g. dating or friendship), professional ethics (e.g. engineering, law, medicine), or social and political ethics (e.g. free speech, gun control, etc.). Each team receives a set of ethical issues in advance of the competition, and questions posed to the teams at competition are taken from that set. A panel of judges evaluates answers; rating criteria are clarity and intelligibility, focus on ethically relevant factors, avoidance of ethical irrelevance, and deliberative thoughtfulness.

NHU's first place finish qualifies them for the 32-team national competition which will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio this February. The team is now preparing to take on schools such as Indiana University, University of Washington, Clemson University, Depaul University, Tuskegee University and the U.S. Military and Naval Academies in the nationals. We wish them well!

WATCH THE VIDEO FROM CBS-5! http://cbs5.com/video/?id=20073@kpix.dayport.com

The National Hispanic University is a private, accredited, 4-year university authorized to grant degrees since 1981. For more information on NHU, please log onto:www.nhu.edu

CBS-5 TO PUT EYE ON ALUM ROCK

CBS-5's hit TV show Eye on the Bay will be focusing an upcoming segment on our dear old Alum Rock neighborhood. I got a call this morning from show host/producer Marla Tellez asking me if I could play tour guide for the show which will be taped on January 30th. Of course I exitedly accepted this great offer to show off our little corner of the world to the TV viewers of the Bay Area. But where to start? We plan to meet at the Dr. Roberto Cruz library and fan out from there, our stops will include Peters Bakery, James Lick High, Marks Hot Dogs, and of course Alum Rock Park. Here's where you, the readers of The Neighborhood View come in. We need a few more location suggestions...the often overlooked, the off-beat, the interesting and of course anything picturesque. Please put suggestions in the comments section below and we will see you on TV!
Eye on the Bay used to be known as Evening Magazine. It is a daily, half-hour TV program that airs at 7pm on CBS 5. The show is known for its high quality, often witty and always interesting profiles of people and places around the Bay Area. You can check out some recent segments here: http://cbs5.com/eyeonthebay
As a lifelong resident of the Alum Rock area and a CBS-5 TV News Reporter, I want to put our best foot forward on this important project.

LAST STAND FOR LORD'S BAPTIST CHURCH

The giant jaws of an excavator chomped down on the wood frame of The Lord's Baptist Church on Fleming Avenue this morning, reducing it to rubble in a matter of minutes. Work to clear the site will continue for the next few weeks as developer Braddock and Logan begins the long awaited and hard-fought construction project. A new 14 home neighborhood will be built on the site. But thanks to neighborhood involvement, a deal was struck with the developer and the city to also build a half-acre park on the land along the Fleming frontage. More on this to come...

LIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION!... James Lick Shoots for New Image

Videographer Tom Castellano moves in for a shot during the production of a video that will be shown to San Jose high schools to attract more students to James Lick's new media magnet program.

James Lick High School is undergoing some exciting and dramatic changes that are designed to inspire its current student body and attract new students into a top-notch learning environment.
The newly renovated exterior of the school invites students and visitors to this "charming" school, according to Principal Bill Rice. "With a population of about 1,100 students, James Lick is easily the smallest and most comfortable school in the district," said Rice in a recent video documentary about the school that is being produced to promote its new media magnet program. "This is a school where the administration, counselors and teachers know the students well, so no students feel lost."
James Lick offers the comprehensive academic, athletic and extra-curricular programs found at all district schools, but because of its status as a magnet school, it also offers a unique cutting-edge program in "New Media."
The program features an academic and career program that introduces students to the latest digital media: television and radio broadcasting, graphic arts, digital photography, music, multi-media, and journalism. These are the building blocks of our new digital society as outlined recently in Time Magazine's Person of the Year issue.
The school is installing a new state of the art television broadcast studio. Students will produce a weekly community show broadcast through Comcast Cable as well as live broadcasts to James Lick High School.
There are also new state of the art computer labs utilizing the latest software, including Adobe Creative Suite and Video Suite. The program is designed to be cross-curricular in that it integrates language arts, computer technology, visual arts, and media production (radio, television, web page, desktop publishing, music, video, print journalism, and digital photography).
Business Partnerships with Comcast and CBS-5 Eyewitness News and education partnerships with local colleges and universities will further enhance the student experience.
"As students prepare for college, they will be exposed to potential four-year majors in the areas of communication and modern media," according to Rice.
Students will develop skills in modern media that will allow them to enter the media professions such as broadcasting, multimedia, and graphic arts.
"When students graduate from the Modern Media Magnet, they will have produced a digital portfolio featuring quality works from each of the areas of modern media," Rice stated. The portfolios will be presented as part of their senior project, he said.
Access to this kind of technology will be available at Lick and be invaluable to students wishing to pursue exciting multi-media careers. But it will be just one of many reasons students and families should choose James Lick. Lick also offers several honors or advanced placement (AP) classes in english, english literature, spanish, spanish literature, US history, biology and calculus. These rigorous courses allow students the opportunity to get college credit in these courses, so they won't have to take them at the University level, saving time (and their parent's money!).

JAMES LICK HIGHLIGHTED IN MERCURY NEWS

In case you missed it, the James Lick Comets football team was featured in the San Jose Mercury News recently. It's a nice article that focuses on the courage and determination of the student athletes and the school in general. As you know, James Lick is making a major turnaround. Like the football team, the school has a long way to go, but I believe it has turned the corner and is on the comeback! Look for great things in the future from the Mighty Comets!

You can check it out here:

www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16355323.htm

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Casa Ramirez

It's time to make The Neighborhood View more interactive...so let's start by inviting our neighbors into our homes. Take a picture of your favorite holiday decorations...your tree, your lights, your house decorations, your store or shop, your street lit up at night or your family Christmas picture and send it in. Write up a short note, talking about your family traditions and we'll post them online. This will be a great way for us to share the holidays and get to know eachother a little better.


Send words and photos to:
lenramirez@aol.com

Share, don't be shy

POSADAS TRADITION KEPT ALIVE IN EAST FOOTHILLS

National Hispanic University students Carla Estrada and Juan Villalobos play the part of Mary and Joseph during Las Posadas at NHU.

By Len Ramirez

Families, the faithful and students gathered at the National Hispanic University on Sunday afternoon (12/10) to take part in the Mexican holiday tradition of Las Posadas.
"We have to keep the tradition alive" said Maria F. Hernandez-Schabbing, one of the organizers who helped make this a festive, colorful display of Christmas culture.
Las Posadas is the re-enactment of the holy family's epic search for lodging in Bethlehem at the time of the birth of Christ. 18-year-old Carla Estrada and 18-year-old Juan Villalobos, both NHU Freshmen, superbly played the part of Mary and Joseph, leading a procession of angels, musicians and Aztec dancers through the NHU quad. Tradition dictates that the procession makes stops along the way at several doorsteps where Mary and Joseph ask for shelter in song, the reply is also sung, but there is "no room at the inn", so the procession moves on. Finally, shelter is found and a song of thanksgiving is sung. In this case, the procession ended with a rendition of the Jose Feliciano Christmas classic "Feliz Navidad."
The event also included a street faire with games and prizes, and a spanish mass that featured a beautiful Ave Maria, sung by San Jose teenage recording artist Manuel Romero.

P.E.O. HOME TO CLOSE; LAND UP FOR GRABS

A tagger has already marked the wall in front of the California P.E.O home, aka Maguerite Terrace .

By Len Ramirez

The end is near for the California P.E.O. Home on Kirk Avenue.
"All residents will have been moved to a new home by this Saturday" said Randy Eilts, spokesman for the home, by telephone. "It had been a trickle of people moving out since word of the closure was announced back on April 12th."
Eilts said closing the home, which housed 37 women and is also known as Marguerite Terrace, was a difficult decision for the P.E.O's Board of Directors to make. But he said the board concluded that it was no longer financially feasible for the home to remain open.
Although the front building was remodeled a few years ago, most of the rest of the facility was in need of upgrades such as heating, cooling and roofing. Eilts says remodeling all eight buildings in the entire 40-plus year-old facility was not "financially viable."
Eilts also said the property has been put up for sale, although he would not divulge the asking price on the property. He did say "We're still taking offers" on the land.
It is doubtful that any new owners would continue using the property as a nursing home, given the condition of the facilities.
The property sits on 4 1/2 acres in San Jose city limits and is zoned for the current use, but some neighbors have already expressed fears that the property could turn into another large and dense housing development, such as the ones recently built on Alum Rock and Story Roads.

KIDS, PARENTS AND STAFF PITCH IN TO BEAUTIFY LINDA VISTA

Some of the many volunteers who helped make Linda Vista a better place to be.

Linda Vista is already a California Distinguished School, Saturday was a good example of why.

About 100 people from the school community showed up on a gorgeous Saturday during the holidays to pick up shovels, rakes and brooms and spend the day beautifying the already scenic campus.
Together with several members of the Linda Vista teaching staff, Principal Paddy Douglas rolled up her sleeves to help create retaining walls and gardens clustered in three areas around campus. One of the areas will be a vegetable garden the students will tend to learn more about science and nutrition. "We're also going to make a mural" Douglas said. It will be on a wall backing up the garden and it will have a "farmworker or agricultural" theme.
It was a total team effort as several Linda Vista families showed up to help out. Several students spent the day, side by side with their parents and teachers to make their school a better place to be. Helping to make it all possible are the kind folks at the Alum Rock Orchard Store, Payless Rockery and Mission Concrete who donated materials and the expertise to pull off a beautiful job.

ALUM ROCK VILLAGE CEREMONY LIGHTS UP THE HOLIDAYS

Councilmember Nora Campos and James Lick Principal Bill
Rice are joined by young people for the ceremonial lighting
of the village.

Wow...this was a fun night!

For the first time ever, Alum Rock neighbors gathered to celebrate the lighting up of the village for the holidays. About 150 people surrounded the stage in front of the former Brasil Auto Repair shop as the sun was setting on Alum Rock Avenue. The James Lick High School choir and band, under the direction of Music Director Tomoko Nakajima, provided carols and music to set the perfect mood. The students were all dressed in festive gowns and tuxes for the occassion and they looked and sounded sharp.
Yours truly was honored to be the Emcee for the night's festivities (thank you CBS 5, which let me off early to participate!). Neighbors sipped Starbucks coffee and mingled with Village shopkeepers who donated several great prizes for a raffle. Santa took Christmas wishes from kids in the old Karate studio. The U.S. Marines stood guard over a Toys for Tots bin that was quickly filled with gifts for needy children. And the crowd listened to James Lick Principal Bill Rice describe how his school (and my alma mater) is on the upswing.
And speaking of upswings, San Jose City Councilmember Nora Campos, whose office organized the event, spoke of how this is a milestone in an ongoing effort to restore pride and prestige in Alum Rock. She also mentioned that some deals are in the works to bring even more businesses to the Village in the next year or two, adding to the Village's ambiance, and making it more of a destination for the community. Those will certainly be big announcements in the future, but for now, let's enjoy what we have in the Alum Rock area and support the businesses that support our community. Bravo to all involved, and for those of you who missed it, mark it down for next year because this will be an annual event that is not to be missed!

ALUM ROCK NAMED ONE OF TOP PARKS

By Andrea Flores-Shelton

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
My husband and I took our son to Alum Rock Park early Wednesday morning and we saw a certificate had been given to the park by Sunset Magazine for being in the Top 10 Thanksgiving Hikes of 2006. Yesterday, at my parents’ house I picked up their Sunset and found that Alum Rock Park had been ranked #5. We are so blessed to have this place - #5 or not, in our backyard. It was a gorgeous morning and we had the place almost to ourselves.

Here is the write up:Fall days linger, especially golden, in the east-west-running canyon of Alum Rock Park. The east San Jose sanctuary offers both mellow strolls and muscle-taxing climbs through its 720 acres. Opt for the flat 2.5 mile Creek Trail, which follows Penitencia Creed, from the park’s entrance to the handsome stone bridges at Sycamore Groves’ mineral springs. Or for a more challenging 3-mile trek with vertigo-inducing views-and the chance to see deer, rabbits, and quail- Take South Rim Trail from Inspiration Point, where natural beauty and quire inspire genuine thanks-giving.

If you are curious, the Top 10 Thanksgiving Hikes are:
#10 -Salk Lake City – Bonneville Shoreline Trail
#9 – Denver, Deer Creek Canyon Park
#8 – Sante Fe, Borrego-Bear Wallow Loop
#7 – Scottsdale, AZ, Pinnacle Peak Park
#6 – Malibu, Point Mugu State Park
#5 – San Jose, Alum Rock Park
#4 – Orinda, CA, Briones Regional Park
#3 – Sacramento – C.M. Goethe Park
#2 – Portland, Wildwood Trail
#1 – Seattle, Seward Park

-- Andrea

CRAB SEASON COMES TO ALUM ROCK FARMERS MARKET

From the Alum Rock Village Farmers Market

Crab Season has begun at the Alum Rock Village Farmers' Market.

Along with the chill that fall brings, comes the long awaited Dungeness crab season in the Greater San Francisco Bay Area. Right now, you can find fresh, local crab than at the Alum Rock Village Certified Farmers' Market.

In December and January, crab supplies are plentiful and the meat is sweetest. Local fishermen including Pham's Fresh Fish, Salter Crab Co., and Stu Fish are now bringing us this season's bounty of seafood, including shrimp, and a variety of fish and crab! The Alum Rock Village Farmers' Market is also brimming with fall and winter vegetables and fruits. From butternut squash to broccoli, from persimmons to pears – year-round, there is no better place to buy fresh, local fruits and vegetables than at the farmers' market. Looking to make an impression during the holidays? Fresh brussel sprouts sautéed in olive oil with fresh garlic and slivered almonds, candied yams, freshly baked herb-potatoes, or orange-glazed carrots should do the trick. Try your hand at making a fresh apple strudel or freshly baked persimmon bread. Decorate the table with a beautiful bouquet of freshly-cut flowers. Or, if you are after artisan breads, savory pies, eggs, kettle korn, orchids, honey, or other locally grown or locally produced goods – come join us!

The Alum Rock Village Farmers' Market operates year-round, rain or shine, on Sundays, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at James Lick High School, 57 N. White Road, San Jose.For more information on the Alum Rock Village Farmers' Market, or to find another farmers' market in your area, please contact the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association at (800) 949-FARM or go to:

www.pcfma.com

HOLIDAY FAIRE COMING TO JAMES LICK HIGH SCHOOL

James Lick Booster Club Is holding its annual Holiday Faire on Saturday December 2nd, 9:30 - 5:00 and Sunday December 3rd, 9:00 - 4:00 at 57 North White Road @ Alum Rock Ave.
Handmade gifts and crafts, home decor, fresh hot food, hourly raffle drawings, silent auction, gift wrapping, crafts and activities for kids, pictures with Santa and more.
Booths and tables are still available: 10X10 space for two days $80.00, 1 day $45.006X6 space for two days $60.00, 1 day $35.00. Prices includes assistance in bringing stuff in the gym. Please contact Lynnette for table reservations at lynnetterodriguez@sbcglobal.net or phone her at 408-258-6697For donations for silent auction please contact Monique Frizzell at 408-838-1358 or moniquefrizzell@yahoo.com

100% of profits go to supporting all sports teams at James Lick High School!

PLANE CRASHES IN EAST FOOTHILLS

From the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office

On November 20, 2006 at approximately 1:06 P.M., Santa Clara County Deputies responded to the area of Metcalf Road and San Felipe Road in unincorporated San Jose on a report of a possible plane crash.
The pilot, a 46-year-old man from San Jose, was on a leisure flight in his private plane when he began to experience mechanical problems. He notified the control tower of his situation and began to prepare for an emergency landing. He began to circle over the area in an attempt to locate a safe place to land. While circling he heard a loud noise and the engine failed. The pilot acted quickly and located a small pasture to land his plane. During the landing, the small plane’s landing gear struck a rock and flipped onto its top.
The pilot was able to exit the plane under his own power safely. He contacted a near-by plane via a two-way radio and informed a fellow pilot of his situation. He began to walk northbound towards San Felipe Road while his fellow pilot contacted 911. The San Jose Fire Department located the pilot walking in the area and evaluated his medical condition. San Jose Fire Department Personnel medically cleared the pilot at the scene.
The National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) was contacted and will complete an independent investigation of the incident.

"LONG HAIR" EXPERIENCE FOR LICK MUSICIANS

By Judy Thompson

Last week about fifty James Lick High School music students hopped aboard a city bus for an unusual destination in downtown San Jose. Along with their teacher, Tomoko Nakajima, and volunteer chaperones, they set out for the famous, much ballyhooed, extravagantly renovated California Theatre on First Street. What was the big draw? A rock concert perhaps? An educational film?
How about a special full length midday matinee production of the opera, The Barber of Seville, presented by Opera San Jose for a theater full of middle and high schoolers? Kids descended on the ornate theater from every direction. Some arrived in school buses. The Lick students good-naturedly hoofed the several blocks from the First and Santa Clara Street bus stop arriving just in time to be seated as the pit orchestra struck up the overture.
Does this sound like a dynamite combination – a theater full of teenagers expected to sit still for a looooong musical story with a decidedly goofy plot? Well, you would have been wonderfully surprised at the polite demeanor and mature audience manners of the Lick students – and the rest of the young theater-goers!
The Barber of Seville (written by Rossini in 1816) is sung in Italian although the setting is Seville, Spain. Mercifully, there were English supertitles. After the performance, I heard some Lick students mentioning the similarities between the Italian they heard and the Spanish they know. Good listening!
The English translations threw some arcane vocabulary words at these youngsters. Who knew that Figaro the Barber was a factotum? This Latin version of Jack-of-all-trades didn’t faze this young audience. They were rapt as they experienced the drawn-out comedy even through some of its repetitive passages.
After the performance, Ms. Nakajima counted noses outside the theater and off we paraded to the eastbound bus stop on Santa Clara Street. I heard no carping about the highbrow musical experience. I think James Lick music students are mature enough that they thought the opera was pretty darned cool!

LIFE AFTER NNV

By Elizabeth Driedger

This is just a reminder to folks interested in continuing the AlumRock Neighborhood Coalition that we will be meeting up at the "NextSteps after NNV" meeting called by Gustavo Gonzalez this Monday night, (11/20) at the Roberto Cruz library from 6 to 7 pm.
A couple of weeks ago some members of the ARNNE e-list responded to the post about keeping the Alum Rock Neighborhood Coalition (ARNC) alive as it was recently announced in the last issue of the NNV that its members were putting away their paint brushes and hedge clippers for the last time. The consensus on the e-list was to meet up at the NextSteps meeting. A former lead member of the ARNC has indicated that he will be attending and can give us background on the structure and history of the organization. We will also discuss any new ideas for the organization's future.
Here are few of the quality of life issues for Alum Rock (from specific to general) that come to my mind:
-Litter along Alum Rock Ave and McKee Road
-Savemart shopping carts strewn along McKee Road
-Food/Garbage amassing in the Savemart parking lot
-Infrequent street sweeping on even just the major streets (e.g. AlumRock, McKee Rd, Capitol Ave, White Rd, Story Rd, Jackson, etc.)
-Grafitti/Vandalism (e.g. the abandoned La Bodega)
-Unchecked Development/High Density Development/Lack of neighborhood parks
-Protection/Preservation of Historical Landmarks/Buildings
- or maybe even something like an AR Historical Walk with signs for the landmarks/buildings/historical sites that once were
-City of San Jose Annexation of Unincorporated Pockets/SJRDA Plans
-Having a forum that connects with the already great programs that have recently come into place in the AR area as well as with City of San Jose, local business owners and residents.

Do you have similar concerns and/or wishes? Would you like to have more of a voice about what's impacting your neighborhood? Do you have a few hours of time you are willing to volunteer for your community?Are you interested in rolling up your sleeves and seeing how things can improve when like minded individuals work together? Or how about meeting other people in your community and making friends with people you might never have had the chance to get to know in your corner ofAlum Rock? If you have concerns about the quality of life in Alum Rock and are willing to get involved, I strongly encourage you to come. Please feel free to send me an email to babette1057@yahoo.com if you'd like to express your ideas about ARNC between now and tomorrow evening. I'll print them out and bring them to the meeting. I'll have a sign with ARNC on it to help with any one wanting to gather to talk specifically about the ARNC tonight. Also please feel free to send me an email if you are interested but are not able to come to tonight's meeting. Look forward to seeing you there.

Elizabeth Driedger
Alum Rock and Capitol Ave neighborhood resident

MORE EAST FOOTHILLS OPEN SPACE PROTECTED

The Santa Clara County Open Space Authority (OSA) added a key link to its chain of protected lands in the East Foothills of San Jose with the purchase of 233 acres on November 16, 2006. The cost was $2,050,000.
The acquisition, along upper Penitencia Creek east of Alum Rock Park, features steep, oak-covered hillsides and is home to many plants and animals common to the east foothills. Sparing the land from development will help OSA achieve its open space goals of protecting hillsides and watersheds, preserving important habitat for protected species, and providing outdoor recreation.
“Acquiring this property will ensure that the scenic views enjoyed for years by visitors to Alum Rock Park remain intact. It will also expand on City of San Jose’s efforts to protect critical waterways for steelhead trout in the east foothills,” said OSA general manager Patrick Congdon.
OSA currently owns 1,389 acres in the east foothills. Since the opening in 2002 of OSA’s Boccardo Trail adjoining the northern edge of Alum Rock Park, the Authority has been working to expand public access to its holdings in the region. Studies are currently underway, with the help of a $50,000 grant from the California Coastal Conservancy to site a staging area on Sierra Road. This would enable visitors to reach OSA trails as well as a proposed alignment for the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a 500-mile-long regional trail envisioned to circle the entire Bay Area when completed.

FIND OUT MORE:
www.OpenSpaceAuthority.org

ALUM ROCK YOUTH CENTER ROCKIN'

Ed. note: The following correspondence was provided by Alum Rock Youth Center Advisory Team Member Tanya Freudenberger. Thanks Tanya!

Dear Team Members:

At our advisory committee meeting of the Alum Rock Youth Center last night, we received some information that might be of interest to you and you might want to share with others:

The Giving Tree activity at the Alum Rock Youth Center will probably be held on Friday, December 15. If you know any family that has children who need gifts from the Giving Tree, please send the (a) name (b) age (c) gender of each child to Danny Perez at the Youth Center by e-mail (Danny.Perez@sanjoseca.gov or call him at 251-5757) no later than Friday, December 8. If you want to confirm the date of the activity, please follow up with Danny

The Viejitos Car Club is sponsoring its 4th Annual Toy Drive on Saturday, November 25 at the Alum Rock Youth Center from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, please contact the group at: https://webmail.cbs.com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.viejitoscarclub.com.

The Advisory Committee is recruiting new members for 2007. As you well know, Council District 5 has the lowest income population in the City with the largest number of children and largest population of working poor. Out of ten youth centers in the City of San Jose, our Alum Rock Youth Center is third in generating income from fee classes. Why? Because this highly understaffed Center has a great relationship with the community and regularly gets out into the schools and neighborhoods to promote its programs. Why? Because the Alum Rock School District has been highly supportive in communicating activities at the Center to our families. Why? Because the Advisory Committee has continually promoted good will through fund raising efforts which provide money for scholarships, equipment and field trips (for which the City no longer provides financial support). Please encourage community members in your "entourage" to join the Advisory Committee. We meet only once a month for an hour and host three very enjoyable fund raisers a year (remember the comedy show? the pancake breakfast? the Halloween Haunted House?). They can contact me (509-0316) or Ed Solis (Ed.Solis@sanjoseca.gov or 251-2850).

Tanya