January 3, 2007

2007 Year in Review: A Year of Loss, Hope and Promise

By Lorraine Gabbert
Staff Writer

January

Following the 2005 censure and 2006 indictment of Mayor Ron Gon-zales for his role in the Norcal garbage scandal, San Jose held a mayoral race between Council-members Chuck Reed and Cindy Chavez. The victorious Reed promised at his inauguration there would be, “No lying, no cheating, no stealing, we are going to get a government we can be proud of. The Reed Reforms are just the first, but essential steps in creating a strong foundation on which to build San Jose into a great city.”

Mayor Chuck Reed waves to the crowd after his inauguration.

Reed nominated and council members unanimously chose Dave Cortese as vice mayor. Two council seats remain vacant--District 6, which was vacated in December when Ken Yeager took a seat on the County Board of Supervisors, and Reed’s District 4 seat. Santa Clara County Supervisor James T. Beall also took on a new role as assemblyman for the state’s 24th district, serving the northernmost part of Almaden Valley.

New business is coming to Almaden in 2009 with an 86,000-square foot Whole Foods Market slated to open at the former Rite Aid on the corner of Blossom Hill Road and Almaden Expressway. Whole Foods received the EPA’s Green Power Partner of the Year Award.

The Los Gatos branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution honored New Almaden’s Kitty Monahan with the Excellence in Community Service Award. Monahan has fought to preserve Almaden and Bay Area history, open space and parks.

DAR member Sue Bergtholdt. Monahan and DAR member Kristin Khanna.

February

San Jose Police Capt. Jack Farmer received a commendation for 30 years of extraordinary service to the city. The commander of the Police Department’s Southern Division for more than five years Farmer decided it was time to retire. The commendation read in part: “Capt. Farmer exemplifies dedication, confidence, helpfulness, and humility in light of his countless achievements since his career began 30 years ago.”

San Jose Police Capt. Jack Farmer was given a commendation for 30 years of “extraordinary” service to the city. From left: Police Chief Rob Davis, Councilmember Madison Nguyen, Mayor Chuck Reed, Farmer, and councilmember Pete Constant.

After a pedicure left her with a severe mycobacterium infection and scars on her legs, Almaden Valley resident Brittany Welby became a crusader for establishing safety standards in California pedicure and manicure salons. She appeared on “The Tyra Banks Show” to discuss her cause.

The Santa Clara County Horsemen’s Association held a dinner dance to raise funds for Nancy and Dave Littleton, who lost their home on McKean Road in a house fire. The house burned to the ground leaving only the brick fireplace where the fire started.

After nearly two hours of passionate testimony from Almaden Valley residents, the San Jose Planning Commission unanimously approved a plan to save part of the Almaden Feed & Fuel building, while rezoning the property to permit construction of 12 single-family homes. The city council later cleared the way for the construction of single-family homes, while still preserving part of the Feed & Fuel structure. The building has been the subject of nine-month campaign by former Feed & Fuel patrons and local residents to preserve the structure as part of Almaden Valley’s history. In December, the group announced that part of the historic Almaden Feed and Fuel will become a single-family home.

Mineta honored Asian-American political icon Norm Mineta (middle) participates in a traditional sake barrel ceremony at the “Hometown Celebration” held in his honor at the Fairmont Hotel Feb. 24.

March

Capt. David Cavallaro takes over for retiring Capt. Jack Farmer. His experience includes gang investigation, internal affairs, officer training and the vice and intelligence unit. The new Southern Division commander uses a simple philosophy in his police work. “If we can make where we work a little better than we found it, then I think we’ve succeeded,” he said.

San Jose political icon Norm Mineta was honored at a “Hometown Celebration” at the Fairmont Hotel. Mineta’s lengthy political career has included terms as the city councilman and mayor of San Jose, a U.S. Congressman, Secretary of Commerce under President Bill Clinton and Secretary of Transportation under President George W. Bush.

A mother visiting the Almaden Library recognized a man from the Megan’s Law sex offender list. “My kids go to the library and I want them safe,” she said. Word spread as parents questioned how someone listed on the Web site could open a concession stand in the lobby of the Almaden Library and Community Center. The man, 58-year-old Almaden resident Mike Silva said during divorce proceedings he was arrested on charges of molesting his daughters but took a plea bargain rather than see his daughter experience the trauma of cross examination.

Jonathan and Joshua Lynn raised over $3,000 to benefit children in Mozambique.

Eleven-year-old twins Jonathan and Joshua Lynn held a walk-a-thon to raise funds for impoverished children in Mozambique, netting more than $3,000 for their cause. The brothers created a goal to feed and educate 300 homeless children two days a week, for two months and install a clean-water system. More than 20 children ages 8-12 and their families participated in the 5-mile walk from South Hills Community Church to Almaden Lake Park.

April

One Step Closer Therapeutic Riding opened its stable doors to help individuals with physical or emotional disabilities and at-risk youth at Calero Ranch Stables. OSC is an equestrian nonprofit organization using the human-horse relationship to help participants reach their full potential. The activities assist healing and physical development, stimulate learning and are aimed at building confidence and self-esteem.

Mark and Landa Keirstead have found their calling in life—One Step Closer Therapeutic Riding.

The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for proposed development in Coyote Valley was released, assessing how the proposed development of the 7,000-acre valley might impact traffic, air quality and environmental issues. It estimated that the commercial and residential development would create approximately 200,000 new car trips daily.

After two decades, former District 10 City Councilwoman Pat Dando finally got to bring a longtime dream to fruition by celebrating the grand opening of a community center for the Hoffman Via Monte neighborhood. The community’s residents were so happy about Dando’s work that they requested the center be named for her.

May

The San Jose community strapped on running shoes and came out in droves to celebrate the life of Pat Tillman, at the second annual staging of Pat’s Run. Initial estimates by the foundation showed that more than 5,000 participants ran the 4.2-mile course, which wound its way through Tillman’s old stomping grounds in Almaden before finishing at Pat Tillman Stadium.

Current District 10 City Councilmember Nancy Pyle and former Vice Mayor Pat Dando cut the ribbon officially opening the Pat Dando Hoffman Via Monte Neighborhood Center.

When Army Ranger and former NFL football player Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan in 2004, the New Almaden community took the loss personally. The community wanted to honor Tillman, who they all knew and loved with a monument. “When Pat died many people talked about erecting a monument to honor him,” said Kitty Monahan, New Almaden Community Club and New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association president.

In a somber memorial to the 6-foot-7-inch friend they called the “gentle giant,” dozens of Marcus Keppert’s fellow Pioneer High School students and family members gathered at the corner of Almaden Expressway and Camden Avenue to hold a candlelight vigil. Keppert was killed by a drunk driver as he tried to cross the expressway at night.

The seventh annual Simonds Multicultural Fair was a huge success with 600 guests learning about 18 different cultures. Throughout the evening, the crowd was entertained by dances and performances.

Spinning for a cause. Turning Wheels for Kids executive director Sue Runsvold, AVAC staff Stephanie Mudgett, Jean Cook Braun, Becky Smothermon, and Sue Davis.

Almaden Country School celebrates 25 years of educating children. “I really wanted a school that was a community,” said Almaden Country School [ACS] founder Nan Hunter. “I wanted children to truly succeed by offering a broad curriculum including arts, language, science, drama, and math.”

Almaden Valley Athletic Club [AVAC] hosted a fund-raiser benefiting the nonprofit organization Turning Wheels for Kids, whose motto is “making a better world one bike at a time.”

Three Academy of Art University graduate students were honored alongside their faculty advisers in the dedication ceremony of “Teaching Stones: A Tribute to Doris Dillon,” created for the Almaden Community Center. The sculptural landscape tribute reflects the educator’s greatest passion: teaching young students to read.

Two girls sit on one of 10 boulders that honor Doris Dillon at Almaden Community Center.

A tragic traffic collision at Leland High School on May 23 left one student dead on arrival, two students critically injured and one student carted off to jail to deal with a possible manslaughter sentence for driving under the influence. Nobody came out of the crash unscathed. Fortunately, the Every 15 Minutes event was just a very realistic portrayal of what can happen in the flash of an instant when teenagers drink and drive.

The quad of Bret Harte Middle School turned into a league of nations as the school community celebrated its annual Cultural Fair. The event featured entertainment, food, crafts and fun and rejoiced in the diversity of 23 customs from around the world.

A beautiful Vietnamese silk and fan dance is performed by five Bret Harte students.

June

Kids came from all over to get down and dirty at the New Almaden Quicksilver Mining Museum’s recent “Play like a Miner” day.

After five years at Bret Harte Middle School, Principal Don McCloskey became director of student services for the San Jose Unified School District [SJUSD]. Gunderson High School Assistant Principal of Guidance Dominic Bejarano became Bret Harte’s new principal.

Charges were dropped against former San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales by Santa Clara County District Court Judge John Herlihy. He dismissed all charges, including those of bribery, conspiracy and misappropriation of funds because he said that “erroneous instructions” were given to the grand jury necessitating him to drop the charges. He also dismissed charges against Gonzales’ aide Joe Guerra and Norcal Waste Systems.

This kind of water pump costs about $350 to build for a village. The larger open concrete well built for the schools as part of the project costs $1,000.

The John Muir Middle School community learned that its current assistant principal, Gloria Marchant, was appointed to the job.

The third and fourth grade Williams Elementary School classes of Barbara Moore and Kenneth Leung performed the play "The Magical Land of Oz" before a crowd of parents and fellow students. Leung also served as the director.

The Almaden Valley Women’s Club (AVWC) awarded $20,000 in scholarships to 14 local recipients. The funds came from money earned from the AVWC annual Almaden Art and Wine Festival. The recipients are Lauren Anderson, Melissa Erickson, Kimberly Hu, Jessica Kolte, Ester Lee, Vanessa Moyen, Katherine Nigh, Bethany Nollette, Nicole Santo, Jennifer Spindler, Lauren Traina, Donna Tran, Lisa Trimberger, and Daniel Yang.

Richard Valcazar dives for the ball during drills at Football Camp for the Stars.

While City Council members kept silent about the problems in the City Auditor’s office and its six employees on leave, an attorney for one employee filed suit against a deputy auditor and the city. Attorney Robert Bohn Jr., representing Jennifer Callaway, one of eight senior program performance auditors, filed suit against Deputy Auditor David Moreno and the city claiming sexual harassment and a sexually hostile environment.

Valley Christian head football coach Mike Machado, along with a horde of former and current Valley Christian football players, hosted a Football Camp for the Stars, a two-day football camp for children with Down syndrome who love the sport. Machado said he was inspired by Andrew Watson, who has Down syndrome and has served as the Warriors team manager for 10 years.

Santa Clara Valley Water District Assistant Operating Officer Melanie Richardson speaks on behalf of restoring wetlands in the Laguna Seca area. “The Laguna Seca area is one of the best potential wetland mitigation sites in the entire Bay Area,” she says.

The plea bargain for the man who hit and killed a Pioneer High School student Marcus Keppert while driving drunk was set aside. New information showed George Xenos was driving 31 mph over the 45-mph speed limit, rather than the 5-16 mph over the police investigators initially reported.

Guest speakers, task force members and public citizens spoke in earnest regarding the development of Coyote Valley at the Coyote Valley Specific Plan (CVSP) Task Force meeting at City Hall. “I don’t think that developing Coyote Valley is a good answer,” said De Anza student Nicole Tindall. “I don’t feel it’s sustainable to utilize our resources in developing an urban sprawl in the only open space that we have.”

July

The first annual American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Almaden raised $169,000, and still counting, for cancer research and patient services. Thirty-seven teams and 600 participants were exhausted after walking an estimated 5,000 combined miles at Leland High School’s Pat Tillman Stadium.

A fabulous Fourth Hundreds of kids on bikes start the annual Almaden Cabana Club bike parade on July 4 in San Jose. Young girls do a "hula dance" aboard a float during the Montevideo parade on the Fourth of July in San Jose. Children of Mt. Forest Street get ready to ride their bikes in the parade during the Mt. Forest Street block party and parade.

A “Yes!” of excitement is audible from the group as Tom Zimmerman, employee of IBM and EX.I.T.E. camp instructor, tells the 40 girls they will get to use the microscopes they built to observe plankton. Through EX.I.T.E camps, IBM hopes to “inspire middle-school girls to make a difference in the world through math, science and technology.”

Four people died July 23 on Graystone Lane when a car driven by Eric James Satterstrom, 19, went out of control killing pedestrians Inder and Uma Batra, then crashed into a tree and exploded. Also killed was passenger 18-year old Maxwell James Harding, a Leland High School graduate. Satterstrom graduated from Valley Christian High School and was a student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

John Dixon, a friend of Max Harding, looks at the memorial surrounding the tree Harding and Eric Setterstrom crashed into. Harding and Dixon went through elementary, middle and high school together. “I’ve lost a good friend,” he said.

More than 400 people crowded the Almaden Branch Library and Community Center on July 20 to countdown the minutes before they could read the final book in the Harry Potter saga, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” The library staff showed up in costume and helped run activities. At midnight, the staff began checking out the books.

August

The Army censured Gen. Philip Kensinger, a retired three-star general in the case of Army Ranger Pat Tillman’s death by friendly fire. The censure was due to Kensinger’s “failure of leadership,” according to the Army. It also accused him of lying to those researching the circumstances of Tillman’s death. The Army knew for weeks that his death was caused by friendly fire, but told the media and Tillman’s family he had been cut down by the enemy in Afghanistan in 2004.

Sisters Audrey and Emily Cox enjoy a drink together at the Harry Potter book release party at the Almaden Branch Library on July 20.

The joyful shrieks of playful children filled the air as Almaden neighbors gathered to share food and community spirit during National Night Out: America’s Night Out Against Crime. Throughout San Jose and across the country on Aug. 7, neighborhoods joined together to hold a going-away party for crime and drugs. These informal gatherings, held at homes, parks and churches provide residents with a relaxing evening out, and an opportunity to work together to protect their neighborhood.

Two local nonprofit groups that help those less fortunate are putting supplies in backpacks for low-income families that won’t be able to buy the necessary tools and the pack to carry them in. The Family Giving Tree kicked off its seventh annual Back-to-School Drive filling more than 13,000 backpacks with school supplies.

Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force members resolved to continue moving forward during a city hall discussion revolving around the possibility of revising the triggers associated with the development of Coyote Valley.

The city council discussed the fate of the 120-acre flea market on Berryessa Road, which will close in 2010 to make way for more than 2,800 new homes. Under the measure, the extended time period will allow the city and the Bumb family, which owns the property, to find a new area to house the outdoor bazaar.

A monster yard sale for Turning Wheels for Kids (TWFK) translated into $3,948 and 129 bicycles for needy kids. The idea behind the sale was to teach a group of Almaden children that sometimes it feels good to help others that are less fortunate.

The San Jose City Council fired City Auditor Gerald Silva in a unanimous closed-session vote. “Over the past five months, the city council has been considering complaints of inappropriate behavior and retaliation made by members of the city auditor’s office,” Reed told reporters at a hastily called news conference.

“Marianne is strong-willed, with strong faith and determination. We’re determined we’re going to make it through this,” said Jerry Farnsworth—pictured here with Marianne—regarding his wife’s diagnosis of brain cancer.

Almaden’s Farnsworth Swim School, which has taught an average of 600 students every summer to swim, will close due to owner and teacher Marianne Farnsworth’s diagnosis of brain cancer.

Michael Hutchinson has won several national cycling titles this year because of his “amazing ability to suffer, as one must in bike racing.” Hutchinson retuned home from the Master’s World Cycling Championships in St. Johann, Austria, where he captured third in the 12.8-mile time trial, besting 104 other racers from around the world.

September

The annual New Almaden Day celebration marked the area’s historic mining past and paid tribute to current history with the dedication of the Pat Tillman monument. The memorial dedication displayed two plaques—one for Tillman and the other to the hard rock miners. Both are mounted on a 2-ton granite rock in recognition of the historic area.

Michael Hutchinson has raced with Team Spine, a northern California cycling team, since it began five years ago, and has won countless regional and state titles with them. Photo courtesy Team Spine

The San Jose Grand Prix will no longer be held in San Jose due to commercial and residential development in and around the 1.5-mile downtown track.

Sunny skies smiled on the 31st Almaden Valley Art and Wine Festival showcasing artists, vintners, breweries, games, entertainment and food. “We’re really excited about the event this year,” said Almaden Valley Art and Wine Festival chair Lauren Wilson. “We have 83 artists and 25 are new with us this year.”

Rich Crowley, president of the Almaden Business Association, began passing out invitations minutes after the city council unanimously approved an ordinance amending the city’s gaming control laws to allow gambling and/or casino nights for nonprofit fund-raisers. Two years ago, the attorney general’s office nixed the same fundraiser two days before it was supposed to happen.

The Almaden Art and Wine Festival features something for everyone from works of art, to live entertainment and great food.

Coinciding with Coastal Cleanup Day, local residents organized a cleanup of Los Alamitos Creek gathering old computers, bottles, cans, tires, a terrarium, a mattress and other throwaways. Friends of Los Alamitos Watershed cleaned up 90 bags with an estimated 2,000 pounds of trash.

The 14th Almaden Times Classic Run, which includes a 10k run and a 2-mile run/walk through Almaden’s Los Alamitos Creek Trail and residential streets, raises funds for the Almaden Valley Counseling Service [AVCS], a nonprofit mental health-counseling center now in its 27th year. The race is one of AVCA’s major fund-raisers.

Dan Colleen, deputy director of Santa Clara County’s Roads and Airports Department, illustrates traffic hot spots along the Almaden Expressway and shares plans for solving these problems.

In an animated conversation, residents and representatives from Santa Clara County’s Roads and Airports Department discussed the future development of Almaden Expressway at an Almaden Valley Community Association (AVCA) meeting. “The top four worst traffic intersections on Almaden Expressway are Blossom Hill Road, Coleman Road, Branham Lane and the 85 freeway connections,” said Dan Colleen, deputy director of the Roads and Airports Department.

Shopping was the name of the game as more than 70 people attended “Retail Coming Attractions,” a forum hosted by District 10 Councilmember Pyle and District 9 Councilmember Judy Chirco. The meeting highlighted residents’ shopping survey results and their concerns as well as Whole Foods Grocery Store news, a Via Valiente shopping center improvement update, and information about new retailers.

KB Home South Bay Division President Chris Apostolopoulos, far left, Franklin McKinley School District President John Lindner, Richard Overhouse, District 24 State Assemblyman Jim Beall, District 7 Councilmember Madison Nguyen, San Jose City Manager Debra Figone and SJFD Fire Chief Darryl Von Raesfeld cut the ribbon for the official opening of Station 33.

In an effort to offer a new approach to “church,” the Journey Church will relocate to Pioneer High School from Santa Teresa High School, where it held services for nearly six years.

San Jose Police called for caution after a 12-year-old girl was kidnapped on the outskirts of Willow Glen, and driven to a spot near Jeffrey Fontana Park where she managed to get away and receive aid from an Almaden Good Samaritan. Police, who were concerned because the attacker struck in broad daylight, arrested Donald Bachman for the crime within two days of the attack.

MMA legend Frank Shamrock hands the microphone to teen Joel Anderson, who educates people on what it's like to live with autism.

Through their annual golf tournament at Cinnabar Hills, Almaden’s Customer Service Realty (CSR) and the Autism Tree Project Foundation (ATPF) partnered for the fourth year to create brighter futures for children with autism. The tournament raised more than $60,000.

More than 120 South Bay Realtors®, mortgage brokers and other real estate professionals took a break from selling homes to play golf at the 11th annual Gregory Austin Macres Memorial Golf Tournament at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose benefiting the Children’s Gaucher Research Fund.

Faith and fellowship were in abundance as St. Anthony’s Catholic Church celebrated 25 years. Members reminisced that before the church was built, mass would sometimes be held outside and deer would be spotted on the rolling hills of the area.

The owners of Almaden’s Sonoma Chicken Coop Jeffrey Starbeck, left, and Bob Ray, show off their indoor/outdoor bar. There’s plenty of room for customers to sit down and eat, center, with 225 seats inside and 151 outside.

The pioneer spirit was alive and well, as the New Almaden Quicksilver County Park Association didn’t let showers deter their celebration of the 25th annual Pioneer Day in New Almaden. Kitty Monahan, Dot Wilson and other NAQCPA members greeted arrivals at the New Almaden Community Center to celebrate.

October

The first annual Harvest Festival at the Almaden Community Center provided something for kids of all ages. The Pumpkin Patch featured plenty of the orange gourds, the haunted house was “spooktacular,” the food was tasty and there were plenty of crafts and story times for the costumed kids.

It’s been a long wait, but the new Sonoma Chicken Coop on Almaden Expressway at McAbee opened on Sunday, Nov. 11. The newest “coop” is a far cry from the McDonalds Restaurant it replaces. The entire inside and outside were redone, a bar added and the patio extended.

If it hadn’t been for a 5.6-magnitude earthquake on the Calaveras fault, the big news out of northern California would have been the San Jose City Council’s unanimous vote to be the first green city in the country. Mayor Chuck Reed and all 10 council members voted to adopt a 15-year plan designed to solve environmental problems and grow the city’s economy. The legislation centers around three projects—clean technology innovation, sustainability and green mobility.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage addresses the more than100 interested residents attending the Oct. 22 Safe Graystone Neighborhood forum. District 10 Councilmem-ber Nancy Pyle says she will keep Gage informed of the studies that are in process.

“Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive.” It’s Blaze Rider, a local superhero who has vowed to protect children and animals. He burned out of the high-tech world earlier this year and yearned to do something creative to help children and animals. He has appeared at the Willow Glen Founder’s Day Parade, a blood drive for Fremont’s Luna Martel and the Dollar for Mile Challenge, a 165-mile journey from the San Jose Animal Care Center to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital.

One of the few empty spaces left in Santa Clara County will remain open space. The planned Martial Cottle Park is 287 acres bordered by Branham Lane, Snell and Chynoweth avenues. The large parcel is jointly owned by Santa Clara County Parks and California State Parks and comes from a donation and purchase from the Lester family under strict guidelines for future uses of the site.

More than 100 interested residents, city officials and the Safe Graystone Neighborhood met to discuss safer traffic conditions. It was created after the four people died on Graystone Lane on July 23.

According to Councilmember Pyle, San Jose suffers from the worst sales tax leakage in the county. “People go elsewhere to spend their money,” said Pyle she told an AVCA meeting. “We don’t have a lot of the retail we need to keep them here. I’ve been working on trying to bring in the businesses that will help us to get that sales tax.” In addition to Whole Foods, Pyle said that Nordstrom has expressed interest.

November

Teenage driving was the focus of a community forum at the Almaden Community Center. “We’re here tonight for a very serious subject,” said Pyle in a forum entitled, How to Keep Your Children Safe—Talking to Teens about Driving. The event was co-sponsored by Pyle, Almaden Valley Counseling Service [AVCS] and Leland High School.

President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce Pat Dando, center, passes on some good luck to poker players Jerry Greer (left) and Gary Dillon (right).

More than 140 people trooped out to the Santa Clara County Horsemen’s Association on Nov. 10 for the Almaden Business Association’s second first annual Texas Hold’em tournament. Proceeds will benefit the Doris Dillon’s Children’s Library.

There was lots of news at Almaden Country School when Adelgunde DuVall presented it with a $2 million bequest and Ole Jorgenson was named new head of schools, effective July 1. The school plans to use the money to establish an endowment in recognition of the bequest from DuVall. Jorgenson succeeds Jean Delwiche.

In Almaden, a large number of parents, colleagues and students remember their association with educator Doris Dillon, who had a profound and very positive affect on their lives. Dillon delighted in introducing students to the world of literature. So it is quite fitting that the Almaden Branch named its children’s library for this Almaden resident who provided the key to reading and education for several decades to Almaden students.

The third annual Applied Materials Turkey Trot brought out 6,160 participants and more than 475 volunteers raising more than $225,000 for three charities: the Housing Trust of Santa Clara County, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Santa Clara Family Health Foundation’s Children’s Health Initiative.

The Doris Dillon School in the province of Kampot, Cambodia is almost complete, bringing the educator worldwide awareness for her contributions to education. School donors are the Bret Harte Middle School, the city of San Jose and the Almaden Community, but it started with teacher Jim DeLong, who has returned from a two-week visit to Cambodia to monitor the progress of the school.

December

Everyone loves a parade, especially a hometown event, and it was no different in early December when San Jose’s finest led off the annual Holiday Parade. Leading off the fun was the San Jose Police Department’s mounted unit along with San Jose firefighters. It was the last float that everyone was waiting for, and it hit the jackpot. Santa Claus showed up in his big red sleigh, sandwiched between two Nutcrackers.

Amid the hoopla and the hullabaloo, above, a group of dancers walk amidst the confetti near the end of this year’s San Jose Holiday Parade. The two-plus hour parade drew at least 100,000 people downtown to enjoy a number of floats, celebrities and helium filled gigantic balloons.

Residents turned out to support a good cause and celebrate the season at the second annual Family Holiday Festival at the Almaden Community Center Dec. 1. Leland students kept busy helping kids decorate gingerbread cookies and play an assortment of games like Twister and Candy Land. The Castillero Middle School choir added its holiday touch with renditions of seasonal favorites.

The Valle Monte League’s Christmas Tree Elegance celebrated its 40th anniversary in style with this year’s “The Jewels of Christmas.” Members raised about $500,000 in addition to the $7.5 million they previously earned to assist mental health agencies in Santa Clara County such as Family & Children Services, John XXIII Multi-Service Center, the Centre for Living with Dying and Alzheimer’s Activity Center. Christmas Tree Elegance includes a week of fund-raisers ranging from a champagne brunch and a grand ball to a children’s party.

Six Bay Area CEOs played elves as they raced through the aisles of Target filling numerous shopping carts with toys while also helping local underprivileged children during the Family Giving Tree’s annual CEO Shopping Challenge. The CEOs spent $188,000 of their own money on toys and clothing for low-income children.

An architect’s rendering of the Southside Police Substation to be located in Council District 2 near Santa Teresa Boulevard and Cottle Road.

This year’s season of giving was celebrated at the annual Breakfast with Santa event presented by the Almaden Valley Counseling Service at the Almaden Golf and Country Club on Dec. 8.

The members of the T.J. Martin Neighborhood Association got less than they bargained for at the Stakeholder Meeting with city officials and the Almaden Valley Youth Soccer League. While many of the group’s smaller requests were granted, their larger concern over crowding was dismissed in favor of more access to soccer fields for Almaden children.

The San Jose City Council passed ordinances to build the South Side Police Substation, beginning in February. The substation received a low bid of $60 million, about $7 million short of the money appropriated from the bond measure. The city manager’s staff scrambled to find the money, which includes taking the $1.1 million appropriated for public art. In the end, the council voted to include the exterior and interior artwork, if Williams can find the money.

The city council also unanimously approved an increase to History San Jose’s subsidy of $1.38 million or $875,000 annually for three years. HSJ’s subsidy had been scheduled to drop over the next two years. The money will aid the museum to remain in the black for operations and maintenance.

More than 300 people from San Jose came together to wrap gifts of care and compassion for Christmas for people on the other side of the world. The Journey Church hosted a World AIDS Day event at Pioneer High School. The “1,000 Boxes Of Hope” event drew a huge crowd from San Jose, including Mayor Chuck Reed.

Karen Issacson with her 14-year-old son Justin wrapped some of the “1,000 Boxes of Hope”

At Los Alamitos Elementary School, you could almost hear them sing it: “If you want to be happy in a million ways, there’s no place like Los Alamitos for the holidays.” With the guidance of teachers Debbie Merrell and Kathy Dixon, more than 60 students ranging from second to fifth grade put on a holiday show.

Inspired by the spirit of the season, students and faculty at Almaden Country School donated 20 gently used and re-purposed Dell Pentium III computers to Laneview Elementary School.

When the girls in Girl Scout Troop 1469 thought about a project to earn their Bronze Award, it was unanimous—they would collect items for Operation: Care and Comfort, a local organization that provides items for soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Preparing to run for another four-year term, Nancy Pyle, looked back on the first three years of her term. Besides mending fences, she worked to get sports fields, provided new businesses to increase tax revenues, attended meetings and was one of the biggest supporters of the South Side Police Substation. Her staff also created a constituent tracking system covering concerns and comments from residents in District 10.