December 29, 2005

2005: Year in Review

Scandals dominate headlines

By Sheila Sanchez
Staff Writer

The year 2005 was indisputably a tough one for many around the Bay Area.

Natural disasters in remote parts of the world and in our own country had many wondering how to help those suffering.

Political and sex scandals exploded right in our own backyards increasing public distrust and skepticism toward public and school officials.

At City Hall, embattled San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales began the year giving a State of the City address that promised bright things for Silicon Valley. They never materialized and were overshadowed by a backroom garbage deal confirmed illegal by the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury in June and weakening the mayor’s office.

Not all news in 2005 was bad. Almaden Times readers felt hopeful as new Councilwoman Nancy Pyle replaced Pat Dando in the District 10 office. They were pleased to learn Almaden schools continued to excel academically, despite the embarrassing scandals at Leland High School and Bret Harte Middle School.

Then as the year wrapped to an end, the community united to reach out to victims of Hurricane Katrina, raising thousands of dollars to aid with the recovery of the worst national disaster in tour country’s history.

Almaden issues that dominated the headlines included the controversial proposal to build sports fields along McKean Road, coyotes and wild boars pestering residents and our coverage of the pedicure infections and the sanctions against beauty salons for improperly sanitizing their premises. The misgivings of Advantage Driving School were also exposed with one former student receiving a $100,000 award from jury after she accused one of the school’s former instructors of raping her.

January
The San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce joined the Santa Clara County Chapter of the American Red Cross for a telephone fundraising event that raised $141,000 in cash contributions from local residents and businesses. That included a commitment from Orchard Supply Hardware president and New Almaden resident Rob Lynch, to match the pledges with an in-kind donation of tools and equipment up to $100,000 for the tsunami victims.

Former San Jose City Councilmember Terry Gregory resigned Jan. 18 as the Santa Clara County District Attorney filed 11 misdemeanor counts against him for failing to report gifts valued at $1,296, a $4,000 loan and using his position to help a former girlfriend get a rental discount on an apartment. He’s the first councilmember to resign since 1978.

San Jose Unified School District’s declining enrollment, along with the state educational budget crisis, forced closure of Cory and Randol Elementary Schools. A consolidation task force was charged with assessing consolidations based on school demographics, transportation, safety, facilities and financial impact.

The new Almaden Business Association began meeting under the theme of “Six Degrees of Connection” to reflect and guide its goals to strengthen the connection between member businesses to the Almaden community at large.

The Committee for Green Foothills (CGF) and the South Almaden Valley Rural Alliance (SAVRA) filed a lawsuit against the city for approving a general plan amendment that would ultimately allow development of a youth sports complex on rural McKean Road.

The State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology released results of an ongoing investigation into the safety of nail salons following mounting reports from women who had developed pedicure-related infections.

Inspectors arrived unannounced at 112 Santa Clara County nail salons and issued 731 violations including 315 spread throughout 69 shops in San Jose, where the outbreak originated. The citations came with more than $70,000 in fines. Only three salons survived the grueling 67-point inspection unscarred.

When the story first broke on Nov. 25, 2004, in the Almaden Times Weekly, only a handful of women had come forward and steered health officials toward Kathy Nails on Almaden Expressway, Silver Nails on Blossom Hill Road and Nails National on Snell Avenue.

Since then, more than 130 complaints have been filed, implicating 27 salons, with 28 others now also on the radar screen. This outbreak is larger than the one afflicting 110 women in Watsonville three years ago, which quickly prompted the County Health Department and the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology to take action.

The Shadow Brook community mourns the death of Merle Jensen, 83, after battling leukemia. He was a former Air Force pilot and Korean War veteran.

February
Former District 10 Councilwoman and Vice Mayor Pat Dando accepted California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s appointment as director of local government outreach.

A house on the 1500 block of Guadalajara Drive in the Almaden Montevideo neighborhood was the scene of a standoff between San Jose police officers and its occupants the morning of Feb. 6.

Members of the Almaden Branch Library and Community Center public art task force complain about not being informed of former Vice Mayor Pat Dando allocating $100,000 for an art piece to recognize the late educator Doris Dillon. Most task force members said the 2 percent of the facility’s capital project funding for public art was enough.

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales gave his seventh annual State of the City on Feb. 9. He announced his desire to bring major league baseball to San Jose and to help the city become the home of the new stem-cell research center program created by the passage of Proposition 71 in November 2004.

Almaden senior Edith Keep received the Good Neighbor Recognition award from San Jose Councilwoman Nancy Pyle’s office. Keep has dedicated her life to improving the lives of children. She was a teacher for more than 20 years.

San Jose Police Sgt. Mike Fehr was recognized for his 33 years of service in the field of law enforcement. Through Fehr’s desire to improve quality of life in the South San Jose neighborhoods he served, he inspired his team of officers to excel.

Preparations begin for the murder trial of Anthony Sanchez, accused of killing former Leland High School student Troy Pollett.

March
Complaints against Advantage Driving School begin. The school has trained nearly 28,500 kids—3,600 from Almaden.

A cash-strapped San Jose Unified School District’s desire to make money created anxiety among parents and teachers concerned about a controversial proposal to build commercial space on some of its campuses.

The city rejected a coyote damage claim by Villas of Almaden representatives. The city said the statute of limitations ran out as all incidents related to the animals are said to have occurred before Aug. 17, 2004 more than six months after the occurrences.

Former Los Alamitos Elementary School technology coordinator David Joseph Welsh, 57, is arrested for possession of child pornography. He turned himself in at the Santa Clara County Jail after Los Altos police obtained an arrest warrant. The San Jose resident taught at various schools in the Bay Area for 10 years, including two months in 2003 at Los Alamitos.

The Little Gym opens at Princeton Plaza on Blossom Hill Road to the delight of children who like gymnastics.

At least 1,000 people joined with the Education Coalition at John Muir Middle School to give Gov. Arnold Schwar-zenegger the message that they are unhappy with potential cuts to an already slashed state school budget. Santa Clara County parents, students, teachers, administrators, classified employees, service union leaders and superintendents came out to protest cutting Proposition 98 along with various local and state elected officials including Colleen Wilcox.

San Jose Unified School District’s new Memorandum of Understanding relating to construction of sports fields by the Almaden Youth Association in rural Almaden Valley, was presented to city officials in December of 2004. It stipulates school officials will lease the land for 10 years from the completion of the complex’s construction, with the option of reassessing the project’s environmental impact after five years, when it could terminate the lease with “no cause.” The provision causes the negotiations between the AYA and the district to stall.

Seven of nine Almaden schools score above the 2004 Academic Performance Index target. Castillero Middle School and Pioneer High School make gains, but are still below mark. The 2004 Academic Performance Index scores, ranking schools based on scores from the state’s Standardized Testing and Reporting, or STAR, program and the California high school exit exam, reveal most schools in the valley are above the statewide performance target goal of 800.

More than 1,000 disenfranchised school teachers, nurses, police officers and firefighters filled the streets along Plaza de Chavez clamoring for attention of well-heeled Silicon Valley supporters as they wined and dined with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The $1,000 a plate dinner was held on behalf of the Citizens to Save California, a committee to promote Schwarzenegger’s plan to overhaul state government.

April
Almaden’s Andy Cook, 11, uses theatrical skills to raise $3,700 for tsunami relief. With a sign in hand asking for help, he collected donations to the Red Cross to aid tsunami victims.

Emergency dispatch system shows flaws after 911 call is rerouted when a man alerted authorities about a 77-year-old man who deliberately drove his car into Lake Almaden taking his three pet cats with him to a watery grave.

After surveying the 10 largest cities in the state and country, the San Jose City Council unanimously voted to create a one-year fraud and audit hotline, which officials hope to have up and running by July 1.

Esteemed community manager Marjorie Stiles leaves Le Mirador Senior Center after three years.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event takes a stand against sexual abuse with male community leaders squeezing their toes into Cinderella-sized stiletto heels.

The fundraiser for the YWCA’s Rape Crisis Program, generated $10,000 for ongoing aid for the estimated one out of every three women—and one in every 10 men—who will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime.

May
After seven years of silence, a former Advantage Driving School student filed a civil lawsuit against the school alleging she wants to prevent future students from experiencing the sexual abuse she claims happened to her.

The suit stems from a 1998 criminal case, where 26-year-old Advantage Driving School instructor Peter Malae was convicted of statutory rape of a 15-year-old student after his license had been revoked following a previous felony assault conviction. In 2002 another instructor was arrested on sexual harassment charges.

The San Jose City Council approves researching parameters for ‘granny unit’ pilot program. Councilwoman Nancy Pyle opposes the move, but Mayor Ron Gonzales supports it. The council directed the city’s administration to draft the program reviewing existing circumstances and provide updated data and information regarding its impact on city’s neighborhoods, traffic, parking and resources to the council to support lifting the 1984 ban on the dwellings.

Area Catholics welcome the papacy of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 78, viewed as the faith’s defender of orthodox doctrine. They joined millions around the world in welcoming the new papacy of Pope Benedict XVI.

A sex scandal strikes Leland High School when former chemistry teacher Earl Thomas Roske, 41, is accused of having sex with two female students. Roske had been placed on administrative leave after San Jose Police began a criminal investigation. He’s arrested May 6 at his San Tomas Aquino Road residence on several sex charges involving the students. Roske, who had taught at the school since 1998, was charged with one count of unlawful sexual intercourse, two counts of oral copulation with a minor, two counts of using a minor to produce child pornography, and two counts of sending harmful matter to a minor. The seven charges all constitute felony offenses.

Almaden’s Rob Davis, 47, San Jose’s top cop, welcomes the birth of his son, Zachary, who joined sister Mackenzie in the Davis household. Zachary Davis was born April 25 at 4:39 p.m., weighing eight pounds, seven ounces.

Residents worried about lack of parking and pedestrian safety at McAbee Road entrance of Almaden Quicksilver County Park. Pierce Ranch neighborhood residents fear if a parking lot is not built with a single-family home development, park users will continue to park on nearby streets.

Two New Almaden historic homes are dedicated with monuments—the Randol family home and the Hauck house on Almaden Road.

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approve a settlement agreement with state and federal authorities to continue to clean up mercury contamination in Almaden Quicksilver County Park.

June
Colin Aitken, 9, is recognized for his musical talent at the state level. The Graystone Elementary School fourth grader composes his music on the piano. His “March in C Major,” won first place in his age category in the Santa Clara County branch of the Music Teachers Society of California competition.

Lee Wilcox becomes Nancy Pyle’s new chief of staff after Ana Maria Rosato resigns. Wilcox, a lifelong San Jose resident graduated from Leigh High School, was a member of the varsity soccer team while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in arts at Sonoma State University.

New San Jose City Hall media tour reveals ambitious municipal project, after three-years, $345.6 million complex finally nears completion. During a hard-hat media tour of the facility, Michael Palladino, the project’s leading design architect with the reputable New York-based Richard Meier & Partners architectural firm, explained the 530,000-square-feet, $345.6 million complex.

Police begin searching for Bret Harte Middle School secretary Barbara Jo Price, 44, alleging she had embezzled nearly a half million dollars from the student ASB account.

Former Vice Mayor Pat Dando receives 2005 Women Achievers Award from the Bay Area Chapter of the California Women’s Leadership Association.

The 13th annual San Jose International Triathlon comes to Almaden Lake Park. The weekend competition has hundreds of racers in the San Jose Mountain Bike Triathlon and nearly 2,000 participants in the Olympic distance one-mile swim, 24.8-mile bike ride and 6.2-mile run. Steve Hackett and Becky Gibbs Lavelle win the event.

Father George Mancha, 55, leaves St. Anthony’s Catholic Church to join Archbishop Mitty High School’s clergy. He’s replaced by Father Warwick James of Santa Clara’s St. Lawrence the Martyr Catholic Church. Mancha had served Almaden’s second largest Catholic parish for eight years.

Hollywood celebrity Paula Abdul and Almaden’s Brittany Welby, 19, testify before the state legislature urging stiffer safety standards and stronger fines for nail salons with unsanitary practices.

July
Anthony Sanchez is sentenced to 19 years in prison for Troy Pollett’s death. On the eve of the long-awaited murder trial, Sanchez, 23, pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter for Pollett’s death and attempted murder for stabbing Chris Johnson on March 20, 2004, after a traffic-related clash and chase came to a tragic end near Johnson’s home.

A jury awards $100,000 to a former Advantage Driving School student for compensatory damages stemming from the 1998 statutory rape by instructor Peter Malae, who took her to a remote location during a two-hour driver’s training lesson and coerced her into having sex. He was convicted in September 1998 of criminal charges and sentenced to two years in prison. The DMV changes its policy issuing no more temporary instructor licenses.

The California Newspaper Publishers Association recognized Almaden Times Weekly staffers Nate Levy, Diego Abeloos and Sheila Sanchez for journalism excellence. It was the first time a Times newspaper had been eligible to enter submissions for awards because newspapers must be either weekly or daily to qualify.

A crowd of 100,000 swarms downtown to cheer the Taylor Woodrow Grand Prix around the McEnery Convention Center, Hotel De Anza, the Tech Museum of Innovation and Cesar Chavez Plaza. Throughout the inaugural weekend event, several Champ Car drivers, as well as drivers from other series, criticized the 1.44-mile, 11-turn racecourse, complaining the track was too bumpy and narrow for passing.

August
San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales opens the new City Hall complex for business with a ceremony attended by 24 former mayors and council members.

Residents on Vera Cruz Drive complain about the construction of Guadalupe Elementary School. They gripe about dust and noise from the workers and trucks and lack of communication with the Union School District.

Former District 10 Councilmember Pat Dando announces she would will accept a position as president and CEO of the San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce. She became the only woman to lead a large chamber of commerce in California, and one of only four women in such positions throughout the nation’s 10 largest cities.

Former Leland teacher Earl Thomas Roske pleads guilty to having sex with two minor female students and receives a two-year, eight-month prison sentence.

Drug agents find a large-scale marijuana operation worth $80,000 with more than 20,000 marijuana plants. The bust resulted in state Department of Fish and Game warden Kyle Kroll, of Mountain View, being shot in the leg and one suspect killed as nearly 40 SWAT team officers found the illegal operation in the 17,000-acre open-space reserve surrounding Mt. Umunhum.

Rocki Kramer, executive director of the Almaden Valley Counseling Service, announced she would retire in October after serving 25 years.

More than 75 people file suit over infections they contracted after receiving pedicures at salons in San Jose, Los Gatos, Saratoga, Santa Clara and Mountain View. Painful lesions caused by mycobacterium fortuitum, found in poorly sanitized and disinfected whirlpool foot spas, lead to painful sores, costly medical treatments and permanent scaring, both physically and emotionally.

September
The Almaden Times celebrated two years of publishing weekly after serving the Almaden Valley as a monthly publication since February of 1986. Readers welcome the additional news coverage of the Almaden community.
Almaden resident Michelle Takeuchi spearheads a fundraising effort to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, selling lemonade, cookies, Popsicles and popcorn.

Results of the 2005 Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program reveal Almaden’s public school students are making widespread gains in every subject and grade level tested. A majority of students attending Graystone, Los Alamitos, Simonds and Williams Elementary Schools, in grades two through five, scored at the proficient or advanced levels in English language arts and mathematics. In science, more than half of fifth graders scored at the proficient or advanced levels.

The nonprofit Almaden Valley Counseling Service celebrated 25 years of compassionate care that touches nearly 1,000 lives a year. Created in 1980 as a counseling service for Almaden Valley students, the agency has added programs and expanded its services to reach seniors.

The mothers of the victims whose testimony put Earl Thomas Roske behind bars say their daughters have lost trust in people and will never see the world the same way because of the sexual abuse perpetrated by the former Leland High School chemistry teacher.

The 29th annual Almaden Valley Art & Wine Festival, organized by the Almaden Valley Women’s Club, benefits local schools and charities and provides a family-oriented and fun-filled day.

The Jeffrey Fontana Dog Park opens to the delight of two- and four-legged patrons.

October
Leland yearbook teacher Brian K. Jessee, 44, is arrested for possession of child pornography. Detective Robert Dillon began an investigation after an anonymous tip to police that stated Jessee had inappropriate pictures on his computer. Further investigation determined that none of the images portrayed any student and/or Leland High School activities.

More than 400 runners participate in the 12th annual Almaden Times Classic Oct. 9 at Leland High School. The event, including a 10-kilometer run and 2-mile run, raises funds for the Almaden Valley Counseling Service, a nonprofit mental-health counseling center currently celebrating 25 years of existence.

Residents concerned that development will ruin New Almaden’s charm meet with city and county officials to discuss their concerns. Rumor and speculation about development have persisted for years among the enclave’s residents—many who have lived in the area for decades.

Esther Ouel-lette, 51, was killed crossing Blossom Hill Road at Vassar Drive during a traffic collision on Oct. 19. San Jose police reported that an unidentified teen driver allegedly didn’t notice the victim attempting to cross the intersection as the cars in the next lane stopped to allow the pedestrian to pass.

Sandy and Tony Fontana joined police officers, family, friends and community members for a candlelight vigil on the third anniversary of Jeffrey Fontana’s death at the park that now bears his name. Fontana, 24, was shot and killed in Almaden during a routine traffic stop on Oct. 28, 2001.

November
Matt Osment, 39, becomes the new executive director at the Almaden Valley Counseling Service
Eight statewide ballot initiatives dealing with a slate of controversial issues—ranging from teacher tenure to reproductive rights—returned voters to the polls during a special election on Nov. 8. All initiatives fail.

Water polo officials worry about increasingly aggressive behavior and serious injuries in the high school sport.
The San Jose City Council approves a secondary-unit pilot program that will allow construction of 100 secondary units throughout the city for one year. Councilwoman Nancy Pyle supports the project’s tight restrictions.

The Jeffrey Fontana murder trial is dealt its sixth delay with officials questioning the efficacy of the judicial system. The delay came two weeks after a fourth candlelight vigil for Fontana.

December
Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Dando received a distinguished service award for her role in securing additional state assistance for county communities from the California State Association of Counties.

The San Jose City Council unanimously censures Mayor Ron Gonzales for not sharing “material facts” related to a secret promise of $11.25 million in payments to Norcal Waste Systems and its subcontractor California Waste Solutions that resulted in a $1.40-a-month garbage rate increase in 2003 for 155,000 households.

Former Los Alamitos Elementary School kindergarten teacher Dayna Smalley died after a 27-month battle with a rare intestinal cancer.

Nancy Pyle gives a year-end report on District 10 work. The councilmember said she will successfully represent the voters who sent her to City Hall by better communicating with them, managing city finances and improving government accountability.

The Santa Clara County District Attorney announces it will work with a civil grand jury to determine if there was any wrongdoing by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales in the Norcal Waste Systems deal.

San Jose City Manager Del Borgsdorf announces he’s “retiring” from his position effective Feb. 3, after being in public service for nearly four decades. Hired by the city in September of 1999, Borgsdorf came under fire this year after ethical issues surfaced at City Hall and shed a cloud of public mistrust over San Jose government.

Chief city planner Stephen M. Haase, director of San Jose’s Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, also announced he’s stepping down as well as John Bjurman, the city’s chief information officer, who had only been on the job since July, said he’s leaving his position.