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News From Silicon Valley's Neighborhoods Tree Huggin' Saratoga--You won't find much of historic value left in California these days. Outside the Saratoga School grounds, a giant pair of century-old eucalyptus trees still stand despite construction that threatens to uproot them. The school district and concerned citizens have been squabbling over the trees since the summer of 1998. Weighing the views of both mindful conservationists and those who'd rather see a new playing field, the district's arborist has until May 1 to play God and pronounce the trees' fate. Forty of their leafy kin have already been removed from the Saratoga campus due to construction. Sign of Sickness Willow Glen--A new billboard at Lincoln and Coe avenues is, to put it bluntly, grossing people out. To promote its kooky morning show, local radio station KSJO portrays two naked pregnant women with men's faces positioned under the words "Morning Sickness." Similar advertisements are plastered all over the Bay Area. KSJO station manager Jim Richards admits he's gotten 40 angry phone calls. Despite his declaration that it's just a "goofy, silly ad," billboards in east Oakland will be taken down immediately. There are no plans to do the same with ads in other Bay Area cities just yet. Summer Fun Los Gatos--If you're anticipating a cruise down Highway 17 to the beach on a warm summer night, don't even think about it. Riders are guaranteed a headache in both directions after dark, when roadways will be clogged from the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains to Scotts Valley. Those off-peak hours are when repaving, at a cost of $1.5 million, will resume each day. On the Santa Clara County side, the northbound lanes will be jammed from the summit to Highway 9. No start date has been set for the project; Caltrans can only predict "sometime this summer." [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]