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News From Silicon Valley's Neighborhoods Bitter Pill Saratoga--As another sign of Santa Clara Valley's mom-and-pop past giving way to its chain-store future, the Ray Rossi family has given up its three-year legal battle to save the Saratoga Drug Store. Owner Ray Rossi is selling off his stock, has already filled his last prescription, and says he plans on being completely out of the historic Big Basin Way shop by Aug. 31. Rossi has owned the Saratoga Drug Store for 22 years, but lost it in a lease dispute with the property owners. The drugstore's prescription files will now be handled by Sav-On Drugs. Counter Culture Campbell--Is Campbell on its way to becoming Hollywood North? Probably not, but a group of Campbell-based writers, directors and producers are using the suburban city as the setting for a full-length film titled Kava (Polish for coffee), a "social commentary" based on life in a coffee shop. The group plans to enter Kava in independent film festivals once it is finished. They say they got the idea for a movie about sitting around a coffee shop while--what else?--sitting around a coffee shop. Cheep Shot Cupertino--A thief with a knack for birdtalk is being sought in the heist of seven exotic birds from two Cupertino pet establishments. Last month, an Asian male is believed to have lifted a lilac-crowned Amazon named Abby from her cage in the De Anza Pet Salon in broad daylight after spending some time conversing with her. Two weeks later, the same thief is believed to have lifted six more birds from the Exotic Bird Store, which is next door to the Pet Salon, but this time the sweet talk apparently didn't work. "The birds did not go willingly," the store owner said. "There were bird feathers, tail feathers, everywhere." [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]