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News From Silicon Valley's Neighborhoods Longs Lane Willow Glen--Let's just say your typically fit, good-looking Willow Glenite pops into Starbucks for a Frappuccino and then strolls on down to Noah's for a snack and gets another cup of coffee next door at Peet's before heading over to Burger King for a Whopper and onion rings. Where would that Glenite then go for Pepto Bismol? Well, soon he or she will be able to pop into a Longs Drug Store in the old American Savings building, and many Lincoln Avenue merchants are miffed about it. "Willow Glen is going to succeed only as long as we keep it a rare and special place," says Valerie Lewis of Hicklebee's Books. Others echo her concerns, but Demetri Rizos of the Willow Glen business association prefers to call it "progress." Sticky Mountain High Los Gatos--Another good reason to run to the hills: mountain residents who signed up with Assemblyman Jim Cunneen's office will receive stickers for their cars identifying them as people who really need to get home to their kids and families. CHP officers will have the option of waving sticker-bearers through roadblocks on southbound 17 such as the two in April 1998 when a high-speed chase and a body search tied up traffic for hours. Tree Talk Campbell--Finally, Campbell learns the painful lesson Saratoga knows only too well: when business is slow at City Hall, trees fear for their very leaves. Acrimonious debates over trees often make headlines in Saratoga, but not in Campbell. Ah, but last Tuesday a bored Parks and Recreation Commission, faced with an empty agenda, turned its attention to matters arboreal, voting to retain two trees on Marilyn Drive, replace another tree on Hazel Avenue, and remove six more on W. Rincon. Will the decision spawn a flurry of angry letters and demonstrations? So far, no--but perhaps the storm is just gathering strength. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]