[ Metro | News Index | Metroactive Central | Archives ]

Metropolis

News From Silicon Valley's Neighborhoods Drive-In Reign The Campbell City Council plans to plunk a giant R&D park on the site of the old Winchester Drive-In, but a group of citizens has a field of dreams. Night Jobs Cupertino--A spree of 60 burglaries has plagued the West Valley since the beginning of the year. Sheriff's Sgt. Mike Flood theorizes that an Asian gang may be responsible for the heists, and says two trends have emerged in the case: the burglars have shown a preference for weekend and evening work, and they seem to prefer homes owned by Asians. Spanish for the Children Willow Glen--Prop. 227 presented the San Jose School District with a lose-lose situation: comply with the proposition and violate a federal mandate requiring classes in Spanish for Spanish-speaking kids, or follow the federal order and violate the prop. At River Glen Elementary, where instruction is offered in both English and Spanish, the program will remain intact despite 227. English for the Planners Alviso--A group of local residents dropped off a two-page letter, in Spanish, to the San José Planning Department, protesting upcoming hearings on Alviso's master plan. The residents hardly expected city planners to understand the letter, and that's the point--most Alvisans don't read English. The inch-thick plan is an English-only document, and residents want hearings postponed so it can be translated. Giveaway Contest South San Jose--With Christmas months away, presents keep falling down the chimney of Candescent Technologies, a local manufacturer of new-tech computer monitors. Last month, Morgan Hill offered the company $9 million to build a plant in town. Now San Jose is considering a $10 million loan, which the Redevelopment Agency hopes will be enough to woo the company to Edenvale. [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]