I was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Los Altos. What else do you think L.A. Chung stands for?
My first Los Altos event was walking in the Pet Parade in 1962 with my Collie, Laddie. We all went down to the pancake breakfast at Rancho after that. I remember riding my bicycle on Interstate 280 the day before it opened to the public and passing under it to ride up to Maryknoll, before it was a retirement home for priests.
My elementary school was close enough to walk to, and is now Grant Park and community center. I learned how to swim at Los Altos Covington Pool and Los Altos High School in the summers. I learned to ride from Herman Koopmans, following him from Los Altos Hills to Portola Valley.
I've been in journalism since 1980, when I participated in the Maynard Institute's Summer Program for Minority Journalists. I've been a reporter for the Hartford Courant in Connecticut and the San Francisco Chronicle. During a 12-year career at the San Jose Mercury News, I was an editor supervising reporters in community news, weekend breaking news and business. I had a column through which I wrote about local events, the travails of ordinary people fighting City Hall, and the intersection of race, culture and public policy.
Since leaving the Mercury News, I've worked on the Chauncey Bailey Project, the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism and done research Hewlett Foundation projects.
In the old days, once I told people my name, I'd have to quickly add— "No relation to Connie." But no one knows who she is, anymore.
My Beliefs
Always say "Please" and "Thank you." It goes a long way toward making life more civil. Play nicely. Stand your ground if you believe you're right. Admit when you're wrong.
Politics
I believe in sanity, and in public officials striving to do the right thing for the greater good.
I vote in each and every election, and have, at different times in my life, been registered as a Democrat, Independent and Republican.
Religion
My mother raised me at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. It's the closest thing to "my" church, even if I don't attend.
Local Hot-Button Issues
Los Altos elementary schools are the top in the state. But maintaining school standards during a very sluggish economic recovery period, with limited and unreliable state funds, will be difficult this year and in the coming years. It will require the school community to reach out to the broader community and make the case for donations and perhaps taxes.
Downtown economic vitality is a deep concern.
Alles, who has served as chairman in his ten years on the hospital district board, also heads up the health improvement program for the Stanford community.
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District votes "to keep the Cube" on Mt. Umunhum, and give staff and supporters five years to build partnerships to raise money.
Chiu is one of three candidates running on a reform platform that emphasizes transparency after the purchase of the Los Gatos hospital, a critical grand jury report in 2011, and a LAFCo service review and audit that raised concerns.
Julia Miller, is one of three candidates running on a reform platform, following a critical civil grand jury report on hospital affairs, an audit by LAFCO and criticism of the acquisition of the Los Gatos hospital.
The Los Altos resident has served on the board since 2008 and has served as chairman during the period in which a service review and audit by LAFCo concluded that district funds were properly accounted for.
Bill James is one of three candidates running on a reform platform, following a critical civil grand jury report on hospital affairs, an audit by LAFCO and criticism of the acquisition of the Los Gatos hospital.
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District votes "to keep the Cube" on Mt. Umunhum, and give staff and supporters five years build partnerships to raise money.
The Daily 3 results are 3, 4, and 4. For Fantasy 5 and Daily Derby, read on.
About 3-6 percent of women who get mammograms fall into high-risk categories and may not know it, said the executive director for the Women's Hospital at El Camino Hospital.
The Los Altos Police department had a busy Oct. 15, with minor traffic collisions, counseling individuals on sign display, and chasing after dogs.
LASD candidate Vladimir Ivanovic said his continued candidacy would only help Amanda Burke-Aaronson's prospects.
The Daily 3 results are 9, 1, and 5. For Fantasy 5 and the Daily Derby, read below.
Los Altos City Council candidate Jan Pepper says she's been fortunate to receive broad support from various organizations, but she did not seek endorsements or financial support.
Watch with others locally as President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are scheduled to face off in a town hall meeting Tuesday night in New York, the second of the presidential debates.
The Daily 3 results ae 3, 0, and 7. To see the Daily Derby and the Fantasy 5 results, read below.
The Los Altos Police saw two collisions over the weekend, and a small flurry of Be-on-the-Lookout, Oct. 12-14.
Do parents really drive their kids to Montclaire School because the bus pass got too expensive?
Mayor Carpenter writes why she wants to work with these three candidates as council members this term.
The Huttlinger Alliance for Education conducted candidate interviews, asked them to complete questionnaires, and attended candidate forums.
The Daily 3 results are 0, 7, and 5. For Fantasy 5 and the Daily Derby, see below.