In its continuing budgetary battle, the council cut a number of city commissions, including a one-year suspension of the arts commission and the parks and recreation commission.

At the year's end, King passed the mayor's gavel on to Mayor Norman Kline, and Aileen Kao was selected as the city's vice mayor.

But it wasn't all bad news for Saratoga in 2005. Jill Hunter and her group, the Village Gardeners, volunteered their time to improve the appearance of Big Basin Way, and the Saratoga Village Development Council gained momentum in its effort to improve the downtown business district.

The bad news was that the popular Saratoga Farmers Market left the high school campus. The good news, though, is that it didn't go far--relocating at West Valley College.

Saratogans celebrated at the Rotary Art Show, Celebrate Saratoga!, Building Bridges and the Tree Lighting Ceremonies.

The West Valley-Mission Community College district settled a lawsuit with Aaron Katz, allowing the college to access Measure H funds for renovations at the Saratoga campus.

Hakone Gardens played host to Sony Pictures, and a crew filmed scenes for the movie Memoirs of a Geisha in the historical Japanese gardens.

The McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center celebrated its grand opening on the campus at Saratoga High School; Measure A passed, providing much needed funding for the Santa Clara County Library system, including the Saratoga branch; Starbucks opened in the Village, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts opened near the intersection of Prospect Road and Lawrence Expressway.

And what better way to start the new year than with a fresh doughnut and a hot cup of coffee?

--Dick Sparrer

January

The deadliest tsunami in recorded history hit southern Asia on Dec. 26, 2004, killing an estimated 275,000. Saratoga's large South Asian community, many with ties to devastated areas, swung into action for the tsunami relief fundraising effort. Saratogans from all walks of life participated in raising money for victims.

The Saratoga Farmers Market moved to West Valley College after eight years at Saratoga High School. Officials at the high school said they could no longer support the farmers market due to complaints from neighbors, increased use of the school property and the scheduled opening of the Performing Arts and Lecture Center. The move to West Valley College ensured that Saratoga's popular farmers market would not be leaving town.

Former mayor Don Wolfe flew to Washington, D.C., to meet President Bush. Wolfe, president of the Silicon Valley Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse, met with the president to discuss frivolous lawsuits. The White House staff gave Wolfe a tour of the building before he and two others participated in a 16-minute meeting with the president.

Lynbrook High School student Tammy Chen was killed in a car crash on Interstate 280. Tammy, a 17-year-old honor student and staff member of the school newspaper, was returning from visiting art schools in San Francisco with friends when the vehicle she was in veered off the freeway and hit some trees. Lynbrook student Sherry Hsieh was seriously injured in the crash. The driver and another passenger received minor injuries.

The West Valley-Mission Community College District Board of Trustees honored Michael E. Fox by naming its yet-to-be-built technology building The M. E. Fox Center. At a dedication ceremony, the college expressed its gratitude to Fox for his commitment of time and money to the college. Fox is a longtime Saratoga resident, a former marathoner and the founder of M.E. Fox & Company, Inc., a beverage distribution company.

Scenes for the Sony Pictures movie Memoirs of a Geisha were filmed at Hakone Gardens. Actors Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang and a crew of almost 200 took over the gardens during two weeks of shooting. The movie, based on a novel of the same name, brought international attention to Saratoga's historical Japanese gardens.

An armed man robbed the Quiznos sandwich shop on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. On Jan. 22 at around 6:50 p.m., a white male entered the store and showed one of the staff members a gun tucked into his waistband. He drove off with about $1,600 in cash taken from the register. Jamba Juice at the Argonaut Shopping Center had previously been robbed in a similar manner.

February

Jay Geddes stepped down from his position as a fire commissioner for the Saratoga Fire District in order to work for a church in Hawaii. Geddes had 10 months remaining on his four-year term. Former mayor and 56-year Saratoga resident David Moyles was appointed to serve out the remainder of Geddes' term.

Six months after signing a contract with Randall Funding and Development, a grant writing and research company, the city had yet to see a return on its $18,000 investment. The contract was signed with the expectation that the company would raise $500,000 in grant money for the city. With no grants secured, the city council decided to renegotiate its contract with Randall Funding and Development.

The city struggled with a smaller staff following the departure of several key employees. Community development director Tom Sullivan, economic development coordinator Danielle Surdin, code enforcement officer Steve Prosser and administrative analyst Cary Bloomquist left Saratoga to work elsewhere. City staff began the search for a new community development director, a building inspector and a code enforcement officer.

Sheila Arthur took over as interim director for the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce following the departure of executive director Kristin Davis. Account manager Carmel Scott announced her resignation from the chamber due to the illness of her mother in England. Newly installed chamber president Nomita Shahani and the executive committee hunted for replacements during a staff churn and reorganization period at the chamber.

After an emotional debate, Councilman Nick Streit, Vice Mayor Norman Kline and Mayor Kathleen King outvoted Councilwomen Aileen Kao and Ann Waltonsmith to sell the North Campus property. The city had bought the property in 2002 hoping to house the sheriff's office and a new senior center there. But those plans were scuttled as the city's financial situation worsened. The 3-2 vote to sell the property spurred the formation of the Citizens Committee to Save Saratoga's North Campus, a group of Saratogans that hoped to save the property for public use.

Capt. Gordon Duncan retired after three years as chief of the Saratoga Fire Department. Duncan, an experienced firefighter who spent most of his career in Sacramento, oversaw the department's integration with the Santa Clara County Fire Department and its move into a new fire station on the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Saratoga-Los Gatos Road. Duncan stayed on in a temporary capacity for several more months during the search for his replacement. He now lives with his wife in Oak Grove outside of Sacramento.

Saratogan Minoru Sam Araki was presented the Charles Stark Draper Award from the National Academy of Engineering in Washington, D.C., for his work at Lockheed Martin during the space race with the Soviet Union. Araki, and four other recipients, shared a $500,000 prize that came with the award, the highest honor given to engineers in the United States.

March

A series of break-ins on Big Basin Way had Village merchants worried about rising property crimes. Pat Smith's Deli, Hair Conception and Stephen Michael Howard Jewelers were all hit by thieves in February. Burglars had tried to break into the Buy and Save grocery store in the Saratoga Village Square but were scared off by the store's alarm. The sheriff's office had taken note of the trend and had begun an investigation into the crimes.

Jack Mallory announced that the Citizens Committee to Save Saratoga's North Campus had set a goal to reach an agreement with the city to permanently retain the North Campus property for future public use. Mallory had received pledges from 13 members of the community to join him in his fight to save the North Campus property from being sold to developers.

Zachariah Ciprian was arraigned on 14 counts of armed robbery. Ciprian was allegedly involved in a string of robberies, including the robberies of Quiznos and Jamba Juice in Saratoga. Nicknamed the "Subway Bandit" by police for his habit of robbing sandwich shops, Ciprian was arrested by San Jose police on Feb. 27 after he had allegedly robbed a Subway sandwich shop in San Jose and then fled on foot. Bail was set at $1 million.

The city of Saratoga grappled with budget cuts in the aftermath of a failed utility tax measure in November 2004. The city council reviewed services to determine which would receive the axe as the city government moved into a minimum services operational environment. The arts commission and the parks and recreation commission were suspended for one year and other city commissions were pared back. Funding for KSAR, Saratoga's public access television station, was slated for elimination.

A violent murder shocked Saratoga when Birk McCandless was found stabbed to death on the kitchen floor of his Saratoga Oaks townhouse. McCandless, 57, was a prominent Silicon Valley real estate developer and restaurant owner. Nan Yang, a 27-year-old former girlfriend, had passed out from blood loss on McCandless's balcony after slashing herself with a knife in front of a crowd of onlookers below. Police arrested Yang in connection with the murder.

The Rosenow Spevak Group concluded that there are no significant conditions of physical and economic blight in Saratoga's downtown Village. The conclusion meant that the state would not approve the establishment of a redevelopment agency for Saratoga. If a redevelopment agency were approved, the city could have made million of dollars more in property taxes, instead of its current four percent rate of return. The study by the Rosenow Spevak Group found that business turnover rates in the Village were around 10.25 percent, better than the statewide average of 13.7 percent.

April

Jill Hunter and her Gardening Guerillas started their attack on the Saratoga Village. Their mission was to clean the sidewalks, get rid of weeds, plant flowers and make Big Basin Way more attractive to visitors. The group started meeting once a week. It has since renamed itself the Village Gardeners.

Steady rain and warmer-than-average temperatures heightened the risk for bites from mosquitoes carrying the West Nile Virus. Officials statewide and nationwide warned people not to panic but to take precautions. Kriss Costa, community resource specialist for the Santa Clara County Vector Control District, warned local residents to eliminate standing water around homes, use insecticides, and wear mosquito repellent, long-sleeved shirts and long pants when outdoors.

A new building at Saratoga High School neared completion. With most of the outside work on the Performing Arts and Lecture Center finished, excitement was growing for the fall opening of the multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility. The Saratoga High School Foundation had raised $6.7 million to fund construction of the building but still was in need of another $730,000 to complete the interior.

Deputies from the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department met with merchants to discuss the increasing number of burglaries at businesses in the Saratoga Village. Capt. John Hirokawa gave merchants tips on how to better protect their businesses from thieves and discussed ways merchants could help the police investigate crimes.

The city of Saratoga renewed an agreement with the Saratoga Area Senior Coordinating Council, ensuring that a city-owned facility at the civic center would continue to be used as a senior center. The city council voted 4-1 in favor of renewing the agreement for another year. Councilman Nick Streit was the opposing vote, stating that subsidizing the SASCC didn't sit well with him when the city was busy cutting millions of dollars from its operating expenses.

A police chase ended with a crash into the yard of a residence on El Quito Way. Deputies arrested the three occupants of the vehicle and found several stolen items, including a gun. The vehicle's occupants were suspected gang members from the Watsonville area and were thought to be responsible for increased burglaries in Saratoga during the preceding months.

Neighboring businesses waited impatiently for the scheduled opening of the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts store at the shopping complex near the intersection of Prospect Road and Lawrence Expressway. Construction of the new store was cited as a reason for declining sales at the shopping complex. The store's scheduled opening early in the year had been postponed until late April.

The city cancelled its annual spring trash day. The trash pick-up event allowed residents to leave bulky items, such as electronic equipment or old furniture, on the curb so that a garbage disposal company could haul it away. The city paid about $50,000 per year for the service but eliminated it due to budget constraints.

May

The Saratoga Rotary Art Show was held at West Valley College. The show is the Saratoga Rotary Club's biggest fundraiser of the year. More than 20,000 people turned out to admire and buy art and participate in the festivities. About 175 artists, including painters, ceramists, graphic artists and photographers, displayed their art at the show. The Rotary Club raised an estimated $80,000 for charities.

In an effort to raise money for expenses and for two permanent exhibits, supporters of the Saratoga Historical Foundation and the Saratoga Museum gathered at Cooper-Garrod Vineyards. Ann Johnson, a local jewelry designer, created Saratoga historical charm bracelets that sold at the fundraiser for $75.

Kathy Phelan was appointed executive director of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. Phelan took over from interim director Sheila Arthur who was running the chamber after the departure of executive director Kristin Davis. Phelan previously worked with KMTV community television in Mountain View. She was chosen from a pool of more than 120 applicants.

The successful passage of Measure A ensured that the Saratoga Library and seven other branches of the Santa Clara County Library system would be able to maintain current levels of service. Measure A asked voters for a 10-year reinstatement of a parcel tax of $33.66 per year per parcel that was set to expire in June. Measure B asked property owners for an additional $12 per year to expand library services but did not receive the two-thirds majority required to pass.

The city council allotted $7,000 to keep the free shuttle running from the Village to Montalvo during the summer concert season. The city's budget crunch threatened to eliminate the free service used by more than 600 concert-goers the year before. The city supported the shuttle the previous year at a cost of $21,000. Merchants and restaurant owners in the Village rallied to save the shuttle raising $2,700 to keep it going. Montalvo contributed $5,000.

Former Saratoga High School cheerleader, Sarah Adolphson, completed a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Adolphson spent most of her sojourn teaching English and journalism in Poti, a small port town near the Black Sea. Adolphson has a degree in broadcast journalism from USC.

Neighbors to Kevin Moran Park turned out at city hall in a show of force to protest the city's plans to put soccer fields in the park. The neighbors had been opposed to playing fields at the park for years, but as the city attempted to move closer to developing the park, neighbors organized to block the plans in an ongoing drama that would play out for the remainder of the year.

June

Joan Sarlo retired from West Valley College. Sarlo was the last remaining member of the original West Valley College faculty. There were about 50 founding faculty members who helped start the community college. Sarlo was the school's first female PE instructor. When the college opened on Sept. 14, 1964, it was known as West Valley Junior College and was located on the site of the old Campbell Grammar School in Campbell.

The $2.8 million Gateway Project began at the entranceway to Saratoga on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. Caltrans provided $2 million for the project with the rest of the money coming from the Valley Transportation Authority. Work on the median, a large sign and a decorative wall would continue through the end of the year.

Saratogans Abby and John Sobrato, both graduates of Santa Clara University, donated $1 million to their alma mater. The donation by the Sobratos would go toward building a new library on the college campus. The Sobratos had donated $1 million to the Walden West Foundation the year before.

Area vineyards got a boost from a Supreme Court ruling that allowed wineries to directly ship cases of wine out of state. Winery owners such as Bill Cooper of Cooper-Garrod Vineyards saw the decision as a boon. Local wineries could now sell more wine to out-of-state visitors and better use the Internet to increase sales.

Jack Mallory and the Citizens Committee to Save the North Campus continued their fight against the city and its plans to sell the North Campus property. Mallory's committee had grown to 25 members and had raised $50,000. The committee argued its case before the council as the plans to sell the property continued to move forward.

The initial planning for the anniversary celebration of Saratoga's 50th year since incorporation was under way. The celebration was scheduled for September and October of 2006. Joan Pisani presented a plan to the city council that would be run by volunteers, requiring minimal participation from city staff.

The city council agreed to form a task force that would hammer out development plans for Kevin Moran Park. The city had $400,000 slated for the park as part of its Capital Improvement Project budget, the bulk of the money given to the city by the state as part of the 2002 Park Bond Act. Passions from neighbors and sports representatives caused by conflicting visions for the park reached a boiling point. Neighbors accused council members and pro-sports representatives of underhanded tactics in their attempt to get soccer fields built in the park.

A lawsuit filed by Aaron Katz blocked the issuance of bonds meant to finance construction projects at West Valley College. Measure H passed in the fall of the previous year. The measure allowed for the sale of $235 million in general obligation bonds. But Katz filed suit arguing that the election was invalid because non-property owners voted to increase taxes on property owners, and not on themselves. The lawsuit suspended the issuance of the bonds and caused the West Valley-Mission Community College District to obtain a certificate of participation to finance construction projects already under way.

July

Complaints about access to West Valley College tennis courts led to the arrest of Diane Tsutsumi, who was charged with nine felony counts, including misappropriation of public funds, embezzlement by a public employee, presenting a false claim to a public officer and filing fraudulent tax returns. Tsutsumi was accused of embezzling between $200,000 and $266,000 by renting out the school tennis courts and pocketing the funds.

A tree and bench dedication program was instituted. Following a city council vote, Saratoga residents can donate a tree or bench in honor of a loved one. The suggested donations are $500 for a tree and $1,500 for a bench. A plaque can be attached for an additional $150.

An arrest was made in the murder case of Stephanie Jensen. Jensen's body was discovered in a ravine near the Paul Masson Winery in 1993. She had been decapitated and had remained unidentified until Sgt. Pedro Contreras received an inquiry about a serial killer in Southern California. Contreras pieced together evidence, identified the body as Jensen and arrested Kirk C. Bennet, who had been Jensen's boyfriend at the time.

A federal grant of $1,608,000 was received for safety improvements on Highway 9. Numerous complaints about speeding, a lack of bike and pedestrian lanes, as well as several fatal accidents prompted Lana Malloy and Jo Anne Peth to form Citizens for Highway 9 Safety and collect 400 signatures on a petition for safety improvements on the scenic route.

The federal investigation Operation Gilded Cage reached Knollwood Drive. On June 30, FBI and immigration officials raided a home on Knollwood Drive suspected of being involved in an alleged prostitution ring of South Korean women. The raid was one of many that night in a multi-jurisdictional and multi-agency investigation, which resulted in the arrest of dozens of people in Los Angeles and the Bay Area accused of being part of a sex trafficking conspiracy.

Joe Parker took over as battalion chief for the Saratoga Fire Department. Parker worked for the Santa Clara County Fire Department for 24 years and served as the battalion chief there for the last three years. He took over at Saratoga for Capt. Gordon Duncan who retired and moved with his wife to Oak Grove.

Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District Superintendent Dr. Cynthia Ranii suffered a stroke that left both her legs paralyzed. She entered the Good Samaritan Hospital on July 21 for tests, following lower back pain and numbness in her legs. Doctors later determined the cause was a stroke. Director of educational services Steve Lopez is acting superintendent in Ranii's absence.

August

Saratoga hosted its first Relay for Life at Redwood Middle School. Relay for Life is a 24-hour walk/run fundraiser organized by the American Cancer Society. More than 4,100 communities in the country participate and Saratoga is now on that list. Thirteen teams signed up and raised more than $24,000. The event featured a lighting of the luminaries--paper bags with candles--ceremony at sundown, with each luminary dedicated to a cancer survivor.

The city council voted 4-0 in favor of a Starbucks at the corner of Big Basin Way and Highway 9. The issue was hotly debated and had drawn a split decision from the planning commission only a month before. But a representative from Starbucks appealed the decision, which sent it to a city council special meeting.

Saratoga ranked 26th in a survey by Money Magazine of the most livable places in the country. The survey took into account housing prices, quality of life and crime risk. Residents cited the school system, good weather and small community feel as big draws. Saratoga also finished seventh in the "Biggest Earners" survey, with a median household income of $147,163.

Redwood Middle School student Logan Short represented the United States with three other Bay Area students in the ninth Po Leung Kuk Primary Math World Contest, an international math contest in Hong Kong. The team took third place in the invitation-only contest that had representatives from 43 countries.

War protesters held a candlelight vigil on Aug. 17 under the Memorial Plaza in Blaney Park. The vigil was a response to anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, who called on fellow protestors to demonstrate that evening. Approximately 50 people turned out for the event. Mate Gross of Los Gatos gave a speech, telling of his experience in Vietnam. Robin Yeamans spoke of her ex-husband's battle with post-traumatic stress disorder, following his service in the Vietnam War.

PG&E allocated $600,000 to improve reliability projects in Saratoga, which had been deemed a "worst problem area" for power outages. Aging equipment and infrastructure, as well as Saratoga's location in the Santa Cruz Mountains, were cited as reasons for the increasing number of outages. PG&E projected a 23 percent reduction in the length of power outages and a 53 percent reduction in the number of customers who would be out of power when interruptions occurred.

Union Pacific stopped running night trains through Saratoga as a result of noise complaints. Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss wrote a letter to Union Pacific and sent it to other public officials. Union Pacific stopped night trains for the time being, but said running daytime trains is more expensive, and that the extra cost would probably be absorbed by customers.

September

In response to Hurricane Katrina, the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley partnered with the Red Cross and recruited volunteers from community groups, nonprofits and private corporations. Volunteers were given an orientation before being sent to affected areas. Some corporations gave employees paid time off to go down and offer their services. Also, businesses in the Village pledged to donate a percentage of their sales revenue on Sept. 15. Saratoga threw its 17th annual Celebrate Saratoga! street festival on Sept. 17. Restaurants set up booths along Big Basin Way, including Bella Saratoga, Sent Sovi, Mere Michelle, Viaggio Ristorante and Lupretta's Italian Delicatessen. Mountain Winery, Cooper-Garrod Estate Vineyards and the Thomas Fogarty Winery were among the wineries. Live music and local comedian Sarah Kay provided entertainment.

A rattlesnake caused a bit of excitement by its unexpected presence in front of Butter Paddle on Big Basin Way. Deputy Paul Woehl of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department caught the snake in front of a crowd and released it in the Santa Cruz Mountains outside of town.

The planning commission approved a zoning ordinance amendment that requires personal service businesses wanting to move into the Village to apply for a conditional-use permit. Since 2003, personal service businesses had been banned from opening stores with primary access at street level on Big Basin Way.

A two-alarm fire destroyed the unoccupied house at 20626 Komina Ave. No one was injured and no adjacent property was damaged. Sandra Dodge spotted the fire at 5 a.m. when she noticed a flicker outside of her apartment window. Dodge called 911 and the fire was extinguished quickly.

The future of Kevin Moran Park continued to be a hotly contested issue, and at a council meeting a task force was decided upon to study the use of the park and present its findings to the city council at its first 2006 meeting. The task force was made up of two city council members, two user group members, two Saratoga residents at large and three neighborhood representatives. Vice Mayor Norman Kline and Councilwoman Aileen Kao were the council members, Howard Miller of AYSO and Mary Ann Escobar of CYSA the user group representatives, Doug Robertson and Paul Jacobs the residents at large, and Peter Pranys, Marty Goldberg and Elaine Clabeaux the neighborhood representatives.

As part of the Bay Area Chef Relief Program, Saratoga resident Nanci Wokas, her husband Alan, her brother Kelly Gorham and two of his co-workers drove down to Biloxi, Miss., with food and supplies, to work at an elementary school that had been turned into a base camp for rescue and relief workers. The Wokases stayed for three days and nights, cooking for between 500 and 700 people each meal.

The main construction of Saratoga's Gateway Improvement Project began. The $2 million dollar project, funded mostly by Caltrans, is set to create a distinctive entrance into Saratoga. An entry monument with the city's name and logo on it will be installed at Prospect Road and the road will be relaid with a landscaped median with trees, shrubs and flowers. Also, stamped concrete crosswalks will be installed where Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road intersects with Prospect Road, Sea Gull Way and Kirkmont Drive.

Former Saratoga Elementary School teacher's aide Roger Phillip Lange, 41, was charged with 12 counts of child molestation. He was arrested in Las Vegas, Nev., and is now facing trial in Santa Clara County. He was arrested in Las Vegas for lewdness with a minor. Lange was employed at Saratoga Elementary School from Aug. 12, 1996, to June 14, 1998.

October

The Valley Transportation Authority's Route 85 Noise Mitigation Project began. The project involves grinding the road to reduce freeway noise and is being paid for with $9 million of the 1996 Measure B funding. Construction is going on during the night to reduce the impact on commuters and maximize the safety of the crew. The project is scheduled to be complete mid-2006.

Local resident Dee Sanfilippo donated $1 million to help fund a $6.25 million research grant to a team of Stanford University researchers. The research team, led by Dr. Ronald Levy, professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Oncology, is working on a cure for lymphoma. The grant was made as part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Specialized Center of Research program. Sanfilippo had a personal interest in the grant--she lost both her husband and father to lymphoma.

The planning commission unanimously approved Verizon Wireless's application for a conditional use permit to install a generator on a site at the intersection of Lawrence Expressway and Saratoga Avenue. Since the site was already occupied by a cellular pole, there was no opposition to Verizon's request.

The League of Women Voters of Southwest Santa Clara Valley hosted an event aimed at making city government more understood. Four local city and town managers attempted to educate community members about how their tax dollars are being spent and how the managers' time is being spent. The managers discussed services provided, number of employees, total budget, budget per capita and sales and property taxes for their respective towns.

The Saratoga Federated Church organized a Dixieland jazz funeral and jambalaya dinner and concert as a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims. The funeral included a horse-drawn carriage, a procession to Madronia Cemetery, a short service, and a walk back to the church where the dinner was held.

The devastating Pakistan earthquake spanned the ocean, reaching local Halal Meats and Grocery owner Mohammad Shafi. The quake destroyed his entire village and killed two brothers and 50 extended family members.

Two new businesses opened in the Village. Greg Riter opened Indo Teak and Gifts, which sells imported handmade Balinese furniture, handbags, drums, incense and artwork. Mary Loomas opened Saratoga Chocolates, a gourmet chocolate shop, whose chocolates are made on site.

November

Assistant City Manager Lorie Tinfow left after 4 1/2 years on the job. She took a job in Pleasanton as the city's administrative services director. Under her direction streets were made safer and a library was built, $200,000 under budget.

The Sub-Acute Saratoga Hospital clashed with neighbors when it moved a large modular unit onto hospital grounds. The modular was just one of many complaints neighbors had against the hospital, which is located in a residential area. The planning commission heard the neighbors' side as well as considered a permit to place two modular structures on the property, construct a trash enclosure, remove several accessory structures and remove trees. The planning commission unanimously approved the application for the conditional-use permit, but attempted to appease neighbors by specifying the location of the generator and requiring that the hospital's fence remain closed and secured.

The controversial decision to sell North Campus to developers came to a close when Jack Mallory and the Citizens Committee to Save Saratoga's North Campus came up short in their attempt to raise several million dollars. Mallory wanted to buy North Campus and turn it into public-use land as opposed to letting developers build housing. The council approved the sale of North Campus in a 3-2 vote.

The Santa Clara County Library Joint Powers Authority board decided to go wireless. It approved a transfer of $195,580 from its technology reserve fund to its operating budget for the installation of wireless networks and equipment improvements for the Santa Clara County Library system. Wireless is expected to be up and running by March.

The city of Saratoga and the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce sponsored the Village's third annual tree-lighting ceremony. Mayor Kathleen King gave a speech to kick off the evening, which was followed by the lighting of the tree and an open house on Big Basin Way.

The McAfee Performing Arts and Lecture Center celebrated its grand opening at Saratoga High School. There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by speeches and several performances from the choir, orchestra and cast members of the musical Working .

The controversial Starbucks opened its doors on Big Basin Way after months of heated debate. Opponents argued the Starbucks would hurt local coffee shops and take away from the unique feel of Saratoga. Proponents argued that the well-known chain would bring much needed foot traffic to the area.

The Kevin Moran Park debate heated up when a neighbor called 911 on the AYSO soccer team, the Gators. The soccer players and their parents were at the park celebrating the end of their season. A neighbor called 911 to report a code violation, which prohibits playing organized sports regularly at the park without a permit. Officers investigated and determined the team was not in violation of the code.

December

Norman Kline became Saratoga's 29th mayor, replacing Kathleen King. Kline is a San Jose native and a graduate of Santa Clara University.

The Greenbriar Homeowners and Taxpayers Association raised $1,575 to plant more trees in Azule Park. They used the money to purchase three sycamores, three ash and two redwood trees.

Businesses in the Village pledged to stay open later on Thursday nights throughout the holiday season in an effort to draw more foot traffic. Owners hoped that the open doors would draw holiday shoppers and restaurant-goers alike.

The lawsuit against West Valley-Mission Community College District, Campbell Union School District, the Mountain View-Whisman Elementary School District, and El Camino Hospital in Mountain View was settled with a $60,000 cash payout to Aaron Katz. Katz sued the districts because voters passed a measure that increased property taxes. Katz likened it to taxation without representation because non-property owners were allowed to vote on a tax increase that did not affect them.

City council voted unanimously to cancel the California Land Conservation Act of 1965 for 7.73 acres of land at 20865 Wardell Road. The cancellation of the act will allow four houses to be built on land that was formerly an apricot orchard.

Memoirs of a Geisha , which was filmed at Hakone Gardens, premiered on Dec. 9. The struggling Hakone received $175,00 from Sony as a donation for use of the facilities.