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Santa Clara Calendar of Events

Thu
21 Jun "Parent and me" Program for Infants and Toddlers A new ?Parent and Me? program for infants and toddlers begins January 5, 2012. Co-sponsored by The PJ Library® and Congrega…

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Fri
01 Jun First Friday Date Night at Lupin Lodge Come join us in our mountain paradise this season for First Friday Date Night in our clubhouse restaurant. Starting Novembe…

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Tue
19 Jun Late Night at the Coop Happy! Happy!! Hour at the Bar. Two Drinks for the Price of One*. Tuesdays and Thursday we have Live Music from 5pm to 7pm. S…

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Santa Clara Area News

Beach Chalet synthetic turf up for debate at planning commission meeting

 A proposal to replace the Beach Chalet grass fields in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park with synthetic turf and lighting is being considered Thursday evening at a joint hearing of the city's Planning and Recreation and Park commissions.

The Planning Commission will decide whether to certify the environmental impact report for the project while the Recreation and Park Commission will decide whether to approve the plans.

The meeting, which is expected to last several hours, began Thursday afternoon and was attended by hundreds of people, both supporters who say the changes will increase the amount of play time at the fields and opponents who argue it will hurt the park's aesthetics and natural resources.

Patrick Hannan, spokesman for the City Fields Foundation, said the current fields, located at the west end of Golden Gate Park, are a "facility that's in desperate need of renovation."

Hannan said that replacing the grass fields with synthetic turf and adding lighting will triple the amount of use at the facility. Currently, one of the four fields is always out of use to allow for grass re-growth, and the fields are all closed every Monday for other maintenance.

Hannan said the synthetic turf would also increase safety at the fields by eliminating gopher holes and other hazards.

Police Chief Greg Suhr spoke at Thursday's meeting, saying increasing the availability of play time at the fields "gives kids positive choices to engage in positive activities" and said the lights will reduce illicit activity such as drug use and prostitution in the area.

Many youth soccer players also spoke in favor of the project at the meeting.

Opponents of the project, including the groups SF Ocean Edge and the Golden Gate Park Preservation Alliance, say it would cause a loss of dozens of trees and natural habitat, decrease night sky darkness in the area and infringe on the historic context of the nearby Beach Chalet and windmills.

Terence Faulkner, one of the opponents, called the project "an abomination" and urged the commissioners to reject it.

However, Hannan said the project has been properly vetted and that it is time to move forward with the plan.

"Whenever you try to do good works in San Francisco, you expect and need to embrace a robust public dialogue," he said. "This dialogue has been going on for many years and we had a thorough environmental impact report and numerous public meetings. A lot of attention has been given to make sure this project is appropriate for the park."

If the project is approved, construction would begin in the summer or fall of 2013 and last about 10 months, according to city officials.

_{Thu, 24 May 2012 17:22:45 -0700}

Man drives through presidential motorcade barricades, crashes

A Mountain View man was arrested Wednesday night after he crashed a car that he drove past barricades blocking a Redwood City road in anticipation of President Barack Obama's motorcade traveling through the area, according to a Redwood City police sergeant.

Eddie Boyce, 49, was arrested when he allegedly drove around barricades in the 2200 block of El Camino Real and proceeded to drive past police attempting to stop him before he crashed around 8:55 p.m., Redwood City police Sgt. Sean Hart.

The barricades were set up for Obama's motorcade, which was scheduled to pass through the area shortly after the accident for a fundraiser rally at the Fox Theater in downtown Redwood City.

The president attended three fundraising events in Atherton, Redwood City and San Jose during a 16-hour trip to the Bay Area.

"There is no indication that he had any ill intent toward the president," Hart said. It also appears he did not know about the motorcade or that the roads would be closed Wednesday night.

No injuries were reported, Hart said.

Boyce was arrested on suspicion of evading a police officer, hit-and-run causing property damage and driving on a divided highway, according to Hart.

Hart said police determined Boyce was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

He was booked at San Mateo County jail.

_{Thu, 24 May 2012 17:15:08 -0700}

Teen pleads not guilty to lighting ex-boyfriend's bed on fire

A Redwood City teenager, who is accused of burning her ex-boyfriend by lighting his bed on fire, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder in San Mateo County Court.

Jacqueline Rivera, 18, allegedly went to the home of her 21-year-old ex-boyfriend in the early morning hours of April 26 with the intention of talking to him about their relationship, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

The victim refused, and at approximately 3 a.m., he reportedly woke up in bed and his mattress had been set on fire, prosecutors said.

The victim's father heard him scream and ran to the room with a garden hose to extinguish the flames.

The victim suffered minor burns on his hands and arms and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Two weeks after the incident, Rivera allegedly sent a text message to a friend of the victim confessing that she was responsible for lighting the fire, prosecutors said.

Police were contacted and Rivera was arrested on May 7.

In addition to attempted murder, Rivera on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to arson and residential burglary.

Rivera remains in custody on $500,000 bail and is due back in court on June 28.

_{Thu, 24 May 2012 17:06:57 -0700}

News Source: MedleyStory More Local News Stories