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.
Follow along with Patch as the district formulates its final offer to Bullis Charter School for next year's facilities. The district is scheduled to discuss this topic, among other business, during the two regularly scheduled meetings before April
The Daily 3 results are 5, 4 and 9. For Daily Derby and Fantasy 5, read on.
The World Water Monitoring Challenge is on, and what better way to think globally and act locally?
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Where is your favorite viewing site?
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Where is your favorite viewing site?
The Los Altos Police log for March 7 also shows two burglaries, a citation for a barking dog, and a theft of about $800—from a wallet left in an unlocked car.
This weekend's Toy and Model Train Expo gives local LEGO hobbyists a chance to show off both ingenuity and whimsical humor.
![Train Expo Is A Showcase For LEGO Train Club [VIDEO]](https://test.patch.com/img/cdn/users/42898/2013/03/raw/34396f34656f1eb581c24b45742b828.jpg)
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Where is your favorite Pass viewing site?
Affluent areas may have even higher rates than reported because of the stigma, but the efforts of Ruth Patrick over the past year provided needed help, says the Santa Clara County Psychological Association.
The county school board president, who represents Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, will be joined by board member Joseph DiSalvo.
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Look for it on the western horizon just after sunset.
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Look for it on the western horizon just after sunset.
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Where is your favorite Valley viewing site?
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Look for it on the western horizon just after sunset.
The comet will become brighter as it passes closest to the sun March 10. Look for it on the western horizon just after sunset.
Los Altan Brian Pugh was killed in the 2008 shooting that also took the lives of the SiPort's CEO and human resources manager.
The Daily 3 results are 5, 8 and 2. For the Daily Derby and Fantasy 5, read on.
The comet, named after an array of cameras and telescopes on Mount Haleakala in Maui, is one of the first expected over the Northern Hemisphere in 2013.
The Los Altos Police log for March 6 sums it up for Los Altos of late: one big crime in a series of recent bank robberies downtown and an honest person finds an iPad ... just lying there. Heartening, isn't it?
Only 500 students reach the semi-finalist level in the prestigious invitation-only program, based on exceptional SAT and ACT scores or talent in the arts.
