Author: Scott Zeise

Gardens in Milpitas

In spite of our “adobe brick” soil, we manage to have quite lovely gardens in Milpitas. Many are giving up manicured lawns for drought-tolerant and California Bay Area native plant landscaping. Plants are selected to attract hummingbirds and butterflies common to our area to our gardens. 

Beautification of Local Gardens

Heritage Tree Program
Recognize and protect individual trees or groves of trees. Includes photos of significant and historic trees in Milpitas’ gardens.

Neighborhood Beautification Ordinance
The Neighborhood Beautification Ordinance was adopted to enhance the quality and appearance of our community. It requires a minimum level of upkeep for properties and prevents activities that detract from a residential atmosphere.

Our City Forest
Free trees for front yard gardens or public pathways. All you have to do is call either 408-998-7337 or City Hall at 408-586-2600.

Santa Clara Valley Water District Landscape Rebate Program Qualifying Plant List
Customers are required to select plants from the following plant list in order to meet the minimum 50% plant coverage requirement for the Landscape Rebate Program.

Borrow or Rent Tools

Lend-A-Tool Shed
Milpitas residents, businesses, property owners and community groups may borrow these tools free of charge! No power tools. While fire station is being rebuilt, the Lend-A-Tool Shed is not available.

Climate

SF Bay A Subtropical Area?
Does anyone know if the San Francisco Bay Area can support tropical plants outdoors? I’m wondering, as I see tropical hibiscus planted outdoors while my gardening books say they aren’t hardy in this area.

Plant Map for Milpitas
Zip code 95035, Milpitas CA is in USDA Hardiness Zone 9b: 25F to 30F. Using updated climate data through 2010, 95035 is in the Plant maps Hardiness Zone 9a: 20F to 25F. The average first frost in 95035 is between December 11 – 20, while the average last frost occurs between February 1 – 10. 95035 rarely has days where the temperature exceeds 86°F. The average annual high temperature in 95035 is 71°F and the average annual low temperature is 48°F. The average high temperature in July (Summer) is 84°F, while the average high temperature in January (Winter) is 57°F.

Sunset climate zones: San Francisco Bay Area and inland
ZONE 17: Marine effects in Southern Oregon, Northern and Central California
The climate in this zone features mild, wet, almost frostless winters and cool summers with frequent fog or wind. On most days and in most places, the fog tends to come in high and fast, creating a cooling and humidifying blanket between the sun and the earth, reducing the intensity of the light and sunshine. Some heat-loving plants (citrus, hibiscus, gardenia) don’t get enough heat to fruit or flower reliably. In a 20-year period, the lowest winter temperatures in Zone 17 ranged from 36 to 23°F (2 to ?5°C). The lowest temperatures on record range from 30 to 20°F (?1 to ?7°C).Of further interest in this heat-starved climate are the highs of summer, normally in the 60 to 75°F (16 to 24°C) range. The average highest temperature in Zone 17 is only 97°F (36°C). In all the other adjacent climate zones, average highest temperatures are in the 104 to 116°F (40 to 47°C) range.

Native Plants and Gardening

California Native Plant Society, Silicon Valley
A non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding and appreciation of California’s native plants and how to conserve them and their natural habitats through education, science, advocacy, horticulture, and land stewardship.

CalScape
83 likely and confirmed host plants for butterflies and moths native to Milpitas, CA. Enter your specific address to refine this list of native plants to lure butterflies and moths, and the birds that feed off them, to your garden.

Urban Ecological Ecological Planning Guide
Like most cities, the urbanized region of Santa Clara Valley is a challenging place for plants and animals to make a home. Largely covered with pavement, crisscrossed by major freeways, and fragmented by a variety of land uses, the urban landscape creates barriers to the movement of wildlife and hostile environments for plants. While a small set of species tolerant of cities (such as pigeons and raccoons) can tolerate these difficult conditions, our cities have the potential to support much greater biodiversity. Urban greening projects are already occurring piecemeal across urban landscapes. Harnessing this momentum can help these efforts build greater benefits for biodiversity and for people

Composting

Composting Education Program
The UCCE CEP is a partnership with the Cities and County of Santa Clara that seeks to educate our community about composting. In addition to a Master Composter training course, the UCCE CEP offers Community Classes throughout the county as well as technical resources. Home composting bins will be available for purchase at each workshop. 2022 Workshop Dates Coming Soon
408-918-4640 to register for a class.

Guide to Home Composting
The work upon which this information is based was performed pursuant to a contract with the County of Santa Clara. Composting is a practical and convenient way to handle yard trimmings. It’s easy to do, keeps useful materials from being disposed in landfills, and compost improves soil and benefits plants growing in it.

SCC Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency
Provides backyard composting classes during gardening months at locations around the valley, but no longer in Milpitas.

Field Trips

Mornings at Martial Cottle Park
Three different free garden field trips to schools, homeschoolers, and other groups throughout Santa Clara County. Age group is 1st through 5th graders. UC Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County have created an engaging set of nutrition and science lessons for students to experience in the garden.

Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave, San Jose, CA 95136.
408-535-4060

Garden Art and Sculptures

T-rex Eating Flamingo
Flamingos are out. Dinosaurs are in.

Landscape Assistance

Call 811 Before You Dig!
Underground Service Alert (USA) is a free service for homeowners, excavators and professional contractors who are digging, blasting, trenching, drilling, grading, or excavating.

Kim Parker Plants, Inc.
Our office plants, plant rentals, plant sales and plant maintenance guarantees the best design, plants and services at competitive rates supported by superior customer service and technical expertise.
430 Evans Rd.
(408) 262-8989

We Start Gardens
We provide a specialized backyard edible landscaping service. Thats right. All edible We strive to go beyond organic and provide our customers with the knowledge and tools they need to sustain themselves and protect the earth for the next 7 generations.
339 Timber Way
408-915-6861

Nurseries

The Best 10 Nurseries & Gardening near Milpitas
Yelp reviews, but you’ll have to drive out of Milpitas to get the best plants. True, Home Depot has some plants, and often you can get a small selection outside some grocery stores, if you top quality plants, you are going to have to drive.

Organizations

California Garden & Landscape History Society
CG&LHS is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to the celebration of the beauty, wealth, and diversity of California gardens and landscapes.

California Native Plant Society
This is a group for fun plant conversations, plant ID, and sharing of information and photos. We welcome everyone who has interest in topics related to native plants of California, from the greenest novice to the career professional.

Green Thumbs Garden Club
Members meet in the Police Station’s Community Room at 7 PM. Review does not accurately reflect meeting dates. Occasionally there are speakers at the meetings who present new ideas about growing flowers or even vegetables. Members are all very helpful to one another, so if you just cannot get that special plant to grow, try asking the Green Thumbs for some useful advice.

Gardening with Natives
A special interest group of the California Native Plant Society’s local Chapter which meets on the first Thursday of each month at 7p in the Community Library. The group is open to all, and includes a mix of seasoned native plant gardeners as well as beginners. Social media: YouTubeFacebook, Meetup, and Twitter.

Local (Milpitas) Home Gardeners Club 2018
This is a community based home gardening club begun to provide education, share pointers, trade and exchange, and overall support each other in building productive and healthy home gardens.

Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County
Scientific and educational purposes: promotes horticultural education and service to the community and provides continuing horticulture enrichment for members.

Pests

Creepy Calling
Milpitas-based interior landscaper Parker buys “good bugs”–like ladybugs and wasps without stingers–and brings them into buildings.

Less Toxic Insecticides
Other products—often called less toxic pesticides—cause few injuries to people and organisms other than the target pest. The less toxic insecticides listed on this page should be a first choice when deciding to use pesticides to control insects.

New quarantine zones are added for light brown apple moth
By Holly Hayes, Mercury News, 3/17/09
More Santa Clara County gardeners will find themselves in a quarantine zone following two new discoveries of the invasive agricultural pest known as the light brown apple moth. The new boundary, set by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, includes an additional 64 square miles in the Milpitas area. County agriculture officials are reminding home gardeners who live inside the quarantine area that anything grown inside the zone may not be removed from the property – not even to share with a neighbor.

Pests & Control
A GO MILPITAS RESOURCE
Got something bugging you? Advice on everything from mosquitoes to deer.

Planting Guides

Garden-to-Table Guide to Tomatoes
Tips for growing and caring for tomato plants, plus Sunset Magazine’s favorite recipes come harvest time.

Go Native Garden Tour
Not only information about the tour, but also lots of information about native plant growing, and seed and cutting exchanges in the SF Bay Area.

Growing In A Drought: The Best Plants That Thrive With Little Water
All plants need water to survive. However, like plants that require more water, some plants grow in a lack of water. They are the best drought tolerant plants and can live without water for a long time.

Lemon Tree Growing
Meyer lemons grow well in our soil and climate. Here’s information n how to make yours thrive and ideas for what to do with your backyard crop.

Rose Care in Santa Clara County
The old idea that roses should be cut down to a few canes only 8-10 inches tall does not apply in our climate. If your rose is in its first year in the ground, it will need very little pruning.

Sunset: Garden Basics
Learn how to start your own home garden with our expert gardening tips.

Crime Fighting

Ways to fight, prevent and report crimes in Milpitas, CA.

Alerts
All Point Bulletins
Being a Kid is Not a Crime
Consumer Services
Crime Victim Resources
Data & Statistics
Documents & Forms
Domestic Violence
Fraud
Identity Theft
Jails-Correctional Facilities
Laws
Lawyers
Legal Institutions
Megan’s Law
Prevention
Sex Crimes
Spam

Milpitas Citizens Online Police Reporting System

Please confirm the following to find out if online citizen police report filing is right for you:

  • This is not an Emergency?
  • This incident occurred within the Milpitas City limits?
  • There are No Known suspects?
  • This did not occur on a State Freeway?

If you answered yes to all of the above questions, you are ready to file your report online.

If you do not wish to be anonymous, you may call 408-586-2400

Crime Tip Hotline
To report crimes anonymously to the Milpitas Police:
Call 408-586-2500 or click the link above to report with online form.

Milpitas Youth Crime Activity Lead Line
Reward of $100 if report leads to an arrest:
(866) 276-5463

Milpitas Police Department
1275 North Milpitas Blvd.,
Milpitas, California 95035 
Main Phone: 408-586-2400

Contacting Milpitas Police
Crime Tip Line – 408-586-2500
Neighborhood Watch Info – 408-586-2525

Alerts

Scam Alerts
GoMilpitas.com provides information to consumers and small businesses about how to recognise, avoid and report ongoing scams.

Utility Scam Alert
There was one such scam reported in Milpitas recently so I wanted to share with you the information on the flyer. Please share the flyer with your neighbors.

All Point Bulletins

City of Milpitas Police Department: Wanted for Murder
Below is a list of wanted persons. If you have any information about where these individuals can be found, please contact the Milpitas Police Department.

Santa Clara County’s most wanted.
All individuals depicted on this site should be considered innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. If you have knowledge as to the whereabouts of any of these subjects, do not attempt, under any circumstances, to apprehend any of these individuals. All individuals depicted should be considered dangerous. If located or if you have information as to their location, please contact your local law enforcement agency immediately.

The “Most Wanted Terrorists” List
United States Government officials have announced the creation of the “Most Wanted Terrorists” List. The first individuals placed on this list are 22 people wanted for their role in crimes committed since 1985, crimes which resulted in the death of innocent people around the world.

Consumer Services

Consumer Publications
California Department of Consumer Affairs online publications regarding rights and responsibilities.

Foundation for Taxpayer & Consumer Rights (FTCR)
A nationally-recognized, California-based, non-profit education and advocacy organization. Our job is to fight to protect your interests every day. We provide people with the facts, not propaganda. We hold the politicians and the special interests accountable when they endanger the public.

FTC Consumer Complaint Form
Use this form to submit a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection about a particular company or organization. This form also may be used to submit a complaint to the FTC concerning media violence. The information you provide is up to you.

Small Claims Court of Santa Clara County
Consumer Resource & Referral Guide to Legal Agencies for when you want your day in court.

Crime Victim Resources

The Victims of Crime Resource Center
Understanding victim rights. The Victims of Crime Resource Center is located on the Pacific McGeorge School of Law campus in Sacramento, California. The Center operates the State of California’s confidential, toll-free 1-800-777-9229 line.

Amber Alert Plan in California
The CHP is ready to assist in the recovery of an abducted child with statewide notifications of child abduction information.

California Bar Association
Legal Referral Services in the state of California.

California Victim Compensation Program (Cal VCP)
We can assist you and your family with out-of-pocket costs related to the crime, such as medical and counseling bills. To do that, Victim Advocates can help you fill out the proper forms.

District Attorney, Santa Clara County
We in the District Attorney’s Office are making every effort to achieve the lowest crime rate reasonably possible while emphasizing the prosecution of violent crime. 70 West Hedding Street, West Wing, San Jose, CA 95110, Phone: 408-295-2656.

Graffiti Terminators
Graffiti Hotline: 408-408-586-3079
Become a graffiti terminator and help beautify Milpitas.

Paws on Patrol
New crime prevention program sponsored by the Milpitas Police Department to learn how to be observers while out walking your dog. You may use your steps tracker and win prizes for having the most steps per month among the members.

Santa Clara County Bar Association
Court information, lawyer referral service, information for those in the legal profession.

State Attorney General
Bill Lockyer. How the Department of Justice works to ensure safety and justice for all the people of the Golden State.

Data & Statistics

Bay Area homicides 2018: Map and details
Red dots indicate shootings, yellow dots are stabbings, blue are other methods. Click on a dot for more details of the incident. Links to the Bay Area News Group articles about the crimes are below. Find homicide maps from previous years, too.

Criminal Justice Statistics Center
The California Attorney General’s site contains more than 5,000 statistical tables, 59 reports, 29 publications, links to federal, state, and local agency statistics, and links to other criminal statistics services.

Documents & Forms

Law Depot
Free Legal Documents, Forms and Contracts. Print or download your customized legal document in 5-10 minutes.

Small Claims Forms
Free to view and print out on your home or business printer. From the Superior Court’s Small Claims Advisor.

Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence
What to do and who to call if you or a friend are a victim of domestic violence in Santa Clara County.

Fraud

Bad Check Restitution Program
In an effort to combat this problem, DA George Kennedy has organized the Bad Check Restitution Program to assist local merchants with bad check losses. The primary goal of the program is to obtain full restitution for the victim without adding to the financial burden of the criminal justice system.

Crimes of Persuasion
Inform the public, along with law enforcement personnel, justice officials and victim support groups on the workings and scope of telemarketing and investment fraud so that efforts can effectively be taken to minimize the impact on its victims and ensure that adequate penalties are in place to deter the perpetrators.

Internet Crime Complaint Center
IC3’s mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime.

Straight Talk About Telemarketing
It’s like clockwork. You sit down to dinner and the phone rings. You answer it. The caller is trying to sell you something or tell you that you’ve won a fabulous prize. If you’re tempted by the offer, get the facts. If you don’t, you may be in for a fraud.

Identity Theft

Defend: Recover from Identity Theft
Take steps to respond to and recover from identity theft as soon as you suspect it.

General Guide For Victims Of Identity Theft
This information is provided by the Attorney General to assist individuals who are victims or suspect they may be victims of identity theft. It is intended as a general guide, not as legal advice.

Identity Theft: Online Resources Can Help Protect You
How to protect yourself against identity theft and respond if it happens. A USA government site.

Illegal Drugs

Anonymous Crime Tip Form
You can play an important part in reclaiming your neighborhood from crime and illegal drug trafficking. Any information you supply will help police in their efforts to suppress drug-related activity in your area. All of the information collected will be taken seriously and is confidential. You can also remain anonymous if you wish.

Laws & Legislation

Laws
Milpitas, Santa Clara County and California laws that are top on our mind.

Legal Institutions

FBI – San Francisco Division
The San Francisco Division operates from its headquarters office in downtown San Francisco as well as from its Resident Agencies in Concord, Eureka, Hayward, Monterey, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Jose, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa.

Jails – Correctional Facilities
A GO MILPITAS RESOURCE
Information and links for Elmwood Correctional Facility and the Correctional Center for Women.

Sheriff’s Office
A very helpful and technical site. Just about everything you’ll want to know about crime fighting in Santa Clara County.

United States Courts for the Ninth Circuit
Federal Court for appeals, bankruptcy, etc. for the Pacific states and territories. History and a “walk-through” of a typical case.

Prevention

License Look-Up Page
The California State Department of Consumer Affairs offers this page for you to check that the professional you are considering hiring has a license in the State of California.

Neighborhood Watch
The city police will help you organize a crime prevention Neighborhood Watch program in your neighborhood. Call 408-586-2400.

Sex Crimes

Megan’s Law
Gives the benefit of the doubt to parents and community leaders by removing the veil of secrecy that has shrouded the whereabouts of over 64,000 registered sex offenders in California.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
National Sexual Assault Hotline. Free. Confidential. 24/7. Click to call
The nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE, online.rainn.org y rainn.org/es) in partnership with more than 1,000 local sexual assault service providers across the country and operates the DoD Safe Helpline for the Department of Defense. RAINN also carries out programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice.

Sex Offender Identification Line
Before hiring an employee or taking on a new volunteer, especially those who will be working with children or women, you may want to take advantage of this service at our local police department. 1 900 448-3000. Cost to use is $10.

Spam


Spam Email
To forward unwanted or deceptive spam to the FTC send it to spam@uce.gov, and be sure to include the full email header. If you think you have been taken advantage of by a spam scam, file a complaint with the FTC online at www.ftc.gov. Complaints will help the FTC find and stop people who are using spam to defraud consumers.

SPAM information from the California Office of the Attorney General
Unfortunately, there is no easy way to get rid of this electronic junk mail, but there are steps you can take to reduce the amount of unwanted spam and precautions to take to avoid falling victim to bogus offers slipping into your in-box. You may file a Consumer Complaint Against A Business/Company from this page.

History of Milpitas – 1900s

On January 26, 1954, Milpitas residents incorporated as a city, including the Ford Factory. See what else happened in the 1900s.

Milpitas in the 1900s

On January 26, 1954, faced with getting swallowed up by a rapidly expanding San Jose, Milpitas residents incorporated as a city that included the recently built Ford Auto Assembly plant. When San Jose attempted to annex Milpitas barely seven years later, the “Milpitas Minutemen” were quickly organized to oppose annexation and keep Milpitas independent. An overwhelming majority of Milpitas registered voters voted “No” to annexation in the 1961 election as a result of a vigorous anti-annexation campaign.

The Milpitas Historical Society December 19, 2020

1:31:54 hours long. Presentation on the history of Main Street in Milpitas from the 1850s through 2020.

Calaveras Overpass
The Calaveras Overpass is built to meet the present and growing traffic loads of a progressive city. [They thought!]

Main Street, Milpitas, CA
Main Street, Milpitas, CA

EFF “Legal Cases – US v. Thomases – Amateur Action (AABBS), Memphis” Archive
July 1994. Robert and Carleen Thomas, operators of Amateur Action BBS in Milpitas, California, were tried and convicted of sending “pornography” across state lines by a Memphis jury.

New Mustangs on the line, 1964.
The Great Mall holds a great Ford secret
The huge 1.4 million square-foot facility often served as Ford’s outpost to produce the most popular models for distribution along the west coast. By 1962, the busy factory churned out 135,963 vehicles annually. Over the years it was home to Falcons, Escorts, Rancheros, F-Series pickups, Pintos, many Mercury vehicles, and of course, Mustangs. But as competition increased throughout the 1970s and 80s, this boomtown went bust.

History 1957-1982 by Wayne E. Briggs
The purpose of this history is to preserve the record of events in the building of the Sunnyhills United Methodist Church and of the persons behind those events before it becomes unalterably destroyed by imperfect memories.

Looking back at the Ford Motor Company plant in Milpitas
To honor the company that played a role in accelerating Milpitas’ early growth, we’re sharing some photos that have never been seen before, mostly of Ford’s very last day of operations. We also had the opportunity to interview two former Ford employees. By Rhoda Shapiro, The Milpitas Beat

Milpitas Historical Site Inventory
A map showing historically significant locations in the city of Milpitas.


The Milpitas Monster was filmed in 1975 and 1976 and released to market in 1980, 80 Minutes, Color, Rated PG. Starring: Douglas A. Hagdohl, John “Pop” Kennedy, Scot A. Henderson, Daniel G. Birkhead, Scott Parker, Priscilla House, and William C. Guest. Screenplay by David E. Boston. Music by Robert R. Berry, Jr. Produced and Directed by Robert L. Burrill. Based on a story by David R. Kottas and Robert L. Burrill. Watch the trailer.

Milpitas’ top stories over a 60-year span
Overview of stories posted in the Milpitas Post since 1955. “Milpitas received a look at its new community newspaper. The Milpitas Post was born with a 2,000 press run with most of the copies distributed to workers at the gates of the new Ford plant, where the assembly lines were due to roll Feb. 21.”

Police Department History
The City’s first Police Chief was Thomas Letcher. Letcher had just one fulltime Sergeant under his command, while patrol duties were handled by Auxiliary Police Officers working on a part-time basis.

River’s Edge
In 1981 a Milpitas High School student killed his girlfriend, then brought his buddies to see the body. No one told the cops. We’d prefer to forget this crime, but it was made into a movie in 1987. Our “river” here being but a small creek, the film was made up on the American River.

River’s Edge – About the Actor
Daniel Roebuck used flash to try to win the role, dike the flow of “ridiculous sitcom ‘fat guy’ parts,” and scrub away the taint of “Cave Girl.” He entered the audition room with a Tollette-like getup – fatigue jacket, slicked hair, beer can in hand. He downed a brew in his character’s style: full gulp, nerveless, apathetic. Site includes comments about the film versus what really happened.

Sunnyhills Neighborhood History
Sunnyhills was the first planned racially-integrated community in the United States in 1956, arranged by a Union co-op of the United Auto Workers. Today, Sunnyhills still has one of the highest levels of integration of any neighborhood.

Youths’ Silent on Murder Victim Leaves a California Town Baffled
By Wayne King, Special To the New York Times
Dec. 14, 1981. What has shocked this fast-growing community of 38,000 are reports by police investigators, acknowledged by students and school administrators, that the defendant boasted of the crime, then loaded other young people into his white pickup truck and drove them into the hills to view the body. Others, hearing of ”the body in the hills,” went on their own to look.

Silicon Valley

Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch
A visit to the Bernal-Gulnac-Joice Ranch in the Santa Teresa County Park Historic Area immerses you in the realities of living and working on a family ranch more than 100 years ago. A self-guided walk around the park takes you back in time, through a historic ranch house, gardens and barn, all restored and equipped with furnishings and tools typical of California farm life in the early 1900’s.

Disturbing Facts About The 1933 Bay Area Kidnap And Murder Of Brooke Hart
Brooke Hart was the young, good-looking, and athletic heir to his family’s department store fortune. Which is what made him a prime target in the depression of 1933. In November of that year, Hart was kidnapped and murdered and his captors were publicly lynched in California’s last ever public lynching. The Brooke Hart kidnapping shook the nation and is a horrifying glimpse of justice gone wrong in American history. The escape route of the kidnappers went along Piedmont and Evans Road in Milpitas.

Campbell Historical Museum and Ainsley House
The Ainsley House is the 1926 home of canning pioneer John Colpitts Ainsley. It showcases life in Santa Clara Valley during the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Vintage Photos Of Silicon Valley Before It Became A Giant Tech Hub
Silicon Valley is generally considered the center of the tech universe today. But before Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and a host of other major tech companies set up shop there, the Santa Clara Valley was the center of a different industry altogether.

Frontier Village
Frontier Village, San Jose, California, old postcards, photos and other historic images, provide a great visual look back at Frontier Village’s history. The western themed amusement park was located at Monterey Road and Baranham Lane in San Jose, California.

Palo Alto Historical Association
We present programs the first Sunday of the month October through December and February through May. The programs are free and open to the public. Held at the Lucie Stern Community Center, they feature a speaker or speakers on subjects of local interest. Our annual banquet, with a speaker, is held in early June.

Sunnyvale Historic Images
A record of the evolution of our community, past and present.

Swift Justice: Murder and Vengeance in a California Town
by Harry FarrellIn 1933, a couple of losers kidnapped and killed the son of a department store owner in San Jose, California. Little did they know of the fury they would unleash. The men were captured, and then, just hours after the victim’s body was found, a mob stormed the city jail and held “a necktie party” (lynching) in a nearby park. Harry Farrell is a superb writer who researched this case so thoroughly that he has the details to produce an unnerving degree of suspense.


Thomas Foon Chew: Founder of the Bayside Cannery
In 1906, Thomas Foon Chew took over his father’s Precita Canning Company, renaming it The Bayside Canning Company, and turning it into the third largest cannery in the world. Using a technique to can asparagus while retaining crispness and freshness, Chen became known as the Asparagus King.

Valley of the Heart’s Delight
Asks new questions about San Jose’s crime of the century – and whether a lynch mob murdered two innocent men in St. James Park. Hart’s abandoned Studebaker was found in Milpitas.

Velma Lucille Bernal Mendoza
An obit with lots of history both of the 1900’s and earlier eras. Born in San Jose, California on December 13, 1901, she is a direct descendant of Juan Francisco Bernal who came to Northern California with the de Anza expedition of 1776.

Victorian Preservation Association of Santa Clara Valley
A non-profit organization for those who share an interest in the older buildings of our community, especially turn-of-the-century homes.

Bay Area

The October 17, 1989, Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake-Selected Photographs
This publication contains 103 digitized color 35-mm images from Open-File Report 90-547 (Nakata and others, 1990). Our photographic coverage reflects the time and resources available immediately after the event and is not intended to portray the full extent of earthquake damage. USGS photos.

Neal Cassady
‘The bus came by and I got on, that’s when it all began; There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of the bus to Nevereverland’ -Cassady, the genius behind the Beat Generation, settled in Los Gatos.


Story of an Eyewitness
May 5, 1906. Jack London went to the scene of the San Francisco Fire & Earthquake and wrote the following dramatic description of the tragic events he witnessed in the burning city.

Who’s Who of the Haight-Ashbury Era
This is a list of short (thumbnail size) biographies of people who were somehow involved with this event.

Maps to Milpitas Parks and Recreation Sites

For more information on Milpitas Parks Maintenance contact the Public Works Department at 408-586-2600.

Milpitas parks came into being in the 1970s when the “city of the future” was imagined to have homes on small lots, and sharing a large, common green space instead of large private yards. Many of our parks weave together, providing ways for pedestrians and bicyclists a way to move between homes, schools, and shops without having to be on busy roads.

Milpitas Community Center
457 East Calaveras Blvd.
Milpitas, Ca 95035
408-586-3210

Get Directions
Click on site streets to go to its map.
Select “Directions.”
Put your home address in “From” on the form.
Hit “Go” for a map from your home to that park!

Overview map of all city parks. (City’s map not working correctly lately.)

Buildings

Alviso Adobe
Building not currently open to the public. Under renovation. Historic displays in windows. Land surrounding building a nice place for a picnic, with historic farm equipment to view. Park and historical site. Located off Piedmont Road.

Community Center
457 East Calaveras Boulevard
Phone: 408-586-3210
TDD: 408-942-2478

Higuera Adobe Park – An historic adobe house sits on this 5.5-acre park site with 8 barbecue pits, 16 tables, play equipment, and parking for 20. Plenty of shade trees are a plus. Wessex off N. Park Victoria. Picnic Group Capacity (GC): 25 Building Group Capacity (GC): 52

Jose Higuera Adobe Park – Historic site and picnic area. Park off Wessex. Pl.

Senior Center
40 North Milpitas Boulevard
408-586-3400
TDD: 408-586-3425

Sports Center
1325 East Calaveras Boulevard Get in left hand turn lane just east of Park Victoria. Drive under the solar panels, past the pool and turn right to park. Phone: 408-586-3225 TDD: 408-942-3289

Parks

Augustine Park Grand Reopening
Augustine Park Grand Reopening

Ben Rodgers Park – A lovely 7.5 acre park with 6 barbecue pits and picnic tables, a backstop, and play equipment. Best Parking for sports field and picnic area is on Everglades, off Sequoia. Group Capacity (GC): 25

Calle Oriente – A nice neighborhood park with two handball courts, two tables, and play equipment. Calle Oriente off N. Park Victoria Group Capacity (GC): 10

Cardoza Park – This 10-acre park features a lighted ball diamond, two horse-shoe pits, volleyball poles, and an outdoor amphitheater. A great location for functions, it also includes 8 barbecue pits, 19 tables, restrooms, play equipment, and parking for 133. Kennedy Dr. at N. Park Victoria. Group Capacity (GC): 125

Cerano Park – A nice neighborhood park with 4 tables, 2 barbeque units, 1 tennis court, half basketball court, play structure, open grass area and small parking lot (6 spaces). Adjacent to the Coyote Creek Trail. Location: Near 751 Murphy Ranch Rd.

Creighton Park – With 4 barbecue pits, 9 tables, and play equipment, this 5-acre park is a great site for family outings. Milpitas’ first all-abilities playground, dog play areas for big and little pooches, exercise stations, restroom and more. Olympic west of S. Park Victoria. Group Capacity (GC): 20

Dixon Landing Park – This 11 acre park has 3 tennis courts, 6 barbecue pits, 10 picnic tables, a basketball hoop, play equipment, restrooms, and parking for 84. A terrific place for special gatherings. Dixon Landing and Milmont. Group Capacity (GC): 50

Dog Park – Only dogs, dog handlers, and those persons accompanying them are allowed in the dog park. Ed Levin Park, up Downing Rd. from Calaveras in the hills.

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Your first stop should be the visitor center, located near the Dumbarton Bridge toll plaza in Fremont. The center is perched on a hillside above miles of salt marsh, tidal sloughs, mudflats, and salt ponds.

Ed Levin County Park – Owned and maintained by the County of Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department. 3100 Calaveras Rd. For information, call 408-262-6980.

Foothill Park – A nice little 4-acre park that includes 3 barbecue pits, 4 tables, and play equipment. Roswell Dr. at Roswell Ct. Group Capacity (GC): 25

Gill Memorial Park – This 5.1-acre park has a lighted ball diamond, 3 tennis courts, 2 handball courts, and a basketball court, plus 4 barbecues, 8 tables, play equipment, restrooms, and parking for 45. Paseo Refugio and Santa Rita. Group Capacity (GC): 50

Hall Memorial Park – Two barbecue pits, 6 tables, 4 tennis courts, play equipment, restrooms, and parking for 18 make this 9.5-acre park a nice place. La Honda and Coyote. Group Capacity (GC): 25


Hidden Lake Park – This 1.5-acre park has 2 barbecue pits, 3 tables, and a lake with ducks. A nice place to relax. N. Milpitas Blvd. between Escuela Pkwy. and Jacklin Rd. Drop-in only.

Hillcrest Park Art
Hillcrest Park Art

Hillcrest Park – This 5.2-acre park offers 7 barbecue pits, 8 tables, and a tot lot for kids. Fieldcrest off Crescent. Group Capacity (GC): 15

John McDermott Park – This .95 acre park has 3 shaded picnic tables, 2 playgrounds, and a restroom. Across from Post Office. Alvarez Ct, off Abel St. Group Capacity (GC): 15

Murphy Park – This 8.7-acre park is a favorite place to gather with the kids. It features plenty of open space, restrooms, play equipment, and a lovely picnic area with 5 barbecue pits and 6 tables. Yellowstone east of S. Park Victoria. Incorrectly called Sinnott Park on map. Group Capacity (GC): 50

Oliver Jones Park – This 5.2 acre park offers a par course, play equipment, 2 barbecue pits, and 5 tables. Jacklin at Hillview. Group Capacity (GC): 30

O’Toole Elms Park – The 1.51 acre park includes 8 picnic tables, 1 barbecue unit and 2 playgrounds. Abel St., N. of Curtis Ave. Group Capacity (GC): 30

Parc Metro, East, Middle, West – Series of parks in development near Great Mall. Park Metro East also has barbeque units and is reservable. Curtis Ave. east of Main St.. Group Capacity (GC): 20

Pecot Park – This 8-acre park has 4 tennis courts, 3 acre park along Hetch Hetchy Right of Way. Northern end of long trail going south through many of the Milpitas parks. Dixon Landing, west of Conway.

Pinewood Park – This 8-acre park has 4 tennis courts, 2 barbecue pits, 4 tables, a basketball hoop and a tot lot. Lonetree and Starlite Dr. Group Capacity (GC): 30.

Regional Parks
Start with your favorite activity, from archery to water skiing, and you can find a Regional Park where you can do it from this site. Other ways of searching, too.

Robert E. Browne Park (AKA Yellowstone Park) – A great place to play tennis on the 4 lighted courts, with a large grassy area and par course. Restrooms and parking are available across the street. Yellowstone east of South Park Victoria.

Sandalwood Park – A nice little 1.5-acre neighborhood park good for lunchtime picnics. It features 3 barbecue pits, 3 tables, and play equipment. Escuela Pkwy. and Russell. Group Capacity (GC): 25

Santa Clara County Open Space Authority
Preserves, protects and manages, for the use and enjoyment of all people, a well-balanced system of urban and non-urban areas of outstanding scenic, recreational and agricultural importance.

Slide at Murphy Park © by Kaz
Slide at Murphy Park © by Kaz

Selwyn Park – This small neighborhood park provides a playground, plus 2 picnic tables with barbecue pits. (Selwyn Dr. off Dempsey Rd.) Group Capacity (GC): 15

Sinnott Park – A nice 4.7 acre park that includes a par course, play equipment, 2 barbecue pits, and 3 tables. Clear Lake and Tahoe. Group Capacity (GC): 20

Starlite Park – The 4 acre park offers a nice place for family fun, with horse-shoe pits, play equipment, 3 barbecue pits, and 5 tables. Rudyard and Abbott Ave. Group Capacity (GC): 15

Strickroth Park – This 5.7 acre park with parking for 25 offers play equipment, 2 barbecue pits, and 6 tables. Martil and Gemma off E. Tramway. Group Capacity (GC): 25

Sunnyhills Albert Augustine Jr. Memorial Park – Plenty of open space, plus play equipment, 4 barbecue pits, and 9 tables in this 6 acre park. Cortez and Coelho off Escuela Group Capacity (GC): 65.

Tom Evatt Park – This 5.46 acre park has 16 picnic tables, 4 barbecue units, many benches. There are 2 half basketball courts, 2 tennis courts and 2 Bocce ball courts. A playground for the kids and a large lawn area makes this a fun park for all ages. Abel St. and Machado St. Group Capacity (GC): 25

See alsoKeeping Cool
When the summer heat sizzles, here’s some suggestions for keeping cool.

Milpitas Community Center

Virtual Community Center During the Covid-19 Shelter-in-place orders.
Milpitas Recreation and Community Services’ Virtual Community Center Center is here to help you and your family stay physically, mentally and emotionally healthy during the Coronavirus Shelter in Place restriction and any time you can’t participate in person. Check out our curated list of Online Activities, Offline Activities and Community Resources. Share photos and videos on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube of yourself and your family participating by tagging them #MilpitasVCC. Email us if you have a link or idea to share.

Activities

Activity Guide & Registration
Lastest activity guide posted here about two months before each season begins.

Class Registration
Register for our programs on-line – From the comfort of your own home or office.
On-Line Registration is provided through ActiveNet.com.

Contact Information


457 East Calaveras Boulevard
Phone: 408-586-3210
TDD: 408-942-2478

Milpitas Community Center
Milpitas Community Center

The Community Center is tucked behind Milpitas City Hall and the new Senior Center. It can be reached when driving west on Calaveras Blvd. only. There is a marque advertising current activities. You may also enter from the Milpitas Town Center Mall, through a short driveway into the Center’s parking lot.

Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday: 8a – 6p
Friday: 8a – 5p

The Community Center will be closed:
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Veterans Day

Cultural Arts and Theatre

Milpitas Community Concert Band
MCCB hosts three family-style concerts throughout the year (fall, spring and summer) and is a musical presence at the City of Milpitas’ Tree Lighting, Veterans and Memorial Day Ceremonies. Facebook is best place to find upcoming concerts.

Center Stage Perfoming Arts is a youth theatre program for ages 8-18. Center Stage Performing Arts is the contracted youth theatre program for ages 8 and up. Our young performers produce three shows throughout the year. Facebook group.

Rent the Auditorium

Community Center Auditorim
The auditorium is a beautiful setting for your wedding reception, music or dance concert, business symposium or a family reunion.

Youth Classes

Youth Programs.

Birds

Identify the birds of Santa Clara County and the San Jose – San Francisco Bay Area. Help save the Burrowing Owl, and learn to build nesting boxes for blue birds. Share photos of our Milpitas Bald Eagles’ Nest

My tamed Western scrub jay, No Fear, opens peanuts while sitting on my hand. She either eats them right away or buries them in the yard. I’ve noticed the squirrels watch her carefully, and steal the hidden peanuts when she comes back for another. Taming and handfeeding backyard birds is a fun project.

Common and Rare Birds

BIRDS OF THE BAY AREA

Fremont Birding Circle (FBC)
Fremont Birding Circle (FBC) is a group dedicated to promote the birding activities in the City of Fremont, California. Goals of this group are to raise the public awareness of habitat preservation, promote birding ethics, explore hot and not-so-hot birding spots and report rare bird sightings in the city of Fremont. (Note: members of this group also have helped with our eagles project. As there is no Milpitas birding group, join this one for sharing bird photos and field trips.)

Joe Morlan’s California Birding Pages
Site of the author of Birds of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

Santa Clara County Bird Lists
Bill Bousman and Kendric Smith have kept these lists of bird sightings for several years now on this Stanford website.

BLUEBIRDS

The Bluebird Box
The starting point for finding information about bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds.

California Cavity Nesters Recovery Program
Engages volunteers in building, installing, and monitoring nest boxes in Santa Clara County. Data collected through our monitoring program is then sent on to the statewide California Bluebird Recovery Program.

Nest Boxes and Accessories
Fine-tune the performance of your nest box with these specially designed accessories. Broaden your installation options with poles, brackets and hangers. Deter predators with plates, grilles and protectors to safeguard the box and its precious contents.

BURROWING OWLS

Burrowing Owl Consortium
Primary causes of population declines in California, as elsewhere, are human conversion of habitats and eradication of burrow-generating mammals. The California Burrowing Owl Consortium, formed in 1990, has contributed to increased conservation of this declining species.

CONDORS

People Keep Condors Flying in the Pinnacles
Down to as few as 22 individuals in 1982, the condor population became the subject of one of the most radical restoration efforts ever undertaken — all the remaining wild birds were captured as part of an ambitious captive breeding program.

New bird in town: Rare California condors hang out on San Jose’s Mount Hamilton
June 24, 2011. Only 20 miles east of downtown San Jose, five endangered California condors have been sighted above Mount Hamilton, socializing with turkey vultures and perching atop a Lick Observatory dome.

EAGLES

Bald eagles make majestic return to Milpitas elementary school
Monday, January 15, 2018
MILPITAS, Calif. (KGO) — Rex Yip arrived at Curtner Elementary School in Milpitas Monday evening just moments before two bald eagles came soaring into sight, returning to their nest. He described it as breathtaking.

Our Milpitas Eagles Freed Facebook Group
Continuing coverage of some our favorite Milpitas residents. Unlike the other “Our Milpitas Eagles” group, this group will be free to join for all interested about the Bald Eagle nest at Curtner Elementary School in Milpitas California. Open to all those who wish to post photos of our eagles, write something about them, share lessons and creative endeavors featuring the Milpitas Eagles, or have an affiliation with Curtner Elementary School. No member turned away.

JAYS

The Way of a Jay
I, and several of my Ben Rogers’s Park neighbors have managed to tame one (or several) of these birds to eat peanuts from our hands. This species is quite bold and easy to tame.

MOCKINGBIRDS

Listen to the Mockingbird
Recently a reader emailed me that a mockingbird sings in a tree close to his house each night and keeps him awake. He wanted to know how to discourage this bird from nesting near his house or from singing there at night.

SNOWY EGRET

Snowy Egret
This beautiful little heron, one of nature’s daintiest and most exquisite creatures, is the most charming of all our marsh birds. They can often be spotted along the creeks that criss-cross our city.

WILD TURKEYS

Most common turkeys this Thanksgiving are wild
Once scarce as hens’ teeth, they’re making comeback

An estimated 242,000 wild turkeys live in California, according to Scott Gardner, an environmental scientist with the state Department of Fish and Game in Sacramento. A large flock lives up at Summitpointe Golf Course in the hills above Milpitas.

Concerns

Window Hazards
One of the leading causes of death for wild birds is flying into glass windows. A study conducted by Daniel Klem Jr. at Muhlenberg College, estimated that 97 million birds die each year in the U.S. as the result of collisions with windows. Tall buildings that relied heavily on large sheets of glass surface were especially hazardous.

Organizations

San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
A nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of birds and their habitats through science and outreach.
524 Valley Way
408-946-6548

Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society
We have many volunteer opportunities taking place throughout the week (days and evenings) and on weekends. We would love to have you work with us. To get help identifying birds in your backyard, visit Backyard Birds of Santa Clara County.

The Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group
A good site for finding more about the endangered (or not) predatory birds often seen in our hills. A resource to agency biologists, industry, and university researchers who require our expertise with problem solving and management of avian species, especially raptors.

Resources

All About Bird Feeders
A recent bulletin from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (CLO) reports that a whopping 43% of U. S. households now feed wild birds. And I know from my perch in the SCVAS office that it’s much the same story here in Santa Clara County. From the Audubon Society.

Emergency Training and Planning

Health Services in and near Milpitas

Hillcrest Citizens Emergency Response (SAFE) Team graduates 14

Back: Tilly Hermandi, Jeff Sample, Ann & Fred Zeise, Susi Gunarsa, Kathy Kuhne, Dana Arbaugh, Brian McCracken, and Americo (of the Milpitas Fire Dept.)
Front: Yea-Cheng Wang, Gunawan Ali-Santosa, Tina Pham, Agnes & Bethany Eytchison, and Scott DeMars

Use 9-1-1 to hail emergency crews to your location in Milpitas.

Be prepared! Get this emergency preparedness information on these links printed out BEFORE the power goes out!

Milpitas Police Department Offers Text-to-911 Service
Texters are advised to text in their location and what kind of help is needed during a given emergency. The MPD instructs users not to send photos, videos, or emojis. If your phone’s text feature isn’t set to silent, note that reply texts from 911 staff might be audible to anyone within earshot. So if you expect to rely on Text-to-911 in the event of an emergency, it might be wise to silence your text feature now.

1 (800) PGE-5000 or 1 (800) 743-5000
Before calling PG&E about a power outage, check to see if other neighbors are affected. This would confirm if an outage has occurred in just your residence or within the neighborhood area.

Live Audio – Santa Clara County Repeaters
If anything real major going on, you can listen in on the emergency radios here. Ones with most listeners usually the most interesting.

American Red Cross
Silicon Valley Chapter. Emergency preparedness, blood drive info, and more.

CERT
CERT is an emergency preparedness program created to save lives and reduce property damage by training individuals to initiate mitigation activities before or immediately following an emergency. To receive free emergency preparedness training and become a member of the CERT program call 408-586-2801.

The Connection
North American Emergency Management newsletter.

CPR: You Can Do It!
Please try to attend a class to learn CPR correctly, but in a crisis, this page would serve. A printable CPR pocket guide is also available on this page.

Crisis Training
Learning CPR can be fun, empowering, and life saving! Our classes are activity centered utilizing a manikin for every two learners. Classes are available for all ages and abilities.

Enviro Safetech
We are used by businesses and government to take command of obligations and requirements for meeting a full spectrum of hazardous material, waste and occupational health and safety regulations.
2455 Autumnvale Drive, Unit B, San Jose
408-941-9393

Information for Pet Owners
If you evacuate your home, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS BEHIND! Pets most likely cannot survive on their own; and if by some remote chance they do, you may not be able to find them when you return. FEMA.

Red Cross Training + Certification
First Aid, CPR, AED, BLS/CPR for Healthcare, Baby sitting and childcare, Swimming and water safety, Lifeguarding, CNA training, CNA testing, Instructor training.

Stanford University Blood Center
Please call 1-888-723-7831 to make an appointment to bolster our blood supply throughout the fall season. If you’ve received the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine for COVID-19, you are still eligible to donate blood! Additionally, please note that, even as the CDC eases guidelines on masking for fully-vaccinated individuals, SBC still requires ALL donors to be masked throughout the donation process, including while waiting outside of a mobile/bus blood drive. Learn more.

State of California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
What to do before, during and after an emergency situation.

One of the City’s Emergency Caches. There’s one in each section of Milpitas.

Roads & Highways

Find out about road construction plans and delays. Learn what government agencies control these highways. And to relax, enjoy these scenic drives starting in Milpitas, and wandering through our hillsides on backroads.

What is Milpitas known for?
Milpitas is often called the “Crossroads of Silicon Valley” with most of its 13.63 square miles of land situated between two major freeways (I-880 and I-680), State Route 237, and a County expressway.

How far is Milpitas from San Francisco?
The distance between Milpitas and San Francisco is 37 miles. The road distance is 45.9 miles, unless you have a boat to sail between Alviso and San Francisco.

Construction
Governmental Agencies
Scenic Drives

Construction

Calaveras Overpass
The Calaveras Overpass is built to meet the present and growing traffic loads of a progressive city. [They thought!]

Montague Expressway Widening
This project widened Montague Expressway to provide for eight through lanes (three through plus one HOV lane in each direction), with bike use shoulders and improved pedestrian sidewalks from Falcon Drive to Pecten Court (approximately 0.8 miles) including replacement of the double-box culvert crossing of Berryessa Creek with a bridge structure.


VTA Montague Expressway Pedestrian Overcrossing
An incredible project RockViewVideo filmed in Milpitas to chronicle the lift & placement of a huge pedestrian overcrossing above Montague Expressway adjacent to the Milpitas BART Station, July 10-12, 2020.

Transportation Information
As a prominent gateway to the Silicon Valley, the City of Milpitas’ Traffic Engineering section has an integral role in maintaining the City’s economic vitality and creating safe and livable neighborhoods that are pedestrian and multi-modal friendly.

Filing a claim against Caltrans
Did you get a nail in your tire in a highway construction zone? Here’s information and the form for filing a claim.

Governmental Agencies

CalTrans
California Department of Transportations, District 4 (includes Santa Clara County). Lots of local information and pictures about Bay Area Bridges.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Regional planning group for our highways here in Silicon Valley and around the Bay.

Scenic Drives

Bay Area Backroads
Go “day tripping” to places near and far. KRON TV offers hundreds of ideas in the South Bay Area and further away.


Calaveras Road to Sunol
Calaveras Road varies from 2 lanes in Milpitas and the 84/680 end in Fremont down to 1 lane in the middle. The south half was recently repaved from Milpitas to the Alameda County line, about 2/3 of the entire ride.

Calaveras – Sierra Rd Loop
Scenic drive in the snowy mountains east of Milpitas and San Jose, California.

California Roadside Rest Areas
Plan your rest stops in rural areas.

Main Street History Tour
Joann Souza narrates a tour of Main Street telling about the historic buildings and sites along the way.

Mt. Hamilton Road
Take this mountain road between Alum Rock and Patterson. Do fill up your thirsty steed because if you decide to continue east down the other side of the mountain, it will be another 70 miles to the next gas station. Very windy and steep. Not for the faint-hearted.


Santa Cruz Mountains Roads
A lovely drive is the one through the redwoods from Woodside, over to the coast, down to Santa Cruz, and back over Rt. 9 through Boulder Creek and Big Basin State Park to Saratoga.

Horses of Silicon Valley

Milpitas has a thriving horseback riding community based in our eastern hills. Board your horse or take horse care and riding lessons. Take a trail ride up into the hills to see expansive views of the Bay Area. Nearby stables in other cities also listed.

Milpitas Stables
Area Riding Stables, Lessons
Bay Area Horse Lovers Networks
California Organizations
History
Lists of Area Riding Stables, Lessons
Transportation of Horses
When Your Horse Dies

Milpitas Stables

A&J Stables
A&J Ranch offers horse boarding (no rentals), but has a list of all the horse stables in the SF Bay Area! A&J is nestled way up in the hills, off Calaveras Rd. If your stable isn’t listed, email ajlumas@ix.netcom.com.

mare and colt

Palomino mare and her colt at Indian Hills Ranch

HC Equestrian (formerly Indian Hills Ranch)
Less than three miles from Highway 680, Indian Hills Ranch in Milpitas is close enough to be incredibly convenient and yet right on the cusp of the Calaveras Hills.
3488 Calaveras Road
408-262-6234

Whispering Hills Ranch
Owned and operated by Manuel Franco since 2000, Whispering Hills Ranch still has the original late 19th century barn as the cornerstone of the property, but now features two new spacious custom barns, a pipe-corral mare motel, and well-kept pastures, round pen, and arena.
80 Evans Road
408-262-1292

Area Riding Stables, Lessons

Cevalo Riding Academy
San Jose. An educational non-profit organization that offers riding lessons for children and adults, day camps, horse boarding, and other equestrian activities and community outreach programs.

Chapparral Ranch
Coming soon! Trail rides at Grant Ranch Park, San Jose hills. We will be hosting camps at both our Woodside and Ed Levin Park facilities through the winter. Book your ride online or email us at info@chaparralcorporation.com or call 408-726-8453.

Cliveden Chew Haas’ Riding Lessons for Children
English Riding Lessons for Children. Our horse or yours. Learn to handle your pony effectively and ride safely. Grooming, bridling, saddling, and care of the horse. Leadline and beyond Lessons taught at Indian Hill Ranch, 3488 Calaveras Road, Milpitas CA. 408-262-5250.

Ed Levin Park Summer Riding Lessons
Sign up here. Age at least 6 but less than 15. Runs weekly beginning June 8 – August 7, 2020. Come join us for one of our fun horse camps. Children will learn safety, psychology, saddling, grooming, leading, parts of horse, parts of saddle and much more. All work is hands on, and children will do crafts and play games. Students will ride for at least one hour per day. Class will be held at Ed Levin Park Arena, 3100 Calaveras Road, Milpitas.

Equestrian Training
Gilroy. Christine Amber, Equestrian Training’s owner and trainer. Certified by the American Riding Instructors Certification Program and by Certified Horsemanship Association.

Free Heart Stables
A training program located in Milpitas and servicing the South Bay. Free Heart Stables offers training and instruction services based on the belief that happy, relaxed horses and riders are healthier, learn more, and perform better. We are now also offering equine sports massage therapy.

Highland Riding School
Pleasanton. A program specifically for beginning to intermediate riders who wish to either begin English riding or get back into riding.

Sugarloaf Farm
We offer kids and adults the opportunity to experience horses in a relaxed and safe environment.
3105 Godfrey Ave, Gilroy, CA 95020
408-857-6240

History


Secrets of Silicon Valley
Eadweard Muybridge’s first success came in 1873 — a single frame of Stanford’s fastest horses racing on a track. “I’ve got the pictures of the horses jumping from the ground!” he shouted from the darkroom as the image first appeared. But skeptics took the photograph for a fake.

Lists of Area Riding Stables, Lessons

Lessons and Training near Milpitas
Using your own horse or a borrowed one for the lesson within 10 mile radius of Milpitas Town Center.

Horse Stables in the San Francisco Bay Area
Scroll down to Milpitas.

Bay Area Horse Lovers Networks

The Bay Area Equestrian Network
BAEN is a regional directory that helps you find horses for sale, services and products in your area. Look for equestrian events in the area.

California Organizations

Backcountry Horsemen of California
We are a non-profit organization made up of individuals from throughout the state who are dedicated to conserving backcountry wilderness and protecting stock users’ historic use of wilderness trails and forage.

California Dressage Society
All active members in good standing of the California Dressage Society are eligible to earn CDS Awards.

Riding Trails

Ed Levin County Park
Today there are no rental horses but the equestrian arena, picnic and staging areas are ideal locations for the first time rider who wants a first haul to an easy park or the dedicated endurance rider looking for some challenging trails to the top of the hills spread along the east side of the Bay Area.

Transportation of Horses

Emergency Evacuation Resources for Horses in Northern California
Many thanks to the following BAEN users who’ve offered their services housing and/or hauling horses evacuated in California due to natural disasters such as fires or floods. Please contact these folks directly at the numbers provided.

When Your Horse Dies

When Your Horse Dies
Whether the death is natural or humane makes no difference. The question of how to remove and dispose of the body must be decided. Local resources. By Bonnie Davis.

Power & Gas in Milpitas, California

About Power Conditions
Calpine
Conservation Tips
Education for Children
Loans, Rebates, etc.
PG&E – Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Power Politics
Silicon Valley Clean Energy

About Power Conditions

Frequently asked questions about rotating outages
These outages should last between 1 to 2 hours for most customers. These are not Public Safety Power Shutoffs due to extreme fire danger, and are not related to any issues with PG&E’s equipment or its ability to deliver energy locally. [Editor: so why is power being shut off, eh, PG&E]

Enter your street address on this page to get your planned outage number. Then return to the main link to get possible time of outage.

CAL ISO’s Outlook for Today
Current and forecasted demand.
Demand trend: System demand, in megawatts, compared to the forecasted demand in 5-minute increments.
Net demand trend: System demand minus wind and solar, in 5-minute increments, compared to total system and forecasted demand.

ISO System Status
Displays current system status and active and pending market notices (Alerts, Warnings and Staged Emergency notices).

News Releases – The California ISO
We invite anyone who would like to keep up with the latest energy news to check out News Releases on a regular basis.

Calpine

Calpine
San Jose-based corporation, builder of natural gas power generation facilities.

Conservation Tips

14 simple ways to save energy while working from home
‘It’s important to feel comfortable in your home, especially during these tough times when we are spending more time than ever in the house. However, this doesn’t mean that your energy bills need to spiral out of control.’

Energy Saving Tips
Take your free 5 minute Home Energy Checkup today. Find out how much of your home energy goes to heating, hot water, appliances, lighting and other uses.

Flex Alert
A Flex Alert is a call for consumers to conserve electricity during heat waves when power use outstrips electricity supply and other challenging grid conditions, such as when power plants or power lines are unexpectedly unavailable making electricity deliveries difficult.

Go Solar California
This site provides consumers a “one-stop shop” for information on rebates, tax credits, and incentives for solar energy systems in California.

Education for Children

Electricity 4 Kids
I want to find out more about electricity and electronics.

Energenius
Learn about our energy and environmental classroom lessons. No cost!

Safe Kids
Order free booklets about safety around electricity and natural gas. Have fun on their E-Smart Kids site for kids.

Science Fair Experiments from Energy Kids Learn the keys to a successful science fair project and find links to energy experiments, courtesy of the National Energy Education Development Project. Get the Guide to Planning a Science Fair Project. Watch the award-winning, 15 minute, cartoon Prepare for the Science Fair.

Loans, Rebates, etc.

Energy Efficiency Financing
The California Energy Commission’s Energy Efficiency Financing Program provides financing for schools, hospitals and local governments through low-interest loans for feasibility studies and the installation of energy-efficiency measures.

Energy Star
How you can improve your home, business or school with energy-saving appliances and use.

Get discounts on your PG&E bill with the CARE Program
Qualified households receive deep discounts on their energy bills through the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) Program.

Go Solar California
Provides California consumers a “one-stop shop” for information on solar programs, rebates, tax credits, and information on installing and interconnecting solar electric and solar thermal systems. The site has information on program rules, including eligible equipment and standards, as well as information on how to find an eligible, licensed solar contractor.

PG&E – Pacific Gas & Electric Company

1-800-743-5000
PG&E’s emergency power outage information line. Lots of good emergency links. Form for less pressing concerns.

CALL 811 BEFORE YOU DIG!
Underground Service Alert (USA) is a free service for homeowners, excavators and professional contractors who are digging, blasting, trenching, drilling, grading, or excavating.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Milpitas gets its gas and electricity through PG&E.

For TTD/TTY — Speech/Hearing-Impaired
1-800-652-4712
For Information in Spanish
1-800-660-6789
For Information in Chinese
1-800-893-9555
For Information in Vietnamese
1-800-298-8438

Power Politics

California Energy Commission
The California Energy Commission is the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency. Created by the Legislature in 1974 and located in Sacramento, the Commission has five major responsibilities.

California ISO
The electricity picture in California is a complex interaction of many entities. This page attempts to pull together resources to help you understand and navigate the California electric market.

California Public Utilities Commission
Keep informed about how our utilities are being regulated.

Natural Gas in California
Overview of the natural gas system from the California Energy Commission.

Silicon Valley Clean Energy

Frequently Asked Questions
We provide Milpitas residential and commercial electricity customers with clean, carbon free electricity options at competitive prices, from sources like solar, wind and hydropower. We source the electricity, and PG&E delivers it over existing utility lines, and continues to do maintenance, billing and customer service. This type of model is known as Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) or Community Choice Energy (CCE).

It’s All About Choice
MILPITAS CUSTOMERS: If you received a notice that your generation service is changing to SVCE, and you want to enjoy the benefits of clean energy at competitive rates, you don’t need to do anything – you will be automatically enrolled into GreenStart beginning in June 2018.

SOLAR CUSTOMERS: Please see our rooftop solar page for more info about your enrollment schedule and Net Energy Metering choice with SVCE.

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