February 22, 2008

NEWS BRIEFS

Spring Family Fun Day

The Evergreen Community Center will host the Family Fun Day on Saturday, Mar. 8 at Evergreen Park.

Bring your lounge chair, sit and relax and enjoy a beautiful day in the park, while the kids have fun!

Activities of the day will include an egg hunt, flea market, family relays, pictures, jumpers, arts and crafts, games, barbecue and a silent auction. Activities begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m.

Except for the egg hunt, there is a fee of $1.00 per activity.

The egg hunt will cost $1.50. Times for the egg hunts are:

- 10:00 a.m. (2-3 year olds) One adult per child allowed in egg hunt area

- 11:30 a.m. (4-5 year olds) No adults allowed

- 1:00 p.m. (6-8 year olds) No adults allowed

- 2:30 p.m. (9-12 year olds) No adults allowed

EVEF presents mini-grant award

Dr. Neal Hurlburt, Evergreen Valley Educational Foundation president, presents the Fall 2007 mini-grant award to Dan Johnson and his math students at Evergreen Valley High School. The EVEF mini-grant program distributes grants of $500 or less twice each year to support the educational goals of EVHS.

Volunteers for Grand Jury wanted

The honorable Catherine Gallagher, Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, has announced that the Court is accepting applications for the 2008-2009 term of the Civil Grand Jury.

The Civil Grand Jury is part of the judicial branch of government. It serves as the county’s investigatory body and may examine the operations of the city and county government, special districts and school districts. The Grand Jury also has the authority to inspect adult and juvenile detention facilities.

Applicants must be residents of Santa Clara County, United States citizens and 18 years of age of older.

Grand Jury service gives citizens a special and unique opportunity to contribute to the efficiency of local government. The time commitment is significant – 20-25 hours per week. The Court is seeking volunteers willing to make the commitment for the one-year term, which runs from June 26, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

Persons interested in applying may contact Gloria Alicia Chacon at the Office of the Civil Grand Jury at (408) 882-2722, or visit the website at www.sccsuperiorcourt.org/jury/gj.html to obtain an application online.

Application deadline is Wednesday, Mar. 5, 2008.

VTA names Guevara Employee of the Month

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is proud to announce Olga Perez, Jasbir Bains and Gilbert Guevara as Employees of the Month for February. Stan Heffner is also being named as Supervisor of the Quarter for the first quarter of this year.

Gilbert Guevara, facility maintenance worker at Guadalupe Division, is VTA’s Maintenance Employee of the Month and has been with the agency since 2001. In his current assignment as a Facility Maintenance Worker, Guevara performs building maintenance and landscaping. He takes great pride in his work as well as his surroundings. For example, Guevara took the initiative to clear away debris and weeds so that the VTA sign could be clearly seen when the entrance to the Guadalupe facility needed attention. The Evergreen resident is considered a well-respected employee who demonstrates initiative and an excellent work ethic.

Olga Perez, Office Specialist II in the Warranty and Quality Assurance Department at River Oaks, is VTA’s Administration Award Winner. Perez has over 24 years of service with VTA and is known by her co-workers for providing an exceptional level of service to her internal and external customers.

Jasbir Bains, North Division Coach Operator, is VTA’s Operations Award Winner. Throughout his seven-plus years at VTA, Bains consistently meets the high performance standards of his job and has received positive customer comments for his kindness, patience and willingness to go out of his way to help passengers.

California Highway Patrol wants you

Seniors who would like to volunteer with the CHP now have that opportunity.

The CHP San Jose Area office is recruiting people 55 years or older who can contribute a minimum of four hours a week. The volunteer’s duties will depend on work experience, expertise and interest.

Volunteers might ride along with an officer, help deploy the radar trailer, help with clerical duties, assist with public affairs events and teach driving.

The newest program, “Older Driver,” will start in March, where the senior volunteers will instruct older drivers in safe procedures.

Volunteers must be able to pass a background check, have a good driving record and complete an in-house training academy. Volunteers may contact Officer D.J. Sarabia at 408-467-5400 for an application. Ask for Senior Volunteer Bob Giusto if you have specific questions.

County Mortgage Credit Certificates Program receives funding

California has approved an allocation of $12,000,000 to the County of Santa Clara to provide Mortgage Credit Certificates (MCC) to qualified first-time home buyers. The County of Santa Clara Office of Affordable Housing has started to accept Mortgage Credit Certificate applications. The address of the Office of Affordable Housing is 2310 North First Street, Suite 100, San Jose, California 95131.

“Housing is one of the biggest issues facing working families in Santa Clara County,” said Supervisor Pete McHugh, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Through the Mortgage Credit Certificate Program, residents can increase their buying power by reducing the amount of federal taxes taken out of their wages.”

If a person was borrowing $400,000 and the interest rate was 6 percent, he/she will be paying $24,000 in interest. Take the interest and multiply by 15 percent, his/her savings under the Mortgage Credit will be $3,600 dollars a year.

“The applicants will go through the normal process of choosing a realtor and finding a property,” said Marjorie Matthews, Director of the County’s Office of Affordable Housing. “Once they find a property, they should arrange financing with one of the County’s participating lenders.”

The lender will determine if the applicant is eligible, based on the applicant’s income, purchase price, prior home ownership, location of property to be purchased, and potential tax liability. If applicants meet the County MCC guidelines, the lender will fill out the MCC application forms for the applicants, and send them to the County.

House Purchase Price Limits
New homes: $630,000
Existing units: $570,000

Income Limits for Applicants
1 or 2 person household: $94,500
3 or more person household: $108,675

*Target Area in downtown San Jose has different limits.

The applicants are also required to keep the same home and the original first mortgage and continue to live in the property as the primary residence. Once the property is no longer the primary residence, the applicants can no longer take the tax credit. If the applicants refinance their first loan, they will need to reapply to the County to get a reissued MCC, also known as a RMCC. For more information, applicants can call the Office of Affordable Housing at (408)441-4323.

Background
The Mortgage Credit Certificate Program (MCC), authorized by Congress in 1984, provides financial assistance to first-time homebuyers. The Santa Clara County MCC tax credit reduces the federal income taxes of qualified Borrowers purchasing qualified homes, thus having the effect of a mortgage subsidy. The current tax credit rate is up to 15 percent. The MCC will reduce the amount of federal income taxes that the Borrower pays; however, the mortgage tax credit cannot be claimed as a refund. MCC Borrowers may consider adjusting their federal income tax withholdings so as to benefit on a monthly basis from the MCC.

Army Pfc. DiBenedetto completes basic combat training

Army Pfc. Michael D. DiBenedetto has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map-reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first-aid, foot marches and field training exercises.

He is the son of David DiBenedetto of Aurora Lane, Los Gatos, Calif., and Lucille DiBenedetto of Knights Estates, San Jose, Calif.

The private is a 1996 graduate of Silver Creek High School, San Jose.