Garamendi's town a step back in time

There is the waitress at Alma's Cafe who saw it from a house boat and had to stay; the former police officer who patrolled the town and now oversees the 82-year-old Walnut Grove Buddhist Church; the parents who overcame language barriers to rescue the elementary school from threats of closure; the San Francisco transplants restoring the traditional Japanese baths; and U.S. Rep. John Garamendi, who moved here while serving as an assemblyman in 1977.