The Almanac January 6, 2016 by The Almanac

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Established 1965

Serving Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, and Woodside for over 50 years

Pinewood is an independent, coeducational, non-proﬁt, K–12 college-prep school. Students beneﬁt from small class size,

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challenging academic curricula, and a wide choice of

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enrichment activities. We offer an environment where

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each student is a respected and vital member of our educational community. We invite you to explore the

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tradition of academic excellence. For more information, please

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Another month of savings, another chance to win. Thank you, Bear Gulch customers, for reducing your water use by 42.4% in November compared with November 2013, and by 35.3% since June. Please, keep up the good work so we can continue to meet the Statemandated water usage reduction of 36% every month through February 2016. As the seasons change and the need to water outdoors eases, saving water indoors becomes even more important. California Water Service (Cal Water) has multiple tools, programs, and rebates to help you save. To learn more about these programs and keep up with the latest drought news, visit calwater.com. And, Cal Water is offering an additional incentive: From the December through February bill cycle, we will give $50 gift cards to 25 lucky customers in the district each month whose names will be drawn from those customers who stayed at or below their water budget. To learn more, visit calwater.com/reward.

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Q Submit Obituaries: www.almanacnews.com/obituaries The Almanac (ISSN 1097-3095 and USPS 459370) is published every Wednesday by Embarcadero Media, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025-6558. Periodicals Postage Paid at Menlo Park, CA and at additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for San Mateo County, The Almanac is delivered free to homes in Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Almanac, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025-6558. Copyright ©2016 by Embarcadero Media, All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Almanac is qualified by decree of the Superior Court of San Mateo County to publish public notices of a governmental and legal nature, as stated in Decree No. 147530, issued October 20, 1969. Subscriptions are $60 for one year and $100 for two years. Go to AlmanacNews.com/ circulation.

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Former Menlo Park mayor Andy Cohen dies By Barbara Wood Almanac Staff Writer

wo things Andy Cohen was passionate about, says his ex-wife and good friend Susan Montana, were politics and his daughter, Rachel. Mr. Cohen, 75, a former Menlo Park mayor and twoterm council member, was found dead in his Menlo Park home Tuesday, Dec. 29, after police and firefighters received a call for assistance. The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office reported that Mr. Cohen died of natural causes. Susan Montana says the family believes Mr. Cohen died peacefully in his sleep. Rachel Montana was technically Mr. Cohen’s step-daughter, but she says she thought of him as her father. From the age of 4, even after he and her mother split up, Rachel Montana was jointly raised by Mr. Cohen and Susan Montana. “He was consistently dedicated and responsible and just adored her,” Susan Montana says. “We decided long ago that we’re a family and owed nobody an explanation” of just exactly how they were all related, she says. In fact, Susan Montana says,

Rachel displays many of Mr. Cohen’s personality traits, including a “similar twisted sense of humor.” Rachel Montana remembers cross-country skiing and roller blading with her father when both were younger and, more recently, theater and restaurant outings, walks and watching movies with him. The two had dinner together the night before he died. Mr. Cohen also loved his mixed-breed dog Sheila, although she was not the world ’s best-behaved dog, Rachel Montana says. Sheila’s and Mr. Cohen’s two cats are now with the Montanas, she said. When services are scheduled they will be announced in the Almanac. It was not only Mr. Cohen’s family or even his political allies who found him to genuinely care about others. Mr. Cohen “was just a bighearted guy,” said Mayor Rich Cline, who served on the City Council with Mr. Cohen for six years. “He cared about everybody,” he said. “He genuinely struggled with the big issues,” such as development, the downtown-El Camino Real specific plan, and anything that might

Photo courtesy Rachel Montana

Andy Cohen loved the outdoors and walking. He was enjoying both when this photograph was taken during an excursion to Moss Landing.

increase traffic, he said. Mr. Cohen especially cared about the lower-income residents of Menlo Park, Mr. Cline said, and “he did a lot to

School district ponders parcel tax increase By Barbara Wood Almanac Staff Writer

Almanac Staff Writer

Graphic courtesy Menlo Park City School District

This chart shows the actual and projected enrollment in the Menlo Park City School District. The district has exceeded growth projections made in 2009 and new projections made this year show enrollment continuing to increase through 2035.

the annual parcel tax total about $1,053 per property. At a Dec. 15 meeting, the district’s governing board heard from Ruth Bernstein, a senior principal at EMC Research, who had held

two small focus groups about the parcel tax the previous evening. “Really what we found is great news,” she said. The focus group See PARCEL, page 8

the residential slow-growth community” when he served on the council. See ANDY COHEN, page 6

Good news (kind of) for Willow Road drivers By Kate Bradshaw

ith a chunk of the parcel tax received by the Menlo Park City School District due to disappear at the end of June 2017, the district’s governing board is moving toward holding an election as soon as this May, and may ask voters to approve increasing the tax by about $350 a year. Property owners in the district now pay four separate parcel taxes — three that are permanent plus the one that will expire in 18 months. All four of the taxes can increase each year by the amount of the Bay Area Consumer Price Index. The total for all four parcel taxes, which appear as one on tax bills, is $851.60 for the 2015-16 tax year. The portion of the parcel tax due to expire is currently $201.38. The district is considering upping that to $550, which would make

keep people in their homes in Belle Haven.” Mayor Cline said his former council colleague “was probably the strongest voice for

f you’re like many local drivers, the words “Willow Road” may conjure flashbacks of time spent in powerless gridlock trying to get on and off U.S. 101. If you’re anything like this reporter, you might even have forehead bruises from periodically banging your head against the steering wheel in frustration. You’ve probably asked, Can’t somebody — anybody — do something about this? The four-part answer to this question: Q Yes, there is a plan to address traffic problems relating to the Willow Road-101 interchange. Q Unfortunately, the plan is estimated to cost $64.4 million, with little funding promised from state and federal sources.

Q Fortunately, the San Mateo County Transportation Authority recently committed $56.4 million, or about 88 percent, to fund this project. Q Unfortunately, the project is still $8 million short.

The plan

The Willow-101 interchange was built 60 years ago, and can no longer “serve the volume of traffic that moves through this interchange,” said Tasha Bartholomew, spokesperson for the county transportation authority. The plan, she said, would convert the current interchange from a full to partial cloverleaf pattern, designed to help eliminate cars weaving through traffic. According to Joel Slavit, programming manager for the transSee WILLOW ROAD, page 8

January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 5

N E W S ANDY COHEN

Community Health Education Programs For a complete list of classes, lectures and support groups, or to register, visit pamf.org/healtheducation

January and February 2016 All our lectures and events are free and open to the public.

HPV: What Parents Should Know Jan. 12, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Join Lejla Delic, M.D., and Natasha Curry, N.P. to learn about cervical cancer and other health risks associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infections and how vaccination can keep your child healthy. Palo Alto Center 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto • 650-853-4873

Long-Term Care: Understanding Medi-Cal Eligibility and Recovery Jan. 20, 7 to 8:30 p.m. What do you need to know about long-term care care coverage through Medi-Cal? Pauline Mosher, program manager for California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform will discuss Medi-Cal eligibility, coverage, limitations and recovery. Mountain View Center 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View • 650-934-7380

How to Successfully Manage Congestive Heart Failure Feb. 9, 7 to 8:30 p.m. What is congestive heart failure? What are the causes? And how can it be treated? PAMF cardiologist Jared J. Herr, M.D. explains how to manage congestive heart failure successfully. Palo Alto Center 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto • 650-853-4873

Breast Cancer Screening Update Feb. 24, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Denise Ching, M.D., will discuss the new screening guidelines and provide an update on the newest technology available for breast cancer detection. San Carlos Center 301 Industrial Road, San Carlos • 650-853-4873

she said. “He probably did as much outreach as anybody I’ve seen,” she said. “He truly “He always wanted to do believed in open government right for everybody,” Mayor and transparency.” Mr. Cohen was “a highly Cline said. Although the two were educated, brilliant man ... he sometimes on the opposite was just unique,” Ms. Fry said. Mr. Cohen had his own law sides of issues, “I did genuinely like Andy a lot,” Mayor offices in Palo Alto and Menlo Park between 1974 and 1989, Cline said. Mr. Cohen served on the and taught law at Lincoln Law Menlo Park City Council from School in San Jose, San Mateo 2004 to 2012, when he chose Law School, and Magna Carta not to run for re-election. He Law School. He served for a short time as was a former judge who served on the California Workers’ the executive director of the Commu nit y CompensaL ega l S ertion Appeals ‘He was his own vices in East Board from Palo Alto, and 1989 to 1994 thinker. ... He truly volu nteered and was the believed in open for the Sierpresiding ra Club and judge on the government and Habitat for board from transparency.’ Humanity. 1994 to 2003. Mr. Cohen He had a law MENLO PARK RESIDENT PATTI FRY was also a degree from Stanford University and a painter who in 2009 had a bachelor’s degree in econom- show of 25 years of his landscapes and local scenes at ics from Dartmouth College. Longtime friend Morris Little House in Menlo Park. Mr. Cohen also served in the Brown said he and his wife, Denise, had just had dinner U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1965. While on the council Mr. with Mr. Cohen on Dec. 27. “He was in good spirits and Cohen put together three seemed fine,” Mr. Brown said, panels of community leaders adding that Mr. Cohen had on homelessness and postrecently started exercising traumatic stress disorder, youth violence and coopevery day. Mr. Cohen “was always eration between schools and fighting for the underdog,” municipal governments. He ran for a seat on the Mr. Brown said. He did legal work for nonprofits and had San Mateo County Board been volunteering at the Vet- of Supervisors in 2012, but erans Affairs facility in Menlo received only 5 percent of the Park. “That was just his vote. Menlo Park Fire Protection nature,” he said. He said Mr. Cohen was intel- District Chief Harold Schapellectually curious and “liked houman said Mr. Cohen “certo keep up on world events, tainly was a colorful character especially history. He loved to on the public stage.” With do crossword puzzles. He was issues the two worked togetha crossword fanatic actually,” er on, Mr. Schapelhouman said, Mr. Cohen “had a way Mr. Brown said. Menlo Park resident and of cutting to the quick, rather former planning commis- than the double-talk you get sioner Patti Fry said she met sometimes from politicians. “He didn’t always tell you Mr. Cohen soon after he jumped into the council elec- what you wanted to hear but I tion in Menlo Park in 2004 respected the fact that he gave at the last minute. “He was a it to you straight, shooting really unique guy,” she said. from the hip, so to speak, and “He was a true advocate for he seemed to have a way of the little guy. He believed in talking on behalf of the avertransparency. He was always age person.” In addition to Susan and reaching out to people in the Rachel Montana, Mr. Cohen is community of every stripe.” Mr. Cohen’s votes and stands survived by his brother and on issues did not follow any sister-in-law, John and Julie political agenda, Ms. Fry said. Cohen of Cincinnati, Ohio, “He was his own thinker,” and two nephews. A continued from page 5

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N E W S

Accident victim â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;lifted up the lives of so manyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Woodside school district planning for new parcel tax By Barbara Wood Almanac Staff Writer

ith the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current parcel tax set to expire in mid-2017, the board of the Woodside Elementary School District is trying to decide if it wants to put a new parcel tax on the ballot in June or November of this year. On Dec. 16 the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governing board heard from a political consultant and a pollster who would help craft the tax measure. The current tax, which expires at the end of June 2017, is $281.52. Those 65 and older may apply for a tax exemption. The board has yet to decide how much a new tax would be, or how long it would last. It also must decide when to put the measure on the ballot. While board members questioned hiring Clifford Moss, a political strategy and communications firm, at $5,500 per month, some balked at the $20,000-plus bid from pollster Godbe Research. Even if the polling shows voters not supporting a new tax, said board member Silvia Edwards, â&#x20AC;&#x153;weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still going to put it on the ballot because we need the money.â&#x20AC;?

While taxpayer funds can pay for consultants before the measure is approved, once the board puts it on the ballot, private money must pay for campaigning. The proposal from Tom Clifford of Clifford Moss hinted at the fact that the district recently lost a bid to fire a tenured teacher that could cost it more than $350,000. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Woodside Elementary School District has a great story to tell,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Cliffordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal says, going on to mention bond measures passed in May 2009 and June 2014. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like many districts, however, Woodside has had some bumps in the road that may (or may not) come up in the course of a parcel tax renewal effort â&#x20AC;&#x201D; so careful planning is both merited and necessary,â&#x20AC;? he concluded. Board member Marc Tarpenning raised the issue of the not-very-distant bond election. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure people will say we just passed a bond, and now they want more money,â&#x20AC;? he said. He suggested emphasizing the exemption for residents who are over 65. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That I think is the key to this,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change the fact that we just raised money.â&#x20AC;? The board did not take a formal vote A .

By Dave Boyce Almanac Staff Writer

memorial service for Charles Derwin is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, at the Town Center Community Hall at 765 Portola Road in Portola Valley. Charles Theophilus Derwin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Charlie to those who knew him â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was in his final year of studies at the University of San Francisco and working toward a career of teaching in middle school at the time of his death, his mother Maryann Moise Derwin said. Hip hop â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both writing and performing â&#x20AC;&#x201D; was one of Mr. Derwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s avocations, as was basketball as a player and as a coach, said Ms. Derwin, the recently elected mayor of Portola Valley. Mr. Derwin, 23, was killed in a solo car crash on Portola Road early Sunday morning, Dec. 27. Charlie Derwin â&#x20AC;&#x153;was generous to a fault and devoted to social justice,â&#x20AC;? his mother said in an email. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had a unique wit, he was thoughtful, kind, sensitive, a deep philosophical thinker and beloved by his friends.â&#x20AC;? Responding to the escalating cost of living in San Francisco, for example, Mr. Derwin asked his mother about buying a house in the city and renting it at prices affordable to working-class people. He had given $1,000 to a friend going to jail whose mother couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay her rent, Ms. Derwin said, and another $1,000 to a friend wanting to start a

business. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He gave away all this money (and mine) to friends in need,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A week before he died, he asked me to donate to a charity that provides musical instruments to children at risk.â&#x20AC;? Mr. Derwin attended Portola Valley schools â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Ormondale Elementary and Corte Madera Photo courtesy of Middle School Derwin family â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and gradu- Charles Derwin ated from high school at Stansbury Academy in Magna, Utah, his mother said. His friends described him as genuine, and someone who had a profound influence on their lives, she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Charlie is a one-of-a-kind human being,â&#x20AC;? said his friend Sahil Khanna in a letter to Ms. Derwin, which she quoted from in her email to the Almanac. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Frankly heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the most interesting person I ever encountered in my life. ... Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s such a rare individual and I will forever cherish the amazing times that I had with him and the impact that he had on the person I am today.â&#x20AC;? Comfort from Mr. Derwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friends, relatives and the local community â&#x20AC;&#x153;has helped to blunt the pain and reminded me of the innate goodness of people,â&#x20AC;? Ms. Derwin said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have also seen Charlie through the eyes of his friends and heard story after story of the amazing impact he has had

on their lives. So while I know the hole in my heart will never quite heal, I take solace in the knowledge that in his short 23 years, he lifted up the lives of so many.â&#x20AC;? The accident

After receiving a 911 call at about 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 27 from a resident who reported hearing a collision, firefighters arrived minutes later to find a vehicle engulfed in flames and sitting in the middle of the road in the vicinity of 884 Portola Road, Battalion Chief Kevin Butler said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire but were unable to save the driver, who had succumbed to injuries from the accident,â&#x20AC;? Fire Marshal Denise Enea said in statement. Medics pronounced Mr. Derwin dead at the scene, Mr. Butler said. He was the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only occupant. A team from the San Mateo County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office is investigating the accident. Investigators described the accident as a high-impact collision involving a tree and a road sign, resulting in severe damage to the front end of the car, Ms. Enea said. Family

Mr. Derwin is survived by his mother; his father, Douglas Derwin of San Francisco; his brother, Will Derwin of Washington, D.C.; his uncles, Dan Derwin of San Francisco and George Vanderhoof of Sacramento; his aunt, Nanno Geller of Sacramento; and many cousins. A

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N E W S

Eight households win PV habitat award By Dave Boyce Almanac Staff Writer

n the Portola Valley property of Geoff Nuttall and Livia Sohn, milkweed now grows and larvae of the Monarch butterfly feed in the general vicinity of what were once a lawn, a swimming pool, a garage, a driveway and a cottage. Chickadees nest there. Bees have set up colonies of larvae. Pest management is left to the plants and animals, while irrigation is done by hand. That description was provided in writing by the town’s Conservation Committee, along with equally complimentary descriptions of the properties of seven other Portola Valley households. All are winners of the 2015 Backyard Habitat award. The other are: Alex and Randy von Feldt, David Prince, Bev and Peter Lipman, Meredith Rothrock, PARCEL continued from page 5

participants “really like this community. They value this community and they value the schools,” she said. The voters she talked to “know change is happening” in Menlo Park and “they understand that the responsibility of the schools is to accommodate that.” Ms. Bernstein said “the vast majority of people we talked to last night were in support” of a $550 parcel tax that would have an exemption for seniors. “They recognize the schools are great,” she said. “They were very, very positive.” The people in the focus group value the schools’ “excellent WILLOW ROAD continued from page 5

portation authority, the new shape of the interchange will reduce the four loops to two. The design eliminates loops on which cars, over a relatively short distance, merge onto 101 and exit onto Willow Road. Those loops cause traffic to slow and create a bottleneck. The project will replace the existing roadway where Willow Road passes over U.S. 101. The current roadway has two lanes in each direction, with an added exit lane to access the interchange. The new roadway will have four traffic lanes in each direction, Mr. Slavit said, with carpool bypass lanes at the north and south loop onramps. Alternative transportation will be encouraged, too: a bike lane, cycle track (a separated, protected bikeway) and sidewalk will be installed in each direction

Sue and Gene Chaput, Allyson Illich, and Mark Deem and Laura Maren. The winners receive a 3-footlong, 4-inch-wide rusted steel plaque engraved with the name of the program and topped by a silhouette of an oak tree. The plaque can be tacked to a fence post indicating to passersby the presence of a welcoming habitat for native creatures. The Conservation Committee has a backlog of households wanting to apply for the award, but who are waiting for rain to reinvigorate their land, committee member Marge DeStaebler said. “All of these recipients are preserving a gift for the future generations of Portola Valley, open space, which will be enjoyed also by insects, butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals that can live and flourish here,” she said. Mr. Prince removed his lawn,

let native grasses grow and cut invasive grasses before they could seed, Ms. DeStaebler said. Foxes, rabbits, bobcats and coyotes enjoy the area near the seasonal creek, she said. The Lipmans removed some 75 Monterey pines, as well as other invasive trees, ground cover and lawn, she said. Ms. Rothrock got rid of at least

one huge eucalyptus and other non-natives and replaced them with California natives, Ms. DeStaebler said. Ms. Ilich replaced a screen of junipers and other invasive plants with Manzanitas, Toyon, Lemonade Berry and native shrubs and grasses, Ms. DeStaebler said. “Natural backyard habitats benefit the community as a whole,

increasing soil permeability, reducing flood potential, increasing ground water resources, and reducing danger from erosion, landslide and fire,” the program’s brochure says. “These sanctuaries protect our wildlife and bring untold pleasure to the residents of this beautiful community.” Go to tinyurl.com/fea0ew for information. A

teachers” and “have a lot of trust” in the district, she said. What they are looking for, she said, “is maintaining quality education.” Ms. Bernstein said that the focus group participants also preferred to hear about what the money would be spent on rather than a complex explanation of how growing enrollment and declining outside financial support is affecting the district’s bottom line. “Educational outcomes and quality teachers (are) what they are interested in,” she said. Before a measure goes on the ballot, the district must decide not only how much money it will ask for, but whether the proposed parcel tax will expire, and, if it does,

how many years it would last. “We want to be able to keep offering the programs and the services,” said board member Terry Thygesen. A presentation by the district’s chief business and operations officer, Ahmad Sheikholeslami, made the district’s case for its need for higher revenue. The district, like the Las Lomitas, Woodside and Portola Valley districts, is funded almost entirely from local sources including property taxes, parcel taxes and donations. Such schools used to be called “basic aid” districts but are now labeled “community funded.” Community funded districts do not get more money when they get

more students. In the Menlo Park district, enrollment has grown 38 percent since 2005, when it had 2,133 students. This year the district has 2,940 students. A consultant recently projected that the district will have 3,151 students in 2020 and 3,280 in 2025. According to the presentation, the district gets only 8 percent of its budget from state and federal funding, 9 percent from donations and 16 percent from the parcel tax. Most of the rest comes from property taxes. Statistics from the California Department of Education show that the Menlo Park district spends less per student than many other local districts includ-

ing Woodside, Portola Valley, Las Lomitas and Palo Alto Unified. “We’re doing a lot with a lot less per student,” said Ms. Thygesen. Mr. Sheikholeslami said the district might go into the red if it does not get more funding. “Based on the enrollment projections, we cannot maintain the programs and staff,” he said. The board must take action by Feb. 2 to put a parcel tax on the May 3 ballot. The tax will need a two-thirds vote to pass. Former board member Scott Hinshaw said he is willing to work on the parcel tax campaign but would need additional help. The current board cannot campaign for the measure. A

ballot measure to fund transportation projects. A study on the project was completed the following year, but it was never given final approval. In May 2013, the Menlo Park City Council approved the project’s design. Though the interchange is in Menlo Park, it is under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. Ms. Bartholomew said Caltrans has financial responsibility for the state highway system, including Willow Road, but federal and state funding can be hard to come by, so local agencies often must use their own funds. To speed the local fundraising process, Menlo Park became the sponsor of the project in June 2015. Since then, the city has taken a more active role in pushing the project along, including gathering aerial imagery of traffic congestion on Willow Road and, recently, persuading the county transporta-

tion authority to commit $56.4 million. City officials hope the $8 million still needed might come from a California Transportation Commission’s fund known as STIP, for State Transportation Improvement Program. The goal is to persuade the commission to move up by a year funds slotted for the 2017-18 fiscal year. STIP funded earlier phases of the project, including the environmental review and design process, Ms. Bartholomew said. Whether STIP acts to fill the gap is expected to be decided this March. If that funding comes through, the project could start as soon as this summer. If not, the project will be further delayed. Meanwhile, for Menlo Park commuters, the best investment may be a padded steering wheel cover to double as a face cushion. A

on Willow Road. To further streamline the interchange, the current off-ramps, which are diagonal, will be realigned and widened to meet Willow Road at a 90-degree angle to create a new intersection. Traffic signals and crosswalks will be installed at the new intersection. On-ramps will have ramp meters (stop-and-go signals to regulate the frequency of vehicles entering the freeway). Finally, frontage roads will be realigned, sound walls reconstructed, and retaining walls built along offramps. The changes are expected to reduce collisions and traffic queuing on U.S. 101 and Willow Road. Once funding is secured, Ms. Bartholomew said, the construction process is expected to take two years. During that time, construction could temporarily increase traffic congestion. Cal-

8 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

Photo by Donald Eckstrom

Portola Valley’s Conservation Committee named the yard of Geoff Nuttall and Livia Sohn and seven other yards in town as winners of the 2015 Backyard Habitat award to recognize efforts to provide a welcome to native plants and animals.

Rebuilding Willow Road-U.S. 101 interchange is intended to improve traffic flow. trans, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto are working together on a plan to minimize that impact, perhaps by doing construction work during non-peak travel hours, weekends or nights, creating traffic detours, and giving advance notice of ramp closures. Funding gap

The project has been in the works for years, but finding funding has been an ongoing challenge. Funding to rebuild the interchange was approved by San Mateo County voters in 1988 as part of the Measure A sales tax

N E W S

of the case was wiped. “The only directly relevant evidence was the information t’s been a little more than on the phone,” the appeals four years since Chuck court ruling says. “As the Bernstein discovered a cell trial court found, it would phone behind some bushes be patently unjust to require in his Menlo Park front yard, defendants to continue to lying near a campaign sign for defend an action” after WoodVirginia Chang Kiraly, a candi- ell’s “willful destruction” of date for a seat on the local fire the cellphone’s contents. “Destruction of evidence district board. undermines The mystery two important of how that goals of the cell phone got ‘Destruction of system there and who evidence undermines legal — truth and moved t he two important goals fairness,” the sign may never be solved. But of the legal system — appeals court ruling said. the long-runtruth and fairness.’ When conning legal saga tacted by the that followed FROM THE APPEALS COURT RULING Almanac, Mr. the discovery of the cell phone, which turned Woodell declined to comment out to belong to John Woodell, for the record. According to the appeals a neighbor and the husband of Menlo Park City Coun- court ruling, the saga began on cil member Kirsten Keith, Oct. 17, 2011, when Mr. Bernappears, finally, to have come stein returned from a trip and found the campaign sign and to an end. A Dec. 30 state appeals a black Samsung cell phone court ruling affirmed a low- behind a juniper bush in his er court’s dismissal of Mr. yard. Mr. Bernstein emailed Woodell’s defamation and Ms. Chang Kiraly after noticconspiracy lawsuit against ing “Woodell” in messages on Ms. Chang Kiraly and Mr. the phone. They turned the phone over Bernstein after the memory of the cellphone at the center to the Menlo Park Police

By Barbara Wood Almanac Staff Writer

Department, which soon ruled that no crime had occurred because the sign was not stolen or damaged. Police returned the phone to Mr. Woodell. At the time, the Almanac noted that Mr. Woodell said he was not opposed to Ms. Chang Kiraly’s candidacy and that he would never tamper with a campaign sign. The matter did not end with the return of the phone. In November and December, Mr. Woodell asked the police department and the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office to look into the matter, claiming that “he was concerned another individual had found his phone and given it to Bernstein ‘for nefarious purposes,’” the appeals court ruling says. No charges were filed, and in October 2012 Mr. Woodell sued Ms. Chang Kiraly and Mr. Bernstein, who was elected to the fire board himself in November 2013, for defamation and conspiracy because they had said that he had dropped his phone while moving the sign. As the legal process ground on, it was revealed by Mr. See WOODELL, page 13

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Firefighters to get stipend to live near main Menlo Park fire station By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

here’s new incentive for employees of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District to stay near the action. According to the fire district’s new salary agreements, firefighters and other fire district employees will receive a monthly stipend if they live within a certain distance of the Menlo Park fire station at 170 Middlefield Road. The new plan offers four tiers of a monthly stipend to support employees seeking to live closer to their workplace. Support staff of the AFSCME Union and confidential employees are eligible for $100 per month and up to $250 by 2018 for living within 30 miles of the district. Fifty-three of the district’s 75 firefighters, engineers and captains belonging to the IAFF union are eligible for $200 per month and up to $300 by 2018 for living within 60 miles of the district. Chief officers on 56-hour shifts and 40-hour work schedules who live within 30 miles of the Middlefield Road station will earn an

extra $600 per month. Chief officers on the 40-hour work schedule who live within 20 miles of the district are eligible for $800 per month, and those within 10 miles can earn an extra $1,000 per month. Firefighters are often scheduled to be on duty for 56 consecutive hours, and then take four days off. On that schedule, firefighters can live longer distances away in cheaper locales than they could if they had a daily commute to and from the fire station. According to Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman, “Rents and home prices are at an all-time high and traffic into and out of the region is ridiculous.” Some firefighters who live far away sometimes drive to the station the night before their shift, he said, occupying the few beds designated for on-shift staff. Otherwise, they would have to arrive very early in the morning for their shifts. In addition, he said, frequent evening meetings with various city councils and municipal agencies take a toll on employees who have farther to com-

mute after a long day. One way the fire district has coped with rising housing costs and the need to have employees nearby has been by purchasing and maintaining a house next to the Oak Grove Avenue station, on Hoover Street, where chief officers can spend the bulk of their weeks. However, that solution seemed impractical for all of the fire district’s 110 employees. The stipend, he said, is similar to that of other corporations, such as Facebook, which, it was recently reported by Reuters, has as part of its employee benefits program a relocation stipend for living within 10 miles of the campus. “It’s not a novelty idea,” he said. In short, Mr. Schapelhouman said, “We are fortunate enough to live in an area with a robust economy, but as first responders and as a dynamic public safety organization that must quickly deal with emergencies and community and employee needs we need to try a keep all of our people close by — just in case.” A

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Teens say eastern Menlo Park is food desert By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

eighborhoods in eastern Menlo Park and East Palo Alto are a “food desert” — a region where residents lack access to affordable, nutritious food. That’s the message delivered to the Menlo Park City Council on Dec. 15 by seven teens with the Keystone club, a program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula that promotes academic work, career preparation and community service. The students showed slides of bruised, rotting and overpriced produce that represented their nearest sources of “fresh” food. “Are these the quality of foods that you see when you go to Safeway?” one student asked. “Definitely not,” another said. “We do not have the same access to quality nutrition.” Another pointed out that within a two-mile radius in eastern Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, there are four fast food restaurants, eight small corner markets with limited produce offerings, and no national chain grocery stores. That’s compared with six grocery stores accessible within a

Photo by Desiree Caliguiran

Seven students were recognized following a presentation they gave to the Menlo Park City Council about the lack of access to nutritional food in eastern Menlo Park and East Palo Alto.

two-mile radius in Palo Alto. That lack of access to healthful food impacts public health, they said. Another student said that areas served by the Ravenswood Family Health Center, which include eastern Menlo Park and

East Palo Alto, have nearly twice the rates of hypertension than the California average. They suggested several solutions: ask the council to help persuade Safeway to place a store in their neighborhood;

Because Living at Home is the Best Way to Live

work with a food company called Thrive Market, which allows people to order organic food online at wholesale prices; and create a farm-to-school program. Councilman Ray Mueller said

he worked with the student group each week for three months to prepare for the presentation. At the conclusion of their remarks, participating students received certificates of recognition from the city. A

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Peter Ohtaki to run for state Assembly By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

enlo Park Councilman Peter Ohtaki said he plans to run in 2016 for the District 24 California Assembly seat now held by Rich Gordon. So far, he is one of five announced candidates, and the only Republican. Other candidates are Mike Kasperzak, a 14-year Mountain View councilman; Marc Berman, development director at the Silicon Valley Education Foundation and a Palo Alto councilman; Vicki Veenker, an intellectual property attorney and president of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley; and Barry Chang, a Cupertino councilman. District 24 covers a large area including Menlo Park, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley. Elected to the City Council in 2010, Mr. Ohtaki said he is running for the state office because he favors local control over state control, wants to promote entrepreneur- and tech-friendly state policies, and is an advocate for fiscal responsibility. Local control

Mr. Ohtaki said in an interview that during his time on the Menlo

Park City Council, he has become wary of top-down, unfunded mandates from the state. An example he cited is the mandate to update the city’s “housing element” in the general plan. He said Menlo Park would have undergone that Peter Ohtaki process anyway during the general plan update, but instead spent a year figuring out how to rezone the city to accommodate an extra 1,500 housing units in Menlo Park. That rezoning process, he said, didn’t incorporate other components of planning that are crucial to support new housing, including transportation and schools. Tech-friendly

Mr. Ohtaki said he would bring a pro-tech approach to Sacramento. He opposes taxing businesses of the “sharing economy,” such as Airbnb and Uber, claiming startups need to reach a certain “maturity” point first. The state doesn’t quite understand or fully utilize Silicon Valley and the tech industry, he said. An example he cited is the state’s Employment Development Department, which

he said provides resources to job seekers but does not teach them how to use LinkedIn. He said his experience working as a chief financial officer of a tech startup called NetTV gave him firsthand experience with the challenges of building a startup. State budget

Mr. Ohtaki said he would aim to create a sustainable state budget by using surpluses to fund infrastructure and pay down unfunded pension liability. Surpluses that are a result of one-time revenue boosts, such as capital gains taxes on tech IPOs, should not be spent on ongoing state programs, he said. Paying down unfunded pension liabilities, he said, saved Menlo Park taxpayers $3.4 million in interest expenses. Across California, he said, doing the same could save about $60 billion. Mr. Ohtaki holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard University and an MBA in finance from Stanford University. He grew up in Menlo Park, where he attended La Entrada Middle School and Woodside High School. He served as the city’s mayor in 2013, and was re-elected to a fouryear term in 2014. A

The ﬁrst step in planning your weekend starts here

‘Teen Manga Night’ this Friday at the library Teens who are fans of manga and anime, or who want to learn more about those art forms, can pick up some tips and techniques on Friday, Jan. 8, when professional artist and animator Carlos Nieto III comes to the Menlo Park Library. The free program is set for 6 to 8 p.m., with snacks and supplies provided by the library. Mr. Nieto has worked as a layout artist on the television shows “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill.” He has served as a visual consultant for Disney and Universal, cre-

Q P OLI C E C A LLS This information is based on reports from the Menlo Park Police Department. Under the law, people charged with offenses are considered innocent unless convicted. Police received the reports on the dates shown. MENLO PARK Thefts: Q Thieves got away with 30 reels of thick copper cable meant for industrial applications from the premises of Pentair Thermal

ating sketches and final art for set designs, according to his website. He conducts comic book-making and anime and animation drawing workshops at libraries across the country. The library’s Teen Manga Night is open to teens ages 13 through 18. Registration is required. Those who register will be sent a registration form prior to the event, which will be required to enter the library. To register, go to tinyurl. com/MPLibraryManga08 or call 330-2501.

Management on Constitution Drive. Estimated loss: $180,000. Dec. 28. Q A thief opened a package left at the front door of a house on Sharon Park Drive and stole a pair of boots. Estimated loss: $230. Dec. 30. Prohibited weapon: Police cited a 25-year-old Menlo Park man on suspicion of possession of a prohibited weapon, specifically a switchblade knife. Police noticed the knife attached to the man’s belt and “in plain view” at the time the man was “acting aggressive(ly)” toward a woman driver who had backed into his vehicle in the 1300 block of Sevier Avenue. Police said they confiscated the knife as evidence. Dec. 29.

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Give to The Almanac

Holiday Fund Your gift helps local children and families in need

The organizations below provide major matching grants to the Holiday Fund.

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation www.siliconvalleycf.org Rotary Club of Menlo Park

Ecumenical Hunger Program Provides emergency food, clothing, household essentials, and sometimes financial assistance to families in need, regardless of religious preference, including Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets for more than 2,000 households.

Project Read

ontributions to the Holiday Fund go directly to programs that benefit Peninsula residents. Last year, Almanac readers and foundations contributed $172,000 for the 10 agencies that feed the hungry, house the homeless and provide numerous other services to those in need. Contributions to the Holiday Fund will be matched, to the extent possible, by generous community organizations, foundations and individuals, including the Rotary Club of Menlo Park Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. No administrative costs will be deducted from the gifts, which are tax-deductible as permitted by law. All donations to the Holiday Fund will be shared equally among the 10 recipient agencies listed on this page.

DONATE ONLINE: siliconvalleycf.org/ almanac-holiday-fund

Provides after-school academic support, enrichment, and mentoring for 1,800 low-income K-12 youth at nine locations across Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, and the North Fair Oaks neighborhood of Redwood City.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation The Almanac will make every effort to publish donor names for donations unless the donor checks the anonymous box. All donations will be acknowledged by mail.

Provides free literacy services to adults in the Menlo Park area. Trained volunteers work one-on-one to help adults improve reading, writing and English language skills so they can function more effectively at home, at work and in the community. Basic English classes, weekly conversation clubs and volunteer-led computer enrichment are also offered.

Ravenswood Family Health Center Provides primary medical and preventive health care for all ages at its clinic in East Palo Alto. Of the more than 17,000 registered patients, most are low-income and uninsured and live in the ethnically diverse East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and North Fair Oaks areas.

St. Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Padua Dining Room Serves hundreds of hot meals six days a week to people in need who walk through the doors. Funded entirely by voluntary contributions, St. Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is the largest dining room for the needy between San Francisco and San Jose. It also offers emergency food and clothing assistance.

Second Harvest Food Bank The largest collector and distributor of food on the Peninsula, Second Harvest Food Bank distributed 52 million pounds of food last year. It gathers donations from individuals and businesses and distributes food to more than 250,000 people each month through more than 770 agencies and distribution sites in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.

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Provides shelter/housing and supportive services across 18 sites in Silicon Valley and the Peninsula. Serves thousands of homeless families and individuals annually on their path back to permanent housing and self-sufficiency.

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Please make checks payable to: Silicon Valley Community Foundation Send coupon and check, if applicable, to: The Almanac Holiday Fund c/o Silicon Valley Community Foundation 2440 West El Camino Real, Suite 300 Mountain View, CA 94040 The Almanac Holiday Fund is a donor advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. A contribution to this fund allows your donation to be tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Serves more than 32,000 people throughout San Mateo County, including children, young people, families with counseling, prevention, early intervention, education, and residential programs. StarVista also provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services including a 24-hour suicide crisis hotline, an alcohol and drug helpline, and a parent support hotline.

Fair Oaks Community Center This multi-service facility, serving the broader Redwood City community, provides assistance with child care, senior programs, citizenship and immigration, housing and employment, and crisis intervention. Programs are available in Spanish and English.

Health Connected Serves over 5,000 students and their families each year through comprehensive sexual health education programs. Students learn to have on-going communication with parents and to make informed decisions which will apply to their lives, now and in the future.

C O M M U N I T Y

Thank you for donating to the Holiday Fund Almanac Holiday Fund Donor List As of December 23, 2015, 147 donors have donated $101,670

21 Anonymous ...................... $8,740 David Reneau............................. 150 Walter & Judith Robinson ........... 100 Mark & Karen Weitzel..................... * Kathleen Rice ............................... 50 Jonathan Hahn ............................. 50 Gordon Lewin ................................ * Lewis Miller.................................. 50 Timi & Robert Most .................... 100 Mary Mustain............................. 250 Bill Wohler ................................. 360 Mendelsohn Family .................... 500 Mary Cooper ................................ 50 Del Secco Family...................... 8,000 Harvey & Barbara Slate ................... * Bud Wendell............................... 150 Charles Preuss............................ 300 Joy Venosa ................................. 200 J.W. Sinko................................... 400 Deborah Nusinson ...................... 100 Sue Crane .................................. 200 Cynthia Newton ...................... 3,000 Wendi Haskell ............................ 500 Dianne Ellsworth ........................ 400 Paul Welander .............................. 25 Linda Hall.............................. 10,000 Janet Cook ..................................... * Joan Rubin ..................................... * Mendelsohn Family ................. 1,000 Pegasus Family Foundation ...... 1,000 Martha Norberg ............................. * K.M. Ashford ................................ 75 Margo Sensenbrenner .................... * Eric & MaryAnn Sabelman .............. * George & Sophia Fonti ................... * Barbara & Bill Binder ...................... * Colleen & Geoffrey Tate .................. * Minorca Fund .......................... 1,000 Bruce & Ann Willard ................... 500 Barbara Ann Morgan .................. 200 J & S Stone................................. 100 Donald Coluzzi ............................... * Mary Lemmon ....................... 10,000 Joan Lane ............................... 2,000 Marc & Mary Ann Saunders ............ * Lauren & Julie Mercer ..................... * Bob & Barbara Ellis..................... 500 Jane Land ...................................... * Maryann & John Chwalek ........... 200 Robert Oliver .............................. 500 Anne Moser ................................... * Bill & Nancy Ellsworth .................... * Bill & Melba Rogoway .................... * Margaret Melaney ...................... 200 Joe & Marieanne Cullen ............... 75 Dorothy Saxe.................................. * E.R. Dodd................................... 100 Karen Sortino ............................... 75 Lina Swisher & Daniel Rubin ....... 100 Art & Ruth Barker ........................... * Judy & Les Denend ..................... 500 Mayling Dixon ................................ * Susan Kritzik .............................. 500 Lydia McCool ............................. 200 Harriet Garﬁngkle & Dr. Ron Self ..... * Ken Fenyo .................................. 100 Betty Meissner ........................... 100 Erika L Crowley .............................. * Gordon Chamberlain .................. 500

Paul Welander .............................. 25 Laure Woods ........................... 1,000 Robin Toews................................. 25 Susan Bryan and Frank W. Adams2,075 Mary Kenney and Joe Pasqua.......... * Barbara Berry ............................. 100 Barbara Jacobson ....................... 100 Cynthia Dusel-Bacon .................. 200 Penny & Greg Gallo Family ........ 500 Mrs. Malcolm Dudley .................... 40 James Esposto................................ * George & Marjorie Mader........... 300 Lucy Reid-Krensky ...................... 100 Rose Wright ................................... * Roger Witte & Pat Bredehoft ....... 100 Don Lowry ..................................... * Barbara & Robert Simpson.............. * Robert Lee Mullen ...................... 250 E. B. Tromovitch .......................... 100 Kathleen Elkins & Richard Peterson . * Joe & Julie Zier ........................... 100 Arnold & Sylvia Ambrosini .......... 100 Clay & Nita Judd ............................ * Marjorie Giles ............................ 300 Fred & Kayleen Miller ................. 100 Robin Quist Gates ...................... 250 Novitsky Family .......................... 250 Andrea Julian ............................. 400 Gail & Susan Prickett .................. 400 Judy & Doug Adams ....................... * John & Carmen Quackenbush ..... 100 Kathy & Bob Mueller .................. 100 Carmen Biland ........................... 100 In Memory Of Bill Hewlett & Dave Packard ....... 500 Steve, Stewart & David ................. 30 Bill Land......................................... * Ted Heidinger ............................. 250 Richard & Louise Barbour of Edgewood Lane (1949-2009) ........................ 50 Angelo & Celerina Atilano .............. * Joseph Flores ................................. * Phil Lively ................................... 200 Peter & Marguerite Hurlbut............. * Esther Johnson ............................... * Sally & Bill Russ .............................. * Lynne Fovinci.............................. 100 Hugh D. Kennedy............................ * Annie Strem ................................... * Frank & Celine Halet................... 500 Ira Bonde ....................................... * Vern Varenhorst.......................... 200 Emil Real.................................... 100 Robby Babcock .......................... 100 In Honor Of Paula, Soﬁe, Inge & Paul ................. * David Liggett Family ....................... * Genny Chapman ..................... 1,000 As a Gift Volunteers of Palo Alto Food Closet250 Organizations Menlo Park Fireﬁghters Association500 Woodside Pilates ............................ *

Sharon Dalton Interior designer

Sharon Dalton of Menlo Park, an interior designer for more than 30 years, died, surrounded by family, on Dec. 8 of ovarian cancer. She was 69. Born in the East Bay, Ms. Dalton moved to Menlo Park 37 years ago and served as president of the Menlo-Atherton Newcomers Club. She was also active in Sharon Dalton the PTA when her two daughters were attending Menlo Park elementary schools and Menlo-Atherton High School. She was a great chef and loved to entertain, say family members. She was known as the “Godmother of the neighborhood” by many and had a “CEO personality” they say. She was a member of the Peninsula Rose Society and enjoyed taking cooking classes at Draeger’s. She had a special fondness for Paris and visited there more than a dozen times, most recently last year. The family wishes to thank Dr. Dwight Chen and Dr. Teresa Nauenberg of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation for the care of their mother. Ms. Dalton is survived by her husband, Stuart, and daughters Suzanne and Christina. A celebration of Ms. Dalton’s life will be held for family and friends on Saturday, Jan. 16. Contact the family for further details. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that memorial gifts be made to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, the Cancer Research Institute, or a charity

WOODELL continued from page 9

Woodell in a deposition taken in August 2013 that he had “completely wiped the phone” long before he had filed the lawsuit, but after downloading information off it he had provided to police, the ruling says. Mr. Bernstein, who had served as his own attorney for most of the case, asked to see the phone anyway. When he made no progress, he hired an attorney, and six months later, in March 2014, was finally given access to the phone, only to find that “the charging connector was damaged preventing the phone from receiving any power,” the ruling says. Soon after, Mr. Bernstein and Ms. Chang Kiraly asked to have the case dismissed because of the destruction of evidence.

OBITUARIES

Obituaries are based on information provided by the family.

of the donor’s choice.

Chester Yee Pharmacist

Chester Douglas Yee, a pharmacist, pharmacy professor and the owner of the Menlo Park Pharmacy, died Dec. 13 at his home in Redwood Cit y a f ter a year-long battle with cancer, his Chester Yee son David Yee said. Chester Yee was 77. Mr. Yee had a passion for his work, his son said. He practiced pharmacy in person at his shop at 1610 El Camino Real, and taught at two universities — as an assistant clinical professor of pharmacy at the University of California at San Francisco, and as an adjunct professor of pharmacy at the University of the Pacific in Stockton. “His dedication as a community pharmacist was an extremely rewarding aspect of his life, enabling him to make a difference in the lives of his patients, their children, and their grandchildren,” David Yee said of his father. In the classroom, he made use of his experiences as a working pharmacist and delighted in holding an annual “Talk with a Pharmacist Day” for students to consult with patients and administer diagnostic tests, his son said. Mr. Yee was “a fierce advocate

According to the court ruling, Martin Haeberli, a cell phone expert who had been hired by Mr. Bernstein to examine the phone, said: “There are several unanswered questions in this case that could have been answered conclusively had the evidence been preserved from the very beginning.” In her earlier ruling, San Mateo County Superior Court Judge Lisa Novak agreed, saying that Mr. Woodell’s lawsuit “is based in his contention that his cell phone was somehow purloined and used in order to frame him for ‘vandalizing’ a campaign lawn sign. ... His contention is that the phone was planted next to the discarded sign in order to cast blame on him.” “All parties seem to agree that the phone and its contents are critical pieces of evidence,” the judge wrote.

for patients” and was active in pharmacy politics, his son said. He co-founded the San Mateo County Pharmacists Association over 40 years ago, served as the association’s president, and edited its newsletter, his son said. He was also active in state and national pharmacists associations. His recognitions included pharmacist of the year awards from the state and the county associations, several awards from UCSF, and leadership awards. “He brought folks together from all generations, backgrounds, and personalities and will be remembered for his generosity, cooking, mentorship, sense of humor, and most of all, his love and respect for family and friends,” David Yee said. He was “extremely active” as a member of the WoodsideVillage Church. Mr. Yee is survived by sons David and Mark, brother Albert, and many relatives from his extended family. A memorial service has been held. Donations may be made to the Woodside Village Church or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in Mr. Yee’s name.

Dick Raymond

Portola Institute founder

Dick Raymond died Sept. 16 at his home in Lake Oswego, Oregon, at the age of 91. A former resident of Menlo Park, Mr. Raymond was the founder of Portola Institute, an incubator of Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog. He is survived by his wife, Carole, his children, TM, Megan, Kit, Jonathan, and Camela; five grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

The wiping of the cell phone “has destroyed any relevant information which the phone retained,” she wrote. Judge Novak also wrote that what she found “most disconcerting” was action taken by Mr. Woodell “prior to filing the lawsuit, which included allegedly capturing for his own purposes information from the phone favorable to his position, and then completely wiping clean the operating system such that all potentially relevant information on the phone was destroyed.” The appeals court ruling says that “evidence supported the trial court’s finding that Woodell deliberately removed the information from the phone in anticipation of litigation and a discovery request.” Mr. Woodell was ordered to pay the costs of the appeal. A

January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 13

C O V E R

S T O R Y

Picturing 2015

As we welcome a new year, the Almanac looks back at 2015 by highlighting some of the memorable images captured by photographers Michelle Le and Magali Gauthier Magali Gauthier

Top: Willie Mays is shown “the key” to the Willie Mays Ballpark in Atherton by Bob Hellman before the opening ceremony on May 9 for the Homer Field Willie Mays Ballpark. Rene Anderson, Mr. Mays’ longtime assistant, sits to his left. Right: Zamora Martinez-Lusinchi, 7, is comforted by her mother Marisa Martinez in her hospital room at Kaiser Permanente in Santa Clara in August. Bottom left: Woodside Mayor Tom Shanahan in his study in November. Bottom right: Facebook’s Sustainability and Community Outreach Manager Lauren Swezey walks on the roof of her company’s MPK-20 building in Menlo Park.

Michelle Le

14 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

Michelle Le

C O V E R

S T O R Y

Michelle Le

Top: Executive Director Cynthia Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Agosta in the big kitchen at Filoli. Right: Vanya Priimak, 5, is embraced my his mother Rimma Krivtsova at their host familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house in Menlo Park. See PICTURING 2015, on next page

Michelle Le

January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 15

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Michelle Le

PICTURING 2015 continued from previous page

Top: Wearing their Burning Man attire, friends Ginger Harman, 87, and James Coker, 76, have their portrait taken in Coker’s living room at The Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley. Left: Foster’s Freeze owners Boo Lee (center) and her husband Sung (left) react to the crowd gathered for their closing night in downtown Menlo Park on Sept. 30. Laurie Gallagher (center right) planned the going-away gathering with her sons Brady (right) and Nicky (left). Bottom left: Friends and family embrace Menlo-Atherton High School graduate Elany Powell after the June 4 commencement ceremony.

Michelle Le

16 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

Bottom right: A cross holding an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe stands behind Edgar Valladares while he checks on crops at NanoFarms, located on St. Patrick’s Seminary grounds.

Michelle Le

C O M M U N I T Y

Woodside entrepreneur’s reading app is making waves By Dave Boyce Almanac Staff Writer

f inventors and entrepreneurs ever compiled a list of devices so well-designed that imagining better ones would not be a good use of one’s time, such a list would probably include the ball, the bicycle and the book. All things being equal, instructions are not necessary to use any of these things. Practice, yes, but balls, bikes and books are pretty much self-explanatory. Using them comes naturally. All things are not equal, of course. For people with dyslexia or attention deficit disorder, reading is a major challenge. Woodside entrepreneur Nick Lum came up with an improvement for online reading, one soon to be available for bound books as well: color. Mr. Lum’s company, BeeLine Reader, is two years old, but he was honored in September by the Tech Museum of Innovation. And a few weeks ago, the state librarian announced availability of his reading application to public libraries statewide. With BeeLine Reader engaged, under the control of an algorithm, colors pass over words like a wave, line by line and paragraph by paragraph. For example, using three colors — black, blue and red — if the words at the beginning of a line are black, they will fade to blue as the eye moves right. The blue returns gradually to black and then along comes red, which deepens and then returns to black and the cycle starts again. The color at the end of a line wraps to the beginning of the next line, establishing a visual connection. The app includes options for choosing colors and intensity. Mr. Lum says research has long shown that one’s eyes don’t always move straight across the page while reading. They stop and start and people can have difficulty efficiently finding the beginning of the next line. A simmering idea

Mr. Lum, now 34, recalls first thinking about ways to improve reading skills while talking with a friend in a psychology class at Swarthmore College, where he majored in economics with a linguistics minor. After graduating he went to law school at the University of California at Los Angeles. As a lawyer for the Silicon Valley office of McDermott Will & Emery, he worked on international tax law. But ideas have a way of percolating. “I thought a lot about it and came up with this idea of a color gradient that moves from line to line,” he says. Research confirming the theories underlying his product came later, he says, and he has

Sample courtesy of BeeLine Reader

The opening lines of Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” as they would appear when being read online or in an e-book with the help of BeeLine reader, a software application developed by Woodside entrepreneur Nick Lum. A study shows that the use of color in this way significantly increases reading efficiency. (Color contrasts may be more effective when seen online, Mr. Lum says.)

acquired patents. In effect, BeeLine Reader allows the eyes to “make a beeline” to where they need to be to continue reading, he says. Mr. Lum founded the company in 2013. He is the chief executive; his cousin, Andrew Cantino, is the company’s other employee and chief technical officer. For a time, as participants in the Intel Education Accelerator program for start-ups, the company had an office in Redwood City. But now it’s “sort of” a virtual company, he says. “It’s a lot more exciting than typical corporate tax law work,” he says of his current occupation. The product launched by accident. While still employed as an attorney, he posted a link to the beta version of the BeeLine app on a list at the Hacker News online forum, based in Mountain View. He went to lunch, he says, and came back to

Nick Lum at the Tech Museum.

find his post at the top of the list. After a week, his post had 250,000 views, and users in Europe, Australia and the United States. “It was great,” he says. Mr. Lum lives in Woodside Glens with his wife Kathryn Gin Lum, an assistant professor in religious studies at Stanford University, and their daughter. Recognition

BeeLine now has 50,000 users in 120 countries using 60 different languages, Mr. Lum says. “It works in every language that we know of,” he says. Recognition for BeeLine includes Stanford’s Social Entrepreneur Challenge award in 2014; an award for educational applications from Dell Computer, also in 2014; and the 2015 Microsoft Education Award presented at the Tech Museum in San Jose.

The Microsoft award recognized BeeLine for its global impact on students ‘afflicted with learning differences or impairments, and students who are successful readers but spend excessive time reading on-screen text inefficiently.’ The Microsoft award recognized BeeLine for its global impact on students “afflicted with learning differences or impairments, and students who are successful readers but spend excessive time reading on-screen text inefficiently.” The Tech Museum statement goes on to cite a study in the San Bernardino City Unified School District that showed BeeLine increasing reading fluency by 53 percent for young readers. The California State Library system recently made BeeLine Reader available to public libraries throughout the state. In a Dec. 14 email, provided to the Almanac by Menlo Park Library Director Susan Holmer, State Librarian Greg Lucas wrote to California librarians. “While of value to readers of all ages, this technology is especially helpful for children who

are learning to read, and readers with dyslexia, attention deficits or vision difficulties,” Mr. Lucas wrote. “Adding this technology could be another way libraries meet the needs of their communities and continue to demonstrate their unique value.” “We’re really excited about (this) roll-out,” Mr. Lum says, “because it will enable so many more people to use the program.” Asked if she plans to deploy BeeLine in the Menlo Park Library, Ms. Holmer said it seems like an interesting product. “I think were going to certainly try it” she said. An analyst at the San Mateo County Library — part of the Peninsula Library System that includes libraries in Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley — said that while the library is aware of BeeLine, there are no plans to test it in the first quarter of 2016. BeeLine has users who pay for licenses and others who use the app for free, a gift from paying customers who have the option to subsidize licenses for low-income communities — “Buy one, give five,” is how Mr. Lum put it. Asked about use by prisoners, Mr. Lum notes that 50 percent of inmates are reportedly dyslexic. “We are actively looking into getting in prison education,” he says. The application currently works on Amazon’s Kindle reader, and on OverDrive e-books in Peninsula libraries, Mr. Lum says. For more information, go to beelinereader.com. A

January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 17

C O M M U N I T Y

App aims to make friendly messages more personal By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

our phone buzzes. You look down and see you have a new audio message. You hit play, but instead of a nagging “Hiiiii, call me baaack,” you hear the voice of a long-lost friend telling you a story, or perhaps unloading some of the things he or she has been thinking about lately. Maybe there’s a musical intro/ outro to bookend the recording, or a personalized image to accompany it. You don’t have time to respond right away, but the next time you’re out walking your dog or passing time on a long commute, you record your own message to send back. That’s what Menlo Park resident Jessica Taylor and her colleague Elisabeth Boonin hope their new startup, called Rolltape, will offer people. Rolltape, which launched its app in November, helps users create personal audio recordings intended to facilitate in-depth, audio-based, “asynchronous” communication. Ms. Taylor, a former blogger and author of the “10 to Twins” column at Embarcadero Publishing, said she got the idea for Rolltape in 2014, when her best friend moved away. That friend — also a co-worker at Google — had been a volunteer at StoryCorps, a nonprofit that records, preserves, and shares stories. Ms. Taylor said that her friend had a rich storytelling voice and style, and she missed those qualities. It was also around the time Serial took the podcast world by storm, revealing what Ms. Taylor described as an ineffably intimate and imaginationprovoking quality of stories told via audio. A self-proclaimed “relation-

ship junkie,” she explained that none of the options to communicate with her friend felt satisfying. Facebook felt too curated, enticing people to share only the good things in their lives, and texting felt too “transactional.” Phone calls — well, they were nice when they happened (which was rarely), but with friends living numerous time zones away, she more often than not found herself being cut off by voicemail, she said. “Voicemail is kind of a terrible experience on either end. It’s not designed for human beings.”

‘Rolltape sets the expectation that what you’re getting isn’t an action item, isn’t something that you need to do, but it’s a way of corresponding on an authentic, connected level with people you really want to communicate with.’ ELISABETH BOONIN

So Ms. Taylor approached Elisabeth Boonin about the project she had in mind: an “asynchronous” audio message app for people to use to communicate with close friends. Ms. Boonin has worked in the software industry for more than 25 years, and worked in product management as a director at Microsoft before taking what she called a “swan dive off the career ladder” to begin writing code for a living. Ms. Boonin said she had an “ah-ha moment” that Rolltape could fill the time she had

Photo by Michelle Le/The Almanac

Rolltape co-founder and CEO Jessica Taylor, right, chats with co-founder Elisabeth Boonin.

been reserving for podcasts, and came on board. “For the first six months, I did almost all of the work to build the platform and the mobile app,” she explained “Rolltape sets the expectation that what you’re getting isn’t an action item, isn’t something that you need to do, but it’s a way of corresponding on an authentic, connected level with people you really want to communicate with,” Ms. Boonin said. “It’s a bit like snail mail,” she added. “If you get something that looks like a bill, you aren’t excited and it’s just one more thing to deal with. But if you get a thick, colored envelope,

hand-addressed, probably with an interesting stamp, you think: ‘Oooh, I wonder who sent me this card?’ You open it at your leisure and possibly stick it on your fridge, because it makes you feel happy to look at it and think about the person who sent it.” Meanwhile, Ms. Taylor was back at work at Google after taking maternity leave for the birth of her twins. Her husband is a novelist and professor, and she considers herself the primary breadwinner of the family. She began to think about what it would mean to leave her job there. After much consideration, and pursuing

School says Sellman Auditorium will get a new name By Barbara Wood Almanac Staff Writer

onstruction crews scrambled away over winter break working on the new auditorium at Woodside Elementary School, trying to make sure that students can rehearse there for their annual eighth-grade operetta by April 1. When the students start their operetta practice in the brand new building, for the first time in many years the rehearsal will not be in a building called

Sellman Auditorium. The new facility, which has been referred to while it’s been under construction as the Sellman MultiPurpose Building, is likely to be renamed, the district’s governing board heard when it met on Dec. 16. The school auditorium/gymnasium was named after George Sellman, who for 23 years was the district superintendent; he retired in 1986. Mr. Sellman, who directed eighth-grade operettas and community productions at the

18 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

school for nearly 40 years, died in 2005 at the age of 81. After the building underwent a $1.5 million renovation in 2003, it was re-dedicated with a production in his honor. The original Sellman Auditorium was demolished in June. Even now, the building under construction is referred to as the “Sellman Multi-Purpose Building” on on the school’s website. Emmalyn Shaw, president of the Woodside School Foundation and a member of the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Commit-

tee, said at the board meeting that the oversight committee members thought it would be appropriate to change the name of the building. She suggested that perhaps a foyer could be named after Mr. Sellman so the building’s name could be “a little bit more school spirit oriented.” George Offen, a longtime Woodside resident and former school board member who is on the oversight committee, said he agreed. “I don’t know if we represent all of the community,” he said. “For us it wasn’t a problem.”

and receiving some funding for the project from angel investors, she decided in April that she would try, giving herself a year to see if the startup could work. Now, they’ve got an office in San Francisco, a couple of new employees, and are focusing on growing their user base before looking into ways to monetize the app, possibly through “integrating unobtrusive, relevant audio ads,” Ms. Taylor said. In the meantime, she’ll be fostering storytelling among friends through the intimacy of an audio recorder. Visit rolltape.com to learn more. A

Superintendent Beth Polito said that some of the wood from the floor in the old Sellman was preserved and will be put in the lobby. “The board thought that might be a nice place to honor George Sellman,” she said. Steve Frank, middle school principal, suggested that naming the stage after Mr. Sellman might be appropriate. Superintendent Polito said the issue will come back to the board on a future agenda for a final decision and that students may be asked for their input about a name for the new auditorium. A

C O M M U N I T Y

The poet behind the drumset every drum clinic he could, learning from musicians such as Art Blakey, founder of the Jazz azz is a great big sea. It Messengers, and Elvin Jones, washes up all kinds of fish who played with John Coltrane. Forty-seven years ago, he also and shells and spume and waves with a steady old beat, or opened Markstyle at 828 Willow off-beat.” — Langston Hughes, Road. He says the shop serves “Jazz as Communication,” 1956. as the hub for his other artisPoetry and jazz; words in meter tic enterprises, both the Jym and the syncopated beat of drum Marks Quartet, and his poetry, which has and melody are been published twin passions of poet and drum- ‘Music and poetry are in 12 volumes. latest mer Jym Marks, one family. ... Whether His book is called the 81-year-old leader of the you sing it or speak it, “Can’t Hold Jym Marks it all comes out one My Tongue in Captivity.” Quartet, which family of creativity.’ His poetry, he will give a free says, is intendperformance in JYM MARKS ed to foster the Menlo Park City Council Chambers on Satur- motivation in its listeners. “I like to feel that when I do a day, Jan. 9. “Music and poetry,” Mr. Marks poem I’m not only entertaining said, “are one family. ... Whether you, but motivating you to be you sing it or speak it, it all comes better at what it is you’re trying to be,” he said. out one family of creativity.” Mr. Marks says he brings The owner of Markstyle, a hair salon and barbershop in Menlo nearly 50 years of skills and Park, Mr. Marks says he began leadership to his role as band drumming as a teen, but became leader, and even more as drumserious about it after a stint in mer of the Jym Marks Quartet the Army. He was living in San (and occasionally Quintet — Francisco then, and attended when the band is joined by its

By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

‘J

saxophonist), which has been playing together for about six years now. “With hip hop and other fusion music that’s out there today,” Mr. Marks said, there are “not too many people carrying on the tradition of jazz.” And what is that tradition? Mr. Marks’ metaphor for jazz sounded a little like Langston Hughes’ when he said, “Jazz is the music of the world.” The concert

The Jym Marks Quartet’s Jan. 9 performance will be from 11 a.m. to noon in the council chambers in the Menlo Park Civic Center. Titled “Remembering Miles,” the concert pays homage to trumpeter Miles Davis’ work, mostly drawing from his post-”Kind of Blue” oeuvre, with the exception of “All Blues,” Mr. Marks said. The program will include tunes such as “So What,” “Straight No Chaser,” “Footprints,” “Stella,” “Starlight,” “Bye Bye Black Bird,” “Eightyone” and “Walkin’.” During the performance, Mr. Marks said, he may sneak in a couple of poetry readings.

Drummer Jym Marks leads a quartet that will perform in Menlo Park on Jan. 9.

Other members of the quartet are Larry Chinn on keyboard, Mike Hallesy on bass, and Fred Berry on trumpet. Each possesses a strong musical talent and history, Mr. Marks said. Mr. Chinn has played with many “top singers in the Bay Area,” while Mr. Hallesy’s nickname is “White Ron Carter” because he is “always on time.” Mr. Berry is the music director of the Stan-

ford Jazz Orchestra and a professor, teaching jazz history. Refreshments will be available at the event. Free wheelchair accessible van service is available for Menlo Park area seniors and people with disabilities. Call 330-2512 for van reservations. For event details, visit the calendar at menlopark.org/library, or phone 650-330-2501. A

January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 19

C O M M U N I T Y Q C A L E N DA R

Art Galleries

¶$UW 9LVLRQV '\QDPLF DQG )DQFLIXO· The Portola Art Gallery features “Art Visions: Dynamic and Fanciful,” a joint exhibition by new gallery members Inna Cherneykina and Terry McMahon. Work on view includes oil and acrylic paintings of colorful still lifes, landscapes and city scenes. Monday-Saturday, Jan. 1-31, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Free. Portola Art Gallery, 75 Arbor Road, Menlo Park. Call 650-321-0220. www.portolaartgallery.com ¶6SOHQGLG 3HDFRFNV· The exhibit at Cafe Borrone “Splendid Peacocks” features the newest work of local artist Flo de Bretagne. Through Jan. 10, regular cafe hours. Free. Cafe Borrone, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. Call 650-473-1317. www.florencedebretagne.com

Auditions 6FKROD &DQWRUXP FKRUDO PHPEHU DXGLWLRQV Gregory Wait, music director of Schola Cantorum, will hold auditions for new tenor and bass chorus members on two days in January. Visit the website for audition requirements and further information. Jan. 5, 6:30 p.m.; Jan. 9, 1 p.m. Free. Braun Music Center, 541 Lasuen Mall, Stanford. Call 650254-1700. www.scholacantorum.org

Benefits/Fundraisers

/HJLVODWH 7KLV 6RXWK %D\ Supporting Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, this saucy variety show for ages 21 and over will feature South Bay performers and friends entertaining audience members with circus antics, burlesque, song and dance. Jan. 9, 7:3010:30 p.m. $15 pre-sale; $20 at the door. Dragon Theatre, 2120 Broadway, Redwood City. legislatethissouthbay.brownpapertickets.com

4th Quarter 2015 AN IMPORTANT NOTICE REQUIRED BY CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF DRINKING WATER Este informe contiene información muy importante sobre su agua potable. Tradúzcalo o hable con alguien que lo entienda bien. The O’Connor Tract Co-Operative Water Company has levels of manganese above the secondary drinking water standard. Although this is not an emergency, as our customers, you have a right to know what happened, what you should do, and what we are doing to correct this situation. Our water system is in violation of a secondary drinking water standard. Violation of a secondary standard does not pose an immediate threat to health. We routinely monitor for the presence of drinking water contaminants. Water sample results for the fourth quarter monitoring in 2015 have manganese levels of 50 ppb in well #1 and 150 ppb in well #2 (ppb=parts per billion). This is above the secondary drinking water standard, or secondary maximum contaminant level of 50 ppb. Manganese concentrations above the standard may have an effect on taste and tend to leave black deposits in some plumbing systems. What should I do? You do not need to use an alternative water supply (e.g., bottled water). There is no health risk. What happened? What is being done? O’Connor Water has been above the secondary standard for manganese for many years, and this has been described to members in the annual Report on Water Quality Measurements. Recent state regulations have imposed stricter requirements for complying with the secondary standard for manganese. The state has issued the company a citation for noncompliance. The state ordered the company to start quarterly monitoring in February 2012, and this monitoring was completed in September 2012. The state also required that manganese monitoring be continued quarterly and that the results of these tests be reported to all water consumers. Please share this information with all the other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this public notice directly (for example, people in apartments, nursing homes, schools, and businesses). You can do this by posting this public notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. For further information, contact: Ana Pedreiro, Secretary-Treasurer Telephone 650-321-2723 Email: oconnorwater@gmail.com O’Connor Tract Co-Operative Water Co., System 4110019 P.O. Box 1375, Palo Alto, California 94302-1375 20 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

Classes/Workshops

%HJLQQLQJ &HUDPLFV This ceramics class at Little House Activity Center will guide participants in discovering their inner artists while working with clay. Sessions will cover the techniques of hand-building, including pinching and coiling; throwing on a potter’s wheel; and finishing pieces with glazing. Mondays, Jan. 4-Feb. 1, 5:30-8:30 p.m. $60 member; $65 nonmember; $20 drop in. Little House Activity Center, 800 Middle Ave., Menlo Park. Call 650-326-2025 ext. 242. www.penvol.org/littlehouse H%D\ &ODVV Students will learn about the popular online auction site eBay and become prepared to sell clutter and bid on new treasures. Adults and teens are welcome. Visit the front desk, call or email to sign up. Jan. 9, 2-3 p.m. Free. Portola Valley Library, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-8510560. www.smcl.org )UHH OLSUHDGLQJ FODVVHV LQ 0HQOR 3DUN Taught by an experienced audiologist and lipreading instructor, these free weekly classes sponsored by Foothill College will provide help to those who have difficulty understanding rapid speech or hearing in challenging situations such as restaurants, social gatherings or other noisy places. Tuesdays, Jan. 5-March 22, 9:10-11:50 a.m. Free. Menlo Park Senior Center, 100 Terminal Ave., Menlo Park. brownjulie@foothill.edu 7DL &KL LQ 3RUWROD 9DOOH\ Tai chi instructor Ben Dineen will lead a weekly 60-minute class for adults of all abilities in the Redwood Grove next to the Portola Valley Town Center’s Community Hall. The ancient Asian exercise form aims to build stronger bodies, better balance and a sharper mind, as well as relieve stress. Classes are for adults of all ability levels. Fridays, Jan. 8-29, 10-11 a.m. Free. Redwood Grove, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-851-0560. www. smcl.org :ULWH <RXU /LIH 6WRU\ PHPRLU FODVV Taught by local author and writer Phyllis Butler, this weekly class held at Deborah’s Palm will assist students in discovering their own voice while writing creatively about their lives. Pre-registration is requested. Jan. 7 and 14, noon-1 p.m. $50 series of four classes; $15 drop in. Deborah’s Palm Women’s Center, 555 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto. deborahspalm.org

Clubs/Meetings

/HJR &OXE The Portola Valley Library’s Lego Club offers community members of all ages a chance to use their imagination while constructing with Lego blocks. Duplo blocks are available for younger builders. Jan. 9, 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Portola Valley Library, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-8510560. www.smcl.org

Concerts -\P 0DUNV 4XDUWHW ¶5HPHPEHULQJ 0LOHV· The Jym Marks Quartet will salute legendary jazz great Miles Davis in this free concert program presented by the Menlo Park Library, with the help of the Friends of the Menlo Park Library. Refreshments will be provided. Jan. 9, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Menlo Park City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park. Call 650-330-2501. menlopark. org/library /LJKW+RXVH IRU WKH %OLQG %HQHILW &RQFHUW The 15th annual benefit concert for LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, called “Life is a Cabaret,” will celebrate the music of Kander and Ebb, creators of “Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Kiss Of The Spider Woman” and other musical masterpieces, including the theme from “New York, New York.” Jan. 9 and 10, 7:30-9:15 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Menlo School, The Spieker Ballroom, 50 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton. Call 650-948-4648. 6W /DZUHQFH 6WULQJ 4XDUWHW The St. Lawrence String Quartet, the acclaimed chamber group in residence at Stanford University, will present a program with works by Haydn, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saens and Vaughan Williams. They will be assisted by two special guests, tenor Paul Groves and pianist Laura Dahl. Jan. 17, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. $15-$45. Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen St., Stanford. live. stanford.edu

Exhibits

¶)LJKW WKH %LWH· The San Mateo County History Museum will introduce a new exhibit chronicling the fight to free the San Francisco Peninsula of mosquitoes, including a photo display commemorating the centennial of the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District. Jan. 12-April 10, 10 a.m.-

4 p.m. $6 adult; $4 senior, student; free for children ages 5 and under. San Mateo County History Museum, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. www.historysmc.org 3HQLQVXOD :RPHQ·V &DXFXV IRU $UW ¶,GHQWLW\· The Peninsula Women’s Caucus for Art will hold an exhibit called “Identity,” exploring the colors, icons, surroundings and culture that define its members. The work of nine artists will be featured, and on Jan. 10, 1-4 p.m., there will be a reception. Jan. 5-March 2, Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Free. Redwood Shores Library, 399 Marine Parkway, Redwood City. www. wcapeninsula.org/news.html

Family and Kids

%UDLQ *DPHV This six-week themed event series will provide entertaining STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) inspired games and activities for children in elementary school. Visit the front desk, call or email to register. Thursdays, Jan. 7-Feb. 11, 3:30 p.m. (second grade); 4:30 p.m. (third to fifth grade). Free. Portola Valley Library, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-851-0560. www.smcl.org )RUWH 0XVLF (QULFKPHQW 3URJUDP The Forte after-school program at Bethany Lutheran Church will give students ages 4 to those in fourth grade the opportunity to sing, play hand chimes and handbells, and participate in music and theater games. The spring session will last 12 weeks and include a performance. Visit the website or call for more info. Jan. 11-April 12, Mondays, 3:30-5 p.m. (grades one to four); Tuesdays, 3:154:30 p.m. (age 4 through kindergarten). $240 (discounts for multiple students). Bethany Lutheran Church, 1095 Cloud Ave., Menlo Park. Call 650-854-5897. www.bethany-mp. org/Forte 6LQJ)HVW Ragazzi Boys Chorus’ annual half-day mini camp will give boys ages 7 to 10 a chance to try out singing in a choir. The program will include musical games, fun activities, plentiful singing and zero-stress group choral auditions. Advance registration is required. Jan. 16, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 178 Clinton St., Redwood City. ragazzi.org/join-us/singfest/ 6WRU\WHOOHU -RKQ :HDYHU At these Menlo Park Library events, storyteller John Weaver will share his comedic versions of fables and folklore, all told without a book. The programs are recommended for those in grade school and older. First Thursday of the month, Jan. 7-March 5, 4-4:45 p.m. Free. Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park. Call 650-330-2530. menlopark.org/ library 7RGGOHU 6WRU\WLPH These weekly Portola Valley Library events guide toddlers 18 to 36 months old in songs, stories and movement activities that encourage them to listen and read. Age-appropriate toys will be available for play after each session. An activity will follow story time on the third Tuesday of the month. Tuesdays, Jan. 5-26, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Portola Valley Library, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-851-0560. www.smcl.org

Film ¶)L[HG 7KH 6FLHQFH )LFWLRQ RI +XPDQ (QKDQFHPHQW· This event will offer a screening of the documentary “Fixed: The Science/Fiction of Human Enhancement,” which examines the multitude of innovations being worked on to fix or enhance the human body, as well as the drive to surpass human limitations. There will also be a panel discussion with experts on medical ethics and computer science. Jan. 8, 7 p.m. Free. Tresidder Union, Cypress Room, 459 Lagunita Drive, Stanford. www.fixedthemovie.com

Health

3LODWHV &DUGLRFDPS LQ :RRGVLGH Pilates Cardiocamp morning fitness classes aim to help students develop better posture, a stronger back and a firmer body while reducing body fat. Visit the website for specific class prices. Year-round, Tuesday and Thursday, 7 a.m., and Wednesday, 9 a.m. (Town Hall); Monday, 9 a.m., and Friday, 7:30 a.m. (Village Church). $12-$25 per class. Woodside Town Hall, 2955 Woodside Road, and Woodside Village Church, 3154 Woodside Road, Woodside. Call 866-339-4438. pilatescardiocamp.com/contact-us/

Food and Drink )DFHERRN &HUWLILHG )DUPHUV· 0DUNHW Facebook has partnered with West Coast

Farmers’ Markets and the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce to hold a year-round farmers market, offering produce from up to 30 vendors, live entertainment, food trucks and a children’s area. Sundays, year-round, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Facebook Parking Lot, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park. www.facebook. com/events/1499866463665724/ 3RUWROD 9DOOH\ )DUPHUV· 0DUNHW This yearround market serves up organic fruits, veggies, nuts, juices, grass-fed meats, chicken, local farm eggs, fresh seafood, fair trade coffee, nut butters and jams, artisan beer, wine, gluten-free and artisan baked goods, honey and crafts. Hot Roli Roti chicken is also on sale. Thursdays, year-round, 2-5 p.m. (winter hours). Free. Portola Valley Farmers’ Market, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. pvfarmersmarket.com

On Stage

¶+HUVKH\ )HOGHU DV ,UYLQJ %HUOLQ· TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will kick off the New Year with the regional premiere of a new work by performer and playwright Hershey Felder, as he inhabits the persona and story of “America’s Composer,” Irving Berlin. See the website for specific times, dates and pricing. The Jan. 13-15 performances are previews. Tuesday-Sunday, Jan. 13-Feb. 14. $25-$74. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. www.theatreworks.org 0RQGD\ 1LJKW 3OD\ 6SDFH Starting in 2016 on select Mondays, Dragon Productions Theater Company will host Monday Night Play Space, a venue for local artists to share anything from staged readings to comedy, film screenings, poetry and more. Visit the website for more info. Jan. 11 and 18, 7:30 p.m. Donations accepted. The Dragon Theatre, 2101 Broadway, Redwood City. dragonproductions.net/activities/mondaynight.html

Religion/Spirituality

/HDUQ DERXW ,VODP FRXUVH This public class, composed mostly of lectures, will provide an introduction to Islam, covering topics including the Quran, theology, Muhammad, Hadith, interpretation, sects, sharia, relations with other religions, history and modernity. Registration is requested. Saturdays, Jan. 16 and 30, Feb. 13 and 27, and March 12, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. $20 five-class series. Cafe at Menlo Church (behind Ace Hardware), 700B Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. www.eventbrite.com/e/learn-about-islam-life-grouptickets-18699035318?aff=eac2

Support Groups 6WDQIRUG $XWLVP 3DUHQW 6XSSRUW *URXS 0HHWLQJ This support group organized by Stanford Child Psychiatry will connect the parents of children with autism so that they can share experiences and provide each other support. Second Thursday of the month, Nov. 12-June 9, 7-9 p.m. Free. Stanford Child Psychiatry, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford. Call 650-721-6327. med.stanford.edu/childpsychiatry/community/asdparenteducation.html

Lectures & Talks ¶3RVLWLYH 5HVSRQVHV WR 2XU &KLOGUHQ·V 'LVWUHVV 6LJQDOV· As part of the Common Ground Speaker Series, Denise Pope will lead a panel with Stanford University physicians Dr. Shashank Joshi and Dr. Neville Golden focusing on the effects of stress on adolescents’ physical and mental health. They will also discuss how to differentiate between regular adolescent stress and signs of mental illness. Jan. 14, 7 p.m. $20 general; free for member school affiliates. Sacred Heart Preparatory, 150 Valparaiso Ave., Atherton. www.commongroundspeakerseries.org

Teen Activities $XWKRUV $OH[DQGUD %UDFNHQ DQG 6XVDQ 7HHQ 0DQJD 1LJKW ZLWK &DUORV 1LHWR The Menlo Park Library will host a special event for teen fans of anime and manage, where professional artist Carlos Nieto — who has worked on “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill” and for Disney and Universal — will teach some drawing techniques. Visit the website to register. Jan. 8, 6-8 p.m. Free. Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., Menlo Park. Call 650330-2501. menlopark.org/library 7LQNHULQJ 7HHQV &RRNLH 'HFRUDWLQJ This Tinkering Teens event at the Portola Valley Library will allow those in sixth grade and older to decorate cookies using fun, edible items and then eat them with friends. Jan. 6, 3-4 p.m. Free. Portola Valley Library, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-8510560. www.smcl.org

January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 21

Marketplace PLACE AN AD ONLINE fogster.com E-MAIL ads@fogster.com PHONE 650.326.8216 Now you can log on to fogster.com, day or night and get your ad started immediately online. Most listings are free and include a one-line free print ad in our Peninsula newspapers with the option of photos and additional lines. Exempt are employment ads, which include a web listing charge. Home Services and Mind & Body Services require contact with a Customer Sales Representative. So, the next time you have an item to sell, barter, give away or buy, get the perfect combination: print ads in your local newspapers, reaching more than 150,000 readers, and unlimited free web postings reaching hundreds of thousands additional people!!

INDEX Q BULLETIN

BOARD

100-199 SALE 200-299 Q KIDS STUFF 330-399 Q MIND & BODY 400-499 Q J OBS 500-599 Q B USINESS SERVICES 600-699 Q H OME SERVICES 700-799 Q FOR RENT/ FOR SALE REAL ESTATE 800-899 Q P UBLIC/LEGAL NOTICES 995-997 Q FOR

The publisher waives any and all claims or consequential damages due to errors. Embarcadero Media cannot assume responsibility for the claims or performance of its advertisers. Embarcadero Media has the right to refuse, edit or reclassify any ad solely at its discretion without prior notice.

fogster.com THE PENINSULA’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEBSITE

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fogster.com is a unique website offering FREE postings from communities throughout the Bay Area and an opportunity for your ad to appear in the Palo Alto Weekly, The Almanac and the Mountain View Voice.

Bulletin Board 115 Announcements Pregnant? Thinking of Adoption? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions. 866-413-6293. Void in Illinois/ New Mexico/Indiana (AAN CAN)

240 Furnishings/ Household items Fireplace Tool Set - $40 Vintage Chair Japanese Painting - $60.00

245 Miscellaneous Walker in great shape! - $22.00 / B

Kid’s Stuff

Stanford Museum Volunteer

330 Child Care Offered

Teen Manga Night

child care offered

“The Frog Prince”

Winter 2016 Dance Classes

130 Classes & Instruction Airline Careers New Year, New Airline Careers – Get training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualified students. Career placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance, 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN)

133 Music Lessons Christina Conti Private Piano Instruction Lessons in your home. Bachelor of Music. 650/493-6950 Hope Street Music Studios Now on Old Middefield Way, MV. Most instruments, voice. All ages and levels 650-961-2192 www.HopeStreetMusicStudios.com

Piano Lessons Quality Piano Lessons in Menlo Park. Call (650)838-9772 Alita Lake

135 Group Activities Square Dance Lessons Starting up

140 Lost & Found Trumpet Found

145 Non-Profits Needs DONATE BOOKS TO SUPPORT LIBRARY WISH LIST FRIENDS OF PA LIBRARY

150 Volunteers Become a nature volunteer! Become an EcoCenter Docent! Fosterers Needed for Cats FRIENDS OF THE PALO ALTO LIBRARY JOIN OUR ONLINE STOREFRONT TEAM

For Sale 202 Vehicles Wanted Cash for Cars We Buy Any Condition Vehicle, 2002 and Newer. Nationwide Free Pick Up! Call Now: 1-888-420-3808 www.cash4car.com (AAN CAN)

Jobs 500 Help Wanted Dry Cleaners Experienced counter person needed immediately for Drycleaners in Palo Alto. Full time. Call (650) 329-0998.

ENGINEERING ItsOn, Inc. is accepting resumes for the position of DevOps Senior Software Engineer in San Jose, CA. Write code in Java, Ruby , Python, and Chef for automation. Create in-house tools and systems for automating integration, deployments, and monitoring. Mail resume to ItsOn, Inc., HR Recruiting, 3 Lagoon Drive, Suite 230, Redwood City, CA 94065. Must reference Ref. # DSSE-HK.

Engineering Box, Inc. has the following employment opportunities in Redwood City, CA: Senior Software Engineer (SSE02CA). Responsible for designing and implementing consumer-facing features and frameworks using advanced Javascript, AJAX, Node JS, HTML and CSS. Engineering Manager (GG-CA). Serve as a technical lead for building core frameworks, tools and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for company’s middle tier business logic engineering teams. Send your resume (must reference job title and job code) to Box, Inc., Attn: People Operations, 900 Jefferson Ave., Redwood City, CA 94063 Lead S/W Eng. Mntn View, CA. MS Degr. Java, Oracle Coherence, Ant, Spring Core, Java Swing, FreeBSD, Hibernate, MyBatis, Hazelcast, Selenium. Res: EPAM SYSTEMS, 41 University Dr, #202, Newtown, PA 18940. Sr. S/W Eng Mntn View, CA. BS Degr. + 24 mos. exp. Java, Scala, JavaScript, GWT, AngularJS, Spring, Hibernate, SQL, PL/SQL, Oracle, WebSphere. Res: EPAM SYSTEMS, 41 University Dr, #202, Newtown, PA 18940.

To place a Classified ad in The Almanac call 326-8216 or online at fogster.com

TECHNICAL Informatica LLC is accepting resumes for the following positions in Redwood City, CA: Principal Software Engineer (REFAU-CA): Facilitate the collaboration and engagement between senior members of the team to ensure sound design and implementation of big functional areas for the Data Engine. Senior Software Engineer (REWIRCA): Responsible for designing, developing, troubleshooting and debugging software for operating systems, compilers, routers, networks, utilities and databases. Please mail resumes (reference job title and job code) to Informatica LLC, ATTN: Global Mobility, 2100 Seaport Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063. No phone calls please. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. EOE.

540 Domestic Help Wanted

Mtn View Townhome For Rent, 2 BR/2.5 BA - $3495 / mo

751 General Contracting A NOTICE TO READERS: It is illegal for an unlicensed person to perform contracting work on any project valued at $500.00 or more in labor and materials. State law also requires that contractors include their license numbers on all advertising. Check your contractor’s status at www.cslb.ca.gov or 800-321-CSLB (2752). Unlicensed persons taking jobs that total less than $500.00 must state in their advertisements that they are not licensed by the Contractors State License Board.

Home Services 715 Cleaning Services Orkopina Housecleaning Celebrating 30 years cleaning homes in your area. 650/962-1536

748 Gardening/ Landscaping J. Garcia Garden Maintenance Service Free est. 21 years exp. 650/366-4301 or 650/346-6781 LANDA’S GARDENING & LANDSCAPING *Yard Maint. *New Lawns. *Rototil *Clean Ups *Tree Trim *Power Wash *Irrigation timer programming. 19 yrs exp. Ramon, 650/576-6242 landaramon@yahoo.com R.G. Landscape Drought tolerant native landscapes and succulent gardens. Demos, installations, maint. Free est. 650/468-8859

Redwood City - $4,500.00 Redwood City, 3 BR/2 BA - $4,800.00 Redwood City, 3 BR/2 BA - $5,500

809 Shared Housing/ Rooms

840 Vacation Rentals/Time Shares

757 Handyman/ Repairs

560 Employment Information

Experience the Past and Present! Explore Tourist attractions, Museums, and Car events around the world! Travel with patrons of the California Automobile Museum. Call 916.442.6802 x13 or calautomuseum.org/car-themed-tours (Cal-SCAN)

Portola Valley - $5,200.00

Roofs, Gutters, Downspouts cleaning. Work guar. 30 years exp. Insured. Veteran Owned. Jim Thomas Maintenance, 408/595-2759.

All Work Guaranteed

695 Tours & Travel

Palo Alto, 4 BR/2 BA - $5,800

754 Gutter Cleaning

AAA HANDYMAN & MORE

Business Services

Palo Alto, 3 BR/2 BA - $4350/mo

All Areas: Roommates.com Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates.com! (AAN CAN)

live in sitter -assistant live in sitter , over 18 , HS grad , up to $924 month plus car , good with window 8 , 713 6470460 or linda25miller@outlook.com

Paid in Advance! Make $1000 A Week Mailing Brochures From Home! No Experience Required. Helping home workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity. Start Immediately! www.TheIncomeHub.com (AAN CAN)

N. Los Altos, 3 BR/2 BA Excellent school districts. Very flexible with ability to show. (650)941-9122.

Since 1985 Repairs • Maintenance • Painting Carpentry • Plumbing • Electrical

Licensed Architect. Premier South Boulder Rental Gorgeous 4 BR 3 ba home on 1 acre with 360 views. Avail. 1/1/16 for 6-12 mo lease $4300/mo. Contact jayathom@hotmail.com

845 Out of Area

Lic. #468963

(650) 453-3002

759 Hauling J & G HAULING SERVICE Misc. junk, office, gar., furn., mattresses, green waste, more. Lic./ins. Free est. 650/743-8852 (see my Yelp reviews)

771 Painting/ Wallpaper Glen Hodges Painting Call me first! Senior discount. 45 yrs. #351738. 650/322-8325

4 homes on 30 acres Vacation where you live in Nevada City!! Looks like Disneyland with rock walls, manicured gardens, private lake, HUGE outdoor entertaining area and even its own mining museum!! 15 car garages for all your toys!! Priced to sell only $2M!! Seller financing. Call Edie 530-913-0150 cell

STYLE PAINTING Full service painting. Insured. Lic. 903303. 650/388-8577

850 Acreage/Lots/ Storage

775 Asphalt/ Concrete

Great Opportunity Earn 18% in 18 mos. $35K interest paid in advance. $225K 1st mortgage sought on $1.5M property. Call 209/485-6175

Roe General Engineering Asphalt, concrete, pavers, tiles, sealing, artificial turf. 36 yrs exp. No job too small. Lic #663703. 650/814-5572

890 Real Estate Wanted

781 Pest Control

Housing Wanted Landscape designer, installer and garden maintenance provider for 39 years on the Peninsula seeks long-term, quiet, secure living space in exchange for services or will pay.

CLASSIFIED DEADLINES: FOR THE ALMANAC Attic Clean-Up & Rodent Removal Are you in the Bay Area? Do you have squeaky little terrors living in your attic or crawlspace? What you are looking for is right here! Call Attic Star now to learn about our rodent removal services and cleaning options. You can also get us to take out your old, defunct insulation and install newer, better products.

Classified Word Ads Friday by Noon Classified Display Ads Thursday by 5 p.m. for Space Reservation. Friday by Noon for Copy.

LEHUA GREENMAN

Call (866) 391-3308 now and get your work done in no time!

"May you always have Love to share, Health to spare and Friends that care."

Real Estate 805 Homes for Rent Menlo Park - $5,000.00 Menlo Park, 3 BR/2 BA - $5,200.00

Happy New Year 2016!

650.245.1845 WOODSIDE

GO TO FOGSTER.COM TO RESPOND TO ADS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBERS 22 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

MARKETPLACE the printed version of

fogster.com

Public Notices 995 Fictitious Name Statement BLU INTERIOR DESIGN FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267409 The following person (s) is (are) doing business as: Blu Interior Design, located at 32 Reservoir Road, Atherton, CA 94027, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): MAILE W CREAMER 32 Reservoir Road Atherton, CA 94027 This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 1/1/2016. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 2, 2015. (ALM Dec. 16, 23, 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 2016) EAST SIDE MARKET FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267386 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: East Side Market, located at 2368 Clarke Ave., E. Palo Alto, CA 94303, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): ISA YASIN 2368 Clarke Ave. E. Palo Alto, CA 94303 This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on November 30, 2015. (ALM Dec. 16, 23, 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 2016) TESS Research Foundation FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267439 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: TESS Research Foundation, located at 655 Oak Grove Ave. #53, Menlo Park, CA 94026, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): Treatments for Epilepsy and Symptoms of SLC13A5 Foundation 655 Oak Grove Ave. #53 Menlo Park, CA 94026 California This business is conducted by: A Corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 7, 2015. (ALM Dec. 23, 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 13, 2016) LOST GNOME PRODUCTIONS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267499 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Lost Gnome Productions, located at 110 Saint Francis St., Redwood City, CA 94062, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): ERIC ROBIN HILBERT 110 Saint Francis St. Redwood City, CA 94062 This business is conducted by: An

Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 14, 2015. (ALM Dec. 23, 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 13, 2016) ROY’S DRIVE - IN CLEANERS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267561 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Roy’s Drive - In Cleaners, located at 1100 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA 94063, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): GRACE CHUNG 4024 Fair Oaks Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025 SANG KUL KIM 4024 Fair Oaks Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025 This business is conducted by: Married Couple. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on Dec. 21, 2015. (ALM Dec. 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 13, 20, 2016) SPEED HOUND FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267578 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Speed Hound, located at 2045 Avy Avenue, Menlo Park, CA 94025, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): MENLO BRANDS LLC 2045 Avy Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 23, 2015. (ALM Dec. 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 13, 20, 2016) eVigils FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267594 The following Person(s) is (are) doing business as: eVigils, located at 640 Menlo Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025, San Mateo County. Is (Are) hereby registered by the following owner(s): MITEM CORPORATION 640 Menlo Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025 This business is conducted by: A Corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 24, 2015. (ALM Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27, 2016) BLOOMING BEAUTY FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267586 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Blooming Beauty, located at 993 Laurel

Street, San Carlos, CA 94070, San Mateo County; Mailing address: 1400 Laurel St. Apt. #3, San Carlos, CA 94070. Registered owner(s): DAYSI ARITA 1400 Laurel St. Apt. #3 San Carlos, CA 94070 This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 23, 2015. (ALM Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27, 2016)

THE PENINSULA’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEBSITE TO RESPOND TO ADS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBERS GO TO WWW.FOGSTER.COM ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN MATEO Case No.: CIV536335 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: KAREN LEE NEWTON filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: KAREN LEE NEWTON to SHANDY NEWTON DUNN. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated

below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: January 15, 2016, 9:00 a.m., Dept.: PJ, Room: 2D of the

Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, located at 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063. A copy of this ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: THE ALMANAC Date: 12/1/15 /s/ John L. Grandsaert JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT (ALM Dec. 16, 23, 30, 2015, Jan. 6, 2016)

NCI ELECTRIC FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 267625 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: NCI Electric, located at 2731 Hunter St., East Palo Alto, CA 94303, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): NORBERTO AGUILAR 2731 Hunter St. East Palo Alto, CA 94303 This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on December 29, 2015. (ALM Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27, 2016)

997 All Other Legals ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SAN MATEO Case No.: CIV536394 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: GENGHONG ZHOU filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: GENGHONG ZHOU to KEVIN G. ZHOU. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing. NOTICE OF HEARING: January 15, 2016, 9:00 a.m., Dept.: PJ, Room: 2D of the Superior Court of California, County of San Mateo, located at 400 County Center, Redwood City, CA 94063. A copy of this ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: THE ALMANAC Date: 12/1/15 /s/ John L. Grandsaert JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT (ALM Dec. 16, 23, 30, 2015 Jan. 6, 2016)

A variety of home financing solutions to meet your needs 0IXȈW KIX WXEVXIH XSHE] :MGOM 7ZIRHWKEEVH Mortgage Loan Officer, SVP NMLS ID: 633619 650-400-6668 Mobile vicki.svendsgaard@bankofamerica.com mortgage.bankofamerica.com/vickisvendsgaard

THE PENINSULA’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEB SITE COMBINING THE REACH OF THE WEB WITH PRINT ADS REACHING OVER 150,000 READERS!

T H I N K G L O B A L LY, S H O P L O C A L LY Now you can log on to Fogster.com, day or night, and get your ad started immediately (except for employment and business ads) free of charge online. You automatically get a one-line free print ad in our Peninsula newspapers with the option of photos and additional lines. So, the next time you have an item to sell, barter, give away or buy, get the perfect combination: print ads in your local newspapers, reaching more than 150,000 readers and unlimited free web postings reaching hundreds of thousands additional people!

Bank of America, N.A. and the other business/organization mentioned in this advertisement are not afﬁliated; each company is independently responsible for the products and services it oﬀers. Bank of America may compensate select real estate companies and builders for marketing its home loan products and services. Bank of America, N.A., Equal Housing Lender. ©2014 Bank of America Corporation. Credit and collateral are subject to Member FDIC. approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. ARK69DJ5 HL-113-AD 09-2014

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January 6, 2016 Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q The Almanac Q 23

List with DeLeon Realty b ef o r e Ja n u a r y 2 2 , 2 01 6 f o r t he Spring 2 016 ma r k e t a n d y ou wi l l r e ce ive : • a $1,000 gift card to The Home Depot. • 25 hours of handyman time. • a special pre-marketing plan* for your home, including: - exposure on DeLeon Realty’s Spring Showcase website. - inclusion in newspaper inserts (64,500 copies).

• our industry-leading marketing plan, including: - full-page newspaper ads. - Google & Facebook ads. - Chinese newspaper & radio ads. - 2 or 28-page custom brochures. - a professional-quality video. - a 3-D tour.

This is in addition to the complimentary services we provide to all our sellers, including: free property inspection | free pest inspection | free staging** *Pre-marketing for Spring Showcase will roll out the second week of February 2016. * *Includes all fees associated with design, delivery, set-up, de-staging, and the first month of furniture rental. Disclaimer: This offer applies to listings with a signed listing agreement, entered between Nov. 1, 2015 and Jan. 22, 2016. This is a limited-time offer for homes that will be listed on the MLS by May 1, 2016. Past listings and transactions are excluded from this offer. This offer applies to select single-family homes, condominiums, and townhomes in San Mateo County and Santa Clara County.

650.48 8 .7 325

24 Q The Almanac Q TheAlmanacOnline.com Q January 6, 2016

www.d eleon rea lty.com

C a lB RE # 0 19 0 3 224