Upfront
News Digest Teachers’ union, district at odds over co-pays
The Palo Alto teachers’ union has asked the school board to restore $780,000 worth of health benefits to the school district’s latest contract offer. But the district said it can’t afford to. Nearly two dozen teachers sat at the board meeting Tuesday night to support Gunn High School math and social studies teacher Ronen Habib, negotiations chair for the Palo Alto Educators Association, who spoke to the board. Noting that the union is not seeking a salary increase this year, Habib said the group is asking for “one of our most basic needs — health insurance — to be covered without increases in co-pays, as that equates to a pay cut.” The school district and unions representing teachers and other employees are in the midst of negotiating contracts for the 2009-10 year. Scott Bowers, the district’s assistant superintendent for human resources, said employee health-insurance premiums have gone up more than $1 million, along with increases in dental premiums. A committee comprised of union members and district representatives came up with a plan that included increasing co-payments on prescriptions and office visits, generating enough savings to cover the increased costs, Bowers said. However, the union wanted the district to cover the extra costs without making any of the planned changes, Bowers said. “Given our budget situation at this time we really couldn’t commit ongoing funds beyond this year, especially with a projected multi-milliondollar deficit next year,” he said. The school district’s 2009-10 operating budget is $154 million, 86 percent of which goes to employee salaries and benefits. ■ — Chris Kenrick
Court ruling gives boost to high-speed rail
Design work can proceed on the planned Peninsula segment of highspeed rail despite flaws in the environmental analysis of the overall project, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge has ruled. The ruling last Friday by Judge Michael Kenny is a setback for a coalition of opponents of the rail plan and of the Peninsula segment. The coalition of Menlo Park, Atherton and environmental groups had hoped Kenny would send the California High Speed Rail Authority back to redo the environmental studies and halt design work on segments, such as the Peninsula segment. The ruling means the rail authority — charged with building the 800mile line between San Francisco and Los Angeles — can continue studying design alternatives for the Bay Area section of the line. California voters approved $9.95 billion to provide seed funds for the $40-billion-plus rail line in the Nov. 3, 2008, election. The coalition had sued the rail authority, arguing that the agency was hasty in approving Pacheco Pass as its preferred alternative for the Bay Area segment of the line. The coalition argued that the line should pass through the East Bay via the Altamont Pass. It also argued that the authority failed to describe the project adequately when it approved the broader environmental report that identified Pacheco Pass as the preferred alternative. Kenny agreed in August that the authority failed to describe fully some sections of the line, specifically the segment between San Jose and Merced. Kenny also ruled that the authority failed to consider Union Pacific’s opposition to sharing its right-of-way with high-speed rail and ordered the authority to revise those sections of the environmental-impact report. ■ — Gennady Sheyner
Residents fight to save sycamores at Paly
A proposal to remove 13 large trees from Palo Alto High School’s sycamore-lined entrance from Churchill Avenue was headed off by residents and school board members Tuesday night. The Board of Education sent school officials back to the drawing boards in their effort to rebuild the adjacent football field bleachers to make them compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Residents argued passionately for saving the trees, comparing Paly’s sycamore-lined entrance to the Cours de la Reine in Paris or to the northern Virginia estate of 18th-century statesman George Mason. “I’m here to urge you to preserve the great treasure that double allee of sycamore trees represents for the school district and for the city,” resident Rega Wood said. Paly Principal Jacqueline McEvoy and Athletic Director Earl Hansen said the planning committee had struggled since last spring to find an alternative to the tree removal. “It’s been a real struggle because unfortunately the choice of having to remove trees is one we didn’t anticipate. But one thing the facilities committee is adamant about is capacity of the bleachers,” McEvoy said. District Superintendent Kevin Skelly said he would return with some new proposals at the board’s Oct. 27 meeting, possibly adding capacity by extending the bleachers south beyond the light poles toward Churchill. ■ — Chris Kenrick LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
I
WANT Palo Alto to make the right choices to ensure the quality
of life that we all cherish. That is why I’m running for City Council now and asking for your help.
“Another Candidate who will push for strong fiscal discipline is Greg Scharff, who also pledges to limit city wage increases to inflation. We also like his idea that the city should actively recruit high sales tax generating businesses. To accomplish that he said Palo Alto needs to be perceived as business friendly. But he is also against high density housing and he favors finding places for new parks. Scharff has the ability to tell the unions “no” and has rejected their support. He’s an independent thinker, is serious about the issues and knows this community well—the characteristics one wants in a council member.” “Greg Scharff, a 20-year resident and sole-practitioner attorney making his first run for council, is the “surprise” candidate in the race. We were impressed with his knowledge of the issues, his directness and his ideas for improving the effectiveness of city government. Of all the candidates, he was the most clear and thoughtful on why Palo Alto’s “planned community” development process, the method used by most developers in proposing major projects that exceed the allowable size in exchange for often nebulous “public benefits,” needs to be reformed and why developers have gained unfair advantage from it. He is also adamant about government transparency and accountability, proposing that no item be allowed on a council agenda unless all materials relating to that item have been available for at least 10 days. He believes past labor negotiations have resulted in excessive and unsustainable retirement benefits for city employees which must now be rolled back. He supports the expansion of the Stanford hospitals assuming agreement on strong traffic-mitigation measures.” t My Video a Check Out om ltoOnline.c om A lo a .P w w w harff.c lectGregSc and www.E
Scharff For City Council 2009 � Karen Neuman, Treasurer � 1301 Parkinson Avenu Palo Alto, CA 94301 � FPPC#1320354 Palo Alto Weekly • October 16, 2009 • Page 11