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Stabilizer of the year Police Chief Dennis Burns focuses on restoring community relations
I
Shawn Fender
t’s been a long, hectic year for the Palo Alto Police Department. When Police Chief Lynne Johnson resigned in December 2008 under a storm of racial-profiling allegations, the job of repairing community relations fell to Assistant Chief Dennis Burns, a 27-year veteran of the Police Department. Burns, a college track star who made headlines in 2007 when he chased down a purse-snatcher in downtown Palo Alto, hit the ground running by holding workshops on racially impartial policing. As “interim chief,� he sought advice from racialprofiling expert Lorie Fridell, held monthly “Meet the Chief� meetings with the community and set up a citizen advisory board to advise the department on public outreach. Burns also had to deal with the equally daunting task of steering the 170-member department through a period of budget cuts and service reductions. In July, City Manager James Keene gave Burns his vote of confidence and named him the city’s ninth police chief, following a nationwide search that attracted more than 40 candidates. At his swearing-in ceremony in November, Burns pledged to provide the community with the highest level of service and to give his officers all the tools they need to do their jobs effectively. Now, Burns is looking ahead to another challenging year. The department has a leaner staff and a smaller budget. Community Outreach Coordinator Susie Ord retired at the end of the year and Burns said she may not be replaced. Popular programs such as Citizen’s Academy may also be cut. With more cuts on the way, Burns said the department would have to look for creative ways to maintain its scope of services. “Going forward, we will have to look at ourselves, be introspective and find ways to operate in an efficient manner,� Burns said. N — Gennady Sheyner
Dennis Burns shakes hands with former Secretary of State George Schultz, after being sworn in as Palo Alto’s new Police Chief. woman Yoriko Kishimoto brought some level-headedness to the debate by reaching out to the rail authority and by forming a coalition with four other Peninsula cities. In her final year on the council, the political veteran founded and served as chair of the Peninsula Cities Consortium — a group that includes Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Yoriko Kishimoto Atherton, Belmont and Burlingame. Kishimoto soaked up information, made connections with rail officials, organized community meetings on the project and used the combined political weight of the five member cities to wring concessions from the rail authority. Kishimoto was also a leading proponent of applying the inclusive, collaborative “context-sensitive solutions� approach to rail design. After extensive lobbying by the coalition, the rail authority agreed to the context-sensitive approach on the San Francisco-to-San Jose segment and mentioned the design approach in its newly released business plan. At a study session on high-speed rail Nov. 16, Kishimoto referred to the project as “transformative� and said the goal of the Peninsula coalition is make sure the project transforms the region in a positive way. “We always say, ‘We hang togeth-
er or we hang separately,’� Kishimoto said. “I’m glad at least enough of our Peninsula cities came together to share information and so that we have greater political leverage.� In 2010, Kishimoto may find herself better positioned to influence the state project, now estimated at $42.6 billion. After concluding her eighth year on the Palo Alto council, Kishimoto is now eyeing a new elective office — Ira Ruskin’s seat in the 21st Assembly District when he is termed out of office in January 2010. N — Gennady Sheyner
Neighborhood activist of the year
P
alo Alto officials scrambled throughout 2009 to keep up with the California’s controversial high-speed rail project. By the time the City Council became fully engaged in the project the California High-Speed Rail Authority had already decided that the rail line would stretch through the middle of the city, with elevated tracks listed as one possibility. Rumors circulated about a 20-foot-high wall dividing the city. Residents along the Caltrain tracks were unnerved to learn that the rail authority wields eminent-domain powers. With tempers flaring, Council-
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Fred Balin wins on trees, loses on College Terrace Centre (JJ&F)
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ollege Terrace resident Fred Balin took on two battles this year, one successfully, the other not. Balin mounted unsuccessful opposition to the College Terrace Centre development, a cont roversia l office-andretail project, more widely known as the JJ&F development. Fred Balin The plan
Coalition builder of the year Yoriko Kishimoto unites cities on high-speed rail
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