Upfront
1ST PLACE
BEST LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Local news, information and analysis
Tempers rise as Palo Alto, fire union begin talks Firefighters’ ‘minimum staffing’ provision likely to emerge as a hot topic in negotiations by Gennady Sheyner epending on who the speaker is, the Palo Alto Fire Department is either a bare-bones outfit fighting to retain its staff after years of draconian cuts or a bloated, overstaffed silo whose rising costs are forcing other city departments to lay off workers and cut programs. Both views have been voiced eloquently in recent months and are sure to re-emerge, perhaps more diplomatically, during Palo Alto’s
D
contract talks with its firefighters’ union, Palo Alto Professional Firefighters, Local 1319. The negotiations formally kicked off Wednesday — at a time of heightened tensions between the council and firefighters, whose current contract expires June 30. On May 18, members of the council’s Finance Committee repeatedly accused the Fire Department of not “stepping up to the plate” by helping trim the department’s proposed budget for 2011. The
budget would raise net expenditures by $1.8 million as other departments brace for sharp cuts and layoffs. The union countered that all non-essential positions in the department have already been axed. Tensions are exacerbated by the union local spearheading a ballot measure that would change the City Charter to require Palo Alto to hold an election before making any Fire Department layoffs or closing of fire stations. Tony Spitaleri, president of the 108-member union, said the firefighters’ initiative petition already has close to 7,000 signatures, more than enough to qualify for the November ballot.
The department has an annual budget of about $25 million budget, though it also brings the city about $11 million in revenues every year, chiefly from contracting fire-protection and paramedic services to Stanford University and providing medical transport as part of the department paramedics program. Both sides told the Weekly this week that while they remain somewhat optimistic they don’t expect any quick resolutions to the ongoing areas of dispute. Perhaps the most contentious issue is the “minimum staffing” provision in the union’s contract — an agreement that was (continued on page 5)
CRIME
Suspect arrested for kidnap, rape, attempted murder Lionel Blanks, 36, of Santa Clara arrested near his home late Wednesday afternoon by Sue Dremann
P
Kimihiro Hoshino
Celebrating international diversity Korean girls perform a traditional Korean dance last Friday during Nixon Elementary School’s International Night, a celebration of students’ varied national and ethnic heritage. Parents and students sampled games, dances and food from many countries, including Mexico, Australia, Japan and Canada.
LAND USE
Palo Alto seeks ‘revenue guarantee’ from hospitals Consultants disagree on whether projects would cost city $1.1 million a year or generate $7.6 million in extra funds by Gennady Sheyner
P
alo Alto could require Stanford University to provide an explicit guarantee that Stanford’s proposed expansions of its hospital facilities would not burden the cash-strapped city with any ongoing costs, members of the City Council said Monday night.
The city and the university are in the midst of negotiations over a development agreement that would allow Stanford to rebuild Stanford Hospital and Clinics and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, bringing 1.3 million square feet of new development to Palo Alto. The project hit a milestone last week when
the city released a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the project, which lists how the project would affect traffic, housing, pollution and numerous other quality-of-life factors. It also recommends how those consequences could be limited or prevented. But as Monday’s discussion of “Project Renewal” indicated, the two sides still don’t see eye-to-eye on the expansions’ potential impacts, including fiscal impacts. An analysis by the city’s consultant, Applied Development Economics, found that the project would cost the city about $1.1 million in annual ongoing expenses. Stanford’s consultant, CBRE Consulting, concluded that the taxes and fees generated by the project would exceed the costs of municipal services by about $7.6 million. Council members Greg Schmid and Nancy Shepherd both said making sure the project is (continued on page 8)
olice arrested a suspect Wednesday afternoon in connection with the kidnap, rape and attempted murder of a Palo Alto woman early Saturday morning. Lionel Blanks, 36, of Santa Clara was arrested near his home at 5 p.m. Wednesday by Santa Clara police detectives, according to Palo Alto police spokeswoman Lt. Sandra Brown. Blanks allegedly brutally attacked a woman after climbing into her 2001 black Mercedes Benz SUV in the 1600 block of El Camino Real in Palo Alto. She was beaten, abducted and taken to the 400 block of Saratoga Avenue in Santa Clara, where she was sexually assaulted and raped, police reported. She flagged down a passing motorist and called Santa Clara police at 5:24 a.m. After Lionel Blanks an initial investigation they referred the case to Palo Alto police, according to Brown. Blanks is initially being charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery and attempted murder. Official charges will be determined by the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office. Blanks’ arraignment date has not yet been set, Brown said. Brown said there was “excellent teamwork” by Palo Alto and Santa Clara police departments, the Stanford Department of Public Safety, the Santa Clara County Crime Lab, and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office. “We also want to particularly note the cooperation of the news media and to thank the citizens who have called in with information about this case.” N *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÓn]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 3