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INSIDE
Enjoy! Summer 2011 activities guide
Cardinal men and women host NCAA Championships page 35
Neighborhoods 9
Spectrum 16
Movies 26
Eating Out 32 N News
Home 41
Classifieds 63
Puzzles 64
More Wi-Fi coming to town N Cover Story Silver lining in ‘Great Recession’ N Arts Celebrating a quarter-century of dance
Page 3 Page 18 Page 28
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Upfront
1ST PLACE
BEST LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Local news, information and analysis
Dozens of new wireless facilities proposed for Palo Alto City seeks to improve wireless coverage while protecting neighborhood aesthetics by Gennady Sheyner eady or not, dozens of new wireless-communications facilities will soon be on the way to Palo Alto. The city expects to receive about 50 applications for one type of wireless-communication facility or another over the next two to three
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years, Palo Alto’s planning director, Curtis Williams, said during the City Council’s wide-ranging discussion Monday night of cell towers, “distributed antenna systems” and other facilities designed to improve wireless service in the famously tech-savvy city.
Palo Alto currently has about 70 wireless facilities, from giant poles to fake trees, most of which have been built with little fanfare and scant opposition. But efforts to build new cell towers and wireless antennas are becoming more controversial as carriers zoom in on residential neighborhoods with spotty service. Two AT&T proposals stirred intense opposition in recent months. In one case, the proposal to in-
stall a cell tower at St. Albert the Great Church in the Crescent Park neighborhood fell through after the church pulled out under pressure from residents. In another case, AT&T received the council’s approval for two wireless antennas at Hotel President on University Avenue, despite heated opposition from a group of hotel residents. AT&T has also filed applications for nine distributed antenna systems (smaller devices that can be
placed on existing poles) and plans to install dozens more over the next two to three years. The city is also currently weighing five “macrocell” applications — a monopole, a faux tree and three changes to existing facilities — according to a report from the Planning and Community Environment Department. Palo Alto has encouraged instal(continued on page 12)
ENVIRONMENT
Managing the urban forest New Palo Alto database helps arborists care for public trees by Sue Dremann
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Veronica Weber
Setting the bar higher On her swing through Silicon Valley Tuesday, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, the Republic of Costa Rica’s first female president, held her country up as a shining example for the Bay Area in education, peace and the environment. Chinchilla, 52, spoke at Stanford’s new Knight Management Center as part of the Graduate School of Business Global Speaker Series.
EDUCATION
Going to school, with a difference Palo Alto teens with Tourette Syndrome learn to tell their stories by Chris Kenrick t’s not easy for a teenager to be degrees of success, to explain their different, let alone stand up in unusual behavior to classmates. front of a class at school to talk Recently, their parents took them about it. to Washington, D.C., to be trained But two Palo Alto eighth-graders by the national Tourette Syndrome — who live with the disruptive, Association as official “ambassainvoluntary motor and vocal tics dors” for explaining the neurologicaused by Tourette Syndrome — cal condition. have learned to do just that. Mark and Peter are scrapping Since being diagnosed with their homemade presentations for Tourette in elementary school, Peter official handouts from the assoLenicheck and Mark Smeets each ciation, but their task of explaining have tried many times, with varying hasn’t really changed.
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“It’s not one of the disabilities everyone knows about,” said Mark, a student at Jordan Middle School. “People who do know about it usually think it’s just swearing (inappropriate outbursts of obscenity occur among 15 percent of people with Tourette), but we want to educate them that it’s not just swearing but basically any movement or sound you can think of. “I just want to help other kids who also have Tourette Syndrome not go through what I went through.” For Mark, Tourette began in elementary school with persistent coughing that his doctor first thought was a cold. The Smeets family lived in Florida at the time. Symptoms disappeared but later returned after the family moved to Palo Alto and Mark was in fifth grade at Walter Hays School. “I think my first tic was throat (continued on page 8)
f a tree falls in Palo Alto’s urban forest when no one is around, will anyone know? With the debut of the city’s $156,894 TreeKeeper, an inventory of Palo Alto’s estimated 36,000 street and park trees, the answer is, “Yes.” The database, completed by contractor Davey Resource Group in April, is a tool to help arborists manage the city’s beloved trees. The program can locate and identify the species of every one of the city’s publicly owned trees and track each tree’s history and health. At the click of a mouse, the program can give an aerial view of a street or show by color which trees are a priority for care. The project was funded by a $120,000 California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Calfire) grant and $39,000 in city matching funds. In the city’s Municipal Service Center on East Bayshore Road, Eugene Segna, interim public-works managing arborist, recently demonstrated the new system. “Prior to 2010, we didn’t have mapping of publicly owned trees,” he said. But the new system tracks condition assessments of each tree, including age, maintenance records, diseases and impediments such as overhead utilities that could impact the health of the tree. Trees can be ranked for replacement, pruning and pest control. The number of Palo Alto trees with pests: 175. Condition assessments and maintenance records will be submitted to the council, he said. Segna searched by address and pulled up records about a tree in the 800 block of Embarcadero Road. The record showed a Cinnamomum camphora located on the side of the house. Green dots indicate all trees in the area; yellow dots indicate
trees currently being looked at. The database shows call history, work history, who did the work, when a tree is removed and the reason for the removal. In this case, the tree died, he said. Another record can find vandalized trees and inspections for pest control. Segna looked for trees listed for priority pruning — there are 379 in the city. One feature includes adding comments and attaching documents. Segna checked out the condition of a magnolia on Edgewood Drive. Photos show the tree has extensive decay. Another tree gets a “priority 1” to prune, while a third on Oregon Expressway with Dutch elm disease had to be removed. A new feature also allows employees to see trees in relation to underground pipes and utilities. The tool can be used to plan for future layouts of sidewalks and streets, or to strategize replanting. The program can help limit damage to trees during sidewalk repairs, he said. Segna tracks over time which species of trees are most likely to cause sidewalk lifting or damage. Throughout the city, 189 matches came up for high-priority hardscape-damage repairs. The system could also be programmed for mobile use in the field, he said. Workers with computer tablets could call up tree records instantaneously as they drive through town, he said. Segna can also track a tree’s growth or if, for example, it has not grown after 10 years. Such information is useful in deciding if a tree should be removed, he said. He searched for one of his favorite trees, snake bark maple (Acer capillipes). The city has 24. (continued on page 8)
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Upfront
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EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Dale Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Aaron Guggenheim, Kareem Yasin Editorial Interns Joann So, Arts & Entertainment Intern DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Gary Vennarucci, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Judie Block, Esmeralda Flores, Janice Hoogner, Gary Whitman, Display Advertising Sales Neil Fine, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Assistants Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Penelope Ng, Payroll & Benefits Manager Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Susie Ochoa, Cathy Stringari, Doris Taylor, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Amy Renalds, Assistant to the Publisher & Promotions Director Janice Covolo, Receptionist Ruben Espinoza, Courier
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EMBARCADERO MEDIA William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistants Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo, Computer System Associates The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 3268210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright Š2011 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed by SFOP, Redwood City. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our e-mail addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or e-mail circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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Our destiny is definitely in our hands.
—James Keene, Palo Alto city manager, on the city’s prospects despite post-recession economic instability. See story on page 24.
Around Town A NEW FACE ... Every month these days seems to bring with it a new department head at Palo Alto City Hall. On Monday, the council unanimously approved the contract for the city’s new Library Director Monique le Conge, who most recently served as director of library and cultural services in Richmond. The city hired le Conge after a national search that included an executive search firm, two interview panels and a sixcandidate pool that was gradually winnowed down. Le Conge, who is replacing retired Director Diane Jennings, will receive a $165,000 salary and will begin her duties on May 31. She introduced herself to the council Monday night and said she looks forward to working in Palo Alto at “such an exciting time for the libraries. ... Thank you, and I’ll see you at the end of the month.� DROPPED CALLS IN YOUR VILLAGE ... Palo Alto may fancy itself a technological mecca, but when it comes to good old-fashioned cell phones, the city is lagging behind Tibet. Yes, Tibet. That’s according to Mayor Sid Espinosa, who took a trip to Mount Everest last year and was shocked to hear his sherpa’s cell phone ring 17,000 feet above the ground. Espinosa, who related the story at Monday night’s discussion of cell-phone facilities, said the sherpa, Dopjar, told him, “No dropped calls in Tibet,� and then asked him, “Dropped calls in your village?� “Yes, Dopjar,� Espinosa responded. “Dropped calls in my village, dropped calls on my street, dropped calls in my house. Then he said, ‘Cell phone not new technology.’ I couldn’t agree more.� The situation could improve soon, with AT&T and other telecom companies planning to build new towers and antennas throughout the city — an endeavor that is sure to excite residents who are sick of the dropped calls and frustrate those who worry about the aesthetic and health impacts of the new facilities. PHONES AND LAWNMOWERS ... There was no shortage of expert consultants at Monday’s City Council discussion of wireless facilities. One of them, Sunnyvale planner Andrew Miner, has a particular brand of expertise, having spent about a dozen years in the telecom industry before joining Sunnyvale’s planning staff. Miner offered the council an assortment of general observations
about wireless proposals and tips for dealing with the applications. One observation: If you ask telecoms to perform landscaping improvements, prepare for the worst. “Don’t ask them to do landscaping,� Miner said. “Telecom companies are the worst landscapers known to man.� He also encouraged the council to keep applicants to their promises when it comes to aesthetics. “If they build a tree pole and say it’s going to look like a tree, it should look like a tree, not like a pipe cleaner or something like that.� ENERGIZED ... Last week’s “Bike to Work Day� was once again a success, City Manager James Keene said this week, with more bike riders taking it to the Palo Alto streets than a year ago. Keene said 1,380 cyclists visited the four energizer stations throughout the city between 6:30 and 9 a.m., a 2.5 percent increase from 2010. The California Avenue station led the way with 621 cyclists. Keene said he and Mayor Sid Espinosa biked to all four stations. “We were really impressed with the enthusiasm and the energy of volunteers and cyclists.� Minutes after that announcement, the council approved, unanimously and without discussion, a $50,000 sponsorship for two bike rides on Sept. 17, including the “Gran Fondo� race for serious racers and the “Echelon Challenge� for everyone else. GOODBYE, PAPER ... The Palo Alto City Council will soon bid farewell to their weekly paper packets and say hello to new iPads. The devices, which the council expects to receive this summer, will cost the city about $6,200, as well as $4,092 annually for an unlimited data plan. The new gadgets will not only empower council members to fluidly sift through staff reports and emailed correspondence (not to mention stream movies and play Angry Birds, should the urge strike), but city officials also expect the iPads to save money. City Clerk Donna Grider said her office is working with the Office of the City Attorney and Administrative Services Department to come up with cost comparisons and determine exactly what those savings will be. “I believe it will save money because of the volume of the packet,� Grider said. “That’s a lot of money, when you consider that it’s out three times a week.� N
Upfront TRANSPORTATION
Caltrain rethinks relationship with high-speed rail
HOUSING DISCRIMINATION ARE YOU A VICTIM?
Local agency considers other ways to electrify trains, close structural budget deficit by Gennady Sheyner recent decision to start building California’s high-speed rail line in Central Valley has prompted Caltrain to reconsider its seven-year-old partnership with the state authority overseeing the controversial rail project, Caltrain officials said at a town hall meeting in Palo Alto Tuesday. Mark Simon, Caltrain’s executive officer for public affairs, said his agency entered into a partnership with the California High-Speed Rail Authority in order to help Caltrain achieve the goal of electrifying its system, which is necessary to ensure the long-term viability of the popular but cash-strapped commuter service. But Caltrain has been “rethinking our relationship with high-speed rail� since the rail authority approved the plan to start construction of the line in the Central Valley — a plan that’s prompted many legislators, watchdogs and concerned citizens to wonder whether the Peninsula segment will ever get built. The arrangement between the state authority and the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, which governs Caltrain, seemed ideal in 2004, four years before California voters approved a $9 billion bond for the new rail line. The authority needed Caltrain’s right-of-way to make the system work, and Caltrain needed help with electrification. But with highspeed rail facing financial challenges, as well as increasing skepticism from Peninsula residents, Caltrain is giving this partnership a second thought. Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz
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Kniss, who sits on Caltrain’s governing board, hosted the meeting in Palo Alto City Hall to update the community about Caltrain’s ongoing financial struggles and its efforts to electrify the financially troubled train system. Several audience members, however, questioned Caltrain’s partnership with the rail authority and encouraged the Joint Powers Board to take a more assertive stance. Palo Alto resident Hinda Sack said Caltrain should have a greater say. Kniss, a former Palo Alto mayor, said the relationship between the agencies has always been tentative and subject to changes. “It’s like many arrangements,� Kniss said. “I’d call it, maybe they were in the engagement phase. “Caltrain got the ring but never got a wedding band.� Some on the Peninsula still hope the authority and Caltrain can work together. Last month, state Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, and state Assemblyman Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park, proposed a plan in which high-speed rail would use the electrified Caltrain system on the Peninsula. The plan met a cool reception at the most recent meeting of the rail authority’s board of directors. Several members, including board Chair Curt Pringle, suggested that the proposal could be little more than an attempt by Peninsula legislators to take money from the high-speed rail and use it for Caltrain’s needs. For Caltrain, the uncertainty over the Peninsula segment means it has to
look for other ways to raise the roughly $1.5 billion needed to electrify the system. The three partnering agencies that largely fund Caltrain — the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the San Mateo County Transit District and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority — have already set aside $269 million for the project and expect to receive about $350 million more in grants. Even so, Caltrain is still looking for about $640 million to make electrification possible, said Marian Lee, Caltrain’s executive officer for planning and development. The capital project is one of two major funding challenges the agency is wrestling with. Caltrain, which has no permanent, dedicated funding sources, is facing a structural budget gap of about $30 million. The shortfall can be attributed largely to decreases in voluntary contributions from the three partner agencies that support the commuter service. Simon and Kniss said Tuesday that switching Caltrain from diesel to electricity would reduce emissions by 90 percent as well as cut down noise. The agency also hopes to install “positive train controls� — a GPS-based signal system that will allow Caltrain to run more trains and further boost its ridership. Caltrain has already completed a draft Environmental Impact Report for the electrification project and hopes to certify the state-mandated document this summer. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly. com.
Call Project Sentinel, a non-profit agency (888) F-A-I-R-H-O-U-s-i-n-g (888) 324-7468
Be the Change Youth Benefit Concert
Youth dancers, bands, vocalists, classical musicians, volunteers from 12+ schools All proceeds go towards building a school in Sierra Leone through Free the Children Saturday May 21 3:00-4:30 PM
Cultural Art Hall Palo Alto Jewish Community Center 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto Minimum suggested donation $10 For more information, email eleanorksu@gmail.com This space donated as a community service by the Palo Alto Weekly
EDUCATION
C l ay m a n I n s t i t u t e f o r G e n d e r R e s e a r c h
Big school projects to take shape Summer groundbreaking for two-story buildings, gym, media center at Gunn, Paly by Chris Kenrick
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ome of the biggest yields from a 2008 Palo Alto school-bond election will take shape soon as construction begins on $77.6 million worth of projects at Gunn and Palo Alto high schools. Summer groundbreaking is expected at Gunn for a new gym as well as for a two-story math and English building. At Paly, construction will start on a new media arts center and a two-story math and social studies building. All four buildings are slated for occupancy by 2013. In a smaller but related project with quicker impact, air conditioning will be installed in many Gunn classrooms over the summer and should be nearly or fully operational by fall. The summer groundbreakings represent about one-fifth of the spending under the $378 million
facilities bond, which was backed by 77.5 percent of school-district voters in June 2008. The stated goal of the measure was to “expand, upgrade and improve� all 17 of the district’s campuses, extending their useful lives and accommodating enrollment growth. Measured against today’s enrollment, the facilities bond will create capacity for a 16 percent boost in elementary enrollment, a 9 percent increase in middle school enrollment and a nearly 26 percent rise in high school enrollment, according to target numbers provided by the school district. The massive program of more than 30 individual projects has been planned and managed by site-based committees of parents and staff in collaboration with school-district officials, architects and building contractors.
The school district’s co-chief business official, Bob Golton, is the major coordinator. The entire bond program is overseen by a Citizens’ Oversight Committee, which issues annual reports. Aside from the high schools, major construction has occurred or is planned for all three middle school campuses as well as for Ohlone, Fairmeadow and Duveneck elementary schools. New, two-story classroom buildings — almost unheard of in Palo Alto until now — are a major feature of the bond projects. Such a building is midway through construction at Ohlone — slated for occupancy in January — and also is planned for Fairmeadow, Duveneck and JLS Middle School, as well as the two high schools. Beyond that, Superintendent Kev(continued on page 7)
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Upfront Upcoming Events
LAND USE
Business Mixer Hosted by
Stanford Hospital expansion sails toward finish line
#1 Town & Country Village Palo Alto May 25 5:30–7 pm Must Register at PaloAltoChamber.com
“HR & Organizational Learning” Lunch Guest Speaker: Esther Kestenbaum “Empowering Recent Hires to Re-enter the Workforce with Maximum Effectiveness” Hosted by Comerica Lunch by Hobee’s Comeri 250 Lytton Avenue Palo Alto June 8 Noon–1:30 pm Must Register at PaloAltoChamber.com
by Gennady Sheyner
Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce
400 Mitchell Lane
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Palo Alto
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fter nearly 100 public hearings and more than two years of negotiations, the largest development project in Palo Alto’s history is now on its way to the City Council. The colossal expansion of Stanford University Medical Center received a major boost Wednesday night when it earned the backing of the city’s Planning and Transportation Commission, which has been vetting the project over dozens of meetings in the past year. The commission voted Wednesday to revise the city’s official landuse bible, the Comprehensive Plan, to create a new “Hospital District” that would accommodate the hospital project and endorsed a proposed “development agreement” between the city and Stanford. The agreement will allow Stanford to exceed the city’s zoning regulations in exchange for a wide range of community benefits. Palo Alto is creating the new zone to allow Stanford to rebuild Stanford Hospital and Clinics, expand the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, reconstruct various buildings at Stanford University School of Medicine, renovate Hoover Pavilion and build new medical-office buildings. The project would add about 1.3 million square feet of new development to Palo Alto and allow Stanford to add 144 beds to its main hospital, add 104 beds to the children’s hospital and seismically retrofit the hospital buildings to meet state requirements. The ordinance creating the Hospital District specifies that the district is designed to accommodate Stanford’s hospital, medical office and research facilities “with the need to minimize impacts to surrounding areas and neighborhoods.” The new zoning district will allow building heights of up to 130 feet for the main hospitals — far above the 50-foot height limit in other parts of the city. The Hoover Pavilion site will allow a maximum height of 60 feet, not including helicopter pads. The establishment of the new hospital zone is among the final milestones for the Stanford project. It now awaits final approval from the council, which is scheduled to review the project June 6. Wednesday’s actions complete the planning commission’s review of the project. Last week, the commission voted to approve the project’s Final Environmental Impact Report — a comprehensive document that analyzes the project’s impacts and proposes mitigations. The commission also unanimously endorsed the project’s development agreement, which took Palo Alto and Stanford officials about two years to negotiate. (Commission Chair Samir Tuma recused himself from the discussion because his wife works at Stanford University.) To get the city’s approval, Stanford
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Palo Alto’s Planning and Transportation Commission unanimously approves new ‘Hospital District’ for proposed facilities has agreed to provide $7 million in health-care programs and services, $23 million in payments for housing programs and $12 million for climate-change initiatives. Stanford would also buy Caltrain Go Passes for all hospital workers and give the city $3.4 million for improvements to bicycle and pedestrian paths near the hospital facilities. Stanford also agreed to guarantee a payment of $8.1 million to ensure the project would not have a negative impact on the city’s budget. While Stanford estimates its benefits package to total about $173 million, the city values the proposed benefits at about $40 million. The main difference is Stanford’s assertion that the Go Passes constitute public benefits, while the city maintains that they are mitigations required by state law. Both sides agree, however, that Stanford’s purchase of Go Passes is a valuable component of the package. The planning commission generally supported the agreement, though some members offered a few additions. Vice Chair Lee Lippert recommended tying some of Stanford’s entitlements to its status as a nonprofit institution. Commissioner Susan Fineberg said Stanford should start a historical-restoration fund to compensate for its demolition of the historic hospital building designed by Edward Durell Stone. Arthur Keller suggested including more details about the potentially escalating cost of the Go Passes. But the commission concurred that after more than two years of negotiations, the two sides had reached a fair agreement. The commission also watched a video fly-through of the proposed facilities and commented on the project’s design, which had been extensively vetted by the Architectural Review Board over 29 public hearings. The commission expressed a few slight reservations. Commissioner Daniel Garber said he wished Stanford would have done a better job integrating Quarry Road with the surrounding area, while Keller said the project would’ve been better if the Hoover Pavilion site were less crowded. Still, after dozens of meetings and more than two years of negotiations, the commission agreed that the project has come a long way. “I think on the whole we have probably the best project we can possibly have at this point in time,” Keller said. Lippert said he was concerned about the lack of way-finding elements in the design of the proposed Stanford Hospital and Clinics building and said he was disappointed in the design of the main entrance. But like others, he said the project merits approval. “What an incredible journey,” Lippert said. N
Upfront
Construct
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in Skelly next month is expected to propose locations for an additional 30 new elementary classrooms across the district. Palo Alto has experienced an unexpected boom in elementaryage enrollment in the past two years that many believe could continue. Skelly has said the district must prepare itself to handle as many as 568 additional K-5 students in the next five years — the size of a large elementary school. Besides the groundbreakings expected this summer, several large bond projects — including Gunn’s industrial arts building and Paly’s softball and baseball fields — already have been completed. And there’s more to come, including a new performing arts center at Paly budgeted for nearly $18 million. The bond also has funded interactive Smar tboards and amplification systems in all elementary classrooms as well as at JLS — more than 200 classrooms in all, officials said. “We’ve essentially stopped buying televisions because the (Smartboard) projector will project whatever image you have on your computer screen to the whiteboard,” Golton said. “This is what children are used to doing nowadays.” Bond funds also are supplying classroom technology, including laptops and iPads. “We’re buying more laptops instead of desktops, and now the use of laptops is eroding because people are buying iPads,” Golton said. “All schools are being touched by this. You can’t go any place in any of our schools and not find student workstations being funded by our bond.” Site committees at each campus — including parents, staff and students — have been involved in planning the changes and advertising the plans to school neighbors. A landscape committee populated by community members also has provided scrutiny, particularly of the high school landscape plans. Elements of the bond program have come before the school board in hundreds of bits and pieces as they make their way through a lengthy approval process, which includes a mandatory review by the Division of State Architect that can take up to nine months. The recession led to “steeply discounted” bids early in the bond program as contractors slashed their margins to get the work, said Thomas Hodges, a senior vice-president of O’Connor Construction Management Inc. and program director for the bond project. As materials costs began increasing six months ago, “We’re still getting bids under budget, but not the steeply discounted bids we were seeing last year,” Hodges said. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
News Digest Expert: DNA match in attempted murder, rape case DNA evidence links Lionel Blanks Jr. of Santa Clara to a rape and attempted-murder case that began in Palo Alto in May 2010 and involved a 29-year-old woman, a DNA expert testified at a preliminary hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose on Monday. Judge Ron Del Pozzo ruled there is sufficient evidence to try Blanks, who will be arraigned on May 31, when a trial date could be set. Blanks is accused of an attack that began with the beating, binding and blindfolding of the woman in Palo Alto sometime after 1:30 or 2 a.m. on May 22, 2010. He allegedly kidnapped the victim in her car, made death threats against her and drove her to an elementary-school field in Santa Clara, where he allegedly raped, beat and choked her. The victim testified last Friday she survived only because she had faked her death. Nancy Marte, a county criminologist and DNA expert, said on Monday that she did statistical analysis on 13 of the most common DNA markers in samples taken from the victim and Blanks. The chances of anyone else having the same DNA match as Blanks are greater than 1 in 300 billion, she said. Deputy Public Defender Gilda Valeros struck hard at the county’s analysis, which follows policies that have never been published or peer reviewed in any scientific publication. “I’m not accepting any opinion that she is rendering based on an unpublished study,” Valeros said. But Marte explained that all of the genetic markers tested have been scientifically peer reviewed and have been accepted since 2000. Blanks faces six counts that could result in life in prison if he is convicted: rape during the conviction of a kidnap, with an allegation of rape engaged in tying and binding and personally inflicting great bodily injury; sexual penetration by force; attempted murder; carjacking; robbery; and threats to commit a crime resulting in death or great bodily injury. N — Sue Dremann
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Palo Alto schools hire new expert on test data The Palo Alto Unified School District has hired a new, high-level data cruncher to analyze student performance and other testing information. Diana Wilmot, previously coordinator of assessment and accountability for the Santa Clara County Office of Education, will come to Palo Alto to replace William Garrison, who is retiring after eight years with the district. Wilmot will track and report on student-testing data and work with teachers and principals on instructional approaches. The research director reports on trends and comparisons in STAR, SAT and AP test scores as well as percentages of students who complete a fouryear-college-prep course load. Wilmot previously has worked for many research institutions, including Educational Testing Services. She holds a Ph.D. in quantitative methods and evaluation and a master’s degree in education from the University of California at Berkeley. Earlier in her career she taught math and statistics at Los Altos High School. “I’m excited to join such a distinguished education community and look forward to working with the incredible professionals at PAUSD to help make a positive difference for our students,” Wilmot said. N — Chris Kenrick
Commission stops work around heritage oak A meeting with San Mateo County left the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission reviewing options for sparing a 65-foot-tall heritage oak tree known as “Granny.” The centuries-old tree sits in the middle of a site in unincorporated Menlo Park designated for a planned water pipeline meant to carry water from the Hetch Hetchy, part of a $4.6 billion seismic-improvement project. For now, the agency has ensconced the tree within an “avoidance area” at 827 15th Ave., and directed its contractor, Mountain Cascade, to stop work within that boundary. Ed Harrington, commission general manager, told the county in a letter Wednesday (May 18) that he personally promised the zone around the tree would, in fact, be avoided until June 6 at the earliest. That gives the agency enough time to review the arborist report and evaluate the cost of alternatives to removing the tree, he said. Commission spokeswoman Maureen Barry described the meeting with the county as “very cordial.” At issue was whether the agency would be subject to the county’s heritage tree ordinance. The commission is claiming immunity as a public agency. The neighbors agreed to meet with agency representatives but still want at least two weeks’ notice before the tree is brought down, according to Mary Ann Mullen, who organized the campaign to save “Granny.” They continue to pursue a temporary restraining order, Mullen said. N — Sandy Brundage LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com
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NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the city of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, June 2, 2011 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144. 2080 Channing Avenue [10PLN-00198]: Request by Kenneth Rodriques & Partners, Inc. on behalf of Ho Holdings No. 1, LLC for Preliminary Review of a proposal for Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center. The proposal includes renovation of three existing retail structures, on-site relocation of one of the retail structures, and construction of 10 new single-family homes. 355 Alma [11PLN-00045]: Request by Lund Smith on behalf of Lytton Gateway LLC for Preliminary Review of a new mixed use, five-story building on the former Shell Station site (21,700 square feet). The site was previously zoned CD-C(P) and CD-N(P) but was initiated as Planned Community (PC) zone district by the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) at the March 16, 2011 P&TC public meeting. Amy French Manager of Current Planning *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 7
Upfront
Trees
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Want to know which is the city’s rarest tree? “The city has a lot of one-of-akinds,” Segna said, noting a single example of Eastern dogwood and just one Japanese red pine. These anomalies could have been experimental or could be plantings gifted
from a horticultural foundation, he said. Segna brought up a tree-frequency report. The city’s top tree lives up to its name: Magnolia grandiflora — Southern magnolia — with 4,055 trees. It heads the list at 12.84 percent of the city’s trees. Unidentified species in vacant sites: 2,051. And there are 272 stumps — just stumps — comprising 0.86 percent.
CityView A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
The new database, it is hoped, will help city arborists avoid costly mistakes such as the 2009 California Avenue tree-removal. A January survey showed that residents want the city to improve managing street trees and improve making good choices about tree removal. The database is a significant component in the development of a street-tree master plan, which the council requested in 2007, according to a March 15, 2010, City Manager’s report. That report also noted that Palo Alto’s urban forest is changing. The tree population is aging, and development is increasingly disturbing city trees.
Palo Alto’s top five street trees Name
Count
%
Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
4,055
12.84
London planetree (Platanus acerifolia)
2,850
9.02
American sweetgum, redgum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
2,669
8.45
Modesto ash (Fraxinus velutina)
1,480
4.68
Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
1,134
3.59
Palo Alto has two departments that utilize arborists: Public Works takes care of city-owned trees, and Planning and Community Environment oversees trees on private property. Dave Dockter is the managing planning arborist. Eric Krebs recently retired from Public Works. Public Works is also going
through a reorganization that includes the tree section. The proposed plan will be presented at a city budget hearing Tuesday (May 24), Public Works Director Mike Sartor said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
City Council (May 16) Cell facilities: The council heard a presentation about the trends surrounding wirelesscommunication facilities and discussed the city’s process for reviewing applications for such facilities. Action: None Library director: The council approved the contract of Monique le Conge, the city’s new library director. Yes: Unanimous
Finance Committee (May 17)
Utilities budget: The committee discussed and tentatively approved the fiscal year 2012 budgets for the Utility Department’s electric, gas, wastewater and water funds. Yes: Unanimous
Historic Resources Board (May 18)
Veronica Weber
630 Ramona St.: The board approved, with conditions, a proposal to perform a historic rehabilitation at 630 Ramona St., a Category II historic resource. Yes: Unanimous
Planning and Transportation Commission (May 18)
Stanford University Medical Center: The commission recommended creation of a Hospital District to enable expansion of Stanford University Medical Center; and recommended approval of the proposed development between Palo Alto and Stanford. Yes: Fineberg, Garber, Keller, Lippert, Martinez, Tanaka Abstained: Tuma
Architectural Review Board (May 19)
195 Page Mill Road: The board discussed a proposal by Hohbach Realty Company for a three-story building with 84 residential units and ground-floor research-anddevelopment space. The board voted to continue its discussion to a later date. Yes: Unanimous
Peter Lenicheck has been commissioned by the National Tourette Syndrome Association to speak to fellow students and community groups about having Tourette.
Tourette
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Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week
FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss the proposed Fiscal Year 2012 budget for the Public Works Department. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will discuss a proposal to boost high school graduation requirements, beginning in 2016, to match the prerequisites, known as the “A-G requirements,” for the California State University and the University of California systems. The board also will hear a presentation on college readiness in the district and discuss the local impact of Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget proposal issued May 16. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, in the board room of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the city’s new Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and discuss ways to improve connectivity for vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians between the Main Library, Art Center and Community Gardens. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 24, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss the city’s Municipal Fee Schedule for Fiscal Year 2012. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss 711 El Camino Real, a proposal by Clement Chen on behalf of Pacific Hotel Development to rezone a parcel of land to a Planned Community zone for construction of a five-story hotel with 44 rooms. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 25, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). RAIL COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to hear a presentation from Caltrain officials about electrification of Caltrain and discuss the city’s position on a proposal to blend high-speed rail and Caltrain on the Peninsula. The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. on Thursday, May 26, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). INFRASTRUCTURE BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE ... The commission will continue its discussion of the city’s infrastructure backlog and possible ways to pay for the needed repairs. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, in the Lucie Stern Community Room (1305 Middlefield Road). LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss nonresident borrowing fees, library circulation statistics and the public-services divisions and adopt a resolution in honor of Interim Library Director Ned Himmel. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
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Veronica Weber
CITY COUNCIL ... The council has no meetings scheduled next week.
clearing and squeezing my eyes shut and twitching my nose,” he said. “They’re minor, but it still has a great effect on school because everyone’s noticing. I try to suppress them, but if I do suppress them the next period it just gets worse. “Recently, there was (state-mandated) STAR testing and it would be so quiet in the room, and then one of my tics would make everyone stress out.” Mark first met Peter when they were in a sixth-grade class at Jordan together, and he thought Peter was teasing him by mimicking his tics. “We’d look at each other and we had similar tics. We’d just stare at each other and say, ‘You’re copying me, or something,’” Mark said. “Then we got together with a counselor, and she told us we both have Tourette’s.” The two of them made a presentation to their class about it. Peter was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome in second-grade, after behavior difficulties in first-grade led to a diagnosis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, he said. “I have tics, motor and vocal,” Peter said. “Kids would say, ‘Why are you doing that? Could you please stop?’ And I’d say, ‘I have Tourette Syndrome,’ and I’d explain to them what it is.” Peter now attends the Esther B. Clark School at the Children’s Health Council where, he said,
Mark Smeets, an eighth-grader at Jordan Middle School, practices throwing discus during track practice. Smeets is one of the new youth ambassadors recently trained by the National Tourette Syndrome Association to educate his fellow students. classmates have given him less trouble about his tics. “I made a Power Point presentation and got in front of the class and talked about it,” he said. “One of my main tics is pointing the middle finger. Now people see me doing that and they say, ‘Oh, that’s just Tourette’s.’” After their recent training in Washington, D.C., Peter and Mark visited Capitol Hill to speak with members of Congress or their staff members about Tourette Syndrome. Peter spoke with U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, who was a Gunn High School classmate of his mother, Lucinda Breed Lenicheck, in the 1960s. “She listened to me very intently, and I was glad I could talk to someone about it who understood,” he said. “She said she was on a couple of committees, and she would ask them to sign on to this ‘Dear Col-
league’ letter to keep the funding for Tourette’s.” The frequent and repetitive motor and vocal tics of Tourette Syndrome are involuntary, according to the National Tourette Syndrome Association. Before a diagnosis is confirmed, both involuntary movements and vocalizations must be present for more than a year. Symptoms vary from very mild to severe, with most cases falling into the mild category, and boys are affected three to four times more often than girls, according to the association. Tourette sufferers have the same IQ range as the general population, but problems dealing with tics sometimes call for special education, the association said. Many go on to reach high levels of professional achievement. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
Upfront
Neighborhoods A roundup of neighborhood news edited by Sue Dremann
AROUND THE BLOCK A GOOD FAIRE ... Nearly 1,500 people participated in the Emergency Preparedness Safety Faire at the Stanford Shopping Center May 1, organized by the Palo Alto/ Stanford Citizen Corps Council. Annette Glanckopf, the Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN) representative on the Corps, thanked committee members at last week’s City Council meeting for making the event happen: Palo Alto police Officer Kenneth Dueker, who had the vision for the event; Lisa Pelletier, who obtained the site and planned logistics; Alex Schubek, the site safety officer; Patrick Muffler, who secured the numerous tents; Sheri Furman, who organized the main tent speakers; Lydia Kou, who obtained the largest financial sponsor and captained more than 50 volunteers; Vinnie Biberdorf, who provided the Faire workers food and other support; and Catherine Capriles of the Fire Department, who, among other contributions, recruited Sparky the Fire Dog. A host of organizations sponsored the event, from the American Institute of Architects to the U.S. Geological Survey.
BELLY UP TO THE FOOD TRUCK ... Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood’s Edgewood Eats not only offers a smorgasbord of gourmet food-truck offerings on Monday evenings, but it is apparently a good place for celebrity sighting as well. The May 2 event included Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who recently purchased a home in nearby Crescent Park on Edgewood Drive, and Bart Decrem of Tapulous, a Palo Alto start-up bought by Disney. As one recent Edgewood Eats attendee observed: “This place is definitely the alpha nerd hangout in the area on Monday nights.” Edgewood Eats runs from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Edgewood Plaza between St. Francis Drive, Channing Avenue and West Bayshore Road. N
Send announcements of neighborhood events, meetings and news to Sue Dremann, Neighborhoods editor, at sdremann@ paweekly.com. Or talk about your neighborhood news on Town Square at www.PaloAltoOnline.com.
Neighborhoods compete over trash reduction Mini-can challenge to inspire recycling, creative composting by Sue Dremann
T
hree neighborhood groups have thrown down the gauntlet over trash. The friendly rivalry pits the Barron Park, College Terrace and Midtown Green Teams in a “mini-can challenge,” to get at least 50 percent of their residents to use the city’s smaller 20-gallon trash receptacle. The challenge was inspired by a recent map published by the City of Palo Alto’s Zero Waste program, which showed mini-can usage by neighborhood, Midtown Green Team member Debbie Mytels said. The city challenged the community to achieve a rate of 50 percent mini-cans. Grassroots environmental teams work on projects that reduce people’s carbon footprint, so a campaign that would help reduce methane and carbon dioxide from garbage seemed a perfect fit. When she learned the Palo Verde neighborhood just to the south of Midtown came in first at 37 percent, Mytels’ competitive spirit was fired up. “Midtown can do better than that!” she said. Mytels and Lisa Altieri, Palo Alto Green Teams organizer, came up with the mini-can challenge, which launched on Earth Day, April 22, she said. “We came up with the idea that it would be cool to challenge our neighborhoods to see which one could get to the 50 percent mini-can usage first. Our motivation? Just basic neighborhood pride — and a desire to get more people into using mini-cans,” said Mytels, who is the program developer for local nonprofit group Acterra. Palo Alto has considerable garbage that could be recycled. According to the city’s Zero Waste website, approximately 43 percent of city garbage is
recyclable. Paper alone comprises 14 percent, or 11, 200 tons. Switching to mini-cans saves a household $203.52 annually, according to Palo Alto Neighborhood (PAN) Green Team organizers. Minican garbage service costs $15.90 per month; regular 32-gallon can service costs $32.86 per month. Mytels said her household has used the mini-can for about three years. The can is actually a regular 32-gallon receptacle with an insert that lowers the capacity to 20 gallons. “We’ve been happy and saving money ever since,” she said. Switching to a mini-can potentially has an added environmental benefit. Some residents use the savings to sign up for PaloAltoGreen, the city’s renewable-energy program that supplies power from 100 percent wind and solar sources. Anne Schmitt of College Terrace said her neighborhood green team’s meeting Wednesday highlighted the challenge. Group members were doing a trial canvassing of the neighborhood, she said. Last month, the group arranged a tour of the transfer center for the city garbage company, GreenWaste. Residents saw first hand en masse what Palo Altans put in the trash. “The amount of plastic bags people throw away — the ones we get when we buy broccoli — that were on the GreenWaste conveyer belt was huge,” she said. At the College Terrace Residents’ Association annual picnic, a neighbor’s worm bin was the biggest hit, she said. At the end of the picnic, the worms got the ends of hamburger buns and other scraps. College Terrace resident Ute En-
GREEN ACRES II
When home fitness is a group activity Green Acres II residents improved neighborhood safety with a group retrofit by Sue Dremann onths before the Japan mega- inspections to take advantage of a quake and tsunami destroyed discount. If they had seven or more in whole neighborhoods, resi- the group who contracted for retrofits, dents of Palo Alto’s Green Acres II they would receive 20 percent off. were planning for a neighborhood The idea came from a friend in seismic retrofit. Mountain View, who got her neighSpurred by a neighbor’s email about bors to have the work done at the same getting reduced rates for the work, in time, Green Acres residents said. February a group of about 16 homThe homeowners worked with La eowners decided to pool their home Honda/Redwood City contractor An-
M
Veronica Weber
CON-TREE-VERSY ... That’s what Midtown resident Peggy Kenney called the general frustration some residents feel over tree removals in Midtown, where trees seem to be taken out with regularity, residents have complained. Responses to the city’s January survey regarding residents’ feeling about trees included several comments that Midtown and the area south of Oregon Expressway generally needs more trees. “An aerial view of Palo Alto shows much more tree canopy north of Oregon than in our part of the city,” Kenney noted in the Midtown Residents Association newsletter. Anyone who wants to see more trees in South Palo Alto or who sees a damaged tree can call Public Works at 650496-5953 or email pwd@cityofpaloalto.org.
ENVIRONMENT
Ute Engelke opens the lid on her neighbor’s compost bin, a way to dispose of kitchen scraps. Engelke is part of the Green Team, which is encouraging neighbors to reduce waste and use a smaller garbage can. gelke regularly feeds her 5,000 head of worm “livestock” everything from table scraps to old blue jeans. All of her household trash has fit in a 1-gallon bucket for years, she said. Years before the city offered a mini-can and recycling, Engelke said she wrote “mini-can” on the lid of her covered bucket so trash collectors would pick it up. She’s since switched to the city’s 20-gallon can, but it takes at least a month before she has enough trash to put it curbside, she said. Engelke said she adds the blue jeans without cutting them up. The worms
devour them with gusto. “It takes maybe three months to eat up. Only the zippers stay behind and the seams made with polyester,” she said. Barron Park has a good chance of winning the competition, Altieri said. Barron Park’s team “just grabbed onto this. They are going gangbusters, canvassing the neighborhood, dropping off fliers to everyone with 32-gallon cans, holding house visits to help people learn how to reduce their waste,” she said.
derson-Niswander Construction Inc., which specializes in seismic work and had done two prior group upgrades in Mountain View, Sherry Niswander told residents. “Discounts are possible due to economies of scale and undertaking consecutive retrofit jobs in the same general neighborhood. Tools and equipment can be moved directly from one house to the next,” she informed residents by email. Each house was pre-inspected. Because residents had the homes done in groups of four, the inspection price was dropped to $100 per home. The fee went toward the cost of inspections and written reports. By March, 10 residents chose to have the work done — sufficient for the discount, homeowner Craig Mohr
said. Most of the tract’s homes bordered by Maybell Avenue, Arastradero Road, Coulombe Drive and Georgia Avenue were built in the 1950s. They are bolted or nailed to the foundations, but don’t meet today’s codes, he said. Bigger bolts, shear pins and sill plates were added to his ranch-style home. An engineer explained that wood-frame houses, if properly bolted, aren’t going anywhere in an earthquake, he said. Mohr said he paid $5,200. Without the group discount, he would have paid $7,800, he said. He is happy with the work and increased sense of safety. The homes will also do better on resale, he said.
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Upfront
Mini-can
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The Green Team created a survey about the mini-can service that went out to residents in April. Altieri said she is talking to Palo Alto Mayor Sid Espinosa about a possible recognition award from the city for the winning neighborhood — something beyond the bragging rights. Mark Georgia, Barron Park Green Team committee member, said he is ready for the challenge. “Our Barron Park Green Team is throwing down the gauntlet and invites all neighborhoods in Palo Alto to accept the challenge,” he said. Georgia said the Barron Park group counted how many residents use minicans. They leave information about the fiscal and environmental savings under the doormats of residents who use larger bins, he said. Reducing the level of trash isn’t difficult, once one becomes mindful of recycling and making good purchases based on less packaging, he said. “For years, we have had a minican. It’s gotten so that most weeks we
Retrofit
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FREE SKIN CANCER SCREENING Dermatologists from Stanford Hospital & Clinics will be on hand to check for unusual moles or irregular blemishes that could signify the onset of skin cancer. If you have had the following, this free screening is for you: Fair skin and excessive exposure to the sun t Many moles or atypical moles t A parent or sibling who has had skin cancer t
“I think some people will be sorry they didn’t do it. In a good shake, their house will slide a little bit,” he said. A small flurry of email exchanges among the neighbors included answers to different questions several residents had researched independently — reports from neighbors elsewhere who had had similar work done by the contractor; checking the Better Business Bureau; verifying that Palo Alto did not require a permit for the work; a comparison of estimated costs with costs of earthquake insurance; and the experiences of people in Northridge, Calif., who had similar work done before their earthquake, homeowner Ruth Satterthwaite said. “Anderson-Niswander kept us updated on the number of inspections, reports and contract commitments until we reached the magic number of seven by March 22, at which point they began putting together the construction schedule and the individual contracts with the 20 percent discount. “It was essentially painless for us as customers. ... It was, of course, noisy at times, especially when they were
don’t even have half a can of garbage,” Georgia, an avid gardener who composts kitchen scraps, said. “If you have a garden, there’s all that packaging that won’t go in the garbage.” Mytels agreed. “I’ve been a recycler since the days of burlap bags — and a backyard composter since the ‘70s, too. Even when there were five of us in the house, we never needed more than one 32-gallon can. So much more can be recycled now than it could when my kids were growing up. If people follow the recycling guidelines, even if they have a larger family, many can get by with using a mini can,” she said. Residents who want to switch to the mini-can service can call GreenWaste at 650-493-4894 or email customerservice@greenwaste.com. A backlog could mean waiting for a month or more, Mytels said. The mini-can progress report is updated quarterly and is available at www.cityofpaloalto.org by going to the Zero Waste home page and clicking on “Progress Report” under the “Interact with us” menu. N drilling into the concrete,” she said. The Satterthwaites paid slightly more than $2,000, including the inspection fee, she said. “A lot depended on whether the foundation was already bolted or only nailed and the general condition of the foundation itself (existing cracks or dampness),” she said. A few of the existing bolts under Satterthwaite’s home had started to rust, and their placement near the corners did not meet current code, she said. But she also received peace of mind, she said. “The foundation was ‘robust’ and ‘in excellent condition for its age,’ which was more reassuring than we might have expected.” Satterthwaite added that it was valuable to exchange questions and research results before making final decisions, especially since people thought of different areas of possible concern. “As a neighborhood, we have already encouraged disaster prep, although of course there are some better prepared than others. We still have our fair share of denial among some of our neighbors. “How will we reap safety benefits? Maybe we can better answer that after the next earthquake,” she said. N
“There‘s no place like home.”
Saturday, May 21, 2011 9:00am – Noon
Redwood City - San Mateo - San Jose
Stanford Medicine Outpatient Center 450 Broadway, Pavilion B, 4th Floor Redwood City, CA 94063
For questions, directions, or additional information, call 650.723.6316. There is no registration for this event; it is a first-come, first-served screening.
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stanfordhospital.org/freescreen
www.matchedcaregivers.com
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t And when you shop at locally owned businesses, you also support our friends and neighbors who are running these businesses, donating to community events and causes, hiring our kids and getting involved in making Palo Alto a better place.
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lation of new wireless-communication facilities in commercial areas, particularly when placed on existing poles. Proposals based in residential zones are required by the city’s zoning code to undergo more stringent review than those devices that would share space with other equipment. Even so, carriers are increasingly looking to install facilities in residential neighborhoods, where the need is greatest. “We’re getting to a point now, as we’ve seen, that there aren’t a lot
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of locations left to service residential areas that aren’t in residential zones,� Williams told the council. “That’s one of the problems and concerns.� Many people in Palo Alto welcome the new facilities. Dozens of residents and business owners have emailed council members, complaining about spotty cell-phone reception and asking them to allow new wireless facilities. New infrastructure, they say, is necessary to eliminate dead zones and speed up data transfers. “It is embarrassing (and ironic) to drop calls every time I drive past Hewlett-Packard on Page Mill Road, considering that the Silicon
Valley originated there,� wrote Layne Court resident Serdar Uckun. “Please support AT&T’s plans to improve wireless and data coverage in Palo Alto.� Joint Venture Silicon Valley — a coalition of business, government, academic and community groups — is also lobbying for improved wireless infrastructure and arguing that the region’s existing wireless infrastructure is dangerously close to reaching its capacity. Leon Beauchman, a former AT&T executive who is directing Joint Venture’s Wireless Communications Initiative, said the number of cell-phone users, particularly ones with smartphones, has risen dramatically in
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June 27-August 5 Located on six wooded acres in Menlo Park, Peninsula School offers a fun and exciting Summer School program for children ages 5-13. All classes i“…>ĂƒÂˆĂ˘iĂŠVÂœÂœÂŤiĂ€>ĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜ĂŠ>˜`ĂŠvĂ€Âˆi˜`ĂƒÂ…ÂˆÂŤÂ°ĂŠ …ˆÂ?`Ă€iÂ˜ĂŠ learn in an atmosphere of informality and fun.
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downtown carmel-by-the-sea : corner of ocean and junipero
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THANK YOU to our AVENIDAS LIFETIMES OF ACHIEVEMENT 2011 sponsors
Association for Senior Day Health Anonymous
Fran Codispoti & Ken Schroeder
Bill & Cynthia Floyd
Peggy and Yogen Dalal Jim Baer Mona and Bob Armistead Allan and Marilyn Brown Anne and Terry Clark Nancy Drapkin Jeff and Gary Dunker
Don & Ruth Seiler
The Franklin and Catherine Johnson Foundation
Bruce and Ellie Heister Barbara Jones Cathy and Howard Kroymann Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Lynn and David Mitchell
The George and Judy Marcus Family Foundation
Judy Koch Duncan and Shirley Matteson The Morgan Family Foundation
Armand & Eliane Neukermans Karen and Richard Olson Nancy Weeks Rossen & Norm Rossen Gordon Russell
Sherri Sager See’s Candies Judy and Denis Severson Anne and Craig Taylor Jeanne and Leonard Ware
Honoring: Jim Burch • Betsy Collard • Jan Fenwick • Dick Henning • Bill & Carolyn Reller • Veronica Tincher For photos of this event, visit us at www.avenidas.org or on Facebook.com/Avenidas. Page 12ĂŠUĂŠ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
Upfront Public hearing recent years. In January, 65.8 million people in the United States had smartphones, an 8 percent increase over the previous quarter. Dieter Preiser from the firm RCC Consultants told the council that more than 40 percent of households in the nation no longer have landlines. Furthermore, about 75 percent of 9-1-1 calls originate from wireless phones, he said. To make matters more complicated, technology is constantly changing, requiring carriers to pursue new facilities. “It’s not static,� Preiser said. “Technology is evolving to meet demands of the consumer. That, of course, requires carriers to modify existing sites and add sites.� Preiser noted that one of the most critical priorities of wireless carriers these days is to improve coverage inside buildings. The council generally agreed that new infrastructure is necessary to improve the city’s wireless service — an objective that several members said should be a high priority. The key, according to Councilman Greg Scharff, is to achieve this
without saddling neighborhoods with ugly structures. “The important thing is — how do we get the best possible coverage while maintaining aesthetics?� Scharff said. The discussion Monday night highlighted a key council objective of reaching out to residents and ensuring they understand the need for wireless facilities and the city’s process for reviewing the proposals. “Because this is such a shift for our community and we know there’s more coming down the pike, we need to do what we can to avoid a large community fight every time one of these applications comes forward,� Mayor Sid Espinosa said. “There was a time not so long ago where we didn’t see a large protest after an application came in. “I think we need to accept that reality and think about how we as a council lead the conversation across the community.� N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
Online This Week
These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on “News� in the left, green column.
Police investigate Mountain View road rage attack A case of severe road rage was reported Monday (May 16) after a man allegedly ran another driver off Grant Road in Mountain View, then punched him in the face through the car window, police said. (Posted May 18 at 11:32 a.m.)
San Francisco 49ers honor East Palo Alto teacher The San Francisco 49ers Tuesday morning (May 17) named an East Palo Alto woman as the first of 16 Bay Area teachers who will be honored as a “classroom hero� during the upcoming 2011 NFL season. (Posted May 18 at 9:15 a.m.)
$320K damage in April 28 EPA apartment fire A two-alarm blaze that displaced up to 120 people in East Palo Alto caused more than $320,000 in damage, fire investigators said. The April 28 fire at an apartment complex on Newell Court was not intentionally set, Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said Monday (May 16). (Posted May 17 at 9:56 p.m.)
DNA hit leads to EPA school-burglary arrest A DNA match has led to the arrest of an East Palo Alto man in connection with the Dec. 24, 2010, burglary of the James Flood Elementary School in the city. (Posted May 17 at 9:21 p.m.)
Leap from parking structure ends police chase A man running from Mountain View police ended the pursuit when he hurt himself by jumping from the top of a multiple-story parking structure, law enforcement officials said. (Posted May 17 at 9:06 a.m.)
Man fires gun after hip-hop festival at Stanford A man who attended a hip-hop festival on the Stanford University campus fired a silver handgun several times as patrons exited the festival Saturday night (May 14), Stanford police said. (Posted May 16 at 9:56 a.m.)
Truck rollover shocks residents in Mountain View Shortly before 5 p.m. on Saturday (May 14) a pickup truck veered off the edge of the 237 freeway and rolled over into several trees, surprising the residents of a nearby apartment building at the end of Church Street. (Posted May 16 at 9:07 a.m.)
Caltrain: Weekend baby bullets a success
Flood Control Benefit Assessment Rates for FY 2011-12
You are invited Topic:
Flood Control Benefit Assessment Rates for Fiscal Year 2011-12
Who:
Santa Clara Valley Water District
When:
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 9:00 a.m.
Where:
Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Room 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118
This public hearing will cover the “Flood Control Benefit Assessments Report, 2011-2012 through 2029-2030, dated “April 2011.� The written report incorporates by reference a description of each parcel and the expected amount of assessment under the approved formula for each parcel within the flood control zones of the District. At the hearing, the Board of Directors will hear any and all protests. At the conclusion of the hearing, the Board may adopt or revise any assessment and will make its determination upon each assessment referred to in the report. A copy of the report may be inspected at the Office of the Clerk of the Board at the above address at any time during business hours. Copies of the report have also been placed and may be inspected at the following locations:
Campbell City Hall 70 North First Street Campbell, CA
Milpitas Library 160 North Main Street Milpitas, CA
Cupertino City Hall 10300 Torre Avenue Cupertino, CA
Morgan Hill City Hall 17555 Peak Avenue Morgan Hill, CA
Gilroy City Hall 7351 Rosanna Street Gilroy, CA
Monte Sereno City Hall 18041 Saratoga Los Gatos Rd. Monte Sereno, CA
Gilroy Branch Library 7652 Monterey Street Gilroy, CA Los Altos City Hall 1 North San Antonio Rd. Los Altos, CA Los Altos Hills Town Hall 26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills, CA Los Gatos Town Hall 110 East Main Street Los Gatos, CA Milpitas City Hall 455 East Calaveras Blvd. Milpitas, CA
Mountain View City Hall 500 Castro Street Mountain View, CA Mountain View Public Library 585 Franklin Street Mountain View, CA Palo Alto City Hall 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA San Jose City Hall 200 East Santa Clara St. San Jose, CA
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library 150 E. San Fernando St. San Jose, CA Hillview Branch Library 1600 Hopkins Drive San Jose, CA Pearl Avenue Library 4270 Pearl Avenue San Jose, CA Santa Clara City Hall 1500 Warburton Ave. Santa Clara, CA Santa Clara Central Park Library 2635 Homestead Road Santa Clara, CA Saratoga City Hall 13777 Fruitvale Ave. Saratoga, CA Sunnyvale City Hall 456 W. Olive Avenue Sunnyvale, CA
To secure information on an individual parcel assessment, you must know your Assessor Parcel Number. If you do not know it, call the Assessor at (408) 299-5570 and ask for it, giving your name and street address. Using that parcel number, you can learn your proposed assessment by calling the Santa Clara Valley Water District Tax Assessment Hotline at (408) 265-2607, ext. 2810. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate persons with disabilities wishing to attend this public hearing. For additional information on attending this hearing, including requesting accommodations for disabilities or interpreter assistance, please contact the Office of the Clerk of the Board at (408) 265-2607, ext. 2277, at least three days prior to the hearing. Se harĂĄn los esfuerzos razonables para ayudar a las personas con discapacidades. Para obtener informaciĂłn adicional sobre como atender a esta audiencia incluyendo solicitud de espacio para minusvĂĄlidos, discapacitados o asistencia de interpretes, favor de llamar a Office of Clerk of the Board al (408) 265-2607, ext. 2277, por lo menos tres dĂas antes de la audiencia.
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Caltrain’s experiment with weekend express trains has proven to be a success, according to transit officials. (Posted May 16 at 9:02 a.m.) Want to get news briefs e-mailed to you every weekday? Sign up for Express, our new daily e-edition. Go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com to sign up.
5/2011_LC
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Palo Alto Historical Association ANNUAL DINNER Everyone welcome to attend Wednesday, June 1, 2011 “My Top Ten Stories” Guest Speaker: Jay Thorwaldson Former Editor, Palo Alto Weekly and 50-year local journalist Ming’s Restaurant 1700 Embarcadero, Palo Alto For information, reservations call (650) 327-4568 (Deadline May 27) $39 per person. Free parking.
Introducing
Lasting Memories An online directory of obituaries and remembrances. Search obituaries, submit a memorial, share a photo.
Visit: www.PaloAltoOnline.com/obituaries
Transitions Births, marriages and deaths
Deaths Fausto G. Araujo Fausto G. Araujo, 75, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died May 5 at his home surrounded by his family. He was born on Dec. 3, 1935, in the small town of Botelhos, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Early in his childhood his family moved to the state capital, Belo Horizonte, where he completed his high-school education at the prestigious Collegio Arnaldo in 1954. He went on to pursue a degree in veterinary medicine at the Federal University of Minas Gerias. He was an enthusiastic student, serving as president of the student body and playing on the university’s competitive soccer team. After graduation in 1959, he switched gears to
John G. Linvill Stanford Engineering Professor and Inventor Professor emeritus of electrical engineering at Stanford University and inventor of the Optacon reading device for the blind, John Grimes Linvill, has died in Palo Alto, California. He was 91. A revered figure at Stanford, he was widely admired for his energy and his commitment to fostering entrepreneurial spirit in his students. He was a seminal figure in the School of Engineering during the 1960s and 70s heyday that fed countless electrical engineers to an eager and growing Silicon Valley. As Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Linvill had an innate and uncanny understanding of the transformative moments in research. He was able to see a breakthrough, to understand its import far down the road, then quickly build Stanford’s faculty to be the best in that field. Linvill enjoyed the role of mentor and seeing others succeed. Many of his students remained lifelong friends. Linvill applied his engineering creativity and his own entrepreneurial spirit to the needs of his daughter, Candy, who became blind in infancy. Linvill sought a way to allow her to directly read printed materials without translation into Braille. His solution, using integrated circuits developed in the Stanford labs, and with the help of colleagues at Stanford and Stanford Research Institute (SRI), was the Optacon (Optical-toTactile Converter). The Optacon was a portable device with a small, hand-held camera that could be moved across any type of printed material to generate images on a fingertip-sized tactile display that were then felt and interpreted by a blind reader. Linvill received a patent for the invention of the Optacon in 1966. He was a co-founder of Telesensory Systems, Inc. (TSI) in 1970, a company established to manufacture and disseminate the Optacon worldwide. The Optacon was to become one of the most important examples of how technology could be applied to the development of assistive devices for people with disabilities. Helped greatly by her father’s invention, Candy attended Stanford and went on to earn her doctorate in clinical psychology. Born and raised in Missouri, Linvill received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from William Jewell College before heading out for MIT, where he earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering. After two years as an assistant professor
at MIT, Linvill joined Bell Labs, working on transistor circuit issues. In 1955, the legendary Dean of Stanford’s School of Engineering, Fred Terman, recruited Linvill to come to Stanford to “transistorize” the Stanford curriculum. Linvill’s career at Stanford overlapped almost precisely with the rise of the semiconductor industry. Stanford’s ascension in the field owes much to the vision and the industry of John Linvill. As department chair, Linvill initiated and oversaw the technology transfer that has transpired between industry and academia since the 1960s. In the late 1970s, Linvill spearheaded unique partnerships with industry to construct a new facility at Stanford, the Center for Integrated Systems (CIS). Linvill served as Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering from 1964 to 1980. And, from its endowment in 1989 until his retirement at the end of 1990, Linvill was the Canon USA Professor of Electrical Engineering, the first professor to hold that position. As a professor emeritus, John Linvill continued to follow his passions, focusing research on integrated systems. In 2007, colleagues, former students, friends and family honored Linvill by establishing the John G. Linvill Fellowship in Stanford’s Department of Electrical Engineering. A resident of Portola Valley for over 50 years, John treasured the beauty of nature and the outdoors. He was an avid tennis player and golf enthusiast. He was an early morning cyclist who enjoyed riding the hills of Portola Valley long before riding “the loop” became popular. One of his greatest pleasures was spending time with family and friends at his beach home at Pajaro Dunes. John Grimes Linvill was born on August 8, 1919 in Kansas City, Missouri. His twin brother, William, also a Stanford professor, died in 1980. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Linvill, of Palo Alto; a son, Greg (Betty), of Belmont, CA; a daughter, Candy Berg (Chris), of Portola Valley, CA; two granddaughters, Angela and Alyssa Linvill; and a great grandson, Sato Ramsaran. A service celebrating the life of John Linvill will be held at the Stanford Faculty Club on May 23, 2011 from 3:30-5:30. The family suggests that donations in memory of John G. Linvill be made to the LMSarcoma Direct Research Foundation in Tulsa, OK (www.lmsdr. org). PA I D
follow his interest in public health and medical research, eventually earning master’s degrees from the National School of Public Health in Rio de Janeiro, Tulane University and Stanford University. In 1978 he moved his family from Brazil to Palo Alto permanently and completed his PhD in immunology at Stanford. During his 25-year career as a senior scientist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Research Institute, he worked on a broadbased research program with emphasis on the immunology, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of parasitic infections that cause tragic diseases in humans. He became recognized both nationally and internationally for his contributions to both science and medicine. He was also a respected mentor and friend to the many fellows, research technicians and visiting scientists with whom he collaborated. He had many interests outside of his scientific endeavors. He was known for his enthusiasm for sports, participating in volleyball tournaments and playing in pickup soccer games well into his 40s. Through friends at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, he also discovered a love for hiking and camping, which
revived an early interest in photography. After his retirement in 2003, he was able to fully pursue this passion, and became an accomplished amateur photographer, trekking all over California to capture the beauty of locations such as Yosemite, Death Valley, the Sierra Nevada and the Pacific Coast. He was a dedicated member of the Palo Alto Camera Club and won numerous awards for his photos, including first place in the 2008 Palo Alto Weekly Photo Contest. He will be remembered for his integrity, his appreciation of the beauty of the natural world and his commitment to his family. He is survived by his wife, Irene of Palo Alto; daughters, Flavia Araujo Trento of San Francisco and Marcia Araujo of San Jose; siblings, Vera Flora Araujo Cruz of Pocos de Caldas, Brazil, and Carlos Cesar de Araujo of Ouro Preto, Brazil; and several nieces, nephews and grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Saturday, May 21, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Quadrus Conference Center, 2400 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park. Memorial donations may be made to the Yosemite Conservancy or a charity of choice.
Warren H. Higgins Warren H. Higgins, longtime Palo Alto resident, passed away at his home on May 14,2011. A native of California Mr. Higgins was a retired business systems representative having had a twenty-five year career with IBM Corporation and twenty-five year career with Tab Products. A veteran of WWII, he retired at the rank of Colonel in the US Army. An active member of the Palo Alto Elks Lodge and Rotary Club, he was preceded in death by his wife of nearly 70 years, Jane, in 2010. He is survived by his daughter, Sally, his son Stephen and two grandsons, Stephen and Matthew. Mr. Higgins will be remembered during memorial services 11 A.M. Monday, May 23rd, 2011 at Roller Hapgood and Tinney Funeral Home, 980 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Private family interment with military honors will be in Sacramento Valley National Cemetery at Dixon, California. PA I D
Alice Kay Helms (August 5, 1926 - May 11, 2011) Alice Kay Helms, a 45 year resident of Palo Alto, passed away on May 11, 2011 at age 84. Born in Glendale, CA to parents Arthur and Irene Johnson, Alice married William “Alex” Helms on August 5, 1948. An avid traveler and foodie, Alice enjoyed her time with the Palo Alto Municipal Women’s Golf Club and Southern California Culture Club. She also generously donated her time and skills as a volunteer with the Blood Bank. She was truly loved by her Tulip Lane friends and her family, and will be greatly missed by all. Alice was preceded in death by her husband, and is survived by her daughter, Kay Helms, and grandchildren, Chris and Molly McDougall. Private services were held by her family at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto, CA. www.rollerhapgoodtinney.com
O B I T UA RY PA I D
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O B I T UA RY
O B I T UA RY
Ronald Beeson Ronald Thomas Beeson, 66, a former resident of Palo Alto, died May 14 at Kaiser Hospital in Redwood City surrounded by family and friends. He was a respected entrepreneur and resident of Redwood City for more than 40 years. He was born in San Jose, Calif., in 1944, so of the late Jean and Joseph Beeson. He grew up with his two brothers in Los Altos and later moved with his family to Palo Alto, where his father worked as a school administrator. He attended both Los Altos High School and Palo Alto High School, graduating from Palo Alto High School in 1962. He briefly served in the military after high school. He was best known for his automotive business, San Carlos Service, which he owned and operated in San Carlos for many years. During that time he made many lifelong friends and business associates. After he closed San Carlos Service he continued to pursue his first love, real estate and development, which he excelled at. He is survived by his longtime companion, Helen Marin of Redwood City, and her three children, John, Sherri and Wayne; his twin brother, Don; brother, Rick; and many friends.
Larry Simon Larry Simon, professor emeritus of Medicine at Stanford, died in Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 22, 2011. He was 70 years old. He was educated at Williams College where, in 1962, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, Cum Laude. He received his M.D. from New York University Medical School in 1966 and completed his internal medical training at University of Miami School of Medicine. From 1969 to 1972 he did a fellowship in pulmonary disease funded by the National Institute of Health and completed at Stanford. In 1973 he joined the department of medicine at Stanford University where he held many positions including Director of Medical Critical Care and Chief of Medical Service at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Palo Alto. He was a respected and accomplished physician serving as Associate Director of the Graduate Medical Education Committee at Stanford University. He retired from Stanford in 2001. In 2005 he completed a master’s degree in Public Health at the University of Arizona. Friends and family will remember him for his quick wit and engaging conversations. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Roberta; two children Susan and David; and four grandchildren.
Pulse
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
Palo Alto
Vehicle accident/no details . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Alcohol or drug related Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous CPS report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbing/annoying phone calls. . . . . . .1 Gang validations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Indecent exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Located missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Parole arrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Recovered stolen property . . . . . . . . . . .1 Registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Violation of a court order . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
May 11-17 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Elder abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suicide attempt/adult . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Credit card forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Embezzlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Residential burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .5 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Vehicle accident . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .9 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 N&D possession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Miscellaneous Disobey court order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 False personation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Penal code misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Psych subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Sex crime/indecent exposure . . . . . . . . .3 Sex crime/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .5 Unattended death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Atherton
Go to www.rescue.org/altweeklies
VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Unlisted block Embarcadero Road, 5/6, 9:57 a.m.; battery/simple. Unlisted block Webster Street, 5/11, 3:20 a.m.; domestic violence/battery. Unlisted block Park Boulevard, 5/11, 4:50 p.m.; elder abuse/physical. Unlisted block Encina Avenue, 5/13, 11:16 p.m.; suicide attempt/adult. 800 block El Camino Real, 5/14, 5 p.m.; battery/simple.
A fundraising effort by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies and the Palo Alto Weekly
CHAMPION TENNIS CAMPS rgot a M n a l A since 1978
May 9-16 Theft related Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Parking problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Ticket sign-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Alcohol or drug related Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Building/perimeter check . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Citizen assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Construction site check . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hang-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Pedestrian check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .8 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Tree down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Menlo Park May 10-16 Theft related Burglary/undefined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Residential burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle related Suspended/revoked license . . . . . . . . . .7
JULY 25-AUGUST 12 AGES 4-14 Atherton Tennis Center
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MEMORIAL SERVICES A memorial service for Duncan Williams will be held Saturday, May 21, at 3 p.m. at The Sequoias, 501 Portola Road, Portola Valley. A memorial service for Franklin Smith will be held Friday, May 27, at 11 a.m. at St. Raymonds Church, 1100 Santa Cruz Ave., Menlo Park. A memorial service for Phyllis Johnson will be held Saturday, June 4, at 2:30 p.m. at The Sequoias, 501 Portola Road, Portola Valley.
Help us rescue lives in Japan.
Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 64
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Free. Fun. Only about Palo Alto. C R O S S W O R D S Visit www.paloaltoonline.com/puzzle
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Editorial The new trail to nowhere Despite abundance of land and money, Stanford fails at trail-building project
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s a world-class university with one of the largest endowments in the country, Stanford has never had a problem funding a continuing growth program that will culminate in a few years with the $3.5 billion expansion of the Stanford Medical Center, Medical School and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Over the last decade, the university has built a new football stadium, numerous multimillion-dollar classroom buildings, including a new business-school building funded by Nike running-shoe magnate Phil Knight. Microsoft’s Bill Gates is the namesake of a computerscience building, and there are many other elegant structures around the burgeoning campus that sport notable backers. In addition, hundreds of housing units for students, professors and workers have been added to the campus, which also boasts one of the area’s best traffic-management plans that has resulted in more than 30 percent of Stanford’s non-medical employees walking, biking or using mass transit to get to work each day. But amid all the hoopla and hustle bustle of the university’s aggressive building program, one of the simplest projects ever tackled by Stanford — to build two public recreational trails on the periphery of its north and south campus — is a colossal disappointment. Perhaps that was the problem After more than 10 years of discussion — Stanford really doesn’t with the Board of want to provide access to its Supervisors that ultimately awarded the lands in light of how popular university the right the Dish loop has become. to develop 2 million square feet of campus buildings, and later litigation filed by the Committee for Green Foothills challenging the environmental impact report, only one of the trails is ready for public use, and the northern trail, which Stanford proposed be built in San Mateo County, very likely will not be built at all. Neighbors at Stanford Weekend Acres on Alpine Road strenuously objected to the trail design and placement. And so far, San Mateo County Supervisors have supported their position and turned down Stanford’s offer to pay the entire cost of a trail built just a few feet from the road. One short stretch of trail, along Alpine Road west of Interstate 280, has been accepted by the town of Portola Valley, and construction is expected to start on that segment in a few weeks. It will end at Arastradero Road. We doubt if the nearly completed trail along Page Mill Road and over a ridge off Deer Creek Road, will be popular with local residents or the university’s faculty and students. The first leg of the trail, to Deer Creek Road, is paved and about to open to bikes. But from there, it is gravel for hikers only and unceremoniously ends at a county bike and hiking trail along Arastradero Road, just north of the Interstate 280 underpass. It may not be a trail to nowhere, but it is close. Looking back on the head-butting between Stanford, the county and the environmental community, Stanford was determined to keep both trails from crossing university lands, which then could have linked them with other trails in the Arastradero Preserve. Instead, rather than creating a couple of trails that would have provided a great hiking experience for local users, the end result is that one trail, which Stanford wanted to locate along traffic-choked Alpine Road, will not be built at all, and the other has no parking area and does not lead to a place anyone would want to go. It is sad to see this outcome for what could have been a pair of very appealing trails. Perhaps that was the problem — Stanford really doesn’t want to provide access to its lands in light of how popular the Dish loop has become. The Dish hiking trail is one of the most popular activities Stanford provides to local residents, as well as its own students and faculty. A companion trail over the southern edge of the foothills to Old Page Mill Road and under 280 at the existing cattle tunnel would have enabled hikers to reach the trails in the Arastradero Preserve, and, at least for a time, was the preferred route. But this sensible and appealing alignment was not acceptable to Stanford and the result is a noisy paved trail along busy Page Mill Road with a short gravel extension that unceremoniously winds up on Arastradero Road where it connects to a bike lane that passes underneath 280. This trail is an embarrassment that we hope Palo Altans and the Board of Supervisors do not forget, so that the next time Stanford seeks a development agreement, the first question will be: How about building those trails we thought we were going to get back in 2006? Page 16ÊUÊ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Book misconceptions Editor, Mr. Harrington’s recent letter regarding the Mitchell Park Library is full of misconceptions and errors. First, according to the Association of American Publishers, e-book sales did increase 164.4 percent for year 2010 over 2009 from $166.9 million to $441.3 million. But 164.4 percent of little is still little. Hardcover book sales (not including K-16 textbooks) increased a modest 3.6 percent during the same period from $11.3 billion to $11.7 billion. Twenty-five times the dollar volume of digital books. So e-book sales were only 3.6 percent of printed book sales last year. But even adult paperback sales for 2010 were $1.38 billion and adult hardcover sales slammed e-books at $1.58 billion; that’s three to one. Higher education books sales for 2010 were $4.6 billion while K-12 were $3.6 billion; once again, many times e-book sales. Sadly and probably largely because of the iPad, only sales of children’s books declined in 2010, but only by 5.7 percent to $694.3 million, still outselling all ebooks almost two to one. As for digital vs. print, try entering key word “climate” in worldcat. org. One gets 182,360 sources vetted by librarians. Of those, 75,000 are books while only 9,500 are e-books. There are 12,000 masters or PhD dissertations and of 65,000 articles, only 2,000 are downloadable and only 337 are e-journal articles. Two other points — the average school computer in the U.S. has 5.7 users, and Internet service fees for an iPad are much more than 200 a year. So the facts indicate that print on paper books and journals will remain 20 to 30 times the volume of digital products for quite some time into the foreseeable future. Michael M. Moore Layne Court Palo Alto
More on e-books Editor, Alice Schaffer Smith (Letters, May 6) says the “Kindle approach is elitist,” and claims many benefits for print books: They can be “savored, opened at random, read and reread.” Ditto ebooks. “Libraries lead to browsing ... nearby shelves.” Many more titles can be found browsing online than on shelves. “The cost of library books is shared by the community.” True regardless of format. She also says, “... libraries provide a resource to all at a minimal cost.” The library bond will cost taxpayers about $150 million (including interest) just for the buildings. Much of the space is for meeting rooms, not books. Consider that cost (plus staff and maintenance) in light of Millbrae’s
book-lending kiosk at the BART station. Anyone with a library card can access one of 500 print books. There was a time when print books were costly and elitist. There was a time when we had to go to a theater to watch movies. While I hope ebooks never replace print, the world is moving to electronic media and our libraries need to catch up. Pat Marriott Oakhurst Avenue Los Altos
Compost facts Editor, Palo Alto voters signed petitions for the Palo Alto Green Energy and Compost Initiative because they believe the city should convert its waste streams into valuable products instead of exporting them to Gilroy. However, Enid Pearson’s “Rebuttal to Hays” letter of May 6 distorted facts in a way that is typical of opponents. She states that the 10 acres to be undedicated by the initiative are the equivalent of “eight football fields.” That ignores the fact that Byxbee Park would still contain 127 acres, the equivalent of 100 football fields. The park would hardly be de-
stroyed. She states that anaerobic digestion (AD) would cost the city “from $97 million to $167 million.” However, the consultant acknowledged that critical factors that would save the city money were overlooked in the draft but will be included in the final feasibility study. She claims the study will cost the city $1.6 million in lost tipping fees. In fact, while the council temporarily suspended commercial acceptance of waste, there was no connection with the study. She ignored the fact that exporting food and yard waste and continuing to incinerate biosolids would generate as much as 26,194 tons of greenhouse gases, more than twice as much as AD. Finally, she falsely claimed that the undedicated land “can be used for any purpose the council determines,” when in fact the Initiative would limit it to the exclusive purpose of converting waste, and also permit rededication if not so used in 10 years. Walter Hays Parkside Drive Palo Alto
YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? Could Stanford have done a better job making new trails user-friendly? Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number so we can reach you. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, objectionable content, libel and factual errors known to us. Anonymous letters will generally not be accepted. You can also participate in our popular interactive online forum, Town Square, at our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Read blogs, discuss issues, ask questions or express opinions with you neighbors any time, day or night. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Media to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jocelyn Dong or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.
Check out Town Square! Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly on our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Post your own comments, ask questions, read the Editor’s blog or just stay up on what people are talking about around town!
On Deadline:
Can we thank Apple for a resurgence of ‘privacy’ concerns? by Jay Thorwaldson he technology of “tracking” suddenly broke on the American public like a tsunami with the recent disclosure that using an Apple iPhone4 or an iPad means that any sophisticated techno-whiz could tell you where you were for the past year. Apple initially denied that its popular gizmos zeroed in on individuals. But under probing by some skeptical members of the U.S. Senate, the company finally admitted that, well, yeah, sort of — and promised to patch the tracking software. Someone was spooning out applesauce. It’s not just Apple being rotten about privacy. Google is also seduced by marketing-potential dollars, it seems. But Apple’s Steve Jobs, Google’s Eric Schmidt and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg are all “home boys” to the Palo Alto/Stanford axis, or nearby. Schmidt and Zuckerberg have both been quoted as saying an expectation of privacy is declining as a social norm. One aspect of the Apple mess caught my attention: Why was Apple initially silent when some individuals discovered the tracking system? Apple’s PR operation works overtime to promote its great devices, and I’ve been an Apple fan since the days of the Apple II — you know, the one with the hand-crank on the side and floppy disk that really was floppy? Tech writers and bloggers are surmising that the lure of targeted marketing money blinded Apple designers and execs to the implications of what seems in hindsight to be a massive privacy invasion. But the implications for lawenforcement or Homeland Security are clear. I
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realize that invites paranoia worthy of the best sci-fi story or Hollywood thriller: Was Apple told not to tell? Anyone who has watched Forensic Files or just about any TV police/crime show knows that the guilty guys can be traced in terms of general location by cell-phone towers connecting with their phones. But that’s a general location, and there are established procedures to obtain such information from the service provider. Not so with the new trackers. The really scary thing is that those developing the new technologies are so far ahead of state legislators, Congress and regulators that most are simply befuddled, if not outright tools or dupes of an army of lobbyists. What privacy laws exist are full of gaping holes, mostly because those writing the laws weren’t aware of the universe of possibilities now (or soon becoming) available. The 2002 film Minority Report, about crime detection in advance, shows the hero, Tom Cruise, being addressed by name from wall advertisements as he strolls through an airport — an introduction for many to facial-recognition technology. Too much? Wait until your cell phone or laptop starts addressing you by name. This is true: Some newspapers are about to unveil a system of delivering news to one’s cell phone or mobile device based on location feedback from the device. That means if you drive from San Jose to Palo Alto the news items you receive on the unit will be localized to that area. “Oh, I must be in Palo Alto — there’s a story about the City Council voting on cell-phone towers.” Is that an invasion of privacy? Or is there even a “right of privacy”? Privacy is not mentioned among the inalienable rights of the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution, although many court cases relate to the topic. Definitions of privacy vary, but interest seems
to be growing. In 2010 alone new books and articles have paid detailed attention to the matter, including John L. Locke’s “Eavesdropping: An Intimate History,” a cross-cultural and historical comparison of attitudes toward privacy, while current adult perspectives on privacy are explored by Christina Nippert-Eng in “Islands of Privacy.” Both are on my reading list. A conference coming up June 2 in Berkeley, the “Privacy Law Scholars Conference,” will delve deeply into the topic, including how teenagers perceive privacy in an era of pervasive communications gadgetry. Concerns about privacy are not new. Sci-fi writers, as usual, have been way out there ahead of the curve. George Orwell in “1984” (written in 1948) has his protagonist stand in front of a camera and report in every morning. It’s not clear to whom or what he reports in those precomputer days. Today, some of the trusty devices we carry around report in for us. The once distant-future of 1984 seems long ago. Privacy concerns surged in the early 1990s. In 1991, I served as media coordinator for the First Conference on Computers, Freedom & Privacy, or CFP1, held in Burlingame. Chaired by former Woodside resident Jim Warren, founder of the West Coast Computer Faire and several publications, the conference drew hundreds of attendees and dozens of journalists. It drew participants as varied as former hacker/crackers, privacy zealots (including one from Australia), Libertarians, and representatives of the Secret Service, FBI, CIA, district attorneys and police officials. It was a remarkable gathering with a huge amount of time for people to huddle and talk. In the press room, Phil Zimmerman, who designed the “Pretty Good Privacy” encription system that later drew Secret Service attention, helped me set up a new email account with the
WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link), which I still use. Going into lunch, Warren and I were hailed by notorious hacker/cracker Captain Crunch (John Draper) of the East Bay, who said he wanted us to “meet my arresting officer and prosecuting attorney,” sitting with him. Teenage hacker Phiber Optic was getting career advice from his prosecuting attorney, in between practicing yo-yo tricks — not a technical gadget, just a plain old wooden yo-yo — in the conferencearea lobby. The attorneys for the FBI and ACLU, who had similar last names, spent time together. We later put out a book of transcripts, which is still online through the Electronic Frontier Foundation (www.eff.org), a leading defender of Internet and computer privacy. In one conversation, I recall commenting that it wasn’t just the Orwellian “Big Brother” that worried me most — it was the 10,000 “Little Big Brothers” tracking me for marketing or other purposes. Bruce Koball of Berkeley, who chaired the third CFP conference, was puzzling over a theme and he, Warren and I met to discuss it. I said I had a friend who hated computers and asked why she would be interested in the conference. “Tell her she may not be interested in computers but there are a lot of computers interested in her,” Koball replied. We shortened that to “You may not be interested in computers but a lot of computers are interested in you.” We printed T-shirts with that motto under a large keyhole with an eye peering through. I still have mine, getting about as raggedy as our personal privacy. N Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly. com — or jaythor@well.com.
Streetwise
What do you think of the Palo Alto School District placing finals before break? Asked on California Avenue, Palo Alto. Interviews and photographs by Aaron Guggenheim and Kareem Yasin.
Allie Butters
Student Easy Street, Mountain View “It is a good idea because they won’t forget all the material over the break.”
Lea Rice
Elementary School Teacher Buena Vista Street, Mountain View “We start so early anyhow, so it is normal. (However), I believe that it is better to not study and enjoy the break.”
Colin Reynolds
Captain Fernwood Street, San Mateo “It is a great idea if the school system has enough confidence that the kids can take those tests then.”
Olga Gary
Web/Graphic Designer Tanland Drive, Palo Alto “I want to have this for my younger son .... it is important that kids have a restful break.”
June Fisher
Physician Dolores Street, San Francisco “I think it is great so they don’t have much to worry about over Christmas. Let them enjoy their break.”
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Cover Story
The Great Recession’s
silver lining How the economic downturn is helping the City of Palo Alto get its house in order by Gennady Sheyner
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‘The impacts on the City of what has been termed the ‘Great Recession’ will be felt for many years.’
A construction worker applies weather-resistant paint to the exterior of Palo Alto City Hall. The city has saved more than $2 million on renovation cost due to cheaper labor resulting from the recession.
– James Keene, city manager, Palo Alto The economic downturn’s cheaper labor has been a boon to other Palo Alto construction work as well. The city’s most ambitious capital project — the bond-funded reconstruction of local libraries — is proceeding at a brisk pace and is nearly $10 million under its $76 million budget. Public Works engineers have also revised their estimates for the more ho-hum capital projects such as maintenance of city streets. The actual cost for annual street maintenance came within 1 percent of the estimate but only because estimates were reduced to account for the lower bids, Sartor told the Planning and Transportation Commission last week. At the commission’s discussion of the 2012 capital-improvement plan, Commissioner Arthur Keller asked if the city is taking advantage of the climate by “frontloading construction in the next few years.” “We’re doing as much as we possibly can with the staff we have and the money we have,” Sartor said. Infrastructure spending isn’t the only arena in which the bleak economy has helped Palo Alto get its house in order, both literally and figuratively. Slumping tax revenues and spiraling costs of employee benefits have forced Palo Alto officials to confront deeper problems that were largely overlooked during flusher times. Over the past two years, City Manager James Keene and the council have explored and implemented changes sure to impact the city for decades to come, possibly outliving the economic slump. Popular budget-balancing buzzwords like “outsourcing” and “consolidating” have grown teeth over the past year, with contractors now maintaining local parks and the
Palo Alto Police Department working with its counterparts in Mountain View and Los Altos to create mutually compatible dispatch systems that officials say will both improve service and lower costs. Palo Alto is also paring down the size of its staff and restructuring departments to reduce red tape and costs. Since 2008, the city has eliminated about 10 percent of its positions supported by the General Fund, Keene said. To be sure, no one inside City Hall is popping champagne to celebrate Palo Alto’s
still-anemic tax revenues. But at the same time, officials recognize that the economic climate is enabling the city to finally address its chronically thorny staffing issues and sagging infrastructure. In short, the Great Recession has created great opportunities. It has spurred the city to tackle such problems as the city’s ballooning pension obligations, public-safety costs and steeply rising health care expenditures. Keene said the city, much like the greater community, is going through a “period where we have to acknowledge full costs.”
Veronica Weber
Veronica Weber
Electrician Rich Smith replaces old halogen light bulbs with energy-efficient LEDs in the public restrooms at City Hall as part of ongoing renovations.
acoustic deficiencies have been a running joke among council members. Interim Public Works Director Michael Sartor said the repairs have been on the city’s radar for many years. “We were planning to do it over time, but we figured that while we’re in the middle of the project and we’re already disrupting people, we might as well take care of all the disruptions at the same time,” Sartor said. “Plus, it costs less because we’re taking advantage of the construction climate.”
Courtesy of the City of Palo Alto
jaunt through Palo Alto City Hall these days can make visitors feel like they’re on the set of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” with plastic sheets covering hallway floors, streaks of primer stretching along walls and curly wires dangling from circular holes in the ceiling. While the employees inside the run-down eight-story building are facing salary freezes and heavier workloads in the aftermath of the Great Recession, the building itself is going through a rebirth of sorts. For most of the past two years, construction workers have been replacing the building’s mechanical systems, painting the hallways, remodeling bathrooms and upgrading everything from the plumbing to fire sprinklers. The repairs are part of a plan the city adopted in 2003 to patch up the 40-year-old structure, and they couldn’t have come at a better time. With the region still climbing out of the economic pit of the Great Recession, construction costs for the building’s renovation have fallen more than $2 million below the engineers’ initial estimate, prompting city officials to expand the to-do list for the project. Earlier this month, the City Council voted to add more than $700,000 to the City Hall renovation to take advantage of the buyer’s market. The bulk of these repairs is scheduled to be completed this fall. Next year, city officials plan to replace the stained carpet in the Council Chambers and renovate the dingy Council Conference Room, whose cramped conditions and
Paul Ciralski, project manager for the City Hall renovations, overlooks the exposed ceiling on the mezzanine level where variable air-volume units have been installed to create more efficient air-conditioning output.
Cover Story
Meadow Wing & Focused Care
a tradition of caring Veronica Weber
Mario Garcia of Gachina Landscape Management, aerates the grass at Palo Alto’s Lawn Bowling Green. To save money, the city outsourced landscaping upkeep to Gachina for public parks, community centers, libraries and City Hall. “It’s a very interesting time to be managing a city,� Keene recently told the Weekly. “I think there’s a convergence of both historical decisions and future trends and factors in play that are requiring a fundamental rethink of how we do things and how we engage with our citizens. “Fundamentally, in the way we look at some things, it was never possible to go on forever,� Keene added. “We’re just in a moment where it’s all being revealed to us.�
P
erhaps the most daunting and complicated task on the city’s post-Great Recession to-do list is tackling the city’s backlog of infrastructure repairs — a $500million elephant in the room that has been perplexing the council for years. Last year, the council awarded the arduous task of evaluating the city’s infrastructure problems to one of the largest and wonkiest citizen commissions in Palo Alto’s recent history — a 17-member panel of economists, planners and civic volunteers. They have been meeting several times a month since December to assess the cost of fixing crumbling streets, rebuilding obsolete buildings and brainstorming future needs. In recent weeks, the commission has been surveying neighboring cities, including Mountain View, Menlo Park and Redwood City, to see if there are any lessons to be learned. Most importantly, the commission is exploring ways to pay for the needed repairs during a time of stagnant revenues. The list of needs is long and
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wide-ranging. It includes a new headquarters for the Palo Alto Police Department (estimated price tag: $60 million), which continues to be housed in a small and seismically unsafe wing inside City Hall; the Municipal Services Center ($90 million), which was built in 1966 with features that the city now describes as “well beyond their design life�; and two fire stations that are considered outdated and too small for the vehicles they house (about $7 million each). Last week, the commission met at Lucie Stern Community Center to explore the topic of roads, sidewalks and parks. Palo Alto’s roads tend to be older than its neighbors’, particularly in the north part of town. “The older parts of the city have more concrete streets. As they got eroded, asphalt was put over the concrete,� said James Schmidt, who chairs the infrastructure commission’s Surface Committee. “What happens is concrete and asphalt don’t get along. “The new parts of the city — i.e., the south — has fewer concrete streets and more asphalt.� Examining the 470 lane miles of streets, 285 lane miles of sidewalks, 157 acres of parks and 82 parking lots, city staff and the commission concluded that it would take about $9.3 million to repair all the potholes and cracks and to bring all the problematic streets up to par. The commission’s duties don’t, however, stop at evaluating Palo Alto’s existing infrastructure needs. The council also directed the group earlier this year to brainstorm future (continued on page 22)
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Joe Sacchio listens to a speaker discuss the condition of Palo Alto streets during an Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission meeting in May.
Publication date: September 16, 2011
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A community health education series from Stanford Hospital & Clinics
When Stroke Strikes No Time to Waste: Rapid Recognition and Reaction Turn Tide Chris McLachlin’s survival story reads like the script for a Hollywood movie where, unbelievably but totally by chance, everything happens at just the right moment and in just the right place.
When physicians called his wife to get her permission to administer the gold standard, frontline clot-dissolving medication, she answered her phone just as she was about to step inside a movie theater where she would not have had phone reception for at least three hours. For McLachlin, as it is with anyone having a stroke, time is everything. No matter what the stroke’s cause, every second that passes means more brain cells die of oxygen starvation and more capabilities lost. Physicians and scientists know more about stroke than they ever have, and can reach inside the brain with more impact than was ever dreamed of, even three years ago. But stroke remains a leading cause of death in the US and the primary cause of
Expert Care Quickly McLachlin became a patient of the Stanford Stroke Center at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, considered a national leader in advanced stroke treatment. At Stanford, an innovative, streamlined protocol called the SIRS (Stroke Interventional Radiology Service) Rapid Access Program drives patient care, particularly for patients coming from other hospitals, delivered in the fastest fashion possible.
“I remember feeling paralyzed on my right side. I wasn’t frightened because I didn’t understand what was going on.” – Chris McLachlin, stroke patient at Stanford Stroke Center The protocol includes a rapid access transfer system that includes specific time goals for each step, a checklist, a simultaneous page to a full team of medical professionals to plan care ready as soon as the new patient arrives.
Norbert von der Groeben
Quick care is important, but the risk of stroke can be reduced with changes in behavior that make other medical sense, too: quit smoking, eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly. For people with high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, medications can be very effective. “All of those things go a tremendously long way toward controlling risk,” said Neil Schwartz, MD, PhD, who treated It took a year, but McLachlin recovered nearly all his abilities. He’s been well McLachlin at the enough to fill in as a coach for the past two years with the Stanford University Stanford Stroke Men’s Volleyball team. He always does the warm-ups with the team. Center.
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Norbert von der Groeben
When he stopped talking in midconversation and slumped over the couch, one of the people in the room with him was someone who’d had a stroke, recognized the symptoms and immediately called 911. He was at a hospital within 15 minutes.
adult disability. The direct and indirect costs in 2009 neared $69 billion.
Chris McLachlin thought he had his health under control: He’d been an athlete since middle school, made sure he got eight hours of sleep each night and kept his cholesterol in mind when he ate. Age, however, is one element that can’t be altered. McLachlin had just retired after 37 years as a sports coach, teacher, counselor and administrator at the Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii. He coached the school’s teams to 11 state titles in volleyball and three in basketball.
A Healthy Life Derailed From the time he was in middle school, McLachlin had been an athlete. Basketball and volleyball were his sports and when he arrived at Stanford as an undergraduate, he began a collegiate athletic career that concluded with the unusual post of player-coach on Stanford’s volleyball team.
Hawaii and stopped in the Bay Area to visit a family that had helped him through graduate school at Stanford more than 40 years earlier. He was sitting in their living room and talking with them when suddenly he noticed he couldn’t speak. “I remember feeling paralyzed on my right side and falling over on my right onto the couch,” he said. “I wasn’t frightened because I didn’t understand what was going on. I was in a kind of haze. I was not really aware of what was going on.”
Throughout his adult life, he said, “my attitude about my health was pretty good. I was good at getting eight hours of sleep, my cholesterol was good, and I played steady tennis and golf. My blood pressure was a little high but not serious; I was taking medication for it.” He played master’s class volleyball until he was 55; his father, at 89, still plays tennis five days a week. McLachlin considered himself to be in great shape, and was looking forward to a trip that would take him to visit one son at Stanford, another son in Arizona and his daughter in Southern California. He flew from
McLachlin has become an active advocate for steps people ca pressure and cholesterol checks.
special feature
The Stanford Stroke Center has recently developed a ground-breaking protocol to expedite treatment for patients transferred from other hospitals. Called the SIRS (Stroke Interventional Radiology Service) Rapid Access Program, the protocol includes streamlined communications to ensure rapid acceptance to the Stanford Stroke Center for patients from outside hospitals, regardless of immediate bed availability. SIRS also includes evaluation of the case by a collaborative, multidisciplinary team of stroke experts so a treatment plan is ready when a patient arrives. SIRS also includes a checklist that sets out specific times within which actions must be taken and completed; it also contains a list of information to be gathered. A simultaneous page goes out to mobilize responders from all over the hospital, including specialists in anesthesia, imaging, diagnostic radiology, critical care nursing, pharmacy, respiratory therapy and intensive
Within minutes of getting to a hospital and being administered tPA, tissue plasminogen activator, the go-to clot-dissolving medication, McLachlin regained some movement in his right leg and arm.
it is that significant recovery can take place. Stanford’s physicians take information from CT and MRI scans and process it through a Stanford-invented computer software program that builds an image of great sensitivity and specificity that includes speed, volume and location of blood flow throughout the brain. That visual map may serve first as a guide for making treatment decisions, and then serves to confirm the effects of treatment.
Trouble Starts Small McLachlin’s stroke began with a clot in his left internal carotid artery caused by a tiny bit of plaque. The clot travelled up into a smaller vessel within the brain, producing the stroke symptoms McLachlin experienced. Plaque is a combination of cholesterol, fatty acids and fibrous tissue that gathers along the lining of an artery. Plaque makes it harder for blood to get through the artery, making it more likely to clot. The body’s chemistry includes natural clot-dissolvers, but sometimes clots are too big, jamming arteries closed.
“Stanford’s a big campus, so I do a lot of walking. I still play tennis and golf when I can.” – Chris McLachlin, stroke patient at Stanford Stroke Center
McLachlin was again lucky, because his clot dissolved without further treatment. In other cases, physicians called interventional neuroradiologists may have to thread a narrow tube, called a catheter, into an artery in the groin and push it up into the brain, carrying miniature treatment tools. Those tools can either grab a clot to extract it or vacuum it out.
The brain works on oxygen carried to it by blood, and when that blood stops coming, oxygen-deprived tissues begin to die. The sooner the clot can be dissolved or removed, the more likely
Modern, high-tech imaging, including techniques developed at Stanford, allow for a very detailed look inside the brain. “We have imaging tools that allow for a rapid and real-time elucidation of information,” Schwartz said, “that tells us just what’s happened to the brain tissue, what’s salvageable and what’s not.” Norbert von der Groeben
an take to keep track of their health, like regular blood
New Options to Advance Care
care. SIRS’s special interventional neuroradiology team care is available 24/7 to remove blood clots from a patient’s brain if that procedure is required. SIRS was created to gain every second possible between a stroke and treatment. Some medications are only effective if administered within a certain time frame, and the speeded transfer process improves the odds that such medications will be effective in reducing stroke damage. For more information about stroke and the Stanford Stroke Center, visit strokecenter.stanford.edu or, phone 650.723.6469. Join us at stanfordhospital.org/socialmedia. Watch the new Stanford Hospital Health Notes television show on Comcast: channel 28 on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.; channel 30 Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. It can also be viewed at youtube.com/stanfordhospital.
Stanford researchers are also investigating other methods of stroke treatment and neuro-protection, Schwartz said. Those include everything from lowering the temperature of the body and brain of a stroke patient to using special lasers. There are also treatments under study using stem cells, he said, that may stimulate the brain to repair its damaged parts.
Schwartz told me, ‘You don’t need to be torturing yourself. You don’t have to beat yourself up – just don’t do anything to excess.’”
Even though McLachlin’s stroke was quickly treated, he spent a year in therapy, working to regain not only mobility but strength, too. He was surprised at how quickly he did recover, but Schwartz was ever cautious. “Don’t get too full of yourself,” McLachlin recounts him saying, “You had a severe stroke and your body needs at least a year to get over the trauma.”
– Neil Schwartz, MD, PhD, Stanford Stroke Center
McLachlin still lives in Hawaii, but has spent a lot of time at Stanford, too. He’s been filling in as an assistant coach for the University’s men’s volleyball team for the last two years. It’s meant he’s been coaching his younger son, who’s now a senior and team captain. It’s also meant he gets good workouts. “I work out with the team,” he said, “and Stanford’s a big campus, so I do a lot of walking. I still play tennis and golf when I can.” He also watches his diet but does allow himself the occasional burger. “Dr.
“We have imaging tools that allow for rapid and real-time elucidation of information that tells us just what’s happened to the brain.”
He does check his blood pressure twice a week, before and after workouts. And he gets his cholesterol checked regularly, too. “These are not things that would disrupt anybody’s life,” he said, “and they could save your life.” He does spend as much time as he can speaking to groups about stroke prevention. Even when he travels, he said, he sometimes delivers his “oneminute spiel about how to save somebody’s life from stroke.”
Norbert von der Groeben
Speeding Help For Stroke
When McLachlin had his stroke, friends recognized immediately what it was and called 911. Getting help quickly can make the difference between recovery and disability.
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of “America’s Best Hospitals,” Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. It is part of the Stanford University Medical Center, along with the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. For more information, visit stanfordmedicine.org. *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 21
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Construction workers walk past the nearly completed steel framework of the new Mitchell Park Library and Community Center in April, one of several projects that are coming in under budget due to the recession.
Silver lining
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needs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; what Councilman Larry Klein called â&#x20AC;&#x153;blue-skyâ&#x20AC;? ideas. Should the city, for example, consider creating more parks or a performance-arts center, Klein asked. Should the Municipal Services Center property be used for additional operations, including an auto dealership? Should some land be carved out from the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course and used for a new park or some other purpose? The commission is preparing to draft its report in the fall and complete the final version in December of this year. At that point, the council would begin to think about asking voters to pass another bond measure. The difficulty in funding massive infrastructure work in the wake of a recession might seem to work against â&#x20AC;&#x201D; rather than for â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans. But even here there could be a silver lining. City officials know a bond measure for infrastructure repairs would be a tough sell. While residents have supported bond measures for schools and libraries, infrastructure is a cause that many residents donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand or value, Planning and Transportation Commission Chair Samir Tuma said during a March meeting. Ray Bacchetti, who co-chairs the infrastructure group, made a similar point March 31, noting that a survey of residents had showed two-thirds supportive of passing bonds for new libraries, but fewer than that said they would endorse a measure to fund a public-safety building (one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top infrastructural priorities). â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have discovered that infrastructure is not the sexiest topic around,â&#x20AC;? Bacchetti said. To hedge the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bets, the infrastructure commission is considering a wide range of alternative financing options, many of them potentially controversial. These include renting out space at City Hall to private companies and moving
some city departments away from downtown Palo Alto to sections of the city where rent is cheaper. Former Mayor Leland Levy, who co-chairs the commission, said another idea worth exploring is linking Cubberley Community Center to the adjacent Charleston Shopping Center and rezoning the community center to allow retail space.
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like any sort of crisis. It forces us to confront issues that have been around for a long time.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; James Keene, city manager, Palo Alto The hunt for revenue could mean open season on the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;sacred cows,â&#x20AC;? including Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous opposition to big-box stores. Councilman Pat Burt suggested at a March 14 joint meeting with the infrastructure group that the lightindustrial area around San Antonio Road and Charleston Road could be considered a potential site for such stores, given its proximity to the boxy retailers across the town line in Mountain View. City planners are preparing a â&#x20AC;&#x153;concept planâ&#x20AC;? for this neighborhood, which will propose
new zoning designations. Big-box stores could be in the picture. Mark Harris, a member of the infrastructure commission who chairs its Finance Subcommittee, said at a joint meeting with the council that his group is looking at all sorts of non-traditional financing approaches. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The city has been very traditional,â&#x20AC;? Harris said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to look at some private-public partnerships; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re talking about possible sale of assets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to preclude anything at this point.â&#x20AC;? Even if the infrastructure backlog doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get solved, the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report will succeed in at least one other respect: It would present the city with radical new options for raising revenues at a time when traditional revenue sources are running dry. If nothing else, it will re-examine Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s values and consider whether these values are still appropriate in a new era. The conversation, in that sense, isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just about Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cracked streets and seismically deficient buildings. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also about big-box stores, golf courses and shopping districts. Given the importance of the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s task and the growing problem of decaying infrastructure, council members have high hopes that the commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Veronica Weber
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Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Commission Co-chairs Leland Levy, left, and Ray Bacchetti speak during a meeting in May.
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Palo Alto firefighters Mark Shah and Dave Villarreal talk outside a fire-consumed home on Sept. 17, 2010. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2012 budget is dependent on the firefighters union making some salary concessions. report will offer the first glint of a solution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is one of the most important tasks our community will have for a long time,â&#x20AC;? Burt told the commission at the joint meeting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re one of the most important bodies our community will have for a long time.â&#x20AC;?
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hile the infrastructure group is hunting for revenue opportunities, Keene and his staff are adjusting to the post-recession world by slashing expenditures, both in the short and the long term. Balancing the books has been a delicate exercise over the past three years, with revenues falling but services generally remaining unchanged. Though sales-tax figures have edged up in recent months, they are still projected to be lower in the fiscal year 2011 than they were in 2006. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest Long-term Financial Forecast for 2011-2020 projects â&#x20AC;&#x153;slow growth assumptions in all revenue categories.â&#x20AC;? At the same time, the anemic growth is not without potential ben-
efits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like any sort of crisis,â&#x20AC;? Keene said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It forces us to confront issues that have been around for a long time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. The downturn clearly pushed governments to re-evaluate their assumptions â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in some ways, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good thing. There are profound changes in the works that have been forced upon us.â&#x20AC;? Though the budget deficit is much smaller this year than in the previous two, closing the gap remains a challenge given that most low-hanging fruit had already been picked. In fiscal years 2010 and 2011, the city made more than $14 million in permanent â&#x20AC;&#x153;structuralâ&#x20AC;? cuts in the General Fund. Vacant positions went unfilled, salaries were frozen and 58 positions were eliminated. Park maintenance, once the domain of the Community Services Department, was contracted out to private landscaping companies. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s print shop, once overseen by the Administrative Services Department, has been scrapped and its duties outsourced. The adjustments have put Palo
Alto in a relatively enviable position when compared with nearby communities, which are also struggling with weaker revenues. As Administrative Services Director Lalo Perez noted at a recent council meeting, San Jose is now in its 10th year of budget deficits. Perez said many agencies have been closing their budget deficits by making one-time budget adjustments â&#x20AC;&#x201D; measures that address the immediate deficit but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t address the structural gap between revenues in expenses. Palo Alto, Perez noted, has been addressing its deficits with â&#x20AC;&#x153;structural changes,â&#x20AC;? which leaves it in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;more fortunate situation.â&#x20AC;? Though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s impossible to predict if and when the former levels of revenues will return, city officials assume many years of austerity ahead. The latest long-range forecast projects that under a â&#x20AC;&#x153;business-as-usualâ&#x20AC;? scenario, the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget deficits over the next 10 years would add up to close to $100 million, including gaps of about $7 million in fiscal years 2013 and 2014. As in previous (continued on next page)
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Will the Great Recession usher in an Era of Engagement? Palo Alto officials see citizen participation as key to city’s success in the coming decade by Gennady Sheyner he national economy is sluggish, the state government is sclerotic and counties are pinching pennies, but Palo Alto’s future will be warm, sunny and increasingly democratic. That, at least, is the prognosis of City Manager James Keene, who gazed into his crystal ball at Ming’s Restaurant Tuesday afternoon to talk about what the city will look like in the next 10 years. Things are looking bright, he concluded. By his forecast, Palo Alto residents will have more power in the coming years than ever before to shape their own, and the city’s, destiny. There are bound to be some challenges, including Caltrain’s ongoing financial struggles and the city’s crumbling infrastructure, but Keene said residents have much to look forward to, including a new hospital, rebuilt libraries and major transportation improvements. The key to success, Keene said, will be civic engagement. He predicted that with national and state governments mired in partisan battles and budgetary woes, local governments are emerging as the people’s greatest hope. In that sense, increased citizen participation locally could be one of the upsides of the nationwide gloom, he said. “If there’s any hope and focus for us, it’s got to be at the local level, in our ability to come together and make decisions,” Keene told a group of attorneys and businesspeople at the luncheon, which was sponsored by the local chapter of the American Bar Association and the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce. “We’re going very much to an era of city-states in many ways.” As a charter city, Palo Alto is less beholden than many of its neighbors to state regulations and has more independence to ex-
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Silver lining
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NOVEMBER 13
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years, Keene’s proposed budget for 2012 advocates long-term changes over quick one-time fixes. “The impacts on the City of what has been termed the ‘Great Recession’ will be felt for many years. Many believe the economy has entered a ‘new normal’ where former levels of revenue cannot be expected to return,” Keene wrote in the introduction to the 2012 budget proposal. The city is “in the process of realigning and recalibrating our organization to match available staff and financial resources. “This includes looking at alternate ways to provide services, including contracting out functions, potential partnering with neighbor-
periment and innovate with local policy, he said. Residents have the power to change the City Charter and, in that sense, the power to alter the city’s future. “In a lot of ways, we’re chartered to create the kind of city we want to have as citizens,” Keene said. “In many respects, our destiny is definitely in our hands, even though we’re buffeted by lots of economic, social and political forces from afar. “I’d say for the most part we’re in real good shape in comparison with most places.” The nationwide economic downturn has made Palo Alto’s status as a charter city more important because of all the changes in the air. Palo Alto’s revenues have slumped, prompting officials to re-evaluate services the city offers and its commitments to employees — a process that has resulted in a shrinking City Hall bureaucracy and consideration of radical new ways to raise funds (see main story). At the Tuesday luncheon, Keene emphasized the importance of change and cited several authors who shaped his thinking about the subject. There’s researcher Jim Collins, who claimed that “good is the enemy of great”; scientist Peter Senge, who argued that “success is the enemy” when it comes to innovation because what made an organization successful won’t necessarily prepare it for where it needs to go; and Thomas Friedman, the jet-happy pundit who has written extensively about America’s governance problem, which he sees as the nation’s biggest obstacle in battling global warming and other major challenges. Perhaps the most surprising influence is G.W.F. Hegel, the 19thcentury German philosopher and theologian best known for his insights into human consciousness and development of the “dialectics” technique for reconciling disparate political thoughts. ing communities to provide various programs, evaluating delivery of services through a regional model versus local model such as regional dispatch, and much more.” Some of these efforts could result in a stronger, leaner and more efficient Palo Alto. The ongoing effort by Palo Alto, Mountain View and Los Altos to synchronize their respective dispatch systems is expected to both improve service and save money. The “virtual consolidation” project, which is slated for completion in fall of 2012, will allow the public-safety agencies from the three cities to communicate seamlessly through their dispatch systems and back each other up with greater ease. Charles Cullen, the director of technical services at the Palo Alto Police Department, said the shared system could reduce response times, enable staffing re-
“He said we won’t know if the American democratic experiment has worked until the Americans have expanded out enough that they’re compelled to fall back in upon each other — and then we’ll see,” Keene said. “That’s exactly where we are right now.” Palo Alto officials have been talking for years about ways to get residents energized about local government. In 2008, the City Council adopted “civic engagement” as one of its top priorities for the year. The following year, they changed it to “civic engagement for the common good.” In 2010, they scrapped this priority in favor of more easily defined objectives. But the phrase still crops up every now and then. In his State of the City speech in January, Mayor Sid Espinosa talked about the need to reach out to the city’s increasingly Asian and aging population. The council had agreed to move that event from City Hall to Cubberley Community Center to accommodate south Palo Alto, the section of the city with the greatest share of new residents. Earlier this month, dozens of residents from all parts of town attended a council meeting that began with a bike ride along the city’s present and future bike boulevards. Espinosa said at the luncheon that one of the city’s most critical objectives in the coming years is getting its growing population of retiring Baby Boomers more involved in local policymaking. Palo Alto, he said, has many people who “don’t fancy themselves anywhere near retirement age, but they are.” “Many of them have an incredible capacity and financial capacity as well,” Espinosa said. “Shame on us if we don’t figure out how to actively engage with these folks who want to not just golf but engage in their community in the coming decade.” N ductions at each of the partnering agencies and offer other heretofore unforeseen opportunities. “I think there’s a lot of benefits that we haven’t seen yet or thought of that this project will provide,” Cullen told the council earlier this month.
P
erhaps the most visible example of the Great Recession’s effect on Palo Alto is the number of new faces in City Hall. Keene, who took over as city manager in August 2008, is a grizzled veteran compared to most department heads. Certainly, the economic downturn didn’t force the issue all by itself. The fact that many of the city’s top managers were Baby Boomers who happened to reach retirement age at the same time played a role. But the
VE EOVLEO W S L D WE IDKSI K
Cover Story
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eliminating binding arbitration is the single biggest thing we can do to control our runaway pension costs and to get our labor costs under control.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Greg Scharff, city councilman, Palo Alto The shifting make-up of city management, again, poses both challenges and potential opportunities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; at least, according to Keene. The trend has shrunk Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff, whose members are fighting a learning curve and struggling to keep up with the growing workload. Keene outlined these challenges at Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s City Council retreat, when he equated city staff to a slice of Swiss cheese, with each hole representing a key vacancy. On the other hand, with bureaucracy pared down, city workers now have more responsibility than before, along with greater opportunities for career advancement, Keene told the Weekly in late 2010 when asked about the turnover in City Hall. In an interview last week, he also said the staffing reductions by nature lead to more productivity â&#x20AC;&#x201D; also not a bad thing. This move toward a leaner, more productive workforce could soon extend to Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public-safety workers, who so far have been shielded by their contracts from the type of benefit reductions their city counterparts were forced to swallow. The centerpiece of Keeneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to balance the 2012 budget is getting police and firefighters to accept the types of concessions to which other groups have agreed. Keene told the councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finance Committee earlier this month that he hopes to achieve $4.2 million in cost savings from the ongoing negotiations with the police and firefighter unions. Palo Alto officials often say the changes to employeesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; benefits like-
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cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent changes to the compensation of non-public safety workers â&#x20AC;&#x201D; salary freezes, elimination of the managersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bonus program, requirements for employee contributions toward health care â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have certainly added fuel to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;brain drainâ&#x20AC;? trend, which was detailed in a Weekly cover story in December 2010. The changes have left Palo Alto with a leaner and younger organization (the most seasoned department head, Utilities Director Valerie Fong, has been on the job for five years). Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newly hired City Attorney Molly Stump, who replaced retired City Attorney Gary Baum, began her job in April. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Library Director Monique le Conge (who is replacing retired Director Diane Jennings) will start May 31. These changes arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t limited to the top of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s organizational chart. In the Administrative Services Department alone, 12 employees have announced their retirements since December, Perez said at a March meeting of the planning commission.
LARGEST BARBER SHOP
Construction crews of Cambridge CM, Inc., use a crane to remove the old air-conditioning system from the City Hall roof in January. The old system served only the eighth floor, while the new one disperses air equally throughout all floors via a central system. ly would have been necessary even if the national economy werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t derailed. But the Great Recession and its aftermath have created a sense of urgency in Palo Alto, ensuring that reforms will come sooner rather than later. Pension and health care reforms top the City Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s list of needed changes. In unveiling his budget to the council earlier this month, Keene noted that most of the cost increases in the proposed General Fund budget were primarily due to these factors. Over the past decade, pension expenditures went from 2 percent of the General Fund to 10 percent (the city is projected to spend $23.7 million on pensions in fiscal year 2012, including the general fund portion), and costs are projected to spike further in the next two years. According to Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term financial forecast, new mandates from the California Public Employee Retirement System (CalPERS) could add an additional $18.3 million in pension costs to the city over the nine years leading up to 2021. The rising costs are prompting the council to take a tougher stance than in the past in its negotiations with the firefighter and police unions and to revisit policies that have guided negotiations for more than 30 years. Last week, for example, a council committee discussed potentially repealing a 1978 provision in the City Charter that requires disputes between the city and its public-safety unions to get settled by a bindingarbitration panel. The council last August considered putting the repeal of the binding-arbitration provision on the ballot but declined by a 4-5 vote, with several members saying they need more information before they could support the repeal. Councilman Greg Scharff, who proposed placing the issue on the 2010 ballot, said at the time getting rid of binding arbitration is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the single biggest thing we can do to control our runaway pension costs and to get our labor costs under control.â&#x20AC;? Voters could have a chance to weigh in on changing or repealing this provision either this November or in 2012. Another costly bedrock provision that could soon be abolished is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;minimum staffingâ&#x20AC;? requirement in
the firefightersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; contract â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a clause that requires at least 29 firefighters to be on duty at all times. The firefightersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union has vehemently (and successfully) resisted any changes to the provision and any plan to cut staffing or close fire stations, but the Great Recession and its accompanying pressure on government spending has weakened the unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position and shifted public opinion against status quo. Last year, Palo Alto voters overwhelmingly rejected the unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ballot measure that would have required a citywide vote before any staffing reductions or station closures could be implemented. It also doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help the unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cause that an independent analysis by the firms TriData and ICMA recommended scrapping the provision from the contract. The repeal of binding arbitration and the elimination of minimumstaffing may not solve the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mounting budget problems, but at the very least they would give the City Council a greater-than-ever say over how public funds are spent. They would also give Keene and the council more flexibility in options for making the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public-safety departments more efficient. These include a proposal Keene is currently evaluating to combine police and firefighter operations into one Public Safety Department â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a proposal that would decrease administrative costs. These changes will most certainly be more messy, disruptive and difficult to achieve than the City Hall construction currently under way. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also possible, officials have said, that in some ways the changes brought about by the Great Recession will leave Palo Alto in a stronger financial position and with more flexibility than it had before the downturn began. At the very least, the aftermath of the Great Recession is giving the city an opportunity to talk with its citizens about unsustainable trends and necessary changes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a serious conversation that Keene said can no longer be delayed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a sea change,â&#x20AC;? Keene said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Change is difficult. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s necessary, but just because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s necessary doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enjoyable.â&#x20AC;? N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the City Council of the City of Palo Alto will hold a Public Hearing, pursuant to Article XIIID, section 6 of the California Constitution, at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, June 13, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. The Public Hearing will be held to consider changes to Water and Wastewater Utilities Rate Schedules, which if adopted, will be effective July 1, 2011. Copies of the proposed water and wastewater rate schedules are available on the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website at www.cityofpaloalto.org/ rateincrease and in the Utilities Department, 3rd Floor, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. There is a $3.00 per copy charge for this publication. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Government Code Sections 66016 and 66018, that the City Council of the City of Palo Alto will conduct a Public Hearing at its Special Meetings on June 13, 2011 and June 20, 2011, at 6:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California, to consider changes to the Fiscal Year 2012 Municipal Fee Schedule, including new fees, and increases to existing fees. Copies of the fee schedule setting forth any proposed new fees, and increases to existing fees are available on the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website and in the Administrative Services Department, 4th Floor, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. There is a $3.00 per copy charge for this publication. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA-SPECIAL MEETING-COUNCIL CHAMBERS STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Finance Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 6:00 PM regarding 1) Budget hearings for Public Works â&#x20AC;&#x201C; General Fund Enterprise Funds (Storm Drain, Refuse, Wastewater Treatment), Internal Service Fund and related CIP The Finance Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 25, 2011 at 6:00 PM regarding 1) Budget hearings for Fire Department - continued from May 5, 2011 The City Council Rail Committee Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 8:00 AM POSSIBLE: The Finance Committee Meeting will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 6:00 PM regarding 1) Budget hearings for Municipal Fee Schedule, Contracts Greater than $85k, Wrap-Up *>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;䣣Ă&#x160;U Page 25
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Movies OPENINGS
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Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides --1/2
(Century 16, Century 20) Just when you thought a Disney theme-park ride couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possibly spawn four feature-length films, here we go again. The latest in the mega-popular â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pirates of the Caribbeanâ&#x20AC;? franchise offers another excuse to watch the incomparable Johnny Depp saunter across the screen as wily pirate Captain Jack Sparrow. Added to the cast are PenĂŠlope Cruz (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Volverâ&#x20AC;?) and Ian McShane (HBOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Deadwoodâ&#x20AC;?), two solid actors who fit remarkably well in this jaunty pirate world. But â&#x20AC;&#x153;On Stranger Tidesâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; akin to its predecessors â&#x20AC;&#x201D; suffers from a bloated run time and pedestrian script. Couple those with frenetic action and eye-straining 3D, and most viewers will be left with headaches rather than thoughts about the film itself. Remember Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, the lovelorn couple who played such pivotal roles in the first three â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piratesâ&#x20AC;? installments? Well, forget â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nary a mention of the duo in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tides.â&#x20AC;? No, this
NOW PLAYING The following is a sampling of movies recently reviewed in the Weekly:
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The Beaver --1/2 (Palo Alto Square) What to do when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hopelessly depressed? In the new Jodie Foster-directed dramedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Beaver,â&#x20AC;? Walter Black (Mel Gibson) tries self-help books, therapy and other measures, but nothing works until he hits bottom and embraces the new personality a hand puppet affords him. The question is whether, after Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s public disgrace, viewers will want to go into the abyss with him. This is a drama of depression, with the plain-spoken message â&#x20AC;&#x153;You do not have to be aloneâ&#x20AC;? in facing lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loss and hurt. In Fosterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands, it turns out to be a bit of a headscratcher: weird and disturbing, but with elements of cuteness and romance; darkly funny but comedically gun-shy; and admirably serious-minded in treating the subject of depression, in spite of the Cockney beaver on Gibsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arm. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some disturbing
one is all Jack (Depp fans, rejoice). Here Jack is taken captive by his former flame Angelica (Cruz) and the nefarious pirate Blackbeard (McShane) in order to lead them to the fabled fountain of youth. In hot pursuit (alongside a handful of British soldiers) is the unpredictable Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), who has a personal vendetta against Blackbeard. Throw in Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loyal first mate, Gibbs (Kevin McNally); a handsome young cleric (Sam Claflin as Philip); a school of vicious mermaids (yes, you read that correctly); and a Spanish army, set to â&#x20AC;&#x153;blendâ&#x20AC;? and serve. Director Rob Marshall (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chicago,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nineâ&#x20AC;?) takes over for Gore Verbinski this go-round and lends the film a certain theatrical flair, not surprising given his experience with musicals and directing for the stage. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tidesâ&#x20AC;? ratchets back the fantasy factor a bit (no squid-faced hellions here, thank you very much) and focuses more on classic pirate-inspired action. Swashbuckling and scenes on the open sea abound, while the costuming and set design are impressive. There is an Indiana Jones-esque undertone to this â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piratesâ&#x20AC;? flick, though Jack lacks the noble intentions or daredevil bravery of Indy. In fact, Jack is an atypical protagonist whose antics are certainly entertaining but not particularly inspiring. Cruz is a welcome addition and works well with Depp, while McShane looks almost born for the role of Blackbeard. Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards returns in a cameo as Captain Teague (aka Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dad), offering one of the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better lines. When Jack asks his gruff pop if he has ever been to the fountain of youth, Teague replies: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Does this face look like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ever been to the fountain of youth?â&#x20AC;? Disney has sure done a 180 in regards to mermaids. While the innocent Ariel awed audiences in the sweet 1989 animated film â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Little Mermaid,â&#x20AC;? the mermaids in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tidesâ&#x20AC;? are violent, fanged killers who lure men to their deaths and leave blood in the water. All mermaids in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piratesâ&#x20AC;? world are apparently of this killer breed, with one sensitive exception (a mermaid named Syrena develops a relationship with the religious Philip in a strained subplot). Despite the exhausting 141-minute run time, fans should stick around after the end credits for a bonus scene. Frankly, there is a childishness about the entire â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piratesâ&#x20AC;? franchise that makes it difficult to take anything very seriously, and more Depp certainly doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean more depth. Yo ho hum. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action/adventure violence, some frightening images, sensuality and innuendo. Two hours, 21 minutes.
content, sexuality and language including a drug reference. One hour, 31 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed May 13, 2011) Bridesmaids ---1/2 (Century 16, Century 20) This riotous Rrated offering from producer Judd Apatow (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Knocked Upâ&#x20AC;?) and director Paul Feig (creator of TVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freaks and Geeksâ&#x20AC;?) gives the female of the species the same sort of unapologetic, buddy-based chuckler that guys have gotten a dozen times over. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Saturday Night Liveâ&#x20AC;? co-stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph play lifelong BFFs Annie and Lillian. Newly engaged Lillian asks Annie to be her maid of honor, and Annieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s troubled world unravels as she desperately tries to connect with the other bridesmaids and plan pre-wedding events in the face of food poisoning, too much alcohol and other adventures. Kudos to Wiig for co-writing the savvy script and proving more than capable of holding her own as a leading lady. Rated R for some strong sexuality, and language throughout. Two hours, five minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; T.H. (Reviewed May 13, 2011)
â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tyler Hanley Meekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cutoff ---1/2 (Century 16) This history-based drama dares to be dull, with its simplicity and achingly slow pace reflecting the way of life it depicts. Director Kelly Reichardt also shoots this story of settlers traveling the Oregon Trail in 1845 in the boxy frame of pre-widescreen films, to evoke the limited viewpoint of the bonnet-encased women. Part of the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appeal is in its suggestion of the best-ever reenactment museum, as certified actors recreate the specifics of wagon-train life. The story -- starring Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood, Paul Dane and Will Patton -- derives from an incident that found a group of pioneers led astray by guide Stephen Meek. As the characters remain lost in the landscape, fearing dehydration, starvation and Indian attack, the film seems more like an existential nightmare of maddening uncertainty. Rated PG for some mild violent content, brief language and smoking. One hour, 44 minutes. cTypeface:> â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed May 13, 2011)
MOVIE TIMES Movie times for the Century 16 and 20 theaters are for Friday through Wednesday only, unless otherwise noted. The Beaver (PG-13) ((1/2
Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:40 & 7:20 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:45 p.m.
Bridesmaids (R) (((1/2
Century 16: Fri.-Sun. at 10 & 11 a.m.; 12:50, 1:50, 3:40, 4:40, 7, 7:50, 9:55 & 10:40 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. at 11 a.m.; 12:50, 1:50, 3:40, 4:40, 7, 7:40, 9:55 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 11 a.m.; 12:35, 2, 3:30, 4:55, 6:30, 7:50, 9:25 & 10:45 p.m.
Brigadoon (1954)
Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Mon. at 5:30 & 9:35 p.m.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (G) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: In 3D at 11:25 a.m.; 1:40, 4:05, 6:40 & 9:05 p.m. Century 20: In 3D at 12:05, 2:20, 4:35, 7 & 9:15 p.m.
The Conspirator (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Palo Alto Square: 1:30, 4:25 & 7:15 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 10 p.m.
Everything Must Go (R) (Not Reviewed)
Aquarius Theatre: 2, 4:30, 7 & 9:30 p.m.
Fast Five (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 1:55, 4:50, 7:45 & 10:40 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:40 a.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 11 a.m. Century 20: 12:30, 1:45, 3:25, 4:40, 6:20, 7:40 & 9:20 p.m.; Sun.-Wed. also at 10:35 p.m.
Funny Face (1957)
Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 7:30 p.m.
The Hangover Part II (R) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: Wed. at 12:01 a.m.; Thu. at 10:30 a.m.; 1, 4, 7 & 10 p.m. Century 20: Wed. at 12:01 a.m.; Thu. at 12:10, 2:45, 5:20, 8 & 10:40 p.m.
Hanna (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 2:30 p.m.; Sun.-Wed. also at 7:55 p.m.
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 11:30 a.m.
Incendies (R) (Not Reviewed)
Aquarius Theatre: 2:30, 5:30 & 8:30 p.m.
Jane Eyre (2011) (PG-13) (((1/2
Century 16: 1:30 & 7:15 p.m.
Jumping the Broom (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 11:35 a.m.; 2:30, 5:10, 7:55 & 10:35 p.m.
Kiss Me Kate (1953)
Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Mon. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. also at 3:25 p.m.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: Thu. at 10 a.m.; 12:30, 3, 5:30, 7:55 & 10:20 p.m.; In 3D Wed. at 12:01 a.m.; In 3D Thu. at 9:30 & 11:50 a.m.; 2:20, 4:45, 7:10 & 9:40 p.m. Century 20: Thu. at 10:30 a.m.; 12:55, 3:20, 5:40, 8:05 & 10:25 p.m.; In 3D Wed. at 12:01 a.m.; In 3D Thu. at 11 a.m.; 1:25, 3:50, 6:10, 8:30 & 10:50 p.m.
Maytime (1937)
Stanford Theatre: Wed. & Thu. at 7:30 p.m.
Meekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cutoff (PG) (((1/2 Century 16: 4:20 & 10:05 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:55 a.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 11 a.m. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13) ((1/2
Century 16: Fri.-Wed. at 11 a.m.; 12:30, 2:10, 3:50, 5:40, 7:40 & 9:20 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 10:50 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Wed. at noon, 1:10, 3:10, 4:40, 7, 8:20 & 10:10 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 10 a.m.; In 3D Thu. at noon, 3:10, 7 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 12:20, 1:40, 3, 3:35, 4:55, 6:15, 6:50, 8:10, 9:35 & 10:05 p.m.; Fri. also at 7:30 & 10:45 p.m.; In 3D at 11:10 a.m.; 12:55, 2:25, 4:10, 5:40 & 7:25 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Tue. also at 8:55 & 10:40 p.m.; In 3D Fri. also at 9:30 p.m.; In 3D Wed. also
Priest (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 3:30 & 8:10 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:30 a.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 11 a.m.; In 3D at 1:15, 5:45 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 1:25, 3:40, 6, 8:25 & 10:45 p.m.; In 3D at 12:15, 2:30, 4:45 & 7:05 p.m.; In 3D Sun.-Wed. also at 9:25 p.m.
Rio (PG) ((
Century 16: In 3D at 11:10 a.m.; 1:35, 4, 6:30 & 8:55 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m.; 4:45 & 9:45 p.m.; In 3D at 2:20 & 7:20 p.m.
Something Borrowed -(Century 16, Century 20) Based on the 2005 Emily Giffin bestseller, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Something Borrowedâ&#x20AC;? spins a â&#x20AC;&#x153;one that got awayâ&#x20AC;? fantasy of young, trendy urban professionals, including lifelong best friends Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Darcy (Kate Hudson). Seems Darcy is marrying Dex (Colin Egglesfield), the man Rachel regrets not pursuing in law school. All bets are off once Rachel has a drunken one-night stand with Dex a month before the wedding. The film is sort of impressive in its studied mediocrity, and the actors are capable, but overall the movie is so aggressively cookie-cutter that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to just smile and say, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank you, sir, may I have another (romantic comedy)?â&#x20AC;? Rated PG-13 for sexual content and some drug material. One hour, 53 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed May 6, 2011) Thor --(Century 16, Century 20) Marvel Comicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interpretation of the Norse god of thunder has caught the wave of superhero cinema and ridden it into multiplexes. With Shakespearean Kenneth Branagh as director and a frequently cheeky script, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thorâ&#x20AC;? has a winking
sensibility that wisely holds the line this side of self-mockery. Even those allergic to superhero movies might see the appeal of the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throwback mythology and classy casting, since the hero (Chris Hemsworth) is son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and love interest to astrophysicist Jane Foster (reigning Best Actress Natalie Portman). The story opens in the astral plane, where the arrogant, hammer-wielding Thor becomes responsible for reopening a longstanding conflict with the Frost Giants. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soon banished to Earth â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and entangled in a matter of top-secret national security. Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action. One hour, 54 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed May 6, 2011) Win Win --(Guild) When we meet lawyer Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), he appears to be a born loser. His aging client base is shrinking, his office duplex is giving him $6,000 worth of plumbing agita, and the wrestling team he coaches is logy and uninspired. Everything changes when Mike sees an opportunity to bring in some extra scratch by becoming the legal guardian of one of his clients, an elderly and mentally deteriorating man
L U C I L E PA C K A R D
named Leo Poplar (Burt Young). This way, Mike can move Leo into a rest home that can shoulder the responsibility for daily care, occasionally check in, and collect a cool $1,500 a month. A curveball arrives in the form of 16-year-old Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer), here to crash with his Grandpa Leo. Rated R for language. 1 hour, 46 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed April 1, 2011)
Fri and Sat 5/20-5/21 The Beaver 2:00, 4:40, 7:20, 9:45 The Conspirator 1:30, 4:25, 7:15, 10:00 Sun thru Thurs 5/22-5/26 The Beaver 2:00, 4:40, 7:20 The Conspirator 1:30, 4:25, 7:15
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Roberta (1935)
Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 5:35 & 9:25 p.m.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R) (Not Reviewed)
Guild Theatre: Sat. at midnight.
CHILD CPR & FIRST AID
Something Borrowed (PG-13) (1/2
Century 16: 1:30, 4:10, 7:10 & 9:50 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10:50 a.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 11 a.m. Century 20: 11:40 a.m.; 2:10, 4:50, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m.
Source Code (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: Noon & 5:05 p.m.; Sun.-Wed. also at 10:30 p.m.
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Century 16: Noon, 12:50, 2:50, 3:50, 5:50, 7, 8:50 & 9:50 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 10 a.m.; In 3D at 11 a.m.; 1:50 & 4:50 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Sun. also at 8 & 10:40 p.m.; In 3D Mon.-Wed. also at 7:40 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 12:50, 2:35, 3:35, 5:15, 6:20, 8, 9:10 & 10:40 p.m.; In 3D at 11:05 a.m.; 1:50, 4:30, 7:10 & 9:55 p.m.
The Vagabond King (1930)
Stanford Theatre: Wed. & Thu. at 5:35 & 9:50 p.m.
Water for Elephants (PG-13) (((
Century 16: 1:45, 4:30, 7:15 & 10 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. lso at 10:45 a.m.; Mon.-Wed. also at 11 a.m. a Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:45 & 10:30 p.m.
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Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
CELEBRATING A QUARTER CENTURY
Bubba Gong and his dance program mark 25 years at Foothill with a trio of shows story by Rebecca Wallace | photographs by Veronica Weber
D Top: Bubba Gong, director of Foothill College’s dance program, rehearses a number surrounded by his students. Above: Gong with his mother, Magen GongJensen, who often performs in his shows.
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onning an elaborate silky robe and golden headdress, Bubba Gong leads his dance students around the Foothill College studio in a line during a recent rehearsal. They follow him hand in hand, all dressed in white, doing a grapevine step. The line spirals in on itself, and Gong’s students surround him in an ever-shrinking circle. He beams. Under his bright headdress, he looks like the center of a flower. The visual simile is apt. For 25 years now, Gong has been the charismatic heart of Foothill’s dance program. He was the first full-time dance instructor at the school, and founded its Foothill Repertory Dance Company. On June 3 and 4, he’ll celebrate the quarter-century mark with three dance performances encompassing a variety of styles. Gong will take the stage at Smithwick Theatre along with about 100 other dancers: students, company
members, guest artists and alumni. Foothill graduate Julio Fabian, for one, says he wouldn’t miss it. He was a company member a decade ago and is now a DJ and producer in Las Vegas, going by DJ Fabian. At the June shows, he’ll perform a tribute to Michael Jackson with other Vegas dancers, he said in an interview. “I just want to say thank you (to Gong) for all the opportunities. He’s one of the reasons why I’m where I’m at in my life and my career,” said Fabian, who also got to try choreographing and producing while dancing at Foothill. “When you see Bubba for the first time, you’re just blown away by his energy and passion and what he brings to the stage,” Fabian said. “It just draws you in.” Gong has been drawing in fans for years. He originally got connected with Foothill while he was a Stanford undergrad, dancing in shows at Great
Top: Gong strikes a pose. Above: Gabrielle Bufrim, a principal dancer, during rehearsal. Facing page: After spiraling around him, Bubba Gong’s dancers are all smiles as they sink down to the floor.
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concerts reflects his experiences as an Asian American. He choreographed “Two Worlds, One Heart” as a contemporary ballet about being “very American” and also “being a good Chinese son.” “Sometimes,” he says, “you’re conflicted.” Other works planned for the show include a Peking operabased piece with music by Yo-Yo Ma from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” in which Gong’s spouse, John Celona, will also perform; tributes to Bob Fosse choreography and Big Band music; and a fusion piece inspired by the film “Burlesque.” Besides DJ Fabian, other scheduled alumni performers are singer and dancer Ted Zervoulakos, hiphop dancer Jelanie Galang, tap dancer Lisa Marie Woody, contemporary dancer Stephanie Anderson and lyrical dancer Tiffanie Lee. Guest acts include Gold Star Hip Hop and Dance Connection of Palo Alto, where Gong’s assistant director, Tami Burton, is director of the performing company. The annual Foothill dance shows are often family affairs, and this one will be no exception. Gong’s sisters, Diana Chan and Sherrie Taguchi, will dance, and one of the numbers is his “Moon River Sonatina for Mom.” Gong’s mother, Palo Alto resident Magen Gong-Jensen, is also a regular performer at her son’s shows. At a rehearsal in the Foothill studio, she mingles with the younger dancers, saying with a smile, “I’m the mother of all these hundreds.” The dancers run an energetic
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traditions. Foothill dancers have studied Peking opera dance styles as well as Russian, Afro-Haitian, Caribbean, Japanese and many others, Gong says. He’s also made an effort to welcome people of all ages and body types to his daytime and evening classes, he says. “Find your inner beauty, and eat, and be healthy and be well.” Diversity is something that Gong has been thinking about ever since he was a Chinese-American child growing up in a small town in Mississippi. Named Sing Gong, he called himself Bubba because that was the name his friends had. When Gong moved from Mississippi to attend Stanford, a visit to San Francisco’s Chinatown gave him culture shock: “Everyone looked like me!” Later, he was among the first Asian-American actors to work on “General Hospital,” he says, adding that the experience also gave him a sensitivity to body-image issues. “I was fired, because I couldn’t keep the weight off,” he says. In Southern California, he served on the board of the Association of Asian Pacific American Artists, working for diversity in casting and, he says, “trying to expand the notions of what Asian actors can be.” He acted in the pilot of an Asian-themed sitcom, “Fortune Cookie,” but it wasn’t picked up. “’The Cosby Show’ went on the next year. I was so thrilled that he made it,” Gong says of Bill Cosby. “He just broke so many stereotypes.” One of the new dance works that Gong will premiere at the June
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America to make money for school. Bernadine Fong, then a dean, now Foothill president emerita, spotted him tapping in “Singin’ in the Rain” and offered him a job. Gong taught tap part-time while in school and then went pro for a few years before returning to Foothill full-time. He also went back to Stanford to earn a master’s in dance education in 1992. Gong had been a performer since he was a child, serving as a Walt Disney “Kid of the Kingdom” and appearing in a national orangejuice commercial. As an adult, he performed on Broadway in “Flower Drum Song” and acted on television in “Trapper John, M.D.” and other shows, but teaching turned out to be his real love. “It’s the most unexpected career path that I could have imagined,” Gong says in his Foothill office, in the company of dramatic blackand-white photos of dancers and a poster for “A Chorus Line.” It’s a week of many rehearsals, and he has traces of white stage makeup under his eyebrows. “I found my true calling in life,” he says with a friendly Southern accent. “Foothill has provided me with a home for my dancing dreams. I was never about research or academia; it’s really been in the trenches with students.” Foothill also gave Gong the chance to create the dance program he envisioned, something broader than ballet and modern. “I wanted to go beyond European dance forms,” he says. Although the program values classical technique, it also has classes in tap, ballroom, line dancing and various ethnic
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Arts and Entertainment
Bubba Gong
(continued from previous page)
company number to “Firework” by Katy Perry, hitting their chests repeatedly when Perry sings, “Boom, boom, boom.” Then there’s a smaller piece set to “All That Jazz” from the musical “Chicago.” Its slinky, deliberate, Fosse-fied steps were inspired in part by Gong’s black cat, his mother says. When he’s not dancing with his students, Gong calls out encouragement and corrections: “Point those toes!” “Work it!” “Smile! You’re beautiful!” All the dancers are dressed in white, with costumes they picked out themselves: dresses and pants, tights and tops. There are indeed different ages and body types, and no one seems shy about tucking into the homemade chocolate-chip cookies that someone brought. Sporting a sequined white baseball cap, Gong-Jensen looks fondly at her son across the room. “He started dancing in my tummy,” she says. “When he got out he was tapping.” N What: Three 25th-anniversary performances by Foothill College dancers, alumni and guests Where: Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills When: 7:30 p.m. June 3 and 4, and 2 p.m. June 4 Cost: Tickets are $25 general, $20 for students and seniors, and $15 for children under 10. Reserved-section tickets are $100. The event is a fundraiser for the dance program. Info: Go to foothill.edu or call 650-9497360.
From left, film festival organizers Alex Ippolite, Devyani Kamdar and Alf Seccombe.
New festival for fall Palo Alto International Film Festival premieres in September by Joann So
A
n international film festival celebrating the convergence of art and technology will take place in Palo Alto this fall. Organizers at the Palo Alto Institute are busy preparing for the months ahead. The four-day Palo Alto International Film Festival, scheduled from Sept. 29 to Oct. 2, will show 20 feature films and 25 short films in venues such as the Aquarius Theatre and the Palo Alto Children’s Theatre. Events will also include talks, panels and workshops; art in-
stallations and exhibitions; and an awards ceremony for film entries. Scheduled speakers include Walter Murch, sound designer for films including “Apocalypse Now”; and John Knoll, one of the creators of Adobe Photoshop and visual-effects supervisor for the Star Wars series. Films will include “Something Ventured,” a film looking into the makings and supporters of large technology companies such as Apple and Intel. Another offering, “Press, Pause, Play” is a documen-
tary questioning the digital revolution’s effect on democratized culture and the art that is produced. Devyani Kamdar, executive director of the Palo Alto Institute, said this area is a perfect place for a film festival. “The Bay Area is the center of film technology,” she said, citing examples of studios including Pixar and Lucasfilm, along with the many Silicon Valley firms. Hollywood may be where films are produced, but Silicon Valley plays an indispensible role by providing the technology behind the scenes and onscreen, the festival organizers said. “Technology and art are often separated into two tracks but this festival will bring them back together. ... It’s how it should be,” said Alf Seccombe, the festival’s director of programming. Seccombe and colleague Alex Ippolite, the festival’s managing director, are former Sundance Film Festival organizers. Kamdar noted that an early photographic experiment, “Sallie Gardner at a Gallop” in 1878 by Eadweard Muybridge and Leland Stanford contributed to the development of film technology used today. “Technology isn’t just tools, but the masters of tools are the artists,” she said. Kamdar provided the example of Vuclip to illustrate the interplay between art and technology. Vuclip, a Milpitas-based mobile video services company, “is changing the film industry in India,” she said. It enables users to download
15 minutes worth of movies, which resulted in some traditional threehour Bollywood films being cut to 15 minutes. “People are making 15-minute movies now,” Seccombe said. Shifts in the distribution of films are also happening through companies such as Google and Netflix, Kamdar added. There are other film festivals based at Stanford University, such as the United Nations Association Film Festival, but Palo Alto actually had its own festival in the 1970s and ‘80s, Kamdar said. “It’s a hole that needs to be filled,” Ippolite said. The Palo Alto Institute is a creativity lab investigating ideas in “unseemingly related areas such as medicine, mathematics, film, art and technology,” Kamdar said. At the festival, children will also have activities of their own. The Digital Natives Children’s Program will show films for different age groups, and have outdoor screenings and interactive workshops, Ippolite said. As festival previews, the institute has been offering screenings in Palo Alto, including “Kamikaze Girls” this past Sunday, which raised $520 for firefighters in Sendai, Japan. N Info: Film festival passes are now available for purchase at paiff.net. Volunteers are also needed. The festival is also still accepting submissions of short films. For more information, call 650-641-8947 or go to paiff.net.
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NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board Please be advised the Historic Resources Board shall conduct a meeting at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, June 1, 2011 in the Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. 1005 University Avenue [11PLN-00174]: Request by Norman Beamer and Diane Tasca for Historic Resources Board (HRB) review of a proposal to designate the property at 1005 University Avenue to the City of Palo Alto’s Historic Inventory. The HRB recommendation would be forwarded to the City Council for final action. The request also includes HRB review of alterations to the existing building, including a first floor addition of approximately 32 square feet and a second floor addition of approximately 134 square feet, repair and replacement of fire-damaged exterior elements, and restoration of distinctive building features. Questions. If interested parties have any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Division at (650) 329-2441. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and staff reports will be available for inspection at 2:00 PM the Friday preceding the hearing. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org.
Steven Turner, Advance Planning Manager
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Arts & Entertainment
Worth a Look Art
Antique prints Puppets are featured in the current exhibition at Lyons Limited Antique Prints, along with magicians, musicians, dancers and actors. Called “Playwrights, Pirouettes & Pianissimos,” the new show looks at the history of the performing arts through lithographs, watercolors, woodcuts, engravings and other period graphics. Featured prints include a detailed 16th-century woodcut of the Verona amphitheatre in Italy, by Sebastian Munster; and a Robert Cane watercolor of a 19th-century Drury Lane stage set in London. The display will be up through Aug. 15. Lyons Limited is at 10 Town & Country Village at 855 El Camino Real in Palo Alto. For more information, go to lyonsltd.com or call 650-325-9010.
The quintet performs at the annual Spoleto Festival in South Carolina, where it has often been voted an audience favorite, and has also given a concert at the White House. The Stanford concert will be at 8 p.m. on Friday. General admission is $30 ($50 premium) and $10 for Stanford students. For more information, go to music.stanford.edu or call 650-725-2787.
Quartetto Sugoi
Theater ‘Tongue of a Bird’
The hunt at the heart of Ellen McLaughlin’s play “Tongue of a Bird” is more than just searchand-rescue pilot Maxine’s (Kateri Rose) hunt for a kidnapped child. Maxine is also searching for her lost mother, Evie (Kerry Michelle Smith), through memories and nightmares. It’s a dark and verbose story that This lithograph by Stafford & Co. London & Nottingham, titled “The originally starred Cherry Jones and Gondoliers — or the King of Barataria,” hails from about 1920 and is Sharon Lawrence in an off-Broad- now on display at Lyons Limited Antique Prints in Palo Alto. way production. The tale comes to Opening-night tickets are $30 Palo Alto next week, presented by can preview on Thursday, May Dragon Productions Theatre Com- 26, and then opens May 27. The general, $25 for seniors and $20 pany at its downtown theater at 535 show runs through June 19, with for students; on all other days, performances at 8 p.m. Thursday admission is $25/$18/$16. Go to Alma St. Lessa Bouchard directs the pro- through Saturday and at 2 p.m. on dragonproductions.net or call 650493-2006. duction, which has a pay-what-you- Sundays.
The sounds of Stanford Hospital’s music program can be soothing for patients — and also provide a creative outlet for doctors and others. The program has also started up a caregivers’ concert series, featuring physicians, therapists and others taking the stage. On Thursday, May 26, the second free concert in the series is scheduled at the Cantor Arts Center auditorium at 328 Lomita Drive at Stanford University. The Quartetto Sugoi is set to perform music by Mendelssohn and Mozart. The players in the quartet met a decade ago as music students and came back together this year through their Stanford affiliations, said Greg Kaufman, the hospital’s music-program coordinator. Violinists Charlene Chen and Ian Bledsoe are medical doctors in Stanford’s neurology department, while violist Shana Goldin-Perschbacher teaches feminist studies and music. Cellist Edward Wu has two master’s degrees from Stanford in engineering and has founded a fund to support the humanities at
the university. For more about the concert, call 650-725-2892, or go to stanfordhospital.org and click on “Services for Guests” and then “Music Program.”
Benefit
‘Free the Children’ benefit concert A group of enterprising local students has organized a benefit concert for the international nonprofit organization Free the Children, which seeks to help underprivileged kids through education. This Saturday, May 21, students from schools including Gunn and Palo Alto high schools; Terman, Jordan and J.L. Stanford middle schools; and the Castilleja and Keys schools will perform at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center at 3921 Fabian Way in Palo Alto. The event goes from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, and will include a variety of bands, dance groups, singers and classical musicians, said Eleanor Su, a seventh-grader at Terman. “Our goal is to build a school in Sierra Leone,” she said. “We have previously fundraised through several bake sales.” The suggested donation for audience members is $10. For more information about the event, call 650-815-1880. Free the Children’s website is freethechildren.com.
Music QuinTango
KImberly Wadycki
Kateri Rose, left, and Leah Kolchinsky in Dragon Productions’ “Tongue of a Bird,” which opens next week in downtown Palo Alto.
A vacation to Buenos Aires could take months to plan and also be quite expensive. But QuinTango, a touring quintet, brings live tango and dance to Stanford’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium on May 20. The touring quintet, composed of two violins and a cello, bass and piano, will be performing tango music accompanied by professional tango dancers from Buenos Aires. “QuinTango presents a concert of music and dance, full of nostalgia and poignancy ... It takes you right into Buenos Aires,” Anne Gazenbeek said in a press release. She’s a board member of Friends of Music at Stanford, which is sponsoring the event. *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 31
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Veronica Weber
/Ĩ LJŽƵ͛ǀĞ ƚƌŝĞĚ ĚŝĞƚ ĂŶĚ ĞdžĞƌĐŝƐĞ ďƵƚ Ɛƚŝůů ŚĂǀĞ ĨĂƚ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĐŚĞƐ LJŽƵ ũƵƐƚ ĐĂŶ͛ƚ ůŽƐĞ͙͙ ƚŚĞŶ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ƚŝŵĞ ĨŽƌ ZKE Π
The seafood pancake, bottom left, with the dol sot bi bim bap, top left, and the kimchi appetizer, right.
Seoul food, sort of
Han Korean Bistro’s fare isn’t the most authentic, but it’s satisfying
ZK ƉĂŝŶ ZK ĚŽǁŶƚŝŵĞ ZK ƐƵƌŐĞƌLJ
by Sheila Himmel
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WĂƚƌŝĐŝĂ ĂůĚǁŝŶ͕ EW Θ ĂǀŝƐ ĂůĚǁŝŶ͕ D ϭϰϱ E͘ ĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂ ǀĞ͘ ^ƵŝƚĞ Ϯ ͮ WĂůŽ ůƚŽ͕ ͮ ϵϰϯϬϭ Page 32ÊUÊ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
Veronica Weber
ǁǁǁ͘ŶĂƚƵƌĂůŚĞĂůƚŚƐƚLJůĞ͘ĐŽŵ
Diners eat lunch at Han Korean Bistro.
any barn-size restaurants hope for a dash of cachet by slapping “bistro” onto their name. Han Korean Bistro actually fits the definition: a small, unpretentious cafe, serving satisfying down-to-earth food. Is it the most authentic of Korean food? No. Han Korean Bistro pays its rent on Palo Alto’s University Avenue, for heaven’s sake, not in Los Angeles’ Koreatown or in Santa Clara. Han is more Americanized. There are sandwiches! That is, barbecued meat or tofu on a French roll, with chips or salad. The meats aren’t fabulous. But let’s say you’re downtown and not in the mood for expensive Italian food, or you have teenagers to feed. Han Korean can hit the spot. Prices are comparable to those at Tofu House, on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. Start with the Korean pancake hae mul pa jun ($7.95). If you’re alone, you might end there, too, having enjoyed an omelet-like starter stuffed with vegetables and seafood. The pancake stays crisp on a hot metal griddle, safely encased in a wooden platter. Soon doo boo ($10.95) is a bubbling pot of silky tofu in spicy-hot soup, sprinkled with your choice of beef, pork, seafood or kimchee. The pork was chewy. The best dish we tried was dol sot bi bim bop ($11.95). Cooked and served in a stone pot, this Korean casserole keeps the rice wonderfully sticky at the edges. It is topped with a fried egg (the server asks if egg is OK with you), julienne carrots, cabbage and broccoli, as well as your choice of meat, seafood or tofu. Dol sot bi bim bop, the menu says, is “most recommended.” It also says the BBQ pork spare ribs are “scientifically tested far superior to psychotherapy,” so who knows about these claims. More scientifically provable, the menu’s green tree icons denote vegetarian items, and red chiles are for spicy fare. BBQ beef bul go ki ($11.95) is a sizzling metal plate piled with cabbage and onions that continue to cook, topped with thin strips of marinated rib eye steak. Is it the tenderest rib eye you’ve ever tasted? Probably not, but it is only $11.95. The menu tops out with the Super Rib Combination ($17.95) of beef spare ribs, beef short ribs (crosscut, kalbi), and pork spare ribs on rice, served with a crisp salad of baby greens and citrus dressing. This mountain of meat looks very Henry VIII, a little embarrassing when being lugged to your table.
ShopTalk by Joann So
ANN TAYLOR ON UNIVERSITY ... The Ann Taylor women’s-apparel store has temporarily relocated to downtown Palo Alto at 180 University Ave. from the Stanford Shopping Center. It’s scheduled to remain there until the shop reopens in August 2011 in a new space at the mall. Ann Taylor took over the former Magnavox site, opening on April 28. “People can have lunch and be able to shop when before they didn’t have the opportunity to make it to the mall,” store manager Sonia Mitchell said. YOGURTLAND IN TOWN ... Yogurtland will join a band of several other frozen-yogurt shops in Palo Alto this month. Opening soon, the new store at 494 University Ave. in downtown will have self-serve yogurt, with 16 flavors and 30-some toppings. “The quality of yogurt is our priority,” a Yogurtland representative said. Nonfat and no-sugar-added options will be available.
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The dol sot bi bim bap (left) comes sizzling in a clay pot with vegetables, egg and a choice of meats. Six little kimchee condiments accompanied: napa cabbage with a nice crunch, hot but not overpowered in chile; thin discs of pickled cucumbers; cold potatoes and carrots; pickled bean sprouts; glass noodles. You can also get a prodigious kimchee sampler ($5.95) of pickled napa cabbage, sweet cucumber and spicy turnip. Palate-cleansing, melon-flavored Korean gum comes with the check. Beverages range from soothing ginseng tea ($2) to highly alcoholic Korean soju ($12). Draft beer includes Gordon Biersch Maarzen and Kirin ($5). With bottled beer (in $4 and $6 sizes), you can choose from Korea (OB and Hite), China (Tsing Tao), Japan (Asahi and Sapporo) and America (Anchor Steam and Sierra Pale Ale). Happy-hour discounts apply. An offshoot of Hahn’s Hibachi on Ramona Street for nine years, Han Korean Bistro is no longer related to that mini-chain. It is comfortable, clean and pleasant. The usual University Avenue floor-to-ceiling glass doors open onto mustard- and ketchup-colored walls with tastefully mounted photographs of Buddhas and temple grounds. As should be in a bistro, you are greeted, thanked and bid good-bye by someone who honestly seems to care. N Han Korean Bistro 452 University Ave., Palo Alto 650-323-2555 hankoreanbistro.com Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Reservations Credit cards Lot Parking
Alcohol
Banquet
Outdoor seating
Takeout
Noise level: Good
Highchairs Wheelchair
Bathroom Cleanliness: Good
access
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Palo Alto City Council will hold a public hearing at the special scheduled meeting on Monday, June 6, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. or as near thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, to consider the Stanford University Medical Center Facilities Renewal and Replacement Project: Request By Stanford Hospitals And Clinics, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital At Stanford And Board Of Trustees For The Leland Stanford Junior University For Approval By The City Council Of The Stanford University Medical Center (SUMC) Facilities Renewal And Replacement Project, Including Demolition Of The Existing Stanford Hospital And Clinics (SHC), Construction Of New Hospital Buildings, Renovation And Expansion Of The Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital (LPCH), Reconstruction Of The School Of Medicine (Som) Facilities, And Construction Of New Medical Office Buildings And Parking Structure, As Well As The Renovation Of The Hoover Pavilion. A Public Hearing Will Be Conducted On The Following Items: A) Certification Of Final Environmental Impact Report; B) Adoption Of A Resolution Containing California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Findings And A Statement Of Overriding Consideration; C) Adoption Of A Resolution Amending The Comprehensive Plan To Recognize Taller Building Heights At SUMC And To Exclude Hospital, Clinic And Medical School Use Areas From The Citywide Non-Residential Growth Limits; D) Adoption Of An Ordinance Amending The Municipal Code To Establish A New “Hospital” Zone District And Amending The Sign Code And Tree Code To Be Consistent With The Hospital Zone Regulations; E) Adoption Of An Ordinance Approving A Thirty–Year Development Agreement That Would Grant Certain Development Rights To The Applicant In Exchange For Certain Public Benefits; F) Adoption Of A Record Of Land Use Action Approving A Conditional Use Permit That Would Allow Specific Hospital, Medical Office, And Related Uses In The Hospital Zone; G) Adoption Of A Resolution Annexing An Approximate 0.65 Acre Site From Santa Clara County Into Palo Alto, H) Approval Of Architectural Review Of The Various Buildings And Site Development; And (I) Approval Of SUMC Area Plan.
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The Planning and Transportation Commission is scheduled to make its recommendation to the Council at a public hearing scheduled for May 18, 2011. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk
NOTICE OF VACANCY ON THE PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION FOR ONE FOUR-YEAR TERM ENDING JULY 31, 2015 (Lippert) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council is seeking applications for the Planning and Transportation Commission from persons interested in serving in a four year term ending July 31, 2015. Eligibility Requirements: Composed of seven members who are not Council Members, officers, or employees of the City, and who are residents of the City of Palo Alto. Regular meetings are at 7:00 p.m. on the second and last Wednesday of each month. Duties: The Planning and Transportation Commission‘s primary duties include: a) Preparing and making recommendations to the City Council on the City‘s Comprehensive Plan regarding development, public facilities, and transportation in Palo Alto; b) Considering and making recommendations to the City Council on zoning map and zoning ordinance changes; c) Reviewing and making recommendations to the City Council on subdivisions and appeals on variances and use permits; and d) Considering other policies and programs affecting development and land use in Palo Alto for final City Council action. Application forms and appointment information are available in the City Clerk‘s Office, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto (650) 329-2571 or may be obtained on the website at http://www. cityofpaloalto.org. Deadline for receipt of applications in the City Clerk‘s Office is 5:00 p.m., June 3, 2011. If the incumbent does not apply, the final deadline for non-incumbents will be Wednesday, June 8, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk MEMBERS MUST BE PALO ALTO RESIDENTS.
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PIZZA Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town
of the week
Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto www.spotpizza.com
POLYNESIAN AMERICAN
CHINESE
Armadillo Willy’s 941-2922
Peking Duck 321-9388 151 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto We also deliver.
1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Range: $5.00-13.00
Hobee’s 856-6124 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Also at Town & Country Village,
Su Hong – Menlo Park Dining Phone: 323–6852 To Go: 322–4631 Winner, Menlo Almanac “Best Of” 8 years in a row!
Palo Alto 327-4111
Burmese Green Elephant Gourmet
INDIAN Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688 129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days
(650) 494-7391 Burmese & Chinese Cuisine 3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto (Charleston Shopping Center)
Janta Indian Restaurant 462-5903 369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Organic Veggies
Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering
ITALIAN CHINESE Chef Chu’s (650) 948-2696 1067 N. San Antonio Road
Spalti Ristorante 327-9390 417 California Ave, Palo Alto ÝµÕ Ã ÌiÊ `ÊUÊ"ÕÌ` ÀÊ } www.spalti.com
on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos 2010 Best Chinese
JAPANESE & SUSHI
MV Voice & PA Weekly
Jing Jing 328-6885
Fuki Sushi 494-9383 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Open 7 days a Week
Trader Vic’s 849-9800 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm Available for private luncheons Lounge open nightly Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm
SEAFOOD Cook’s Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park Seafood Dinners from $6.95 to $10.95
Catered Texas BBQ (800) 585-RIBS(7427)
Scott’s Seafood 323-1555 #1 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto Open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Happy Hour 7 days a week 4-7 pm Full Bar, Banquets, Outdoor Seating www.scottsseafoodpa.com
THAI Thaiphoon Restaurant 323-7700 543 Emerson St., Palo Alto Full Bar, Outdoor Seating www.thaiphoonrestaurant.com Best Thai Restaurant in Palo Alto 5 Years in a Row, 2006-2010
1031 N. San Antonio Rd, Los Altos
650.941.2922
443 Emerson St., Palo Alto Authentic Szechwan, Hunan
MEXICAN
Food To Go, Delivery www.jingjinggourmet.com
Palo Alto Sol 328-8840 408 California Ave, Palo Alto Õ}iÊ i ÕÊUÊ iÃÌÞ iÊ,iV «iÃ
Ming’s 856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com
New Tung Kee Noodle House 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr. Voted MV Voice Best ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 & ‘04 Prices start at $4.75 947-8888
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Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile 321-8003 2010 Best Mexican We have hit the Road! Follow Us twitter.com/oaxacankitchen Become a Fan facebook.com/oaxacankitchenmobile Find Us www.OaxacanKitchenMobile.com
Siam Orchid 325-1994 496 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto Organic Thai Free Delivery to Palo Alto/Stanford/Menlo Park Order online at www.siamorchidpa.com
STEAKHOUSE Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com
1ST PLACE
NCAA TENNIS
BEST SPORTS COVERAGE
This streak a winner
California Newspaper Publishers Association
Sports Shorts
OF LOCAL NOTE . . . University of North Carolina tennis player Haley Hemm, a Sacred Heart Prep grad and Menlo Park native, was named the Carolina region’s Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award recipient, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced last week. Hemm, an inspirational leader on the team throughout her career, is an active contributor to the community, both locally and globally, as well as a standout in the classroom. The junior has been an active participant in the Coach for College program, an outreach effort which uses the skills student-athletes have in their sport to motivate youth in Vietnam to seek higher education, as well as Carolina Dreams, a student-athlete project to serve the N.C. Children’s Hospital. . . . The Stanford Rowing Center Women’s 2x boat won the bronze medal and the Men’s 4x won a silver medal at the USRowing Southwest Junior Championship Regatta, earning both boats an invitation to compete at the USRowing Youth Nationals on June 1012 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. Danni Struck and Claire Duesdieker, both students at Sacred Heart Prep, had the race of the their lives to fend off last-minute surges to earn a bronze medal. The Men’s 4x of Nicholas Talbott from Gunn, Jackson Herd, Clayton Mathieu and Scott Gharda of Menlo-Atherton narrowly missed the gold medal by .99 seconds while falling to defending champion Long Beach. Duedieker will be rowing at UCSD in the fall while Talbott does the same at Brown . . . Former Stanford All-American Sara Hall won the women’s division at the USA 1 Mile Road Championship last week in Minneapolis, Minn. . . . The Palo Alto American Legion Post 375 baseball program will hold two tryouts for the upcoming season, the first on May 28 and the second on May 30th, both from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Palo Alto High.
Stanford’s Stacey Tan and her tennis teammates will put their 181-match home win streak on the line Friday in an NCAA Round of 16 match at Stanford’s Taube Family Tennis Center. Photo by Don Feria/Stanfordphoto.com.
Freshman Nicole Gibbs (center) and her Stanford tennis teammates (clockwise from top right) Tracie Ahn, Stacey Tan, Carol McVeigh, Mallory Burdette and Hilary Barte are four wins away from defending their NCAA title.
Friday
College baseball: Arizona at Stanford, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Sunday College baseball: Arizona at Stanford, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Tuesday College baseball: Cal Poly at Stanford, 5:30 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
READ MORE ONLINE
www.PASportsOnline.com For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com
D
“That said, soon we’ll need to put those awards and kudos in our trophy cases and move on to the next season. And I know our returners are going to be very determined to attempt a repeat.” Palo Alto was one of the biggest surprises in the prep volleyball world this past fall as the Vikings went 41-1 and upset nationally No. 11-ranked Long Beach Poly in five sets in the state finals at San Jose State in December. The Vikings were selected as one of five finalists for the national award, covering all sports. The others included the Mater Dei basketball team that (continued on page 39)
NCAA WATER POLO
Long-awaited title is sweet for Stanford by Rick Eymer
T
Keith Peters
by Keith Peters ave Winn probably thought the accolades that resulted from his Palo Alto girls’ volleyball team winning the CIF Division I state title ended in February when he was named the MaxPreps California Coach of the Year in the sport and two of his players, Melanie Wade and Megan Coleman, were named to the all-state team. The honors, however, did not end there. The Palo Alto girls’ volleyball team has been named the MaxPreps National Female Team of the Year. “It is very gratifying to see all the good things that have come out of winning a state title,” Winn said.
Saturday
(continued on page 36)
Palo Alto girls’ volleyball named national team of year
ON THE AIR College baseball: Arizona at Stanford, 5:30 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
by Rick Eymer he list of players who have contributed to Stanford’s remarkable women’s tennis home winning streak includes future professionals, future coaches, NCAA singles and doubles champions, past junior national champions, and a host of others who have achieved success in a wide variety of subjects. There have been a handful of close calls, with players having to rally from a deficit to give Stanford a 4-3 victory. One match during the streak was finished at the Pac-10 tournament at the Ojai Valley Tennis Club, weeks after rain washed out the doubles competition and the match tied at 3-all. The streak, at 181 consecutive matches played at Taube Family Tennis Center heading into Friday’s 6 p.m. match against Northwestern in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, is in its second decade. A dozen years have passed since the Cardinal last tasted defeat at home. The 5-4 loss to Cal on Feb. 27, 1999 is Stanford’s only home loss since March of 1995. The Bears, with current Cal coach Amanda Augustus on the playing roster, ended the Cardinal’s then-school record streak of 52 consecutive home wins. The current streak is recognized as the longest active home winning streak of any intercollegiate sport in NCAA Division I athletics, and includes 32 NCAA tournament matches. There’s a possibility of adding six more to the total should the undefeated Cardinal (25-0) remain so through the postseason. Hilary Barte, Mallory Burdette,
T
Rick Bale/Stanford Athletics
ON THE COVER
Stanford women open Round of 16 with 181 straight home wins
Paly coach Dave Winn won a state title in December.
he second time around had to feel even sweeter for Stanford women’s water polo coach John Tanner. After all, it’s been a long wait and the game has dramatically changed in nine years. Tanner points to his roster, full of youth and determination. He points to the senior leadership of Menlo School grad Kim Krueger and Amber Oland and Kim Hall. He can also point to U.S. National (continued on page 38)
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Sports
Help us rescue lives in Japan. Go to www.rescue.org/altweeklies
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Palo Alto Unified School District Notice is hereby Given that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Unified School District for bid package: Contract No. FMM-11 and NM-11 DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK: Scope of work includes but is not limited to moving of an existing 1440 square foot modular building at Fairmeadow Elementary; and installing a new 960 square-foot modular building at Nixon Elementary. This are two separate projects. Work includes asphalt paving, electrical, fire alarm, water, sewer, EMS, new ramps, utility trenching and carpet/vinyl for a complete and operational building. Bidding documents contain the full description of the work. There will be mandatory pre-bid conferences and site visits as follows: Fairmeadow (FMM-11), 2:00 p.m. on May 25, 2011 at Fairmeadow Elementary School located at 500 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto, California 94306. Nixon (NM-11), 1:00 p.m. on June 1, 2011 at Nixon Elementary School located at 1711 Stanford Ave Stanford, California 94305 Bid Submission: Proposals must be received at the District Facilities Office building D, by 11:00 a.m. on June 14, 2011 for FMM-11 and by 1:00PM on June 15, 2011 for NM-11 PREVAILING WAGE LAWS: The successful Bidder must comply with all prevailing wage laws applicable to the Project, and related requirements contained in the Contract Documents. Palo Alto Unified School District will maintain a Labor Compliance Program (LCP) for the duration of this project. In bidding this project, the contractor warrants he/she is aware and will follow the Public Works Chapter of the California Labor Code comprised of labor code sections 1720 – 1861. A copy of the Districts LCP is available for review at 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306. 1. A pre-job conference shall be conducted with the contractor or subcontractors to discuss federal and state labor law requirements applicable to the contract. 2. Project contractors and subcontracts shall maintain and furnish to the District, at a designated time, a certified copy of each payroll with a statement of compliance signed under penalty of perjury. 3. The District shall review and, if appropriate, audit payroll records to verify compliance with the Public Works Chapter of the Labor Code. 4. The District shall withhold contract payments if payroll records are delinquent or inadequate. 5. The District shall withhold contract payments as described in the LCP, including applicable penalties when the District and Labor Commissioner establish that underpayment of other violations has occurred. Bidders may examine Bidding Documents at Facilities Office, Building “D”. Bidders may purchase copies of Plans and Specifications at American Reprographics Company (ARC), 599 Fairchild Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043, Phone Number (650) 967-1966 All questions can be addressed to: Palo Alto Unified School District 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D Palo Alto, CA 94306-1099 Attn: Aimée Lopez Phone: (650) 329-3927 Fax: (650) 327-3588
The streak
(continued from page 35)
Veronica Li, Nicole Gibbs, Kristie Ahn, Carolyn McVeigh and Stacey Tan are among the current players who have kept the streak alive. Also contributing this year are Natalie Dillon, Elizabeth Ecker, Amelia Herring and Jennifer Yen. Barte, who won the NCAA doubles title with Lindsay Burdette last year, carries a career record of 12626 into the final two weeks of her college career. McVeigh and Yen are also in their final season. A lot has changed in the world over the past 12 years. Bill Clinton was the president then, Napster was making headlines and the Euro made its debut. Stanford’s roster in 1999 included Marissa Irvin, Teryn Ashley, Lauren Kalvaria, Gabriela Lastra, Jennifer Heiser, Keiko Tokuda and Sarah Pestiau. Frank Brennan was the head coach and Lele Forood was his top assistant. Brennan owns the first 21 wins of the streak. Forood is at 160 and counting. The names keep changing, but the success hasn’t yet stopped. Laura Granville, Lauren Barnikow, Emilia Anderson, Pinewood grad Leija Hodzic, Amber Liu, Jessica Nguyen, Whitney Deason, Celia Durkin, Alice Barnes, Anne Yelsey, Theresa Logar, plus sisters Erin and Lindsay Burdette all have a stake in the streak. That 1999 team went on to beat Florida on the Gators’ home court to win the national title. Irvin and Toduka clinched the win at No. 2 doubles. “I truly am in a state of shock,” Brennan said at the time. “Maybe we’re the best team, maybe we’re not. But what we are is a really good group of fighters who pulled it off on the most important day of the year.” Brennan’s final home match was a 5-1 victory over Fresno State on May 13, 2000. Other milestone victories, provided by Stanford media relations director Brian Risso: Win No. 22, Jan. 26, 2001: Stanford blanked Washington State 7-0 in the first home match played under Forood. Ten years later, Forood still has the Cardinal rolling with six NCAA championships and 10 Pac-10 titles to her credit. She was named the 2003 Wilson/ ITA National Coach of the Year and is a four-time Pac-10 Coach of the Year recipient. Win No. 51, May 19, 2002: Hosting the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1997, Stanford notched a 4-1 victory over Florida to claim the national championship on its home court. The victory was well earned for the third-seeded
2011 NCAA TEAM TENNIS SCHEDULE FRIDAY Women’s Round of 16 9 a.m. — No. 6 UCLA vs. No. 11 Virginia (Taube South) 9 a.m. — No. 3 Duke vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech (Taube Stadium) Noon — No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Michigan (Taube South) Noon — No. 2 Florida vs. No. 15 Clemson (Taube Stadium) 3 p.m. — No. 5 Baylor vs. SMU (Taube South) 3 p.m. — No. 4 North Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (Taube Stadium) 6 p.m. — No. 8 Georgia vs. No. 9 California (Taube South) 6 p.m. — No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 16 Northwestern (Taube Stadium) SATURDAY Men’s Quarterfinals Noon — Georgia-Duke winner vs. CalTennessee winner (Taube South) Noon — Kentucky-Florida winner vs. USC-Georgia Tech winner (Taube Stadium)
Cardinal, which had to sit through a rain delay of three hours and 10 minutes before competition started shortly after 4 p.m. Erin Burdette’s 7-6, 6-2 victory at the No. 4 position sealed the match, as Stanford’s senior class of Kalvaria, Lastra and Tokuda wrapped up their collegiate careers with a 116-4 record and three NCAA championships. Win No. 65, Jan. 26, 2004: Stanford’s 7-0 rout of TCU turned out to be win No. 65 during the home winning streak but it also represented the first victory of another improbable stretch. After falling to host Florida, 4-3, in the 2003 NCAA Championship, Stanford opened its 2004 campaign with a ho-hum shutout victory over the Horned Frogs. And 88 consecutive wins would follow, giving the Cardinal an 89match winning streak that spanned three seasons and produced three more NCAA championships. Win No. 107, May 23, 2006: For the second time during the home winning streak, Stanford won the NCAA championship on its home court. Appearing in the national championship match for the 20th time in the 27-year history of the event, Stanford captured its 15th team title in a tournament that was pushed back constantly by rainy weather. After winning the doubles point, Celia Durkin and Jessica Nguyen cruised to straight-set wins at the Nos. 5 and 6 positions of the singles lineup. Theresa Logar provided the clincher on court three, winning easily 6-0, 6-3. Win No. 110, Feb. 17, 2007: Someone in the stands on this Saturday afternoon had to be asking themselves the following question: “is the scoreboard malfunctioning?” That’s because for the first time in seven years the number “3” was appearing in the opponent’s score column. Stanford had
More Palo Alto Unified legals on page 62.
U
N TESTS TDOOR SIRE
STANFORD O
The Stanford University outdoor emergency siren system test scheduled for Friday, June 3rd has been cancelled. The next full scale test of the system will be in the fall.
For more information, visit http://emergency.stanford.edu or email preparedness@stanford.edu. Page 36ÊUÊ >ÞÊÓä]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
4 p.m. — Ohio St.-Tulsa winner vs. UCLA-Baylor winner (Taube South) 4 p.m. — Virginia-Illinois winner vs. Stanford-Texas A&M winner (Taube Stadium) SUNDAY Women’s Quarterfinals Noon — Michigan-Miami winner vs. Clemson-Florida winner (Taube South) Noon — Virginia-UCLA winner vs. Georgia Tech-Duke winner 4 p.m. — North Carolina-Vanderbilt winner vs. Baylor-SMU winner (Taube South) 4 p.m. — Stanford-Northwestern winner vs. Georgia-Cal winner (Taube Stadium) MONDAY, MAY 23 Men’s and Women’s Semifinals Noon and 4 p.m. TUESDAY, MAY 24 Championship Matches Noon — Men’s finals (Taube Stadium) 4 p.m. — Women’s finals (Taube Stadium)
not surrendered three points to an opponent in a home match since April 21, 2000, when the Cardinal downed USC, 6-3. Fast forward to this date against UCLA, and Stanford was actually trailing 3-2 while the match was in the hands of Anne Yelsey and Lindsay Burdette. Both rallied to victories, with Yelsey beating Tracy Lin 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 at the No. 2 spot while Burdette rallied past Elizabeth Lumpkin 2-6, 7-6, 6-1 on court six. Win No. 149, April 11, 2009: This Senior Day shutout of Pepperdine resulted in win No. 800 for the Stanford women’s tennis program. Heading into the 2009 postseason, Stanford women’s tennis has posted an overall record of 800-74. That’s good for a .915 winning percentage. Head coach Curly Neal got the program off on the right foot, leading Stanford to an 11-0 mark during the inaugural season back in 1975. There has never been a losing season in the history of the program. Win No. 160, April 4, 2010 (match completed April 21): In perhaps the most unique of endings during the streak, Stanford’s 4-3 victory over USC was actually completed in Ojai, after two postponements. Because UCLA could still claim a share of the Pac-10 title, Stanford was forced to resume its April 4 match against USC that had been tied at 3 after singles, suspended twice and moved to a completely different city. Stanford swept the doubles point, earning the 4-3 win and claiming the outright Pac-10 title in the process. The ITA, along with the NCAA, ruled the contest would count as a home match for Stanford, since the original singles competition was played at the Taube Family Tennis Center with each team collecting three points. Win No. 164, May 15, 2010: Time to roll the streak over to 2011. Stanford pounded SMU 4-0 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a result similar to several others during the streak. So, that brings us back to 181-0 and counting. Forood and her players are hoping it stretches to 185-0 on Tuesday, when Stanford hopes to be playing for yet another national title. N Elizabeth Clair also contributed.
Sports STANFORD ROUNDUP
PREP ROUNDUP
A pitch to finish strong
Paly girls take shot at CCS swim title Menlo duo advances to NorCal golf while Knights’ tennis team goes after a third NorCal championship
Cardinal softball team hosts NCAA regional; Hansen named Pac-10 Player of Year by Rick Eymer shley Chinn made quite the first impression on Stanford softball coach John Rittman. The second, third and all other impressions have been much better received. Chinn is one of two seniors, with Melisa Koutz, who likely will be playing their final home games this weekend when Stanford plays host to one of 16 regional sites in the NCAA tournament. Stanford, the 15th overall seed, meets Pacific on Friday at 6 p.m. in the double-elimination tournament. Nebraska and Fresno State play the first game at 3 p.m. The 12th-ranked Cardinal (38-15) will be playing at the same time the Stanford women’s tennis team meets Northwestern in the Round of 16 and the Stanford baseball team opens a three-game set with Arizona. The softball team, though, has a solid core of faithful fans that will support Stanford in its quest to reach its first Women’s College World Series in seven years, and the third overall. The Cardinal qualified for its 14th consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament and has won six regional titles. Stanford also features one of the most dynamic players in the nation in junior shortstop Ashley Hansen, who leads the country with a .506 batting average. This week she was named Pac-10 Conference Player of the Year. Hansen went 7-for-11 with three runs scored and a pair of RBI against Arizona State last weekend. The Sun Devils are the nation’s topranked team and were awarded the overall No. 1 seed. Chinn, who started the game Stanford won against Arizona State, began attending Stanford games when she was 10 or 11 years old. She attended a pitching camp at Stanford when she was 12 years old. “There were so many people there, not everyone could pitch on the dirt,” Chinn said. “I was pitching out in the left field and tore up the grass with my drag. Coach got mad because he liked to keep things nice.” Chinn, who starred at Carlmont High in Belmont, has been tearing up her opponents since arriving as a freshman. She owns a career record of 52-19, with 49 complete games and 15 shutouts over 454 2/3 innings heading into the regional and is enjoying her best season yet. “I think Teagan (Gerhart) and I have established a pretty pattern,” Chinn said. “We complement each other. It seems her strengths are sort of my weaknesses and some of my strengths counter some of her weak-
by Keith Peters anny Dye made quite a splash when he took over the Palo Alto swim teams for the 2005 season. His girls’ squad wound up winning the Central Coast Section title that season. Ever since the 2005 campaign, the Paly girls have been chasing Mitty at the section finals and have been coming up short. Palo Alto was second in 2006, finished third behind Mitty and Monta Vista in 2007, was No. 3 again in 2008 as Monta Vista topped Mitty, finished second to the Monarchs by just three points in 2009 and trailed in second once again last year y 36 points. Palo Alto will battle Mitty, and St. Francis, on Saturday when the year’s fastest meet gets under way at the George F. Haines International Swim Center in Santa Clara at 2 p.m. While Bellarmine goes after a 27th straight boys’ title and Paly gives chase along with Los Gatos, the focus will be on the top three girls’ teams battling it out. Not only will the Mitty, St. Francis and Palo Alto girls offer some great competition, but that half of the meet will feature two of the nation’s best in Palo Alto junior Jasmine Tosky and Stanford-bound St. Francis senior Maddy Schaefer. Tosky is back to defend her CCS titles in the 200 free (1:44.11) and 100 fly (52.77) and no one is close as Tosky closes in on national records in both events. Tosky also will anchor the opening 200 medley relay and closing 400 free relay, which could end up deciding the meet. “Our girls will have to swim well and the relays will be huge!” said Dye. “I expect some of our girls like (CCS recordholder) Sarah (Liang) to move up and we will need to win the medley relay. I am going to have to play around with my order and swimmers on the relays, and take a few chances there.” Dye is banking on St. Francis to help take points away from Mitty, which is exactly what Schaefer is expecting to do in the 50 and 100 freestyles. She set a national Independent School record of 22.24 while winning the 50 last season and added a CCS record of 48.61 to take the 100 free. Paly could get help from Sacred Heart Prep freshman Ally Howe, who is top seeded in the 200 IM (2:02.29) and 100 back (55.80), as long as she doesn’t beat Paly’s Liang in the IM. In the boys’ meet, Paly junior Byron Sanborn is back to defend his 100 breast title while Sacred Heart Prep junior Tom Kremer also returns to defend in the 200 free and 100 back. Menlo-Atherton has Kei Masuda, Nick Henze and Evan Navarro among the favorites in their events
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Keith Peters
Stanford senior Ashley Chinn is hoping to help the Cardinal to advance this weekend’s NCAA softball regional at Stanford. nesses. Teagan has done a great job and carried the bulk of the load. I just want to come in and do what I can to help the team.” With is plenty, according to Rittman, an assistant for the United States Olympic softball team in 2008 and 2004. “It’s been a fantastic year,” Rittman said. “Ashley has been a consistent competitor for us and very reliable. She came in and had to sit two years behind (All-American) Missy Penna. Last year was the first time she was in that role of being No. 1 or No. 2. She had to deal with some adversity but when Teagan got hurt, Ashley had to fight through that and answer the call. She did a solid job.” Chinn and Koutz take an active leadership role on the field but both maintain a sense of team that allows anyone to speak up at any time. “We’ve always tried to develop an open, strong and comfortable team environment,” Chinn said. “We don’t dominate team meetings because that’s a time for any one to speak up or throw out an idea.” She is realizing, though, that she’s nearing the end of her college career. “I have to say it’s been scary how fast it went by,” Chinn said. “Every day I find new thing that is my last, fill in the blank. I’m trying to soak it all in.” Stanford finished fifth in arguably the toughest conference in the nation. Five different Pac-10 teams have won national titles, including a different school in each of the past four years — UCLA, Washington, Arizona State and Arizona. California has also won an NCAA championship.
The Bruins won their 13th overall title last year and Arizona owns eight national championship banners. Texas A&M is the only other school to win more than one NCAA crown. The Pac-10 is responsible for 22 of the previous 28 titles. “There’s no better way to prepare yourself for the postseason than coming off playing the No. 1 team in the nation. We only took one of three but it was good competition and we took a lot of positives away from it.” Koutz has also been an important part of the team during her career. “She has a great work ethic and goes about her business,” Rittman said. “She doesn’t say a whole lot and she’s a pleasure to coach.” Baseball Nationally No. 25 Stanford (10-11, 28-18) hosts its final four regularseason games, starting Friday, when the Cardinal plays Arizona (11-10, 32-17) at 5:30 p.m. Two weeks remain in the regular season with NCAA Regional selections set for Memorial Day. Stanford dropped two of three to Oregon last weekend, and currently shares sixth-place in the Pac-10 with USC, one game behind the Wildcats and two games behind California. Women’s crew Stanford was one of 16 teams selected to participate in the NCAA Division I Championships, to be contested May 27-29 at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River, on the waters of Lake Natoma. It is the third straight year the Cardinal will participate in the event as a team. N
after all three helped the Bears defend their PAL championship last weekend. Henze is No. 2 in the 100 free (47.18) and No. 6 in the 200 free while Masuda is seeded No. 4 in the 100 fly (51.80) and Navarro is No. 7 in the 200 free. Boys’ golf Menlo School senior Patrick Grimes took a shot at history at the CCS Championships on Tuesday at Rancho Canada (West) in Carmel Valley. He missed. Grimes was hoping to become the first three-time champion in section history, following up on the titles he won in 2008 and 2010. Instead, his missed out on the feat by just three shots as Michael Decker of R.L. Stevenson won individual honors with a 2-under-par 69. “I had fun coming here,” said Grimes, who also finished 10th as a sophomore and third this year. “It’s always a confidence booster.” Grimes, who is entered in several summer tournaments, shot an evenpar 71 as did Menlo sophomore Andrew Buchanan. Both will advance to the CIF-NCGA NorCal Boys Golf Championships on Monday at Butte Creek Country Club in Chico. Grimes and Buchanan are the only local golfers moving on. MenloAtherton finished sixth in the team race with 400 and failed to advance, as did Palo Alto, which had a 413 and finished eighth. David McNamara shot 78 to lead M-A while teammate Travis Anderson had a 79. Palo Alto was led by Michael Yuan’s 79. None of the three advanced as individuals. Portola Valley’s Maverick McNealy of Harker and Sacred Heart Prep freshman Bradley Knox each shot 82. Lacrosse The Menlo School boys captured the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League playoff title with an 11-9 win over Mountain View while the Menlo girls took the West Bay Athletic League title with a 20-15 triumph over Sacred Heart Prep, both at Woodside High last Saturday. In the girls’ finale, Menlo sophomore Michaela Michael scored eight goals to finish the season with 120, ranking No. 2 in the nation. In the boys’ title match, Menlo sophomore Wiley Osborne scored four goals and added three assists as the Knights finished 16-7. Boys tennis Two-time defending champion Menlo School will seek a three-peat at the CIF-USTA NorCal championships that get under way Friday at the Natomas Racquet Club near Sacramento. Menlo (25-1) is coming off a record-setting 10th CCS title-winning effort last week at Courtside Club in Los Gatos, where the Knights dispatched Bellarmine, 7-0. N
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Water polo
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Team members Melissa Seidemann and Annika Dries, two strong, dynamic players who can alter a game at any moment. Best of all, he can point to the national championship trophy as a beacon of teamwork, and dedication to each other. The trophy symbolizes Stanfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second NCAA title, and the first since 2002. The top-ranked and top-seeded Cardinal completed its best season ever with a 9-5 victory over secondseeded California in the NCAA national championship game at Canham Natatorium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sunday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was great. It was really fun,â&#x20AC;? Tanner said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was an exciting day, a wonderful game, we played great; a terrific feeling.â&#x20AC;? Stanford reached the title match four times since winning its last championship, and the Cardinal was turned away, each time in gutwrenching fashion. It was as though the return-
ing players from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disappointment simply said enough was enough. This was their time. Dries, named the tournament MVP, led the way with five goals. She had three (of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four) by halftime. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We planned to give her the ball,â&#x20AC;? Tanner said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have defenders who can match up with her. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think anyone does in the world. She was unreal.â&#x20AC;? Krueger, Alyssa Lo, Seidemann and Pallavi Menon also scored for the Cardinal. With offensive success from outside, Dries was allowed to work her magic inside. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was so explosive, so determined, with two, three, four people on her, of putting the ball in the goal,â&#x20AC;? Tanner said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our whole team did a great job of setting her by scoring some outside shots. That opened her up, gave her that extra split second she needed to score.â&#x20AC;? Oland recorded 11 saves as the Cardinal once again played suffocating defense, whether at full strength or 5-on-6. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our seniors were unreal, all over the pool,â&#x20AC;? Tanner said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The two se-
niors, Amber and Kimbo (Krueger), played their two best games yesterday and today.â&#x20AC;? Stanford (28-1) adds the 2011 title to its 2002 crown, and claimed its 31st consecutive victory over California, to which the Cardinal has not lost since March 26, 2000. Stanford knew the magic was working when Oland stopped a fivemeter penalty shot with 55 seconds left in the first half. She cleared the ball off the line with just inches to spare, setting up Dries for a score with 38 seconds left. Dries also scored 24 seconds into the third period. Seidemann converted a five-meter penalty shot with 5:58 to go in the period and Stanford went ahead, 6-1. The Bears were held scoreless over the final 4:16 and Driesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; final goal, with 2:15 left to play, all but sealed it. Oland made one final save with seconds remaining and ran out the clock even as the bench players, and coaches, were beginning their celebratory group leap into the pool. Krueger, Oland and Seidemann
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Sports
Head coach John Tanner (top left) and his Stanford womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water polo team brought home an NCAA title with a 9-5 win over Cal. joined Dries on the All-Tournament First Team. Like 2002, Stanford was upset in the MPSF tournament by UCLA. This time, though, there was no measure of revenge as California
beat the Bruins in the national semifinal. The Cardinal did, however, beat defending national champion USC in the semifinals, extracting some revenge for last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s championship loss. N
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Sports ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
PREP BASEBALL
Trio moves on in CCS playoffs
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Paly, Menlo and SHP advance to quarterfinals after opening-round wins by Keith Peters
s $IVERSE ,ESSON 0ROGRAM s $AYS A 7EEK s %VENINGS (OLIDAYS s 3AFE AND +IND ,ESSON (ORSES
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he pop quizzes are over for the Menlo School, Palo Alto and Sacred Heart Prep baseball teams. Now the real tests begin, even though Paly coach Erick Raich may feel heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been given a few answers already heading into the Central Coast Section quarterfinals. While Menlo was geting a 17strikeout performance from junior Freddy Avis in an 8-0 win over Scotts Valley and Sacred Heart Prep was getting a complete-game win from junior Jack Larson in a 4-2 triumph over Harbor, Palo Alto was getting some good news. While the No. 3-seeded Vikings (25-9) were on their way to a 10-2 victory over No. 14 Monta Vista (1512) to open the Division I playoffs on Wednesday, the Vikingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; path to a possible section title got a little easier. Top-seeded St. Francis was shocked by No. 16 Carlmont, 4-3, in the upset of the playoffs. That leaves No. 4 Wilcox (26-7), a 10-0 winner over Leland, as the highest-seeded team left in the lower bracket. Palo Alto beat the Chargers twice last week to win the SCVAL De Anza Division playoff title. In another surprise, perennial power Serra was eliminated from the first round for only the second time in 14 years as No. 6 Homestead (18-13-1) handed the No. 11 Padres (17-12) a 7-2 loss. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, it was surprising to see St. Francis get knocked off,â&#x20AC;? Raich said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;However, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why CCS is always tough because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single elimination and Carlmont, I heard, has a good LHP (left-handed pitcher). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Homestead beating Serra doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t surprise me because Homestead is a very good team and they were the higher seeded of the two teams. I think the road is still very tough for us and every team left in the tournament is a quality team. Hopefully, we play good baseball and can make it happen, but single elimination is always tough.â&#x20AC;? The Mustangsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; victory means Palo Alto will face a common opponent in Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarterfinals. Paly defeated Homestead twice during the De Anza Division regular season by a combined score of 12-0. Should the Vikings beat the Mustangs once again, they likely will face No. 2 Mitty in next Wednesdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s semifinals at San Jose Municipal Stadium. The Monarchs (25-5-1) advanced with an 8-1 win over No. 15 Milpitas. With St. Francis gone, so too is the prospect of Palo Alto having to beat both Mitty and the Lancers to claim its first-ever CCS baseball title. The Vikings advanced past the first round as expected as junior
725 Portola Rd., Portola Valley s WWW SPRINGDOWN COM
Ally Howe
Tom Kremer
Sacred Heart Prep
Sacred Heart Prep
The freshman swimmer set meet and school records while winning the 200 IM (2:02.29) and a meet record to win the 100 fly (54.81) and swam on two winning relays to help the Gators defend their WBAL championship.
The junior swimmer set meet and school records while winning the 100 fly (50.26) and took the 200 IM with a meet record of 1:53.25 in addition swimming on two winning relays as the Gators defended their WBAL title.
Honorable mention Catherine Carpenter Menlo-Atherton track and field
Kat Gregory* Priory track and field
Nina Kelty Palo Alto lacrosse
Ali Kim Menlo lacrosse
Michaela Michael* Menlo lacrosse
Erin Sheridan Sacred Heart Prep swimming
T.J. Braff* Palo Alto baseball
Andrew Carlisle Menlo tennis
Kei Masuda Menlo-Atherton swimming
Tyler McCool Sacred Heart Prep track & field
Wiley Osborne Menlo lacrosse
Nico Robinson Sacred Heart Prep * previous winner
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
Austin Braff tripled and drove in three runs and junior Justin Grey added a two-run homer to make a winner out of senior Graham Marchant, who was efficient over his four-plus innings on the mound. Junior B.J. Boyd added a double and scored three times while senior Christoph Bono had two hits and two RBI. John Dickerson also had two hits for the Vikings, who now have won 14 of their past 16 games. In Atherton, host Menlo School (23-5) kept its hopes alive for a second straight CCS Division III title with its solid opening win over No. 14 Scotts Valley (13-14) in a rematch of the 2004 CCS title game won by Menlo. With Avis producing a dominant effort on the mound, senior Robert Wickers provided much of the offense with three hits and three RBI. The Knights banged out 12 hits, with Dylan Mayer and Tim Benton adding two each. Menlo will face No. 6 Sacred Heart Cathedral (18-11) in Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarterfinals. Also in Atherton, senior Tomas Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donnell blasted a two-run homer in the third inning and finished with three RBI to pace host Sacred Heart Prep to its opening win. N
Volleyball
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won a state and mythical national championship after going 34-1; the Papillion-LaVista South volleyball team that went 41-0 and won the Nebraska Class A state title; the St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (Stockton) basketball team that finished 29-2 and won the Division II state title; and the St. Thomas Aquinas (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) soccer team that had 24 shutouts in a 25-1 season that was capped by a 5A state title. Somehow, the Palo Alto girls caught the fancy of a national audience and a panel of judges who voted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was mostly the decision of the staff and consultant writers for MaxPreps,â&#x20AC;? Winn said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These people observe and write about sports all the time, so for them to choose us as female team of the year really means a lot.â&#x20AC;? Palo Alto ended up ranked No. 10 in the nation by prepvolleyball. com. A special ceremony by MaxPreps to honor the Palo Alto girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; volleyball team is expected to happen next week on the Paly campus. N *>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;䣣Ă&#x160;U Page 39
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