Upfront
PUBLISHER William S. Johnson 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 Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Eric Van Susteren, Editorial Assistant, Internship Coordinator Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Dale F. Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Contributors Helen Carefoot, Junesung Lee, Maytal Mark, Bryce Druzin, Lauren-Marie Sliter, Dean McArdle Editorial Interns
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 a Meeting on July 23, 2012, 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 2013 Municipal Fee Schedule concerning Animal Services, 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 City’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
DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Lili Cao, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Adam Carter, Elaine Clark, Janice Hoogner, Brent Triantos, Display Advertising Sales Neal Fine, Carolyn Oliver, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Asst. Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. Wendy Suzuki, Advertising Sales Intern EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Susie Ochoa, Payroll & Benefits Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Claire McGibeny, Cathy Stringari, Business Associates
Ready to Reinvent Your Life? Help us create a new “old fashioned� cohousing neighborhood of energy-efficient condos just blocks from lively downtown MV. Enjoy sociability and activities with your neighbors while living in your own private condominium. Our shared common facilities include a crafts room, exercise room, media room, workshop, roof deck and gardens. We’re 14 households strong and are looking for 5 more to join us. Homes still available range from 1750 SF (3 bedrooms) to 2050 SF (4 bedrooms). Construction starts this summer, with occupancy by late 2013. Endorsed by the Greenbelt Alliance. To find out more or to make reservations for our next social on July 22nd:
650-479-MVCC (479-6822) www.MountainViewCohousing.org
ADMINISTRATION Janice Covolo, Doris Taylor, Receptionists Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO MEDIA William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistant 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) 326-8210. 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 Š2012 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or email 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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450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210
It doesn’t mean that I’m in love with this project. —Patrick Burt, Palo Alto City Councilman, after complimenting changes made to the 195 Page Mill Road development, which the council approved Monday. See story on page 5.
Around Town THE RUMOR MILL ... After Gov. Jerry Brown signed the state budget on Wednesday, June 27, much of the buzz in Sacramento swirled around what wasn’t in the document. This includes high-speed rail, a project that is expected to be the focus on a budget-trailer bill that will be released in the next week or two. The suspense around this trailer bill has created a flood of rumormongering around the Capitol, with both advocates and opponents of the controversial project ramping up their efforts to influence its immediate future, Palo Alto’s lobbyist John Garamendi told the City Council’s Rail Committee Thursday morning. “We’ve got an absolute million pieces moving as we try to figure out what’s real and what’s not real,� Garamendi said. “What is real is that there is a tremendous amount of concern around Sacramento.� The uncertainty, he said, has prompted labor unions and other proponents of the voterapproved project to step up their lobbying efforts, he said. “It’s literally packed in the hallways,� Garamendi said. “Not just labor but engineering firms are worried that this might be slipping away.� One of the major questions revolves around a controversial proposal by Brown to give high-speed rail exemptions from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). After pressure from environmental groups, Brown backed away from this proposal, Garamendi said. But by the end of the week, Brown’s office had indicated that the proposal to give the project exemptions from environmental law is still on the table. “We thought we won that by Thursday,� Garamendi said. “By Friday, the governor said we aren’t quite done with that discussion. A lot of people on the environmental side quickly realized that this is very much in play.� Palo Alto, which officially opposes high-speed rail, has consistently voiced concerns about exempting the $68 billion project from CEQA. Earlier this month, the city sent a letter to state Sen. Joe Simitian
urging him to vote against any further appropriations for highspeed rail. But the letter noted that if the Legislature were to move forward with the project, the appropriation language must guarantee that there will be “no modifications of any kind� to the environmentalreview process. ONE BRIDGE LED TO ANOTHER ... A proposal to rebuild the small and quaint Newell Road bridge between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto was greeted with enthusiasm last year by officials from the two cities. Many view the new bridge as an important component in a regional plan to improve flood control around the volatile San Francisquito Creek. But the project has also prompted some residents around Crescent Park to ask, “What about us?� The Pope-Chaucer Street bridge, which connects their neighborhood to Menlo Park, has been a particularly poor bulwark against flood water. This week, City Manager James Keene announced that the Chaucer Street bridge is next on the list for a possible replacement. The Santa Clara Valley Water District is soliciting proposals for consultants to work on the project, he said, and the cities of Palo Alto and Menlo Park will work with the regional agency, San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (of which both cities are members) on the selection process. Design work is slated to begin in November, Keene said. EXPLOSIONS, EXPLOSIONS ... July 4th revelers in Palo Alto should be cautioned against violating city fireworks ordinances. About 20 volunteers who are part of the city’s Emergency Services Volunteers will be doing a safety watch on Wednesday to deter criminal activity, said Kenneth Dueker, Palo Alto’s director of emergency services. The group will be deployed throughout the city with walkie-talkies and will focus on fire prevention and shenanigans, he said. N