Upfront
Goal $350,000
See who’s already contributed to the Holiday Fund on page 14
As of Dec. 19 287 donors $184,878
Donate online at PaloAltoOnline.com
with matching funds
,OCAL NEWS INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS
2012: Palo Alto’s wild growth spurt %CONOMIC REBOUND BRINGS WAVE OF PROPOSALS FOR MASSIVE DEVELOPMENTS AND A CHORUS OF CONCERNS OVER THEIR IMPACTS by Gennady Sheyner ARLIER THIS MONTH AS 0ALO !L TO S PLANNING COMMISSIONERS DELVED INTO THE IRKSOME PROB LEM OF DOWNTOWN PARKING #OMMIS SIONER -ICHAEL !LCHECK MADE A KEEN OBSERVATION !S FAR AS PROBLEMS GO A WILDLY POPULAR DOWNTOWN ISN T SUCH A BAD PROBLEM TO HAVE
E
h) THINK WE CAN APPROACH THIS PROBLEM WITH SOME LEVEL OF PRIDE WITH SOME LEVEL OF APPRECIATION THAT WE VE ACCOMPLISHED A SUCCESS STORY THAT OTHER 0ENINSULA CITIES HAVEN T v !LCHECK SAID AT THE $EC MEETING (IS COMMENT IN MANY WAYS EN CAPSULATED IN 0ALO !LTO )F
WAS THE YEAR IN WHICH THE CITY WAS WASHING OFF THE COBWEBS FROM THE 'REAT 2ECESSION WAS THE YEAR IN WHICH THE CITY COMPLETED ITS ECO NOMIC REBOUND AND BEGAN DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS OF ITS OWN SUC CESS )T WAS THE YEAR IN WHICH GIANT DEVELOPMENTS BEGAN TARGETING 0ALO !LTO ENRAGING DOWNTOWN RESIDENTS WHO RECALL WITH A MIX OF NOSTALGIA AND ANGER THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN THERE WERE AMPLE PARKING SPOTS OUT SIDE THEIR HOMES )T WAS THE YEAR IN
WHICH HIGH SPEED RAIL AN ISSUE THAT HAS BEEN ENRAGING THE COMMU NITY AND ENGAGING THE COUNCIL SINCE FINALLY RECEDED INTO THE BACKGROUND AFTER STATE LEGISLATORS AP PROVED IN *ULY FUNDING FOR THE LINE S FIRST SEGMENT IN #ENTRAL 6ALLEY !ND IT WAS ALSO THE YEAR IN WHICH THE CITY COMPLETED ITS LONG AWAITED "IKE AND 0EDESTRIAN -ASTER 0LAN AND SECURED ENOUGH FUNDING TO ENSURE THAT THE AMBITIOUS PLAN WILL NOT LAY DORMANT LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR
4HE CITY HAD ITS SHARE OF PROBLEMS FROM RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES TO OUT DATED INFRASTRUCTURE FROM PENSION COSTS THAT HAVE INCREASED TENFOLD OVER THE PAST DECADE TO MEDICAL SPENDING THAT CONTINUES TO SURGE !ND THE #ITY #OUNCIL HAD TO STIFLE ITS USUAL SHARE OF CONTROVERSIES FROM ANIMAL LOV ERS OPPOSING #ITY -ANAGER *AMES +EENE S UNPOPULAR PROPOSAL TO SHUT TER THE LOCAL ANIMAL SHELTER AND A (continued on page 8)
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District looks to build schools, shrink achievement gap %LECTION YEAR BRINGS PHYSICAL CHANGES TO CAMPUSES by Chris Kenrick
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It’s more of a guess than we would like. — Dana Tom, Palo Alto school board vice president, regarding recent projections on district enrollment by consulting demographers.
January 13
PERIOR MODEL USED AT 0ALO !LTO (IGH 3CHOOL WHICH ENLISTS MORE THAN hTEACHER ADVISERSv TO AUGMENT A SMALL COUNSELING STAFF 4HE OTHER THREE CANDIDATES SAID THEY WERE WILLING TO ALLOW TIME FOR AN INTERNAL 'UNN COMMITTEE TO REC OMMEND REFORMS TO THE SCHOOL S TRA DITIONAL COUNSELING SYSTEM WHICH DOES NOT USE TEACHER ADVISERS SO LONG AS STUDENTS AT BOTH HIGH SCHOOLS GET hCOMPARABLE SERVICES v 6OTERS RETURNED TWO INCUMBENTS -ELISSA "ATEN #ASWELL AND #A MILLE 4OWNSEND TO OFFICE AND ALSO ELECTED NEWCOMER (EIDI %M BERLING $AUBER THE SHARPEST CRITIC OF THE DISTRICT TRAILED IN THE FIELD 4HE NEW YEAR COULD BRING A RESO LUTION TO THE COUNSELING CONTROVERSY !N ADVISORY COMMITTEE COMPRISING 'UNN PARENTS TEACHERS STUDENTS COUNSELORS AND ADMINISTRATORS IS DUE TO REPORT IN &EBRUARY ON ITS RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COUNSELING REFORMS AT THE SCHOOL TO BE IMPLE MENTED STARTING NEXT FALL 4HE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS ALSO TURNED TO A COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HELP SETTLE THE CALENDAR DISPUTE 4HE COMMITTEE OF PARENTS STUDENTS
This is a personal crime. This feels quite a bit more frightening. — Karen White, president of the Duveneck/St. Francis Neighborhood Association, on the armed robbery of a man walking his dog.
February 17
Veronica Weber
LANS TO OPEN NEW SCHOOLS IN 0ALO !LTO AND TO RAISE THE BAR ON GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS HIGHLIGHTED LOCAL EDUCATION NEWS IN WHICH WAS AN ELECTION YEAR 2ESULTS OF THE COMPETITIVE SCHOOL BOARD RACE IN .OVEMBER SUGGESTED GENERAL SATISFACTION WITH 0ALO !LTO S CURRENT EDUCATION LEADERSHIP /N THE STUDENT LEVEL SURVEYS OF 0ALO !LTO YOUTH REFLECTED A MEASURE OF IMPROVEMENT IN SOCIAL EMOTIONAL HEALTH POSSIBLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO A RANGE OF STUDENT WELLNESS PROGRAMS THAT HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED SINCE A DEV ASTATING STRING OF STUDENT DEATHS BY SUICIDE IN AND %VEN SO A DEBATE OVER GUIDANCE COUNSELING SPECIFICALLY THE CONSIDERABLY DIFFERENT COUNSELING MODELS USED AT 0ALO !LTO S TWO HIGH SCHOOLS CONTINUED TO SIMMER 4HE COUNSELING CONTROVERSY AND A HOTLY CONTESTED CHANGE TO 0ALO !LTO S ACADEMIC CALENDAR THIS YEAR WERE AMONG THE MOST DISCUSSED IS SUES IN THE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION 4HE SHARPEST CRITIC AMONG THE CANDIDATES +EN $AUBER ARGUED THAT 'UNN (IGH 3CHOOL SHOULD IMMEDI ATELY ADOPT WHAT HE CONSIDERS THE SU
!S PART OF THE MILLION h3TRONG 3CHOOLSv BOND PASSED IN CONSTRUCTION IS UNDERWAY AT *ORDAN -IDDLE 3CHOOL
AND SCHOOL STAFF WILL CONVENE EARLY IN TO DEVISE SURVEYS AND OTHER MEANS TO GAUGE OPINION ON WHETHER THE NEW CALENDAR SHOULD BE RETAINED BEYOND 4HE PAST YEAR SAW 0ALO !LTO S BIG GEST SCHOOL BUILDING BOOM SINCE THE S AS PROJECTS FINANCED UNDER THE MILLION h3TRONG 3CHOOLSv BOND APPROVED BY VOTERS IN BECAME VISIBLE ACROSS TOWN 3IX CAMPUSES INCLUDING BOTH OF THE HIGH SCHOOLS ALL THREE MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND &AIRMEADOW %LEMENTA
If we want a healthy community, we need to constantly work on our relationships. — Penny Ellson, of the Greenmeadow Community Association, on building a sense of community through the Mayor’s Challenge.
March 16
RY 3CHOOL OPENED THE ACADEMIC YEAR WITH HARDHAT ZONES !T $UVE NECK %LEMENTARY 3CHOOL PORTABLE CLASSROOMS WERE MOVED TO MAKE WAY FOR GROUNDBREAKING ON A NEW TWO STORY CLASSROOM BUILDING IN EARLY ! NEW TWO STORY CLASS ROOM BUILDING AT /HLONE %LEMEN TARY 3CHOOL OPENED LAST YEAR !BOUT HALF OF THE h3TRONG 3CHOOLSv BOND MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT OR COM MITTED TO PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUC TION 4HE REST IS IN RESERVE CURRENTLY ALLOCATED TO 'UNN AND 0ALO !LTO
HIGH SCHOOLS AS WELL AS TO THE OPEN ING OF A NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 0ALO !LTO S STEADY ENROLLMENT GROWTH HAS PROMPTED A DECISIVE MOVE TOWARD OPENING A TH EL EMENTARY CAMPUS PROJECTED BY FALL AND ALSO POSSIBLY A FOURTH MIDDLE SCHOOL !N ADVISORY COMMITTEE WILL CONVENE *AN TO EVALUATE TWO POTENTIAL ELEMENTARY SITES 'AR LAND AT . #ALIFORNIA !VE AND (continued on page 11)
The people who do this are ruthless.
In the old days people thought a monster was eating the sun.
— John Hanna, of the Crescent Park neighborhood, on how his beautiful dogwood tree was attacked.
— Andrew Fraknoi, Foothill College astronomy professor, on how people used to regard solar eclipses.
April 20
May 18
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