Upfront
Palo Alto Historical Association presents a public program
Speaker: Paul Price of the Paul Price Society Orchestra
PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505)
Sunday, January 27, 2013, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. Lucie Stern Community Center 1305 MiddleďŹ eld Road, Palo Alto Refreshments No admission charge
Paul Price
NEWCOMER’S COFFEE Thursday, February 21, 3 – 4 p.m.
We welcome those who are new to the bay area. Please call for more information or to RSVP.
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FIELD OF ELDER CARE Wednesday, February 20, 7-9 p.m.
Find out how to break into the booming field of elder care. Free workshop, but please RSVP.
february highlights FOR THIS MONTH:
ADMINISTRATION Receptionist Doris Taylor Courier Ruben Espinoza
David Ramadanoff Conducts Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra and Anna Maria Mendieta Excerpts from Shylock Suite Pamela Martin, conductor
Piazzolla Tango Suite Anna Maria Mendieta, harp
Gen Admission
$20
Haydn
Seniors (60+)
$16
Saturday, January 26 at 7:30 pm
Under 18 FREE
Symphony No. 96
St. Bede’s Episcopal Church 2650 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park Free reception follows concert Sunday, January 27 at 2:30 pm
This ad sponsored by Ginny and Joe Kavanaugh of Coldwell Banker, Portola Valley. Visit them at www.thekavanaughs.com
ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596)
BUSINESS Payroll & Benefits Susie Ochoa (223-6546) Business Associates Elena Dineva (223-6542), Mary McDonald (223-6543), Claire McGibeny (223-6546), Cathy Stringari (223-6544)
debor ah’s palm
Tickets:
ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Multimedia Advertising Sales Adam Carter (223-6574), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Janice Hoogner (223-6576), Wendy Suzuki 2236569), Brent Triantos (223-6577), Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Inside Advertising Sales David Cirner (223-6579), Irene Schwartz (223-6580) Real Estate Advertising Assistant Diane Martin (223-6584) Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578)
EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Palmer (223-6588)
For further details, visit our website: deborahspalm.org 555 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto 650 /473-0664
Faure
EDITORIAL Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516) Express & Online Editor Tyler Hanley (223-6519) Arts & Entertainment Editor Rebecca Wallace (223-6517) Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) Spectrum Editor Tom Gibboney (223-6507) Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) Editorial Assistant, Internship Coordinator Eric Van Susteren (223-6515) Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) Contributors Colin Becht, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns Rebecca Duran, Ranjini Raghunath
DESIGN Design Director Shannon Corey (223-6560) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn Designers Lili Cao, Rosanna Leung
— Women’s Support Group — Career Check-Up Workshops — Assertive Woman Workshops — Professional Women’s Networking Group — French Conversation & Culture
Los Altos United Methodist Church 655 Magdalena (at Foothill), Los Altos Free reception at intermission
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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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 3268210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Š2013 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, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 223-6557, or email circulation@paweekly.com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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Music in Palo Alto 1910-1920
When we get to it, these chambers will be packed.
— Palo Alo City Councilman Larry Klein, referring to a potential decision to change railroad crossings, which could involve taking out about 100 homes. See story on page 3.
Around Town YAKETY-YAK ... Palo Alto City Council Chambers were deserted Tuesday night by the time the council got to its last agenda item — long-winded members. The nine readily agreed to spend “about an hour� at their upcoming Feb. 2 retreat discussing voluntary — or perhaps mandatory — provisions to limit council members’ questions and comments during meetings. Worried that lengthy meetings are “undermining public confidence� in the political process, Mayor Greg Scharff and council members Larry Klein and Gail Price have suggested that mandatory time limits be considered if council members cannot voluntarily refrain from making voluminous comments. The average length of council meetings — held almost weekly — crept up from about four-and-a-half hours in 2008 through 2011 to five hours in 2012. “We risk undermining public confidence in our processes if we can’t this problem under control,� Scharff, Klein and Price said in a memo to colleagues. OH-BAMA! ... As if their trip to Washington D.C. wasn’t exciting enough: Five students from the Midpeninsula Community Media Center’s Youth Video Corps (YVC) traveled with former Palo Alto Mayor Yiaway Yeh for the Inauguration last weekend. On what was to be their last day — Tuesday, Jan. 22 — they all went on a tour of the White House, only to get the surprise of a lifetime. “Oneby-one we stepped into the Blue Room, and there they were,� YVC member Dakota Baker wrote on a blog on Palo Alto Online’s Town Square forum. “President Barack Obama was standing next to First Lady, Michelle Obama waiting to shake my hand!!!!! I was completely awestruck; my cheeks felt hot and pink; I was tingling all over. I wanted to have somewhat of a conversation with them, but I found it was extremely difficult to speak intelligently or intelligibly.� YVC member Kenny Jones wrote: “Although I have been starting my blog posts from the start of my day, in this one I will start from the middle because, well, WE MET THE PRESIDENT! ... I SHOOK THEIR HANDS! The experience was beyond amazing. ... This has been one of the crazier days of my life, and I am so thankful. ... I continuously count my bless-
ings and pinch myself because I am pretty sure that I’m dreaming. And, as Channel 4’s newscaster once said: Don’t act like you’re not impressed.� And YVC member Caroline Clark wrote: “One-by-one guests were ushered into the Blue Room. To our absolute astonishment, Barack was there with Michelle. I had a good 10 seconds of processing time and mind screaming before approaching the President and shaking his hand. ... I’m amazed that I managed to speak. The entire time I was completely in shock; ‘I’M TALKING TO THE PRESIDENT!!!’ were the only words I could think of. ... Today has been completely surreal. I can’t believe I met the Obamas, or got a chance to tour the West Wing. It’s been beyond any dream of mine. Words can’t even explain how overjoyed I am.� The students, who missed their flight home because of the unexpected turn of events, caught a flight home the next day. BUH-BYE BAGS ... The City of Menlo Park has just leapfrogged over Palo Alto when it comes to banning plastic bags. This week, the Menlo Park City Council voted 5-0 to enact a new ordinance banning the use of plastic bags at check out by retailers. The ban prohibits retailers from providing plastic bags, except those used by restaurants and for produce, and also implements a 10-cent fee for paper bags. On Jan. 1, 2015, the fee increases to 25 cents per paper bag and reusable bag provided to customers. Retailers that fail to comply with the ban will be fined $100 for a first violation and $200 for a second. Starting with a third violation, a retailer will be fined $500 each day the store remains non-compliant. The ordinance authorizes the San Mateo County environmental-health department to enforce the ban. Menlo Park, along with 24 other Peninsula cities, decided last year to support the county’s ordinance, in part to save the city the expense of conducting its own environmental review. The Menlo Park ban will take effect on Earth Day. City staff will give free, reusable bags to residents and retailers through July 1 to help with the transition. Palo Alto is considering expanding its plastic-bag ban, which applies to major grocery outlets, to retailers citywide. N