Palo A l toOnline.com
Vol. XXXIV, Number 33 N May 17, 2013
Inside this issue:
Enjoy! class guide
I LOVE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL KIDS LEARN THE CLASSICS IN THE ITUNES AGE
Transitions 15
Spectrum 18
Movies 24
Eating Out 40
ShopTalk 41
Title Pages 47
Home 53
Puzzles 81
N News Civil-rights complaint filed against school district
Page 8
N Arts Jazz greats bookend Stanford Jazz season
Page 21
N Sports Menlo boys tennis team seeks NorCal title
Page 27
With My Health Online, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, part of the Sutter Health network, keeps you connected to your health. You can view test results, request appointments and email your doctor directly. It’s one more way we plus you.
pamf.org
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Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
‘Rape culture’ article leads to inquiry In aftermath of Verde article, school district reviews its legal obligations by Chris Kenrick
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Palo Alto High School student publication’s description of how two victims of sexual assault were treated by their friends and other students has led to an examination of what responsibilities
the school may have to protect the victims from such harassment. Verde magazine’s six-part cover package published April 9 included anonymous accounts of two alcoholfueled, off-campus sexual assaults of
Paly students, interviews with victims and other Paly students about rape, discussion of Paly student attitudes on victim-blaming and an editorial criticizing “sympathetic” media portrayal of high-school rapists in Steubenville, Ohio. When a sexual assault victim is further victimized through namecalling and other harassment at school, even when the original assault occurs off-campus, the law
requires schools to investigate and take steps to protect the victim, according to Stanford Law Professor Michele Dauber, an expert on discrimination law and architect of a newly adopted sexual assault complaint and adjudication process at Stanford. In a letter to the school district, Dauber cited federal law and a 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Department of Education to
all school districts advising that a school has a legal obligation to conduct an investigation when it learns that any student is being subjected to a hostile environment. Superintendent Kevin Skelly said Wednesday the district is reviewing “what we knew (and) what steps we took to address the concerns” raised by the Verde articles. He said part of (continued on page 8)
HOUSING
Residents irked by change in Palo Alto’s ‘vision’ City criticized for including controversial project in state-mandated document by Gennady Sheyner
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Veronica Weber
“Susana” lies in bed with her injured foot propped up, in the apartment she shares with her husband, daughter and granddaughter in East Palo Alto. She was shot, and her granddaughter injured by shattered glass, while waiting at a bus stop May 5.
CRIME
Grandmother who was shot speaks out An innocent bystander discusses aftermath of bus-stop shooting by Sue Dremann
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he early afternoon of May 5 started out as a special grandmother-and-granddaughter day for 6-year-old “Ashley” and her grandmother, “Susana.” The elder woman and her grandchild had planned an outing to Menlo Park for Chinese food and playing at Burgess Park. The pair often goes to Burgess. There is a park nearby their East Palo Alto home, but it isn’t safe. There is gunfire and drugs, and people have been shot, Susana said. Ashley carried the large ball she loves to toss at the park as they walked to the bus stop outside the McDonald’s restaurant. She placed
the plastic orb on the pavement as they waited by the shelter. Within minutes, the memories of special outings with grandma and frolicking in the park on a sunny Sunday were shattered by a gunshot. Ashley ran, as glass from the bus stop shelter shattered. A bullet tore through Ashley’s ball, leaving a flattened mass on the sidewalk, and another tore through her grandmother’s foot. As a series of loud bangs pierced the air, Susana saw her granddaughter fall down. As she ran for cover to McDonald’s, her right foot felt very hot. “I was bleeding a lot. Then I
couldn’t see anymore. I was afraid I would die with all the blood. I was just asking to get my granddaughter close,” she said, recalling that she was losing consciousness. Five people were shot that afternoon at the bus stop, in full daylight and plain view of everyone on the street: the people sitting at tables inside McDonald’s, the cars whizzing by and the pedestrians on their way to and from Cinco de Mayo parties or shopping at the nearby La Estrellita Market. Susana and Ashley instantly became statistics in East Palo Alto’s long history of casualties of gun and gang violence. They were innocent bystanders with no connection to the shooters or the four other victims — young men police suspect were targeted in a gang-related incident. They were also lucky. Ashley sustained cuts to her leg from the flying glass and falling to the pavement. The emotional scars are harder to erase. A bright, perky child with pig(continued on page 9)
s Palo Alto nears the finish line in adopting a long overdue housing vision, residents in one neighborhood are rising up to protest a late revision in the document that would accommodate a controversial senior-housing development on Maybell Avenue. The project at 567 and 595 Maybell Ave. was proposed last year by the Palo Alto Housing Corporation, a nonprofit that manages the city’s stock of affordable housing. Last fall, the City Council had loaned the corporation $3.2 million to buy the land, which under the current plan would include a 60-unit development for low-income seniors and 15 single-family homes. In March, the council approved another $2.6 million loan to the housing corporation. But before an application gets approved, it has to undergo a “planned community” zone change that would enable the greater density. The Planning and Transportation Commission is scheduled to consider approving the zone change on May 22 (it had voted in February to “initiate” the zone change) and the council is slated to debate it in June. But even though approval is still far from certain, the city has already included the project in its Housing Element, a state-mandated document that includes a list of city sites that could accommodate more housing. The document, which is the only portion of the Comprehensive Plan (the city’s land-use bible) that is required by state law, has been in the works for more than five years, but it wasn’t until last fall that staff decided to include the 60 units of the Maybell project in the document. Now, dozens of residents are accusing the city of short-circuiting the process and predetermining the outcome for a development that they claim will exacerbate the neighbor-
hood’s traffic problems. The criticisms hit a fever pitch at the May 9 meeting of the council’s Regional Housing Mandate Committee, which voted 3-0 with Karen Holman absent to approve the proposed Housing Element with the Maybell site included. The full council is scheduled to approve the document Monday night. Residents from the Green Acres II and Barron Park neighborhoods packed into the City Hall’s cramped Council Conference Room to lay out their concerns. More than a dozen speakers publicly urged the council committee to reconsider the Maybell project at an emotional meeting that was frequently interrupted by jeers and applause. Many pointed to the large number of schools in the area (including Gunn High School, Terman Middle School and Briones Elementary School) and the recent lane reduction at the Charleston and Arastradero corridor, which intended to make the streets safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. With all the changes, the residents argued, the neighborhoods can not absorb any more housing or traffic. “The safety of our children and the impact on our schools and all of the services that will be required if you add anything to Maybell — which is already substandard in its width — is going to be just outrageous,” said Rosemarie Dufresne, a resident of Thain Way, near Maybell. “I can’t believe there isn’t another place where you can put this project that wouldn’t be more safe for all of us.” Georgia Avenue resident Kevin Hauk criticized the preliminary traffic analysis, which focused exclusively on cars and did not con(continued on page 11) (continued on page 11)
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Upfront QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra Concert #4: A Presto ‘al Italia Saturday, May 18, 2013, 8PM Benjamin Simon, Conductor
Cubberley Theatre 4000 MiddleďŹ eld Road, Palo Alto
FREE Vivaldi: Concerto in B minor for Four Violins; Featuring soloists from PACO Stephen Spies: Tribute to Giovanni Gabrieli - 2013 Youth for Youth Commission (world premiere) Puccini: Chrisantemi Gershwin: Lullaby Donizetti: Allegro Raymond Scott (Arr. Jeremy Cohen): The Penguin We present this ďŹ nal concert of PACO’s 47th season in preparation for our summer concert tour to the hills, towns and lakes of Umbria and Tuscany. From Vivaldi’s exuberant quadruple violin concerto, featuring four soloists from our orchestra, to an World Premiere by the young American composer Stephen Spies, this program weaves music from Italy and the United States into a bright tapestry of virtuosic music for string orchestra.
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Jacki’s Aerobic Dance Class Abdominal Work
EDITORIAL Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516) Express & Online Editor Eric Van Susteren (223-6515) 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/Intern Coordinator Elena Kadvany (223-6519) Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) Contributors Andrew Preimesberger, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Tyler Hanley, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns John Brunett, Audra Sorman
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PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505)
Every night we hear shootings. I am very afraid.
— mother of a 6-year-old who was injured during a drive-by shooting in East Palo Alto. See story on page 3.
Around Town WHAT’S THE 311? ... Remember the good old days when residents used to go to City Hall to pay parking tickets or call Public Works to lodge complaints about fallen branches of deep potholes? Those days haven’t completely disappeared, though the city is trying hard to make these activities obsolete. To that effect, the city will unveil in the coming weeks its latest digital endeavor: Palo Alto 311. Like dozens of other cities — San Francisco and Philadelphia among them — Palo Alto is unveiling the new service to accommodate the changing needs of residents. Along with giving users a list of standard functions — a calendar of city activities, press releases and access to the library catalog — it will give them a new tool to report cracked sidewalks, graffiti and other infrastructural scabs. The tool, which will debut on June 1, will enable residents to use a smartphone to take a photo, hit “Submit,� and then relax while their request goes to the appropriate City Hall official. Chief Information Officer Jonathan Reichental said the city will formally unveil the service at the downtown Hackathon that the city will be sponsoring on June 1, which has been dubbed the “National Day of Hacking.� The goal is to register a few hundred users that day. The hope is that it will ultimately reach thousands. “Palo Alto 311 really reflects the expectation of the new generation,� Reichental said at the Tuesday meeting of the City Council Technology and the Connected City Committee. “A lot of people don’t expect to come to City Hall to request services. They should be able to use the device that they have on them to request services.� LOTS OF OPPORTUNITY ... In a few months, a driver looking to park in a downtown Palo Alto garage might be approached by an attendant asking for car keys. The attendant would be part of the new valet program that the city is exploring to deal with downtown’s famous parking shortage, a problem that area residents say has reached an unbearable level in recent years. The valet program is just like it sounds. When there are no spaces in the garage, the attendant would “stack� vehicles
in the garage aisles and park them as spaces become available. If the council approves a staff recommendation, the city will seek out estimates for the new parking program this summer, with the goal of establishing a one-year pilot program. But that’s just one piece of the puzzle. A more complicated topic, which the council will also consider Monday, is the prospect of building more downtown garages. In recent months, planning staff and consultants have analyzed five downtown parking lots that are being evaluated as possible sites for a new garage. The candidates are: Lot D, on Hamilton Avenue and Waverley Street; Lots E and G on Gilman Street; Lot O on Emerson and High streets; Lot P on High Street and Hamilton Avenue; and LOT UL on Urban Lane. According to a new staff report, some of these lots could accommodate a garage along with mixed-use developments, possibly with a private partner. On that note, the council is also scheduled to consider in June a proposal from developer Charles “Chop� Keenan, who is looking to build a commercial development at 135 Hamilton Ave. Keenan had offered to help the city build a garage on Lot P. REAL TIME ... Palo Alto residents curious about that pile of gravel in the neighboring lot or the construction noise down the street have a new tool at their disposable. The city this week announced the latest installment in its “Open Data� effort — a record of Development Center permits that gets updated every day, on a nearly real-time basis. The latest dataset, according to the city’s announcement, “is designed to engage developers and innovative thinkers to explore and share this valuable public data.� City Manager James Keene said it “continues to propel our advances in open government. ... It is civic innovation like this that drives collaboration between City staff and developers, and fosters a deeper level of interaction with our community,� Keene said. Jonathan Reichental, the city’s chief information officer, noted that publishing data as soon as it’s available has to be one of the city’s goals. “Current data is exponentially more valuable than old, static data.� N
Upfront HEALTH
LAND USE
Palo Alto bans smoking at all parks
Palo Alto looks to renew, change Cubberley lease
City Council dramatically expands proposed restriction on cigarette smoking by Gennady Sheyner
City Council set to begin negotiations with school district on new agreement for 35-acre campus
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by Gennady Sheyner
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Gennady Sheyner
alo Alto took its strongest stance to date against tobacco on Monday night, when the City Council swiftly passed a law that would snuff out smoking at all local parks. The ban, which the council passed by a 7-1 vote with Pat Burt dissenting, goes far beyond the smoking restrictions that members were scheduled to consider Monday and that Mayor Greg Scharff had proposed in his “State of the City” speech in February. Initially, the council was considering banning smoking at five parks in the downtown and California Avenue area. That proposal ballooned at a March 19 meeting of the council’s Policy and Service Committee, where members quickly and enthusiastically stretched it to every park smaller than 5 acres. The revised proposal would have affected 24 local parks, including prominent gathering spaces such as King Plaza and Lytton Plaza and small, leafy hubs such as Heritage Park and Sarah Wallis Park. But on Monday night, the council found itself asking: Why stop there? After a brief discussion, the council voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance that would ban smoking at all local parks, large and small. Burt, the lone dissenter, said he had no problem with the broader ban but argued that the city should slow down and give the public a chance to offer input. But others were all too happy to back the broad ban. “I think it would be fabulous to have Palo Alto as a smokefree-park city,” Councilwoman Liz Kniss said. “Maybe we should just outlaw smoking in the entire city,” she added facetiously, spurring chuckles from her colleagues. The council discussion of the smoke ban took only a few minutes and came on the heels of a nearly three-hour discussion of the future of Cubberley Community Center. With no major disagreements, only two public speakers and little appetite for another extensive debate, the typically thorough council dashed through the discussion at a lightning speed. Janet Ghanem, representing the nonprofit group Breathe California, addressed the council Monday and voiced support for the proposal on the agenda, which was to restrict smoking at all 24 parks that are smaller than 5 acres. She said her organization very much supports “declaring your parks smoke-free.” “We hope you will, in the future, include larger parks, but this is a very big ‘Yes’ from us and it affirms health for everyone,” Ghanem said. The “future” didn’t take long to arrive and Ghanem’s wish came true in less time than it would take to finish a cigarette. Scharff and Kniss both enthusiastically supported extending the ban to all parks, and the rest of the council quickly joined them. Staff had recommended sending the broad ban to the Parks
A smoker takes a break at Lytton Plaza in March — something that will no longer be possible under an ordinance the city is now drafting. and Recreation ComTALK ABOUT IT mission, which would www.PaloAltoOnline.com then make a recomDo you think the city should ban smokmendation to the ing in all parks? Share your opinion on council’s Policy and Town Square, the online discussion Services Committee, forum on Palo Alto Online. which in turn would make a recommendation to the council. Scharff recommended skipping the committees and proceeding to the final step. “I think we should just go ahead and extend it to all the parks,” Scharff said of the proposed ban. In adopting the ban, Palo Alto is joining a growing list of cities that have imposed new restrictions on smoking in recent years. According to a new report from the Community Service Department, San Jose, Campbell, Cupertino, Mountain View, Saratoga and Los Gatos have all adopted ordinances recently that ban smoking in certain parks and public spaces. The report cites the harmful effects of smoking, including an estimate by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that about 443,000 deaths in the United States are attributed to tobacco annually. This includes about 49,000 that are attributed to second-hand smoke. The council was also scheduled to consider on Monday whether the city should make a bid for buying the Hamilton Avenue post office from the U.S. Postal Service. But after the long discussion on Cubberley, members agreed to defer this discussion to a future meeting, most likely next week. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.
HOMELESS
Ban on vehicle dwelling back on the table Palo Alto committee voices support for prohibiting vehicle habitation by Gennady Sheyner fter balking last year, Palo Alto is now once again for Palo Alto to join most other cities in Santa Clara and San pursuing a new law that would make it illegal for Mateo counties in adopting the ban. people to live in vehicles. Staff had first proposed a prohibition on vehicle dwellSpurred by a growing number of homeless people con- ing about two years ago, though officials halted the effort gregating overnight at Cubberley Community Center and after a community outcry and formed a community workinsufficient support from the faith-based community, a ing group to further study the issue. One idea that gained committee of the City Council directed staff Tuesday, May traction from the exercise was creating a program like one 14, to draft an ordinance banning vehicle dwelling and to in Eugene, Ore., where churches let vehicle dwellers use pursue various outreach options to help homeless people get their parking lots for shelter. But staff efforts to create a the social services they need. similar system in Palo Alto has fallen flat, with only one The Policy and Services Committee voted 2-1, with Chair local church — the University Lutheran Church in College Liz Kniss and Councilman Larry Klein supporting, Coun- Terrace — agreeing to participate in such a program. cilwoman Gail Price dissenting and Councilwoman Karen Palo Alto Friends Meeting, a Quaker congregation on Holman absent, to resurrect the controversial vehicle-dwell- Colorado Avenue, also expressed interest but then changed ing ban, which appeared to have been put to bed just last its mind after dozens of neighborhood residents submitted November. a petition protesting the idea of having homeless dwellers at With only three council members present and only two a nearby lot. George Mills, a member of Palo Alto Friends voting in support of the ban, the new prohibition is still far Meeting, said the congregation “immediately felt compasfrom a sure thing. But with complaints about vehicle dwellers on the rise, Kniss and Klein both argued that it’s time (continued on page 7)
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he future of Cubberley Community Center may still be in flux, but Palo Alto officials sent a strong signal on Monday night that they would like to maintain the city’s investment in the eclectic but dilapidated complex on the south side of the city. During a broad and wideranging discussion Monday night, May 13, the City Council voted 7-1, with Greg Schmid dissenting and Karen Holman absent, to publicly declare the city’s interest in renewing the city’s lease with the school board for the busy 35-acre center at 4000 Middlefield Road. But the council also made it clear at Monday’s public hearing that the new agreement will have to be very different from the one that the city signed in 1988 and that is set to expire at the end of next year. Though the council was hesitant about committing to any specific changes (it plans to consider these changes at a closed session next week), several members said they would like to eliminate the covenant not to develop that is included in the current existing lease. The council also voiced general support for a recommendation from a citizen-advisory committee to perform a communityneeds assessment as part of the process for determining Cubberley’s future. The public hearing on Monday was the latest chapter in the city’s long and complex discussion over Cubberley, which is currently co-owned by the city and the school district. The city currently owns 8 acres on the northeast side of the campus and leases the rest of Cubberley from the Palo Alto Unified School District under an agreement set to expire in 2014. The contract costs the city about $7 million a year, in addition to maintenance costs. The fate of Cubberley has been a source of anxiety for the many patrons of the campus, including residents who use its playing fields, artists who rent space at its studios and parents whose children use its day-care facilities. In March, a citizens committee composed of neighborhood leaders and former council and school board members released a report urging the city to renew the lease for 10 years and to pursue with the
school district a master plan for “joint use” of the community center. The new lease, the Cubberley Community Advisory Committee recommended, should include a commitment to “make concrete plans for long term sharing of the site.” Council members all agreed that the city should maintain its interest in Cubberley and pursue a new lease. But with a closed session on the topic scheduled for next week, some were hesitant to show their hand too much. Councilman Larry Klein urged his colleagues not to be too rigid about staking out a position on Cubberley before the closed session and argued that doing so would tie the hands of City Manager James Keene and the city’s negotiators. And Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and Councilwoman Liz Kniss both stressed that they should not be held too strictly to what they’re saying publicly before the closed-door negotiations. But even despite these precautions, the council voted to support Klein’s motion to express the council’s support for renewing and modifying the lease. Members also generally agreed that they should consider a needs assessment, as urged by community members, though they stopped short of voting on this topic. Instead, they directed the council’s Policy and Services Committee to explore this recommendation further. Councilwoman Gail Price, a former member of the school board, said that Cubberley offers the council and the school board a great opportunity to collaborate. “We have a tremendous opportunity here to show how well we can work together — the school district, the City of Palo Alto and community members — to come up with innovative and creative and noteworthy resolutions,” Price said. Price also argued that the concept of a “joint use design” should be further refined before any commitments are made. Kniss and Shepherd both agreed. “The devil is always in the details and these are devilish details,” Kniss said. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.
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Upfront TECHNOLOGY
Palo Alto seeks flickers of hope for fiber network City Council’s new Technology and the Connected City Committee looks to reignite frustrated effort by Gennady Sheyner s local technologists can readily vouch, Palo Alto’s journey toward a citywide high-speed Internet network has been anything but high speed. The city has been flirting with the idea of a citywide system since the late 1990s, when it installed a 36-mile “dark fiber” ring capable of delivering fast broadband service to the dozens of commercial customers who use it. Since then, it has conducted a pilot study to gauge whether such a system would be technically feasible for residents (it would) and commissioned a study to see whether residents would be willing to pay for the “last mile” connection (they wouldn’t). It had entered into an agreement with a private Internet consortium in 2008, only to see the deal collapse because of inadequate funding. It also lobbied hard to be selected by Google for the tech giant’s “Google Fiber” project, only to see Kansas City, Mo., claim the prize. But these failures hadn’t deterred the city from trying again. So when the City Council’s new Technology and the Connected City held its inaugural meeting Tuesday, May 14, the mood among council members was hopeful and optimistic.
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With other cities jumping ahead of Palo Alto in creating a citywide network and Palo Alto’s fiber fund generating more than $2 million annually, the four council members on the committee agreed that the game has changed since the city’s last failure and that it’s time to try again. In the coming weeks and months, staff will be gathering information about other cities that have built fiber networks, including Kansas City, Chattanooga, Tenn., and San Leandro to evaluate next steps for resuscitating Palo Alto’s protracted effort. Two council members, Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and Councilwoman Liz Kniss, will be taking a trip to Kansas City at the end of the month for a conference on fiber networks. City Manager James Keene will appoint a new citizens committee to work with the city on the newest effort. And the Utilities Advisory Commission, which a year ago voted 4-3 to stop exploring the “fiber to the premise” program, will once again roll up its sleeves and consider ways to make such a network a reality. The moves reflect the council’s new-found appetite for expanding
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the fiber network, which currently serves around 80 customers. In February, the council unanimously adopted “Technology and the Connected City” as one of its three official priorities for 2013, with fiber generally recognized as the main component of this priority. And later that month, Mayor Greg Scharff appointed the new committee, which includes himself, Shepherd, Kniss and Councilman Larry Klein. On Tuesday, the new committee recapped the frustrating history of fiber in Palo Alto and unanimously authorized Keene to appoint a group of citizen advisers. The general sentiment among committee members was that this time, things would be different. “We’re restarting a process that’s been ongoing now for 15 years in some form or another,” said Kniss, who had served on the council in the 1990s and who was a leading advocate of constructing the fiber ring. “This is not groundbreaking. It’s continuing and hoping that at this point we will reach a different ending point than we have in the past.” The fiber network has already undergone some changes since the city began to build it in 1996. In 1998, it
was stretched from 36 route miles to 41. Since then, it was expanded to new parts of town, including the East Meadow Circle area. It is now in the process of being extended to 18 school facilities, said Jim Fleming, a management specialist in the Utilities Department. Perhaps most importantly, it’s making money. Fleming said the fiber fund now has $14.5 million in reserves and is projected to increase by $2.3 million in fiscal year 2014, which begins July 1. Councilman Larry Klein pointed to this factor as the main difference between the current effort and the city’s doomed partnership with the Internet consortium in 2009. At that time, Klein noted, the consortium led by Axia Net Media wanted the city to have a greater financial stake in the $40 million project. The council, meanwhile, was adamant that the fiber network not present a financial risk to the city. Since then, times have changed, Klein said. “We are continuing to make money at a rate of $2 million to $2.5 million,” Klein said. “The financial leverage has really changed dramatically since we had our previous discussions with Axia.” Utilities commissioners voiced
a similar sentiment at the Tuesday meeting. Commission Chair James Cook pointed to the commission’s 4-3 vote last year to halt exploration of “fiber to the premise” as an indication that it did not have a clear signal from the council to pursue the project. The feeling on the commission, he said, was one of “collective frustration.” “We didn’t feel like we had a strong indication from the City Council where to take this,” Cook said. “I think that changed a lot from last year. That completely changed.” Utilities Commissioner Asher Waldfogel also pointed to technological changes that have taken place in recent years and argued that the city’s commissioned analysis didn’t consider the new ways to scale the technology when it concluded that the system is not economically feasible. “There’s been dramatic changes that potentially, pending more analysis and study, make it more feasible today than it would be in some of our view three, four or five years ago,” Waldfogel said. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
Upfront
REAL ESTATE TRENDS by Samia Cullen
Top Regrets When Buying a Home
EDUCATION
Former student, now Japanese pop star, recounts unlikely story His love of Japan nurtured at Gunn, Chris Hart wins break as J-pop singer by Chris Kenrick school-sponsored trip to Japan sparked a love for all things Japanese in Chris Hart, a 13year-old African-American teenager from Palo Alto. That was in 1998. Today at 28, Hart lives in Tokyo and makes his living singing soulfully — in Japanese — across Japan. Winning a prime-time television music competition last year allowed him to quit his day job as a vending-machine serviceman. Last week Hart returned, with an entourage, to the classroom of his Gunn High School Japanese teacher, Yukie Hikida, to share his unlikely story. He now banters easily in Japanese with Hikida, but the teacher remembers him as a student who was “so quiet and polite, but not studious.� Hart is blunter, reminding Hikida that he was a “terrible� student who managed to graduate only by taking a high-school equivalency exam. He entered Foothill College at 16, where he continued studying Japanese and began a series of jobs —
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sionate� when the city reached out about participating in the program. “It seemed obvious for us that living without a home should not be criminalized,� Mills said. Mills said the church had sent out notices to about 120 area residents stating its intention to participate in the process. But after a signed petition and two community meetings, the congregation decided not to follow through, he said. Residents cited everything from potential drug use to violence and mental health issues in explaining their opposition, Mills said. “In the meetings, there was a lot of praise for our good intentions, but almost everyone who spoke thought that unfortunately our site wasn’t the right one for this project,� Mills said. “In short, it was NIMBY. Not here but some place else.� While the city’s inability to recruit churches was one factor in reviving the ban, the evolving situation at Cubberley was another. According to staff from the Community Services, Police and Planning departments, the community center has been attracting a growing number of homeless dwellers, some of whom have been causing disturbances. Planning Director Curtis Williams said the city has seen a “fairly significant increase in homeless dwelling in Cubberley.� There are now about 20 to 30 people there every evening, he said, about five to 10 of whom are in vehicles. “There have been more activities of concerns that have drawn police attention and required more of a
Courtesy Takeshi Yoshida
Vehicle dwelling
Gunn Japanese students Yuki Klotz-Burwell and Lisa Wang pose with former Gunn student Chris Hart, who now lives in Tokyo and makes his living singing Japanese pop. bagging at Safeway, refueling private jets at SFO, working customer service for a Japanese skin-care brand — with a notion of somehow getting back to Japan. A break came in 2009 when San Francisco-based automated retailer Zoom Systems, where his mother
and sister worked, urgently needed a vending-machine technician and sent him over. Hart began vocal training for the first time only after arriving in Japan, though he’d studied flute as a
police presence in Cubberley,� Williams said. Police Chief Dennis Burns said that in 2010, police had been summoned to Cubberley for complaints involving vehicle dwellers 10 times. The number went up to 16 in 2011 and to 39 last year. So far this year, police have made nine contacts with homeless dwellers at Cubberley. Minka van der Zwaag, a manager in the city’s Community Services Department, said there have been numerous incidents of drug use and fights on campus. At times, custodians had arrived to lock up rooms at Cubberley and found people inside. The city has been working with social service providers, including the Downtown Streets Team and InnVision, to provide outreach to the homeless dwellers at Cubberley, she said. An ordinance banning vehicle dwelling would give officers a new tool to use to address complaints about disturbances at the site, Williams said. “Enforcement is very difficult without having an ordinance,� Williams said. Not everyone was anxious to revisit the ban. Several residents urged the council not to proceed with the new ordinance and to focus instead on giving homeless dwellers the help they need. Mary Klein, a Ramona Street resident, urged the council to consider more creative solutions. “I don’t think we should feel like we’re late to the party in passing an ordinance,� said Mary Klein (no relation to Larry Klein). “I think we should feel some pride in that we’re looking for a less draconian solution than criminalizing some fact of life that some people have been
subjected to.� Brent Barker, president of the College Terrace Residents Association and member of the community group working on the issue, said the ordinance is unlikely to change the situation. Enforcement will be based on complaints, much as it is today, he said. He urged the council to consider broader solutions. “One of the things the city should be thinking about in the long term is what is the carrying capacity that we have for dealing with this kind of a situation,� Barker said. “I think the scarce resources we have should go to the bottom and let the solution come from the bottom up.� Kniss and Klein agreed that continuing outreach to the homeless is important. But they also felt it’s time to revisit the proposed ban. Klein suggested that the absence of a vehicle-habitation ban may have contributed to making Palo Alto a magnet for homeless dwellers. He and Kniss both stressed that the city will continue to work with its partners in the nonprofit community to deliver services to the homeless. “This is just one more way of handling the problem,� Kniss said. “We’re not turning people into criminals. I think we’re giving the police a method to use for those few — but not as few as I thought — who are abusing the situation and are troublesome.� Price disagreed and said she’s not convinced that the ordinance would accomplish much. The city’s emphasis, she said, should be on education, awareness, compassion and support. “I don’t feel the ordinance is going to give us that much leverage,� Price said. N
! HOT MARKET LIKE TODAY S CREATES MAS SIVE COMPETITION AMONG BUYERS AND PUTS PRESSURE ON BUYERS TO MAKE QUICK DECI SIONS THAT CAN LEADS TO REGRETS 7HAT ARE THE MOST COMMON REAL ESTATE REGRETS ! RECENT SURVEY BY 4RULIA LISTS THE TOP REGRETS OF HOME BUYERS ! REVIEW OF THIS LIST CAN HELP BUYERS MAKE DECISIONS THEY FEEL GOOD ABOUT IN THE LONG RUN 4HIRTY FOUR PERCENT OF BUYERS WISHED THEY HAD BOUGHT A LARGER HOME "UY A HOME THAT WILL WORK FOR YOUR FAMILY TO YEARS FROM NOW !NALYZE YOUR FUTURE FAMILY NEEDS CAREFULLY 0LAN YOUR SPACE AROUND THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND ACTIVITIES 4WENTY SEVEN PERCENT OF BUYERS WISHED THEY HAD DONE MORE REMODELING WHEN THEY BOUGHT THE HOME 3TATISTICS SHOWS THAT IF A HOMEOWNER DOESN T UNDER TAKE THE REMODEL THEY PLAN WITHIN THE lRST YEAR AFTER CLOSING CHANCES ARE THEY WON T DO SO FOR MANY YEARS IF AT ALL -AKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE A BUDGET AND A lRM PLAN OF ACTION FOR THE HOME UPGRADES YOU WANT THAT YOU CAN EXECUTE AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE ESCROW 4WENTY PERCENT OF BUYERS WISHED
THEY HAD MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOUSE BEFORE THEY BOUGHT IT #AREFUL PLAN NING ALLOWS BUYERS TO INVESTIGATE THE PROP ERTY THOROUGHLY )N OUR AREA ALMOST EVERY HOUSE HAS A PACKAGE OF DISCLOSURES AND RE PORTS !CT FAST GET THE PACKAGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE READ IT CAREFULLY ASK QUESTIONS AND ORDER FURTHER INSPECTIONS FOR THE KEY ISSUES BEFORE PRESENTING AN OFFER %IGHTEEN PERCENT WISHED THEY HAD PUT MORE MONEY DOWN FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT AND SIXTEEN PERCENT WISHED THEY HAD BEEN MORE lNANCIALLY SECURE BEFORE THEY BOUGHT THE HOUSE &INANCIAL PREPARATION TO BUY A HOME IS A MUST )T IN VOLVES CAREFUL PLANNING AND SAVINGS FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND REQUIRES THAT YOU STAY ACCOUNTABLE TO YOUR PLANS &IFTEEN PERCENT WISHED THEY HAD CHOSEN A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH A SHORTER COMMUTE TO WORK 3OME BUYERS CHOOSE TO BUY A LARGER HOME WITH A LONG COMMUTE TO WORK -Y ADVICE HAS BEEN TO OPT FOR QUAL ITY OF LIFE BY BUYING A SMALLER HOME THAT SHORTENS YOUR COMMUTE AND INVESTING THE EXPENSES OF THE COMMUTE IN YOUR HOME
)F YOU HAVE A REAL ESTATE QUESTION OR WOULD LIKE A FREE MARKET ANALYSIS FOR YOUR HOME PLEASE CALL ME AT !LAIN 0INEL 2EALTORS OR EMAIL ME AT SCULLEN APR COM &OR THE LATEST REAL ESTATE NEWS FOLLOW MY BLOG AT WWW SAMIACULLEN COM
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Public Outreach Meeting Regarding the
Thursday, May 23 - 7:00 PM Escondido School
890 Escondido Road, Stanford Santa Clara County approved Last November, conditional funding for new bicycle and pedestrian trails on the perimeter of the Stanford Campus. Before Stanford will submit a final design, it is conducting outreach to receive community opinion and suggestions. The Stanford Perimeter Trail will provide a new and continuous bicycle and pedestrian trail in three sections: • Junipero Serra Blvd. from Page Mill Rd. to Stanford Ave. • Stanford Ave. from Junipero Serra Blvd. to El Camino Real (To include realignment of parking) • El Camino Real from Stanford Ave. to Quarry Rd. For questions, please contact 650-725-3320 or email communityrelations@stanford.edu
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Upfront
‘Rape culture’ (continued from page 3)
the district’s inquiry is to determine whether “additional steps (by the school district) are warranted in the individual matter and in school and district policies.” As co-chair of Stanford’s Board on Judicial Affairs, Dauber formulated an “Alternative Review Process” for handling sexual-assault cases at Stanford that was adopted by the university’s Faculty Senate May 2 after a three-year pilot. Dauber said Stanford’s new process is meant to “create a more welcoming process for victims while maintaining a high level of protection of the rights of accused students.” “Stanford’s new policy places it in the first ranks of schools who have taken rape seriously as a civil-rights issue for female students,” Dauber said. “While male Yale students were marching around their campus last year chanting ‘no means yes’ and other horrible misogynist pro-rape slogans, Stanford faculty and students were working hard on making Stanford a better, safer place for female students,” she said. Federal law requires schools to investigate alleged sexual assaults it knows or “reasonably should know” about — even if they occurred off campus, according to the 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter. Under Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972, school districts are obligated to determine
whether the alleged assaults led to a “hostile environment” on campus, both for the victim and for other students, the letter said. In one of the Paly cases recounted in the Verde article, the alleged sexual assault victim felt so tormented by fellow students after word of the off-campus incident got out that she had to leave school. “Everyone was making me feel like just a lying slut who got herself in this situation,” the student told Verde magazine. “Even though I knew that’s not what happened, that’s how people were making me feel.” The girl said she also felt harassed electronically through Facebook messages and Tumblr posts that said she was just looking for attention. Verde reported that the Palo Alto High School Adolescent Counseling Services filed a police report on the student’s behalf but the student chose not to press charges. Dauber said the district was “legally obligated to conduct (an) investigation and to ensure that the victim was free from retaliation and additional harassment.” Verde editor Evelyn Wang and the author of the main story, Lisie Sabbag, told the Weekly they were concerned about the inquiry because it could further traumatize the rape victims. “This will cause more trauma and it simply isn’t good for our sources at all,” Wang said. Wang said the student journalists feel people asking for an investigation had “mischaracterized and conflated” elements of the Paly story.
MANY THANKS TO OUR EARLY BIRD 2013 NATIONAL REBUILDING DAY SPONSORS ABD Insurance and Financial Services Ameriprise Financial Services Bohannon Foundation Commercial Casework Cooley LLP DLA Piper DPR Construction ECC Electronic Arts Equinix IFMA – Silicon Valley Chapter Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto Nibbi Brothers General Contractors OpenTV Oracle USA, Inc. Pentair Responsys Roche Molecular Diagnostics Sares-Regis Group of Northern California Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. Sereno Real Estate Group of Palo Alto Stanford Hospitals and Clinics SummerHill Housing Group T.E Connectivity Thermo Fisher Scientific United Healthcare Credit Union Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati W.L. Butler Construction Inc. Woodside Priory School www.RebuildingTogetherPeninsula.org (650) 366-6597 Page 8ÊUÊ >ÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V
The 2011 Office for Civil Rights policy statement on sexual violence says schools should obtain consent from the complainant — or the complainant’s parents if the complainant is under 18 — before starting an investigation, although elsewhere it states a school “that knows, or reasonably should know, about possible harassment must promptly investigate to determine what occurred and then take appropriate steps to resolve the situation.” The school investigation “is different from any law-enforcement investigation, and a law-enforcement investigation does not relieve the school of its independent ... obligation to investigate the conduct,” the agency said. Dauber said she had little information on how the district was following up on her call for a Title IX investigation other than a brief note from Skelly saying that “we have a plan on this and are moving forward. “‘We have begun to gather some facts and are going to circle around this issue. Your analysis is helpful,’” Dauber said Skelly’s note said. Dauber suggested that the district seek “technical assistance” from the Office for Civil Rights on the subjects of sexual violence and sexual harassment. “I believe that is the best and most certain way to ensure that PAUSD complies fully with the law,” she wrote in an email Wednesday. “It would also help to show the public that PAUSD is trying to get this right and is engaging with experts in the federal government to do that.” N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
LEGAL ISSUES
Another civil-rights complaint filed against district Feds launch third investigation in last two months by Palo Alto lready dealing with two new active investigations into whether it violated the civil rights of a Duveneck Elementary School student and a middle school student, the Palo Alto Unified School District was notified Friday that a third case has been opened by the federal Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. The latest case involves a specialeducation middle school student who is alleging discrimination based on disability. The district released the notification letter from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) on Wednesday. The letter does not contain details, but a copy of the complaint submitted by the parent to OCR obtained by the Weekly alleges that the district failed to provide the student with educational services equal to those afforded mainstream students, did not ensure a safe and secure school environment and did not properly carry out the student’s individual education plan (IEP.) “This has been an ongoing issue that I have been trying to work through the school channels since the beginning of this school year,” the complaint states. The complaint also says the family has been working with both an educational advocate and an attorney to try to resolve the issues with
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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.
Stanford study finds ‘killer frog’ in San Francisco Killer frogs are on the loose in San Francisco. They don’t kill humans, but there is a frog that is carrying a deadly infection that is destroying the amphibian population around the world, a study from Stanford University School of Medicine reports. (Posted May 16, 9:19 a.m.)
Menlo Park fire chief recovering from fall After tumbling off a ladder at his San Jose home over the weekend, Menlo Park Fire Protection District Chief Harold Schapelhouman is on the mend. (Posted May 15, 11:04 a.m.)
Ban on vehicle dwelling back on the table After balking last year, Palo Alto is now once again pursuing a new law that would make it illegal for people to live in vehicles. (Posted May 14, 11:55 PM)
District ‘not successful’ in filling communication post The Palo Alto school district so far has not been successful in its search for a new communication coordinator but the search will remain open until May 31, officials said. (Posted May 14, 9:17 a.m.)
Prowler arrested for battery in Palo Alto A 36-year-old East Bay man was arrested for battery and resisting arrest after he allegedly grabbed a woman who confronted him in her back yard, Palo Alto police said. (Posted May 10, 4:52 p.m.)
Palo Alto hopeful about buying historic post office The future of Palo Alto’s downtown post office building could become clearer Monday night, when the City Council considers whether to purchase the historic and iconic Hamilton Avenue building from the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service. (Posted May 10, 8:52 a.m.)
Weekly staff the district prior to filing the OCR complaint. In an April 28 email to Superintendent Kevin Skelly and the school board, obtained by the Weekly, the mother of the student made a final plea for a resolution. “(T)his process has dragged on all year, is now relatively time-critical, and I am beyond frustrated,” the email said. The mother said that in addition to not receiving appropriate education services, her child has been the subject of ongoing bullying. She outlined a series of specific steps she was seeking, including remedial services to help her child catch up between now and the start of school in the fall. “I am hoping that you and/or the board are as interested as I am in reaching an acceptable solution and moving forward constructively without further legal assistance/intervention. Perhaps you have other options we have not yet explored?” the email concluded. Skelly responded the next day: “I wanted to let you know that I spoke to Holly (Wade, director of special education for the school district) at length about this issue. My sense is that we can work through these issues. Everyone I speak with has very nice things to say about your (child).” The mother replied 15 minutes later: “That’s great. (Omitted) IS a wonderful kid. (Omitted) deserves to feel safe and to get the same education offered other kids of (omitted) his intelligence in this district. How are we going to make this right for (omitted)? I put forth my position very clearly. What is your proposal? Incidents continue daily. I am VERY tired of advocating and ready to turn it over to professionals.” According to the mother, there was no further response from Skelly and none from the board and no substantive proposed resolution from other district staff. The Office for Civil Rights is the arm of the federal Department of Education that protects the civil rights of children in public schools receiving federal funds. It responds to complaints of discrimination, including discrimination based on gender, race, disability, sexual preference and nationality. As long as complaints are filed in a timely manner and pertain to federal civil-rights laws enforced by the Office for Civil Rights, an investigation will be conducted to determine if any violations of law occurred. According to the OCR’s letter to the district, “opening allegations for investigation in no way implies that OCR has made a determination with regard to their merits.” Under Office for Civil Rights policies, if an investigation concludes the district was out of compliance (continued on page 11)
Upfront
Shooting victim (continued from page 3)
tails, Ashley isn’t shy with a stranger. But one of the first things she’ll say is that she’s seeing a psychologist. Asked how her leg is doing, she doesn’t respond. At the clinic they go to, there is a waiting list to see a psychologist. The only help they could get for the emotional trauma was the school psychologist, her mother, “Monica,” said. “She is very afraid to go outside. When she sees a group of boys about the same age, she says, ‘They are really bad. They have guns,’” Monica said. In the converted garage Ashley shares with her mother and grandparents, a multitude of pink stuffed animals — many teddy bears — were neatly arranged on the double bed she shares with Monica. Crucifixes and pictures of princesses, Tinkerbell and the Little Mermaid hang from the walls. Sitting beside her mother on the bed on Wednesday afternoon, Ashley chose a pseudonym for this story. The family fears retribution after witnessing a gang-related crime. She leaned against Monica and whispered softly, “Disney.” More than anything, Ashley said she wants to go to Disneyland — to the “The Happiest Place on Earth” — where she can get her picture taken with her favorite characters. Susana lay on the room’s other double bed, her heavily bandaged foot propped on a pillow. Her bloodstained sneaker has a bullet hole near the base of the big toe; the exit is on the diagonal, about where the pinky toe would be. The bullet shot through two toes. What she wants most is to walk again, she said. Susana is the main breadwinner for her family, and she needs to return to work. She can’t stand up or put any weight on the foot. On Thursday, she planned to visit the
doctor. She was hoping to have good news for a full recovery, she said. “She is one of the hardest-working people I have ever known,” said friend Barrett Moore, a volunteer at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Dining Room, where Susana works to feed the needy. She delivers food to area churches and to the San Mateo County Jail to feed prisoners, she said. Moore said Susana is paler since the shooting. Ten days after the incident, she still takes medicine to ease the sharp, penetrating pain. The emotional trauma is also deep. “I don’t feel like I want to go out. Tomorrow is the first day I will go out — to go to the doctor. But I don’t
want the day to arrive. God willing, I will overcome this,” Susana said. But she feels lucky because she was not killed, she added. “The priest at the church said, ‘All of the angels were protecting you because they want you to bring more food to the churches,’” she said. The family hasn’t heard much from other people about whether the brazen shooting has frightened the community. “We are too busy always working to know many people,” Monica said. There’s a certain irony in that statement. Monica said the crime problem in East Palo Alto is in part caused “because parents work a lot, and kids are not getting attention.”
Innocent bystanders are rarely shot in East Palo Alto. But three high-profile cases have occurred in the city in the last two years, including the one involving Susana and Ashley. The most notable was 3-month-old Izack Jesus Jimenez Garcia, who was shot in the head and killed on June 5, 2011. East Palo Alto Councilwoman Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier said recently the shooting that involved Susana and Ashley has many in the community struggling to find answers for how to change the thinking of young gang members. “I just can’t even figure the mindset of somebody who does this,” she said.
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 *****************************************
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 2.28.070, that the City Council of the City of Palo Alto will hold a Public Hearing at its Special Meeting on Monday, June 3 and at a Special Meeting on June 10, 2013, at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California, on the proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Budget, with adoption on June 10, 2013. Copies of the budget 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 $20.00 per book charge (plus $4.20 for mailing if applicable) or $10.00 per cd-rom charge for this publication. NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Palo Alto will hold a Special Meeting on June 3, 2013, at 7:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California, to consider adoption of a resolution determining the calculation of the appropriations limit for Fiscal Year 2014. The calculation of the limit and the supporting documentation are available for review in the Administrative Services Department, 4th floor, 250 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto. There is a charge of $.12 per page for copying documentation. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk
PRESENTED BY
Sponsored By: Jeff Kwong Orthodontics Safeway Foundation Smuckers Toeniskoetter
Police and city officials vowed on May 6 to hammer hard on two gangs believed responsible for a surge in violence in the city since January. But after 20 years, Susana and her family plan to move out of the city, they said. “Every night we hear shootings. I am very afraid — more for my daughter,” Monica said. She said she doesn’t hate the people who shot her mother and traumatized her child. “I’m just really, really saddened that they are so young and killing themselves,” she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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 May 20, 2013 - 4:00 PM CLOSED SESSION Labor Negotiations Cubberley Community Center STUDY SESSION 3. Joint Study Session with the Planning and Transportation Commission 4. Three Year City IT Strategy CONSENT 5. Approval of Amendment No. 5 to Contract C10131631 with Turner Construction, Inc., to Revise Compensation; Approval of Contract C13149552 with Turner Construction, Inc., for $700,000 for Construction Management Services for the Mitchell Park Library & Community Center Project; and Approval of Amendment No. 7 to Contract C09130744 with Group 4 Architecture, Inc., to Add $260,000 for a Total Contract Amount Not to Exceed $8,855,231 6. Adoption of a Budget Amendment Ordinance, Approval of a Construction Contract with S.J. Amoroso In The Amount of $17,707,000, and Approval of a Professional Services Contract for $1,075,969 with Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning Inc. for the Main Library Expansion and Renovation Project PE-11000 7. Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the City Manager to File an Application for 2013/2014 Transportation Development Act Article 3 (TDA3) in the Amount of $82,712; Charleston Road Corridor Pathway Improvement Project 8. Approval of Amendment Number 2 to Contract C10131396 in the Amount of $1,173,000 with CDM Smith Inc. to Provide Additional Services Associated With the Reservoir, Pump Station, and Well at El Camino Park and Mayfield Pump Station Augmentation Project WS-08002, for a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $6,300,802 9. Parks and Recreation Commission and Staff Recommend That Council Approve an Amendment to the Park and Open Space Rules and Regulations R1-39 (Attachment A) in Order to Help Reduce the Waiting List for Persons Wishing to Obtain a Plot at one of the Three City Gardens 10. Approval of Change to Purchase Order for One Workplace to Add $89,000 of Storage Costs for a Total Amount Not to Exceed $792,794 for Standard Furniture and Associated Storage Costs for the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center ACTION ITEMS 11. Consideration of City Offer to Purchase US Post Office (continued from May 13, 2013) 12. Update of and Direction for Downtown Parking Garage and Attendant Parking Study 13. Public Hearing: Adoption of a Negative Declaration and a Resolution Adopting the Updated Final Housing Element 2007-2014
1. 2.
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS
SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2013 WWW.HHPZ.ORG
The High Speed Rail Committee will be meeting on Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 9:00 A.M. to discuss; 1) Discussion of potential City of Palo Alto Comments at Congressman Jeff Denham’s Hearing on HSR, and 2) Continued discussion of the preliminary cost estimates for grade separation and trenching studies. The Finance Committee will be meeting on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 6:00 PM to discuss: 1) Budget Wrapup, and 2) Management Comp Plan.
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Upfront
Neighborhoods
A roundup of neighborhood news edited by Sue Dremann
AROUND THE BLOCK
PICNIC IN THE PARK ... The College Terrace Residents Association will hold its annual neighborhood spring picnic on Saturday, May 18, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Werry Park, 2100 Dartmouth St., between College and Stanford avenues. Magician Steve Koehler will perform at 4:30 p.m., and there will be hot dogs, veggie burgers and drinks. Neighbors are asked to bring a dish to share, reusable plates and utensils and “good cheer.” EDGEWOOD EATS REDUX? ... Food-truck foodies might get another chance to enjoy gourmet comestibles back at the original haunt of Edgewood Eats, the weekly food-truck event that used to take place at Edgewood Plaza in Palo Alto. The event had to move when the defunct shopping center was demolished to make way for a redeveloped center and housing. Organizers have had trouble finding another suitable location. But Rachel Booker, hiring manager for the new grocery store, The Fresh Market, said the company is considering inviting Edgewood Eats back to the plaza. Store officials were impressed by Palo Alto’s avid foodie culture, which was one reason it decided to locate its second California store at the shopping center, she said. Booker said she had just received a contact for Edgewood Eats organizers, and would be ringing them up soon. 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.
Veronica Weber
A RITUAL CHEESE CRACKING ... The new gourmet grocery store The Fresh Market will forgo the usual ribbon cutting in favor of a cheese-cracking ceremony when it opens its new store at Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center in Palo Alto on June 5. Perhaps befitting a gourmet store, the cheese cracking will follow an age-old Italian tradition of breaking open a 95-pound wheel of Reggiano Parmigiano cheese using traditional cracking rather than cutting tools, Rachel Booker, hiring manager, said this week. A possible boon to summerjob-seeking students, the store plans to hire 95 employees, she said. The store is the first phase of redevelopment at the shopping center, which will preserve historic Eichler retail buildings and add 10 new homes. The opening takes place at 9 a.m. Store hours are Mon.-Sat. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
One proposal to deal with displacement of the more than 400 residents of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park would be to build 65 apartments on part of the land, which is adjacent to the Oak Manor Townhouses, visible in the background.
BARRON PARK
Apartments could replace some Buena Vista mobile homes Palo Alto Housing Corporation and developer could explore possible partnership to build housing for displaced families by Sue Dremann
A
proposal to build about 65 low-income apartments for displaced families at Buena Vista Mobile Home Park is being considered by the property’s developer and the Palo Alto Housing Corporation. The proposal, which would create a joint partnership between the housing corporation and developer Prometheus Real Estate and Property Management, would take 1.15 acres of the 4.5-acre parcel at 3980 El Camino Real to build twobedroom apartments next to existing housing-corporation property. If accepted by all parties and the city, the proposal could help solve a conundrum that includes finding replacement housing for the mobilehome residents and how to keep 103 Buena Vista children in Palo Alto schools. The idea was raised publicly before the Palo Alto City Council on Monday, May 13. Five community supporters, including advocates for fair housing and a representative from the Palo Alto PTA Council’s Buena Vista Advocacy Committee spoke about the imperative of keeping mobile-home-park residents in Palo Alto.
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Prometheus wants to build up to 180 high-end apartments for tech workers, but that would force up to 400 people from the city’s only mobile-home park by next year. “This potential dislocation represents the single largest displacement of children ever in our town’s history,” Sue Eldredge, co-chair of the Palo Alto PTA Council’s Buena Vista Advocacy Committee, told the council on Monday. Dr. Donald Barr, a board member of the Community Working Group and a homelessness-prevention advocate, described the idea in general terms to council members. There are really only two alternatives: keeping the mobile-home park or developing a collaborative, cooperative joint development of affordable and luxury units, he said. Candice Gonzalez, executive director of the Palo Alto Housing Corporation, confirmed Tuesday that the housing corporation has proposed the idea to Prometheus. The developer approached the low-incomehousing nonprofit to assist finding solutions for Buena Vista residents, who own their mobile homes but not the ground beneath them. Many of the homes are old or are
not up to building codes and cannot be moved, according to a consultant’s Relocation Impact Report submitted to the city on May 2. Under the proposal, the housing corporation would build the units on a 1.15-acre parcel at the back of the property. The land abuts the housing corporation’s existing Oak Manor apartments, which has 33 units, Gonzalez said. There is precedent that such a model works in Palo Alto. The SummerHill Homes development compromise combined building Oak Court Apartments at 845 Ramona St. for low-income residents and Woodmark luxury condominiums on Channing Avenue south of downtown, Barr said by phone on Tuesday. He envisions housing for Buena Vista that is similar to the housing corporation’s Oak Court apartments, with architectural details that are compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. “These developments are perfectly compatible and maintained diversity, and it hasn’t affected property values,” he said. “It would be so straightforward to put 65 apartments there. My sense is that a number of residents would be open to the option, if assured high-quality, affordable rental apartments on the site.” The two-bedroom apartments would cost $800 to $900 a month — about as much as a space rental at Buena Vista, plus they would offer more privacy, he said.
The apartments represent an attractive model that still gives Prometheus a substantial number of market-rate apartments to build and rent, Barr said. He recently took Jon Moss, Prometheus executive vice president, on a tour of Oak Court. The company has not committed to the proposal, but Moss said some affordable housing would be part of the plan. “As part of our development plans to the City of Palo Alto, we plan on proposing an element of affordable housing. We have not yet determined in what form this will take place,” he said by email on Wednesday. The Buena Vista housing project comes on the heels of public scrutiny of another, more formally proposed low-income housing project: the 60-unit Maybell Senior Housing project off Arastradero Road and Maybell Avenue. Some nearby residents oppose the project. They are concerned about senior drivers in an area that serves four schools and is already plagued with heavy commuter traffic. Jessica de Witt, housing-corporation senior-project manager, said a land swap — trading seniors and families — could not occur between the two projects. “They are two different sellers with two different timeframes,” she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at spdremann@ paweekly.com.
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Change in ‘vision’ (continued from page 3)
sider the thousands of children who bike and walk in the Maybell area. He accused staff and the developer of being involved in an “exercise of creative messaging and statistical manipulation.” The neighborhood opposition and the renewed concerns about the traffic impacts of the Maybell project are putting the council in a bit of a bind. On the one hand, the council and the planning commission agree that the city desperately needs more housing, particularly for seniors and low-income residents. The Association of Bay Area Governments, a regional agency that assigns housing quotas to Bay Area cities, mandated that the city plan for 2,860 housing units in the current planning period, a number that city planners have been struggling to meet given the generally built-out nature of the city. Planning Director Curtis Williams said at the May 9 meeting that including the Maybell project helps the city reach the quota and gain state approval for the Housing Element. “It does help us meet our numbers and we’re close enough that if we didn’t have that site in there, it
Civil rights
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with civil rights laws, the district has an opportunity to resolve the matter by negotiating a resolution agreement prior to formal findings being issued by the government. The new complaint comes as the district is in the process of carrying
Sue Dremann
Where: Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center, 2170 W. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto What: Construction of The Fresh Market, a new 20,600-square-foot gourmet specialty grocery store When: Opening June 5 Who: Sand Hill Property Company, 203 Redwood Shores Pkwy., Redwood City Cost: Total development $33 million Impact: Reduced sidewalk access on St. Francis Drive and Channing Avenue adjacent to the construction site; intermittent deliveries of construction materials and equipment. The project’s residential portion will create additional demand for city services, which should be offset by developer impact fees. Revenue: The total 38,400 square feet of retail space at the site, including from two other buildings, would yield the city additional annual revenues through property, sales and utility-user taxes, estimated at $100,000 to $150,000 annually.
One-time revenues include impact fees of approximately $1.6 million and documentary Transfer Fees of approximately $.07 million. Of note: The store will be the anchor business for the plaza, which will include restoration of two historic Eichler commercial retail buildings, 10 single-family homes and a .2-acre park on 3.58 acres. (The parcel site is known as 2080 Channing Ave.) The Fresh Market will inhabit the
updated 1950s building that housed Albertsons (formerly Lucky Store). Albertsons closed in 2006. The Palo Alto store is The Fresh Market’s second in California and is preceded by a store in Roseville, near Sacramento. The organic and gourmet-food store chain currently has 130 stores, mainly in the Southeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. N
— Sue Dremann
would be difficult to meet those,” Williams said. “We’d have to go back to the drawing board and find that. Nevertheless, we could work on that some more.” At the same time, planners and city officials find much to like about the Maybell project. Council members often talk about the need to build more affordable housing and the Planning and Transportation Commission voiced a similar sentiment when it voted 4-2 in February to formally initiate the rezoning process for 567 Maybell Ave. At that meeting, Jessica de Witt, manager at the Palo Alto Housing Corporation, told the commission that all of the corporation’s properties have long waiting lists and said that increasing the city’s affordable-housing stock is “very critical and important.” Commissioners generally agreed that affordable units constitute an important “public benefit” (a requirement of “planned community” projects), with Commissioner Arthur Keller calling the project “intrinsically worthwhile.” But Greg Tanaka, one of the two dissenters, marveled at the February meeting about the lack of opposition to the Maybell development. “I think if the people in the (neighborhood) really knew what was being built across the street,
there would be more of an outcry there,” Tanaka said. The fact that the Maybell project is now also listed in the Housing Element has also prompted allegations from critics that the game is rigged and that the project now has more momentum. Anne Lawer, a neighborhood resident, marveled at the fact that a project whose impacts haven’t even been vetted yet is now part of the city’s housing vision. She vowed that critics will continue to attend meetings to make their case about the project’s impacts. Councilman Greg Schmid asked that staff include an explicit statement in its report to the Planning and Transportation Commission stating that the project’s listing in the Housing Element should in no way influence the approval. He and his colleagues also directed staff to come up with a “backup plan” and consider other sites that could be included on the housing inventory should the Maybell project get denied. “I don’t want to give the Planning and Transportation Commission or anyone else or the public the notion that we had made the decision,” Schmid said. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
out terms of a “resolution agreement” in a bullying case dating back to 2011 involving a special-education middle school student. In that case, the Office for Civil Rights conducted an extensive investigation, including on-site interviews of more than 30 students, teachers and administrators. It issued findings that the district had violated federal anti-discrimination laws by failing to respond properly
and stop the bullying behavior, allowing a hostile environment that interfered with the student’s rights to an education. Coincidentally, various school groups were to have held a public meeting last night where a representative from OCR was to explain and answer questions on the law and the role of OCR in working with school districts. See Palo Alto Online for a report on that meeting. N
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Upfront # ! . 4 / 2 ! 2 4 3 # % . 4 % 2 !4 3 4! . & / 2 $ 5 . ) 6 % 2 3 ) 4 9
News Digest Two men attempt robbery in downtown Palo Alto
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Two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun, attempted to rob three women in downtown Palo Alto on the 700 block of Emerson Street Wednesday night at about 10 p.m. The three women were walking together on the street when the men stepped out of the alcove of a business downtown, pointed a small black handgun at them, and demanded the women hand over their property. The women scattered, each running in separate directions to nearby businesses to call police. The robbers did not pursue them, police said. The victims described the first suspect as a Hispanic male in his 20s, between 5 feet 3 inches and 5 feet 6 inches tall with a medium build, wearing dark clothing with a cloth covering his face. The second man was described only as a tall man with a blue bandana covering his face. Police are beefing up patrols in the downtown area, and detectives are investigating the event and the possibility that it might be related to a strong-arm robbery that occurred on Hamilton Avenue on May 13. In that incident, a woman was walking westbound on the 200 block of Hamilton Avenue at about 10:45 p.m. and was crossing an alleyway called Lane 12, between Ramona and Emerson streets, when a man grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards into the alley, according to police. As he held her hair, the man demanded money, police said. After the victim, who is in her 20s, gave him cash from her purse, the man ran away north through the alley, police said. Because the victim didn’t see the suspect, she described him only as taller than 5 feet 5 inches tall. He also reportedly had a deep, raspy voice with no accent. She reported the robbery the following morning, police said. Police are asking anyone with information about the incidents to call the Police Department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. N — Palo Alto Weekly staff
Baby harbor seal rescued from Baylands dies A baby harbor seal rescued in the Palo Alto Baylands in April has died. Floodgate Dolly, a 5-week-old pup rescued by Palo Alto Animal Services, died April 29 of an apparent lung infection, according to a preliminary report by the Marine Mammal Center. He became a pinniped celebrity of sorts after being caught against the Mayfield Slough flood gate at high tide on April 9. He was the first harbor seal rescued in Palo Alto that has been cared for by the center since 1991, according to Jim Oswald, a spokesman for the center. A passer-by heard the 14-pound pup’s cries as the seal bobbed up and down near the concrete wall, its head periodically disappearing under the water. “We had a concern about the way the baby was struggling,� Palo Alto Animal Services Officer William Warrior said at the time. “We were worried about him possibly drowning.� Climbing down the flood gate, Warrior and another officer lifted the black-and-silver pup out of the bay water using a net and brought the seal to the Palo Alto office of Peninsula Humane Society’s Wildlife Rescue Center. The pup was later transferred to the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. He was undernourished and dehydrated, and he weighed only half the normal weight for a pup his age, Oswald said after the seal arrived. The seal was tube-fed a “fish smoothie� and other nutrients and medicines. N — Sue Dremann
PG&E begins new project on Alma Street
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Pacific Gas and Electric Company began replacing major valves on Alma Street between Colorado Avenue and the Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road overpass on Wednesday. The work will require excavation on driveways and sidewalks in that area as well as periodic lane closures over the coming months, Utilities Communications Manager Debra Katz said. “Beleaguered northbound Alma commuters, who have in the past year dealt with traffic congestion and delays due to the PG&E project on Charleston Road, the City water-main replacement along Alma and the Alma street repaving, will now have an additional couple of months of hassle to contend with,� Katz said. But the “good news,� she added, is that PG&E workers will not be excavating in the newly paved street. Once the work is completed, the city will have a safer gas line that can accommodate new PG&E inspection technology. Starting in 2014, inspection devices dubbed “Smart Pigs� can be run through the pipes on Alma Street to make sure everything is running smoothly. These devices can be equipped with robotic cameras and sensors to check pipe thickness and for any flaws or corrosion. The line will also go through hydrostatic testing, in which water pressure is exerted on the pipes to reveal any potential weakness. N — Elena Kadvany LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com
Upfront
Pop star
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student at Fairmeadow Elementary School — and later picked up clarinet, oboe and saxophone. Posting his videos on YouTube led to one thing and then another — including meeting the woman he married last year, singer Hitomi Fukunaga, a Japanese national who performs in English. Eventually the YouTube videos and television shows led him to the national contest that launched his full-time singing career. Today Hart finds himself performing in front of weeping fans, and on the receiving end of gifts that include flowers, CDs, food, jewelry and remarkably personal letters. “I’m singing a song and the woman in front of me is just bawling, and I’m trying to understand what the audience is relating to in my songs and how can I do that better,� he told the Gunn students. “I’m going to try to make them laugh, too. “Performing is a human-to-human interaction and nothing matters more than your ability to connect with your audience. There are a lot of performers with good musical skills that don’t go anywhere.� With a manager and a record label, Hart now spends much of his time on interviews with Japanese media and promotional tours. “It’s a little unusual because I’m a foreign artist and that’s kind of a bit of an extra appeal. They want to know how I got to Japan, what were the steps. “Honestly, I spend more time talking about singing than actually singing.� But upon request, Hart took a moment to sing a few solo lines in Japanese for the Gunn classroom. Hart said his parents, both musicians among other things, “were always supportive, but always worried� about his future. “Having a mom who went to Stanford and then not going to Stanford — that’s not fun,� he said. “They always supported my music and always supported my Japanese study, but it was stressful.� He advised the Gunn students to take risks and seek out challenges in their lives. His own newest challenge is the goal of making music sustain him for the long term, he said. “Instant celebrity isn’t fulfilling — it doesn’t help you in the long term,� he said. “I want to make sure the connection with the audience stays strong, to keep making songs that are powerful and meaningful for them. “I want to make sure that in the long term I’m doing something substantial.� Although he was a poor student, Hart said JLS and Gunn set him on a good path. “Despite my lack of enthusiasm, the teachers were great and instilled in me a lot of great skills that allowed me to cope in the real world,� he told the students. “It’s cheesy when I say it but, honestly, looking back, this is a great place to start from. “You’re in a great position, at a great school.� N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
CityView A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
City Council (May 13)
Finance: The council accepted the city’s Long Term Financial Forecast and directed its Finance Committee to explore using hotel-tax revenues to fund infrastructure repairs. Yes: Berman, Burt, Klein, Kniss, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd Absent: Holman Cubberley: The council stated its intention to renew its lease with the school district for the Cubberley Community Center, subject to major revisions. The council also directed its Policy and Services Committee to consider whether the city should conduct a community needs assessment. Yes: Berman, Burt, Klein, Kniss, Price, Scharff, Shepherd No: Schmid Absent: Holman Smoke: The council directed staff to draft a resolution banning smoking at all city parks. Yes: Berman, Klein, Kniss, Price, Scharff, Shepherd, Schmid No: Burt Absent: Holman
Council Technology Committee (May 14)
Fiber: The committee heard a presentation about the city’s fiber service and authorized City Manager James Keene to appoint a citizens advisory committee to help the city explore a “fiber to the premise� program. Yes: Unanimous
Council Finance Committee (May 14)
Budget: The committee tentatively approved the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget for the Utilities Department. Yes: Unanimous
Council Policy & Services Committee (May 14) Vehicle habitation: The committee voted to direct staff to draft an ordinance banning living in vehicles. The committee also asked staff to continue to reach out to the homeless population with the intention of assisting them with social services. Yes: Unanimous
Historic Resources Board (May 15)
329 Lincoln Ave.: The board voted to approve a request to redesign, enlarge and build a two-story addition to a Colonial Revival residence in Professorville. Yes: Unanimous
Architectural Resources Board (May 16)
711 El Camino Real: The board discussed a proposal by Pacific Hotel Management LLC for a construction of a four-story hotel with 23 guest rooms. The board requested numerous design revisions and continued a vote on the item until Aug. 1. Yes: Unanimous
LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com
LatinoArtNow 15th Annual ArtAuction MACLA’s
Collect the very best of Latino art from the Bay Area and beyond!
Public Agenda
Saturday May 18th
A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to meet in a closed session to discuss the status of the city’s labor negotiations with the Utilities Management and Professional Association of Palo Alto (UMPAPA) and to discuss possible renewal of the lease for Cubberley Community Center. The council will then hold a joint session with the Planning and Transportation Commission; hear a presentation on the city’s three-year IT strategy; consider making an offer to purchase the U.S. Post Office building at 380 Hamilton Ave.; discuss a potential downtown garage; and consider adopting the 2007-14 Housing Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The closed session will begin at 4 p.m. on Monday, May 20. A regular meeting will follow in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to consider a zone change for 567-595 Maybell Ave. that would create a “planned community� zone and enable a housing project that includes 60 units of housing for low-income seniors and 15 single-family homes. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL RAIL COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to hear updates on recent meetings of the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, the Peninsula Cities Consortium and the Caltrain local policymakers group; and to continue its discussion of the preliminary cost estimates for grade separation and trenching at the Caltrain corridor. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 23, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to wrap up issues from prior budget hearings and consider changes to the Management and Professional group’s compensation plan. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 23, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the recent addition of $55,000 to the Human Services Resource Allocation Process. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, May 24, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
Doors open at 6:00pm Auction begins at 7:30pm Image credit: Jose Arenas, Keepsake acrylic on wood, 2012
Enjoy Cado dos Santos performing Samba and Bossa Nova music
Auction tickets : $40 in advance/$50 at the door Please call (408) 998-2783 x 28 for tickets or Get tickets at https://macla.vbotickets.com/events Absentee bids accepted Gallery Hours: Wednesday & Thursday, 12noon–7 pm Friday & Saturday, 12noon–5pm & by special appointment Free Admission 510 South First Street, San Jose, CA 95113 #% ? /4,5 3')2''79+ 57www.maclaarte.org ĂœĂœĂœÂ°*>Â?Âœ Â?ĂŒÂœ"˜Â?ˆ˜i°VÂœÂ“ĂŠUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ >ÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 13
Gerald L. Smith August 3, 1923 - May 7, 2013 Gerald Lloyd Smith, known to friends and family as Jerry, passed away on May 7, 2013 in Palo Alto at his long-term residence Channing House. Jerry was born on Aug. 3, 1923 in Madison, Wisconsin. His father was Harvey McKinley Smith, and his mother was Marjory Byrd Case. Jerry graduated from Morgan Park High School in Chicago in 1941 as valedictorian, received undergraduate education at Oberlin College in Ohio and the University of California at Berkeley, and a Master’s from Stanford University. Jerry worked for more than 28 years as an Aerospace Research Scientist at the Ames Research Center of NASA in Mountain View, CA, retiring in 1977. All who knew Jerry well were impressed by the breadth of his postretirement interests and by his energetic pursuit of them. Jerry played Duplicate Bridge at least weekly for decades, achieving Life Master status with the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL). For many years he edited a monthly newsletter for the Palo Alto unit of the ACBL. He was also an excellent bridge instructor. Jerry developed considerable skill as a genealogical researcher. He greatly extended his family’s knowledge of its roots, building a database of thousands of his ancestors, descendants, and relatives by marriage. He brilliantly brought the data to life with narratives about selected ancestors. Jerry also loved to travel. He took long car trips with his wife and children, visiting relatives, national parks, and state capitals throughout the USA. Later he combined his travel and genealogical interests by arranging visits with distant
cousins he had identified. Jerry and his wife traveled abroad and went on cruises, sometimes with members of his extended family. Another passion was opera, which Jerry enjoyed in the audience of the San Francisco Opera and of other groups. He collected recordings and librettos and studied operas he planned to see. Jerry was married for more than 60 years to Gracia Jeane Himebauch Smith, who predeceased him in 2007. His final years were difficult as he lost his mental skills and had to cope without Gracia’s support. Jerry is survived by his children Gary Richard Smith of Pleasanton, California and Jill Joanne Lemke of Addison, Texas and their respective spouses Margaret Fluck Smith and Raymond Robert Lemke. He is also survived by his grandchildren (and their spouses) Brian Kendall Smith (Lena Soo Hee Wood) of Portland, Oregon, Brett Anthony Lemke (Ilana Delaney Lemke) of Carrollton, Texas, and Brandon Ray Lemke of San Diego, California, by his brother Stanley Galen Smith (Rose Brondz Smith) of Madison, Wisconsin, and by great grandchildren Ryland Joseph Lemke and Vivian Claire Lemke. Jerry was predeceased by his parents, his wife, and his brother Merlin Edward Smith. A memorial service is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 1 in the auditorium of Channing House, 850 Webster St, Palo Alto. In lieu of f lowers the family suggests donations to Pathways Home Health & Hospice at 585 North Mary Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94085 or to Cure Alzheimer’s Fund, 34 Washington St, Suite 200, Wellesley Hills, MA 02481. PA I D
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OBITUARY
Pulse
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
POLICE CALLS Palo Alto May 9-15 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Strong-arm robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Abandoned bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving with suspended license . . . . . . .1 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .7 Vehicle accident/property damage . . . 10 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Drunken driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Found property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Casualty/fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Juvenile problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .6 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Menlo Park May 9-May 15 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Theft related Attempted burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Driving with suspended license . . . . . . .8 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle accident/property damage . . . .3 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Miscellaneous CPS referral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Juvenile problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Shots fired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Warrant arrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Atherton May 9-May 15 Theft related Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle related Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/property damage . . . .3 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Miscellaneous Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
(continued on next page)
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Transitions Henry Martin Blume
A memorial service for Henry Martin Blume Jr. will be held at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 23, at All Saint’s Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley St. in Palo Alto. He died on May 2 at his home in Palo Alto after an extended battle with Parkinson’s disease and leukemia. The former Portola Valley and Menlo Park resident was 82. Born in Milwaukee, Wisc., he attended Fox Point School and Country Day School (now University School of Milwaukee), and graduated from Yale University in 1953 with a degree in economics. He attended Officer Candidate School and served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander. He was supply officer on a tanker for a year in the Mediterranean, later remaining active in the Naval Reserves until 1991. After earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in 1959, he was drawn to California, where he found work at Fairchild Semiconductor, seedbed for the semiconductor industry. He would design microchips at companies, including Intel Corp, for the rest of his career. He led the team developing the 8748 and 8048 microcontrollers, which were among Intel’s “hottest products” in the late 1970s. In 1970 he earned a master’s degree in elec-
trical engineering from Stanford University. Always an athlete, he skied, played football, tennis and rugby. He went on to become a tennis official with the U.S. Tennis Association, refereeing matches on both coasts, his family said. For 40 years, he rarely missed his Saturday tennis doubles game at Alpine Hills Tennis Club. In addition, in high school, he won the state chess championship and, as an adult, became a life master in bridge. He is survived by his second wife, Mary Burt; daughters, Ann Blume and Frances Richards and two grandsons. Donations in his memory may be made to the Infusion Center, Stanford Cancer Center, 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, Palo Alto.
Diana Barry Owen Diana Barry Owen, born on July 14, 1954 in San Francisco, Calif. died on March 27. She lived in Palo Alto for the first year of her life with her older brother, David. She then moved with the family across the country to Pittsburgh, Pa., where her father started a new job with Westinghouse Atomic Power. Six years later, the family moved back to Southern California, where she attended grammar school. The family was active in the First Baptist Church of Woodland Hills. While in Southern California,
NOTICE OF HEARING ON PARKING ASSESSMENT ROLL FISCAL YEAR 2013-14 CALIFORNIA AVENUE PARKING ASSESSMENT DISTRICT NO. 92-13 (Resolution of Intention No. 7230, Adopted August 9, 1993)
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Engineer has caused to be prepared and filed with the City Clerk a report which provides for the levying of special assessments on the properties within the California Avenue Parking Assessment District No. 92-13 and pursuant to the Resolution of Intention cited above. The report sets forth the amounts proposed to be levied for the fiscal year 2013-14 upon the several parcels of real property in the California Avenue Parking Assessment District No. 92-13 created to pay the principal and interest of the bonds issued for the assessment district, which report is open to public inspection. The report will be heard by the Council at its meeting to be held on the 10th day of June 2013, at the hour of 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California, at which time said Council will examine said report and hear all persons interested therein. Any person interested in objecting to the amount of the assessment on any parcel of real property owned by him or her, may file with the City Clerk, at or before the hour fixed for hearing, a protest in writing signed by him or her, describing the parcel so that it may be identified, and stating the ground or grounds of protest, and may appear at the hearing and be heard in regard thereto. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC CITY CLERK
she spent time at her grandmother’s beach house in Newport Beach. Back in Palo Alto, she attended local schools. After Palo Alto High School, she went to and graduated from Foothill College. She then studied at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, where she graduated with a major in history. She traveled to the Middle East and later Europe with her history professor and members of her senior history class from Westmont. After working at various high tech firms, she attended San Jose State, where she earned a Master’s Degree in Library Science. She then worked for a few years until she was married. She had no children in her 16year marriage. She and her husband were both active in Baptist churches in Santa Clara and Campbell. For the last seven years, she lived at home, volunteering at the Palo Alto Main Library and taking care of her aging parents. She was active
in many women’s groups at the Peninsula Bible Church and also with a local divorce recovery group. Her other activities included taking long walks and short car trips, knitting, baking bread, reading books and furthering her interest in vintage movies. She had an unexpected, massive stroke on the evening of March 25. She was put on life support for two days at Stanford Hospital but never regained consciousness. She died during the evening of March 27, surrounded by family and friends. She is survived by both of her parents, Richard and Lorraine Barry; her brother David A. Barry, his wife Joanne, and his family of four children and five grandchildren; and many friends, cousins, nieces and nephews. A memorial service for Diana will be held on Saturday, May 25 at 2 p.m. at the Peninsula Bible Church, 3505 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.
It is requested that donations be made to the Peninsula Bible Church, 3505 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA 94306 or to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, 386 Park Ave. South 17th Floor, New York, NY 10016-8804.
Pulse (continued from previous page) Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .5 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .1
VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Park Ave. and El Camino Real , 5/11, 2:53 p.m.; battery 200 block Hamilton Avenue , 5/13, 10:45 p.m.; strong-arm robbery
Menlo Park 1100 block Ringwood Avenue , 5/9, 9:49 p.m.; spousal battery Newbridge St. and Madera Avenue, 5/11, 9:15 p.m.; battery on an officer 2100 block Sharon Road , 5/12, 11:11 p.m.; battery
Molly Westrate February 9, 1945 – April 30, 2013 Whether she was driving sports cars on racetracks in Europe, shopping for the perfect native textile in Asia, or creating a culinary masterpiece for friends at home, Molly Westrate enjoyed a life filled with style, fun, integrity, and good food. Molly succumbed to cancer on April 30, 2013. She will be remembered for her wit, charm, design savvy, culinary skills, loyalty, energy, commitment to goodness, and the love she lavished on her friends and family. Mary Andrea Bill was born February 9, 1945, to John and Kathryn Bill in Los Angeles and grew up in Santa Barbara. After graduating from the University of San Diego with a degree in music, she moved to San Francisco, where she received her teaching credential at SF State and taught in San Francisco and San Mateo. While in San Francisco, she met Stephen Westrate and the couple married in 1971. They moved to Portola Valley in 1973 where they lived for 22 years, then moved to Woodside in 1995, and finally to Menlo Park in 2005. In 1985, she earned her real estate license and became an agent with Cornish & Carey in Portola Valley, and later with Coldwell Banker in Woodside, where she specialized in country properties. Outside of the office, Molly’s interests were as diverse as her tastes. In her youth, she rode horses in the Santa Barbara hills and sailed with cousins in San Diego. As a young mother, she practiced ceramics and performed classical duo-piano
pieces with friends. Later in life, she enjoyed collecting fine art and traveling with the Contemporary Collector’s Circle of the Cantor Center, visiting new places, quilting, and enjoying her Asian-inspired garden. She always tried to create beauty, simplicity, and good design by bringing nature’s sculpture, branches, weeds, into the home. When reflecting on her world travels, Molly punctuated her description of the regions with detailed reports of the food, which was another of her passions. She spent a lifetime cultivating an extensive collection of gourmet recipes and culinary delights, which she took every opportunity to prepare for family and friends. Molly is survived by her husband, Steve in Menlo Park; Erika and Clint Sattler and their children Gage and Ciel in Colorado; Blake and Warisa Westrate, and his daughter, Zoey in San Francisco; and Molly’s sister, Judy Bianchi, of Sebastopol. There will be a Mass of Resurrection on Saturday, May 18, at 11:00 at the Chapel at the Woodside Priory School in Portola Valley followed by a celebration of Molly’s life at the Priory’s Founders Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to your charity of choice or to The Canary Foundation, 1501 S. California Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304 (www.canaryfoundation.org) The foundation is funding research into early detection of ovarian cancer. PA I D
O B I T UA RY
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Editorial
A backwards process “Not a done deal” defense rings hollow for proposed senior-housing development
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magine making a substantial family investment in something before determining its value, how other family members felt about it and deciding if it was the best way to meet your family goals? That’s exactly what has happened with the city of Palo Alto’s botched handling of a development proposed by the Palo Alto Housing Corporation (PAHC), and neighbors of the Maybell Avenue project site in Barron Park have every reason to feel the fix is in. The problem began last November when the council agreed to loan PAHC $3.2 million to acquire the land for the project at 567 Maybell Ave., a street with no sidewalks one block north of Arastradero Road that has been severely impacted by drivers and bicyclists trying to avoid the congestion on Arastradero due to the lane reductions. The council added another $2.6 million loan in March, even though the project itself had not received approvals from the Planning and Transportation Commission or the City Council and environmental review and public hearings hadn’t been completed. PAHC’s laudable mission is to increase the amount of affordable housing in Palo Alto with the goal of maintaining a diverse community. It had the opportunity to buy two large parcels totaling 2.5 acres but needed loans from the city to close the deal, and ultimately will need the city to approve a special planned community (PC) zone in order to build a four-story 60-unit apartment building and 15 single-family homes. The homes would be sold at market rate and the profits from those sales would enable the city to eventually be repaid. Neighborhood residents, who were caught unaware during the early consideration of the loan request, now have a wide range of legitimate complaints, especially the impact of traffic which they say the city’s consultant downplayed, and what they feel is the tone-deaf way the city bureaucracy went about slipping the project into the city’s required Housing Element, set to be approved by the City Council Monday night. If approved, it will be another action supporting the project taken prior to the council holding public hearings and considering the PAHC application for a PC zone. It is not credible, as some council members have stated, that their minds are completely open on whether to approve the project and that prior actions won’t have any influence as they consider the development in future weeks. Maybell-area residents have to feel like the deck is stacked against them, when before the project is even approved, it has received more than $5 million in loans from the City Council and is included in the city’s much ballyhooed Housing Element. At last week’s meeting of the council’s Regional Housing Mandate Committee the vote was 3-0 (Scharff, Schmid, Berman, with Holman absent) to approve the Housing Element with the yet-to-be approved Maybell housing development included. When the Association of Bay Area Governments told Palo Alto it must plan and zone for 2,860 new housing units in the current planning period it sent officials scrambling to meet the quota. Planning Director Curtis Williams said last week that including Maybell is an important part of helping the city comply with ABAG. Without it he said, “We’d have to go back to the drawing board ...” Despite their 3-0 vote to approve including Maybell, members of the Housing Mandate committee tried to reassure residents that their minds were not made up. There is plenty of leeway for the council to reject the Maybell housing and then revise the Housing Element if necessary, they say. “I have not made up my mind on Maybell and this is not a done deal,” Mayor Greg Scharff told the largely hostile audience at the meeting last Thursday, saying he voted to approve it because he said it is required by law but could be revised later. New development and particularly the development of lowincome housing that exceeds the allowable zoning is always going to create controversy in Palo Alto. That means city officials need to bend over backwards to ensure early and transparent engagement with neighbors and a process that progresses in an ethically and legally acceptable fashion. This hasn’t happened with this development proposal, and the City Council now needs to do the right thing and remove the proposed Maybell project from the official housing plan. That gesture won’t repair the damage that has been done, but it will at least signal that the council now understands the neighborhood’s outrage and accepts responsibility for the poor process.
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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
What’s taking so long? Editor, I often travel Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. I’m also a patron of Palo Alto libraries, which have a very good selection of materials. I’ve wondered about the completion of Mitchell Park Library for some time now. I must ask myself, why is it really taking so long to construct and open? Lorin Krogh Encina Avenue, Palo Alto
Support diversity Editor, We bought our house in Barron Park seven years ago while we were living in Beijing, China, as expatriates. I come from France and my husband is American. I feel I am a “Citizen of the World.” We chose Barron Park because of its unique feeling with few sidewalks, donkeys, chickens and the great schools. Now that we have been living here for five years, we know we made the right choice. Two of our children are at Barron Park Elementary School and one at Terman. All three have friends that live in the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. They’ve become part of our extended family, just like those that live in other parts of our neighborhood. It is because of that diversity, not just racial, but cultural and economic that we find this neighborhood rich. Both challenges and benefits from this diversity are there. Our children benefit from all their experiences with all their friends. It is the richness of our very diverse neighborhood that prepares them to have an open mind to the many ways you can live your life. I have hardworking, family-oriented adult friends living in the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. They want to provide the best schools for their children, just like we do. I hope the city will support that diversity and the goals that the parents of Buena Vista are trying to reach. Francoise Lang McGregor Way, Palo Alto
City must find win-win Editor, The Weekly asks, “Should the city try to save the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park?” I am not so much concerned with the mobile home park itself as with its nearly 400 residents. These are our neighbors. Many of them have lived and worked in our community for many years. The children among them go to Palo Alto schools. The city needs to find a way to keep them as part of our community. Almost none of the BV residents could afford to live elsewhere in Palo Alto. If they were forced to move away, our community’s socioeconomic and ethnic diversity would be significantly reduced.
Moreover, those who continue to work in Palo Alto would add to our traffic problems by commuting from out of town. We would all be worse off. And, of course, it would be a personal disaster for many of the BV residents themselves, particularly the schoolchildren, who would be denied the high quality education they are getting from the Palo Alto Unified School District. This does not necessarily mean that the mobile-home park itself must be preserved. Rather, it is incumbent on the city to help find a win-win solution — one in which the landowner who wants to sell the land under BV gets a fair price, and the BV residents get housing they can afford in Palo Alto. Whether this is done by saving the mobile-home park or securing land and money to build enough very low-income housing for the current residents is of secondary importance. Tom Wasow Barron Avenue, Palo Alto
Shelter is a right Editor, Alas. It seems that money-making greed takes precedent over human
needs again. The right to shelter is a right, not a privilege, and one of man’s basic needs. There must be a better way than discounting human needs. Lorin Krogh Encina Avenue, Palo Alto
City must preserve BV Editor, My name is Fr. Matthew Stanley and I am Pastor of the one Catholic Church in Palo Alto — St. Thomas Aquinas. Our parish consists of over a few thousand families and includes the three church sites of Our Lady of the Rosary on Cowper, St. Albert the Great on Channing, and St. Thomas Aquinas on Waverley. I am also a resident of Palo Alto and live at St. Albert’s Rectory. I’m writing as a representative of the Catholic community of Palo Alto, asking you to please do everything that is feasible to preserve the affordable housing at the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. Many of our parishioners live at Buena Vista and love it there. They are scared to be uprooted from the community (continued on page 20)
WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
?
Should senior housing be built on Maybell Avenue?
Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Submit guest opinions of 1,000 words to editor@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. 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 Editorial Assistant Eric Van Susteren 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
Are adult schools an endangered species? by Jay Thorwaldson bout 40 years back I wrote a column (for the former Palo Alto Times) about what seemed like an aggressive push by the independent community colleges to usurp the roles of adult schools, lodged in K-12 or highschool districts. The column hit a nerve, and to my surprise it was reprinted in a statewide education journal. The competitive push diminished over the years, but there has remained a large pool of confusion about the respective roles of the two entities statewide, and what the community colleges should be doing versus the hundreds of adult schools. Both have been faced in recent years with severe budget cuts, adding a crisis-mode urgency to many educators on the front lines. Some school districts have already drastically reduced or even killed their adult schools. But whatever is occurring statewide — with much depending on Governor Jerry Brown’s “May Budget Revise” released this week — there’s an entirely different environment in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. That environment has stemmed from an effort launched five years ago, prompted largely by budget-crisis concerns relating to overlaps. It was also prompted by a professional desire among some key educators to provide the best, most effective and cost-effective services to their academic clients — primarily in the area of English as a Second Language, known as ESL. The two-county effort (itself something of a
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rarity in a one-county-focused academic world) goes under the name of ALLIES, a vaguely World War II-sounding name that actually stands for Alliance for Language Learners’ Integration, Education and Success. (See www. allies4esl.org/ for details.) The goal of the alliance is to clarify the respective roles of the institutions and to remove barriers to the target audience for ESL, namely recent immigrants who need English to progress academically or in “family-sustaining” jobs or careers. The ALLIES have been strongly supported by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, with a series of grants in the $50,000 to $100,000 range. Recently, the alliance was notified it will be part of a massive, $2.6 million U.S. Department of Labor grant. Adult schools have a rich tradition of aiding adult immigrants adjust to American ways and job or academic necessities. They were founded a century and a half ago to do just that, and despite additions to their repertoire the ESL classes have remained a staple. And in a national political world where immigration has become a hot issue their role has been pivotal to many new Americans and their families. Prior to the May Budget Revise, Brown proposed shifting state funding from adult schools to community colleges, first by removing socalled “categorical funding” that including such schools. The community colleges were offered about $300 million to take on the ESL and related programs. But the adult schools under the categorical funding had been getting something between $700 million and $900 million annually — a mathematical fact not lost on community-college officials.
“There has been a tremendous amount of opposition,” Kara Rosenberg, principal of the Palo Alto Adult School and a founding member of ALLIES, one of six persons on its Steering Committee, said of the state’s plan. She expects changes in the Budget Revise, but most school officials are still trying to figure out its local implications. “Most community colleges are saying, ‘No, this is not a good idea.’ Nobody’s running to grab the money,” according to Jenny Costello, another key leader of the ALLIES effort. Costello is a professor and coordinator of ESL at Canada College, who has taught at the college for 38 years and once served as interim head of Humanities and Social Sciences. Other key players are Anniqua Rana of Canada College; Bob Harper of Campbell Adult and Community Education; Lionel de Maine of Sequoia District Adult School; Rachel Perez, Gavilan College; and Paul Downs of PDC Consulting, a facilitator working with the grant funding. “Most community colleges are not interested in trying to take on a whole new role with a lot less money,” Costello summed up. “We’ve been getting nothing but cuts and we’re trying to still fulfill our mission, which is basic skills, career technical and transfer. “And now you’re going to add a new level below basic skills, and with very little money to do it?” Costello said when she started as an adjunct professor there was a more competitive environment between the colleges and adult schools, but that has all but disappeared over the past decade, especially locally. In San Mateo County, the shift was expedited in 2009 when the North Fair Oaks Community Council met with the president of Canada College at the time, Tom Moore.
Several members of the North Fair Oaks council asked for Canada to bring courses into the community, specifically ESL and math to meet the needs of both the individuals and local businesses. That dovetailed nicely with a Canada initiative called The Neighborhood College, which Costello was spearheading. “It was to bring the college into the neighborhoods where our students live.” Canada also has an ESL program, called Community-Based English Tutoring (CBET), that offers college ESL courses at elementary schools for parents of elementaryschool children. “The (Sequoia) adult school was happy to give us space and this became like a bridge or a transition to college for the students who had finished the adult school classes” — becoming the genesis for the ALLIES efforts, Costello said. “So rather than competition this partnership is based entirely on collaboration. And because of this collaboration we eliminated the lowest level of ESL that we offer in the community and we send the students to the adult school. And then the adult school eliminated its highest level so there was no duplication of offerings. “Rather than trying to duplicate what we were doing we decided to align what we were doing. And it’s been beneficial for both institutions.” Both Costello and Rosenberg insist they are not trying to “tell others how to do something.” But they are happy to show others what they’re doing locally to resolve a decades-old confusion about respective roles and duplicated programs. N Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly. com with a copy to jaythor@well.com. He also writes regular blogs at www.PaloAltoOnline. com (below Town Square).
Streetwise
How do you feel about the new ban on smoking in all city parks? Photos and interviews by John Brunett. Asked on California Avenue and at Lytton Plaza.
Robin Lent
College counselor Menlo Park “It’s great. I think smoking and secondhand smoking are very unhealthy.”
Denise Kouzoujian
Gallery owner Menlo Oaks, Menlo Park “I think it’s good. The secondhand smoke is bad for children and elders in public spaces.”
Collin Hoctor
Student California Avenue, Palo Alto “It’s OK; I think it’s good for kids, but not good for smokers.”
Nancy Andrews
Caregiver East Palo Alto “It’s a good idea. There’s always children around, they litter and it gets dirty.”
Elena Portz
Student Stanford “I feel like that’s a good idea even though I don’t go to parks that often.”
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Spectrum
Letters
(continued from page 18)
and the parish that is very comfortable and dear to them. The people of St. Thomas Aquinas stand with the residents of Buena Vista in their desire to remain in their homes. Palo Alto really needs this diverse community of hundreds of people. They add such a positive balance to our upscale town. Palo Alto has struggled for years to increase the number of affordable housing units, and now there is a threat to remove hundreds of low-income housing opportunities in one sweep. It would take years for our city to build up the numbers again. It doesn’t make sense. Forcing all the people at Buena Vista to find other places to live is not right or just! Fr. Matthew Stanley, Channing Avenue, Palo Alto
Try to save BV? Editor, Buena Vista Mobile Home Park has been around for more than 80 years, providing “real� affordable housing for working poor families. During that time the area has become increasingly unaffordable. Buena Vista has given residents an option to live near their jobs and schools. It’s heart wrenching to think that 104 children in our school district would be forced to move out of our community. Some residents write that there is no difference between all residents
at Buena Vista losing their homes and a single family being priced out of Palo Alto due to a rent increase. This is not the same. If Buena Vista disappears,an entire class of working poor residents will be pushed out of Palo Alto forever. Not everyone in Barron Park wants to see Buena Vista redeveloped. My children attend Barron Park Elementary and I think my kids benefit greatly from the cultural and economic diversity at the school. I am grateful that my children are being educated alongside students who come from a variety of backgrounds; this is what the real world looks like and I think they will be more prepared as a result. 12 percent of our school is Buena Vista residents; these students are an integral part of our school community. I don’t have a proposal for how to save Buena Vista Mobile Home Park but I do believe Palo Alto benefits from keeping these residents in Palo Alto and that the City of Palo Alto should do everything in its power to ensure this happens. Eva Dobrov Ventura Court, Palo Alto
Let’s consider solutions Editor, I urge city leaders to work with my Buena Vista neighbors on a creative solution that allows them to stay in our neighborhood. My family moved to Barron Park for its diversity. My son attends Barron Park elementary where 12 percent of his classmates live in Buena
Vista. We all enjoy our various cultural backgrounds and cherish our Buena Vista friends. Other neighborhoods should be so lucky to have a wonderful community like Buena Vista in their area. The Buena Vista property sale raises a key issue for our city — do we value diversity? As a world traveler, I learned so much from other cultures, and am very pleased my family gets to continue that education in Barron Park. The sale is a unique opportunity for us to help our neighbors stay in our community, and find that “winwin� solution that strengthens us individually and as a community. The city is required, by its housing element, to do all that is “feasible� to preserve and maintain Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. Because Buena Vista is an invaluable part of our community, I urge the city to consider either of these “feasible� solutions (and brainstorm on other ones): (1) the Buena Vista Mobile Home park continues, under new ownership (given the tremendous wealth in this area, that’s certainly feasible), or (2) requiring a developer to provide affordable housing for Buena Vista residents in exchange for receiving a discretionary zoning change to also build upscale homes for more profit. Nancy Krop McGregor Way, Palo Alto
More than mobile homes Editor, I believe the city should help the Buena Vista community, which is
much more than a mobile-home park. The people who live in Buena Vista are our neighbors and their children are my sons’ classmates and friends. The Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan recognized Buena Vista because the city understands the value of a diverse community and the difficult position multiple landowners have when redeveloping their individual properties. The city’s stated policy is to ensure that all affordable housing, including family housing and units for seniors on fixed incomes, remains affordable over time. Our family lives in south Palo Alto by choice. We value the neighborhoods and our neighbors, and enjoy the richness that different ethnicities bring to each other’s lives. The mobile homes could be replaced but the people of Buena Vista are part of our city. The city should honor the Comprehensive Plan and work with the residents and the property owners to find a solution to keep residents who wish to remain in Palo Alto. This city is full of smart, creative people and we can come up with a plan that works. Keri Wagner Edlee Avenue, Palo Alto
Need affordable housing Editor, While the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park has a unique and historical place in the Palo Alto community, the real issue is the scale of the potential loss of affordable housing. It approximates the last 10 years of
such housing created in Palo Alto. The Bay Area population is growing. Palo Alto will become more dense. We need to facilitate housing development for households and families across the income spectrum. This supports our own economy and strengthens community bonds. Some 50 residents of Buena Vista work in Palo Alto, Stanford or PAUSD — an asset for families and the community whenever residents can live where they work. I urge the City Council to find a solution that creates the potential for Buena Vista families to remain in Palo Alto. With limited means, the largely Hispanic Buena Vista community has thrived through multi-generational, extended family, neighborhood and community relationships. All our children need enrichment of a shared experience in and out of the classroom that can only be had by living in a diverse community. This is a mass displacement issue: The park closure process must ensure due process for mobile-home owners under extreme stress of losing their homes, jobs and community. Any requests for zoning changes in a redevelopment plan must replace the loss of affordable housing. Buena Vista residents must have priority for such available housing. How we respond to this crisis reflects our community values. I trust that our city’s decisions will reflect well on us all. Sara Woodham-Johnsson Bryant Street, Palo Alto
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Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
Jazz that snaps and taps A world of sounds planned for Stanford Jazz season by Rebecca Wallace
The HooFeRzCluB Douglas Kirkland
Steve n Park e
From left, bass player Stanley Clarke, jazz-tap performer Savion Glover and pianist Herbie Hancock are scheduled to perform at the Stanford Jazz Festival this summer.
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wo of jazz piano’s greats will bookend Stanford Jazz this summer. The festival will run the gamut from Herbie Hancock to Chucho Valdés, with a world of sounds in between: bebop, blues, gospel, R&B, jazz guitar and organ, and even Disney-flavored tunes along with classic jazz. Now in its 42nd season, the Stanford Jazz Festival and Workshop runs from June 20 through Aug. 10 this year. After a special off-campus June 20 performance by the SJW Faculty All-Stars at Stanford Shopping Center, most of the shows are at Dinkelspiel Auditorium or Campbell Recital Hall at Stanford University. Hancock is about a lot more than his hit 1983 instrumental single “Rockit,” a pioneering blend of jazz and hip-hop. His decades-long, Grammy-studded career in innovative acoustic and electronic jazz includes recordings dating back to 1963. He’s been a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, a platinum solo artist, an Oscar-winning film composer and the producer who discovered Wynton Marsalis. Unfortunately for fans, Hancock’s June 22 solo show at Bing Concert Hall has already sold out. Hopefuls can sign up on the festival website in case a ticket or two becomes available. (continued on next page)
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Arts & Entertainment
From left, Afro-Cuban jazz pianist Chucho Valdés and vocalist Claudia Villela are booked for the Stanford Jazz Festival. (continued from previous page)
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Audience members should have better luck at the moment with tickets for the Chucho Valdés Quintet. Valdés, an Afro-Cuban jazz pianist, composer and bandleader, is also an award-winner many times over, with five Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards. He was born in 1941 into a notably musical family; his father was Bebo Valdés, an influential bandleader in pre-revolutionary Cuba, and his mother, Pilar Rodriguez, was a singer and piano teacher. According to Valdés’ website, he was playing piano by the age of 3. Valdés’ Stanford Jazz show with his quartet is scheduled for Aug. 10 at Bing. The festival combines big-name performances with shows by up-and-coming musicians. Many of the performers are teachers or students in the workshop’s jazzeducation program for kids and adults; some hang out at the university’s coffee house for more informal jams throughout the summer. Besides Hancock and Valdés, other big names this summer include Brazilian singer Claudia Villela, slated to perform with her band on June 23 in Campbell Recital Hall. Born in Rio, she also has longtime local roots; she moved to California in 1984 and has sung with the Stanford University Chorus and the De Anza College Jazz Singers. Villela is big on be-bop improvisation as well as more traditional Brazilian sounds. She’s quoted on her website as saying, “My singing is the sum of all the music I’ve heard, from Brazilian baroque to bossa nova to free
jazz, the nostalgic and modern.” For a different sound, audience members can check out Stanley Clarke on July 20 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. In jazz, bass players often stand in the back; Clarke comes downstage center with his acoustic and electric basses. He’s headlined many a show and toured widely with Chick Corea in the electric jazz-fusion band Return to Forever. He also designs basses and composes for films and television. Other starry performers scheduled for the festival include: organist Chester Thompson, formerly of Tower of Power and Santana, in a multi-artist “jazz organ blowout” on June 28; New Orleans pianist Henry Butler on July 24; multi-reed player and jazz educator Tia Fuller on July 27; and jazz-tap performer Savion Glover with his trio on Aug. 3. Local musicians include the Menlo Park duo Tuck & Patti on June 29, and pianist Taylor Eigsti, a workshop graduate and Menlo Park native, on July 28, July 31 and Aug. 6. Theme concerts include “Jazz in the Magic Kingdom” on July 25, in which pianist and violinist Victor Lin will play music from Disney films. Stanford Jazz founder and director Jim Nadel will also lead his customary “Early Bird Jazz” music-education event, on July 13, with another “Early Bird” on June 29 with Doug Goodkin and the Pentatonics. N Info: Ticket prices range from $28 to $150, with some free events. (“Early Bird” events are free for kids and $5 in advance or $10 at the door for adults.) For a full schedule of concerts and more information, go to stanfordjazz.org
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Arts & Entertainment
Worth a Look
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Art
Pacific Art League Seventeen photographers, many of them local, are part of this month’s “Light and Dark� photography exhibit at the Pacific Art League in Palo Alto. The 33 images on display include street shots, portraits and sweeping nature images, curated by Elizabeth Bernstein, co-director of the Royal NoneSuch Gallery in Oakland. Portola Valley photographer Elaine Heron is one of The photo “Cows Coming Home� was taken by Portola Valley photographer the locals taking part in the Elaine Heron in Myanmar. show, with her image “Cows through May 29; the gallery is open Tuesday through Coming Home.� Shot in Began, Myanmar, the photo depicts people and their cattle Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Go to newcoaststudios. in a mist of afternoon light and dust, distant temples in com or call 650-485-2121. the background. Frances Freyberg of Menlo Park contributed “The Hospice Patient,� a poignant portrait she took at the VA Palo Alto hospice as part of a community-service project. And Stanford clinical psychologist Robin Apple is showing her black-and-white street scene “Walking the ‘Hanging Georgia’ Dog.� Other local photographers represented include Veteran Palo Alto playwright Sharmon J. Hilfinger, Cherryl Pape and Luis Hurtado-Sanchez of Palo Alto. profiled by the Weekly in 2009 about her Emily DickThe free show is up through May 30 at 227 Forest inson play “Tell It Slant,� is back with a new piece about Ave. in Palo Alto; gallery hours are weekdays from 10 Georgia O’Keeffe. It’s the latest product of her fruitful a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 to 4. Go to pacifi- collaboration with composer Joan McMillen. cartleague.org or call 650-321-3891. “Hanging Georgia,� billed as a play with music, looks at the American painter’s relationship with photograNew Coast Studios pher/art dealer Alfred Stieglitz in the early 1900s: a “Color and Line� is a new exhibit, but the last exhibit meeting of two powerful artists. It opens at the Pear for New Coast Studios. The Palo Alto organization, Avenue Theatre in Mountain View, starring Hilfinger’s formerly the space of Fibre Arts Design Studio, has an- daughter Paz Pardo as O’Keeffe. Pardo played the Denounced it will focus on other things after this new show miurge in “Tell It Slant.� closes at the end of the month. The play, co-produced with the BootStrap Theater “We’re closing our shop and gallery, in order to focus Foundation, is a product both of the Hilfinger-McMilour efforts on providing artist services, design services len partnership and of developmental workshops with and studio/exhibition rental space. ... It just makes sense the actors and director Jake Margolin. It’s Hilfinger’s for our small team to focus on what we do best,� the seventh full-length play. Pardo, a graduate of Stanford New Coast folk said in a mass email this week. Those University in drama, has also delved into the writing services, they said, include helping artists better market world: In March, she directed a Brooklyn production themselves through social media and photographing of her original play “Duct Tape Girl and Fetish Chick their art. Artists will also be able to rent studio space Conquer the World.� at New Coast. “Hanging Georgia� previews on May 23 at 8 p.m., Meanwhile, the “Color and Line� show will feature opens May 24 at 8, and then runs through June 9, with the works of 20 artists in such media as acrylic and oil performances Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and painting, collage, prints, sculpture and textiles. Local Sundays at 2 (no show on May 25; one extra show on artists include Marianne Lettieri, Sam Smidt and Ellen June 1). Tickets are $10-$30 with discounts for seniors, Brook. students and groups. The theater is at 1220 Pear Ave., The free show will be up at 935 Industrial Ave. Unit K. Go to thepear.org or call 650-254-1148.
Theater
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CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Article XIIID, section 6 of the California Constitution, that the City Council of the City of Palo Alto will hold a Public Hearing at its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, June 3, 2013 at 7:00 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 the Water Rate Schedule to be effective July 1, 2013. Copies of the proposed water rate schedules are available on the City’s website at www.cityofpaloalto.org/ RatesOverview 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
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Star Trek Into Darkness ---
(Century 16, Century 20) There’s a speech in the old dramatic war horse “12 Angry Men” about reasonable doubt that an accused teenager has committed murder. “Now is this kid smart or is he dumb? To say that he is guilty you have to toss his intelligence like a pancake.” That about sums up the feelings many fans have about the current state of the “Star Trek” franchise or, as fans have taken to calling it, “AbramsTrek.” That’d be J.J. Abrams, the director and producer of 2009’s “Star Trek” and its sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Abrams and his screenwriting team of Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman & Damon Lindelof have a gift for 21st-century spectacle and a deficit of subtlety. That, one must concede, is a winning combination for a big-budget actioner like “Star Trek Into Darkness,” and the picture’s entertainment virtues don’t end there. As seen in the previous film, the iconic characters, handled with heart and humor, remain in the good hands of a fine ensemble, and Abrams’ tone of science-fiction sensation and sentiment has already proven successful. Still, there are tradeoffs in the hurtling pace, bombastic action and general breathless busyness of these pictures, which seek — like a good rollercoaster — to whip the customer out of conscious thought and into a heart-pounding visceral and emotional experience (now in 3D!). The approach allows and at times seems to demand a picture to turn on the dumb, in certain plot particulars. On the other hand, the picture’s ethical convolutions — as acted out by the arrogant but strategically skilled James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), the determinedly logical Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto), and a wild card from without (terrorist John Harrison, played by the splendid Benedict Cumberbatch) — feed into at least superficial sociopolitical allegory. Sidestepping spoilers, I can tell you that Kirk embarks on a mission of vengeance that eventually forces him to reconsider his moral position. Is he comfortable, as per the dubious orders of Starfleet Admiral Marcus (Peter Weller), condemning a man to die without a trial as part of a military operation?
Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine in “Star Trek Into Darkness.” Shadow-government shenanigans complicate Harrison’s motivations and, along with the remote missile attack heading his way, evoke American interventionist policies (the polar opposite of Starfleet’s “Prime Directive” of non-intervention, the bone of contention in the film’s opening sequence). They also evoke such specific modernwarfare tactics as drone strikes, and the larger issues of the freedoms we’ll forfeit and the moral stances we’ll compromise in the name of fighting a “War on Terror.” The film dares to critique “shoot first, ask questions never” policy and slap Hollywood’s wrist for so often celebrating violent revenge. I love “Star Trek Into Darkness” for that moral, even as ironically mitigated by nonstop phaser fights, pummelings and explosions. I’m less enamored of what the picture shares with its summerblockbuster predecessor “Iron Man 3”: a lazy or even nonsensical approach to writing the story out of corners, as well as the implication that an arrogant hero could stand to learn a hard lesson, followed by a resolution that gives little weight to personal consequences. As 2009’s “Star Trek” playfully engaged with the franchise’s history, this second Abrams picture works out metariffs on the original crew’s second feature film, 1982’s “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan,” including a shamelessly underwritten Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) and the motif of “the needs of the many” outweighing “the needs of the few,” or the
“SEDUCTIVE.”
-David Rooney, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
PIERCE BROSNAN
TRINE DYRHOLM
LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED A FILM BY SUSANNE BIER
FROM THE ACADEMY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR OF ®
“IN A BETTER WORLD”
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STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 17
CENTURY CINEMAS 16 1500 North Shoreline Blvd, Mountain View (800) FANDANGO VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.LOVEISALLYOUNEEDMOVIE.COM
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one. While ostensibly clever, the “Star Trek II” references cause the biggest headaches for this sequel, which would have been better off boldly going where fewer movies have gone before. So is the kid smart or is he dumb? Yes, and he’s fun to hang around with for a couple of hours. Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action and violence. Two hours, 12 minutes. — Peter Canavese
The Iceman --1/2
(Aquarius) True-crime enthusiasts won’t want to miss “The Iceman,” about a killer whose New York Times obituary was headlined “Richard Kuklinski ... a Killer of Many People and Many Ways, Dies.” Ariel Vromen’s docudrama about Kuklinski proves as matter-of fact as its protagonist, a New Jersey man who happened into a gig as a Mafia hitman while no doubt suppressing the urge to tell his boss, “I shouldn’t tell you this, but I would do this for free.” The product of a wildly abusive father (a fact briefly established in flashback), Kuklinski would rub out those who rubbed him the wrong way well before veering, in 1965, into mob killing. Michael Shannon (of “Take Shelter” and HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”) holds the screen with a typically intense performance. Vromen’s sturdy if unexciting direction has the feel not of a Scorsese
movie itself, but a fine Scorsesean knock-off: say, “Donnie Brasco” on a smaller budget. The presence of Ray Liotta as the mob soldier who contracts Kuklinski — and a twin focus on the details of a life in ugly violence and a suburban domestic existence with wife (Winona Ryder) and two kids — bring to mind “Goodfellas,” were it considerably more dour. There’s little verve in Kuklinski’s pursuits, marked by his “cold as ice” demeanor (his “Iceman” nickname also refers to his preferred method of preserving bodies until they can be most inconspicuously disposed of). The main selling point here, and it’s a considerable one, is Shannon, who shows new shadings in the role of Kuklinski, the focus of nearly every scene in the film. There’s tightly coiled rage, hard-earned, beneath the man’s icy exterior and hard worldview, and Shannon expertly delineates both the sensitivity that makes the anger possible and a disturbing confidence that develops over two decades. Still, there’s obvious mystery to a man who could — and does — kill upwards of 100 people with no compunction. Well, one compunction, teased by the film-opening interview query “Mr. Kuklinski, do you have any regrets for the things you’ve done?” Vromen saves the answer until the final moment, in one of many details that can be directly traced to the source material, Anthony Bruno’s book “The Iceman: The True Story of a ColdBlooded Killer.” The impressive supporting cast includes Chris Evans (disappearing into Richard’s professional colleague Robert “Mr. Softee” Pronge), James Franco, Stephen Dorff, David Schwimmer, John Ventimiglia and Robert Davi, but it’s all about Shannon — one of the most interesting actors working — and Kuklinski’s jaw-dropping story. The film’s big problem is Vromen’s unfortunate ability to turn that story into something plodding, but Shannon compensates with his potent characterization. Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content. One hour, 46 minutes. — Peter Canavese
The following is a sampling of movies recently reviewed in the Weekly: At Any Price --1/2 The Midwest farm, she ain’t what she used to be, many long years ago. That’s the sociological underpinning of Ramin Bahrani’s new film “At Any Price,” in which agribusiness puts the squeeze on an Iowa farming family. Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) would like to see at least one of his sons show an interest in one day running the farm, but the elder boy, Grant, has relinquished his golden-boy status and gone away to see the world, leaving his younger brother, Dean (Zac Efron), to feel the brunt of Dad’s expectations. With Henry’s farm leveraged in the millions, he’s had to double as a salesman for Liberty Seeds, a Monsanto surrogate that has effectively taken ownership of American farms by enforcing its patents on GMO corn. Still, if Dean evaporates, Henry resonates, as emblematic of an American economy — and American soul — in crisis. And even if making a move toward the mainstream, after such micro-indies as “Man Push Cart” and “Chop Shop,” stymies Bahrani a bit in his conflicting impulses toward realism and the broader sweep and cinematic classicism afforded by the wideopen, widescreen-friendly Midwest setting and movie stars (not to mention the race cars), the subject of the changing farm landscape feels fresh, and the stinging critiques of corporate greed and mutable personal values are enough to make “At Any Price” a thought-provoking drama. Rated R for sexual content including a strong graphic image, and for language. One hour, 45 minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed May 3, 2013) The Great Gatsby --1/2 It would be easy to have a knee-jerk reaction to Baz Luhrmann’s 3D “The Great Gatsby,” a movie that’s practically begging for such a response. But we’d do well to remember the old saw that there’s no accounting for taste. As on the page, one Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) tells the tale, in hindsight, of his unusual friendship with nouveau riche millionaire Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose pointedly larger-than-life lifestyle suggests a uniquely American facade. Gatsby lives in the hope of reclaiming lost love Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), now married to “brute of a man” Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Their Jazz Age tale plays out in Long Island, with Gatsby’s shoreside West Egg mansion positioned to longingly overlook the Buchanans’ East Egg property, its dock’s green beacon a symbol of Gatsby’s “extraordinary gift for hope.” For the drama to be effective, one must be able to buy into these characters as real people. While we can understand Gatsby as head-over-heels lover and all-American con artist, Carraway as a destined-for-disillusionment hero-worshipper, and Daisy as a tragic, tragedy-inducing wastrel, Luhrmann approaches the story and directs his actors in ways that hold them at a distance from us, making it difficult to buy into real people in a real world. The overkill plays less as bold art and more as lack of trust in the source material. As Nick says of one of Gatsby’s legendary parties, “It’s like an amusement park.” Exactly, old sport. Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language. Two hours, 23 minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed May 10, 2013) In the House --1/2 The teachers and students of Lycee
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“FASCINATING!”
Century Theatres at Palo Alto Square
-Mick LaSalle, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Fri and Sat 5/17 - 5/18 Kon-Tiki - 2:15, 4:45, 7:25, 9:45 Stories We Tell - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:50 Sun thru Thurs 5/19 - 5/23 Kon-Tiki - 2:15, 4:45, 7:25 Stories We Tell - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15 Tickets and Showtimes available at cinemark.com
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Movies MOVIE TIMES All showtimes are for Friday through Sunday only unless otherwise noted. For other times, as well as reviews and trailers, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies. 42 (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri 7:30 & 10:40 p.m. Sat-Sun 9:50 a.m. & 1, 4:25, 7:30 & 10:40 p.m. Century 20: 10:30 a.m. & 1:20, 4:20, 7:15 & 10:20 p.m. At Any Price (R) ((1/2 Century 16: Fri 7:20 p.m. Sat-Sun also at 1:20 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:30, 7:15 & 9:50 p.m. The Big Wedding (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 10:35 a.m. & 12:55, 3:20, 5:50, 8:25 & 10:45 p.m.
GraphicDesigner Embarcadero Media, producers of the Palo Alto Weekly, The Almanac, Mountain View Voice, PaloAltoOnline.com and several other community websites, is looking for a graphic designer to join its award-winning design team. Design opportunities include online and print ad design and editorial page layout. Applicant must be fluent in InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Flash knowledge is a plus. Newspaper
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Fri 7:30 p.m. The Croods (PG) ((1/2 Century 20: 10:45 a.m. & 3:55 & 9:10 p.m. In 3D 1:10 & 6:45 p.m.
or previous publication experience is preferred, but we will consider qualified — including entry level — candidates. Most importantly, designer must be a team player and demonstrate
The Great Gatsby (PG-13) (( Century 16: 6, 9:50 & 11:30 p.m. In 3D 7, 7:50 & 10:40 p.m. Sat 9:30 & 10:30 a.m. & 1:50, 4:10, 5:10, 8:50 & 11:30 p.m. (Sun last show 8:50 p.m.) Century 20: 10 & 11:45 a.m. & 1:15, 3, 4:35, 6:15 & 7:55 p.m. In 3D 10:50 a.m. & 12:35, 2:10, 3:45, 5:20, 7, 8:50 & 10:15 p.m. The Iceman (R) ((1/2 Aquarius Theatre: 1:30, 4:15, 7 & 9:45 p.m.
speed, accuracy and thrive under deadline pressure. The position will be approximately 32 - 40 hours per week. To apply, please send a resume along with samples of your work as a PDF (or URL) to Shannon Corey, Creative Director,
In the House (R) (((1/2 Aquarius Theatre: 1, 3:30, 6 & 8:30 p.m.
at scorey@paweekly.com
Iron Man 3 (PG-13) ((( Century 16: 9, 10:20 & 11:40 a.m. & 12:20, 1:40, 2:50, 3:40, 5, 6:20, 7:10, 8:30, 10:15 & 10:45 p.m. In 3D 9:40 & 11 a.m. & 12:50, 2:20, 4:20, 5:40, 8 & 11:30 p.m. (Sun last show at 9:20 p.m.) Century 20: 10:25 & 11:40 a.m. & 1:20, 2:40, 4:20, 5:40, 7:35, 8:45 & 10:35 p.m. In 3D 11 a.m. & 12:30, 2, 3:30, 5, 6:35, 8:05 & 9:45 p.m. Kon-Tiki (2012) (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Palo Alto Square: 2:15, 4:45, 7:25 & 9:45 p.m. Love Is All You Need (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri 7:40 & 10:35 p.m. Sat-Sun also at 10:50 a.m. & 1:55 & 4:40 p.m.
4 5 0 C A M B R I D G E AV E N U E | PA L O A LT O
Mud (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri 7:15 & 10:35 p.m. Sat-Sun also at 9:20 a.m. & 12:30 & 3:50 p.m. Century 20: 10:30 a.m. & 1:25, 4:25, 7:30 & 10:25 p.m. Oblivion (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri 10:20 p.m. Sat-Tue 10:10 a.m. & 4 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:05 a.m. & 1:55, 4:50, 7:45 & 10:35 p.m. Oz the Great and Powerful (PG) ((1/2 Century 20: 3:40 p.m. In 3D 12:15 p.m. Pain & Gain (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 1:30, 4:30, 7:40 & 10:40 p.m. Peeples (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 11:10 a.m. & 1:40, 4:05, 7:10 & 9:50 p.m. The Place Beyond the Pines (R) (((1/2 Century 20: 6:55 & 10:05 p.m. Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Guild Theatre: 2, 4:30, 7 & 9:30 p.m. The Seven-Year Itch (1955) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Sat-Sun 3:25 & 7:30 p.m. Star Trek: Into Darkness (PG-13) ((( Century 16: 10, 10:40 & 11:20 a.m. & 2, 2:40, 4:30, 5:30, 6:10, 8:10, 9:50 & 11:30 p.m. (Sun last show 9:50 p.m.) In 3D 9 a.m. & 12:10, 3:30, 7, 9 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 10:30 a.m. & 1:35, 3:15, 4:40, 7:50, 9:35 & 10:50 p.m. In XD 10:05 a.m. & 1:05, 4:10, 7:20 & 10:30 p.m. In 3D 11:15 a.m. & 12:05, 2:20, 5:25, 6:25 & 8:35 p.m. There’s No Business Like Show Business (1954) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Sat-Sun 5:20 & 9:25 p.m.
( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260) Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264)
Gustave Flaubert have returned from summer vacances for another year that promises to be soul-deadening. The big new idea? Uniforms for students. But when literature teacher Germain Germain sits down to his first set of student writing, he finds a diamond in the rough — and a world of trouble. Here begins “In the House,” the latest picture from French filmmaker Francois Ozon (“Swimming Pool”). Adapted by the director from Juan Mayorga’s play “The Boy in the Last Row,” “In the House” amounts to an insinuating mash-up of “Election,” “Rear Window” and “Adaptation.” As 16-year-old Claude Garcia (Ernst Umhauer) begins producing seductive prose, he begins having a dangerous effect on his new mentor, Germain (Fabrice Luchini). Claude’s homework assignments describe his real-life obsession with the upper-middle-class home of a classmate: Claude idealizes the place and the stability it represents even as he embarks (unwittingly) on threatening the stability of others. Rated R for sexual content and language. One hour, 45 minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed May 10, 2013)
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS FURTHER 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 on June 3 and June 10, 2013, at 7:00 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 2014 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 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
CinéArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-0128) Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260) Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies
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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 Council meeting on Monday, June 3, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. or as near thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, to Consider An Ordinance approving the rezoning of a 1.57acre site from Community Commercial with a Landscape Combining District (CC(L) to Public Facility with a Site and Design Combining District (PF(D)) zone, a Resolution amending the site’s Comprehensive Plan land use designation from Streamside Open Space to Major Institution/Special Facilities, and a Record of Land Use Action approving a Conditional Use Permit and Site and Design Review application for the construction of a 69-room, three story, 51,948 square foot building to house an expanded Ronald McDonald House program, and a Mitigated Negative Declaration for the project located at 50 El Camino Real. The Planning and Transportation Commission recommends approval of the project. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 25
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Sports Shorts
COLLEGE TRACK & FIELD
Stanford’s Carter among world’s hurdling elite
ON THE MAT . . . Gunn High junior Cadence Lee pinned down the third national title of her wrestling career by winning the FILA Cadet 108-pound division at the Body Bar Women’s National Freestyle Championships during the weekend in Lakeland, Fla. Lee won six times, including a bestof-three win in the finals, while pinning each of her opponents while earning a berth to represent the U.S. at the FILA Cadet World Championships to be held in Serbia in August. Lee’s coach at Gunn, Chris Horpel, will be honored along with Palo Alto High graduate and Olympic gold medalist Mark Schultz when both are inducted into the California chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Saturday at the Sheraton Hotel in Palo Alto. The event is already sold out. Schultz and his brother Mark, who won gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, already are “distinguished members” of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame — the highest such honor in the sport.
Friday College baseball: Stanford at California, 6 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
Saturday College baseball: Stanford at California, 6 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
K
Tuesday College baseball: Pacific 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
(continued on page 31)
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M-A senior George Baier (left) finished second to Carlmont’s Tim Layten in the 800 and 1,600 at the PAL finals, but the two won’t meet at the CCS semis as Baier dropped the 800 and Layten the 1,600.
Plenty of motivation to chase CCS berths at track semifinals by Keith Peters
F
or some, the semifinals of the Central Coast Section Track and Field Championships is just a mere stepping stone to the finals. For others, it’s a much different story. Take, for example, some of the story lines for Saturday’s semifinals at Gilroy High. Sacred Heart Prep senior Nico Robinson comes in as a favorite to advance to the finals in the 110 high hurdles, 300 intermediate hurdles and long jump. Last year, Robinson had to take the SAT the morning of the semifinals. He rushed to the meet, false-started out of the high hurdles, didn’t run the 300 IH and failed to qualify in
With CCS won, Menlo eyes NorCal tennis title by Keith Peters
Sunday College baseball: Stanford at California, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
the long jump and high jump. To say he has some motivation heading into this week might be an understatement. And then there’s Menlo-Atherton senior George Baier. He was the unlucky loser twice last year as he missed advancing in the 800 and 1,600 by just one place. Fortunately for Baier, one 1,600 runner dropped out and he made the finals, using the second chance to win the CCS title in 4:20.77. To be sure, Baier will not leave these next races to chance. Gunn junior distance standout Sarah Robinson also has motivation this weekend. She
ori Carter rarely holds back. Certainly not in a race, and rarely with her excitement. Reserved she is not. But after the Stanford junior repeated as the Pac-12 champion in the 100-meter hurdles on Sunday at USC’s Loker Stadium — winning by perhaps an inch by lunging to the finish line — she found little use for a lack of selfcontrol, even in the face of breaking her own school record with a sizzling 12.76. “Keep your focus,” Carter said of her thoughts at the time. “You’ve got a long day ahead. Do not be satisfied. You can celebrate Kori Carter has a worldit later.” leading time.tt By being patient, Carter indeed had even more to celebrate. Ninety minutes after her 100 hurdles victory, Carter put together an even more stunning performance by winning the 400 hurdles in the fastest time in the world this year and doing so in meet and stadium-record time. Carter’s 54.21 was the second-fastest in-season performance in collegiate history and another massive school record. It also allowed her to become the first Stanford woman to pull off a hurdles sweep at the conference meet. Carter’s victories highlighted the efforts of the Cardinal women, who placed fifth as a team with 86.5 points. Oregon won the women’s title with 139 and captured the men’s crown with 149.5. The Stanford men were 10th with 43. Her 400 hurdles victory came in another memorable duel with Arizona’s Georganne Moline, the fifth-place finisher in the 2012 Olympic Games. On April 6, Carter edged Moline at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, with Carter running a school-record 54.71. “I love to race,” Carter said. “When I have someone of her caliber next to me, I rise to the occasion. I feel like I can find another gear.” It was nearly too fast. Carter was so amped that her step pattern was thrown off and she ran the first five hurdles with the wrong lead leg. She knew Moline typically surges from the seventh through ninth hurdles and in her pre-race plan, Carter knew she would need to cover that move down the homestretch. But what Carter didn’t anticipate was her fast early pace. She went out hard enough to take the initial lead and felt so strong that she pushed aside Moline’s expected surge and pushed hard to the finish. Moline was second in 54.54 with both recording the fastest times by Americans this year, and UCLA’s Norbert von der Groeben
ON THE AIR
by Dave Kiefer
John Hale
ROWERS ADVANCE . . . Three local high school girls earned gold medals in rowing and trips to the national championships following successful efforts at the USRowing Southwest Junior District Championships earlier this month at Lake Natoma near Sacramento. More than 600 rowers competed for invitations to the USRowing Youth National Championships, set for next month in Oakridge, Tenn. Among those headed to Tennessee will be Sacred Heart Prep senior Danni Struck, Menlo-Atherton junior Katie Kelly and Woodside senior Makayla Karr-Warner. The US Youth National Championships are a precursor for youth rowers participating in the World Championships, which will occur in Lithuania later this summer. Struck got things started for the Stanford Junior Crew team by winning the gold medal in the Single Sculls event. Struck then teamed up with her club teammate Victoria Wallace to win silver in Double Sculls. Struck’s third berth to nationals came when the boat rowed by Struck, Wallace, Sharon Wu and Allyssa Meyer captured the bronze medal in Quadruple Sculls. The Stanford Juniors, coached by Monica Hilcu and rowing out of Redwood City, qualified a total of nine boats to nationals next month. Kelly and KarrWarner represented NorCal Rowers at the meet and won gold in Doubles. Rowers from Northern and Southern California competed alongside those from Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
Winning times at the Pac-12 Championships set her up for NCAA and maybe U.S. titles
J
ust when you think the Menlo School boys’ tennis program has achieved every milestone and broken every record, another is there for the taking. That’s the scenario for this weekend as the Knights take to the courts at the Gold River Racquet Club to defend their CIF-USTA NorCal Team Tennis Championship. Menlo has won nine of the 14 titles
since the event began in 1999, when the Knights captured the inaugural playoff title. Since then, only one team — Menlo — has won more than three straight titles. The Knights, who hold the record of four straight from 2009-2012, can make that five in a row with three victories this weekend in the Sacramento area. Top-seeded Menlo (24-1) opens Friday (1 p.m.) against the winner
between Lowell (San Francisco) and Shasta. A victory by the Knights will put them into Saturday’s semifinals against the winner of No. 4 Jesuit and Monte Vista (Danville) at 1:30 p.m. The championship match will follow at 3:30 p.m. The opposite bracket features No. 2 seed and undefeated Miramonte plus Central Coast Section runner-up Serra (19-2), the No. 3 seed.
Menlo is coming off its 12th CCS title, a 13-5 victory over Serra last Friday at Courtside Club in Los Gatos. The Knights were missing the brother tandem of Richard and Victor Pham, who were traveling that day to a big USTA qualifying tournament in Southern California. Despite the fact Menlo head coach Bill Shine had to juggle his lineup (continued on page 31)
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Sports
Local baseball trio advances in CCS playoffs Palo Alto, Menlo School and Sacred Heart Prep take on tough foes in the quarterfinals on Saturday by Andrew Preimesberger
T
he first round of the Central Coast Section baseball playoffs is complete. Now, things get much more difficult for the local survivors. That group includes Palo Alto, Menlo School and Sacred Heart Prep. Menlo-Atherton fell by the wayside following a 3-2 loss to San Benito in Division I action Wednesday. Paly, Menlo and SHP will take a combined 61-61 record all-time in the postseason against opponents with a combined mark of 122-65 with 10 section titles. The level of competition will be higher as the Vikings, Knights and Gators take underdog roles into the quarterfinals on Saturday. Fifth-seeded Palo Alto (17-15) will face No. 4 Bellarmine (25-6). Fifth-seeded Menlo (20-7) will take on No. 4 Soquel (17-11-2) and No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep (19-9) tangles with No. 2 Pacific Grove (28-0), the defending CCS Division III champion. Times and sites were announced late Thursday night. Division III semifinals will be Tuesday with Division I semis set for Wednesday, all at San Jose Municipal Stadium. Championship games will be Saturday, May 25, at Muni. All three local teams advanced in
varying fashion on Wednesday. At Palo Alto, junior second baseman Bowen Gerould had three hits and four RBI to lead Palo Alto to a 12-4 victory over No. 12 Watsonville that ended a four-game losing streak. “We’ve overachieved this year,� said Paly head coach Erick Raich. “We’ve had some guys not play their normal positions but battle through it. Hopefully, we finish out the season on our ‘A’ game.� The Wildcats (16-10) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Vikings’ third baseman Jack Cleasby made an error on Dimitrio Navarro’s ground ball that allowed two runners to score. But Palo Alto responded immediately in the second inning when senior Michael Strong ripped a basesclearing double to put the Vikings up 4-2. “We did a great job with runners in scoring position today,� said Raich. “Offensively, we haven’t had too many issues. We can swing it but that’s not what wins championships —pitching and defense does.� The bats stayed hot for Paly in the fourth inning when senior Austin Poore drilled a lead-off triple to start a rally that eventually gave the Vikings an 8-4 lead. “I got a fastball up in the zone and turned on it,� said Poore, who plans
to attend Stanford University in the fall. Junior pitcher Danny Erlich shut the door for the Vikings in the fourth and fifth innings, fanning three and allowing no hits. Paly’s offense then erupted in the sixth inning when Gerould roped a two-run double into the left-center gap, all but wrapping up the win. Gerould, who hit .269 for the season, had his second three-hit game of the year. “I was seeing the ball well today,� said Gerould. “I was just watching it in. I had a new approach, and I was just trying to stick with that through the game.� “Hopefully we can use this game to get back on track and make a run in CCS,� said Poore, who finished with three hits. The Division I quarterfinals will feature four West Catholic Athletic League teams after Serra, Mitty and St. Francis all advanced Wednesday. In another Division I opener, No. 14 seed Menlo-Atherton (17-11) gave No. 3 San Benito (22-6) all it could handle before dropping a 3-2 decision. M-A ace Erik Amundson took a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth before giving up back-to-back homers to wipe out a 2-1 lead. Brett Moriarity gave the Bears
hope in the top of the seventh when he singled and took second on a sacrifice bunt. Paul DeTrempe ran for Moriarity, but was thrown out at the plate after a single to left by Charlie Cain. A flyout then ended the Bears’ season. Division III In a battle between two of the more successful schools in CCS baseball history, Menlo walked off with a 3-2 victory over No. 12 Carmel in a first-round contest in Atherton. The Knights and Padres have won a combined 78 section games. Carmel notched a run in the first on a lead-off single by Joe Bifano, who was sacrificed to second and then advanced on a wild pitch before scoring on a ground out. The Knights answered with two unearned runs of their own in the bottom half of the first when Mikey Diekroeger led off with a single, Austin Marcus walked and then sacrifice bunt that was misplayed left the bases loaded. Adam Greenstein then grounded to third, but the throw home was high to tie the score. After a fly out, Graham Stratford hit a grounder to short, but was quick enough to beat the relay to first and the second run scored. The game remained that way until
the sixth as both pitchers were dominate, throwing nothing but strikes as the game took only 1:23 to play. In the top of the sixth, the Padres’ No. 9 hitter ripped a 1-2 pitch over the left-field fence to tie the game. In the bottom of the seventh, Sam Crowder led off with a double. Jared Lucian then bunted down the thirdbase line with Crowder easily beating the throw to third. Joe Farnham was intentionally walked to load the bases. That set the stage for Diekroeger, who on a 3-2 pitch singled to right to give the Knights the walkoff win. The win went to senior Jack Redman, who threw a complete game while allowing only five hits and striking out four with no walks. At Sacred Heart Prep, the Gators got a complete-game five-hitter from Tyler VauDell and two hits from Mike Covell in a 4-1 triumph over No. 10 Live Oak (14-13). VauDell struck out five and walked just two, but fell behind 1-0 after the top of the first. The Gators bounced back quickly as Cole March walked and Covell singled. With runners at the first and third, March scored on a throwing error and Covell came home on a fielder’s choice. In the second, March scored on a balk and Brett Byrne made it 4-1 on a wild pitch. N
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Sports
Stanford women’s tennis, softball open NCAA action by Rick Eymer atalie Dillon was determined to attend Stanford University since she first laid eyes on the place at age five. Playing tennis for the 12th-ranked Cardinal was another story in itself. “Since day one it was my dream school,� Dillon said. “It was the first school I ever visited, so I assumed they were all like that. When I visited other schools, I was a little surprised.� Dillon turned her dream into reality, gaining admission to Stanford and asking Cardinal coach Lele Forood if she could, at least, walk on and try out for the team. Four years later, Dillon progressed enough that she earned a spot on the singles ladder and recorded the clinching point in Stanford’s 4-0 victory over Rice on Saturday. Her last appearance at Taube Family Tennis Center as a member of the 12th-ranked Cardinal becomes a memory that lives forever. Dillon, one of two seniors along with Stacey Tan, hopes to add another national title to the school’s legacy and her resume. It won’t be easy. The Cardinal (18-4) plays No. 5 seed USC (23-2), which won the Pac-12 team title with an undefeated run through conference play, on Friday in the Round of 16 at Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Urbana, Ill. The Trojans handed Stanford its worst loss of the season, 6-1, on March 30 in Los Angeles. Sabrina Santamaria (2) and Danielle Lao (9) gives USC two players ranked among the top 10. Nicole Gibbs, the defending national singles champion, is Stanford’s highest-ranked player at No. 13. Krista Hardebeck is ranked No. 14. Kristie Ahn follows at No. 25, with Ellen Tsay at No. 92 and Tan, who reached the NCAA singles championship match two years ago, is ranked No. 103. “We’re going in as the underdog and I love that position,� Dillon said. “We have everything, and nothing,
N
Kori Carter (continued from page 27)
Turquoise Thompson, the 2010 and 2011 champion, came in third in 55.18. Carter became the first Cardinal to win the event since 2005. In the process, she broke Moline’s year-old Pac-12 Championships record of 55.12 and the 1999 stadium mark of 56.55 set by UCLA’s Joanna Hayes, the 2004 Olympic 100 hurdles gold medalist. As well as Carter has run in the 400 hurdles in what has truly been a breakthrough season in that event, she came into the day with a dual aim. “I like both,� she said. “The focus the rest of the season will be on the 400 hurdles, but I did not want to give up the 100 hurdles title. That’s
to prove. We know what they will bring. At the NCAAs, you don’t know what will happen. Nerves are different. It’s game on.� Dillon knows something about being an underdog. Growing up through the public school system in San Francisco, she learned how to play tennis at Mission Playgrounds, with volunteer coaches. Most important, the lessons were free courtesy of the Youth Tennis Association, which provided after-school activities for neighborhood kids. “They provided a great service to the community,� Dillon said. “A lot of people went on to play in high school. Because of budget cuts, though, the program was ended two years ago.� Dillon, who played at St. Ignatius before coming to Stanford, remains committed to the program that allowed her to compete at a high level. “I’ve been working with the City’s Recreation Department trying to get the program back,� Dillon said. “It plays such an important part in giving kids something to do after school and keeping them out of trouble.� The program also allowed Dillon to develop her game outside of private lessons to he extent she holds her own as a singles and doubles player at a nationally ranked, Division I school. After watching the program from a fan’s perspective, Dillon wasn’t quite sure if she would fit in. Her first action came at the St. Mary’s Fall Invitational in mid-October of 2009. “I was so uncertain because I didn’t know my role,� Dillon said. “I didn’t even know if I belonged after looking up to Stanford for so long.� Dillon won her first collegiate match and reached the quarterfinal. Playing doubles with Logan Hansen, she won all three matches in which she played. “With time I gained more confidence,� said Dillon. Meanwhile, Stanford was well represented on this year’s All-Pac-12 Team as Gibbs was honored for the my ego talking.� The race that would feel similar to the 2012 conference final when she edged teammate Katie Nelms, in a school-record 12.99 to 13.01. This time, Carter felt UCLA’s Brea Buchanan in a side-by-side battle. It came down to a lean. Carter thrust herself across the line to win by 0.01, breaking her year-old Stanford record and achieving the IAAF World Championships `A’ standard (she had already achieved that standard in the 400 hurdles). It was the second-fastest time in NCAA Division I this year, third among collegians, sixth among Americans, and seventh in the world. “I knew we would dip into the 12’s,� she said. “I knew it was going to be a battle.� But for a long time afterward, Carter had no idea she had won. She had walked off the
third time in her career, garnering first-team accolades for the second straight season after earning a spot on the second team as a freshman. Ahn and Hardebeck were named to the second team. Softball Sophomore Cassandra Roulund is one of six Stanford players with a batting average over .300. The 13thranked Cardinal (37-19) hits .302 as a team. Stanford’s rate of success will be tested when it meets Tulsa (42-14) on Friday in the first round of the double-elimination Lincoln Regional, hosted by 14th-seeded Nebraska (40-13) and also involving Northern Iowa (26-24). The Golden Hurricanes have a team ERA of 1.80, with Aimee Creger (25-6, 1.04) owning the fourth-lowest ERA in the nation. Not that Stanford is overly concerned about its offense. “Anybody fortunate enough to play in the Pac-12 is prepared to play in the postseason,� Roulund said. “You can’t get better unless you play the best. We have power and we have ability.� Stanford is one of eight teams out of the Pac-12 in the tournament and has played 30 games against the current field, with a 16-14 record. The Cardinal is making its 16th consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, and is looking for a spot in the College World Series for the first time since 2004. Roulund was one of 10 Cardinal players honored on various all-Pac12 teams. She was named honorable mention along with Teagan Gerhart, Sarah Hassman, Leah White and Jessica Plaza. Kayla Bonstrom became the third Cardinal named Freshman of the Year, joining Jessica Mendoza and Ashley Hansen. Jenna Rich, who holds the school’s career RBI mark with 213, was also named to the first team while Hanna Winter, the team leader in hits with 68 (three more than Bonstrom), was named to the second team. N track and was heading back to the starting area before realizing it. Stanford finished with three individual titles, all by the women. In addition to Carter, sophomore Brianna Bain repeated as the javelin champion on Saturday. A few hours after the meet’s conclusion, Carter finally had time to rest, though it was in the vinyl chairs in front of her gate at LAX, waiting to board the airplane that return the team back to the Bay Area. “I’m extremely tired,� she said. But the wait allowed Carter time to finally reflect. “This just shows that all the hard work is paying off and I’m on the right path,� she said. “I’m really happy and excited for the future.� N Dave Kiefer is a member of the Stanford Media Relations Department
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Sports
Future is bright for CCS swimmers with big points back
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
by Keith Peters s good as the 2013 Central Coast Section Swimming and Diving Championships were for local teams, next year could be even better. The five area girls teams — Menlo-Atherton, Gunn, Palo Alto, Sacred Heart Prep and Castilleja — are losing only a combined 74.5 of the 641 points they scored. For the boys, exclude Castilleja and those squads will be missing only 129.5 of the 456 tallied last Saturday. Of the 1,097 total points scored by local boys and girls, 893 will be back in 2014. The Menlo-Atherton girls, meanwhile, return all of their 175 point while the Paly boys have 176 of their 227 coming back. “The future does look bright for our CCS swimmers,� said M-A first-year coach Lori Stenstrom. The M-A girls definitely will challenge for a section title after finishing fourth last weekend at the George F. Haines International Aquatic Center in Santa Clara. The Paly boys also will continue their quest of unseating Bellarmine, winners of 29 straight CCS titles, after finishing second for a 10th time. While the Bears and Vikings missed out on team honors, juniors Ally Howe of Sacred Heart Prep and Andrew Liang of Palo Alto left their marks while staking claim to even better performances next year after each swam away with two individual titles. Howe arguably had the best individual effort in the girls’ competition as she was involved in four school records, one section record and just missed a national mark. Howe came within a breath of setting an Independent School (private) national record when she sped
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Ally Howe
Nico Robinson
Sacred Heart Prep
Sacred Heart Prep
The junior swimmer won the 200 IM with a school record and broke her own section mark in the 100 back, just missing a national mark by .02, and swam on relays that also set school marks at the CCS Championships.
The senior track standout won the 110 high hurdles (14.58) and 300 IH (38.63) with meet records, won the long jump and tied for first in the high jump while scoring 39 points to help win the WBAL title by 12 points.
Honorable mention Caroline Cummings
Andrew Buchanan
Sacred Heart Prep lacrosse
Menlo golf
Annalisa Crowe
Patrick Fuery
Menlo-Atherton track & field
Maddy Price
Palo Alto golf
Bradley Knox
Menlo track & field
Sarah Robinson Gunn track & field
Brooke Stenstrom* Menlo-Atherton swimming
Brigid White
Sacred Heart Prep golf
Andrew Liang* Palo Alto swimming
Daniel Morkovine Menlo tennis
Nick Sullivan
Sacred Heart Prep lacrosse
Palo Alto track & field * previous winner
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
AQUAMANIA A BLAST FROM THE PAST
A FREE SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING EXHIBITION GAMES, FOOD, FUN, TRY SYNCHRO! SANTA CLARA INTERNATIONAL SWIM CENTER Monday, May 27 10am* – Noon Featuring Guest Performances from Cirque de Soleil’s “Oâ€? and “Le RĂŞveâ€? Watershows *Doors open at 10am for a Continental Breakfast ($5.00 donation, benefiting the Mission City Community Fund)
TRY SYNCHRO
After the exhibition, swimmers ages 7-11 will have an opportunity to get in the water and try some basic synchro techniques. If you like it, sign up for one of our Summer Camps. For information: call or ZZZ DTXDPDLGV RUJ Page 30ĂŠUĂŠ >ÞÊ£Ç]ÊÓä£ÎÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠĂœĂœĂœÂ°*>Â?Âœ Â?ĂŒÂœ"˜Â?ˆ˜i°Vœ“
to a 52.32 clocking to win her third straight section title in the 100-yard back. The national mark of 52.30 was set by Missy Franklin of Regis Jesuit (Colorado) in 2011, one year before Franklin became a star by winning four gold medals at the London Olympics. “I was definitely surprised,� Howe said. “That (record) was more of a long-term goal.� While she missed the national record, Howe broke her own section mark of 53.11 and, of course, wiped out her school mark. Howe’s winning time, though, is the secondfastest among private school girls in U.S. history. Howe earlier made up for her second-place finish last year in the 200 IM by speeding to a 1:58.23 victory, setting a school record in the process. Howe also anchored the 400 free relay team to third place in a school record of 3:29.65 and led off the fourth-place 200 medley relay squad that also set a school mark of 1:46.16. Monta Vista won the final relay to win the team crown with 223 points. Menlo-Atherton, which held a twopoint lead over the Matadors following the 100 back, wound up fourth with 175 points. The Bears missed third by two points and second by just 11. Defending champ Gunn was fifth with 173, Sacred Heart Prep was eighth with 135 while Palo Alto was 10th with 106. While the Paly boys came up short in ending Bellarmine’s historic win streak, Liang won his first two individual titles by taking the 50 free in 20.64 and 100 fly in 47.19. Liang had hoped to break the CCS record of 47.12 by Sacred Heart Prep’s Tom Kremer last year
in the prelims, but nonetheless came away with the second-fastest time in CCS history while lowering his own school record with one of the fastest times in state history. He also anchored Paly’s 200 free relay to third place and a school record of 1:25.26, another automatic All-American time. Team members included William Lee, Andrew Cho and Winston Wang. None are seniors. Liang finished off his meet with a school record of 44.96 on his leadoff leg in the 400 free relay. Paly finished third in 3:07.34, the No. 2 time in school history. Lee, a junior, broke his own school record in the 100 back with a 49.76 clocking and added a third place (1:51.56) in the 200 IM. Gunn finished a solid sixth with 102 points as freshman Daichi Matsuda and senior Tommy Tai had nice individual efforts. Matsuda set two school records, clocking 50.36 in the prelims of the 100 fly (he finished fourth in the finals in 50.68) and taking second in the 500 free in 4:33.41. Tai lowered his own school mark in the 100 breast from the prelims to 58.14 in addition to breaking his own school mark in the 200 IM with a 1:55.99 for 12th overall. Other local highlights on the day included a victory in the girls’ 200 free by Gunn sophomore Jenna Campbell in 1:46.35, a school record and automatic All-American time. Campbell set another school mark in the 500 free in 4:51.64, but the time got her only fourth in an event where she was among the favorites. Castilleja’s Heidi Katter was a somewhat surprising winner in the girls’ 100 breast in 1:02.13, also a school record and one of the fastest times in CCS history. N
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FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC
CCS track (continued from page 27)
missed last year’s meet after also missing the SCVAL De Anza Division finals due to a soccer trip with the U.S. Under-17 National Team. The same can be said for MenloAtherton junior Taylor Fortnam in the 3,200 and Gunn senior Eric Price in the triple jump. Each finished 13th in this meet last year, failing to advance by one spot. The Palo Alto boys, meanwhile, used the CCS semifinals as a springboard to winning the program’s first-ever section team crown last season. Whether the Vikings can do it again could be decided on Saturday. Senior Jayshawn Gates will have a say in that after finishing 18th in the 200 last year and 22nd in the 100. So will Nick Sullivan, who won the 200 (22.28) and 400 (49.24) at the SCVAL Championships last weekend. The Vikings won five events and took second in four others while
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This Sunday:
Now You’re Speaking My Language Rev. David Howell, preaching Confirmation Sunday
An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ
ST. ANN ANGLICAN CHAPEL A TRADITIONAL E PISCOPAL
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Menlo senior co-captains Daniel Morkovine (left) and Andrew Ball won a fourth CCS title. No. 3 singles and he responded with a pair of victories before sitting out the third rotation in favor of Nathan Safran. Eric Miller, a senior, and Gunther Matta, took over at No. 3 doubles and went 1-2. Of the five seniors who played Friday, the seniors produced eight of the 13 points. N
compiling 97 points to win the team title. Similar finishes will put Paly in great shape to defend its section crown. The Gunn girls, meanwhile, finished third with Robinson winning the 1,600 (4:57.71) and 3,200 (10:44.88). The West Bay Athletic League will be well-represented at the semifinals following the league finals last weekend at Gunn High. The Sacred Heart Prep boys and Menlo School girls won team titles while SHP’s Robinson and Menlo’s Maddy Price were the individual standouts. Robinson won four individual events to help the Gators score 148 points and dethrone defending champ Menlo School, which finished second with 136. Price, a junior, went into the meet with a four-event schedule and a chance to duplicate Robinson’s effort. She won the 200 (24.73) and 400 (58.13) and took second in shot put at 29-0 1/2 in only her second time competing. Price, however, scratched out of the 100 due to ham-
string discomfort. Nonetheless, Price’s efforts helped Menlo produce 113 points and hold off Notre Dame-San Jose (101.5) for the second straight season. Robinson, who may try his hand at the decathlon when he attends Dartmouth in the fall, got his team rolling by winning the 110 high hurdles in a personal record of 14.58, breaking his own meet and school record. Robinson added the 300 intermediates to his list of titles as he clocked 38.63 for another meet and school record. Robinson shared the high jump title with teammate Cameron Van as both cleared 5-10. Robinson then captured the long jump at 22-2 to finish his day with 39 individual points. At the PAL Championships at Terra Nova High, the Menlo-Atherton girls pulled off a one-point victory to claim the league finals while the M-A boys finished third. The M-A girls scored 89 points without winning a single event to hold off runner-up Sequoia (88). N
Shop the Palo Alto Citywide Yard Sale Saturday, June 8 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. A full-page ad with sale locations and merchandise will be available in the June 7, 2013 edition of the Palo Alto Weekly. Maps and sale listings will also be available online in late May at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale For more information about the Yard Sale www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale zerowaste@cityofpaloalto.org (650) 496-5910
CHURCH
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Keith Peters
and was able to insert reserves into the third rotation of the three-singles, three-doubles format, the Knights won comfortably. With the Pham brothers back in the lineup and the format back to four singles and three doubles, Menlo’s senior class appears ready to equal program history by winning three matches and reach 110 career dual-match victories — tying the Menlo seniors from last year. The current six-man senior class brings a four-year record of 107-2 into NorCals. “That’s pretty amazing,” said Menlo senior Morkovine. “Obviously, it’s a great class and we’ve had great coaching with Bill and David Wermuth. I’m proud to be a part of such a special class.” Morkovine played a significant role in the win over Serra. With the top-seeded Knights holding a 9-3 lead heading into the final rotation, Morkovine polished off his opponent 6-0 to clinch the win. Serra was making its first-ever appearance in the CCS finals while Menlo was in its 15th. The showdown showcased the final go-round of the three-singles, three-doubles format. The CCS playoffs will return to four singles and three doubles next season. While Shine had to juggle his lineup a bit, the expected result was still the same. Junior David Ball and sophomore Vikram Chari led the way with a 3-0 mark at No. 1 doubles and the rest of the Knights picked up the slack, as well. “I wasn’t very concerned at all,” Morkovine said. “We have a deep team. And we knew they weren’t going to be there.” Shine moved freshman Lane Leschly from doubles to
Inspirations is a resource for ongoing religious services and special events. To inquire about or to reserve space in Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 223-6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com
NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a public meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, May 29, 2013 in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Civic Center, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the City’s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday. Public Hearings 1. Greer Road Traffic Calming/Safe Routes to School Project: Presentation on the results of this trial traffic calming project for consideration of a Recommendation to the Planning and Community Environment Director for Final Approval and Project Retention. The project includes speed humps and warning signs on Greer Road between North California Avenue and Oregon Expressway. 2. 395 Page Mill Road and 3045 Park Blvd: Request by Tom Gilman of DES Architects Engineers on behalf of Jay Paul Company to Initiate Zone Change at 395 Page Mill and 3045 Park Blvd to a PC Zone to allow construction of two four-story Office Buildings totaling 311,000 sf at 395 Page Mill, and a three-story 44,500 sf Public Safety Building (public benefit) and associated parking in two basement levels and six above-grade levels in a Parking Garage at 3045 Park Blvd. Current Zoning District(s): ROLM and GM.) *Quasi Judicial Questions. For any questions regarding the above items, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2441. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. 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.
*** Curtis Williams Director of Planning and Community Environment
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