Upfront QUOTE OF THE WEEK
450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210
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, Terri Lobdell, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns John Brunett, Rye Druzin, Karishma Mehrotra ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Multimedia Advertising Sales Christine Afsahi (223-8582), Adam Carter (2236573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571), Janice Hoogner (223-6576), Wendy Suzuki 223-6569), Brent Triantos (223-6577), Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Inside Advertising Sales David Cirner (223-6579), Irene Schwartz (223-6580) Real Estate Advertising Assistant Diane Martin (223-6584) Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578)
An Independent K-8 Non profit School Individualized, Self-Directed Learning
DESIGN Design Director Shannon Corey (223-6560) Assistant Design Director Lili Cao (223-6562) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Paul Llewellyn, Scott Peterson Designers Rosanna Leung, Kameron Sawyer
“Follow the child”
Essential Qualities: Respect, Responsibility, Independence
Multi-Age Classrooms “Continuity is key to learning”
ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596)
“Children thrive on trust”
EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Online Operations Coordinator Ashley Finden (223-6508) BUSINESS Payroll & Benefits Susie Ochoa (223-6544) Business Associates Elena Dineva (223-6542), Mary McDonald (223-6543), Cathy Stringari (223-6541) ADMINISTRATION Assistant to the Publisher Miranda Chatfield (223-6559) Receptionist Doris Taylor Courier Ruben Espinoza EMBARCADERO MEDIA President William S. Johnson (223-6505) Vice President & CFO Michael I. Naar (223-6540) Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) Major Accounts Sales Manager Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Bob Lampkin (223-6557) Circulation Assistant Alicia Santillan Computer System Associates Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 3268210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. ©2013 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com
(650) 813-9131 State–of–the–art facility located at 4000 Terman Rd (cross street Arastradero) in Palo Alto
The Bowman faculty includes trained Montessori teachers, interns and teaching specialists who teach cultural, music and after–school enrichment programs. During the core school day our low student– to–faculty ratio enables us to place a strong focus on the child and deliver individualized teaching to each student.
Page 4ÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊÓ]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V
Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 223-6557, or email circulation@paweekly.com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
SUBSCRIBE! Support your local newspaper by becoming a paid subscriber. $60 per year. $100 for two years. Name: _________________________________ Address: ________________________________ City/Zip: ________________________________ Mail to: Palo Alto Weekly, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto CA 94306
‘‘
‘‘
PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505)
We’re pitting residents against residents. — Michael Alcheck, Palo Alto planning commissioner, arguing that a proposed development on Page Mill Road could bring a new police HQ but also huge traffic problems. See story on page 10.
Around Town WORKPLACE ETHICS ... The ethical climate at Palo Alto City Hall is generally sunny, though many city workers feel the city can do better when it comes to rewarding strong performance and encouraging employees to speak up about ethical violations. Those are results of a survey of more than 300 employees that was recently conducted by the Office of the City Auditor. The survey asked both management and non-management workers to consider a variety of statements and give each a score between 1 and 10 (Examples: “In my local government, I am expected to tell the complete truth in my work for the agency” and “The executives in my local government treat the public with civility and respect.”). The city then received a score between 1 and 100 from the management group and, separately, the broader employee group, with 75 to 100 connoting a “strong ethical environment” and 0 to 49 indicating that the agency’s “culture needs significant change.” Palo Alto’s scores were good but far from spectacular. The employees’ anonymous answers added up to a score of 75.1, placing the city in the lowest tier of “good,” The managers were more critical, collectively giving the city a score of 70, which signifies room for improvement. Many employees said they are not being encouraged to speak up about “ethically questionable practices.” Only about 30 percent put “always” as their answer to this question, with another 30 percent saying “rarely” (the rest were either “almost always” or “sometimes”). When asked if they’re surrounded by coworkers “who know the difference between ethical and unethical behaviors, and seem to care about the difference,” only about 30 percent responded “always.” Among the managers, the statements that scored the poorest related to whether executives “create an environment in which staff is comfortable raising ethical concerns”; “appreciate staff bringing forward bad news and don’t ‘shoot the messenger’ for saying so,”; and “appoint and reward people on the basis of performance and contribution to the organization’s goals and services.” These statements received scores of 6.1, 6.1 and 5.6, respectively, on a 10-point scale. The two qualities
that don’t seem to be an issue at all are civility and avoidance of corruption. A vast majority of managers gave the city high marks (8.7) for whether executives “treat the public with civility and respect” and “refuse to accept gifts and/or special treatment from those with business before the agency.” THE NEXT BATTLE ... Fresh off two successful petition drives and riding a tidal wave of both enthusiasm and rage, Palo Alto’s land-use critics are now plotting their next battle. The group includes opponents of a recently approved housing development on Maybell Avenue, a development that they hope to quash through a referendum. The effort hit a milestone last week, when they submitted more than 4,000 signatures for the drive, more than enough to qualify for the next general election. But now they are preparing to take aim at a bigger fish — the city’s “planned community” (PC) process, which allows developers to exceed zoning regulations in exchange for “public benefits.” Bob Moss, a Barron Park resident who took part in the Maybell signature drive, said the group is now discussing an initiative that would eliminate or severely restrict this zoning, which was used for the Maybell project and for two proposed developments on Page Mill Road. Moss told the Weekly that one idea he supports is not allowing PC-zoned projects in residential zones and requiring a vote of the people on any PCzone proposal. He noted that the exact nature of the ban has not yet been determined, but he said many residents agree that this issue needs to be addressed. “I think, from talking to people, that they’re not happy with the PC zone. I’ve been saying for years; it’s a racket. The private-versus-public benefit comparison — it’s a joke,” Moss said. His idea comes at a time when foes of dense developments are coalescing into a formal coalition. The new group “Palo Altans to Preserve Neighborhood Zoning,” which led the petition drive for the Maybell referendum, has formed an official political-action committee. Former City Council candidate Tim Gray, who is the group’s treasurer, told the Weekly that he has recently filed the needed paperwork for the coalition. N