Upfront 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505) 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 Intern Kimberlee D’Ardenne 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)
ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596) 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 EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Online Operations Coordinator Ashley Finden (223-6508)
It should be normal for us to have zero or one murders per year like any other community our size.
— Ron Davis, departing East Palo Alto police chief. See story on page 7.
Around Town
name and contact information and a short description of why the person is deserving. Contact Louise Pencavel at louise@midpenmedia.org or 650-494-8686, ext. 36. The deadline to submit is Friday, Nov. 22.
DIG THIS ... Palo Alto’s City Council meeting took a brief turn toward the bizarre this week when a giant penguin, a couple of pirates and a few construction workers in hard hats interrupted the meeting with a song. This wasn’t a Halloween parade, but an unscheduled public-service announcement from the Utilities Department. Led by their swashbuckling spokesperson Debra Katz, the group sang a song called “Call Before You Dig� to the tune of “Pirates of the Caribbean.� The lyrics were a bit of a bummer, but the message was clear: “If you hit a wire then you could expire — so call before you dig! And leaking gas can start a fire — so call before you dig. Yo-ho! Yo-ho! Call before you dig.�
BUSINESS Payroll & Benefits Susie Ochoa (223-6544) Business Associates Elena Dineva (223-6542), Mary McDonald (223-6543), Cathy Stringari (223-6541)
Located within walking distance to top neighborhood schools, family-friendly parks, ”‡…”‡ƒ–‹‘Â?ÇĄ Ď?‹Â?‡ †‹Â?‹Â?‰ǥ ƒÂ?† •Š‘’’‹Â?‰Ǥ The Hampton, our largest model, is one of Laurel ‡™•ǯ „‡ƒ—–‹ˆ—ŽŽ› †‡•‹‰Â?‡† …”ƒˆ–•Â?ƒÂ?nj•–›Ž‡ Š‘Â?‡•Ǥ Íś „‡†”‘‘Â?•ǥ ͜Ǥ͡ „ƒ–Š”‘‘Â?• Large basement for entertaining Čˆ ’’”‘šǤ ;ǥ͜ͺ͡ •“—ƒ”‡ ˆ‡‡– Čˆ From $2 millions Čˆ Čˆ
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. Š2013 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 223-6557, or email circulation@paweekly.com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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ADMINISTRATION Assistant to the Publisher Miranda Chatfield (223-6559) Receptionist Doris Taylor Courier Ruben Espinoza
Members of of the Palo Alto Utilities Department, dressed as pirates, penguins and construction workers, gave an impromptu sing-song public-service announcement at a City Council meeting Nov. 4. HOLDIN’ OUT FOR A HERO ... The Midpeninsula Media Center needs a hero — six, actually. The center, which produces videos and media online and on public-access channels in the Midpeninsula, is soliciting nominations for its 8th annual Local Heroes Awards. Six winners will be selected and short videos about their lives will appear on the local cable channels and on the Web. Know of a streetwise Hercules or a white knight on a fiery steed? It’s pretty simple to get them nominated: Just send the center your name and contact information, your hero’s
COMMUNITY BENCHMARK ... The mouth of the San Francisquito Creek at the Palo Alto Baylands will soon have a new spot for Palo Altans to try to spot elusive clapper rails or take a break while recreating on the Bay Trail. Friends of Palo Alto Parks are donating a bench and dedicating it to former city councilman and mayor Alan Henderson. “We are pleased to sponsor this new bench in honor of Alan Henderson and his civic involvement. Friends of the Palo Alto Parks hope that this bench, which affords a wonderful view of the Baylands, will provide a quiet spot for relaxation to the many Baylands’ visitors each year,� said Friends of the Palo Alto Parks President Liz Hogan. Henderson, who served on the Palo Alto City Council from 1971 to 1975 and from 1977 to 1981 and was mayor from 1979 to 1981, now resides at the Sequoias in Portola Valley. SOD BUSTERS ... Sudden Oak Death, a dreaded disease that has killed thousands of oak trees in California, is being closely monitored in Palo Alto thanks to the help of nonprofit group Canopy. In June, volunteers surveyed California bay trees, which are carriers of the disease. Volunteers took part in U.C. Berkeley’s SOD Blitz, which found that sudden oak death exists north of Woodside and east and west of Interstate 280. Eradication attempts in Atherton appear to be effective but require further monitoring. In Los Altos Hills, sudden oak death has spread eastward, however. None is currently in the residential areas from Atherton to Mountain View, according to Canopy. A disease-treatment training workshop takes place on Jan. 9, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Foothills Park in Palo Alto. Contact Sue Welch at sodblitz09@earthlink.net. N