PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 ***************************************** 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 CONFERENCE ROOM AT 6:00 PM STUDY SESSION 1. Joint Study Session with the Public Art Commission CHAMBERS 7:00 PM
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Policy and Services Committee will meet on Tuesday, April 8 at 6:00 P.M. to discuss:, 1) Recommendation to Council an Expenditure Plan for Teen Programs From the Net Revenue Collected From 455 Bryant Street Rent. The Regional Housing Mandate Committee will meet on Thursday, April 10, 2014 at 4:00 PM to discuss: 1) Housing Element Update Workplan, 2) Site Selection Recommendation, and 3) Draft Housing Element Revisions. The Regional Housing Mandate Committee will meet on Thursday, April 10,2014 at 4:00 PM to discuss: 1) Housing Element Update Workplan, 2) Site Selection Recommendation, and 3) Draft Housing Element Revisions.
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jor. “I think its a good concept,” he says, noting he sees no reason why the humanities should be cordoned off from the sciences, and vice versa. In his book, “A Working Theory of Love,” Hutchins imagines a protagonist who attempts to recreate his father in a computer by inputting data pulled from his dad’s former journals. The novel raises questions around the concept of the “technological singularity” (the hypothetical moment at which artificial intelligence exceeds human intelligence) and whether sentient beings can exist on a hard drive. At Stanford, cross pollination between science and art has been going on for a long time. For example, the university’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, founded by the inventor of the technology that makes musical synthesizers possible, has been at the cutting edge of computer-based music for decades. So why is Stanford initiating these joint majors now? Powers thinks it is likely just a sign of the times. We’re living in a world where people are walking around with computers in their pockets, and, in some cases strapped to their faces. “We’re increasingly
aware that our technologies and tools are changing what it means to be human,” Powers says. “Individuals and all of these marvelous prosthetic extensions that we’ve invented in recent years, are all interconnected. It’s not humans against the machines. Humans and machines are one thing combined.” And just as artists and humanists are finding inspiration and big questions in the work of computer scientists, programmers are increasingly aware of their human end-users and the importance of injecting their creations with art and aesthetic appeal. Powers notes that one of Palo Alto’s most famous residents — the late Steve Jobs — may have understood this better than anyone. “He knew how to appeal to the desires of people and the dreams of people,” Powers says, noting that phrases like, “It just works,” and Apple’s longtime slogan, “Think Different,” had little to do with the computers themselves. That language “was not about machines, it was about human beings.” Jenkins says he is hopeful the new joint majors will help define what it means to experience a “broad liberal education” in the 21st century, which he described as covering “creative expression,
ethical inquiry, aesthetic inquiry,” as well as “coding and an introduction to technology and the sciences.” Hutchins thinks that the joint major might be able to bridge the “cultural gaps” he sees between the “techies” and the “fuzzies” — the names that Stanford students use to self-identify as either a science major or a humanities major. In his experience teaching at Stanford, Hutchins says he’s noticed many “techies” don’t like uncertainty. “They don’t feel comfortable talking about something that might have four correct answers,” he says. And, as for “fuzzies,” he says, “I also think there are humanities people who don’t feel confident talking about the sciences,” though he is increasingly seeing students from both groups reaching across the aisle. That’s a good thing, according to Powers. “It’s going to be tremendously exciting to work with students and to collaborate with students who understand that these aren’t two separate disciplines,” he says. “There are things that can only be addressed and answered as a combined exploration.” N Arts & Entertainment Editor Nick Veronin can be emailed at nveronin@paweekly.com.
Worth a Look Sculpture
The science of Rodin’s hands Pondering great works of art can teach us plenty about the human condition. In some cases, it can even give clues to a person’s medical condition. When Dr. James Chang first encountered Stanford University’s Rodin Sculpture Garden he was merely an undergraduate enjoying the work of the famous French sculptor, Auguste Rodin. Later, as he studied reconstructive and plastic surgery at the university, he began noticing that some of the hands in the garden displayed symptoms of specific medical conditions. Today, as chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford, Chang uses the hands in the undergraduate seminar he leads, called “Surgical Anatomy of the Hand: From Rodin to Reconstruction.” The Cantor Arts Center, in an unprecedented collaboration with Chang, has turned the seminar into an exhibit: “Inside Rodin’s Hands: Art, Technology and Surgery.” “I wanted to participate in this exhibition for the same reason I introduced Rodin into my seminar: to get students in the humanities excited about the sciences, and to get doctors to step out of the hospital to appreciate art,” Chang said. “I have found that artists and surgeons appreciate human anatomy with equal passion. Hopefully this will engage more students of art and students of surgery to cross fertilize.” Chang said that he looks forward to continuing to work with the Rodin collection even after this exhibit. He plans to continue teaching his seminar and said he has more Rodin hands to catalog and analyze. The exhibit begins April 9 and runs through Aug. 3 at the Cantor Center for Visual Arts, located at 328 Lomita Drive on the Stanford campus. Admission is free. The center is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 650-7234177, or visit the Cantor Center’s website at museum. stanford.edu.
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SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 2. Proclamation National Crime Victims Week 3. Selection of applicants to interview on April 16, 2014 for the Public Art Commission, Library Advisory Commission and the Human Relations Commission CONSENT CALENDAR 4. Policy and Services Committee Recommendation to Accept the Auditor’s Office Quarterly Report as of December 31, 2013 5. Approval of a Five-Year Contract with Oracle America, Inc., in the Amount not to Exceed $563,600 6. Approval of Wastewater Treatment Enterprise Fund Contract with Anderson Pacific in the Total Amount of $2,077,000 for the DMF Optimization & Secondary Clarifiers Improvements Project at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant - Capital Improvement Program Project WQ-80021 7. Finance Committee Recommendation to Accept the Inventory Management Audit 8. Approval of Extension of Contract Through 2017 with Bibliotheca, Inc. in an Amount Not to Exceed $300,000 for the Ongoing Purchase of a Radio Frequency Identification System (RFID) for the Palo Alto City Library - Capital Improvement Program Project TE-06001 9. Approval of Wastewater Treatment Enterprise Fund Contract with Monterey Mechanical Co. in the Total Amount of $374,100 for the Secondary Clarifier Number 1 Replacement Project at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Capital Improvement Program Project WQ-80021 10. Adoption of a Resolution Approving Amendment No. 1 to the 2009 California Oregon Transmission Project Long-term Layoff Agreement to Authorize the City of Roseville’s Withdrawal and Provide the City of Palo Alto with Voting Rights on Project Improvements and Financing 11. Adoption of a Budget Amendment Ordinance in the Amount of $880,320 to CIP SD-10101 and Approval of a Contract with Ranger Pipelines, Inc. in the Amount of $1,516,610 for the Southgate Neighborhood Storm Drain Improvement and Green Street Project, Capital Improvement Program Project SD-10101 12. Consider an Appeal of Director's Individual Review Approval of a Two-Story, Single Family Home at 4055 Second Street 13. Approval of a Contract Amendment to S13148916 with AECOM for Consulting Services in the Amount of $21,500 to Complete a Risk Assessment for Hazardous Materials at Communications and Power Industries (CPI) located at 607-611 Hansen Way 14. Sherry Lund Contract 15. Approval of Purchase Order for Annual Computer Replacement Equipment with Golden Gate Systems, LLC in the Amount of $422,230.31 16. Approval of Amendment No. 1 To Compucom Contract No. C12144913 In An Amount of $50,000 plus a 10% contingency for unforeseen expenses for Microsoft Azure Services Until June 2014 for additional disaster recovery for file services 17. SECOND READING: Park Improvement Ordinance for the Design of the Scott Park Capital Improvement Project. 18. Approval of a Water Enterprise fund contract with URS Corporation in the Total Amount of $1,009,854 for Professional Engineering Services for the Design and Construction Management Services for Coating and Seismic Upgrades of Four Existing City Reservoirs and Rehabilitation of Three Receiving Stations Project WS-07000, WS-08001 and WS-09000 19. City Auditor Contract Agreement ACTION ITEMS 20. PUBLIC HEARING: TEFRA Hearing Regarding Conduit Financing for the Stevenson House Project Located at 455 East Charleston Road Palo Alto, and Approving the Issuance of Revenue Bonds by the California Municipal Finance Authority for the Purpose of Financing the Acquisition and Rehabilitation of a Multifamily Rental Housing Facility 21. PUBLIC HEARING: TEFRA Hearing Regarding Conduit Financing for the Stanford Affordable Apartments Project Located at 2450, 2470 AND 2500 El Camino Real Palo Alto, and Approving the Issuance of Revenue Bonds by the California Municipal Finance Authority for the Purpose of Financing the Acquisition, Construction and Development of a Multifamily Rental Housing (Staff requests this item be continued to a date uncertain) 22. From Policy & Services Committee Staff Requests Direction from Council on the Naming of the Main Library 23. Finance Committee Recommendation of Fiscal Years 2015 to 2024 General Fund Long Range Financial Forecast CLOSED SESSION 24. City of Palo Alto appeal of Regional Water Quality Control Board Notice of Incomplete Application for Clean Water Act section 401 Certification for Golf Course Reconfiguration Project and San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority appeal of Regional Water Quality Control Board Denial of Clean Water Act section 401 Certification for Creek Flood Control Project 25. United States Post Office
Arts & Entertainment
Point near Marshall, Calif., by Marty Ricks.
Art
Your own private Idaho (and California) Working with a palate of toasty golden brown, deep greens and light, sky blues, landscape painter Marty Ricks has captured the essence of the rolling hills and gnarled oaks of California’s wine country in his latest collection of works, currently on display at the Atherton Fine Art Gallery. The Idaho native will be displaying his recent works at the Menlo Park gallery and framing shop through May 1. Collectors interested in impressionistic landscapes will find Ricks has a way of bottling the feeling of a moment, with his eye for color and his ability to convey movement — in the bend of a river, in the flitting about of wind-blown grass, or the lack of movement on a snowy, gray day in the Midwest (half of the collection at the gallery depict scenes from his home state). The Atherton Fine Art Gallery is located at 700 E. El Camino Real #165, in Menlo Park. The exhibit is free and open to the public during the gallery’s hours — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday. N — Nick Veronin