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City collects extra $112 million

BY ELAINE GOODMAN Daily Post Correspondent

The city of Palo Alto’s citywide revenues exceeded expenses by $112 million last fiscal year, and $24 million in utility revenue was used to bolster the city general fund that pays for day-today operations.

Those figures are in the city’s An-

VENMO BACK ONLINE: Venmo says that an issue impacting the payment service has been fixed and it is “back up and running,” after users reported trouble sending and receiving money starting on Wednesday.

PRESIDENTIAL POWER: The Supreme Court today will hear arguments over whether the president can fire employees of independent agencies without cause. Liberals at the Federal Trade Commission, National Labor Relations Board and Federal Reserve argue that they are independent of the three branches of government. President Trump is trying to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook over charges she engaged in mortgage fraud, but she argues that the president can’t fire her.

TRACKING FACES: Police in Edmonton, Canada, have started a pilot project using AI-equipped body cameras to detect faces on a “high risk” watch list. The move by Axon Enterprise, the maker of Tasers and police bodycams, has raised ethical concerns, especially since the

[See THE UPDATE, page 4]

Outside auditor checked the books

nual Comprehensive Financial Report, or ACFR, for fiscal year 2025, which ended June 30. The City Council Finance Committee reviewed the ACFR during a meeting last week — where some council members questioned the

amount of administrative costs associated with the city’s business tax.

The city collected $5.7 million in business tax revenue last fiscal year, and spent $700,000 of that on administrative costs. In fiscal year 2024, the

business tax raised $5.4 million, of which $600,000 went to administrative expenses.

During the Finance Committee meeting, council member Keith Reckdahl questioned why administrative costs were that high.

“That’s a big chunk of the business

[See TAX, page 18]

Disability claims soaring

38% of Stanford students get special accommodations

Nationally, the number of college students seeking accommodations — often, extra time on tests — has been rapidly increasing, and Stanford is one of the leaders, an article in Atlantic Magazine says.

This year, 38% of Stanford undergraduates are registered as having a disability; in the fall quarter, 24% of undergraduates were receiving academic or housing accommodations.

Paul Graham Fisher, a Stanford professor who served as co-chair of the university’s disability task force, said, “I have had conversations with people in

[See STANFORD, page 18]

BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer

Woodside Town Council tomorrow will discuss possibly banning gas-powered leaf blowers as the town strives to become carbon neutral. But some residents are concerned the switch might hamper fire prevention.

Town may ban gas leaf blowers Despite concerns over

fire mitigation

Last year, council considered banning gas-powered leaf blowers and approved an agreement with Peninsula Clean Energy to fund an incentive pro-

gram for those who switched over to electric gardening equipment.

In February, the town introduced an Electric Garden Voucher program to help gardeners switch to electric equipment. Residents are able to receive $250, while local businesses and

[See GAS, page 18]

ON CAMPUS — Nearly four in 10 Stanford students claim they need special accommodations because they’re disabled. File photo.

Locally owned, independent

Spacious two-story traditional home with fresh updates

· 5 bedrooms and 2.5 baths

· Approx. 2,397 sq. ft. of living space (per County records)

· · Formal living and dining rooms plus family room

· Upstairs primary suite and adjacent bedroom with direct access, ideal for a nursery

· Attached 2-car garage with laundry area

· Inviting rear yard with pool, spa, and low-maintenance landscaping

· Western hill views from the front of the home

· Lot size of approx. 6,955 sq. ft. (per County records)

· Excellent close-in location near Fremont Older Open Space Preserve yet only 2.5 miles to the Saratoga Village

· Acclaimed Cupertino schools

Social worker killed in hospital attack

A 31-year-old social worker who was stabbed multiple times in an attack at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital has died, police said.

The name of the victim has not been released by the city Department of Public Health, citing privacy laws.

A suspect, Wilfredo Tortolero Arriechi, 34, of San Francisco, was taken into custody after the attack about 1:39 p.m. Thursday, police said.

The incident occurred in a hallway in the hospital’s Ward 86, according to a statement from the San Francisco

County Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for security at the hospital. Ward 86 is the location of the HIV clinic at the hospital’s main campus.

The victim’s injuries included wounds to the neck and shoulder.

Deputies recovered a 5-inch kitchen

knife believed to have been used in the attack.

Tortolero Arriechi was booked into jail for attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, mayhem and being armed during the commission of a felony, police said.

Interim city attorney waits in wings

BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer

Palo Alto is set to hire a new interim city attorney now that Molly Stump plans to retire at the end of the year.

Council will consider elevating the city’s current chief assistant city attorney, Caio Arellano, to the job as interim city attorney until it finds a replacement for Stump.

Stump announced in August that she plans to retire after working for the city for 15 years.

Council hired recruiters Teri Black and Co. for $40,000 on Sept. 22 to lead the search for a new city attorney.

The application for the position is on Black’s website and closes Dec. 14.

The search firm aims to bring a preliminary list of candidates to council by

January, according to a report approved by HR Director Sandra Blanch. It takes around 6 months to complete recruitment processes for high positions like city attorney, Blanch wrote.

Council will be appointing a new city attorney between the end of February or early March, according to Blanch.

Arellano served as the city’s assistant city attorney for 10 months in 2022

before being promoted to chief assistant city attorney. Arellano has practiced municipal law for 17 years and has been an assistant city attorney for the cities of Santa Clara and San Mateo. As interim city attorney, Arellano will get a 10% raise. Arellano earned $240,306 in base salary in 2023, according to salary tracker Transparent California.

company previously paused facial recognition due to privacy issues.

NIGHTCLUB FIRE: A fire has devastated a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state, killing 25 people, including kitchen workers and tourists. The blaze occurred early yesterday in Arpora village, a party hub in North Goa.

TRAVEL BAN: The Trump administration will expand a ban on travel from 19 countries to 30 because they don’t have stable governments and can’t vet people coming to the U.S., said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

POLITICAL SHOWDOWN: Democrats, licking their wounds after losing a Congressional race in Nashville last week, are hoping to win a race for Miami mayor. Miami, with a large number of Cuban migrants fleeing communism, has become friendly turf for Republicans.

BRACKET TAKES SHAPE: Alabama and Miami are in, Notre Dame is out and Indiana is No. 1 in the College Football Playoff’s 12-team bracket. The undefeated Hoosiers vaulted to the top spot based on their history-making win in the Big Ten title game against Ohio State, which fell one spot after its 1310 loss. SEC champ Georgia was third and Big 12 titlist Texas Tech fourth.

BOMB-MAKER CONFESSES: Brian Cole Jr., 30, has confessed to allegedly planting a pair of pipe bombs outside the headquarters of the Republican and Democratic national headquarters in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, uprising at the Capitol. He confessed after his arrest.

Clara, and we’re qualified to publish legal notices such as Fictitious Business Name Statements (FBNs) and legal name changes. For more information, email ads@padailypost.com. © 2026 Palo Alto Daily Post. All rights reserved.

Births

Readers

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in Palo Alto:

May 25

Lucas Nathaniel Huerta, a boy

Hana Krichene, a girl

Toprak Olcer, a boy

Isaiah Aguilar Hernandez, a boy

Athena Xenia Botkin, a girl

Evan Janzer Chong, a boy

Timothy Delamare Naumann, a boy

Selena Andrea Hidalgo, a girl

Ali Hadi Saeed Jassani, a boy

Leen Mohamed Siddig Muneer, a girl

Amy Sofia Recillas Mendivil, a girl

Benjamin Liqiu Yang, a boy

Theresa Alina Zalkowitsch, a girl

May 24

Taylor Coronado Gonzalez, a girl

Abby Margarita Ichich Baran, a girl

Emilia Jimenez Martinez, a girl

Harlow Ray Medlock, a girl

Galilea Eliani Romero Mazariegos, a girl

Jana Diara Shayganfar, a girl

Nael Gastou, a boy

Madhav Iyer, a boy

Sai Lakzshay Velmurugan, a boy

May 23

Shaurya Reddy Adama, a boy

Sergio Uriel Chajon Ceron, a boy

Christian Thomas Cotzojay Mendoza, a boy

Nicholas Ryan Cotzojay Mendoza, a boy

Brienz Frances Carroll Frank, a girl

Chelsea Lexi Kao, a girl

Sofia Piucco Da Rocha, a girl

Pepper Louise Powers, a girl

Theodore Roberts Pride, a boy

Alexander Pustov, a boy

Malakai Sefo Abello Rhodes, a boy

Philip Malilo Rubin, a boy

Lucy Sage Schreierfawaz, a girl

Aayra Kapur Singh, a girl

Axel Minh Stalgrenle, a boy

Nyle Umar, a boy

Benjamin Sang Wang, a boy

Daniel Yiheng Zhu, a boy

May 22

Camilo Manuel Avina, a boy

Theo Ronald Brady, a boy

Grace Rachelle Brunello, a girl

Armin Kaiyu Fang, a boy

Samira Young Hamdy, a girl

Callie Anne Netter, a girl

Eloise Michelle Ramirez, a girl

Isabella Stengaard, a girl

Alessandra Marie Bringuela Tamula, a girl

Elizabeth Akane Valerio Tardencilla, a girl

Remco Natsuo Daichi Van Londen, a boy

Evander Alden Van Rhine, a boy

Alden Mehdi Smith, a boy

Reid Langston Smith, a boy

Costly RV plan

Dear Editor: I wonder if anyone actually read the report of why it will cost $7 million to deal with the RV/trailer parking issue in Palo Alto.

The city staff apparently decided to pad the budget with lots of things that were not requested:

• expanded safe parking for $400,000;

• an RV buyback program and storage for $150,000;

• “enhanced services” for $400,000;

• additional street sweeping at $245,000;

• and Palo Alto paying the towing instead of the violator at a price of $975,000.

Then, they say it will cost $4 million in signs but in the footnote they say we might not need them all. No mention of what each sign costs.

The report says engineering will cost $400,000 and $300,000 for administration, but the report states that City Council has already approved the spending for enforcement.

And people wonder why the city can’t get anything done.

Marc Fleischmann Palo Alto

Waymo near-miss

Dear Editor: Richard Almond (Post letters, Dec. 1) thinks it’s time to encourage driverless cars.

On the evening of the Los Altos Fes-

Opinion

tival of Parade of Lights, I observed two Waymo cars waiting at a red light on Los Altos Avenue at the intersection with Edith Avenue.

The intersection was busy with pedestrians walking to the parade. The opposite side of the intersection was blocked for the parade and fortunately was controlled by police.

When the light changed to green, the first Waymo car turned left, nearly running into pedestrians in the crosswalk who had the right of way.

They were saved from injury by warning shouts from the police.

The second Waymo car drove straight across the intersection toward the blocked street, nearly running into the police.

Waymo is not safe for our towns yet.

Susan Sorensen Los Altos

Rely on common sense

Dear Editor: Menlo Park paid a consultant $165,000 to tell them what will happen if affordable housing is built on downtown parking lots. They could have saved money and got better information by reading the local newspapers.

The consultant claims housing projects would include replacement parking. Wishful thinking. That’s a priority, but not a requirement. Developers are unlikely to provide enough parking for

FAMILY-OWNED & SERVING ALL FAITHS

MORTUARY

CITY OF PALO ALTO

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

NOTICE IS HEREBY 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 its Regular Meeting on Monday, December 15, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible, in virtual teleconference (Site: https://zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 362 027 238 Phone: 1(669)900-6833) or in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California, to consider changes to the Fi cal Year 2026 Municipal Fee Schedule. For those who are interested, individuals can participate virtually or submit comments in writing. Copies of the fee schedule setting forth any proposed new fees and increases to existing fees are available on the City’s website at www.paloalto.gov/budget and in the Administrative Services Department, 4 th Floor, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. There is a $11.00 per copy plus postage charge for this publication.

Mahealani Ah Yun City Clerk

the housing units, let alone replace existing spots.

In 2022, Los Altos approved a 90unit affordable housing complex with 90 parking places. The developer had to cut 50 of those spots to reduce costs in order to get funding.

The consultant says increased traffic would be mitigated by proximity to public transit, but that won’t help people who work multiple jobs, odd shifts, or need a car or truck for their work. Without onsite parking, they’ll have to park on neighborhood streets, ultimately causing residents to demand residential parking permits.

The consultant claims more people living downtown will be good for business, with renters earning about $80,000/year.

It’s unlikely those residents will shop at Draeger’s or frequent upscale restaurants on Santa Cruz Ave.

Housing or parking. When this proposal hits the ballot next year, Menlo Park residents will have a tough decision to make, but facts and common sense should guide the outcome.

Pat Marriott Los Altos

Great school choice

Dear Editor: While the college graduates will experience the jobless, upstaged by the AI and robot invasion, they’ll move back to their parents

homes. But it will be great news if they graduate with a diploma from a vocational school after one or two years.

Graduating with training for a useful profession is an excellent choice! As an outstanding graduate of a vocational school for lab technician in chemistry, I was offered a job just one week upon my graduation.

We need to urgently increase the number of vocational schools all over the country and in the center of every big city. That would result in endless opportunities for young people to graduate with a useful profession with immediate job offers to follow.

Working and getting a decent salary will create a happy character with the pride of being a contributing citizen in our society, resulting in the crime free environment. Offer the retired professionals in every practical field a priceless opportunity volunteering as teachers and instructors in every vocational school.

Lina Broydo Los Altos Hills

Let the sun shine

Dear Editor: It has definitely been cold. Winter is very close, but the sun has been shining. Many people have complained about their monthly utility bills being so high.

One way to help curb that bill, decrease global warming and let all of us

CITY OF PALO ALTO

NOTICE OF RECENTLY ADOPTED ORDINANCE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that on December 1, 2025, the Palo Alto City Council adopted the following ordinances: Ordinance Repealing Chapter 15.04 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code and Adopting a New Chapter 15.04, the California Fire Code (2025 Edition) With Local Amendments and Related Findings (FIRST READING: 11/3/2025, PASSED 6-0-1, Veenker absent; SECOND READING: 12/1/2025, PASSED: 6-0-1, Lu absent). Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending Sections of Chapter 10.56 (“Special Speed Zones”) of Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic) to Reflect the 2025 Traffic Survey (FIRST READING: 11/10/25, PASSED 5-0-5, tone, Veenker absent; SECOND READING: 12/1/25, PASSED: 6-0-1, Lu absent). Ordinance of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Amending Section 18.08.040 of the Palo Alto Municipal Code (The Zoning Map) to Change the Classification of Property Located at 511 Byron St, 660 University Ave, and 680 University Ave/500 Middlefield Rd from RM-20 Low Density Multiple-Family Residential (RM-20) to Planned Community (PC) (FIRST READING: 11/10/25, PASSED 4-1-2, Lu no, Stone, Veenker absent; SECOND READING: 12/1/25, PASSED: 6-0-1, Lu absent). Text of the full ordinances is available at: https://www.paloalto.gov/agendas.

express more independence and sustainability, and still be comfortable, is for property owners to keep their trees thinned and opened up.

Let the sun come in, light our homes with joy and gratitude. The sun does not pollute, or make noise but brings enlightenment to our thinking, productivity, inspiration, enthusiasm, energy, hope, a sense of calm and peace, and grows our food.

There are no moving parts to break or wear out.

The sun is great for drying our clothes, winter or summer and can preheat our water.

Trimmed trees make our property

look bigger, more spacious, makes less of a mess for our neighbors to cleanup. And a trimmed tree reduces the possibility of a limb falling on one’s own property or that of a neighbor.

We should be doing what we can to keep our own utility bills down, using less electricity and gas, and helping our neighbors do the same and still remain comfortable.

We need to get away from depending on mechanical means to provide comfort, which can be expensive if it breaks, and more on ourselves and Mother Nature.

Jackie Leonard-Dimmick Atherton

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Poison mushroom warning sounded

Officials are warning foragers after an outbreak of poisoning linked to wild mushrooms that has killed one adult and caused severe liver damage in several patients, including children.

The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste.

Easily mistaken for edible ones

“Death cap mushrooms contain potentially deadly toxins that can lead to liver failure,” Erica Pan, director of the California Department of Public Health, said in a statement. “Because the death cap can easily be mistaken for edible safe mushrooms, we advise the public not to forage for wild mushrooms at all during this high-risk season.”

One adult has died and several patients have required intensive care, including at least one who might need a liver transplant.

Wet weather fuels the growth of death cap mushrooms, and officials warn against any wild mushroom foraging to avoid confusion. Residents in central California’s Monterey Coun-

ty became ill after eating mushrooms found in a local park, according to county health officials. Another cluster of cases was found in the Bay Area.

Children poisoned

There were more than 4,500 cases of exposure to unidentified mushrooms logged at America’s Poison Centers in 2023, according to their National Poison Data System annual report. Roughly half were in young children, who experts warn may pick and eat a mushroom while playing outside.

California’s poison control system sees hundreds of cases of wild mushroom poisonings each year. The death cap mushroom and the “destroying angel” mushroom look and taste similar to edible mushrooms, so experts warn that a mushroom’s color is not a reliable way of detecting its toxicity. And whether it is eaten raw or cooked does not matter.

People can have stomach cramping, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting within 24 hours after ingesting a toxic mushroom. Though gastrointestinal symptoms may improve, health officials warn that patients can still develop serious complications, including liver damage, later.

THE DEATH CAP MUSHROOM, like this one, has killed one person and poisoned at least 21 others in California. California Department of Health photo.

Animal activist guilty

An animal welfare activist who was convicted of taking four chickens from a Perdue Farms poultry plant in Sonoma County was sentenced to 90 days in jail.

Zoe Rosenberg, 23, did not deny taking the animals but argued she wasn’t breaking the law because she was rescuing the birds from a cruel situation. A jury found her guilty in October after a seven-week trial in Sonoma County.

She will serve the 90 days, but 60 of those may involve jail alternates, such as house arrest.

The activist with Direct Action Everywhere, or DxE, a Berkeley-based

animal rights group, has said she does not regret taking neglected animals for veterinary care.

The group named the birds — Poppy, Ivy, Aster, and Azalea — and placed them in an animal sanctuary.

Petaluma Poultry has said that DxE is an extremist group that is intent on destroying the animal agriculture industry. The company maintains that the animals were not mistreated.

“We’re grateful that DxE has been held to account for its unlawful campaign,” said Herb Frerichs, general counsel for Petaluma Poultry.

PROTESTER — Animal rights activist Zoe Rosenberg was convicted of taking four chickens from a Perdue Farms poultry plant in Sonoma County. AP photo.

Cinnabon worker fired over outburst

A Cinnabon worker in Wisconsin has been fired after a racist outburst directed at a black Somali Muslim couple went viral, the cinnamon roll chain said.

Cinnabon posted a statement on social media that the worker, who it did not identify, was “immediately terminated” by the franchise owner over a “disturbing video” of the incident.

‘I am racist’

The video was posted on TikTok and showed a white, female employee cursing at and taunting the customers from behind the counter as one of them recorded the encounter. At one point, she is seen on video uttering a racial slur and saying, “I am racist, and I’ll say it to the whole entire world. Don’t be disrespectful.”

The employee also is also recorded giving an obscene hand gesture at customers and exchanging expletives

with one of the persons at the store. The TikTok user who posted video said the incident happened while she and her husband were taking a break from shopping Friday at a mall in Ashwaubenon, a suburb of Green Bay. The customer said she ordered a caramel pecan cinnamon roll and had asked the worker to add more caramel as it didn’t appear to have enough.

Worker derided customer’s hijab

She said she began recording after the worker snapped at her and derided her hijab.

An online fundraising campaign to support the customers described them as a “black Somali Muslim couple” that’s been “traumatized” by the incident.

A competing campaign to purportedly benefit the fired worker, meanwhile, has raised tens of thousands of dollars.

THURSDAYS

Local

Birding

‘Frosty’ voice actor had 3 secret families

The voice of Frosty the Snowman, Jackie Vernon, had three secret families and fathered several children in each household.

In 1969, Vernon brought the character Frosty to life in the beloved animated Christmas special.

Vernon, a stand-up comic, also brought life to three separate families, each with a boy named Ralph. The families were hidden from one another.

Jackie’s son David Vernon said he learned of his father’s past during a surprise visit to his family home and met an unexpected guest.

Dad was ‘on the road’

“There was a woman there with a kid who was older than I was,” David said on the Nov. 30 episode of Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia. “He was probably in his late teens and a little rough around the edges looking.”

When the woman asked to speak with Jackie, David told her that he was “on the road” at the time. The woman then demanded to speak with his mother, which led to a bombshell revelation.

“I heard a somewhat heated conversation going on, and then a couple of minutes later they left,” he continued. “It finally kind of came out that before our family, my dad had been married at least three other times, which I was kind of shocked to find out.”

David also detailed the discovery of

his dad’s older kids, including one fact that seemingly bound them all.

Three Ralphs

“From these marriages, he had sons, and he named them all Ralph after himself — after his original name, Ralph Verrone,” David said. “But he also abandoned all these families, moved on.”

As Jackie advanced in age, he battled depression and addiction, which David described as “a hard struggle” for the comedian. But in his final years before his death in 1987 at age 63, Jackie came to find joy in Frosty’s evergreen quality.

“One of the last Christmases that my dad was around, we all watched it together and he was so proud of it,” David recalled. “He enjoyed it, he laughed at it.”

JACKIE VERNON was the voice behind ‘Frosty the Snowman.’

Hospitals nix trans care

California has been a leader in transgender rights and sex change procedures for youth. But as federal opposition to treatment has tightened, health care organizations in the state have followed suit, despite laws protecting providers and transgender patients.

Kaiser Permanente halted sex change surgeries for people under the age of 19 in July. Stanford Medicine did as well, and in June also stopped offering puberty-blockers. Both moves appear to violate state law, which protects such treatments for youth.

Stanford Medicine said the decision to make this change came after careful debate that resulted in what they say is the need to protect providers and patients.

“This was not a decision we made lightly, especially knowing how deeply this impacts the individuals and families who depend on our essential care and support,” Stanford said.

Looking for alternatives

Kaiser explained its decision by pointing directly at federal pressure. Kaiser said it is working with its patients who are minors to try to find them the care they need via external providers.

“We recognize that this is an extremely challenging and stressful time for our patients seeking care, as well as for our clinicians whose mission is to care for them,” Kaiser said.

Rainbow Families Action, a

nonprofit group of parents and trans youth, said that families they serve have told them that they were informed that Sutter Health would stop puberty blocking care as early as Dec. 10.

Sutter Health has neither publicly confirmed nor denied the allegation and did not respond to a request for comment.

Decision protested

Rainbow Families in Action wrote a letter to Sutter Health executives protesting the organization’s alleged decision and calling for meetings between Sutter leaders and families and to formalize a plan for continuing care for patients currently undergoing puberty-blocking treatment. “Our chil-

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dren rely on consistent, affirming care to live healthy, stable, hopeful lives,” reads the letter. “To just end that care, without warning, is unconscionably cruel. It is a breach of trust, a violation of medical ethics, and a direct threat to our kids’ mental health and safety.”

Difficult struggle

Advocates say that puberty is an especially difficult time for youth with gender dysphoria and their families. According to the Trevor Project, a nonprofit that advocates for LGBTQ+ youth, the already staggering rates of suicide among trans youth increased as much as 72% following a wave of anti-transgender laws passed in states beginning in 2018.

When puberty kicks in and bodies begin to change, trans children struggle even more.

Organizations opposed to gender-affirming care for minors are hailing the hospital operators’ decisions, calling them a medical and moral reckoning.

“For years, California legislators and progressive medical organizations dismissed all criticism of ‘gender-affirming care’ as bigotry,” the California Family Council, a religious organization that opposes youth sex change procedures, says on its website. “But as more evidence emerges, and as detransitioners continue to speak out, the narrative is collapsing.”

Procedures called ‘mutilation’

Groups like the California Family Council compare gender-affirming surgeries to “mutilation” and point to a report released in November by the Robert F. Kennedy Jr.-led Department of Health and Human Services that said the practice is harmful to youth.

“The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics peddled the lie that chemical and surgical sex-rejecting procedures could be good for children,” Kennedy said. “They betrayed their oath to first do no harm.”

PALO ALTO

WEDNESDAY

7:41 a.m. — Auto burglary, 2100 block of W. Bayshore Road.

8:10 a.m. — Vehicle stolen, 3800 block of Park Blvd.

10:31 a.m. — Auto burglary, 1100 block of University Ave.

12:26 p.m. — Vandalism, Stanford Shopping Center.

1:18 p.m. — Parts and/or accessories stolen from a vehicle, 1500 block of Page Mill Road.

8:32 p.m. — Auto burglary, 4100 block of El Camino.

9:02 p.m. — Auto burglary, 300 block of Sherman Ave.

11:01 p.m. — Auto burglary, Stanford Shopping Center.

THURSDAY

10:24 a.m. — Parts and/or accessories stolen from a vehicle, 300 block of El Carmelo Ave.

STANFORD

NOV. 25

10:38 a.m. — Petty theft, 700 block of Serra St.

NOV. 26

2:47 p.m. — Battery, 600 block of Escondido Road.

7:21 p.m. — Petty theft, 700 block of Serra St.

NOV. 27

6:47 p.m. — Electric scooter stolen, 600 block of Escondido Road.

MENLO PARK

FRIDAY

6:16 a.m. — Vehicle and cyclist collide, causing injuries, 800 block of Hamilton Ave.

8:32 a.m. — Vehicle stolen, 2300 block of Warner Range Ave.

9:51 a.m. — Check fraud, 1200 block of Bay Laurel Drive.

1:19 p.m. — Fraud, 1600 block of Stone Pine Lane.

1:26 p.m. — Vehicle hits a power pole, 200 block of Bay Road. Injuries reported.

11:47 p.m. — Vehicle stolen, 1400 block of El Camino.

SATURDAY

9:17 p.m. — Rubi Sanchez, 54, of Menlo Park, arrested for domestic battery, 1900 block of Euclid Ave.

MOUNTAIN VIEW

NOV. 28

2:09 a.m. — Burglary at Circle K, 1970 W. El Camino.

12:01 p.m. — Ryan Deanda, 48, of San Jose, arrested for burglary at Circle K, 1970 W. El Camino.

3:24 p.m. — Vehicle tampering, 2700 block of Del Medio Court.

3:24 p.m. — Home burglary, 900 block of W. Middlefield Road.

5:09 p.m. — Burglary at Public Storage, 1909 Old Middlefield Way.

6:49 p.m. — Theft at Target, 555 Showers Drive.

11:11 p.m. — Julio Fuegos, 19, of Santa Clara, arrested for DUI and driving with a suspended or revoked license, San Anselmo Way and Central Expressway.

NOV. 29

1:05 a.m. — Victor Perez Herrera, 24, of Sunnyvale, arrested on warrants, 200 block of Whitney Drive.

8:44 a.m. — Daniel Armenta, 44, of Mountain View, arrested for violation of a protective order, possession of drug paraphernalia, resisting police and on warrants, 1-99 block of Sierra Vista Ave.

3:30 p.m. — Theft at Trader Joe’s, 590 Showers Drive.

3:47 p.m. — Alexander Garcia Hernandez, 23, of Mountain View, arrested on a warrant, 700 block of Oak St.

4:01 p.m. — Vandalism at Savvy Cellar, 750 W. Evelyn Ave.

NORTH FAIR OAKS

WEDNESDAY

2:46 p.m. — Ramiro Cruz Cruz, 26, of San Jose, cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license, Marsh Road and Fair Oaks Ave. Incident handled by Atherton police.

THURSDAY

11:25 a.m. — Christian Jimenez Recendez, 37, arrested on a warrant, 3500 block of Middlefield Road.

1 p.m. — Leonardo Torres Naranjo, 59, cited for trespassing on railroad property at the train tracks near Fifth Ave.

4:35 p.m. — Imad Oubella, 46, arrested for assault, battery and

probation violation, 2700 block of Middlefield Road.

REDWOOD CITY

TUESDAY

9:15 p.m. — Hit-and-run, Port Walk Place.

9:51 p.m. — Salvador Top Borrayo, 34, of Redwood City, arrested for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, Hemlock Ave. and El Camino.

WEDNESDAY

4:14 a.m. — Man says he was assaulted, Chestnut St. Nathaniel Woodworth, 33, of Walnut Creek, arrested for parole violation at Jardin de los Ninos Park.

7:07 a.m. — Auto burglary, Walnut St.

7:15 a.m. — Auto burglary, Walnut St.

7:19 a.m. — Auto burglary, Chestnut St.

7:23 a.m. — Auto burglary, Kansas St.

7:37 a.m. — Auto burglary, Stambaugh St.

8:21 a.m. — Griselda Natalie Santillan, 38, cited for falsifying a vehicle registration, Woodside Road and Gordon St. Citation given by San Mateo County sheriff’s deputies.

5:26 p.m. — Fight reported, Redwood Shores Parkway. Jan Ulfert Deneke, 54, of Hayward, arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

THURSDAY

6:53 a.m. — Jennifer Rodriguez Torres, 30, of Redwood City, arrested for violation of a court order and vandalism, 1300 block of Maple St.

8:02 a.m. — Four charging stations left damaged after an apparent attempt to steal copper wire from them, Middlefield Road.

8:23 a.m. — Home burglary, Bay Road. Clothing and sandals stolen.

10:07 a.m. — Vehicle collision causes minor injuries, Veterans Blvd.

9:30 p.m. — Woman says her neighbor hit her in the face, Marshall St.

10:45 p.m. — Reports come in of a man punching someone in the face and a man taunting people and making threats, Marshall St.

11:02 p.m. — Esther Contreras Ramirez, 59, arrested for trespassing, 100 block of Franklin St.

SAN CARLOS

THURSDAY

12:36 p.m. — Nassima Fawzi Kaddoura, 49, arrested on warrants, 300 block of El Camino.

BELMONT

THURSDAY

12:05 a.m. — Noelle Lillian Keshmiri, 36, arrested for domestic battery, 1900 block of Hillman Ave. 3:27 p.m. — Alexander Emillio Reyes, 34, arrested for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and on a warrant, 500 block of Ralston Ave. 4:33 p.m. — Adriana Tanya Angeles, 35, cited for possession of narcotics, other drugs and drug paraphernalia, 500 block of Ralston Ave.

FRIDAY

8:48 p.m. — Complaint of a solicitor, Sequoia Way. Warning given.

SATURDAY

10:44 a.m. — Victim loses money to a phone scam, Twin Pines Lane. 3:56 p.m. — Sean Satoru Nakano, 56, cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license, 800 block of Ralston Ave. 7:56 p.m. — Woman steals shampoo and body cream from a store, El Camino. Amanda Nicole Michael, 34, cited for shoplifting.

CHP

From the Redwood City office of the CHP, which covers the Mid-Peninsula.

NOV. 22

Ernesto Celis Lopez, 31, arrested for DUI.

Miguel A. Gallegos Loara, 28, arrested for domestic violence. Yasmin Moreno Ramirez, 18, arrested for DUI.

Raul A. Ochoa, 42, arrested for DUI. Jesus A. Verduzco, 28, arrested for DUI.

NOV. 23

Batbuyan Baljinnyam, 45, arrested for DUI that causes injuries.

Carly M. Cash, 33, arrested for DUI.

Jesse L. Hoang, 31, arrested for DUI.

La Hyun Kim, 39, arrested for DUI. Joseph A. Suarez, 28, arrested for DUI.

NOV. 24

Gresia S. Delgado, 27, arrested for DUI.

Alejandro Rivera Perez, 33, arrested for DUI, driving with a suspended or revoked license and driving without a mandated ignition interlock device.

Real Estate

The Post prints the latest real estate transactions:

PALO ALTO

1301 Forest Ave., 94301, 3 bedrooms, 1716 square feet, built in 1941, Haskell Trust to Yan and Yiguang Xuan for $4,500,000, closed Nov. 7

1827 Cowper St., 94301, 6 bedrooms, 4440 square feet, built in 2008, Evgeny Loginov to Siyu and Ji Lin for $8,600,000, closed Nov. 6 (last sale: $7,425,000, 12-17-20)

101 Alma St. #1102, 94301, 1 bedroom, 828 square feet, built in 1960, Peggy Ting to Sakura Trust for $1,000,500, closed Nov. 4 (last sale: $400,000, 07-01-05)

MENLO PARK

20 Cerros Mnrx, 94025, 5 bedrooms, 3661 square feet, built in 2023, Personal Qual2012 to 130 Meadowood LLC for $7,000,000, closed Oct. 17 (last sale:

$2,645,000, 12-18-24)

LOS ALTOS HILLS

12130 Foothill Lane, 94022, 4 bedrooms, 2489 square feet, built in 1961, Hoff Trust to Muhibba and Syed Khan for $4,457,000, closed Nov. 6

13961 Fremont Pines Lane, 94022, 4 bedrooms, 4845 square feet, built in 1960, Faw Survivors Trust to Kumar Family Trust for $6,800,000, closed Nov. 7

MOUNTAIN VIEW

420 Mountain Laurel Court, 94043, 2 bedrooms, 1318 square feet, built in 1988, Vanessa and Gul Gazipura to Linxi Zou for $1,435,000, closed Nov. 3

(last sale: $660,000, 0213-06)

154 Granada Drive, 94043, 3 bedrooms, 1704 square feet, built in 1979, Yunxin Zheng to Anushka and Timothy Liu for $1,440,000, closed Nov. 4 (last sale:

$1,420,000, 11-06-18)

453 N. Rengstorff Ave. #15, 94043, 3 bedrooms, 1541 square feet, built in 1947, Yi Huang to Jonathan and Ana Maldonado for $1,550,000, closed Nov. 7 (last sale:

$1,010,000, 06-25-24)

139 Easy St., 94043, 2 bedrooms, 1406 square feet, built in 1986, Janet Gahagen to Soojin and ChiaCheng Lin for $1,580,000, closed Nov. 4 (last sale: $668,000, 06-20-08)

954 Burgoyne St., 94043, 4 bedrooms, 2161 square feet, built in 2019, Jun Zhou to Himangi and Peeyush Agarwal for $3,294,000, closed Nov. 4 (last sale: $2,550,000, 09-09-20)

ATHERTON

58 Marymont Ave., 94027, 6 bedrooms, 10580 square feet, built in 2004, Hu Family Trust to Zhiying Zhu for $16,500,000, closed Oct. 23 (last sale: $8,888,000, 05-25-06)

PORTOLA VALLEY

70 Stonegate Road, 94028, 5 bedrooms, 3135 square feet, built in 1951, O’Donnell Trust to Wakelee Trust for $6,200,000, closed Oct. 16 (last sale: $2,700,000, 06-16-00)

5 Redberry Ridge, 94028, 6 bedrooms, 7228 square feet, built in 2002, Patrick Gelsinger to Kunstadter Trust for $8,750,000, closed Oct. 20 (last sale: $6,250,000, 04-02-13)

WOODSIDE

319 Highland Terrace, 94062, 3 bedrooms, 1900 square feet, built in 1935, Batchelder Trust to Whearley Trust for $2,085,000, closed Oct. 17

REDWOOD CITY

967 Stony Hill Road, 94061, 5 bedrooms, 2252 square feet, built in 1957, Kathleen and Michael Hourigan to Qing and Ganhui Lan for $3,175,000, closed Oct. 21 (last sale:

$2,850,000, 05-09-19)

4 Woodleaf Ave., 94061, 5 bedrooms, 3610 square feet, built in 1982, Falkoff Trust to Jane and Sanjeev Dhanda for $3,750,000, closed Oct. 24 (last sale: $3,400,000, 03-11-21)

631 Marlin Court, 94065, 4 bedrooms, 3077 square feet, built in 1975, EK Living Trust to Tillmann Living Trust for $4,200,000, closed Oct. 24 (last sale: $1,602,000, 04-20-07)

SAN CARLOS

115 Crestview Court, 94070, 4 bedrooms, 2880 square feet, built in 1974, Higgins Family Trust to Zahra and Ali Zamani for $3,860,000, closed Oct. 21 (last sale: $725,000, 11-01-89)

70 Ensenada Road, 94070, 3 bedrooms, 3660 square feet, built in 1990, Stacy Young to Tulsee and Rahul Pandey for $3,900,000, closed Oct. 21 (last sale: $650,000, 07-01-92)

BELMONT

2307 Monserat Ave., 94002, 3 bedrooms, 2590 square feet, built in 1952, Cruz Family Trust to Singh Living Trust for $3,590,000, closed Oct. 23 (last sale: $170,000, 06-01-85)

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CULTURE JAPAN BRINGS AUTHENTIC JAPANESE language and culture experiences to Palo Alto. Their programs include Japanese conversation classes, calligraphy, origami, and seasonal workshops for all ages. Each class connects local families and students with Japan’s traditions and creativity, taught by native instructors from Japan. Want to read Japanese manga in the original language? You can! Planning a trip to Japan? Learn simple travel phrases and make your journey even more enjoyable. Culture Japan offers a fun and welcoming way to experience Japan right here in the heart of Silicon Valley. Learn more at culturajapan. com. Shown in the photo is Asako Sato, Director of Japanese Language & Cultural Programs.

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER WITH PURPOSE. At Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), education is more than a credential—it’s a calling to

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IVY+PREP IS COMMITTED TO EMPOWERING students on their journey toward higher education. Through personalized tutoring and application consulting, each student is met where they are. Daysha is a mathematics instructor and advisor at Eastside College Preparatory. She holds a Master’s degree from Brown University in math education and a Bachelor’s degree in sociology and data science from UC Berkeley. She mentored applicants in the Starting Point Mentorship and Getting into Graduate School Programs at Berkeley. At Brown, Daysha

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FOUNDATIONAL TUTORING, REIMAGINED. Mehr Sikri believes that anyone can excel in math. She has been teaching students for over 10 years (in both private and public settings in Palo Alto and Los Angeles) and for the past 7 years, she’s been working full-time on her EdTech startup: OpMath. Mehr’s goal has always been to develop a modern solution to help students

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KAMAKSHI AYYAR’S PERSONAL BIOGRAPHER SERVICE is dedicated to preserving your and your loved ones’ legacies through conversation-based storytelling. From moments, like the birth of a child, to decades-long journeys, like a big anniversary or birthday, Kamakshi will work with you to weave together details and create treasured heirlooms. Capture milestones, celebrations, and life experiences to pass down to future generations. She can also interview two or more people together to record their memories of an event or experience, or just have them talk about their relationship. As a Columbia University-educated seasoned journalist, Kamakshi will use her skills to help you tell your story in your own words. Visit www.kamakshiayyar. com or call (650) 656 1075 for more details.

DOES YOUR VACUUM NEED A LITTLE LOVE? The Vacuum repair shop is ready to take your rundown old vacuum and give it new life. Just drop

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The Saget family has two Steves, an Alex and more. They’re all expert repair people who also sell new and refurbished vacuums and sewing machines.

This is a traditional family-owned ﬁx-it repair shop for anything electrical. Call Steve or Alex at (650) 9686539 or just come by 1446 W. El Camino Real in Mountain View and drop off your vacuum or sewing machine. You can also browse the showroom for new and refurbished sewing machines and vacuums.

MEET

THE DR. CINDY POUW the new optometrist at Peninsula Optical in Downtown Palo Alto. As a therapeutic optometrist and glaucoma specialist, Dr. Pouw strongly believes in providing

the best care possible for her patients through comprehensive eye exams, contact lens ﬁttings, and the diagnosis and treatment of various eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma. Dr. Pouw is excited to serve the Palo Alto community and is looking forward to providing personalized care for you and your family. Visit Peninsula Optical showroom to discover a curated collection of exceptional eyewear. They luxury brands from; Cartier, Salt, Dita, Maui Jim, Zero G, Barton Perreira, Lunor, Lindberg, Tom Ford, Oliver Peoples, and more. You can visit Peninsula Optical in Downtown Palo Alto at 415 University Avenue or give them a call at (650) 326-8415 to make an appointment with Dr. Pouw.

COME ON DOWN TO WILLOW’S Market in Menlo Park today and order your Christmas feast. Don’t forget to pick up a couple bottles of your favorite wine. We’d suggest the Opus One to go with your prime rib dinner. Give Nick a call to place an order at 650-3220743 or stop in and say hi at 60 Middleﬁeld Rd in Menlo Park.

TAX ––––––

tax,” he said. Lauren Lai, the city’s chief financial officer, said the city contracts with Fresno-based HdL Companies to administer the tax. Their services include tracking down businesses that haven’t paid the tax, for which HdL receives a collection fee.

While collection fees were relatively high in the first two years of the tax, the city expects the fees to decrease over time, Lai said.

“We’re hoping that’s going to taper off,” she said.

Tax approved by voters

Voters approved the business tax through Measure K on the November 2022 ballot. The tax, which is based on the square footage of a business, went into effect in January 2023.

The tax was 3.75 cents per square foot per month through 2024. Starting in January 2025, the tax increased to 7.5 cents per square foot per month. The tax is capped at $500,000 per business each year.

The tax revenue is divided equally to cover three types of expenses: public safety; affordable housing and homeless services; and transportation and grade separation projects.

Through fiscal year 2025, $400,000 of the business tax revenue was spent on separating the street from the Caltrain tracks at Churchill Avenue, and $700,000 went toward grade separations at Meadow Drive and Charleston Road.

For housing affordability and homeless services, $500,000 of the business tax revenue went to modular homeless shelters known as Homekey; $100,000 went to a safe parking program for vehicle dwellers; and $200,000 went to a city plan for the San Antonio Road area.

All of the business tax revenue earmarked for public safety — $1.8 million in fiscal year 2024 and $1.9 million

in fiscal year 2025 — was spent. The expenses included additional dispatchers and traffic team members, and staffing a fire engine at Station 2.

As of June 30, the housing category of the city’s business tax revenue had a $2.5 million balance. The balance for transportation and safe train crossings was $2.2 million. Public safety had a zero balance.

City’s net position is $1.6 billion

The $112 million excess in revenues compared to expenses last fiscal year is what the city calls an increase in net position. Officials described the city’s net position — the difference between assets and liabilities — as being similar to an individual’s net worth. With the $112 million increase, the city’s net position grew to $1.6 billion.

The ACFR breaks down revenues and expenses in two categories: governmental activities, such as police, libraries, planning and parks; and business-type activities, which include the city utilities.

For governmental activities, revenues exceeded expenses by $35 million last fiscal year, as the city saw revenue increases from property tax, hotel tax and utility user tax.

For business-type activities, revenues exceeded expenses by $111 million. But the city then transferred $24.7 million of that excess to the general fund, which covers day-to-day operations.

Utilities contribute to excess

The transfer of funds from the city’s natural gas utility to the general fund is allowed by Measure L, which Palo Alto voters approved in November 2022. The latest transfer follows council’s approval in June of a package of utility rate hikes, including a 5% increase for natural gas.

Of the $112 million increase in net worth last year, $47 million was the city’s net investment in capital assets,

such as buildings and land. Work continued last year on the city’s new police station, Boulware Park and street and sidewalk projects.

The growth in net worth also includes a $22 million increase in “restricted” funds, which includes money with strings attached such as grant funding.

The city’s unrestricted funds grew by about $43 million last year, to $117 million. Although those funds don’t have strings attached, the city might have policies that direct the money to various reserve funds or for paying for employee pensions, finance officials said.

STANFORD--

the Stanford administration. They’ve talked about at what point can we say no? What if it hits 50 or 60%? At what point do you just say ‘We can’t do this’?”

At Harvard, more than 20% of undergraduates are registered as disabled, Atlantic reports.

Definition of ‘disability’ changed

The increase can be traced back to 2008 when the government broadened the definition of disability, effectively expanding the number of people the law covered.

That same year, the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), an organization of disability-services employees, issued guidance about how schools should treat students who say they’re disabled. The guidance said schools should give greater weight to students’ own accounts of how their disability affected them, rather than relying solely on a medical diagnosis.

Schools began relaxing their requirements. A 2013 analysis of disability offices at 200 postsecondary institutions found that most “required little” from a

student besides a doctor’s note in order to grant accommodations for ADHD. Accommodations can include more time on tests, use of technology not available to other students, or a place to take a test that is regarded as “distraction free.”

The Atlantic article quotes Juan Collar, a physicist at the University of Chicago, who said so many students now take their exams in the school’s low-distraction testing outposts that they have become more distracting than the main classrooms.

At Carnegie Mellon, students with what’s called social-anxiety disorder can get a note so the professor doesn’t call on them without warning.

Fraud?

The article points out that many students claim a disability to game the system, allowing them to get better grades. Studies show a significant share of students exaggerate symptoms or don’t put in enough effort to get valid results on diagnostic tests, the article said.

Disability advocates told the Atlantic that fraud is rare.

But the granting of accommodations has changed campus life. “We have a two-speed student population,” said Collar, of the University of Chicago.

gardeners could get up to $1,000 for switching to electric tools.

During that time, residents who lived in the western hills said they were concerned about how they would maintain their homes with electric leaf blowers, considering the need for fire mitigation efforts, according to Brandi de Garmeaux, town senior management analyst.

Some residents supported the change to electric leaf blowers because of the loud noises gas-powered ones made, according to de Garmeaux.

The ban will only allow gas-powered

(Practicing Covid-19 requirements

leaf blowers to be used on the lawns of private homes.

Council previously limited leaf blower use to 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in 2020, but is now looking to follow other cities that have banned the equipment.

Others who have banned gas-powered leaf blowers are Atherton, Menlo Park and Portola Valley.

Menlo Park approved a ban that started in July 2024, including a ban on gas-powered push lawnmowers, hedge trimmers and chainsaws by January 2029.

Menlo Park was looking for ways to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases in town, with plans for the town to be carbon neutral by 2023.

Atherton’s ban also started in July 2024 and offered a $250 rebate for residents who purchased an electric leaf blower.

Portola Valley passed the ban in 2019 and held a buyback program that offered residents $120 to switch to electric leaf blowers.

Woodside’s Town Council will tomorrow at 7 p.m. to review a proposed ban. The ban is proposed to start in July 2026 to help residents, local businesses and gardeners to take advantage of the voucher program.

King Day, Juneteenth cut from park holidays

The National Park Service will offer free admission to U.S. residents on President Trump’s birthday next year — which also happens to be Flag Day — but is eliminating the benefit for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

Some civil rights leaders voiced opposition to the change after news about it began spreading over the weekend.

12 left from attack on Pearl Harbor

Survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor have long been the center of a remembrance ceremony held each year on the military base’s waterfront.

But today only 12 are still alive — all centenarians — and this year none is able to make the pilgrimage to Hawaii to mark the event yesterday.

That means no one attending will have firsthand memories of serving during the attack, which killed more than 2,300 troops and catapulted the U.S. into World War II. As survivors fade, their descendants and the public are increasingly turning to other ways of learning about the bombing.

A heartache

“The idea of not having a survivor there for the first time — I just, I don’t know — it hurt my heart in a way I can’t describe,” said Kimberlee Heinrichs, whose 105-year-old father Ira “Ike” Schab had to cancel plans to fly in from Oregon after falling ill.

Survivors have been present every year in recent memory except for 2020, when the Navy and the National Park Service closed the observance to the general public because of coronavirus pandemic health risks.

The ceremony begins with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the same time the attack began on Dec. 7, 1941. Solemn rituals follow.

Fighter jets fly overhead in “missing man formation,” in which one jet

peels off to symbolize those lost. Survivors present wreaths to honor the dead, though active duty troops have assumed this job in recent years. Survivors rise to salute active duty sailors who themselves salute as their ship passes the USS Arizona Memorial, which sits above submerged hull of the battleship sunk in the attack.

About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary event in 1991. A few dozen have showed in recent decades. Last year, only two made it. That is out of an estimated 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day.

Vivid memories

In 2023, Harry Chandler spoke of seeing the Arizona explode, and of hearing sailors trapped on the capsized USS Oklahoma desperately tapping on their ship’s hull to summon rescue. He helped care for Oklahoma sailors after crews cut holes in the battleship.

“I can still see what was happening,” Chandler said. He died the next year at a senior living center in Tequesta, Florida.

The bombing has long held different meanings for different people, the historian Emily S. Rosenberg wrote in her book “A Date Which Will Live: Pearl Harbor in American Memory.”

Some say it highlights the need for a well-prepared military and a vigilant foreign policy. To some it evokes then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt administration’s “ineptitude or deceit” and the unfair scapegoating of the military. Others focus on the “treachery” of Japan or the heroic acts of individual troops, she wrote.

Asked what he wanted Americans to know about Pearl Harbor, Chandler said: “Be prepared.”

“We should have known that was going to happen. The intelligence has to be better,” he said.

PEARL HARBOR survivors watch a vintage WWII airplane fly over Pearl Harbor at the ceremony commemorating the 72nd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 2013, in Honolulu. AP file photo.

Home & Garden

Thief passes Faberge pendant

New Zealand Police say they have recovered a James Bond-inspired Faberge pendant after six days of closely watching the man accused of swallowing the jewelry in an Auckland store.

They said the pendant was recovered Thursday night after it exited the suspect’s gastrointestinal tract “naturally” without medical intervention.

The limited-edition, Faberge egg pendant was inspired by the 1983 James Bond film “Octopussy,” in which a jewel-smuggling operation involves a fake Faberge egg.

THE FABERGE pendant that a thief swallowed. AP photo.

Since then, he’s been in police custody and officers had been stationed round the clock with the man to wait for the evidence to reemerge.

The 32-year-old man has not been publicly named.

The egg, one of only 50 made, was crafted from gold, painted with green enamel and encrusted with 183 diamonds and two sapphires. The pendant is 3.3 inches tall and is mounted on a stand.

The man was arrested inside Partridge Jewelers in Auckland on Nov. 28 shortly after the alleged theft.

A less glamorous photo supplied by New Zealand’s police Friday showed a gloved hand holding the recovered pendant and its long, gold chain with an intact price tag showing the jewelry’s $19,000 value.

TIME FOR A NEW FLAME?

“The egg opens to reveal an 18ct yellow gold octopus nestled inside, adorned with white diamond suckers and black diamond eyes,” an item description said. “The octopus surprise pays homage to the eponymous antagonist at the center of the ‘Octopussy’ film.”

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