Palo Alto Weekly 04.02.2010 - section 1

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Stanford’s shot at NCAA Final Four Page 21

#ELEBRATING (OLI DAZE Stanford hosts colorful Hindu rite of spring page 12 Obituaries 11

Movies 18

Spectrum 20

Puzzles 35

N News Page Mill investors sue firm for millions

Page 3

N Arts Favorite son creates ‘Sons of Tucson’

Page 15

N Home Old Palo Alto: Walkable, bike-able, beautiful

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The Palo Alto Story Project

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Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Page Mill investors sue firm over millions Investors claim Palo Alto company committed fraud, misled them in East Palo Alto ‘scheme’ by Gennady Sheyner

P

alo Alto-based property manager Page Mill Properties committed securities fraud, misled its investors and engaged in an illegal and “morally offensive” plan to gentrify a portion of East Palo Alto, a group of Page Mill’s investors is

alleging in a lawsuit against the beleaguered real-estate company. Page Mill, which until recently was the largest landlord in East Palo Alto, has been facing a storm of criticism since 2007 from East Palo Alto’s tenants, tenant advocates and

city officials, many of whom accused the company of engaging in a “predatory equity” scheme and of flouting the city’s rent-control ordinance. But as court documents make clear, the company has also been fighting a legal war with its own investors, who committed to investing $30 million to a now-crumbling fund and are accusing Page Mill of withholding crucial information and misleading them about its East Palo Alto portfolio.

The conflict between Page Mill and 19 of its investors — including more than a dozen experienced realestate developers — reached a boiling point last October, a month after the company lost its East Palo Alto holdings to foreclosure. On Oct. 12, frustrated investors voted to oust Page Mill CEO David Taran from his position as the manager of the Page Mill Properties Access Fund, a real-estate fund that Taran set up to finance the East Palo Alto portfolio.

In the Oct. 12 “written consent,” the investors wrote that they have “lost all faith in Access Fund Manager’s ability to manage the Company, and legitimately fear that Access Fund Manager, if allowed to continue as managing member and manager of the company, will continue to pursue its own improper self-interests, thus causing both the company and its members further (continued on page 5)

ELECTION

Parcel-tax ballots to arrive soon Mail-in election seeks increased levy for Palo Alto schools

so much. “I branched out with white kids, Hispanic kids, African-American kids — people in every single corner, just like the corner I had out on the quad. “They were a little surprised that this Indian kid, this Asian kid, who could only do well in math, would stand up to do something not typically Asian, that we were not expected to want to do or succeed at. “This gave me a lot of satisfaction, especially when I won for the first time, which I didn’t really expect.” Many in the audience were immigrant parents, who described their challenges in trying to raise “American” children while maintaining their cultural values — and embracing new ones. “My mom always said, ‘Be a good girl, don’t make mistakes,

by Chris Kenrick oters in the Palo Alto school district can expect ballots in the mail next week for Measure A, which would replace the current school parcel tax with a tax costing an additional $96 a year. District taxpayers currently pay an annual $493-per-parcel, generating $9.4 million a year, about 6 percent of the school district’s operating budget. Measure A is a $589-per-parcel tax that would yield about $11.2 million a year for the district’s approximately $154 million operating budget. The parcel tax would expire in six years and would carry an optional exemption for seniors as well as a 2 percent annual “escalation adjustment.” A two-thirds majority is required for the measure to pass. The Palo Alto Board of Education chose a mail-in ballot rather than an in-person election when it unanimously voted to submit the tax to voters, saying it would save money. Voters in the Palo Alto Unified School District, which includes Palo Alto, Stanford University and parts of Los Altos Hills, should receive ballots in the mail Monday. Ballots must be mailed back no later than April 30 to ensure they are received by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters by the May 4 deadline, Measure A backers said. Ballots also may be dropped off at Palo Alto City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. A parent-led campaign committee, “Support Palo Alto Schools 2010,” has been holding weeknight phone banks to identify supporters. No organized opposition has surfaced in the Measure A campaign.

(continued on page 5)

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V Veronica Weber

Waiting in the wings Michael, left, and Luis, center, — playing a lion and a cub — wait backstage for their cue while performing the skit “Big Bully, the King of the Jungle” during AchieveKids’ Spring Showcase Thursday. Students, who range from 5 to 22 years of age and have developmental disabilities, showcased their talents in poetry, acting, music and signing. The nonprofit operates in Palo Alto and San Jose and is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

COMMUNITY

Students, parents reflect on ‘Growing Up Asian’ One-third of Palo Alto school enrollment is Asian American by Chris Kenrick

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hat does the growth in Asian enrollment mean for Palo Alto’s public schools, and the community at large? That was the question Wednesday night as some 200 parents and students — mostly, but not exclusively, Asian — gathered to reflect on “Growing Up Asian in Palo Alto.” The event was sponsored by the Palo Alto Council of PTAs and moderated by School Board President Barbara

Sih Klausner, who stressed that she was participating as an individual, not in an official capacity. About one-third of Palo Alto’s 11,680 public school students are Asian American, and about one in five is ethnic Chinese, Klausner said. Students from Paly and Gunn described what it’s like to live with — and sometimes overcome — stereotypes from peers and others that they care mainly about math and

science. “Some common questions I get are, ‘You’re Asian; you must like math and science,’” said Paly junior Chirag Krishna. “I say, ‘Well yes, I do, but I’m also interested in a lot of other subjects — English, history.’ “People say, ‘You must play the violin, piano or cello.’ I say, ‘No, I’ve actually played the guitar for the past 10 years.’” Krishna, a tennis player and secretary in Paly’s student government, said his school leadership activities have been particularly satisfying. Running for student body president at Jordan Middle School, he realized for the first time that relying on his relatively small circle of mostly Asian friends would not be enough to win. “I had to get myself out there, regardless of stereotypes,” he said. “That’s what I did and it helped me

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Upfront

PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Renata Polt, Jeanie Forte Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Martin Sanchez, Mike Lata, Editorial Interns DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Laura Don, Gary Vennarucci, Designers PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Judie Block, Esmeralda Flores, Janice Hoogner, Gary Whitman, Display Advertising Sales Neil Fine, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Assistants Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Molly Stenhouse, Online Sales Consultant BUSINESS Mona Salas, Manager of Payroll & Benefits Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Sana Sarfaraz, Cathy Stringari, Susie Ochoa, Doris Taylor, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Amy Renalds, Assistant to the Publisher & Promotions Director Alana VanZanten, Promotions Intern Janice Covolo, Receptionist Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO PUBLISHING CO. William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistants Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo, Computer System Associates The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Publishing Co., 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 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright ©2010 by Embarcadero Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed by SFOP, Redwood City. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our e-mail addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or e-mail circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210

‘You’re Asian; you must like math and science.’ — Chirag Krishna, a junior at Palo Alto High School, on the stereotypes he and other Asian students have faced. See story on page 3.

Around Town DON’T SKIRT THE LAW! ... Palo Alto’s elected officials are officially lining up against a California Assembly Bill that would exempt certain projects from provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). On March 16, Mayor Pat Burt sent a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declaring the city’s opposition to Assembly Bill 1805, which would allow projects selected by the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency to avoid the stringent environmental-review process. As the letter makes clear, the city is particularly worried about the state’s proposed high-speed rail (HSR) system, which under the current plans would stretch through the city along the Caltrain tracks. “This project, if built, would be the largest single capital infrastructure project in the city, and its impacts on Palo Alto would be significant,” Burt wrote to the Governor. “We strongly believe the guarantees of full CEQA review of the HSR project were the basis for approval of Measure 1A,” he added, referring to the $9.95 billion bond measure California voters approved in November 2008. FOOLS RUSH IN ... For charitable folks with limited time on their hands, the Stanford Blood Center this week announced a revolutionary new way to donate blood via the Internet: the iDonate application. Using a USB interface (Windows and Mac compatible), blood bag and sterile, single-use needle, donors can deliver their type A, B, AB or O blood straight to the laboratory for processing. No need to go the blood bank in person anymore! The only catch? The Stanford Blood Center made the announcement in an e-mail ... sent on April 1 — as a joke. FOR THE FRANCOPHILES ... He slugged Spiderman, got stoned with Seth Rogen and frolicked with Harvey Milk. Now, Palo Alto native James Franco has his sights on the next big project: publishing a collection of short stories. Franco, who graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1996, is scheduled to have a book published in

October. The collection, entitled “Palo Alto,” will be published by Scribner. But fans of Franco (or of Palo Alto) don’t have to wait that long to get a sample of Franco’s fiction. The magazine Esquire has just published Franco’s story, “Just Before the Black,” which features reckless driving, raunchy banter, marijuana smoke and allusions to local locales such as Foothill College and the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course pro shop. THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ... Palo Alto’s heated battle over composting is scheduled to continue Monday, when the City Council considers whether it’s greener to build a composting facility at the Baylands’ Byxbee Park or to ship the city’s yard waste to a regional facility. This means the conservationists who’ve been dreaming of a completed Byxbee Park are set for another scrimmage with environmentalists who see a local waste-toenergy facility as a great way to both dispose of yard trimmings and make some money for the city. This week, the two sides renewed their efforts to sway the council to their respective points of view. David Bubenik, who opposes a new composting plant on park space, sent the council a letter with pictures of what a possible composting plant would look like and argued that “to surrender parkland for a waste-processing facility would be unbelievably retrogressive and beyond unconscionable.” Other notable green leaders, including former council members Enid Pearson and Emily Renzel have likewise lobbied city officials to close the landfill at Byxbee Park and restore the parkland. Not to be outdone, proponents of a new composting plant organized into a new group, Palo Alto Green Energy, which includes former Mayor Peter Drekmeier, Acterra director David Coale and environmentalist Walt Hays. The group sent the council a letter, asking for a feasibility study of a new facility, which the group wants to see next to the Regional Water Quality Control Plant. N

Upfront

Page Mill

(continued from page 3)

and irreparable harm.� The investors also voted to appoint Alpine Road Management, LLC, as the fund’s new manager. Two days later, Page Mill officials advised the investors that they considered the request for a management change “void.� The two sides are now looking for an arbitrator to help them settle the dispute, said attorney Steven Morger, who is representing the investors. According to Morger’s complaint, Page Mill began soliciting the investors’ participation in May 2007, when it provided them with a “private placement memorandum� explaining the company’s investment strategy. The document, according to the complaint, was “based on a slickly crafted pitch that combined (Bernard) Madoff-like airs of exclusivity with projections of ‘consistent and superior risk adjusted returns.’� The 68-page document describes the East Palo Alto portfolio as an area “poised for growth and gentrification.� The plan calls for engaging East Palo Alto in a public-private partnership, developing condominiums, fixing up the infrastructure and “further developing community-oriented retail and service business.� But as the complaint states, Page Mill also failed to mention a few key tidbits about its East Palo Alto portfolio. For one thing, the portfolio was losing about $1.5 million a month at the time Page Mill approached the investors and was a “literal black hole of operating losses.� The company also didn’t disclose to its investors that its new East Palo Alto holdings are subject to the city’s rent-control ordinance — a detail that severely complicated Page Mill’s plans to raise rents and achieve an internal rate of return of 20 percent. The company’s plan for a privatepublic partnership with East Palo Alto also didn’t go as planned. Instead, Page Mill became entangled in about a dozen lawsuits with the city, many of them centering on the rent-control ordinance. The company successfully challenged the city’s attempt to revise the ordinance last year, forcing the city to delay the vote until this June. Page Mill also petitioned San Mateo County to remove the Woodlawn Park neighborhood from East Palo Alto’s jurisdiction. One investor, Paul Magliocco, wrote in a declaration that Page Mill materially misrepresented and fraudulently concealed material fact, “falsely portraying the Fund as an ongoing success with bright future prospects.� Magliocco, who has been affiliated with the angel investor network Keiretsu Forum, wrote that he would never have invested in the fund had he known about the “scheme to evade rent control laws.� “From a purely economic perspective, it rendered the investment far too risky,� Magliocco wrote in the Dec. 7 declaration. “At least as importantly, I find the scheme morally offensive. “This investment was sold to me and my fellow investor members as socially conscious and community

beneficial. That was a cynical lie. “Page Mill’s scheme was exploitative and damaging to the East Palo Alto community fabric, forcing many residents out of their homes with huge (probably illegal) rent increases. Had I known the truth, I would have wanted absolutely no part in it.� The investors are also claiming that Page Mill had failed to inform them of the $50 million loan payment the company was scheduled to make to Wachovia by Aug. 1, 2009. Page Mill failed to repay the loan and, as a result, lost control of its 1,812 units to a court-appointed receiver in September. The company’s default apparently surprised the investors, who were repeatedly assured that everything was going according to the plan. In November 2008, Taran had made a presentation at an investors’ meeting at the HP Pavilion in San Jose in which he was reportedly “upbeat about the (East Palo Alto) portfolio’s performance and prospects.� At that meeting, Taran projected a $1.5 million operating profit “six months forward,� according to the complaint. By the third quarter of 2009, it

‘Had I known the truth, I would have wanted absolutely no part in it.’

—Paul Magliocco, investor, Page Mill Properties

became clear to everyone that the fund was doomed. The missed loan payment and the subsequent foreclosure wiped out Page Mill’s then$12 million fund and angered the investors. On Aug. 13, more than a week after Page Mill defaulted on the loan, the investors were “first warned that there might be a problem,� the complaint states. Less than a month later, the San Mateo County Superior Court appointed a receiver, Wald Realty Advisors, to oversee the properties. Beside Magliocco, the list of plaintiffs also includes 14 Crow Canyon Corporation, Dennis A. Chantland, Diablo Capital Venture Fund, Randy Haykin, John Quandt, John Adams, Shane Albers, Colin Wiel Investments, Dina Partners, Kevin Grauman, John Hammergren, James Levine, Neal Mitchell, David Pottruck, William Powar, John Staples, Kenneth Stevens and Vertical Venture Capital. While the investors have attributed the fund’s collapse to Page Mill’s fraudulent conduct, Page Mill has characterized their complaints as an attempt to skirt a contractual obligation. Under the agreed-upon terms, City National Bank fronted all the money for the fund with the understanding that it could later call on the investors to repay it. Early last October, when it was clear that the investment was tanking, the bank asked the investors for $14.8 million in repayments. The investors declined to pay and are now suing the bank, claiming that it was complicit in luring them into Page Mill’s scheme. Page Mill’s attorney, Christine Morgan, characterized the plain-

tiffs as a “self-described group of elite, sophisticated, well-educated and wealthy professionals� who should’ve known what they were getting into. Albers, for example, serves as chairman and CEO of Investment Mortgage Holdings, a company that manages more than $700 million in real estate investments, Morgan wrote. Vertical Venture, meanwhile, reportedly has more than 15 years of experience as a real-estate developer and investors. Their latest challenge to Page Mill is basically about the plaintiff’s “attempt to avoid honoring their obligation to pay for a group of investments that might fail,� Morgan wrote. Page Mill initiated arbitration proceedings against three of the plaintiffs. The three plaintiffs, Albers, Grauman and Vertical Venture, were ordered by the courts to pay a total of $2.8 million, Morgan wrote. Taran also disputed the investors’ argument that the company misled them into making a risky investment and failed to disclose its financial obligations. The $50 million loan from Wachovia was used to refinance a much larger loan from Greenwich Capital Financial Products, Taran wrote — a loan of which the investors knew, or should have known. Without the Wachovia loan, the Greenwich loan would have matured in December 2009 and would have required the company to pay Greenwich about $125 million, he said. The agreed-upon strategy was “to leverage a leveraged investment,� Morgan wrote. “However, as do all leveraged realestate investments, Access Fund had risks, and Plaintiffs were thoroughly advised of them,� Morgan wrote. “It should come as no surprise to this sophisticated group, particularly given the real-estate market meltdown and credit crisis, that the Fund could, and did, lose money.� N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Growing Up Asian (continued from page 3)

don’t cause trouble,’� said Lie-Yeh Cheng, who immigrated to the Bay Area as a doctoral student at Stanford University in Materials Science and Engineering. “I find I do that to my child too. I had a tendency to say, ‘Be careful, don’t climb that tree; you might fall down.’ “I gradually had to change myself,� said Cheng, who has a son at Jordan and a daughter at Hoover. Klausner said she hoped Wednesday’s meeting would be the first of many to enable parents and students of all ethnicities to discuss the intersection of Asian culture with Palo Alto and its schools. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be e-mailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.

READ MORE ONLINE

www.PaloAltoOnline.com A longer version of this article is posted on Palo Alto Online. Also, share your thoughts on the online community discussion forum, Town Square.

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Where age is just a number

The Stanford Historical Society Presents

Sixth Annual House & Garden Tour A Study in Contrasts Sunday, April 25, 2010, 1 to 4 p.m.

Three pre-1930 houses and two fascinating modern residences designed by Charles K. Sumner, John K. Branner, Frank Lloyd Wright, and William Wurster Ƈ also showcasing landscape architect Thomas Church Tickets are $20 each (before April 16) And $25 the day of the event Tour information & directions: http://histsoc.stanford.edu Questions: 650-324-1653 or 650-725-3332 This space donated as community service by the Palo Alto Weekly *>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠĂ“]ĂŠĂ“ä£äĂŠU Page 5

Upfront

Learn the Guitar this Spring

NEIGHBORHOODS

Carol McComb's "Starting to Play" workshop includes the FREE use of a Loaner Guitar for the duration of the classes.* Regular cost is just $160 for nine weeks of group lessons, and all music is included.

Eichler community divided over two-story houses

*"Starting to Play" meets for one hour each Monday night for nine weeks beginning March 29th. Students are encouraged to bring their own guitar, but both nylon-string and steel-string loaner guitars are available.

Neighbors split over proposed ban of tall buildings; planning commission orders new survey

Other classes at more advanced levels are also offered. A full brochure is available at Gryphon.

by Gennady Sheyner

7E HAVE A WELCOMING CARING PLACE TO STUDY BALLET Alexi ZubirĂ­a, Artistic Director 650.968.4455 www.westernballet.org 914 N. Rengstorff Ave. near Rt. 101 in Mtn. View

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“We need to think what’s best for the whole community,� Knight told the commission Wednesday. But many neighbors begged to differ. Some argued in letters and during Wednesday’s meeting that a new overlay district would effectively strip them of their property rights and bring down their property values. A few characterized their neighbors’ effort to ban twostory houses as selfish and inconsiderate. Others said they have no immediate plans to build up but said they’d like to reserve that option to accommodate their growing families. “I want new families to move into my community, and I want

CityView A round-up of

Palo Alto government action this week

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Utilities Advisory Commission (March 31)

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Planning and Transportation Commission (March 31)

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tioners contended. Anne Knight, one of the circulators of the petition, said two-story buildings juxtaposed with one-story homes run counter to the Eichler philosophy. Knight said she supports letting property owners do as they please, provided their actions don’t have a negative impact on neighbors.

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hen a group of Fairmeadow residents launched an effort two years ago to ban new two-story buildings in their Eichler neighborhood in south Palo Alto, they had no idea they’d be setting off a bitter debate surrounding property rights and privacy. After hearing from both proponents and opponents of the proposal Wednesday night, a split Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission ruled that without a clear consensus, a ban on new two-story buildings would be premature. The commission voted not to proceed with the “singlestory overlay district� in Fairmeadow but asked staff to conduct a fresh survey of the neighborhood, which is bounded by East Meadow Drive and Charleston Road. Both proponents and opponents of the new overlay district are to help staff craft the language in the survey. The petition for the overlay was proposed by residents in a 127home section of Fairmeadow — Starr King Circle, Lindero Drive and Redwood Circle. Last year, the residents presented the planning commission with a petition showing 72 percent of the property owners in the subset of the neighborhood supported an overlay district. Proponents argued that their boxy, glass-laden Eichler homes lose charm when a neighbor builds a two-story building next door. The taller buildings loom over the modest one-story Eichlers with their floor-to-ceiling windows, ruining the neighborhood’s visual consistency and residents’ privacy, peti-

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Fairmeadow: The commission voted to recommend not creating a single-story overlay district in the Fairmeadow neighborhood. The commission also directed staff to conduct a new survey of a 127-home section of the neighborhood to measure residents’ interest in the new overlay district. Yes: Garber, Keller, Fineberg, Martinez No: Tuma, Tanaka

Ameresco: The commission recommended that the City Council approve two contracts with energy firm Ameresco, which burns landfill gas and converts it to electricity. Commissioners Eglash, Melton and Keller said they would prefer 20-year contracts with Ameresco, while commissioners Foster and Ameri said they would prefer 15-year contracts. The Finance Committee will discuss the contracts on April 6. Yes: Unanimous

Architectural Review Board (April 1)

California Avenue: The board held a study session on Phase 2 of the California Avenue Streetscape Improvement Plan, which includes new benches, kiosks, bike lockers and newspaper boxes along California Avenue. The board was generally pleased with the proposal, but members criticized some of the benches and kiosks in the plan. Action: None

LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at www.PaloAltoOnline.com

them to have a choice,� said Anna Thayer, another Fairmeadow resident. “When they buy a home for $1 million, they should have the right to do what they want to do with that home.� The city’s effort last year to gauge the neighborhood’s opinion further muddled the debate. Last September, the city mailed out a survey to all 300 houses in the entire Fairmeadow neighborhood, which also includes Roosevelt Circle and a portion of Bryant Street and South Court. Only 137 people responded to the city survey, with 73 property owners (24 percent) supporting a singlestory overlay and 64 (21 percent) opposing it. A few residents told the commission they were confused by the survey and weren’t sure what they were voting for. Some said they never received it. Under the city’s municipal code, the overlay proposal needs the support of 60 percent of the property owners before it can be adopted. Commissioner Susan Fineberg argued that because the original survey of the neighborhood’s subset showed 72 percent in favor of the overlay, the commission should honor their wishes and create the new zone in the smaller, 127-house area. “I don’t like processes that are divisive, I’m sorry it happened already in this neighborhood, but there’s never going to be a consensus,� Fineberg said. “Our municipal code, our laws, don’t say, ‘Everyone has to agree or you don’t get this.’� But her proposal to proceed with the overlay district in the smaller area failed by a 3-3 vote, with Eduardo Martinez and Arthur Keller supporting her idea and Daniel Garber, Samir Tuma and Greg Tanaka voting against it. “I do not oppose furthering a single-story overlay for this particular area; I’m happy to entertain that,� Garber said. “But I’m unwilling to do that if it creates division and questions and confrontation between neighbors.� Tuma proposed not creating the new zone overlay until residents come back with their own survey proving that they have a clear consensus. Keller suggested that staff work with both sides of the debate to craft and circulate the survey, a proposal that passed 4-2, with Tuma and Tanaka voting against it. Once completed, the survey will return to the planning commission for further discussion. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Upfront

News Digest

said the city is planning to go to mediation to resolve the lawsuit with John Mozart. N — Gennady Sheyner

Father, son sue Palo Alto over housing

Fraudulent solar seller to repay victims

Following in his father’s footsteps, Forrest Mozart filed a lawsuit against Palo Alto earlier this month, claiming that the city’s affordable-housing program is illegal and amounts to a “special tax� against developers. Mozart filed his lawsuit just four months after his father, John Mozart, filed a similar suit, arguing that the city is unfairly forcing him to devote 10 percent of his 96-unit Sterling Park development on West Bayshore Road to below-market-rate housing. The younger Mozart’s suit pertains to a much smaller project: a 6-condominium West Meadow Oaks project on West Meadow Drive. But the argument is the same. Both suits challenge the city’s practice of requiring developers to either devote a portion of their projects to below-market-rate (BMR) housing or to pay the city an “in lieu� fee to build affordable housing elsewhere. The city approved West Meadow Oaks in 2008 with the understanding that the developer would comply with the BMR terms and pay an in-lieu fee. The fee would be 7.5 percent of the project’s sales price, which is expected to total hundreds of thousands of dollars. Though the applicant agreed to the terms, he argues in the lawsuit that he executed the documents “under duress and compulsion.� Forrest Mozart’s lawsuit also claims that the city “improperly, and without legal or evidentiary justification, arbitrarily set its requirement for payment of the disputed ‘BMR in lieu fee,’� — the same argument his father made when he filed his lawsuit in October. Forrest Mozart’s lawsuit likens the fees to a “special tax� and “an arbitrary and unjustified development exaction.� It also claims that that the city’s practice of demanding that a fixed percentage of homes in a development be below-market-rate houses “unlawfully required the project to bear costs and burdens necessary for the city to cure its existing perceived deficiencies of ‘affordable housing’ in the community.� Donald Larkin, Palo Alto’s assistant city attorney,

Richard and Esther Sirinsky wanted to do a good turn for the environment. So in 2008, they decided to install solar panels on the roof of their Menlo Park home. They called a few companies and settled on Beohana Solar Corp. of San Jose. Esther Sirinsky was particularly impressed with CEO Peter Be, who seemed knowledgeable about the panels he was selling. “He had the product we wanted. He was very personable. His price was in the proper range,� she said. But unfortunately for the Sirinskys, Be’s price turned out to be all too high. After taking their deposit, Be failed to deliver the system, first stalling, then telling the Sirinskys the product was no longer available, according to Esther Sirinsky. When the Sirinskys demanded their deposit back, he sent only a fraction, Esther Sirinsky recalled Tuesday. The Sirinskys were not alone, as the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office later discovered. Last week, Be, 42, was sentenced to eight months in county jail and ordered to pay restitution of $178,146.90 to 62 victims of his operation. Most had paid Beohana Solar a $1,000 deposit, but a few paid between $2,000 and $8,000, according to Lisa Schon, deputy district attorney with the county’s Consumer Protection Unit. Be was convicted of four felony counts of diversion of construction funds and a misdemeanor count of contracting without a license. Be represented himself as a licensed contractor, which he was not, according to a press release from the District Attorney’s Office. The case was investigated by the Contractors State Licensing Board, which licenses and regulates California’s construction industry. The probe was “crucial in bringing justice to consumers who became victims of Mr. Be’s crimes,� District Attorney Dolores Carr stated in the press release. N — Jocelyn Dong

Stanford Continuing Studies Presents

Mark Twain Anniversary Festival: Ken Burns' Mark Twain Film Series Join Twain scholar and Director of Stanford’s Program in American Studies Shelley Fisher Fishkin and prolific author Hilton Obenzinger for a two part film series, Ken Burns’ Mark Twain. Mark Twain is the fifth film in Ken Burns’ popular American Lives series and features interviews with Hal Holbrook, Arthur Miller, and leadingTwain scholars. A popular humorist, philosopher, and social satirist, Mark Twain was the nation’s first literary celebrity. Tracing Twain’s rise from his humble birth in Missouri to his prosperous life in Connecticut as the nation’s best-selling author, Burns’ film reveals a compelling

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portrait of the father of American literature.

0/.2/1%$ "7 Mark Twain, Part I Thursday, April 8 7:30 pm

Mark Twain, Part II Thursday, April 15 7:30 pm

History Corner (Bldg. 200), Room 002 FREE

For more information please visit: continuingstudies.stanford.edu *>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠĂ“]ĂŠĂ“ä£äĂŠU Page 7

Upfront

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.

Palo Alto’s composting quandary continues Palo Alto should hold off on considering a new composting plant until it can find a site that can accommodate the new facility, staff is recommending in a new report. (Posted April 1 at 9:51 a.m.)

Prize-winner hooked on the ‘elegance’ of math It has been at season of rewards for Palo Alto High School senior Lynnelle Ye. Ye’s passion for the “elegance” of mathematics — discovered in childhood and nurtured by her grandmother, her parents and various Palo Alto teachers — has earned her top rankings this year in two of the nation’s most rigorous academic competitions. (Posted March 31 at 1:27 p.m.)

Menlo Park to hire high-speed-rail lobbyist The city of Menlo Park has hired a lobbyist to make the city’s case to Sacramento when it comes to the California high-speed-rail project, and has devoted $200,000 for the upcoming fiscal year to rail issues. L U C I L E PA C K A R D

C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L

(Posted March 31 at 11:50 a.m.)

Youth initiatives to be put to the test Saturday Hopes for more youth summer internships, tastier lunch options at Gunn High School and new late-night teen hangouts are to be clarified Saturday in a “youth forum” at Mitchell Park Community Center. The forum is the third and final in three sessions aimed at promoting “honest and open dialogue” between Palo Alto’s teens and adults. (Posted March 30 at 4:37 p.m.)

Your Child’s Health University Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital offers classes and seminars designed to foster good health and enhance the lives of parents and children.

Palo Alto takes fresh look at landfill-gas contracts Palo Alto is once again considering investing in “green energy” generated by landfill gas, though the latest proposal is far less sweeping than the one a City Council committee balked at two weeks ago. (Posted March 30 at 4:26 p.m.)

Menlo Park police Chief Bruce Goitia to retire NEWBORN CARE 101 This interactive program teaches the specifics of newborn care including bathing, swaddling, soothing and more. Infant doll models are used to allow for hands-on practice. - Saturday, May 1: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

HEART TO HEART SEMINAR ON GROWING UP Informative, humorous and lively discussions between parents and their pre-teens on puberty, the opposite sex and growing up. Girls attend these two-part sessions with their moms and boys attend with their dads. - For Girls: Wednesdays, May 12 & 19: 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Menlo Park police Chief Bruce Goitia will retire after 28 years with the Police Department, effective June 1, City Manager Glen Rojas announced Monday. (Posted March 30 at 11:20 a.m.)

Three ideas win ‘There Oughta Be a Law’ contest Three ideas for new legislation have been selected by California State Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) in his annual “There Oughta Be a Law” contest. One would protect the rights of Californians who are improperly cited by “red light cameras”; the second would enable more voters to cast their ballots at a local polling place; and the third would issue a formal apology from the State of California to Italian Americans interned during World War II. (Posted March 29 at 4:54 p.m.)

- For Boys: Mondays, May 17 & 24: 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Mountain lion may have killed deer in La Honda

- In Spanish for Girls: Saturday, May 15: 3:30 - 5:30 pm

A deer that was found dead in San Mateo County’s La Honda area this morning appears to have been attacked by a mountain lion, county officials said. (Posted March 29 at 11:55 a.m.)

ALL ABOUT PREGNANCY We will offer an overview of pregnancy for the newly pregnant or about-to-be pregnant couple. The program will include the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy, comfort measures for pregnancy, fetal development and growth, pregnancy testing, life changes and much more. Offered Free of Charge. Seating is Limited. Please call to reserve a space. - Saturday, May 15: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

GRANDPARENTS SEMINAR Designed for new and expectant grandparents, this class examines changes in labor and delivery practices, the latest recommendations for infant care and the unique role of grandparents in the life of their child. - Wednesday, May 19: 6:00 - 8:30 pm

Call (650) 723-4600 or visit www.lpch.org to register or obtain more information on the times, locations and fees for these and other courses.

L U C I L E PA C K A R D

Stanford has record number of applicants Stanford University has offered admission to 2,300 high school students from around the world — just 7.2 percent of those who applied, the university announced. The 32,022 applicants to Stanford’s class of 2014 represented the largest in the university’s history, according to the Office of Undergraduate Admission. (Posted March 29 at 9:55 a.m.)

Anyone who may have knowledge about allegations that a member or members of Stanford Law School may have communicated negative information about former Stanford Law School students between 2001 and the present, is urged to call 415-205-8925. All responses will be kept confidential. Information may be pertinent to a pending lawsuit, case #CIV489678,filed in San Mateo County Superior Court. Commitment To Excellence

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Upfront

Measure A

(continued from page 3)

Pro-Measure A volunteers will begin calling supporters next week to make sure they have returned their ballots, campaigners said. Measure A backers plan to rally at Lytton Plaza Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Featured speakers will include State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, a Paly graduate and former member of the Palo Alto school board; Stanford University football coach

and Paly graduate Jim Harbaugh; Palo Alto Mayor Pat Burt; Palo Alto City Council Member Yiaway Yeh, a Gunn High School graduate, and Stanford Freshman Dean Julie Lythcott-Haims. School board President Barbara Sih Klausner and Gunn Student School Board Representative Steve Zhou also will attend. “This community has long supported and benefited from its fine school system,” said campaign cochair Anna Thayer, a mother of four and vice-president of the PTA Council Executive Board. N

Public Agenda PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to discuss the city’s options for a composting facility and to consider a proposal from the Department of Public Works staff to conduct a survey of registered voters about the possibility of building an organic-material-processing facility at Byxbee Park. The council also plans to amend the Fiscal Year 2010 budget and to accept the Regional Water Quality Control Plant Site feasibility study. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, April 5, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). HIGH-SPEED RAIL SUBCOMMITTEE ... The subcommittee plans to hear an update on high-speed-rail legislation from the city’s lobbyist, Ravi Mehta. The meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss the city’s development agreement proposal for the Stanford University Medical Center hospital expansion project; review a proposal to sign a renewable-energy contract with Ameresco; and consider increasing storm-drain rates and refuse rates. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to comment on the revised Draft Program Environmental Impact Report for the proposed high-speed-rail system. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss a proposal to open an anaerobic digestion facility at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant; the city’s transmission interconnection alternatives; and the latest activities of the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 7, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).

Thank You Palo Alto. Lets Celebrate Our

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GUIDE TO 2010 SUMMER C AMPS FOR KIDS

n n o e C c p t i o m n a C ! PaloAltoOnline.com/biz/summercamps

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The Girls’ Middle School Summer Camp Mountain View

Sports Camps

Player Capital/Plan Toys Tennis Camp

Palo Alto

? ! 3 ? ! ! & ! * 9 < . * '1G * .( www.playercapital.com 650-968-4783

Spring Down Camp Equestrian Center

Portola Valley

A G 4 * 1 G * 4 ! G G+ G * www.springdown.com 650.851.1114

Champion Tennis Camps

Atherton

3 3 H ! ! ! 9 G G G G J G * , ! G ! G " www.alanmargot-tennis.net 650-752-0540

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G! 1 G < G < G G G * www.girlsms.org/summercamp 650-968-8338

Woodland School Summer Adventures

Portola Valley

G G G * >P Q * 9 9 ! * www.info@woodland-school.org 650-854-9065

Oshman Family JCC Camps

Palo Alto

> ! 933 P G G * D G P " www.paloaltojcc.org 650-223-8600

Stratford School - Camp Socrates

Bay Area

G G M A>;> 4 ! 3 / > ! './ L ,/ ( G G 0 * A>;> A ? G / A G+A ! G * www.soloaquatics.com 650-851-9091

1 M & ! J 3 A * A G 9 1 G Q '9 9 ! (* G G Q ! * * www. stratfordschools.com 650-493-1151

YMCA

Write Now! Summer Writing CampsPalo Alto/Pleasanton

SOLO Aquatics

Menlo Park

Peninsula

? 1 < C ; 1 @ 3 ! ! G ! ? : G G * 5 G G * A G! * * 1 ! 1 3 1 * www.ymcasv.org/summercamp.com 408-351-6400

Matt Lottich Life Skills

Woodside

5 A ? 1 7 A ? P G / 5J ! D G 3 D G ? I ' "( < ? * 3 * www.headsup.org 650-424-1267, 925-485-5750

TechKnowHow Computer & LEGOÂŽ Camps

Peninsula

1 < ; ; A G G G G G G O * 6 ! M 4 ! 5 3 * www.mllscamp.com 1-888-537-3223

G G! G ," 3 ;56> :&=5E ? H < @ 6 4 G * < ! G ? 1 < ? A ! * 7 ! * www.techknowhowkids.com 650-474-0400

Stanford Baseball Camps

ISTP Language Immersion

Stanford

1 4 ! 7 4 ! 2 3 A 4 * G - A 2 K 2 J G 2 G * 3 G ! * 3 ! * 3 ! 9 , 1 G * @ $ P ! G - , * www.StanfordBaseballCamp.com 650-723-4528

Stanford

5J = 1 & # 3 M , 2 ! 1 ; " 1G - G ? N % N G G ! G G * ? G A * A + 31B * www.iDTechCamps.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)

Summer @ Harker

San Jose

: 6 * < G L G G G L * 7 G ! I Q ! P * 1 / 0 G 0 G * www.summer.harker.org 408-553-0537

Summer at Saint Francis

Mountain View

A A G G ! G G * 8 G ! G G H ! " www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x446

Nueva Summer

Hillsborough

= A P I G G ? : 6 * 9 9 ! * D ! G / < 2 G! G < B= D 1 4 G* 7 ! J * 7 ! ! * 5J * www.NuevaSummer.org 650-350-4555

Summer Institute for the Gifted Berkeley/Hillsborough 6 G : A 8 6 'A86( G * 7 G B*A* A86 G G * 4 ! G ! G * www.giftedstudy.org 866-303-4744

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Theatreworks Summer Camps

Academic Camps iD Tech Camps and iD Teen Academies

Palo Alto

Palo Alto

8 G G :L G G G G G * A G * www.theatreworks.org/educationcommunity 650-463-7146

Amazing Science Camp!

Mountain View

3 Q G G A 5< 'A 5 G G G! < ( ! G G !* 6 ? G > G ' ./ / ( L , G " ' / ,/ ( 2 9 ! 1 G * Email: AmazingSciClass@AOL.com 650-279-7013

India Community Center Camps

Palo Alto & Milpitas

5J G 8 G 8 3 ! 3 & 3 8 7 ; G G 2 ! 4 % 3 8 3 * > , G G , * I F G 8 4 % < A % " www.indiacc.org/culturalcamps 408-416-0215

Art and Music Camps Summer Rock Camp

Palo Alto/Redwood City

1G - * A@3 G ! * ; ! ! * ? ! G G G ! G * ; G * www.summerrockcamp.com 650-722-1581, 650-856-3757

Community School of Music & Arts (CSMA)

Mtn. View

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Pulse

A weekly compendium of vital statistics

Palo Alto March 24-30 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Strong-arm robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Credit card forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Abandoned bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto burglary attempt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Evading traffic stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Suspended license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .9 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of paraphernalia. . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Casualty fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Counterfeiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Elder abuse: neglect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Harassing e-mail. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .2 Noise ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Possession of stolen property . . . . . . . .1 Sex crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Terrorist threats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Unattended death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Menlo Park March 24-30 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Spousal abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Residential/commercial burglary . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . .7 Hit & run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Alcohol and drug related Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Narcotics registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Annoying phone calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 CPS referral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic disturbance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Info case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Mental evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Weapon concealment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Arastradero Road, 3/24/10, 2 p.m.; battery. 600 block East Meadow Drive, 3/25/10, 10:47 p.m.; strong-arm robbery.

Menlo Park 300 block of Ivy Drive, 3/25/10, 7:14 p.m.; battery. Middlefield Road, 3/25/10, 8:26 p.m.; spousal abuse. 1200 block of Carlton Avenue, 3/30/10, 1:44 a.m.; battery.

Transitions

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 35

6 9 2 5 1 4 8 3 7

Deaths

Rachel Feferman Rachel Feferman, 55, a former resident of Palo Alto, died March 14 after a long struggle with breast cancer. She grew up in Palo Alto and Stanford and lived in San Francisco and Seattle before settling in Port Townsend, Wash. She attended Stanford Elementary School, Terman Middle School and Gunn High School. She did her university studies at the San Francisco Art Institute and Lone Mountain College, and graduate work at the University of Washington. She also worked as a cook at Castilleja School and the Djerassi Foundation. An intrepid experimenter in many forms of art, she had numerous solo shows in Palo Alto and Seattle and other venues. In 2009, her book “Golden Hands: Drawings and Reflections� was published. Loved ones recall her as a gifted artist, writer and teacher. She is survived by her parents, Anita and Solomon Feferman of Stanford,; her sister Julie FefermanPerez; and two nieces.

Elinor Smith Elinor Smith Sullivan, 98, one of the world’s earliest and most renowned female pilots, died of kidney failure at Palo Alto’s Lytton Gardens March 19. She was born in New York, N.Y., and grew up in Long Island, N.Y. She took her first flight, as a passenger, at age 6 and began taking flying lessons at age 10. In 1927, at age 16, she became the youngest licensed pilot on record in the world and completed daring tricks along with setting endurance, speed and altitude records, according to a report in the Washington Post. Smith married Patrick Henry Sullivan II in 1933 and retired from flying to focus on raising her family. After her husband’s death in 1956, she resumed her flying career and took her last flight in 2001. Twenty-five years ago she moved to the Bay Area to be near her son and a close friend. She is survived by her children, Patrick Sullivan III of Santa Cruz, Patricia Sullivan of New York, N.Y., Kathleen Worden of Grand Junction, Colo., and Pamela Sullivan of Glen Cove, N.Y.; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

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Fresh news delivered daily Sign up today www.PaloAltoOnline.com

*/(. % Âą*!#+² !534). John E. “Jackâ€? Austin, 91, of Palo Alto, California, died March 15, 2010, after a brief illness. He was born and raised in Seattle, and attended the University of Washington. During World War II, Jack served as a test pilot and achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He began his career in real estate development in the 1940s; in 1960, the Austins moved from the Pacific Northwest to Palo Alto, where Jack served on the city’s Planning Commission, was an active member of the Kiwanis Club, and a champion for business interests in the community. The family owns and manages Pacific Square, a 75,000square-foot commercial building in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz. A landmark destination, the building houses nine tenants, among them Urban Outfitters, Regal Cinemas, Peet’s Coffee and Tea, and the Santa Cruz Medical Clinic (part of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation). Jack is survived by his daughters, Nancy K. Austin and her husband, Bill Cawley, of Aptos, California; Melanie M. Austin and her husband, Michael P. Stickels, Sr., of La Conner, Washington; and by his son, Todd F. Austin, and his wife, Mary Austin, of Sonora, California. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Nancy E. Yochem, of Palo Alto; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He will be interred in a private ceremony next to Marilyn K. Austin, his wife of 53 years, in Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. The family suggests donations to the American Heart Association. www.rollerhapgoodtinney.com PA I D

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Born in Vancouver BC., Frank passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family. He was a long- time resident of San Francisco, San Mateo and Menlo Park. Frank is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marian and their two sons, Don and Jim, 4 grand children and 3 great grand children. He was preceded in death by his youngest son Ken. Frank graduated from Burlingame High school and attended the University of California, Berkeley. He attended many Cal - Stanford Big Games in support of his beloved Bears. Frank started his working years as an accountant for Steam & Plumbing Service Corp; a San Francisco based plumbing wholesaler, eventually becoming owner and President until his retirement in 1985. Frank enjoyed traveling, especially to Hawaii, and spending summers with Marian at “YABAHAT�, their summer retreat at Lake Tahoe. He spent many hours perfecting his golf skills at courses around the Bay Area. He was an active volunteer for Meals on Wheels, delivering food to seniors in the South Bay Area. There will be no memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Little House c/o Peninsula Volunteers, 800 Middle Ave, Menlo Park, CA 04025

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-)'./. (%#+ Mignon Heck, 37, a resident of San Francisco, died March 23. Mignon grew up in Palo Alto, and graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1996. She enjoyed photography and modern dance. She is survived by her mother, Ruth Norman; brothers, Carson Heck and Merril Heck; stepmother, Patricia Heck; stepbrothers, Bryan Clarkson and Brad Clarkson. Services will be held on Saturday, April 3, at 11:00 a.m. at Peninsula Bible Church, 3505 MiddleďŹ eld Road, Palo Alto. PA I D

O B I T UA RY

Adalberto Viggiano, a 48 year Palo Alto resident, died March 25 at 86 years of age. His wife of 62 years, six children, 17 grandchildren, and their families will remember him with inďŹ nite love. He was born in Trieste, Italy and grew up in Venice. He earned an advanced degree at the University of Padova in Electrical Engineering. In 1947 he married the love of his life, Dina Fontanin. They led an adventuresome life, ďŹ rst immigrating to Halifax, Nova Scotia, then to work at the University of Chicago before settling in Palo Alto where he worked as an engineer at SRI, Bechtel and Lockheed among

other places. He loved opera, traveling, but most of all he loved his family. Nonno, as he was known to his grandchildren always put his family ďŹ rst. It was impossible not to love him. A celebration of his life will be held for family and friends on Saturday, April 3rd, at 2:00PM, at his home. In lieu of gifts, please send donations to the Henry and Maria Holt Memorial Scholarship Fund 221 Lambert Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303 holtscholarship@cs.com PA I D

O B IT UA RY

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Cover

d i l o h u d n i H l u f r o l o C d r o f n a t S s brighten Traditional festival of ‘Holi’ celebrates spring, raises money for education in India Photographs by Veronica Weber / Story by Martin Sanchez

M

ore than 5,000 people converged on Stanford University’s Sandhill playing field Saturday afternoon to dance, sing and cover one another with huge quantities of colored powder for Holi, a Hindu holiday celebrating the coming of spring. This incarnation of the ancient festival was also a fundraiser for the Stanford chapter of Asha for Education, a nonprofit group that conducts educational programs in India, according to Stanford student and event organizer Hari Kannan. Holi has acquired much mythological significance over the years, Kannan said, but the holiday’s most recognizable activity involves people plastering friends and strangers alike with “gulal,” a brightly colored powder. On Saturday, two volunteers waited at the festival’s entrance with bulging sacks of powder and made sure no one entered the party unadorned. Inside, exuberant attendees wandered the field flicking handfuls of the dusty stuff on the faces and clothes of passersby with the accompanying greeting “Happy Holi!” (pronounced “holly”). Others — children, mostly — mixed powder and water in water pistols and tried to catch their targets by surprise. Occasionally, an inattentive teenager was scooped up by four or five others and whisked

Page 12ÊUÊ «À ÊÓ]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ

off to a faucet to receive a thorough soaking. It was not always apparent that these captives knew their assailants, but none of them seemed to mind either way. Vibrant red, blue, green, yellow and purple dominated the scene Saturday, but those shades quickly blended together on the bodies of particularly persistent revelers. As the event wore on, enthusiastic gulal use caused a thick orange haze to form over the playing field. Brighter-hued blossoms frequently punctuated the cloud as people threw handfuls of powder into the air or at nearby faces.

‘It’s a great time, very good family fun. The color, everybody running around with squirt guns — it’s great.’ – Jay Miller, resident, Palo Alto

Asha for Education volunteer Akanksha Bapna said covering passersby with gulal represents “a celebration of brotherhood, of putting aside differences.” Her favorite part of Holi is “definitely the colors, but it’s nice to know the money is going to such good causes,” she said. Others saw Holi as an opportunity to break down social barriers as well.

Holi Festival participants hold out their hands to receive more yellow pigment

“I heard a couple talking to their daughter, and they said, ‘No, you do talk to strangers!’” Stanford student Eve Thorne said. As Thorne’s friend Emily Knight put it, her favorite part of Holi is “a toss-up between the food and having my face touched by strange

.

people.” Holi drew families as well as students. “It’s a great time, very good family fun. The color, everybody running around with squirt guns — it’s great,” said Palo Alto resident Jay Miller, whose daughter Madeline was perched

Story

day

Asha Stanford Co-president Nikit Abh

yankar splashes color on visitors ente ring the festival, held last Saturday.

on his shoulders. Saturday was the first time either of them had celebrated Holi, he said. He heard about the event from friends who had attended in past years, he said. (continued on next page)

Far left, Prateek Verma gives daughter Vaura Verma a lift as they dance with friends Mannat, Nitish and Nipa Badhwar. Left, Holi revelers dance to Bollywood-style music. Above, festival participants are gleefully engulfed in a cloud of yellow pigment, called “gulal.” *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ «À ÊÓ]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 13

Cover Story

Above, in keeping with the spirit of Holi, this handful of bright green gulal could end up on a friend — or a stranger. Right, friends take a festivalgoer to get hosed off with water.

Holi Festival

(continued from previous page)

Palo Alto resident Ruma Nandi also attended the event with her children.

‘It’s all so colorful. It’s really just celebrating life.’ – Prathima Venkatesan, dancer, Project Pulse

“At my kids’ first one, I told them, ‘You can throw anything on anyone and they won’t mind,’ so that’s great for them,� she said. Saturday’s event also attracted people of diverse ages and ethnicities, Nandi said. Festival goers also enjoyed dancing to catchy Bollywood-style songs sung in Hindi, though some featured snatches of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean� or Queen’s “Under Pressure.� Dancers who knew the music cheered and sang along

with their favorites, while others merely smiled and grooved. Nearby, a First Aid team administered a steady stream of eye drops to those temporarily blinded by gulal. Most patients were quick to rejoin the party. Prathima Venkatesan attended the event with the “Indian fusion� dance group Project Pulse, which performed several times during

DINNER BY THE MOVIES AT SHORELINE’S

Pizzeria Venti

the event. “It’s all so colorful. It’s really just celebrating life,� she said. The event’s organizers said the Holi festival raised about $75,000. Profits from the event’s admission fees will fund 11 projects in India, including an elementary school for children with disabilities, Kannan said. N

Staff Photographer Veronica Weber can be e-mailed at vweber@ paweekly.com. Editorial Intern Martin Sanchez can be e-mailed at msanchez@paweekly.com. On the cover: Ingrid Inema prepares to toss red pigment at Stanford’s Holi festival last Saturday.

Linguine alle Vongole con Broccoli The AmalďŹ Coast seduces its visitors not only for the wonderful panoramas and THE INTENSE BLUE SEA BUT ALSO FOR THE m AVORS AND TASTES OF THE LOCAL TRADITIONAL gastronomy. Each town and village features typical specialties from the local products. Pasta alle Vongole con broccoli is one of the grandest of all AmalďŹ Coast seafood dishes, allowing for the romance of Positano by teasing the palate with the freshness of spring broccoli and warmth of summer still to come in the spicy red pepper. The sea provides its fruits and the land its bounty. The people, they provide THE LOVE 3ORRENTO .APLES 4HE )SLE OF #APRI 3ORRENTO WHERE ON ALL OF THE EARTH HAS and area been so blessed. ) WEEP NOW AS YOU ENJOY THIS DISH From our kitchen to yours. Buon appetito! Chef Marco Salvi, Executive Chef

Linguine alle Vongole con Broccoli s – CUP WATER s ,ITTLENECK OR -ANILA CLAMS IN shells, scrubbed (about 2 1/2 pounds) s QUARTS WATER s CUPS BROCCOLI m ORETS s TABLESPOONS EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL divided

1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View (650) 254-1120 www.mvpizzeriaventi.com

Page 14ĂŠUĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠĂ“]ĂŠĂ“ä£äĂŠUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

s GARLIC CLOVES SLICED s ž TEASPOON CRUSHED RED PEPPER s — CUP )TALIAN PARSLEY CHOPPED s POUND UNCOOKED LINGUINE s 3ALT s 3HAVED !SIAGO CHEESE

To cook: Bring 1 cup water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add clams; cover and cook 4-5 minutes or until shells open. Remove clams from pan; reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Discard any unopened shells. Bring 6 quarts water and 2 teaspoons salt to a boil in large pot. Add broccoli, and cook 3 minutes or until the broccoli is bright green. Remove broccoli with a slotted spoon (do not drain water from stockpot). Place broccoli in a colander, and rinse with cold water. Drain broccoli; coarsely chop. Return water to a boil. Stir in pasta and return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente, stirring occasionally. While pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant and translucent, stirring constantly. Add broccoli and red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until broccoli sizzles. Stir in clams and reserved 1 cup cooking liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 2 minutes or until broccoli is tender. Add pasta to skillet, stirring well to coat. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and chopped parsley; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Serve immediately and drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil and 4-5 shavings of Asiago. Serves 4.

Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace

G

A Ph.D.-to-be on

TV

Stanford student Greg Bratman is also co-creator of Fox comedy ‘Sons of Tucson’

by Rebecca Wallace reg Bratman is certainly not the only high-flying kid from Palo Alto to enter a Ph.D. program at Stanford. But he just might be the first environmentalscience student to co-create a TV show. “Sons of Tucson,” a half-hour comedy that premiered on Fox last month, is the brainchild of Bratman, 34, and his actor friend Tommy Dewey. The pair met in a theater improv group while they were Princeton students, then started doing twomen, multi-character shows. Before they knew it, they were also writing scripts for film and TV. Bratman and Dewey thought up “Sons of Tucson” as a family comedy about four kids — one of whom “just happens to be an adult,” Bratman said in a recent interview. The premise is that the three Gunderson brothers are left on their own after their white-collar-criminal father is sent to prison, and they need a phony dad to register at a new school. So they turn to Ron Snuffkin (played by Tyler Labine from “Reaper”), who is a slacker but also a resourceful and rather charming liar.

Greg Bratman, 34, is a Gunn High School graduate.

What results is a shady business deal that turns into a family of sorts, complete with a cute teacher (Natalie Martinez), who may or may not be immune to Ron’s banter. The show is billed as having an offbeat flavor similar to that of the 2000-2006 Fox program “Malcolm in the Middle,” and some familiar names show up here, including Justin Berfield, who played Malcolm’s brother Reese and is one of the executive producers of “Tucson.” Bratman also gives a lot of credit to another executive producer, Harvey Myman, for getting “Tucson” to the small screen. He helped Bratman and Dewey formulate the show and make the script tight. “A lot of times you’ll go in and pitch an idea, but we were unknowns in television. It’s very hard if you haven’t worked in television before. We had to have a fully fleshed-out script,” Bratman said. The “Tucson” team started shooting the new show last September and wrapped in December after creating 13 episodes. The show is currently airing at 9:30 p.m. on Sundays and is scheduled to do so until June. Bratman said that making the pilot, in particular, was a great collaborative learning experience. “We were on the set, got to be in post-production and had a say in pretty much everything,” he said. “I just saw so much and learned so much about how it (continued on next page)

This Fox publicity shot shows Tyler Labine surrounded by his fellow “Tucson” actors: from left, Frank Dolce, Matthew Levy and Benjamin Stockham.

*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ «À ÊÓ]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 15

Arts & Entertainment

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was put together.� While the later episodes were being shot, Bratman and Dewey stayed involved, working with other writers, being on the set and giving notes to the director. “We didn’t give many performance notes because the actors were all great. We were adjusting for our own writing,� Bratman said. “Sometimes you can’t tell whether something you’ve written works until you see actors doing it.� Working with children was challenging in part because they had to be in school and were less available for shooting, Bratman said. He became particularly fond of lead actor Labine, who “was like a father figure in every way to these kids ... the ways in which he would gently pull them back to getting on course.� There are, of course, no guarantees on how long the show will continue, but Bratman says he’s hopeful that the network will ask for more episodes. A fan of TV’s “The Wire� and the British version of “The Of-

fice,� Bratman likes television because of the way a series “can serialize and stretch out story and get deeply into character in a way that a screenplay can’t really do.�

A TV series can “stretch out story and get deeply into character in a way that a screenplay can’t really do.� —Writer Greg Bratman So far, “Tucson� has gotten a mix of press; while the San Francisco Chronicle’s Tim Goodman didn’t find the show funny, Los Angeles Times critic Robert Lloyd praised its “unsentimental whimsy.� The program, Lloyd wrote, “is a lesson in just how many old tropes, previously seen characters and stock situations one may hammer together into a television series and still arrive at something fresh and real.� Besides pursuing television work,

Bratman also has a few screenplaywriting projects going with Dewey, and he says he’d like to do some more acting as well. His theater resume includes appearing in TheatreWorks’ “The Grapes of Wrath� in 2000. At the moment, he spends much of his time in Southern California, where he lives with his wife, fellow Gunn High School graduate Kristin Kleidon, and their young son. Bratman and Kleidon “went out in high school and got back together 10 years later,� he said. Meanwhile, of course, there’s the Stanford Ph.D. program, which Bratman doesn’t sound that daunted about. After all, he was in the midst of getting a master’s degree when he and Dewey started writing “Tucson.� An affinity for Stanford runs in the family, too. Bratman’s father, Michael, is a Stanford philosophy professor. “Palo Alto,� Bratman said, “means a lot to me.� N Info: For more about “Sons of Tucson,� go to www.fox.com/sons oftucson.

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NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD FOR THREE THREE-YEAR TERMS ENDING May 31, 2013 (Terms of Bower, Bunnenberg, and DiCicco) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council is seeking applications for the Historic Resources Board from persons interested in serving in one of three, three year terms ending May 31, 2013. Eligibility Requirements: The Historic Resources Board is composed of seven members appointed by the City Council and who serve without pay. Members shall have demonstrated interest in and knowledge of history, architecture or historic preservation. One member shall be an owner/occupant of a category one or two historic structure, or of a structure in an historic district; three members shall be architects, landscape architects, building designers or other design professionals and at least one member shall possess academic education or practical experience in history or a related ďŹ eld.

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Page 16ĂŠUĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠĂ“]ĂŠĂ“ä£äĂŠUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž

Duties: The primary duties of the Historic Resources Board include: a) Reviewing and making recommendations to the Architectural Review Board on proposed exterior changes of commercial and multiple-family buildings on the Historic Building Inventory; b) Reviewing and making recommendations on exterior changes of signiďŹ cant (Categories 1 and 2) single-family residences on the Historic Building Inventory; c) Researching and making recommendations to the City Council on proposed additions and on reclassiďŹ cations of existing buildings on the Inventory; and d) Performing other functions as may be delegated from time to time to the Historic Resources Board by the City Council. Application forms and appointment information are available in the City Clerk‘s OfďŹ ce, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto - (650) 329-2571 or may be obtained on the website at http://www. cityofpaloalto.org. Deadline for receipt of applications in the City Clerk‘s OfďŹ ce is 5:00 p.m., April 23, 2010. If one of the incumbents does not apply, the ďŹ nal deadline for non-incumbents will be April 28, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. DONNA J. GRIDER City Clerk

Arts & Entertainment

Weekly file photo

Local actor Gerry Hiken is one of the artists appearing at Know Knew Books; he’s set to perform monologues there on April 10.

A bookstore becomes a stage and gallery Struggling in the recession, Know Knew Books tries to woo customers with concerts, readings, visual art by Karla Kane

Courtesy Bill Burruss

Since autumn, break dancers have performed at Know Knew Books every third Saturday.

F

or 22 years, Know Knew Books on Palo Alto’s California Avenue has been stuffed with used books of all shapes and sizes, along with CDs, records and assorted literary merchandise. Loyal customers drop by to browse and schmooze, but in these turbulent economic times, it isn’t enough. Since almost closing last fall due to financial hardship, owner Bill Burruss is trying something new: opening his shop to visual and performing artists and authors, with hopes of revitalizing the business. He says he wants to create a welcoming space for all types of community artists. “The idea is to add more creativity to the store itself,� he said. Burruss says he hopes his art events will draw in store newcomers, potential buyers who will remember Know Knew Books when looking for reading material. Sculptor Tom Franco (the brother of actors James and Dave, and son of children’s-book author Betsy) grew up in Palo Alto in a family of Know Knew Books fans. Burruss credits Franco (and his Berkeley-

based Firehouse Collective artist group) as a partner in the store’s new artistic ventures. “Tom’s only 28 but he’s very mature and energetic. He really came up with the idea last fall and I saw the potential there,� Burruss said. Franco first proposed that the bookstore host an evening of poetry and music by artists from his Berkeley collective. Burruss was skeptical when he learned the artists would be playing keyboards with their feet, he recalled, laughing. But ultimately the group’s performance won him over. Franco’s Firehouse Collective supplies many of the colorful paintings and sculptures now decorating the store’s walls and front window, giving it more of a gallery feel. He and his mother, whose newest book he illustrated, presented their work at the store on March 6, and the store also featured a window display of Betsy Franco’s work. “Tom and Bill have worked together to bring the store to life as a place people in the community can come together in creativity,� Betsy Franco said. “Bill is so sup-

portive of local art of all kinds: actors, writers, musicians, dancers. It’s great.� There are unusual ongoing events, too. Since autumn, the store has hosted break dancers every third Saturday, and numerologist Michael Bisbiglia on the second Wednesday of each month. Ann Graff reads tea leaves monthly. “It’s sort of gaining speed; there’s some pretty interesting stuff,� Burruss said. Local actor Gerry Hiken has performed monologues at the store, and Burruss hopes he’ll do so every other week. Hiken’s next appearance is set for April 10. A father-and-son guitar and mandolin duo, and pianist Larisa Migachyov, have also performed, and soon Burruss plans to have “Lord of the Rings� animator and Menlo Park resident Patricia Hannaway in for a talk. Couches have been installed at the store’s front, encouraging the area as a hangout, while posters advertising upcoming events grace the door and window. And audience response has been positive. “At Bill’s events, the room is full. It’s really evolved beautifully,� Betsy Franco said. The Franco family plans to remain involved with the store’s artistic future, she said. “We’ve rallied around when Bill wanted to change the atmosphere of the store. That’s a great thing that’s happening there; it’s very hopeful.� Burruss is also putting the word out that the store is available for reading and knitting groups, as well as musicians who want to jam. He says that because he’s been hit by the recession, he’s not able to pay the artists coming to his store. Rather, he relies on their desire for exposure and enthusiasm for sharing their art. “I don’t have any money but I’m pretty outgoing, so I just ask, ‘Do you know anybody that ...? Would you like to ...?’� the gregarious Burruss said, adding that he always puts out a receptacle for donations and tips for the artists. Some have made several hundred dollars, he said. Since almost closing, the store has been holding huge sales, marking down merchandise by as much as 50 percent, and has added toys, games and DVDs to its stock in another attempt to stay afloat. “The economy, it’s awful. I’m a pretty good business guy but I have no control over it,� Burruss said. “But the community really came behind me,� when he nearly sold the store in 2009, he added. Burress said he hopes to be able to stay in town for years to come. “I don’t like the idea of not being in the community any more,� he said. “To have a college town with no record store, no music store, only two used bookstores, it’s weird to me, it doesn’t compute.� N Info: Know Knew Books is at 415 S. California Ave. in Palo Alto. Burruss can be reached at 650326-9355 or info@knowknew books.com. The next store event will feature monologues performed by actor Gerry Hiken, on Saturday, April 10, at 8 p.m.

The Peninsula’s Premier Funeral Service Provider Serving families since 1899 980 MiddleďŹ eld Rd, Palo Alto, California 94301

(650) 328-1360 www.rollerhapgoodtinney.com Funeral Home FD132

A Guide to the Spiritual Community First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto Sunday School for all ages – 9:00 a.m. Sunday Services – 10:25 a.m. “The children in our midst, the mission at our doorstep, a place of hospitality and grace� 625 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto

(650) 323-6167 s WWW &IRST0ALO!LTO COM FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC

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Easter Worship–April 4 at 9:30 & 11:00 a.m.

with Oxford Street Brass and the Hallelujah Chorus Egg Hunt for children between Services Rev. David Howell peaching

Stanford Memorial Church University Public Worship Easter Sunday Sunday, April 4th, 10:00 am

“Mary Magdalene’s Ascending Christ� Dean Scotty McLennan All are welcome. Information: 650-723-1762

Ecumenical Christian Communion service with music featuring University Organist, Dr. Robert Huw Morgan and the Memorial Church Choir. http://religiouslife.stanford.edu

We Invite You to Learn and Worship with Us.

FPCMV welcomes our new Pastor Timothy R. Boyer. Biblically based Sermons and Worship Service 10:30 AM. www.fpcmv.org 1667 Miramonte (Cuesta at Miramonte) 650.968.4473

INSPIRATIONS

A resource for special events and ongoing religious services. To inquire about or make space reservations for Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 326-8210 x6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com

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Movies

April 9th Doors open at 6:30 pm Movie 7:30 Q & A 9:30 pm �He who has two women loses his soul. He who has two houses loses his mind.�

Eric Rohmer‘s series �Comedies and Proverbs�

Alice in Wonderland (PG) (( Century 16: 11:50 a.m. 2:25, 5, 7:45 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m.; 1:55, 4:40, 7:30 & 10:10 p.m. in 3D at 12:40 & 6:15 p.m.

“Les Nuits de la Pleine Lune� “Full Moon in Paris�

1984 film by Eric Rohmer. Pascale Ogier, Fabrice Luchini (Moliere) Christian Vadim, Tcheky Karyo (Nikita)

The Ghost Writer 1:25, 4:20, 7:15, Fri/Sat 10:10 Chloe 2:15, 7:20 The Runaways 4:45 Fri/Sat 9:45

Danielle Trudeau, Moderator Reserve your seat, get a discount online at

www.frenchfilmclubofpaloalto.org Established in 1977, the French Film Club is an independent non-proďŹ t Organization, open to the public. For full program and discounted tickets go to our website. Call 650-400-3496 for details.

! "

!

The Bounty Hunter (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)

Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 2, 4:45, 7:35, 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:35, 10:20 p.m.

Chloe (R) ((1/2

Palo Alto Square: 2:15 & 7:20 p.m.

Clash of the Titans (PG-13)

Century 16: 11 a.m.; 12:25, 1, 1:35, 3, 3:35, 4:10, 5:35, 6:10, 6:45, 8:10, 8:55, 9:20 & 10:40 p.m. In 3D at 11:40 a.m.; 2:20, 4:50, 7:25 & 10 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 12:30, 1:10, 1:50, 3:10, 3:50, 4:30, 5:50, 6:30, 7:10, 8:30, 9:20 & 9:50 p.m. In 3D at 11:50 a.m.; 2:30, 3:30, 5:10, 7:50, 8:55 & 10:30 p.m.

((

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (PG) (( Century 16: 11:15 a.m.; 1:40, 4, 6:50 & 9:10 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 1:55, 4:20, 6:50 & 9:15 p.m. The Ghost Writer (PG-13) (((1/2

Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 2, 4:50, 7:45 & 10:35 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 1:25, 4:20 7:15 & 10:10 p.m.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Not Rated) ((((

Guild: 1:15, 4:30 & 8 p.m.

Green Zone (R) ((

Century 16: 11:10 a.m.; 1:50, 4:30, 7:10 & 10:05 p.m Century 20: 11:05 a.m.; 1:45, 4:25, 7:05 & 9:45 p.m.

Greenberg (R) (((

Century 16: 12:05, 2:35, 5:10, 7:40 & 10:10 p.m.

Hot Tub Time Machine (R) (((Century 16: 12:30, 2:55, 5:30, 8 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 11:40 a.m.; 1, 2:20, 3:30, 4:45, 6, 7:15, 8:25, 9:40 & 10:45 p.m. How to Train Your Dragon (PG) ((1/2

Century 16: 11:45 a.m.; 12:15, 12:50, 1:30, 2:10, 3:15, 3:55, 4:35, 7 & 9:25 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 12:05, 12:55, 1:40, 2:40, 3:25, 4:15, 6:55, 5:20, 6:10, 7:45, 8:45 & 9:30 p.m.

The Hurt Locker (R) (((1/2

Aquarius: 2:30, 5:30 & 8:30 p.m.

The Last Song (PG) (Not Reviewed)

Century 16: Fri.-Tue. at 11:30 a.m.; 2:05, 4:40, 7:15 & 9:45 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m.; 1:05, 2:35, 3:40, 5:15, 6:25, 7:55, 9:05 & 10:30 p.m.

Our Family Wedding (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)

Century 20: 2:25 & 7:25 p.m.

Repo Men (R) ((

Century 20: 11:35 a.m.; 2:20, 5:05, 8 & 10:40 p.m.

The Rocky Horror Picture Guild: Sat. at midnight. Show (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)

MOVIE TIMES

The Runaways (R) (Not Reviewed)

Palo Alto Square: 4:45 p.m. Fri.-Sat. also at 9:45 p.m.

The Secret of Kells (Not Rated) (((1/2

Aquarius: 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9 p.m.

She’s Out of My League (R) (Not Reviewed)

Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 4:55 & 10 p.m.

Shutter Island (R) (((

Century 16: 6:20 & 9:35 p.m. Century 20: 10:15 p.m.

Why Did I Get Married Too? (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)

Century 16: 11 a.m.; 1:45, 4:55, 7:40 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 2, 4:50, 7:40 & 10:35 p.m.

( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding

For theater addresses and a review of “The Secret of Kells,� go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com " "

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HILARIOUS � . N O I T A N I B COM

“... A

Maria Salas, iami) TERRA-TV (M

OPENINGS Clash of the Titans --

(Century 16, Century 20) Long before the Pegasus turns up in a raven hue, the new remake of 1981’s “Clash of the Titans� is evidently a horse of a different color: darker, that is. Desmond Davis’ original was mostly a sunny affair, which made the shadows-and-hellfire showdown between demigod Perseus and snake-haired Medusa all the more striking, especially as animated under the aegis of special-effects maestro Ray Harryhausen. It’s a mark of the remake’s failure that the same showdown is one of the film’s most disappointing scenes, rendering the Medusa in the film’s least artful, most weightless CGI (blah 3D is no help). Remake director Louis Leterrier (“The Incredible Hulk�) has let the darkness spread through the narrative, and bled out what fun there was to be had. It’s a gamble that could have paid off with a sharper script, but “Ti-

tans� is still pretty dimwitted and incoherent. The difference now is that it’s lost its camp appeal. Leading man Sam Worthington (“Avatar�) exacerbates the film’s downbeat tone. As Perseus, Worthington remains a credible but basically charisma-free actor. He has one speed: smolder (OK, two: smolder and sneer) and his humorlessness makes one long for the days when Harrison Ford and Bruce Willis ruled the roost. The broadest strokes of this ancient-times fantasy remain the same, but call it a loose remake. Several characters have been added (including Zeus’ jealous brother Hades, played by Ralph Fiennes, and a Legion that seems to have wandered in from “300�) and others subtracted (Burgess Meredith’s likably dotty Ammon). The sea beast that is the Kraken is still the 11th-hour showstopper, after a parade of famous monsters of filmland including ogre-ish Calibos, giant scorpions, the Stygian witches and Medusa. The remake emphasizes the notion of man going to war with gods,

Szechwan & Hunan Gourmet

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touching on the philosophical notion that the gods need human worship to thrive and, perhaps, survive. But this provocative idea is quickly lost to muddy motivations (Zeus was always a flip-flopper, but just try to follow his train of thought here) and tiresome action that suffers from a lack of audience identification in a hero who sorta wants to save the day, as long as it doesn’t mean taking any favors from Dad. Principally, Perseus craves revenge against Hades. This puts him only slightly further up the evolutionary scale than the Sodom-andGomorrah-style mouth-breathers of Argos, a port town scheduled for heavenly demolition unless they feed their Princess Andromeda (Alexa Davalos) to the Kraken. This “Titans� does have some saving graces. Liam Cunningham as Legion leader Solon is the film’s unlikely but skilled comic relief, and the depiction of mystical Io (Gemma Arterton) harkens back to Homer’s earthbound encounters between men and gods. And if all you’re really after is seeing Liam Neeson’s Zeus, in gleaming white armor, stare down the camera and intone, “Release the Kraken!� do I have good news for you. Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief sensuality. One hour, 46 minutes. — Peter Canavese

MEXICAN The Oaxacan Kitchen 321-8003 Authentic Mexican Restaurant 2323 Birch Street, Palo Alto 1 ÊUÊ

,ÊUÊ/ Ê"1/ÊUÊ / ,

of the week

also visit us at 6 Bay Area Farmer’s Markets www.theoaxacankitchen.com

PIZZA Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town

AMERICAN

CHINESE

Armadillo Willy’s 941-2922

Peking Duck 856-3338

1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos

2310 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Range: $5.00-13.00

We also deliver.

Hobee’s 856-6124

Su Hong – Menlo Park

4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Dining Phone: 323–6852

Also at Town & Country Village,

To Go: 322–4631

Palo Alto 327-4111

Winner, Palo Alto Weekly “Best Of”

Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto

Burmese

www.spotpizza.com

POLYNESIAN Trader Vic’s 849-9800 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm

8 years in a row!

Available for private luncheons

INDIAN

Lounge open nightly

Green Elephant Gourmet (650) 494-7391

Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688

Burmese & Chinese Cuisine

129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto

3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto

Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days

(Charleston Shopping Center)

Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto

Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm

SEAFOOD Cook’s Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park

Janta Indian Restaurant 462-5903

Seafood Dinners from

Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering

369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto

$6.95 to $10.95

CHINESE

Lunch Buffet M-F; Organic Veggies

Scott’s Seafood 323-1555

Chef Chu’s (650) 948-2696

ITALIAN

1067 N. San Antonio Road

Spalti Ristorante 327-9390

lunch and dinner

on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos

417 California Ave, Palo Alto

Happy Hour 7 days a week 4-7 pm

2008 Best Chinese

ÝµÕ Ã ÌiÊ `ÊUÊ"ÕÌ` ÀÊ }

Full Bar, Banquets, Outdoor Seating

MV Voice & PA Weekly

www.spalti.com

www.scottsseafoodpa.com

Jing Jing 328-6885

Pizzeria Venti 650-254-1120

THAI

443 Emerson St., Palo Alto

1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View

Thaiphoon Restaurant 323-7700

Authentic Szechwan, Hunan

www.MvPizzeriaVenti.com

543 Emerson St., Palo Alto

Food To Go, Delivery

Fresh, Chef Inspired Italian Food

Full Bar, Outdoor Seating

www.jingjinggourmet.com

JAPANESE & SUSHI

www.thaiphoonrestaurant.com

Open 7 days a week serving breakfast,

Ming’s 856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com New Tung Kee Noodle House 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr.

#1 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto

Fuki Sushi 494-9383 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Largest Indian Buffet in Downtown Palo Alto Take-out & Catering Available 129 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto 650-321-6688

www.darbarcuisine.com

open 7 days

Best Thai Restaurant in Palo Alto 3 Years in a Row, 2006-2007-2008

STEAKHOUSE

Open 7 days a Week Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798

MEXICAN

DARBAR FINE INDIAN CUISINE

1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm

Voted MV Voice Best ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 & ‘04

Palo Alto Sol 328-8840

Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm

Prices start at $4.75

408 California Ave, Palo Alto

Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm

947-8888

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www.sundancethesteakhouse.com

Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com

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Editorial

Put compost proposal to a citywide vote At issue is whether an ‘anaerobic digestion’ composting operation makes enough environmental and economic sense to undedicate 8 acres of parkland

A

nother “only in Palo Alto” kind of political debate comes before the City Council Monday night, one that promises to divide environmentalists and confuse many others. At issue is whether the value of having a new-technology, local composting system outweighs the loss of 8 acres of dedicated parkland adjacent to the city’s Wastewater Treatment Plant at the end of Embarcadero Road. As outlined in pro-and-con opinion columns in last week’s Weekly (available on www.PaloAltoOnline.com), the plan would use a system called “anaerobic digestion” to compost yard wastes, food scraps and sewage sludge in airtight containers that would produce methane gas and enough electricity to power up to 1,400 homes, according to staff estimates. The technology is used in Europe but not yet in the United States. The catch is that after an extensive search for sites, a special task force of citizens — some with significant expertise in composting — concluded that there are no feasible sites. They ruled out the parkland site by the sewage plant because of political opposition expected due to the 1965 Park Dedication Ordinance and a later designation of the city’s landfill area as future parkland — including the area presently used for recycling and composting immediately south of the sewage plant. The current proposal envisions using 8 to 10 acres, not the larger existing composting site. About half the site would be under a “green roof” covered with native grasses, enclosing much of the composting operation. The proposed technology would mix yard clippings with commercial and domestic food scraps to create compost for home use, and with sludge from the sewage plant for compost for commercial use. The sludge currently is incinerated at a cost of about $800,000 a year plus about $240,000 to transport it to a disposal site in the Central Valley. Anaerobic means that the compost produces methane gas, which can be used to produce enough electricity to operate the sewage treatment plant and provide power to homes. Revenues would be expected from fees from people bringing material to the center and sales of power. The impacts of the operation could be significant in terms of truck traffic and noise that might intrude on areas of the surrounding Byxbee Park, some potential visual impacts, and loss of about 9 percent of the future park. Former Councilwoman Emily Renzel is a vigorous opponent of any loss of dedicated parkland. This proposal is vastly different than the ill-conceived Environmental Services Center plan of several years ago, which involved a huge building on a substantially larger site. Proponents of the composting plan, chiefly former City Council member and Mayor Peter Drekmeier, argue that in this case the economic and environmental benefits outweigh the value of the parkland that would be lost. They note that keeping the operation local would save people from making trips to Sunnyvale to deliver materials or retrieve compost. They say some revenues and savings from the operation could expedite development of other parts of Byxbee Park, for which no funds presently are allocated or available. The city faces a huge and growing budget shortfall, in addition to a half billion dollars in unfunded capital-improvement projects, they correctly point out. Some are discussing conducting an initiative-petition drive to place the matter on the November ballot. An alternative is for the City Council to assert its leadership and place it on the ballot. An initiative drive would need more than 4,356 signatures for the Nov. 8 election or 2,178 isgnatures for a regular city election next year. An initiative would not require that an environmental-impact study be done prior to the election, whereas an environmental study would need to be done if the council placed it on the ballot. Either alternative is better than being scared off by the need for voter approval to undedicated the 8 to 10 acres being discussed. But we do not believe voters should be asked to decide an issue of this importance without a full, clear understanding of the impacts of the operation that an environmental-impact study would delineate. The Park Dedication Ordinance is an important safeguard for citizens to protect their parklands, but it should not block consideration of a potential innovative composting facility that may have both significant environmental and economic benefits for the community.

Page 20ÊUÊ «À ÊÓ]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Chess divas Editor, We would like to thank the groups of people who came by to help Haiti and learn a bit more about chess at our March 20-21 fundraiser in Lytton Plaza. We raised $430 for UNICEF Haiti relief by having fun and playing fast-paced five-minute blitz games with many of you who rose to our challenge and donated $5 per game to help people who really needed it. We really wanted to find a way to combine our passion for chess with the overwhelming need of earthquake survivors in Haiti, and I think we did, in a friendly community gathering place. The money is on its way. Meanwhile, we hope that many of you will continue to help Haiti and also to enjoy chess by watching our award-winning local access “Chess Diva” show on Midpeninsula local access television. in Palo Alto. Thanks to all of you again, who stopped by. Lauren and Barbara Goodkind “The Chess Divas” Palo Alto

Pro-anaerobic facility Editor, In light of the recent letters about Palo Alto’s supply of renewable energy, I’d like to express my support for the commission of a feasibility study by the Palo Alto City Council on the viability of an anaerobic digestion facility located within the city. Research on the subject has found it to be a legitimate technology, widely adopted with great success and the cornerstone of an effective integrated waste management operation. Anaerobic digesters have been recognized by the United Nations Development Program as one of the most useful decentralized sources of energy supply and would significantly further the emission reduction goals set forth in Palo Alto’s Climate Protection Plan. Palo Alto is well-positioned for this kind of technology due to the fact that we are of municipal scale, own our own utilities and have the ability to co-locate the facility next to an existing wastewater treatment plant. Imagine finally getting to retire our outdated incinerator and redirecting the savings toward things like parkland and open space. Having the foresight and creativity to turn what is currently a waste expense into a revenue stream shows the sort of leadership we’ve all come to expect from Palo Alto. To take care of our waste locally while also generating electricity, natural gas, compost and revenue for the city shows tremendous financial, environmental and social responsibility — not to mention the sense of pride it would foster. I would like to see us continue to lead others in these efforts by en-

couraging the city to commission a feasibility study of an anaerobicdigester facility. Though new to us, let’s not be afraid of technology that’s already proven feasible by others. www.pagreenenergy.org has some enlightening facts on the subject as well as a petition to sign if in favor of such a study. Brandy Faulkner Barron Park Palo Alto

Park vs. composting? Editor, On the issue of retaining composting in Palo Alto, park advocates have been framing it as park vs. no park. However: 1) The proposed anaerobic digestion facility would take only about 8 acres — less than 10 percent — of Byxbee Park, which is only one part of 2,000 acres of preserved baylands. 2) Byxbee is not yet developed, and with the city’s current budget crisis, the only near-term hope for converting it to a real park would be revenue from the sale of energy generated by the compost. 3) Anaerobic digestion of compost

would not disturb enjoyment of the park. The composting would take place in a closed container next to the Water Quality Treatment Plant and be covered by a green roof. The small amount of noise from its operation would be lost in that of the plant and airport, about which no current park users have complained. 4) One important function of a park is education. The composting facility could include a center where visitors could learn about how anaerobic digestion not only diverts waste but produces both valuable compost and energy. The technology is proven; there are 12 such facilities in Germany and another 12 in the pipeline. Palo Alto’s would be first in this country and would symbolize the city’s continuing environmental leadership. With its potential economic benefits and community support, the proposal deserves a feasibility study, and the final decision should be by the voters. Walter Hays Parkside Drive Palo Alto

YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.

What do you think? What is your most memorable April Fool’s Day prank? Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@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. You can also participate in our popular interactive online forum, Town Square, at our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Read blogs, discuss issues, ask questions or express opinions with you neighbors any time, day or night. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Publishing Co. to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jay Thorwaldson or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.

SWIM HONOR . . . Stanford senior Julia Smit, a two-time Olympic medalist, has won the 2010 Honda Sports Award in swimming & diving, designating her as the nation’s top collegiate female athlete in that sport. The honor was based on the results of national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of the Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 34th year. Smit also was nominated for the award in 2009. This marks the 10th time that a Stanford athlete has been honored with the award.

ON THE AIR Friday College baseball: Stanford at UCLA, 6 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)

Saturday College baseball: Stanford at UCLA, 2 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)

Sunday Women’s basketball: Stanford vs. Oklahoma, 4 p.m.; ESPN; KZSU (90.1 FM)

Monday College baseball: Stanford at Cal, 2:30 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)

SPORTS ONLINE For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com

With her basketball teammates celebrating, Stanford senior Rosalyn Gold-Onwude (headband) holds aloft the trophy from the Sacramento Regional following the Cardinal’s dramatic 55-53 victory over Xavier on Monday night. The victory earned Stanford a third straight appearance in the NCAA Final Four.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Stanford planning to make some noise Cardinal’s ‘Big Three’ hoping their actions speak louder than words in national semifinals by Rick Eymer

S

tanford All-American senior center Jayne Appel remembers Nnemkadi Ogwumike being quiet when they were introduced during Ogwumike’s recruiting visit three years ago. Appel, who averages 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds a game for the second-ranked Cardinal women’s basketball team, makes it a point to chat it up with the recruits. “I’m always trying to tell them why Stanford would be a great place to go,” Appel said. “A lot of recruits are quiet when they visit. Neka was real quiet, maybe not as quiet as Kayla (Pedersen) was the year be-

TV: Stanford vs. Oklahoma Sunday, 4pm, ESPN fore, but she was pretty quiet.” Ogwumike must be a quick study (continued on page 22)

Marc Abrams/Stanford Athletics

PREP ROUNDUP . . . It was a battle between the No. 1 and 2 teams in the Central Coast Section. It was a meeting of two coaches from the same club team. It was a confrontation between players who are teammates in the offseason. All that added up to something special when Menlo School hosted Palo Alto on Wednesday in a nonleague showdown to decide the unofficial champion in girls’ lacrosse this season. With no CCS playoffs in lacrosse and both teams playing in separate leagues — Menlo in the WBAL and Paly in the SCVAL — this one-time meeting offered big-time bragging rights to the winner. Not too surprisingly, deciding the winner was not easy. It took two halves, two overtimes and then two sudden-death periods before Menlo senior Mila Sheeline scored to give the Knights a thrilling and exhausting 12-11 victory on Wednesday that stretched late into the day and finished in the cold rain. Maggie Brown scored four goals for the Knights (6-3) while Kimmie Flather tallied three for the Vikings (9-1) . . . The Palo Alto baseball team continued its perfect run through the SCVAL De Anza Division with a 10-1 spanking of host Cupertino on Wednesday. The Vikings (7-0, 11-3) held on to first place by producing 10 hits against the last-place Pioneers. Wade Hauser had three hits, including a solo home run in the first inning, and a double and scored twice to spark Palo Alto. Christoph Bono added two hits and two RBI with two runs scored. Winning pitcher T.J. Braff helped himself with a double and two RBI.

Kyle Terada

Sports Shorts

After earning a berth in the Final Four, Stanford’s Jayne Appel (2) and Nnemkadi Ogwumike were named second-team All-Americans.

Stanford women’s tennis home streak will be in jeopardy by Rick Eymer

S

tanford women’s tennis coach Lele Forood understands ‘The Streak’ has taken on a life of its own. That’s all well and good, and an indication that the No. 12 Cardinal plays a mean game of tennis at Taube Tennis Center. But forgive Forood for focusing on other things at the moment, like

how Stanford (2-0, 13-1) will beat visiting No. 18 USC (3-0, 11-6) Friday in a Pac-10 Conference match at 1:30 p.m. “That’s the most important match,” Forood said Wednesday. “If we don’t win Friday then a lot of things are no longer in place.” Stanford has won 158 consecutive home matches, dating to a loss

against California on Feb. 27, 1999. It is recognized as the longest active home winning streak of any intercollegiate sport in NCAA Division I athletics. Perhaps even more remarkable is that the Cardinal has won 210 of its past 211 home matches, which includes all NCAA tournament matches.

During the current streak, Stanford has won six NCAA titles and reached the championship match on two other occasions. Also during the streak, UCLA and California have reached the championship match five times, with the Bruins winning it once. Both are (continued on page 23)

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NCAA hoops (continued from page 21)

though. After a year of watching Appel gain first team All-America status and earning Pac-10 Player of the Year honors, Ogwumike flourished in her second year on The Farm as opposing teams keyed on Appel, who started the season slowly because of offseason surgery. Ogwumike (19.2, 9.6) became Appel’s heir apparent as she played her way to the Pac-10 Player of the Year award and All-America honors this season, and she’s one of the regulars at post-game media sessions. Just like Jayne. “It’s great how she’s developed into a tremendous leader for our team,� Appel said. Pedersen gave short, one-word answers during her recruiting trip to Stanford. If Pedersen had her way, Appel thought, she wouldn’t have uttered a word. These days the ‘Big Three’ have become quite the talkers, and ambassadors of Stanford basketball. It’s hard for Cardinal fans to think of playing without one of them. Pedersen (15.9, 9.3) has taken full advantage of her playing skills to keep other teams from trying to pack it in and stop the inside threat. She’s made nearly 38 percent of her 3-point attempts (52-138) and is an 83.4 percent free throw (126-of-151) shooter. Appel and Ogwumike were named to AP’s All-America second team earlier this week. Pedersen was an honorable mention. Now all three will be trying to keep Stanford’s national championship bid alive on Sunday when the Cardinal (35-1) meets No. 12 Oklahoma (2710) at 4 p.m. (PDT) in the first of two national semifinal games at San Antonio’s Alamodome. Top-ranked and defending NCAA champion Connecticut (37-0) meets Baylor (27-9) in the later semifinal. Both games are on ESPN. The Sooners enjoyed their easiest game of the tournament in beating Kentucky, 88-68, to reach the Final Four. They needed overtime to beat Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen after knocking off South Dakota State by 11 and Arkansas-Little Rock by 16. Stanford, outside of its loss to Connecticut this year, had its toughest test of the year in beating Xavier, 55-53, in Sacramento. The Cardinal handled UC Riverside, Iowa and Georgia by a combined 98 points. Baylor’s journey began in Berkeley, where the Bears beat Fresno State by 14 and Georgetown by 16 before knocking off top-seeded Tennessee, 77-62, and No. 2 seed Duke, 51-48. The Huskies reached the Final Four, winning four times, by a combined margin of 187 points, or an average score of 87.3 to 40.2. “I feel like we’ve been given a new basketball life,� Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said. “I watched Jeanette Pohlen’s play and the two missed layups over in my mind a million times. We saw the season pass before our eyes. It was over. We’re thankful to be playing, and appreciative of going to San Antonio. I’m sure the team will make the absolute most of it.�

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Sammy Albanese

Philip MacQuitty

Castilleja School

Palo Alto High

The senior pitcher won two softball games by throwing 14 scoreless innings of nohit ball with 42 strikeouts, 22 coming in a 2-0 win over Mercy-Burlingame to give the Gators sole possession of first place in the WBAL.

The senior ran on back-toback days at the Stanford Invitational track and field meet, first on the 4th-place distance medley relay team and then a state-leading 4:13.92 to win the mile and break a 44-yearold school record.

Honorable mention Hailie Eackles* Pinewood basketball

Kimmie Flather Palo Alto lacrosse

Kelly Jenks* Palo Alto softball

Jenna McLoughlin* Pinewood basketball

Sunny Margerum Gunn track and field

Miranda Seto Pinewood basketball

Kyle Bullington Menlo lacrosse

Nicky Hu Palo Alto tennis

Arnaud Kpachavi Priory track and field

Kei Masuda Menlo-Atherton swimming

Joc Pederson Palo Alto baseball

Chace Warren Menlo-Atherton baseball * previous winner

To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com

Oklahoma is sure to be making the most of it, as well. The Lady Sooners may have 10 losses, but they’ve played NCAA tournament teams for more than half their schedule. And they have reversed several of those losses to be where they are. Oklahoma’s losses have been to Georgia (very early in the season), Notre Dame, Tennessee, Baylor, Iowa State, Texas, Connecticut, Nebraska and Texas A&M (twice). The Lady Sooners are 12-10 against the NCAA field, and that includes wins over Notre Dame, Baylor, Texas and Texas A&M. “There are more similarities than differences between the teams,� VanDerveer said. “It’s a great matchup and it should make for a real exciting game. Oklahoma has great guard play and they have been there before.� Appel has played against Oklahoma’s 5-9 junior guard Danielle Robinson, a Mitty High product, as has Pohlen. The two were opposing guards in the California state high school championship game several years ago. “I played with her in 10-under or 11-under,� Appel said. “She’s always been like a lightning bolt. I also played against her in high school.� Ros Gold-Onwude played the last

time Stanford and Oklahoma met, in the Sweet Sixteen in 2006. “I remember that game very well; it was the biggest game I had played in and we won,� the fifth-year senior said. Stanford’s hopes still depend on Appel’s ability to play through a sore ankle. The Cardinal is a different team without her in the lineup. It showed at the end of the Xavier game when Musketeers’ guard Dee Dee Jernigan was left unguarded twice underneath the basket in the final seconds. Appel is also an inspirational leader and often carries the Cardinal through difficult stretches. Appel and Ogwumike, VanDerveer said, were a little tentative against Xavier’s ‘Twin Towers,’ and that wasn’t acceptable. “There’s a lesson there,� VanDerveer said. “We need them to do what they’ve been doing all season and that’s being aggressive. Neka has, basically, shot 65 percent all year and she was 5-for-17? That’s not going to cut it.� Stanford set a school record with its 26th consecutive win Monday night, and will be looking to break a tie for most wins in a season when it takes the court Sunday. A 37th victory will be even better. N

Sports

From the start, state basketball title for Pinewood just meant to be by Mitch Stephens he stage evidently was set early for good things to happen to the Pinewood girls’ basketball team when, in the second quarter, senior guard Emily Liang drove toward the lane and lost the handle slightly. “I didn’t want to lose it so I just wanted to tip it to someone,� she said. From just below the free-throw line, she tipped it straight into the basket, drawing a giant groan from the largely vacant Rabobank Arena and a giant smile from the entire

Pinewood bench. “You don’t see that every day,� Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler said. “When a shot like that goes in you know it’s your day.� And it was indeed Pinewood’s — though it had little to nothing to do with luck. With what Scheppler called “great resolve� after losing last year’s state title game and enduring an offseason of knee injuries, the Panthers basically put on a clinic, defeating a vastly taller and stronger St. Anthony’s (Long Beach) team, 62-44, in the CIF State Division V cham-

Stanford tennis

level of play going up and it’s because she’s putting in a lot of extra effort to be a great player. She competes incredibly well and it shows in how much her game is progressing.� The eighth-ranked Barte faces her toughest challenge of the season too. She’ll be matched against USC’s Maria Sanchez, the nation’s secondranked player, and UCLA’s Yasmin Schnack, ranked fourth, this weekend. She’s 14-2 against nationallyranked foes this season. “What she does rubs off on the others simply because she’s the hardest worker,� Forood said. “They pick up on that notion. Not only is she talented but she’s one of the hardest workers and that brings up the level of our practices. They see the connection that great players are often the hardest workers. She runs down every ball no matter where it is.� Barte and senior Lindsay Burdette, the team’s No. 2 singles player, form the nation’s second-ranked doubles team and they usually set the tone for a match as doubles is normally played first in a dual meet. Forood never thought of pairing Lindsay and her younger sister, Mallory, in her freshman season at Stanford, as a doubles team despite their success together on the junior circuit. After all, Barte and Burdette (21-2 this year) were national doubles runnerups last year. “It’s really strengthened doubles play with them split up,� Forood said. “They complement each other well and they get along great. The other pairings, though, are just not there this year.� N

T

(continued from page 21)

teams Stanford plays at home every year. This is no trifling matter. Stanford has 30 NCAA home victories among the 158, and Taube Tennis Center hosted the NCAA championships twice (and is scheduled to host again in 2011). When the Cardinal started its current streak, it beat five nationally-ranked programs, including California, among its first six wins. Stanford faces a difficult home schedule every season. The Cardinal has already faced five Top 25 programs, all on the road, this season. This weekend is, by far, Stanford’s biggest test. No. 7 UCLA (3-0, 16-2) follows the Women of Troy with a visit on Saturday at noon. The Bruins handed Stanford its only loss of the season, 6-1, at the end of February in Westwood. “I know a lot of people look at how we lost at UCLA so badly and then had the rainout with USC,� Forood said. “Our win at California was good and beating Arizona State was our best match of the season so far. The Pac-10 is a good conference and winning the Pac-10 title is a big deal, whether it’s tennis, baseball or softball. This is a premiere conference, particularly in the spring sports.� There are six (of nine) Pac-10 teams currently ranked among the top 25, a figure matched only by the 12-member ACC. So how do her players react to their participation in ‘The Streak?’ “I’m not even sure they know about it,� Forood said. “We don’t talk about it. It’s secondary to what we need to do to win matches this year. It’s a byproduct and not the focus. The streak involves so many players (including former NCAA singles champions Laura Granville and Amber Liu) over such a long period of time that it’s just not about this year’s players.� Stanford has its share of talented players — five of the six singles players are ranked among the top 100 — and is always in the hunt for a national title. Junior Hilary Barte took over as the team’s top singles’ player in her freshman season and has maintained a stranglehold on it ever since. She’s undefeated in 14 dual meets (22-3 overall) and brings a 17-match winning streak into Friday’s contest. “Her game is continually improving,� Forood said. “You can see her

pionship game last Saturday in Bakersfield. St. Anthony is the same squad that defeated the Panthers, 43-42, at the Nike TOC. “That also helped with our resolve,� Scheppler said. “That’s as well as any of our teams have played in a big-game setting.� That’s saying something, considering Pinewood (27-6) won its fourth state title in five tries. But the Panthers never trailed in utilized each of their small, but mighty weapons, led by 17 points from Miranda Seto, 16 from Hailie

Eackles and 13 by Jenna McLoughlin, who didn’t play in the first meeting against St. Anthony (26-10) because of an ACL injury. The team’s tallest player at 5-10, McLoughlin helped Pinewood improve a 53-15 rebounding disparity it endured at the Nike TOC, but not by a long way. St. Anthony, which got 11 points from Jordan Jackson, held a 41-25 edge on Saturday. But McLoughlin’s presence in the middle no doubt helped, as did a near-perfect game plan carried out to perfection. “Pinewood played a great game

and (Scheppler) definitely outcoached me,� St. Anthony coach James Anderson said. “They made adjustments after the first game and we didn’t. That’s on me.� Pinewood was up 48-22 with 3:09 left in the third and this one was essentially over. “We just didn’t want to feel like we did last year (in the state-title game),� Seto said. “We came out here and we weren’t nervous at all. We played like we can.� N (Mitch Stephens is a national columnist for MaxPreps.com)

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