Upfront
Public Agenda
A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hold a closed session on the recruitment process for the city attorney; hear a presentation from the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation; and vote on a plan to reduce lanes on California Avenue as part of a grant-funded streetscape project. The closed session is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 14. Regular meeting will follow in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
COMMUNITY
Tall Tree Award honorees announced Local citizens, organizations selected for community contributions by Karla Kane
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owntown retailer University Art, nonprofit organization Youth Community Service, local developer Jim Baer, and father/daughter duo William Alhouse and Jane Alhouse Gee are this year’s Tall Tree Award winners, the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday at a reception at the Garden Court Hotel. The awards, which recognize community service and civic contribution in four categories, are cosponsored by the Palo Alto Cham-
Guilty
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ma, a person against whom Schipsi and Zumot had both filed a restra ining order shortly before the fire, and for not following up on a statement made Jennifer Schipsi by Zumot’s landlord, John Eckland, who testified that he saw a dirty white sedan parked close to the house on the day of the fire. “ T h e y Bulos Zumot didn’t show you any evidence linking Bulos to the crime,� Geragos told the jury. During Zumot’s time on the witness stand, he testified that he and Schipsi had completely reconciled on Oct. 15 and “everything was fine.� He said he became extremely concerned about Schipsi when he learned the house was on fire. But Gillingham pointed to phone records showing that when Zumot arrived at the scene of the fire, he made dozens of phone calls over a two-hour stretch, but only two to Schipsi. He also didn’t send her any text messages that evening — behavior that Gillingham argued was unusual for a man who on a typical day would
The business also provides prizes for local contests, such as the Palo Alto Weekly’s annual photo contest and other art shows and competitions. Owner Cornelia Pendleton is the daughter and niece of the store’s co-founders. “Cornelia has been a passionate and tireless fundraiser for our programs and for our renovation project,� Palo Alto Art Center Director Karen Kienzle wrote.
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD ... The board plans to discuss 300 Homer Ave., a proposal to rehabilitate the Roth Building. The meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). CITY-SCHOOL LIAISON COMMITTEE ... The committee will discuss school demographic and enrollment forecasts, teen mental health and the Stanford University Medical Center expansion project. The meeting is scheduled for 8:15 a.m. in Conference Room A of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.).
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ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to discuss a proposal by Stanford University Medical Center to build a new Stanford Hospital & Clinics building at 300 Pasteur Drive. The new building would feature 1.1 million square feet of floor space; 600 beds; new operating, diagnostic and treatment suites; and a parking facility with 970 spaces. The meeting is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). Gennady Sheyner
Gillingham said Zumot, former owner of Da Hookah Spot in downtown Palo Alto, was the only person who had the motive, the opportunity and the desire to kill Schipsi, 29. He pointed to their two-year history of domestic disputes — disputes that led both Zumot and Schipsi to file police complaints against one another. He also emphasized the long strings of insulting text messages Schipsi sent Zumot early in the morning of Oct. 15 — messages in which she threatened to go to the police if he didn’t pay her the money she claimed he owed her. Gillingham argued that Zumot strangled Schipsi that day and later dowsed the house with gasoline and turned on the burner on the stove in hopes of causing an explosion that would hide his crime. There were no signs of a forced entry into the home nor of a burglary, Gillingham said, and no one disputed the coroner’s finding that Schipsi was murdered before the fire occurred. Gillingham told the jury that Zumot was with Schipsi all day and had “absolutely no alibi� for Oct. 15. No one who could vouch that they saw Zumot until that evening, he said. During his closing argument, Geragos had dismissed the prosecution’s evidence as “a lot of nonsense� that the prosecution put in front of the jury “in the guise of evidence.� He told the jury that the prosecution’s theory about Zumot taking Schipsi’s phone and traveling with both phones on the day of the fire didn’t stand up to evidence. Geragos also pointed to a lab report from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which examined Zumot’s clothing and did not find any evidence of accelerant on his sweatshirt, pants or socks. This finding contrasted with that of Rosie, an accelerant-sniffing dog used by arson investigators after the fire. Geragos recalled testimony from a Palo Alto police officer who testified that Zumot did not have any scratch marks or bruises on Oct. 15, 2009. The fact that there “wasn’t a single mark� on Zumot suggests that he did not get into a fight with Schipsi that day, Geragos argued. He also criticized Palo Alto police for not investigating Hisham Ghan-
ber of Commerce and the Palo Alto Weekly. This year’s honoree in the business category, University Art, has been selling art supplies and gifts in Palo Alto since 1948. The Hamilton Avenue store has supported the Palo Alto Art Center and its assorted programs, including Project Look! and Cultural Kaleidoscope, both of which introduce local children to the world of art, noted 2009 Tall Tree Award winner Carolyn Tucher in her nomination letter.
POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss council procedures and protocols and the challenges of working with a smaller city staff. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
Relatives of murder victim Jennifer Schipsi — (from left) father Jim Schipsi, aunt Dee Towner and grandmother Peggy Schipsi — react to the conviction of Bulos Zumot Thursday (Feb. 10) outside the Hall of Justice in San Jose. exchange dozens if not hundreds of texts. During his closing argument to the jury, Gillingham recalled Zumot’s lack of texts to Schipsi on the evening of the fire. “His silence is damning. His silence is deafening,� Gillingham told the jury during closing arguments. “His silence yells louder than anything he could’ve said at the witness stand: ‘I murdered Jennifer.’� Roy Endemann, Schipsi’s best friend, cried outside of the courtroom after the verdict. “I’m glad he’s guilty, but it’s sad for me to close this chapter in my life,� he said. “It definitely makes things better for me, but it’s very hard to hear from the jury, the judge, that your best friend had been killed.� N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@paweekly. com
RAIL CORRIDOR STUDY TASK FORCE ... The task force plans to discuss the community’s vision for the Caltrain corridor. The meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Lucie Stern Community Room (1305 Middlefield Road). PUBLIC ART COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss acceptance of a donation from the Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and hear a presentation from the city manager’s office on the “Way Finding Project.� The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
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City Council (Feb. 7)
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A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
Commission: The council appointed Leonardo Hochberg, Mary Beth Train and Eileen Landauer to the Library Advisory Commission. Fire study: The council discussed the Fire Department Services, Resources & Utilization Study, which recommends regionalizing fire-training services, merging two fire stations and eliminating the Fire Department’s minimum-staffing requirement. Action: None
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City Council (Feb. 8)
City attorney: The council held a closed session to discuss the hiring of a new city attorney. Action: None
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