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Palo Alto fires back against union Page 3
Tensions rise in Palo Alto over people who live in cars
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Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
Palo Alto fires back against union’s complaint City claims firefighters’ effort to keep labor reform off ballot is ‘neither just nor proper’ by Gennady Sheyner alo Alto’s heated standoff with the city’s firefighters union spilled over from the negotiating table to the court system this week, with the city firing back against the union’s effort to keep labor reform off the November ballot. The firefighters union, Interna-
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tional Association of Fire Fighters, Local 1319, last week filed an “unfair practice charge” with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB), claiming that the City Council acted illegally by not consulting the union before placing a repeal of the bindingarbitration provision in the City Char-
ter on this November’s ballot. The city fired back Tuesday by asking the court to toss out the firefighters’ request and accusing the union of attempting “to rush through an order blocking the Council’s Constitutional prerogative and stripping franchise rights from 60,000 Palo Alto citizens.” At stake in this dispute is a ballot measure that, if passed by the voters, would repeal a provision in the City Charter that empowers a three-member panel to settle stalemated labor
disputes between city management and public-safety unions. After more than a year of discussion and analysis, the council voted 5-4 on July 18 to place the repeal measure on the Nov. 8 ballot. The council’s previous effort failed 4-5 in August 2010. The firefighters filed a complaint with the labor-relations board on July 28 accusing the city of failing and refusing to provide unions with “reasonable time and opportunity to meet and discuss the aforesaid ballot measure”
and to consider alternative proposals from the unions. The firefighters’ complaint seeks an injunction that would keep the binding-arbitration repeal off the ballot. In her opposition brief, City Attorney Molly Stump cited several cases in which the courts found that cities are not required to meet and confer with unions on issues of binding arbitration. She also pointed out that (continued on page 10)
EDUCATION
Orthodox Jewish girls school opens in Palo Alto Inaugural ninth-grade class will study Jewish texts along with math, science, humanities by Chris Kenrick he opening of a small high school for Orthodox Jewish girls in Palo Alto this fall reflects the growth of the Orthodox community in Silicon Valley, school founders say. Meira Academy — named for the Hebrew word “light” — will open its doors on Middlefield Road with eight ninth-graders later this month. Dressed in navy pleated skirts and blue, white or blue and white striped blouses, girls will spend mornings studying Jewish texts, Hebrew, Jewish history, ethics and the role of women in Judaism. Afternoons — stretching until 5:30 p.m. — will bring classes in math, science, history, language arts, computer science, visual and performing arts and gym. The new school aims to produce graduates qualified for admission to any U.S. college or for postsecondary Jewish education, typically in Israel, said Principal Penina Noy, herself the product of an Israeli education. The school has no formal link to any local synagogue, but caters to families seeking a “rigorous Jewish education” for their daughters, said Rabbi Joey Felsen, president of the school’s board and executive director of the Palo Alto-based Jewish Study Network. Until now, such families would have to move, or send their daughters away to board at small schools in places like Los Angeles or Denver, said Felsen, whose oldest daughter boards at a girls school in Denver.
T Veronica Weber
Enjoying the lazy days of summer Scott Robinson, a cancer patient at the Palo Alto Veterans Health Administration hospital, relaxes beside Boronda Lake while working on a crossword puzzle. Robinson commutes for treatment from Dorrington, Calif., in the western Sierras, and can be found at the lake a few days a week.
ECONOMY
Valley entrepreneurs share job-creation ideas Welcome entrepreneurial immigrants, transform schools, get more engineers, panelists say by Chris Kenrick o create jobs America must welcome entrepreneurial immigrants, transform education and get more students to choose engineering, leading Silicon Valley entrepreneurs said Tuesday (Aug. 2). AOL co-founder and former CEO Steve Case, venture capitalist John Doerr, Netflix founder and chair-
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man Reed Hastings and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg shared their job-creation ideas at a “listening and action session” convened in Palo Alto by the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The session drew about 150 local business people to the Stanford
Research Park campus of VMware, a virtualization software company that has quadrupled its local workforce in the past four years. Panelists stressed the job-creating potential of educated immigrants and the job-multiplying effects of companies they launch. A quarter of venture-backed startups between 1995 and 2005 had at least one immigrant among its founders — accounting for billions in capital valuation and tens or hundreds of thousands of jobs, said White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, also a member of the panel. Panelists said they welcomed reforms announced by the Obama administration Tuesday to clear visa red tape for so-called “immigrant
founders” as well as for “immigrant investors” — people willing to invest at least $1 million and create at least 10 new jobs. In the “global war for talent,” America can’t afford to wait for comprehensive immigration reform but must hasten “entrepreneurship reform” to slash barriers for immigrants who will create jobs now, Case said. Allowing the right immigrants to work here creates jobs, rather than taking them away, said Sandberg, telling of a Spanish-born Facebook executive who has led the firm’s internationalization initiatives. Had the employee not recently “won the lottery” for an H1B visa (continued on page 10)
(continued on page 9)
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EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, 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 Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Dale Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Jeff Carr, Janelle Eastman, Aaron Guggenheim, Casey Moore, Editorial Interns Leslie Shen, Arts & Entertainment Intern DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Gary Vennarucci, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Judie Block, 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.
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EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Penelope Ng, Payroll & Benefits Manager Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Susie Ochoa, Cathy Stringari, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Janice Covolo, Doris Taylor, Receptionist Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO MEDIA 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 Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright Š2011 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our e-mail addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@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
‘‘
‘‘
d Granin g! Open
I don’t have to burn up some dinosaurs to get there.
—Stevie Coyle, a music teacher who uses Skype, on the benefits of giving live, online instruction rather than driving to a lesson. See story on page 5.
Around Town I DREAM OF THEATER ... The looming departure of Borders Books from downtown Palo Alto has given some residents hope that the spacious venue could once again serve as a theater. The building at 456 University Ave. housed the Varsity Theatre, a single-screen movie house, between 1927 and 1994 and was converted into a retail location the year after the theater’s closure. City resident Mark Weiss, a long-time advocate of public art, wrote a letter to the City Council this week urging the council to seize the opportunity and consider bringing a new theater to downtown Palo Alto. The venue, he argued, could be a future site for a “a public hall, for entertainment, for a marketplace of ideas, for live music concerts, for live theatre, for lectures, for government outreach, for film programming and high technology showcasing, for up to 900 people at a time.� Palo Alto officials aren’t so sure. Thomas Fehrenbach, the city’s economic development manager, issued a report this week claiming that a performing arts theater for that site “has significant obstacles, especially in light of the constraints and costs of such a retrofit.� He also wrote that given the site’s “limited University Avenue frontage and large size,� it would be a “major challenge� to find a single retailer to occupy the site. The report irked Weiss and local land-use watchdog Winter Dellenbach, who publicly denounced it at this week’s City Council meeting as being filled with “unsubstantiated conclusions and odd assertions.� She particularly disputed Fehrenbach’s assertion that the site’s frontage presents an obstacle to a potential new theater. “Borders was there for 10 years. It wasn’t site failure,� Dellenbach said. “The site is just fine.� SID’S CHOICE ... Some time in the next month, four members of the City Council will get together to compose an argument urging Palo Alto voters to repeal the bindingarbitration provision from the City Charter. The one question looming over the process is: Which four? The question is more than academic given that only five members of the nine-member council voted to place the item on the ballot (one of the five, Vice Mayor Yiaway Yeh, said he doesn’t support the repeal but wants to give voters a say on the matter). The decision on appointing
the four-member committee falls to Mayor Sid Espinosa, who opposed the repeal measure but who now gets to pick the authors of the prorepeal argument. The most obvious choices to pen the pro-repeal argument are Councilwoman Karen Holman and councilmen Greg Scharff and Pat Burt, all of whom supported the repeal measure last year (when it failed by a 4-5 vote) and who voted in its favor last month. Burt said he, Holman and Scharff have already discussed a possible argument in favor of the repeal. The fourth member could be Greg Schmid, who also favors repealing the provision, or Larry Klein, who opposes both binding arbitration and the repeal of binding arbitration (Klein supported an alternate measure that would have modified the provision). Espinosa acknowledged on Monday that he is in a “unique situation� of having voted against the repeal measure but having the power to make the appointments. He vowed, however, not to base his appointments on his political stance on the issue. “This is not a political game for me,� Espinosa said. “The majority voted for this. ... This isn’t a story of gamesmanship.� THE ‘NORMAL UGLY’ ... Palo Alto’s Architectural Review Board is used to grappling with such issues as construction materials, color palettes and landscape elements in proposed developments. But on Thursday, the panel of critical architects has an unusual assignment: a review of an AT&T proposal to plant antennas on existing utility poles at nine Palo Alto locations. The proposed antennas would come in pairs and would be placed on top of each pole in a U-shaped configuration. Members didn’t vote on the proposal but agreed the design of the proposed antenna system has plenty of room for improvement, with board Vice Chair Heather Young calling it “not particularly endearing.� But board member Alex Lew argued that the equipment — while not exactly beautiful — isn’t any uglier than other utility equipment in the city (in the words of board member Judith Wasserman, they fall into “the normal ugly range�). Board Chair Clare Malone Prichard agreed with Lew. “They’re not great looking, but if you look at the pole without these things on it they’re also not great looking,� she said. N
See if your favorite auto shop is a 2011
CLEAN BAY BUSINESS EAST PALO ALTO A-1 Auto Service Cavallino Collision Repair CSI Chevron East Palo Alto Shell Infinity Auto Salvage Parking Company of America(PCA) Rainer’s Service Station Touchatt Trucking
More than 98 percent of vehicle service facilities in our communities are making special efforts to protect local creeks and San Francisco Bay. Their routine shop practices keep pollutants away from both storm drains and the sewer system.
LOS ALTOS Allied Auto Works (Grant Rd) Allied Auto Works (Miramonte) California Automotive Chevron Automotive Center El Camino Unocal Ladera Auto Wiorks Los Altos Arco AM/PM Los Altos City Yard Los Altos Union Rancho Auto Service Reitmeir’s Werkstatt, Inc. Skip’s Tire & Auto Centers USA Gasoline Village Chevron MOUNTAIN VIEW A-1 Auto Tech A-1 Foreign Auto All-Automotive All VW Shop America’s Tire Company Americana Shell #142 (El Camino) Autobahn Body & Paint Avis Rent A Car System B & M Collision Repair Barooni Imports Bay Area Performance Cycles, Inc. Bay Muffler Bill Bailey Chevron #9-6377 Bill’s Towing Service BMW of Mountain View Bosco Oil/Valley Oil Company BTN Automotive Budget Car & Truck Rental #1407 BW’s German Car C & C Body Shop California BMW Chevron USA #9-0699 CMV – Fire Station #1 CMV – Fire Station #2 CMV – Fire Station #3 CMV – Fire Station #4 CMV – Fleet Services Division CMV – Shoreline Golf Links CMV – Utilities Division Coast Auto Repair Corporate Auto Works Custom Alignment D & A Garage Dave’s Body Shop Auto Detailing Dean’s Automotive, Inc. Depot Garage/Redstone Motors Dinan Engineering, Inc. Driven Auto Care, Inc. Dunn’s Automotive Service Eco_Lube Center El Monte 76 Service #253686 Ellison Towing Ellsworth Brothers Machine Enterprise Rent-A-Car Euro Quattro Evelyn Auto Body Family Auto Care Family Thrifty Car Wash (Bay Street) Family Thrifty Car Wash (El Camino) FCC Collision Mountain View, LLC Felix’s Auto Service, Inc. Firestone Store #3670 Fortes Auto Body
Look for the green emblem in East Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Stanford Four Rings Workshop Global Automotive Grant Road Shell Griffin’s Auto Repair GTS Auto Center H & J European Repair H & M Station Harv’s Car Wash Helming’s Auto Repair Herlinger Corvette Repair Hertz Rent-A-Car Local Edition Heyer Performance Houtan Petroleum (El Camino) Howard Tire by Wheel Works Hurst & Sons Auto Independence Acura Service Independence Auto Body Israel’s Tire & Alignment Jiffy Lube #2342 Joe’s Foreign Car Kevin’s Auto Repair King’s Body Shop Larry’s AutoWorks Laslo’s Auto Repair Lou’s Automotive Lozano, Inc. Magnussen’s Car West Autobody Mercedes Werkstatt Michaux Automotive Midas Middlefield Auto Service Mini of Mountain View Miramonte Shell Modderman Service, Inc. Moffett Blvd. Valero #7528 Moonlite Car Wash (Old Middlefield) Moonlite Car Wash (Shoreline) Mountain View Auto Repair Mountain View Auto & Truck Mountain View Body Shop Mountain View Foreign Car Mountain View Radiator Mountain View Shell #143 Mountain View Smog Check Mountain View Valero #7542 MV/Whisman School District National Towing & Transport North Star Auto Tech O’Grady Paving, Inc. Pacific Smog Tech Parker Automotive Pedro’s Auto Clinic Perfection Auto Detail Performance European Precision Tune Auto Care (Miramonte) Quick Smog Recology Mountain View Rengstorff Shell #144 Rich’s Tire
Rotten Robbie-4 San Antonio Valero #7230 Santa Clara County Transportation Authority Savings Auto Care Shoreline Shell Silicon Valley Valero #7864 Sonic Motorsports Steve Smith’s Auto Service Steve Weiss Enterprises Sunnyvale Foreign Car Service Suspension Performance Takahashi Automotive The Car Clinic The Car Doctor The Dent Doctor Thomas Transfer & Storage Company Trackstar Racing U-Haul of Mountain View United Auto Repair United Collision Center, Inc. Yardbird Equipment Sales Yarnell’s Service Center Young’s Automotive Service PALO ALTO
Kurt’s & Dorn’s Service Maaco Painting & Bodyworks Mathews-Carlsen Body Works Mechanica Automotive Meissner Automotive Midas National Car Rental Nine Minute Oil & Lupe Oil Changers Palo Alto Aero Service Palo Alto Airport Palo Alto Auto Repair Palo Alto BMW Palo Alto Fire Station #1 Palo Alto Fire Station #2 Palo Alto Fire Station #3 Palo Alto Fire Station #4 Palo Alto Fire Station #5 Palo Alto Fuel Service Palo Alto German Car Corporation Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course Maintenance Yard Palo Alto Municipal Service Center Palo Alto Shell Palo Alto Speedometer Service Palo Alto Unified School District Palo Alto Unocal Service Park Automotive Service Park Avenue Motors Precision Automotive Rossi Aircraft, Inc. Say Ray Auto Service Sherman’s Auto Service Smog Pros/Arco Stanford Auto Care Streetwerke Toyota of Palo Alto Valero USA (El Camino) Valero USA (San Antonio) Viking Motor Body Company West Valley Aircraft Services West Valley Flying Club Yeaman Auto Body STANFORD Campus Service/Valero Peninsula Sanitation Services Facility Operations Fleet Garage Stanford Golf Course Maintenance Facility
Advantage Aviation Akins Body Shop (Park Blvd) Akins Body Shop (El Camino) Anderson Honda Arco (San Antonio) Art’s Bodycraft Auto Pride Car Wash Avis Rent A Car system, Inc. Barron Park Shell Service Brad Lozares Golf Shop Budget Rent-A-Car Carlsen Audi Carlsen Volvo Chevron USA (El Camino) CMK Automotive D & M Motors Dave’s Auto Repair Elite Auto Performance Embarcadero Shell Enterprise Rent-A-Car ( El Camino) Enterprise Rent-A-Car (San Antonio) European Asian Auto Center Fimbres’ Brothers Hans Car Service Heinichen’s Garage Hengehold Truck Rental Hertz Local Edition High Street Auto Jiffy Lube #1283 (Middlefield) Jiffy Lube #1297 (El Camino) Jim Davis Automotive KMAS Forklift Service, Inc.
The Regional Water Quality Control Plant is operated by the City of Palo Alto for the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, and Stanford *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊU *>}iÊ5
Upfront
Real Estate Matters LIKE CATS AND DOGS When you’re ready to sell your home, your agent will inform you how to successfully price, present and market your property; but some family members may be left out of the loop. No, it’s not your kids, but your pets. Unfortunately, there is no way to communicate to your pets what to expect during a showing, and sometimes their barking, jumping, hissing or scratching can be a real turn-off to otherwise enthusiastic and qualified buyers. We know that our animal companions are creatures of habit, and strangers visiting your home can be
BUSINESS
very stressful. How do you successfully show your home and protect your pets at the same time? The ideal solution, especially early in the listing, is to board your pet or have a trusted friend or family member baby-sit your pet. This can involve effort and cost, but it’s ultimately safer and less stressful for your pet, while insuring your home is shown under the best circumstances. If this is just not possible, consider a large comfortable crate in a room with a television or radio. Finally, keep pets, bedding, furniture and carpeting clean. Take a few steps and plan to make buyers and pets more comfortable during showings.
Call Jackie & Richard to Sell or Buy Your Home schoelerman
Veronica Weber
Mark Goldenson, CEO of Breakthrough.com, sits outside his Palo Alto office next to a monitor displaying how the website incorporates group counseling via Skype.
(650) 855-9700
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jackie@apr.com
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Moving face-to-face work online Education and businesses find new growth in Internet video conferencing by Aaron Guggenheim
www.schoelerman.com hen musician and music teacher Stevie Coyle was growing up, he was fond of sci-fi TV shows, such as Star Trek, that showcased futuristic technology — like video conferencing. “I have to admit to being a bit of a tech nerd,” he said. And now that Web-based video conferencing has gone mainstream, Coyle is thrilled. “This is kinda a dream come true,” he said. Using video conferencing to teach music was an obvious step for him — as it has been for educators and entrepreneurs who have moved services traditionally offered faceto-face onto the Internet. Today video conferencing is used for everything from music instruction to teletherapy. Skype, which has a local office in the Stanford Research Park, is one of a few major services that provide Web-based video conferencing. Founded in 2003, Skype now claims more than 663 million users. With an Internet connection and video-conferencing camera or smartphone, a user can make and receive video calls from other users. Coyle, who teaches in-person lessons at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, also teaches lessons over Skype. “The main problem (with inperson lessons) is time and space constraints,” he said. With Skype, he said, he can teach from his home at times he was otherwise unavailable. “The thing that keeps people from lessons is that they are busy people.” Coyle, who commutes by car, is
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also glad that Skype is “green, and I don’t have to burn up some dinosaurs to get there.” Still, live and in-person lessons are the most effective, he said. “I can’t rustle beginners’ fingers around and can’t play together,” he said, speaking of the drawback of Skype lessons. “I love in-person stuff. It is a very civilized sort of thing I enjoy.” But he is glad to adapt to the coming wave of new technology because lessons over Skype, he said, are the future, adding, “Lots of folks are way into it.” Internet video-conferencing is also finding its way into local schools, enhancing the educational experience of students. Kim Roberts, an English teacher and director of advancement at Castilleja School in Palo Alto, used the service to connect her sophomore English class with the poet Leslie Williams. After teaching about many poets, she found that her class was missing part of what makes poetry so engaging and important. “They had very little sense of why these poets wrote what they did and how the cultures they inhabited informed their work. They were missing the heart and passion of the poetry in some ways,” she wrote in an email. When her class started to study poetry by the Boston-based Williams, she decided to reach out to her through Skype. “Connecting with ... a woman with whom they could identify, whom I happened to know personally, and who I knew would make an impact on them, seemed like a
perfect way to bring the literature more to life,” she said. “They could ask her about her process and inspiration and enjoy connecting with her in a contemporary medium that fit with their 15-year-old interests,” she said. One Palo Alto company, Breakthrough.com, is attempting to bring online therapy into the mainstream. Breakthrough.com links a client with a therapist who then provides mental health care via Internet video conferencing. Mark Goldenson, the chief executive officer of Breakthrough. com, said that the service helps overcome some of the obstacles of traditional therapy. “Online therapy helps to reduce costs 10 to 30 percent because the client doesn’t have to travel,” he said. There is also flexibility in scheduling appointments that allows a client to receive care from home when it is convenient. Goldenson said this reduces the stigma of being in therapy because clients can be in the privacy of their own homes rather than a shared waiting room. These factors can lead more people to stick with online therapy. With traditional therapy, only 50 percent of clients return for a second visit; Goldenson said that Breakthrough.com clients return 92 percent of the time. And studies report that online psychiatry can be as effective as inperson. A June 2007 study by the American Psychological Association concluded, “Psychiatric consultation and short-term follow-up can be as effective when delivered by telepsychiatry as when provided (continued on page 7)
Upfront POLITICS Redwood City
14th Congressional District - Jackie Speier
East Palo Alto Atherton
14th District in earlier map
Downtown Menlo Park
Palo Alto
Woodside Sharon Heights
18th Congressional District - Anna Eshoo Portola Valley
Map courtesy of Google. Source: California Citizens Redistricting Commission.
Belle Haven
Woodside
The California Citizens Redistricting Commission has proposed changing congressional representation for Menlo Park, splitting the Belle Haven neighborhood off into the 14th Congressional District while keeping the rest of Menlo Park in a new 18th Congressional District. The commission had considered adding the dark gray portion on the map to the 14th district earlier this summer but decided against it.
Redistricting proposal splits Menlo along 101 All of Menlo Park west of 101 would be in Eshoo’s district by Dave Boyce he California Citizens Redistricting Commission has proposed dividing Menlo Park into two congressional districts, moving the Belle Haven neighborhood into a separate district to be represented by Jackie Speier, D-San Francisco. If the commission were to approve the latest proposed map on Aug. 15, a new 18th Congressional District, represented by Anna Eshoo, D-Menlo Park, would include Menlo Park west of U.S. Highway 101, Palo Alto, Atherton, Woodside and Portola Valley. Belle Haven and unincorporated North Fair Oaks, along with East Palo Alto and Redwood City, would be part of the 14th Congressional District represented by Speier. The latest proposal was released last Friday (July 29). “I think that’s just a horrible shame,” said Menlo Park Councilwoman Kirsten Keith. “Belle Haven is Menlo Park. (The representation) needs to be all of Menlo Park.”
Keith had already written a letter to the redistricting commission protesting a prior proposed map that assigned central Menlo Park and Belle Haven to one congressional district and Sharon Heights to another. “It doesn’t make any sense. I am hoping they will revisit this,” she added. “I think it’s disgusting, myself,” said Belle Haven resident Matt Henry. “Belle Haven is part of the city of Menlo Park. ... Belle Haven always gets cut out.” One of the objectives of the redistricting commission was to comply with the 1964 Voting Rights Act to “ensure that minorities have an equal opportunity to elect representatives of their choice.” But that reasoning doesn’t sway Henry. “To me, it makes more sense for our community to be part of this city. It’s better for us,” Henry said. “We have the same politics as Menlo Park,” he added. “We might
Web conferencing
person counseling, it plans to add the option of receiving counseling over the Internet. There are now more than 800 providers working with Breakthrough.com. Goldenson said he doesn’t think it will replace traditional mental health care but become a complement to it. And as insurers have started to reimburse bills from online therapy, Goldenson said: “I do think it will become a mainstream form of care.” N Editorial Intern Aaron Guggenheim can be emailed at aguggenheim@paweekly.com.
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face to face.” However, the APA cautioned: “These findings do not necessarily mean that other types of mental health services, for example, various types of psychotherapy, are as effective when provided by telepsychiatry.” Breakthrough.com is also working with Give An Hour, a charity that provides free mental health services for veterans and their families. While Give An Hour generally provides traditional in-
argue and squabble, but we’re the same family. We have the same objectives and financial base. I think this is just another layer of complexity for us. I think it’s awful.” As for the redrawn state Assembly and Senate districts, Portola Valley and Woodside, now represented by Sen. Leland Yee, would move to the Senate district that includes Menlo Park and Atherton, and is represented until November 2012 by Sen. Joe Simitian. Rich Gordon, who represents these four communities in the state Assembly, would continue to under the latest proposal. He would see his long and thin district no longer stretch south to Los Gatos but stop around Santa Clara and expand westward to include Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio and Pescadero. To view the map (and comment via email), visit http://crc.ca.gov. N Almanac Staff Writer Dave Boyce can be emailed at dboyce@ almanacnews.com.
Bring a friend for appetizers and wine! Join Xceed and guest speaker Shari Storm who will share insights on using your parenting skills to be a better boss. This seminar, Motherhood is the new MBA, is absolutely FREE and will illustrate how anyone can be a better boss by employing the skills we learn as parents. Xceed Financial Credit Union’s new LifeWorks seminar series is specially geared toward interests and concerns of busy women.
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Tuesday, August 16, 2011 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Xceed Financial Credit Union 601 Showers Drive Mountain View, CA 94040 Seating is limited. RSVP by August 15 at www.xfcu.org/lifeworks or contact Matt Butler at 650.691.6501 or mbutler@xfcu.org.
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Upfront
News Digest
TRANSPORTATION
Panel finds flaws in high-speed-rail forecasts
Gunn burglary suspects arrested, laptops found
Peer-review group calls for changes in California rail authority’s ridership model by Gennady Sheyner he California agency charged with building America’s first high-speed-rail system has been using a flawed forecasting model to predict ridership for the proposed system, a peer-review panel concluded in a report that largely confirms previous criticism from transportation experts and rail watchdogs. The five-member panel, which consists of professors and transportation experts, found that the ridership model, while “generally well founded and implemented,” suffers from a series of major flaws. These include insufficient consideration of socioeconomic factors; a bias in the survey data used as a basis for the model; and a failure to distinguish between short and long trips when calculating the impact of schedule delays. The highly technical report, which was released last week and covers the panel’s findings and recommendations during its January to March review period, confirms earlier findings from the UC Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies and from the Palo Alto-based watchdog group Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design (CARRD). Both groups had criticized the methodology used by the consulting firm Cambridge Systematics and argued that the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s estimates of the number of people who would ride the rail system are too flawed to be used for setting policy.
T
The panel, which reports to rail authority CEO Roelof Van Ark, is chaired by Frank Koppelman, professor emeritus of civil engineering at Northwestern University. It also includes Kay W. Axhausen, a professor at the Institute for Transport Planning and Systems in Zurich, Switzerland; Billy Charlton from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority; Eric Miller, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto; and Kenneth A. Small, a professor emeritus in economics at University of California, Irvine. The panel calls Cambridge’s ridership model “ambitious” and representing a “significant improvement in practice in several respects.” But the report also notes that “there are important technical deficiencies in the model and the documentation thereof.” It encourages the rail authority to lower its projections. “Pending improvements to the model, we recommend that any use of the model include some steps to make the demand forecasts more conservative, especially in forecasts for financial (investment and risk) analysis,” the report states. A rail official, meanwhile, said that the report highlighted the complex nature of forecasting. “Essentially, the report says that this is the most ambitious and most transparent modeling exercise to have occurred in this realm and, when refined, will represent best practices for this kind of forecast-
ing in North America. The panel asserts no bias or improper practices,” spokesperson Rachel Wall said in an email. “What the panel expresses desire for is more documentation and more testing, both of which have been provided to the panel in the time between March and today, and which will be reflected in the forthcoming reports from the panel,” she said. One flaw that the panel identified involved the ridership model’s treatment of out-of-vehicle travel time, particularly the time passengers have to wait when trains are delayed. The report states that the assumptions used in the Cambridge model to calculate the “constraint on out-of-vehicle travel time” are valid only for urban trips with small headways (that is, the distance and time between trains). The report cites a study showing the passengers’ behavior is much different in the “intercity market.” In other words, passengers are much more likely to stomach scheduling delays if they’re preparing for long trips out of town as opposed to jaunts from one neighborhood to another. The report calls the ridership model’s use of this constraint “unjustified.” The panel also found “several instances of incomplete or outdated information in the documentation,” according to the report. This includes insufficient discussion of (continued on next page)
Two laptop computers were recovered and two 18-year-old suspects arrested Wednesday (Aug. 3) in connection with a Gunn High School burglary two weeks ago, Palo Alto police said. The arrests were the first in connection with a recent string of thefts that have hit four Palo Alto campuses, including Palo Alto High School, Jordan Middle School and Duveneck Elementary School. Police said they are investigating whether the incidents are connected. Alfredo Gonzalez of East Palo Alto was arrested for burglary, and Nayely Castillo, also of East Palo Alto, was arrested for possession of stolen property in the Gunn theft. The classroom burglary occurred sometime during the night of July 21 or morning of July 22, police said. Access was gained through an unlocked window, police said at the time. The two MacBook Pros were valued together at $2,200, they said. “This burglary at Gunn High School was one of several break-ins in recent weeks that have targeted Palo Alto schools,” the police department said in a statement. “The Police Department realizes that students are the real victims in these burglaries and is working tirelessly to solve these crimes, recover stolen property and hold the responsible persons accountable.” In other recent school burglaries, which remain under investigation, five Apple MacBooks were missing following a July 28 window-smashing of a Jordan computer lab; six digital cameras were taken from Paly the weekend of July 23 and, in two separate incidents at Duveneck, computers and other digital equipment were taken July 8 or 9, and again July 25. The combined loss at Duveneck was estimated at $29,000, police said. Anyone with information about the burglaries can call police at 650-3292413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org, and anonymous voice and text messages can be sent to 650-383-8984. N — Chris Kenrick
Final arrest made in brazen robbery outside bank Gerardo Yepez-Soto, the final suspect wanted in connection with a robbery outside Wells Fargo Bank Monday (Aug. 1), was arrested in Redwood City Wednesday night by members of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Gang Task Force, Palo Alto police announced Thursday. Palo Alto police issued a multi-jurisdictional bulletin after identifying Yepez-Soto and “within hours” members of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office Gang Task Force, who were familiar with him, found and arrested him, police said in a statement. In the 11:05 a.m. robbery, a female victim, an employee of McDonald’s, was in the process of taking a cash deposit of several thousands of dollars from the business to the Wells Fargo bank at 505 California Ave. in Palo Alto. As she neared the bank, a male, identified as Ismael Aquino-Flores, 20, of Redwood City, allegedly approached her and forcefully took her purse, police said. Aquino-Flores fled to a waiting green Honda Accord. An associated silver Honda Civic, which was waiting nearby, also fled the scene. A witness at the scene described the two vehicles. Palo Alto police fanned out and quickly caught up to both vehicles. Police stopped the Civic at Greer Road and Tulip Lane and arrested Fabian Delgadillo, 21, of Redwood City. The Accord was pulled over in Old Palo Alto, near the intersection of Coleridge Avenue and Cowper Street, police Sgt. Wayne Benitez said. Aquino-Flores was taken into custody. Yepez-Soto, who was the driver, allegedly fled on foot through residential back yards. Police summoned a canine unit and a California Highway Patrol helicopter for the search and had cruisers positioned at major intersections around the neighborhood but were unable to find him. Detectives said that the three suspects acted together to carry out the robbery. Yepez-Soto worked with the victim at McDonald’s and allegedly had knowledge regarding when and where cash deposits were to be made, police said. All of the stolen property was recovered and returned to the victim. N — Pal Alto Weekly Staff
Palo Alto council clashes over compost measure Palo Alto’s environmentalists remain at odds over the future of local composting, but the leaders of the two sides in the heated dispute agreed on one thing Monday (Aug. 1) night — the language in the November ballot measure seeking to settle the dilemma is misleading and should be changed. The measure asks voters if the city should undedicate a 10-acre section of Byxbee Park, in the Palo Alto Baylands, to enable the construction of a facility that would process local food waste and yard trimmings and produce energy. The approved language reads, “Shall ten acres of existing parkland in Byxbee Park be undedicated for the exclusive purpose of building a processing facility for yard trimmings, food waste and other organic materials?” Both sides found flaws with this wording, with some wanting to add the word “undeveloped” and others objecting to the word “exclusive.” Neither proposal garnered the needed five votes to change the wording, leaving the ballot language unchanged. N — Gennady Sheyner Page 8ÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
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.
Frost fined $50 in sit-lie-ordinance decision Victor Frost’s long-running battle with the City of Palo Alto over its sit-lie ordinance resulted in a judgment against him for two infractions and a $50 fine Monday (Aug. 1). Frost, a well-known panhandler and fixture across from Whole Foods on Homer Avenue and outside Village Stationers and near Mollie Stone’s on California Avenue, has been fighting the ordinance’s legality since he was first ticketed in 2008. (Posted Aug. 4 at 9:57 a.m.)
Power outage hits California Avenue area An outage knocked out power to about 50 customers in the California Avenue area early Thursday morning (Aug. 4), Assistant Director of Utility Operations Dean Batchelor said. (Posted Aug. 4 at 9:41 a.m.)
Fire districts forge new agreement The Palo Alto Fire Department has forged a new partnership with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District — an agreement that officials say strengthens the mutual-aid arrangement between the two agencies. (Posted Aug. 4 at 9:26 a.m.)
Google buys Menlo Park’s The Dealmap A Menlo Park company joined the Google family on Aug. 2. The Dealmap, which opened in May 2010 and aggregates local discounts, sold to Google for an undisclosed amount of money months after the online search engine giant tried and failed to buy a similar business, Groupon. (Posted Aug. 4 at 8:12 a.m.)
Community Media Center wins national award Palo Alto’s own nonprofit Midpeninsula Community Media Center has been given the highest honor for its programming and operations by the Alliance for Community Media (ACM). (Posted Aug. 3 at 11:26 a.m.)
Palo Alto opts to go digital for City Council reports Electronic tablets and laptops will soon become prominent features at Palo Alto City Council meetings thanks to a decision by the council this week to make the leap from paper packets to digital files. (Posted Aug. 3 at 9:42 a.m.)
Suspected burglar arrested after casing home A suspected burglar has been arrested after a Palo Alto resident caught the man allegedly prowling outside his home Friday morning (July 29). (Posted Aug. 2 at 3:05 p.m.)
Fairmeadow neighborhood fire injures one A fire at a home on Starr King Circle caused minor damage and a minor injury to one resident Tuesday morning (Aug. 2), Palo Alto Fire Battalion Chief Chris Woodard said. (Posted Aug. 2 at 12:02 p.m.)
Man snatches woman’s necklace in Mountain View A man stole a necklace from a 25-year-old woman in broad daylight while she walked on Villa Street Monday (Aug. 1), police said. He got away with the help of an accomplice in a pickup truck. (Posted Aug. 2 at 10:20 a.m.)
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such factors as fare levels, highway and airport congestion, train frequency and analysis of how the proposed train system would impact other modes of transportation, including airlines and intercity bus services. The report is particularly critical of the survey used by Cambridge to get data for the ridership model. The company used a technique called “choice based sampling” which targets and, as a result, over-represents a specific subset of the population (in this case airline and train travelers). The firm conducted surveys in 2005 at airports, rail stations and over the phone. This included onboard surveys on Altamont Commuter Express trains, telephone interviews of Amtrak passengers and surveys of passengers at six California airports. The report notes that while choice-based sampling is useful for making sure “enough respondents were found to choose each of the major modes,” the technique is also “known to bias estimation results unless the estimation procedure is modified to take account of this sampling.” “The method used by CSI, which was believed to be correct at the time of model estimation, has since been shown to be incorrect and a new procedure has been developed which is correct,” the report states. “Future estimation work should take advantage of this new knowledge.” The panel released its findings at a time when the rail system continues to weather criticism and financial uncertainty. State senators Joe Simitian and Alan Lowenthal have consistently criticized the rail authority’s ridership forecasts and business plans over the past two years. Other critics, including CARRD and a group of Silicon Valley economics and business executives, issued reports criticizing the rail authority’s business plan and its assumptions about federal grants and private investments.
School
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Palo Alto extends Arastradero re-striping trial Palo Alto’s most divisive traffic-calming project will be in place at least until next summer, the City Council decided Monday night (Aug. 1). The council extended the Arastradero Road lane-reduction experiment until next June. (Posted Aug. 2 at 7:50 a.m.)
House OKs debt-ceiling bill; Eshoo votes ‘aye’ After weeks of partisan bickering over raising the debt ceiling that threatened to plunge the country into default, a last-minute deal was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Monday (Aug. 1). Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Palo Alto) became one of 95 Democrats who voted in favor of the Budget Control Act of 2011 in a 50-50 split among House Democrats. (Posted Aug. 1 at 5:45 p.m.)
Mountain lion spotted in Woodside A mountain lion was seen early Monday morning (Aug. 1) in Woodside, San Mateo County emergency officials said. (Posted Aug. 1 at 11:49 a.m.)
Want to get news briefs e-mailed to you every weekday? Sign up for Express, our new daily e-edition. Go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com to sign up.
Felsen’s second daughter will be in the first class at Meira, along with girls coming from San Mateo, Davis, Seattle, Las Vegas and the South Peninsula Hebrew Day School in Sunnyvale. The out-of-town girls will board with a local family. The amount of time reserved for Jewish education sets Meira apart from other Jewish high schools in the Bay Area, he said. “Judaism is so vastly deep and rich you have to have a tremendous number of hours of instruction to access the wisdom and to become self-sufficient in Jewish texts,” he said. Meira Academy’s math, science, humanities, arts and P.E. classes will be taught by non-religious faculty members with a range of teaching experience. Noy, Felsen and the school’s operations director, Rachel Gedalius,
In addition, the rail authority communications efforts have taken a hit in the past month, with the resignations of both its PR firm, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, and its deputy executive director in charge of communication, policy and public outreach, Jeffrey Barker. Barker had been appointed by Gov. Arnold
‘You can fire your PR agency and your head of communications can leave, but in the end, someone is telling them what to do. There needs to be a giant culture change to fix the systemic transparency issues, and we don’t know who, if anyone, at the authority is truly interested in that goal.’ —Nadia Naik, co-founder of CARRD
Schwarzenegger in 2009. A representative from CARRD said Saturday that transparency is missing from the state agency. “You can fire your PR agency and your head of communications can leave, but in the end, someone is telling them what to do. There needs to be a giant culture change to fix the systemic transparency issues, and we don’t know who, if anyone, at the authority is truly interested in that goal,” Nadia Naik, co-founder of CARRD, stated in an email. However, Wall, of the rail authority, asserted that the agency is devoted to providing information to the public. “The California High-Speed Rail Authority is committed to transpar-
were occupied Monday setting up the school for occupancy later this month. Rooms — some with art already hung on the walls — were freshly painted in greens, yellows and blues, reflecting the eye of local fiber artist Wo Schiffman, a major backer of Meira. There are separate classrooms for humanities, math/science, Jewish studies, counseling and gym, as well as a teachers’ lounge. Felsen said the idea for the school sprung from a conversation his wife had with Schiffman more than a year ago. “The idea came out that we really need to figure out how to make a high school here so the kids don’t have to go away,” he said. Palo Alto’s Orthodox community, with origins at Stanford University as far back as 1966, has grown to more than 150 families or individuals. The congregation, Emek Beracha, occupies a building on El Camino Real.
ency and strives to ensure access to the project details and documents through various platforms including its website, webcasting, public meetings and more,” she said. On Wednesday, CARRD had gone public with its then-unsuccessful attempts to get the authority to release information under the California Public Records Act request. Among the requests was the peer-review panel report. The initial request was made March 22. Despite a requirement that a decision on the request be made within 10 days, or a reason is provided that the records cannot be released, the authority failed to follow through on the request for a full three months, Naik said. In the Wednesday letter to the rail-authority’s board, CARRD co-founder Elizabeth Alexis detailed the communications between CARRD and the rail authority. In late April, Barker told CARRD that the peer-review committee had not submitted documentation of its January through March deliberations to the authority. Then in mid-May, he said that the requested information would be available at the end of the following week. In early June, he again said that documents would be forthcoming. And in mid-July, he said that there were no documents, only drafts, which could not be released, Alexis wrote. In addition, she said, Barker commented that CARRD just wanted to make the rail authority look bad on CARRD’s website. On Thursday, the day after CARRD’s letter to the board and the same day that Barker announced his resignation, the authority released the report. N Weekly Editor Jocelyn Dong contributed to this article.
READ MORE ONLINE
www.PaloAltoOnline.com The peer-review panel’s report has been posted on Palo Alto Online. To read it, search under “Panel finds flaws in highspeed-rail forecasts.”
“It’s general growth,” Felsen said. “To live a fully engaged, Orthodox life, there’s a certain level of infrastructure people would like to have and see in a community.” “We’re much more family-oriented than the world is today,” Noy said. But even in the Orthodox world — especially with modern technology and more women completing higher education — “you see a lot of households with two working parents,” said Gedalius, who taught school through Teach for America and recently earned an MBA. “We see ourselves as an Orthodox school, but not necessarily for Orthodox girls,” she said. “Anyone looking for a rigorous Jewish education, regardless of family background, would be welcome at Meira Academy. We definitely fit a niche — it’s not like we’re stomping on anyone else’s turf.” N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
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Upfront
Labor
(continued from page 3)
the union had ample opportunity over the past year to weigh in on the issue, which was the subject of numerous public hearings before the council voted on it last month. “The City was under no obligation to meet and confer over a Charter amendment on interest arbitration,” Stump wrote. “And even if there was an obligation, the Union waived its rights by sitting on the sidelines in the face of repeated notice that the Charter amendment to repeal interest arbitration was under active consideration.” She asks the board to decline the union’s request “because there is no cause to believe an unfair labor practice has been committed and the injunctive relief that Local 1319 seeks is neither just nor proper.” The union, in its complaint, also seeks an order from the labor-relations board requiring the city to reimburse the union for “all monetary losses and/or financial expenses borne or incurred by” the union that it would
not have borne or incurred but for the city’s “unlawful conduct.” Stump countered that the union had no problem spending election money last year, when it spearheaded a measure to freeze staffing levels in the Fire Department and require the city to hold an election before it could reduce staff or close fire stations. Measure R lost by a roughly 3-1 margin. “Now, just one year later, Local 1319 complains that an election campaign is an overwhelming burden,” Stump wrote. “PERB, the Superior Court and the voters of Palo Alto could be forgiven for concluding that Local 1319’s views on the value and burdens of election campaigns appear to shift depending on whether the ballot measure in question advances their interests.” Palo Alto voters adopted the binding-arbitration ordinance in 1978 in recognition of the fact that publicsafety unions, unlike other workers, can’t legally strike. Palo Alto is one of 22 charter cities in California that has such a provision. Vallejo and Stockton voters recently repealed their cities’ respective binding-arbitration provi-
sion, and San Luis Obispo voters are scheduled to consider doing the same on Aug. 30. In Palo Alto, the City Council majority has consistently maintained that the binding-arbitration requirement is undemocratic because it empowers an unelected panel to make decisions that could significantly impact the city budget. Councilwoman Karen Holman and councilmen Greg Scharff, Pat Burt, Greg Schmid and Larry Klein have all criticized the requirement over the past year, though Klein supported modifying the provision rather than scrapping it altogether. At the July 18 meeting, Vice Mayor Yiaway Yeh pro-
vided the crucial swing vote to bring the repeal to the voters. This week, the council voted to direct Mayor Sid Espinosa to appoint a committee of four council members to write and undersign a ballot argument in favor of the repeal. But the council delayed passage of a companion ordinance that would have required the city and all of its unions to seek mediation during labor disputes. The mediation requirement could be waived only if both sides choose to do so. The council on Monday decided not to pass the ordinance in order to give labor groups more time to review the proposal. Stump wrote in a memo to the
council that although the union’s request is belated, the city “welcomes labor’s input on the proposed mediation program. “The ordinance is not scheduled (to) go into effect until December 2011, at the earliest, so there is sufficient time to accommodate a meaningful exchange with IAFF as well as any other labor group that is interested in exploring the matter further,” Stump wrote. The council is scheduled to consider the mediation ordinance in September. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly. com.
Jobs
disruptive way to do things. “We’ve got to double down on those advantages and use them for growth.” Doerr cited the example of local education entrepreneur Salman Khan, whose online, nonprofit Khan Academy has delivered more than 67 million free lessons to users from around the globe. While the United States does pretty well in information technology, it’s falling behind in biotechnology, Doerr said. “Those industries were invented here, but now, to get trials done, the regulations are hard. The companies I back are testing in Europe, and the government can do a lot about that.” In green technologies, thanks to the Recovery Act and the U.S. Department of Energy’s investmentoriented ARPA-E program, America gets a “C” rather than a “D” or an “F,” Doerr said. Government has a role in developing and growing a sustainable cleanenergy market, he said. “When California says, ‘We want
30 percent of our energy to be renewable by 2020,’ that creates market demand. “When the administration gathers automakers and signs them up for a 54.5 mph strategy, that’s a huge change as contrasted to the assisted suicide which was basically the legislative strategy in Michigan,” Doerr said. Panelists agreed on the need for major education reforms. Right now, “we’re not investing for the future,” Sandberg said. “We graduate only 70 percent of our kids from high school — that’s too little. Of those who graduate, only 30 percent can do college-level work.” And less than one-third of America’s degrees are in the critical fields of science, technology, engineering and math, as opposed to more than 50 percent in China, she said. “Engineers are the new currency,” Doerr said. “We need them now. “We’ve got to find ways to get kids who’ve decided they want to become engineers to see it through to the end.” Technology will transform education to such an extent that, “20 years from now, we’ll look back at someone lecturing to a class and say, ‘That’s so antiquated,” said Hastings. The Netflix founder and chairman formerly chaired California’s State Board of Education and is a major education philanthropist. Transformation of education will come not from rule-bound school districts but from entrepreneurs around the world, including Khan and others, he said. “Every student should be learning on their own, at their own pace with their own virtual instructor,” Hastings said, citing companies such as Headsprout and DreamBox Learning, in which he has a stake. “We need every kid in Brazil, in China, in India to get a good education, because that’s going to increase the world GDP. “A hundred years ago, very few people went to high school. If you look at the last couple hundred years, the spread of education has been phenomenal, so I’m pretty uniformly optimistic.” Tuesday’s panel was held in partnership with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, TechNet and the National Venture Capital Association. It was moderated by Wired Magazine Editor Chris Anderson. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
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to remain in the United States, Facebook was prepared to relocate him and his entire team abroad. “At Facebook we have 86 people held up in the visa process right now,” she said. “If we can’t keep them here, we’ll move them, and all the ancillary jobs, elsewhere.” The “know-no-bounds, risk-taking attitude” of entrepreneurs — combined with great universities and risk capital — is a uniquely American asset, said Doerr, whose venture successes have included Google, Amazon, Intuit, Sun, Compaq, Cypress Macromedia and Symantec. “They do more than anyone thinks possible with less than anyone thinks possible and they surprise us all the time, whether in technology, neighborhoods, education or social entrepreneurs,” Doerr said. “What looks like risk to me, or perhaps to others, doesn’t look like risk to them — it’s the obvious new
CityView A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
City Council (Aug. 1)
iPads: The council voted to switch from paper packets to iPads or other digital devices. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Schmid, Shepherd No: Klein, Yeh Absent: Price, Scharff Arastradero: The council voted to extend the Arastradero Road traffic-calming project until next June. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Klein, Schmid, Shepherd, Yeh Absent: Price, Scharff
Architectural Review Board (Aug. 4)
Antennas: The board reviewed a proposal from AT&T for a proposed Distributed Antenna System (DAS) that would collocate antennas at nine existing utility poles within the city. The board did not vote on the project and asked AT&T to make further aesthetic enhancements. Action: None
LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com
Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council has no meetings scheduled this week. INFRASTRUCTURE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION ... The commission plans to continue its discussion of the city’s infrastructure backlog and consider ways to pay for the items on the list. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 11, in Lucie Stern Community Center (1305 Middlefield Road).
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Pulse
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
Palo Alto July 26-Aug. 2 Violence related Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Theft related Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Embezzlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Misc. theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Residential burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/ suspended license . . . . . . . . .5 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/major injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .4 Vehicle stored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Casualty fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbing the peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Public urination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Menlo Park July 27-Aug. 2
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Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Checks forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving with suspended license . . . . . . .3 Driving without license . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Miscellaneous Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Indecent exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Information case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Located missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto 180 El Camino Real, 7/26, 2:01 p.m.; assault. East Charleston Road, 7/26, 8:09 p.m.; domestic violence. Hawthorne Avenue, 7/28, 11:16 a.m.; domestic violence/battery. Arastradero Road, 7/29, 8:30 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.
Menlo Park 1300 block Henderson Ave., 7/31, 7:17 a.m.; battery.
CITY OF PALO ALTO RECREATION PRESENTS
THE 27TH ANNUAL – Palo Alto Weekly
MOONLIGHT RUN & WALK FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2O11
Register now at www.PaloAltoOnline
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Editorial
The slow death of high-speed rail Loss of federal money will be the nail in the coffin of doomed project ack in 2008, Palo Alto voters, the City Council and the Weekly liked the idea of bullet trains zooming at more than 200 miles an hour between the Bay Area and Los Angeles, providing an alternative mode of travel that was economical and more environmentally friendly. A majority of voters around the state thought so too, passing Proposition 1A with 52 percent of the vote and setting in motion what today has become what almost everyone agrees is a colossal, mismanaged mess staying alive by just a thread. The project’s only hope is a new business plan that convincingly offers a realistic assessment of the number of riders such a train service would attract, as well as how to attract private investment to replace the federal funds that now appear all but gone in the wake of the nation’s economic problems and divisive politics. In just the last few weeks the California High-Speed Rail Authority has been hit with a series of setbacks that raise new doubts about its ability to manage what would be the largest construction project in the state’s history. To have any hope of moving this project forward, it is imperative that the federal government and private industry commit to spend billions of dollars beyond the nearly $10 billion that voters approved in Prop. 1A. But the likelihood of that happening is withering away as the economy remains stagnant and Congress appears headed toward massive cuts in federal spending. At the state level, Sen. Joe Simitian and other legislators have publicly questioned the authority’s business plan as well. These and other recent developments have all put cast the death knell on this project. Consider the following: s )N A STUDY JUST MADE PUBLIC EARLIER THIS WEEK A HIGHLY RESPECTed peer-review group of professors and transportation experts that report to rail authority CEO Roelof Van Ark, said the authority has been using a flawed forecasting model to predict the number of passengers that will use the high-speed trains. The report largely confirms a previous criticism from a UC Berkeley group issued last year. s 4HE AGENCY S PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRM /GILIVY 0UBLIC 2ELATIONS Worldwide, resigned about a month ago after fulfilling less than two years on a four and a half-year, $9 million contract. The firm was pummeled by criticism from Peninsula residents, including members of Palo Alto-based Californians Advocating for Responsible Rail Design, when attempting to defend the rail authority board that often antagonized opponents, rather than hear their concerns. s !NOTHER PUBLIC RELATIONS FAUX PAS WAS THE UNEXPECTED DEparture of Jeffrey Barker, the rail authority’s deputy director in charge of communication, who failed to provide a timely response to a public information request from CARRD that dragged on for months. The group was seeking release of the critical peer-review report, and was successful only after filing a chronology of its request with the authority last week. The report was released the following day, the same day that Barker resigned, saying he is going “to pursue other endeavors.” s /N THE ECONOMIC FRONT THE 2EPUBLICAN TAKEOVER OF THE (OUSE of Representatives, including the budgeting process, has left little doubt that further federal support for high-speed rail will be drastically cut or eliminated altogether. None of the $917 billion in cuts promised in the debt-ceiling legislation have been identified, but whether the House would vote to spend more than a fraction of that amount on a high-speed rail project appears to be unlikely. By any yardstick, the high-speed rail project is simply far too financially ambitious for the state to undertake at this time, when basic services have been cut to the bone and additional cuts could be on the way as a result of more federal belt-tightening. The idea of paying debt-service on nearly $10 billion in bonds makes no sense in this fiscal environment. High-speed rail supporters have enormous obstacles to overcome in order to get this project back on track. They need a convincing business plan, a new management team and most importantly, reliable funding sources that don’t commit the taxpayers to unaffordable subsidies of construction and operation. HSR is looking more and more like a pipe-dream. It’s time for the legislature to take the initiative and either provide the leadership to unwind this project, presumably through passage of another state ballot measure that counteracts the requirements of Prop. 1A, or by finding and embracing a new financing model.
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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Thanks to city Editor, Despite budget cuts along with increasing service needs, the City of Palo Alto employees across departments continue to keep residents in “The Garden of Eden” to which they are accustomed. Within a few blocks of neighborhoods, beautifully landscaped parks filled with flowers offer sustenance and place to connect with nature in our hurried times. Similar extraordinary services, while perhaps not so easily visible, also contribute to a most special place to live. The art commission’s Art in Public Places program provides stimulating works that provoke thoughtful reflection. The magnolia trees that grace King Plaza, now heavily laden with their huge white blooms, make as beautiful a cityscape as can be seen anywhere. Thank you to the mayor, City Council and special individuals who also work for the City of Palo Alto who offer so much to create our lovely art- and park-filled city. Bette Kiernan Sherman Avenue Palo Alto
Menlo Park bike issues Editor, I read with interest the article on Palo Alto striving to become the nations best bike town. It would be fabulous if Menlo Park joined in the effort to be more bike friendly also. I am a bicycle commuter to Menlo Park from Portola Valley and my biggest obstacle is getting across Highway 101, because my company is on the east side of Willow Road and there doesn’t seem to be a safe way of getting across the overpass. The bike lane on Willow abruptly ends, and then resumes after the on and off ramps to the freeway, leaving cyclists at risk with the traffic flow. A bike overpass would be really useful in this intersection. I also wanted to mention that a very dangerous intersection for pedestrians and cyclists is the one at Sand Hill Road and El Camino Real; every time I am waiting to cross, there are drivers running the red light going north, and drivers not heeding the “no right turn on red” sign going south. It is essential to wait a few seconds before entering the intersection to avoid getting run over. It would be a great revenue enhancer for the police department to cite the violators. Kathy Wright Gabarda Way Portola Valley
Try a bike Editor, John Elman is quoted in the Weekly (July 29) as complaining
that due to the Arastradero Road lane reduction it takes him “an extra 16 minutes” to drive the two miles from his home off Arastradero to the gym at the JCC (Charleston and San Antonio). He could save time and frustration and help reduce the traffic volume if he rode a bicycle for that short distance. Ellen Fletcher E. Charleston Road Palo Alto
Killen exhibit Editor, In 2005 when I started looking for new ways to address environmental issues, little did I realize that six years later I would be instrumental in bringing the largest painting in the world on sustainability to Palo Alto City Hall. Green gigabytes of gratitude to think tank business-
man turned artist Michael Killen for painting the 24’ x 5’ “As Bold As California: Sustainability” and to the City of Palo Alto for hosting its inaugural showing during July. I commend Palo Alto’s strong commitment to the arts that made two Michael Killen climate change art exhibits possible and also the many community organizations who have supported “Painting to Change the World,” the moniker that we have adopted for what world-acclaimed climate scientist Steve Schneider called our “out-ofthe-box thinking and creative ways to align the forces of art with those of analysis and science — an essential union to strengthen by group activities and events.” Carroll Harrington Melville Avenue Palo Alto
This week on Town Square Posted Aug. 2 at 9:44 p.m. by parent, a resident of the Charleston Meadows neighborhood: This (burglaries at Palo Alto schools) is getting ridiculous. (The) school district should lock up all portable computers in a secure closet in each school or consolidate them all in one closet at the central attendance district office, which is staffed
during the summer. Computers should not be left at school during the summer when there is hardly anyone on campus. This happens every year. It’s like leaving a laptop in a parked car in plain sight of would-be thieves. When are we going to wise up and do something about this, Superintendent Skelly?
YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? Is there a future for high-speed rail in California? 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 Media to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jocelyn Dong or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.
Check out Town Square! Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly on our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Post your own comments, ask questions, read the Editor’s blog or just stay up on what people are talking about around town!
On Deadline:
Is Mayor Sid Espinosa’s glass half empty or overflowing? by Jay Thorwaldson very mayor in recent decades has had a unique experience, following the usually pro-forma election and inauguration at the first City Council meeting in January. But seldom has a mayor had more fun than current Mayor Sid Espinosa, a soft-spoken man whose delight in the role is open and infectious. In July he passed the halfway mark of his oneyear term, but he’s not about to coast home. Behind his “listening” style lies a firm belief in getting things done, in running efficient City Council meetings and ensuring transparency in city government, he acknowledged in a recent interview. “There has never been a ribbon-cutting that Sid didn’t love,” a fellow council-member said of his community visibility. While there haven’t been that many ribbon-cuttings, Espinosa cites those (especially for “mom and pop businesses”) as one of his initiatives to boost morale in a troubled economy — although Palo Alto has felt the Great Recession lightly. “I love it,” he said of being mayor. In addition to the ribbon cuttings, Espinosa conducts monthly “mobile mayor” sessions, inviting another council member along to meet people around town. They answer questions at farmers markets and generally circulate to where people are. He holds office hours in City Hall every other Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. He has arranged meetings between city officials and CEOs of Skype, GroupOn, Facebook
E
and Palentir (a security firm), and with others on the status of city services. He would like to see more intergenerational connections. He loves history and would like to see more video interviews of longtime residents and others by young persons. He has contacted the Youth Community Service group about that: “We could send an army of teens to capture stories on video.” A continuing interest is youth health and wellbeing, one of the city’s top priorities, although keeping momentum going is a concern due to a large number of entities involved in the Project Safety Net effort. He is helping plan a Sept. 17 bike ride to the coast and back, and a neighborhood-centric ride in October, working with neighborhood groups. An overriding theme of Espinosa’s style — both as mayor, council member and in his private life — is “bringing people together. ... I’m a believer in talking to people who have lived lives and had work experiences that differ from mine. “A diversity of opinion always leads to a better decision and good things,” he said. That applies to a current hot issue of people sleeping/living in vehicles in residential neighborhoods. Espinosa realizes that luck has played a role in his job satisfaction. “We’re on the upswing. There are multiple bids, over the asking prices, on homes. We are at 100 percent occupancy downtown — young start-ups all want to be downtown.” His accessibility surprises some. “The mayor of what?” one person asked when Espinosa introduced himself. Then the person added, “I can’t believe I’m talking to the mayor of the city. This city is incredible.” Espinosa has had some surprises. One is “how much people care” about their
community. “We’ve had people lined up 10 deep at farmers markets” with questions or comments about a huge variety of issues, he said. Another surprise is how hard it is for the mayor to move things along efficiently at meetings, with nine individually elected members of the council each with comments and eager to share ideas and ask questions, often at some length — sometimes even if they already know the answers. This has been observed by reporters covering the meetings, neighborhood representatives, long-suffering citizens awaiting “their” item to come up, and staff members (who shun commenting on the subject). One council member over the course of a recent single meeting spoke for more than an hour combined on several agenda items. “If everyone did that we’d be meeting for nine hours,” Espinosa observed, tersely. Espinosa’s soft-spoken exterior can be misleading, several persons have observed. A staff member recently told Espinosa that he comes across initially as a quiet listener but he “drives people to get things done,” largely by following up on every item and setting hard goals in a soft voice. Being elected mayor by other council members has not always been smooth or pro forma. It took a divided council 46 ballots to elect Ed Arnold mayor in the late 1960s, and more than 30 ballots to elect Gary Fazzino mayor for the first time in the 1970s. Some mayors return for re-election in subsequent years or terms on the council, such as current Councilman Larry Klein and Fazzino, the latter a longtime advocate of having a directly elected “strong” mayor rather than one elected by council colleagues. Some mayors have adopted themes, such as Dena Mossar’s “shop Palo Alto” effort, Bern
Beecham’s expanded “economic development” initiative (which Jim Burch continued during his term by asking Beecham to continue), Judy Kleinberg’s push for emergency preparedness, and Yoriko Kishimoto’s shift to a heavily “green” environmental theme on a broader stage, followed in that path by Peter Drekmeier. Mayor Pat Burt last year was actively engaged in moving things forward, using his deep command of local detail and a sometimes forceful “bully pulpit” with effect. He was especially pivotal in the huge rebuilding/expansion of the Stanford Medical Center that had its final approvals in July. Early in the past decade were the “just get through it” difficult mayorships of Sandy Eakins, Vic Ojakian and, to a lesser extent, Mossar and Lanie Wheeler. Joe Simitian and Liz Kniss each used the mayorship as springboards into the “higher office” of county supervisor, with Simitian going on to the state Assembly and Senate. Those of course are oversimplifications of the complex job of being mayor in today’s Palo Alto, shepherding the myriad issues confronting the city, negotiating with city workers, overseeing top-level managers, and fielding sometimes angry calls and emails from citizens and businesses. Some mayors have left office feeling frustrated, even embittered, with an “I don’t want to talk about it” attitude. Others have relished it as an honor and privilege. Usually it’s a mix. But so far Espinosa is reveling in the job — except for those drawn-out council discussions. N Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly.com. His latest blogs on www.PaloAltoOnline.com deal with a final trip to the Palo Alto dump and “horse whispering” at summer camp.
Streetwise
What are your thoughts on the changes to the national debt ceiling? Asked on University Avenue, Palo Alto. Interviews and photographs by Casey Moore.
Karl Ehr
I.T. Manager Rivoli Street, San Francisco “This is just a new excuse to create an issue that can easily be controlled. I’m dubious it’s a real issue.”
Jonathan Lau
Student Via Almaden, San Jose “’The only ones who really had to compromise were the Democrats.”
Carissa Ashman
Public Relations Cowper Street, Palo Alto “It’s so frustrating that I decided to tune it out.”
Anne Wenegrat
Doctor Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto “It’s the best compromise that could be reached.”
Gene Schenk
Contractor San Antonio Avenue, Palo Alto “They should be working together more, cooperating more ... less taking sides, for the public interest.”
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NOTICE REQUESTING BIDS
Transitions Don DeJongh,
EAST PALO ALTO SANITARY DISTRICT Cured-in-Place Pipe Project- Siphon Treatment Plant Meter Sealed proposals for the Cured-in-Place Pipe Project-Siphon to Treatment Plant, East Palo Alto will be received at the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, 901 Weeks Street, East Palo Alto, California 94303 until 2:00 PM on Thursday, September 1, 2011 at which time they will be publicly opened and read. Bids shall be labeled “East Palo Alto Sanitary District, Proposal for “CURED-IN-PLACE PIPE PROJECT-SIPHON TO TREATMENT PLANT, EAST PALO ALTO.” The Work will include the furnishing of all labor, materials and equipment, and other appurtenances for rehabilitation of approximately 5,000 linear feet of 24” diameter sanitary sewer mains by cured-in-place pipe method and manhole rehabilitation, as indicated on the project plans. The contract documents may be inspected at the office of the East Palo Alto Sanitary District; San Francisco Builders Exchange, Attn: Deanna Johnson, 850 So. Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, California 94110; Reed Construction Data, Attn: Document Processing, 30 Technology Parkway South, Suite 100, Norcross, Georgia 30092; Peninsula Builders Exchange, 735 Industrial Road, Suite 100, San Carlos, California 94070; Santa Clara Builders Exchange, Attn: Kanani Fonseca, 400 Reed Street, Santa Clara, California 95050; Builders Exchange of Alameda, Attn: Richard Owens, 3055 Alvarado Street, San Leandro, California 94577; Construction Bidboard, Incorporated, Attn: Michael Schafer, 4420 Hotel Circle Court, Suite 215, San Diego, California 92108; McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge, Attn: Shar Startz, 11875 Dublin Blvd., Suite A-118, Dublin, California 94568; and, Contra Costa Builders Exchange, Attn: Traci Horning, 2440 Stanwell Drive, Suite B, Concord, California 94520. Copies of the Contract Documents may be obtained at the office of the East Palo Alto Sanitary District upon payment of a check or money order in the amount of $30.00 for each set. The check or money order must be issued to the East Palo Alto Sanitary District. All payments are nonrefundable. The Sanitary District is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A non-mandatory pre-bid meeting will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, August 15, 2011 at the office of the East Palo Alto Sanitary District. Each bid proposal shall be accompanied by a certified or cashier’s check or a proposal guaranty bond payable to the order of the East Palo Alto Sanitary District in an amount not less than ten percent (10%) of the amount of the bid as a guaranty that the bidder will execute the contract if it be awarded to him in conformity with the proposal. The successful bidder will be required to furnish a performance bond in an amount not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the contract price and a labor and material bond in an amount equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the contract price. The District (“Owner”) reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to determine which proposal is, in the judgment of the District, the lowest responsible bid of a responsible bidder or group of bidders and which proposal should be accepted in the best interest of the District. The District also reserves the right to waive any informalities in any proposal or bid. Bid proposals received after the time announced for the opening will not be considered. No bidder may withdraw his proposal after the time announced for the opening, or before award and execution of the contract, unless the award is delayed for a period exceeding forty-five (45) days. Pursuant to the provisions of Public Contract Code Section 22300, and upon the request and at the expense of the Contractor, securities equivalent to the amount withheld by the District to insure performance under the Contract may be deposited with the District, or with a state or federally chartered bank as escrow agent who shall deliver such securities to the Contractor upon satisfactory completion of the contract. Only those securities listed in Government Code Section 16430 or other securities approved by the District are eligible for deposit. The deposit of securities with an escrow agent or the District shall be made in the form and on such terms and conditions as the District may require to protect the interest of the District in the event of the Contractor’s default. The Contractor shall be the beneficial owner of any securities that are deposited and shall receive any interest thereon. Pertaining to Sections 1770, 1773, and 1773.1 of the California Labor Code the successful bidder shall pay not less than the prevailing rate of per diem wages as determined by the Director of the California Department of Industrial Relations. Copies of such prevailing rates are on file at the District office of the East Palo Alto Sanitary District and which copies shall be made available to any interested party on request. The successful bidder shall post a copy of such determinations at each job site. In accordance with the provisions of California Public Contract Code Section 3300, the District has determined that the Contractor shall possess a valid Class A License or a combination of the Class C licenses indicated in Article B8.01-License Requirements, at the time that the contract is awarded. Failure to possess the specified license(s) shall render the bid as non-responsive and shall act as a bar to award of the contract to any bidder not possessing said license(s) at the time of award. Contractor’s attention is directed to Section B8.18, Small Business and Subcontracting Participation Goal, which grants the Contractor a credit for using a Small Business Contractor, as defined in the section. East Palo Alto Sanitary District Board of Directors San Mateo County, California /s/ Leroy Hawkins Dated:
7/29/11
Don C. DeJongh, 74, a 27-year resident of Palo Alto, died suddenly July 23, 2011. He was born in Burnips, Mich. Survivors include Miriam DeJongh, his wife of 51 years; their children, Fritz, Matt, Katie and their spouses; and six grandchildren. A memorial service will take place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto, Monday, Aug. 8, at 5 p.m. Gifts in his memory may be made to the Peninsula Open Space Trust or the American Red Cross disaster services, Silicon Valley chapter.
John Moll John Lewis Moll, 89, a longtime Palo Alto resident, died July 19, 2011, at home at the Palo Alto Commons assisted-living facility. He was born Dec. 21, 1921, in Wauseon, Ohio. He grew up on his parents’ farm, the son of Mennonites. He received a bachelor’s degree in physics in 1943 from Ohio State University. He went on to become a staff member at the RCA Labs, Lancaster, Penn., from 1944 to 1945. At RCA he met Isabel Sieber, who was also on the technical staff, and they were married in 1944. They returned to Ohio State, where he obtained a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1952. He was a member of the technical staff at the Bell Telephone Laboratories
from 1952 to 1958. He assembled a group that did research aimed at development of semiconductor devices. From 1958 to 1970 he was a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. He also did consulting work for HP Associates, Fairchild Camera and Hewlett Packard. From 1974 until his retirement in 1996 he worked for Hewlett Packard, where he led work on development and device modeling of bipolar and MOS silicon devices, high-emperature superconductor materials and integrated circuit design. During his career he wrote many scientific papers and several books and received numerous awards for his work. He was also an avid gardener and poker player and enjoyed a variety of games and activities with friends and children. He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Nick Moll and his wife Barbara Bekins of La Honda, Benjamin Moll and his wife Jill Deikman of Davis, and Diana Moll of Santa Cruz; three grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. A memorial service will be held at the Stanford Memorial Church Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. For further information contact Diana Moll at banditrabbit@earthlink.net or go to http://www.zoji.com/993722/ events/2133264.
George Matthew Villani George Matthew Villani passed away peacefully on July 30, 2011 at Stanford Hospital after a short illness. He was 87 years young. George was born in San Francisco on July 10, 1924 where he spent most of his early life. The youngest of six children, George enjoyed sports, especially baseball, as well as singing and dancinga pleasure of his that continued throughout his life. George attended electrical engineering trade school in New York prior to enlisting in the U.S. Army, where he was awarded several medals of service. He went on to own a successful electrical contracting company, University Electric in Menlo Park, for 50 years until his retirement. George was especially proud of his accomplishment of building the family’s first home in Palo Alto. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed salmon and trout fishing, and hunting in Wyoming and Colusa. George was well-read and was an amusing storyteller, recounting his stories of hunting, current events, and his favorite TV shows to family and strangers alike. George was easily recognizable driving his beloved 1972 Ford truck throughout Menlo Park. George is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary; his two daughters, Diane (Klein) of Stockton and JoAnn (Johnston) of Menlo Park and her husband, Tim; grandchildren whom he adored- Jeff and Kacie Klein of Tracy, Jennifer Klein of Stockton, Caitlin and Allison Johnston of Menlo Park, and one greatgrandchild, Olivia Klein. He was predeceased by his son, Michael and his other beloved son-in-law, Dick Klein. Services have been held under the arrangements of Roller & Hapgood & Tinney in Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in support of Juvenile Diabetes and Pancreatic Cancer, made payable to the “UCSF Foundation” and sent to University of California San Francisco, P.O. Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145-0339. Please note on the check in memory of George M. Villani. The family wishes to extend its gratitude for the extraordinary care George received at Stanford Hospital. PA I D
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OBITUARY
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Ĺ…Ĺ…Ĺ… Äś Ĺ‚ Ä˝ Ä˛ÄąĹƒ r Gr aduat e Educat ion at t h e Front i er of Psychology and Spi r itualit y
3880 Middlefield Road Palo Alto 650-213-8245 ChallengerSchool.com Challenger School is an independent private school that focuses on academic excellence, individual achievement, critical thinking skills, and self-reliance. Challenger students achieve scores on average in the 90th percentile on the national Stanford Achievement Test (SAT). Tour the campus to learn about Challenger’s preschool through eighth-grade programs.
College Goals PO Box 18777 Stanford 401-247-2629 www.collegegoals.com andrea_van_niekerk@collegegoals.com Private college admission counseling designed by highly experienced ex-Ivy League admission officer and freshman academic advisor. Counsel high school students across all levels of college selectivity and preparation and on all aspects of a thoughtful, ethical and appropriate college-application process. Work both in person and through email.
Emerson School 2800 W. Bayshore Road Palo Alto 650-424-1221 650-856-2778 (fax) www.headsup.org pacdc@headsup.org Emerson School, a private, non-sectarian program for grades 1-8, operates on a yearround full-day schedule providing superior academic preparation, international courses (Chinese, Spanish) and individualized Montessori curriculum. Visit website for details.
Learning Strategies PO Box 535 La Honda, CA, 94020 650-747-9651 www.creative-learning-strategies.com victoriaskinner@creative-learning-strategies. com A highly qualified Learning Strategies tutor will come to the home, work around vacation schedules and set up individual learning programs curtailed to the student’s needs.
Palo Alto Adult School 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto 650-329-3752 650-329-8515 (fax) www.paadultschool.org Hands-on computer, language, test preparation, writing, investment and certificate courses available. Hundreds of online classes are offered by the Palo Alto Adult School in conjunction with Education to Go.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT CareerGenerations 2225 E. Bayshore Road Palo Alto 650-320-1639 info@CareerGenerations.com www.CareerGenerations.com CareerGenerations offers one-on-one and
group sessions to meet specific career needs. CareerGenerations career coaches can help assess talents in the context of today’s marketplace, generate career options, improve resumes and social media profiles, design a successful search plan, and skillfully network, interview and negotiate salaries. Contact CareerGenerations for a free initial consultation.
DANCE Beaudoin’s School of Dance 464 Colorado Ave. Palo Alto 650-326-2184 www.Beaudoins-Studio.com Tap, ballet, ballroom and jazz dance classes available for children and adults. Special classes for boys, seniors.
Center for Movement Education www.movement-education.org judy@movement-education.org CMER offers both introductory one-day workshops to explore what dance/movement therapy is about, as well as a selection of comprehensive Alternate Route Training Courses for professional development in becoming a dance/movement therapist. Most CMER Courses provide Continuing Education credit as an approved provider of continuing education by the Board of Behavioral Sciences (#3888).
Dance Connection 4000 Middlefield Road, L-5 Palo Alto 650-322-7032 www.danceconnectionpaloalto.com info@danceconnectionpaloalto.com Dance Connection offers graded classes for preschool to adult with a variety of programs to meet every dancer’s needs. Ballet, jazz, tap, hip hop, boys program, lyrical, Pilates and combination classes are available for beginning to advanced levels. Find information and download registration from the Website.
DanceVisions 4000 Middlefield Road, L-3 Palo Alto 650-858-2005 www.dancevisions.org info@danceaction.org DanceVisions, a unique nonprofit community dance center, offers classes from age 3 to adult. Classes range from modern to hip hop, lyrical, Pilates, jazz, ballet, and contact improvisation, as well as providing a performance showcase. Check Website for details about classes and schedules.
L’Ecole de Danse Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road Palo Alto 650-365-4596 www.lecolededanse.net L’Ecole De Danse (School of Ballet) -- Vaganova and Cecchetti styles. Creative dance, pre-ballet and full curriculum for all levels starting at age 4 and 1/2. Adult classes include beginning, intermediate and advanced. Please call for more information.
Uforia Studios 819 Ramona St. Palo Alto 650-329-8794 www.uforiastudios.com Uforia Studios specializes in dance (Zumba, Hip Hop, Bollywood, Hula Hooping), Strength and Sculpting (uDefine) and Spinning (uCycle).All fitness levels and abilities are welcome. Schedule available on website.
Western Ballet 914 N. Rengstorff Ave., Unit A Mountain View 650-968-4455 www.westernballet.org/ info@westernballet.org Western Ballet has a welcoming, caring place to study ballet. Adult classes for absolute beginners to professionals, providing the largest selection of drop-in classes in the San Francisco Peninsula and South Bay. For children through teens preparing for careers in ballet, there is a graded youth program with 13 preprofessional levels. Faculty consists of current and former professional dancers. Cost of a single adult class: $15. For the youth program,
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Class Guide Nurturing Minds and Hearts Come grow with us
Still Enrolling
see www.westernballet.org for tuition rates.
Ventana School offers a progressive edu educational experience for young children in pre-school and kindergarten. We take our inspiration from the Reggio Emilia philosophy which encourages artistic expression, critical thinking and investigative learning. Space currently available in Preschool, Young Five’s and Kindergarten. We are in the process of seeking a use permit to offer elementary instruction. . #"'(&) ( * '( $&# & !' + ( ! & "( $&# ( ' )&& ) )! . , !)! '' ' - # '() "(' + ( ( &' . ( & ' ## & * )$#" & %) '( . ()& & + ( & " " "' Robin Jurs, Ventana Director 650-948-2151 x115 Christ Episcopal Church 1040 Border Rd, Los Altos, CA 94024 www.ventanaschool.org
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Zohar Dance Company 4000 Middlefield Road, L4 Palo Alto 650-494-8221 www.zohardance.org zohardance@gmail.com Founded in 1979, Zohar is unique in that it offers classes to adults in jazz, ballet and modern dance. Under the direction of Ehud & Daynee Krauss, the studio is known for its professional instructors and inspiring classes.
Andre’s Boot Camp (ABC)
HEALTH & FITNESS
Betty Wright Swim Center @ Abilities United
AlaVie Fitness CALL TO INQUIRE ABOUT 2011-2012 ENROLLMENT
Woodland School Building a Lifelong Joy of Learning Accepting Applications for Fall, 2011
As AlaVie Fitness’s signature program, PowerVie is different from other military-style boot camps. Visit www.alaviefitness.com or call for more information and to register.
50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto 415-567-7411 www.alaviefitness.com info@alaviefitness.com
www.andrestraining.com andre@andrestraining.com No two sessions are the same but every session will offer either circuit training or interval training. ABC is designed for those who enjoy multi-sport activities. A variety of athletic “toys� are used to make the classes both fun and challenging. Call, email or visit the website for more information.
3864 Middlefield Road Palo Alto 650-494-1480 www.AbilitiesUnited.org/BWSCwelcome info@AbilitiesUnited.org
FRIENDS NURSERY SCHOOL Openings available for children aged 3 by October 1 for Fall Tuesday/Thursday morning and afternoon programs. A part of the Palo Alto Community for 56 years!
Preschool through eighth grade, Woodland School’s focus is a challenging academic program with a strong enrichment program in the areas of French, art, music, drama, computers, gymnastics and physical education. Science, math and technology are an integral part of the 5th-8th grade experience.
Visit our beautiful ten acre campus in Portola Valley near Alpine Road and Highway 280 Woodland School, 360 La Cuesta Drive, Portola Valley s WWW WOODLAND SCHOOL ORG
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Friends Nursery School is a place where children play, learn, create and have fun. We are a play-based, exible co-op with a focus on social and emotional development.
Come see why Friends is such a magical place for children!!
Call to schedule a tour: 650-856-6152 957 Colorado Ave, Palo Alto Visit us at: www.pafns.org
Improve health and wellness through aquatic exercise and therapy in the fully accessible, public, warm-water (93 degree), in-door pool. Classes include aqua aerobics, aqua arthritis, back basics, body conditioning, Aichi yoga and prenatal. Physical therapy, personal training, Watsu and land massage by appointment. Group and private swim lessons. Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Be Yoga 1923 Menalto Ave. Menlo Park 650-906-9016 www.be-yoga.com Friendly community yoga studio. Small class sizes, excellent instruction, reasonable prices. Also offered are workshops on ayurveda, reiki, and mediation.
California Yoga Center (Palo Alto) 541 Cowper St. Palo Alto 650-967-5702 www.californiayoga.com info@californiayoga.com The California Yoga Center offers classes for beginning to advanced students. With studios in Mountain View and Palo Alto, classes emphasize individual attention and cultivate strength, flexibility and relaxation. Ongoing yoga classes are scheduled every day and include special classes such as prenatal, back care and pranayama. Weekend workshops explore a variety of yoga-related topics.
Darshana Yoga 654 High St. Palo Alto 650-325-YOGA www.darshanayoga.com Fresh and inspiring yoga classes in Palo Alto. A blend of alignment and flow. Director Catherine De Los Santos has taught yoga in Palo Alto more than 25 years.
Jacki’s Aerobic Dancing 890 Church St. Mountain View 650-941-1002 www.jackis.com
Class Guide joanier@pacbell.net Jacki’s Aerobic Dancing offers a well-balanced hour of abdominal work, weight training and safe, easy-to-follow aerobic routines. Complimentary child care is available. Classes meet M-W-F 9-10 a.m. at Mountain View Masonic Temple.
Red Star Soccer Academy 248 Walker Drive #8 Mountain View 650-380-0099 www.redstarsoccer.com Red Star Soccer Academy is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to youth player development. It offers training for eager young athletes who aspire to reach their full potential in soccer. Red Star is affiliated with the US Soccer Federation and US Club Soccer. Red Star teams compete in Nor Cal Premier League and US Club Soccer sanctioned tournaments. Check the Red Star website at www.redstarsoccer.com for specific tryout times and to pre-register online.
Studio Kicks 796A San Antonio Road Palo Alto 650-855-9868 www.studiokickspaloalto.com info@studiokickspaloalto.com Studio Kicks is a family fitness center offering high-energy cardio kickboxing classes and fun martial-arts training for kids 3 and 12 and up. Taught by owner/instructor Richard Branden, six-time world champion and original stunt cast member for the “Power Rangers.” Get the whole family healthy and fit. Stop by for a free class.
German Language Class 50 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto 650-329-3752 www.paadultschool.org adultschool@pausd.org Willkommen! (Welcome!) Learn to speak, read, and write German, with an emphasis on conversation. Basic grammar and Germanic culture are also covered. The instructor, a college-credentialed teacher, lived and studied in Germany through Stanford, from where she later received a master’s degree.
MISCELLANEOUS Children’s Health Council 650 Clark Way Palo Alto 650-688-3625 chconline.eventbrite.com parented@chconline.org More than 20 parent education classes offered every semester for parents of children from birth to age 18. Classes offered by Children’s Health Council’s professionals. Getting to Sleep, Children & Technology, Positive Parenting for the Strong-Willed Child, and more.
Lucy Geever-Conroy, Flight Instructor and Advantage Aviation 1903 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto 650-493-5987 www.advantage-aviation.com/ Offering learn-to-fly seminars, private pilot ground school and flying lessons, along with free seminars for pilots.
Taijiquan Tutelage of Palo Alto
The Talking Playhouse
4000 Middlefield Road Palo Alto www.ttopa.com Taijiquan Tutelage of Palo Alto. Established in 1973. Learn the classical Yang Chengfu style of Taijiquan (T’ai chi ch’uan). Beginning classes start monthly. Classes are held at the Cubberley Community Center.
595 Price Ave., Suite A Redwood City 650-678-9769 www.talkingplayhouse.com info@talkingplayhouse.com Social-learning and social-skills classes and activities for all age groups, including theater games and writing groups. See website for timetable and more information.
LANGUAGE ABC Languages 585 Glenwood Ave. Menlo Park 650-204-7908 www.abclanguagesf.com/ menlo@abclanguagesf.com ABC Languages offers up to 20 different language to adults and children either in groups or privately. ABC’s teaching staff is composed of experienced instructors who are native speakers of the language they teach.
International School of the Peninsula (ISTP) 151 Laura Lane Palo Alto 650-251-8519 www.istp.org beatricebergemont@istp.org ISTP offers extensive adult language classes and children’s after-school language classes. For preschool students, ISTP offers classes in Arabic, French, Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. For elementary and middle-school students, ISTP offers classes in Arabic, Farsi French and Mandarin Chinese. For adults, ISTP offers separate classes for varying proficiency levels for each language: Arabic, English ESL, Farsi, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish.
Palo Alto 650-776-8297 artforwellbeings.org me@judyg.com Art for Well Beings (AFWB) offers art classes especially welcoming people with special needs. AFWB is open to the public. Drop-in or sessions are available. All materials provided. Please call to register or visit website for more information.
Art with Emily 402 El Verano Ave. Palo Alto 650-856-9571 www.artwithemily.com emilyjeanyoung@gmail.com Emily Young teaches mixed-media, multicultural art lessons for children at her fully equipped studio in Palo Alto. Individual lessons or small group classes available.
Art Works Studio 595 Lincoln Ave. Palo Alto 650-796-1614 www.artworkspaloalto.com artworkspaloalto@gmail.com Art Works Studio offers a variety of fine-art classes for kids, as well as summer camps.
Children’s Music Workshops P.O. Box 60756 Palo Alto 650-306-0332 www.Alisonsmusiclessons.com white.alison@gmail.com
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Challenging Engaging Joyful
Lip reading/managing hearing loss
Middle School Open House Oct. 9, Nov. 6
450 Bryant St Palo Alto 650-949-7999 ext. 4379. www.hearinglossca.org/html/lipreading.htm ellenmastman@yahoo.com Lip reading/managing hearing loss. Classes start quarterly and meet weekly but you can join anytime. Learn ways to cope with hearing loss and improve lip-reading skills. Pay per quarter, register in class.
Parents Place 200 Channing Ave. Palo Alto 650-688-3040 www.parentsplaceonline.org/peninsula Parents Place, a program of Jewish Family and Children’s Services, supports families and children through parent education, consultation, and counseling about everything to do with raising children - from infancy to young adulthood - including comprehensive services for teenagers and children with special needs.
Upper School Open House Oct. 30, Dec. 4
What school is meant to be. For Information and Open House Registration:
MUSIC & ART
www.menloschool.org/admissions
Art For Well Beings 2800 West Bayshore Road
STILL ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE FALL
Palo Alto Prep Palo Alto Prep is a unique private high school designed to help students succeed in every aspect of life. We believe that school should be enjoyable and every student experience the pride of personal and academic accomplishment.
N Empowerment
through
Accountability N Provide
8 to 1 student-teacher ratio
N Deliver
innovative and creative programs that develop academic and behavioral success
N Offer
challenging academic opportunities
4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto TEACHING. LEARNING. CARING
www.paloaltoprep.com 650.493.7071
N Enhance
the self-esteem of our students through outdoor activities and programs
N Create
a supportive environment and safe community
N College N 95%
N UC/A-G
certified
N Certified
by State of California as a Non-Public School
prep curriculum
college enrollment
Celebrating Our 25th Year! Palo Alto Weekly UÊÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*>}iÊ17
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Meeting the Unique Needs of Gifted Children and their Families Truly Individualized Learning for Gifted Children K thru 4 Check our website for tour and information night dates. Learn about our innovative program, including foreign language, science, fine arts & social-emotional learning. www.heliosns.org Phone: 650 223-8690 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303
Kids music classes and private lessons for guitar, piano and voice. Locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View. Music for special-needs children too.
Community School of Music and Arts at Finn Center 230 San Antonio Circle Mountain View 650-917-6800 www.arts4all.org info@arts4all.org The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) offers classes year-round in music, visual and digital arts for ages 14 months to adult. Vacation and summer camps, one- and two-day arts workshops offered throughout the year. Private music lessons offered, taught by international faculty. Financial assistance available. Private lessons also offered.
Lingling Yang Violin Studio
COLLEGE GOALS Higher Education and College Admission Consultants
ANDREA VAN NIEKERK Former Associate Director of Admission at Brown University
Andrea is now located in Palo Alto and consulting with clients regarding all aspects of the college search and application process.
KEHILLAH JEWISH HIGH SCHOOL
KJHS welcomes students of all backgrounds who seek a strong college preparatory education and meaningful engagement with the issues of our times. Open Houses
For more information, contact us at Andrea_van_Niekerk@collegegoals.com or visit our website at www.collegegoals.com College Goals, PO Box 18777, Stanford, CA 94309 Tel (401)247-2629 or (401)454-4585
-PENINSULA MIDIGH H SCHOOL
Choose a small, caring, innovative high school
IS ACCEPTING STUDENTS IN GRADES 9-12
Sun. Oct. 30 2-4 p.m. Sun. Dec. 4 2-4 p.m. Sun. Jan. 8 2-4 p.m.
s Individualized attention and support
RSVP to admissions@kehillah.org
s A strong, accepting community
s Small class sizes (7-15)
KEHILLAH
s An environment that supports creative thinking KEHILLAH JEWISH HIGH SCHOOL
www.kehillah.org GROWING COMMUNITY FOR A DEC ADE
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Barron Park Neighborhood, private home Palo Alto 650-799-7807 www.manzanamusicschool.com/ ManzanaMusicSchool@yahoo.com Private and group lessons for children and adults on guitar, violin, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, vocal, arranging, and music theory.
Midpeninsula Community Media Center 900 San Antonio Road Palo Alto 650-494-8686 www.communitymediacenter.net info@midpenmedia.org The Media Center offers classes every month in a wide range of media arts, including publishing media on the Web, pod casting, digital editing, field production, TV studio production, Photoshop for photographers, citizen journalism, and autobiographical digital stories. One-on-one tutoring is also available. Biweekly free orientation sessions and tours. Website has specific dates, fees, and scholarship information.
415-513-3158 www.tobybranz.com Toby Branz offers private voice and violin lessons in Palo Alto. She received her master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 2010 and a postgraduate diploma in 2011.
Music Within Us 2483 Old Middlefield Way, Suite 150 Mountain View 650-325-2194 www.themusicwithinus.com info@themusicwithinus.com Dr. Lisa Chu offers classes, workshops, and individual sessions using techniques drawn from the fields of life coaching, mindfulnessbased meditation, yoga, deliberate practice, group facilitation, sound healing and music improvisation.
New Mozart School of Music 305 N. California Ave. Palo Alto 650-324-2373 info@newmozartschool.com www.newmozartschool.com/ New Mozart provides private lessons on all instruments for all ages and early-childhood music classes for children 2-7 years of age.
Opus1 Music Studio
3900 FABIAN WAY PALO ALTO, CA 94303
Kehillah means community. Join us.
Manzana Music School
Music with Toby
2011-2012
years
Palo Alto 650-456-7648 linglingviolin.blogspot.com linglingy@gmail.com Offers private violin instructions to children 7 and up and adults for all levels. Year-round enrollment. Audition required for intermediate and advanced violin players. Taught by classically trained violinist and very experienced violin teacher. Her students include award winners at violin competitions and members of PACO, CYS, and ECYS.
1340 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025 (650) 321-1991
www.mid-pen.com
2800 W Bayshore Road Palo Alto 650-625-9955 musicopus1.com musicopus1@gmail.com Opus1 Music Studio is offering private and group music lessons for all kinds of instruments to aged 2 and up. Beginners to advanced level.
Pacific Art League 688 Ramona St.
Class Guide Palo Alto 650-321-3891 www.pacificartleague.org gallery@pacificartleague.org Art classes and workshops by qualified, experienced instructors for students from beginners to advanced and even non-artists. Classes in collage, oil painting, portraits and sketching, life drawing, acrylic or watercolor and brush painting. Sculpture. Registration is ongoing.
SCHOOLS Action Day/Primary Plus 333 Eunice Ave. Mountain View 650-967-3780 www.actiondayprimaryplus.com Providing quality infant, toddler and preschool programs for more than 33 years. Onsite dance and computer classes offered. Fully accredited staff and facilities.
Children’s Pre-School Center (CPSC) 4000 Middlefield Road, T-1 Palo Alto 650-493-5770 www.cpsccares.org Students will experience the joy of finger painting, the thrill of dancing, the pleasure of building towers, and the satisfaction of mastering pre-literacy and pre-math skills with the support and guidance of a dedicated, loving, multicultural teaching staff.
Circle of Friends Preschool 3214 Alameda de las Pulgas Menlo Park 650-854-2468 cofpreschool@gmail.com Circle of Friends Preschool offers a wellrounded curriculum in a warm personal environment. Its goal is to promote the development of the whole child: physical, emotional, social, language and intellectual. Detailed assessment of each child helps build partnerships with families to support emerging competencies. All this in a play-based program where children have opportunities to create, explore, problem solve, learn concepts, and integrate knowledge in a hands-on environment.
German-American International School 275 Elliott Drive Menlo Park 650-324-8617 www.gais.org info@gais.org GAIS is an international school serving approximately 300 students in preschool through 8th grade. GAIS offers a German bilingual program through 5th grade, and welcomes English-speaking students in a new English language Middle School program that offers German, Spanish and French as additional language options. GAIS follows the academically rigorous, inquiry-based programs developed by the International Baccalaureate Organization.
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Fall Quarter Starts Sept. 26.
Helios New School 3921 Fabian Way Palo Alto 650-223-8690 www.heliosns.org Constructivist K-4 secular program for gifted children. Individualized curriculum including foreign language, science, fine arts and social-emotional learning. Email admin@heliosns.org or check website www.heliosns.org for dates/times of tours/information nights.
International School of the Peninsula 151 Laura Lane Palo Alto 650-251-8504 www.istp.org admissions@istp.org ISTP offers extensive after-school language classes at its two Palo Alto locations. Classes offered in French, Mandarin and Spanish to preschool students (3 to 5 years old). Additional classes taught in Arabic, Farsi, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese and Russian for elementary and middle school students.
Learn More with Your Phone. Visit your mobile phone's app store and download a QR reader then scan this QR code to view Foothill's Fall schedule of classes online.
Kirk House Preschool 1148 Johnson St. Menlo Park 650-323-8667 www.kirkhousepreschool.org khp@mppc.org Kirk House Preschool is a half-day preschool with both morning and afternoon classes for children 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds (Young Fives
www.foothill.edu
Upgrade. Advance.
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Class Guide (continued from previous page) class). Kirk House Preschool is a Christian, play-based school which offers a developmentoriented curriculum in a park-like setting.
Milestones Preschool 3864 Middlefield Road Palo Alto 650-618-3325 www.milestonespreschool.org preschool@AbilitiesUnited.org Milestones Preschool, a developmental program, provides children ages 2-5 years, a fun and educational environment that promotes their development of the social skills, independent thinking, intellectual growth, and positive self-image they need to succeed in kindergarten and later in life. NAEYC accredited. State of California License 434407984.
Palo Alto Prep 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650.493.7071
Palo Alto Prep is a unique private high school designed to help students succeed in every aspect of life with confidence and success.
Phillips Brooks School 2245 Avy Ave. Menlo Park 650-854-4545 www.phillipsbrooks.org The Phillips Brooks School, an independent co-educational day school for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade, prepares each student to live a creative, humane and compassionate life, and to be a contributing member of society. The curriculum emphasizes the basic academic disciplines and their integration into everyday life, while developing the foundation for individual scholastic excellence and inspiring an enthusiasm for lifelong learning. The overall school experience weaves the intellectual, spiritual, social and physical areas of growth into the fabric that is the Phillips Brooks School community.
Sand Hill School 650 Clark Way Palo Alto 650-688-3605 www.sandhillschool.org info@sandhillschool.org For young minds, one size doesn’t fit all. At Sand Hill School, find what fits best for each child. At Children’s Health Council. Grades K-3. 6:1 student/teacher ratio.
School for Independent Learners 909 North San Antonio Road Los Altos 650-941-4350 www.sileducation.com info@sileducation.com Private WASC-accredited high school. Oneto-one and small-group instruction. FT and PT enrollment. UC-approved college prep, honors, and AP coursework. Individualized curriculum. Self-paced, and mastery-based: failure is not an option. Also: tutoring, test prep, and college counseling. Open every day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Start anytime.
St. Joseph Catholic School
HELP YOUR STUDENT GET INTO COLLEGE.
Since 1984
CALL AJ TUTORING TODAY! 650.331.3251
1120 Miramonte Ave. Mountain View 650-967-1839 www.sjmv.org St. Joseph Catholic School offers a comprehensive curriculum with an emphasis on religion, language arts, mathematics, social studies and science. In addition to the core curriculum, St. Joseph’s also offers a fine arts program, computer instruction and physical education.
Trinity School
ajtutoring.com
Discover Waldorf: A compass for life.
Higher SAT/ACT scores in less time. improve your score, while our small group classes provide students with a positive, dynamic and collaborative learning environment
2650 Sand Hill Road Menlo Park 650-854-0288 www.trinity-mp.org admission@trinity-mp.org Early childhood through grade 5. Trinity School encourages preschool to grade 5 children from all backgrounds to love learning. Trinity fosters rigorous academics grounded in child-centered content. The legacy of a Trinity education is a curious mind and a discerning heart.
Woodland School
Personalized approach with proven results. Over 10 years of rapid growth thanks to the enthusiastic word of mouth from thousands of clients from Paly, Gunn, Menlo, Menlo Atherton, Sacred Heart, Castilleja, Woodside Priory, St. Francis, Mountain View and Los Altos. Charismatic, professional and
PA L O
A LT O
650 948 8433 Los Altos & Mtn View
Nursery - High School waldorfpeninsula.org
360 La Cuesta Drive Portola Valley 650-854-9065 www.woodland-school.org Preschool-8th grade. Woodland School’s focus is a challenging academic program with a strong enrichment program of art, music, drama, computers, gymnastics and physical education. Science, math and technology are an integral part of the 5th-8th-grade experience. Extended Care is offered from 7:30 a.m8:15 p.m. and 3-6 p.m. Call for a brochure or to set up a tour.
Yew Chung International School (YCIS) 310 Easy St. Mountain View 650-903-0986 www.ycef.com/sv info@sv.ycef.com YCIS provides multi-cultural and bilingual, English and Mandarin Chinese, education to children from preschool to 5th grade. Yew Chung education aims to liberate the joy of learning within each child. No prior Chinese experience is required.
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Cover Story
V
ickie Boone sipped her beverage slowly outside Peet’s Coffee & Tea on Charleston Road, recalling the day two years ago when she decided to live in her car on Palo Alto’s streets.
“It was either be hit or be homeless,” said Boone, 53, a petite woman with silver hair and a relaxed, friendly demeanor. She chose life in her Geo Metro in order to escape from domestic violence, she said. A lifelong Palo Altan, she attended Terman Middle School and Gunn High School. She doesn’t drink or use drugs and she isn’t crazy. She’s just down on her luck, she said. Most of all, she wants people to know, “I’m not a criminal.” But Boone said she fears a proposed Palo Alto ordinance banning people from living in their cars will render her a criminal. Under the ordinance, first-time violators would receive a warning and information on available social services. But repeat offenders could receive a $1,000 fine or up to 6 months in jail. The violation would have the flexibility of being treated as either an infraction or a misdemeanor, City Attorney Molly Stump said. Vehicle dwellers and their supporters told the City Council on July 18 that the law is draconian and would do more harm by putting people who currently have some shelter onto the streets with no protection from the elements. They have formed an organization, the Community Cooperation Team, to fight the ban and to develop alternatives that would satisfy the needs of both vehicle dwellers and those opposed to the practice. The number of people living in their cars in Palo Alto may number as many as 50, according to vehicle dwellers. City officials put the figure at one to two dozen. But despite the relatively low numbers in the city of 64,000, the issue has stirred passions on all sides, touching upon property rights, the notion of community, public safety, how to render help to those who are down and out, and the limits of compassion. The ordinance idea came about last fall, after city staff received a number of complaints from College Terrace, Evergreen Park and Professorville neighborhood residents and businesses near College Terrace and in the industrial area southeast of San Antonio and Charleston roads, according to Curtis Williams, the city’s director of planning and community environment. The complaints generally involved people living in vehicles who were being disruptive to the residents or businesses. Parking was also sometimes an issue. City staff has had a few meetings with housing and homeless-services representatives and plans to meet with the Community Cooperation Team. The council’s Policy and Services
Committee could hear staff recommendations as early as Sept. 13, followed by a council vote thereafter, he said.
T
he uneasy relationship between Palo Alto’s housed residents and business owners and some of the vehicle dwellers has existed for several years. On Chestnut Street in the Ventura neighborhood, residents living near Boulware Park said the large vans and RVs cause concern. Luz Aguilar said she hasn’t interacted with the vehicles’ occupants. “They don’t tend to want to be part of the community, and they’re an eyesore, to be honest,” she said. A young Ventura mother, who asked not to be identified, said she didn’t feel comfortable with the campers either. “There really is no record of them,” she said. If someone has a criminal background or is a registered sex offender, there is no way of knowing who they are or of being notified that they live in the neighborhood, she said. There is also a feeling of being intruded upon, she said. A man in a small car near Fry’s Electronics routinely set up his barbecue on the sidewalk; another parked in front of her home every day. “The fact that he was there, he knew my comings and goings,” she said. Ken Alsman, a Professorville resident, said the issue disproportionately affects certain neighborhoods. “At one point, a guy in a giant mobile home came up and put his jacks out into the planter strip. He opened an extension of his living room onto the sidewalk. We have been invaded. It isn’t my neighborhood anymore,” he said. College Terrace resident Wendy Smith said she’s had various unpleasant encounters with people who lived in their cars. “Van dwellers would park their vehicles next to the building and then get out their bike and put it into my azaleas and lean it up against the wall. Many plants were broken. Yelling ensued. Apologies were given but they weren’t enough. This particular person also would have ‘visitors,’ and partying would go on, and then beer bottles would hit the side of the building,” she said. When a man slept in his car for several weeks, she let it slide, she said. “But the morning I started out for a walk, looked down the sidewalk to see the car’s door
Clockwise, from left: Kitci Schweinsberger, left, a man who lives in his car, talks with Aram James, a criminal defense attorney, about the proposed vehicle-dwelling ban during a meeting with the Community Cooperation Team on July 31; Chuck Jagoda checks out his belongings in his 1989 Dodge Spirit, which he lives in; some homeless residents choose to park their cars and RVs on Chestnut Street, directly across from the children’s play area at Boulware Park.
Taking it to the streets
story by Sue Dremann photos by Veronica Weber
Vehicle dwellers seek alternatives to a proposed Palo Alto ban on living in cars
(continued on next page)
*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 21
Cover Story
Vehicle dwellers (continued from previous page)
open and a hand with a plastic milk carton full of urine reach out and pour it onto the street was the morning I told the person to be gone by the time I came back from my walk or I would call the cops,� she said.
B
ut if residents are feeling overrun, many vehicle dwellers say they are just trying to peacefully co-exist. In a commercial area of warehouses, homefixture businesses and small tech companies between Charleston and San Antonio roads, Paul, 55, a disabled military veteran who declined to give his last name, said he and his mate, Ommie, have looked for so-called legitimate places to park their older tan Sunsport motor home. “We tried to get into trailer parks in Redwood City and San Jose, but those places said the RV was too old. The parks want newer vehicles. We were moving from one street or another and ended up here,� he said, of the location on Transport Street. The couple chose the industrial area because they don’t want to be around homes, playgrounds and schools where they would irritate residents and cause calls to the police. “I want to be safe with my environment,� he said. An American flag flutters from the RV’s door. “I’ve been a taxpayer all my life and served my country. I’ve always worked,� Paul said, adding that he doesn’t like the image of the homeless person as a non-contributor. “I’ve given to this country all of my life.� Although homeless, he is still contributing, he said, a sentiment of many vehicle dwellers.
Willie Mackey, third from right, who was homeless for more than six years and now resides at the Opportunity Center, leads a discussion with volunteers and homeless residents about creating a mission statement for the Community Cooperation Team. Those living in their cars like to point out that, far from being apart from the community, they look out for the neighborhood. A homeless man, Andre Belton, saved the Friends of the Palo Alto Library offices during an earlymorning fire at Cubberley Community Center in August 2010, which erupted while he was
living in the parking lot, they said. Paul said a dweller can act “like a watch dog,� observing activities at street level that others in homes don’t see. He routinely keeps an eye on the businesses and shoos off skateboarding kids who take advantage of parking lots during the off hours, he said.
A tall, amiable man with a shaved head, Paul said he and Ommie are on fixed incomes. Many of the vehicle dwellers with a little money or even with jobs live in their RVs because it allows them to save a bit for emergencies, he said. (continued on page 24)
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Who are the vehicle dwellers?
along with his children. Where he sleeps: The front seat of his 1988 Dodge Spirit. Sometimes on a bench at the Caltrain station because he is developing circulatory problems from not sleeping on a flat surface. Various places in commercial areas near El Camino Real. Years living in his vehicle: 2 What he wants people to know: “A woman mentioned at the City Council meeting how she lives in her car. She’s afraid of shelters. When she can get in her car and lock those four doors, she feels secure. How can you think about taking that away from her? You’re going to throw her into a more terrifying existence? Do you really want to take that away from her? What are you thinking? Shelter is the biggest expense if you are moneychallenged. I would like to have my own home.” Solutions to the issue: “There should be another circuit like Hotel de Zink. Currently there are only 15 beds and homeless people can stay for only three months in a year.”
Vickie Boone
Age: 53 Education: Palo Alto schools, including Terman Middle School and Gunn High School. She was working on bachelor’s degree in business and was three classes short when she ran out of money. Career: Worked as a security guard. Currently works as a “mystery shopper” evaluating retailbusiness performance and in a focus group. Does not receive public assistance. Reasons for being on the street: Victim of domestic violence Where she sleeps: The front seat of her Geo Metro in an area she prefers not be made public Years living in her vehicle: 2 What she wants people to know: “I really want a job. I have never broken the law, and I don’t want to become a criminal. I took care of my dad for six years when he had cancer, so there’s a gap in my resume, so people say I’m not hirable. My biggest problem is I don’t fit into any categories (for assistance): veteran, have children, criminal, mental illness. I’m not old, sick or pregnant. What’s gotten me through is my faith. I go to San Francisco once a month to feed the homeless. You’ve got to give back. If I make this all about me, then I’m going to be depressed.” Solutions to the issue: “More shelters. We already have laws for dumping garbage or urinating in public. If you don’t break the law you shouldn’t be treated as a criminal.”
Chuck Jagoda
Age: 68 Education: Graduate degrees from New York Institute of Technology Career: Taught Latin and special education, psychology and anthropology. Former faculty member at the New York Institute of Technology and teacher in New York City public schools, missionary in Jamaica with the Peace Corps, garbage man, landscape laborer, carpenter, caretaker for his mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease. He’s a father and grandfather. He currently gets Social Security and a small pension, tutors and does some writing and editing contract work. He’s working with a Stanford student on “Homeless, the Musical.” Reasons for being on the street: Not getting
NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION AND THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENSION
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council is extending the deadline to receive applications from volunteers interested in serving on either the Planning and Transportation Commission or the Architectural Review Board to September 1, 2011 at 5:30 pm. Contact the City of Palo Alto City Clerk’s Office at 650-329-2571, send an email to city.clerk@ cityofpaloalto.org, or visit www.cityofpaloalto.org for more information. MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MUST BE PALO ALTO RESIDENTS. THERE ARE NO RESIDENTCY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD. DONNA J. GRIDER City Clerk
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Fred Smith
Age: 67 1/2 Education: Bachelor’s degree in physics with enough hours for minors in mathematics, chemistry, engineering and psychology. Started a doctorate degree in physics but dropped out after almost two years. Reads a lot and is the best-read person he knows. Career: Was a software engineer for nearly 30 years from the late 1970s to 2006; currently lives on Social Security and Medicare. Still looking for work and as a Plan B is working on a software program that hopefully will generate $1,000 or so per month to supplement income. Reasons for being on the street: A few years ago he lost his six-figure job, and his wife of 22 years died after a four-year illness. Devastated, he ran out of money last July. He’s one of the “99ers” — his unemployment benefits ran out, and he lost his apartment. Where he sleeps: In his motor home on El Camino Real and near Boulware Park and in commercial areas. Years living in his vehicle: 1 What he wants people to know: “I’ve been a resident of Palo Alto for over 35 years, and I’ve paid my taxes. My wife and I spent something like $750,000 in Palo Alto over the years. I resent the attitude of some that now that I am out of work, living in my vehicle, that I now have less rights than them. Most of us keep a very low profile, do not throw garbage out, do not defecate or urinate in anyone’s yards. I and most vehicle dwellers stay at least 100 yards away from any residential housing. I can just get by, but I cannot afford rents around here — not even the cost of moving my RV into an RV park. I have no criminal record (did a rolling stop through a stop sign once). A criminal record (if the ordinance passes) will make it even harder to find work.” Solutions to the issue: “I do not like living in an RV but ... living in a vehicle, especially one that is large like a van or RV, is a much better solution than any offered or proposed. The proposed ban seems draconian. I believe the ban is not needed, and they already have laws about vehicles staying in residential areas more than three days. I harm no one and would like to just be left alone to solve my living problems.” N — Sue Dremann
NOTICE OF FINAL DATES ON OR BEFORE WHICH DIRECT AND REBUTTAL ARGUMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY CLERK IN SUPPORT OF OR AGAINST AN INITIATIVE MEASURE TO UNDEDICATE TEN ACRES OF EXISTING PARKLAND IN BYXBEE PARK FOR USE AS A COMPOST FACILITY TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE ELECTORS OF PALO ALTO AT A SPECIAL ELECTION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Tuesday, August 16, 2011, at 5:30 p.m., has been fixed as the final date and time when direct arguments for or against the following measure may be submitted to the City Clerk for printing and distribution to the voters of the City. Copies of the direct arguments will be available from the City Clerk on Wednesday, August 17, 2011. The deadline for filing rebuttal arguments with the City Clerk has been set for Tuesday, August 23, 2011, at 5:30 p.m. Copies of the rebuttal arguments will be available from the City Clerk on Wednesday, August 24, 2011. CITY OF PALO ALTO (MEASURE “___”) Shall ten acres of existing parkland in Byxbee Park be undedicated for the exclusive purpose of building a processing facility for yard trimmings, food waste and other organic materials? FOR THE ORDINANCE ____ AGAINST THE ORDINANCE ____ The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Copies of the resolution placing this proposition on the ballot and containing the full text of the measure are available in the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94301. All materials to be printed in the Sample Ballot regarding the measure will be available for public examination from Wednesday, August 24, 2011 through Friday, September 2, 2011, at the City Clerk’s office on the seventh floor. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊU *>}iÊ23
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Page 24ĂŠUĂŠ Ă•}Ă•ĂƒĂŒĂŠx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
(continued from page 22)
“I might have to go somewhere to bury a relative,� he added. Paul said he doesn’t plan to be chronically homeless. The RV is a temporary solution and a step toward finding housing. For nearly three years, he has been on the waiting list for a HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing voucher for housing from the Veterans Administration. “I’ve been wishing and praying and hoping I get one. They called me last week. I feel like I’m getting close to that door,� he said. The couple does have a plan to get into housing, even without a voucher, he said. In about three or four months, they might have enough saved to pay first and last months’ rent on a small place. “Maybe for $800 a month — then we could still have money for food,� he said. Several paces down the street, two other large motor homes park along the curb. Although Paul’s and another couple’s are clean, without clutter or trash, one RV has business owners riled up. Laundry baskets and plastic bins are tied to its top. Filled plastic garbage bags are stuffed underneath. Inside, a dog barks loudly. “We’ve had to call the city several times to try to get them to move. It’s pretty frustrating,� said Kevin Messer, lead game designer at Punch Entertainment. “There’s trash buildup, and we’ve called (Palo Alto) Animal Control, but the dogs have to bark for 10 minutes without stopping� before the city will intervene, he said.
N
ot all residents believe the ordinance is the answer. “Actually, I was taken aback by the philosophy or attitude. It is so harsh. These people who live in their cars are not doing this for frivolity. So many of them, most of them, probably, have resorted to this ‘last resort’ because they are destitute. To me, this policy is mean-spirited. Why not go ahead and search for other alternatives? ... Where has the ‘milk of human kindness’ that used to be so pervasive in our city
gone?� said Tibby Simon, a College Terrace resident. Linda Martinet, a member of Peninsula Bible Church, delivers food and necessities to the homeless. “I got involved because people I know who are coming to a recovery group at the church are there because of economic reasons, not because of drugs and alcohol,� she said. “I don’t see that these people are not wanting to be working. Even low-paying jobs are not as available.� If the ordinance passes, officers would provide a car dweller with an informational brochure and start a 30-day warning period. Police would be required to provide referrals to social services, Williams said. The proposed ordinance seems to suggest that social services are the answer to getting people out of their cars and into housing, and for those struggling with mental illness or substance abuse, the help could be timely and life-saving. But even those who provide housing for the homeless say the idea of transitioning people into more permanent shelter is subject to debate. There just isn’t enough housing available, said Philip Dah, program director at the Opportunity Center on Encina Avenue, which provides long-term housing for 135 residents, including children and comprehensive social services for the homeless population through its Drop-In Center. Dah said the center offers 18 oneand two-bedroom units for families and 70 single rooms for singles only. There are 200 people on the waiting list, he said. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the vehicle dwellers can park in the center’s underground garage, but when the doors close, they have to leave, he said. About three or four people who live in their cars routinely use Opportunity Center services, he said. But by and large, vehicle dwellers are not the type of homeless people the center specializes in serving. A person who lives on the streets uses the center’s services more than someone who lives in his or her car, he said. He agreed with ordinance opponents who say the ordinance as it’s
Cover Story
City of Palo Alto dollars being spent on homeless services Community Technology Alliance (homeless voicemail) .......................................................... $5,432 Downtown Streets Team ...................................................$33,666 InnVision (Opportunity Center) ..........................................$8,920 MayView Community Health Center (for low income and homeless) ....................................... $16,074 Momentum for Mental Health ......................................... $24,111
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currently proposed would take away the only shelter the vehicle dwellers have without offering housing alternatives. The only shelter in Palo Alto, InnVision’s Hotel de Zink, has 15 beds, and stays are for three months.
F
inding a middle ground in the fractious debate is the goal of the newly formed Community Cooperation Team. On a recent Sunday afternoon, about 30 team members plotted their strategy on a white board at the University Church: Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry. At the top of their list: communicating with residents. “We’re not all bums; we’re not all drug addicts and we don’t all beg from people,” a vehicle dweller said, as others nodded affirmatively. “At City Council meetings, it’s been a one-way dialogue. I want to establish a dialogue with them to break down the fallacies,” said Tony Ciampi, on whom police used Tasers in March 2008, an incident that a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge ruled was an illegal action by police. “What we don’t want to see is ‘us versus them,’” Ciampi said. Rev. Greg Schaefer, University Church pastor, said he and others in the faith community want to see an alternative to the ordinance that addresses in a more targeted way the complaints the neighbors raise. “We think there needs to be alternative options for people because it just doesn’t make sense to outlaw something without thinking through what (those who live in vehicles)
are supposed to do next. Many of the people we’re talking about are fortunate enough to have a car to provide shelter during their time of need. If use of that shelter is completely banned, all they would be left with is to sleep in the creek or on the street,” he said in an email, emphasizing that he doesn’t speak for those who live in their cars and RVs. The vehicle dwellers said they want to work with residents to eradicate the complaints. “I agree they have a legitimate complaint. The big problem is designing an ordinance that is fueled by an inaccurate view of what homelessness is today,” Chuck Jagoda, a former teacher, said. In addition to public outreach and education, the Community Cooperation Team has volunteers working on dweller-city liaisons; research and alternatives; and advocacy and legal issues. One alternative being bandied about is identifying a parking area where all of the vehicle dwellers could reside, such as the parking area at Cubberley Community Center in south Palo Alto. People already park there overnight, with several vehicle dwellers saying they use the center’s expansive parking lots as a safe haven. Minka Van der Zwaag, manager of Palo Alto’s office of human services, said the city allows the vehicle dwellers and other unhoused persons to use the gym showers and locker rooms at Cubberley from 6 to 8 a.m. (continued on page 27)
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Pastor Andrew Burnham of Peninsula Bible Church stands outside the Fellowship Hall during the weekly R&R event, which featured a free meal, musical performance and speakers.
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Cover Story
The new homeless: laid-off and middle-aged Rise in homelessness among older workers concerns service providers
A
Palo Alto Garden Workshops These FREE workshops will help you create a beautiful, healthy place for you, your family and the environment. Please pre-register, space is limited.
Gardening From the Ground Up The foundation of a Bay-Friendly garden is healthy soil. And the best way to build healthy soil is to amend with compost and/or cover with mulch. This class digs deeper into how to: 7 7 7 7
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disturbing trend in laid-off middle-aged workers is growing on Palo Alto’s streets, homeless advocates said. Among the city’s vehicle dwellers, most are in their late 40s, 50s and 60s, said Rev. Andrew Burnham, recovery pastor at Peninsula Bible Church on Middlefield Road. Estimates of how many people live in their cars are based on contacts with homeless advocates and the police. City officials estimate there are one to two dozen vehicle dwellers in Palo Alto; the dwellers themselves said there could be as many as 50. Among the hardest hit by the recession were construction workers, Burnham said: “Those who were living paycheck to paycheck were quickly out on the streets.” But Burnham and others said the trend has not yet peaked. “There are more people now on the edge. A lot of people who are fearful are coming to the church who say they can’t make their mortgage,” he said. At a recent gathering of the Community Cooperation Team, a group of vehicle dwellers and supporters, none of the 20 or so people present who lived in their cars were under the age of 40. Several of the vehicle dwellers said that being without a job for any length of time has made them unemployable and that their ages played a significant factor. Burnham, who works with the homeless at the church, agreed. “With the age discrimination that goes on, it’s tough out there when so many people are looking for work,” Burnham said. Marie Baylon, 22, and Aparna Ananthasubramaniam, 20, Stanford University students who are part of the Night Outreach group, an organization of about 30 students who are reaching out to the city’s homeless, said that while some vehicle dwellers have mental illnesses or might abuse substances, they have found many who have lost their jobs. Baylon said she is working on developing demographic information so that organizations serving the homeless can target their specific needs. One woman who identified herself as Shirleen and who lives in a motor home with her boyfriend said she was laid off more than 1 1/2 years ago from her receptionist’s job at a construction company and hasn’t been able to find work. Her boyfriend works piecemeal construction jobs as they become available, she said. Receptionist work has become more difficult to find, as companies switch to automation, she said. But she wants people to know that she is still looking for work and that she does not use drugs or alcohol, is not mentally ill and doesn’t have a criminal record. She wants to work, and she wants a home. “I’m more hopeful than my boyfriend that this is just a temporary thing,” she said. N — Sue Dremann
Avenidas presents the 8th Annual
Saturday, August 20 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Community Garden next to the Palo Alto Art Center on Newell Road To register for this workshop and learn about the other upcoming workshops, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/workshops or call (650) 496-5910.
Caregiver Conference Saturday, August 20 9 am - 3 pm Mountain View, CA Discover ways to:
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COMING SOON! PaloAltoOnline.com Page 26ÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
Overcome a loved one’s clutter Understand mental decline Manage multiple medications Plan ahead for legal issues Build family cooperation
Where age is just a number 2011
Cover Story
Vehicle dwellers (continued from page 25)
She stopped short of saying the city allows the vehicle dwellers to park at Cubberley, though. “It’s not specifically legal. When we periodically get reports, we look into it,” she said. Dah of the Opportunity Center suggested the city put money where its mouth is. “If the city is really interested, the solution is at their doorstep. The city garage under City Hall has parking and security. It will be monitored,” he said. One resident, Aguilar of the Ventura neighborhood, said she doesn’t support having a fixed location for the vehicles in the city after seeing such lots during a visit to Hawaii. “On one side of the island all of the beaches were for the homeless. It looked like a mess. I would think (having the fixed location) would draw more. Making it easier for them is not the right answer,” she said. Not all vehicle dwellers think it’s a good idea, either. Ciampi said he favors a permit system for people to remain on the street. Jack, a 30-year vehicle veteran, said putting all of the people living in cars together would lead to fighting. But the troublemakers are few, other car dwellers said, and most adhere to an unwritten code: Do no harm, don’t make a mess or a fuss, and stay out of residential areas.
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This Sunday: The Story of Joseph, the Annoying Little Brother Rev. David Howell preaching Outdoor Worship in our Courtyard An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ
Pastor Greg Schaefer, left, of University Church Episcopal Lutheran Campus Ministry, talks with Tony Ciampi about the proposed cardwelling ban during a Community Cooperation Team meeting. The team is planning a database and phone line residents can call to report offensive behavior. The hope is that establishing an association and guidelines would help reduce problems and give the car dwellers leverage to police themselves, they said. A small group of the people who park overnight at Cubberley said they are already self-policing. “There are a few troublemakers. But we’ve moved them along,” said a woman who asked to be anonymous. Another dweller at the Sunday meeting summed up the group’s growing self-empowerment — and commitment to responsibility:
“We need a homeowners’ association for the homeless,” he said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com. About the cover: Vickie Boone, who’s lived in her Geo Metro for two years, opposes the proposed Palo Alto ordinance that would criminalize sleeping in cars.
TALK ABOUT IT
www.PaloAltoOnline.com What is the best way to address the situation of people living in their cars and RVs in Palo Alto? Share your opinion on Palo Alto Online.
INSPIRATIONS
A resource for special events and ongoing religious services. To inquire about or make space reservations for Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 223-6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com
CITY OF PALO ALTO PRESENTS – 27TH ANNUAL
PALO ALTO WEEKLY MOONLIGHT RUN & WALK Friday, September 9, 2O11
TIME & PLACE 5K walk 7:00pm, 10K run 8:15pm, 5K run 8:45pm. Race-night registration 6:00 to 8:00pm at City of Palo Alto Baylands Athletic Center, Embarcadero & Geng Roads (just east of the Embarcadero Exit off Highway 101). Parking — go to PaloAltoOnline.com to check for specific parking locations. COURSE
5K and 10K loop courses over Palo Alto Baylands levee, through the marshlands by the light of the Harvest Moon! Course is flat, USAT&F certified (10k run only) on levee and paved roads. Water at all stops. Course map available at www.PaloAltoOnline.com.
REGISTRATIONS & ENTRY FEE Pre-registration fee is $25 per entrant (postmarked by September 2, 2011) and includes a longsleeve t-shirt. Late/race-night registration is $30 and includes a shirt only while supplies last. Family package: Children 12 and under run free with a registered parent. A completed entry form for each child must be submitted with adult registration. Please indicate on form and include $15 for t-shirt. No confirmation of mail-in registration available. Registration also available online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Refunds will not be issued for no-show registrations and t-shirts will not be held. SPORTS TEAM/CLUBS: Pre-registration opportunity for organizations of 10 or more runners; e-mail MoonlightRun@paweekly.com. MINORS: If not pre-registered Minors under 18 MUST bring signed parental/waiver form (online) on race night to participate. DIVISIONS Age divisions: 9 & under; 10-12; 13-19; 20-29; 30-39; 40-49; 50-59; 60-69, and 70 & over with separate divisions for male and female runners in each age group. Race timing provided for 5K and 10K runs only; not 5K walk.
COMPUTERIZED RESULTS by A Change of Pace Chip timing by A Change of Pace. Race results will be posted on the Internet at www.PaloAltoOnline.com by 11pm race night. Registration forms must be filled out completely and correctly for results to be accurate. Race organizers are not responsible for incorrect results caused by incomplete or incorrect registration forms. You must register for the event you plan to participate in.
AWARDS/PRIZES/ENTERTAINMENT Top three finishers in each division. Prize giveaways and refreshments. DJ Alan Waltz. Pre-race warmups by Noxcuses Fitness, Palo Alto PALO ALTO GRAND PRIX Stanford
Road Race Series — Moonlight Run, 9/9; Marsh Madness, 10/23; Home Run, 11/13, for more information
go to www.paloaltogp.org.
BENEFICIARY Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund. A holiday-giving fund to benefit Palo Alto area non-profits and charitable organizations. In April 2011, 45 organizations received a total of $240,000 (from the 2010-2011 Holiday Fund.)
MORE INFORMATION Call (650) 463-4920, (650) 326-8210, email MoonlightRun@paweekly.com or go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com. For safety reasons, no dogs allowed on course for the 5K and 10K runs. They are welcome on the 5K walk only. No retractable leashes! Please bring your own clean-up bag. Jogging strollers welcome in the 5K walk or at the back of either run.
Flashlights/head lights recommended. First aid service and chiropractic evaluations will be available.
Register online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com GOT OLD SHOES? Change someone’s world with a pair of your shoes. Bring your gently worn shoes to the Moonlight Run and they will be sent to Djibouti, Africa. *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 27
Sports Shorts
JO WATER POLO
Third time is a charm
ATHLETE HURT . . . The Sacred Heart Prep girls’ cross-country team made some great strides last season with the help of Courtney Schrier. The Gators, however, will have to compete this season without Schrier, who was seriously injured in an accident last week in Atherton. According to SHP coach Marisa Beck, Schrier was out on a run by herself on Tuesday, July 26. She was almost home and crossing in a crosswalk on El Camino Real and Alejandra Avenue when she was hit by a car. Despite being in the crosswalk and being waved on by other drivers, another car came out of nowhere to hit Schrier. She was thrown into the air before hitting the ground and losing consciousness. “There were maybe witnesses who came to her side and stayed with her until the paramedics came,” Beck said in a statement. “She was taken to Stanford Hospital and has been receiving great care there.” Beck said that Schrier has a fractured pelvis, a possible punctured lung as well as other fractures (a broken tailbone), but the pelvis is the biggest concern. Schrier was second team all league in cross country and in track and field last year as a sophomore. She helped the Gators win the West Bay Athletic League cross-country title for the first time by finishing 13th. “This was a horrible accident,” wrote SHP Athletic Director Frank Rodriguez, who noted that there is no stop light or flashing crosswalk to notify drivers of crossing pedestrians at El Camino and Alejandra. “Witness accounts said that the car that hit Courtney in the crosswalk didn’t break and knocked her 10 feet into the air. “Any of us who have driven El Camino have seen near-misses in these crosswalks, where a couple of cars stop and wave the pedestrian through, but the cars in the fast (left) lane don’t stop.
Saturday Swimming: U.S. National Championships from Stanford, 1 p.m., NBC (taped)
Sunday Swimming: U.S. National Championships from Stanford, 2 p.m., NBC (taped)
READ MORE ONLINE
www.PASportsOnline.com For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com
I
f he wasn’t before, Brian Kreutzkamp is a firm believer that, yes, a third time indeed can be a charm. It was only a few weeks ago that his Stanford Water Polo Club Red
Philip Bamberg and head coach Brian Kreutzkamp take the plunge after their Stanford Water Polo Club Red 18U team won the Platinum Division gold medal at the SwimOutlet.com Junior Olympics on Tuesday in Irvine.
18U boys’ team was playing in the US Club Championships in Moraga. Stanford had reached the championship match against Regency of Southern California. “They destroyed us,” Kreutzkamp recalled. “They beat us by five goals, but it could have been worse. They just crushed us.” Fast forward to Monday’s fifth match of the 2011 SwimOutlet.com Junior Olympics in Orange County. Stanford once again put an unbeaten record on the line against Regency, a team with a core of players from private school power Mater Dei. Stanford lost again, 9-6. “We were within a goal in the fourth quarter,” Kreutzkamp explained. “We had a chance.” The important thing, Kreutzkamp said, was that his team improved from the club championships to Monday. “Each game we got closer,” he (continued on page 31)
STANFORD FOOTBALL
The David Shaw era is officially under way With Luck back for a final season, Cardinal starts out with high expectations and lots to accomplish in Pac-12 by Rick Eymer arly warning system: the college football season is about to get started and that means all kind of talk about Stanford, its quarterback, first-year head coach, the post-Orange Bowl era and the brand new, sparkling alignment that is the Pac-12. Stanford players officially reported Friday and will take the field for the first time Monday with David Shaw blowing the whistle as the head man, his first stint as the man in charge after a lifetime of achievement as a player and coach’s son. The Cardinal is expected to begin the season as one of the top five ranked
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teams in the nation, an honor hoisted upon the team thanks in large part to its dominating victory over Virginia Tech in January, with a major supporting role going to Andrew Luck, the Heisman Trophy favorite. Luck put his education ahead of monetary value when he declined to throw his name into the hat for last year’s NFL draft. He was expected to be the first player chosen. He really never was a serious candidate to declare for the draft. Luck was almost forced into making a statement regarding his final year at Stanford after the bowl victory because (continued on page 30)
Don Feria/stanfordphoto.com
ON THE AIR
by Keith Peters
Keith Simon
OF LOCAL NOTE . . . A remarkable season by the Palo Alto 93 Blue U-18 boys’ soccer team came to an end last Friday night following a 1-1 deadlock with the KCFC Rangers of Kansas City (Mo.) at the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series in Phoenix, Ariz. Palo Alto came into the four-team, round-robin tourney with the nation’s No. 1 ranking for its age division. It also held a victory over defending national champ Alpharetta (Ga.) from earlier in the season. That still wasn’t enough for 93 Blue as it managed only three goals in three matches while finishing 0-1-2 while sharing the bronze medal with Kansas City.
Stanford 18s win gold medal after two losses to rival
First-year Stanford head coach David Shaw (left) is glad to have Heisman Trophy candidate Andrew Luck at his side.
USA SWIMMING
SEMIPRO BASEBALL
Stanford teams on display
The Oaks will miss Gaffney
Future of both squads look bright as present and future stars shine at Nationals by Rick Eymer tanford women’s swimming coach Lea Maurer stood in the bleachers alongside Belardi Pool at Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center, surveying the area. An hour before finals began Wednesday, the deck was scattered with swimmers and a few spectators. By the time races began, every inch of the place was swarming with people. Before then, though, Maurer had time to reflect on what it meant for Stanford to host the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships. “With 1,800 people here, it’s like we’ve cast a wide net,” Maurer said. “Six of our seven recruits are here and they’re excited. I see a lot of them wearing Stanford gear. The facility, the weather, the people . . . we’re all excited about showcasing our pool.” The national swim meet is just the beginning. Stanford is also the host for next week’s Speedo Junior Nationals, which also will showcase Stanford’s incoming freshmen of both genders. The Junior Nationals open Monday, run through Friday, and will feature preliminaries at 9 a.m. and finals at 6 p.m. Cardinal men’s coach Skip Kenney was also in attendance, watching his swimmers from past, present and future. “It’s always good to see how these guys perform in long course,” he said. “Long course is all about technique and leg kick and it makes a difference in how they swim short course.” Neither coach, apparently, has to be concerned. Stanford grads, current swimmers and future Cardinal swimmers have all shown promise. It’s at this meet where swimmers can see where they stack up against Olympians, world recordholders and American recordholders.
Palo Alto heads off to World Series without its standout from Stanford by Keith Peters
S
T
John Todd/isiphotos.com
Stanford senior Bobby Bollier splashed to his first national title, taking the 200-meter butterfly on Wednesday night 1:56.64, at the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships at Stanford. The futures of both Stanford swimming programs are on display these two weeks. There are many reasons for Maurer and Kenney to be smiling. Stanford sophomore Maya DiRado and senior Bobby Bollier are perfect examples. Bollier won his first national title, splashing to victory in the 200-meter butterfly in 1:56.64 and likely thanking world recordholder Michael Phelps from skipping the meet. DiRado, meanwhile, finished third in the women’s 200 IM on Tuesday, going 2:11.92 to beat Stanford grad and Olympian Julia Smit, among others. (Palo Alto High senior Jasmine Tosky, who could enjoy a big junior national meet, was 17th in the event. She was named Swimming World’s Female High School co-Swimmer of the Year with Rachel Bootsma, who finished second in the 100 back. The two swimmers will go head-to-head next week. Each set a national high school record this season). “She loves to race and she loves the night,” Maurer said of DiRado. “She just introduced herself. When you put her in position, the best of Maya comes out.”
2011 SPEEDO JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS At Avery Aquatic Center, Stanford (Prelims at 9 a.m., finals at 6 p.m.)
MONDAY, AUG. 9 Women’s 100 butterfly Men’s 400 freestyle Women’s 200 IM Men’s 100 breaststroke Women’s 400 freestyle Men’s 400 IM Men’s 400 freestyle relay TUESDAY, AUG. 9 Women’s 100 backstroke Men’s 200 freestyle Men’s 100 backstroke Women’s 200 freestyle Men’s 200 butterfly Women’s 400 freestyle relay WEDNESDAY, AUG. 10 Women’s 100 breaststroke Men’s 100 butterfly Women’s 50 freestyle Men’s 50 freestyle
yler Gaffney has turned in his baseball cleats for his football shoes. That comes as good news to the Stanford football team, which begins fall practice for the 2011 season on Monday. While it’s good news for the Cardinal, it’s bad news for Palo Alto Oaks’ baseball manager Steve Espinoza. The Oaks will travel to Houston, Texas, on Tuesday for the AABC Stan Musial World Series. Palo Alto will open against the North Atlantic winner on Wednesday, but without Gaffney. “Losing Gaffney is, of course, a big loss,” said Espinoza. “He showed in the West Region that his bat can change the outcome of a game.” Gaffney scored three runs and drove in another in an 11-8 victory over the Bandido’s in the championships game of the AABC Stan Musial Western States Regional at Jackie Robinson Field at Brookside Park in Pasadena on Sunday. That earned Palo Alto a second straight trip to the World Series. In the second round on Saturday, Gaffney stroked two home runs in a 9-4 win in 11 innings over the Bandido’s. The Oaks also defeated the Pasadena Redbirds, 15-2, to open the three-team playoffs. This was Gaffney’s first season with the Oaks and his contributions were indeed notable. Espinoza, however, knew he had Gaffney for only a limited time and had to share him with football workouts. “We knew going in that he would not be able to participate (in the World Series), so we have prepared for his absence,” said Espinoza, who was allowed to add three players for the postseason. “I have picked up three pitchers along the way,” Espinoza said. “I first picked up Dominic Hernandez (San Jose Baysox) for the NorCal playoffs. He pitched with us in the West Region, as well. For the World Series, I also picked up Craig Broussard and Jesse Madrid from the Norcal Longhorns. Broussard was the only pitcher to defeat us so far this season. That made his choice and easy one! The Oaks will take a 20-1 record to the World Series, where they went 2-2 last summer and finished third. The team’s only loss came in the opening round of the NorCal playoffs, a 1-0 setback to the Longhorns — a game Gaffney missed due to football practice. Espinoza still has plenty of talent and a core of veteran players for the return trip to Houston. “I think the guys who have hung around for my eight seasons, guys like (Jason) Kleinhoffer, (Greg)
Women’s 400 IM Women’s 800 freestyle relay THURSDAY, AUG. 11 Men’s 100 freestyle Women’s 200 butterfly Men’s 200 IM Women’s 200 backstroke Women’s 800 free (heats) Men’s 1500 free (heats) Men’s 800 freestyle relay FRIDAY, AUG. 12 Women’s 800 free (final) Women’s 100 freestyle Men’s 200 backstroke Women’s 200 breaststroke Men’s 200 breaststroke Men’s 1500 free (final) Women’s 400 medley relay Men’s 400 medley relay
DiRado, who swam at the 2008 Olympic Trials, thought the race helped her focus more on next year. She also thinks the atmosphere of the meet will help produce future Cardinal competitors. “We’re in a good place,” she said. “Stanford sells itself. It’s great to have the meet here. We have a good class coming in and we should be good for a number of years. The incoming freshmen are really good and we’re just trying to show them how much fun it is and how excited we are.” Stanford senior Samantha Woodward, who helped the women’s 400 free relay team set a championship meet record Wednesday night, echoed DiRado. “It’s big to have a chance to bond with the people coming in,” Woodward said. “I celebrate the chance to swim with the seniors who have graduated and also for the chance to look forward to a new challenge next year. Some of the girls I’ve known for years and some I’m meeting for the first time. It’s great.” Stanford grad Kate Dwelley, also on the record-setting relay team with sophomore Felicia Lee and Smit, might not be in the pool next year but her thoughts will be with the team. “The future at Stanford?” she said. “It’s going to be great.” Maddie Schaefer, considered the nation’s 10th overall recruit by collegeswimmming.com, is headed to Stanford with PASA teammate Haley Sims, ranked 19th among recruits. Schaefer was the runner-up for the Swimmer of the Year national award. Stanford’s incoming class also includes No. 13 Annemarie Thayer, No. 18 Alexandra Gabor, No. 22 Mary Olson and No. 41 Mackenzie Stein. Kenney, meanwhile, thought Bollier would not be rested enough to swim well in the 200 fly. Bollier attributed his victory to “training.” Bollier leaves for the Word University Games on Tuesday and has been training through the nationals.
“Training at Stanford is a lot different,” Bollier said. “I had to adjust to go from yardage to pure quality. It’s good to leave my legacy at Stanford. There has been a long history of fly swimmers, with the best being Pablo Morales, who is at this meet.” That history will likely continue next year and beyond. Bollier will be joined by incoming freshmen David Nolan, who has been called the best high school swimmer ever; Drew Cosgarea (No. 9), No. 12 Jonathan Edwards, No. 14 Robert Hommel, No. 20 Jack Lane, No. 36 Thomas Stephens, No. 38 Ethan Hallowell and No. 40 Erich Peske. Nolan was named Swimming World’s Male High School National Swimmer of the Year. National Diver of the Year Kristian Ipsen is also coming to Stanford. “I absolutely hope for something special next year,” Bollier said. The Cardinal got a boost recently when it was learned David Mosko was granted a fifth year of eligibility. Mosko, who finished seventh in the 200 fly, missed most of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. “It’s going to be a special year,” Mosko said. “We’ve already built a special bond with the freshmen. They are a solid, hard-working group.” Mosko, who submitted his application to medical school last week, has two more classes for his degree and will also take pre-med courses next year. “I’ll be just like a regular student with a full course load,” he said. As for the junior nationals, Tosky is the No. 3 seed (59.43) in the 100 fly and Bootsma is the No. 10 seed. (1:01.09). Tosky and DiRado are No. 3 and 4 in the 200 IM. Cosgarea is the No. 3 seed in 400 free, Hommel is No. 3 in 400 IM, Nolan is the top seed in the 200 IM, No. 3 in 200 free and No. 2 in 100 back, Tosky is top-seeded in 200 fly, No. 3 in 200 free, Schaefer is No. 2 in the 50 free, DiRado No. 2 and Tosky No. 3 in 400 IM. N
(continued on page 31)
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Sports STANFORD ROUNDUP
Ogwumike sisters will be hooping it up in China by Rick Eymer tanford’s sibling duo of Nnemkadi and Chiney Ogwumike has been named to the 12-player 2011 USA Basketball World University Games Team roster, USA Basketball announced Wednesday. The team will participate in the event’s tournament from Aug. 14-21 in Shenzhen, China. The announcement marks the third time that Nnemkadi Ogwumike will represent the United States at a major international competition, having earned gold medals with the USA Basketball U18 National Team at the FIBA Americas Championship in 2008, and with the U19 National Team at the FIBA U19 World Championship in 2009. Chiney Ogwumike will make her second international appearance for USA Basketball, having previously captured the gold medal with the U18 National Team at last summer’s FIBA Americas Championship. Nnemkadi and Chiney both enjoyed decorated seasons on The Farm in 2010-11. The duo will be looking to help lead the U.S. to a second straight gold medal at this year’s World University Games. Two years ago, former Stanford stars Kayla Pedersen and Jeanette Pohlen were part of the gold medal-winning U.S. squad.
S
Men’s basketball Stanford will get an early start of the season as it packs its bags and heads to Spain for an 11-day trip early next month that will include games to be played against worldclass competition in cities such as Alicante, Barcelona and Madrid. Highlighting the tour are games against Real Madrid, which has won
a record 30 Spanish League championships and eight Euroleague Championships, and powerhouse FC Barcelona Regal, which defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in an exhibition game last October. Making the contest even more memorable, FC Barcelona Regal will be playing its first-ever game against a college team. Stanford’s opponents for the Spain trip are members of the ACB League (or Liga ACB, The Asociacion de Clubs de Baloncesto), which is considered to be the top professional league in Europe and recognized by many as the best in the world after the NBA. The Cardinal will depart for Spain on Saturday, Sept. 3, arriving in Madrid the following day. After a brief midweek stay in Alicante, the final five days of the tour will be spent in Barcelona before returning home on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Diving Six past, present and future Stanford divers are headed to the AT&T U.S. Diving National Championships, starting Tuesday at UCLA. This will be the largest number of entrants ever for the diving program under head coach Dr. Rick Schavone. Four men will compete, including incoming freshman Kristian Ipsen. He finished fourth at the FINA World Championships in the synchronized three-meter last month. Ipsen also will dive in the threemeter individual event. Graduate Dwight Dumais will dive in the synchronized three-meter and on the one- and three-meter board. Pac-10 Freshman Diver of the Year Dhruv Tyagi will dive in the three-meter,
NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, August 18, 2011 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144. 2875 El Camino Real [11PLN-00128]: Request by Ken Hayes of Hayes Group Architects on behalf of Ehikian and Company for Architectural Review Board review of a new one-story, 3,250 square foot retail building. Zone District: CS (Service Commercial). Environmental Assessment: An initial study and mitigated negative declaration have been prepared. 200 San Antonio Avenue [11PLN-00116]: Request by Brian Doyle of William Lyon Homes, Inc. on behalf of Hewlett Packard, for Architectural Review of the relocation of the sculpture and placement of the 1,614 square foot recreation building within the Palo Alto portion of the project site. Zone District: ROLM, Environmental Assessment: An EIR was approved for both the Palo Alto and Mountain View portions of this multi-family housing development in 2006. 3251 Hanover [11PLN-00257]: Request by DGA Architects, on behalf of Stanford and Lockheed Martin, for Preliminary Architectural Review for a new 82,00 square foot office/lab building and other site improvements. Zone: RP; RP (L). Amy French Manager of Current Planning Page 30ÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
as will classmate Noah Garcia. On the women’s side, alumnae Cassidy Krug will dive in the synchronized three-meter, and three-meter individual throughout the seven-day event, while Pac-10 Freshman Diver of the Year Stephanie Phipps will dive in the threemeter. Dumais, Krug and Ipsen have all competed previously at the senior championships. Football Single-game tickets for the 2011 Stanford football season are now available for purchase at the Stanford Athletics Ticket Office, on-line at GoStanford.com or over the phone by calling 1-800-STANFORD. The Stanford Athletics Ticket Office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sailing Clinton Hayes, the interim head coach of the national champion Rhode Island women’s sailing team, has been hired as Stanford’s assistant coach. Hayes was the interim head coach at Rhode Island this past spring, leading the Rams to the women’s national title. It was the Ram’s first win since 1976. In the fall, he served as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Vermont. Track and field Stanford’s Amaechi Morton is both smart and talented. On Wednesday he was named on the Outdoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year in Division I for the 2011 men’s track & field seasons by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Morton, a junior from Atlanta, Ga., was the nation’s runner-up in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles at the NCAA outdoor championships. He has a 3.30 cumulative GPA through the 2011 spring term, while majoring in science technology. N
Stanford football (continued from page 28)
of outside pressures, well-meaning fans of the Carolina Panthers and because Jim Harbaugh had been hired away by the San Francisco 49ers. “It was the guys in the locker room, wanting to finish with my recruiting class and going to college for four years,” Luck said at the recent annual Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl college football kickoff. “It was always in the back of my mind that I would be going to college to get a degree and then move on. I sort of always knew.” He’s the early favorite to win the Heisman Trophy after being voted runnerup to Cam Newton last year. He led Stanford to it greatest season in terms of wins (12-1) and Stepfan Taylor recognition and he’s expected to lead the Cardinal into rarified territory again this time around. He understands the attention and yet does not seek it. Luck doesn’t feel pressure in the same way normal athletes feel it and most certainly doesn’t understand the pangs of anguish that constantly shoot through the veins of the Cardinal faithful. What he feels is a sense of competition, a way to test himself against the elements. There are precious few words to describe what he feels because he’s really only competing with himself, his ability to place unrequited faith in his teammates and to easily gather confidence within himself. “I try not to lose sleep over any of my decisions,” Luck said in a statement that lifts doubt and uncertainty off his shoulders and replaces it with joy and the pleasures of competition. His actions speak louder than
AFFORDABLE HOUSING ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS TREE HOUSE APARTMENTS Palo Alto 33 Studios & 1 One Bedroom Administered under the Tax Credit Program s !PPLICATION 0ACKETS MAY BE PICKED UP BEGINNING *ULY THROUGH !UGUST BETWEEN !- 0- - ONDAY THRU &RIDAY AT !LMA 0LACE 0ALO !LTO #! AND ON 3ATURDAYS FROM !LMA 0LACE !PARTMENTS !LMA 3TREET 0ALO !LTO s #OMPLETED APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED AT !LMA 3TREET 0ALO !LTO #! NO LATER THAN 0- ON !UGUST
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his words. Luck has led Stanford to bowl games in each of his first two seasons as the starter. An injured thumb cost him a bowl appearance in his redshirt freshman year, though he took satisfaction in handing the job off to friend and mentor Tavita Pritchard. Luck remains focused on the present, he’s still creating memories. He has no need to look back to yesterday, let alone January. “I’m sure I will look back at all this some time and realize how special it is,” he said. “You go through changes on any team every year.” Luck’s offseason was a little busier than any other, though he still found time to unwind and get away from it all. He spent part of his summer in Germany, where he lived during his formative years, visiting friends and relatives. It’s time for football though and Luck feels the excitement. “I’m always excited about camp,” he said. “You get a little itch and you get ready to go.” The coaching changes have been as smooth as anyone could have expected, with Shaw making a seamless transition. It’s the same offensive system he helped put in Shayne Skov place. “I am a systemic, methodical coach and I do not get enamored with things,” Shaw said. “I was exposed to the NFL at an early age. It didn’t faze me. My scope will just be wider. Instead of just the offense, I’ll be involved in every facet of the game. I’m so concerned on what I have to do that I don’t think about pressure.” The biggest questions facing Stanford as camp opens are the offensive line, the receiving corps and replacing the versatility of Owen Marecic, who finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting last year. Offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro are the only returning starters, though Shaw points out that three of the five players expected to battle for other spots have appeared in competition. Sam Schwartzman and Khalil Wilkes are the frontrunners to open the season at center. Tyler Mabry, Cameron Fleming and David Yankey are in a battle for another spot and it appears Kevin Danser has a job he can only lose. Chris Owusu and Griff Whalen are the top returning wide receivers, though Owusu missed six games to injury last year. Coby Fleener returns at tight end while Stepfan Taylor was also used out of the backfield. Taylor rushed for 1,137 yards and scored 15 touchdowns last year when the Cardinal running game was thought to be nonexistent after Gerhart left. Ryan Hewitt has the edge to assume Marecic’s role as fullback. Look for linebacker Shayne Skov to take a more active role in the middle as a replacement for Marecic. The season begins at home against San Jose State on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. N
JO water polo (continued from page 28)
said. “I think that gave the (Stanford) guys a feeling they could hang with them.” Stanford rebounded from that loss to Regency and won two more matches to reach Tuesday’s championship match at the William Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine. Not too surprising, Regency was the opponent. “You know what they say, it’s tough to beat a team three times,” Kreutzkamp said of Regency’s position. While three wasn’t a charm for Regency, it was for Stanford as it rolled to a 15-11 victory for the program’s first Junior Olympic gold medal since 2008 and the first gold by the Red 18-under team since 1993. “We kept learning every time we played them,” Kreutzkamp said. “We kept getting better.” The Stanford Red 18s, who finished eighth in last year’s Junior Olympics but came in this season with a veteran team, set a reachable goal. “Our goal, at first, was to get a medal, get back to the Final Four,” said Kreutzkamp, whose team accomplished that with a 9-7 quarterfinal victory over Santa Barbara Water Polo Club ‘A’ in Monday’s second match. At that point, Kreutzkamp and his players believed they could win a medal. An 11-9 semifinal triumph
over San Diego Shores ‘A’ on Tuesday morning provided that opportunity. “We had a team meeting before the finals,” said Kreutkamp, “and I said to them, ‘We have a medal in our pocket, it’s up to you to pick the color.’” Stanford picked gold, and earned it with a dominating performance over a much-bigger and stronger Regency team. “It wasn’t even close,” Kreutzkamp said. “We were up by one at the half but up by five in the fourth quarter.” The difference in the finals was Stanford’s man-up advantages. “We converted six of seven power plays,” Kreutzkamp said. “When we had our chances, we scored.” While veteran Colin Mulcahy was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Kreutzkamp said goalie Alex Gow (from Menlo-Atherton) was the key player in the finals. “He had 18 saves. He played out of his mind,” Kreutzkamp said. “Once he started blocking shots, the guys felt comfortable to take off once a shot was taken — figuring Alex would block it.” Gow’s outstanding defense triggered Stanford’s counter attack. “We wanted to turn it into a swim meet,” Kreutzkamp explained. “They (Regency) got kicked out a lot because they were grabbing as we went by them.” It was pretty much a feeling of deja vu for Kreutzkamp, who coached the Stanford Red 16U team to a gold medal in 2008. Six of his
Keith Simon
Sports
The Stanford Water Polo Club’s Red 18U team, led by coach Brian Kreutzkamp (black shirt), brought home the gold medal from the SwimOutlet.com Junior Olympics in Orange County, the team’first gold since 1993. current players were on that team, which played the title match in the same pool at the Woolett Aquatic Center. “Same pool, same core of guys,” Kreutzkamp said. “It felt like it was three years ago.” Those six players — Philip Bamberg, Mark Garner, Peter Simon, Robert Dunlevie, Thomas Agramonte and Mulcahy — won
BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC
with their first gold after finishing 7-1 over the four-day tourney. “I’m exhausted,” Kreutzkamp said on Wednesday morning after flying home Tuesday night. “It’s been three weeks in a row (of tournaments, two in Orange County). A tough three weeks.” But, a satisfying three weeks? “Very much so,” said Kreutzkamp, “especially after this.” N
World Series
Beres doubled again to lead things off. Wilkins singled in Beres. A perfect hit-and-run by Will Klein (the Oaks were successful on six of seven hit-and-runs), put Wilkins on third with no outs. Palo Alto High grad Evan Warner knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Oaks up 6-3. However, the Bandido’s came from behind to take the lead at 7-6. Palo Alto showed its heart by tying the score in the top of the next inning and grabbed the lead again in the seventh, when Gaffney and Bona both singled to get things started. Gaffney scored on a wild pitch for an 8-7 lead and a fielder’s choice on a potential double play ground ball by Wilkins allowed Bona to score and it was 9-7. The Bandido’s scratched out a run in the seventh, but Gaffney singled in Warner and Bona drove home Gaffney and it was 11-8 in the eighth. Kleinhoffer needed only six outs at that point for the Oaks to secure their second straight trip to the World Series. A perfect eighth inning put the Oaks within three outs. But the Bandido’s did not quit. A leadoff walk was followed by a single to put runners on first and second. A flyout to center set up a memorable play for the Oaks. Will Klein got the ball from center and instead of giving it to Kleinhoffer, hid it in his glove. Kleinhoffer waited on the back side of the mound and when the runner on second wandered off the bag, Klein tagged him to complete the hidden-ball trick. Kleinhoffer then sent the Oaks to the World Series when he struck out the final batter. N
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Latest title just a start for Serena by Rick Eymer
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Harjanto Sumali
erena Williams is a champion once again. The rest of the WTA Tour should be weary of her presence this summer leading up to the U.S. Open in September. She has that gleam in her eye. Williams captured her first tour title in over a year, and became the first American woman to win on U.S. soil since she won the Open in 2008, by defeating a worthy challenger in Marion Bartoli, 7-5, 6-1, Sunday in the championship match of the $721,000 Bank of the West Classic at Stanford’s Taube Family Tennis Center. “I take every tournament really serious and it’s even more so now,” Williams said after collecting the $111,000 prize. “Having the opportunity to be healthy and be here, I’m just so grateful and definitely excited by it.” Williams hadn’t won a tournament since last year’s Wimbledon, having missed nearly a year due to a series of medical and physical issues. She’s not taking anything lightly, and especially her 38th career championship, and a paycheck that sent her over $33 million for her career. “It was a great crowd. Coming back and hearing them clap when I walk out there are moments that I truly missed,” she said. “It’s so awesome to be back and a part of those moments. I take pride in having fans come out, watch me and be supportive. It means so much.” It means a lot because she had to overcome blood clots in her lungs, two foot operations and a long rehab. “Not everyone can be a star,” she said. “I don’t know if ‘star’ sounds full of myself, but I’ve worked hard for that title. So, yes, I say it and I take pride in it.” She’s underestimating herself. With 13 Grand Slam titles to her credit, Williams could have called herself a superstar and no one would have twitched. She entered the event unseeded and ranked 169th in the world. On Monday morning she broke into the top 80, checking
two gold medals and one silver in four years. All but Dunlevie have played together for seven years, with Dunlevie joining the group in 2006. All that experience paid off once again and provided teammates Daniel Schwartz, Alex Bagdasarian, Dante Cavazos, Casey Fleming, Patrick Goodenough, Nick Hale, Max Schell, Adam Warmoth and Gow
Serena Williams showed she’s back from injuries by winning the 2011 Bank of the West Classic. in at No. 79. “I hated those triple digits,” she said. “I actually think it was funny. But now I want to get to single digits.” Williams played brilliant, inspired tennis over the last three days of the tournament, routing fifth-ranked Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals, dominating 26thranked Sabine Lisicki in the semifinals and taking control against the ninth-ranked Bartoli in the finals. In the doubles final, the No. 2-seeded team of Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko defeated the No. 1 duo of Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond, 6-1, 6-3. The winners took home $35,500 with the runner-up squad earning $18,500. N
Matson), (Bryan) Beres, and (Matt) Campbell do so because they love the game and can still play at a high level. If they couldn’t, they wouldn’t be on the team!” Kleinhoffer came on in relief in Sunday’s championship game and got the victory, with the help of a hidden-ball play and a final strikeout. Campbell struck out two in the bottom of the 11th to get the save in Game 2. Palo Alto needed to win only three games during the weekend after the NorCal No. 2 team, the Longhorns, dropped out of the tournament due to a prior commitment. Brant Norlander started the championship game for the Oaks, who jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Jeff Ramirez singled and stole second. Bryan Beres doubled down the left-field line to score Ramirez. Sam Wilkins hit a triple over the left-fielder’s head to plate Beres and then scored on an errant pickoff attempt. The Oaks scored another run in the top of the third when Allen Stiles led off with a single. Stiles was caught stealing for the first out. Gaffney walked and advanced to third on a single by Anthony Bona. Nick Borg drove home Gaffney with a deep fly to centerfield for a 4-0 lead. But the Bandido’s, with a reputation for having a lot of heart, came right back in the bottom of the third with three runs. The Oaks lengthened their lead with two more runs in the fourth.
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Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
Veronica Weber
by Rebecca Wallace ven sitting quietly in a garden at his senior community, Malcolm White looks like an actor. He has dynamic eyebrows and high cheekbones. His goatee is neatly shaped. When he admires the rosebushes, his voice holds theatrical conviction. If White’s face seems a bit leaner than in his headshot, that can be understood. He goes to dialysis three nights a week and has been diagnosed with end-stage renal disease. “My doctor said I’m too old to get a new kidney,” says White, 85. “I’m outraged by that.” He lets out a full laugh with no bitterness in it. After years on stage, from plays in Paris just after World War II to more recent shows with TheatreWorks and Palo Alto Players, White has become a playwright as well. He’s in the process of revising his play “My Name is Richard Rozen,” about a Holocaust survivor who hid from the Nazis in a cupboard. White’s health situation seems to make
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him only more determined to put on his play, which he plans to do next spring at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. It will be a one-man drama, with White playing Rozen. “This is my swan song. If I’m going to leave anything behind, it’ll be this,” White says. “I have to be realistic. I don’t have a lot more time.” The actor has put down a deposit for four performances at the JCC’s theater, from April 15 through April 18, but still needs to raise more money for the whole fee. Overall, he has designed a show budget of $39,000 — with $26,000 still to raise. Costs include a stage set, lighting and sound design. “It’s a technically complicated production,” White says on a recent afternoon at Palo Alto’s Lytton Gardens, where he has lived for 20 years. Sitting at an outdoor table with a fountain burbling contentedly nearby, White spreads out old theater programs, black-andwhite photos and letters from Rozen, who now
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Far left: Malcolm White photographed last week in Palo Alto. Left: White’s theater headshot from the 1940s. “It got me the movie jobs,” he says. Right: Just after World War II, White spends time in France with his friend Adele Lepka, a Holocaust survivor.
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lives in Australia. White learned of Rozen’s story by reading “The Hidden Children: The Secret Survivors of the Holocaust,” a 1993 book by journalist Jane Marks. Later, he read more about White in the 2002 “Child Survivors of the Holocaust” by Australian psychiatrist and survivor Paul Valent. The second book was “darker and more psychologically probing,” and also inspired White’s play, he says. The Rozens, a Polish Jewish family, went into hiding in 1941, when Richard Rozen was 6, White says. For 13 months, they lived in a cabinet in a farmhouse cellar. Farmers brought food, water and a toilet bucket from outside, but the young Richard’s world was dark, and his physician father taught him the alphabet by tracing the letters on his hand. When the Rozens ran out of money, the farmers kicked them out, White says. Rozen’s life continues to read like a wartime play after that, according to a bio published online by the Australia Day program, which
recently chose Rozen as an inspirational “ambassador” in honor of the national Australia Day. After the Rozens left the cellar, their travels took them to the Lublin ghetto in Poland, according to the bio. Richard lived with his mother for a time disguised as a village girl, and then joined his father and the resistance movement in the forest. His father was captured by the Nazis in 1944 and not seen again, but Richard and his mother survived. They emigrated to Australia in 1951. Richard grew up to become a business owner, a stock-market investor and an active volunteer and speaker in education about the Holocaust. He also became a champion in chess and bridge, White says. “Living in a totally dark environment for 13 months taught him how to remember things and how to visualize things you couldn’t see,” he says. “He’s an extraordinary man.” It naturally follows that lighting design is a
major element of White’s play. Audiences must feel the close darkness of the cabinet and the open blackness of the forest — and experience the first sunrise the family sees in 13 months after leaving the cellar. White imagines the moment as one of stunning, almost blinding beauty, with oranges and pinks bursting across the sky. Richard’s father tells him to cover his eyes to protect them, but he peeks through, White says. “For him, at that moment, time stops.” White, who is still lining up his designers and other crew members, has a clear picture of his set design as well. It will incorporate a reproduction of the cabinet, and a French window with light pouring through it. That window will represent the home in Australia where Richard Rozen lives now. White also plans to use projections of photos, from images of World War II to pictures of Rozen with his wife, children and grandchildren. Securing Rozen’s permission to write the play was important to White. The playwright tracked him down in Australia about four years ago. “When he got on the phone, I couldn’t talk. I am so impressed by his life story,” White says. “He was just so generous.” Since then, White and Rozen have written back and forth as the play has evolved. White held a reading about four years ago, and has sent Rozen versions of the script for his feedback and approval. In return, his subject has promised to come to the States if the play ever makes it to New York. To this day, White clearly feels a strong connection with Rozen. As he reads aloud a section of his play in which Rozen discusses his feelings about evil and human nature, White’s eyes grow watery. “It means a lot to me,” he says. White is not Jewish, although his wife, the late writer Vera Randal, was. But he has a different personal connection with Holocaust survivors that goes back to World War II. During the war, the native New Englander was in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He wasn’t sent to Europe until six months after the fighting had stopped, and when he got there he fell in love with Paris. Because he was a radio operator and knew cryptography, he found a job with the U.S. Embassy at the age of 20. White had acted in church plays at home. Now he began taking the stage with an English-language
theater group in Paris. For two seasons, he acted with the troupe at the Theatre Monceau and the Theatre de l’Humeur. At his Palo Alto garden table, he leafs through photos of actors emoting on stage, crew members climbing ladders. In White’s headshots from the ‘40s, he has the serious gaze of a matinee idol, with his hair swooped back. White is also one of the dapper men in uniform in a movie-set photo from the French film “Retour à la vie,” which starred Louis Jouvet and Francois Perier. Playing an American military officer, he appeared “fleetingly” in that film and the American movie “The Man on the Eiffel Tower,” directed by Burgess Meredith. On the back of the “Retour” photo is scrawled: “To Mal with best of luck. Francois Perier. Paris 1948.” White was being paid in dollars, which meant he had the resources to bring his mother and sister to live in a villa just outside Paris. During that time, his Polish friend was reunited with his sister, Adele Lepka, who had been liberated from a concentration camp. The friend asked White to take his sister in. Like Richard Rozen, Lepka had ended up in a camp for displaced persons. She then lived with White’s family in the villa. In photos from that time, she is youthful and glowing, sometimes sitting astride a motorcycle with her coat draped over her shoulders. “Adele’s story has a happy ending. She met another survivor in Paris and married him,” White says. “Adele never talked about her experiences in the camp to me. She was a good-hearted person, sweet.” She, perhaps, is the true inspiration for “My Name is Richard Rozen,” White muses. “There is a line there somewhere.” As for White, he returned to the States after two years in France. He had what he describes as an “attack of Puritan conscience” and decided to come home and get a real job. He earned a psychology degree at Columbia University and lived in New York City for 25 years, doing mostly market research, before moving to California. Friendships led him and his wife to Palo Alto, and White returned to theater in 1975, acting in Mendocino and on the Peninsula. He was in shows including “The Skin of Our Teeth” and “You Can’t Take It With You” at TheatreWorks, and “George Washington Slept Here,” “Mornings
At Seven” and “Prisoner of Second Avenue” at Palo Alto Players. He also performed with the late Menlo Players Guild at the old Burgess Theatre before it was torn down. From 1994 to 2002, White acted in a different local venue. As part of a program at Stanford University’s School of Medicine, he feigned symptoms to assist students in building diagnostic skills and bedside manner. White hasn’t been on stage in a theater since the ‘90s, so he plans to start auditioning again at local companies before his own play goes up, to help him get back in the swing of things. To ensure that he’ll have time to attend rehearsals, White has worked out a flexible dialysis schedule. Instead of undergoing the more traditional three-hour sessions during the day, White goes to dialysis three nights a week from midnight to 8 a.m.; he can sleep during the treatments. His Stanford doctor, Glenn Chertow, made the arrangements for White to undergo nocturnal dialysis at Satellite Healthcare in Redwood City. White says the longer sessions are less stressful on his body. Ruth Sherer, a longtime friend of White’s, says in a later interview that she’s observed White feeling much better on the days that he acts. Not long ago, he and another friend did a dramatic reading at the Palo Alto senior organization Avenidas from Sherer’s book “Forward Motion: On the Road With Scooters and Wheelchairs.” Sherer was thrilled with the outcome. “If you are engaged with your passion, your health is going to be better,” she says. Sherer also attended White’s staged reading of “My Name is Richard Rozen” about four years ago, and says she’s greatly looking forward to the production next April. “He read it so well and the story is extremely moving, of course. Even though it’s something in the distant past in some ways, it’s something that we still deal with in many situations in the world,” she says. “It’s good to keep these things in front of us.” N Info: To contact Malcolm White about his play, call him at 650-322-5953.
A&E DIGEST SHOW ON THE ROAD? ... With its lease up on Dec. 31, 2012, Dragon Productions Theatre Company is on the hunt for a new home. “We will have to move,” managing artistic director Meredith Hagedorn said, citing the high rent on her current space at 535 Alma St. in Palo Alto. “We have been working with Realtors and been putting the word out that we are very interested in remaining in downtown Palo Alto if at all possible.” Dragon has been putting on plays in its 40-seat theater since 2006, typically choosing scripts that are rarely staged. The space has also housed classes and other arts events. The company is holding a fundraising “Casino Night” party on Sept. 17 at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 555 Waverley St., Palo Alto. Go to dragonproductions.net.
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF FINAL DATES ON OR BEFORE WHICH DIRECT AND REBUTTAL ARGUMENTS MAY BE SUBMITTED TO THE CITY CLERK IN SUPPORT OF OR AGAINST THE MEASURE TO ELIMINATE THE BINDING INTEREST ARBITRATION REQUIREMENT FOR DISPUTES WITH PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEES BY REPEALING ARTICLE V OF THE CITY CHARTER TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE ELECTORS OF PALO ALTO AT A SPECIAL ELECTION, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that Tuesday, August 16, 2011, at 5:30 p.m., has been fixed as the final date and time when direct arguments for or against the following measure may be submitted to the City Clerk for printing and distribution to the voters of the City. Copies of the direct arguments will be available from the City Clerk on Wednesday, August 17, 2011. The deadline for filing rebuttal arguments with the City Clerk has been set for Tuesday, August 23, 2011, at 5:30 p.m. Copies of the rebuttal arguments will be available from the City Clerk on Wednesday, August 24, 2011. CITY OF PALO ALTO (MEASURE “___”) To provide the city with greater control over employee costs, staffing and services and allow the City Council to make final decisions regarding all matters related to public safety employee compensation, benefits, and working conditions, shall Article V of the Palo Alto City Charter be repealed in its entirety, eliminating the requirement that public safety employee disputes be resolved through binding interest arbitration? FOR THE AMENDMENT AGAINST THE AMENDMENT
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The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Copies of the resolution placing this proposition on the ballot and containing the full text of the measure are available in the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94301. All materials to be printed in the Sample Ballot regarding the measure will be available for public examination from Wednesday, August 24, 2011 through Friday, September 2, 2011, at the City Clerk’s office on the seventh floor. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk *> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊU *>}iÊ33
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www.PaloAltoOnline.com To read this week’s review of Dragon Productions’ Palo Alto production of Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” — which Weekly theater critic Kevin Kirby described as surprisingly placid — go to PaloAltoOnline.com.
Today’s news, sports & hot picks
A new singer had to be flown in at the last minute to replace an ailing soprano. But Weekly arts editor Rebecca Wallace still found Tuesday night’s Music@ Menlo concert simply sublime. To see her review of the performance, which featured songs by Schubert, Brahms, Schumann and Berg, read her blog, Ad Libs, at adlibs.paloalto online.com.
David Finckel & Wu Han, Artistic Directors
THE 2011 FESTIVAL: Through Brahms July 22–August 13, 2011 / Atherton Menlo Park Palo Alto
the quartets in context Orion String Quartet Program I: August 4 | 8:00 p.m. Program II: August 7 | 4:00 p.m. In a pair of programs, the Orion String Quartet examines the string quartets of Brahms alongside those by Beethoven, Webern, and Kirchner.
carte blanche concert iii David Shifrin, clarinet August 8 | 8:00 p.m. Shifrin’s Music@Menlo debut performance includes Brahms’s First Clarinet Sonata and clarinet trios by Brahms and Max Bruch performed with David Finckel and Wu Han.
carte blanche concert iv Jeffrey Kahane, piano August 10 | 8:00 p.m. Kahane returns for a collaborative program performing works by Chopin and Fauré and the rarely heard piano four-hands version of Brahms’s Organ Chorale Preludes. FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION:
www.musicatmenlo.org Page 34ÊUÊ Õ}ÕÃÌÊx]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
650-331-0202
Movies Sarah’s Key --1/2
(Aquarius) The genealogy craze of the last several years reflects a hunger to put our lives in a greater context and, perhaps, to get a bit of reflected glow from our ancestors. Your own drama getting a bit dull? The trials of your forebears can provide past-life pride in the endurance of the family line. The French drama “Sarah’s Key” gives genealogy a twist as a modern-day woman obsessively plumbs the past of a family not her own, eventually turning up a descendant who has forgotten never to forget. Indeed, the Holocaust plays a part in “Sarah’s Key,” adapted by writerdirector Gilles Paquet-Brenner and co-screenwriter Serge Joncour from Tatiana de Rosnay’s novel. Everyone’s favorite bilingual star Kristin Scott Thomas plays journalist Julia Jarmond, assigned by her magazine to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél’ d’Hiv’ Roundup. An enduring national shame, the Vél’ d’Hiv’ Roundup found the French police arresting 13,000 Jews in Paris, holding them in a velodrome (under conditions likened to the fallout of Hurricane Katrina), then transporting them to an internment
camp before their final destination of Auschwitz. Coincidentally, the apartment Julia and her husband have inherited from his family once belonged to a Jewish family displaced during the roundup. Fearing the worst, Julia begins investigating personal histories: what became of the Jewish family and what role her own family may have played. Julia’s investigation unlocks a storyline that plays out in flashbacks, that of 10-year-old Sarah Starzynski (Mélusine Mayance) and her family. During the roundup, Sarah tries to protect her brother by locking him in a secret compartment (hence “Sarah’s Key”). By the time she realizes she may have done more harm than good, it’s too late. Strong work from Mayance and Thomas keeps “Sarah’s Key” from rusting amid the sometime sogginess of the script. Mayance captures Sarah’s guilelessness, guilt and terror, while Thomas evokes the infiltration of the past into Julia’s present, a Pandora’s Box of truth she couldn’t close if she wanted to. Long after her story is filed, Julia can’t let it go, and she realizes that if she is to exorcise Sarah’s ghost, she will have to track down her de-
scendants and make sure the past meets up with the present for all concerned. This path eventually leads Julia to a man (Aidan Quinn) who realizes his ancestry has been something of a lie. The truth shall set you free, so they say, and “Sarah’s Key” locates calm after the storm of Julia’s obsession. Her marriage has been rattled, not only by her historical search, but by an unexpected turn in her own relationship. “Sarah’s Key” isn’t about the past or the present but the intersection of the two in legacy, what Julia calls “the memory of who we were, and the hope of what we become.” Rated PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing situations involving the Holocaust. One hour, 50 minutes. — Peter Canavese
The Change-Up --1/2
(Century 16, Century 20) Bodyswitching comedy “The ChangeUp” announces its laziness and puerile intentions early, not least in the sequence in which the two leading men inexplicably switch bodies by peeing in a magic fountain. But some time later, the movie has its own switcheroo, taking the implications of its nutty premise (semi-) seriously. Fuddy-duddy family man Dave Lockwood (Jason Bateman) and irresponsible bachelor Mitch Planko (Ryan Reynolds) are walking archetypes. For these lifelong friends, the grass has never seemed greener on the other side of the fence. Mitch looks at Dave’s wife, Jamie (Leslie Bibb), and sees the committed love and support of a good (and, yes, attractive) woman, while Dave rues having missed the boat on years of promiscuity. Cue the supernatural urine-mingling: Dave and Mitch wake up in each other’s bodies and are forced to live as each other for an indefinite period of time as they investigate a way to set things right. The obvious places this immediately takes the “R”-rated movie are self-consciously built to shock. A casually racist high-school dropout, Mitch fares poorly at Dave’s law firm, bungling a major merger with a stream of offensive chatter. At the same time, Dave must take the place of his aspiring-actor friend on the set of a “lorno” (I’ll leave you to discover what that is, but it’s worse than it sounds). In the bedroom, Dave discovers Mitch’s previously scheduled booty call is not to his taste, while Mitch gets put off his chance of sex with Jamie by seeing her on the toilet, one childish attitude trumping the other. Getting a dose of each other’s medicine quickly cures the friends of coveting each others’ lives. Matters start to get more interesting once the two begin to find their groove, more emphatically
Kristin Scott Thomas in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sarahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Key.â&#x20AC;? coach each other on how to succeed within a given lifestyle, and wonder whether making the change permanent might be a good idea. As once-irresponsible Mitch begins to see the rewards of family life and a job well done, once-workaholic Dave gets his opportunity to pursue a desirable taboo by dating a sexy co-worker (Olivia Wilde) and to enjoy free time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Change-Upâ&#x20AC;? risks depth by considering the consequences of an out-of-body experience, beginning with facing hard truths about themselves. Mitchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dad (the always-welcome Alan Arkin) accidentally reveals to his son that he sees him as a quitter, while Jamie inadvertently confesses her marriage is deeply dysfunctional. In addition to the perspective of a three-dimensional look in the mirror, the friends cannot resist commenting on each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodies (and wielding transgressive power over them). Perhaps most disillusioning is learning how they have secretly perceived each other, in ways that cut deeper than skin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ChangeUpâ&#x20AC;? is a sort of raunchy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Wonderful Life,â&#x20AC;? though the plentiful nudity and babbling brooks of profanity tip the scale from sensitivity to outrageousness. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always fun to see good actors ape each other â&#x20AC;&#x201D; think â&#x20AC;&#x153;Face/Offâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and a particular joy to see Bateman get to cut loose. Director David Dobkin (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wedding Crashersâ&#x20AC;?) still comes off as a bit of a Neanderthal when it comes to women (Leslie Bibb somehow keeps her dignity as she gets put through the emotional wringer) and race (the film is set in an oddly lily-white Atlanta). But his movie has some potent moments (a climactic one letting us see the true selves within the bodies during a moment of truth) and some funny ones (mostly involving bad parenting). Ultimately, this â&#x20AC;&#x153;Change-Upâ&#x20AC;? makes it into the strike zone.
ideas, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also overtly political, bringing up issues American romcoms wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dare touch. In that way and others (like the female leadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plentiful, unabashed nudity), â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Names of Loveâ&#x20AC;? is oh so French, and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vive la diffĂŠrenceâ&#x20AC;? type than a â&#x20AC;&#x153;freedom friesâ&#x20AC;? type, this could be the film for you. The filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title refers to the names of the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unlikely lovers, names that come with considerable baggage. Arthur Martin (Jacques Gamblin) shares his name with a brand of cooker, while Baya Benmahmoud (Sara Forestier) associates her name with her family history and cultural background as a Franco-Algerian Arab. The two meet cute when Arthur â&#x20AC;&#x201D; whose job it is to look out for bird flu â&#x20AC;&#x201D; appears on a radio show for which Baya is screening calls. By interrupting Arthur on the air, Baya makes her first day on the job her last, but she also insists on a date with the man sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just harangued for being too cautious. How can he say â&#x20AC;&#x153;noâ&#x20AC;?? Turns out both Arthur and Baya are committed left-wingers, but
while the former is conservative in his behavior, the latter lets it all hang out (literally, as her loosefitting sweaters invariably flash her braless left breast). Yessiree, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another odd couple composed of a neurotic, middle-aged square and a gorgeous young â&#x20AC;&#x153;free spirit,â&#x20AC;? so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that director Michel Leclerc and his co-writer Baya Kasmi regularly evoke â&#x20AC;&#x153;Annie Hallâ&#x20AC;?era Woody Allen. Apart from the punchline flashbacks, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Names of Loveâ&#x20AC;? allows Arthur to have fantasy consultations with his teen self (Adrien Stoclet). Bayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flashbacks reveal that she was regularly molested by her piano teacher, which is meant to explain her current sexual liberation as a rebellious reclamation of her body. Baya has devoted her sex life primarily to â&#x20AC;&#x153;turningâ&#x20AC;? conservatives to her liberal viewpoint, one horny â&#x20AC;&#x153;fascistâ&#x20AC;? at a time. Arthur is aghast to learn of Bayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unflagging sexual adventures, but she assures him that he is different: For one thing, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already left-wing, and for another, she actually likes him. Arthur knows heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lucky fella, but can he get used to a girlfriend so flibbertigibbety she accidentally leaves the house naked? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Names of Loveâ&#x20AC;? may not be the funniest movie around, and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re allergic to â&#x20AC;&#x153;cute,â&#x20AC;? you may be in for a long 102 minutes. But if the foregone happy ending is rather bourgeois, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a hard-won reward for the wrestling the couple must endure over their family histories. The Jewish Martin is haunted by his Holocaust-victim grandparents, and Bayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s uncles were slain in the Algerian Civil War, leading the two to wonder if what feels right can rise above the historical wrongs of the past. As Leclerc has it, the sanest thing is to savor the sweet aftertaste of bitter history. Rated R for sexual content including graphic nudity, and some language. One hour, 42 minutes.
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â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese
Rated R for pervasive strong crude sexual content and language, some graphic nudity and drug use. One hour, 53 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese
The Names of Love --1/2
(Aquarius) The French rom-com â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Names of Loveâ&#x20AC;? serves up a bounty of clichĂŠs and borrowed
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Movies MOVIE TIMES Movie times for the Century 16 and Century 20 theaters are for Friday through Tuesday, except where noted. Angels & Airwaves Presents Century 16: Wed. at 9 p.m. Love Live (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)
Fri and Sat 8/5-8/6 The Guard 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:45 Another Earth 2:15, 4:50, 9:40
Another Earth (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Sun thru Thurs 8/7-8/11 The Guard 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 7:15 Another Earth 2:15, 4:50, 7:20
COMING SOON! PaloAltoOnline.com
BWQYSba O\R AV]ebW[Sa OdOWZOPZS Ob QW\S[O`Y Q][
ONE OF THE BEST REVIEWED COMEDIES OF THE SUMMER The New York Times
Century 20: Wed. at 9 p.m.
Palo Alto Square: 2:15, 4:50 & 7:20 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:40 p.m.
Buck (Not Rated) (((
Century 16: 11:35 a.m.; 1:55, 4:20, 7:05 & 9:25 p.m.
Captain America: The First Avenger (PG-13) (((
Century 16: 12:30, 3:40, 7:10 & 10 p.m.; In 3D at 11:30 a.m.; 2:30, 5:30 & 8:40 p.m. Century 20: 10:50 a.m.; 1:45, 4:40, 7:35 & 10:30 p.m.; In 3D at 11:30 a.m.; 2:30, 5:25 & 8:20 p.m.
Cars 2 (G) ((1/2
Century 16: 6:50 p.m.; In 3D at 9:30 p.m. Century 20: 10:35 a.m. & 4:15 p.m.; In 3D at 1:10 p.m.
The Change-Up (R) ((1/2
Century 16: 11:15 a.m.; 2, 4:40, 7:40 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: Fri.-Thu. at 10:55 a.m.; 1:50, 4:35, 7:25 & 10:15 p.m.
Cowboys & Aliens (PG-13) ((1/2
Century 16: 11 a.m.; noon, 1:45, 2:45, 4:30, 5:30, 7:30, 8:30 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: Fri.-Thu. at 11:35 a.m.; 2:20, 5:05, 7:55 & 10:45 p.m.; Fri.-Tue. also at 10:40 a.m.; 1:25, 4:10, 7 & 9:45 p.m.
Crazy, Stupid, Love (PG-13) ((1/2
Century 16: 12:40, 3:30, 7:15 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: Fri.-Thu. at 11:10 a.m.; 1:55, 4:45, 7:40 & 10:35 p.m.; Fri.-Tue. also at 12:30, 3:20, 6:15 & 9:10 p.m.
DCI 2011: Big, Loud & Live 8) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed
Century 16: Thu. at 3:30 p.m. Century 20: Thu. at 3:30 p.m.
Friends with Benefits (R) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:10 a.m.; 2:10, 5, 8 & 10:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:05 a.m.; 1:45, 4:25, 7:05 & 9:45 p.m.
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: Thu. at 12:01 a.m.
The Guard (R) (Not Reviewed) Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:40 & 7:15 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:45 p.m.
TIME
Harry Potter and the Deathly Century 16: 11:50 a.m. & 7 p.m.; In 3D at 3:10 & 10:05 p.m. Century 20: 7:25 & 10:25 p.m.; In Hallows: Part 2 (PG-13) (((( 3D at 11:55 a.m.; 3, 6 & 9 p.m.
CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES
'
The Help (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: Tue. at 12:01 a.m.; Wed. & Thu. at noon, 3:15, 7 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: Wed. & Thu. at 12:20, 3:40, 7 & 10:20 p.m.
Horrible Bosses (R) (((
Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 1:50, 4:50, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Century 20: 12:40, 3:10, 5:45, 8:15 & 10:40 p.m.
Midnight in Paris (PG-13) (((1/2
Century 20: 2:15 & 7:55 p.m. Guild Theatre: Fri. & Sat. at 2, 4:30, 7:15 & 9:45 p.m.; Sun.-Thu. at 3:30, 6 & 8:30 p.m.
The Names of Love (R) ((1/2
Aquarius Theatre: 2:30, 5, 7:30 & 9:55 p.m.
North by Northwest (1959)
Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 7:30 p.m.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11 & 11:40 a.m.; 12:20, 1:30, 2:20, 3, 4:10, 5, 6:10, 7, 8, 9, 9:50 & 10:40 p.m. Century 20: Fri.-Thu. at 11 & 11:40 a.m.; 12:20, 1, 1:40, 2:20, 3, 3:40, 4:20, 5, 5:40, 6:20, 7, 7:40, 8:20, 9, 9:40 & 10:20 p.m.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R) (Not Reviewed)
Guild Theatre: Sat. at midnight.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Thu. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. also at 3:15 p.m.
Sabrina (1954)
Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Thu. at 5:25 & 9:40 p.m.
Sarahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Key (PG-13) ((1/2
Aquarius Theatre: 2, 4:30, 7 & 9:30 p.m.
The Smurfs (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:05 a.m.; 4:15 & 9:35 p.m.; In 3D at 1:35 & 7 p.m. Century 20: 10:35 a.m.; 1:15, 4, 6:50 & 9:25 p.m.; In 3D at 11:50 a.m.; 2:35, 5:10, 7:45 & 10:20 p.m.
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 5:35 & 10 p.m.
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 4:30 p.m.; In 3D at 10:50 a.m. & 10:10 p.m.
The Tree of Life (PG-13) (((( Century 16: 12:10, 3:45, 7:20 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: Fri.-Thu. at 12:55, 4:05, 7:15 & 10:25 p.m. Winnie the Pooh (G) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11 a.m.; 12:55, 2:50 & 4:45 p.m. Century 20: 10:45 a.m.; 12:45, 2:45 & 4:45 p.m.
Zookeeper (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 6:45 & 9:20 p.m.
( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding
() & !) $ % &
Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260)
Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260)
Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264)
Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700)
Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264)
CinĂŠArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456)
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PIZZA Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town
of the week
Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto www.spotpizza.com
POLYNESIAN AMERICAN
INDIAN
Armadillo Willy’s 941-2922 1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Range: $5.00-13.00
Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688
Hobee’s 856-6124 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Also at Town & Country Village, Palo Alto 327-4111
Burmese Green Elephant Gourmet 494-7391 Burmese & Chinese Cuisine 3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto (Charleston Shopping Center) Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering
CHINESE Chef Chu’s 948-2696 1067 N. San Antonio Road on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos 2010 Best Chinese MV Voice & PA Weekly Jing Jing 328-6885 443 Emerson St., Palo Alto Authentic Szechwan, Hunan Food To Go, Delivery www.jingjinggourmet.com 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. Voted MV Voice Best ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 & ‘04 Prices start at $4.75 947-8888
129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days
Janta Indian Restaurant 462-5903 369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Organic Veggies
ITALIAN La Cucina di Pizzeria Venti 254-1120
SEAFOOD Cook’s Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park Seafood Dinners from $6.95 to $10.95
1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View www.pizzeriaventi.com Fresh, Chef Inspired Italian Food
Spalti Ristorante 327-9390 417 California Ave, Palo Alto ÝµÕ Ã ÌiÊ `ÊUÊ"ÕÌ` ÀÊ }
Scott’s Seafood 323-1555 #1 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto Open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Happy Hour 7 days a week 4-7 pm Full Bar, Banquets, Outdoor Seating www.scottsseafoodpa.com
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THAI JAPANESE & SUSHI Fuki Sushi 494-9383 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Open 7 days a Week
Thaiphoon Restaurant 323-7700 543 Emerson St., Palo Alto Full Bar, Outdoor Seating www.thaiphoonrestaurant.com Best Thai Restaurant in Palo Alto 5 Years in a Row, 2006-2010
Siam Orchid is an organic fine dining Thai restaurant offering modern Thai fusion. We provide dine-in, private parties, pickup, delivery and catering. 496 Hamilton Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Phone: 650.325.1994 Fax: 650. 325.1991 www.siamorchidpa.com
MEXICAN Palo Alto Sol 328-8840 408 California Ave, Palo Alto Õ}iÊ i ÕÊUÊ iÃÌÞ iÊ,iV «iÃ
Siam Orchid 325-1994 496 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto Organic Thai Free Delivery to Palo Alto/Stanford/Menlo Park Order online at www.siamorchidpa.com
Oaxacan Kitchen Mobile 321-8003 2010 Best Mexican We have hit the Road! Follow Us twitter.com/oaxacankitchen
Su Hong – Menlo Park Dining Phone: 323–6852 To Go: 322–4631 Winner, Menlo Almanac “Best Of” 8 years in a row!
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 Available for private luncheons Lounge open nightly Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm
Become a Fan facebook.com/oaxacankitchenmobile Find Us www.OaxacanKitchenMobile.com
STEAKHOUSE Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com
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Eating Out RESTAURANT REVIEW
Heart-warming, home-style Italian Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is worth venturing beyond downtown by Alissa Stallings
S
ometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. Across the tracks from downtown Mountain View, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve discovered just the place. And you can bring the kids. Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza & Italian Restaurant opened in 1964, and is still in the family. The grandson, Ronnie Facciolla, took over from his parents, and his grandmother still works a few nights a week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She has a devoted following,â&#x20AC;? he told me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are customers who call ahead and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come in if sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not here.â&#x20AC;? Who wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be doted on by Grandma?
When I first walk in, I note the sunny yellow walls, black-andwhite checkered tablecloths and vintage posters on the walls. Ronnie walks me through the menu, asking me how I feel about garlic. He points out which dishes are spicy, tells me the pomodoro ($12.95) has a light, fresh feel, and that the most popular dishes are the lasagna ($14.95), chicken parmigiana ($16.95) and chicken marsala ($16.95). I decide on the linguine with pesto ($14.95). Ronnie reappears in moments with the complimentary garlic bread: pizza crust rubbed with garlic and sprinkled
with cheese. The crust recipe hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed since his grandparents opened Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. I munch on the crust, somewhere between thin and medium, with pleasant chewiness, and my complimentary soup appears: white bean and vegetable. My bowl is filled with white beans in a savory broth and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m dipping and slurping when my giant plate of pasta arrives. My linguine is fresh and the sauce is a verdant bright green that verges on creamy with hints of garlic. I eat for a solid 15 minutes and hardly make a dent in the generous portion. I am stuffed. Rounding out the meal is a little slice of sheet cake. Nothing fancy, just a small thank-you for dining with the family. Meanwhile, Ronnie and the other servers have been filling pizzadelivery orders, and I watched a man demolish an order of garlic bread while he waited patiently for take-out lasagna. Ronnie
also explains the finer points of breading fish (including finding the right temperature for the olive oil and the importance of using fresh bread crumbs) to an elderly couple dining. Throughout the meal, my drink is refilled, the waitresses smile, and they offer to box up my meal when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m done. A slice of lemon for my water? More bread? I almost feel like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m at the spa instead of eating by myself. I also ordered a pizza for takeout ($10.95). The crust was chewy, the sauce not too sweet or spicy, with plenty of cheese and generous toppings. They also offered me soup or salad with my pizza, just like a regular entree. I found the size of the personal pizza to be good-sized, just like everything else I ordered, and the varied menu, complimentary appetizers and desserts make this a great place to bring the family or a large group.
The only drawback to Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is the hours. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not open for dinner, except on Thursday and Friday nights, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closed on the weekends. Ronnie explained that Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often caters for local companies, and Lockheed, and that takes up time on the weekends and many evenwings. But if you are downtown for lunch and canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t decide where to go, keep heading down Castro Street, and make a right on Leong Drive. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be glad you did. N
Marioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pizza & Italian Restaurant 861 Leong Drive, Mountain View 650-988-0400 www.mariositaliano.com Hours: Lunch: Weekdays 11 a.m.-3 p.m., Dinner: Thu.-Fri. 5-9 p.m.,
Dinner by the Movies at the Shoreline
Experience the taste of Italia from the 7 hills of Rome
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Bella Awdisho owner & chef de cuisine
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buon appetito!
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Palo Alto Medical Foundation Community Health Education Programs Mountain View, 650-934-7373 Palo Alto, 650-853-2960
August 2011
For a complete list of classes and class fees, lectures and health education resources, visit: pamf.org/register.
Lectures and Workshops What You Need To Know About Cholesterol For Your Health Lecture Series Presented by Patricia Sitnitsky, M.D., PAMF Internal Medicine Wednesday, August 17, 7 to 8 p.m. 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View, 650-934-7373
What’s On Your Plate? PAMF Healthy Screenings Film Series Panel discussion after film led by Ed Yu, M.D., PAMF Family Medicine Friday, August 26, 7 to 9 p.m. 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View, 650-934-7373 A witty and provocative documentary about kids and food politics.
Your Best Face Forward A Conversation with...Lecture Series Presented by Sandy Odenheimer, CFNP, PAMF Dermatology Wednesday, September 7, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Sunnyvale Public Library 665 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, 650-934-7373 Come be part of the discussion as we talk about basic skin care for aging skin, over the counter and prescription beauty products, sun protection and tips for keeping your skin looking healthy.
Feeding Your Child Dr. Marvin Small Memorial Parent Workshop Series Presented by Karen Astrachan, R.D., PAMF Nutrition Services Tuesday, September 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m., 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View 650-934-7373 Learn how to raise a happy, healthy eater. This is not a nutrition talk. Using Ellyn Satter’s Division of Responsibility and Positive Discipline tools and techniques, you’ll learn how to make mealtime pleasant and establish good eating habits in young children.
Rotator Cuff Injuries Presented by Frank Chen, M.D., PAMF Sports Medicine Tuesday, September 13, 7 to 8:30 p.m. 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, 650-853-4873 Join us to learn about the rotator cuff and some of the problems associated with it, ranging from tendonitis to tears. Dr. Chen will discuss the surgical and nonsurgical treatment options available for these various conditions.
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Cancer Care – Eating Tips During Cancer Care Treatment – Exercise for Energy – men and women’s group – Expressions – Healing Imagery
– Healthy Eating After Cancer Treatment – Look Good, Feel Better – Qigong – When Eating is a Problem, During Cancer Treatment
Childbirth and Parent Education Classes – – – – – – – –
Baby Safety Basics Breastfeeding Childbirth Preparation Infant and Child CPR Infant Care Infant Emergencies and CPR Introduction to Solids New Parent ABC’s – All About Baby Care
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OB Orientation PAMF Partners in Pregnancy Prenatal Yoga Preparing for Birth/Fast Track Preparing for a Second Birth with Yoga: A Refresher – Sibling Preparation – What to Expect with Your Newborn
Living Well Classes – Mind/Body Stress Management
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Nutrition and Diabetes Classes Mountain View, 650-934-7177 s Palo Alto, 650-853-2961
– Diabetes Management – Healthy Eating with Type 2 Diabetes – Heart Smart (cholesterol management)
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Weight Management Programs 1-888-398-5597
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