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Terminate high-speed-rail project? Page 3
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Doing it their way Small-franchise owners weather turbulent economic times page 33
Donate to the HOLIDAY FUND page 6
Spectrum 12 Eating Out 19 Movies 22 Holidays 41 Class Guide 46 N Arts Budding mentalist/magician amazes Palo Alto
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N Sports Palo Alto times two for titles
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N Home College Terrace sparkles on PAST tour
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Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
Nix high-speed-rail project, council members say City Council committee agrees state project should be terminated, squabbles over exact wording by Gennady Sheyner alo Alto on Thursday cement- flawed business plan and a dramatic ed its position as the vanguard difference between the project in its of opposition to California’s current form and the one presented proposed high-speed-rail line when to state voters in 2008, the commita City Council committee recom- tee voted unanimously to send to mended that the full council offi- the full council two competing procially adopt a position calling for posals, both of which state that the the project’s termination. project should be killed. Citing uncertain ridership data, a The Palo Alto council, which ini-
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tially supported the high-speed-rail (HSR) project in 2008, has gradually turned against it largely because of the rail authority’s proposed designs and its ridership and revenue projections. The council last year unanimously adopted a position of “no confidence” in the rail authority. If it adopts the committee’s newest recommendation, it would take its strongest stance yet. The Thursday discussion centered on two proposals, one drafted
by Larry Klein and Gail Price and another one written by Pat Burt and Nancy Shepherd that includes more information about the reasons for opposing it. The version by Klein and Price states: “The City believes that the State should terminate the HSR Project since it’s too expensive, has no credible funding plan, is based on deeply flawed and unreliable data and was put before the voters on the basis of serious, material
misrepresentations.” The one presented by Burt and Shepherd emphasizes that the current project “fundamentally contradicts the measure presented to the voters under Prop 1A in 2008” (which provided $9.95 billion for the project) and states that the business plan for the project is “fatally flawed and not credible.” Klein and Price Thursday both ar(continued on page 8)
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Police veteran to head emergency services Palo Alto taps Kenneth Dueker to direct new office by Gennady Sheyner
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Veronica Weber
Palo Alto resident Geeske Joel recently won the National Bridge Tournament, along with teammates from across the country.
COMMUNITY
Palo Alto woman wins national bridge tournament Geeske Joel found her passion in the ‘most challenging card game ever invented’ by Sue Dremann
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eeske Joel might have come to bridge at a late age for a competitor, but that hasn’t stopped her from reaching the top. Joel, 48, and her team won the fall North American Bridge Championships board-a-match team competition this past Sunday (Dec. 4). The three-day event was held in Seattle, Wash., and is sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League. Joel, a Palo Alto resident, captained the team of six, which includes Tobi Sokolow of Austin, Texas, Jill Levin of Henderson, Nev., Jill Meyers of Santa
Monica, Janice Seamon-Molson of Hollywood, Fla., and Debbie Rosenberg of Cupertino. Considered the world’s most challenging card game, bridge attracts players of all ages and all walks of life, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates and tennis champ Martina Navratilova. Joel said the game’s complexity and its continual challenge are draws. Bridge offers growth on many levels, she said. It is a game of strategy and spatial relationships; a game of anticipating one’s partner’s thinking and a game of logic and of memory, she said.
“It’s an incredibly challenging game. There is never an end to the puzzle. The beauty of the game is you can play it at any level and find it challenging and interesting. If you like challenges, there’s nothing better,” she said. Joel said she came to the game just eight years ago, but that hasn’t stopped her from successfully competing. “I really, really am ambitious,” she said. Before bridge, she played soccer, got a doctorate in biological sciences from Stanford Univer(continued on page 9)
fter months of searching, Palo Alto officials Wednesday tapped a veteran of the Police Department and a well-known figure to the city’s robust coalition of emergency-preparedness volunteers to head the fledgling Office of Emergency Services. Dueker, a genial, tech-savvy officer who has been serving as an interim director of the new department, beat out more than 50 other candidates and six other finalists for the $125,000-a-year job, according to an announcement from City Manager James Keene. Dueker has been active in the Citizen Corps Council (a coalition of businesses, agencies and cities working together on disaster preparation) and led various initiatives relating to emergency preparedness. These include the deployment of the mobile “Emergency Operations Center” and the recent citywide Safety Fair and the Quakeville camp-out exercises. Annette Glanckopf, a member of the Citizen Corps Council and also the panel that interviewed the finalists, praised the appointment, citing Dueker’s intelligence, organization skills and knowledge of Palo Alto. “The man is definitely a visionary, and I think we wouldn’t have gotten as far as we have in our efforts if it hadn’t been for some of the thoughts and the vision that Ken has,” she said. “He is a great team builder, and he is respected all over the city and the county.” Dueker’s new position is the latest stage in a distinguished police career that has seen him rise from a reserve police officer to a patrolman and a detective before becoming involved full-time in disaster planning and community preparedness. Glanckopf credited
him with bringing structure to the Citizen Corps Council and for bringing technical savvy to disaster preparedness — a subject that remains one of the City Council’s official priorities. “He’s been a perfect example of someone who can break down silos and get people to work together,” Glanckopf said. Dueker’s experiences in emergency preparedness go well beyond Palo Alto and law enforcement. In 2003, he founded the start-up company PowerFlare Corp., which designs eco-friendly LED lights. He remains on the company’s board of directors. He has also served as a chief operating officer for the Santa Clara-based fiber-optics company C Speed Corp. Dueker also worked in the early 1990s as a corporate emergency planner for the Atlantic Richfield Co. (ARCO). According to the city’s announcement, he worked at ARCO’s Los Angeles headquarters and gained experience during the 1994 earthquake in Northridge. Dueker holds a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College, a law degree from Harvard University, various emergency-management certifications and an amateur radio license. Keene selected Dueker after an interview process featuring two interview panels that included emergency-operations professionals, top police and fire staff, neighborhood leaders and department heads from City Hall. After the two panels provided their recommendations, Keene interviewed the five finalists and chose Dueker. “I am honored to have this role to improve the resilience of our City through our stakeholders, such as the neighborhoods, our businesses, Stanford University, and others in (continued on page 10)
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Upfront
DEBORAH’S PALM
Thank you for your support this year. We look forward to providing you with even more wonderful classes, activities and services in 2012.
Drop by and see what new things we have planned for next year. 555 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto
january highlights UPCOMING WORKSHOPS: — Goal-Setting for 2012 — A series on Dealing with Stress and Balancing Work and Family — Communication Skills and Tools for Dealing with Anger And a new Job Search Support and Strategy Group for Women For more info, give us a call at 650/473-0664, or visit our website: deborahspalm.org
debor ah’s palm NOTICE NOTICE INVITING SEALED BIDS for Upgrade of Site Storm Drainage at 290-310 Ventura Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Upgrade existing storm drainage system throughout the property to improve dispersal of rain flow from the property. GENERAL SCOPE OF WORK: 1. Provide trenching for 160’ down center between front of buildings 1 and 2 with borings under sidewalks for 4” piping. 2. Run eight 3” lines to buildings to attach onto existing downspouts. 3. Provide cleanout fittings at high end of pipe and 100’ downstream. 4. Saw cut driveway 6’ out from grass area and install bubbler box to disperse rain flow to high end grade of driveway. 5. Provide 220 feet of 3” DWV copper pipe and fittings each along back side of building 1 and 2 and attach to 6 existing downspout roof ports. Set grade of pipe as necessary to disperse rain flow to front of property. 6. Clean work area daily and remove debris off-site. 7. All materials used must be manufactured in the USA. Bid specifications pertaining to this project are available from (Friday, Dec 2, 2011) to (Friday, Dec 16, 2011). Please call to schedule a mandatory job walk. Bid closing date is (Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012) at 5:00 PM. Bid opening at 725 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301 on (Friday, Jan 6, 2012) at 10:00 AM. This project is funded by the City of Palo Alto Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. All federal regulations listed in the Bid Specifications will apply, including equal opportunity, non-discrimination, and Federal Labor Standards provisions (Davis-Bacon). Reference is hereby made to bid specifications for further details, which specifications and this notice shall be considered part of the contract. For information and bid walk-through, contact Jim Brandenburg at 650-321-9709 ext. 19. Page 4ÊUÊ iViLiÀÊ]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞ
450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson 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 Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Kelsey Kienitz, Photo Intern Dale F. 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 Yichuan Cao, David Ruiz, Editorial Interns DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Lili Cao, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Judie Block, Janice Hoogner, Gary Whitman, Display Advertising Sales Neal Fine, Carolyn Oliver, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Asst. Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. Wendy Suzuki, Advertising Sales Intern EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Susie Ochoa, Payroll & Benefits Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Claire McGibeny, Cathy Stringari, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Janice Covolo, Doris Taylor, Receptionists Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO MEDIA William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistant 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 ©2011 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 email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or email circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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WISHES YOU A JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON, AND BEST WISHES FOR THE COMING YEAR.
You need to teach people to be good grievers.
— Gloria Horsley, founder of the Open to Hope Foundation and website, which offers people a way to express grief. See story on page 7.
Around Town LIGHTS, CAMERAS, CHRISTMAS ... Starting Saturday (Dec. 10), Palo Alto’s Fulton Street will again transform into a Christmas wonderland, filled with red and green lights, decorations and carolers. The 1700 and 1800 blocks of Fulton, off Embarcadero Road, will turn on the lights of Christmas Tree Lane for the 71st year. To celebrate the start of this longstanding tradition, music teacher Marisa Hodgett-Chiang will lead Keys School carolers down the street at 6 p.m. Since 1940, Fulton residents have helped make Palo Alto an “unmatched Christmas destination,” resident Andrea Ward said in an email to Palo Alto Online. “Many of the street’s residents have grown up in Palo Alto and look forward to continuing the tradition for their children and generations to come,” Ward wrote. New Fulton Street residents will be taking part this year. “It is such a great tradition for families with small children and a wonderful way to bring neighbors together,” Ward added. Christmas Tree Lane has experienced its fair share of history. According to the Christmas Tree Lane website, www. christmastreelane.org, the street dimmed its lights in 1942 for World War II blackouts and again in 1973 in response to the oil crisis. The lights will shine this year daily from 5 to 11 p.m. through Dec. 31. OUR MAN IN SACRAMENTO ... Palo Alto’s white-hot opposition to California’s high-speed rail project has energized rail critics across the state. But the city’s position has also made it trickier for the City Council to find adequate lobbying services in Sacramento. The council’s rail committee on Monday interviewed two different lobbying firms to potentially replace the city’s existing lobbyist, Capitol Advocates. The first firm, California Strategies & Advocacy, essentially took itself out of the running because of the city’s opposition to high-speed rail. The council had previously discussed adopting a position calling for high-speed rail’s termination and will formally consider such a stance on Dec. 19. Kurt Schuparra, who represented California Strategies & Advocacy in a phone interview Monday, said that while he ultimately chose to submit an application, the city’s stance had given him pause. “If it was indeed a situation where the city is flat-out opposed to it (high-speed rail), I just don’t know if that’s a battle that I would choose to get involved in.” The second candidate, Professional Evaluation Group, had no such reservations. Firm CEO John Garamendi Jr. said his group has already worked with several other rail critics, including a group in Cen-
tral Valley concerned about the rail line’s impact on agriculture. “Would we represent the city if you took a position against high-speed rail? The answer is ‘yes,’” Garamendi said. The group includes on its staff Ralph Ochoa, a Sacramento veteran who had served as chief of staff to former state Assembly Speaker Leo McCarthy. Ochoa, who personally knows Gov. Jerry Brown (a supporter of the rail project), urged the committee not to give up in its quest to influence Brown to change his position. “I think he (Brown) has a very serious regard and respect for education, intelligence and experience,” Ochoa said, adding that Palo Alto represents these qualities. Not surprisingly, the committee unanimously recommended Thursday to retain Professional Evaluation Group. “I think they demonstrated the knowledge we were looking for in the inner workings of the Legislature and in the Governor’s administration,” Chair Larry Klein said. MIXED RECEPTION ... A plan by AT&T to install wireless-communication equipment on 80 local poles (in four phases of about 20 poles) continues to polarize Palo Alto, where residents like clear phone signals but don’t like having to stare at telecommunications equipment. Each side has plenty of props at its disposal. At Thursday’s meeting of the Architectural Review Board, which considered the first phase of AT&T’s plan, the company displayed placards with the words, “Yes! I support AT&T’s effort to bring more wireless infrastructure to Palo Alto!” followed by hundreds of names. The company had also mailed out cards to residents, asking them to check a “Yes!” box and send it to the City Council. Many supporters also wore stickers with the word “Yes!” written in orange. Board member Judith Wasserman was among those who didn’t appreciate AT&T’s mailing of cards, saying the move only damaged the public’s perception of the project. “I’ve never seen so many people incensed about the propaganda they were getting,” Wasserman said. Opponents did not shy away from the battle of the props. John Morris, a leading opponent, placed a giant poster depicting an earlier AT&T design in the Council Chambers. Dozens of critics also wore stickers with the words “No DAS” (AT&T’s “distributed antenna system”). Ultimately, the board voted to support AT&T’s proposal and added a list of conditions requiring the company to test the noise level of the new equipment and to disguise it, wherever possible, with trees. N
Upfront EDUCATION
A leaner Palo Alto Adult School marks 90 years New mantra from state funders: literacy and jobs t’s all about jobs, says Kara Rosenberg, director of the Palo Alto Adult School. As state financing dwindles and funds once reserved for adult education are freed up for other purposes, Palo Alto’s 90-year-old adult-education program is slimming down and gearing up for the challenge. Palo Alto Adult School — part of the Palo Alto Unified School District — took a 10 percent funding cut this year and lost 20 percent several years ago. As a result, it’s shrunk its program for older adults, ceding much of that territory to Avenidas, the community nonprofit for seniors. And last year, it closed its Palo Alto High School-based program to train aircraft-maintenance technicians. “There are no jobs in this area, and we didn’t have the resources to maintain a high-quality program,” Rosenberg said. “If there aren’t any jobs and they’re not hiring, why pour resources into it?” Rosenberg, who has directed the Adult School for 11 years and worked there for 32, said she’s heavily focused on the new mantra coming out of the Department of Education in Sacramento: literacy and jobs. “What we’ve been asked to do is focus on literacy and getting people to work,” she said. She’s embarking on an effort with Paly Principal Phil Winston to create
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“a career pathway for high school and adult school students” and is part of what she describes as “a grassroots venture to align services between adult services and community colleges. “We’re trying also to involve businesses so we can get immigrants moved from English classes into college and training that will move them into family-sustaining jobs,” she said. Adult education in California, originally charged with teaching English and citizenship, goes back 150 years. With an annual student population of 8,000, Palo Alto’s program has evolved to meet community needs, with fee-based classes in hobby areas such as cooking, painting, birding, knitting, ikebana, music and languages and state-supported, tuition-free classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship. Along with other adult schools in the area, the Palo Alto Adult School partners with Boston Reed College, a privately owned career-training institution, to train technicians in a range of subjects including pharmacy, EKG, phlebotomy, veterinary and electronic health records — for fees of up to $3,000. But Palo Alto’s highest-enrolled program is ESL, serving everyone from recent immigrants to au pairs. “The pleasure of teaching ESL is that it’s something people know that they need and it’s immediate,” said
Veronica Weber
by Chris Kenrick
Despite budget cuts, teaching English as a Second Language remains a strong core mission for Palo Alto Adult School. Here Song Xu reads from his textbook in his ESL literacy class. Rosenberg, who began her career as an ESL teacher. “We have a pretty vibrant program for au pairs. They come with a pretty strong background in English already, but because it’s a cultural exchange program they’re required to take classes, so we offer English through movies, grammar, writing, history and culture and pronunciation — those tend to attract au pairs.” To meet the typical au pair schedule, classes are offered in the morn-
ings at Greendell School in south Palo Alto and in the evenings at Paly. Palo Alto’s popular Preschool Family program also falls under the management of the Adult School. Rosenberg says she likes to take a risk with a few classes each quarter to keep the program interesting. She was recently disappointed with the turnout for a new class in social networking but plans to give it another shot. “I think social networking will
start to catch on and people will be more and more interested. It’s not aimed at young people but at people not as familiar with social networking who might want to become more comfortable. “I have to keep learning, and we need to keep attracting new people, and there are always new things coming along.” N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
LAND USE
Palo Alto golf course faces uncertain future City Council starts a ‘broad’ conversation about future of Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course
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n effort by Palo Alto and its neighbors to calm the volatile San Francisquito Creek is prompting city officials to take a fresh look at the future of the city’s Municipal Golf Course and consider whether the aged facility should be improved or eliminated altogether. The golf course, which is located in the Baylands, is slated to play a major role in a regional effort to improve flood control. The San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority — an agency composed of officials from three cities and two water districts — plans to build a new levee through the city’s golf course. As a result, the course would have to be reconfigured. The Palo Alto City Council on Monday (Dec. 5) discussed various options for transforming the golf course to make way for the new levees — ranging from the cheapest option, which would affect six or seven holes, to the most ambitious one, which would change 12 holes, create 12 new greens and make room for a new soccer field. While the council didn’t make any decisions Monday,
several members advocated broadening the conversation about the future of the 18-hole course. Councilman Larry Klein said discussing specific golf designs is premature and that the community needs to take a step back and consider whether a golf course is the best use for the 165-acre site along Embarcadero Road. Klein argued that the city is providing a “very substantial land-use subsidy” to local golfers, particularly when compared with residents involved in other recreational activities. Only about 20 percent of the golfers using the municipal course are city residents, according to staff estimates. “Is the golf course still a viable model?” Klein asked. Mayor Sid Espinosa agreed and said the council should “weigh the different values” in the community. “I’m in no way advocating that we lose the golf course, but I think we have a chance here to have this broader conversation,” he added. “Shame on us if we’re not able to find a way to have that conversation.” This conversation would, however,
by Gennady Sheyner have to happen quickly if the creek authority is to reach its objective of starting construction within about a year. The authority, to which the city contributes $98,000 a year, will pay for mitigating the environmental impacts of building the levee, including the cost of the cheapest reconfiguration for the golf course. The city’s consulting firm, Forrest Richardson & Associates, had estimated that option to cost about $3 million. If the council were to choose to pursue the more ambitious options, the city would pay for the additional upgrades. One moderate alternative, which would add eight greens to the course and reconfigure eight or nine holes, has an estimated price tag of about $4.1 million. “There’s an opportunity to invest in the golf course a little more than basic mitigations,” Recreation Manager Rob de Geus told the council Monday. The levee project, de Geus said, presents the city with numerous challenges, including the creek authority’s ambitious timeline. The city, he said, will have to move through many is-
sues in a very short period of time. There’s also the question of lost revenue. The golf course would have to be shifted from 18 holes to 9 holes during the construction period and rates would have to be discounted by more than 25 percent, de Geus said. The end results would be a loss of about $500,000 in revenue. But these costs could potentially be recouped from increased playtime in an improved golf course. Golf-course architect Forrest Richardson, who spoke to the council Monday, said the designs seek to use the trees and the landscape to the course’s advantage and create areas of native habitat. The effect would be a more links-style course. Councilman Pat Burt praised the design’s integration of the course and the Baylands. “You’re rebuilding an ecosystem and tying it right in with the recreational system,” Burt said. Burt also proposed considering using a portion of the golf course site for sports fields. The city, he said, has expensive land and few options for building these much-
needed facilities. He advocated exploring using 15 acres at the course for multiple playing fields. “Frankly, I don’t see much of any other opportunity for us to address playing fields in the community on the horizon unless we make more efficient use of our land,” Burt said. Councilwoman Karen Holman, a golfer, called the proposed designs “exciting.” The levee project, she said, allows the city to leverage creek-authority funds to make longterm improvements to the course. “Golf is a sport that any gender or any age can play,” Holman said. “It’s a sport that all of those genders and ages can play at the same time. I think it’s really critical that we keep that in mind as we look at what we do here.” The council’s Finance Committee is scheduled to consider the broader options for the golf course’s future in January, at which time staff will present more information about the financial implications of the various design alternatives. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
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Support our Kids
CLICK AND GIVE
with a gift to the Holiday Fund. Last Year’s Grant Recipients Abilities United ...........................................$5,000 Adolescent Counseling Services ............$7,500 American Red Cross - Palo Alto Area ....$3,000 Art in Action ................................................$5,000 Baby Basics of the Peninsula, Inc. .........$2,000 Bread of Life................................................$5,000 Breast Cancer Connections .....................$7,500 California Family Foundation ....................$3,500 Cleo Eulau Center.......................................$3,500 Collective Roots..........................................$5,000 Downtown Streets Team ........................$15,000 East Palo Alto Children’s Day Committee ..................................................$5,000 East Palo Alto Kids Foundation ................$5,000 East Palo Alto Tennis and Tutoring .........$5,000 East Palo Alto Youth Court ........................$3,000 Environmental Volunteers ........................$3,000 Foothill-De Anza Foundation ....................$2,500 Foundation for a College Education ........$5,000 Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo ...........................................$5,000 InnVision ......................................................$5,000 JLS Middle School PTA.............................$3,500 Jordan Middle School PTA.......................$3,500 Kara ..............................................................$5,000 Lytton Gardens Senior Communities ......$5,000 Music in the Schools Foundation ............$5,000 New Creation Home Ministries ...............$5,000 Northern California Urban Development ....$5,000 Nuestra Casa ..............................................$5,000 Palo Alto Art Center Foundation ..............$5,000 Palo Alto Community Child Care ..............$5,000 Palo Alto YMCA ..........................................$5,000 Palo Alto Housing Corporation ................$5,000 Palo Alto Library Foundation .................$17,500 Peninsula HealthCare Connection ..........$7,500 Quest Learning Center of the EPA Library ..................................................$5,000 Reading Partners .......................................$5,000 St. Elizabeth Seton School .......................$5,000 St. Francis of Assisi Youth Club ...............$3,000 St. Vincent de Paul Society ......................$6,000 The Friendship Circle.................................$5,000 TheatreWorks .............................................$2,500 Youth Community Service .........................$7,500 CHILD CARE CAPITAL GRANTS Children’s Center at Stanford ...................$4,000 Palo Alto Community Child Care ..............$5,000 The Children’s Pre-School Center ...........$5,000
Non-profits: Grant application and guidelines at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/ holidayfund
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ach year the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund raises money to support programs serving families and children in the Palo Alto area. Since the Weekly and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation cover all the administrative costs, every dollar raised goes directly to support community programs through grants to non-profit organizations ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. And with the generous support of matching grants from local foundations, including the Packard, Hewlett, Peery and Arrillaga foundations, your tax-deductible gift will be doubled in size. A donation of $100 turns into $200 with the foundation matching gifts. With your generosity, we can give a major boost to the programs in our community helping kids and families.
Give to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund and your donation is doubled. You give to non-profit groups that work right here in our community. It’s a great way to ensure that your charitable donations are working at home.
204 donors through Dec. 1 totalling $67,651; with match $135,302 has been raised for the Holiday Fund Donate online at siliconvalleycf.org/paw-holiday-fund 28 Anonymous ..............................9,425
New Donors John and Florine Galen ......................** David and Virginia Pollard...............150 Tony and Judy Kramer .......................** Eve and John Melton........................500 Andrea Boehmer ................................50 Patti Yanklowitz and Mark Krasnow ....** Harriet and Gerry Berner ...................** Roy Levin and Jan Thomson .............** Sylvia J. Smitham ............................100 Kenyon Scott ....................................200 Gil and Gail Woolley .......................200 Henry and Nancy Heubach ..............100 Marc and Margaret Cohen ...............100 Jeremy Platt and Sondra Murphy .......** Don and Ann Rothblat .......................** Jon and Julie Jerome ..........................** Richard Cabrera .................................** Richard and Bonnie Sibley ................** Barbara Zimmer and Kevin Mayer .......** John and Ruth DeVries ......................** Rita Vrhel .........................................150 Robyn H. Crumly ...............................** Lori and Hal Luft .............................100 Neva and Tom Cotter ....................2,000 Ralph R. Wheeler .............................350 Johnsson, Richard .........................1,000 Shirk, Martha ...................................500 Pam Mayerfeld .................................100 Ralph Cahn.........................................50 Kate Dreher ........................................18 Gloria Schulz ...................................200 Solon Finkelstein .............................250 J. Stephen Brugler ............................300 Marlene Prendergast ..........................** Rosalie Shepherd .............................100
Bob & Edie Kirkwood .......................** M. M. Dieckmann ............................300 Tom and Peg Hanks ...........................** Marcia & Michael Katz ...................200 Ms. Carolyn Frake .............................25 Betty Gerard .......................................** Peter S. Stern....................................250 Nancy & Stephen Levy ......................** Daniel Cox .......................................200 Christine M. Wotipka .......................100 Marc Igler and Jennifer Cray .............50 Richard A. Morris .........................2,000 Greg and Anne Avis ...........................** Cathy Kroymann ..............................250 Martha Mantel....................................25 Lolly T. Osborne ..............................150
In Honor Of My Clients.....................................1,500 Ruth & Marty Mazner......................100
In Memory Of
Ted & Jane Wassam .........................250 Barbara Riper .....................................** Daniel & Lynne Russell ...................250 Ellen & Tom Ehrlich ..........................** Donna & Jerry Silverberg ................100 Nan Prince........................................100 Andy & Liz Coe ...............................100 George & Betsy Young ......................** Walt & Kay Hays .............................100 Jeanne & Leonard Ware .....................** Lorrin & Stephanie Koran..................** David & Nancy Kalkbrenner .............** Jim & Ro Dinkey ...............................60 Attorney Susan Dondershine ...........200 David & Karen Backer .....................100 Drew McCalley & Marilyn Green ...100 Diane Doolittle ...................................** Richard Kilner..................................100 Tony & Carolyn Tucher .....................** Shirley & James Eaton .......................** Barbara Klein & Stan Schrier ............**
Fred Everly.........................................** Aaron O’Neill ....................................** Make checks payable to
Enclosed is a donation of $___________________________
Businesses & Organizations
Name __________________________________________________
deLemos Properties..........................250
Business Name _________________________________________
Previous Donors Mrs. Stanley R. Evans ........................** John & Lee Pierce ............................200 Carol & Leighton Read ......................** Freddy & Jan Gabus...........................** Peggy & Chuck Daiss ........................** Adele & Donald Langendorf ...........200 Lynnie and Joe Melena ......................75 Karen and Steve Ross ........................** Chuck & Jean Thompson ...................** Jason and Lauren Garcia ....................**
** Designates amount withheld at donor request
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M. D. Savoie ......................................** Werner Graf........................................** Kenneth E. Bencala ..........................100 Philip C. Hanawalt ...........................300 Richard A. Greene ...........................300 Chet Frankenfield ...............................** Dorothy Saxe......................................** Kathrine Schroeder ............................** Joyce Nelsen ....................................200 Memorial Fund, Inc. ........................300 Mark R. Shepherd ............................250 Bill Johnson & Terri Lobdell .............** Hal and Iris Korol ..............................** Gwen Luce .......................................100 Theresa Carey ..................................250 Ted & Ginny Chu ...............................** Harry Press .......................................100 Penny & Greg Gallo .........................500 Isabel & Tom Mulcahy ....................100 Nancy Lobdell ....................................** John & Olive Borgsteadt ....................**
Address ________________________________________________ City/State/Zip___________________________________________
Silicon Valley Community Foundation and send to: PAW Holiday Fund c/o SVCF 2440 W. El Camino Real, Suite 300 Mountain View, CA 94040
E-Mail __________________________________________________ Phone ______________________
Q Credit Card (MC or VISA) _______________________________________ Expires ______________ Signature _______________________________________________________ I wish to designate my contribution as follows: – OR –
Q In name of business above
Q In my name as shown above
Q In honor of:
Q In memory of:
Q As a gift for:
_____________________________ (Name of person)
Q I wish to contribute anonymously.
Q Please withhold the amount of my contribution.
The Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund is a fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. All donors will be published in the Palo Alto Weekly unless the coupon is marked “Anonymous.”
Upfront Roy & Carol Blitzer ...........................** John & Mary Schaefer .....................100 Margot D. Goodman ..........................** Brigid Barton ...................................250 Sue Kemp .........................................250 Elisabeth Seaman ...............................** Dena Goldberg .................................100 Linda & Steven Boxer........................** Micki & Bob Cardelli ........................** Debbie Mytels ....................................** The Ely Family ................................250 Ian & Karen Latchford .....................100 Richard A. Baumgartner & Elizabeth M. Salzer ......................350 Carolyn & Richard Brennan ..............** Lynn & Joe Drake ..............................** Eugene & Mabel Dong ....................200 Nancy & Richard Alexander ............500 Diane E. Moore ................................350 Sally & Craig Nordlund ...................500 Arthur D. Stauffer ............................500 Michael Hall Kieschnick...............1,000 Mark Kreutzer ....................................75 Nehama Treves.................................200 Les Morris ........................................250 Christina S. Kenrick ......................1,000 Susan H. Richardson ........................250 Leif and Sharon Erickson.................250 The Havern Family .......................3,500 The Wihtol Family Fund ..................500 John N. Thomas ...............................100 Anthony F. Brown ..............................50 Diane Simoni ...................................200 John J. McLaughlin..........................100 Braff Family Fund ............................250 Richard Rosenbaum ...........................** Zelda Jury...........................................** Eric & Elaine Hahn .......................1,000 Nancy Huber ......................................** Susan Woodman.................................** Arthur R. Kraemer .............................** William E. Reller ...............................**
In Honor Of Emma Claire Cripps and Elizabeth Marie Kurland ..................................300 Patricia Demetrios .........................1,000 Sandy Sloan .....................................100 Marilyn Sutorius ..............................150 Elizabeth McCroskey .........................**
CONSERVATION
Land could create continuous habitat, wildlife corridor Report offers ‘greenprint’ for protecting nearly 1 million acres by Sue Dremann
M
ore than 1 million acres of private lands in the Bay Area, much of it deemed essential to the preservation of animal species, have been identified for potential conservation by the Bay Area Open Space Council, according to a massive new report. “The Conservation Lands Network: San Francisco Bay Area Upland Habitat Goals Project Report 2011,” released this fall, is the first regional study in the Bay Area, according to Ryan Branciforte, director of conservation planning for the Berkeley-based organization. It includes an online interactive mapping tool, Conservation Land Network Explorer, he said. The report identifies land areas that would create a continuous mosaic of habitats and wildlife corridors, key to maintaining the Bay Area’s biodiversity. The report looked at habitats with irreplaceable rare and endemic species and vast tracts of intact plant types needed for biodiversity conservation. Five hundred plants, mammals, fish, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates were identified along with the lands needed to support each species. Already, 1.2 million acres of land in the Bay Area are protected. The report locates an additional 900,000 acres of “essential” lands that should be preserved, beginning at the inland edge of the bay-
HEALTH
In Memory Of John O. Black ...................................500 Yen-Chen Yen ..................................250 Charles Bennett Leib........................100 Mdm. Pao Lin Lee .............................** Al and Kay Nelson .............................** Pam Grady........................................200 Leo Breidenbach ................................** Thomas W. and Louise Phinney.........** Marie and Donald Anon...................100 Jacques Naar & Wanda Root .............** Bob Makjavich ...................................** Dr. John Plummer Steward ..............100 Bertha Kalson.....................................** Al Bernal ............................................** Helene F. Klein ..................................** Ernest J. Moore ..................................** Jack Sutorius ....................................150 Ruth & Chet Johnson .........................** Robert Lobdell ...................................** Jim Burch ...........................................**
Businesses & Organizations Thoits Bros Inc.................................500 Harrell Remodeling............................** The Palo Alto Business Park..............** The Palo Alto Business Park..............** “No Limit” Drag Racing Team ..........25 Alta Mesa Improvement Company ..750
lands and extending to the outer county boundaries. It also identifies 200,000 acres that are “important to conservation goals,” 120,000 acres in so-called “fragmented” areas that suffered substantial human impacts but are adjacent to protected areas, and 160,000 acres that need further investigation. The Stanford foothills encompass one such area, the study noted. More than 43 organizations and landowners were involved in the study, which received funding from three private foundations: the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund, along with several nonprofit and public agencies, including the California Coastal and Marine Initiative of the Resources Legacy Fund Foundation. Local areas deemed “essential” for protection include some of Stanford University’s foothills and areas surrounding already protected lands. These include: north of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve; lands north of Sand Hill Road and west of Interstate 280 within Stanford; near 280 and Matadero Creek adjacent to Coyote Hill; south of Los Trancos Creek and east of 280; lands east and northwest of La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve, south and west of Skylonda; large tracts surrounding Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve, west of Skyline Boulevard in
Handling grief during the holidays Palo Alto resident’s website gives advice, solace to those who mourn by David Ruiz
G
loria Horsley understands the difficulty of dealing with loss during the holidays. The Palo Alto resident and founder of the Open to Hope Foundation lost her son and her nephew in 1983 in a car crash. She worked as a registered nurse at the time and found that there were no resources to help her express herself. “We didn’t have anything,” she said of both herself and her husband. So Horsley turned her own grief into a commitment to help families who have gone through similar tragedy. Today, what started as a blog and a radio show has become the largest resource for grief counseling on the Internet. The Open to Hope website features more than 300 writers, 550 podcasts and 100
YouTube videos. “We want to give a voice to grief,” said Horsley, who built up Open to Hope over the past five years. The website, with its expansive library of materials, reassures those who have recently experienced the death of a loved one that they are not alone, Horsley said. “They’re gonna make it, and it’s hard at first to believe that, but it’s true,” she said. Dealing with death can be especially daunting during the holidays, when most people are joining their loved ones and songs about family and friends play incessantly on the radio. Often individuals will want to take a break from the holidays and go away for the week, Horsley said — though this isn’t the best approach. “Sometimes you have to go
the Santa Cruz Mountains and overlooking Half Moon Bay; and land adjacent to Portola Redwoods State Park in La Honda and Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve near Los Altos Hills. Open-space nonprofit groups praised the Conservation Lands Network report as a “greenprint,” for conservation that can be incorporated into land, transportation, water and community planning. The network can be used as a guide for selecting lands for purchase, conservation-easement acquisition and cooperative agreements with private landowners. It is not intended to identify specific properties but takes a broad-brush approach, its authors said. “It provides a landscape-level look for conservation planning,” said Paul Ringgold, Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) vice president and head of stewardship. The report and online tool helped confirm areas where POST is focusing its preservation efforts and is helping to identify areas the agency might have missed, he said. The San Francisco Bay Area is one of only five regions in the world with a Mediterranean climate and is noted for a high diversity of endemic species — species found only in that one area and nowhere else, the study noted. Yet, it is one of the most ecologically imperiled. Eight of nine Bay Area counties fall
through the routine, and it’s best to do that during the first year,” she said, explaining that getting away during the initial year of grief only extends the healing process. “Take out the ornaments and put up the tree. Just do what you’ve done in the past,” she said. Mourning is not a solo process, Horsley said, and this fact plays an important role during the holidays. “If one family member doesn’t want to participate, that’s expected, but they have to understand that there may be more people who are looking forward to them showing up to Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner,” she said. The second year is d i f ferent , though. Horsley explained a paradox that occurs Gloria Horsley during the second year, in that people start to feel better, but they aren’t ready for it. It’s a confusing time, she said, as people are so used to the pain that when they stop hurting as much they think something
within the top 20 counties in the nation’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas where species are threatened by sprawl. Santa Clara County has 36 imperiled species and ranks 17th and San Mateo County ranks 14th with 40 imperiled species, according to a 2005 study by the National Wildlife Federation, Smart Growth America and NatureServe. The Bay Area supports 97 endangered or threatened species, according to the report. Landfills, highways, night lighting, predators and human settlement have impacted bird and mammal species, and gaps in ponds and connected water habitats affect amphibians and reptiles. Ringgold said the report also provides a tool for describing the importance of lands to funders. The 1999 Baylands project, which focused on protection and restoration of historic tidelands around the Bay, resulted in $200 million in funding from Proposition 50, the Water Quality Supply and Safe Drinking Water Projects Bond that passed in 2002. The measure contributed to 45,000 acres of wetlands protection, according to the report. The report can be viewed or downloaded at www.BayAreaLands.org. The online tool is available at www. bayarealands.org/explorer. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
might be wrong with them. It’s a normal stage and a healthy one, too, she said. “This is when you can take your time off, if you still need it,” Horsley said. If a person does go away, though, he or she should tell loved ones in advance, she added. What many don’t understand is that grieving is difficult both on those affected and those who witness the grief. “You need to teach people to be good grievers,” she said, explaining that friends and family members of mourners typically try to avoid the topic of death. “No one wants to mention it because they don’t want to remind you, but that’s all you can ever think about anyways, so it’s better to openly discuss.” Simple, effective ways to do this are to ask a relative to give a toast or to share photos — but Horsley warns never to have more photos of the dead than the living. Those with grieving children should have them buddy up with a cousin during family gatherings so they don’t feel alone. “It does get better,” Horsley said. “We understand that it’s difficult to have hope immediately after, so we don’t ask that of them. All we ask is that they’re open to (continued on page 9)
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Upfront
Rail project (continued from page 3)
gued for their shorter version, saying that there are many other potential venues for providing more information about the city’s opposition. “High-speed rail is such a complicated issue that you can probably find 10, 20 or 30 reasons to be opposed to it,” said Klein, who chairs the committee. Shepherd agreed but said the council’s guiding principles on highspeed rail should at least highlight the two biggest reasons for opposing the project. “It is too expensive; it doesn’t have credible funding; and it’s based on deeply flawed and unreliable data,” Shepherd said. She also said she is troubled by the second half of Klein and Price’s statement regarding misrepresentations, and advocated for including more information about the city’s opposition. “This is a bold statement for any city to make,” Shepherd said. “We might get attacked seriously for making this type of statement, and we want to make sure our community can speak to it.” Burt agreed. Each proposal failed by a 2-2 vote before the committee voted unanimously to present both proposals to
the full council. The council is expected to take it up on Dec. 19. Palo Alto isn’t the only place where opposition to the rail project is mounting. A Field Poll released earlier this week showed about two-thirds of the surveyed voters support a new vote on the project. Fifty-nine percent of those said they would vote against the project if given an opportunity. “There is strong sentiment for holding another vote across all partisan subgroups and irrespective of how voters may have voted on the project in the 2008 election,” the poll stated. A recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office, which reviewed the new business plan, found that the rail authority’s proposal to construct the line in phases, starting with a Central Valley segment, would conflict with the language of Proposition 1A. The nonpartisan office also questioned the rail authority’s funding plan, which relies heavily on federal grants and on $11 billion in private investment. The Legislative Analyst’s Office noted that the U.S. Congress has not approved any funds for high-speed rail for next year and concluded that “it is highly uncertain if funding to complete the high-speed rail system will ever materialize.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
CityView A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
Council Rail Committee (Dec. 5)
Lobbyist: The committee interviewed representatives from the firms California Strategies & Advocacy and Professional Evaluation Group as part of its effort to hire a Sacramento lobbyist. Action: None
City Council (Dec. 5)
Golf course: The council discussed various design options for reconfiguring the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course to accommodate construction of a new levee. Action: None Development Center: The council approved a $1.5 million budget amendment to add staffing to the Development Center. Yes: Unanimous
Council Finance Committee (Dec. 6)
Fleet maintenance: The committee recommended directing staff to solicit proposals for leasing, maintenance and management of the city’s light-duty vehicles. Yes: Unanimous Library: The committee recommended accepting a staff report on oversight of library-bond funds and directed the Administrative Services Department to formalize policies and procedures for oversight and expenditure of these funds. Yes: Schmid, Shepherd, Yeh No: Scharff
Historic Resources Board (Dec. 7)
AT&T: The board reviewed and recommended approving a proposal by AT&T to install wireless communication equipment on an existing pole at 1248 Waverley St. Yes: Unanimous
Utilities Advisory Commission (Dec. 7)
Electricity: The commission discussed a staff plan to achieve carbon neutrality in the city’s electric portfolio and recommended approving the staff proposal. Yes: Unanimous Gas: The commission supported staff’s revisions to the city’s Gas Utility Long-Term Plan objectives, strategies and implementation plan. Yes: Unanimous
Council Rail Committee (Dec. 8)
Lobbyist: The committee voted to recommend hiring Professional Evaluation Services to represent the city on high-speed-rail issues in Sacramento. Yes: Unanimous Principles: The committee voted to send two versions of proposed revisions to the city’s guiding principles to the full council for consideration. Both versions support termination of the high-speed rail project. Yes: Unanimous
Architectural Review Board (Dec. 8)
AT&T antennas: The board reviewed a proposal by AT&T to install wireless communication equipment at 19 existing utility poles. The board recommended approving the proposal with conditions that included requiring AT&T to test the noise level of the new equipment and to use trees to screen the equipment. Yes: Lew, Malone Prichard, Wasserman, Young Absent: Lee
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National bridge (continued from page 3)
sity and bred Leonberger dogs, a large breed from Germany, according to her United States Bridge Federation profile. But now most of her time is spent perfecting her bridge skills, she said. “My husband claims I put in 40 to 50 hours a week. I don’t think it’s that much, but it’s a lot of hours. It has become what I do — and I love it,” she said. Joel played chess in high school. A math teacher at the time told her she should play bridge, she said. But she didn’t begin for at least 20 years, preferring other card games and puzzles. It was through a local group playing duplicate bridge that she became hooked. The 900-member Palo Alto Bridge Club accepts all levels of players. Joel’s interest and skill “catapulted,” she said. These days, one doesn’t have to sit around a card table, she said. Her bridge instructor lived in New York, so Joel conducted her lessons online. “It doesn’t matter where you live, you can teach and play,” she said. But she met her team partner, Tobi Sokolow, at a face-to-face tournament in San Francisco at the first national championship she ever at-
tended. She and Sokolow practice through the Internet, she said. All of the women on her team have won national competitions, according to the American Contract Bridge League. Sokolow has won many championships, Joel said. The women came in 10th when they started out in San Francisco. Joel’s team has played together for 2 1/2 years, and the last two tournaments they’ve played they came in second place. “We finally won by a very good margin,” she said, sounding satisfied. Joel thinks bridge should be taught in schools, with its important skill-building lessons. And despite its reputation for complexity, Joel said bridge offers something for everyone. Bridge is a game that is enduring, she said. “It keeps you occupied and challenged for the rest of your life. There are people in the club who are over 90 and they come every day.” The Palo Alto Bridge Club is also getting a permanent home in Mountain View, where a wing at the I.F.E.S. Portuguese Society is being renovated, she said. The club offers classes, mentoring and a lecture series. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hold a study session with the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority, authorize a $1.29 million loan to the Palo Alto Housing Corporation and consider creating a renewable-energy feed-in tariff program. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will hear a report from the Homework Committee on its process for recommending a district homework policy, and a presentation on schematic designs for a new performing arts center at Palo Alto High School. The board will vote on the awarding of construction bids for the Paly stadium as well as renovations to Fairmeadow Elementary School and Jordan and Terman middle schools. The public portion of the meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in the board room of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.). PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to see a presentation on design improvements to Cogswell Plaza; review the Parks and Recreation Capital Improvement Plan; and discuss updating the Recreation Strategic Plan. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORATATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss 803 Los Trancos Road, a request to demolish an existing home and construct a new two-story home and pool house; and discuss the Housing Element Update. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
Grief
(continued from page 7)
it, that they lean on our hope until they find their own.” The foundation has provided many with the voice they need, especially during the middle of the night, said both David Daniels and Kim Perlmutter, who share Horsley’s experience of losing a child. “I listened to so many of the videos when no one else was awake,”
Perlmutter said. “It was really a saving point for me because there’s no one you can call at 3 a.m.” “There’s a real community, and the quality of work is riveting,” Daniels said. The foundation helps people recognize that “sadness is a natural consequence; it’s a healthy process.” Horsley’s daughter, Heidi Horsley, is now the executive director of Open to Hope and a professor at Columbia University. She was 20 when her brother died and she didn’t initially realize the thoughts she was
News Digest Palo Alto beefs up Development Center staffing Palo Alto officials forged ahead this week with a plan to streamline the city’s notoriously complex permitting process when they committed $1.5 million to add staff to the Development Center. The City Council unanimously agreed Monday (Dec. 5) to spend $1.5 million on six positions in the city’s permitting operation. These include a supervisor to coordinate the various departments involved in the permitting process, a permit-center manager who would provide day-to-day oversight of the center, a plan examiner and three project coordinators. The expenditure is intended to address persistent community complaints about the long waiting times and the labyrinthine nature of what has become known as the “Palo Alto Process.” The complaints have prompted City Manager James Keene to restructure the Development Center operation to make it simpler for companies and residents to get their applications processed. Deputy City Manager Steve Emslie called the approved staff additions “a major step toward creating a management structure that is important to creating the results” the city committed to when it launched the effort in July 2010. The increased staffing would be funded by an increase in permit fees and thus would not require the city to tap into its General Fund. Some of the reforms have already been put in effect. The city, for example, has been helping large companies get the needed permits by devoting project managers to help shepherd these applications through the process. Mayor Sid Espinosa said results have so far been encouraging. “Our business leaders, and I think we’ll hear from others, are already responding favorably to it and talking about how it changes the business climate,” Espinosa said. N — Gennady Sheyner
Palo Alto man faces 20 years for fraud A Palo Alto man pleaded guilty Wednesday (Dec. 7) in federal district court in San Francisco for a realestate investment scheme and could face 20 years in
having were normal. Open to Hope not only helped her with expressing her grief but also in establishing that her emotions, and the emotions of millions of others, were a healthy and regular part of grieving. “Other people have been there, but they don’t know it’s OK to feel that way. You want to say to them, ‘You’ll make it’ — because you know they will,” she said. N Editorial Intern David Ruiz can be emailed at druiz@paweekly. com.
prison. Richard F. Tipton, 62, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag. Two other defendants, James Stanley Ward, 65, of Delaware, Ohio, and Edward George Locker, 36, of Highland Heights, Ohio, were also indicted and pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Dec. 6). Tipton, Ward and Locker admitted they deceived investors in Mountain View-based private moneylender Jim Ward & Associates, Inc., and its successor, JSW Financial, Inc. Using funds obtained from investors, the defendants arranged private money loans to borrowers who built single-family homes. The men offered investors the opportunity to invest in fractional interests in the loans and in the Blue Chip Realty Fund, LLC, and Shoreline Investment Fund. The companies generated and provided documents to investors that represented the funds made and invested in loans that were secured by deeds of trust on real property, but Tipton and the others knew that those representations were false, according to the indictment. The companies did not secure investments in either fund. N — Sue Dremann
Two people killed on tracks identified A man and a woman who were killed on the Caltrain tracks Saturday (Dec. 3) in Palo Alto and Menlo Park, respectively, have been identified. The Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office said that San Jose resident Donald Larson, 48, was struck at about 11:10 a.m. at the California Avenue station by northbound train No. 801, a Baby Bullet express. Jayne Cox, 27, of Folsom was killed just north of the Menlo Park station at 12:13 p.m. by southbound train No. 428. She was identified by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office on Sunday. There were 150 passengers on the Baby Bullet train going through Palo Alto who were transferred to another train, Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn stated in a press release. The train that struck Cox had 120 passengers, she said. There have been 16 fatalities on the Caltrain right of way this year, Dunn said. A middle-aged man, Greg Brown of Redwood City, was killed Nov. 26 at the California Avenue station. The highest number of deaths in one year in the Caltrain right of way — 20 — occurred in 1995, Dunn said. N — Palo Alto Weekly staff
COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss an audit of the city’s financial statements, hear a status report on fiscal year 2011 year-end capital improvement and get information about leases and tenants and the Cubberley Community Center. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to discuss 3130 Hansen Way, a request by Hoover Associates on behalf of Stanford University Board of Trustees for review of a new 30,200-square-foot, two-story employee-amenities building for Varian to replace an existing one-story building; and a request by OTO Development on behalf of Schnell Brothers properties for preliminary review of a four-story, 178-room Hilton Garden Inn hotel. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). RAIL CORRIDOR STUDY TASK FORCE ... The task force plans to continue its discussion of the city’s vision for the Caltrain corridor. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, in the Downtown Library (270 Forest Ave.). PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION ... The commission plans to hear a presentation from high school students about a proposed student mural; consider a proposed tree sculpture and hear an update on art work at the new Mitchell Park Library and Community Center. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
Vote ur for yorite favo e! tre
Fun for the Whole Family! Pictures with Santa! Ornament Workshop! Hot Cider & Cookies! Carolers!
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Upfront
Online This Week
YOUTH
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.
Teens analyze data to help babies
Fry’s customer escapes gun-wielding man A man received an unwelcome holiday surprise in the parking lot of Fry’s Electronics Wednesday night when two men wearing masks and black clothing approached him and flashed a handgun, Palo Alto police confirmed Thursday. (Posted Dec. 8 at 10:55 a.m.)
Supervisors to face music on Stanford trail offer A moment of truth is coming Tuesday (Dec. 13) at 9 a.m. when San Mateo County supervisors meet to weigh in a third time on a 2006 offer from Stanford to pay millions of dollars to upgrade the roadside path along Alpine Road between Portola Valley and Menlo Park. (Posted Dec. 8 at 9:11 a.m.)
Bicyclist robbed at knifepoint in Menlo Park A bicyclist pedaling along the Ringwood Avenue pedestrian bridge lost $25 after being confronted by a man brandishing a knife Tuesday morning (Dec. 6). (Posted Dec. 7 at 12:01 p.m.)
More than 150 Paly students to be recognized for service More than 150 students at Palo Alto High School will be recognized for their service to the community in a presentation Friday (Dec. 9) of the President’s Award for Volunteer Service. (Posted Dec. 7 at 9:47 a.m.)
Monterey official to head EPA department East Palo Alto has hired John Doughty, executive director of Monterey Bay Area Governments, to head its new Community Development department, the city has announced. (Posted Dec. 7 at 9:45 a.m.)
Gunn, Paly student project leads to prize in national science contest by Chris Kenrick
T
hey met at an “Awesome Math” camp in Santa Cruz two summers ago. Palo Alto High School student Jeffrey Ling and Gunn student Helen Jiang stayed in touch. With a shared interest in data analysis, they agreed early this year to team up on a project under the direction of a Stanford Medical School professor.
‘It made me feel so much happier when I thought it was actually going to help people a lot more than I expected.’ —Helen Jiang, winner, Siemens Competition
Facebucks: Economic impact study released With all the fanfare over Facebook relocating to Menlo Park,the question of why that was such a boon to the city sometimes led to hazy answers: “This is fantastic!” “Why?” “Because it’s Facebook, and fantastic!” But now there are some concrete answers in the form of an economic impact study. (Posted Dec. 7 at 8:25 a.m.)
Woman dies in Los Altos multi-vehicle crash An 85-year-old Cupertino woman died in a multi-vehicle crash in Los Altos Tuesday morning (Dec. 6), police said. (Posted Dec. 6 at 7:46 p.m.)
Opinion shifts against high-speed rail As the price tag for California’s proposed high-speed-rail system continues to swell, so does public opposition to the voter-approved project, a new poll has found. (Posted Dec. 6 at 9:39 a.m.)
How do you know it’s a police officer? After a young woman from Atherton was pulled over last week by what turned out to be a police impersonator who stole her car keys, Atherton police advise that there are several things that can be done to make sure the driver of an unmarked vehicle is really a police officer. (Posted Dec. 6 at 8:47 a.m.)
Last weekend, the two were in Washington, D.C., presenting their project on data predictors of severe gastrointestinal disease in premature infants to a panel of judges in the national finals of the Siemens Competition in Math, Science and Technology. They walked away with $10,000 in prize money as one of the six teams and six individuals receiving awards from $10,000 to $100,000. The contest initially drew 2,436 entrants. “The project wasn’t hands-on touching babies. It was more observing the data and using statistics,” said Jiang, a Gunn junior. Working in a lab under the mentorship of Medical School Associ-
Emergency
(continued from page 3)
Facebook acquires new talent from Gowalla Social-networking giant Facebook confirmed Monday (Dec. 5) that members from the Austin, Texas, company Gowalla will be moving to Palo Alto to join the Facebook team in the new year. (Posted Dec. 5 at 3:39 p.m.)
our community,” Dueker said in a statement. “In a major disaster, we will all benefit from the investment in the relationships and structures that we are creating.” Dueker’s appointment is the most significant step in the city’s disaster-preparedness effort since the council decided last summer to create the Office of Emergency Services. The city has traditionally coordinated its emergency response and preparedness by activating an “Emergency Operations Center” in the City Hall basement and having representatives from various departments meet there during major
ate Professor Karl Sylvester, the students integrated clinical and molecular findings to predict which newborns are most likely to develop serious necrotizing enterocolitis, the most common and severe gastrointestinal disease affecting premature infants. Jiang said she was particularly gratified when she met people at George Washington University last weekend who told her their families had had personal experience with the disease. “It made me feel so much happier when I thought it was actually going to help people a lot Jeffrey Ling more than I expected,” she said. Ling said he and Jiang met at Stanford almost daily over the summer to work on the computer analysis. “We told him (Sylvester) we were interested in children’s diseases and helping babies,” Jiang said. Using data on past cases supplied by other hospitals and the National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD), the two analyzed clinical parameters as well as molecular parameters such as proteins and peptides from babies’ urine or blood. “If we combine them together we can correctly split the patients up, and the information helps doctors and nurses diagnose the disease as
‘He’s been a perfect example of someone who can break down silos and get people to work together.’ —Annette Glanckopf, member, Citizen Corps Council events to plan the city’s response. The new office was created to improve coordination between city departments and support the various volunteer groups that have been working on preparing the city for emergencies. Glanckopf and other volunteers
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early as possible and helps predict whether that baby needs to have immediate surgery or just stay in the hospital,” Jiang said. Ling, also a junior, and Jiang said they’ve been too busy with schoolwork to do much work on the project during the academic year. But both said they hope to continue work on the project, adding more data in the future. “Right now we’re using patient data from patients who’ve already had this disease, and we need to add in a lot more data,” Jiang said. We already have thouHelen Jiang sands of cases from NICHD.” Both also said the best thing about last weekend’s contest finals was meeting the other students. “Even though it was only four days long, it feels like I’ve known them forever,” Jiang said. “Now we have a Facebook group and everything, and we still talk all the time.” Jiang said she hopes to become a university professor. Ling’s goal is to become an inventor and “create something interesting and worthwhile that can benefit the lives of everyone in the world.” N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be reached at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
have previously characterized the city’s grassroots-based operation as an orchestra without a conductor. Dueker will be expected to fill this Ken Dueker role. Earlier this year, the city commissioned an independent study to assess the city’s emergency-preparedness operation. The study, by the group Urban Resilience Policy, highlighted a number of deficiencies and concluded that under the previous system the city’s Office of Emergency Services “does not have the authority to overcome planning and preparedness deficiencies.” The City Council is scheduled to approve Dueker’s contract, which includes the $125,000 salary, on Monday (Dec. 12). If the contract is approved as expected, he would begin his new position the following day. N
Transitions Births, marriages and deaths
Deaths Jane Evans Jane Gillespie Evans, 84, a resident of Palo Alto, died Dec. 1 at her home at Vi (formerly Hyatt Classic Residence) after a long battle with cancer. She was born Jan. 11, 1927, and raised in Houston, Texas, the daughter of James Walker Gillespie and Fleetwood Vinson Gillespie. She graduated in 1946 from Rice University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. In 1948 she married her college sweetheart, John Evans, whom she met while he was completing his Ph.D. in nuclear physics at Rice. She worked at Union Carbide in Texas, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico and the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho. When she and John moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, she quickly realized the importance of electronics and became the first woman to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from San Jose State University in 1965. She subsequently was the first female engineering graduate to be hired by Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). While working at HP, she attended Santa Clara University, completing an MBA. For 25 years she played a significant role in HP’s rise as a global provider of electronics and computers. She has been a role model to countless engineers, women and men, exemplifying the
best of the profession. She was an active leader of the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers (IEEE), serving at local, regional and national levels. She was Chair of the Board of Directors of the 1997 WESCON Conference. Under her leadership, WESCON was held in Silicon Valley for the first time. She was a fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society of Women Engineers, where she also served on the national Board of Trustees. She received the IEEE’s Centennial Medal, the Career Action Center’s Woman of Vision Award, San Jose State University’s Engineering Award of Distinction, and the Girl Scouts of Santa Clara County’s World of Today and Tomorrow award. In 1999 she was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame. She and John lived together in Los Altos, Calif., celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998, shortly before John’s death in 1999. A member of a close family, her sisters Minne Williams and Anne Palmer preceded her in death. She is survived by her two nephews, Christopher Moore and Charles Moore. Friends and family are invited to celebrate her life at a memorial service Monday, Dec. 12, at 3 p.m. at the Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave., Los Altos. The family suggests that any gifts in her name be made to Cardiac Therapy Foundation of the Midpeninsula, 4000 Middlefield Road, Suite G-8, Palo Alto, CA 943034761.
Doris-Jane Fondahl Doris-Jane Fondahl passed away December 3, 2011. Doris was born in 1924 in New York State. After living in Pennsylvania, her family moved to Washington D.C. where she attended McKinley Tech High School and met her lifetime companion and future husband, John Fondahl. She graduated from Mount Holyoke University in 1945. She and John were married a year later, upon his return from duty with the Marines in WWII. After a short time in Pennsylvania, they headed to Hawaii, where she taught grade school. Returning to the mainland, they lived in Minneapolis, then Sacramento, where she continued to teach until their ďŹ rst daughter was born in 1954. In 1955 John became a professor of civil engineering at Stanford University, and they moved to Los Altos, where three more daughters were born. Doris found the house of their dreams in Los Altos Hills in 1965, where they lived ever since. Doris became active in the League of Women Voters, American Association of University Women, and Los Altos Hills planning committees. She brought daughters along during John’s sabbatical teaching visits to Chile, Denmark, Switzerland, Japan and Australia. After raising her daughters, she became a docent at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center, serving for 15 years. Doris and John were avid travelers, joining
one of the ďŹ rst groups of Americans to visit China after it opened to tourists in 1979, and visiting all parts of the globe, culminating with a cruise around the PaciďŹ c in 2007. They also spent many summer and winter weeks at their cabin at Lake Tahoe. They were enthusiastic supporters of Theaterworks, American Conservatory Theater, and Bus Barn Theater. After John passed away in 2008, Doris continued her activities with theater groups and with the Peninsula Foothills Wine Society. She loved growing orchids and carefully tracked culinary developments around the Bay Area. Doris is survived by daughters Lauren, Gail, Meredith, and Dorian, son-in-laws Ken Bilski and Joe Martinka, David Wickline, and grandchildren Gwynne Bilski, Arielle Martinka, and Peter Martinka. Donations in Mom’s memory may be made to the John Fondahl Fellowship, Stanford University (P.O. Box 20466, Stanford, CA 94309), the Cantor Center for Visual Arts (Stanford, CA 94305-4060), or Mount Holyoke College (50 College St., South Hadley, MA 01075). PA I D
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Editorial
Handicapping the golf course Flood-control project creates opportunity to examine options for uninspired Palo Alto Muni
P
erhaps there is a silver lining in a flood-control proposal that would place a new levee on part of the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course and force some redesign. The project is intended to improve the downstream flow of the San Francisquito creek watershed during severe storms in order to prevent a 45-year flood similar to the 1998 flood when the creek overflowed its banks and caused $28 million in damage. The City Council discussed the levee proposal Monday and how it would affect the golf course. The intent was to review options for redesigning holes to accommodate the new levee, but the discussion broadened into whether it continues to make sense to continue offering a full, 18-hole course at the site. Since only 20 percent of the players who use Palo Alto Muni are residents, some council members rightfully believe it is time to reassess the highest and best use of this property, which was built in the 1950s and has seen declining use in recent years. The flood-control plan comes from a joint-powers agency made up of Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park, as well as Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The most basic course redesign option, which would require reconfiguring six or seven holes on the course at an estimated cost of $3 million, would be paid for by the authority. The city’s share would be minimal, about $300,000, but would increase to $1 million-plus if more elaborate options are chosen. A mid-range option to reconfigure eight and a half holes, and add eight new greens would cost the city about $1 million in addition to what is covered by the flood-control fees. The council engaged in a lively discussion about the future of the course, which is situated between the Baylands Athletic Center baseball park and the Municipal Airport, and the wisdom of sinking more money into the course. Member Larry Klein was on target when he noted that the city is already providing a very substantial “land-use subsidy” to local golfers, when compared to other potential recreational uses. And with much of the benefit going to non-residents, who make up some 80 percent of the players, Klein correctly raises the question of whether the golf course in its present form remains a viable program. Klein got some support from Mayor Sid Espinosa, who said the council should “weigh the different values” in the community. “I’m in no way advocating that we lose the golf course, but I think we have a chance here to have this broader conversation,” the mayor said. Councilmember Pat Burt said he liked the proposed post-levee construction redesign of the course, but offered a plan that would slice off about 15 acres for playing fields. The use of any public land for recreational activities is a “subsidy” when compared to more intensive commercial uses; the question is whether that subsidy is aligned with community needs and participation rates. Golfers will argue that green fees generate substantial income that offsets the city’s cost to operate the course, more so than other types of recreation such as tennis, soccer or softball. But the small percentage of Palo Alto users, combined with the large amount of land committed and the mediocre course design, raise legitimate questions about the future of the golf course. At the very least, the council should consider whether continuing to operate the full 18-hole course still makes sense, or whether an improved 9-hole course might both adequately serve golfers and make possible the future development of a new athletic field complex. Among the challenges are the loss of revenue during the levee construction and the $550,000 a year in debt service that is now being paid from revenue from the golf-course income. Another complication is that the course irrigation system is failing due to high salt intrusion, which is resulting in regular main-line breaks. The council will have to decide whether it can afford to make irrigation system improvements beyond those paid for by the flood-control funds. With the flood-control project set to begin in 2013, the city has very little time to bring the options before the public for the broad discussion it deserves. But Klein is right; now is the time to reexamine the city’s commitment to the golf course and whether it is aligned with the needs and desires of Palo Alto residents.
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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
A well-kept secret Editor, Thank you for the article on the South Palo Alto Food Closet. It is very timely and gives credit to a small group of volunteers. This effort was established by a coalition of churches in Palo Alto some 30 years ago. Covenant Presbyterian has provided space and utilities plus donating money and food. However, several other churches and members of the community have also stepped up to the plate. Not to mention the many volunteers from the community who have provided support behind the scenes. This group of volunteers, around 100, pick up food, store it, stock the shelves in the Food Closet, clean the Food Closet, and cheerfully distribute the food to the needy families in our area who have been vetted by Opportunity West, our supporting churches, and the Palo Alto school system. All of this effort is coordinated by our director, Kate Church. Again, thank you for your interest in our Food Closet. It has been a well-kept secret. Jean C. Jones, volunteer coordinator Emerson Street Palo Alto
Concerts at MPAC Editor, I was privileged to hear a remarkable concert by Symphony Parnassus in the jewel of our community: the Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center on Dec. 3. Unfortunately, the attendance in this acoustically superb concert hall was only 1/3 of its capacity. I encourage this community to support future concerts so great performers will continue to come and bring us great entertainment only a short distance from our neighborhood. Karen Busch Bay Road Menlo Park
Better trails to the top Editor, In the latest debate about advanced high school math required for graduation, I am a parent that is concerned that the debate has been framed with only two conclusions. The choices have been presented as either: 1) Lower the degree of difficulty required for Palo Alto diplomas, or; 2) Don’t dilute the value of a Palo Alto diploma and leave some teens behind. A world-class education is like a mountaintop. As opposed to mak-
ing it the domain of the few and privileged, let’s build better trails to the summit. Let’s make it the goal that all students reach the summit by finding the right guides for all to attain the highest potential. Everything, once understood, is simple. I hope other parents will join me in refusing to accept that there are only the two choices in the discussion. Timothy Gray Park Boulevard Palo Alto
Let’s achieve parity Editor, I was appalled to read of the plan to allow two standards of math competency to exist in high school. The message that will be sent to all students and to the community will wreak havoc with the general morale in our schools. I would like the community to consider the following proposal. I will volunteer to organize a corps of people, recruiting heavily from the retirement complexes and other community members to establish a drop-in center where any
student needing help in math can get it. If algebra isn’t passed the first time around, students must take it until they qualify. We must find a way to achieve parity. It is impossible to ask math teachers to offer tutoring either in or out of class for those students who are experiencing difficulty. Teachers are already overwhelmed. Rather than lower the standards, we need to come together as a community rich in resources and which can staff a tutoring corps. Who better to ask for help than the legion of able people in this highly educated area? If a student fails algebra after taking it more than once or twice and has availed himself or herself of extra help then we might have to make a different diagnosis. I suggest we try to stand and deliver first. My name is Ellen Fox and my email address is ellenannfox@ gmail.com. I will take on the job of organizing a corps of tutors if the community reaches out to me. Ellen Fox Sand Hill Road Palo Alto
YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? Should the City of Palo Alto invest in improving its golf course? 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 recycled water a threat to Palo Alto’s trees? by Jay Thorwaldson he push for using recycled water to irrigate Palo Alto’s golf course and some parkland may sound great and green, but the water could be a threat to the health — or life — of the city’s trees. That is a warning from Canopy, the nonprofit organization that is the recognized guardian of the “urban forest” of Palo Alto, long known as “the city that loves trees” — if not their leaves that clog storm sewers and roots that lift sidewalks. The concern relates to a relatively high level of salinity in Palo Alto’s recycled water from the regional wastewater treatment plant. In addition to Palo Alto effluent, the plant processes sewage from Stanford, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. A small fraction of the wastewater is reclaimed and used for watering lawns and planting areas, including hundreds of trees. At 950 parts per million (ppm), the recycled water falls a bit short of being sea water, at about 35,000 ppm. But over a decade or two does the water harm the trees — the longestlived plants on which it is used? That is the question that worries Canopy and tree fans. Fewer than a thousand trees are presently irrigated with recycled water, most of them at the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course and Greer Park. About 400 trees in Greer Park are irrigated and roughly the same number at the golf course and treatment plant. Mountain View’s Shoreline Links golf course and multiple commercial sites use recycled water.
T
A plan to replace more than 30 ailing, dying or dead trees at Greer Park elevated the salinity concern to a higher level when city arborists and Public Works staff members met with worried (and some angry) residents about the plan Oct. 18. The staff did a remarkable job of answering resident concerns during a discussion at the Palo Alto Friends meeting hall. The meeting culminated in an informal poll of attendees, who indicated unanimous support for the staff plan following a tree-by-tree illustrated rundown of why each tree should be removed. But Canopy remains worried about longterm effects on other trees as use of recycled water spreads to other parts of the community. There is a continuing push to expand its use to conserve the pure Hetch Hetchy water from the Sierra. Catherine Martineau, Canopy’s executive director, sums up the problem: “Plants, unlike animals, cannot process salt. Trees are particularly sensitive. The issue is complex, as soil composition is also a factor. “Very few tree species are tolerant of recycled water, even less of the quality of recycled water available in Palo Alto,” she said. The city’s Public Works tree section “has been removing and replanting hundreds of trees in the park in the last 15 years,” Martineau said. The issue is a growing one, she warns. “As water-conservation measures apply pressure on the availability of potable water for landscape irrigation, efforts are made to deliver recycled water to more areas of town and the Stanford campus.” An environmental impact report on extending the recycled-water pipeline is already underway (www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/utl, search for “recycled water system”).
“Canopy’s concern is that increased use of recycled water will threaten large portions of the Palo Alto urban forest because a majority of the species planted in the last 100 years need irrigation during summer. “Trees are the most valuable elements of the landscape and their health should be a priority when making policy decisions regarding the landscape,” she said. Efforts are underway to transition the “urban forest” to less-thirsty, “drought resistant” trees — such as the thousand trees Canopy and volunteers planted along the sound walls of East Palo Alto in 2007 and 2008. Once mature enough, in three to five years of growing deep roots, they won’t need extra watering. Palo Alto’s Urban Forest Master Plan embraces that concept. Prompted by a City Council directive two years ago (the “Salinity Reduction Policy”) Palo Alto is moving to lower the salinity level, according to Phil Bobel, assistant director of Public Works. The policy calls for reducing salinity in recycled water by a third, to about 600 ppm. Bobel is skeptical of the threat, however: “I would estimate that the recycled water itself has had a very limited negative impact on the (Greer Park) trees’ health,” he said. “More likely to be a major factor are poor soil conditions, given the park sits on former salt marsh.” He said the salinity is higher than in some cities (but comparable to many) partly because pipelines that bring wastewater to the plant from Mountain View and East Palo Alto, and within Palo Alto itself, go through existing or former salt marshes. The older pipelines allow seepage in from the salt-water-laden soils. The three cities are collaborating to reduce the “reverse leakage” problem, either by lining
pipelines, or repairing or replacing pipelines. Public Works staff members are even conducting an experiment within the 25-acre treatment-plant site at the end of Embarcadero Road. They have planted a small grove of redwood trees — redwoods are particularly sensitive to salt — and some grass. They water half with recycled water and half with salinity-free Hetch Hetchy water. “Our redwood trees are doing fine,” Bobel reports — all of them. Tree health, he adds, “is a combination of the water and the soil,” and some trees have a higher salt-tolerance. No one has suggested planting mangroves, yet. Both the golf course and Greer Park were once marsh. In addition, for many decades there was a paved drive-in movie theater along Highway 101 — how much that might have sterilized the underlying soil is a question. There’s also a wider perspective: “One thing I was going to try to have a conversation about is the big picture, to get it out there. It’s not really a sustainable practice to bring water 250 miles from the Sierra to water landscapes,” Bobel summed up. “As California grows it’s not a sustainable practice. Sooner or later we will have to stop doing it.” So it’s both an environmental and an engineering “innovation challenge”: Can we make recycling water economically feasible on a large scale to the point it doesn’t cause concerns about safety to trees? Can existing or new technologies be developed, such as reverse osmosis or some other technique? N Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly. com or jaythor@well.com.
Streetwise
Who do you make sure to keep in touch with over the holidays? Asked on California Avenue, Palo Alto. Interviews and photographs by David Ruiz.
Bruce Rich
Retired California Avenue, Palo Alto “I make certain to stay in touch with my family.”
Patty Cullen
Self-employed Ramona Street, Palo Alto “Definitely my family and friends. Who else is there in life besides them?
Fred Brickman
Data aide Emerson Street, Palo Alto “My whole family; they’re all equally important.”
Lynnie Melena
Retired city planner Magnolia Drive, Palo Alto “Our kids!”
Adam Teitelbaum
CEO Broadway Street ,Redwood City “I have family in Israel that are dear to me. I keep in touch with them.”
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Pulse
WELLBEING FOR YOUR FEET.
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
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Violence related Child abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Credit card forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Prowler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . 10 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Traffic misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .7 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . 16 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Alcohol or drug related Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Sale of drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Casualty/fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found dog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
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Menlo Park Nov. 30-Dec. 6 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Spousal abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Attempted burglary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle related Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .6 Exhibition of speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/non-injury . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .1 Vehicle tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Miscellaneous Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Gang information case . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Gang validation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Information case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Mental evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Runaway juvenile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Threat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Tree blocking roadway . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Atherton Nov. 22-29 Theft related Burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Abandoned bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Parking problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Road/sidewalk/other hazard. . . . . . . . . .1 Ticket signoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/no detail. . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/non-injury . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Vehicle traffic/hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence of drugs/alcohol 3 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Be on the lookout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Building/perimeter/area check . . . . . . . .2 Citizen assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Construction site check . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Road/sidewalk/other hazard. . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstance . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Tree down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Unlisted block Welch Road, 11/30, 11:30 p.m.; child abuse. Unlisted block El Camino Real, 12/1, 4:15 a.m.; child abuse.
Menlo Park
Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Hacked email account . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Misc. B&P code violation . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Terrorist threats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Unattended death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
! !
Middle Avenue and Kenwood Drive, 11/30, 9:56 a.m.; battery. 1100 block Windermere Avenue, 11/30, 10:51 p.m.; spousal abuse. Ringwood Avenue Pedestrian Bridge, 12/6, 9:45 a.m.; robbery.
Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
Modern-day magician BUDDING MENTALIST — AND GOOGLER — PUTS ON A SHOW IN PALO ALTO story by Rebecca Wallace | photographs by Veronica Weber
S
easoned performers know that a quiet audience is not always a bad thing. The people out there in the dark may be rapt, or stunned, or just listening too hard to make a sound. Stage magician David Gerard strives for a par-
ticular kind of silence from his audiences, composed of “the moments of pure astonishment, like when you’re a kid again.” The fleeting instants are “a lifelong challenge to achieve,” he says. “I may have one of those in my shows.” (continued on next page)
Top: Stage magician David Gerard with one of his props, a deck of cards. Right: Gerard demonstrating his craft to passers-by on University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto.
*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ iViLiÀÊ]ÊÓ䣣ÊU Page 15
Arts & Entertainment
Modern magic
(continued from previous page)
Most weekend nights, Gerard is out in downtown Palo Alto trying to find those moments. On University Avenue, he’ll stop passers-by for an informal sleight-of-hand show, the
sort he also does at corporate parties, perhaps with a deck of cards or a book as a prop. Lately he’s also been doing stage performances at the little Dragon Theatre on Alma Street. These hybrid shows mix sleight-of-hand with “mind-reading,� or “mentalism.�
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Mentalism shows were all the rage in the 1800s, with mustachioed men claiming telepathic powers or performing flashy feats of hypnosis. Today, the term might elicit thoughts of the TV shows “The Mentalist� or “Psych,� in which witty guys solve crimes with their finely tuned powers of observation — and they don’t mind if people think they’re genuine psychics. As for magic tricks, everyone can conjure up their own image of a rabbit or a lady in a flashy dress who gets cut in half. Gerard, though, bills his show as “modern magic,� more cerebral than sequined, but still decidedly entertainment. So how does a 23year-old kid who works at Google craft a magic show for the contemporary crowd? He started out on a traditional path, asking his dad to buy him magic tricks at FAO Schwarz. By the time he was a student at Penn State, he was joining a juggling club and putting on his own shows. After graduation, he headed west for a sales and marketing gig at Google in Mountain View. He’s a member of the Society of American Magicians, where, he says, the local folks all know each other. When asked whether he knows of Kim Silverman, a dramatic-looking bearded Mountain View magician, Gerard responds right away. “He works at Apple.� Gerard is a smooth talker, and — fittingly for someone who works in marketing — he’s very interested in his image. David Gerard is his stage
name, which he preferred to go by for this article. He models himself more in the style of contemporary illusionist and daredevil David Blaine than the 1800s mentalists. While the traditional mentalist or magician was an arrogant fellow, ready to make audiences look like dupes, Blaine is more laid-back. Gerard says he likes to connect with watchers, whether they’re members of a stage audience or guests at a party where he’s strolling around doing close-up tricks. He keeps a careful eye on how his audience reacts to him. That intense observation is key for a mind-reader who freely admits he doesn’t have any psychic abilities. When he asks an audience member to randomly choose a word from a book and then figures out what the word is without looking, he’s not using telepathy. He’s watching the person’s body language, eye movements and reactions to things he says. For instance, when Gerard asks if the last letter of the word is a vowel or consonant, a person can’t help but smile or rock back and forth a little if it’s a Y. “There’s different schools of thought (on mentalism shows),� Gerard says. “Mine is a combination of psychology, body language and misdirection. A magician does tricks with objects. I do tricks with pieces of information.� He grins. “You shouldn’t know when it’s real or when it’s an illusion.� On a recent evening on University Avenue, Gerard stops a young
couple walking by, offering to do a few tricks. Giggling, they assent and introduce themselves as Pat and Michelle. Gerard figures out their word from the book, and finds their chosen cards in the deck more than once. “Not bad at all,� Pat says. “Not too shabby,� Michelle agrees. Sometimes Gerard gets something wrong in a trick, or sometimes an audience member is an excellent liar and stumps him. That’s all right, he says. Mistakes let the audience know he’s using his human ability — which is fallible — rather than some kind of plastic parlor trick. “It’s not YouTube,� he says. “It’s different every time.� N What: Shows of magic and mentalism by David Gerard Where: The Dragon Theatre, 535 Alma St., Palo Alto When: Gerard’s Dec. 9 shows just sold out. He’s planning two more on Jan. 13, at 7:30 and 10 p.m. 7:30 and 10 p.m. tonight, Dec. 9. Gerard will soon be scheduling January performances. Cost: $15 Info: Go to davidgerardlive.com.
VIEW ONLINE
www.PaloAltoOnline.com To see a video of stage magician David Gerard giving previews of his act, go to PaloAltoOnline.com. Weekly photographer Veronica Weber recently followed Gerard as he did card tricks for passersby on University Avenue.
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Arts & Entertainment
How does your ‘Garden’ grow? In TheatreWorks’ case, movingly, with a truly rewarding ending by Chad Jones
“T
he Secret Garden,� a rich and melodious musical from the early ‘90s, works beautifully as a holiday show. Like that inescapable seasonal chestnut “A Christmas Carol,� “Garden� was harvested from a beloved book — Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 novel of the same name — and concentrates on the thawing of a stony heart and the unlocking of a burdensome past. Rather than starring a steely Ebenezer Scrooge, “The Secret Garden� takes as protagonist young Mary Lennox, a British orphan of the early-20th-century cholera epidemic in Colonial India. Spoiled by her pampered, servant-encrusted life as the daughter of a high-ranking British military father, Mary is, in popular parlance, a snotty brat. After her parents’ death, the child is sent back to England and into the unwelcoming arms of her only living relative, a widower named Archibald Craven. He’s a cranky hunchback who lives in a creepy mansion called Misselthwaite and mourns the loss of his beautiful wife, Lily. Mary is lonely, angry and sad. In other words, she’s the perfect subject for a soulful makeover. But instead of meeting a turn-of-thecentury Oprah to work her transformative magic, Mary falls under the spell of nature and ghosts — yes, ghosts, just like that Dickens tale. Only darker. For a children’s story, “The Secret Garden� is pretty grim stuff, but that’s also what makes the story and the musical so appealing. From
THEATER REVIEW gloomy grief and emotional torment comes a happy ending that feels not only earned but also satisfyingly tear-jerking. TheatreWorks has wisely filled its annual holiday slot with “The Secret Garden,� a Tony Awardwinning Broadway hit with a score by Lucy Simon (Carly’s older sister) and book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman (“’night Mother�). This is the second time TheatreWorks has planted this particular garden into a season, with the first time in 1995. Only one cast member returns from that production — Mrigendra Steiner as Mary’s Indian governess — though the director, Robert Kelley, remains the same. Last time around, “Garden� was in the much larger Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, and frankly, that’s a better space for a show that makes the Lucie Stern Theatre seem cramped. Still, Kelley’s production hits all the right emotional notes, even if set designer Joe Ragey goes for an uncomfortable blending of realistic and impressionistic environments. When we finally see the secret garden in all its glory, Ragey gives us something that looks like an overgrown exhibit at an artificial flower show. Much more convincing are the performances from Kelly’s sturdy cast. Angelina Wahler, a Palo Alto sixth grader, completely owns the
show as Mary. She effectively conveys Mary’s turbulent inner life, all masked by a flinty demeanor, and makes her transition to a bold and brave heroine capable of compassion and growth completely believable. Joe Cassidy as Mary’s Uncle Archie is sufficiently tormented — even gloriously so when he unleashes his gorgeous voice on the bravura duets “A Girl in the Valley� with the ghost of his dead wife (Patricia Noonan) and “Lily’s Eyes� with his brother (Noel Anthony), who was also apparently in love with Lily. He’s also impressive in the moving solo “Race You to the Top of the Morning,� a distant father’s lament that he’s unable to fully love his son. Simon’s score is full of sumptuous, deeply appealing melodies, not the least of which are “Winter’s on the Wing� and “Wick,� the two songs for Dickon, the stick-wielding pagan, played by the charming Alex Brightman. Music director William Liberatore and his nine-piece orchestra create a wonderfully full sound, though the actors seem over-miked for the Lucie Stern, and all the amplification has the unfortunate effect of making the lyrics hard to discern (which is actually OK for a few of Norman’s awkward lyrical patches). But again, the power of the performances and the emotional thrust of Burnett’s story is clear and potent. As Mary makes friends — the maid Martha (the energetic Courtney Stokes) for one and the sickly Colin Craven (Andrew Apy) for
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another — and enlists them all in her quest to unlock the secrets of the walled garden, she starts moving the emotional temperature of the story from winter to spring. The last 10 minutes or so of “The Secret Garden� constitute some of the most moving in the modern musical-theater canon. Music, story and performance combine for the kind of authentically rewarding happy ending that you just don’t find often enough in our wicked age. And that’s the thing: You cannot be cynical and enjoy “The Secret Garden.� Not even a little bit. That’s another reason it makes sense to program this musical during the holidays, when we’re more
inclined not to mind twittering bird puppets or precocious children who transform the hard hearts of mopey adults into — you guessed it — notso-secret gardens of good will. N What: The musical “The Secret Garden,� presented by TheatreWorks Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto When: Through Dec. 31, with shows Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m.; Saturdays at 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sundays at 2 and 7 p.m. (On Dec. 24, shows will be at 1 and 6 p.m.) Cost: Tickets are $19-$72. Info: Go to theatreworks.org or call 650-463-1960.
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Arts & Entertainment
Worth a Look Comedy ‘Chopshticks’
If you’re not opening presents on Christmas, you might as well be cracking open fortune cookies. Such is the long-standing Jewish tradition of going out for Chinese food instead of stashing presents under the tree. In Palo Alto, an annual show expands on that tradition, mixing comedy in with the noshing. The Christmas Eve “Chopshticks� show brings in stand-up comedians and makes them into dinner theater. This year, New York comedian Brad Zimmerman will headline “Chopshticks,� with his solo comingof-age show “My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy.� Zimmerman’s venues have included “The David Letterman Show� and “The Sopranos.� Hey, if the show doesn’t fly, he can always help at the Chinese-style buffet and wine bar planned for the evening. The opening act is San Francisco comedian and cartoonist Michael Capozzola. He has performed at many clubs and universities, and draws the cartoon “Surveillance Caricatures� for the San Francisco Chronicle. “Chopshticks� starts at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. Tickets are $55 general and $50 for JCC members; tables for 10 can be reserved for $500. Go to paloaltojcc.org/chopshticks or call 650-223-8700.
Music Michael Griego
Even jolly old Saint Nicholas needs
WHAT COULD YOU
java. And why not combine a cappuccino with “Carol of the Bells�? Swirl in a little flamenco flavor, and you’ve got classical guitarist Michael Griego playing two holiday-themed gigs at Red Rock Coffee this month. A native of Los Angeles, Griego studied classical and flamenco guitar while a student at Occidental College, then earned an MBA from Stanford University. He now lives in Mountain View and performs in the area from time to time. Two years ago, he released the album “Classical Christmas.� Griego is scheduled to perform at the cafe at 201 Castro St. in downtown Mountain View at 7 p.m. on two consecutive Tuesdays, Dec. 13 and 20. There is no cover charge. For more about Red Rock, go to redrockcoffee.org or call 650-967-4473. The musician’s website is at michaelgriego. com.
stately buildings; the Eiffel Tower merges with a tennis court; trees and streets stand at odd, Escherlike angles to each other. Dunlevie’s art can be like physics turned upside down, and indeed she says she’s fascinated by contemporary physics. In one series, she used collage to illustrate subatomic movement. More recently, she combined old album covers with photographic images. Tonight, Dec. 9, Dunlevie will be at a public reception at Stanford Art Spaces on the university campus to open a three-artist exhibition. The show is displaying her work together with the paintings of Brian Huber and Leo Posillico through Feb. 2. Huber, who grew up in New Orleans, infuses his abstractions of landscapes and architecture with the rhythms of jazz and blues. Posillico has a design and illustration background, and scatters his signature figure — a tall, slim,
Art
Stanford Art Spaces Photographs are like building blocks for artist Kathryn Dunlevie, who pieces them together to create dreamlike, surreal scenes. Bubbles of text and im- “Lilliputian� is one of the mixed-media photo works by ages float over Kathryn Dunlevie now on exhibit at Stanford Art Spaces.
DISCOVER?
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Discover Silicon Valley arts and entertainment at LiveSV.com. The Silicon Valley arts and entertainment scene delivers unexpected experiences as unique as our Silicon Valley lifestyles. So look around you...what could you discover?
Page 18ĂŠUĂŠ iVi“LiÀʙ]ÊÓ䣣ÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠÂ?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
genderless being — throughout his canvases. All three are scheduled to attend the reception tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Paul G. Allen Building. The exhibit displays their works throughout this building, extending
into the David Packard Building and the psychology office in Jordan Hall. The show is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, go to cis. stanford.edu/~marigros or call 650725-3622.
Inspirations a guide to the spiritual community
Inspirations is a resource for ongoing religious services and special events. To inquire about or to reserve space in Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 223-6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com
Eating Out RESTAURANT REVIEW
Rock the casbah at Morocco’s Downtown Mountain View restaurant is a world of entertainment by Sheila Himmel
Michlelle Le
M
The beef tagine was a favorite with Weekly critic Sheila Himmel, who called the beef “very tenderly braised.” The meat is served with prunes and apricots and garnished with almonds and sesame seeds.
orocco’s restaurant is trying very hard. It could be just the place for couples, possible couples, and families out for a good time that doesn’t cost a fortune. With live entertainment just about every night, Morocco’s is more in tune with “Rock the Casbah” than with, say, Zitune, the Los Altos fine-dining Moroccan restaurant that closed early this year. The Morocco’s business plan may ride out the recession. Portions are generous for the price. Not every dish sings, but servers know the menu, the owners are super-friendly, and how often do you get to eat under a colorful, flowing tent?
Start with five briwatts ($10), little triangular filo-dough pies stuffed with your choice of fillings. Like bastilla, these are crisp and topped with cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar. The chicken filling was tasty, but a little mushier than shredded. Seven salads offer a wide variety, including spicy cucumber, sweet orange and carrot. All are $8.50, and during lunch hours you can make a meal by adding chicken, beef or shrimp kebabs ($4-$6). Eggplant puree salad was excellent, spiced with a cumin kick. But it was served with wheat crackers. If you’re going to serve mass-produced (continued on next page)
DINNER BY THE MOVIES AT SHORELINE’S
Pizzeria Venti
s y a d i l Ho y p p a H
It is in this spirit that we will continue sharing our classic recipes with you each week.
“Sorrento Watermelon” Salad Cocomero con fichi e rucola Ingredients:
Ripe watermelon Feta cheese (full block in brine) Fresh Arugula Fresh figs Sicilian olives
1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View (650) 254-1120 www.mvpizzeriaventi.com
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
Slice watermelon into a 5”L x 3”W x 1” H rectangle. Cut a 4” x 2” piece of feta cheese into 1” square pieces and place evenly over watermelon slice. Top with a large pinch of arugula and 1/2 sliced whole fig. Pour ribbons of Vidalia onion dressing over salad. Place 4 Sicilian olives around the plate and lightly drizzle olives with extra virgin olive oil to finish dish.
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Eating Out
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 ***************************************** THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp
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(TENTATIVE) AGENDA–SPECIAL MEETING COUNCIL CHAMBERS December 12, 2011 6:00 PM STUDY SESSION 1. Joint Study Session with the San Francisquito Creek JPA SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 2. Community Presentation: Palo Alto Housing Corporation 3. Adoption of a Resolution Expressing Appreciation to Sandra Brown CONSENT CALENDAR 4. Adoption of a Resolution Approving and Authorizing the City Manager’s Execution of the Northern California Power Agency Meter Maintenance Program Agreement and Metering Equipment Transfer Letter of Agreement and Bill of Sale 5. Approval of the Acceptance of Citizens Options For Public Safety (COPS) Funds In The Amount Of $104,944 For the Police Chief’s Request to Purchase Property and Evidence Room Storage Improvements, Traffic Accident Reconstruction Equipment and Software, Replacement Two-Way Crisis Communication System, Replacement Less Lethal Launchers, Infrared Radar Binoculars, and Portable Radio Transmitter 6. Finance Committee Recommendation to: 1) Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. C11140925 with Ecology Action for up to $300,000 for Additional Business Energy Efficiency Rebates for a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $1,817,397 through FY 2014; 2) Approve Amendment No. 1 to Contract No. C10134341 with OPOWER, Inc. for up to $250,000 for Additional Home Energy Reports For a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $843,083 through FY 2013; and 3) Adopt an Ordinance Amending the Budget for FY 2012 to Provide an Additional Appropriation of $425,000 Within the Electric Fund for Two Demand-Side Management Programs 7. Adoption of a Resolution Declaring Weeds to be a Public Nuisance and Setting January 9, 2012 for a Public Hearing for Objections to Proposed Weed Abatement 8. Adoption of Two Resolutions Adopting a Program for Enforcement of the City’s Renewable Portfolio Standards Program and a Renewable Energy Resources Procurement Plan 9. Approval of a Budget Amendment Ordinance (BAO) in the Amount of $65,000 Transferring Funds at Mid-Year From the Stanford Hospital Expansion Mitigation Funds into the Community Services Department’s Operating Budget for Project Safety Net 10. Certification of Election Results 11. Finance Committee Recommendation on Plan for Elimination of the Recycling Center and Retaining the Household Hazardous Waste Dropoff Facility; Adoption of Resolution Amending the Comprehensive Plan to Eliminate Program N-55 and Adoption of Ordinance Amending Municipal Code to Eliminate Local Recycling Center Requirement. 12. Approval of Three Year Sublease Agreement with Surveymonkey. com, LLC for office space at 285 Hamilton Avenue 13. Consideration of an Acquisition Loan in the Amount of $1.25 Million with Palo Alto Housing Corporation for the Purchase of 2811 Alma St. 14. Public Hearing: Appeal of an Architectural Review Approval and A Record of Land Use Action Regarding the Director’s Architectural Review Approval of A Three Story Development Consisting of 84 Rental Residential Units In 104,971 Square Feet Within the Upper Floors, 50,467 S.F. Ground Floor Research and Development Area, Subterranean and Surface Parking Facilities, And Offsite Improvements, With Two Concessions Under State Housing Density Bonus Law (GC65915) On A 2.5 Acre Parcel At 195 Page Mill Road And 2865 Park Boulevard 15. Finance Committee Recommendation to Approve Two Resolutions Adopting Utility Rate Schedule, Approving Changes to Utilities Rule and Regulation, and Approving Agreements for a Local Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff Program and to Approve an Ordinance Amending Two Sections of Chapter 2.30 of the Municipal Code Relating to Faciliation of a Feed-in Tariff Program (TENTATIVE) AGENDA–SPECIAL MEETING– 473 VIA ORTEGA, STANFORD December 12, 2011 10:45 AM 1. Site Tour of the Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building. STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Finance Committee Meeting will be held on December, 14, at 6:00 p.m. regarding 1) Macias Gini & O’Connell’s Audit of the City of Palo Alto’s Financial Statements as of June 30, 2011 and Management Letter, 2) Recommendation Regarding Adoption of Ordinance Authorizing Closing of the Budget for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2010, Including Reappropriation Requests, Closing Completed Capital Improvement Projects, Authorizing Transfers to Reserves and Approval of Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, 3) Fiscal Year 2010 Year-End Capital Improvement Program Projects Status Report, and 4) Lease/Rental Rates at Cubberley Community Center. Page 20ÊUÊ iViLiÀÊ]ÊÓ䣣ÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞ
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NOTICE NOTICE INVITING SEALED BIDS for WINDOW REPLACEMENT in two buildings consisting of six units each (#1 thru #12) of Ventura Apartments, 290-310 Ventura Street, Palo Alto, CA 94306. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project is to remove and replace old windows with glass energy-efficient products in two buildings with six residential units each. GENERAL SCOPE OF WORK: 1. Remove existing windows and screens. 2. Contractor to supply storage for supplies and materials. 3. Furnish and install double-paned Low-E glass sliding windows and screens to fit individual dimensions of existing openings. 4. Seal and caulk installations as appropriate. 5. Furnish and install locks on all windows. 6. Remove and dispose of all old material each day. 7. Clean glass and window/door frames. 8. All materials used must be manufactured in the USA. Bid specifications pertaining to this project are available from (Friday, Dec 2, 2011) to (Friday, Dec 16, 2011). Please call to schedule a mandatory job walk. Bid closing date is (Wednesday, Jan 4, 2012) at 5:00 PM. Bid opening at 725 Alma Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301 on (Friday, Jan 6, 2012) at 10:00 AM. This project is funded by the City of Palo Alto Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. All federal regulations listed in the Bid Specifications will apply, including equal opportunity, non-discrimination, and Federal Labor Standards provisions (Davis-Bacon). Reference is hereby made to bid specifications for further details, which specifications and this notice shall be considered part of the contract. For information and bid walk-through, contact Jim Brandenburg at 650-321-9709 ext. 19.
crackers in a Moroccan restaurant, how about pita? As one of my companions observed, “Make an effort.” It’s odd, because effort is certainly made elsewhere. The wine list is well chosen to match the food, with nearly 20 choices. It lights up when you open it, as if happy to see you. Not only easy to read, it’s easy to price: Whether from Morocco or Monterey, all wines are $10 a glass, $35 a bottle. We asked about three, and were given tastes before deciding. Morocco’s also has beer and spirits. The house sangria ($8) is like cold mulled wine, thick and redolent of cloves, cinnamon and lemon. It tastes like dessert. Our best entree was the beef tagine ($18), slightly sweet and very tenderly braised with prunes and Turkish dried apricots. Sesame seeds and Marcona almonds dot the top. In fancier Moroccan restaurants, tagines are served in colorful clay pots with tent-shaped lids. Morocco’s doesn’t do that. The menu describes tagine as “a crock pot before the crock-pot was invented.” In the fresh fish and vegetable tagine ($18.50), tender mild white fish was set off nicely with garlic, cumin, cilantro and paprika and mixed vegetables. The same carrots, zucchini and onions showed up in the lamb and vegetable couscous ($19), which featured a meaty lamb shank and garbanzo beans. There are also three vegetarian tagines and a vegetarian couscous. Two items were disappointing. The chicken kebabs ($13.50) may have been grilled but they weren’t skewered. Instead of chunks of meat with a little crust, there were small pieces stuck together. And the Moroccan bread was leaden. In case you’re feeling celebratory or very hungry and have at least four people, the eight-course menu ($29.95) offers choices in each course. In Mountain View as at the 3-yearold Morocco’s in San Jose, there is musical entertainment every night. It ranges from belly dancing to blues, so if there’s some type of music you’d really rather not eat with, check the events listing on the Morocco’s website. The Mountain View restaurant is small. The night we visited, however, the musicians played happily in a corner and were not at all intrusive. Yelpers have carped about the automatic dine-in 15 percent service charge. Our servers deserved the 18 percent they got. N
Morocco’s 873 Castro St., Mountain View 650-968-1502 Hours: Lunch 11 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays. Dinner 5-10 p.m. Sun.-Wed.; 5-11 p.m. Thurs.-Sat. moroccosrestaurant.com
Reservations Credit cards Lot Parking Alcohol
Banquet
Outdoor seating
Catering
Takeout
Noise level: Fine
Highchairs Wheelchair
Bathroom Cleanliness: Good
access
MEXICAN Celia’s Mexican Restaurants Palo Alto: 3740 El Camino Real 650-843-0643 Menlo Park: 1850 El Camino Real 650-321-8227 www.celiasrestaurants.com
of the week
Palo Alto Sol 328-8840 408 California Ave, Palo Alto Õ}iÊiÕÊUÊiÃÌÞiÊ,iV«iÃ
AMERICAN
CHINESE
Armadillo Willy’s 941-2922 1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Range: $5.00-13.00
Su Hong – Menlo Park Dining Phone: 323–6852 To Go: 322–4631 Winner, Menlo Almanac “Best Of” 8 years in a row!
Hobee’s 856-6124 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Also at Town & Country Village, Palo Alto 327-4111
Burmese
Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688 129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days
CHINESE
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
PIZZA Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto www.spotpizza.com
INDIAN
Green Elephant Gourmet 494-7391 Burmese & Chinese Cuisine Janta Indian Restaurant 3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto (650) 462-5903 Fax (650) 462-1433 (Charleston Shopping Center) Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering 369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto www.greenelephantgourmet.com Lunch Buffet M-F; www.jantaindianrestaurant.com
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
R ISTOR A NT E
ITALIAN La Cucina di Pizzeria Venti 254-1120 1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View www.pizzeriaventi.com Fresh, Chef Inspired Italian Food Spalti Ristorante 327-9390 417 California Ave, Palo Alto ݵÕÃÌiÊ`ÊUÊ"ÕÌ`ÀÊ }Ê www.spalti.com
JAPANESE & SUSHI
POLYNESIAN Spalti Ristorante serves delicious, authentic Northern Italian cuisine, in a casually elegant, comfortable and spacious setting.
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
Enjoy the freshest pasta, salads, seafood, veal, chicken and lamb attractively presented with the experience of dining in Italy.
SEAFOOD Cook’s Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park Seafood Dinners from $6.95 to $10.95
417 California Ave. Palo Alto 327-9390 www.Spalti.com
THAI 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
STEAKHOUSE
Sundance the Steakhouse Fuki Sushi 494-9383 321-6798 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto New Tung Kee Noodle House 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Online Ordering-Catereing-Chef Rental 947-8888 Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr. Sushi Workshops-Private Tatami Rooms Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm Online Gift Card Purchase Voted MV Voice Best ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 & ‘04 Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm Prices start at $4.75 fukisushi.com & facebook.com/fukisushi www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com
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Movies
MOVIE TIMES
2 For 1: Moneyball (PG-13) ((1/2 Century 16: Noon, 2:10, 4:45 & 7 p.m. Century 20: Noon, 2:45, 4:55 & The Ides of March (R) ((( 7:40 p.m. A Very Harold & Kumar Century 20: In 3D at 10:30 p.m. Christmas (R) (Not Reviewed) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Century 20: Thu. at 12:01 a.m. Chipwrecked (G) (Not Reviewed) Arthur Christmas (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:50 a.m.; 4:50 & 9:50 p.m.; In 3D at 1:40 & 6:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 4:15 & 9:15 p.m.; Sun. also at 10:10 a.m.; In 3D Fri.-Thu. at 1:50 & 6:55 p.m.
The Artist (PG-13) (((1/2
Palo Alto Square: 1:30, 4, 5:15 & 7:45 p.m.; Fri. also at 2:45, 6:30, 9 & 10:10 p.m.; Sat. also at 6:30, 9 & 10:10 p.m.; Sun., Mon., Wed. & Thu. also at 2:45 & 6:30 p.m.; Tue. also at 2:45 p.m.
The Descendants (R) ((1/2 Aquarius Theatre: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8 & 9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 1:15 p.m. Century 20: 11 a.m.; 12:30, 1:40, 3:20, 4:20, 6, 7:10, 8:45 & 9:55 p.m. Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 5:40 & 9:30 p.m.
Happy Feet Two (PG) ((1/2 Century 16: 2:25 & 7:20 p.m.; In 3D at 11:10 a.m.; 4:10 & 9:05 p.m. Century 20: 1:40 & 6:45 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. also at 10:10 a.m.; In 3D Fri.-Thu. at 11:25 a.m.; 4:25 & 9:25 p.m. Hugo (PG) (((1/2
Century 16: 11:25 a.m.; 2:50, 6:10 & 9:10 p.m.; In 3D at 12:25, 3:50, 7:10 & 10:05 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 2:10, 5:05, 7:55 & 10:40 p.m.; In 3D at 12:35 & 3:35 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Wed. also at 6:40 & 9:35 p.m.; In 3D Sat. also at 9:45 a.m.
The Ides of March (R) (((
Century 16: 9:40 p.m.
Immortals (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:05 a.m.; 4:20 & 9:45 p.m.; In 3D at 1:40 & 7:10 p.m. Century 20: 7:10 p.m.; Fri. & Sun.-Thu. also at 1:50 p.m.; In 3D Fri.-Thu. at 4:35 & 9:50 p.m.; In 3D Fri. & Sun.-Thu. also at 11:15 a.m.
The Muppets (PG) (((
Century 16: 11 a.m.; 1:35, 4:15, 6:50 & 9:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 12:30, 1:50, 3:20, 4:35, 7:20 & 10 p.m.; Sun. also at 10:10 a.m.
My Week With Marilyn (R) ((1/2
Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 2, 4:30, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Guild Theatre: 3:15, 6 & 8:30 p.m.
New Year’s Eve (PG-13) (1/2
Century 16: 11 a.m.; 12:30, 1:45, 3:15, 4:35, 6:20, 7:35, 9:20 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 11 a.m.; noon, 1, 1:50, 2:50, 3:50, 4:35, 5:35, 6:35, 7:30, 8:45 & 10:25 p.m.
Now, Voyager (1942)
Stanford Theatre: Sat. & Sun. at 3:35 & 7:30 p.m.
NYC Ballet Presents Century 20: Tue. at 7:30 p.m. Palo Alto Square: Tue. at 7:30 p.m. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker Puss in Boots (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 1:50 p.m.; In 3D at 11:30 a.m. & 4:05 p.m. Century 20: 1:45 p.m.; In 3D at 11:30 a.m. & 4 p.m.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Century 20: Thu. at 12:01 a.m. of Shadows (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) The Sitter (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 12:20, 1:30, 2:30, 3:40, 4:40, 6:10, 7:30, 8:50 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 12:20, 1:30, 2:35, 3:45, 4:50, 6, 7:05, 8:10, 9:15 & 10:20 p.m. Stage Door (1937)
Stanford Theatre: Wed. & Thu. at 5:45 & 9:35 p.m.
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 7:30 p.m.
Tower Heist (PG-13) ((
Century 16: 11:40 a.m.; 2:20, 5, 7:50 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 12:15, 2:55, 5:25 & 8 p.m.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Century 16: 11 a.m.; 1:45, 4:30, 7:15 & 10 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 2, Dawn - Part 1 (PG-13) 4:50, 7:50 & 10:40 p.m.; Fri.-Mon., Wed. & Thu. also at 6:15 & 9:15 p.m. (Not Reviewed)
( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260)
In Time (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 9:30 p.m.
J. Edgar (R) ((
Century 16: 6:30 & 9:35 p.m. Century 20: 6:15 & 9:20 p.m.
Jack and Jill (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:35 a.m.; 2, 4:25, 7:05 & 9:25 p.m. Century 20: 12:40, 3, 5:30, 7:50 & 10:25 p.m.
The Letter (1940)
Stanford Theatre: Sat. & Sun. at 5:45 & 9:40 p.m.
Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264)
Like Crazy (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 12:10, 2:35, 5, 7:40 & 9:55 p.m.
CinĂŠArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456)
Little Women (1933)
Stanford Theatre: Wed. & Thu. at 7:30 p.m.
Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260)
The Metropolitan Opera: Faust
Century 20: Sat. at 9:55 a.m. Palo Alto Square: Sat. at 9:55 a.m.
Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700)
Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264)
Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to Palo Alto Online at http://www.PaloAltoOnline.com/
Mission: Impossible -Century 20: Thu. at 9 p.m. & 12:01 a.m. Ghost Protocol (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Moneyball (PG-13) (((1/2
Century 20: 9:50 p.m.
THE NEW YEAR IS FAST APPROACHING! YOUR FLEX DOLLARS ARE EXPIRING!
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2011
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2010
1805 El Camino Real, Palo Alto | 650.324.3937 | www.luxpaloalto.com
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OPENINGS New Year’s Eve -1/2
(Century 16, Century 20) Back in the 1970s, Irwin Allen produced disaster movies packed with random stars, meaning you could see an adventure flick with Paul Newman, Fred Astaire and O.J. Simpson. This economic model is back with a vengeance, and though Garry Marshall’s “New Year’s Eve� (like “Valentine’s Day� before it) is a romantic comedy, somehow the word “disaster� still comes to mind. Is it me or is Hollywood making movies on dares now? How else to explain all-star weirdness like Al Pacino being wooed by Adam Sandler in drag in “Jack and Jill,� or “New Year’s Eve�’s nutty, chaste anti-romance between a shuckin’ and jivin’ Zac Efron and dowdy cougar Michelle Pfeiffer? Has the world gone crazy? Perhaps director Marshall is crazy like a fox. On the evidence of “Valentine’s Day,� “New Year’s Eve� is likely to pack ‘em in. I mean who wouldn’t want to see Ashton Kutcher and Lea Michele (“Glee�) stuck in an elevator, “SNL�’s Seth Meyers tangle with German superstar Til Schweiger, and the apocalyptic signifier of a movie whose mix-n-match cast includes Robert De Niro, Hilary Swank, Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jon Bon Jovi, Halle Berry, Ryan Seacrest, Sofia Vergara and at least one New Kid on the Block (and that’s just for starters)? What are you, un-American? The plots of “New Year’s Eve� concern the occasion’s hive-like activity in Manhattan during the hours before midnight. As De Niro lies dying (tended to by Berry), Abigail Breslin frets over an anticipated first kiss, Efron ticks items off Pfeiffer’s bucket list to score masquerade-ball tickets, Duhamel strives to make it in time to a romantic rendezvous a
la “An Affair to Remember,� Heigl makes ex Bon Jovi work to get back in her good graces, parents compete to have the first New Year’s baby, and Swank nervously supervises the repair of the Times Square Ball. I tell ya, I haven’t heard this much talk about ball-dropping since the junior high locker room. The crass sentimental manipulation of this “Hallmark Hall of Shame� is all part of the bargain, the audience fully expecting to laugh, cry and kiss 12 bucks goodbye. “Let’s remember to be nice to each other,� says Swank. “And not just tonight, but all year long.� Well, who would argue with that? Returning from “Valentine’s Day� are screenwriter Katherine Fugate and, in new roles, Kutcher, Jessica Biel and amusing cameo players Larry Miller and Hector Elizondo (Marshall’s good-luck charm). Fugate follows her own rigid formula of “unexpected� connections linking characters across storylines. In terms of sophistication, it’s the movie equivalent of eight romance novels. Efron’s character describes the hot-ticket party as “like Facebook, but real.� Switch “made up� for “real,� and you’ve summed up the pretty but dumb “New Year’s Eve.�
Rated PG-13 for language including some sexual references. One hour, 58 minutes. — Peter Canavese
NOW PLAYING The following is a sampling of movies recently reviewed in the Weekly: The Artist --(Palo Alto Square) Any filmgoer undaunted by something a little different will surely walk out of this brand-new silent film with a big, goofy grin. Though this pastiche has been crafted by film nerds and largely for them, Michel Hazanavicius’ feature has an emotional generosity that speaks louder than words. Opening in 1927, “The Artist� begins with a premiere of the latest silent film starring the dashing George Valentin (Jean Dujardin). When Valentin stumbles into a photo op with a girl named Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), the ground for a relationship is paved. Plucked from obscurity, Peppy sees her star begins to rise in direct proportion to George’s fall, precipitated by the arrival of talkies and the market crash of 1929. Writer-director Hazanavicius mostly steers clear of comparisons to the era’s epics and great screen comics, instead inhabiting the more manageable territory of melodrama. The acting is inventive, and the film joyously celebrates the movies. Rated PG-13 for a disturbing image and a crude gesture. One hour, 41 minutes. — Peter Canavese (Reviewed Dec. 2, 2011)
father troubleshooting domestic and business concerns in a Hawaii he drily notes is not the “paradise� mainlanders imagine. King’s petulance derives mostly from his wife being in a coma due to a boating accident, and his inability to do anything about it. As a father, he’s clumsy at best; by pampering 10-year-old Scottie (Amara Miller), Matt hopes to distract her from her mother’s decline. No such trickery works on 17-year-old Alexandra (Shailene Woodley), a borderline delinquent who won’t be handled. Matt’s business issue involves
his role as trustee of his family’s ancestral land: 25,000 pristine acres in Kauai that will bring the Kings a pretty penny if they can agree on a buyer. As this subplot lingers in the background, Matt becomes obsessed with a third concern: investigating a secret about his wife that surfaces early in the picture. Three guesses as to what that might be, but it provides the excuse for the Kings to island-hop and family-bond in search of closure about Mom. Rated PG for some mild rude humor. One hour, 38 minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed Nov. 25, 2011)
30% OFF Decorate Your Garden for the Holidays!
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The Descendants --1/2 (Aquarius, Century 20) George Clooney plays Matt King, a lawyer and hapless
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Introducing Your Style, Your Fri 12/9 Sat 12/10 Sun & Mon 112/11-12/12
The Artist -1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30, 7:45, 9:00, 10:10 The Artist -1:30, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30, 7:45, 9:00, 10:10 The Artist -1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30, 7:45
Tues Only 12/13 The Artist -1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 7:45 Wed & Thurs The Artist -1:30, 2:45, 4:00, 5:15, 6:30, 7:45 12/14-13/15
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NEIGHBORHOOD Our Apartment Homes.
Welcome to Webster house, Palo Alto’s most gracious senior living community, now a member of the not-for-proďŹ t organization that owns and operates Canterbury Woods, Los Gatos Meadows, Lytton Gardens, San Francisco Towers, Spring Lake Village, and St. Paul’s Towers. Here, you’ll enjoy the rare combination of ideal location, dedicated staff, amenities, and services, all within walking distance of downtown Palo Alto, where you’ll ďŹ nd a mix of shops, restaurants, and art galleries. You’ll also ďŹ nd peace of mind and a welcoming community offering the advantages of continuing care. To learn more, or for your personal visit, please call 650.327.4333.
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Sports Shorts
COACHING CORNER . . . The Palo Alto Babe Ruth baseball program has openings for head coaches and team managers for the spring 2012 season. Tryouts will be in late January 2012. Those interested should contact the league at pabr.baseball@gmail.com. For more details, go to www.pababeruth.org.
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Local sports news and schedules, edited by Keith Peters
Palo Alto senior Caroline Martin (8) and her volleyball teammates celebrate a second straight CIF Division I state championship after rallying from a 13-7 deficit in the fifth set to overtake Marymount of Los Angeles on Saturday night. The Vikings finished the season 36-3 and ranked No. 1 in the state.
It’s Palo Alto times two for titles STANFORD SOCCER
GIRLS’ VOLLEYBALL
Paly graduate Noyola scores NCAA winner
Viking girls win a second state crown
by Rick Eymer
by Keith Peters
ith one little tap of her forehead, Palo Alto High grad Teresa Noyola gave the Stanford women’s soccer team its first lead in an NCAA championship contest. That goal was all the top-ranked and top-seeded Cardinal needed to win its first national soccer title. “You don’t get that many opportunities at this stage,” Noyola said. “Camille (Levin) played a great ball and that shows how connected we are. I knew exactly what she was going to do.” Stanford topped Duke, 1-0, on Sunday at Kennesaw State and then celebrated as years of frustration melted away. The senior class finally did it, after four straight trips to the Women’s College Cup. “This win caps off four tremendous years at Stanford,” said Cardinal coach Paul Ratcliffe. “The last four years this team has been incredible, and they’re shown such great character to have all those setbacks and come back and fight through and achieve our goal of winning a national championship.”
he final official team function for the Palo Alto High girls’ volleyball team was to watch a replay of the 2011 CIF Division I state championship match on Wednesday. Some of the players said they were a little apprehensive at watching themselves again. After all, they already knew the outcome — a dramatic five-set victory over Marymount on Saturday at Concordia University in Irvine. While emotions were played out on the floor during the final moments of the match and in the post-match celebration, those same emotions likely surfaced once again on Wednesday as all the highs and lows of Palo Alto historic second straight state title played out. Sure, there would be smiles and laughter, but also some tears. For the Palo Alto seniors, their monumental two-year run not only put the program on the national map with top-10 national rankings, but brought an end to their prep ca-
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Steven Limentani/isiphotos.com
VOLLEYBALL HONORS . . . Stanford sophomores Rachel Williams and Carly Wopat have been named to the All-Pacific Region Team by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The pair was listed among the top 14 players on Tuesday in arguably the nation’s most competitive region. It is the first career region honors for both Williams and Wopat. Players listed in the top 14 are now in contention to become 2011 AVCA All-Americans. Eleven of the 14 players selected in the Pacific Region hail from the Pac12 Conference.
Sports
Jann Hendry/MaxPreps.com
OAKS’ NOTES . . . Gunn High grad Sam Zipperstein has been all-league in both soccer and baseball. Now he can say he’s an All-American. Zipperstein, a senior defender at Menlo College, was named an NAIA All-American honorable mention Monday along with Oaks’ junior goalkeeper Alex Palomarez. “The coaching staff and program are really happy and proud of the two players,” Menlo coach Mike Keller said. “They worked hard all year and were outstanding in all of our games. I’m glad they were recognized on the national level.” Both players were instrumental in helping the Oaks win the Cal Pac Conference championship and qualify for the program’s first trip to the NAIA national tournament. Palomarez has been previously honored as the Cal Pac Conference Player of the Year after receiving the conference Defensive Player of the Week recognition on five different occasions. He was also recognized as the NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week award in mid-October. Zipperstein had also earned an AllConference spot as his 11 assists put him in the top 20 in the nation . . . Menlo College senior Tim Tatum was named Cal Pac Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in helping the Oaks beat Academy of Art last weekend at venerable Kezar Pavilion in San Francisco. Tatum scored 29 points and had seven rebounds against the NCAA Division II team. In women’s basketball, Menlo College freshman Laurel Donnenwirth earned Cal Pac Conference Player of the Week honors after averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds as the Oaks split two games at the Slugs Classic hosted by UC Santa Cruz.
Palo Alto High grad Teresa Noyola celebrates her winning goal in the NCAA finals with Kristy Zurmuhlen coming to join her.
(continued on next page)
Volleyball
Palo Alto volleyball coaches and players pose with the CIF Division I state championship trophy after the Vikings rallied from a 13-7 deficit in the final set to overtake Marymount and win a second straight state title. Paly’s Melanie Wade (19) was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship match.
Jane Gee
Members of the Palo Alto volleyball team get some extra TV time after winning their second straight state championship on Saturday. spective, the Xcellent 25 and Fab 50 rankings picked LaVista South of Papillion, Neb., as their No. 1 team in the nation. Nevertheless, Palo Alto was regarded in all the polls as one of the nation’s best and the No. 1 team in California. The Vikings appeared that way on Saturday as they took control after winning the first two sets convincingly, but quickly looked in trouble when Marymount (33-5) rallied to deadlock the match and send it to a deciding fifth set. The Sailors, who won the SoCal title up by upending top-seeded Los Alamitos, appeared on their way to victory by grabbing a 13-7 lead in the final set. Marymount, however, made two mistakes with a net violation and hitting long and it was 13-9. Martin, who had a standout effort with 10 kills, scored off a block and then produced a stuff block and it was 13-11. Kuppe, who served backto-back aces to win last year’s state
title, came up with a huge ace and Wade followed with a kill for a 1313 match. Wade got kill No. 25 for a 14-13 lead before Marymount tied it at 14. A service error gave Paly a 15-14 lead but a block tied the match at 15. That’s when Wade got kill No. 26 and the Sailors’ standout freshman Bedart-Ghani, inexplicably set three times over more veteran teammates during Paly’s run, sailed a kill attempt way long and Palo Alto began a well-deserved celebration. Despite going 41-1 last year and losing two senior starters, Winn believed this year’s squad was even better. He had eight seniors and plenty of veteran experience, which surfaced in a big way Saturday when it counted most. In addition to Wade, Kuppe produced 16 kills while fellow seniors Martin and Jackie Koenig contributed in key moments. Senior setter Kimmy Whitson had some problems with double contacts throughout the
Jane Gee
reers. Even head coach Dave Winn had a hard time believing what had happened days after the achievement. “I’m still at a loss for words,” he said. “Did it really happen? I’m afraid someone’s going to call me and ask for the trophy back, due to some technicality.” No, the 2011 state championship trophy is safe and probably sitting right next to the one Paly captured in 2010 while finishing off a remarkable 41-1 season. In two seasons, the Palo Alto girls reached the highest of highs while bringing the program a firstever Central Coast Section title, first NorCal crown and first-ever state championship. The Vikings finished their magical run with a 21-game win streak and a 77-4 record. No team in the 100-plus years of Palo Alto athletics ever produced such a remarkable two-year effort. “This state championship was just as special as last year,” said Winn, who won his 200th match at Paly with the state title secured. He is 200-36 in six seasons with the Vikings. Last month, Winn won the 300th match of his coaching career. “Last year’s win will forever be our first and most memorable in program history. “This year, we fought through the challenge of being the target of every team we faced, and came out on top in 36 of 39 matches. Again, we seemed to enter the state final as an underdog and started out with a resounding first-set win. But, we also encountered plenty of resistance and an insanely huge comeback win.” The state finale provided a roller coaster of emotions as NorCal No. 1-seeded Palo Alto defeated SoCal No. 2-seeded Marymount, 25-17, 25-23, 22-25, 20-25, 17-15. Palo Alto senior Melanie Wade had 27 kills and was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship match. She got her final kill to put the Vikings on top 16-15 in the final set, with the match decided when Marymount (Los Angeles) freshman Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani hit wide to end the match. Palo Alto seniors Maddie Kuppe and Caroline Martin were named to the AllChampionship Team. “The 2011 Paly squad is a once-ina-few-decades kind of team,” Winn said. “They all truly know how to leave it all out on the court and give everything for their teammates. We had 16 on the roster (including eight seniors) and even though only eight or nine saw some regular court time, they all cheered for each other no matter what. They get what it means to put team goals ahead of personal agendas. And that’s why we were able to achieve great things.” The state title elevated Palo Alto to a No.1 national spot in the MaxPreps Freeman computer rankings. In the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Volleyball Rankings, the Vikings were No. 11. Paly also finished No. 9 nationally in the ESPNRise Powerade Fab 50 and was No. 30 in the country in the prepvolleyball.com poll, regarded as the nation’s authoritative source on prep volleyball. Paly was ranked No. 10 nationally last year by prepvolleyball.com. To put the No. 1 ranking into per-
Jann Hendry/MaxPreps.com
(continued from previous page)
Palo Alto seniors Maddie Kuppe (left) and Melanie Wade closed out a remarkable two-year run with back-to-back state titles. two sets the Vikings lost but was solid when it counted while producing 45 assists. Junior libero Shelby Knowles also came up big in spots as the Vikings closed out the most successful two-year performance in school history. Paly’s other seniors who contributed to the team’s success were Tiffany Tsung, Ashley Shin and Ally Kron. The state title was the fifth in Paly school history. The boys’ basketball program won crowns in 1993 and 2006 and the football team won its state title in 2010. “The bus ride home was incredibly fun,” said Winn, whose team was exhausted after the five-set
match that started an hour late, dealing with post-match interviews and finally getting to a team meeting at 1 a.m. “I felt almost like I did when I was with my high school wrestling team, coming home from a big match victory. “We were all celebrating the moment, singing at the top of our lungs and enjoying life. We always talk about taking ‘mental snapshots’ during big moments of the season, since these are the vivid memories we’ll tuck away in our brains and recall the detail while the rest of the context falls away. Needless to say, we made a huge scrapbook of mental memories for the season!” N
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Sports
NCAA soccer
STANFORD FOOTBALL
(continued from page 24)
Busy week for Luck on the awards circuit Cardinal QB could win as many as five national honors after already being named Unitas Golden Arm Award winner by Rick Eymer
I
Steven Limentani/isiphotos.com
“Since we lost last year we have been working so hard for this,” added Levin, one of four seniors. “I’ve never been on a team that worked so hard for each other and wanted to win for each other like we did this year.” Levin’s brilliant crossing pass from just outside the penalty box near the end line set up Noyola’s soaring header inside the near post. It was Stanford’s first score in a championship game following 1-0 losses the past two seasons. The Cardinal also dropped a 1-0 contest in the semifinals when Noyola and Levin were freshmen. “The confidence I felt before this game wasn’t there before,” Levin said. “I think that was a huge factor.” Stanford earned its 102nd NCAA team title and extended to 36 years its consecutive year streak of at least one NCAA team crown. “What I feel right now is such thankfulness to my teammates that we finally did it,” said Noyola, who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. “This team deserves it. We’ve worked extremely hard.” Stanford seniors Noyola, Levin, Kristy Zurmuhlen and Castilleja grad Lindsay Taylor finished their college careers with a record of 95-4-4, including a 53-0-1 mark at home and a 25-0-1 record just this season. The seniors’ last three losses came in a 2008 national semifinal to Notre Dame, to North Carolina in the 2009 championship match and to Notre Dame in last year’s final. Noyola scored in the 53rd minute after Levin won a ball at the goal line about eight yards right of the goal. She crossed to the far post, where Noyola headed it from one yard. “I went to cross it initially and the girl slid,” Levin said. “I got up as fast as I could. I saw someone run into the box but I wasn’t exactly sure where she was and I just tried to get it in there.” The Blue Devils had two players on Levin when she was tackled. “I think we had two players on the ball wide. The ball popped out right to her feet so she had a second look at a service,” Duke keeper Tara Campbell said. “It was perfectly placed back side. I got across my goal and I think I covered up as much of it as I could and Noyola put it in the corner.” Duke (22-4-1) had several scoring opportunities after that. Stanford (25-0-1) carried action in the first half with seven shots, three on goal, while Stanford goalkeeper Emily Oliver did not have to make a save on the Blue Devils’ five wild shots. “We haven’t played a team that played their style all year,” Duke’s Laura Weinburg said. “Their center backs get forward and their outside backs are great players. Their two center backs are also great players. I think we did get some good looks, but props to their defense they played a great game.” The Blue Devils out-shot Stanford 9-5 in the second half and, al-
Stanford keeper Emily Oliver made key saves in the final and was named the Most Valuable Defensive Player of the NCAA tournament. though Oliver had to make just two saves, they were both on legitimate chances. “We were close a couple of times,” Duke coach Robbie Church said. “Emily Oliver played fantastic. She made two big-time saves.” Oliver was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Defensive Player. Weinburg just missed a shot two minutes later for Duke, and forward Kelly Cobb sent a line drive at goal in the 78th minute from about 25 yards only to have Oliver leap and tip it over the cross bar. “She’s very mobile,” Church said of Oliver. “She’s one of the best at controlling the top part of the box. If you play any straight balls at all, she’s going to come up. She supports her back four really well. “The ball that Kaitlyn Kerr hit, that was a big-time save,” Church said. “I thought that was in the corner and she pushed it over. I was very impressed.” Oliver seemed to play better under the pressure of the final 20 minutes. “It was the longest 20 minutes of my life,” Oliver said. “I think it’s a stage that we’ve been before. The whole team handled it well. I think we played a really smart last 20 minutes.” Palo Alto High grad Alex Kershner is a freshman reserve goalkeeper at Duke. Stanford has not lost since 2006 when it scored a goal, a record of 123-0-5 that dates to a game against Wake Forest early in the 2006 season.
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Noyola, Taylor are up for soccer honor astilleja grad Lindsay Taylor and Palo Alto grad Teresa Noyola have shared their lives growing up on the local soccer fields. Now seniors at Stanford, they share a national title, 95 college wins and now both have been named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s highest honor. The former youth club teammates are among 15 still in the running for the Missouri Athletic Club award. Three finalists will be announced on Friday and voted on by NCAA Division I head coaches. The finalists will be invited to the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis for the awards announcement on Jan. 6. N
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The Cardinal became just the second Pac-12 team to win a national title. “I’m really proud we broke through and won the national championship,” said Ratcliffe, who finished his ninth season. “Stanford has a tradition of excellence in athletics and academics, so we want to keep that going on the soccer stage. So I’m really proud. Now, the pressure’s on and we have to keep this rolling.” N
f Andrew Luck was so inclined, he would never have needed a publicist for his campaign to win the Heisman Trophy, which will be announced Saturday on ESPN some time after 5 p.m. Luck is one of five finalists up for the award along with Wisconsin running back Montee Ball, Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, and LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu. One requirement for the Heisman is that “winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.” The voters include 870 media representatives from six regions across the country, every living Heisman winner, and one overall fan vote through a promotion. There are at least two straw votes, taken from a survey of Heisman voters, which predict Griffin winning the award with Luck second. Luck avoids any such Heisman talk as if it was a blitzing safety and defers to his teammates in all things Stanford football. He is more inclined to speak glowingly of guys like Menlo-Atherton grad Sam Knapp, the walk-on wide receiver who will be participating in his third bowl game as a Cardinal on Jan. 2 in the Fiesta Bowl, against Oklahoma State, in Glendale, Ariz., just west of Phoenix. Luck just won’t promote himself in any way, shape or form. He was happier talking about Owen Marecic’s 10th-place showing in last year’s Heisman voting than his own runner-up finish. It’s a good thing his teammates aren’t as shy about publicity. Stanford linebacker Jared Lancaster was once asked what was different about Luck this year from last year. “I don’t know,” he slyly said. “He’s still perfect.” Luck’s best ally is Stanford safety Michael Thomas, who grew up in Houston, not far from the Luck household, and watched him develop, as a rival, from his earliest stages into the quarterback who led Stanford to a 23-2 record over the past two seasons. “When we were being recruited, and just from watching some of the guys who were up for the award then, to me he was better than any of the guys who were being talked about,” said Thomas, who was a high school quarterback. “I don’t believe in all the hype, but I honestly thought he could win the Heisman Trophy some day. I knew his character. He’s a natural born leader who will be great wherever he goes.” Thomas and Luck also competed against each other in basketball and Thomas once acknowledged he committed to Stanford when he found out Luck was also headed there.
“More important than being in a BCS bowl game is being able to come back and practice another month with your guys,” Luck said. “Obviously winning adds to it, but being with the guys makes it special.” It’s already been a busy week for Stanford football players in respect to postseason accolades, including Luck, who will pick up his Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award on Friday night in Baltimore before heading to New York for the Heisman announcement. Luck also was scheduled to be in Lake Buena Vista (Fla.) for the naming of the Camp, Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards. The Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors. Luck was joined by fellow finalists Griffin, Richardson, Mathieu and Houston quarterback Case Keenum. Finalists for the Maxwell Award for the Collegiate Player of the Year also include Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and Richardson. Griffin, Keenum and Luck are up for the Davey O’Brien Award, presented annually to the nationís best college quarterback. Stanford offensive lineman David DeCastro joined Luck in Lake Buena Vista for Thursday’s announcement of the Outland Trophy winner, awarded to the best interior lineman in college football by the Football Writers Association of America. DeCastro was joined by fellow finalists Alabama offensive tackle Barrett Jones and Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still. Cardinal receiver Griff Whalen has his own trip scheduled, to Springdale, Ark., for the Burlsworth Trophy ceremony. The trophy honors the most outstanding college player who started his career as a walk-on. Southern Mississippi quarterback Austin Davis and odds-on favorite Houston receiver Patrick Edwards are also finalists. Georgia Tech lineman Sean Bedford won the inaugural award last year. Stanford coach David Shaw, meanwhile, was named one of five regional FBS coaches of the year by the American Football Coaches Association, and is now a finalist for national coach of the year. Shaw attended Thursday’s event in Florida and will join Luck in Baltimore and New York. Also up for national honors are Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason, a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, named for the top collegiate assistant; Pep Hamilton, one of three finalists for the Football Scoop Quarterbacks Coach of the Year; and Brian Polian, one of MaxPreps’ six assistants of the year. N
Sports
Soccer keeps Robinson out of national cross country by Keith Peters arah Robinson became only the third Gunn girl in school history to qualify for the Foot Locker National Championships in cross country next weekend in San Diego. Unlike her predecessors, however, Robinson will not be competing. Robinson finished fourth in the Girls’ Seeded Race at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships West Regional on Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, clocking 18:11 over the 5,000-meter (3.1 miles) course. She earned one
S
Sarah Robinson
of the 10 qualifying spots for nationals at San Diego’s Balboa Park this coming Saturday. Robinson will be in the San Diego area this weekend, but the sophomore will be in Chula Vista with the U.S. Soccer U17 National Team at a week-long training camp that begins Saturday. Said Gunn assistant coach Ernie Lee: “There was just too much overlap between Foot Locker activities and the training camp to allow her to do both (despite only four miles separating the two sites). So, Sarah will actually miss a week of school
and whatever Gunn (soccer) games that are scheduled for that week.” Robinson followed in the footsteps of Gunn grads Ruth Graham (2001) and Tori Tyler (2004) in qualifying for nationals, but her fourth-place finish was the highest of the three. “Sarah ran an awesome race today,” said Gunn head coach Matt Tompkins. “It was great to see her beat, and compete, against some of the top girls in the country.” Added Lee: “She ran a tactically perfect race. She was always in good position (about 20th at the mile, seventh at the halfway point, and up to
fourth after 2.5 miles). “This was even better than her race at CCS and considerably better than her state meet performance. She even said that it felt easier than her race last weekend (state meet), even though she was running nearly as fast on a much tougher course.” Robinson was the No. 2 finisher from California, with the No. 1 girl being eventual winner Karlie Garcia of Roseville, who 17:46. Robinson was also the fastest sophomore. Priory senior Kat Gregory finished 38th in 19:24. N
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The standout senior had 17 kills and five blocks in a NorCal volleyball championship win over M-A before adding 27 kills to pace the Vikings to a five-set victory in the CIF Division I state title match.
The senior averaged 16 points and four steals in four basketball games, including a 23-point, five-steal effort in the semifinals, to pace the Panthers to a 4-0 finish and the championship of the Redwood Classic.
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Palo Alto basketball
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Castilleja basketball
Menlo-Atherton basketball
Sarah Robinson*
Solomone Wolfgramm
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Kimmy Whitson*
Pinewood basketball
Alec Wong
Palo Alto volleyball
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Sports
Palo Alto and M-A will have some rebuilding to do Both football teams lose the bulk of their offensive attacks after falling in Central Coast Section championship games by Keith Peters
in school history. hey won a combined 19 games He’ll have the Gates-Mouton this season and advanced all twins back for one more season — the way to their respective Jayshawn and Justin. After that, it’ll Central Coast Section champion- be up to the JV squad grads. ship games before seeing their seaProtecting Chryst is another issue. sons end in losses. The Vikings’ veteran line had a hard The Palo Alto and Menlo-Ather- time doing that against Bellarmine ton football teams have something as Chryst suffered numerous sacks else in common, too. (for a minus 22 yards) and hurries. The Vikings are losing 20 seniors It also didn’t help that seven passes off their 10-3 squad that dropped were dropped and that two others a 41-13 decision to Bellarmine in were intercepted. the CCS Open DiviThe Bells were able sion final on Dec. 2 at to pressure Chryst beSan Jose City College. cause they were able to The Bears are losing shut down the Vikings’ 19 seniors off a 9-4 running game, which team that lost to Serra, netted just 44 yards. 42-21, in the CCS DiThis was not the vision I title game at same Bellarmine team Terra Nova High in that Paly beat, 35-0, in Pacifica on Dec. 3. last year’s CCS Open While each team Division final. Nor has a nucleus to build was this the same around, clearly there Palo Alto team that is a lot of rebuilding compiled that recordto do. breaking 14-0 mark in Palo Alto, for ex2010. ample, is losing its Paly’s B.J. Boyd Not only did the top scorer and wide Bells avenge that dereceiver in B.J. Boyd. He caught 36 feat, but they used it to finish 12-1 passes for 1,109 yards and scored 25 and likely earn a berth in the CIF touchdowns via running, receiving Division I state bowl playoff game and kickoff returns. — which Paly won last season. In the loss to Bellarmine, Boyd Palo Alto simply could not stop showed his explosiveness by return- Bellarmine senior quarterback Traing a kickoff 98 yards to put the vis McHugh, who rushed for 208 Vikings in front, 7-6. But by the yards on 20 carries and accounted time he caught a 48-yard TD pass for four touchdowns while having a to close the scoring, the game was hand in 29 of his team’s 41 points. long over. The Paly defense had no answer Gone, too, will be the Vikings’ for the Bell’s double-wing offense leading rusher in Dre Hill (175 car- as it gave up a total of 402 yards — ries, 1,078 yards) and No. 2 rusher 334 on the ground. McHugh had 138 in Morris Gates-Mouton. And say yards rushing and three touchdowns goodbye to linemen Michael Lyz- in the first half when the Bells wa, Tory Prati, Sam Moses, Chris grabbed a 27-7 lead. Ramirez, Chris Martinez plus de“We had high hopes going into the fenders like Brennan Miller, Gabe season, obviously, because our sucLanda, Nathan Hubbard and Austin cess last year,� said senior linebackBraff. er Brennan Miller. “We had a good With the exception season, but it sucks to of Braff, all had a hand end it like this.� in Palo Alto’s successM e n l o -A t h e r t o n ful two-year run that probably had similar saw the Vikings go thoughts after falling 24-3 and win a state to Serra in the Divititle. sion I finale. The topWhile this year’s seeded Padres (11-2) team recorded only the won their first section eighth double-digit win title in 21 years by season in 101 years of running for 380 yards playing football, seven against the secondhave come under Hanseeded Bears. sen during his 24 years M e n l o -A t h e r t o n at Paly and six have actually scored first come during the past when senior rundecade as the Vikings M-A’s Taylor Mashack ning back Cameron have gone 96-28-2. Moody tallied an 11The question now is how to keep yard touchdown on the Bears’ first the success going? Has the cupboard series. been left bare? Serra answered with a 45-yard Hansen will have 23 players back, touchdown run by senior quarterincluding standout sophomore quar- back Joey Erdie, but the Bears reterback Keller Chryst. In his first mained tough in the second quarter season with the varsity after trans- when senior cornerback Max Culferring from North Carolina, Chryst hane picked off Erdie and took M-A completed 112 of 224 passes for to the Serra 12. The Bears scored 2,168 yards and 27 touchdowns with on their first play after the turnover only 11 interceptions. At 6-foot-3 when senior quarterback Willy Foand 215 pounds, Chryst has the size, nua threw a 12-yard touchdown pass arm strength and apparent durability to junior wide receiver Evan Perkins to be one of the finest quarterbacks to go into the half tied at 21.
T
M-A committed several key mistakes in the third quarter that turned out to change the course of the game, shifting the momentum to Serra. The Bears were whistled for five penalties totaling 40 yards in the third quarter. There also were several bad snaps from center in the shotgun formation that Fonua had to chase down, resulting in tackles for losses by Serra. “You gotta tip your hat to a team like that,� said M-A coach Sione
Ta’ufo’ou. “They played well — mistake-free football — and we made some mistakes.� Menlo-Atherton will lose the heart of its offense — Fonua at quarterback plus the running back tandem of Moody and Taylor Mashack, each of whom rushed for more than 1,000 yards this season. Placekicker/punter Sam Falkenhagen will be a big loss as will the versatile Dustin Nascimento plus receivers Richard Cornew and Cul-
L U C I L E PA C K A R D
hane. Two-way players like Luke Pinkston, Ricky Vea, and Connor Sweetnam will be hard to replace. Ta’ufo’ou, does return a number of key linemen like Tom Bucka and Nicky Mullen but 2012 will be an interesting third season for Ta’ufo’ou as he pieces together a lineup he hopes will keep the Bears competitive and a playoff contender.N (Andrew Preimesberger contributed)
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Sports
GIRLS’ DIVISION II Most Valuable Player: Pippa Temple (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.
BOYS’ DIVISION I Most Valuable Player: Mitchell Hamilton (Bellarmine) Sr. First Team Peter Simon (St. Francis) Sr.; Matt Godar (Bellarmine) Sr.; Patrick Goodenough (St. Francis) Sr.; Aaron Lim (Mountain View) Sr.; Cory McGee (St. Francis) Jr.; Chase Schaaf (Bellarmine) Sr.; Jacob Ley (Leland) Sr.; Aaron Zelinger (Palo Alto) Sr.; David Petroni (Bellarmine) Sr. goalie Second Team Max Wilder (Menlo-Atherton) Sr.; Evin Wieser (Los Gatos) Sr.; Joey Wall (Bellarmine) Sr.; Paul Swellman (Serra) Sr.; Joe O’Brien (Pioneer) Jr.; Morgan Olson-Fabbro (Menlo-Atherton) Jr.; Nick Naruns (St. Francis) Sr.; Cameron Yates (Monta Vista) Sr.; Matthew Bucter (Leland) Jr.; Alex Gow (Menlo-Atherton) Sr. goalie Honorable Mention Anthony Buljan (Serra) Jr.; Russell Blockhus (Mountain View) Jr.; Brian Bligh (Woodside) Sr.; Gavin Kerr (Gunn) Sr.; Scott Keighley (Leland) Sr.; Michael Magee (Mountain View) Jr.; Peter Rockhold (Palo Alto) Sr.; Con O’Leary (Serra) Sr.; Ryhan Klaus (St. Francis) Sr.; Tanner Sarpa (Leland) Sr.; Olec Koujikon (Mountain View) Sr. BOYS’ DIVISION II Most Valuable Player: Max Schell (Soquel) Sr. First Team Harrison Enright (Sacred Heart Prep) So.; Matt Orton (Los Altos) Sr.; Nick Hale (Menlo School) Sr.; Adam Warmoth (Los Altos) Sr.; Brad Haaland (Menlo School) Sr.; Michael Holloway (Sacred Heart Prep) Jr.; Shawn Welch (Mitty) So.; Danny Buzzetta (Valley Christian) Sr.; Will Runkel (Sacred Heart Prep) Jr. goalie Second Team Cullen Raisch (Soquel) Sr.; Ben Pickard (Aptos) Sr.; Kyle Koenig (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.; Ian McColl (Los Altos) Jr.; Max Draga (Soquel) Jr.; Zach Churukian (Sacred Heart Prep) Jr.; Sam Lisbon (Los Altos) So.; Jack Lucas (Menlo School) Sr.; Ben Price (Carmel) Sr. goalie; Connor Dillon (Menlo School) Sr. goalie Honorable Mention Akshay Ramachandram (Harker) Sr.; Victor Stolle (Mitty) Sr.; Alexander Carlisle (Menlo School) Jr.; Paul Bergevin (Los Altos) Jr.; Max McKelvy (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.; Carmen Martino (Valley Christian) Sr.; Jeff DaRas (Mitty) Sr.; Brad Hinrichs (Mit-
First Team Lexi Mueschen (Soquel) Sr. goalie; Mackenzie O’Holleran (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.; Nicole Larsen (Los Altos) Sr. goalie; Charlotte Pratt (Burlingame) Sr.; Olivia Santiago (Los Altos) Sr.; Katy Schaefer (Los Altos) Sr.; Erin Sheridan (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.; Kate Staskus (Valley Christian) Sr.; Carla Tocchini (St. Ignatius) Jr.
Paly’s Aaron Zelinger ty) Sr.; Zack Westervelt (Soquel) Sr.; Ian Wreckler (Aptos) Sr. goalie; Brian Roush (Valley Christian) So. goalie GIRLS’ DIVISION I Most Valuable Player: Samantha Murphy (Leland) Sr. First Team Elizabeth Anderson (Gunn) Sr.; Ashley Arras (Leland) Sr. goalie; Courtney Batcheller (St. Francis) So.; Skylar Dorosin (Palo Alto) Sr.; Nikole Ferrari (St. Francis) Sr.; Kingsley Hill (Pioneer) Sr.; Halle Nestler (Los Gatos) Sr.; Jamie Nolan (Leland) Jr.; Marie Popp (Menlo-Atherton) Sr.
Second Team Carrie Beyer (Los Altos) Sr.; Maddie Casciaro (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.; Kristen Hench (Presentation) Sr. goalie; Allie Loomis (Santa Catalina) Sro.; Kelly Moran (Sacred Heart Prep) So. Goalie; Maya Read (Sobrato) So.; Clara Rudolph (Sacred Heart Prep) Sr.; Olivia Sanders (St. Ignatius) Jr.; Jillian Tarr (Soquel) Jr.; Kira Tomlinson (Burlingame) Jr. Honorable Mention Keri Clifford (Harker) Jr.; Ilana Crankshaw (Menlo School) Sr.; Dana DeLucchi (Notre Dame-Belmont) Sr. goalie; Sam Gembala (Sequoia) Jr. goalie; Alexandra Gomes (Mercy-Burlingame) Sr.; Cami Kellogg (San Lorenzo Valley) Jr.; Monique Kerstens (Presentation) Sr.; Nicole Kramer (Valley Christian) Sr.; Jackie Mauldwin (Carmel) Jr.; Eve Okamura (Sobrato) Sr.; Torrey Ornelas (Aptos) Sr.; Michaela Parelius (Soquel) Jr.; Francesca Puccinelli (St. Ignatius) Jr.; Alex Scott (Santa Cruz) Sr.; Julia Thompson (Valley Christian) Sr. goalie.
Second Team Caroline Anderson (Gunn) So.; Cathy Cantoni (Mitty) Sr.; Michalle Dunn (Pioneer) Sr.; Emily Gran (Menlo-Atherton) Sr.; Alison Griffeth (Leland) Jr.; Brittany Krappe (Menlo-Atherton) Sr.; Allison Larko (Los Gatos) Jr.; Caitlin Schaffer (Hollister) Jr.; Katie-Rose Skelly (Gunn) Sr. goalie; Sami Strutner (St. Francis) So. Honorable Mention Christina Armstrong (Santa Teresa) Sr.; Missy Barr (Gunn) Sr.; Jessi Boyd (Santa Clara) Sr.; Danielle Flanagan (MenloAtherton) Sr.; Caitlin Jackson (Mitty) Sr.; Rebecca Koshy (Mitty) Jr.; Katherine Moore (St. Francis) So. Goalie; Eela Nagaraj (St. Francis) Jr.; Katie Peck (Leland) Jr.; Natalie Popescu (Lynbrook) Jr.; Shannon Scheel (Palo Alto) Sr.; Tina Samson (Leland) So.; Tegan Stanbach (St. Francis) Jr.; Ann Truong (Evergreen Valley) Jr.’ Gabby Whetstone (Santa Teresa) Jr. goalie.
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Published on Dec 9, 2011
Section 1 of the December edition of the Palo Alto Weekly
Published on Dec 9, 2011
Section 1 of the December edition of the Palo Alto Weekly