Palo Alto Weekly 04.05.2013 - Section 1 by Palo Alto Weekly

PaloAltoOnline.com

Vol. XXXIV, Number 27 N April 5, 2013

Should private developers pay for public art? Page 3

HAPPY TRAILS Michael Closson, Acterra’s executive director, steps down after 10 years Page 18

Spectrum 12

Title Pages 21

Movies 23

Living Well 33

Eating 42

Shop Talk 43

Puzzles 74

N Sports Splashy sand volleyball debut

Page 28

N Arts Capturing life on ‘Cancer Alley’

Page 38

N Home Greenwave: an intentional community

Page 45

G U I D E TO 2013 S U M M E R C A M P S F O R K I D S

For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at http://paloaltoonline.com/biz/summercamps/ To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210 YMCA of Silicon Valley

Academics Early Learning Camp Connection listing

Palo Alto

Write Now! Summer Writing Camps Emerson School of Palo Alto and Hacienda School of Pleasanton open their doors and offer their innovative programs: Expository Writing, Creative Writing, Presentation Techniques, and (new!) Test-Taking Skills. Call or visit our website for details. www.headsup.org

Emerson 650-424-1267 Hacienda 925-485-5750

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills

Two Six-Week Summer Sessions Beginning June 10. These sessions are perfect for university students returning from summer break who need to pick up a class; and high school juniors, seniors and recent graduates who want to get an early start. 12345 El Monte Rd. www.foothill.edu

650-949-7362

Harker Summer Programs

San Jose

K-12 offerings taught by exceptional, experienced faculty and staff. K-6 morning academics - focusing on math, language arts and science - and full spectrum of afternoon recreation. Grades 6-12 for-credit courses and non-credit enrichment opportunities. Sports programs also offered. www.summer.harker.org

408-553-0537

iD Tech Camps - Summer Tech Fun

Held at Stanford

Take interests further! Ages 7-17 create iPhone apps, video games, C++/ Java programs, movies, and more at weeklong, day and overnight programs held at Stanford and 60+ universities in 26 states. Also 2-week, teen-only programs: iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD Visual Arts Academy (filmmaking & photography). www.internalDrive.com

1-888-709-TECH (8324)

iD Teen Academies Gaming, Programming & Visual Arts

Stanford

Gain a competitive edge! Learn different aspects of video game creation, app development, filmmaking, photography, and more. 2-week programs where ages 13-18 interact with industry professionals to gain competitive edge. iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD Visual Arts Academy are held at Stanford, and other universities. www.iDTeenAcademies.com

1-888-709-TECH (8324)

ISTP’s Language Immersion Summer Camp

Palo Alto

ISTP Summer Camp is designed to give participants a unique opportunity to spend their summer break having fun learning or improving in a second language. Students are grouped according to both grade level and language of proficiency. Our camp offers many immersion opportunities and consists of a combination of language classes and activities taught in the target language. Sessions are available in French, Mandarin, Chinese and English ESL and run Monday through Friday, 8am-3:30pm, with additional extending care from 3:30-5:30pm. www.istp.org

650-251-8519

Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park

Menlo Park

Prevent Summer Brain Drain with Mathnasium Power Math Workouts. During the summer months, many students lose 2 to 2.5 months of math skills learned during the school year. Mathnasium of Palo Alto-Menlo Park is offering 8 and 16-Session Flexible Summer Passes which will keep your child’s math skills sharp and provide a boost for the school year ahead. Open to grades 1st - 10th grade. Summer Passes on sale now and expire Sept. 7, 2013. Center located at 605 A Cambridge Avenue, Menlo Park (next to the Oasis, one block north of Stanford Shopping Mall). www.mathnasium.com/paloalto-menlopark

650-321-6284

Professional Tutoring Services of Silicon Valley Los Altos Academic camps offering Algebra I & II, Geometry, and Spanish I to III, small groups. Great for review or preview. Three sessions starting June 24 through August 2. Perfect for junior high students taking high school level courses. Register online or call us: www.ptstutor.com/Summer2013.htm

650-948-5137

Stratford School - Camp Socrates 17 Bay Area Campuses Academic enrichment infused with traditional summer camp fun--that’s what your child will experience at Camp Socrates. Sessions begin June 24 and end August 9, with the option for campers to attend all seven weeks, or the first four (June 24-July 19). Full or half-day morning or afternoon programs are available. www.StratfordSchools.com/Summer

Summer at Saint Francis

650-493-1151

Mountain View

Summer at Saint Francis provides a broad range of academic and athletic programs for elementary through high school students. It is the goal of every program to make summer vacation enriching and enjoyable! www.sfhs.com/summer

TechKnowHow Computer & Lego Camps

650-968-1213 x446

Palo Alto Menlo Park/Sunnyvale

Fun and enriching technology classes for students, ages 5-14 Courses include LEGO and K’NEX Projects with Motors, Electronics, NXT Robotics, 3D Modeling, and Game Design. Many locations, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Sunnyvale. Half and all day options. Early-bird and multi-session discounts available. Www.techknowhowkids.com

650-638-0500

Peninsula

What makes Y camps different? We believe every child deserves the opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve. Y campers experience the outdoors, make new friends and have healthy fun in a safe, nurturing environment. They become more confident and grow as individuals, and they learn value in helping others. We offer day, overnight, teen leadership and family camps. Financial assistance is available. Get your summer camp guide at ymcasv.org/summer camp. Youth camps (ages 5 - 17) run June 17 - Aug. 16 . Half-day and full-day options. Fees vary. 1922 The Alameda 3rd Floor, San Jose www.ymcasv.org

408-351-6400

Arts, Culture, Other Camps Busy Bees & Astro Kids Summer Adventure Camps

Mountain View

Join us for these half-day camps designed for 3-8 year olds as we have fun, participate in games and crafts, and go on fun field trips! Mountain View Community Center, 201 S. Rengstorff Avenue http://mountainview.gov

Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA)

Mountain View

50+ creative camps for Gr. K-8! Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Musical Theater, School of Rock, Digital Arts, more! One- and two-week sessions; full and half-day enrollment. Extended care available. Financial aid offered. www.arts4all.org

DHF Wilderness Camps

650-917-6800 ext. 0

Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve

Children ages 6-14 can meet the livestock, help with farm chores, explore a wilderness preserve and have fun with crafts, songs and games. Older campers conclude the week with a sleepover at the Farm. Near the intersection of Hwy 85 and Hwy 280 mountainview.gov

Palo Alto

PAL offers morning and afternoon art camps in cartooning and comics, printmaking, glass fusing, mixed media and acrylic and watercolor painting for children 5-18 years. It is a great place to explore imagination and creativity in a supportive, encouraging and fun environment with a lot of personal attention. Scholarships are available. 227 Forest Avenue www.pacificartleague.org

650-321-3891

Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC)

Palo Alto

PACCC summer camps offer campers, grades kindergarten to 6th, a wide variety of fun opportunities! K-1 Fun for the youngest campers, Neighborhood Adventure Fun and Ultimate Adventure Fun for the more active and on-the-go campers! New this year: Sports Adventure Camp for those young athletes and Operation Chef for out of this world cooking fun! Swimming twice per week, periodic field trips, special visitors and many engaging camp activities, songs and skits round out the fun offerings of PACCC Summer Camps! Registration is online. Open to campers from all communities! Come join the fun in Palo Alto! 650-493-2361

Theatreworks Summer Camps

Palo Alto

In these entertaining camps for grades K-5, students enjoy juggling, clowning, puppetry, playwriting, acting, improvisation, music, and dance - present their own original pieces at the end of each session. www.theatreworks.org/learn/youth/camps

Western Ballet Children’s Summer Camp

650-493-7146

Mountain View

Students attend ballet class and rehearsal in preparation for the recital of either Peter Pan or The Little Mermaid at the end of the two week session. Separate Saturday classes are also offered. Ages 4-9. 914 N. Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View http://westernballet.org/documents/summerchildrens.html

Western Ballet Intermediate Summer Intensive

Mountain View

Students obtain high quality training in ballet, pointe, character, jazz, and modern dance, while learning choreography from the classical ballet Paquita. The students dance in featured roles in a final performance. Ages 9-12. Audition required 914 N. Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View http://westernballet.org/documents/summerpre-intermediate.html

Western Ballet Advanced Summer Intensive

Alan Margot’s Tennis Camps

Atherton

Alan Margot’s Tennis Camps provide an enjoyable way for your child to begin learning the game of tennis or to continue developing existing skills. Our approach is to create lots of fun with positive feedback and reinforcement in a nurturing tennis environment. Building self-esteem and confidence through enjoyment on the tennis court is a wonderful gift a child can keep forever! Super Juniors Camps, ages 3-6; Juniors Camps, ages 6-14. www.alanmargot-tennis.net

650-400-0464

City of Mountain View Recreation Division

Mountain View

Discover fun with us this summer through the many programs available with the City of Mountain View Recreation Division. From sports to traditional day camps, to cooking camps, dance camps and art camps... we have it all! Mountain View Community Center, 201 S. Rengstorff Avenue http://mountainview.gov

City of Mountain View Swim Lessons Rengstorff and Eagle Parks

Mountain View

Students obtain high quality training in ballet, pointe, character, jazz, and modern dance, while learning choreography from the classical ballet Paquita. The students dance in featured roles in a final performance. Ages 13-23. Audition required. 914 N. Rengstorff Ave, Mountain View

Mountain View

We offer swim lessons for ages 6 months to 14 years. Following the American Red Cross swim lesson program, students are divided into one of the 11 different levels taught by a certified instructor. Rengstorff Park Pool, 201 S Rengstorff Ave and Eagle Park Pool,650 Franklin St. http://mountainview.gov/

Club Rec Juniors & Seniors

Mountain View

Club Rec Juniors and Seniors is open for youth 6-11 years old. These traditional day camps are filled with fun theme weeks, weekly trips, swimming, games, crafts and more! Monta Loma Elementary School, 490 Thompson Ave. http://mountainview.gov

Foothills Day Camp

Palo Alto

What will you discover? Foothills Day and Fun Camps, for youth ages 8-10 and 5-7 respectively, includes canoeing, hiking, animal identification games, crafts, and more- all for less than $5 an hour. Registration begins February 15th for residents. (February 22nd for non-residents.) Hurry, spaces are limited! cityofpaloalto.org/enjoy

Pacific Art League of Palo Alto

www.paccc.org

Athletics

650-463-4900

J-Camp

Palo Alto

Exciting programs for kindergartners through teens include swimming, field trips, sports and more. Enroll your child in traditional or special focus camps like Surfing, Archery, Animal Adventure, Circus Camp and over 50 others! Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way www.paloaltojcc.org/jcamp

Kim Grant Tennis Academy & Summer Camps

650-223-8622

Palo Alto Menlo Park/Redwood City

Fun and Specialized junior camps for Mini (3-5), Beginner, Intermediate 1&2, Advanced and Elite Players. Weekly programs designed by Kim Grant to improve players technique, fitness, agility, mental toughness and all around tennis game. Camps in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. Come make new friends and have tons of FUN!! www.KimGrantTennis.com

Nike Tennis Camps

650-752-8061

Stanford University

Dick Gould’s 43rd Annual Stanford Tennis School offers day camps for both juniors & adults. Weekly junior overnight & extended day camps run by John Whitlinger & Lele Forood. Junior Day Camp run by Brandon Coupe & Frankie Brennan. www.USSportsCamps.com/tennis

1-800-NIKE-CAMP (645-3226)

Spartans Sports Camp Spartans Sports Camp offers multi-sport, week-long sessions for boys and girls in grades 3-6 as well as sport-specific sessions for grades 6-9. There are also strength and conditioning camps for grades 6-12. Camps begin June 10th and run weekly through August 2nd at Mountain View High School. The camp is run by MVHS coaches and student-athletes and all proceeds benefit the MVHS Athletic Department. Lunch and extended care are available for your convenience. Register today! www. SpartansSportsCamp.com

Spring Down Camp Equestrian Center

650-479-5906

Portola Valley

Spring Down Camp teaches basic to advanced horsemanship skills. Ages 6-99 welcome! Daily informative lecture, riding lesson, supervised hands-on ski-ll practice, safety around horses, tacking/untacking of own camp horse, and arts/crafts. www.springdown.com

Stanford Water Polo Camps

650-851-1114

Stanford

Ages 7 and up. New to sport or have experience, we have a camp for you. Half day or Full day option for boys and girls. All the camps offer fundamental skill work, position work, scrimmages and games. StanfordWaterPoloCamps.com

650-725-9016

Summer at Saint Francis

Mountain View

Sports & Activity Camp (ages 6-12): This all-sports camp provides group instruction in a variety of field, water and court games. Saint Francis faculty and students staff the camp, and the focus is always on fun. The program is dedicated to teaching teamwork, sportsmanship and positive self-esteem. After camp care and swim lessons available. www.sfhs.com/summer

650-968-1213 x650

http://westernballet.org/documents/summer_int_adv.html

Summer at Saint Francis

Mountain View

Summer at Peninsula School

This is a child’s delight with trees to climb, rope swings, and unpaved open spaces. Our engaging and creative program includes time to play and make friends. Peninsula School, 920 Peninsula Way. Visit website for class listings.

Advanced Sports Camps (5th-9th grades): We offer a wide selection of advanced sports camps designed to provide players with the opportunity to improve both their skills and knowledge of a specific sport. Each camp is run by a Head Varsity Coach at Saint Francis, and is staffed by members of the coaching staff.

www.peninsulaschool.org/pensummerschool.htm

www.sfhs.com/summer

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Menlo Park

650-325-1584, ext. 39

650-968-1213 x650

Upfront

,OCAL NEWS INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS

Palo Alto looks to welcome more public art

#ITY TO CONSIDER REQUIRING DEVELOPERS TO CONTRIBUTE TO CITY S PUBLIC ART COLLECTION

by Gennady Sheyner ALO !LTO HAS NO SHORTAGE OF BELIEVE THE CITY IS LAGGING WHEN IT EYE CATCHING PUBLIC ART FROM COMES TO PUBLIC ART AND THEY WANT h$IGITAL $.! v A GIANT EGG DEVELOPERS TO HELP FIX THE SITUATION COVERED WITH SILICON CHIPS THAT SITS 4HE COUNCIL IS SCHEDULED TO DISCUSS IN ,YTTON 0LAZA TO #ALIFORNIA !VE ON -ONDAY !PRIL A NEW PROPOSAL NUE S QUIRKY h'O -AMAv SCULPTURE FROM -AYOR 'REG 3CHARFF AND COUN WHICH FEATURES A RUNNING DOLL WITH A CILMEMBERS 0AT "URT 'AIL 0RICE AND BABY FACE FOR A TORSO 'REG 3CHMID WHICH WOULD REQUIRE "UT FOUR #ITY #OUNCIL MEMBERS DEVELOPERS TO CONTRIBUTE PERCENT OF

THEIR CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR PUBLIC ART 4HE CITY ADOPTED A 0ERCENT FOR !RT POLICY FOR PUBLIC PROJECTS IN )F THE COUNCIL ADOPTS THE QUARTET S PROPOSAL THE RULE WOULD ALSO APPLY TO ALL MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS SINGLE FAMILY HOMES DUPLEXES TRIPLEXES FOUR PLEXES AND HISTORICAL PRESERVA TION SITES WOULD BE EXEMPT )N THE MEMO THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ARGUE THAT 0ALO !LTO hHAS FALLEN BE HIND OTHER CITIES IN FOSTERING PUBLIC ART AND PROVIDING A DEDICATED FUND

ING SOURCE FOR MAINTENANCE OF OUR PUBLIC ART COLLECTION v 4HEY COM PARE 0ALO !LTO TO OTHER CITIES SUCH AS 3ANTA -ONICA WHICH REQUIRES DEVELOPERS OF MAJOR COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS TO EITHER COM MISSION PUBLIC ART OR CONTRIBUTE AN hIN LIEUv FEE OF PERCENT THAT WOULD SUPPORT ART 4HE MEMO NOTES THAT AT LEAST TWO DOZEN OTHER #ALIFORNIA CIT IES HAVE SIMILAR LAWS 4HE IDEA OF REQUIRING PRIVATE DEVEL OPERS TO SUPPORT PUBLIC ART WAS FLOAT

ED BY 3CHARFF DURING HIS h3TATE OF THE #ITYv ADDRESS IN &EBRUARY $URING THE SPEECH 3CHARFF NOTED THAT AS 0ALO !LTO CONTINUES TO DEVELOP THE AVAIL ABILITY OF SPACE FOR PUBLIC ART SHRINKS )T IS IMPORTANT HE SAID hTHAT NEW DE VELOPMENT IN 0ALO !LTO POSITIVELY IM PACT THE LOOK AND FEEL OF OUR CITY v h'REAT COMMUNITIES HAVE GREAT ART v 3CHARFF SAID AT THE SPEECH h0UBLIC ART CREATES A SENSE OF PLACE (continued on page 8)

#/--5.)49

Legal demand shuts down Edgewood Eats 7EEKLY FOOD TRUCK EVENTS VIOLATE MUNICIPAL ORDINANCES NEIGHBORS SAY by Sue Dremann POPULAR 0ALO !LTO FOOD TRUCK -ARCH ACCORDING TO -ONICA 7ONG EVENT THAT HELPED REVIVE A COORDINATOR FOR %DGEWOOD %ATS WHO DEFUNCT %MBARCADERO 2OAD IS ALSO PART OWNER OF A 6IETNAMESE SHOPPING CENTER HAS HIT THE SKIDS JUST FOOD TRUCK ,ITTLE 'REEN #YCLO AS ORGANIZERS ATTEMPTED TO RELOCATE IT )N ITS LETTER TO RESIDENTS %DGEWOOD TO A NEARBY CHURCH PARKING LOT %ATS SAID THE EVENT COULD DRAW ACTIV %DGEWOOD %ATS WHICH ATTRACTED ITY FROM ABOUT TO P M INCLUD HUNDREDS OF #RESCENT 0ARK AND $U ING SET UP AND BREAK DOWN 5P TO VENECK 3T &RANCIS NEIGHBORHOODS TRUCKS COULD SET UP RESIDENTS EACH WEEK TO DINE AT %DGE 4HE RESIDENT SAID THAT EACH TRUCK WOOD 0LAZA CLOSED LAST FALL AFTER A BRINGS GENERATORS THAT ROAR AND TWO YEAR RUN AS THE SHOPPING CENTER SPEW FUMES 4RAFFIC ALSO CREATES A BEGAN TO BE REDEVELOPED HAZARD FOR KIDS DURING EVENT HOURS /N -ARCH ORGANIZERS RELO SHE ADDED CATED THE EVENT TO THE &IRST #ONGRE 4HE RESIDENT SAID SHE DOESN T OB GATIONAL #HURCH PARKING LOT AT JECT TO %DGEWOOD %ATS PER SE ,OUIS 2OAD h)T S A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY EVENT "UT NOW AN ATTORNEY FOR RESIDENTS THAT HAS NO BUSINESS IN A RESIDENTIAL WHO LIVE ADJACENT TO THE CHURCH IS AREA 4HIS IS A BUSINESS VENTURE ALLEGING THAT %DGEWOOD %ATS WOULD )F PERCENT OF THE MONEY WAS GO LIKELY HAVE SIGNIFICANT LAND USE AND ING TOWARD CHARITY IT WOULD STILL BE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS INCLUDING WORRISOME BUT ) D FEEL BETTER ABOUT INCREASED TRAFFIC AND RELATED PUBLIC IT v SHE SAID SAFETY ISSUES NOISE FROM TRUCKS AND !LTHOUGH %DGEWOOD %ATS PRO GENERATORS GARBAGE AIR POLLUTION VIDES ABOUT PERCENT OF ITS MONEY FROM EXHAUST GENERATORS AND COOK TO CHARITY IT IS A COMMERCIAL VEN ING AND OTHER POTENTIAL HEALTH RISKS TURE SHE SAID %DGEWOOD %ATS CANNOT TAKE PLACE 3IXTEEN NEIGHBORS SIGNED A PETI IN A NEIGHBORHOOD ZONED FOR SINGLE TION OPPOSING %DGEWOOD %ATS OP FAMILY HOMES THE LETTER FROM LAWYER ERATION FROM THE CHURCH PARKING LOT -ILES $OLINGER STATES SHE SAID 2ESIDENTS ARE ALSO OBJECTING TO h7E SUGGEST THAT THIS KIND OF FOOD THE CITY S ISSUANCE OF A SPECIAL USE CART VENTURE ALTHOUGH IT MAY BE A PERMIT FOR %DGEWOOD %ATS SINCE NICE GATHERING EVENT FOR A COMMU THE EVENT IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE NITY BELONGS AT A CITY PARK SCHOOL CHURCH AS IS REQUIRED UNDER CITY PLAYGROUND OR SHOPPING AREA ZONED ORDINANCE $OLINGER WROTE 3PECIAL FOR COMMERCIAL USE v THE PETITIONERS USE PERMITS FOR A RECURRENT LARGE WROTE TO THE CHURCH SCALE EVENT MUST BE REVIEWED FOR ITS 4HE RESIDENT ASKED THAT SUPPORTERS POTENTIAL IMPACT $OLINGER NOTED NOT JUDGE HER AND OTHERS OPPOSING 0ROPERTY RIGHTS AND HOME VALUES %DGEWOOD %ATS COULD ALSO BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED AND h"EFORE YOU CRITICIZE US THINK RESIDENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HEARD PRI ABOUT WHETHER YOU WANT A BLOCK OR TO THE CITY S APPROVAL HE WROTE PARTY IN YOUR BACK YARD EVERY WEEK 4HE NEIGHBOR WHO BROUGHT IN THE BECAUSE THAT S WHAT IT IS v SHE SAID ATTORNEY SPEAKING ON CONDITION OF /THER RESIDENTS AGREED ! ,OUIS ANONYMITY ON -ONDAY SAID THAT THE 2OAD RESIDENT SAID THE -ARCH NUMBER OF PATRONS ALARMED HER !BOUT PEOPLE ATTENDED ON (continued on page 8)

Katie Brigham

%AST 0ALO !LTO POLICEMAN *EFF ,IU LEFT SHARES A LAUGH WITH ,INO ,ULIO WHILE PLAYING VOLLEYBALL AT #OSTANO %LEMENTARY 3CHOOL 'YM WHICH SERVES AS A &ITNESS )MPROVEMENT 4RAINING &)4 ZONES

05",)# 3!&%49

Learning how to live healthy lives in danger zones %AST 0ALO !LTO POLICE DEPARTMENT TAKES A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO FIGHTING CRIME by Elena Kadvany N A CLOUDY AFTERNOON AT *ACK &ARRELL 0ARK IN %AST 0ALO !LTO A YOUNG GIRL WEARING A HELMET AND FLUORESCENT SAFETY VEST WAITED EAGERLY ON A BIKE BEHIND %AST 0ALO !LTO 0OLICE ,T 2OD .ORRIS h!RE WE LEAVING YET v SHE ASKED 4HE YOUNG GIRL AND .OR RIS ARE PARTICIPATING IN &ITNESS )MPROVEMENT 4RAINING &)4 ZONES A COLLABORATIVE COMMU NITY EFFORT SPEARHEADED BY THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO MAKE %AST 0ALO !LTO S STREETS SAFER WHILE PROMOTING HEALTHY LIVING OUT DOOR EXERCISE AND POSITIVE RELA TIONSHIPS BETWEEN COMMUNITY

MEMBERS AND POLICE OFFICERS 3INCE LAST !UGUST %AST 0ALO !LTO POLICE OFFICERS HAVE LED EXER CISE ACTIVITIES FROM BICYCLE RIDES AND WALKING GROUPS TO VOLLEYBALL AND :UMBA IN TWO DESIGNATED hHOTSPOTv NEIGHBORHOODS WITH THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF CRIME h7E WANTED TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES AND INTO THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS TO ENGAGE THEM IN HEALTHY ACTIVITIES v SAID %AST 0ALO !LTO #APTAIN &EDERICO 2OCHA h.OT ONLY COULD THIS POSITIVELY IMPACT THEIR HEALTH BUT BY GET TING OUT THEY D ALSO BE TAKING BACK THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS v 4HE IDEA FOR &)4 ZONES WAS BORN AT A CONFERENCE IN #HICAGO

THAT 0OLICE #HIEF 2ON $AVIS AT TENDED IN 3PEAKING AT THAT CONFERENCE WAS $R !NTHONY )TON THE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF (EALTHY #OM MUNITIES A #ALIFORNIA %NDOW MENT INITIATIVE THAT PROMOTES A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH TO CRIME AND SAFETY PROBLEMS )TON SAID SOMETHING THAT RESONATED WITH $AVIS h4ELL ME YOUR :)0 CODE AND ) CAN TELL YOU HOW LONG YOU LL LIVE v )N THE THAT NUMBER IS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN IN MOST AREAS %AST 0ALO !LTO RESIDENTS (continued on page 11)

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Upfront QUOTE OF THE WEEK

450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210

EDITORIAL Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516) Express & Online Editor Eric Van Susteren (223-6515) Arts & Entertainment Editor Rebecca Wallace (223-6517) Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) Spectrum Editor Tom Gibboney (223-6507) Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator Elena Kadvany (223-6519) Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) Contributors Andrew Preimesberger, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Tyler Hanley, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns Rebecca Duran, Ranjini Raghunath ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Multimedia Advertising Sales Christine Afsahi (223-8582), Adam Carter (2236573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571), Janice Hoogner (223-6576), Wendy Suzuki 223-6569), Brent Triantos (223-6577), Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Inside Advertising Sales David Cirner (223-6579), Irene Schwartz (223-6580) Real Estate Advertising Assistant Diane Martin (223-6584) Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596) DESIGN Design Director Shannon Corey (223-6560) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn Designers Lili Cao, Rosanna Leung EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Online Operations Coordinator Ashley Finden (223-6508) BUSINESS Payroll & Benefits Susie Ochoa (223-6544) Business Associates Elena Dineva (223-6542), Mary McDonald (223-6543), Claire McGibeny (223-6546), Cathy Stringari (223-6541) ADMINISTRATION Receptionist Doris Taylor Courier Ruben Espinoza EMBARCADERO MEDIA President William S. Johnson (223-6505) Vice President & CFO Michael I. Naar (223-6540) Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) Major Accounts Sales Manager Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Bob Lampkin (223-6557) Circulation Assistant Alicia Santillan Computer System Associates Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo

May Fête Fair

at Heritage Park from 10am-1pm.

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 3268210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. ©2013 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, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 223-6557, or email circulation@paweekly.com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.

SUBSCRIBE! Support your local newspaper by becoming a paid subscriber. $60 per year. $100 for two years. Name: _________________________________ Address: ________________________________ City/Zip: ________________________________ Mail to: Palo Alto Weekly, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto CA 94306

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‘‘

PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505)

My grandchildren will know my story from me as long as I am around; after that, it’s gone. —Judith Rabbie, a former “hidden child” from Hungary, on the diminishing numbers of Holocaust survivors. See story on page 5.

Around Town THE JOYS OF ART ... Art lovers, rejoice! On Monday night, City Manager James Keene announced grand plans to expand and enhance the city’s collection of public art. The eggshaped “Digital DNA” statue in Lytton Plaza will be enhanced with “hatching chicks” whose “cheeps” will be piped in through the sound system. The “Push” statue at Mitchell Park will be painted in the “Color of Palo Alto” (a shade of green) in a bid to make “other communities green with envy.” The new “Sofa Project” exhibition will put sofas throughout the Baylands to give weary travelers a place to rest and chat. Bol Park will get a 20foot glass sculpture that will both function as a rain gauge and stimulate conversation about water use. And the “Go Mama” statue on California Avenue will undergo modifications as part of the city’s new naming-rights partnership with website-hosting company GoDaddy.com. And Palo Alto firefighters will demonstrate their grace and agility with a series of ballet performances at King Plaza over the summer. Keene took the City Council through a slideshow of all these proposals at the April 1 meeting — before reminding them that it was April Fools’ Day. The proposals may have been a gag, but they may not be too far from the truth. On April 8, in what could be a case of life imitating art, the council will consider a broad proposal for greatly expanding the city’s public-art collection by requiring developers to set aside funds for art. ALL IN THE FAMILY ... What do a Paly journalism teacher, a Google executive and an expert in neutrinos have in common? Apart from the surname Wojcicki, each will get an award this month from the Commonwealth Club of California. Esther Wojcicki, a Palo Alto High School teacher who is also the founder of ClassBadges (a website that allows teachers to give online badges to student achievers), is set to receive the William K. Bowes Lifetime Achievement Award from the Commonwealth Club. Her husband, Stanley Wojcicki, a

retired physics professor from Stanford University, will also receive the prestigious award at the club’s annual dinner in San Francisco on April 10. Not to be outdone, the couple’s three daughters will each get their own awards. Susan Wojcicki, the senior vice president of advertising at Google; Anne Wojcicki, CEO and co-founder of the genetic-testing company 23andMe (and wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin); and Janet Wojcicki, an adjunct professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, are each set to receive the Distinguished Citizens Awards. The only non-Wojcicki who is set to be honored at the annual dinner is Jed York, the CEO of the San Francisco 49ers. SAVING SHOPS ... Fearing that a bustling block of restaurants and shops in downtown Palo Alto could turn into a too-quiet street full of offices, Palo Alto officials appear ready to protect the 600 block of Emerson Street from possible conversion to office use. The zone change, under consideration Monday by the City Council, would require all buildings on the block to have retail at street level, although buildings that already have ground-floor offices can keep them unless the space is vacant for 12 months, in which case the retail requirement would kick in. The 600 block currently boasts such businesses as Gordon Biersch, Tacolicious, the Empire Grill and Tap Room and Buca di Beppo. The recent replacement of Fraiche Yogurt with an office seemed to convince council members that the block is particularly vulnerable to office conversion. In a memo last November, then-Vice Mayor Greg Scharff, Councilman Greg Schmid and Councilwoman Karen Holman argued that Emerson “provides a rich retailrestaurant” corridor that needs to be protected. The proposal is, in some ways, a blast from the past. The city previously required ground-floor retail on this block, but the council removed this requirement in 2009 because of concerns over the economic downturn. N

Upfront %$5#!4)/.

New Gunn counseling survey suggests higher satisfaction level /FFICIAL CITES GREATER AWARENESS NEW STAFFING AS POSSIBLE REASONS FOR BETTER RESULTS THAN LAST YEAR by Chris Kenrick NEW SURVEY OF STUDENTS AT 'UNN (IGH 3CHOOL IN 0ALO !LTO SUGGESTS POSSIBLE IM PROVEMENT IN SATISFACTION LEVELS WITH THE SCHOOL S GUIDANCE COUNSEL ING PROGRAM WHICH HAS BEEN UNDER FIRE BY SOME PARENTS AND THE SUBJECT OF LENGTHY DISCUSSION BY THE "OARD OF %DUCATION )N A &EBRUARY SURVEY OF 'UNN FRESHMEN SOPHOMORES AND JUNIORS STUDENTS EXPRESSED GREAT ER TRUST THAN THEY DID A YEAR AGO IN THEIR COUNSELOR S ADVICE IN THE AREA OF ACADEMICS CLASSES AND SCHEDULES 4HEY ALSO EXPRESSED IMPROVED COMFORT LEVELS ABOUT APPROACHING AN ADULT AT SCHOOL SHOULD THEY BE STRUG GLING WITH PERSONAL ISSUES )N OTHER AREAS PRECISE COMPARI SONS WERE DIFFICULT BECAUSE THIS YEAR S SURVEY QUESTIONS WERE NOT EXACTLY THE SAME AS LAST YEAR S !S SISTANT 0RINCIPAL 4OM *ACOUBOWSKY SAID SOME SURVEY ITEMS WERE RE WORDED TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS OF

CURRENT STAFF BUT THAT THE QUESTIONS hHAVE THE SAME SPIRIT v #RITICS HAVE ARGUED FOR 'UNN TO ADOPT COUNSELING STRUCTURE SIMILAR TO THAT AT 0ALO !LTO (IGH 3CHOOL WHICH USES hTEACHER ADVISERSv TO AUGMENT A SMALL COUNSELING STAFF 'UNN USES A MORE TRADITIONAL MODEL RELYING ON PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS ! RECENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON 'UNN COUNSELING REFORMS DID NOT SUGGEST A TEACHER ADVISORY MODEL PER SE BUT INCLUDED RECOMMENDA TIONS THAT IF FULLY IMPLEMENTED WOULD LEAD TO MORE ASSURED STUDENT CONTACT WITH ADULTS AT THE SCHOOL MEMBERS SAID 'UNN OFFICIALS SAID IT WILL TAKE THREE YEARS TO COMPLETELY IMPLEMENT THE PLAN AND MAY REQUIRE A CHANGE TO THE SCHOOL S DAILY hBELL SCHEDULE v -EMBERS OF THE "OARD OF %DUCATION HAVE ASKED 'UNN TO SUBMIT A DE TAILED IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE /F THE NEW COUNSELING SUR VEY QUESTIONS THAT WERE CLEARLY

ALIGNED WITH LAST YEAR S 'UNN STUDENTS EXPRESSED GREATER TRUST IN THEIR GUIDANCE COUNSELOR S ADVICE IN THE AREA OF ACADEMICS CLASSES AND SCHEDULES 4HEY ALSO INDICATED IMPROVED COMFORT LEVELS ABOUT APPROACHING AN ADULT AT SCHOOL FOR HELP WITH PER SONAL ISSUES &OR EXAMPLE TH GRADERS WHO hAGREED OR STRONGLY AGREEDv WITH THE STATEMENT h) TRUST MY COUN SELOR TO HELP ME IF ) M STRUGGLING ACADEMICALLYv WENT FROM PER CENT IN TO PERCENT IN THE NEW SURVEY &OR NINTH GRADERS THE NUMBER WENT FROM IN PERCENT TO IN PERCENT AND FOR TH GRADERS IT WENT FROM PERCENT IN TO PERCENT THIS YEAR *ACOUBOWSKY SAID SENIORS WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE NEW SURVEY BE CAUSE IT WAS ADMINISTERED DURING COURSE SELECTION PERIODS FOR WHICH SENIORS DO NOT ATTEND /N THE STATEMENT h) TRUST THE

ADVICE MY COUNSELOR GIVES ME ABOUT ACADEMIC CLASSES AND SCHED ULES v NINTH GRADERS WHO AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED WENT FROM PER CENT IN TO PERCENT IN TH GRADERS WENT FROM PERCENT LAST YEAR TO PERCENT THIS YEAR AND TH GRADERS WENT FROM PERCENT IN TO PERCENT IN /N PERSONAL ISSUES THE WORDING OF THE QUESTION CHANGED BUT STU DENTS APPEARED TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT APPROACHING AN ADULT ON CAMPUS IF THEY WERE STRUGGLING ,AST YEAR STUDENTS WERE ASKED HOW MUCH THEY AGREED WITH THE STATEMENT h) FEEL COMFORTABLE GO ING TO MY GUIDANCE COUNSELOR ABOUT PERSONAL ISSUES THAT ) MIGHT BE STRUGGLING WITH v 4HIS YEAR THE QUESTION CHANGED TO h) FEEL COM FORTABLE GOING TO AN ADULT AT 'UNN ABOUT PERSONAL ISSUES THAT ) MIGHT BE STRUGGLING WITH v 4HE PERCENTAGE OF NINTH GRADERS WHO AGREED OR STRONGLY AGREED WENT FROM PERCENT LAST YEAR TO

PERCENT THIS YEAR TH GRADERS WENT FROM PERCENT LAST YEAR TO PERCENT THIS YEAR AND TH GRADERS WENT FROM PERCENT LAST YEAR TO PERCENT THIS YEAR *ACOUBOWSKY SAID IT WAS hHARD TO SAYv WHY STUDENTS APPEARED TO BE MORE SATISFIED THIS YEAR h)T JUST MIGHT BE THAT WE RE GETTING THE WORD OUT BETTER PEOPLE HAVE MORE AWARENESS v HE SAID h!ND OUR WEBSITE IS MUCH IMPROVED v *ACOUBOWSKY NOW EMAILS WEEKLY UPDATES FROM THE COUNSELING OF FICE TO THE 'UNN COMMUNITY !ND A NEW COUNSELING POSITION ADDED THIS YEAR hHELPED TREMENDOUSLYv AS DID A NEW MEMBER OF THE SUPPORT STAFF HE SAID (E SAID THAT THE SCHOOL IS OFFERING MORE COUNSELING ACTIVITIES TO SOPHO MORES IN GROUPS AND HAS IMPROVED ITS h4ITAN v HIGH SCHOOL TRANSI TION PROGRAM FOR FRESHMEN N 3TAFF 7RITER #HRIS +ENRICK CAN BE EMAILED AT CKENRICK PAWEEKLY COM

#/--5.)49

Honoring life and loss 2EMEMBRANCE SERVICE COMMEMORATES VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF THE (OLOCAUST by Ranjini Raghunath

DURING THE (OLOCAUST %ACH SURVIVOR IS INTERVIEWED BEFOREHAND BY A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PICKED FROM LOCAL SCHOOLS AND THEIR STORIES ARE SHARED WITH THE SERVICE ATTENDEES +ELLER RECALLED BEING hANXIOUSv THE DAY BEFORE THE SERVICE hBUT ) WAS HAPPY WHEN THE STORY CAME OUT v SHE SAID h) HAD TO SAY IT ) WANT THE WORLD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED v (EARING AND RECORDING THESE STORIES IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT AS THE LAST REMAINING (OLOCAUST SURVI VORS ARE DYING OUT SAID 3TEVEN 7EITZ MAN 3TANFORD 5NIVERSITY PROFESSOR OF *EWISH CULTURE AND RELIGION 4HE SERVICE SPONSORED BY THE *EWISH #OMMUNITY 2ELATIONS #OUN CIL AND LOCAL SYNAGOGUES WILL ALSO FEATURE ARTWORK BY STUDENTS FROM THE LOCAL *EWISH DAY SCHOOLS -USIC AND INSPIRATIONAL READINGS HAVE ALSO BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE SERVICE EVER SINCE 0ALO !LTO RESIDENT *ACKIE -ANNE WIFE OF LATE 3TANFORD PROFESSOR !LAN -ANNE FOUNDED IT AT "ETH !M IN THE MID S INSPIRED BY WRITER AND SURVIVOR %LIE 7IESEL S POEM ON 9OM (A3HOAH 4HIS YEAR S PROGRAM WILL INCLUDE SONGS BASED ON THE 7ARSAW UPRIS ING LIFE IN THE GHETTOS AND THE STORY OF RESISTANCE FIGHTERS WHO SACRI FICED THEIR LIVES RENDERED BY CHOIRS (ASHIRIM AND 9IDDISH #HORISTERS !LSO PART OF THE SERVICE WILL BE A MODIFIED VERSION OF THE TRADITIONAL MOURNING PRAYER THE +ADDISH IN CORPORATING THE NAMES OF SOME OF THE .AZI CONCENTRATIONS CAMPS $R !NDY $AVID )SRAELI CONSUL GENERAL TO THE 0ACIFIC .ORTHWEST WILL

ALSO SPEAK AT THE COMMEMORATION )N ADDITION TO HONORING SURVIVORS AND VICTIMS EDUCATING THE PRESENT GENERATION IS ONE OF THE MAIN OB JECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM SAID *UDITH 2ABBIE FORMER CHAIR OF THE PLANNING COMMITTEE 2ABBIE AND TWO OTHER COMMIT TEE MEMBERS ACCOMPANY AND GUIDE THE STUDENTS DURING THEIR INTERVIEWS WITH THE SURVIVORS h) TELL THE STUDENTS @9OU ARE PRIVI LEGED TO DO THIS AS THEY ARE THE LAST GENERATION OF CHILDREN WHO CAN HEAR !T LAST YEAR S 9OM (A3HOAH SERVICE AT #ONGREGATION "ETH !M IN ,OS !LTOS THE STORIES DIRECTLY FROM THE SURVI (ILLS -ARISSA 4AUB LEFT INTERVIEWED -AX $RIMMER WHO DIED LATER IN VORS v SHE SAID 2ABBIE HERSELF A hHIDDEN CHILDv AGE hSO THAT PEOPLE WOULD NOT PUR ING 4HE FRIEND HAD HAD NO FOOD IN FROM (UNGARY WAS SAVED FROM THE SUE IT v HE SAID THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS .AZIS BY A FRIEND OF HER FATHER S AND 7HEN PEOPLE ASKED HIM WHERE +ELLER HAD WANTED HER CHILDREN HIS FAMILY WHO SHELTERED HER IN THEIR HE WAS FROM HE WOULD SAY h.EW TO GROW UP hMENTALLY HEALTHY v SHE HOME AT GREAT RISK TO THEIR OWN LIVES 9ORK v SAID h) SPENT #HRISTMAS THERE )T WASN T )T WAS ONLY IN THAT TOUCHED $ESPITE THE DIFFICULTY IN MOVING MY HOLIDAY BUT ) HAD WONDERFUL BY JOURNALIST 2UTH 'RUBER S AC PAST THE HORRORS THEY LIVED THROUGH MEMORIES SPENDING IT WITH THIS COUNT OF 3TEVENS PARENTS EXPERI FOR THE SURVIVORS SHARING THEIR STORIES FAMILY v SHE SAID ADDING THAT THE ENCES IN HER BOOK h(AVEN v HE FELT IS AS 2ABBI *ANET -ARDER OF #ONGRE CHILDREN MUST ALSO BE TOLD OF SUCH COMPELLED TO REACH OUT TO HER TO GATION "ETH !M SAID hONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO RISKED THEIR LIVES AND SHARE HIS OWN STORY WAYS THEY STILL FIND MEANING IN THEIR FAMILIES TO SAVE *EWS h)T WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL EXPERI LIVES AND HAVE A REASON TO GO ON v N 4HE 3OUTH 0ENINSULA 9OM h-Y GRANDCHILDREN WILL KNOW ENCE FOR ME v HE SAID MY STORY FROM ME AS LONG AS ) AM !TTENDING THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL (A 3HOAH 6 (AGEVURAH 2EMEM AROUND AFTER THAT IT S GONE IT S hHIDDEN CHILDRENv MEETING IN BRANCE OF THE (OLOCAUST AND !CTS OF GOING TO BE BOOKS AND SECOND OR AND LATER CONNECTING WITH OTHER HID #OURAGE WILL BE HELD AT P M 3UN THIRD HAND INFORMATION v DEN CHILDREN IN THE "AY !REA ALSO DAY !PRIL AT #ONGREGATION "ETH %VEN WITH THE DWINDLING NUMBER HELPED HIM BECOME COMFORTABLE !M !RASTRADERO 2OAD ,OS !LTOS (ILLS 4HE PROGRAM IS FREE AND OF SURVIVORS HOWEVER NOT ALL ARE TALKING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES ABLE TO SHARE THEIR STORIES EASILY 3URVIVORS LIKE 3TEVENS AND +ELLER OPEN TO THE PUBLIC -ORE INFORMATION 2ABBIE SAID HAVE ALSO STRIVED TO GIVE THEIR CHIL IS AVAILABLE FROM THE *EWISH #OMMU &OR MANY YEARS AFTER THE WAR DREN A NORMAL CHILDHOOD FREE FROM NITY 2ELATIONS #OUNCIL AT #HARLES 3TEVENS ONE OF THE HON THE TRAUMA OF THEIR PARENTS SUFFER OR MFORMAN JCRC ORG %DITORIAL )NTERN 2ANJINI 2AG OREES THIS YEAR SHIED AWAY FROM INGS +ELLER RECOUNTED CHASTISING A TALKING ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCE BEING FRIEND OF HERS ANOTHER SURVIVOR FOR HUNATH CAN BE EMAILED AT RRAGHU A HIDDEN CHILD IN A "ELGIAN ORPHAN YELLING AT HER CHILD WHO WASN T EAT NATH PAWEEKLY COM R.R. Zimmerman

UBA +ELLER VIVIDLY REMEMBERS TRACING THE NUMBER IN THE SNOW WITH HER TOE OUTSIDE A .AZI CONCENTRATION CAMP 3HE HAD TO REMEMBER THAT NUM BER HER NUMBER AND RECITE IT DURING ROLL CALL OR THE .AZIS WOULD SEND HER TO !USCHWITZ AND PERHAPS HER DEATH SHE SAID +ELLER NOW IN HER S IS ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING (OLOCAUST SURVI VORS LIVING IN THE "AY !REA )N HER QUIET 0ALO !LTO HOME SHE RECOUNTED HARROWING TALES OF WATCH ING THE .AZIS SWARM INTO HER TOWN IN 0OLAND hLIKE ANTSv OF BEING FORCED TO WORK IN MUNITIONS FAC TORIES OF HEARING STORIES OF OTHER *EWS RAPE AND MURDER OF STARVING AND SLEEPING ON BARE WOODEN FLOORS IN WINTER OF BEING BEATEN INTERRO GATED AND TORTURED 3HE LOST HER FAITH IN 'OD SHE SAID (ER STORIES ALONG WITH FIVE OTHER SURVIVORS EXPERIENCES WERE SHARED LAST YEAR AT THE 3OUTH 0ENINSULA 9OM (A3HOAH 3ERVICE OF 2EMEMBRANCE AT #ONGREGATION "ETH !M IN ,OS !LTOS (ILLS AS PART OF THE WIDELY OBSERVED (OLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY 4HIS YEAR S 9OM (A3HOAH SERVICE WILL BE HELD ON 3UNDAY !PRIL UNDER THE THEME h,IFE AND 2ESIS TANCE IN THE 'HETTOSv IN HONOR OF THE TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 7ARSAW 'HETTO 5PRISING THE FAMOUS *EWISH RESISTANCE MOVEMENT THAT DREW THE WORLD S ATTENTION 3INCE SIX SURVIVORS HAVE BEEN HONORED AT THE SERVICE EACH YEAR IN MEMORY OF THE SIX MILLION *EWS KILLED

ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÊ «À Êx]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 5

Upfront #/--5.)49

Palo Alto moves to support same-sex marriage #ITY #OUNCIL PASSES RESOLUTION OPPOSING 0ROPOSITION AUTHORIZING THE FLYING OF RAINBOW FLAG AT +ING 0LAZA by Gennady Sheyner

Veronica Weber

OTHER CITIES IN THE AREA SHOWED THEIR SUPPORT FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGE BY FLYING RAINBOW FLAGS PASSING RESO LUTIONS AFFIRMING SUPPORT FOR MAR RIAGE EQUALITY OR JOINING THE LITIGA TION CHALLENGING 0ROPOSITION 3AN &RANCISCO 3ANTA #RUZ AND 3ANTA -ONICA ARE AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE LITIGATION AS ARE 3ANTA #LARA AND 3AN -ATEO COUNTIES ! RAINBOW FLAG FLIES IN THE WIND OUTSIDE OF #ITY (ALL AFTER THE CITY PASSED A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF SAME 7HILE 0ALO !LTO HASN T GONE AS SEX MARRIAGE FAR COUNCIL MEMBERS MADE IT CLEAR THIS WEEK WHERE THEY STAND ON THE YEAR CAREER WITH THE CITY AND URGED ISSUE 7ITH LITTLE DEBATE AND NO DIS THE COUNCIL TO SUPPORT THE PROCLAMA SENT THEY ENTHUSIASTICALLY APPROVED TION "ETTS WHO MARRIED HIS PART A RESOLUTION THAT AUTHORIZES #ITY NER OF YEARS IN THE FALL OF -ANAGER *AMES +EENE TO FLY THE BEFORE THE PASSAGE OF 0ROPOSITION RAINBOW FLAG AT +ING 0LAZA IN REC SAID THAT TO HIS KNOWLEDGE THE MAR OGNITION OF THE CITY S hOVERWHELM RIAGE HADN T CAUSED THE BREAK UPS OF ING REJECTION OF 0ROPOSITION v AND ANY OTHER MARRIAGES OR THE BREAK AS A SYMBOL FOR ITS SUPPORT hFOR THE DOWN OF SOCIETY RESTORATION OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY FOR 4HE RAINBOW FLAG HE SAID IS A GAYS AND LESBIANS IN #ALIFORNIA v SIGN OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS 'REG "ETTS DIRECTOR OF 0ALO !LTO S A WAY TO PROMOTE AN OPEN AND WEL #OMMUNITY 3ERVICES $EPARTMENT COMING COMMUNITY ADDRESSED THE COUNCIL AS A PRIVATE h4HE RAINBOW FLAG IS NOT A FLAG OF CITIZEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS ALLEGIANCE )T DOES NOT REPRESENT A CONSTITUTION OR A CHARTER v "ETTS SAID h4HIS FLAG IS MERELY A SYMBOL v &AITH "ELL OWNER OF "ELL S "OOKS ALSO SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE RESOLUTION AND SAID SHE WOULD 'REG "ETTS DIRECTOR OF THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT FOR THE #ITY BE PROUD TO BE IN A CITY THAT FLEW OF 0ALO !LTO RAISES THE RAINBOW FLAG AT +ING 0LAZA ON !PRIL WHILE THE RAINBOW FLAG -AYOR 'REG 3CHARFF LOOKS ON /MAR #HATTY A 3AN *OSE RESIDENT WHO FREQUENTLY OPINES ON TRANS ,ARRY +LEIN SAID HE WAS hVERY PROUDv h)F YOU WERE TO LOOK BACK YEARS PORTATION ISSUES DISAGREED AND OF HIS COLLEAGUES !ND #OUNCILMAN TO "ROWN VS THE "OARD OF %DUCA ARGUED AGAINST FLYING THE RAINBOW -ARC "ERMAN AGREED WITH 3CHARFF TION Â&#x2C6; EVERY CITY PROBABLY WISHES FLAG -EMBERS OF SOME RELIGIONS AND #OUNCILWOMAN ,IZ +NISS ABOUT IT HAD PUT OUT A RESOLUTION ABOUT THE HE ARGUED COULD BE OFFENDED BY SAME SEX MARRIAGE BEING THE hCIVIL FACT THAT @SEPARATE BUT EQUAL IS NOT THE CITY S DECISION TO REDEFINE hMAR RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME v EQUAL v "ERMAN SAID N RIAGE v WHICH TO THEM IS A UNION OF A MAN AND A WOMAN (E ASKED THE CITY NOT TO FLY THE FLAG UNTIL THE 3UPREME #OURT COMES OUT WITH A DECISION "UT THE COUNCIL AGREED THAT IT S TIME TO TAKE AN OFFICIAL STANCE ON SAME SEX MARRIAGE PARTICULARLY GIVEN THE OPINION OF 0ALO !LTO RESI DENTS PERCENT OF WHOM REJECTED A round-up of Palo Alto government action this week 0ROPOSITION MONDAY // April 8 4HE PROPOSAL TO FLY THE FLAG WAS INITIALLY PROPOSED BY -AYOR 'REG City Council (April 1) Recycled water: The council voted 4-2 to complete its study of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Recycled 3CHARFF AND AGREED UPON BY +EENE // Water Delivery System. Because the approval requires five votes, the council then 3CHARFF CALLED FLYING THE RAINBOW voted 4-2 to continue the discussion to April 8. Yes: Berman, Klein, Kniss, Price No: JOURNALIST, AUTHOR FLAG A hVERY IMPORTANTv ACTION FOR Holman, Scharff Absent: Burt, Schmid, Shepherd AND ROLLING STONE THE CITY AND ARGUED THAT COMMITTED Rainbow flag: The council authorized City Manager James Keene to fly the rainbow CONTRIBUTING EDITOR flag over City Hall and adopted a resolution signaling the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opposition to ProposiRELATIONSHIPS Â&#x2C6; GAY OR STRAIGHT Â&#x2C6; tion 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Yes: Berman, Holman, Klein, Kniss, MAKE THE COMMUNITY STRONGER How to Cool the Planet: Price, Scharff Absent: Burt, Schmid, Shepherd h) SEE NO POSSIBLE ARGUMENT WHY Geoengineering and PEOPLE SHOULDN T BE ALLOWED TO MARRY the Audacious Quest to Utilities Advisory Commission (April 3) WHOMEVER THEY WISH v 3CHARFF SAID Power purchases: The commission approved three power-purchase-agreement Fix Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Climate #OUNCILWOMAN +AREN (OLMAN contracts with suppliers of photovoltaic energy. Yes: Cook, Foster, Hall, Melton Absent: Chang, Eglash, Waldfogel ADDRESSED THE CRITICISM FROM RESI PaloAltoGreen: The commission voted 4-0 to approve a staff proposal to redesign SUBSCRIPTIONS DENTS THAT THE COUNCIL SHOULDN T PaloAltoGreen to support a community solar program that would be implemented (650) 854-7696 x310 MEDDLE IN THIS NATIONAL ISSUE 3HE in January 2014. The commission also voted 3-1 to pursue a second PaloAltoGreen www.openspacetrust.org/lectures NOTED THAT THE COUNCIL IS BOTH REP option centered on reducing greenhouse-gas emissions from natural-gas usage. Yes: Cook, Foster, Hall No: Melton Absent: Chang, Eglash, Waldfogel RESENTING THE VOTERS AND SHOWING SINGLE TICKETS Fiber: The commission discussed the current and projected revenues in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SUPPORT FOR THOSE MEMBERS OF 0ALO MVCPA Box OfďŹ ce Fiber Fund. Action: None !LTO S YOUTH COMMUNITY WHO MAY (650) 903-6000 BE STRUGGLING WITH THEIR IDENTITY Architectural Review Board (April 4) (ER COLLEAGUES AGREED #OUNCIL Ronald McDonald House: The board approved a proposed expansion of the Ronald Open Space Trust WOMAN 'AIL 0RICE SAID SHE WAS hVERY McDonald House at 50 El Camino Real. The project would add 70 rooms to the facility. Yes: Lew, Malone, Popp, Prichard Absent: Lippert Recused: Alizadeh PLEASEDv WITH THE ACTION #OUNCILMAN Veronica Weber

ALO !LTO OFFICIALS ENTHUSIASTI CALLY JUMPED INTO THE NATIONAL DEBATE OVER SAME SEX MAR RIAGE ON -ONDAY NIGHT WHEN THEY PASSED A RESOLUTION OPPOSING STATE 0ROPOSITION AND AGREED TO FLY THE RAINBOW FLAG IN FRONT OF #ITY (ALL #ALLING IT THE hCIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR TIME v MEMBERS OF THE #ITY #OUNCIL VOTED WITH 6ICE -AYOR .ANCY 3HEPHERD AND #OUNCILMEN 0AT "URT AND 'REG 3CHMID ABSENT TO JOIN A GROWING COALITION OF CITIES IN THE AREA THAT ARE TAKING A STAND ON THE ISSUE OF SAME SEX MARRIAGE Â&#x2C6; THE SUBJECT OF TWO SEPARATE CASES HEARD BY THE 5 3 3UPREME #OURT LAST WEEK /NE OF THESE CASES CON CERNS 0ROPOSITION A LAW BANNING SAME SEX MARRIAGE THAT #ALIFORNIA VOTERS APPROVED IN .OVEMBER 4HE OTHER CHALLENGES THE LEGALITY OF THE FEDERAL $EFENSE OF -ARRIAGE !CT WHICH DEFINES MARRIAGE AS A UNION OF A MAN AND A WOMAN "EFORE -ONDAY 0ALO !LTO HAS REMAINED ON THE SIDELINE WHILE

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Upfront

REAL ESTATE TRENDS by Samia Cullen

"53).%33

Owner of JJ&F grocery store eyes Mikiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market space !S -IKI S LEAVES !LMA 6ILLAGE ANOTHER GROCER LOOKS AT TAKING OVER THE SPOT by Sue Dremann OE +HOURY THE PATRIARCH OF THE FAMILY THAT OWNS ** & -ARKET IN 0ALO !LTO SAYS HE IS CONSID ERING TAKING OVER THE !LMA 6ILLAGE SPACE RECENTLY OCCUPIED BY -IKI S &ARM &RESH -ARKET WHICH CLOSED THIS WEEK AFTER JUST FIVE MONTHS -IKI S OPENED TO GREAT FANFARE LAST /CTOBER FOLLOWING SEVEN YEARS OF BLIGHT AT THE PLAZA NEAR %AST -EAD OW $RIVE "UT AFTER MONTHS OF POOR SALES -IKI S CLOSED ON 7EDNESDAY LEAVING OWNER -ICHAEL h-IKIv 7ER NESS WITH MILLION IN DEBT ** & A YEAR OLD MARKET LO CATED AT #OLLEGE !VE IS PART OF THE PLANNED #OLLEGE 4ERRACE #ENTRE REDEVELOPMENT AT #OLLEGE !VENUE AND %L #AMINO 2EAL 4HE CENTER WOULD INCLUDE SQUARE FEET OF OFFICE SPACE SQUARE FEET OF OTHER RETAIL AND EIGHT UNITS OF AF FORDABLE HOUSING "UT THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN BROUGHT THE PROJECT TO A STANDSTILL ACCORDING TO PEOPLE CLOSE TO THE DE VELOPMENT 0ROJECT ARCHITECT 4ONY #ARRASCO SAID IN -ARCH THAT DEVEL OPER !DVENTERA )NC IS hSTILL TRYING TO GET IT FINANCED v

#ITY OFFICIALS HAVE GIVEN THE PROJECT A ONE YEAR EXTENSION TO SUBMIT PLANS FOR A BUILDING PERMIT SAID #URTIS 7IL LIAMS THE CITY S DIRECTOR OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT +HOURY SAID ON -ARCH THAT HE IS DISSATISFIED WITH THE SITUATION 4HERE IS GARBAGE AROUND THE ABANDONED AD JACENT PROPERTY THE ROOF LEAKS AND THE BUSINESS IS NOT GETTING ADEQUATE CUS TOMERS TO MAKE MONEY HE SAID !DVENTERA 0RESIDENT 0ATRICK 3MAILEY DID NOT RETURN REQUESTS FOR COMMENT 3O NOW +HOURY IS CONSIDERING OPENING A STORE IN !LMA 6ILLAGE HE SAID 7HETHER HE WOULD CLOSE THE #OLLEGE 4ERRACE GROCERY REMAINS TO BE SEEN )F CONDITIONS STAY AS THEY ARE h7E LL HAVE TO LEAVE 7E RE WASTING OUR TIME HERE v HE SAID 4HE +HOURYS LOOKED OVER THE !LMA STORE LAST 4HURSDAY 7ERNESS HOWEVER SAID HE WASN T SURE WHETHER ANY OTHER OPERATOR WOULD BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE SPACE 4HE STORE S STRUGGLES WERE IN PART BASED ON THE !LMA 6ILLAGE PROJECT ITSELF AND THE POLITICAL CLIMATE IN WHICH IT WAS BUILT 0EOPLE DIDN T LIKE

THE PROJECT AND SOME WERE RESOLVED NOT TO SHOP THERE HE SAID !SKED ON 4UESDAY IF ANY DEAL HAD MATERIALIZED BETWEEN HIM AND THE +HOURYS HIS ANSWER WAS SHORT AND TO THE POINT h.O ) M FINISHED v HE SAID SHAK ING HIS HEAD 0ROPERTY OWNER *OHN -C.ELLIS SAID IN AN EMAIL THAT HE HASN T HEARD ANY THING ABOUT THE +HOURYS INTEREST h%VEN IF ) HAD ) WOULDN T COM MENT ON IT AS WE NEVER COMMENT ON LEASES OR POTENTIALS UNTIL A LEASE IS ACTUALLY SIGNED Â&#x2C6; BAD LUCK TO DO OTHERWISE v HE SAID N 3TAFF 7RITER 3UE $REMANN CAN BE EMAILED AT SDREMANN PAWEEK LY COM

Advice for Home Buyers in Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Market Buying or selling a home is ranked as one of the most stressful events in life. The local real estate market is hot; inventory is at an historic low and multiple offers on almost every property is the norm. Market conditions are putting buyers under pressure to buy a home before home prices and interest rates go higher. The stress that buyers experience can be alleviated with careful planning. There is more to home buying than ďŹ nding the right house. The process is complex with a myriad of issues that surface and need to be addressed promptly. Therefore once the decision to buy a house is made, you should soon after get the help of an experienced local real estate agent who can offer an insiderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice. Experienced local agents have a strong sense of the precise actions that should be taken in different situations. When faced with decisions ask your agent for advice (including the

rationale behind their advice), and ask for data before making your ďŹ nal decision. If you are unsatisďŹ ed by the answers and truly feel that you cannot trust your agent, you have not found the right agent. A qualiďŹ ed agent will help you understand the process, explain the timeline, answer your questions and navigate through the complex process to avoid costly pitfalls or mistakes. A reputable local agent can also assist by suggesting different neighborhoods or properties that you may not have considered and by helping you prepare and negotiate the terms of offers and counteroffers. Finally, be proactive and do your own research. Go to the city building department to learn more about how the house has been modiďŹ ed over time. Talk to the neighbors about their experiences in the neighborhood. The more you know, the better off you are and the less likely you are to encounter bad surprises.

If you have a real estate question or would like a free market analysis for your home, please call me at 650-384-5392, Alain Pinel Realtors, or email me at scullen@apr.com. For the latest real estate news, follow my blog at www.samiacullen.com

Join today: SupportLocalJournalism.org/PaloAlto

Support Palo Alto Weeklyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s print and online coverage of our community.

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Upfront

Art

(continued from page 3)

AND PERSONALITY WHILE FOSTERING THE KIND OF INNOVATIVE THOUGHT THAT 0ALO !LTO IS KNOWN FOR v )F ADOPTED THE NEW POLICY IS EX PECTED TO BOTH EXPAND THE CITY S STOCK OF PUBLIC ART AND CREATE NEW PROVISIONS FOR MAINTAINING THE CUR RENT COLLECTION 4HE MEMO CALLS FUNDING FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND CONSERVATION OF ART A hMAJOR ISSUE v ONE THAT HAS LED OTHER CITIES Â&#x2C6; IN CLUDING "ERKELEY %MERYVILLE 3AN *OSE /AKLAND AND 3ANTA #RUZ Â&#x2C6; TO RECENTLY INCREASE THEIR PERCENTAGE FOR MUNICIPAL PROJECTS 3OME CITIES CURRENTLY REQUIRE A PERCENT OR PERCENT CONTRIBUTION FROM NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR ROUTINE MAIN TENANCE THE MEMO STATES )T ARGUES

Edgewood Eats (continued from page 3)

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EVENT WAS WELL ORGANIZED AND CLEAN BUT SHE STILL IS AGAINST HAVING WEEKLY EVENTS ACROSS FROM HER HOME h) HONESTLY HAVE TO SAY THAT ) M NOT FOR IT 4HEY START IN THE AFTERNOON GRILLING AND COOKING )T S NOT IDEAL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE v SHE SAID 2EV $ANIEL 2OSS *ONES ASSOCI ATE MINISTER AT &IRST #ONGREGATIONAL #HURCH SAID %DGEWOOD %ATS ORGANIZ ERS APPROACHED THE CHURCH LAST -ARCH LOOKING FOR SPACE AND THE CHURCH AGREED AFTER SOME CORRESPONDENCE #HURCH VOLUNTEERS CANVASSED THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD AND RE CEIVED ONLY TWO NEGATIVE COMMENTS FROM NEIGHBORS NEITHER OF WHOM RE SIDE ON ,OUIS 2OAD HE SAID /THER RESIDENTS ON ,OUIS WHO WOULD BE MOST IMPACTED LOVED THE IDEA HE ADDED /N %ASTER 3UNDAY ORGANIZER 3U ISIE (WANG WROTE ON %DGEWOOD %ATS &ACEBOOK PAGE THAT THE GROUP IS DISAPPOINTED h7E ARE ON HOLD INDEFINITELY FOLKS v SHE SAID "Y -ONDAY MORNING %DGEWOOD %ATS HAD hLIKESv ON &ACEBOOK AND PEOPLE COMMENTED ON ITS DE MISE 3OME SUGGESTED MOUNTING A CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE EVENT h9ES IT MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF A DISTURBANCE AND INCONVENIENCE "UT THE BIGGER PICTURE IS THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY FAMILY BONDING AND SOCIAL SUPPORT THAT %DGEWOOD %ATS PROVIDES v -ICHELE ,IN WROTE h) LIVE ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE CHURCH AND ) WAS 6%29 HAPPY TO SEE YOU THERE 7HERE DO ) REGISTER MY PROTEST TO THE PROTESTORS v +IM 3HETTER WROTE 3UPPORTERS SUGGESTED ALTERNATE LO CATIONS THE 0ALO !LTO 3QUARE PARK ING LOT ON %L #AMINO 2EAL AT 0AGE -ILL 2OAD THE 5NITARIAN #HURCH ON #HARLESTON 2OAD THE PARKING LOT BEHIND &RY S %LECTRONICS NEAR THE #ALIFORNIA !VENUE TRAIN STATION AND BUSINESS PARKS NEAR -ING S RESTAU RANT ON %MBARCADERO 2OAD (WANG SAID THAT DESPITE THE SET BACK SHE ISN T GIVING UP h7E ARE STILL LOOKING FOR A HOME IDEALLY A LOT THAT IS PRIVATELY OWNED AND COMMERCIALLY ZONED BUT THAT NEIGHBORHOOD FAMILIES CAN REACH BY FOOT OR BIKE )T WILL BE TOUGH TO REC REATE THE PERFECT SITE WE HAD AT %DGE WOOD 0LAZA BUT WE HAVEN T GIVEN UP

THAT 0ALO !LTO SHOULD FOLLOW SUIT h)T S TIME FOR 0ALO !LTO TO TAKE THE MODEST STEP OF EXTENDING ITS 0ERCENT FOR !RT 0OLICY TO PRIVATE DEVELOP MENTS AND TO PROVIDE FOR A DEDICATED SOURCE FOR MAINTENANCE AND ADMIN ISTRATION OF OUR PUBLIC ART COLLEC TION v THE MEMO STATES ! POLICY COULD REQUIRE DEVELOPERS BOTH TO CONTRIBUTE TOWARD ART AND COMMIT TO TAKING CARE OF THE ART WORK ONCE IT S COMMISSIONED THE COUNCIL MEMBERS RECOMMEND 4HE MAINTENANCE WOULD BE MONITORED BY CITY STAFF AND THE ARTWORK WOULD BE ALLOWED TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT CITY APPROVAL 4HE MEMO ALSO ENCOURAGES STAFF TO DEVELOP A hROBUST PLANv TO SET ASIDE SOME FEES IN THE CURRENT 0ER CENT FOR !RT 0OLICY FOR AN ONGOING AND FUTURE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM 4HE GOAL ACCORDING TO THE MEMO

IS TO CREATE A hSELF SUSTAINING ROBUST PROGRAMv THAT DOES NOT RELY ON THE 'ENERAL &UND !CCORDING TO A -ARCH 0UBLIC !RT #OMMISSION REPORT THE CITY AL LOTTED THIS FISCAL YEAR FOR MAINTENANCE OF ART 4HE CITY AL LOCATED IN THE FISCAL YEAR TO ADDRESS A BACKLOG OF NEEDED MAINTENANCE 4HE MEMO ALSO ENCOURAGES THE CITY TO LOOK BEYOND SCULPTURES Â&#x2C6; HOWEVER UNUSUAL Â&#x2C6; WHEN IT COMES TO ART h4HE #ITY SHOULD WELCOME AND EN COURAGE A VARIETY OF ART EXPERIENCES INCLUDING INTERACTIVE ART SCULPTURES MURALS MOSAICS INNOVATIVE SPACES OR FACADES THAT ENGAGE THE PUBLIC AND SIGNATURE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES v THE MEMO STATES N 3TAFF 7RITER 'ENNADY 3HEYNER CAN BE EMAILED AT GSHEYNER PAWEEKLY COM

HOPE v SHE WROTE IN AN EMAIL !ARON !KNIN CITY ASSISTANT DIREC TOR OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY EN VIRONMENT SAID %DGEWOOD %ATS WAS ALLOWED TO OPERATE ON -ARCH AS A SPECIAL EVENT #ITY CODE DOES NOT ALLOW THE CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT FOR AN ONGOING COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY IN A

RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD HE ADDED !KNIN SAID THAT OPTION WAS PRESENT ED BY THE CITY TO EVENT ORGANIZERS h7E SUGGESTED THAT IT COULD BE A SPECIAL EVENT IN A ROTATING LOCA TION )T WOULD OPERATE AS A TRULY SPECIAL EVENT IN DIFFERENT NEIGHBOR HOODS v HE SAID N

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to meet in closed session to discuss potential litigation relating to water-service charges to the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. The council also plans to pass a resolution expressing appreciation to Steve Emslie, consider zoning changes to the 600 block of Emerson Street, discuss an amendment to its contract for the El Camino Park reservoir project; and consider a colleaguesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; memo advocating an expansion of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Percent for Art program. The closed session will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 8, at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). The rest of the meeting will follow in the Council Chambers. BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will hear recommendations from a citizens committee that has evaluated possible locations for opening a 13th elementary school. The board will also hear a report on raw data from a recent survey of students, parents and staff on satisfaction with the new academic calendar adopted this year, as well as an update on the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic plan survey. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, in the boardroom of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.). POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss changes to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recruitment process for commissioners, consider the quarterly report from the city auditor and discuss the fraud, waste and abuse hotline. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 9, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission is tentatively scheduled to consider approving the Housing Element and discuss a request from Freebirds World Burrito for a permit to sell alcohol. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL REGIONAL HOUSING MANDATE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss an update of Plan Bay Area and head an update on the Housing Element process and the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appeal regarding the Regional Housing Needs Allocation. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ... The commission plans to hear a presentation from the Mountain View Day Worker Center and to hear another presentation from Martin Eichner, formerly of the Palo Alto Mediation Program, as part of a learning series about affordable housing. The commission will also consider approving a letter of support for the San Francisco Bay Area Water Trail grant application. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 11, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will hold a study session on results of a community survey relating to the school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategic plan. The meeting is tentatively scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12, in Conference Room A of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.).

Upfront

News Digest San Jose man charged with robberies in Palo Alto ! MAN WHO POLICE BELIEVE USED A HANDGUN TO ROB STORES AND BANKS THROUGHOUT THE REGION INCLUDING A 7ALGREENS AND A BANK IN 0ALO !LTO WAS ARRESTED IN -ILPITAS -ARCH (UNTER $ 4HOMPSON WAS ARRESTED AND CHARGED WITH SEVERAL COUNTS OF ROBBERY AFTER AN INVESTIGATION BY -ILPITAS POLICE LINKED HIM TO A ROB BERY OF A #HASE "ANK ! FOLLOW UP INVESTIGATION LATER LED 0ALO !LTO OFFI CERS TO THE CONCLUSION THAT THE 3AN *OSE RESIDENT WAS ALSO THE MAN BEHIND A $ECEMBER ROBBERY IN 7ALGREENS ON 5NIVERSITY !VENUE AND THE ROBBERY AT 0ROVIDENT #REDIT 5NION IN *ANUARY )N BOTH OF THOSE CASES A MAN FLASHED A HANDGUN AND WALKED AWAY FROM THE SCENE )N THE 7ALGREENS INCIDENT ON $EC THE MAN ALLEGEDLY ASKED A PHARMACIST FOR ASSISTANCE TOOK HER ASIDE SHOWED HER THE HANDLE OF A GUN IN HIS MESSENGER BAG TOLD HER HE IS ADDICTED TO OPIATES AND DEMANDED OXYCONTIN A PAIN RELIEVER LISTED AS A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE IN #ALIFORNIA 4HE PHARMACIST GAVE HIM A BOTTLE OF OXYCONTIN AND THE MAN LEFT 4HE 0ROVIDENT #REDIT 5NION AT %L #AMINO 2EAL WAS ROBBED ON *AN AFTER A MAN WALKED INTO THE BANK WITH A HANDGUN AND DEMANDED MONEY (E ESCAPED ON FOOT AFTER BEING GIVEN AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT OF CASH 4HOMPSON ALLEGEDLY USED A SIMILAR APPROACH IN THE -ARCH ROBBERY IN -ILPITAS !NYONE WITH INFORMATION ABOUT 4HOMPSON OR EITHER OF THE 0ALO !LTO ROBBERIES IS ASKED TO CALL 0ALO !LTO POLICE AT !NONYMOUS TIPS CAN BE EMAILED TO PALOALTO TIPNOW ORG OR SENT VIA TEXT MESSAGE OR VOICE MAIL TO N 'ENNADY 3HEYNER 4WO MEMBERS OF THE 4ALIBAN %AST 0ALO !LTO GANG ALLEGEDLY BEAT A PRESCHOOLER AND THREATENED TO SHOOT HIM BECAUSE HIS FATHER IS A RIVAL GANG MEMBER 3AN -ATEO #OUNTY $ISTRICT !TTORNEY 3TEVE 7AGSTAFFE HAS SAID 4HE BEATING AND THREATS WERE CAPTURED ON A CELL PHONE VIDEO THAT ONE OF THE MEN HAD 7ILBERT !RD AND $WAYNE !NTHONY (ENRY WERE ARRESTED -ARCH FOR VIOLATING THEIR PAROLE AND PROBATION BY ASSOCIATING WITH EACH OTHER AS GANG MEMBERS +AREN 'UIDOTTI CHIEF DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAID !RD POSSESSED A CELL PHONE THAT HAD NUMEROUS VIDEOS INCLUDING ONE THAT SHOWED BOTH MEN ALLEGEDLY ROUGHING UP A BOY WHO IS ABOUT TO YEARS OLD 4HE MEN ALLEGEDLY STRUCK THE BOY IN THE HEAD WITH A LOADED ROUND HANDGUN MAGAZINE WHILE TELLING HIM THEY WERE GOING TO SHOOT HIM AND HIS FATHER BECAUSE THE FATHER IS A RIVAL GANG MEMBER 4HE MEN ALSO AL LEGEDLY THREATENED THE BOY WITH A HANDGUN AS ONE MAN RACKED A ROUND IN THE WEAPON 'UIDOTTI SAID THE BOY S FATHER IS BELIEVED TO BE A MEMBER OF A -ENLO 0ARK GANG 4HE CHILD AND FATHER REMAIN UNIDENTIFIED &ORENSIC ANALYSIS OF THE PHONE ESTABLISHED THE VIDEO WAS MADE ON &EB !RD AND (ENRY WERE ARRAIGNED ON -ARCH AND ARE SCHEDULED FOR A PRELIMINARY HEARING !PRIL 4HEY REMAIN IN CUSTODY IN 3AN -ATEO #OUNTY *AIL ON BAIL N 3UE $REMANN

Andre Zandona

Gang members allegedly beat preschooler

A pocketful of poppies #ALIFORNIA POPPIES LINE THE SIDEWALK ON 5NIVERSITY !VENUE IN 0ALO !LTO ON -ARCH THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING

Cities look to install flood-warning system 2ESIDENTS NEAR THE 3AN &RANCISQUITO #REEK RECEIVED A WAKE UP CALL FROM THE FICKLE CREEK ON $EC WHEN A HEAVY RAIN STORM CAUSED THE CREEK TO SPILL ONTO 5 3 (IGHWAY IN %AST 0ALO !LTO AND NEARLY OVER FLOW THE 0OPE #HAUCER "RIDGE IN 0ALO !LTO .OW OFFICIALS FROM 0ALO !LTO %AST 0ALO !LTO AND -ENLO 0ARK ARE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NEXT RAIN STORM WILL HAVE LESS DRAMATIC RESULTS /N -ONDAY NIGHT !PRIL THE 0ALO !LTO #ITY #OUNCIL AUTHORIZED A REQUEST FROM THE 3AN &RANCISQUITO #REEK *OINT 0OWERS !UTHORITY WHICH INCLUDES THE THREE CITIES AND THE WATER DISTRICTS IN 3ANTA #LARA AND 3AN -ATEO COUNTIES TO APPLY FOR A GRANT THAT WOULD PAY FOR NEW GAUGES IN THE UPPER SHED OF THE CREEK )F THE GRANT IS APPROVED THE CITY WOULD BE ABLE TO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE ITS FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM WHICH CURRENTLY INCLUDES THE #REEK -ONITOR WEB PAGE 4HE PAGE DELIVERS REAL TIME DATA ON CREEK FLOWS NEAR BRIDGES )T DOES NOT HOWEVER MEASURE THE WATER LEVEL UPSTREAM 4HE GRANT FUNDS WOULD BE USED TO CREATE WHAT A REPORT FROM THE 0UBLIC 7ORKS $EPARTMENT CALLS AN hENHANCED REGIONAL FLOOD WARNING SYSTEMv FOR THE CREEK S WATERSHED 4HE NEW EQUIPMENT WOULD BE INTEGRATED WITH EXISTING GAUGES INTO A hUNIFIED MONITORING SYSTEMv AND WOULD INCLUDE hA ROBUST COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM THAT WILL OPTIMIZE THE AVAILABILITY OF THE RAINFALL AND STREAM FLOW DATA TO EMERGENCY RESPONDERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC v )F THE GRANT IS APPROVED THE CREEK AUTHORITY HOPES TO HAVE THE FLOOD WARNING SYSTEM IN PLACE BEFORE THE WINTER STORM SEASON ACCORD ING TO THE 0UBLIC 7ORKS REPORT N 'ENNADY 3HEYNER LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com

Helping the environment and making money has never been so easy. Reusing – whether you donate, buy or sell – is one of the best ways to reduce waste and keep usable stuff out of the landfill. Sign up to hold a yard sale and join the fun. Sign Up to Sell t Register online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale or call (650) 496-5910. The registration deadline is May 10, 2013. t We’ll send you a fact sheet with tips for a successful sale and a list of reuse organizations. t Your address and sale merchandise will be included in a full-page map listing all participating sales. The map will be printed in the June 7, 2013 edition of the Palo Alto Weekly and online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale

For more information about the Yard Sale www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale zerowaste@cityofpaloalto.org (650) 496-5910

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Upfront

Online This Week

These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Newsâ&#x20AC;? in the left, green column.

Firefighters rescue man from creek For a complete list of classes and class fees, lectures and health education resources, visit pamf.org/healtheducation.

0ALO !LTO FIREFIGHTERS RESCUED A MAN WHO FELL DOWN AN EMBANKMENT TOWARD 3AN &RANCISQUITO #REEK ON !PRIL AFTERNOON (April 4, 12:12 p.m.)

April 2013

Medicare Updates and Changes Tuesday, April 9, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Mountain View Center 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

Facebook reveals â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; launcher for Android h7E RE NOT BUILDING A PHONE v -ARK :UCKERBERG SAID TODAY FINALLY PUTTING TO REST MONTHS OF RUMORS 7HAT &ACEBOOK HAS DONE HOWEVER IS BUILD WHAT THEY BILL AS hTHE BEST VERSION OF &ACEBOOK THERE IS v (April 4, 11:21 a.m.)

Presented by Connie Corales Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP)

Ronald McDonald House expansion scores victory

650-934-7373

9:56 a.m.)

Learn about the basics of Medicare for beneďŹ ciaries, as well as the aspects of Medicare that have changed as a result of the Affordable Care Act.

Mindful Eating

! PROPOSAL TO MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE 2ONALD -C$ONALD (OUSE IN 0ALO !LTO SCORED A MAJOR VICTORY !PRIL MORNING WHEN THE CITY S !RCHITECTURAL 2EVIEW "OARD SIGNED OFF ON THE PROJECT (April 4,

Caltrain plans signal-safety upgrades at Palo Alto 4WO OF 0ALO !LTO S MOST IMPORTANT #ALTRAIN CROSSINGS COULD RECEIVE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS TO TRAIN APPROACH WARNING SYSTEMS AS PART OF A MILLION PROJECT 4HE 0ENINSULA *OINT 0OWERS "OARD *"0 WILL VOTE ON AWARDING A CONTRACT FOR THE IMPROVEMENTS THIS MORNING (April 4, 9:50 a.m.)

Presented by Toni Toledo, MPH, R.D. PAMF Nutrition Services

Tuesday, April 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sunnyvale Public Library 665 W. Olive Avenue, Sunnyvale

No registration required.

Most â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chronic dietersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; have found that their years of being on and off diets have actually been counter-productive. Dieting can often result in being even more detached from the guidance our bodies can provide on the path of healthy eating and weight loss. A Mindful approach to healthy eating is oriented toward being in touch with the wisdom of our bodies, rather than alienated from them. This session will offer the basic tenets of Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating and provide strategies to incorporate them into our lives.

Food Is Your Medicine!

Palo Alto considers recycled water for irrigation $EPENDING ON WHICH MEMBER OF THE #ITY #OUNCIL IS TALKING SWITCH ING TO RECYCLED WATER FOR IRRIGATION AT 3TANFORD 2ESEARCH 0ARK WOULD EITHER BE A GIANT STEP FOR 0ALO !LTO S WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS OR AN ILL ADVISED MEASURE THAT WOULD DEGRADE THE CONDITION OF THE SOIL (April 4, 9:42 a.m.)

President Obama fundraises in the Bay Area 0RESIDENT "ARACK /BAMA IS IN THE "AY !REA FOR A SERIES OF FUNDRAISERS IN 3AN &RANCISCO AND !THERTON !PRIL AND !PRIL AND PROTESTERS WITH A VARIETY OF MESSAGES ARE MOBILIZING TO GREET HIM (April 3, 4:52 p.m.)

Sandberg: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;aim high, believe in yourselvesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; !UTHOR AND &ACEBOOK #HIEF /PERATING /FFICE 3HERYL 3ANDBERG EX HORTED A 3TANFORD AUDIENCE !PRIL TO STAND UP AND DO THE hHARD WORKv OF ENDING GENDER STEREOTYPES (April 3, 9:52 a.m.)

Alleged drunken driver strikes man Presented by Patricia Santana, M.D, and Linda Shiue, M.D. PAMF Internal Medicine

Monday, April 22, 7 to 8:30 p.m. San Carlos Library 610 Elm Street, San Carlos

To register, contact Rhea Bradley at 650-591-0347, extension 237. A discussion on nutrition with a cooking demonstration and tasting. Do you want to eat healthier but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know where to start? Do you feel like you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time or skills to cook? Drs. Santana and Shiue will describe and demonstrate how to use your most powerful tool, your fork, to make healthy choices. What you choose to eat has a direct impact on your health. Our hope is that you feel empowered in making healthy choices, and can taste for yourself that there is no need to compromise on taste!

! 0ALO !LTO MAN WAS ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF FELONY DRUNKEN DRIVING AFTER HE ALLEGEDLY HIT AN EMPLOYEE OF A MOVING COMPANY AND PLOWED INTO A HOME ON !PRIL AFTERNOON (April 2, 6:48 p.m.)

Microsoft co-founder to open Palo Alto office 6ULCAN #APITAL WHICH MANAGES INVESTMENTS FOR -ICROSOFT CO FOUND ER 0AUL !LLEN ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT IT WOULD OPEN AN OFFICE IN DOWN TOWN 0ALO !LTO (April 2, 9:48 a.m.)

St. Patrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s employee accused of stealing *ENNIFER -ARGRET -ORRIS THE YEAR OLD FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR 3T 0ATRICK S 3EMINARY AND 5NIVERSITY IN -ENLO 0ARK HAS BEEN CHARGED IN THE THEFT OF AND A -ERCEDES FROM THE INSTITUTION (April 2, 8:58 a.m.)

Tesla announces first-quarter profitability

Advance Health Care Directive Tuesday, April 30, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Mountain View Center 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

For information only. AHCDs will not be completed at this lecture.

Presented by Betsy Carpenter CertiďŹ ed Advance Care Planning Faciltator 650-934-7373

Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re 18 or 80+, an Advance Health Care Directive provides a way for you to communicate your wishes to your family, friends and health care professionals and to avoid confusion later on. This lecture will discuss end-of-life decisions such as who will speak for you, what kinds of medical interventions you might want under different circumstances, as well as the different types of end-of-life documents. twitter.com/ paloaltomedical facebook.com/ paloaltomedicalfoundation

pamfblog.org

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Scan this code with your smartphone for more health education information. Get the free mobile scanner app at http://gettag.mobi.

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4ESLA -OTORS TODAY ANNOUNCED -ARCH THAT IT WILL ACHIEVE PROFIT ABILITY IN THE FIRST QUARTER AFTER SELLING MORE OF ITS -ODEL 3 SEDANS THAN IT PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED (April 1, 9:27 a.m.)

East Palo Alto skate park reopens ! CEREMONY WAS HELD AT P M -ARCH TO MARK THE REOPENING OF THE SQUARE FOOT SKATE PARK AT "ELL 3TREET 0ARK ON 5NIVERSITY !VENUE IN %AST 0ALO !LTO (Sunday, 12:07 p.m.)

Solar Impulse embarks on historic flight 4HE 3OLAR )MPULSE AN AIRPLANE POWERED ENTIRELY BY ENERGY HARVESTED FROM THE SUN WILL SOON TAKE OFF FROM -OFFETT &IELD KICKING OFF THE FIRST LEG OF ITS CROSS COUNTRY TOUR (Saturday, 3:17 p.m.)

Stanford Electric Works to move to Mountain View !FTER YEARS OF CALLING 0ALO !LTO ITS HOME 3TANFORD %LECTRIC 7ORKS WILL MOVE TO -OUNTAIN 6IEW AT THE END OF *UNE ACCORDING TO THE STORE S OWNER (Saturday, 3:04 p.m.) Want to get news briefs emailed to you every weekday? Sign up for Express, our new daily e-edition. Go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com to sign up.

Upfront

FIT zones

(continued from page 3)

AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY IS YEARS LESS THAN THE COUNTY WIDE AVERAGE A FIGURE THAT EXCLUDES DEATH AS A RESULT OF ACCIDENTS AND CRIME ACCORDING TO 'ET (EALTHY 3AN -ATEO #OUNTY A 3AN -ATEO #OUNTY (EALTH 3YSTEM INITIATIVE h&ROM THERE GREW THE IDEA WELL WHY IS THAT v 2OCHA SAID h#HIEF $A VIS AND ) GOT INTO DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW MAYBE WE NEED TO CHANGE OUR PRISM AND START LOOKING AT IT FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE TO BRING OUT DIFFERENT APPROACHES v 4HIS BEGAN BY LAW ENFORCEMENT MERGING WITH PUBLIC HEALTH !FTER USING 3HOT3POTTER A GUNFIRE DETEC TION SYSTEM TO GATHER DATA ON WHICH CITY NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE THE HIGHEST CONCENTRATION OF GUN FIRE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT REACHED OUT TO LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS THAT COULD HELP DEVELOP AND EXECUTE A HEALTH FOCUSED APPROACH TO CRIME 4HE POLICE DEPARTMENT S PRINCIPAL PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERS BECAME THE 3AN -ATEO #OUNTY (EALTH 3YSTEM THE 2AVENSWOOD &AMILY (EALTH #ENTER AND THE #HIEF *USTICE %ARL 7ARREN )NSTITUTE ON ,AW AND 3OCIAL 0OLICY AT THE 5NIVERSITY OF #ALIFOR NIA "ERKELEY 2AVENSWOOD HELPED TO COLLECT MORE DATA ON THE HEALTH OF THESE NEIGHBORHOODS SUCH AS DIABETES HYPERTENSION AND OBESITY RATES 2AVENSWOOD HEALTH NAVIGATORS OR HEALTH EDUCATORS HAVE ALSO PARTICI PATED FROM THE BEGINNING GIVING BI WEEKLY HEALTH TALKS ON TOPICS SUCH AS DIABETES OBESITY ENERGY DRINKS AND HOW TO DEAL WITH STRESS 2ESEARCHERS FROM THE 7ARREN )N STITUTE SERVE AS &)4 ZONES RESEARCH AND EVALUATION ARM 7ITH "RAD *A COBSON AN EPIDEMIOLOGIST FROM THE 3AN -ATEO #OUNTY (EALTH 3YSTEM THEY HELPED THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ANALYZE DATA TO IDENTIFY THE TWO HOTSPOTS WHERE THE PROGRAM IS NOW IMPLEMENTED (OTSPOT ONE IS BETWEEN *ACK &AR RELL 0ARK ON 5NIVERSITY !VENUE AND #OSTANO %LEMENTARY 3CHOOL "OTH LOCATIONS NOW SERVE AS &)4 ZONE MEETING SPOTS FOR POLICE OFFICERS KIDS AND PARENTS A FEW TIMES A WEEK (OTSPOT TWO ALSO FELL COINCIDENTALLY BETWEEN A PARK AND SCHOOL -ARTIN ,UTHER +ING 0ARK NEAR THE "AYLANDS AND 2ONALD -C.AIR -IDDLE 3CHOOL ON 0ULGAS !VENUE 4HE "ERKELEY RESEARCHERS ALSO SURVEYED RESIDENTS ON THREE TOP ICS SENSE OF FEAR AND SAFETY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS LEVELS OF PHYSICAL OUTDOOR ACTIVITY AND FEELINGS ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE POLICE h-ANY OF THE PEOPLE IN THESE AR EAS EXPRESSED THAT THEY HAD SERIOUS LEVELS OF FEAR AND CONCERNS ABOUT THEIR SAFETY IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBOR HOODS v SAID 3ARAH ,AWRENCE DIREC TOR OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND PROGRAM EVALUATION AT THE 7ARREN )NSTITUTE h4HESE COMMUNITIES ARE FEARFUL TO USE THEIR PUBLIC SPACES v "UT NOW FOUR AFTERNOONS A WEEK -ARTIN ,UTHER +ING AND *ACK &ARRELL PARKS ARE FULL OF KIDS PLAYING BASKET BALL OR WAITING FOR A POLICE OFFICER TO TAKE THEM ON A BIKE RIDE AND PARENTS TAKING RARE TIME TO WALK OUTSIDE OR LISTEN TO A 2AVENSWOOD HEALTH NAVI GATOR TALK ABOUT HEALTH TOPICS

h) WAS ACTUALLY AMAZED AT HOW MUCH COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT WE GOT v SAID 3ERGEANT $AVID #ARSON WHO RECENTLY TOOK A GROUP OF KIDS ON A BIKE RIDE TO #OOLEY ,ANDING h!ND ALL IT TOOK WAS US TO GET OUT THERE AND SHOW THEM 9OU CAN USE YOUR LOCAL PARKS YOU CAN WALK OUTSIDE YOU CAN RIDE YOUR BIKES YOU CAN WALK YOUR DOGS WITHOUT HAVING THE FEARS OF ANY KIND OF ILLEGAL ACTIVITY v ,AWRENCE MENTIONED THAT THE FACT THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS THE ONE TO CREATE &)4 ZONES MAKES A SIG NIFICANT DIFFERENCE h4HERE S A FAIRLY GOOD SENSE OF A COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND THE POLICE v SHE SAID h4HAT WAS SURPRISING COMPARED TO OUR WORK IN OTHER CITIES 'ENERALLY THE HIGHER CRIME NEIGHBORHOODS HAVE THE MORE STRAINED RELATIONSHIPS WITH POLICE v 3HE ADDED THAT AN IMPROVED RE LATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE PRO GRAM S STRONGEST LONG TERM BENEFITS 4HESE BENEFITS WOULD BE NONEXIS TENT WITHOUT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT S MOST SIGNIFICANT NON PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNER THE #ALIFORNIA %NDOWMENT 4HE PRIVATE HEALTH FOUNDATION GAVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT A ONE YEAR GRANT IN &EBRUARY TO FUND THE PROGRAM AND HAVE SINCE GIVEN THREE GRANTS TO NON PROFITS IN THE AREA TO PAY FOR ESSEN TIALS SUCH AS BIKES OR EQUIPMENT 4HOUGH THE FIRST &)4 ZONE WASN T OFFICIALLY KICKED OFF UNTIL !UGUST FIVE MONTHS AFTER THE GRANT WAS PRO VIDED 2OCHA SAYS THE POLICE DEPART

MENT WILL ASK FOR A GRANT EXTENSION SO THEY CAN COLLECT AND ANALYZE FULL YEAR OF DATA 5NTIL ,AWRENCE S BASELINE SURVEY IS GIVEN AGAIN TO THE SAME RESI DENTS THIS !UGUST NO ONE WANTS TO SAY FOR SURE WHAT THE PROGRAM S IM PACT HAS BEEN "UT SO FAR SO GOOD ORGANIZERS SAY 3TATISTICS HAVE SHOWN THAT AT HOTSPOT ONE GUN SHOTS FIRED ARE DOWN PERCENT !T HOTSPOT TWO PERCENT h)S IT RELATED TO THE &)4 ZONES )F WE WANT TO BE DARING WE SAY PROB ABLY BUT WE NEED MORE DATA v 2OCHA SAID h)T S A NICE COINCIDENCE IF THAT S ALL IT IS v 2EGARDLESS OF GUNFIRE LEVELS OR ANY DISCERNIBLE IMPACT ONE THING IS CERTAIN 4HE PROGRAM HAS GROWN 7HAT STARTED OFF WITH PEOPLE AT TENDING AN EVENT HAS MOST RECENTLY GROWN TO %ACH HOTSPOT NOW HAS MULTIPLE &)4 ZONES WHICH ARE CRE ATED AND COORDINATED BY MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY INSTEAD OF POLICE OFFICERS 4HESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS DUBBED &)4 ZONE LEADERS ARE ALSO WORKING WITH TWO LOCAL NONPROFITS .UESTRA #ASA AND 9OUTH 5NITED &OR #OMMUNITY !CTION TO COORDINATE THE PROGRAM 2OCHA AND #ARSON SAID THAT ANY PLANS FOR EXPANSION HINGE ON LOOKING AT THE FULL YEAR OF DATA IN !UGUST h)T S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE WE HAVE TO WAIT AND SEE BUT SO FAR IT S WORKING v #ARSON SAID N %DITORIAL !SSISTANT %LENA +AD VANY CAN BE EMAILED AT EKADVANY PAWEEKLY COM

Optimum Parenting Today’s Impact on the Future >>>>> A Two-Part Speaker Event

Monday, April 15 & Monday, April 22 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Bethany Lutheran Church 1095 Cloud Avenue, Menlo Park (at the corner of Avy & Cloud Avenues, 1 block east of the Alameda)

Join Dr. Wes Pederson as he explores how to guide your child into a happy and healthy adulthood.

www.bethany-mp.org/optimum Reserve your seat by April 10 For more information, call 650-854-5897 This is an adult-only event. No childcare will be available.

Inspirations

a guide to the spiritual community

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This Sunday: Can I Get a Witness? Rev. Dr. Eileen Altman preaching

An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ

ST. ANN ANGLICAN CHAPEL A TRADITIONAL E PISCOPAL

CHURCH

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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

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Editorial Symbolic actions matter in quest for civil rights As we await Supreme Court decisions on gay marriage and Boy Scout vote on membership policies, local actions can help demonstrate changing norms

n the 1960s, political and community leaders in Palo Alto were among those who stepped up to publicly advocate for federal and state fair-housing laws against red-lining and other forms of racial discrimination in housing. It was bold and courageous, and it also reflected clear majority sentiment among Palo Altans. Similar actions across the nation helped demonstrate that it was time for the country to enact or repeal laws that would eliminate legalized racial discrimination. But as these and other efforts have shown, when it comes to the expansion of civil rights to those who have been historically denied, change does not come easy, quickly or without advocacy. It is no coincidence that today local governments and local Boy Scout councils across the country are grappling with how far the country is ready to go in granting equal rights to gays and lesbians, and Palo Alto is once again in a position to provide leadership, however symbolic. Like the civil rights debates of the 1960s, local actions can send powerful messages to state and federal legislators and judges about changing societal norms and expectations. So while some in the community complain about the appropriateness of the City Council taking an hour of its meeting Monday to endorse same-sex marriage and approving the flying of the rainbow flag at City Hall, signifying this community’s commitment to full rights for gays, we join with those who applaud the symbolism. Joining other progressive communities in flying the flag is a quiet yet powerful way to show support for achieving the current generation’s equivalent to eliminating racial discrimination. It required no investment of staff time and was efficiently and respectfully discussed Monday night and adopted on a unanimous vote of the six council members present at the meeting. With 76 percent of Palo Alto voters having rejected Proposition 8 on the November 2008 state ballot, there can be no question that today, more than four years later, the overwhelming majority of city residents support the legalization of same-sex marriage. Given the interest expressed by some Supreme Court justices on whether society is “ready” for gay marriage, it is entirely appropriate for local communities to convey their readiness and acceptance. Meanwhile, the Boy Scouts of America is set to make a decision on the issue of gay membership at its upcoming national council meeting next month, and it has asked local councils around the country to weigh in. In February the national council, consisting of 1,400 voting members from all over the U.S., put off a vote to allow more time to gauge sentiment from scouting families and their troops and councils. Locally, the Pacific Skyline Council, which encompasses the nearly 8,000 scouts ages 7 to 20 on the Peninsula, is holding closed meetings to gather input from its member families. According to those attending a meeting last week at the Boy Scout offices at the Lucie Stern Community Center in Palo Alto, there was strong agreement that the national membership policy should be changed to remove any barriers to participation by gay youth or adult leaders. The Boy Scouts nationally have had the equivalent of a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding both youth membership and scout leaders, but clearly prohibit those who are public with their gay sexual preference. Pressure is mounting, however, for the national council to either abolish its membership policies against gay scouts entirely or, at a minimum, grant local councils the freedom to establish their own rules. Interestingly, there is no record of how the national Boy Scout membership policy came to include a ban on gay membership, but it was part of a controversial evolution of the national organization taking more control away from local councils during the last few decades. Complicating matters is that local Boy Scout troops are chartered by sponsoring organizations that are bringing their own pressure. Here in Palo Alto, for example, the Barron Park Association charters local Boy Scouts Troop 52 and some association members want the affiliation to end if the scouting membership rules are not changed. Hopefully, the Pacific Skyline Council will be empowered by its member troops to send a strong message to the national leadership that discriminatory membership policies against gays must be repealed. The future of scouting, in this area at least, is at stake. And let us hope that by mid-summer, both the Supreme Court and the Boy Scouts of America will have reached decisions that achieve new and historic civil rights for our gay and lesbian community members of all ages.

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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Bag ban positives

The Miki’s Market saga

Editor, For the longest time now, I have been waiting for the city of Palo Alto to finally ban plastic bags in grocery and retail stores. I was also shocked that in the last two creek cleanups, 150 plastic bags were found. As well as towards the end of the article (“Plastic bags banned at stores, restaurants” from March 15) I was glad to find out that reusable bags no longer need to have the ecologically friendly labels on them. This was ruining the attractiveness of the bags. I’m sure this ban will motivate people to bring their own bags, since each bag will cost 10 cents. Plus, personally, I find the reusable bags a lot more fashionable. I think this will not only have a positive impact on creeks, but also have a positive affect on global warming, since the more bags produced, the more CO2 is put out into the atmosphere. This is my greatest concern. But don’t you think that this will not solve the whole problem? I believe that children at elementary schools should already be taught that in order to save the environment, it is important to reduce waste. Also, some explanation should be given about what is so bad about waste. Galina Romanovskaya Addison Avenue Palo Alto

Editor, As a neighbor who lives just behind the store, I have been following the Alma Plaza saga from the beginning. When Miki’s finally came to life, I was thrilled: Here was a nearby grocery with an interesting array of products, especially fresh produce, at reasonable prices. I became a regular customer and encouraged friends to patronize the store. So the announcement of its closure came as a stunner. I wondered how a businessman could start out without so little capital that he could not survive more than six months. Was he promised some incentives by the developer who, in his eagerness to get an occupant for the store, was willing to overlook Miki’s financial shortcomings and strike a deal that wasn’t going to be viable over the long term? Granted, the siting of the store is not ideal; its unattractive frontage on Alma is hardly inviting. And for neighbors, it still required a drive to the store, as pedestrian access has been blocked by construction. Miki did little in the way of advertising and PR; few people, I dis-

Schedule is better Editor, I think that what the Palo Alto Unified School District did to change the school calendar was the right thing to do. Instead of having finals two weeks after winter break they adjusted the calender so that finals fall before winter break. Now why is this a good idea? Many students would study during break for finals. This makes a less enjoyable break because they are studying and cannot spend time having fun with relatives and friends and enjoying the holidays. The school district put finals before winter break so the students can have a relaxing break. Also, in the old calendar, the break separates the last two weeks of the first semester. This gap in learning is not beneficial for students because they may have forgotten some concepts over the break. Many people would argue that this change is not for the best. Some students argue that they have plenty of time to study over the two weeks when they get back to school. Many families are also affected because their schedule is different from their relatives elsewhere and makes it harder to visit them. Overall the reduced stress and more relaxing break makes the change worth it. Rick Wytmar 9th grader at Gunn High School

covered, were aware of the store’s offerings. But as all good business people should know, it takes time to build familiarity and a following. One of my neighbors told me she still shopped at Piazza because she felt a loyalty there. For Miki’s to woo away customers would take time. Now, after all these years of planning and debate, it’s very unfortunate that we are left once again with a vacant property, with no viable prospects for the future. Ruthann Hammer Ramona Street Palo Alto

Sorry about Miki’s Editor, I am very sorry that Miki’s has closed. They had very good produce and pastries. And for the very first time, I could easily walk or bike to shop for groceries. I also feel very sorry for the nice people who worked there. I hope we have another good grocery store there soon. Soroor Ebnesajjad Florales Drive Palo Alto

WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.

Should the City of Palo Alto get involved in national issues?

Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Submit guest opinions of 1,000 words to editor@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. 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 Editorial Assistant Eric Van Susteren 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

Defining (and enforcing) ‘public benefits’ is a decades-old quandary by Jay Thorwaldson here are some challenges on which cities, and communities, never seem to be able to get a handle. One of those, for Palo Alto, is twopronged: first defining what a “public benefit” is when it comes to new developments that exceed zoning restrictions, then enforcing an agreed-to “public benefit” once the development is in place. Even defining such a benefit has proved impossible. There are some egregious examples of “public benefits” that have been whittled down to virtually nothing — as in a metal bench on a sliver of a “public plaza” — or completely subsumed into a private business, such as Caffe Riace’s outdoor eating area south of California Avenue or St. Michael’s Alley in downtown Palo Alto. City officials aren’t even sure how many public benefits exist as part of the numerous “planned community” zones the city has granted over the past five decades. One estimate is that there are about 140 such benefits attached to PC zones. But no one is quite sure of the overall number or even where they are. And when it comes to enforcement of those known to be in violation, the city thus far has declined that course of action — to the continuing consternation of some city watchdogs and neighborhood critics. Some in the past have even called for a moratorium on PC zones until the “public benefits” definition and enforcement policies are straightened out. Well, that could be a long

moratorium, and few are actively pushing for that at the moment. The current effort is to define public benefit and then determine appropriate size relating to the extra size and impact (and profit) of a project. The Palo Alto Neighborhoods group has taken the issue up this year, discussing it at a meeting last week, and the Planning and Transportation Commission has designated it a top priority. The PC zone itself has an interesting history. It emerged from the “zoning battles” of the 1950s when it was still an open question as to how far cities and counties could regulate uses of private property. While zoning regulations date from the 1920s, as a reporter covering Palo Alto from the mid-1960s through the 1970s I recall discussions by planners in the mid-1960s of how the relatively new PC zone might liberate projects from straight-jacket zoning requirements so developers could be more creative. In the 1950s and 1960s teams of planning consultants roamed the state selling local communities on “general plans,” resulting in zonecolored maps that hung behind the local City Council dais but were most often ignored. In Palo Alto, then-new Planning Director Naphtali Knox in the early 1970s shifted the approach to the “Comprehensive Plan” process. He noted that general plans usually hit the rocks of reality when specific decisions needed to be made, so his new approach was to make those tricky ground-level decisions first (over months of meetings and community involvement) then fashion the plan itself based on those decisions. But that didn’t solve the problem of the PC zone and its attached “public benefits.” As it

evolved in Palo Alto, in many cases the zone became a mechanism by which developers could “push the envelope” to increase density, height or overall size of projects. Some type of “public benefit” added to the project was the trade-off that emerged in exchange for the extra size, etc., of the project. And the use of the PC zone, rather than as a special-case situation, became increasingly a way to submit larger projects for city review and approval. Some local developers became adept at reading the desires or needs of city officials and neighborhood leaders. The new wave of attention to the zone and public benefits has emerged over the past decade. The Palo Alto Weekly contributed an excoriating assessment in an editorial on Aug. 18, 2004. Resident Winter Dellenbach in 2005 raised specific concerns about how public benefits seemed to disappear from some PC developments. But progress — where any has occurred at all — has been glacial. Now there is a new initiative underway at several levels to address the concerns and, it is hoped, address them effectively. One aspect of that initiative is from the city staff. City Manager James Keene in December told the City Council that the staff will be studying the economic aspects of extra size or density of projects to provide a basis for determining the extent of public benefit to be attached. Curtis Williams, director of planning and community environment, is the point person for that study. Williams said this week that a consultant has been hired and the study will begin with the Jay Paul project, a 311,000square-foot office project proposed for the

former county transportation-system parking lot at Page Mill Road and El Camino Real. The “public benefit” would be the building of a new public-safety building (or police headquarters) nearby, revised from 60 percent of the building cost (sans furnishings or electronic communications equipment) to 100 percent. Other projects will follow, he said, including the large Arrillaga proposal for 27 University Ave. when it is finalized. Another facet of the new initiative is a focus by the influential Palo Alto Neighborhoods (PAN) group, consisting of neighborhood leaders from throughout the community. The PAN meeting last week focused almost exclusively on this subject. A third is a new 10-page colleague’s memo, dated March 27, by three members of the Planning and Transportation Commission that clearly defines the issues involved — an excellent read. Written by commission Chair Eduardo Martinez, Vice Chair Mark Michael and Commissioner Michael Alcheck, the memo outlines the grounds for a PC zone and carefully lays the groundwork for rationalizing “public benefits” attached. But Dellenbach remains skeptical, among others. Serious reform “feels like an issue that will never go anywhere,” she said this week. “I gave it my best shot. It seems to me the direction the horse is running right now is the initial foray of the planning commission — but look at the onslaught of development coming our way.” N Former Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly. com with a copy to jaythor@well.com. He also writes blogs posted on the Weekly’s community website, www.PaloAltoOnline. com (below Town Square).

Streetwise

What do you think of Palo Alto’s city council voting to fly the rainbow flag in front of City Hall? Asked at Whole Foods on Emerson Street in Palo Alto. Photos and interviews by Rebecca Duran.

Bob Gilmore

Unemployed Alma Street, Palo Alto “I’m ambivalent to it. I don’t care.”

Sheldon Kay

Retired Central Avenue, Menlo Park “Palo Alto seems to have its own way of doing things. It’s just a flag.”

Thomas Howell

Engineer Homer Avenue, Palo Alto “I think it’s OK, and for them to show support for gay marriage. I wouldn’t want to see the flag there forever. It’s not the main theme of the city.

Robert Eugene Johnson

Writer Emerson Street, Palo Alto “I think it’s a great idea. I’m 100 percent behind it.”

Philippe Davis

Lawyer Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto “It seems unnecessary. I’m not sure what the purpose would be.”

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NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, April 18, 2013 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review ﬁled documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144.

Pulse

A weekly compendium of vital statistics

POLICE CALLS Palo Alto

1845 El Camino Real [12PLN-00124]: Request by The Hayes Group, on behalf of 1845 ERC LLC, for Major Architectural Review of a new three story mixed use commercial/ residential condominium project. The project includes a Design Enhancement Exception request to allow a 16 foot driveway where 20 foot driveway is required. Zone Districts: CN and RM15. Environmental Assessment: Exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines Section 15301. 537 Hamilton Ave [13PLN-00087]: Request by Korth Sunseri Hagey Architects, on behalf of Smith Equities III LLC, for Architectural Review of a new 14,567 square foot twostory commercial ofﬁce building with below grade garage. Environmental Assessment: Exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per CEQA Guidelines Section 15332. Zone District: Commercial Downtown with Pedestrian combining district (CD-C(P)). Amy French Chief Planning Ofﬁcial

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a public meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, April 10, 2013 in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Civic Center, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the City’s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday. Public Hearing 1. Housing Element Update: Review and recommendation to City Council regarding the Draft Comprehensive Plan Housing Element for the 2007-2014 Housing Cycle. 2. Natural Environment Element Review - Review of the Draft Natural Environment Element of the Comprehensive Plan. 3. 2305 El Camino Real: Request by Dan Torres on behalf of Pepper Lane-Pender, LLC for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to allow the service of alcohol (Beer only) at Freebirds World Burrito. Zone District, Service Commercial (CC(2)). [12PLN00454] Questions. For any questions regarding the above items, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2441. The ﬁles relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment Page 14ÊUÊÊ «À Êx]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

March 28 - April 3 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Elder abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Credit card forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft 3 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Attempted burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Abandoned bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Driving with suspended license . . . . . . .6 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle accident/property damage . . . .1 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

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 (TENTATIVE) AGENDA – SPECIAL MEETING – COUNCIL CHAMBERS April 6, 2013 - 6:00 PM CLOSED SESSION 1. Potential Litigation SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 2. Resolution Expressing Appreciation to Steve Emslie CONSENT CALENDAR 3. Recommendation that the City Council Approve Amendment No. 1 to a Contract with BASE Energy, Inc. for the Administration of a Third-Party Non-Residential New Construction Efficiency Program 4. Approval of a 2010 Site and Design Review Permit Extension Request to May 2014 for 1700 Embarcadero Road (Mings Site) 5. Submittal of Mitchell Park Library and Community Center Bi-Monthly Construction Contract Report 6. Amendment to BMR Agreement between Moldaw Family Residences and the City of Palo Alto 7. Letter of Agreement Between Palo Alto Art Center Foundation and City of Palo Alto Memorializing Ongoing Financial Support of Children’s Programs at the Palo Alto Art Center 8. Approval of Letter to Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to Transfer 200 Housing Units of Regional Housing Allocation (RHNA) from City of Palo Alto to Santa Clara County 9. Appointment of the Five Incumbents to the Library Bond Oversight Committee for Terms Ending on May 31, 2017 10. Appointment of the Three Incumbents to the Historic Resources Board for Terms Expiring on May 31, 2016 ACTION ITEMS 11. Public Hearing: Adoption of an Ordinance Amending the Zoning Map to Add the Ground Floor Combining District to the CD-C-P(and CD-S-P) Zoned Properties Fronting the 600 Block of Emerson Street 12. Approval of Amendment Number 2 to Contract #C10131396 in the Amount of $1,173,000 with CDM Smith Inc. to Provide Additional Services Associated With the Reservoir, Pump Station, and Well at El Camino Park and Mayfield Pump Station Augmentation Project WS-08002, for a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $6,300,802 (Continued From April 1, 2013) 13. Approval of a Water Enterprise Fund Contract with RMC Water and Environment, Inc. for a Total Not to Exceed Amount of $193,914 to Complete the Environmental Analysis of Expanding the City’s Recycled Water Delivery System (Continued From April 1, 2013) 14. Colleague’s Memo From Mayor Scharff and Council Members Burt, Price, and Schmid Regarding Expansion of Percent for Art and Public Art in Private Developments and Appropriate Maintenance of Our Existing and Future Public Art Collection STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Policy and Services Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 at 7:00 P.M. to discuss: 1)Board & Commission Recruitments, 2) Auditor’s Office Quarterly Report as of March 31, 2013 , and 3) Discussion of Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Hotline Pilot and the City Auditor’s Recommendation to Continue the Hotline Beyond the Pilot Phase. The Regional Housing Mandate Committee will be meeting on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 4:00 P.M. to discuss: 1) One Bay Area Plan Update, and 2) Staff Update of: 1) Housing Element Process, and 2) Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) Appeal.

Drunken driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Sale of drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Casualty/fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .7 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Resisting arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Returned firearm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Menlo Park March 28 - April 3 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Residential burglaries 1 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Driving with suspended license . . . . . . .3 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/non-injury . . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Alcohol or drug related Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drunken driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Possession of paraphernalia. . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Brandishing weapon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 CPS referral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Gang activity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Probation arrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Shots fired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Violation of court order . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Atherton March 28 - April 3 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle related Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Accident/no injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Miscellaneous Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Shots fired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Watermain break. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Unlisted block El Camino Real/Ventura, 3/28, 9:35 p.m.; battery Unlisted block El Camino Real, 3/29, 2:15 p.m.; elder abuse/physical Unlisted block Charles Marx Way, 3/31, 9:45 a.m.; domestic violence/assault Unlisted block Hawthorne Ave. , 4/1, 12:10 p.m.; elder abuse/self-neglect

Menlo Park 1100 block Willow Road, 3/29, 4:30 p.m..; battery 500 block Market Place, 4/2, 8:50 a.m.; domestic violence

Transitions Woodside environmentalist Ollie Mayer dies at 94 by Jane Knoerle The Devil’s Slide tunnel groundbreaking in 2005 was a triumph for Olive Mayer of Woodside. She wasn’t there to cheer the tunnels completion at the party held March 25, 2013, however. Mayer died March 20 of heart failure. She was 94. Back in 1971, Mayer and the Sierra Club were proposing a tunnel to bypass the notorious section of Highway 1 around Devil’s Slide, between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, according to an article in the May 18, 2005 issue of the Almanac. Instead, Caltrans planned to build a four-lane freeway bypass at Devil’s Slide. Mayer and the Sierra Club brought a lawsuit, the first of several, that stopped the highway bypass. “Without Ollie, we wouldn’t be getting a tunnel. The bypass would have happened,” said April Vargas, a Coastside leader in the campaign to build a tunnel, at the time. “She continues to inspire people. That is her great gift.” Olive Hendricks grew up in New Jersey and New York before attending Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she was one of the first women to graduate with an engineering degree. While on a hiking vacation in Colorado, she met her future husband, Henry Mayer. They married in December 1941, three weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the war, the Mayers settled in Woodside and Dr.

Mayer started his medical practice in Redwood City. She learned to love San Mateo County’s rural Coastside, hiking its trails and absorbing its beauty. In the 1960s and 1970s, she led hikes of schoolchildren, scouts, and parents. “I saw erosion, logging, the terrible condition of streams,” she said. “Then I began to get interested in politics.” Her legacies stretch far beyond the Devil’s Slide tunnels. She founded the San Mateo County branch of the Sierra Club and fought for conservation on many fronts, including serving a term on the Woodside Town Council in the 1970s. In a 2003 statement, the Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club said Ms. Mayer’s greatest missions included: preserving the San Mateo coastal resources; opposing illegal and highly destructive logging practices; and extending the trails in San Mateo County. In 1983 the national Sierra Club recognized her with its special achievement award. She is survived by her children, Judy O’Brien and Robert Mayer, and four grandchildren. Her husband, Dr. Henry Mayer, died in 2009. A private memorial is planned for May. Memorial contributions may be made to the Committee for Green Foothills, Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club, or the Peninsula Open Space Trust.

Elsbeth Fox

Nov. 14, 1922 – March 31, 2013 Elsbeth McCollum Fox, who lived in Palo Alto for over 70 years, died March 31, 2013, in Denver, CO. Elsbeth graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1940 and Stanford University in 1944. In the 1950s, folk dancing was very popular, and she taught folk dance classes for the Palo Alto Recreation Department. During those years she couldn’t walk down University Avenue without running into friends from folk dancing, much to the impatience of her young daughters hanging onto her skirt. She left Palo Alto in 2004, but avidly followed the Palo Alto Weekly for hometown news. She is survived by her daughters, Janet Fox of Menlo Park, and Ellen Fox of Denver. PA I D

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Robert Smithwick memorial service A memorial service will be held Friday, April 19 at 2 p.m., for Robert Smithwick, a founding trustee of Foothill College who died March 22 at 92. The service will be in Smithwick Theatre at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. Parking passes

are not needed and Foothill will not issue parking citations during the service. Contributions in memory of Smithwick may be made to to the Foothill-De Anza Foundation (foundation.fhda.edu) or the Rotary Club of Palo Alto (www.rotarypaloalto.org.)

Lasting Memories An online directory of obituaries and remembrances. Go to:

PaloAltoOnline.com/ obituaries

Donald W. Schroeder Mr. Schroeder died of natural causes, with family present, on March 30, 2013. He was 95 years old. A long-time resident of Atherton and Menlo Park, he is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Mary Enneking Schroeder, and three sons, William [Wendy] of South Burlington, Vermont, and his children John Henry and Susie, David [Carmen Sofia] of Menlo Park, and his son Christian, and Stephen of Carson City, Nevada and his twin daughters, Baylee and Charlotte. Twin sons Mark and Tom preceded him in death. He was a native of Wisconsin, and after graduation from the Business School at the University of Wisconsin in 1943, he attended the Naval Midshipmen’s School at Tower Hall in Chicago, receiving his commission as an Ensign in late 1943. He served as an AntiSubmarine Warfare Officer until his discharge in 1946. He then took a position with the Chicago office of Price Waterhouse, and obtained his CPA certificate in 1950. While working in Chicago he met and married Mary, who also was employed by the Chicago Price Waterhouse office. She was from Madison, Wisconsin and had also attended the University of Wisconsin. In 1954, after holding an executive position in the Midwest, he and Mary decided to move to California, where he joined the staff of Lybrand, Ross Bros. & Montgomery [later known as Coopers & Lybrand, one of the Big Eight accounting firms] in its San Francisco office. He became a partner in the Lybrand firm in 1959 and remained a partner until he retired from Coopers & Lybrand in 1979. He was the managing partner of the San Francisco group of offices, serving in that position for ten years, and was elected to the firm’s Governing Council during that period of time. He was very active in the accounting profession, serving as the President of The California Society of Certified Public Accountants and on a number of committees and the governing council of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the governing national body for CPAs. He gave freely of his time in these organizations. In 1978, he and Mary served as chairpersons of the AICPA’s annual meeting in San Francisco. He was a member of the Cercle de l’Union [The French Club] in the City for many years. One of his greatest joys was entertaining his friends there. He enjoyed billiard games at the Club with members of the French community, as well as a game of dominoes before lunch. He was also active in

the Rotary Club of San Francisco and the Stock Exchange Club. As a member of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, he was involved in many of that organization’s projects. His favorite project was serving on the Board of Directors for the Fort Point Museum Association, which developed that tourist attraction before turning it over to the National Park Service. He was an avid golfer and a long-time member of the Menlo Country Club. He also belonged to The Springs Golf Club in Rancho Mirage, California, where the family had a winter home. He played for many years in the California Seniors and the Northern California Seniors Golf Association tournaments until his health declined. He made numerous trips to Scotland to play the old traditional golf links. After his retirement he was appointed to the boards of directors of several corporations and served faithfully for many years, finally resigning from the last board at eighty years of age. During his retirement years, he and his wife also traveled extensively. They were both avid fishermen. They fished for marlin and sailfish off the Mexican, Costa Rican and Hawaiian coasts, and enjoyed salmon fishing in the Pacific near their Oregon beach house. Every year they would go to a fishing camp in Northern Wisconsin to fish for muskies, the world’s greatest fresh water game fish. Over the years, they had remarkably good luck, but his beloved Mary usually out-fished him, regularly catching the biggest fish. Throughout his lifetime, though there were many demands in his professional career, he always found time to devote to his family. The family made annual trips to a dude ranch in Northern California when the children were small and later, as they grew older, the family spent much time at the family beach house in Oregon, fishing and crabbing. His grandchildren added a great deal of pleasure to his later years and he loved them dearly. His family always came first in his life and he will be missed by them all. Burial arrangements will be private. A memorial mass will be held at St. Denis Church in Menlo Park at a date to be determined. Donations in Don’s memory may be made to St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room, 3500 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 94025 or to a charity of your choice. The family wishes to thank the folks at the Belmont Village in Sunnyvale and Vitas Hospice Care for taking good care of Don during this last year; they did a terrific job. PA I D

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Cover Story

Veronica Weber

Michael Closson, who is stepping down as executive director of Acterra after 10 years, takes a walk along a trail that leads to the Palo Alto Baylands in early April. hen Michael Closson moved from New York to Palo Alto in 1972 to work at Stanford University, his new job as assistant dean of undergraduate studies was nothing to sniff at. Still, within four years he had left the school to codirect a local nonprofit. “I made good contacts, and it got me to the West Coast, but I realized even then that my personality and interests were really suited for working in small communities,” he

Michael Closson, Acterra’s executive director, steps down after 10 years by Eric Van Susteren said of his job at Stanford. “Even though I studied sociology, I was always more interested in changing society than studying it.” He applied that principle first in 1976 by co-directing New Ways to Work, which would be the first in a long trail of nonprofits that would lead him up and down the West Coast and finally back to Palo Alto

to direct Acterra, a local environmental education and action organization. Now, after 10 years of running the organization, Closson is retiring, but he’s left his mark. Since he took the helm of the organization in 2003, its staff has doubled in size, from 11 to 22; its assets have increased from $600,000

Courtesy of Acterra

Palo Alto High School students Katie Ebinger, left, and Josefin Kenrick plant native grasses in Acterra’s serpentine test plots at the Pearson-Arastradero preserve in January. Page 18ÊUÊÊ «À Êx]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

to $1 million; and the organization has implemented a host of new programs to get community members active in energy efficiency and environmental conservation. Acterra was formed in 2000 as the result of a merger between two environmental nonprofits, Peninsula Conservation Center Foundation and Bay Area Action. It aims to provide tangible lessons to develop environmental consciousness in the community by using activities and an education-based approach, according to its website. Environmentally focused organizations like Acterra gained special importance during the early 2000s, said Peter Drekmeier, an environmentalist and former mayor of Palo Alto. While there had previously been a lot of focus on the environmental policies of state and national governments, Drekmeier said “a lack of leadership” in Washington during the George W. Bush administration spurred local government and organizations to fill the void. Closson said budget crises and a gridlock in national-level politics make organizations like Acterra all the more important today. Besides, it’s just the kind of work he feels he’s cut out for. “I’m more of a local-focus kind of guy,” he said. “I like working with local people; I like the personal connection. It’s important to have new federal policies, but I’m not the person to work on that.”

He thinks Acterra and organizations like it can influence larger policy-making decisions by getting people involved in environmentalism at the local level, thereby building grass-roots momentum behind issues. “The big enchilada here is climate change — people are not giving it the lip service it deserves,” he said. “My analysis is we need new technology (and) new policies, and ultimately we’ll need hundreds of millions to change their behavior, and that’s the big thing: inducing, and convincing and nudging people to change our behaviors so we live more in harmony with our environment.” cterra’s programs are aimed at influencing people to change their behavior, from governments to companies to people. The organization’s environmental awards celebrate businesses for being more sustainable or environmentally conscious. Acterra also recruits volunteers to help restore and protect habitats in such places as the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve and the San Francisquito watershed. It has several programs that train interested volunteers to become local environmental “leaders.” Possibly the most successful of these has been the Green@Home program. The program trains volunteers to conduct in-home energy audits so that they can educate homeowners to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. This mostly involves instructing homeowners to unplug power-

Cover Story

Support Local Business

File photo/Sam Tenney

Yoriko Kishimoto, left, listens to volunteers with Acterraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green@Home program, Michael Mora and Gail Brownell, learning how she can save energy by having her heating ducts cleaned. draining amenities or replace aging appliances, but Closson said thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only the superficial benefit of the program. He said the key of the educational components to programs is that they spur people to change the way they look at the environment and the way they treat it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a linear thinking that you educate people to change their consciousness and then they change their behaviors, but sometimes it happens in reverse,â&#x20AC;? he said, using the implementation of curbside recycling as an example. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once it reached a critical tipping point of people putting their recycling on the curb, people started to think â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d better start doing that, too,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; ... so their consciousness changes.â&#x20AC;? Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looking forward to seeing Green@Home expanded even farther using an approach he describes as â&#x20AC;&#x153;high-touch and high-tech.â&#x20AC;? Acterra is partnering with High Energy Audits, a Los Altos Hills company that produces readouts of energy use based on information gathered from homeownersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Smart Meters. With detailed data at their fingertips, volunteers can give more specific and informed advice to homeowners, but the program will also

save time and allow them to reach more clients, Closson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty labor-intensive,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Five hundred-plus volunteers go out in teams of two and do free home-energy audits. Now, you can be much more efficient about how you handle visits because 10 or 20 percent of homes you can do through email or phone conversations.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Even though I studied sociology, I was always more interested in changing society than studying it.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Michael Closson, executive director, Acterra â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a nice combination because we can do the customer relations and we can also play the honest broker because we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a horse in this race,â&#x20AC;? he said. While the organization is making moves to use more technology, Closson, who earned his doctorate in sociology from Cornell, said he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a technical

background or even a life-sciences background. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just spent time in the woods and in the streams, screwing around and learning to love nature and not be scared of it,â&#x20AC;? he said. His affinity for nature may have been part of what motivated him to start trying to protect it. After co-directing New Ways to Work in Palo Alto for six years, he went to work converting military facilities to areas for civilian use. Often that meant scrubbing them of toxins to make them available as open-space preserves. As his work there began to wind down, he helped organize the 30th anniversary of Earth Day in Seattle, where he stayed for another three years as the executive director of Biodiversity Northwest, which works to preserve old-growth redwoods. He worked there until he was tapped to lead Acterra. losson says his work has been most fulfilling when Acterra has touched lives â&#x20AC;&#x201D; particularly young ones â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with its programs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the real exciting stuff: when 10, 15 or 20 percent start to get hooked and come back to regular programs and when high school and college interns go on to make their careers or major in ecological studies,â&#x20AC;? he said. Even though heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beginning to see youth get involved in environmental issues, he said, overall the change isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happening nearly quickly enough. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hopeful but not optimistic,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to say that about us avoiding the serious impacts of climate change. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve realized the enormity of the threat because even though itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rapid in geological terms, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slow in human terms.â&#x20AC;? Part of the reason Closson, 74, will leave the organization is to focus more on implementing new programs and less on the ins and outs of running a nonprofit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I spend an awful lot of time do-

The online guide to Palo Alto businesses ShopPaloAlto.com

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Ninth Annual

Palo Alto Speech and Debate Camp

Dates: Week 1: June 17-June 21 Week 2: July 29-August 2 Cost per week: s FOR SPEECH /2 DEBATE s FOR SPEECH !.$ DEBATE s FOR BOTH WEEKS * Contact us for scholarships Contact us: (4403 3)4%3 '//',% #/- 3)4% 0!,930%%#(!.$$%"!4%

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IL TROVATORE BY GIUSEPPE VERDI Betrayal

Revenge

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File photo/Veronica Weber

Debbie Mytels, Acterra associate director, shows Green@Home volunteers the differences between energy usage in incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs during a training session.

Keith Kreiman, San Mateo City Times 02â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Liliane Cromer, as Carmen with her beautiful lyric voice, dominates the stage in the most definitive interpretation since RĂŻse Stevens the great Met Diva...â&#x20AC;? Liliane Cromer returns to the Fox as a riveting Azucena

Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 2pm Tickets $22 - $24, 650 -Fox-7770 or <foxwc.com> Fox Theater, 2223 Broadway, Redwood City, 94063 Chamber Orchestra and English Supertitles verismoopera.org and bslopera.com Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Â°*>Â?Â&#x153; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;"Â&#x2DC;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;iÂ°VÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;x]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă¤ÂŁĂ&#x17D;Ă&#x160;U Page 19

Cover Story

Lease-Up Announcement - 801 Alma Apartments

For more information please go to www.edenhousing.org April 1, 2013 and click on “Now Leasing”. You may also contact Julissa Johnson, Management Agent at (650) 322-2061 or TDD/TTY 1-800-735-2929. *Income Limits, Preferences & Occupancy Standards Apply.

Palo Alto Unified School District Notice is hereby Given that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Unified School District for bid package: Contract No. JLS-13 Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School – New Landscape and Site Improvements DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK: Work includes but is not limited to: Construction of new landscaped areas and modernization of existing walkways , demolition, excavation, site work, irrigation, landscaping, fencing, concrete, miscellaneous metals, framing, lath and plastering , plumbing, finishes etc. Bid documents contain the full description of the work. There will be a mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit at 02:00 p.m. on April 17, 2013 at the Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School, 480 East Meadow Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306 Bid Submission: Proposals must be received at the District Facilities Office Building D, by 10:00 a.m. on April 30, 2013. PREVAILING WAGE LAWS: The successful Bidder must comply with all prevailing wage laws applicable to the Project, and related requirements contained in the Contract Documents. Palo Alto Unified School District will maintain a Labor Compliance Program (LCP) for the duration of this project. In bidding this project, the contractor warrants he/she is aware and will follow the Public Works Chapter of the California Labor Code comprised of labor code sections 1720 – 1861. A copy of the Districts LCP is available for review at 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306. 1. 2.

3. 4. 5.

A pre-job conference shall be conducted with the contractor or subcontractors to discuss federal and state labor law requirements applicable to the contract. Project contractors and subcontracts shall maintain and furnish to the District, at a designated time, a certiﬁed copy of each payroll with a statement of compliance signed under penalty of perjury. The District shall review and, if appropriate, audit payroll records to verify compliance with the Public Works Chapter of the Labor Code. The District shall withhold contract payments if payroll records are delinquent or inadequate. The District shall withhold contract payments as described in the LCP, including applicable penalties when the District and Labor Commissioner establish that underpayment of other violations has occurred.

Bidders may examine Bidding Documents at Facilities Office, Building “D”. Bidders may purchase copies of Plans and Specifications at ARC Reprographics located at 1100 Industrial Rd. Unit 13, San Carlos, CA 94070. Phone: (650) 517-1895 All questions can be addressed to: Palo Alto Unified School District 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D Palo Alto, CA 94306-1099 Attn: Patrick Downey Phone: (650) 329-3927 Fax: (650) 327-3588 Page 20ÊUÊÊ «À Êx]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

(continued from previous page)

ing administrative work — managing the staff, hiring, raising money — and it’s fun, but I’d like to spend more of my time actually doing programs that are focused on climate change and not as much on administrative activities,” he said. Drekmeier said the the role of executive director can be a taxing one, involving long hours and some certain sacrifices. “There’s a lot of pressure behind an executive director,” he said. “He’s a wonderful role model for living his passion. Sometimes there’s not a clear delineation between his work and social life — he carries it with him wherever he goes — and that makes him a great ambassador for Acterra.”

‘Michael is such a strong leader that they won’t find someone with his exact skills. That’s the challenge to make transition possible.’ – Peter Drekmeier, former mayor, Palo Alto With a burn rate of about $120,000 a month, the organization would run out of money after three months if it stopped fundraising, Closson said. That puts extra pressure on him as a fundraiser. “There’s always a low level of stress,” he said. “I’ve adjusted to it pretty well because I’ve been doing it so long. It’s not overwhelming — I don’t lose sleep over it or anything — but you’re always conscious of it.” While the organization looks for a replacement for Closson, he’s using the five months he has left trying to make the transition smooth. He thinks his replacement must have an entrepreneurial spirit and be able to develop new projects. The new director would also have to be adaptable as new climate-change issues come up. “Water is a big issue and is going to be a big issue, and I’m sure we’re only going to get more involved than we are already,” he said. Now that the organization has seen increased interest from businesses, it’s ready to become more Silicon Valley-focused. Acterra Board Chair Judith Steiner said she’s interested in seeing an executive director with experience in the corporate world or in working with corporations who can bridge the gap between nonprofit and corporate cultures. Drekmeier thinks Closson’s replacement will have big shoes to fill. “Organizations develop around leadership,” he said. “Michael is such a strong leader that they won’t find someone with his exact skills. That’s the challenge to make transition possible.” During his retirement, Closson hopes to continue to work in environmentalism on a local level and is particularly interested in promoting the use of distributed rather than

File photo/Veronica Weber

Construction is scheduled to be completed in July 2013. We will begin accepting applications for the lottery Monday, April 1, 2013 up until 5pm, Tuesday, April 30, 2013.

Michael Closson

Twana Karney, former director of Acterra’s Green@Home program, uses the Kill A Watt device to measure how many killowatt-hours are used by a hair dryer that’s left plugged in. centralized energy sources. While he’ll have fewer resources and won’t have the advantage of the credibility that being executive director of a nonprofit like Acterra lends, he said one can “do an awful lot just by talking to people.” Closson’s experience, skills and activities at Acterra have put him in an excellent position to consult with other nonprofits, Steiner said. “Basically he has a vast knowledge of players in the community; he works with local government; and he’s a good writer,” she said. Of course, retirement won’t be all work for Closson. Four days after he retires, he’ll be on a plane to the United Kingdom, where he’ll spend three weeks hiking from the Irish Sea to the Baltic Sea. He also hopes

to spend more time in his beloved Sierra Nevada mountains. “The ideal world is one where I can take projects for a couple months or do something where I’m only working 15 or 20 hours a week that I can space out to have some fun and relax,” he said. “I’m definitely going to play more.” N Online Editor Eric Van Susteren can be emailed at evansusteren@ paweekly.com. About the cover: Michael Closson, executive director of Acterra, is stepping down as executive director in August. Photo by Veronica Weber.

Veronica Weber

801 Alma is a brand new property of 49 affordable family apartments offering 1, 2 & 3 bedrooms. It is located at the corner of Alma Street and Homer Avenue on the combined Ole’s Car Shop site and the former City of Palo Alto Substation Site near shopping and public transportation.

Michael Closson, executive director of Acterra, stands next to a set of markers indicating the low elevations on which many developments along the shoreline are built.

Book Talk AN EVENING WITH AMY TAN ... Best-selling author Amy Tan of “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Kitchen God’s Wife” and others (including “The Bonesetter’s Daughter,” for which she also wrote the opera libretto), will speak at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center at 3921 Fabian Way in Palo Alto on April 11. Tan will be in conversation with author Louann Brizendine at the event, which runs from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $30 general, $25 for students and JCC members, and $22 for residents of the Moldaw complex at the center. Info: paloaltojcc.org or 650-223-8699 BECOMING A SUCESSFUL WRITER ...In this three-hour class, from 1 to 4 p.m., San Francisco agent, author and consultant Michael Larsen will be at Kepler’s to talk about “The Nine Keys to Becoming a Successful Writer,” including how to get a book published, making work “rejection proof,” finding an agent or publisher and choosing the best publishing option. Class fee is $99. Info: keplers. com or 800-838-3006

BOOKS INC. ... Future author talks at Books Inc. at Palo Alto’s Town & Country Village include: Harry Brod, “Superman is Jewish?” (April 10, 7 p.m.); Caroline M. Grant and Lisa Catherine Harper, “The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage” (April 11, 7 p.m.); Jaina Sanga, “Silk Fish Opium” (April 16, 6 p.m.); Christina Schwarz, “The Edge of the Earth” (April 18, 7 p.m.); and Maria Semple, “Where’d you go, Bernadette” (April 22, 7 p.m.). Info: booksinc.net LOCAL POET ... Pearl Karrer’s new collection, “Balanced Between Water and Sky, Poems of the Everglades,” will be published this spring by Finishing Line Press. Karrer, a Palo Alto piano teacher, artist and poet, has two chapbooks, “Weathering” (Slapering Hol Press) and “The Thorn Fence” (Finishing Line Press). She is the managing editor for the poetry journal, California Quarterly. Cost of her latest book is $14. Info (and to preorder): www.finishinglinepress.com (continued on page 22)

A monthly section on local books and authors

1BSBEJTF lost and found

Ellen Sussman’s new novel explores closure and connection amidst a real-life tragedy Veronica Weber

MEET THE AUTHORS ... Upcoming authors and programs at Keplers, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, include: Amanda Coplin, “The Orchardist” (April 9, 7:30 p.m.); Roland Garrigue, “How to Demolish Dinosaurs” (April 10, 10:30 a.m.); Guy Kawasaki, “APE: Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur - How to Publish a Book” (April 10, 7 p.m.); Caroline Paul and Wendy McNaughton “Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology” (April 11, 7:30 p.m.); Pam Houston, “Waltzing the Cat” (April 16, 7:30 p.m.); Jennifer Fosberry, “Isabella: Star of the Story” (April 17, 4 p.m.); Katherine Applegate, “The One and Only Ivan” (April 18, 7 p.m.); Adam M. Grant, “Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success” (April 24, 7:30 p.m.); and Mark Mazzetti, “The Way of the Knife: The CIA, a Secret Army, and War at the Ends of the Earth” (April 25, 7:30 p.m.). Info: keplers.com

Title Pages

by Karla Kane

Ellen Sussman read from her latest book, “The Paradise Guest House,” at Kepler’s on March 26.

“The Paradise Guest House,” by Ellen Sussman; Ballantine Books; 258 pages; $15

n the autumn of 2002, members of an Islamist terrorist group detonated three bombs in a tourist district on the Indonesian island of Bali. Hundreds were injured and 202 were killed, including seven Americans. “The Paradise Guest House,” local author Ellen Sussman’s latest novel, follows the lives of several fictional characters who’ve been irreparably impacted by the Balinese nightclub bombings. For much of the novel, the leading protagonist is Jamie, a 32-year-old Californian who works as an adventure guide for a Berkeleybased travel company. Jamie was visiting Bali with her Chilean boyfriend, scouting out potential tour opportunities, when she was caught up in the terrorist attacks. After risking her life

to help fellow victims and suffering injury, she was rescued by Gabe, an American ex-pat, and the two quickly formed a strong bond, only to lose each other soon after. One year later, Jamie, still traumatized by her experience, returns to Bali to seek closure, attend a memorial ceremony, confront her haunting memories and, she hopes, find Gabe. In flashbacks, the reader learns of Jamie’s childhood in Palo Alto (including references to local establishments such as the Stanford Park Hotel); how her father installed in her a love of adventure and then abandoned the family, leaving Jamie unwilling or unable to settle down; her overprotective but loving mother; her dissolving relationship with her beau, the doomed Miguel; and her close paternal relationship to her boss, Larson. When the book switches back to the present, Jamie meets her kindly Balinese host Nyoman (the owner of the titular guest house), who also suffered greatly in the attacks of the previous year, as well as the mischievous urchin Bambang, both of whom will help her

make her peace with the stunningly beautiful but now tragedy-tainted island. Midway through, the book’s perspective shifts to that of Gabe. In a similar mix of flashback and contemporary narrative we discover Gabe’s history as a Boston journalist and how family grief led him to leave the U.S. for a relaxed life as an elementary school teacher in Bali. Though he’s closed off his heart due to his past losses, and Jamie’s plagued by guilt over her survival in the face of others’ deaths, the two find their defenses dropping as their connection deepens. “The Paradise Guest House,” with its blend of romance, adventure, action and history, could easily work as a motion picture, so don’t be surprised to see it someday at a theater near you. Sussman is an effective writer who keeps the plot developing at a quick pace. When (spoiler alert) Jamie and Gabe finally have (continued on page 22)

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Title Pages

Sussman

(continued from page 21)

their long-awaited reunion the emotional payoff is sweet. Her dialogue is occasionally clunky, especially when an Indonesian is comparing Balinese and Western culture, but on the whole the book is a pleasure to devour easily in a short period of time. It feels a bit wrong to use words such as “pleasure,” “beach book” and so forth when the story deals with such tragic true events but, strange though it may seem, the gripping story nonetheless will make excellent summer reading. It is to Sussman’s credit that a book about a traveler’s trip gone so very wrong still made me wish to

Book Talk

(continued from page 21) READING, TEA AND COOKIES ... with chef Donia Bijan, author of “Maman’s Homesick Pie: A Persian Heart in an American Kitchen,” will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at the City of Mountain View Public Library, 585 Franklin St., Mountain View. Bijan, who ran the French Bistro L’Amie Donia in Palo Alto from 1994 to 2004, uses the language of food to describe her journey — from Iran to California and France. Info: http://goo.gl/EfV3C and www.doniabijan.com

2013/2014

Groundwater Production and Surface Water Charges NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN: That on the 22nd of February 2013, a report of the SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT’S activities in the protection and augmentation of the water supplies of the District has been delivered to Michele L. King, CMC, Clerk of the Board, in writing, including: a financial analysis of the District’s water utility system; information as to the present and future water requirements of the District; the water supply available to the District, and future capital improvement and maintenance and operating requirements; a method of financing; a recommendation as to whether or not a groundwater charge should be levied in any zone or zones of the District and, if any groundwater charge is recommended, a proposal of a rate per acre-foot for agricultural water and a rate per acre-foot for all water other than agricultural water for such zone or zones; That on the 9th day of April 2013, at 9 a.m., in the chambers of the Board of Directors of Santa Clara Valley Water District at 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, California, a public hearing regarding said report will be held; that all operators of water producing facilities within the District and any persons interested in the District’s activities in the protection and augmentation of the water supplies of the District are invited to call at the offices of the District at 5750 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, California, to examine said report; That at the time and place above stated any operator of a water producing facility within the District, or any person interested in the District’s activities in the protection and augmentation of the water supplies of the District, may, in person or by representative, appear and submit evidence concerning the subject of said written report; and That based upon findings and determinations from said hearing, including the results of any protest procedure, the Board of Directors of the District will determine whether or not a groundwater production charge and surface water charge should be levied in any zone or zones; and that, if the Board of Directors determines that a groundwater production charge and surface water charge should be levied, the same shall be levied, subject and pursuant to applicable law, against all persons operating groundwater facilities and diverting District surface water within such zone or zones beginning July 1, 2013. 2/2013_AY_mtv

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travel to Bali. She captures Jamie’s adventurous spirit and wanderlust and paints an affectionate picture of Bali as a place, though troubled by corruption, poverty and Western exploitation, well worthy of investigation. At its heart, “The Paradise Guest House” is a lovely little novel about human connection in the face of humanity at its very worst. Since the bombings in Bali happened relatively quickly on the heels of the massive Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and on the other side of the world, American readers may not remember or know much of the events, and the novel serves as a poignant tribute and reminder to the lives lost and/or damaged in this faraway not-quite paradise. N

NEW FICTION ... “In Tremors: New Fiction by Iranian American Writers,” Erika Abrahamian, Anita Amirrezvani, Shideh Etaat, Zohreh Ghahremani, Persis Karim (co-editor), Gina Nahai, Ari Barkeshli Siletz and Sholeh Wolpé are featured at Kepler’s in an anthology of stories set in Iran before and after the revolution (April 14, 2 p.m.). N

Items for Book Talk may be sent to Associate Editor Carol Blitzer, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 93202 or emailed to cblitzer@paweekly.com by the last Friday of the month.

City of Palo Alto ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Draft Negative Declaration has been prepared by the Palo Alto Department of Planning and Community Environment for the project listed below. In accordance with A.B. 886, this document will be available for review and comment during a minimum 20-day inspection period beginning April 6, 2013 through April 26, 2013 during the hours of 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. at the Development Center, 285 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. This item will be considered at a public hearing by the Planning and Transportation Commission, Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 6:00 PM. in the Palo Alto City Council Chambers on the first floor of the Civic Center, located at 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Written comments on the Negative Declaration will be accepted until 5:00 PM on April 26, 2013 in the Planning and Community Environment Department Civic Center offices on the fifth floor of City Hall. Housing Element Update: The project consists of the update of the City of Palo Alto’s Housing Element, a mandated element of the General Plan. The Housing Element provides policy direction for accommodating Palo Alto’s housing needs through 2014. The Association of Bay Area Government’s (ABAG) has assigned a Regional Housing Needs Allocation number of 2,860 housing units to the City of Palo Alto for the period from 2007-2014. During this period, the City has entitled 1,217 units however it still must plan to accommodate 1,643 housing units. The policies and programs in the updated Housing Element include recommendations for changes in the land use regulations pertaining to residential development, the creation of incentives to encourage the development of a variety of housing types, and an increase in density within certain residential and mixed use zoning districts. Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, listening assistive devices are available in the Council Chambers and Council Conference Room. Sign language interpreters will be provided upon request with 72 hours advance notice.

Movies MOVIE TIMES

All showtimes are for Friday through Sunday only unless otherwise noted. For other times, as well as reviews and trailers, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies.

Admission (PG-13) ((1/2 Century 16: 12:25, 4, 7:10 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:45 a.m. & 2:20, 5, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. The Birds (1963) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: Fri 7:30 p.m. Sat-Sun 3:20 & 7:30 p.m. The Call (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:20 a.m. & 1:50, 4:10, 7:40 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 12:40, 3:05, 5:30, 7:50 & 10:25 p.m. The Croods (PG) ((1/2 Century 16: 11 a.m. & 3:40 & 8:50 p.m. In 3D 1:20 & 6:10 p.m. Century 20: 11 a.m. & 1:30, 4, 6:30 & 9 p.m. In 3D 12:05, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40 & 10:05 p.m. Evil Dead (2013) (R) ((1/2 Century 16: 11:40 a.m. & 2:10, 4:30, 7:50 & 10:40 p.m. (Last show at 10:15 p.m. on Sun.) Century 20: 11:40 a.m. & 12:50, 2, 3:10, 4:20, 5:35, 6:50, 8, 9:15 & 10:25 p.m. From Up on Poppy Hill (PG) ((( Palo Alto Square: Fri and Sat 2, 4:30, 7:25 & 9:50 p.m. Sun 2, 4:30 & 7:25 p.m. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11:30 a.m. & 2:20, 3:20, 5:20, 8:30 & 9:20 p.m. In 3D 11 a.m. & 12:30, 1:40, 4:20, 6:20, 7:30 & 10:40 p.m. (Last show 10:15 p.m. on Sun.) Century 20: 11:50 a.m. & 2:35, 5:30, 8:05 & 10:45 p.m. In 3D 11:15 a.m. & 12:45, 1:55, 3:25, 4:35, 6:10, 7:15, 8:50 & 9:55 p.m. The Godfather (1972) (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Wed 2 & 7 p.m. The Host (PG-13) 1/2 Century 16: 12:30, 3:35, 7 & 10 p.m. Sat 12:30, 3:35, 7 & 10 p.m. Century 20: 10:55 a.m. & 1:40, 4:40, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (PG-13) (( Century 20: 11:25 a.m. & 4:50 & 10:20 p.m. Jurassic Park (2013) (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 11 a.m. & 5 p.m. In 3D noon & 2, 3:10, 7, 8:20 & 10:20 p.m. Life of Pi (PG) (((1/2 Century 20: 1:25 & 7:15 p.m. In 3D 4:20 & 10:10 p.m. No (R) (((1/2 Aquarius Theatre: 2:30, 5:30 & 8:30 p.m. Olympus Has Fallen (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 12:10, 3:50, 7:20 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m. & 12:55, 2:15, 3:45, 5:05, 6:40, 7:55, 9:35 & 10:45 p.m. Oz the Great and Powerful (PG) ((1/2 Century 16: 2:40 & 9:10 p.m. In 3D 11:10 a.m. & 6:05 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m. & 2:25, 5:25 & 8:25 p.m. In 3D 1:05, 4:05, 7:05 & 10:10 p.m. Psycho (1960) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Stanford Theatre: 5:30 & 9:40 p.m. Quartet (PG-13) ((( Guild Theatre: 1, 3:30, 6 & 8:30 p.m. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R) (Not Reviewed) Guild Theatre: Sat midnight. The Sapphires (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: 1:30, 4:15, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Silver Linings Playbook (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 1:55 & 7:25 p.m. Spring Breakers (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: noon & 2:30, 4:50, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 1, 3:20, 5:50, 8:15 & 10:35 p.m. Starbuck (R) (( Palo Alto Square: Fri-Sat 1:45, 4:20, 7:15 & 9:45 p.m. Sun 1:45, 4:20 & 7:15 p.m. Tyler Perry’s Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 12:20, 3:30, 6:50 & 9:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m. & 2:35, 5:10, 7:50 & 10:30 p.m.

( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260) Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264) CinéArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (4930128) Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260) Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies

Serving Fine Chinese Cuisine in Palo Alto since 1956 A Great Place for Get-togethers Happy Hour s Catering s Gift Certiﬁcates Private Dining s Meeting s Banquet Rooms

OPENINGS Evil Dead --1/2 (Century 16, Century 20) Let’s put it this way. There are two types of people in the world. Those who should never, under any circumstances, see the horror sequel/reboot “Evil Dead” and those who just gotta see it. In the former category, put formative and sensitive minds, as this hard “R” horror film will be outright traumatizing to many of them. In the latter category, put “Fangoria” subscribers who get off on trauma. Based on Sam Raimi’s charmingly raggedy 1981 debut film “The Evil Dead” (infamously funded by Detroit dentists and doctors), Fede Alvarez’s cover version is a different beast. Whereas Raimi’s initial “Evil Dead” gave off a sense of its filmmaker’s irrepressible fun in making it, Alvarez’s version gives off a vibe of ruthless efficiency, establishing its cred with the grimy grottiness modern viewers expect from remade ‘70s and ‘80s horror films, before moving on to gonzo horror with astonishingly disgusting imagery. The new “Evil Dead” also lays out its bona fides for Raimi fans, both onscreen and off. (Raimi, longtime confederate Rob Tapert and “The Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell produced the remake.) The basic plot remains the same: Five friends abscond to a cabin in the woods, where a book of the dead unleashes demons determined to possess their souls and thereby unleash apocalypse. And Alvarez crams the movie with reverential references to the original (from Raimi’s “flying” camera move to a post-credits stinger that fans had better stick around for). The script by Uruguayans Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues, with an American polish by Diablo Cody (“Juno”), adds a layer of psychodrama by making two of the characters siblings. Mia (Jane Levy) needs a getaway to recover her sobriety after a recent near-fatal overdose, which keeps her brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and friends Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci), Olivia (Jessica Lucas) and Natalie (Elizabeth Blackmore) worrisomely watchful. When high school teacher Eric curiously reads aloud from the skin-bound book he finds in the cabin, a “taker of souls” comes out to bring fresh hell. As newly plotted, the story looks at the fine line between heroism and stupidity, while suggesting an allegorical conflation of actual demons and the “demons” of addiction, and how easy it can be to innocently open the door to agents of evil. Mostly, though, this movie is about ruptured flesh and raining blood. Alvarez’s approach evokes not only “The Evil Dead,” but the freaky-deakiness of “The Exorcist”

[Chopsticks Always Optional]

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Movies (continued from previous page)

and the outrĂŠ â&#x20AC;&#x153;buckets of bloodâ&#x20AC;? stylization of pictures like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Suspririaâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Carrie.â&#x20AC;? Obviously, what Alvarezâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evil Deadâ&#x20AC;? inevitably lacks is originality, though it does announce the arrival of a highly competent artiste of gore, for those who like that sort of thing. Gore fans and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evil Deadâ&#x20AC;? fans are likely to agree that, in an age where â&#x20AC;&#x153;PG-13â&#x20AC;? rules the multiplex, this horror picture delivers the goods. It easily qualifies as one of the most audaciously revolting movies ever made, one that keeps daring you not to look away. It may not be my idea of fun, but if it leads to a rumored return for Campbell in a Raimi-led follow-up, then we can talk. Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore, some sexual content and language. One hour, 31 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese

Starbuck -(Palo Alto Square) One logical conclusion to the genealogy trend of recent years has just made its way to American theaters: the French-Canadian film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starbuck.â&#x20AC;? The high concept of Ken Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comedy-drama is to reverse the curiosity about those linked to us by DNA, making the investigation not about ancestors but descendants. To be exact, 533 of them. Twenty-three years ago, David Wozniak (an amiably goofy Patrick Huard) deposited enough in a sperm bank to unwittingly sire hundreds of children. Now 142 of those pigeons have come home to roost in the form of a class-action lawsuit by those determined to uncover their fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity. The case captures the public imagination, and soon everyone in Quebec seems to have an opinion about David, pseudonymously known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starbuck.â&#x20AC;? Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frequent screw-ups as delivery man for the family butchery and his financial over-exten-

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the roadâ&#x20AC;?

sion (which has creditors threatening bodily harm) establish a life of disappointing and being disappointed even before the sperm hits the fan. The disappointment extends to Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s girlfriend â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a cop he has impregnated the oldfashioned way â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who dumps him to raise the child on her own. When the lawsuit slaps him, David first enlists a borderline-inept lawyer buddy (Antoine Bertrand, a comic saving grace), then gradually allows his curiosity to get the better of him. He begins peeking in the files of his children of questionable legitimacy and arranging â&#x20AC;&#x153;chanceâ&#x20AC;? meetings with them. While never revealing his identity, he cannot help himself from becoming their â&#x20AC;&#x153;guardian angel.â&#x20AC;? This new sense of purpose and his innate generosity of spirit starts to chip away at his resolve to remain anonymous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starbuckâ&#x20AC;? initially shows some bite and reasonably strong comic and visual sensibilities, but it grows cutesier and cutesier, revealing director Ken Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mainstream instincts. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an intriguing point at the heart of the picture, about the ultimate responsibility of conceiving a child, but

Patrick Huard and Antoine Bertrand in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starbuck.â&#x20AC;? the way in which itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s underlined with the fresh pregnancy emblematizes the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unsubtle agenda,

ACADEMY AWA RDÂŽ NOMINEE BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM â&#x20AC;&#x153;WEIRDLY FUNNY AND ROUSING, BOTH INTELLECTUALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.â&#x20AC;? -Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES

HHHHH

WINNER CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

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HIGHEST RATING

WINNER BEST PICTURE

-Joshua Rothkopf, TIME OUT NEW YORK

SAN PAULO FILM FESTIVAL

Gael GarcĂa Bernal A film by Pablo LarraĂn

NOW PLAYING

CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES

VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.NOTHEMOVIE.COM

FROM THE LEGENDARY

STUDIO GHIBLI

CREATORS OF SPIRITED AWAY AND THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY

-Peter Debruge, VARIETY

AO Scott,

Rated R for sexual content, language and some drug material. One hour, 49 minutes.

Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES

++++

-Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Peter Rainer,

171 University Ave., Palo Alto s 650.328.7411 www.paloaltobicycles.com Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10am - 7pm, Sat. 10am - 6pm, Sun. 11am - 5pm Page 24Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;x]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă¤ÂŁĂ&#x17D;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Â°*>Â?Â&#x153; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;"Â&#x2DC;Â?Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;iÂ°VÂ&#x153;Â&#x201C;

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hurtling toward an unsurprisingly sentimental resolution. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help that Scott and cowriter Martin Petit are lazy, and deliberately hazy, when it comes to the pivotal plot point of the lawsuit, which Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawyer insists will â&#x20AC;&#x153;go down in the history books.â&#x20AC;? They treat it as a comic MacGuffin, but an audience might reasonably expect to understand more specifically what the kids expect out of the suit. Their claim never seems remotely convincing either, since weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not made privy to the plaintiffsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; legal strategy and the law seems rather obviously on Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side. Scott is content to treat the problem as one with a simple solution: Hug it out. And thus â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starbuckâ&#x20AC;? will appeal to those willing and able to be shamelessly manipulated at the movies (and, I suppose, why not?). If â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Intouchablesâ&#x20AC;? made you chuckle and wipe a tear away, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Starbuckâ&#x20AC;? is next in line to do the same for you ... or to you. Or you can just wait for the remake, written and directed by Scott and starring Vince Vaughn, which opens just six months from now and promises to be just as schmaltzy.

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Century Theatres at Palo Alto Square Fri & Sat 4/5-4/6 Starbuck - 1:45, 4:20, 7:15, 9:45 From Up On Poppy Hill - 2:00, 4:30, 7:25, 9:50 Sun thru Thurs 4/7-4/11 Starbuck - 1:45, 4:20, 7:15 From Up On Poppy Hill - 2:00, 4:30, 7:25

Tickets and Showtimes available at cinemark.com

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Sports Shorts

PREP TRACK & FIELD

Gunn’s Robinson is among elite U.S. runners

NEW FOOTBALL COACH . . . Menlo College found a new head football coach close to home, hiring former San Jose SaberCats quarterback Mark Grieb to take over the program. Grieb also has ties with the Oaks’ football program, with two brief stints as an assistant coach. In 2003 he served as the team’s offensive coordinator and in 2011 he directed the receivers. Grieb spent 12 seasons with the SaberCats, helping them win three Arena Bowl championships and earning league MVP honors twice. He’s among the leaders in the AFL’s career record books; inking his name in the top-three in six career offensive categories including: Most passes completed in a career, completion percentage, passing yards, touchdown passes, most passes attempted, and most seasons as the league leader in passing yards. Grieb was the first player in AFL history to throw for more than 4,000 yards in seven straight seasons and the only player in league history to throw for 70-plus scores in nine straight seasons. Aside from playing professionally, Grieb has spent the past 10 years coaching in various capacities.

Friday College baseball: Stanford at USC, 6 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)

Saturday Women’s water polo: UCLA at Stanford, 1 p.m.; Pac-12 Networks College baseball: Stanford at USC, 2 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM) College softball: Arizona St. at Stanford, 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.; Pac-12 Networks

Sunday College baseball: Stanford at USC, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)