Palo Alto Weekly January 30, 2015

Palo Alto

Vol. XXXVI, Number 17 Q January 30, 2015

Doctors warn of measles dangers Page 5

w w w. P a l o A l t o O n l i n e.c o m

Pulse 15

Transitions 16

Spectrum 18

Eating Out 27

Shop Talk 28

Movies 29

Puzzles 47

Q Arts Women’s photographs go ‘beyond the veil’

Page 24

Q Home Sparing the air with gas-burning fireplaces

Page 30

Q Sports Stanford women have championship goals

Page 49

WOMEN & CANCER QUARTERLY TALK SERIES

Clinical Trials The Stanford Women’s Cancer Center invites you to its quarterly series featuring talks on women’s cancers. This talk will focus on clinical trials and why they are important for patients. Join us to learn more about clinical trials available at Stanford for gynecologic cancers.

PLEASE JOIN

Oliver Dorigo, MD, PhD

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2015

6:30PM – 8:00PM Stanford Health Library, Hoover Pavilion 211 Quarry Road, Suite 201 • Palo Alto, CA 94304

Division Chief of Gynecologic Oncology Stanford Women’s Cancer Center

To RSVP, call 650.736.6555 or online at stanfordhealthcare.org/events.

This event is free and open to the public. Please register, seating is limited.

Page 2 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 3

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Page 4 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Students to board: ‘It’s not Gunn’s fault’ Palo Alto students, parents demand swift and bold change

by Elena Kadvany

S

cores of Gunn High School students flooded the district’s usually sparsely filled board room on Tuesday night to speak out in defense of their school in the wake of a classmate’s death last weekend — and to demand immediate, bold changes that reach

beyond tackling academic stress.

One after another, the students stepped up to the speaker’s podium in front of a standing-roomonly crowd to tell the board: This is not the school’s fault.

“I know that many of you are looking for someone to blame be-

cause this is a senseless tragedy that nobody will ever be able to fully understand,” Gunn sophomore Chloe Sorensen said. “But we all need to take a step back: Gunn High School is not the only thing in these kids’ lives. They have issues with friends. They have issues with family. A lot of them struggle with depression, and even when they seek help, it isn’t always enough.

“As a kid who walks through those halls every day and inter-

acts with these kids face to face, I feel like I have the right to say that you are not seeing the whole picture. There is so much you cannot see from the outside: I have had teachers call me, email me, pull me aside, hug me and cry with me. Gunn High School is a community, and it’s a community that I am proud to be a part of.”

“Many accusations have been pointed against our administration and counselors, students and the

environment as a whole,” Gunn senior class president Mack Radin said, adding that he was speaking for his class. “It needs to stop.”

Though they acknowledged the very present stressors in their lives at Gunn, students urged their parents, teachers, administrators and board members to stop pointing fingers at counseling services, AP courses, homework load and the (continued on page 9)

HEALTH

Some schools lag in measles immunizations But Palo Alto district disputes the state’s records

by Sue Dremann

D Veronica Weber

Sumi Lim and Vegard Strand Lende, left, who work for Fuse, a Norwegian mobile-app development company, and Arne Tonning, a partner with Alliance Venture based in Norway, work at the Nordic Innovation House on Jan. 22.

BUSINESS

Creating a community for Nordic startups Innovation House leverages Silicon Valley’s tech community, expertise to offer business guidance

by My Nguyen

N

ordic Innovation House started out as a Norwegian initiative in October 2011, with an office in San Francisco to help startups develop and scale their ideas.

But after realizing that its growing list of tenants needed to be closer to Silicon Valley, the Innovation House opened a post in downtown Palo Alto. Since last September, that post at 470 Ramona St. has been a co-working space, incubator, resource center and networking hub not only for Norwegian startups but also up-and-coming entrepreneurs in and from Sweden, Iceland, Denmark and Finland.

“This is a collaboration between all the Nordic countries,” said Yvonne Ericsson, Nordic Innovation House’s community manager. “To have a hub where we can work together, where all the Nordic startups can meet, everyone will benefit from that.”

The Innovation House is cofunded by Nordic Innovation, a Nordic institution working to promote cross-border trade and innovation, and a coalition between Nordic countries’ government agencies, including Innovation Norway, VINNOVA-Sweden, Innovation Center Iceland, Innovation Center Denmark and Team Finland/Finpro.

Prior to last September, the Innovation House had 53 companies under its belt — a majority from Norway — but since then the organization has opened its doors to 33 new companies, including startups and the biggest Nordic venture-capitalist firms, Ericsson said.

“We say that we are a collaboration, but we are a resourcing center, we are a networking hub, we are a soft-landing space,” she said. “So, we are kind of taking care of all the Nordic people.”

By expanding its offerings to all Nordic countries, the Inno(continued on page 12)

espite cases of the measles now showing up in Santa Clara County, some Palo Alto schools still have up to 12 percent of elementary school students who are not properly immunized, according to data from the California Department of Public Health.

Five Palo Alto Unified School District elementary schools range from 88 to 93 percent immunized students; two private Palo Alto elementary schools fall below 94 percent. For a population to be adequately protected from measles, researchers generally think up to 94 percent of people must be immune either by prior infection or by vaccination. Some studies, however, assert that rate could be as low as 83 percent.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that is caused by a virus. California has recently seen 79 confirmed measles cases as of Wednesday, Jan. 28. Two cases each were in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. An outbreak at Disneyland accounted for 52 cases, according to the department of public health.

Palo Alto schools in general have a high rate of students whose measles vaccinations are up to date. Duveneck Elementary’s students are all vaccinated, and 99 percent of Nixon’s are.

But 12 percent of Addison students are not adequately vaccinated; 9 percent of Walter Hays, Ohlone and Juana Briones students are lacking immunization, as are 7 percent at El Carmelo.

The private Challenger School has a 13 percent unvaccinated rate, and St. Elizabeth Seton’s is 10 percent, according to the state data.

But school district spokesperson

Tabitha Kappeler-Hurley questioned the state’s figures. Children whose families traveled during the summer might not have gotten a needed vaccine just before school, she said, but they were immunized later and that fact was not capture in the publichealth department’s numbers.

The district’s figures for measles under-immunization show Addison at 5.1 percent, Juana Briones at 3.5 percent, Ohlone at 7 percent and Walter Hays at 3.2 percent.

Challenger School officials did not return requests for comment on why the numbers of unvaccinated students are high.

In East Palo Alto, all public elementary schools are within the 96- to 100-percent immunization range, according to the state data.

A Kaiser Permanente study published Jan. 18 in the journal Pediatrics found that race, ethnicity and neighborhood income were not dominant factors where clusters of low immunization were found. But there were lower vaccination rates in families with more graduate degrees. The study did not analyze the reasons.

Dr. Ross DeHovitz, an immunization expert at Palo Alto Medical Foundation, said that resistance to immunizing has come in waves, with the most recent wave occurring after the 1998 Wakefield study linked autism to the measles vaccine. That study has since been debunked, and the medical journal The Lancet retracted the research. But hesitancy is still pervasive, he said.

Some parents do receive exemptions based on personal, faith or for medical reasons, Kappeler-Hurley (continued on page 13)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 5

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

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

We are like brothers and sisters when we come together here.

—Yvonne Ericsson, of Nordic Innovation House, on the tech incubator for Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, Finnish and Danish entrepreneurs. See story on page 5.

Around Town

CYBER-SUMMIT ... Stanford University will host the Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection on Feb. 13, according to the White House. Responding to what it calls “growing threats to consumers and commercial networks,” the summit will bring together major stakeholders to discuss such topics as increasing public-private partnerships and cybersecurity-information sharing, developing secure payment technologies and promoting improved cybersecurity policies, according to the White House statement.

Senior White House and federal government leaders, as well as executives from technology and communications, computer security, financial services and retail industries will attend, along with consumer advocates, experts and students. The summit is connected to the Stanford Cyber Initiative. Launched last November, the initiative aims to draw on the university’s “experience with multidisciplinary, university-wide initiatives to focus on the core themes of trustworthiness, governance and the emergence of unexpected impacts of technological change over time,” according to Stanford News.

CHIEF OF PLAYTIME ... The City of Palo Alto didn’t have to look long or far to find a new leader for its busy Community Services Department. Rob de Geus — a 15-year department veteran and a familiar presence to residents who play golf, visit Lucie Stern Community Center, partake in the city’s recreation classes and attend Parks and Recreation Commission meetings — was tapped this week to take the department’s helm. De Geus has spent the past few weeks as acting director of the department, following the retirement of Greg Betts last month. On Thursday, City Manager James Keene announced that the Melbourne, Australla, native will take charge on a permanent basis, pending the City Council’s approval on Feb. 9. Keene said in a statement that the appointment was made after a “national search” and “extensive input” from the community, including a panel that included parks commissioners, neighborhood leaders and other department heads. “He is wellrespected and valued in our com-

munity and will continue to build on the strong relationships and programs that he has developed since he joined Palo Alto,” Keene said in a statement. De Geus, who served as a division head in the department before becoming assistant director and ultimately acting director, called Palo Alto an “exceptional city” and said in a statement, it’s an “honor and privilege to service the residents and the community. ... I look forward to working with citizens and staff on a wide variety of programs, services and park projects to continue improving the quality of life in Palo Alto.”

ALL THAT NOISE ... Whether it’s planes, trains or automobiles, Palo Altans are getting more and more antsy about the increasing activity around and above them. While car traffic has been hogging most of the attention in the past two years, with a wide range of city parking and transit initiatives now in the works, the City Council plans to consider in the next few weeks the other two modes of transportation. On Feb. 9, the council will look at the prospect of establishing a “quiet zone” in downtown Palo Alto, next to the busy Caltrain station and the city’s main transit center. The zone would prohibit the routine sounding of train horns, though conductors would still be allowed to sound the horn to comply with federal rules or respond to emergency situations. The request for a quiet zone was made by a group of downtown residents who presented the council last October with a petition that had more than 120 signatures. While the city is exploring their proposal, attorneys warn in a new report that a quiet zone may require the city to purchase insurance and could lead to an increase in litigation costs to “defend against novel theories of liability advanced by persons injured in the quiet zones.” A trickier task would be curtailing airplane noise, an issue that is overseen primarily by the federal government and in which the city normally has very little say. On Feb. 10, the council’s Policy and Services Committee will launch its discussion of overhead noise and consider proposals to work with neighboring cities, county officials, regional agencies and federal lobbyists to address the issue. Q

Upfront annual survey, said in a statement the city released more surveys this year than in the past (3,000 compared to 1,200) and received responses from almost 800 people (a 27 percent response rate).

Though the survey has been conducted for 12 years, the neighborhood breakdown is a new part of the analysis.

“This year we were able to distribute and tabulate the survey results on a more specific geographic and neighborhood level, providing insights into how different areas of the city view community life,” Richardson said in a statement.

In some cases, the differences between how northern and southern Palo Altans view the city are jarring. The former, for instance, tend to think higher of Palo Alto as a place to retire than the latter.

In the area that includes Downtown North, University South, Professorville and Old Palo Alto, 75 percent of the respondents gave the city “good” or “excellent” marks for retirement. The figure plummeted to 56 percent in the area around Midtown and St. Claire Gardens and to 44 percent around Ventura, Charleston Meadows and Barron Park. Overall, 68 percent of the respondents in north Palo Alto neighborhoods gave the city the top two marks in this area, compared to 54 percent in the south.

CITY SERVICES

Survey: Palo Altans love their neighborhoods but not development Results also suggest Crescent Park is grumpier about local government than College Terrace

by Gennady Sheyner no variation between the northern and southern parts of the city.

In other good news for the city, 93 percent gave Palo Alto the thumbs up as a “place to raise children” and 86 percent gave it high marks as “a place to work.” An overwhelming majority in every section of the city also feels safe at night and has great things to say about the “overall appearance of Palo Alto.” People love their neighborhoods (93 percent) and they sort of like their neighbors (64 percent lauded the “neighborliness” of local residents). And in the areas of shopping opportunities, affordable quality health care and availability of preventive health services, the city did well above other benchmark cities and saw an improvement of about 10 percent over its 2013 numbers.

Everything, in short, is peachy, as long as you don’t mention development or transportation. Because if you do, things go downhill really fast.

While the survey breaks down responses by neighborhoods, results suggest that land use, planning and zoning remain thorny subjects in just about every part of the city. Only 43 percent of the respondents ranked the city as “excellent” or “good” in this area. The proportion is, however, an improvement over 2013, when the number was 36 percent. Similarly, while only 51 percent of the respondents in 2014 gave the city the top two ratings on “overall quality of new development,” this is higher than in 2013, when only 44 percent did so.

Though Barron Park tends to be more critical of the city’s land use policies than College Terrace, land-use rage is a citywide issue.

In the northern neighborhoods, 46 percent gave the city high marks for land use, while in the southern neighborhoods the figure was 42 percent.

City Auditor Harriet Richardson, whose office coordinates the

DEVELOPMENT

Skeptical Palo Alto council not sold on Page Mill plan Officials call for additional analysis before ruling on zoning exceptions

by Gennady Sheyner

A

plan to replace four homes on a busy stretch of Page Mill Road with a threestory building featuring apartments, office space and retail ran into a wall of skepticism Monday night when Palo Alto officials declined to grant the developer the requested zoning exceptions and demanded a fresh financial analysis of the project.

The development at 441 Page Mill Road is one of several mixed-use projects that have recently been approved in the busy and often congested area around Page Mill Road and El Camino Real.

This one, however, relied heavily on a state law that automatically grants developers zoning concessions if they provide affordable-housing units. As such, it was a test case for the Palo Alto council, which last year adopted a local version of the density-bonus ordinance.

Designed by Stoecker and Northway Architects, 441 Page Mill would include 10 apartments, three of which would be sold below market rate. In exchange for providing these three units, property owner Norm Schwab wants

the allowance to build more densely — 21,540 square feet of office space at the site, double what would normally be allowed under the zoning code.

He is also seeking to cover 18,520 square feet of the property, more than 5,000 square feet beyond what would normally be allowed, and to increase the project’s overall density: 35,521 square feet instead of 26,926 square feet.

It would replace four existing homes on a largely commercial block that includes Kelly-Moore Paints, the AT&T retail store and an animal hospital.

The council on Monday was ambivalent toward the project, mirroring the public’s reception of the development to date. Though members generally liked the design, they had a problem with its size and density. The council unanimously agreed to commission another analysis before approving what they characterized as a precedent-setting development.

The main questions revolved around the value of the zoning concessions. In seeking concessions under the state’s density-

bonus law, the applicant was required to demonstrate that the extra density is needed to support the creation of affordable housing.

The city’s economic consultants, Keyser Marston Associates, confirmed that this is indeed the case: Cost of constructing the new units ($1.85 million) would be greater than the benefit that the developer would get from the increased density ($1.28 million).

But with commercial real estate booming in Palo Alto, the council wasn’t sold on this analysis. Councilman Eric Filseth led the charge and asserted that the figures in the Keyser Marston report don’t account for the type of double-digit growth Palo Alto has been experiencing in the past decade.

He noted that real estate rent in downtown Palo Alto has been going up by 11 percent annually, and his own numbers suggest that the project would generate far more revenue than the consultant had indicated.

Filseth said the Keyser Marston approach uses “simplified models” and “shortcuts for a really discounted cash-flow analysis.”

The simplified model, he said, doesn’t work in the high-growth

(continued on page 8)

Courtesy Stoecker and Northway Architects

P

alo Altans generally feel rosy about their hometown, but attitudes tend to sour when the conversation shifts to housing, land use and the quality of new developments.

And things get particularly testy when you mention these subjects to someone in Barron Park or Crescent Park, according to a newly released survey.

The National Citizens Survey, an annual poll conducted by the National Research Center and the International City/County Management Association, asked residents throughout the city a range of questions about Palo Alto, touching on everything from parking and safety to land use and street conditions. Much like its predecessors, the 12th annual survey showed more than 90 percent of the respondents grading the overall quality of life in Palo Alto as “excellent” or “good” (the two highest rankings). The figure stood at 91 percent, with virtually

That’s not to say that the north doesn’t have its own problems.

While insufficient parking is a citywide phenomenon, the survey suggests that subject gets sorer in the north, where only 32 percent gave the city high ratings for “ease of public parking,” than in the south, where the figure was 42 percent (citywide, the number was 38 percent). Northern responders also were less generous to the city when asked about “ease of travel by car,” with only 45 percent giving the city good grades in this category. In the southern neighborhoods, the number was 56 percent.

Transit options also didn’t score well, though there was significant variation among different parts of the city. Only 36 percent of the respondents citywide rated “ease of travel by public transportation” in Palo Alto as good or excellent, though the judgment was far harsher in the eastern sections of the city. In the area that includes Crescent Park and Duveneck/ St. Francis, only 22 percent gave public transportation high marks.

Just south of these neighborhoods, in Midtown, the number was 24 percent. By contrast, 43 percent of the respondents in the area that includes the south Palo Alto neighborhoods of Charleston Gardens, Fairmeadow, Palo Verde

The Palo Alto City Council is requiring additional study before ruling on zoning exceptions that would allow the developer of 441 Page Mill Road to double the planned office space in exchange for providing three below-market-rate housing units. potential of loading expensive climate of Palo Alto, he argued.

“These numbers are the basis things to the building and spreadfor deciding whether the city is ing that over the BMRs (belowlegally entitled to grant conces- market-rate units),” DuBois said. sions. The current model gives the “Because at that point you will be wrong answer, and we can’t use able to justify whatever density it to make that judgment,” Filseth you want.”

After Filseth proposed comsaid.

Councilman Tom DuBois, who missioning a fresh analysis that like Filseth is affiliated with the considers local growth trends, slow-growth group Palo Altans DuBois and other council memfor Sensible Zoning, levied his bers began tacking on their own own criticisms at the consultant’s conditions to the motion. The long discussion ultimately netted a methodology.

DuBois zoomed in on construc- laundry list of conditions, includtion costs and argued that the re- ing a direction to staff to conduct port placed too much burden on additional traffic analysis and a the affordable-housing units in requirement that the building’s justifying the project’s overall occupants use its garage.

The council’s caution was fucosts. The methodology, he said, could prompt a developer to in- eled by the fact that this was the flate his construction costs by in- city’s first test of the density-bonus stalling amenities such as marble ordinance and council members entryways and golden urinals — stressed the need to “get it right.”

“We all agree that affordable all for the sole purpose of justifying the density concessions he is housing is a good thing and is desperately needed in Palo Alto, but seeking.

“I’d like this to find a method when setting precedent we need that shields the city from individual construction costs and the (continued on page 8) www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 7

Palo Upfront Alto Weekly

Survey (continued from page 7)

and Greenmeadow were satisfied with local public-transportation services, as were 43 percent of the respondents in and around Downtown North, which includes the city’s busy transit center. Not surprisingly, when the survey asked about one change that Palo Alto can make that would make residents happy, the top three answers citywide pertained to (in order) transportation, development and housing.

Neighborhoods also offered starkly different opinions about

their faith in the Palo Alto government, with the leafy northeastern enclaves near U.S. Highway 101 being a particularly tough crowd.

In the area that includes Crescent Park, Community Center, Duveneck/St. Francis, Embarcadero Oaks, Leland Manor and Garland, only 39 percent of the residents said “very� or “somewhat� when asked about the “honesty� of local government. Just 35 percent gave high marks when asked for “overall confidence in Palo Alto government� and 37 percent did so when asked about “overall direction that the city is taking� (though the City Council

shouldn’t take this too personally; the federal government fared even worse in this part of the city, with only 29 percent of the respondents in this area giving Washington, D.C., positive ratings).

Things look much sunnier in the western neighborhoods of Evergreen Park and College Terrace.

In the area that includes these neighborhoods, along with Southgate and Palo Alto Hills, 72 percent gave local government high marks for honesty; 64 percent expressed “overall confidence in city government�; and 61 percent praised the “overall direction the city is taking� (citywide, the per-

centage is 58 percent, 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively).

When it comes to feeling welcomed by the local government, opinions were also all over the map. Though 54 percent of the respondents citywide gave city government high grades for “welcoming citizen involvement,� the proportion who felt that way in the area that includes Barron Park and Green Acres was 38 percent.

By contrast, in the section of the city that includes College Terrace and Evergreen Park the share was 71 percent.

In releasing the results, city officials lauded the fact that Palo

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/gov/agendas/default.asp REVISED - AGENDAâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;REGULAR MEETING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COUNCIL CHAMBERS February 2, 2015 6:00 PM Call to Order 1. Community Partner Presentation: West Bay Opera at the Lucie Stern Community Theatre Study Session 2. Potential List of Topics for Joint Meeting with the City Council and Library Advisory Commission Consent Calendar 3. Approval of Stanford University Medical Center Annual Report and Compliance with the Development Agreement 4. SECOND READING: Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Chapter 9.14 (Smoking and Tobacco Regulations) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to Establish New Smoking Restrictions for Outdoor Commercial Areas, Outdoor Eating Areas, Public Events, Work Sites and Ser]PJL 3VJH[PVUZ" 0UJS\KL 7LUHS[` ,ZJHSH[PVU MVY 9LWLH[ 6É&#x2C6;LUKLYZ" 9Lquire Cigarette Butt Receptacles and Signage Immediately Adjacent and Within Areas Covered by the Ban, Including Designated Smoking Areas (First Reading: December 15, 2014 PASSED: 9-0) 5. Appeal of Director of Planning and Community Environmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Individual Review Approval of a New Two-Story Home located at 3864 Corina Way 7HSV (S[V :O\[[SL HUK 9PKLZOHYL 7YVNYHT MVY [OL -\[\YL :[HÉ&#x2C6; 9Lquests Item be Continued to the Study Session of March 2, 2015) 7. Adoption of a Resolution Declaring Weeds to be a Public Nuisance and Setting March 2, 2015 for a Public Hearing for Objections to Proposed Weed Abatement 8. SECOND READING: Adoption of an Ordinance Governing Public Art in Municipal Projects (First Reading: January 12, 2015, PASSED: 9-0) (WWYV]HS VM :[HÉ&#x2C6; >VYR 7SHU +L]LSVWLK PU 9LZWVUZL [V [OL +LJLTILY 15, 2014 City Council Colleagues Memo on Climate Action Plan Implementation Strategies to Reduce Use of Natural Gas and Gasoline through Fuel Switching to Carbon Free Electricity Action Items 10. Council Update Regarding Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technology and the Connected City Initiative, Including the Status of the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Participation in the Google Fiber City Checklist Process; and Approval of and Authorization for the City Manager to Execute Two Professional Services Contracts with Columbia Telecommunications dba CTC Technology & Energy for Consulting Services for (1) a Fiber-to-the-Premise Master Plan in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $144,944 and (2) a Complementary Wireless Network Plan in an Amount Not-to-Exceed $131,650; and Adoption of a Related Budget Amendment Ordinance in the Fiber Optics Fund in the Amount of $276,594 11. Adoption of a Resolution Scheduling the City Council Vacation and Winter Closure for 2015 STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 7:00 P.M. to discuss: 1) Approval of a New Residential Curbside Collection and Composting Program, Commencing FY 2016 and Approval of Ongoing :[HÉ&#x2C6; ,É&#x2C6;VY[Z [V 3H[LY 7YLZLU[ [V *V\UJPS MVY P[Z (WWYV]HS VY (KVW[PVU! Amendment No. Two to Greenwaste of Palo Alto Agreement, Extending the Term Until June30, 2021, (2) Ordinance Requiring Commercial Cus[VTLYZ [V ;HRL *VTTLYJPHS 6YNHUPJZ :LY]PJL HUK <UKLY[HRL ,É&#x2C6;VY[Z [V Reduce Garbage Contamination, and (3) New Refuse Rate Structure, Including an Increase in Residential Customers Rates Over a Three-year Period; and 2) Adoption of a Resolution Amending Water, Gas and Wastewater Connection and Capacity Fees and Miscellaneous Utility Charges (Utility Rate Schedules W-5, G-5, S-5 and C-1)

Page 8 â&#x20AC;˘ January 30, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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Alto continued to rank high above other jurisdictions in the broad categories pertaining to neighborhoods and the overall quality of life. City Manager James Keene said in a statement that the Palo Alto community â&#x20AC;&#x153;continues to rate Palo Alto as a top place to live, work and raise a family.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We experience and enjoy a high quality of life in Palo Alto, and the survey results reinforce this sentiment across the neighborhoods of our community,â&#x20AC;?

Keene said.

In addition to the neighborhood breakdown and the usual broad questions about things like schools and parks, the new survey also asked a few â&#x20AC;&#x153;customâ&#x20AC;? questions pertaining to controversial housing, transportation and parking. Of the various options presented, respondents chose east of Highway 101 near the Baylands as the best option for new multifamily housing, with 69 percent favoring it, followed by San Antonio Avenue (68 percent).

The survey also showed 93 percent supporting more bicycle/ pedestrian improvements and 84 percent supporting more shuttle services. Road widening and grade separation along the rail corridor also proved popular, with 75 percent and 74 percent support, respectively. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Page Mill plan (continued from page 7)

to be diligent to make sure weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re making an appropriate analysis for our community,â&#x20AC;? Councilman Marc Berman said.

Berman lauded the â&#x20AC;&#x153;quality of the projectâ&#x20AC;? but called the building too big. He criticized the state law for its unintended consequences and said he was â&#x20AC;&#x153;uncomfortable with the fact that we lost all local control based on a state density-bonus law.â&#x20AC;?

The proposal was further complicated by the applicantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision not to rely on the local density-bonus ordinance that the city passed last year. Intended as a companion piece to the state law, the Palo Alto ordinance created a menu of concessions that a developer can automatically receive for providing affordable housing (these include things such as extra height and parking exemptions).

Because the developer went â&#x20AC;&#x153;off menuâ&#x20AC;? in requesting concessions, he was required by the local ordinance to submit an economic analysis justifying its requests.

The Page Mill project is also seeking parking exemptions that would allow it to provide 91 parking spaces â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 19 fewer than the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s code would otherwise require. This, however, wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as big a stumbling block as the sheer size of the proposed building. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m probably more open to being persuaded that the parking could be adequately addressed on the site if it werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for such a huge office bonus thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on here,â&#x20AC;?

Councilman Patrick Burt said. Q

Upfront DEVELOPMENT

AAA site to become 13 housing units Residents raise concerns about height, scale of proposed buildings

by Sam Sciolla proposal to redevelop a 0.52-acre lot at 430 Forest Ave. in downtown Palo Alto would replace the current AAA office building with 13 homes.

The property, purchased in March 2013 by developer Prabhas Kejriwal and a partner, is already zoned for high-density housing (RM-40), and the proposed buildings designed by Palo Alto architect David Solnick would need no exceptions for that zoning. However, some neighbors of the project have raised concerns about the consequences of a denser building.

The development, modern in

A

design, would include two buildings: A three-story building in front would have five two-bedroom residences on the first two floors and a penthouse on the third floor; and a duplex in back would consist of two-story homes with attached garages. Parking for the other residences would be located below grade.

Kejriwal has previously developed a few single-family projects in Palo Alto, as well as a multifamily project in Mountain View in 2007. An electrical engineer, Kerjiwal pushed to incorporate sustainable design elements in the Forest Avenue development, aiming to make the buildings

“net zero” for energy usage and qualify for a LEED Platinum designation.

The project appeared for its initial review before the city’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) on Nov. 6 last year. Solnick, a former board member, gave the presentation.

“I’ve always been a strong proponent of dense downtowns,” Solnick said.

But neighbors directly behind the project on Homer Avenue are not so sure about that concept.

They voiced concerns about how the taller building just beyond their fence would affect the light, privacy and quality of living they

Gunn

I am doing none of those things.”

She said that even if the most recent student death was unrelated to academic stress, easing students’ lives at school and home by rightsizing homework and overall course loads — two of Save the 2,008’s six proposals — would make a difference.

“It’s time we change something,” she said.

Students offered numerous ideas for programs and changes to implement, from a peer-mentoring program that links two Gunn students together for their entire time at the school to offering a “happiness” class that teaches students about dealing with stress and about general well-being and health, both physical and emotional. Others asked for student forums and more opportunities for parents and schools to hear the student voice.

One student suggested the creation of a smartphone app that connects students anonymously with someone — a friend, a mental health professional, whomever — to simply listen when they might be having a bad day and when it might seem like too much “hassle” to see a school counselor.

Senior Danny Golovinsky, president of student group Reach Out Care Know (ROCK), said he suggested in meetings with administrators following two student suicides toward the end of last year that they implement a “check-in system” with Adolescent Counseling Services to reduce the stigma around seeking mental health support.

“I propose that every single student at Gunn High School is required to speak with Adolescent Counseling Services once per year, in addition to checking in with the guidance department. I believe this will allow students to seek help without having to worry about what their peers think because everyone will be checking in with Adolescent Counseling Services,” Golovinsky said.

Cole McFaul, Gunn’s junior

class president, said that he circulated a petition in December that asked for support for lowering stress at Gunn; he got 384 signatures “within days.” Students also offered their ideas to get this done, the top two being implementing a block schedule at Gunn and offering the option to retake tests that they do poorly on. In a block schedule, classes are offered on alternating days, with each class meeting for a longer period of time.

Many parents also urged the board to switch Gunn over to a block schedule, which Paly did several years ago, to slow down the pace of their children’s schoolwork and for the district’s homework policy to be implemented at every school.

“I’m urging you to take care of the simple things you can do,” Juana Briones Elementary School teacher Tom Culbertson told the board. “I urge you to be brave, do the simple things first and act quickly.”

Most of the more than 30 speakers Tuesday night spoke during the open forum period, meaning the board members could not respond at length, though they did so in a later agenda item dedicated to a discussion of the district’s student wellness and health services.

Board member Ken Dauber repeated a sentiment previously expressed by Vincenti of Save the 2,008: Gunn and Paly should not only have wellness centers, but they themselves should be centers of wellness.

“It’s true that the connections between stress and depression and suicide and mental illness are complicated and vexing and, particularly, individual cases are difficult to discern. But the value of having schools that are healthy and where students thrive isn’t just because they may or may not prevent suicides, it’s also because that’s good for kids,” Dauber said.

“We don’t have to get too bound up with the question about whether any particular change is going

(continued from page 5)

pressure to get into a top college.

“As a Titan and as a Palo Altan, I feel the urge to defend my administration, to defend the parents of my friends, to defend my friends from these criticisms,” one junior said. “I feel that getting into college is one of the main causes that we’ve been discussing here today, and I feel that it’s not a Gunn issue. This is a national issue.”

Many students also emphasized that crucial to any sort of a response is understanding the difference between stress and depression.

Students repeatedly defended Gunn’s rigorous academic culture and opposed some parents’ proposals to limit the number of AP courses students can take.

“That’s how I, at least, got to express my passion, by taking the classes I love,” said senior Rose Weinmann, who serves as the school board’s Gunn student representative. “I think students, they love their AP classes. They’re the best classes we have.”

“Stress at Gunn is not the problem,” Radin said. “It is a problem and it’s something to work on, but it’s not the problem.”

The parents of a Gunn senior Harry Lee, who died by suicide on Jan. 24, released a statement Tuesday, writing, “Our son struggled with depression, and he made it clear that the cause was not due to academic pressure at Gunn.”

Gunn sophomore Martha Cabot, who along with former Gunn English teacher Marc Vincenti has launched a grassroots campaign called Save the 2,008 that aims to create a happier, more balanced life for Gunn’s 2,008 students and teachers, took to the podium to demand action.

“I want to feel comfortable at school. I want to be happy at school, and I want to enjoy what I am learning,” she said. “Right now,

thought they were getting when they purchased their properties.

Resident Mike Egbert told the board that the project would not only diminish the amount of natural light coming into his residence but that occupants of the proposed duplex could look down onto him from their balcony.

“The concept of density is a great idea if you’re a developer, but I’d continue to hate to see downtown Palo Alto turn into an anthill, with people on top of each other,” Egbert said.

Members of the Architectural Review Board responded to these concerns, with then-board member Clare Malone Pritchard asking Solnick if the balcony could be reconfigured. She also suggested Solnick prepare visual examples of what the development would look like from the neighbors’ property.

With the exception of member Robert Gooyer, who disliked the project’s layout and design, most

board members favored the project and thought it compatible with the surrounding area.

On Jan. 22, the project also appeared before the city’s Public Art Commission, which discussed possible sculptures for the site that would satisfy the city’s “percent for art” requirement. Currently, the development team is looking at working with stone sculptor Yoshikawa to create a piece either for the front of the building or for a public seating area.

Kejriwal told the Weekly that he hopes the formal review before the architecture board will take place in April, and if all goes as planned, construction will start mid-year.

Yvonne Jernigan, branch manager at the Palo Alto AAA office, declined to comment about the development or when or where the AAA operation there might be moving. Q Editorial Assistant Sam Sciolla can be emailed at ssciolla@ paweekly.com.

YOUTH

Family: Student had suffered from depression Academic pressure not a factor in Gunn senior’s death, parents say

T

he parents of Harry Lee, the Palo Alto student who died by suicide on Jan. 24, released a statement regarding his death on Tuesday. Lee had attended Gunn High School and was in his senior year.

“This has been a really hard time for us. Our son struggled with depression, and he made it clear that the cause was not due to academic pressure at Gunn,” the Lees stated in an email.

“We’re deeply saddened, and while we appreciate the various outreach and messages we’ve received, we’d like some time to mourn within our family and ask that the community please wait until after the services on Sunday to contact us.”

Services for Lee are set for Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. at Spangler Mortuary in Los Altos, 399 S. San Antonio Road. All are welcome to attend. Q Any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal is urged to call 800-784-2433 to speak with a crisis counselor. People in Santa Clara County can also call 855-278-4204.

— Jocelyn Dong

to prevent more tragedies if those changes are going to produce a better life for kids at school.”

Dauber also urged Superintendent Max McGee to look beyond the district’s walls to draw more broadly on resources and best practices.

McGee laid out at the beginning of the meeting efforts the district is undertaking, including more education on the dangers of sleep deprivation, a “more formal approval process for students who want to take more challenging workloads,” and making sure that a districtwide homework policy, whose impact and roll-out is reportedly uneven, is fully implemented at schools. He also said the district will explore bell scheduling and is in the midst of analyzing consistency in K-12 curriculum, assessment and homework practices.

“I know there is an urge to blame.

I know there is an urge to jump to solutions. We all want to solve this problem now, but it will require

multifaceted solutions,” he said.

Board President Melissa Baten Caswell said that the board will best serve the students and community by “picking a few things and doing them high impact.”

The district is also planning a community meeting in the next week or two — an “invitation to the whole community — students, parents, taxpayers, city officials and of course educators as well — to come together to work on identifying the problem and developing some solutions,” McGee said.

The students — usually a rare presence at board meetings — said they wanted more opportunities to speak and to be heard.

“Above all, I respect this Board of Education,” one student said, “but I must urge you to listen to the students, to talk to the students, to hear what they have to say.” Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 9

RAIN OR SHINE. KEEP SAVING WATER. Despite above normal rainfall in December, we need many more storms to help with the drought.

The e recent rains are only a drop in the bucket.

Upfront

News Digest Palo Alto’s transportation chief resigns Jaime Rodriguez, Palo Alto’s chief transportation officer and the architect of the city’s aggressive plan to build a wide network of bike boulevards, has resigned after nearly five years at City Hall.

Rodriguez, well known for a fast-talking, hard-charging style, a penchant for obtaining grant funds and a willingness to experiment with at-times controversial road configurations and transportation technologies, will step down on Feb. 6, he told the Weekly. He began serving in his current position in July 2010, after five years in Milpitas.

Rodriguez was the driving force behind the recent effort by the city to significantly expand its network of bike boulevards and make safety improvements near local schools. He spearheaded in 2012 the creation of Palo Alto’s bicycle and pedestrian master plan, an effort that has spawned 24 different bicycle projects.

Last week, the council approved the conceptual plan for the first two of these projects, a bike boulevard involving Maybell Avenue and bike improvements on Churchill Avenue, near Palo Alto High School.

Rodriguez was also instrumental in improving crosswalks at El Camino Real and Stanford Avenue; obtaining grant funds for the ongoing reconstruction of California Avenue; and getting $9.5 million for a new bike bridge over U.S. Highway 101. His innovations also included bike corrals and “sharrow” markings on local streets.

City Manager James Keene said the city will try to retain Rodriguez as a consultant while it’s completing its traffic-signalization update. Q — Gennady Sheyner

School board forwards increased parcel tax

Make water conservation a daily way of life.

For water-saving tips, visit save20gallons.org

The Palo Alto school board unanimously approved just after midnight on Wednesday placing a $758, six-year parcel tax on a May mail-in ballot.

The renewed tax — which comes with a $120 hike from the current rate of $638, includes annual 2 percent increases and allows for senior exemptions — would generate an estimated $14.7 million to pay for district investments in student health and wellness efforts, academic support for struggling students and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) instruction.

The parcel tax would support family and student counseling services, physical wellness efforts, expanded nursing services at Palo Alto elementary schools, an expansion of summer school, early literacy support, “expert” tutoring, after-school and weekend programming, smaller classes in STEAM electives, support for differentiated instruction at the elementary and middle school level, advanced research in a range of disciplines and a computer-science curriculum beginning in middle school.

Before the board’s vote, Superintendent Max McGee described the $120 increase as imperative in light of a $10 million reduction in general operating funds, loss in lease revenue (particularly a $1.86 million annual boost from the Cubberley Community Center lease) and reserve levels that have already been tapped into and must be maintained.

If approved, the new parcel tax will go into effect immediately and replace the current tax, which is set to expire in June 2016. A special mail-in election will be called for May 5. Q — Elena Kadvany

County supes support mobile-home park In a strong show of support for residents of Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to allocate $8 million for the mobilehome park’s preservation and directed county staff to reach out to other potential partners in the nonprofit community with the purpose of halting the park’s pending closure.

The 5-0 vote by the county board followed the recommendation of board President Dave Cortese and Supervisor Joe Simitian, who last week unveiled their proposal to use $8 million from a county affordable-housing fund that is restricted to projects within six miles of the Stanford University campus. The board also directed staff to enter into discussions with Palo Alto officials, the Palo Alto Housing Corporation, the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Housing Trust Silicon Valley and Buena Vista residents about “securing the longterm viability” of the Barron Park neighborhood community.

The board’s vote was prompted by the ongoing effort by the park’s owner, the Jisser family, to close Buena Vista and redevelop the site at 3980 El Camino Real. The closure process received a boost last fall when an administrative judge concluded that the Jissers’ offer to compensate Buena Vista residents for relocation is reasonable. The Buena Vista Mobile Home Park Residents Association has appealed this decision, and the City Council is scheduled to consider the appeal in April. Q — Gennady Sheyner LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com

Page 10 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Upfront

Neighborhoods

A roundup of neighborhood news edited by Sue Dremann

Around the block ONE DOOR CLOSES ... Residents who went to the College Terrace Library recently discovered the neighborhood library is now closed on Thursdays. Previously, it was open on Thursdays from noon until 6 p.m. The Thursday hours were only temporary while the Main Library (now known as Rinconada) was closed for renovations, a librarian said.

Downtown Library, which also took up the slack during the main library’s hiatus, is now closed on Mondays. Rinconada reopens on Feb. 14.

WITH GUNS DRAWN ... That’s how some College Terrace residents described their encounter with Palo Alto police during the daylight hours of Jan. 11. Officers were hunting for a suspected burglar of a construction site on the 1600 block of California Avenue at 3:20 p.m. Police ordered strolling, inquiring residents to leave the area. A K-9 unit dog eventually found the suspect, Alexander Mabutas Handang, 41.

The College Terrace Residents Association said there have been four such burglaries of construction sites at the Stanford Research Park in recent months, with three suspects arrested.

Stanford added a security officer after residents, who spotted the most recent burglar, made the request. Association members said they might ask the university for additional security patrols. Q

Send announcements of neighborhood events, meetings and news to Sue Dremann, Neighborhoods editor, at sdremann@paweekly.com.

Or talk about your neighborhood news on the discussion forum Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com.

Courtesy Golden Gate Homes

JUANA RUN? RACE IS ON ... With retired organizer Karen Saxena’s guidance, the popular Juana Run? race will continue under new management. The race, which includes a USATF-certified 8K run, a 5K fun run, mile race and races for kids, will take place on Saturday, Feb. 28, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. It is a fundraiser for Palo Alto school and athletic organizations. A neon tech-fabric T-shirt is given to all preregistered runners.

The race goes through the Barron Park neighborhood. Registration is online at raceroster.com/ events/2015/4256/juana-run-2015.

Additional information is at juanarun.org.

Golden Gate Homes is proposing building 24 mostly two-story homes at the corner of Maybell and Clemo avenues in the Barron Park neighborhood, the site of a former orchard.

GREEN ACRES/BARRON PARK

Another plan for Maybell housing draws fire Proposal for 24 homes at controversial site is too dense, some residents say

by Sue Dremann

T

he developer of 2.46 acres on Maybell Avenue near Arastradero Road may be up against a considerable battle with some Barron Park and Green Acres I neighborhood residents, despite already reducing the number of homes to be constructed on the former orchard.

Developer Golden Gate Homes is proposing to build five singlefamily homes along Maybell; three single-family houses on Clemo Avenue; and 16 homes on the interior along a new, L-shaped street, including four “duet” homes (two pairs of houses whose garages are connected).

The units range from 1,550 square feet for the duets to 2,650 square feet for the houses along Maybell, Ted O’Hanlon, project manager, said. He added that the plans at this stage are only preliminary and are subject to change.

The entire site, aside from the single-family parcels along

Maybell, is zoned RM-15, or multi-family residential. Almost all of the homes would be two stories.

The proposal would be submitted as a Village Residential development, which under city code allows for a mix of housing types, including single family, attached rowhouses and townhouses and cottage clusters that can transition to moderate density districts. Densities range from eight to 12 units per acre.

“By implementing the Village Residential code, it allows the project to be feasible with less units and provides a transition from the adjacent eight-story Tan Plaza and the Arastradero Park Apartment Complex to the rest of the neighborhood,” O’Hanlon said.

Heeding earlier concerns by residents and members of the slow-growth group Palo Altans for Sensible Zoning, Golden Gate Homes canceled a review of an earlier 30-home proposal by the

Palo Alto Architectural Review Board scheduled for early January. The developer instead plans to submit the scaled-down version of 24 houses, which also features fewer, but still some, driveways onto Maybell.

But some residents living near the site are still opposed to its density and traffic circulation, and several said at a community meeting on Jan. 8 that they would fight the proposal. They don’t want any driveways onto Maybell, nor do they want the new L-shaped road connecting with Maybell, which is a dedicated bicycle route serving four schools.

At the same time, Green Acres I residents, who live across Arastradero Road from the project, said they don’t want all of the traffic from the development coming down Clemo and onto Arastradero.

Henry Lum, a Green Acres resident since 1965, said he was pleased that the developer has reduced the number of homes, but

traffic backups on Arastradero Road at Suzanne Drive and Clemo Avenue already make it nearly impossible to exit his neighborhood during rush hour.

A few residents who oppose the project’s density vowed legal action if Golden Gate pushes the 24-home development. They pointed to the 1998 Glenbrook Court development in Green Acres as an example of the kind of density they would support, where there are 14 homes on 3.5 acres.

(Glenbrook Court’s developer initially planned to turn the 10acre Cabana Hotel site, now the Crowne Plaza Cabana, on El Camino Real into 100 singlefamily homes and townhouses.)

But the project has supporters as well. Barron Park residents Winter Dellenbach and Gerry Masteller pointed out at the January meeting that Golden Gate’s plan is within the city’s zoning requirements for the site.

The project is compatible with the neighborhood, which also has high-rise apartments and multi-family housing as well as single-family homes, Dellenbach said.

Others said after the meeting that the developer has worked diligently to cooperate with the neighborhood, and they did not want the proposal to turn into the same kind of bitter and divisive fight as occurred when the parcel’s previous owner, Palo Alto Housing Corporation, proposed 60 units of low-income senior housing and 12 single-family homes. Opposition to that project resulted in a 2013 referendum, Measure D, which voters approved, effectively canceling the project.

O’Hanlon said that Golden Gate hopes “to find a point in the middle for everybody.”

“We are very excited about this plan. ... Given that existing zoning allows 34 to 46 units, the plan offers significantly less units and fits very well within the vicinity,” O’Hanlon said.

“In this plan the neighborhood would gain the single-family feel it desires. ... The site plan is within existing zoning, which is what the neighborhood stated on numerous occasions would be acceptable during the Measure D campaign,” he added.

But some residents insisted they don’t want any development at all.

“The best solution is to sell this land to farmers and sell fruit to make your money,” a resident said.

Golden Gate purchased the property in April 2014 for $22 million. Q Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 11

Upfront

Computer Systems Associate Embarcadero Media is looking for an Information Technology professional to join our IT team to support and manage our Windows and Mac infrastructure.

We are looking for a person who can work as part of a support team, troubleshooting hardware and software, while providing Windows server administration and network management. You would provide computer support for both of our Bay Area locations (Palo Alto and Pleasanton) based in our main Palo Alto office.

This is an entry-level position, but an ideal candidate would have helpdesk and troubleshooting experience. We want that special someone who is technically savvy with excellent people skills.

Windows server administration would be a huge plus.

Additionally, as time allows, you will have an opportunity to share in building the exciting web-based features we are constantly adding to our custom-built PHP/MySQL platform for our awardwinning websites. But, sorry, no designers please.

Your own transportation is a necessity. Mileage is reimbursed.

This is a full-time, benefited position.

Please email your resume and cover letter to Frank Bravo, Director of Information Technology, at fbravo@embarcaderomediagroup.com with “Computer Systems Associate” in the subject line.

Embarcadero Media is an independent, award-winning news organization, with a 35-year publishing history.

4 5 0 C A M B R I D G E AV E N U E | PA L O A LT O

CityView A round-up

of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Jan. 26)

441 Page Mill: The council directed staff and consultant to conduct additional financial analysis about the zoning concessions requested by the developer for 441 Page Mill Road and about the project’s impact on traffic. Yes: Unanimous

Parks and Recreation Commission (Jan. 27)

Parks: The commission discussed the recently dedicated 7.7-acre parcel near Foothills Park and heard an update on the Parks, Trails, Open Space and Recreation Facilities master plan. Action: None Bridge: The commission discussed proposed designs for the new Highway 101 overpass at Adobe Creek. Action: None

Board of Education (Jan. 27)

Parcel tax: The board approved the ballot language for a parcel tax to be placed on the May 5, 2015, ballot. Yes: Unanimous Chromebooks: The board authorized the purchase of 465 Dell laptops for Palo Alto High School in the amount of $157,507.31. Yes: Unanimous

Planning and Transportation Commission (Jan. 28)

OurPaloAlto: The commission heard a presentation about Palo Alto’s “Existing Conditions Report,” which is part of the city’s Comprehensive Plan Update.

Action: None

Live it. You’ll love it!

Hear personally from our residents: “Living The Avant Lifestyle”

Tuesday, February 10th, 11:30am RSVP to 650.320.8626 Bring a Friend!

WHAT’S ON YOUR TO-DO LIST?

NOT

Unlike other independent living residences in the area, The Avant is small (just 44 units), privately owned and available on a month-to-month rental basis. Our boutique style means our attentive stay can anticipate and meet your needs — from chauffeured transportation to chef prepared meals to a gracious home without the home maintenance hassles.

Age well. Live smart.

4041 El Camino Way | Palo Alto, CA 94306 theavantpaloalto.com | Tel: 650.320.8626 Page 12 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Nordic (continued from page 5)

vation House is strengthening the Nordic community of startups and network of connections, said Gro Eirin Dyrnes, director of Innovation Norway in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

“We are like brothers and sisters when we come together here, and we feel very close,” Ericsson said.

“People are very helpful whether it’s sharing strategies, business cards, connections. People are really helping each other, and that’s because they come here and it’s home away from home. We have the feeling that this is a Nordic environment.”

The house provides 32 workspaces for entrepreneurs, as well as facilities, including a conference room, a board meeting room, kitchen and lounge area — complete with IKEA furniture — in a light-filled, two-story space featuring crisp white walls and high ceilings.

Companies can rent a desk ($1,000 a month) at Nordic Innovation House or sign up for a virtual office ($1,200 annually).

The virtual office is for companies interested in the U.S. market but not ready to commit resources to a physical presence, Ericsson said.

Its list of tenants is a long one, including Elliptic Labs, which specializes in ultrasonic gesturing technology; Kahoot!, a game-based education system for schools, universities and businesses; ThingLink, a platform for creating interactive images and videos for web, social, advertising and education channels; and Apon, an app development company.

One of the house’s success stories is Fuse, a team of technologists with more than 10 years of experience with mobile apps and graphics technology. Fuse has been working with Nordic Innovation House for four months, but “Their connections proved valuable from day one,” Fuse CEO Anders Lassen said.

“When we were ready to take the step out of stealth development in Norway and establish a U.S. presence, the Nordic Innovation House was a natural choice for us. The location is ideal, and we get a lot of help and useful introductions from the crew that runs this place. Here we are close to both other Nordic startups and the Bay Area tech scene in general.”

The company has offices in Palo Alto and Oslo, Norway, with about 20 employees and, through Nordic Innovation House, has hired its first U.S. employee, an Adobe and Samsung veteran who now serves as Fuse’s U.S. general manager.

“With an office and infrastructure all set up from the day we arrived, we could hit the ground running,” Lassen said.

To help its companies succeed, Nordic Innovation House offers a range of programs, including Tech

Upfront INCubator, a four-week technology incubator program offered to startups with potential for international growth; the Norwegian Entrepreneurship Program, which offers graduate students firsthand experience in entrepreneurship through classes at UC Berkeley; the Business Bootcamp, a twoday program designed to provide Norwegian entrepreneurs with important business skills and insight for taking a business global; and SCALEit Ignite Bootcamp, a one-week program for Danish startups.

The Innovation House also tracks its companies to see how they progress and to identify practices others should follow, Ericsson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like now, we are saying ... keep the development in Sweden or in the Nordic region because we have really good people up there, but bring sales and marketing to the U.S. to start with. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t move over the whole company.

You should be present in both parts,â&#x20AC;? she said.

Although the Innovation House has 86 tenants, Dyrnes said they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set a cap on how many companies theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll take in. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re focused on having a good community,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As long as we have the right companies, we have said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;yes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? Q Digital Editor My Nguyen can be emailed at mnguyen@ paweekly.com.

Measles (continued from page 5)

noted. But California law now requires a signature from a health care practitioner to obtain the exemption.

The Kaiser study did find a correlation between under-vaccination and increased disease incidence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Measles cases were relatively rare until 2014. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken off across the country, aided by previous outbreaks in Ohio and New York and now at Disney,â&#x20AC;? Dr. Charles Weiss, a Palo Alto Medical Foundation public-health expert, said.

Parents who have not had their children vaccinated should be very concerned, he added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you put one person with active measles into a population without measles who are not immune, it will spread to 12 to 18 people,â&#x20AC;?

Weiss said. By comparison, someone with influenza would infect one or two people, he said.

Measles begins with a fever that lasts a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and a rash. The rash typically appears first on the face, along the hairline and behind the ears and then affects the rest of the body, according to the public-health department. Infected people are usually contagious from four days before the rash appears to four days afterward. Weiss said complications can include pneumonia, severe diarrhea, encephalitis and death.

Palo Alto Medical Foundation does not normally see any cases of measles. So far, system wide, PAMF has confirmed two cases, one each in 2014 and 2015, Weiss said.

Measles vaccine is a live virus that has been weakened through manufacturing. Two doses are necessary because only 90 percent of people respond to the first vaccine by creating adequate antibodies.

The second brings the response rate to 99 percent, DeHovitz said.

The vaccine can sometimes cause a very mild infection, he said. The vaccinations provide a lifetime of protection, he added.

Adults born before 1957 are generally considered immune to measles because it was so pervasive at that time, so no further action is necessary. To count as up to date for school records, a child must have received both doses on or after the first birthday, according to the state health department.

If anyone suspects they might have measles, they should not run to the doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office, Weiss said. The disease is so contagious that it could infect people in the waiting room. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Call if you or a family member develops a fever and rash that is associated with a runny nose, cough and red eyes. Stay put at home.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come in without calling.

Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be met at a side door and given a mask by a staff person,â&#x20AC;? he said. Anyone who has traveled within 21 days and has symptoms should also tell their doctor. Q

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.

Palantir co-founder accused of sexual assault Joe Lonsdale, the co-founder of Palo Alto software company Palantir and a partner at the venture capital firm Formation 8, has been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment, and other charges in a civil lawsuit filed on Jan. 27 in San Francisco. (Posted Jan. 29, 9:19 a.m.)

Two men wanted after armed robbery at Fryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palo Alto police are looking for two men who they say committed armed robbery at Fryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Electronics on Wednesday afternoon and took off with three video-game consoles. (Posted Jan. 28, 7:14 p.m.)

Stanford swimmer faces sex-assault charges A Stanford University freshman is facing five felony sexual-assault charges, including rape of an unconscious person and rape of an intoxicated person, for an alleged Jan. 18 on-campus incident that was reportedly stopped by students passing by. (Posted Jan. 28, 8:03 a.m.)

Fight gentrification, Rev. Jackson says East Palo Alto residents must fight to keep their city, and the Rev. Jesse Jackson encouraged them to organize. Otherwise, residents will be pushed out by gentrification, a process that hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t changed in communities of color since Jackson, 73, began fighting it in the 1960s, he said. (Posted Jan. 27, 7:12 p.m.)

City of Palo Alto opts not to sue Caltrain Palo Alto has a few qualms about Caltrainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to electrify the rail corridor, but after a closed-door meeting early Tuesday morning, the City Council decided that the best way to address the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concerns would be through collaboration rather than litigation. (Posted Jan. 27, 4:18 p.m.)

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2 -&.)+/*12 %1*$1 2 -'+2 '.+ 2 2 www.PaloAltoOnline.com â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ January 30, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 13

Upfront

Community Health Education Programs

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week

For a complete list of classes and class fees, lectures and health education resources, visit pamf.org/education.

February 2015 Dementia Caregiver Education Series: Caring for the Caregiver Feb. 5, 1 – 2:30 p.m.

Alexandra Morris, M.A., Alzheimer’s Association Join us to learn practical tips on how to take care of yourself so you can successfully care for your loved one.

PAMF Sunnyvale Center 301 Old San Francisco Road, 2nd Fl. Conference Center, Sunnyvale • (408) 730-2810

Dr. Tom McDonald Memorial Lecture Series A Moving Target: Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Guidelines Feb. 10, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Lynette Lissin, M.D., PAMF Cardiovascular Disease Cholesterol and blood pressure guidelines to decrease the risk of heart disease have recently changed. Please join Dr. Lissin as she presents the most up-to-date information.

PAMF Palo Alto Center 795 El Camino Real, 3rd Fl. Conference Center, Jamplis Building • (650) 853-4873

CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hold a joint meeting with the Library Advisory Commission; discuss a proposal to rezone a site at 2755 El Camino Real to allow a four-story, mixed-use building; hear an update on the city’s technology plan, including its effort to implement a citywide “fiber to the premise” plan; and adopt the council’s vacation schedule.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. PUBLIC ARTS COMMUNITY MEETING ... The city will hold a community meeting with artist Susan Narduli, who is creating an interactive digital-art piece called “Conversation” for the City Hall lobby. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, in the Downtown Library, 270 Forest Ave. COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to consider a new residential curbside collection and composting program; consider an extension of the city’s contract with Greenwaste of Palo Alto; and consider a new structure for refuse rates. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Council Meeting Room at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD ... The commission plans to hold its annual retreat at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to hear a presentation about preliminary forecasts and proposed rate changes for electric, gas, water and wastewater utilities; discuss the impacts of the statewide drought on water supply; and hear an update on the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s collection of state water project costs through property taxes rather than water rates. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to discuss 451 University Ave., a request by BCV Architects for facade renovations and a construction of an outdoor bar and roof deck area for dining for a new restaurant. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 5, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave.

Correction

The Jan. 23 story “Reubens and brews” incorrectly stated that The Refuge in Menlo Park serves all beers for $3 on Mondays. It only offers select beers at this price. The Weekly regrets the error. To request a correction, contact Editor Jocelyn Dong at 650-223-6514, jdong@paweekly. com or P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302.

Avenidas presents its 4th Annunal Financial Conference

Boomer Bootcamp: Firming Up Your Financial Fitness

Mindful Eating Feb. 10, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Julie Forbes, Ph.D, Stress Management Consultant Learn how you can transform your relationship with food using mindfulness as an approach. Whether you have issues with food or weight or just want to have a more healthy, satisfying and pleasurable experience with eating, this introduction to mindful eating will help you understand how awareness can optimize your experience.

PAMF Mountain View Center 701 E. El Camino Real, 3rd Fl. Conference Center, Mountain View • (650) 934-7380

Saturday, February 7, 2015 8:30 am – 4 pm Mitchell Park Community Center 3700 Middlefield Road For discounts, workshop information and to register. visit Avenidas.org or call (650) 289-5435.

Page 14 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Experts will discuss: • Retirement Readiness • Social Security Strategies • Health Insurance Costs • Investments and Cash Flow • Legal/Trust Issues ...and more

Pulse

Krystyna Piotrowska-Ciolkosz 1915-2015

POLICE CALLS Palo Alto Jan. 21-27

Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Suicide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Counterfeiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Credit card fraud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of burglary tools. . . . . . . . . 1 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle related Abandoned auto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Attempted auto burglary. . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Driving with suspended license . . . . . 10 Driving without license . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Recovered license plate . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 4 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . 7 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Alcohol or drug related Alcohol transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Drinking in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Sale of drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Smoking in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Miscellaneous Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . 1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Possession of stolen property . . . . . . . 4 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Sex crime/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Solicitation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Violation of court order . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Comprehensive Plan Update Leadership Group 5:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 3, 2015, Lucie Stern, -PYLZPKL 9VVT 4PKKSLĂ&#x201E;LSK 9K 7HSV (S[V The City of Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Comprehensive Plan Update Leadership Group will be meeting to discuss community engagement opportunities for the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary role is to assist with community engagement during the Comprehensive Plan Update planning process. If you have any questions or you would like additional information about the Comprehensive Plan Update, please contact Consuelo Hernandez, Senior Planner, at 650-329-2428 or Consuelo. hernandez@cityofpaloalto.org.

The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request an accommodation for this meeting or an alternative format for any related printed materials, please contact the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@ cityofpaloalto.org.

Menlo Park Jan. 21-27

Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft related Burglary undefined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Credit card fraud. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle related Abandoned auto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Auto burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Driving with suspended license . . . . . . 9 Found bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Traffic stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle accident/injury . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sale of drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Miscellaneous Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Info case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Juvenile problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 4 Threats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Violation of court order . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto

De Soto Drive, 1/21, 2:18 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.

300 Pasteur Drive, 1/22, 3:04 p.m.; battery/simple.

Arastradero Road, 1/24, 4:50 a.m.; suicide juvenile/misc.

Menlo Park Bayfront Expressway and Willow Road, 1/27, 3:04 p.m.; battery.

EXPLORING FOOD AND FARMING

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts 8:00 p.m.

SERIES SPONSOR

Jean Lane

in memory of Bill Lane MEDIA SPONSORS

The Almanac Palo Alto Weekly Mountain View Voice

MONDAY //

Allan Savory

FARMER, RANCHER, BIOLOGIST

Restoring the Grasslands through Holistic Management MONDAY //

(650) 854-7696 x315 openspacetrust.org/lectures SINGLE TICKETS

On Sale February 1

MVCPA Box OfďŹ ce (650) 903-6000 mvcpa.com

March 9

Dan Barber EXECUTIVE CHEF, AUTHOR

The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food MONDAY //

SUBSCRIBE TODAY

February 23

May 11

Daphne Miller PHYSICIAN, MEDICAL ECOLOGIST, AUTHOR

Farmacology: What Innovative Family Farming Can Teach Us About Health and Healing FREE TO SELECT SUBSCRIBERS

MONDAY //

April 13

Ursula K. Le Guin SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY AUTHOR

In conversation with Michael Krasny, host of Forum on KQED

Peninsula Open Space Trust

Krystyna Piotrowska-CioĹ&#x201A;kosz (1915-2015) of Mountain View in California, of Washington and Pennsylvania, of London, Paris, Brussels, of WARSAW, Poland â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the objective, always honorable and honest, active witness of history, the cosmopolitan Polish lady, proud of the good in her homeland and appalled by any substandard behavior of her compatriots, the enthusiastic embracer of the greatness of America and the staunch critic of any bigotry and hypocrisy, the lover of good music and opera, the sporty and elegant beauty, maturing but always remaining young in spirit, the superb hostess and wonderful cook at an elegant table, the world traveler, connoisseur of good taste, the most loyal friend, the trusted confidante to rebellious young and troubled aged alike, the respected professional businesswoman and disciplined manager, the passionate bridge player, and above all the member of so many adopted families which would never have been the same without her and which never will be the same upon her departure - which, by the way, was on her own terms: peaceful, elegant, in her own bed, upon saying good-night to her friends with a knowing smile which proudly said: a good actor knows when it is time to leave the stage.

Krystyna was a young lady from an affluent home in Warsaw, with a superb education. However, in the 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s her independent and adventurous nature takes her out of her luxurious surroundings and her studies at the respected University of Economy in Warsaw, to clerical work at ORBIS in Brussels, the travel/consular support agency for Polish migrants in still peaceful Europe. The beginning of WW2 finds her assisting the work of Polish governmental agencies in Paris. Upon the German invasion in France, she moves to London and works for the Polish government-in-exile as a secretary in the Polish prime ministerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. After the war, Krystyna marries the renowned Polish aircraft design engineer, ZbysĹ&#x201A;aw CioĹ&#x201A;kosz, thus joining the prominent Polish political family of Lidia and Adam CioĹ&#x201A;kosz, with whom she remained close till the end of their remarkable lives. Her husband, ZbysĹ&#x201A;aw CioĹ&#x201A;kosz, works for the U.S. defense industry and his contributions to the paradigm-changing Piasecki Helicopter Corporation (today part of Boeing) in Philadelphia and his work for Boeing in Seattle were a source of pride to Krystyna. The sudden death of ZbysĹ&#x201A;aw in 1960 leaves her unprepared for independent life in their new country. She moves to California, and from a modest beginning with a small clerical job in the Palo Alto Medical Clinic Business Office she moves on to the position of budget analyst in the huge new project later known as the Stanford Linear Accelerator.  She bikes to work from her home in Mountain View, travels weekly to San Francisco to concerts and the opera; her intellect, political savvy and joie de vivre are legendary, as is her prickliness when distance is needed, and her magnetism and warmth where trust and friendship are warranted. In the most valuable and unforgettable way, she touched many lives, both in Poland and in the United States, as well as those of individuals scattered all over the globe. They are all the better for having had the opportunity of meeting her, knowing her, loving her. Thank you, O Lord - thank you, Krystyna.  For further details of Krystynaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, please view/sign guestbook at: www.cusimanocolonial.com.

A commemoration of Krystynas life is planned for the weekend of April 11-12, for what would have been her 100th birthday. Any of her friends wishing to participate may send an email to krystynaciolkosz@yahoo.com PAID

OBITUARY

www.PaloAltoOnline.com â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ January 30, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 15

Transitions Births, marriages and deaths

Patricia Allen Mary Patricia “Patsy” Allen, a longtime Palo Alto resident and a teacher for 60 years, died on Jan. 1, 2015, surrounded by her family. She was 85.

She was born Mary Patricia Williams on Aug. 19, 1929, to Don and Daphne Williams in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Growing up during the Great Depression, she moved with her family to La Verne, California, where she first developed her work ethic by feeding the chickens and collecting eggs each day.

Though her parents did not go to college, she and her siblings all went on to study at the collegiate level. She studied as an undergraduate at Chico State College and later earned her teaching credentials from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Soon after, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to teach elementary school, first in Walnut Creek for a few years and

then at Oak Knoll School in Menlo Park for 8 years in the ’50s. She later became a substitute teacher, working almost full time for decades in the Palo Alto school district.

In 1954, she met Peter Allen during the summer in north Lake Tahoe; they soon married and settled down in Palo Alto to raise a family, even while Patricia was still teaching.

In the classroom, she made a point of teaching both regular material and life lessons about hard work and making the most of one’s abilities, according to her family. Teaching up until age 84, she acted as a mentor to many teachers throughout her career and was often requested for longterm substitute teaching stints.

Outside of work, her pastimes included gardening, going on weekly walks to Gamble Garden, practicing yoga and exercising, and leading her grandchildren and other neighborhood kids in holiday craft activities.

She was predeceased by her husband of 50 years, Peter W. Allen, and by her sister, Dorothy Don Clarke. She is survived by her sister, Jean Daphne Peterson of Sacramento; her brother, Don

William Young

February 8, 1943-November 5, 2014 Willie Young was born in East Chicago, Indiana to William Marcus Young III and Flora Azaleen Hood. He was a singer and athlete in high school.

He received his BA from Kentucky State University and his MA from Murray State University. He majored in Health, Physical Education and Recreation and also Special Education at San Francisco State University. After coaching at Central State University in Ohio, he came to California to coach at City College of San Francisco. Willie coached and taught on the Peninsula for years and then moved to teach in Oakland for 15 years. He especially loved the time he spent teaching 6th grade Physical Education at Montera Middle School in Montclair. Willie was also the owner and coach of Palo Alto Lightning running club for over twenty years. His runners were his pride and joy and he took runners to the National Junior Olympics almost every season. He also coached his own kids in Palo Alto in baseball, basketball and soccer.

Willie met his wife Katie when they were teaching together in Daly City in 1979. They were married for 27 years and he is survived by his wife Katie and their children Sarah, Marcus and Adam. Willie is also survived by his daughter Monique and her husband Oscar Wash and their children Matthew and Ashleigh, son Russell Young and his sons Shiloh and Nathaniel and daughter Nedra Dickerson and her son Aaron. He is also survived by his brother Larry Young and his wife Maxine. Willie will be fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and his extended family. Willie is missed by his many friends, colleagues and students. Willie will be remembered by the generation of athletes whom he inspired.

Memorial services will be held Saturday, February 7th, 2015 at Noon at Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1755 Clay Street (at Van Ness), San Francisco, CA Donations are requested for Doctors Without Borders.

PAID

OBITUARY

Page 16 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Cleveland Williams of Washington state; her children, Peter (Trish) Allen of Ross, California, Linda (John) Bader of Palo Alto, and Steve (Patty) Allen of Saratoga; and her grandchildren, Austin, Brent, Scott, Brett, Ryan and Royce.

A private memorial service was held at Alta Mesa Memorial Park and was followed by a family celebration of her life. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Partners in Education (PiE) or Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden. Alternatively, the family suggests planting a flower in Patricia’s memory.

Jean Burke Jean Tait Burke, a longtime resident of the Los Altos area, died on Jan. 10, 2015, at Villa Siena in Mountain View. She was 93.

She was born on Sept. 11, 1921, in Oil City, Pennsylvania, the oldest of her three siblings after her older brother died shortly after birth. She went on to study at Clarion University, where she graduated in 1943 with a teaching degree. Hoping to see more of the world, she joined the U.S. Navy as part of Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service, or WAVES. However, she only made it to Newport, Rhode Island, where she served as a communications officer from 1943 to 1947, with the rank of lieutenant.

Following her service, she drove alone from Pennsylvania to California to study at Stanford University as a graduate student.

She received two master’s degrees, one in education and one in anthropology. During her studies there, she met William “Bill” H. Burke, and the two married in 1949 on Saipan Island in the South Pacific.

Together, she and Bill traveled and lived around the world, including in Lebanon, Turkey, Taiwan, Iran, Morocco, Brazil and Venezuela. Bill consulted as a civil engineer and geologist on more than 100 dam projects, and she conducted anthropological research on the role of women in various countries.

The couple used a small cottage off of Moody Road in Los Altos Hills as their home base when they were not traveling.

There they hosted family and friends for meals featuring many different international cuisines.

They also had a small pet monkey named “Mo.” From 1968 to 1989, she also shared her expertise and many stories in anthropology classes she taught part time at De Anza

Community College in Cupertino. She also greatly enjoyed gardening throughout her life, and in her retirement she spent time writing memoirs about her and her husband’s life together.

She was predeceased by her husband, Bill Burke in 1985, her brother, Howard Tait in 2005, and sister, Cynthia Swanson in 2007. She is survived by her sister’s husband, Ben Swanson of Ocala, Florida, and her brother’s wife, Betty Tait of Cameron, Missouri, as well as seven nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Those interested in attending can contact her niece Rebecca Swanson at rs@rebeccaswanson.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care (www.seasons.org).

Harry Hann-yi Lee Harry Hann-yi Lee, 17, died on the morning of Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, at his residence in Palo Alto. Harry was a senior at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto and was a talented cyclist, artist and musician, among many other things.

Born at El Camino Hospital on Nov. 25, 1997, he lived in Los Altos until 2004 and in Palo Alto for 11 years after that. He attended schools in both districts, including Montclaire Elementary, Palo Verde Elementary, JLS Middle and Gunn.

From an early age, Harry provided a light to those around him and always found a way to make people laugh, his family said. He was creative, energetic and had a great sense of style, specifically when it came to his hairstyles. He was an artist, taking classes since he was 5 years old, and had his work displayed at the Children’s Discovery Museum in San Jose.

He enjoyed music thoroughly, both making and listening to it.

He played the violin for eight years, the clarinet for seven and was also skilled on the ukulele and saxophone. He entertained his friends with covers of pop songs played on the kazoo. For two years, he was a member of the El Camino Youth Symphony (ECYS) orchestra.

Harry was a Boy Scout, trained in Chinese Wushu martial arts, a Humane Society volunteer, and a skilled b-boy, his family said.

He danced at Dance Academy USA for two years in addition to teaching himself breakdancing through videos and friends.

One of Harry’s later passions was cycling, and although he only cycled for a little more than a year, he committed himself to the sport with extreme passion and dedication. Within his first year of cycling, he raced in both the San Jose and Los Angeles Velodromes and collected four bikes.

He founded the Cycling Club at his high school and dedicated more than 10 hours a week to rigorous training during the season. He was also a member of the high school band, Breakdancing Club and Duck Club. He spoke English, Chinese and Japanese.

He obtained his driver’s license when he turned 17 and had a perfect driving record without one recorded ticket. He scored a 35 on his ACT test.

Harry struggled with clinical depression, and though he sought and received medical help and support from his loved ones, he was unable to conquer it and ultimately took his own life. Despite his own condition, he was an advocate for others who suffered as well, providing comfort to friends with shared experiences, according to his family.

He wanted to pursue a college degree in linguistics and wished to perform research in psycholinguistics to help detect early stages of depression by assessing lingual expression in others.

His friends and family say they will always remember him for his fearlessness and endless energy.

Harry is survived by numerous relatives, including his father, Tsu-Chang Lee, and mother, Salina An, both of Palo Alto; and twin sisters, Jennifer Lee of Los Angeles and Teresa Lee of New York City.

His family urges anyone in a similar mental health situation to seek help and support as early as possible. They hope to raise awareness for mental health and to prevent teen suicide universally.

Services will be held on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 2 p.m. at Spangler Mortuary, 399 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. All are welcome to attend.

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 17

Editorial Beyond the anguish While explanations elude, we should not be deterred from action

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s the Palo Alto community mourns and reflects on the loss of another Palo Alto teenager — the third in four months — we must not allow our frustrations, fears and divergent perspectives to block the path forward.

There is no blame to be assigned, just as there are no satisfactory answers for the families and friends of these young victims.

Mental health professionals have repeatedly stated that suicide stems from severe and chronic depression or other mental illness.

Suicide ideation, they say, is not the product of too much homework, test anxiety, too little sleep or worry about college admissions, in spite of the stress they may cause.

Unfortunately, and for good reason, instead of calming fears, these proclamations have fueled intense frustration, angst and disagreement in the community.

Some of these viewpoints are being published today in the Weekly, but there is also a robust and thoughtful discussion on Town Square, the Weekly’s online forum, which logged more than 100 comments in the first 48 hours after the most recent tragedy last Saturday.

The comments underscore how the subjects of teen suicide, depression and academic pressure have become unnecessarily intertwined, leading to confusion as to the problems we are trying to address and their possible solutions. Suicide prevention should not be the reason we address problems in our community’s competitive achievement culture. The social and emotional well-being of all our kids, which was made a priority years ago by the school district, should be on our agenda not because of teen suicides, but because we acknowledge that we are living in a system that is creating an unhealthy environment for learning, growing and finding happiness.

We must accept that we will never know, nor need to know, the specific reasons for the suicides, and we should not invest valuable community energy in debate or speculation about whether stress played a role. We must move beyond this fruitless discussion.

School officials and a network of adults in the community have been busily constructing scaffolding for at-risk teens since the 2009-10 suicide contagion. Enormous effort has been invested in Project Safety Net, a collaboration of nonprofits that, among other things, raised awareness of the “developmental assets” that are important to youth well-being.

But there has been ongoing tension about whether the focus should be suicide prevention, which leads to trainings, support services and education, or more general youth well-being, which leads to assessment of how parent attitudes and expectations, the competition for college admissions, and school policies and practices are fueling unhealthy conditions for our kids.

Of course we must continue to address suicide prevention. The efforts that have been made by the mental health community, the school district and others to increase awareness, watchfulness and opportunities for treatment have successfully steered many young people to the help they need and has begun to reduce the stigma of asking for help.

But in developing so many programs and strategies for identifying and helping teenagers who face life-threatening depression or other mental illness, we have also created a distraction from an equally important imperative: the happiness and well-being of all teens in a hyper-competitive culture.

This is the elephant in the room.

Many constructive and creative ideas have been offered by parents and students. Some, such as implementing formal monitoring and enforcement of the district’s homework policy, are already being targeted by new Superintendent Max McGee. Others include implementing a block schedule at Gunn, evaluating teacher grading practices to determine if grades are being improperly curved, reducing the number of grade reports, forcing consistency of class workloads in identical classes taught by different teachers, establishing limits on AP classes and requiring cell phones be turned off when on campus.

McGee and school board members heard emotional testimony from a roomful of tearful parents and students this week, including many proud Gunn students who expressed their support and gratitude to their teachers, administrators and classmates for helping them through these difficult days.

If there is one message coming through loud and clear from both parents and students, it is that district and community leaders need to act with greater urgency and not become paralyzed by a desire to find all the answers. The community is seeking bolder and more decisive action, even if it isn’t perfect.

We hope the school board and McGee take these pleas to heart, place a review of the academic environment and school policies affecting it at the top of its agenda, and quickly develop the initiatives to begin changing the way we educate our children.

Page 18 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Time to apologize Editor, Blue Shield’s recent letter stating that it will cease offering “in network benefits” to Sutter Health is disturbing. It pits Blue Shield against the invaluable medical services I receive from them. As a 20 plus-year subscriber to Blue Shield, I would hope that those years would bear some weight, but this is obviously not the case.

Its suggestion that “members are encouraged to transition their care” to another provider only fits its needs and is laughable. My medical needs and my medical history gathered at Sutter Health is too important to brush aide and start anew.

Over the years I have played Blue Shield’s game by periodically changing plans so as not to be the sole healthy subscriber remaining in an inflationary priced pool of apparently unhealthy people. With Obama Care and health exchanges, the rules changed.

Now health insurance providers offer essentially identical plans (bronze, gold, etc.) at competitive prices. The very good of this is that the necessity to periodically change plans to keep costs manageable is history, or so I hoped.

So when its website asks “Why Blue Shield?” maybe the answer is “arrogance,” and it is time to switch. Or maybe it is time for Blue Shield to apologize to its subscribers.

Herbert Steierman Hogarth Terrace, Sunnyvale

Some left out Editor, The City of Palo Alto is spearheading a Transportation Management Association or TMA that presently has a steering committee comprised entirely of business representatives and a lone school district official. It is intended to become a business-funded organization, tasked with resolving the city’s traffic woes, which of course impact the city’s parking issues. Residents are not a part of this steering committee but will be allowed to comment at the organization’s public meetings and scheduled workshops.

Wow, a city spearheaded private organization totally steered and powered by businesses that will have the task of resolving the city’s acute traffic/parking issues.

This might cause some residents to believe they are being taken for a ride ... again.

Paul Machado Stanford Avenue, Palo Alto

Palo Alto pride Editor, Mr. Simitian’s proposal to use

$8 million from the county’s housing fund to go toward buying Buena Vista is a wonderful and welcome turn of events.

It would be tragic for these families to be forced from their homes — for some the only home they’ve ever known — when there is so much money in this community that could go toward enabling them to stay here.

No amount of monetary compensation that Mr. Jisser could offer for relocation would begin to make up for the loss of their jobs, their homes, their schools and their community. The education that these children receive here is enabling them to go to college, get good jobs and raise the level of economic and social status for their entire family, thereby helping break the cycle of poverty and disenfranchisement.

There are 10 billionaires in this town of 65,000, not to mention countless multi-millionaires — perhaps Mr. Simitian’s example of helping our fellow Palo Altans will inspire others to realize they too can make a difference.

What could be a better use for the money?

If we succeed in helping our neighbors be able to remain in their homes, I will be proud to call myself a Palo Altan.

Kristen Anderson Hanover Street, Palo Alto

Tone change Editor, The main subjects in our news media seems to be disease, conflict and greed. It cheers me that Joe Simitian, our County supervisor, has recommended that $8 million dollars in Santa Clara County funds be used to help the residents of Buena Vista Mobile Home Park stay in Palo Alto. I hope other government entities and private individuals will contribute to this upbeat goal.

Bob Roth Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

Show compassion Editor, I am a resident of the Professorville area of Palo Alto. I enthusiastically support earmarking $8 million dollars toward the acquisition of the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. I believe it will encourage other public and private parties to commit funds as well.

I thank supervisors Simitian and Cortese for their thoughtful sponsorship.

I support any action that can be done to keep the present residents in their mobile-home park. We have some affordable housing that is in place and works.

The compensation offers pres-

ently approved and being appealed by the residents are insufficient to cover any reasonable relocation. Any affordable place will not have the schools that Palo Alto has, and the offer does not include the cost of private school to achieve similar educational results. I suggest that if it did include the cost of private school through high school graduation, the current owner would see a significant economic advantage to selling to a buyer that would keep BV as a mobile-home park.

If we really believe in affordable housing and if we are to show compassion, let’s do all we can to keep these fine but economically disadvantaged people in our community. This is good for the Buena Vista residents and good for the surrounding community who benefit from the diversity.

Michael Morganstern Lincoln Avenue, Palo Alto

We should help too Editor, After much agonizing, Palo Alto has an opportunity to move the Buena Vista issue forward.

It can partner with the county’s supervisors to add to its contribution of $8 million from its accumulated housing funds. With some other partners committed to keeping Palo Alto diverse and the Buena Vista residents in place — and their children in the Palo Alto schools — this will mark a humane step forward for our community. In addition to being humane, it will show the Supervisors that us North County folks want to collaborate in making the entire county more egalitarian.

Ray Bacchetti Webster Street, Palo Alto

Who are we?

Editor, I am appalled at the seeming indifference of the Palo Alto City Council and staff to the plight of the residents of Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. Santa Clara County Supervisors Joe Simitian and Dave Cortese have taken bold public action, working to allocate $8 million of county funds to support Buena Vista residents in their effort to remain a part of our community. Palo Alto government has sat on its hands, saying nothing and doing nothing. I have lived in Palo Alto’s Barron Park neighborhood for 30 years. I chose to live here because of Palo Alto’s rare combination of values: commitment to excellence, embracing of diversity, compassion for all residents, regardless of means or position. We now have a chance (continued on page 20)

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!

Guest Opinion School needs more limits on courseload

Guest Opinion Gunn community deserves support, not blame

W

y name is Chloe Sorensen, and I’m the sophomore class president at Gunn High School. Throughout my first year and a half at Gunn, I have dealt with more than my fair share of depressed friends. Whether we like it or not, depression and other mental illnesses are all around us.

This became increasingly apparent to me as I watched the majority of my closest friends admit to depression, suicidal thoughts, or self-harm.

But before you jump to conclusions, I’d like to tell you one thing: It’s not Gunn’s fault. Sure, school stress can add to people’s problems. But in the case of all of my friends, it was much more than that.

When these tragedies occur, many parents are quick to make broad assumptions. This is unfair to the victim and their family, and it hurts many more people than you may realize. If there is anything I have learned during my time at Gunn, it’s that each and every person you meet is fighting their own battle.

At the end of the day, nobody knows what is going through somebody’s mind except for that person themself. This is why I am so tired of watching everybody blame these tragedies on the school.

I know that many of you are looking for someone to blame because this is a senseless tragedy that nobody will ever be able to fully understand. But we all need to take a step

M

back: Gunn High School is not the only thing in these kids’ lives. They have issues with friends. They have issues with family. A lot of them struggle with depression, and even when they seek help, it isn’t always enough.

As a kid who walks through those halls every day, and interacts with these kids face to face, I feel like I have the right to say that you are not seeing the whole picture. There is so much you cannot see from the outside: I have had teachers call me, email me, pull me aside, hug me, and cry with me. Gunn High School is a community, and it’s a community that I am proud to be a part of. And when people attack this community, and say that it’s not good enough, or that we aren’t trying, it hurts.

When I walk through the halls, I see a collection of individuals who are all trying their best. We do not understand these tragedies any more than you do. It hurts us, and it hurts us bad. But for many of us, it hurts us even more to see people from the outside who turn against us rather than standing with us.

By blaming the school, you make the school more of a problem. What effect do you think it has when people constantly claim that Gunn staff and guidance is incompetent? It makes kids even LESS likely to seek help — I’ve seen it firsthand. When we send negativity out into the world, we get negativity back. So instead of finding people to blame, find people to support. Support the school. Support the staff. And most of all, support your kids. They need it more than you know. Thank you. Q —Chloe Sorensen Chloe Sorensen spoke to the Board of Education on Jan. 27

in multiple instruments, in community service activities, in competitions, and in sports beyond the amount that they are able to enjoy and handle. It is not okay for parents to be essentially forcing their children to become epitomes of perfection, because colleges probably do not want to see that. But that is another story.

Students, on the other hand, tend to engage in excessive competition at school, demanding test scores, project grades, quiz grades, course grades, ACT scores, and SAT scores to gage their standing among their peers. It is terrible to feel and see students chopping away at previously warm and comforting friendships that transform into demons of hate, spite, jealousy, and anxiety. The competition among friends is causing a previously safe and accepting environment to escalate in hostility, anxiety, stress, and other negative feelings. Students also carry the responsibility to make their school environment more open and accepting, not judging others based on their scores and grades, and preserving friendships that are much more important than any score they could receive, despite what many may believe.

The school must be responsible for following its own rules strictly and without exceptions that place honest students and parents that follow the rules at a (egregiously unfair) disadvantage. For example, at Gunn, students are not allowed to take AP science courses during their sophomore year; they are only allowed to take the non-AP chem-

istry and physics courses and a few other science courses. However, a few students were able to take AP science courses during their sophomore year without any other of the student’s peers being able to do so. Furthermore, while students are only allowed to take at most seven classes, many students are able to take more than seven if they have their parents go and talk to the school admin. Another example is that students are not allowed to double up on science or math courses at the same time and to double up in math or science, the student must have completed his or her living skills, art, and career and tech credits. In spite of this, a handful of students doubled up in both math and science and a few other students took double science without fulfilling the requirements.

All these problems cause many questions to arise. Is it okay to pretend that one is a native speaker (while one is not) in order to skip to the third level of a language and be able to reach AP level sooner? Is it okay for parents to force their child to start taking the SAT in middle school up until in junior year he finally receives a 2400? Does it make sense for a freshman in high school to sign up and take an AP test when he has never even taken the course at the school yet? Is it logical for students to sacrifice their friendships and amity due to competition? Why is it okay for some students’ parents to go to the school admin and demand for their child to

e read w i t h sadness the email sent reporting the death by suicide of yet another student at Gunn. As parents of two current students at Gunn, we feel it is time to Dean Winslow with speak out. Gunn his son, who is now a High School is a Gunn sophomore. pressure cooker that has created a toxic environment for our children. We feel strongly that PAUSD Administration and the Board should openly acknowledge the overly competitive culture at Gunn and take steps to change it to one that supports and nurtures our children.

Even before this most recent tragedy, we had been planning to write. We’ve been observing previously upbeat, motivated, hard-working and self-confident middle school students transformed into stressed, insecure and depressed high schoolers.

Some juniors are taking four and five AP courses and struggling with little sleep and low morale. What caused this dramatic change? We believe it’s the hypercompetitive atmosphere that has taken over the school. Instead of striving to learn, students strive to get their GPA’s up as high as possible by grabbing that extra grade point for accelerated coursework (the 5.0 for an A).

They feel compelled to go to that name college with the false assumption that a 4.5 GPA will serve them better than a 4.0. What started as a small snowball of students tak-

ing accelerated courses has turned into an avalanche that is sweeping children away.

At no other point in life is a person expected to be good at everything — history, English, calculus, chemistry, sports and social life. Those kids who do successfully navigate 10 AP courses in high school — will they look back on these years as formative or punitive? When they graduate from Harvard, will they feel fulfilled or like they have never left the rat race? What is the long-term goal?

Given the unremitting and toxic competitive stresses, it is incumbent on the school system to step in and provide more structure to the decisions that these teens make for their coursework. For many, their ambitions are simply bigger than their abilities. Even if the students are capable of the massive homework, they are missing out on enjoying their youth and, most importantly, on making lifelong rich friendships.

We believe there should either be a strict limit to the number of AP courses students can take or the number for which they can get that extra grade point. Better yet, AP courses could be eliminated in entirety — a path taken by several prestigious high schools (Scarsdale, Riverdale, Fieldstone and many others) with no detriment to college acceptances. Yes, parents and students will complain, but by encouraging our kids to live full lives with healthy goals, Palo Alto schools will ultimately be doing the best for the community it serves. Q —Dean L. Winslow, MD, and Julie Parsonnet, MD A version of this letter was originally sent to Superintendent Max McGee.

Guest Opinion There are no losers or failures among us

I

t has saddened me greatly that another Gunn student has committed suicide.

After so many deaths of fellow students, I do not know what to believe. Many blame the school for inaction or inaccessibility.

Many others blame parents for pushing their children too hard. Many still blame other students and the Gunn culture for creating a hostile and overly competitive environment that is both unsafe and unhealthy.

In my perspective, all three entities hold

responsibility to some degree, with parents holding the most.

The greatest problem that arises from parents is the desire to push one’s children, often beyond their capabilities and thus causing enormous amounts of unnecessary stress and anxiety. Parents frequently demand 2400s, 36s, and straight-As and A+s from their children who become increasingly overburdened. On top of all the academic stress, parents tend to engage their children

Editor’s note The Weekly is devoting two opinion pages this week to community comment about academics and youth well-being. While these letters, emails and online postings were written in the wake of a student suicide last weekend, the Weekly encourages readers to consider the ideas broadly, without assuming that any particular issue contributed to this student’s death. (His parents have stated their son struggled with clinical depression and had received medical help for it. In the opinion of the Weekly, further speculation about the student’s life is not helpful.)

There is much that can be done to improve upon the overall culture in which Palo Alto’s children are growing up, and people throughout the city are sharing their thoughts on how to make that happen. Here are some of them. More can be found on the Weekly’s online forum, Town Square, at PaloAltoOnline.com/square.

(continued on page 20)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 19

Guest Opinion Town Square readers weigh in What happened to free time and friends?

I really feel like we’re missing something here. I’m a Gunn parent of three, first one already graduated, second there now, third in middle school. I also am a Gunn graduate.

Now, as my kids started approaching the teens I started bracing for the social pressures, the pressures of drugs alcohol, partying, the peer pressure to spend hours on end hanging out, going out, spending time doing (damn fun) but not-so-smart stuff with friends. And much to my surprise, there’s none of that. Literally none of that.

So that’s great for us parents right? 100 percent safe? Neither one of my first two, no friends. I mean, they have friends at school, and I purposefully kept them signed up for sports so they’d at least have some kind of peer interactions outside of the school day.

But other than that, they stay home, they keep to themselves. Weekends 100 percent at home. They have literally no outside, purely social interactions. My middle schooler was at the doctor for a checkup, the doctor was asking him friendly questions about school, clearly pointed in the direction of looking for signs of peer pressure and risk exposures, maybe exposure to potential bullying. And asked - do you have friends you hang out with? My son shook his head, and said, “No.” He’s also following the same path. I ask him everyday, ‘Who did you hang out with? Who did you eat lunch with?” He always tells me ate with one or more friends, but that’s it.

They all had occasional “play dates” in elementary school but never developed any of the “hang out” kind of friendships I used to have where we’d go hang out at one of the friend’s house listening to music, laying around, etc. (which later turned into no good — for sure).

Maybe I’m the only one seeing this, but I’ve often wondered if this is the same for anyone else. I don’t ever seem to see many kids hanging out anywhere other than playing fields. At malls? At stores? In the park?

At the fields? Where do the older kids hang out at night? Are they? My kids, by the way, are friendly, not shy, funny, have people waving to them and saying “hi” at school.

They are both smart and well-organized and do well in school and don’t seem to be particularly bothered with overload of school work.

And, my first one had no interest in driving until she was approaching graduation.

My son is now old enough to get his permit: no interest, hasn’t even asked any questions about it. When we ask, he just says, “No,”

Guest Opinion (continued from page 19)

take more courses or more APs and be able to while honest students and parents who follow the rules cannot? Why can a student be able to add another AP course (thus taking eight courses) weeks after school starts because the student figures out that some other students are taking more APs than he is? Is it logical for a student to not take PE sophomore year in order to raise one’s GPA and delay taking PE to senior year?

For parents: Is it more important to advertise and flaunt your ‘perfect’ child or is it more important to nurture your child’s happiness and embolden her just enough to make her feel

he doesn’t want to. Doesn’t even seem to have any sense of wanting some freedom to roam around.

Don’t get me wrong, I totally dread (and was on the front line at their age) some of the bad stuff that could come with some freedom and some teenage-friend activities. So it’s a tough thing to want for your kids, but my god, my kids have never even been on a walk at night with kids their own age.

We used to go iceskating at Winter Club, play in the street in summer, sit in someone’s backyard, or in their living room for hours. We eventually used to have handful of friends over. I mean, where is all that — is it completely gone?

Is the issue really: Are these kids literally LONELY? —Parent1, a resident of Charleston Gardens Posted on Town Square

What matters in life My family arrived in Palo Alto the summer of 2012 from London. So we are in the fortunate position of being able to compare education systems. I have no complaints about the elementary schools, which are wonderful environments for the young child. But the middle school and high school programs and social lives of the kids do not compare favorably to the European equivalent.

The first problem, as I see it, is the relentless nature of the school year. The children have very little holiday between August and May. Is it three weeks in total? Certainly not much more than four. The UK schools before the summer have around eight to 10 weeks holiday. And also a summer holiday of six to eight weeks. This is a vastly different schedule and allows the kids to decompress, hang out and generally escape and see themselves as individuals not purely on the basis of grades or social standing at school.

Also the GPA puts relentless pressure on kids. Every piece of school work. Every test. Every tardy goes towards this ‘very’ important score. In the UK there is much more emphasis on exams. So it is possible to make mistakes but make it good and catch up later. Also in other ways it seems the UK education systems allows bad days or weeks and enables kids to pull it together to get better scores. There is forgiveness within the system. I don’t see this forgiveness here.

Tutoring and pushy parents definitely exist in North London. But what is different here is the added pressure of the extracur-

special but not above others?

For students: Are your SAT score, PSAT score, ACT score, transcript, course grades, and GPA more important than discovering your own identity, your passions, and your dreams?

For the school: Is it fair that the future opportunities of most students are diminished by the few students who secretly bypass school rules to rise above their peers?

It is heartbreaking to hear about fellow students taking their own lives. It is soulwrenching to see teachers, normally convivial and humorous, crumble and lose composure before your very own eyes, driving spears of sorrow into your heart. It is

Page 20 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

ricular activities. In very few exceptions, extracurricular activities do not feature in the UK university-application process.

There are very few sports scholarships. So applications are on the back of academics only. Extracurricular interests can happily be dropped when older teenage children would rather study and maybe develop an independent social group or spend time exploring a romantic relationship.

Because what matters in life. Really?

Prosperity certainly is extremely important. But mental health too? Satisfying relationships that provide a foundation for a family that you can love and nurture. Or as a partnership without children that can support each other in life’s battles and challenges.

It just seems to me that the one dimensional nature of the high school education system that supports individual achievements leaves the teenage soul a little vulnerable.

—home.melissa, a resident of College Terrace Posted on Town Square

Schools need health education The PAUSD Board needs to re-examine the health curriculum for students K thru 12.

There is no mention of Health in the elementary curriculum, no mention of Health in the middle school curriculum, and only 5 credits(Living Skills) are required out of 215 credits to graduate from high school.

I teach Health Education at Foothill College and I have first hand knowledge that students are under-prepared in their health literacy. Health is not a cool topic. Students don’t view it as an important subject, especially if we do not emphasize it in the curriculum.

Health has a greater impact on happiness than does income or higher education.

Health and happiness need to be taught in our primary and secondary schools. At the collegiate level, it is often too late!

Please, PAUSD Board, begin to make the Health curriculum a priority for our children.

—Ken Horowitz, a resident of Downtown North Posted on Town Square

Looking for a cultural shift My passion for this town runs deep: I have lived here since I was 6 months old, going off to college and graduate school but returning to raise my children, who are now in middle school and elementary school. I am also an educator at the community-college level, so I have a personal interest in education from two perspectives. ... But I know, as a lifelong resident with children in this school system that it is FAR agonizing to endure the reading of the same letter after another student commits suicide.

It is excruciating to feel powerless to give strength and support to peers, teachers, and parents affected by these tragedies.

It is high time for our community of parents, teachers, students, and staff to knit even tighter together than ever. We must protect, sustain, and support each other constantly, binding even tighter when one strand falters to weave it back in to the great tapestry of our school and town community. We must not let anyone fail alone; there are no losers or failures among us; we must only, utterly, solely, wholly let us succeed together.

We must act now. Together. Q —Current Gunn student This message was originally posted on the Weekly’s online forum, Town Square.

MORE competitive now, and, in addition, childhood has changed to allow little freetime to counteract this stress.

To be honest, there is a big part of me that wants to take my kids out of this stress. On the other hand, I have a strong intuition that this is the time for our community to really start thinking about who we are. I often ask myself, staring in disbelief at drivers whipping past my small children crossing the street near my home: “Who are these people?”

I feel alienated from my own hometown when I see the anger, disrespect and underlying violence symbolic in these drivers’ behaviors. And I am wondering: Is this culture of violence palpable to the very most sensitive among us, our children and our teens?

Let’s discuss the culture of this town, as well as the culture of our schools.

Regarding suicide: We are quiet about teen suicide because we do not want to sensationalize it. However, we need to talk about suicide.

Regarding teachers and staff: We cannot place the sole responsibility on them.

We need to change our community. I am not sure how. Our educators educate our children because they are passionate about teaching. We are fortunate to have them.

I do not want to diminish the destructive power of mean and/or incompetent teachers. I only want to support our educators in making changes.

By the way, I agree that there is too much homework.

—Mary Akatiff, a resident of Old Palo Alto Posted on Town Square

Gunn needs the block schedule There are definitely things we can do as parents, and as a community, and we must look at those carefully.

For the schools, changing Gunn to the Paly block schedule and TA (teacher-advisory counseling) system is something I hope can be considered, for as early as this fall. They both target key stressors in the areas which many are concerned about, academic stress and college application stress. The block schedule is something most Paly families thank their lucky stars for and could not do without.

TA is also a major structural advantage, and any shortcoming heard about it are nothing compared to its overall value. The way TA works in the course of the four years results in an overall excellent system.

Please do not hesitate to change Gunn to a block schedule and to TA. —resident3, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood Posted on Town Square

Letters (continued from page 18)

to demonstrate that these values are alive and well in Palo Alto.

I once thanked a person I admire who courageously helped me in a time of crisis.

He said simply, “If we can’t extend ourselves at times like these, who are we?”

Indeed.

Don Anderson Alta Mesa Avenue, Palo Alto Submit letters to the editor of up to 300 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.

PPalo alo Alto Alto Weekly Weekly

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Amy Luo, a sophomore at Palo Alto High School, works on algebra and trigonometry homework after school in the library in late January.

Teachers attempt to shift focus to quality of study, not quantity story by Elena Kadvany | photos by Veronica Weber

EDITOR’S NOTE This cover story on homework by Weekly Staff Writer Elena Kadvany was prompted in part by a lengthy discussion among community members on the subject, begun in December on Town Square, the Weekly’s online forum. (See “What gives the school the right to give my child homework?” at PaloAltoOnline.com/square.) The topic generated hundreds of comments, among the most active discussions in the forum’s history.

With the death by suicide last weekend of a Gunn High School senior, many people have questioned the role of excessive homework in causing stress and even depression in some students. It is not our intention with these articles to make a connection between homework and suicide, and in fact, the parents of the Gunn senior stated this week that they do not believe academic pressure was a factor in their son’s death.

There is clearly a desire within the Palo Alto community to grapple with the effects of high school homework loads as well as parse the complexities of the district’s policy and its implementation in schools. This cover story aspires to contribute constructively to that community dialogue.

We welcome your comments and ideas about homework on Town Square. Q

On the cover: A Palo Alto High School student concentrates on his geometry homework in the library. Photo by Veronica Weber.

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any Palo Alto high school students report feeling overworked, overburdened and overstressed by unrelenting workloads and expectations.

“Junior year I prioritized homework and studying over sleep,” said Palo Alto High School senior Jack Brook, who plays varsity soccer, writes for the school’s Verde magazine and is taking four Advanced Placement (AP) classes. “Staying up past midnight was routine, and I often woke up an hour early to continue what I couldn’t get done the night before.”

Gunn High School sophomore Martha Cabot took to YouTube late last year to publicly question the unrealistic demands that she said her peers face.

“Is it really expected from a student to take that many APs, maintain good grades, do after-school sports, have positive social life and finish homework on time?” she asked in a video that quickly went viral.

And it’s not just the students who are bothered; parents say their family time — and family dynamic — is often impacted by “the homework wars,” as one Palo Alto parent and Gunn teacher calls it.

“I am a veteran of the homework wars,” said Lettie Weinmann, who’s taught at Gunn since 1989.

“When my son was younger, it was a frequent battle. We tried bribing him with M&Ms, impounding his LEGOs, and every support strategy in the book. ... The end result may have been that the homework was completed, but I think it also had an effect on our parent-child relationship. It set us up as his adversaries instead of his support system.”

Other parents complain that the constant studying infringes on family life.

“I want to draw better and healthier boundaries between the school day and family time, better and healthier boundaries between school and home,” wrote one parent on Town Square, the Weekly’s online discussion forum, noting that schools appear to be crossing those boundaries unrestrained.

The parent asked for an explanation of the legal basis for homework, and the resulting thread, started mid-December, has garnered nearly 500 comments.

But while students and parents have been the ones voicing their complaints, teachers have not been ignorant of the outcry. In an effort to change the culture around homework, and at the same time improve students’ learning, more and more Gunn and Paly teachers have begun taking a different tack on homework, experimenting with blendedlearning models, “flipped” class-

rooms and innovative educational strategies that challenge traditional notions of homework.

T

wo years ago, longtime Gunn High School science teacher Eric Ledgerwood “flipped” his AP Environmental Science course. Instead of lectures in the classroom and traditional homework assignments, his students now watch 10- to 15-minute interactive video lectures at home that Ledgerwood has created. During class, they ask questions about the content, engage and grapple with each other over the topics and work on long-term research projects.

In theory, the flipped classroom offers less rote instruction and homework and more time for deeper, collaborative learning.

“I don’t give anywhere near as much homework as I used to,” Ledgerwood said.

“I think the real beauty of it was — and this is the whole idea of flipped learning — I can do more things in the classroom with the kids when I’m not just talking at them,” he said.

In Paly’s new Social Justice Pathway program — a “school within a school” that starts sophomore year — project-based learning and (continued on next page)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 21

Palo Cover AltoStory Weekly Sources of stress Paly

(continued on page 23)

Palo Alto High School teacher Eric Bloom addresses four different types of justice during his social-justice class.

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be completely free of homework assignments. It also breaks down the type of homework that should be given at different grade levels and offers guidelines for teachers.

After receiving the board’s stamp of approval in June 2012, the policy was disseminated to all of the district’s schools and left for school leaders to implement that fall.

At both of Palo Alto’s high schools, this effort was reportedly unfocused and eventually lost in the day-to-day shuffle.

“The sites were supposed to follow through on some of those administrative regulations in terms of just examining homework practice, and I think at some level, everybody did,” said Gunn teacher Lettie Weinmann, who served on the homework committee. “But at least at Gunn, it wasn’t really an orchestrated effort at that point. I think that’s just because we had a lot of other things going on.”

Paly Principal Kim Diorio, who at the time was the assistant principal, said teachers had many questions about the policy that went unanswered.

“There were a lot of questions. ... ‘What does it mean? What exactly are they saying? What is this language implying?’” Diorio said many teachers asked. “There was a lot of uncertainty, and our current principal at the time was unable to provide a lot of answers to those questions. There was a lot of ‘Let me go talk to the district.’”

“Quite honestly, it really was just kind of put aside,” she added.

“There was not a publicly discussed, district-level process of implementation as far as I remember,” said school board member Ken Dauber, who also served on the homework committee. “I don’t think that there is a clear picture across the district or even within schools, certainly not one that has visibility beyond

100 84%

Efforts underway to collect more concrete data on implementation hen people talk about homework in Palo Alto, they often wonder: What, exactly, is the district’s policy on homework?

Adopted in 2012, the policy was the culmination of an advisory committee’s year-long deep dive into research and best practices on homework. It follows well-established thought that homework is appropriately limited to 10 minutes per grade per night, Monday through Thursday, for elementary and middle school (so a fifth-grader would max out at 50 minutes per night) and to seven to 10 hours per week for high school students.

An oft-cited 2008 metaanalysis of homework studies by Duke University Professor Harris Cooper, who is considered a leading researcher on homework, states that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night at the secondary level.

The study suggests that somewhere between 90 minutes and two-and-a-half hours per night is optimal for high school students.

In Palo Alto, Advanced Placement (AP) and honors courses are exempt from limits, with the policy acknowledging that advanced classes “may require more extensive homework.”

“Effective homework practices do not place an undue burden on students,” the policy states. “The Board (of Education) recognizes the value of extracurricular activities, unstructured time and adequate sleep for a student’s success in school.”

The policy also includes administrative regulations with recommendations on outsideof-class projects (“these tasks should not require group meetings outside of class, significant assistance from parents, or costly materials”), weekend homework (“if deemed necessary, the amount should not exceed a regular day’s assignment”) and winter break, which is supposed to

Gunn

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Homework

District homework policy roll-out stalls

Source: Palo Alto Youth Council Survey, 2010 (continued from previous page)

collaboration reign, and homework is treated as something to be completed at home if it is not finished in class.

Homework is graded for completion, rather than performance.

Overall grades are not A’s, B’s, C’s or D’s on homework but rather “mastery,” “proficient,” “competent” or “emerging.”

“The idea is that we’re really trying to get them to focus more on the learning as opposed to the grades, but those are difficult things,” said history and social sciences teacher Eric Bloom, who has been at Paly for 17 years and created the Social Justice Pathway with longtime English teacher Erin Angell. “Especially in Palo Alto to say, ‘Don’t worry about the grade. Just worry about the learning.’ And they’re like, ‘Yeah, OK, but what am I going to get?’”

Bloom and other teachers are hoping to chip away at that attitude, as conversations at both high schools move from how much homework to give to what kind of homework to give.

“Are we measuring student learning, or are we measuring compliance?” Palo Alto High School Principal Kim Diorio asked. “Those are the big philosophical questions we’re having as a school.”

“We want kids to be excited about school and excited about learning,” Diorio said. “So what are the systems that we have in place that are getting in the way of that? Is homework one of those systems?”

S

ince Ledgerwood flipped his AP Environmental Science class two years ago, the role of practice has been shifted away from homework and into the classroom.

His first tools in this shift were short YouTube videos that students were required to watch, take notes on and do some related bookwork on at home.

This year, he’s using EDpuzzle, a free platform with video-editing software and tools — so teachers can embed questions or quizzes in the video lectures and block students from skipping ahead in videos to reach the quiz — and a searchable database of related educational videos from sources like the Khan Academy and LearnZillion.

Despite the shift and reduced homework load that comes along

with it, Ledgerwood acknowledged there will always be a need for “certain content acquisition” through homework.

“Sometimes what we call ‘drill and kill,’ where you have to do 50 math problems at the same time, or for language, you just have to memorize your verbs or whatever it is — I think that’s always going to be a subset of what we do,” Ledgerwood said. “I think that’s where the homework will reside.”

But, “As far as homework when you’re doing process-driven things, I think it will really shift.”

Though as Gunn’s only environmental-science teacher, Ledgerwood was able to transform this one class, the same changes are slower moving for a course like chemistry, which is taught by multiple teachers who work together to make sure their curriculum and assignments are similar.

“I didn’t have the opportunity necessarily yet to do something really revolutionary for chem,” he said. “It’s on my agenda.”

Another teacher at Gunn, Phil Lyons, gives no homework, even in an AP-level course, and claims to not only have more intellectually engaged students but ones who still score high on the AP exam. Lyons, who declined to be interviewed for this story, is quoted on a 2008 blog post by nationally known education speaker Alfie Kohn, author of “The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing.”

“Each year my students have performed better on the (A.P.) test. ... I would feel justified encroaching on students’ free time and I’d be willing to do the grading if I saw tangible returns, but with no quantifiable benefit it makes no sense to impose (homework) on them or me,” Lyons told Kohn.

Kohn, who gave a talk earlier this month on achievement and learning at the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, is staunchly anti-homework.

There is “one more contributor, one more practical issue that we could get rid of tomorrow with the damage that it does,” Kohn told the crowd of mostly parents but also educators and Palo Alto district administrators. “It is making kids work the equivalent of a second shift.” (At this, the audience burst into applause.)

“Homework is literally all pain and no gain,” Kohn continued.

“What it produces is frustration, ex-

haustion, family conflict and nagging, less time for kids to do stuff they care about when they get home and loss of interest. Homework is the greatest extinguisher of curiosity that we have.”

Lyons told Kohn that after eliminating homework — a decision he came to over the course of his career — students became visibly more curious, independently bringing in news articles relating to what they had learned in class. (Other Palo Alto teachers, too, have told the Weekly that as they’ve become more experienced, they’ve given less and less homework.)

Similarly, a 2013 study on the nonacademic effects of homework in privileged, high-performing high schools, co-authored by Denise Pope of the Stanford University Graduate School of Education and nonprofit research group Challenge Success, found that more homework does not equate deeper learning.

“Although we found that students completing more hours of homework also tended to report greater behavioral engagement in their schoolwork and classes (as measured by students reporting they often or always try hard, pay attention, and complete assignments), this connection does not mean these students were deeply learning the material, enjoying the work or finding it meaningful or helpful,” the study reads.

“If there was an easy fix, it would have been done so long ago,” Pope said in an interview. “But I do think there can be a better understanding on the part of educators and parents as to the proper and effective role of homework. There’s a big confusion between rigor and load.”

Paly’s Bloom agrees that the debate over homework should not be about the number of minutes assigned but rather the quality of those assignments.

“I get that minutes are the symptom and by controlling around minutes we can have this conversation, but it’s not the minutes,” he said.

“It’s the assignment that is the question and whether or not this should be homework, and what is the function of homework and how do you add value to it?”

Kohn argues that homework should be the exception, not the norm. Teachers should talk with students openly about the work they’re being asked to do and “meet a high burden of proof” for

Palo Cover AltoStory Weekly students to work that second shift at home, he said.

But teachers, and many students, in fact, recognize that for some classes, there is a value to that second shift.

“I don’t think homework is ever going to go away,” said Gunn physics teacher Lettie Weinmann. “I think students need to think about the world around them outside of class if they are going to understand it, especially in science. It’s all around you. We want our kids to know that physics happens outside of the classroom as well as inside.”

This could be swinging on a swing to understand forces or looking at shadows to learn about light, she said.

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aly senior Tira Oskoui said she has the most homework this semester from her AP Calculus BC class, the highest level math course offered at Paly.

Her norm is about two hours per assignment, but that can jump to four hours “on the really bad nights,” she said. The class’ description in Paly’s 2014 course catalog offers an estimation for hours of homework, as many do, of four to six hours — per week.

But, Oskoui said, “The class moves at a really fast pace, so if we weren’t given a lot of homework, I don’t know if people would be keeping up with the class.”

Paly senior Brook had similar feelings about AP U.S. History, which has the notorious reputation as being Paly’s most demanding class. Usually taken junior year, the course requires reading over the summer before the class starts and annotated reading linked to quizzes that are usually given two out of the three times a week the class meets.

Though Brook described the class as a “soul sucker” homework-wise, teacher Jack Bungarden made it “one of the best classes I’ve ever taken.”

“It was a worthwhile class,” Brook said. “Most of the work we had to do was very helpful, even though there was just so much.”

Even this rigorous course has recently shifted slightly, with Bungarden now offering students three chances to opt out of the regular reading quizzes if they for some reason can’t get it done. Many teachers do offer this kind of flexibility, making some or even all assignments optional. At Paly, for

example, AP Psychology has started making homework (primarily reading), test corrections and pretest review optional.

“So far I’ve done basically everything that was optional, but it’s less stressful knowing if you do badly on it, it’s dropped, and if you end up not having time, it’s fine,” Oskoui said.

Four Paly teachers also piloted last fall a homework-pass program in the hopes that offering an olive branch of flexibility would open up the lines of communication between teachers and students about homework. In exchange for either a free extension or excused assignment, students had to meet with their teacher over lunch with the goal of having an open, judgment-free conversation about their workload.

The passes were the product of a school-culture hackathon, hosted by the Stanford University d.school, that Bloom and a small group of teachers and students who form Paly’s school-climate committee attended one weekend. They were tasked with answering the question, “What could you do to make school better?” (And in the vein of an action-oriented hacker mindset, “How can you accomplish that on a small-scale by the time you go back to school on Monday?” Bloom said.)

The pilot passes were offered to about 250 students. About 35 students used the passes and about two-thirds opted for an extension rather than an excused assignment, Bloom said.

“The idea is that (students) wanted just a little bit of flexibility so that they could make mistakes,” Bloom said. “And then it was this piece of, ‘Well, I could talk to you about it and we could do this, but what about these other teachers that are not as flexible?’

“That’s where we learned, it’s not the homework. It’s all these other factors. Homework is just this symptom.”

At least in some classes, homework is relatively low-stakes, Oskoui said, so the pressure is not as great.

In most of her classes at Paly, it’s been weighted only 5 to 10 percent of the grade. But it still can induce stress if it makes students feel like they won’t be ready for a future test.

“When I’m doing the homework, if I find it’s really hard, I’ll be like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s the test going to be like?’” she said. “In math especially, if I really struggled with a homework assignment, I’ll get

stressed thinking about the test in the future.”

Weinmann said she’s also seen the overall homework load at Gunn increase as more students enroll in more AP and honors classes.

“I think I have whittled back on the amount of homework I assign,” she said. “I can’t say that other teachers necessarily have or have not, but what I have seen is that more students are choosing to take the AP and honors courses than ever before.”

She said that when she first arrived at Gunn, the science department, for example, offered only AP Biology and AP Physics B, with a total of five sections of classes.

About 12 percent of the study body enrolled in an AP-level science course, Weinmann said.

Today, Gunn offers 16 sections of AP science courses and has added AP Physics C (calculus-based physics), AP Chemistry and AP Environmental Science to the roster.

About 22 percent of Gunn students enroll in these classes.

Despite the pockets of innovative teaching practices cropping up at Paly and Gunn, Weinmann said that widespread change will require providing teachers more time to collaborate.

“Individual teachers plugging away at it in their own classrooms, which is happening right now, is not going to be nearly as effective as when we have an opportunity to work together towards this common goal,” she said.

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district-wide review of homework practices is likely to appear on the Board of Education’s agenda this year, with newly elected member Ken Dauber in particular pushing to keep the issue at the forefront of his colleagues’ minds. Dauber has asked that staff review the implementation of the district’s homework policy, which was approved in 2012 and was reportedly rolled out unevenly at schools (see sidebar).

“We shouldn’t assume that there is some part of a student’s day that is somehow dedicated to homework and the job of the schools are to fill it,” Dauber said in an interview. “Just like everything else, we should be able to demonstrate the educational payoff for the time.

And if we can’t, then we don’t have a right to use it because kids have

Q: If you could change one thing about your school, what would it be?

REPORT English History Science Math LESS HOMEWORK, LIGHTER LOAD

LATER START TIME IN THE MORNING

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other things to do with their life after school.”

“It really needs to be assessed on its merits of, ‘Is this providing an educational benefit?’ both in terms of its content and also its quantity,” he added. “We need to be willing to modify our practices based on what we learn from that.”

But as the often-slow wheels of government turn, Alfie Kohn, for one, urges teachers and parents to be the agents of change when it comes to pushing for structural changes at their children’s schools.

At his talk this month, Kohn urged teachers to not feel restricted

District policy (continued from page 22)

the site level on this.

“There are anecdotes either way,” he continued. “I’ve heard people say, ‘Oh yeah, it’s better;’ Others have said, ‘I don’t see any difference at all.’ And they may well both be true based on where they happen to be.”

Dauber also said that when the committee came to an end, he and other members felt there was more work to be done.

“How much of a student’s grade should be comprised of homework? What about late policies? How do we prevent homework from becoming something that can sink a student’s grade and put them in a place where they can’t get a good grade in the class?” Dauber said. “We suggested to the school board that there be a follow-on focused goal to deal with those things and also to deal with implementation.

That didn’t happen.”

Dauber said he has asked that a review of the status of the homework-policy implementation be placed on the school board’s agenda.

Community and board members alike raised the topic numerous times at this week’s board meeting, calling for more focused implementation.

“We need to align the homework policy and administrative regulations with actual practices, which involves teachers and administrators working together — and this includes a district responsibility, this includes my responsibility to ensure that we have professional development for this,” Superintendent Max McGee said.

“We can’t just put a policy out there and say, ‘Go do it.’”

Efforts are also underway at both the school and district levels to collect more concrete data on homework.

Gunn Principal Denise Herrmann this year asked teachers to post the estimated amounts of time for all of their homework assignments on Schoology, the district’s online schools management system. This touched a nerve for some teachers — both as a mandate-from-high and a time-consuming task — who eventually filed an official grievance through the teacher’s union.

by the grade they’re required to give at the end of a semester and to use their time to shift students’ focus from assessment and performance to learning and engagement. He told a worried mother in the audience, frustrated by the educational options for her almostkindergarten-age son, to organize with other parents to put weight behind her concerns.

“You don’t have to wait for the school to move in order to do some good,” Kohn said. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@paweekly.com.

It has since been resolved, though details surrounding the resolution and its implications have not yet been publicly disclosed.

Weinmann said she complies with Herrmann’s request, but she understands why other teachers are reluctant. Schoology is a clunky, far-from-userfriendly tool, she said.

“I think it would be better if it were a better tool, but it’s all we have right now, so let’s use it and it will help us to understand homework a little better,” Weinmann said.

One AP Biology teacher at Gunn is asking for feedback directly from students, according to junior Hayley Krolik. The teacher this year added a line at the bottom of all assignments on which students are to write how long the homework took them.

“I think that just letting the teacher gauge based on (how long) the students are taking and not setting expectations is best,” Krolik said.

Both Paly and Gunn surveyed students on homework this year as part of their Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation processes, which occur every six years. The result of the in-depth WASC process is an action plan with set goals for the next six years.

The district also recently contracted with the Hanover Research Group, a global firm, to analyze Palo Alto’s K-12 practices in the four main academic subject areas (math, science, history/social science, English) as well as world languages. Hanover will be surveying students and staff as well as analyzing syllabi to look at homework, grading practices, forms of assessment and curriculum.

Dauber hopes the resulting data on homework will be the first step toward assessing the implementation of the board’s homework policy.

“We want schools that are designed for learning and we want to assess the pedagogical practices to see if it’s what they’re achieving,” he said. “All kinds of aspects of what we do in schools, just like anywhere else, can take on a kind of ceremonial quality where we don’t dig down and say, ‘What’s the real payoff for this?’

I think homework is due for that kind of an assessment.”Q

Source: Palo Alto Youth Council Survey, 2010 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 23

A weekly guide to music, theater, art, culture, books and more, edited by Elizabeth Schwyzer

Women’s photographs tell stories from Iran and the Arab world

by Elizabeth Schwyzer

Goshar Dashti

In her “Today’s Life and War” series, Iranian artist Goshar Dashti juxtaposes ordinary domestic scenes against a backdrop of war and destruction. assumptions, capturing instead a much richer and more nuanced picture of the role of women in both public and private spheres.

“After Sept. 11, I was compelled to create images of the veil, particularly since Muslims, their beliefs and way of life had taken international center stage,” Almutawakel explained in a recent email. “I wanted to be careful not to fuel widespread negative stereotypes, especially the notion that women who wear the hijab are weak, oppressed, ignorant and backwards.”

The exhibition features work by 12 artists shot almost exclusively over the past decade and is organized around three major themes: Deconstructing Orientalism, Constructing Identities and New Documentary. The majority of works take as their subject women and the female sphere, from Shirin Neshat’s portraits of women whose bodies are covered in Persian script — symbolizing the role of women in the Arab Spring uprisings — to Iranian artist Shadi Ghadirian’s close-up shots of inanimate objects, which appear as serene as still-life paintings until the eye settles on the evidence of violence: the grenade in the fruit bowl, bullets scattered among lipsticks and eyeliners. In among the still photography are video installations by Iranian Newsha Tavakolian. “Listen” features silent footage of professional female singers who are forbidden

by Islamic tenets to perform in public.

Some of the works in this collection take in the devastation of armed conflict and the upheaval of revolution. Others focus on daily life, finding in the quotidian both beauty and universality, and reminding viewers that life goes on, even in the midst of chaos.

Colleen Stockmann, assistant curator for special projects at the

Page 24 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Cantor, said it’s the intimacy of these photographs she finds most arresting.

“When it comes to the Middle East, we’re so inundated with images of war, conflict and folks in armed dress that we rarely see a more personalized and tender look at ordinary people, their families and their everyday lives,” Stockmann noted, rattling off the images from the show that stick with her: a girl on a swing, women taking selfies, teenage girls in their bedrooms. Furthermore, she added, the artists who directly address themes of war and conflict do so not in dramatic or sensational style, but in a way that’s “poetic — in a quiet manner that reflects how ingrained (war) has become.”

One might expect photographs from politically volatile countries including Iraq, Egypt and Israel to be heavy in tone, yet many of these works convey a sense of humor while simultaneously addressing serious social issues. For example, Stockmann noted, Almutawakel’s “Woman, Daughter, Doll” is “a powerful series about visibility and agency,” yet “there’s a bit of levity to it — to the way she’s playing with exposure and vulnerability.”

A playful spirit is certainly evident in the work of Iranian photographer Goshar Dashti, whose 2008 series “Today’s Life and War” features a young couple who go about their lives against a backdrop of destruction. In one shot, they sit side by side in the bombed-out shell of a car festooned with wedding garlands; a military tank looms in the background. In another image, they hang laundry on loops of barbed wire.

“I was born in the early years of the Islamic Revolution, and the first steps of my childhood were during the bloody Iran-Iraq war,” explained Dashti in an email in-

terview. “The profound impact that war has had on my life and my generation has remained until today.”

At the same time, she observed, “War and life are inseparable from each other.” As an artist, she said, she hopes to convey the strange mixture of “violence, war memories, happiness and joy” that make up her life experience.

The distance between the assumptions of Western viewers and the actual experiences of Middle Eastern women is a crucial one.

In grouping together works from such a wide range of countries and cultures, “She Who Tells a Story” runs the risk of being seen as reductive. That’s a danger Stock(continued on next page)

Boushra Almutawakel

smiling woman sits with her daughter on her knee, a baby doll in a bright fuchsia dress poised on the little girl’s lap. The woman wears a cream-colored head scarf, or hijab, her dark hair peeking out, while her daughter’s wavy locks fall freely to her shoulders.

This is the first frame of “Mother, Daughter, Doll,” a series of nine photographs shot by Yemeni artist Boushra Almutawakel in 2010. In the following frame, the woman’s smile is dimmer, her hair covered more thoroughly by a dark-hued scarf. Her plaid coat has been exchanged for a black one; her daughter sits more rigidly, her hair partially obscured by a cloth. Even the doll’s dress has been replaced by a more modest one. So the covering up of these three figures progresses, frame after frame, until in the penultimate image they’re shrouded entirely in black, their eyes peeking out from behind the fine mesh of their traditional QLTăE veils. In the ninth and final shot, they’ve disappeared entirely.

“Mother, Daughter, Doll” is one of 81 photographic works now on view at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center as part of “She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab World.”

An exhibition curated by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, it’s the first of its kind in the United States: a collection of images of women, by women from across a wide range of Middle Eastern countries. Its Stanford appearance marks its only West Coast showing.

As Almutawakel’s work suggests, the place of women in their respective cultures is a recurring theme in this exhibition. Yet rather than confirming the Western stereotype of the veiled woman as one who lacks freedom or agency, these artists overturn such

In “Mother, Daughter, Doll” from The Hijab Series, Yemeni artist Boushra Almutawakel raises issues of women’s visibility and agency.

Arts & Entertainment

Beyond the veil (continued from previous page)

mann and other curators have acknowledged, and one they believe is avoidable through a close look at the works themselves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are a lot of very specific and different approaches being taken, and artists from different areas addressing very different religious and political situations,â&#x20AC;?

Stockmann said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know of another show thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even tried to cover work from such a broad region in this way.â&#x20AC;?

The intention, she said, is for viewers to approach each image as a formal photographic work: to appreciate the specificity of each image and to consider it in its own context, rather than to see all 81 works as representing a single movement or message.

Though the 12 artists represented in â&#x20AC;&#x153;She Who Tells a Storyâ&#x20AC;? are all adult women, some of the subjects are younger. In Rania Matarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s series, â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Girl and Her Room,â&#x20AC;? the photographer takes us inside the bedrooms of teenage girls in Lebanon, offering rare glimpses into these private spheres. A Lebanese-born artist now living in Massachusetts, Matar has shot teenage girls in both the U.S. and Lebanon and said her interest is in capturing the universal experience of adolescence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the core, these girls are all going through the same emotions at the onset of adulthood,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In your teenage years, you make one decision and it alters your life, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s true whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re growing up in a refugee camp or in the upper class in Beirut or Boston.â&#x20AC;?

Of all the stories this exhibition tells, the one that spans countries and cultures is that of the agency of the female artist. Every work in the show serves as a testament to the woman who stood behind the lens, countering Western stereotypes and sensational media representations by offering her own distinct, specific point of view. Q Arts & Entertainment Editor Elizabeth Schwyzer can be emailed at eschwyzer@paweekly. com.

What: â&#x20AC;&#x153;She Who Tells a Story: Women Photographers from Iran and the Arab Worldâ&#x20AC;?

Where: Cantor Art Center, 328 Lomita Drive at Museum Way, Stanford When: Through May 4. Gallery hours: Wednesday-Monday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Thursday 11 a.m.8 p.m. Gallery talk Thursday, March 5, 12:15 p.m. Artist panel Thursday, March 19, 5:30 p.m. Multimedia presentation Thursday, April 30, 5:30 p.m.

Exhibition tours beginning Feb. 5: Thursday, 12:15 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m.

Cost: Free Info: Go to museum.stanford. edu or call 650-723-4177.

OZOMATLI COUNTRY LEGEND Irene Diaz Opens Merle Haggard April 30, 8PM February 20, 8 PM LES MISERABLES MY FAIR LADY March 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 June 5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;14 WEST SIDE STORY KISS ME KATE August 14â&#x20AC;&#x201C;23 November 6â&#x20AC;&#x201C;15 Get Your Tickets Online At: www.FoxRwc.com 2215 Broadway St., Redwood City

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NOTICE OF 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, February 11, 2015 in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Civic Center, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. :[HÉ&#x2C6; YLWVY[Z MVY HNLUKPaLK P[LTZ HYL H]HPSHISL ]PH [OL Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, HM[LY ! 74 VU [OL -YPKH` WYLJLKPUN [OL TLL[PUN KH[L Copies will be made available at the Development Center ZOV\SK *P[` /HSS IL JSVZLK VU [OL -YPKH` Public Hearing 1. 805 Los Trancos Road (14PLN-00425) (*Quasi-Judicial): 9LX\LZ[ I` ,0+ (YJOP[LJ[Z MVY H :P[L HUK +LZPNU YL]PL^ VM H UL^ ZM ZPUNSL Z[VY` ZPUNSL MHTPS` home, and associated site improvements on a 3.5 acre WHYJLS VM SHUK AVUPUN +PZ[YPJ[! 6WLU :WHJL 6: ,U]PYVUTLU[HS (ZZLZZTLU[! 4P[PNH[LK 5LNH[P]L +LJSHYH[PVU HWWYV]LK PU 1\UL HUK HKKLUK\T H[[HJOLK -VY TVYL PUMVYTH[PVU JVU[HJ[ :OLSKVU (O :PUN H[ sheldon@ mplanninggroup.com.

2. Planned Community (PC) Zoning Reform and Preliminary Screening Requirements: 9L]PL^ VM KYHM[ revisions to PC Planned Community District Regulations and Development Project Preliminary Procedures PU 7HSV (S[V 4\UPJPWHS *VKL *OHW[LYZ HUK HUK YLJVTTLUK HKVW[PVU VM [OL KYHM[ VYKPUHUJL [V [OL *P[` *V\UJPS ,U]PYVUTLU[HS (ZZLZZTLU[! ,_LTW[ MYVT *,8( W\YZ\HU[ [V :LJ[PVU 4PUVY (S[LYH[PVUZ PU 3HUK <ZL 3PTP[H[PVUZ -VY TVYL PUMVYTH[PVU JVU[HJ[ *VUZ\LSV /LYUHUKLa H[ *VUZ\LSV OLYUHUKLa'JP[`VMpaloalto.org.

Questions. For any questions regarding the above items, WSLHZL JVU[HJ[ [OL 7SHUUPUN +LWHY[TLU[ H[ ;OL Ă&#x201E;SLZ YLSH[PUN [V [OLZL P[LTZ HYL H]HPSHISL MVY PUZWLJ[PVU ^LLRKH`Z IL[^LLU [OL OV\YZ VM ! (4 [V !

74 ;OPZ W\ISPJ TLL[PUN PZ [LSL]PZLK SP]L VU .V]LYUTLU[ (JJLZZ *OHUULS (+( ;OL *P[` VM 7HSV (S[V KVLZ UV[ KPZJYPTPUH[L HNHPUZ[ individuals with disabilities. To request an accommodation MVY [OPZ TLL[PUN VY HU HS[LYUH[P]L MVYTH[ MVY HU` YLSH[LK printed materials, please contact the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ADA CoordiUH[VY H[ ]VPJL VY I` L THPSPUN HKH'JP[`VMpaloalto.org. *** Hillary Gitelman, Director of Planning and Community Environment www.PaloAltoOnline.com â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ January 30, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 25

Arts & Entertainment

LARISSA MACFARQUHAR STAFF WRITER, THE NEW YORKER Thursday, February 5 @ 7pm CEMEX Auditorium, Stanford University

weight and that ambition? Is humility good, or is it just pessimism? Larissa MacFarquhar will tell the story of a woman from the Los Angeles ghetto who rejected the towering abstractions of the peace and justice movement for the intimacy of nursing, and rejected the radicalism of 1980s Oregon to live in a refugee hamlet in Nicaragua.

ethicsinsociety.stanford.edu | event is free & open to the public

Theater ‘Maple & Vine’ Ever wonder whether you’d be happier living in a simpler era? In playwright Jordan Harrison’s dark comedy, “Maple & Vine,” that’s the wager made by two stressedout 21st-century types, Katha and Ryu. In Los Altos Stage Company’s production, Lorie Goulart and Jeffery Sun play the young couple who together decide to forgo modern conveniences — iPhones included! — in exchange for an authentic 1950s lifestyle, complete with a job at the factory, a ranch-style home and Tupperware parties.

Is their nostalgia really warranted? Will Katha and Ryu’s trade grant them freedom, or steal it?

What will they give up, and what will they gain? There’s only one way to find out.

“Maple & Vine” plays now through Feb. 22 at the Bus Barn

Mari Marks’ “Intervals 70” from her Spectrum Studies Series is among the works on display at Stanford University.

Art

Marks’ exhibition, “The Spiritual Landscape,” features layered, scraped paintings whose abstract patterns evoke geological features: dappled light on water, ripples, scales. Like clouds or Rorschach blots, they invite the viewer’s free association. Meanwhile, Hersh’s collection, titled “One Day at a Time: Thirty Years in the Studio,” incorporates twoand three-dimensional works inspired by nature and architecture, light and energy.

“Wax Works” will be on view in three separate campus spaces: the Paul G. Allen Building (420 Via Palou Mall), the David W. Packard Electrical Engineering Building (350 Serra Mall) and the Psychology Department (Jordan Hall, 450 Serra Mall).

To learn more about Stanford Art Spaces and “Wax Works,” go to facebook.com/stanfordartspaces or call 650-725-3622.

‘Wax Works’ In traditional oil painting, pigment is suspended in linseed oil.

In encaustic painting, wax rather than oil provides the binding agent, resulting in a thicker, more opaque medium that lends itself to complex layering and even sculpting. Bay Area artists Mari Marks and Howard Hersh exemplify the contemporary application of encaustic painting. Now through March 6, works by the two artists will be on view at Stanford University as part of the Stanford Art Spaces program.

Mark and Tracy Photography

McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society

Courtney Hatcher plays Ellen, and Danny Martin plays Dean in Los Altos Stage Company’s production of “Maple and Vine.”

Courtesy Stanford Art Spaces

WHAT DOES IT DO TO A PERSON TO BELIEVE SHE IS ONE OF THE FEW WHO MUST CHANGE THE WORLD? And what does it mean to throw off that

Theater, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets range from $18-$34. To learn more, go to losaltosstage.org or call 650941-0551.

Chris Peoples

Everything was a Matter of Life and Death

High-definition NASA images will accompany the Stanford Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Holst’s “The Planets.”

Music ‘The Planets’

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Imagine hurtling through outer space, flying past planets as a soaring musical soundtrack fills your ears. That’s the idea behind this weekend’s performances by the Stanford Symphony Orchestra. The 110-member group will play “The Planets,” an iconic orchestral suite by early 20thcentury classical composer Gustav Holst, while on screen, highdefinition NASA images will be projected. The photographs were shot by unmanned spacecraft, rovers and the Hubble Space Telescope, and they offer a stunning vision of our solar system, allowing viewers to virtually land on other planets.

The multimedia performances of “The Planets” will take place on Friday, Jan. 30, and Saturday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. at Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen St., Stanford. Tickets will be available in advance and at the door. They range from $10-$20, with free admission for Stanford students with valid I.D. Go to tickets.stanford. edu or call 650-725-2787. Q — Elizabeth Schwyzer

Eating a Out ALL ABOARD the PASTRY TRAIN Above: The croissant d’Échiré, left, matcha star ring and pear Danish are some of Voyageur’s most popular pastries.

Right: Head pastry chef Nobukatsu Hoyo trained in Japan and France until he perfected the art of the croissant.

by Elizabeth Schwyzer | photographs by Michelle Le

O

n a given weekday morning in the heart of the Silicon Valley, traffic surges along major arteries and lines back up at Starbucks drive-throughs. Just a few miles away, there’s a place that seems immune to the hustle and bustle: a spot where there’s plenty of time to linger over breakfast.

Welcome to Voyageur du Temps, “Time Traveler,” in French: a cafe devoted to la bonne vie, sans rush hour.

As much as it promises a journey, Voyageur offers an arrival. Housed in the 1913 craftsman-style Los Altos train station — a setting ripe with both metaphorical and aesthetic charm — Voyageur provides respite in the form of beautiful and bountiful French breads and pastries, specialty coffees and teas and a menu of more elaborate breakfasts, as well as a simple and elegant lunch and dinner menu.

Owner Rie Rubin grew up in Osaka, Japan. She’s a full-steam-ahead type, with a background in tech at Amazon and Google and a passion for marketing, as well as for high-quality pastries and cafe cuisine.

A frequent international traveler, Rubin found that despite its wealth of immigrants from around the world, the Silicon Valley was missing the kind of cafes she loved in Europe and Asia: casual, family-friendly establishments that served superior baked goods, coffees and bistro food, prepared unhurriedly. After stepping away from her career to start a family, she found she needed a larger project; thus, Voyageur was born.

“Here on the West Coast, people tend to think a cafe is a dumbed-down restaurant, but it’s not,” she explained over coffee at Voyageur last week. “It should be sophisticated food in a slightly more casual atmosphere. I want immigrants to come here

and say, ‘Oh, yes, this tastes like the bread from home.’”

In naming her cafe, Rubin wanted to indicate a return to older, slower methods of food production and nod to the resurrection of a building that once served as a hub for the community.

Formerly a Los Altos Hills dweller and now a resident of Portola Valley, Rubin sees Los Altos as a family-oriented town, and Voyageur as a place for community gatherings.

A weekend visit confirms that Rubin’s vision is being realized. Customers of all ages wait at the counter to place their orders, and the 3,000-square-foot space accommodates a small fleet of high-tech strollers. Younger visitors flock to the Western Pacific caboose out front, which houses an elaborate model train that winds its way around a whimsical diorama of the Bay Area, complete with the TransAmerica Pyramid and Coit Tower. For balmier days, there are benches made from wood salvaged from the depot’s long-gone platform, as well as tables on the terrace beneath the trees: the perfect spot to sit and watch 21st-century Los Altos roll by.

Inside as out, this is a model renovation.

Re-purposed redwood panels from Moffett Field’s Hangar One line the walls and ceiling; aluminum chairs and sleek, modern tables complete the classic bistro look. There are artful touches: terrariums of succulents, an Eiffel Tower cutout gracing one wall.

No matter your age, it’s fun to watch the pastry chefs, visible from the indoor dining area thanks to a floor-to-ceiling glass wall. In their long white aprons, they glide around the immaculate industrial kitchen, dusting loaves, rolling out sheets of velvety white dough and

Voyageur du Temps Cafe offers epicurean escapes from vintage train station sliding jewel-like glazed fruit tarts onto the pastry racks. Head chef Nobu Hoyo is a former professional Japanese soccer player who left the sport to pursue a second career in the culinary arts. As part of the interview process, Rubin challenged him to bake her the perfect bread and croissant.

“His artisan bread was perfect, but his croissant was 85 percent, so I sent him off for further training,” she explained.

Rubin is rightly proud of Voyageur’s croissants, among them a pain au chocolat featuring Valrhona 70 percent chocolate, another flecked with matcha green tea and the piece de resistance: the croissant d’Échiré ($5), made with butter from the French village of Échiré: quite literally la crème de la crème. Its slightly sweet and translucent golden flakes give way to a seriously soft, elastic interior. I licked my fingers unabashedly and dabbed every last crumb from my plate.

On another visit, I lingered at the glass pastry case near the register, enjoying the samples (tangy sun-dried tomato and olive rustic bread, hearty cranberry chocolate walnut artisan loaf) and the sights before settling on the Voyageur Breakfast ($9): two soft-poached organic eggs, a small cup of seasonal fruits and four giant slices of shokupan.

What is shokupan, you ask? A breakfast favorite in Japan, shokupan is the most pillowy and satisfying white bread you’re likely to find. By some miracle of pastry engineering, it’s ridiculously light, yet moist and springy. In Voyageur’s breakfast, it comes toasted to a golden brown, with a pat of unsalted butter and a dollop of strawberry jam. (The shokupan is sliced so thick, I ran out of spreads a bit soon and gazed around hopefully. Nobody noticed.)

A word about the service at Voyageur: The staff are uniformly young, eager, and at peak hours, palpably stressed. Given

that the cafe officially opened in May of last year, they’ve had time to smooth out the bumps, but there’s a lingering tone of panicky perfectionism. At one lunch visit, my kale and persimmon salad ($12) was a delightful blend of raw and crispy kale, its slight bitterness balanced by the sweetness of the fruit and the salty tang of Buddha’s hand citrus vinaigrette. The salad came with a generous portion of crumbled gorgonzola, but without the advertised blue cheese beignets; my server was more distraught than I was. On another occasion, a customer requesting gluten-free options (yes, at a bakery) was met with a deer-inthe-headlights stare.

Yet it’s hard to hold much against the friendly servers who swing past in their subtly railroad-inspired uniforms to bestow you with such delights as the pear Danish ($4, slightly chilled, the fruit resting atop a delicate tower of light, buttery sheets) and a cup of Cafe Voyageur: a round, sweet Italian roast from Seattle’s Cafe Vita, topped with fresh whipped cream and orange zest. Next stop: heaven.

If coffee’s not your thing, it should be. In the meantime, order Voyageur’s hot cocoa ($3.75), which comes with a homemade marshmallow so big it fills the cup.

All teas on the menu are looseleaf blends from Brooklyn’s Bellocq tea atelier. A friend loved the Pic du Midi: green tea with a touch of mint and ginger. I was partial to the Little Dickens: rooibos, cacao nibs, cinnamon and rose petals.

Late sleepers be forewarned; certain breakfast items are only available until 11 a.m.

On a chilly winter afternoon, I ordered the cauliflower gratin soup with truffle oil. It came topped with shaved black truffles and sprinkled with chives: a bowl of decadence so creamy it was hard — but not impossible — to finish.

Starting Feb. 2, Voyageur is expanding its hours and menu, with classic French dishes like scallops and steak frites on their way. Already on the menu: duck confit, cassoulet and veal bourguignon. Rubin said the menu will shift subtly with the seasons; currently, soups and quiches change daily.

No matter what you order at Voyageur, it’s likely to be made with care — the slower, more old-fashioned way. Baking soda, for example, isn’t even in the kitchen; though it’s faster and easier, the pastry chefs at Voyageur prefer yeast.

“We often talk about healthy food, but we neglect it in baking,” Rubin said. “It should be as simple as eggs, flour, yeast, butter and salt.”

When pastries are prepared this way and baked fresh, never frozen, Rubin says the difference is more than flavor — it’s also better for you.

“If we go back to an older method of food production, it can still be very good for you,” she said. “I wanted to take a moment in the tech-centric Silicon Valley and have people’s hands bring you this highquality product. I hope the result shows.” Q

Voyageur du Temps 288 1st Street, Los

Altos; (650)-383-5800; voyageur.com Hours: Closed Monday; Tuesday-Sunday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Starting Feb. 2: Monday-Sunday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 27

Eating Out

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Gohar Dashti (Iran, b. 1980), Untitled #5 from the series Today’s Life and War (detail), 2008.

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POPULAR SJ CAFE COMES TO PALO ALTO ... A popular daytime family-owned restaurant with five locations sprinkled throughout San Jose has decided to venture into Palo Alto. Bill’s Cafe, which started in 1977 in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood, is opening a sixth location in Palo Alto’s Midtown area. It has taken over the space that belonged to Pommard Deli and Fandango Pizza, which closed Dec. 31. The owner of the Palo Alto branch of Bill’s Cafe, Nick Taptelis, immediately gutted the aging 3,000-square-foot site at 3163 Middlefield Road and is sinking an estimated $500,000 into the new venture. The cafe will be open for breakfast and lunch only. “It’s a great location, it’s got a real neighborhood feel, we’re right next to Philz Coffee and we have a parking lot,” Taptelis said. “In fact, this area reminds us of Willow Glen.”

As for what to expect at the new restaurant, “It’s going to be new everything in here, plus we’ll have a counter for people to eat at,” he said. There will also be patio seating for customers. Taptelis predicts busy weekends once the restaurant opens. “We’ll be serving Bloody Marys and Mimosas on the weekends. Big ones. We serve them in what our customers call ‘fishbowl cups.’” Each cup holds 17.5 ounces. “And we’ll be dog-friendly on the patio,” Taptelis added. “We’ll have a big bucket of dog biscuits outside and if the dogs don’t like our biscuits, we’ll give them bacon.”

The restaurant, which will hold 8590 customers, is focused on an early June opening. Bill’s Cafe is

the second breakfast-and-lunchonly restaurant in Midtown. The first, Palo Alto Breakfast House, is four blocks away at 2706 Middlefield Road and opened in 2013.

ONLINE FARMERS MARKET COMES TO GAMBLE GARDENS ...

Farmigo, an online farmers market that creates farm-to-neighborhood access to fresh food and benefits local farmers, has recently increased the number of its pickup locations in Palo Alto. Gamble Gardens , Farmigo’s newest pickup location, is the third Farmigo location for the public — the other two are Palo Alto JCC on Fabian Way and Palo Alto Community Child Care on Ventura Court. The Gamble Gardens site, 1431 Waverley St., began last month. Palo Altan Scott Saslow was instrumental in securing the Gamble Gardens space. “I’m a neighbor,” he said. “My wife and I have a 3-yearold and a 6-year-old and we’re concerned about what our children eat.

Plus this is a great way to build community.” Farmigo is one of several community-supported agriculture (CSA) groups that have sprouted up in the Bay Area in the past few years. There are additional pickup locations in Palo Alto for Farmigo, but those are considered private, with access limited to those who are affiliated with each location.

Heard a rumor about your favorite store or business moving out or in, down the block or across town? Daryl Savage will check it out. Email shoptalk@paweekly.com.

Inspirations a guide id to t the th spiritual i it l community

S H E W H O T E L L S A S TO RY

W O M E N P H OTO G R A P H E R S F RO M I R A N A N D T H E A R A B W O R L D Twelve contemporar y ar tists from eight countries reveal their perspectives on identity, war, and daily life .

J a n u a r y 2 8 – M ay 4 CANTOR ARTS CENTER AT STANFORD UNIVERSITY 328 LOMITA DRIVE STANFORD, CA 94305 086(80 67$1)25' ('8 8LI I\LMFMXMSR [EW SVKERM^IH F] XLI 1YWIYQ SJ *MRI %VXW &SWXSR We gratefully acknowledge support for the exhibition’s presentation at Stanford from the Clumeck Fund and the Mark and Betsy Gates Fund for Photography. The Cantor's Stanford GSQQYRMX] TEVXRIVW MRGPYHIßXLI %FFEWM 4VSKVEQ MR -WPEQMG 7XYHMIW XLI ,EQMH ERH 'LVMWXMRE 1SKLEHEQ 4VSKVEQ MR -VERMER 7XYHMIW ERH XLI 'PE]QER -RWXMXYXI JSV +IRHIV 6IWIEVGL

Page 28 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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

No gray area “Black or White” oversimplifies racial tensions 00 1/2 (Century 16, Century 20) In the shadow of the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, “Selma” appears to be the right film for the right time of civilrights unrest. But where does that leave “Black or White,” the new race-themed drama that arguably positions a white man as the heroic victim of discrimination at the

hands of African Americans?

Kevin Costner’s Elliot — a highpriced L.A. lawyer embroiled in a battle to keep custody of his biracial, 7-year-old granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell) — isn’t, by any stretch, Atticus Finch. Yet Costner’s staunchly earnest manner continues to suggest a moral center. When Elliot’s wife (Jenni-

MOVIE TIMES All showtimes are for Friday – Sunday only unless otherwise noted.

For reviews and trailers, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies. Movie times are subject to change. Call theaters for the latest.

A Most Violent Year (R) +++1/2 Century 16: 10:25 a.m., 1:20, 4:15 & 10:05 p.m., Fri & Sun 7:05 p.m., Sat 7:10 p.m.

Century 20: 10:50 a.m., 1:45, 4:40, 7:40 & 10:40 p.m.

American Sniper (R) ++ Century 16: 10:55 a.m., 3:45, 5:25, 7, 8:40 & 10:10 p.m., Fri & Sun 12:30 & 2:10 p.m., Sat 2:35 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m., 12:20, 2:30, 3:25, 5:35, 6:35, 8:40 & 9:40 p.m. In X-D at 1:20, 4:25, 7:30 & 10:35 p.m.

Birdman (R) +++ Century 20: 4:45, 7:35 & 10:20 p.m., Fri & Sun 10:50 a.m. & 1:40 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 4:15 & 7:15 p.m., Fri & Sun 1:15 p.m., Fri & Sat 10:05 p.m.

Black or White (PG-13) ++1/2 Century 16: 10:30 a.m., 1:25, 4:20, 7:20 & 10:15 p.m.

Century 20: 11 a.m., 1:55, 4:55, 7:45 & 10:35 p.m.

Black Sea (R) Century 20: 10:55 a.m., 1:40, 4:25, 7:20 & 10:15 p.m.

The Boy Next Door (R) Century 20: 12:15, 2:45, 5:25 & 8:05 p.m., Fri & Sun 10:30 p.m., Sat 10:35 p.m.

Funny Girl (1968) (G) Century 16: Sun 2 p.m. Century 20: Sun 2 p.m.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (PG-13) ++1/2 Century 20: 5 p.m.

The Imitation Game (PG-13) +++ Century 16: 11:25 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m.

Century 20: 11:10 a.m., 2, 5:10, 7:55 & 10:40 p.m.

Into the Woods (PG) +++ Century 20: 1:25 & 4:20 p.m.

The Loft (R) Century 20: 11:20 a.m., 1:55, 4:30, 7 & 9:35 p.m.

Met Opera: Le Contes d’Hoffman (Not Rated) Century 16: Sat 9:55 a.m. Century 20: Sat 9:55 a.m.

Palo Alto Square: Sat 9:55 a.m.

Mortdecai (R) Century 16: 11:05 a.m., Fri & Sun 10 p.m.

Century 20: 11:40 a.m., 2:15 & 10:30 p.m., Fri & Sun 5:05 & 7:50 p.m.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (PG) Century 20: 11:25 a.m., 2 & 4:30 p.m.

Paddington (PG) Century 16: 10:45 a.m., 1:15 & 4:05 p.m., Fri & Sun 7:10 & 9:45 p.m., Sat 7:30 & 9:55 p.m.

Century 20: 11:05 a.m., 1:35, 4:05, 6:50 & 9:25 p.m.

Project Almanac (PG-13) Century 16: 11 a.m., 1:40, 4:40, 7:35 & 10:25 p.m.

Century 20: Noon, 2:40, 5:15, 8 & 10:45 p.m.

Selma (PG-13) +++ Century 16: 10:25 a.m., 1:30 & 4:30 p.m., Fri & Sun 7:30 & 10:30 p.m., Sat 10 p.m.

Century 20: 1, 4:10, 7:10 & 10:10 p.m.

Shadow of a Doubt (1943) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: 5:30 & 9:45 p.m.

Spare Parts (PG-13) Century 20: 7:15 & 10 p.m.

Still Alice (PG-13) ++1/2 Aquarius Theatre: 2:15, 4:40, 7:20 & 9:55 p.m.

Strange Magic (PG) Century 16: 11:20 a.m., 1:55, 4:35 & 7:25 p.m.

Century 20: 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 4:45, 7:15 & 9:50 p.m.

Taken 3 (PG-13) Century 20: 11:45 a.m., 2:20, 8:10 & 10:45 p.m.

The Theory of Everything (PG-13) ++ Century 20: 7:30 & 10:25 p.m.

Palo Alto Square: 1, 4 & 7 p.m., Fri & Sat 10 p.m.

Two Days, One Night (PG-13) +++1/2 Century 16: 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:45 & 10:20 p.m.

UFC 183: Silva vs. Diaz (Not Rated) Century 16: Sat 7 p.m. Century 20: Sat 7 p.m.

Under Capricorn (1949) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: 7:30 p.m., Sat & Sun 3:20 p.m.

The Wedding Ringer (R) Century 16: Fri & Sat 1:45, 4:25, 7:15 & 9:50 p.m., Sun 7:20 & 9:55 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m., 1:50, 4:35, 7:05 & 9:45 p.m.

Whiplash (R) +++1/2 Aquarius Theatre: 1:45, 4:20, 7:05 & 9:40 p.m. Century 20: Fri & Sat 11:35 a.m., 2:15, 4:50, 7:25 & 10:05 p.m. Sun 11:25 a.m., 5:05, 7:35 & 10:10 p.m.

Wild (R) +++ Guild Theatre: 1:30, 4:15, 7:05 & 9:40 p.m.

Sundance Selects

Tracy Bennett/BlackWhite

Jillian Estell, left, and Kevin Costner star in “Black or White,” a drama about a widower drawn into a custody battle for his granddaughter.

fer Ehle) dies, he’s left alone with his granddaughter just as her paternal grandmother Rowena (Octavia Spencer) smells an opportunity to bring Eloise back into her fold.

Unfortunately, Costner’s star power seems to seduce writerdirector Mike Binder into sticking to Elliot’s perspective, thus making “Black or White” a rather mushily obvious courtroom drama. Lowermiddle-class entrepreneur Rowena demonstrates savvy and sass in equal measure, but her point of view remains secondary to Elliot’s both in screen time and moral authority.

Were the lines less clearly drawn, “Black or White” might have kept audiences guessing more about what’s best for Eloise.

Instead, we get Rowena flaring her eyes and badgering everyone.

Acknowledging the discomfort of brushing against such stereotypes occasionally takes “Black or White” into intriguing territory. Most notably, Elliot’s climactic courtroom testimony arrives at a confessional monologue about the difficulty of seeing others and oneself in objective human terms.

The scene is as much the reason to see the movie as it was to make it, but it’s too little, too late to balance the scale-tipping sentiment of “Black or White” with complexity worthy of the cultural moment.

Rated PG-13 on appeal for brief strong language, thematic material involving drug use and drinking, and for a fight. Two hours, 1 minute.

— Peter Canavese

Young Belgian mother Sandra has a weekend to convince her coworkers to help her keep her job in “Two Days, One Night.”

“Two Days,” one dark night of the soul Oscar-nominated Marion Cotillard plays a beleaguered factory worker 000 1/2 (Century 16) over and over, is no easier to answer The international film market being what it is these days, we’ve become accustomed to big budgets or star-laden ensembles designed to ensure box office returns. So it’s both refreshing and a little stunning to move through Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “Two Days, One Night,” which features a bona fide star in Marion Cotillard but is defiantly minimalist in its plot and physical scale.

Cotillard plays Sandra, a Belgian woman reeling from a nervous breakdown and subsequent firing from her job at a solar-panel factory. Cradled uneasily by her fretting family (including Fabrizio Rongione as husband Manu), Sandra reluctantly accepts the suggestion that she should power past intense depression and fight for her job.

Partly, it’s a matter of sheer desperation, and partly, it’s a matter of principle: Having taken an unsympathetic view of her medical crisis, her employers laid her off and boosted her peers’ pay. Because they also arguably circumvented due process, Sandra gets a weekend to go around town visiting her coworkers in an attempt to convince them to retain her. But a vote for Sandra also means forfeiting a 1,000 euro bonus, an amount her financially pinched fellow workers are hard-pressed to refuse.

And so Sandra makes the rounds, testing each co-worker’s loyalty and sense of righteousness.

The question Sandra must pose,

9

than it is for her to ask, and while the plot is by design entirely repetitive, each encounter reveals a new dynamic. The instantly dismissive or supportive are few; the agonized are many, recalling the crux of Jean Renoir’s “The Rules of the Game”: “The awful thing about life is this: Everyone has his reasons.”

Turning a philosophical question into drama, workplace ethics into moral fable, is delicate work, and the Dardennes once again prove they’re up to the task of creating wrenching drama that avoids melodrama. Above all, Cotillard’s heartbreakingly raw work carries the day, as she fleshes out both Sandra’s suffering and emotional endurance on a journey of discovery that the latter, not the former, defines her.

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic elements. One hour, 35 minutes.

— Peter Canavese

Century Theatres at Palo Alto Square Fri 1/30/2015

Birdman – 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:05 The Theory of Everything – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 Sat 1/31/2015 Birdman – 4:15, 7:15, 10:05 The Theory of Everything – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 Met Opera: Le Contes d’Hoffman– 9:55 AM Sun - Tues & Thurs 2/1 – 2/3 & 2/5/2015 (Not Weds) Birdman – 1:15, 4:15, 7:15 The Theory of Everything – 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 Weds Only Birdman – 1:15, 4:15, 7:15 1/21/2015 The Theory of Everything – 1:00 Met Opera: Le Contes d’Hoffman – 6:30

Tickets and Showtimes available at cinemark.com

ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS ®

I N C L U D I N G

BEST PICTURE • BEST ACTOR MICHAEL KEATON

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

Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260)

Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260)

Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264)

Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700)

Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264) CinéArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-0128)

Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies ON THE WEB: Up-to-date movie listings at PaloAltoOnline.com

NOW PLAYING IN THEATRES EVERYWHERE CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATRES AND SHOWTIMES

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 29

Home&Real Estate Home Front A SPECIAL DINNER ... Yanette Fichou-Edwards will teach a class aimed at creating a “Valentine Dinner for Your ‘Special Someone’” on Tuesday, Feb. 3, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at Palo Alto High School, Room 103, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. The menu will include salmon fillet wrapped in prosciutto and sundried tomatoes, Perfect Potato Balls Parisian, blanched green beans with hazelnut oil and chocolate raspberry molten cakes.

Cost is $50. Info: 650-329-3752 or paadultschool.org LEARN TO QUILT ... Menlo Park Community Services is offering a class in “Beginning Quilting” on Mondays, Feb. 9 to March 9, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, 700 Alma St., Menlo Park. Taught

by Christine Hopkins, the class will cover the basics, from cutting and piecing blocks to sewing a quilt top and putting it all together. Cost is $85 for nonresidents, $64 for Menlo Park residents, plus a $5 materials fee payable to the instructor; sewing machines are available for use during class for $20. Info: 650-330-2200, menlopark.org or csd@menlopark.org THINKING OF REMODELING? ... The City of Palo Alto is offering several rebates, from $125 to replace an inefficient washer with a high-efficiency model to $300 to install an energy-efficient water heater. Other programs offer breaks on replacing refrigerators (residents can receive $35 to allow the city to remove an inefficient model from a home or garage, and a $50 rebate when upgrading to an energy-efficient one) and on adding attic insulation. For info about the specific programs, their deadlines and requirements, visit cityofpaloalto. org or call 650-329-2241.

OPEN HOME GUIDE 43 Also online at PaloAltoOnline.com

Keeping the home fires

BURNING

Even on Spare the Air days, gas-burning fireplaces bring warmth, atmosphere story by Joshua Alvarez | photos by Veronica Weber

B

ay Area temperatures dipped below freezing on New Year’s Day and remained frigid during the first week of the year, which allowed fireplaces to take up their original mantle of turning refrigerated homes into warm sanctuaries.

But residents wanting to thaw themselves in front of their woodburning fireplaces were prohibited by a record streak of Spare the Air days — which hit 16 by late January.

According to the Spare the Air program website, when a Spare the Air Alert has been declared, “burning wood, fire logs, pellets, or any other solid fuels in your fireplace, wood stove, or other wood-burning device is illegal.”

Ironically, the alert season runs through winter (Nov. 1 through the end of February), which is when a fireplace would be of most use.

Violators of the rule are subject to monetary fines. First-time violators can take a wood-smoke awareness class or pay a $100 ticket. Second violations result in a $500 ticket and subsequent ticket amounts increase.

The regulation, however, does not apply to gas-burning fireplaces. For residents with gas-burning fireplaces, staying warm during cold Spare the Air days is just one of the advantages over wood.

“We’ve been told how much more efficient they are in producing heat than a traditional woodburning fireplace, so much so that we could probably turn off our furnace when we are running it,” said Katherine Pompili of Palo Alto. She is replacing her woodburning fireplace with a gas one she purchased from The Energy House in San Carlos as part of a remodel.

Gas-burning fireplaces also don’t carry the same health and environmental risks as do woodburning fireplaces.

“We went with gas because of environmental and health concerns. We didn’t think all the smoke going into the air was good for us or our indoor cat who has asthma — yes, our cat has asthma,” said Geri Hampshire, another Palo Alto resident. During a remodel a few years ago she had her contractor run a gas line to her

SHARE YOUR COOP? ... The next Silicon Valley Tour de Coop, a tour of local chicken coops, will be on Saturday, Sept. 19. The organizers are recruiting homeowners who are willing to open their coops for the tour, as well as volunteers to help put on the event. Anyone interested can visit the website at tinyurl.com/tourde-coop to sign up.

A gas-burning fireplace designed by Kozy Heat Fireplaces is on display at The Fireplace Element in Mountain View. fireplace. She purchased gas logs from The Fireplace Element in Mountain View.

However, installation fees and accessories like doors and screens can be very expensive. Hampshire used her contractor to install the fireplace and she purchased doors and screens from Amazon, which she said saved her more than $1,000.

Burning wood also comes with logistical hassles. Logs must be kept dry, and a fire must be physically started and then manually sustained. The convenience of gas allows owners to pick and choose when to have a fire.

“Now we even turn it on for an hour or two on cold mornings. We could never do that with a log fire,” Hampshire said.

That said, there are some things a gas fireplace can’t replace.

“There is something magical and captivating about a woodburning fireplace: the light and warmth of it,” Pompili said. Nonetheless, for Pompili the benefits of gas outweigh the natural aesthetic of wood.

Hampshire also appreciates the look of burning logs, and her gas logs are carefully arranged to reproduce a natural aesthetic.

“The logs have really improved over the years. There are burn marks on the logs and glowing embers. It looks really good,” she said.

For others, the benefits of a gas system could be better. (continued on page 32)

NEW LEADERS AT SILVAR ...

Leading the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors in 2015 will be President Chris Isaacson, a Realtor with Coldwell Banker,

(continued on page 32) Send notices of news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening to Home Front, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302, or email cblitzer@ paweekly.com. Deadline is one week before publication.

Flames flicker from a modern-looking gas fireplace designed by Kingsman Fireplaces, on display at The Fireplace Element in Mountain View.

Page 30 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Burn marks and glowing embers make the gas-burning fire seem quite authentic.

2275 Amherst Street, Palo Alto Offered at $4,488,000 The Crown Jewel of Palo Alto Combining historic charm with modern luxury, this North Palo Alto estate sits on a rare parcel of nearly one-half acre (per City of Palo Alto). This stunning 7-bedroom, 3.5-bath Victorian, with over 3,300 sq. ft. of living space (per plans), offers a wraparound porch, heritage oaks, rolling lawns, and a broad terrace with koi pond. Ceilings of over 10 feet and large picture windows flood the home with natural light. The remodeled chef ’s kitchen boasts a Wolf range, Sub-Zero refrigerator, and quartz countertops. Five bedrooms are on the upper level, plus one bedroom on the main level and a separate one-bedroom apartment on the lower level. Additional amenities include a 628 sq. ft. finished attic (per plans) (not included in living space footage), a large basement with space for a wine cellar, spacious driveway, and three-car garage.

Blocks away, the restaurants and boutiques of California Avenue beckon. Approved plans for finishing the walk-out lower level are available. Award winning Palo Alto schools include Escondido Elementary, Jordan Middle School, and Palo Alto High (buyer to verify enrollment).

For video tour & more photos, please visit:

www.2275AmherstStreet.com

OPEN HOUSE

®

Ken D K DeLeon L CalBRE #01342140

Mi h l Repka R k Michael CalBRE #01854880

Friday, Saturday & Sunday, 1-5 pm Complimentary Lunch, Lattes & Jazz

6 5 0 . 4 8 8 . 7 3 2 5 | i n f o @ d e l e o n r e a l t y. c o m | w w w. d e l e o n r e a l t y. c o m | C a l B R E # 0 1 9 0 3 2 2 4

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 31

Home & Real Estate

Fireplaces (continued from page 30)

“My only complaint is that there is no set-back function whereby it can be programmed to go on early in the morning to warm the living room and kitchen without the furnace needing to heat the whole house,” said Bob Millavec of Palo Alto.

Since the Spare the Air regulation was instituted in 2008, gas fireplaces have been selling at a steady clip, said Amy Barthelemy, manager of The Fireplace Element.

“Gas fireplaces have become popular for two reasons: Spare the Air days and also they are more user-friendly than wood,” she said.

Starting a fire is as easy as pressing a button on a remote control, which can also control settings like the strength and look of the flames.

Barthelemy has had customers report that installing a gas fireplace has led to utility savings.

“Gas fireplaces use less gas than the house heating system typically does, so they’re environmentally friendly, too.”

Most gas fireplace customers go shopping during the holidays.

“The majority of them are people who have never used their wood fireplaces and want to make their space functional and more visually appealing,” Barthelemy said.

“Over the past few years I’ve also had more wood burners coming in

who are sick of the Spare the Air days,” Barthelemy said.

In the long run, log fireplaces may be pushed into obsolescence by regulations, residents’ environmental concerns and utility efficiency. Gas fireplaces can spare, and warm, the air. Q Freelance writer Joshua Alvarez can be emailed at joshua. alvarez1189@gmail.com.

Home Front

HOME SALES

Home sales are provided by California REsource, a real estate information company that obtains the information from the County Recorder’s Office. Information is recorded from deeds after the close of escrow and published within four to eight weeks.

Atherton

57 Adam Way F. Dopp to Zollinger Trust for $7,950,000 on 12/18/14

East Palo Alto

2705 Fordham St. M. Silowitz to R. Leblanc for $600,000 on 12/16/14; previous sale 5/10, $223,000

Los Altos

(continued from page 30) Woodside. Others on the team include Treasurer Phyllis Carmichael, Coldwell Banker, Los Altos, and board members Davena Gentry (Sereno Group), Menlo Park/Atherton district chair; Robert Reid (Keller Williams Realty), Palo Alto district chair; Katherine Frey (Alain Pinel Realtors), Los Altos/Mountain View district chair; and Gene Lentz (Oliver Luxury Real Estate, Menlo Park).

The Spirit of SILVAR award went to Lehua Greenman (Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, Woodside).

SILVAR represents more than 4,500 Realtors and affiliates engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. Q

660 Giralda Drive Black Trust to H. Zhong for $2,600,000 on 12/30/14 1890 Newcastle Drive Frey Trust to W. & W. Chen for $2,050,000 on 12/30/14 657 Paco Drive Black Trust to H. Zhong for $2,400,000 on 12/30/14 876 S. Springer Road V. Prabhala to Z. Lu for $1,715,000 on 12/31/14; previous sale 7/04, $930,000 1330 Villa Drive Villa Drive Limited to S. & K. Poonen for $5,500,000 on 12/30/14; previous sale 9/13, $2,162,000

Menlo Park

860 Partridge Ave. Peterson Trust to Goldsilverisland Homes for $1,975,000 on 12/16/14 1202 Sharon Park Drive K. Sewell to Poe Trust for $1,595,000 on 12/17/14; previous sale 4/88, $395,000

Mountain View

READ MORE ONLINE

752 Burgoyne St. L. & D. Trotter to H. Pan for $993,000 on 12/31/14 433 Calderon Ave. Swenson Calderon to L. & E. Erman for $842,000 on 12/30/14 439 Calderon Ave. Swenson Calderon to E. & M. Lepler for $1,133,500 on 12/31/14

For more Home and Real Estate news, visit www.paloaltoonline.com/ real_estate.

290 Davenport Way K. Wolf to Y. Zhang for $2,200,000 on 12/30/14 790 Gailen Ave. Ostrom Trust to Cao

PaloAltoOnline.com

Palo Alto

SALES AT A GLANCE Atherton Total sales reported: 1 Lowest sales price: $7,950,000 Highest sales price: $7,950,000

East Palo Alto Total sales reported: 1 Lowest sales price: $600,000 Highest sales price: $600,000

Los Altos Total sales reported: 5 Lowest sales price: $1,715,000 Highest sales price: $5,500,000

Menlo Park Total sales reported: 2 Lowest sales price: $1,595,000 Highest sales price: $1,975,000

Mountain View Total sales reported: 3 Lowest sales price: $842,000 Highest sales price: $1,133,500

Palo Alto Total sales reported: 4 Lowest sales price: $1,218,000 Highest sales price: $2,869,500

Redwood City Total sales reported: 6 Lowest sales price: $570,000 Highest sales price: $1,801,000

Woodside Total sales reported: 1 Lowest sales price: $1,500,000 Highest sales price: $1,500,000 Source: California REsource

Trust for $2,000,000 on 12/30/14 886 Moreno Ave. Weihai Sanka Trade Corporation to H. Zhang for $2,869,500 on 12/30/14; previous sale 10/13, $1,852,500 1116 Tahoe Lane Chen Trust to J. Cheng for $1,218,000 on 1/2/15; previous sale 10/10, $703,000

Redwood City

642 Bair Island Road #1009 One Marina Homes to A. Stefan for $821,000 on 12/18/14 1236 Clinton St. #102 Beeson Trust to L. Beitch for $570,000 on 12/17/14; previous sale 5/96, $170,000 929 Edgewood Road Jenkins Trust to R. & R. Baker for $1,801,000 on 12/18/14; previous sale 7/94, $495,000 1515 Redwood Ave. R. & S. Sooy to Derrico Trust for $835,000 on 12/17/14; previous sale 3/11, $365,000 3516 Spring St. M. & E. Roth to W. Moran for $970,000 on 12/17/14; previous sale 7/94, $202,000

722 Vera Ave. M. & D. Evans to T. Himm for $710,000 on 12/17/14; previous sale 2/03, $477,500

Woodside

230 Grandview Drive Kasenchak Trust to S. Larson for $1,500,000 on 12/16/14

BUILDING PERMITS Palo Alto

712 Ellsworth Place re-roof, $4,000 286 Walter Hays Drive replace water and sewer lines within the house, $n/a 3500 Deer Creek Road Tesla: Bldg.

26, install two transformers and two TEC90S, $10,000 4329 El Camino Real deferred submittal for metal stairs from basement level to first floor, $n/a 724 Matadero Ave. re-roof, $17,500 2171 Princeton St. re-roof, $4,200 171 Washington Ave. remodel bathroom, $12,976

THANK YOU FOR OVER 25 YEARS

...........................................................................

OF ONGOING TRUST AND REFERRALS

...........................................................................

MICHAEL JOHNSTON . Broker Associate . 650.533.5102 . mjohnston@apr.com . MichaelJohnston.com . BRE# 01131203 Page 32 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Home & Real Estate

Support Local Business

Real Estate Matters

Palo Alto property: a long-term, cyclical view

by Xin Jiang

A

fter the sharp increase of property price in Palo Alto over the past three years, the questions that I get the most from real estate clients these days are â&#x20AC;&#x153;How high can we go?â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is this sustainableâ&#x20AC;?? At the beginning of 2015, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good time to take a step back to review the local market in the context of past decades.

Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s real estate market did go through a super cycle from 2012 to 2014.

Yearly median home price of closed sales increased at the fastest pace (+21 percent in 2012, +17 percent in 2013 and +18 percent in 2014) from 1998 when transition data became digitally available at MLS Listing.

The median home price of $2.175 million in 2014 is 55 percent higher than the previ-

of Jan. 10, 2015, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no indicator that the issue of structurally limited supply is resolving. There are no major shifts that are turning our community less attractive, either. Nonetheless, there are many moving parts of the economy that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have first-hand knowledge. Moreover, if cyclicality still plays a role in our property market, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be a surprise if the market starts to soften in 2015. Contrary to the negative impression of correction, it is beneficial to sustain an upward trend in the long run. Short-term correction could bring more potential participants, thus more energy to our property market for decades to come.

While itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very tempting to try to time the market, market timing is actually less relevant in the case of property than other capital goods, because of the formerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term nature. As for investors, Palo Alto property has been proven to be a better long-term investment than the overall stock market. Median home price in Palo Alto has increased at a compound annual

' 5 & +8&. ) 8(5<

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The online guide to Palo Alto businesses

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ShopPaloAlto.com

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Michael Repka Before you select a real estate agent, meet with Michael Repka to discuss how his real estate law and tax background beneďŹ ts Ken DeLeonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clients.

Managing Broker DeLeon Realty JD - Rutgers School of Law L.L.M (Taxation) NYU School of Law

(650) 488.7325 DRE# 01854880 | CA BAR# 255996

michaelr@deleonrealty.com www.deleonrealty.com

Palo Alto Median Home Price $2,300,000 7 Years

$2,100,000

7 Years

$1,900,000 Financial Bubble Peak $1,400K

$1,700,000 $1,500,000

Tech Bubble Peak $900K

$1,300,000 $1,100,000 $900,000 $700,000 $500,000 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

ous peak of $1.4 million in 2007. Interestingly, the 2007 peak was about the same 55 percent higher than the 2000 peak. This is most likely a pure coincidence. Moreover, the buyer pool today has more depth, and capital is also more available today than 2000. (See chart).

With only 10 active listings by the end

growth rate of 8.8 percent in the past 16 years ending 2014 versus the 4.8 percent increase of the S&P 500 during the same period, and with significantly lower volatility. Q Xin Jiang is a Realtor with Alain Pinel Realtors in Palo Alto. She can be reached at xjiang@apr.com.

A variety of home ďŹ nancing solutions to meet your needs Vicki Svendsgaard Sr. Mortgage Loan OfďŹ cer VP NMLS ID: 633619

650-400-6668 Mobile vicki.svendsgaard@bankofamerica.com Mortgages available from

Bank of America, N.A., and the other business/organization mentioned in this advertisement are not afďŹ lated; each company is independently responsible for the products and services it offers. Bank of America, N.A., Member Equal Housing Lender Š2009 Bank of America Corporation Credit and collateral are subject to approval.

FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lead Programs, rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. ARHSCYE3 HL-113-AD 00-62-16160 10-2013

www.PaloAltoOnline.com â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ January 30, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 33

A Luxury Collection By Intero Real Estate Services

Holmes Ranch, Davenport

6 Quail Meadow Drive, Woodside

5 Betty Lane, Atherton

$25,000,000

$22,800,000

Price Upon Request

Listing Provided by: Dana Cappiello, Lic.#01343305

Listing Provided by: David Kelsey, Tom Dallas, Greg Goumas Lic.#01242399, 00709019, 01878208

Listing Provided by: Greg Goumas and Karen Gunn Lic.#0187820, 01804568

PENDING

25 Oakhill Drive, Woodside

303 Atherton Avenue, Atherton

13195 Glenshire Drive, Truckee

$8,500,000

$6,950,000

$6,900,000

Listing Provided by: Dana Cappiello, Lic.#01343305

Listing Provided by: Denise Villeneuve, Lic.#01794615

Listing Provided by: Greg Goumas, Lic.#01878208

PENDING

18630 Withey Road, Monte Sereno

15195 Piedmont Road, Saratoga

1730 Peregrino Way, San Jose

$6,500,000

$4,748,000

$4,000,000

Listing Provided by: Albert Garibaldi, Lic.#01321299

Listing Provided by: Dominic Nicoli, Lic.#01112681

Listing Provided by: Dana Cappiello, Lic.#01343305

PENDING

195 Brookwood Road, Woodside

5721 Arboretum Drive, Los Altos

$3,995,000 Listing Provided by: Virginia Supnet, Lic.#01370434

356 Santana Row #310, San Jose

$3,888,888 Listing Provided by: Gail Sanders & Denise Villeneuve Lic.#01253357 & 01794615

$2,100,000 Listing Provided by: Velasco DiNardi Group, Lic.#01309200

See the complete collection

w w w.InteroPrestigio.com

2015 Intero Real Estate Services Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This is not intended as a solicitation if you are listed with another broker.

Page 34 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

®

®

Los Gatos Creek Ranch 51563 Los Gatos Creek Road, Coalinga, CA

A Sportsman’s Paradise Wanting a slower paced way of life without sacrificing modern amenities?

Come home to this authentic log cabin. Over 3300 square feet of living area nestled on over 11,760 acres of prime ranchland.

Guest House Share the joy, invite family and friends! The beautifully remodeled guest home features 3 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms with over 2,400 square feet of living space. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, wood floors, newly remodeled bathrooms and so much more!

• • • •

11,600+/- acres Trap & skeet shooting range Year-round springs & creeks Just 2.5 hrs from Silicon Valley

Offered At $8,821,447

Valerie Smith BROKER ASSOCIATE 831.801.5588 Valerie@ValerieAnn.net www.RanchLandCalifornia.com Lic.#01254521 2015 Intero Real Estate Services Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeServices of America, Inc. All rights reserved. All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This is not intended as a solicitation if you are listed with another broker.

®

®

Page 35 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

www.LosGatosCreekRanch.com www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 35

PRESERVING OPEN SPACE CLOSE TO OUR HOME

Photograph © 2014 Julie Campbell

Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) protects and cares for open space, farms and parkland in and around Silicon Valley.

If you’ve traveled Highway1 on the San Mateo Coast, Highway 280 on the San Francisco Peninsula, or the winding roads and trails along Skyline Ridge, you’ve already experienced the stunning beauty of POSTprotected lands. Since its founding in 1977, POST has

been responsible for saving more than 70,000 acres as permanent open space and parkland, protecting the natural beauty and rich biodiversity that make our area such a wonderful place to live, work and play.

Sereno Group is proud to support the commitment and service that POST provides in taking care of the environment in our community.

For more information about their work or how you can get involved, please visit www.openspacetrust.org

DURING THE MONTHS OF JANUARY THROUGH MARCH 2015, SERENO GROUP AND ITS PALO ALTO AGENTS WILL BE CONTRIBUTING 1% OF THEIR GROSS COMMISSIONS TO THE PENINSULA OPEN SPACE TRUST FUND.

PA L O A L TO HERE FOR GOOD Page 36 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

SERENOGROUP.COM/ONEPERCENT

WHEN HE’S AROUND, THERE’S NO NEIGHBORHOOD COMP. On one hand, Brian Chancellor is a genuinely nice guy. Ask anyone who’s met him. On the other, Brian’s a savvy, skilled, connected, and powerful client advocate. This artful blend is what’s made him a top-producing Realtor nationwide – 20 years and counting. Add in his absolute commitment to integrity, and you have a fantastic Realtor who’s arguably incomparable. Call Brian at 650.303.5511, email him at brianc@serenogroup.com, or visit his site at BrianChancellor.com. Once you meet Brian, we think you’ll agree — very few come close.

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF REAL ESTATE™

A PROUD MEMBER OF THE BRE#

01174998

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 37

Spectacular Central Portola Valley Contemporary 120 Golden Hills Drive

|

Portola Valley

This visually stunning approx. 6,585 sq ft Isolina Mallon-designed contemporary home is situated on a subdivided 4.05-acre double SV[ VU H X\PL[ Ã&#x2026;H[ RUVSS PU [OL >LZ[YPKNL *VYYPKVY ULHY ;V^U *LU[LY HUK ^P[OPU ^HSRPUN KPZ[HUJL [V 6YTHUKHSL :JOVVS >OPSL VUS` Ã&#x201E;]L `LHYZ VSK [OL OVTL ^HZ L_[LUZP]LS` \WNYHKLK PU SH[L ^P[O H T\Z[ ZLL ZOV^JHZL VM PUKVVY V\[KVVY KLZPNU MLH[\YLZ ^OPJO PUJS\KL HU LH[ PU NV\YTL[ JOLM»Z RP[JOLU :[\KPV)LJRLY JHIPUL[Y` programmable Vantage lighting system & Lutron shades, a sixaVUL JLU[YHS /=(* OPNO ZWLLK Ã&#x201E;ILY 9-0+ RL`SLZZ HJJLZZ HUK H \UPX\L OHUK JHY]LK THOVNHU` THZ[LY IH[O ZVHRPUN [\I +V^UZ[HPYZ H Z[H[L VM [OL HY[ 4LYPKPHU KPNP[HS ZV\UKWYVVMLK [OLH[LY ^PSS OH]L `V\Y MYPLUKZ [HSRPUN HIV\[ [OL L_WLYPLUJL

w ww.120G olde nHil l s D ri v e. co m Page 38 â&#x20AC;¢ January 30, 2015 â&#x20AC;¢ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;¢ www.PaloAltoOnline.com

|

Price Upon Request

Just Listed Please call for Appointment

Helen & Brad Miller (650) 400-3426 (650) 400-1317 helenhuntermiller@gmail.com brad.miller@cbnorcal.com www.HelenAndBradHomes.com

(NLU[Z PU >VVKZPKL 6É&#x2030;JL CalBRE #01142061, #00917768

ZachTrailerGroup

Community Connected

204 UNIVERSITY DRIVE | MENLO PARK

NEW CONSTRUCTION 4BR | 3BA | 2halfBA ±3,660SF | ±5,600SF Lot THREE LEVELS HIGH-END FINISHES MENLO PARK SCHOOLS BEST PRICE/SF IN WEST MP Offered at $3,398,000 Call Zach for details

OPEN SATURDAY & SUNDAY | 1:30-4:30PM

ZachTrailerGroup

WSJ Top 150 Agents Nationwide

650.906.8008

www.zachtrailer.com | ztrailer@zachtrailer.com Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. DRE# 01371338 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 39

Open Sat 1:00 – 4:00ƩƦ Open Sun 1:00 – 3:00ƩƦ

palo alto

property details

709 Seminole Way 4 BEDS · 2 BATH

OFFERED AT

$1,950,000

valeriesoltau.com “I am deeply rooted and commi ed to this community and can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

Distinguished by its convenient Palo Alto location, remodeled V iv½Ã ÌV i > ` «i y À « > ] Ì Ã Àià `i Vi à «iÀviVÌ for today’s modern family. There is a space for every member of the family both indoors and out, with a wonderful slate backyard patio that is ideal for California entertaining.

• Gourmet kitchen featuring a center island and breakfast bar • Family room with wood LÕÀ } wÀi« >Vi • Open living and dining areas • Updated bathrooms • Palo Alto Schools THIS PROPERTY IS CO-LISTED WITH

650.464.3896 valeriesoltau@gmail.com BRE 01223247

Page 40 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Maggie Bening BRE #01068151

Li }J«>V wV«i ÃÕ >°V 408.810.6064

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 41

27368 Chaparral Way, Los Altos Hills Offered at $2,498,000 Future Estate with Panoramic Views Towering amidst the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this hilltop lot presents the terrific opportunity for your private estate. With over nine acres, the property features panoramic views extending to lush Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. An existing home offers great flexibility for remodeling or expansion, or the property may be subdivided into two flat, buildable lots to form your new home. Thanks to walls of trees and rolling hills, you will feel a world away from the buzz of Silicon Valley, but close proximity to Interstate 280 ensures easy access to conveniences and surrounding communities. Nearby nature attractions include Hidden Villa, Foothills Park, and the Pathways trail system.

This property is also within minutes of some of the best attractions in Los Altos, including the boutiques and restaurants at both Loyola Corners and Rancho Shopping Center. Schools include Gardner Bullis (API 947), Egan Junior High (API 976), and Los Altos High (API 895).

For video tour & more photos, please visit:

www.27368Chaparral.com

OPEN HOUSE

®

Ken D K DeLeon L CalBRE #01342140

Michael Mi h l Repka R k CalBRE #01854880

Saturday & Sunday, 1-5 pm Complimentary Lunch & Lattes

6 5 0 . 4 8 8 . 7 3 2 5 | i n f o @ d e l e o n r e a l t y. c o m | w w w. d e l e o n r e a l t y. c o m | C a l B R E # 0 1 9 0 3 2 2 4

Page 42 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

PALO ALTO WEEKLY OPEN HOMES UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL TIMES ARE 1:30-4:30 PM 4 Bedrooms

FEATURED

HOME OF THE WEEK

1943 Annette Ln Sat/Sun Alain Pinel Realtors

7 Bedrooms $2,500,000 323-1111

2275 Amherst St

$4,488,000

Fri/Sat/Sun 1-5 Deleon Realty

543-8500

5 Bedrooms 1350 Miravalle Av $3,998,000 Sat/Sun 1-5 Alain Pinel Realtors 323-1111

REDWOOD CITY 2 Bedrooms 817 Constellation Ct

LOS ALTOS HILLS

Sat/Sun

3 Bedrooms 27368 Chaparral Way Sat/Sun 1-5 Deleon Realty

251 TENNYSON AVE. PALO ALTO OPEN SAT/SUN 1:30-4:30 Beds: 5 Baths: 5.5 An absolute jewel in soughtafter Old Palo Alto Offered at $5,980,000

Terrie Masuda 917-7969

$2,498,000 543-8500

$3,398,000 462-1111 $2,598,000 325-6161

PALO ALTO 3 Bedrooms

CUPERTINO

$2,388,000 941-7040

4 Bedrooms

3 Bedrooms 10227 S Foothill Blvd Sat 1-4 Sereno Group

$1,398,000 (408) 295-3111

Sat/Sun 1-4

$3,475,000

Coldwell Banker

709 Seminole Way $1,950,000 Sat 1-4/Sun 1-3 Coldwell Banker 323-7751 1535 Castilleja Ave $2,199,000 Sat/Sun 12-5 Alain Pinel Realtors 323-1111

851-2666

5 Bedrooms 83 Tum Suden Way

5 Bedrooms

3477 South Ct Sat Coldwell Banker

WOODSIDE 515 Moore Rd

4 Bedrooms

32 Homer Ln Sat/Sun Coldwell Banker

(408) 335-1400

2 Bedrooms

MENLO PARK 204 University Dr Sat/Sun Alain Pinel Realtors

Sereno Group

$1,100,000

$2,699,000

Sun 1-4 Intero Real Estate Services

FIND YOUR NEW HOME PaloAltoOnline.com/real_estate

EXPLORE OUR WEB SITE • Interactive maps • Homes for sale • Open homes • Virtual tours • Prior sale info and more

543-774

Residential real estate expertise for the mid-peninsula.

5 Bedrooms

LOS ALTOS

2941 South Ct $4,998,000 Sat Keller Williams Palo Alto 454-8500

4 Bedrooms 914 Regent Dr Sat/Sun 1-5 Sereno Group

$2,398,000 947-2900

251 Tennyson Ave Sat/Sun Coldwell Banker

$5,980,000 941-7040

NICKGRANOSKI

Broker Associate Alain Pinel President’s Club DRE #00994196

www.NickGranoski.com

ngranoski@apr.com 650/269–8556

NEW LISTING: 417 DRACENA LANE LOS ALTOS OPEN SAT & SUN 1:30-4:30 CALL FOR PRICING

C L A S S I C O L D WO R L D A M B I A N C E W I T H R E S O RT- L I K E G R O U N D S Tucked away on a charming lane, and just over one-half mile to the Village, this home exudes classic European style. Brazilian cherry wood floors unify every room, tumbled marble and granite add timeless appeal, and vaulted ceilings expand the dimensions. The grounds are equally captivating with everything needed for recreation and entertaining – from the heated pavilion with outdoor kitchen to the playground and sparkling pool and spa. This is truly a wonderful place to call home in the heart of Los Altos.

ED GRAZIANI (650) 947-2992

JEN PAULSON (650) 996-7147

ed@serenogroup.com www.EdGraziani.com CalBRE # 01081556

jen@serenogroup.com CalBRE # 01221390

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 43

Coldwell Banker

#1 IN CALIFORNIA

Saratoga $29,000,000 12.98acres of rolling hills, bordered by 60acres of open space, close to downtown Saratoga 3 BR/2 BA Debbie Nichols CalBRE #00955497 650.325.6161

Atherton $14,900,000 Incomparable Quality Custom-built French masterpiece with unsurpassed attention to detail. 5 BR/7 full BA + 3 half Chris McDonnell/Kelly Griggs 650.324.4456 CalBRE #00870468/01812313

Palo Alto $11,888,000 www.4103OldTraceRoad.com Palo Alto rare Zoned R-E Density Residential. New Price.

Jan Strohecker CalBRE #00620365 650.325.6161

San Mateo County $3,888,000 Listed 2013 for $8,000,000 Now $3,888,000! www.222PortolaStateParkRoad.com Hurry! 38 Acres.

Jan Strohecker CalBRE #00620365 650.325.6161

Woodside Sat/Sun 1 - 4 $3,475,000 515 Moore Rd Striking Ultra Modern design. 2.8 acres. Walls of glass look out to majestic Oaks. 2 BR/3 BA Scott Dancer CalBRE #00868362 650.851.2666

Los Altos Hills Sat/Sun $3,195,000 Stunning Bay Views! Enjoy stunning Bay views from this gorgeous contemporary property w/excellent PA schools. 4 BR/3 BA Hanna Shacham CalBRE #01073658 650.324.4456

Menlo Park PENDING! $3,100,000 Beautifully designed, this home features quality craftsman inside & out. MP Schools! 4 BR/4 BA Hossein Jalali CalBRE #01215831 650.323.7751

Palo Alto Sat/Sun $3,095,000 Spectacular & brand new home in the beautiful area of Barron Park! Elegance & finesse. 4 BR/3 BA Hanna Shacham CalBRE #01073658 650.324.4456

Menlo Park Sat/Sun 1:30 - 4:30 $2,598,000 32 Homer Lane Elegance and convenience in the country. A fine new home on a country lane. 5 BR/3.5 BA Jia Xu CalBRE #01410227 650.325.6161

Menlo Park Sat/Sun $2,195,000 Ideal Willows location & walking distance to downtown Palo Alto.

3 BR/3 BA Billy McNair CalBRE #01343603 650.324.4456

Palo Alto Sat 1 - 4/Sun 1 - 3 $1,950,000 709 Seminole PA location w/ remodeled chef ’s kitchen & open floor plan. Ideal patio for entertaining! 4 BR/2 BA Valerie Soltau 650.323.7751

Sunnyvale $1,475,000 Beautiful 3BD/2BA home with hardwood floors in living area.

Award winning schools. 3 BR/2 BA Alan & Nicki Loveless 650.325.6161 CalBRE #00444835 & 00924021

Palo Alto $830,000 Top floor in Greenhouse complex. Updates throughout! Access to 101 & 280. Top PA schools! 2 BR/1 BA Hossein Jalali CalBRE #01215831 650.323.7751

San Mateo PENDING! $579,000 Well maintained home with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath in the desirable Marina Gardens area. 3 BR/1 BA Enmanuel Tepeu CalBRE #01801231 650.325.6161

Woodside $199,000 Unique Property! 4+ acres in Woodside. Enjoy the redwoods only 15 min to Hwy 280. Challenge for builders.

Margot Lockwood CalBRE #01017519 650.851.2666

©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Office is Owned by a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. Real estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage or NRT LLC. CalBRE License #01908304.

Page 44 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

1535 CASTILLEJA AVENUE, PALO ALTO Open Friday 1:30-5:00PM, Saturday & Sunday, 12-5PM

LYNN WILSON ROBERTS ePRO, GREEN, QSC, SRES, CRS, ASP 'LVWUHVVHG 3URSHUW\ &HUWLÀHG

(650) 255.6987 lwr@wilsonroberts.com CalBRE# 01814885

Story book charm in a coveted Palo Alto neighborhood!

&

Ahh, Southgate! The quintessential Palo Alto neighborhood, complete with charming homes and convenient location: a block from Stanford University and Town and Country Shopping Center, adjacent to the exceptional Paly High School, and a hop, skip and jump to downtown Palo Alto, Silicon Valley’s epicenter.

Empathy

Creativity

Experience

1535 Castilleja Avenue is picture-book-perfect, a completely enticing vintage home built in 1924. Use your imagination to transform this charming home offering many original details to an updated home you will cherish. And if your thoughts turn to completely new, per the City of Palo Alto, you may build a new 2550 square foot home. Lucky you!!

4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms 6,000± SF lot (per City of Palo Alto) 2,058± SF home (per assessor) +DUGZRRG ÁRRUV WKURXJKRXW

OFFERED AT $2,199,000

Living room with vaulted ceilings and charming original arched window Vintage home with kitchen and baths awaiting your vision

LynnWilsonRoberts.com

www.1535Castilleja.com

Buying or selling a home? Try out Palo Alto Online’s real estate site, the most comprehensive place for local real estate listings. >L VɈLY [OL VUL VUSPUL KLZ[PUH[PVU [OH[ SL[Z `V\ M\SS` L_WSVYL! ࠮ 0U[LYHJ[P]L THWZ ࠮ /VTLZ MVY ZHSL ࠮ 6WLU OV\ZL KH[LZ HUK [PTLZ ࠮ =PY[\HS [V\YZ HUK WOV[VZ

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Contact your sales representative or call 650-326-8210 today to ÄUK V\[ TVYL

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Explore area real estate through your favorite local website: PaloAltoOnline.com TheAlmanacOnline.com MountainViewOnline.com And click on “real estate” in the navigation bar.

4V\U[HPU=PL^6USPUL JVT

©2015 Embarcadero Publishing Company

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 45

Marketplace PLACE AN AD ONLINE fogster.com

E-MAIL ads@fogster.com

P HONE

650.326.8216 Now you can log on to fogster.com, day or night and get your ad started immediately online.

Most listings are free and include a one-line free print ad in our Peninsula newspapers with the option of photos and additional lines. Exempt are employment ads, which include a web listing charge. Home Services and Mind & Body Services require contact with a Customer Sales Representative.

So, the next time you have an item to sell, barter, give away or buy, get the perfect combination: print ads in your local newspapers, reaching more than 150,000 readers, and unlimited free web postings reaching hundreds of thousands additional people!!

INDEX Q BULLETIN

BOARD 100-155 Q FOR SALE 200-270 Q KIDS STUFF 330-390 Q MIND & BODY 400-499 Q J OBS 500-560 Q B USINESS SERVICES 600-699 Q H OME SERVICES 700-799 Q FOR RENT/ FOR SALE REAL ESTATE 801-899 Q P UBLIC/LEGAL NOTICES 995-997 The publisher waives any and all claims or consequential damages due to errors Embarcadero Publishing Co. cannot assume responsibility for the claims or performance of its advertisers.

Embarcadero Publishing Co. right to refuse, edit or reclassify any ad solely at its discretion without prior notice.

fogster.com

TM

THE PENINSULA’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEB SITE Combining the reach of the Web with print ads reaching over 150,000 readers!

fogster.com is a unique web site offering FREE postings from communities throughout the Bay Area and an opportunity for your ad to appear in the Palo Alto Weekly, The Almanac and the Mountain View Voice.

150 Volunteers

Bulletin Board

Did You Know that not only does newspaper media reach a HUGE Audience, they also reach an ENGAGED AUDIENCE. Discover the Power of Newspaper Advertising. For a free brochure call 916-288-6011 or email cecelia@cnpa.com (Cal-SCAN)

115 Announcements

Become a Nature Volunteer!

Pregnant?

Considering adoption? Call us first.

Living expenses, housing, medical, and continued support afterwards. Choose adoptive family of your choice. Call 24/7.

1-877-879-4709 (CalSCAN)

FRIENDS BOOKSTORE MITCHELL PARK

Pregnant?

Thinking of adoption? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families Nationwide.

LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions.

866-413-6293. Void in Illinois/ New Mexico/Indiana (AAN CAN)

Private Horse Stable across from Spring Down. 11 acres pasture. 24/7 care, feed. $850.

650/851-1796

Dance Expressions in Menlo Park!

Stanford music tutoring USED BOOKSHOP AT MITCHELL PARK

Aviation Grads work with JetBlue, Boeing, NASA and others- start here with hands on training for FAA certification. Financial aid if qualified. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563 (AAN CAN) Train at Home to process medical billing and insurance claims. NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED! Become a Medical Office Assistant now with our online training program!

HS Diploma/GED & Computer/Internet required to participate. 1-877-649-3155.

(Cal-SCAN) German Language Classes Instruction for Hebrew Bar and Bat Mitzvah. For Affiliated and Unaffiliated. George Rubin, M.A. in Hebrew/Jewish Education 650/424-1940 Meditation Classes

JOIN OUR ONLINE STOREFRONT TEAM

155 Pets

Exquisite Furniture Baker, Stickley, Thomas Pheasant, Jaques Garcia, and other distinguished designers.

Superb quality. Pristine condition.

Call for prices, description, and to preview. 650-454-6160

Did You Know Newspaper-generated content is so valuable it’s taken and repeated, condensed, broadcast, tweeted, discussed, posted, copied, edited, and emailed countless times throughout the day by others? Discover the Power of Newspaper Advertising. For a free brochure call 916-288-6011 or email cecelia@cnpa.com (Cal-SCAN) Ford 1955 Tunderbirth - $5000 Jeep 1992 Wrangler - $2800 Toyota 2006 Camry - $2500

202 Vehicles Wanted Cash for Cars Any Car/Truck. Running or Not! Top Dollar Paid. We Come To You! Call For Instant Offer: 1-888-420-3808 www.cash4car.com (AAN CAN) Donate Your Car, Truck, Boat to Heritage for the Blind. FREE 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care of.

800-731-5042 (Cal-SCAN)

133 Music Lessons Christina Conti Private Piano Instruction (650) 493-6950 Hope Street Music Studios In downtown Mtn.View.

Most Instruments voice.

All ages & levels 650-961-2192 www.HopeStreetMusicStudios.com

210 Garage/Estate Sales Mountain View, 1005 High School Way, Saturday Nov 15 8-3 Palo Alto, 715 Ashby Drive, Saturday, January 31 10:30 - 4:30 HUGE MOVING SALE!! ONE DAY ONLY!!! Furniture, Toys, Housewares, Holiday Decorations, Clothing, Pet Supplies, Books, Records, Sports Gear, TV’s, Bikes, Bumper Pool Table, Tools and MORE!! Great Prices! Ashby Drive is off Dana Ave between Center and Newell in Crescent Park. Come check it out!

Piano lessons in Menlo Park For children and adults.

Convenient location. Easy Parking.

Contact Alita (650)838-9772

215 Collectibles & Antiques

Thanks St Jude

140 Lost & Found Found beautiful cream cat MV

Antique Chinese Pictograph/ Sign $1495.00

Found brown cat (exotic?)

Bonsai Collection

Lost cello & bow Reward for return of cello by David Gusset &/or bow by Charles Bazin

Far Out! Grateful Dead Poster - $20.00

Woman’s ring found Woman’s Ring: Found in parking lot near Il Fornio. Contact to describe.

THE ROLLING STONES 62-82 Poster $20.00

145 Non-Profits Needs

Cash for Diabetic Test Strips Don’t throw boxes away - Help others.

Unopened / Unexpired boxes only.

All Brands Considered. Call Anytime!

24hrs/7days (888)491-1168 (Cal-SCAN)

DONATE BOOKS/HELP PA LIBRARIES Volunteer with Stanford Museums WISH LIST FRIENDS PA LIBRARY

So Cool Jimi Hendrix Poster - $20.00

DirecTV Start saving $$$ with DIRECTV. $19.99 mo. 130 channels, FREE HDDVR-4 ROOM install. High Speed Internet-Phone Bundle available. CALL TODAY 877-829-0681 (AAN CAN) DirecTV! Get The Big Deal from DirecTV! Act Now$19.99/mo. Free 3-Months of HBO, starz, SHOWTIME & CINEMAX. FREE GENIE HD/ DVR Upgrade! 2014 NFL Sunday Ticket.

Included with Select Packages. New Customers Only. IV Support Holdings LLC- An authorized DirecTV Dealer.

Some exclusions apply - Call for details 1-800-385-9017 (Cal-SCAN) Dish Network Save! Starting $19.99/month (for 12 months.) Premium Channel Offers Available. FREE Equipment, Installation & Activation. CALL, COMPARE LOCAL DEALS! 1-800-691-6715. (Cal-SCAN) DISH TV Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.)

SAVE! Regular Price $34.99. Ask About FREE Same Day Installation! CALL Now! 888-992-1957 (AAN CAN) DISH TV Retailer tarting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation!

CALL Now! 1-800-357-0810. (Cal-SCAN) Safe Step Walk-in Tub Alert for Seniors. Bathroom falls can be fatal. Approved by Arthritis Foundation.

Therapeutic Jets. Less Than 4 Inch StepIn. Wide Door. Anti-Slip Floors. American Made. Installation Included. Call 800-799-4811 for $750 Off. (Cal-SCAN) Sawmills from only $4397.00- MAKE & SAVE MONEY with your own bandmill- Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship. FREE Info/DVD: www.

NorwoodSawmills.com 1-800-578-1363 Ext.300N (Cal-SCAN) Greenhouse - $500/obo

345 Tutoring/ Lessons Online Writing Tutor

235 Wanted to Buy

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Treatments for Alzheimers Acupuncturist Jay Wang PhD, specialized in chronical illness for seniors.

Call 650-485-3293 for a free consultation. 747 Altos Oaks Dr., Los Altos

245 Miscellaneous

Kid’s Stuff

135 Group Activities Scottish Country Dance Palo Alto

Engineer Automation Eng (Mult Openings)Comcast Cable Comm, LLC, Sunnyvale, CA. Perform end-to-end app and scalability tstng for cloud-based apps. Reqs: Bach in CS, Eng or rltd and 2 yrs exp in endto-end app and scalability tstng for any internet-based app, incl devel UI and backend systms for automated tstng; tstng automation scripts and tools in Python; and prfmng trblshtng and test validtn in MySQL, HTML, Javascript, CSS, and Pyunit.

Apply to: denise_mapes@cable.comcast.com. Ref Job ID #9484.

FRIENDS OF THE PALO ALTO LIBRARY

201 Autos/Trucks/ Parts

130 Classes & Instruction

Mind & Body 403 Acupuncture

For Sale

Estate Manager

240 Furnishings/ Household items

No phone number in the ad?

GO TO

425 Health Services Struggling with Drugs or alcohol? Addicted to pills?

Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope and Help Line for a free assessment. 800-978-6674

455 Personal Training Over 50’s outdoor exercise group

Newspaper Delivery Routes Immediate Openings Routes available to deliver the Palo Alto Weekly, an award-winning community newspaper, to homes in Palo Alto on Fridays. From approx. 440 to 1,140 papers, 8.25 cents per paper (plus bonus for extra-large editions).

Additional bonus following successful 13 week introductory period. Must be at least 18 y/o. Valid CDL, reliable vehicle and current auto insurance req’d. Please email your experience and qualifications to jon3silver@ yahoo.com. Or (best) call Jon Silver, 650-868-4310 Pet Sitter P/T for MP/PA area. Weekends, holidays reqd. 650/856-4056

Technical Informatica Corporation is accepting resumes for the following positions in Redwood City, CA:

Jobs 500 Help Wanted Business Informatica Corporation is accepting resumes for the following position in Redwood City, CA: Vice President, Global Talent Attraction (RCBCO): Provide leadership and coaching to the worldwide talent acquisition team to ensure high quality, innovative and timely hiring practices are in place to support the business and deliver against financial and company plans. Position may require travel to various, unanticipated locations.

Please mail resumes with job title and reference Job Code # to Informatica Corporation, ATTN: Global Mobility, 2100 Seaport Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063. No phone calls please. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. EOE.

Business Hewlett-Packard Company is accepting resumes for the position of Product Manager in Palo Alto, CA (Ref. #PALZTA1). Provide initial product/services/solution (PSS) design, pricing, value proposition, messaging and/or whole product strategies.

Develop company market requirements for specific product(s) or product line(s), including product strategy definition, requirements analysis, and pricing. Mail resume to Hewlett-Packard Company, 3000 Hanover Street, MS 1117, Palo Alto, CA 94304. Resume must include Ref. #, full name, email address and mailing address. No phone calls please. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. EOE

Principal Software Engineer (RCSUPE): Responsible for designing and developing easy-to-use user interfaces for Informatica Cloud/Web applications using technologies such as Java, HTML5, CSS3, and jQuery.

Professional Services Senior Consultant (RCRGO): Ensure customers are successful in deploying Informatica data integration and analytic platforms. Position may require travel to various, unanticipated locations.

Professional Services Senior Consultant (RCKVA): Ensure customers are successful in deploying Informatica data integration and analytic platforms. Position may require travel to various, unanticipated locations. Telecommuting may be permitted.

Senior Software Engineer (RCDKH): Design and develop easy-to-use user interfaces and platform for Cloud/ Web applications.

Senior Technical Support Engineer (RCGUVI): Diagnose and resolve customer inquiries related to operating company’s software products in customer’s environment.

Software Engineer Lead (RCSHAG): Design and develop test plans, test cases based upon functional and design specifications.

Please mail resumes with job title and reference Job Code # to Informatica Corporation, ATTN: Global Mobility, 2100 Seaport Blvd., Redwood City, CA 94063. No phone calls please. Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. EOE.

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go to fogster.com to respond to ads without phone numbers Page 46 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Classified Deadlines:

NOON, WEDNESDAY

“The Worst of 2014”--so much room for improvement. Matt Jones

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Technology TIBCO has openings for:

560 Employment Information

Test Architect [Ref PCA97] in Palo Alto, CA to review functional specifications and rqmnts and create test specification documents.

AVON Earn extra income with a new career!

Sell from home, work, online. $15 startup. For information, call: 877-830-2916. (CalSCAN)

Sr. Consultant [Ref PCA98] to support TIBCO products based in Palo Alto, CA and may work from home and be required to work at client sites at unanticipated locations throughout the United States approximately 50% of time. All travel is reimbursed by employer.

Change the Lives of Others Start your humanitarian career!

Change the lives of others while creating a sustainable future. 1, 6, 9, 18 month programs available. Apply today! www.OneWorldCenter.org 269-591-0518 info@oneworldcenter.org

Mail resume to TIBCO Software Inc., C. Ramirez, 3307 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304. Must include Ref# to be considered and have unrestricted U.S. work authorization. No phone calls, pls.

Answers on page 48

©2014 Jonesin’ Crosswords

Across 1 The P of PBR 6 “How do you measure, measure ___?” (“Rent” lyric) 11 Org. for pinheads?

14 Birth country of Amy Adams and Rose McGowan 15 Music in some “Weird Al” Yankovic medleys 16 Cafeteria coffee holder 17 She got a Worst Actress nomination for a 10-Down for “The Other Woman” 19 Hang behind 20 “Dark Angel” star Jessica 21 “Aw, shucks!”

22 Many South Africans 24 #2 on Time’s 10 Worst Songs of 2014 28 Absolute last-minute day for shopping 29 Formal footwear 30 Bicycle shorts material 33 Go after flies 35 Aspirations 38 Reptilian squeezer 39 Sworn enemy 42 Grammy winner Kool Moe ___ 43 It’s not worth much 45 Facts 46 Out there 48 “The Golden Notebook” author Lessing 50 Anti matter?

51 “Conscious Uncoupling” person of 2014, instead of just saying “divorce” 57 Muslim veil 58 NYC thoroughfare 59 “Am ___ only one?”

61 “I ___ Rock” 62 John Travolta mispronunciation that made Rolling Stone’s “Worst TV Moments of 2014” 66 “Morning Edition” producer 67 Big top figure 68 2006 movie subtitled “Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” 69 Eeyore, for one

70 “The Waste Land” poet T.S. 71 Apartments, e.g.

Down 1 12-point type 2 In any way 3 Animated ruminant 4 ___-Kinney (band with Carrie Brownstein of “Portlandia”) 5 Norse god 6 Breathing interruption 7 Climber’s calling?

8 Whitney with a gin 9 “Alias” equivalent 10 Award celebrating bad movies 11 Bring into a private conversation 12 Author of “The Cat Who...” mysteries 13 Teen turmoil 18 Fearsome sort 23 The Daily Bruin publisher 25 “Thirteen” actress ___ Rachel Wood 26 ___ apso 27 Rumored Himalayan beast 30 “Selma” role 31 “Oh, it’s ___” 32 Glass containers 33 Chart-topper 34 Soaked 36 Mal de ___ (seasickness) 37 Turn from liquid to Jell-O 40 Use Pro Tools, say 41 Santa’s laundry problem 44 Coffee coast of Hawaii 47 “Can you hear me now?” company 49 Mail-in offer 50 Ran off 51 Accra’s country 52 Scaredy-cats 53 Caveman diet 54 Prevent, as a disaster 55 “SNL” alumna Cheri 56 ___ Thins 60 911 responders 63 The Mavericks, on scoreboards 64 “Never Mind the Bollocks” closer (or label) 65 “Aladdin” monkey

This week’s SUDOKU

7 6

1 2 2 3

6 8 3

9 8

1

7

2 9

1 7

5 4

8 Answers on page 48

4 6

9 1

9 5

TECHNOLOGY Medallia, Inc. has the following positions open in Palo Alto, CA: Senior Manager, Client Solutions (Engineer): Lead a highly effective team to implement and evolve Medallia’s Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions across a portfolio of diverse customer programs. To apply or for more information, please go to www. medallia.com/careers and refer to job code: Req#190

Technology Intuit, Inc. has openings for the following positions in San Mateo County, including Menlo Park; Santa Clara County, including Mountain View: Software Engineers (Job code: G1): Design, develop, troubleshoot and/or test/QA software.

Drivers: Attn: Drivers $2K Sign-On Bonus! SAME DAY APPROVALS. Stay Warm w/ APU New KW Trucks! Earn $55K p/yr! CDL-A Req - (877) 258-8782 www.ad-drivers.com (Cal-SCAN) Drivers: Obtain Class A CDL in 2 ½ weeks. Company Sponsored Training. Also Hiring Recent Truck School Graduates, Experienced Drivers.

Must be 21 or Older. Call: (866) 275-2349. (Cal-SCAN)

tegic decision making on product and marketing tactics/strategy using data.

Business Data Analysts (Job code: I-168): Interpret large volumes of data to tease out actionable insights, telling a story that drives revenue, product and/ or business change.

Data Engineers (Job code: I-45): Senior Software Engineers (Job code: Responsible for the design, developG2): Use knowledge of software engiment, and implementation of data neering best practices and principles to movement and integration processes in design and develop web applications. preparation for analysis, data warehousing, and operational data stores involvStaff Software Engineers (Job code: ing very large quantities of data.

G3): Use technical expertise to develop code and unit test for software and/ Group Managers (Job code: I-288): or analyze user needs and/or software Define the roadmap to achieve straterequirements to determine required gies that will drive quality product expesoftware improvements and/or modiriences for customers and will accelerate fications. business growth.

Software Engineers in Quality (Job code: G4): Design, create, document, and/or implement test strategies, test automation and quality tools and processes to ensure quality of products and services.

Development Managers (Job code: I-346): Supervise and contribute to the design, development, testing, and deployment of web-based applications.

Sr. Product Managers (I-460): Identify deep customer insights that lead to better products and marketing/ messaging methods.

Senior Software Engineers in Quality (Job code: G5): Use knowledge of software engineering best practices and principals to design, create, document, Sr. Product Managers (Job code: implement and/or maintain test scripts I-315): Lead innovation in products and for complex on-demand and integration business models, primarily in the areas applications. of Small Business Accounting, Payments, Point of Sale and QuickBooks ecosystem Senior Applications Operations offerings. May require up to 20% interEngineers (Job code: I-370): Drive the national travel. design, development and implementation of operational standards and capaSenior Technical Data Analysts (Job bilities for connected services. code: I-105): Engage with key stakeholders to understand critical business requireOnline Acquisition Marketers ments and identify ways that analytics can (Job code: I-7): Serve as the Online best support or optimize business growth.

Acquisition Lead for QuickBooks Access and synthesize data using approEcosystem Creative to be responsible for priate tools and technology. the development of an OA creative brief for the QB Ecosystem and coordinate the Submit resume to Intuit Inc., Attn: Olivia relationship with our external agency Sawyer, J203-6, 2800 E. Commerce partner.

Center Place, Tucson, AZ 85706. You must include the job code on your Senior Business Analysts (Job code: resume/cover letter. Intuit supports I-65): Partner closely with product and workforce diversity. marketing managers to help guide stra-

525 Adult Care Wanted Companion Seeking kind, empathic, intellectually curious and patient individual to spend 6-8 hours per week with charming, distinguished Stanford Emeritus Professor in the early stages of dementia. Activities (most of them outside the Professor’s home) include walks (campus, Baylands, parks), museums, attendance at Stanford sports’practices or games, and interesting conversation.

Hours flexible. Must have safe car and good driving record.

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www.sudoku.name

Delivery: Contract Driver If you have a vehicle that can tow at least 7,000 pounds, you can make a living delivering RVs as a contract driver for Foremost Transport! Be your own boss and see the country.

ForemostTransport.Blogspot.com or 866-764-1601!

Make $1,000 Weekly!

Mailing Brochures From Home. Helping home workers since 2001. Genuine Opportunity. No Experience Required.

Start Immediately. www.theworkingcorner.com (AAN CAN)

No phone number in the ad?

GO TO

fogster.com for contact information

THE PENINSULA’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEBSITE TO RESPOND TO ADS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBERS GO TO WWW.FOGSTER.COM

Business Services 609 Catering/Event Planning Did You Know 7 IN 10 Americans or 158 million U.S. Adults read content from newspaper media each week? Discover the Power of Newspaper Advertising. For a free brochure call 916-288-6011 or email cecelia@cnpa.com (Cal-SCAN)

620 Domestic Help Offered Housekeeper/Cook Available Seeking room in exchange for reduced rent, PA and surrounding. I will do cooking, housework chores. 408/826-2080

624 Financial Big Trouble with IRS? Are you in BIG trouble with the IRS? Stop wage and bank levies, liens and audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, and resolve tax debt FAST. Call 844-753-1317 (AAN CAN) Big Trouble with IRS? Are you in BIG trouble with the IRS? Stop wage and bank levies, liens and audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, and resolve tax debt FAST. Seen on CNN. A BBB. Call 1-800-761-5395. (Cal-SCAN) Reduce Your Past Tax Bill by as much as 75 Percent. Stop Levies, Liens and Wage Garnishments. Call The Tax DR Now to see if you Qualify 1-800-498-1067. (Cal-SCAN) Social Secuity Disability Benefits. Unable to work? Denied benefits? We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing!

Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1-800-966-1904 to start your application today! (Cal-SCAN)

636 Insurance Auto Insurance starting AT $25/month!

Call 855-977-9537 (AAN CAN) Lowest Prices on Health and Dental Insurance. We have the best rates from top companies!

Call Now! 888-989-4807. (CalSCAN)

Home Services 748 Gardening/ Landscaping J. Garcia Garden Maintenance Service Free est. 21 years exp. 650/366-4301 or 650/346-6781 LANDA’S GARDENING & LANDSCAPING *Yard Maint. *New Lawns. *Rototil *Clean Ups *Tree Trim *Power Wash *Irrigation timer programming.

18 yrs exp. Ramon, 650/576-6242 landaramon@yahoo.com

759 Hauling J & G HAULING SERVICE Misc. junk, office, gar., furn., mattresses, green waste, more. Lic./ins. Free est.

650/743-8852 (see my Yelp reviews)

767 Movers Sunny Express Moving Co. Afforable, Reliable, References. Lic. CalT #191198. 650/722-6586 or 408/904-9688

771 Painting/ Wallpaper DAVID AND MARTIN PAINTING Quality work Good references Low price Lic. #52643

(650) 575-2022

Glen Hodges Painting Call me first! Senior discount. 45 yrs. #351738. 650/322-8325 STYLE PAINTING Full service painting. Insured.

Lic. 903303. 650/388-8577

775 Asphalt/ Concrete Roe General Engineering Asphalt, concrete, pavers, tiles, sealing, artificial turf. 36 yrs exp. No job too small. Lic #663703. 650/814-5572

779 Organizing Services End the Clutter & Get Organized Residential Organizing

by Debra Robinson (650)390-0125

781 Pest Control Did You Know 144 million U.S. Adults read a Newspaper print copy each week?

Discover the Power of Newspaper Advertising. For a free brochure call 916-288-6011 or email cecelia@cnpa.com (Cal-SCAN)

Real Estate 805 Homes for Rent Palo Alto Home, 4 BR/2 BA - $4500.mont

809 Shared Housing/ Rooms All Areas: Roommates.com Lonely? Bored? Broke? Find the perfect roommate to complement your personality and lifestyle at Roommates.com!

(AAN CAN) PA: Room in 3BR College Terrace home.

Furn./unfurn. Kit. privs, internet.

Walk to Stanford. $625, incl. utils.

Plus dep. 650/464.3456

825 Homes/Condos for Sale Menlo Park, 3 BR/2 BA - $899000 Palo Alto, 3 BR/2 BA - $1099000

R.G. Landscape Yard Clean-ups, debris removal, maintenance, installations. Free est.

650/468-8859 Tired of Mow, Blow and Go? Owner operated, 40 years exp.

All phases of gardening/landscaping.

Ref. Call Eric, 408/356-1350

Sunnyvale, 3 BR/2 BA - $899000

850 Acreage/Lots/ Storage Palo Alto Rare Flat Vacant 1.03 Acre Low Density Residential or SFR $11,888,000

751 General Contracting A NOTICE TO READERS: It is illegal for an unlicensed person to perform contracting work on any project valued at $500.00 or more in labor and materials. State law also requires that contractors include their license numbers on all advertising. Check your contractor’s status at www.cslb.ca.gov or 800-321-CSLB (2752). Unlicensed persons taking jobs that total less than $500.00 must state in their advertisements that they are not licensed by the Contractors State License Board.

BIG DRIVE-UP STORAGE UNITS Large 12’ x 22’ drive-ups. No stairs.

Sunnyvale. 408-734-6000 PA: Secured Storage New secured storage and car storage facility located in Palo Alto bordering Los Altos. Storage units vary in size ranging from 100 - 250 sq ft. Prices start at $145/mo. Car storage is $159/mo. For more information call 650-209-9711

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 47

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woodside in 30 min 38 knoll top acres cleared w/utlities $3,588,000

Public Notices 995 Fictitious Name Statement JAMBIP FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 599596 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Jambip, located at 3247 Murray Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): JAYNE PEARCE 3247 Murray Way Palo Alto, CA 94303 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 24, 2014.

(PAW Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2015) BLUE TURTLE DENTAL BLUE TURTLE DENTAL, PRACTICE OF K. SCHEEL, DDS INC. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 599774 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: 1.) Blue Turtle Dental, 2.) Blue Turtle Dental, Practice of K. Scheel, DDS Inc., located at 2290 Birch Street, Ste. A, Palo Alto, CA 94306, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A Corporation.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): K. SCHEEL, DDS INC. 2290 Birch Street, Ste. A

Palo Alto, CA 94306 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 31, 2014.

(PAW Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2015) L.S. & CO. LS & CO. LS AND COMPANY FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 599976 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: 1.) L.S. & CO., 2.) LS & CO., 3.) LS and Company, located at 555 Byron St. #105, Palo Alto, CA 94301, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A General Partnership.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): LAURENCE L. SPITTERS 555 Byron St. #105 Palo Alto, CA 904301 LAURENCE LOUIS SPITTERS, JR. 96 N. 3rd., St. San Jose, CA 95112 PETER J. SPITTERS 1346 El Moro Dr. Campbell, CA 95008 ARTHUR J. CASEY 227 N. 1st. St. San Jose, CA 95112 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 01/05/2015.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 6, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2015) ATALACO FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 600010 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Atalaco, located at 702 Garland Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94303, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): ALLEN TAVAKOLI 702 Garland Drive Palo Alto, CA 94303 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business

name(s) listed above on 01/07/2015.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 7, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 16, 23, 30, Feb. 6, 2015) ADORE HANDCRAFTED FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 600011 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Adore Handcrafted, located at 702 Garland Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94303, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): KAREEN TAVAKOLI 702 Garland Drive Palo Alto, CA 94303 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 01/07/2015.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 7, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 16, 23, 30, Feb. 6, 2015) Assistant.ai FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 599861 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Assistant.ai, located at 443 Waverley Street Palo Alto, CA 94301, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A Corporation.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): SPEAKTOIT INC. 443 Waverley Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 5, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 16, 23, 30, Feb. 6, 2015) ETCHED IN STONE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 600298 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Etched In Stone, located at 644 Azule Ave., San Jose, CA 95123, Santa Clara

THE PENINSULA’S FREE CLASSIFIEDS WEBSITE TO RESPOND TO ADS WITHOUT PHONE NUMBERS GO TO WWW.FOGSTER.COM County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): DAVID A. BECERRA 644 Azule Ave. San Jose, CA 95123 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 12/19/2003.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 15, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13, 2015) Api.ai FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 600295 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Api.ai, located at 443 Waverley Street, Palo Alto, CA 94301, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A Corporation.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): SPEAKTOIT INC. 443 Waverley Street Palo Alto, CA 94301 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 15, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13, 2015) NexMove FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 600184 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: NexMove, located at 826 Rorke Way, Palo Alto, CA 94303, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): JEANNE YUE 826 Rorke Way Palo Alto, CA 94303 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 02 Jan. 2015.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on Jan. 13, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 2015)

SUMO FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 599912 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: SUMO, located at 450 Serra Mall, Building 380, Stanford, CA 94305, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A General Partnership.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): EDWARD DAI 655 Escondido Road Stanford, CA 94305 MOOR XU 2070 University Avenue #219 Berkeley, CA 94704 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 6, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 2015)

997 All Other Legals NOTICE OF BULK SALE (A.B.C. License) The following definitions and designations shall apply in this Notice without regard to number or gender: SELLER: Withers Food Service, Inc. 4546 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA 94022 BUYER: Festivus Incorporated 5490 Lauren Drive, San Jose, CA 95124 BUSINESS: KIRK’S STEAKBURGERS 75-76 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, CA 94301 A.B.C. LICENSE: California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control license issued to Transferor for Business.

Notice is hereby given that Seller intends to make a bulk sale of the assets of the above described Business to Buyer, including the A.B.C. License, stock in trade, furniture, and equipment used in the Business, to be consummated at the office of WILLIAM H. DUNN, 1350 Dell Avenue, #204, Campbell, CA 95008, on or after the date the A.B.C. License is transferred by the A.B.C. to Buyer (estimated to be February 27, 2015).

This transfer is not subject to California Commercial Code Sec. 6106.2.

Seller has used the following other business names and addresses within the last three years so far as known to Buyer: Kirk’s Steakburgers, 2388 S. Bascom Ave., San Jose, CA, 95124.

Festivus Incorporated __________________ BY: WILLIAM H. DUNN Agent for Buyer 1/30/15 CNS-2710776# PALO ALTO WEEKLY

GENESIS PAINTING & DECORATING FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 600563 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Genesis Painting & Decorating, located at 5497 Spinnaker Walkway, San Jose, CA 95123, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the owner(s)/registrant(s) is(are): VICTOR GARZA 5497 Spinnaker Walkway #4 San Jose, CA 95123 Registrant/Owner began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on January 22, 2015.

(PAW Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 2015)

fogster.comTM

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 47.

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Sports Shorts

OF LOCAL NOTE . . . Palo Alto High graduate Kelly Jenks (Class of 2010) has just signed a pro soccer contract with Finnish Professional League Team Kokkola 10FC. Jenks has been serving as an assistant coach for Paly girls soccer team this season after a decorated career in club, prep and college soccer. . . .

Seven local boys have been selected by high school water polo coaches to the California-Hawaii All-America team. Sacred Heart Prep is represented by three players — Stanfordbound Nelson Perla (first team), Princeton-bound Michael Swart (second team) and sophomore Jackson Enright (honorable mention). Menlo School also has three on the team — Andreas Katsis (fourth team), Nick Bisconti (fifth team) and Spencer Witte (fifth team). Also receiving recognition was MenloAtherton senior John Knox. He was named honorable mention.

ON THE AIR Friday Prep basketball: Menlo-Atherton at Carlmont, 6 p.m. (girls, boys at 7:45 p.m.;); KCEA (89.1 FM)

Saturday Women’s basketball: Washington St. at Stanford, 12:30 p.m.; Pac-12 Networks; KZSU (90.1 FM) Men’s basketball: Stanford at Washington St., 5:30 p.m.; Pac-12 Networks; KNBR (1050 AM)

Monday Women’s basketball: Washington at Stanford, 7 p.m.; Pac-12 Networks; KZSU (90.1 FM)

www.PASportsOnline.com For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, visit www.PASportsOnline.com

Stanford junior Maggie Steffens (left) and senior Kiley Neushul are two-time first team All-Americans and have helped the Cardinal win last year’s NCAA title.

Stanford’s polo goal hasn’t changed Cardinal women want a shot at defending their national championship this season

By Rick Eymer

S

eniors Kiley Neushul, Ashley Grossman and M-A grad Emily Dorst already have a pair of national titles to their credit and their Stanford women’s water polo team has won three of the past four NCAA championship trophies.

It’s a different team this time around but the Cardinal (25-1 last year and unbeaten in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play) maintain the same high standards

and expect to be playing when the NCAA tournament comes around in May. Stanford’s Avery Aquatic Center will be the setting for this year’s national championships May 8-10) and there’s not much more motivation than wanting to play in front of a packed house in your home pool.

Stanford has previously hosted the national tourney in 2004 and ‘08, but watched USC and then UCLA win the titles. The goal is

to end that streak this season.

The first step began two weekends ago at the LouStrong Memorial at San Jose State. The Cardinal won a pair of exhibition matches against China (10-6) and Brazil (13-6). The Cardinal (2-0) also dunked Pacific (14-3) and Cal State Monterey Bay (20-0).

Stanford opens its home season this weekend at the Stanford Invitational. The Cardinal will face UC Davis (9:10 a.m.) and UC Irvine (3:45 p.m.) on Satur-

day before taking on San Jose State (8:08 a.m.) on Sunday. The championship match will be later in the day.

Stanford enters this weekend with a 497-81 overall record since the program’s inception in 1996 and should hit the 500-win plateau on Sunday.

“All of them have signed on to blast off,” Stanford coach John Tanner said. “We’re going to get (continued on next page)

PREP BASKETBALL

STANFORD ROUNUP

Pinewood girls ranked among the nation’s best

Busy weekend for Cardinal teams at home

by Keith Peters

By Rick Eymer

O

T

ne year ago, the Pinewood girls were 15-1 in their first 16 basketball games. The Panthers eventually improved to 24-1 and wrapped up a 30-3 season by winning the CIF Division V state championship.

This year, Pinewood is 14-2 after its first 16 games. The Panthers, however, may be a better team than a season ago.

“We have a lot of good wins under our belt — Lakewood (No. 7 in Colorado), South Medford (No. 1 in Oregon), Sacred Heart Cathedral, Eastside (Prep), McClatchy, and now Carondelet (No. 8 in California),” said Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler. “We’ve had a very challenging preseason set of games!”

Pinewood’s 69-55 nonleague win over Carondelet on Saturday in the Corner Bakery Showdown in Lafayette was just another example of how deep and talent(continued on page 51)

Don Feria

READ MORE ONLINE

Hector Garcia-Molina/stanfordphoto.com / photo illustration Paul Llewellyn

CARDINAL CORNER . . . Senior Anthony Brown scored 23 points, Chasson Randle added 20 and the Stanford men’s basketball team won for the fifth time in six times, beating host Washington, 84-74, Wednesday in Pac-12 action in Seattle. Stefan Nastic scored 17 points for the Cardinal (6-2 in the Pac-12, 15-5 overall), which took over sole possession of third place in the conference, a game behind Arizona and a half-game behind Utah, which played Thursday at UCLA. Stanford ends the first half of conference play at Washington State on Saturday in a 5:30 p.m. start on the Pac-12 Networks. Marcus Allen scored 12 points for the Cardinal, which never trailed in the contest . . . Cardinal sophomore Akash Modi was named the College Gymnastics Association Gymnast of the Week for the third consecutive week, as announced by the organization Thursday. . . . Elizabeth Price attained the first 10.0 score in Stanford women’s gymnastics competition in eight years and it helped the No. 19 Cardinal recorded a season-best score in beating visiting No. 10 Oregon State, 197.000-196.450, Monday night in Pac-12 action.

Pinewood coach Doc Scheppler has his girls team off to a 14-2 start.

he 12th-ranked Stanford women’s basketball team faces a big test this weekend at home, beginning with Washington State’s visit Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. tip-off.

The Cardinal (7-1 in the Pac-12, 15-5 overall) responded quite nicely following its home loss to Arizona State. Stanford beat both UCLA, 79-70, and USC, 71-60, on the road last weekend.

Stanford resides in a second-place tie, with the Sun Devils, a game back of Pac12 leader Oregon State and a game ahead of fourth-place California.

The Cougars (4-4, 13-6) dominated most of the action in their game against the Cardinal in Pullman. Stanford rallied to send it into overtime before pulling away.

Washington State has won its past three games, even without senior center (continued on nextv page)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 49

Sports

Water polo

win gold medals at the FINA World Cup in Russia and at the (continued from previous page) FINA World League Super Final in China over the summer.

“There are a lot of players on after it from the get-go. These guys aspire to be great every day.” the team, who, in their own right, Neushul and Grossman were are sensational,” Tanner said of his freshmen when junior Maggie players. “But, water polo for them Steffens was helping the United has always been about team.”

Grossman is rounding into States win a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Stanford shape after a shoulder problem was missing its top three players two years ago slowed her down.

“She’s getting stronthat year. ger and she’s a hard No Olympians? No worker,” Tanner said. problem. Neushul led “She’s exuberant and the team in scoring fun to be around. She and was won the Peter brings a lot of energy.

J. Cutino Award as the She’s found another levnation’s top player after el and is having a good helping Stanford win season so far.” the national title. GrossSteffens’ water polo man was second on the bloodlines extend beteam in scoring.

Steffens was actually Ashley Grossman yond the borders. Her father, Carlos, helped part of the same recruiting class with Neushul and Gross- Cal win a national championship man, but deferred a year to play in and later helped Puerto Rico win the Olympics with her older sister, a Pan Am gold medal. Her uncle, Peter Schnugg, played at Cal and Stanford grad Jessica Steffens.

“All these guys grew up in wa- was an U.S. Olympian in 1980. ter polo households,” Tanner said. Her older brother also played for “They have a sense of how the Cal. Steffens opened her season with game is played across the board.

The environment they grew up in four goals last weekend.

“She just has a great feel for emphasized movement and fastpaced water polo. That fits in with the sport,” said Tanner. “She just feels comfortable and is calibratwhat we’re trying to achieve.”

For Neushul, Grossman and ed enough that she builds bridges Steffens (a two-time FINA Player with players of all ages.”

Neushul enters her senior seaof the Year), last weekend seemed very familiar. The Team USA son with 159 career goals. She teammates helped the Americans tallied five last weekend and now

has 164.

“They are all different in how they play and it’s fun to see how they perform as leaders.”

Stanford lost five seniors from last year’s title team, including Olympian and Cutino Award winner Annika Dries, but returns six of its top 10 scorers. Neushul and Steffens tied for the team lead, each with 51. Grossman added 45.

Junior Anna Yelizarova (38), sophomore Jamie Neushul (17),and sophomore Dani Jackovich (17) are also back. Yelizarova tallied five goals at San Jose State.

Junior goalie Gabby Stone appeared in all but two of Stanford’s games, ending the year with a 7.64 saves average and a 5.91 goals against average. Dorst, who played in 13 games, had a 7.79 saves average and a 6.04 goals against average. Sophomore Julia Hermann played in eight games.

Juniors Rachel Johnson and Gupreet Sohi, who combined to score 11 goals last year, add experience, while sophomores Cassidy Papa, Sophia Monaghan and Jessica Webster, who combined for nine goals, add depth.

Jordan Raney leads a strong class of freshmen, which also includes Katie Dudley, Shannon Cleary, Natalie Chen and Lauren Norheim.

“We can’t play for a championship until May,” Tanner said.

“What we can do is practice, compete and support each other at the highest level.” Q

Stanford roundup (continued from previous page)

Shalie Dheensaw, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Cougars’ 3-point loss at Oregon State two weeks ago.

Briana Roberson took advantage of her first start of the season and second of her career in Stanford’s win over the Bruins. She scored a career-high 21 points, one of three players, with Bonnie Samuelson and Amber Orrange, to reach 20 points in the contest.

Lili Thompson, who scored one point against UCLA, went for 21 against the Trojans.

Stanford faces the top three scorers in the conference this weekend and four of the top eight.

Washington State’s Lia Galdeira (19.6) and Tia Presley (18.9) are second and third.

Washington brings sophomore Kelsey Plum (24.5) and senior Jazmine Davis (15.0) to Maples Pavilion for Monday’s 7 p.m. game.

Women’s swimming Nationally No. 3-ranked Stanford (4-0 in the Pac-12, 5-1 overall) hosts a homecoming of sorts this weekend when UCLA and USC visit Avery Aquatic Center for a pair of Pac-12 dual meets.

There are swimmers from both Southern California schools who have competed at Stanford while in high school, though none more

experienced than Palo Alto grad Jasmine Tosky, a junior who has the Trojans’ top times in the 400 individual medley (4:12.05) and 200 fly (1:55.59) this season.

No. 12-ranked USC (3-1, 4-1) comes to town for a noon meet on Saturday, the day after swimming at California. The No. 13-ranked Bruins (3-1, 7-1) arrive for a 2 p.m. meet on Friday.

Tosky, who is part of the USC record-holding team in the 400 free relay, has competed in most every event for the Trojans, including the 1,000 free, a tribute to her versatility. She’s been a part of the Palo Alto Stanford Aquatics Club program most of her life.

PASA swimmer and MenloAtherton grad Kindle Van Linge, a freshman, is beginning to emerge at USC. She’s participated with the 200 and 400 free relay teams and has one of the Trojans’ top times in the 100 fly (56.22), which she accomplished at the Texas Invitational. Van Linge also won the 50 free against Oregon State.

Tennis Both the men’s and women’s teams are in action at home this weekend, with the Stanford men (1-2) hosting UNLV on Saturday.

The eighth-rankled women’s team hosts St. Mary’s on Friday (1:30 p.m.) after opening the season against Princeton on Thursday. Q

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1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View | (650) 254-1120 | www.cucinaventi.com Page 50 • January 30, 2015 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Sports PREP SOCCER

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

(continued from page 49)

Rivals set to battle for first SHP, Menlo boys meet again with top spot in WBAL at stake

by Keith Peters

T

he Sacred Heart Prep and Menlo School boys will meet on the soccer field for the second time on Friday, with plenty at stake in the rivalry.

The Gators will bring a 6-0 record in the West Bay Athletic League into the 3:30 p.m. match in addition to a sparking 10-1-2 overall record. SHP needs a victory to remain alone in first place as the second half of the league season begins.

Sacred Heart Prep already holds a 2-0 win over Menlo this season. The Gators are 11-0-2 against the Knights since the teams began playing each other in the WBAL in 2009. The Gators are also 67-2-5 in the league since that time and have won six straight league titles.

The Gators wrapped up the first half of WBAL action with a 5-0 victory over host Harker on Wednesday. The eventual winning goal came in the first half on an unassisted goal by Derek Chou. Philip Petrakian made it 2-0 by halftime off an assist from Nikhil Goel.

SHP padded its lead in the second half when Fernando Monteon scored off an assist from Josh Lin. Matthew MacFarquhar (assist Danny Sanchez) made it 4-0 before Monteon got his second goal on an assist from Chou as the Gators ran their unbeaten streak to eight matches.

In Atherton, Menlo School took over sole possession of second place with a 4-3 victory over visiting King’s Academy. Menlo’s fifth straight win moved the Knights to 5-1 in league and 7-4-1 overall.

Menlo started the game on the front foot and quickly took the lead. After an initial goal was ruled out for offside, Menlo found the breakthrough when junior forward Will Chisholm fed freshman winger Dylan Williams in the box and Williams convincingly beat the King’s Academy keeper. Williams doubled his tally 10 minutes later.

Williams completed his hat trick in the first minute of the second half off another pass from Chisholm. Chisholm put Menlo 4-0 ahead after a great solo effort.

In the PAL Bay Division, Menlo-Atherton stayed in the hunt for a possible title with a 4-2 win over host Woodside on Wednesday.

Mario Rodriguez scored twice with Juan Gastelum Urquidez tallying on a penalty kick and Jesus Ortega finding the net late as the

Prep basketball

Jacey Pederson

Michel-Ange Siaba

PALO ALTO HIGH

PALO ALTO HIGH

The junior midfielder scored three goals and added an assist as the Vikings won three soccer matches, including a win over Mountain View that was Paly’s first since since 2007 and earned a firstplace tie.

The sophomore scored two winning goals in three 1-0 soccer victories, including the Vikings’ first win over Mountain View since 2010 and a triumph over co-leader Homestead that gave them sole possession of first place.

Honorable mention Gabi Bade Pinewood basketball

Tierna Davidson Sacred Heart Prep soccer

Greer Hoyem Menlo-Atherton basketball

Stella Kailahi* Pinewood basketball

Julia Lodoen Castilleja soccer

Tess Preising Palo Alto soccer

Ryan Cole Menlo-Atherton basketball

Ian Cramer* Gunn wrestling

Josh Lin Sacred Heart Prep soccer

Sean MacPherson Gunn soccer

Mason Randall* Sacred Heart Prep basketball

Wesley Woo Palo Alto soccer * previous winner

Watch video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to PASportsOnline.com

Bears improved to 5-2 in league (8-3 overall).

Girls soccer Sacred Heart Prep and Menlo School remained first and second, respectively, in the WBAL Foothill Division following big wins on Tuesday.

SHP freshman Mia Shenk scored two goals and added an assist as the Gators rolled to a 6-0 victory over visiting Notre DameSan Jose. The Gators moved to 5-0 in league (11-2-1 overall) as junior Tierna Davidson contributed one goal and two assists. Lexi Lamb, Brigid White and Olivia Athens also scored for SHP. Meanwhile, host Menlo School remained a game back in the standings following a 9-0 rout of Priory. Menlo senior Leah Swig had a hat trick while teammate Alexandra Walker finished with two goals and one assist as the Knights improved to 4-1 in league (7-3-3- overall). Priory dropped to 0-5 and 0-9-1.

In the PAL Bay Division, Menlo-Atherton began Tuesday contending for a possible title. As the sun was going down, however, so were the Bears’ hopes as first-

place Woodside pulled away for a 4-1 victory.

The Bears came into the first of two showdowns with the Wildcats tied for third place with Burlingame, trailing second-place Carlmont by just two points. M-A needed to pull an upset, however, to move closer to Woodside’s 18 points.

That didn’t happen, however, as the Bears fell to 3-2-2 (6-3-3) while the Wildcats improved to 7-0 and 11-1.

In the WBAL Skyline Division, Pinewood rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat visiting Eastside Prep, 3-1. Jordan Berke, Emma Doettling and Laine Corfield all scored for Pinewood (41-1, 7-5-2) following assists from Caleigh Page while Eastside Prep fell to 0-5 in league.

In Hillsborough, Castilleja grabbed a 1-0 halftime lead following a goal by Julia Lodoen off a corner kick by Ella Nudell, but the Gators could not make it stand up and eventually had to settle for a 1-1 deadlock with host Crystal Springs. The Gators moved to 4-0-2 in league (7-3-3 overall) and held on to first place ahead of Crystal Springs (4-0-1, 9-4-1). Q

ed the Panthers are this season.

Seven players scored, with senior Gabi Bade having her best game of the season with 22 points after getting her season off to a slow start.

“Gabi was out with a stress reaction in her foot in December and was sick for a couple of league games,” Scheppler said.

“By far her best game this year.

It takes awhile to get game acclimated, skillfully, condition-wise.

We’re looking for more great games from her and, a level of consistency in her play.”

Pinewood enters this weekend atop the West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division) standings at 6-0. The Panthers cruised past host Castilleja, 72-38, on Tuesday and should do the same against Notre Dame-San Jose on Friday before visiting secondplace place Eastside Prep (4-1, 14-3) on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) with sole possession of first place at stake.

The combination of Pinewood’s tough schedule and seven-game win streak has the Panthers among the nation’s best this week.

MaxPreps.com has Pinewood No. 10 in the nation, No. 7 in the state and No. 1 in California among Division V teams.

“Rankings really don’t matter to me,” said Scheppler. “It’s all opinion-based. We are a really good team that still has to make another giant step to be considered great and, anything comparable to other teams.

“Our defense has been poor in the last two weeks, but, we’ll get back to work on the specific things we need to be great.”

With Bade getting back to full health, Scheppler has — arguably — his deepest team ever. His roster numbers 14 with 11 players generally seeing action.

The Palo Alto girls are also enjoying a hugely successful season and are off to a 16-2 start. The Vikings are ranked No. 4 in the CCS by MaxPreps.com, trailing only SI, Pinewood and Mitty and should contend for the CCS Division I crown this season — perhaps with Menlo-Atherton (14-5).

Paly sits atop the SCVAL De Anza Division standings at 6-0 following a 56-38 romp over host Los Gatos (3-3) on Wednesday as Alexis Harris and Lauren Koyama tallied 10 points each.

In Palo Alto, host Gunn got 17 points from Olivia Tapia in a 5148 victory over Los Altos. The Titans improved to 3-3 in the division (6-7 overall) as Archer Olson added 12 points and four rebounds with senior Meghan Mahoney finishing with 10 points and six boards.

In the West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division), Menlo School’s Sam Erisman had a career-high 30 points to pace the Knights to a 58-48 victory over host Castilleja. Hannah Paye and DJ Stine each added eight for the Knights (4-1, 12-4), who grabbed

a 41-25 halftime lead against the Gators (1-5, 9-9). Paige Vermeer led Castilleja with 23 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Yasmeen Afifi pulled down 11 rebounds.

In the WBAL Foothill Division on Tuesday, Riley Hemm tossed in 18 points and Sacred Heart Prep held on to a 45-44 victory over host Notre Dame-San Jose.

The Gators (2-4, 11-7) fell behind by 32-21 at the half, but held the Regents to just 12 points after intermission.

In the WBAL Skyline Division, freshman Tatiana Reese returned after missing two games with an injury and produced 31 points and eight rebounds to pace Priory to a 46-25 win over host Crystal Springs. Reese finished with five 3-pointers.

In the PAL South Division, Menlo-Atherton remained in the hunt for a possible title following a 54-26 romp over visiting San Mateo on Wednesday. In a first quarter where M-A had trouble sinking baskets, freshman Carly McLanahan gave the Bears (6-1, 14-5) a lift when she hit the first of her three 3-pointers in the closing moments. She finished with 13 points, as did freshman Greer Hoyem.

Boys basketball Kevin Mullin did his best to keep Palo Alto in the running for the SCVAL De Anza Division title on Tuesday night. The senior made 14 of 26 field goals (54 percent) while scoring a career-high 35 points — one of the best individual performance in school history.

Mullin also grabbed six rebounds, had five steals and two assists for the Vikings. The standout effort, however, went for naught as Palo Alto dropped a 64-59 decision to host Los Gatos.

The loss was the second straight for the Vikings, who fell into a tie for second with Los Gatos at 4-2. Paly (13-4 overall) trails firstplace Fremont (5-1, 13-4) heading into the second half of the season.

In the SCVAL El Camino Division, Gunn remained tied for first place with Saratoga following a 52-36 thumping of visiting Cupertino. The Titans (5-1, 112) wrapped up the first half of division play with senior Chris Russell leading the way with 17 points.

In the West Bay Athletic League, Sacred Heart Prep won its eighth straight and held on to first place with an 85-57 romp over host Eastside Prep. The Gators (7-0, 15-2) were led by junior Mason Randall’s 24 points with senior Corbin Koch adding 19 points and nine rebounds.

In Los Alto Hills, Pinewood held on to second place and knocked Menlo School to third with a 68-65 WBAL triumph.

Menlo’s Ben Simon missed a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer, allowing the Panthers (6-1, 12-3) to escape with the win.

The Knights fell to 5-2 (11-5 overall) despite a 26-point outburst by Liam Dunn, who scored 17 points in the second half. Q

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • January 30, 2015 • Page 51

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ValerieSoltau@gmail.com CalBRE #1223247

REDWOOD CITY

SARAH RIVERS 650.520.8858

4103 OLD TRACE RD $11,888,000 www.4103OldTraceRoad.comBeautiful 1.03 AcresPalo Alto rare Zoned R-E Density Residential.Opportunity to build your own special project. New Price!

BARRON PARK | OPEN SAT/SUN

SAN MATEO COUNTY

JAN STROHECKER 650.325.6161

LOS ALTOS | COMING SOON FEB 3TH

PALO ALTO

SUNNYVALE

709 SEMINOLE WY $1,950,000 Convenient Palo Alto location w/ remodeled ALAN & NICKI LOVELESS 650.325.6161 GLIJ ´W OMXGLIR STIR ¾SSV TPER ;SRHIVAlanLoveless63@yahoo.com ful slate backyard patio ideal for California CalBRE #00444835 & 00924021 entertaining!

PALO ALTO

HOSSEIN JALALI 650.740.2233

hdjalali@cbnorcal.com CalBRE #01215831

765 SAN ANTONIO RD #56 $830,000 8ST ¾SSV MR PSZIP] +VIIRLSYWI GSQTPI\ w/ Treetop view from balcony. Updates throughout! Convenient access to 101, 280 & 85. Top Palo Alto schools!

1519 SAMEDRA ST $1,475,000 Beautiful 3 bedroom 2 bath home with LEVH[SSH ¾SSVW MR PMZMRK EVIE 0EVKI PMZMRK VSSQ [MXL E PSZIP] ½VITPEGI %[EVH [MRRMRK schools.

BOWIE ESTATE ETC.

CRISTINA BLISS 650.799.5523 cbliss@cbnorcal.com CalBRE #01189105

146 GRANT ST $675,000 Explore the possibilities! Large lot zoned R2 in the heart of San Mateo. RV parking, lots of storage, walk to downtown and schools!

©2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Office is Owned by a Subsidiary of NRT LLC. estate agents affiliated with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage or NRT LLC. CalBRE License #01908304.

Page 52 • January 30, 2015Real • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com