The Almanac October 9, 2020 by The Almanac

T H E H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R F O R M E N LO PA R K , AT H E RTO N , P O RTO L A VA L L E Y A N D W O O D S I D E

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Four face off in Menlo Park fire board election Atherton’s detachment proposal, planning for next fire chief and board conduct are key issues By Julia Brown Almanac Assistant Editor

wo incumbents and two challengers are vying for two seats on the Menlo Park Fire Protection District board this November. Virginia Chang Kiraly and Rob Silano, who have both been on the board since November 2011, are running against Sean Ballard and former board member Peter Carpenter, who decided not to run for reelection in 2018 after serving a combined 15 years on the board. The district covers Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, Atherton and nearby unincorporated areas of San Mateo County, approximately 30 square miles that reaches into the Bay, according to its website. It responded to over 9,000 emergency incidents last year, with most of them being emergency medical incidents. The Almanac interviewed the four candidates via

VOTER + GUIDE + 20 +2 0

questionnaire, asking them about issues ranging from the district’s finances and replacing fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman upon his retirement (he told The Almanac on Wednesday that while his contract is up in June, he’ll decide whether to retire in January) to their views on the town of Atherton examining the possibility of detaching from the fire district. Sean Ballard

A 20-year Menlo Park resident who moved to the city as a young boy and returned in 2014, Sean Ballard says his “sense of obligation” as a citizen has grown over the years. After an unsuccessful See FIRE BOARD, page 14

Magali Gauthier

Station 3 is in Atherton, one of several communities served by the Menlo Park Fire District. Four candidates are competing for two seats on the board that governs the fire district.

Menlo Park council candidate alleges another campaign discouraged him from running. What happened? By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

n a debate hosted Sept. 30 by the local League of Women Voters chapter, Menlo Park City Council candidate Max Fennell told attendees that he had been asked not to run for the City Council by Karen Grove, who he alleged to be working on behalf of candidate Jen Wolosin. Wolosin denied any involvement and said she was unhappy to hear that it had happened. Fennell, 32, is a professional triathlete and owner of Fenn Coffee who has lived in Menlo Park for about five years. He said that earlier this

summer, just after a Palo Alto Weekly story was published indicating his interest in running for the City Council, Menlo Park Housing Commissioner Karen Grove sent him an email inviting him to a phone call with Planning Commissioner Michele Tate. Both Grove and Tate are also involved with Menlo Together, a fiscally sponsored project of the Foundation for Regional Transit, also known as Friends of Caltrain. It was started with a $40,000 grant from Grove’s donor-advised fund. The project advocates in Menlo Park for policies that support housing, transportation, sustainability

and equity, according to its website. Up until recently, Wolosin was also a member of Menlo Together. Both Grove and Tate were acting independently of their roles with Menlo Together and city commissions and were not acting on behalf of Wolosin’s campaign, Grove said in an interview. Fennell said he wasn’t clear on what the scheduled call would be about — he thought they wanted to talk about the situation with the police chief, since one of the early topics he started speaking about publicly was police reform. “The next thing you know, it turned into an interrogation of

INSIDE

if I was qualified to run,” Fennell said of the phone call, which took place in the morning of June 22, according to Grove. Fennell said Grove said he shouldn’t run and should support Jen Wolosin’s campaign instead. Grove said she did not tell him not to run, but said Fennell could consider moving to District 5 and running against unopposed council incumbent Ray Mueller. That way, she could support them both, Grove said. Grove told The Almanac that she has since apologized to Fennell. “I clearly had an impact I did not want to have,” she said. She said she was excited to learn that “a diverse voice was

considering a run,” but it wasn’t until they got on the phone that she learned he was a District 3 resident, which disappointed her, she said. “I had already endorsed Jen,” she said. “I couldn’t support both if he were to run in District 3.” She said the conversation from there “shifted to different ways to effect change in the ways he wanted to,” and called it a “collaborative conversation about change in Menlo Park.” Tate was also on the call. As a former housing commissioner, she said she asked Fennell whether he had considered See MAX FENNELL, page 12

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Where to vote in San Mateo County, from now through Election Day By Tyler Callister Almanac Staff Writer

Magali Gauthier

Oak Knoll Elementary School first graders sit on socially distanced markers on the ground at the end of recess before heading back to class in Menlo Park on Sept. 29. The Menlo Park City School District plans to reopen for older students beginning Oct. 19.

Menlo Park school district’s older students to return to classrooms School board vote came after ‘intense discussion,’ district officials say By Angela Swartz Almanac Staff Writer

he Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD) plans to have older students return to campuses starting on Oct. 19. They will join the roughly 535 kindergartners and first graders, who began in-person learning on

Sept. 28. The district’s school board voted unanimously, after an “intense discussion” Oct. 1, to have students in grades two to six begin in-person learning on Oct. 19, according to a district press release. Grades seven and eight will follow on Nov. 2, giving the middle school time to bring

sixth graders back for a period of adjustment before the rest of the school joins them, the press release states. (Any further return of students depends on San Mateo County remaining in the red or “substantial” risk tier. The county moved out of the most restrictive purple or See MENLO SCHOOLS, page 12

CHP investigating hit-and-run crash that ignited grass fire near Four Corners DUI driver arrested in separate incident at the scene By Julia Brown Almanac Assistant Editor

he California Highway Patrol is looking to identify a motorist who drove off an embankment along Highway 84 in Skylonda on Sunday night and left the scene, a crash that ignited a small grass fire and prompted some nearby residents to briefly evacuate. Shortly after 9:30 p.m. on Oct. 4, the CHP responded to a report of a solo vehicle crash off of Highway

84 west of Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard), according to Officer Art Montiel. The driver was not located, and it’s unknown whether there were any passengers, Montiel said. Officers contacted two juveniles who were seen walking eastbound on Highway 84 after the crash but determined that they were not connected to the incident, he said. The car landed 140 feet down the embankment and caught on fire, starting a vegetation fire that was contained at less than

an acre, according to Cal Fire, which responded along with agencies including the Woodside Fire Protection District and the Kings Mountain and La Honda fire brigades. The fire destroyed the car’s main vehicle identification number, but officers were able to identify the car as a silver 2015 VW Passat, according to Montiel. Highway 84 was closed for roughly 90 minutes for fire See CRASH, page 7

an Mateo County’s ballot drop boxes officially opened Oct. 5 for the 2020 presidential election. Registered voters in the county can bring their ballots, which are being mailed out this week, to any of the 39 locations. Drop boxes inside buildings are open during the building’s business hours. Outside drop boxes are available at any time until the close of voting at 8 p.m. on Election Day. In addition, voters can go now to any of three in-person vote centers which will be open through Oct. 30, weekdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. These three vote centers are located at: Redwood City Assessor-County ClerkRecorder, 555 County Center; San Mateo Registration & Elections Division, 40 Tower Road; and the South San Francisco Main Library, 840 West Orange Ave. A total of 45 in-person vote centers throughout the county will be open from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. All vote centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. (See locations for Atherton, Menlo Park, Woodside and Portola Valley below). There are also two more ways to vote. Send a completed ballot by mail, postmarked on or before Nov. 3. For voters who are disabled or visually impaired, there is also the county’s Remote Accessible Vote by Mail System, in which voters can fill out a screen-readable ballot, print it out, and either mail or drop off the ballot at the San Mateo County Registration & Elections Division. Anyone voting in person in San Mateo County will be asked to wear a face covering, maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from others and use hand sanitizer before and after voting. To track your ballot, subscribe to “Where’s My Ballot?” at wheresmyballot.sos.ca.gov. For more information, visit smcacre.org/elections. Atherton

Voters can drop off their voteby-mail ballots at Atherton City

Hall, 150 Watkins Ave., in a drop box on weekdays through Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to noon. From Oct. 26 to Nov. 3, those hours expand to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For questions, contact Deputy City Manager/City Clerk Anthony Suber at asuber@ ci.atherton.ca.us. An in-person vote center will be located at El Camino Hall at Menlo College, 1000 El Camino Real, beginning Oct. 31. Menlo Park

Voters can drop off their ballots anytime at two outdoor drop box locations: Menlo Park City Hall at 701 Laurel St., and the Onetta Harris Community Center at 100 Terminal Ave. Drop box locations will be accessible through 8 p.m. on Election Day. Menlo Park will have three in-person vote centers, open Oct. 31 through Election Day: Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, Sequoia Room, 700 Alma St.; Onetta Harris Community Center, Multipurpose Room, 100 Terminal Ave.; Residence Inn, Menlo Atherton Room, 555 Glenwood Ave. For questions, contact City Clerk Judi Herren at jaherren@ menlopark.org. Woodside

Voters can drop off their ballots anytime at the outdoor drop box location at Woodside Town Hall, 2955 Woodside Road. From Oct. 31 through Election Day, voters can go to the inperson vote center at Woodside Village Church, 3154 Woodside Road. For questions, contact Town Clerk Jennifer Li at jli@woodsidetown.org. Portola Valley

Voters can drop off their ballots anytime at the outdoor drop box location at Portola Valley Town Hall, 765 Portola Road. From Oct. 31 through Election Day, voters can got to the in-person vote center at Portola Valley Town Center, Community Hall, 765 Portola Road. For questions, contact Town Clerk Sharon Hanlon at shanlon@portolavalley.net. A

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Publication Title: The Almanac Publication Number: 459-370 Filing Date: October 1, 2020 Issue Frequency: Weekly Number of Issues Published Annually: 52 Annual Subscription Price: $120/year; $60 for seniors Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, CA 94025-6558 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Business Office of Publisher: 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, CA 94025-6558 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Managing Editor: Publisher: William Johnson, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, CA 94025-6558 Editor: Andrea Gemmet, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, CA 94025-6558 Managing Editor: Julia Brown, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, San Mateo County, CA 94025-6558 10. Stockholders Owning 1% or more of the Total Amount of Stock: William Johnson & Teresa Lobdell, Trustees, Palo Alto, CA; Jean & Dexter Dawes, Palo Alto, CA; Shirley Ely, Trustee, Palo Alto, CA; Jerome Elkind, Palo Alto, CA; Franklin Johnson Jr., Palo Alto, CA; Marion Lewenstein, Trustee, Palo Alto CA; Mike & Diane Naar, Trustees, Palo Alto, CA; Joe Pickering, Trustee, Palo Alto, CA; Catherine Spitters Keyani, Palo Alto, CA; Jeanne Ware, Palo Alto, CA; Margaret Haneberg, San Luis Obispo, CA; Anthony Sloss, Trustee, Santa Cruz, CA; Derek van Bronkhorst, Corvallis, OR; Mary Spitters Casey, Campbell, CA; Peter Spitters, Campbell, CA; Estate of Laurence Spitters, San Jose, CA; Jon van Bronkhorst, Redwood City, CA; Kort van Bronkhorst, Napa, CA; Nancy Eaton, Sausalito, CA; Thomas Spitters, Los Altos, CA; Karen Sloss, Bellingham, WA; Christopher Spitters, Seattle, WA; Elizabeth Sloss, Seattle, WA. 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1% or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages or Other Securities: None 13. Publication Title: The Almanac 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data Below: September 25, 2020 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation Average No. of No. of Copies Copies Each Issue of Single During Preceding Issue Nearest to 12 Months Filing Date A. Total Number of Copies (Net press run)

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350

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1,848

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10,400

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918

11,705

9,500

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Alleged serial killer still hospitalized He eluded identification for more than 45 years after allegedly strangling two young women on the Stanford University campus. Now, on the cusp of his first trial, John Arthur Getreu remains hospitalized as doctors suspect he suffered a stroke or brain embolism, throwing his case in San Mateo County into flux. The 76-year-old man from Hayward is charged in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties with first-degree murder in the deaths of Leslie Marie Perlov and Janet Ann Taylor, both 21. Perlov was found partially undressed in Santa Clara County near what is now the Stanford Dish on Feb. 17, 1973, and Taylor was found in a ditch in San Mateo County located on Stanford land off Sand Hill Road and Manzanita Way on March 25, 1974. After decades of cold trails, investigators finally cracked their cases through new DNA technology in 2018. Santa Clara County sheriff’s investigators identified Getreu through his DNA as the suspect and arrested him for Perlov’s murder in November 2018. San Mateo County investigators tied his DNA to Taylor’s case and he was charged with her murder in May 2019. He has pleaded not guilty in both cases and has since remained in Santa Clara County Main Jail without bail. Getreu’s trial in Taylor’s case was to begin on Sept. 28 with jury selection, but it was postponed because he was admitted to the hospital, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said at the time. He reportedly underwent surgery, returned to jail and was readmitted into a hospital, Wagstaffe said on Thursday, Oct. 1. He is also set for a trial-setting hearing in Santa Clara County Superior Court on Nov. 4. Getreu remains in the hospital where he is expected to stay for at least the next week. Doctors are still figuring out his medical situation, which might be a stroke or a brain embolism, Wagstaffe said. The condition is impacting his ability to communicate. A court hearing was scheduled for this Wednesday to put information regarding his medical condition on the record, Wagstaffe said. Attorneys will meet with the judge for a status conference during the first week of November, but Getreu will probably need to go through rehabilitation for his medical condition, Wagstaffe said. The trial is expected to start in 2021 at the earliest. —Sue Dremann and Jamey Padojino

Murder plea A 55-year-old Stockton man has pleaded not guilty to murder charges for fatally shooting a woman he had dated in East Palo Alto last month, San Mateo County prosecutors said Monday. Joey Harris and the victim Cynthia Mose were in the process of separating on the day of the shooting Sept. 7, when Mose went to a friend’s home in East Palo Alto to celebrate her birthday and Harris See CRIME BRIEFS, page 22

COMMU N I TY B R I E F

Kings Mountain Art Fair finds success online The virtual edition of the Kings Mountain Art Fair has seen some real results. Due to the pandemic, the event, held annually on Labor Day weekend, took place online this year. The fair’s website used a platform that gave visitors a “live” shopping experience in which they could browse the works created by over 100 artists, and also chat with the artists themselves as they shopped. The art fair is a major fundraiser for the Kings Mountain Fire Brigade and also donates funds to Kings Mountain Elementary, the Venture Free after-school program and the local community center. No official tallies are available yet because donations are continuing to come in, but organizers said that the contributions so far have been enough to fund fire department and community center operations for a full year. An anonymous $10,000 matching grant helped give fundraising an extra boost this year. Organizers are encouraging the public to continue donating. Any surplus funds will go to an endowment fund to support the fire department, according to Kings Mountain Fire Brigade treasurer Jon Frederikson. Those wishing to make a donation can visit the fire brigade’s PayPal Giving Fund site at paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1467906 or may send checks made out to Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade, 13889 Skyline Blvd., Woodside, CA 94062 —Heather Zimmerman

N E W S

Coronavirus updates: Tracking inequity, outbreak at assisted living facilities n Wednesday, Santa Clara County reported a total of 22,056 cases, 353 deaths and 76 people hospitalized; San Mateo County had a total of 10,347 cases, 154 deaths and 30 people hospitalized as of Tuesday.

disease,” Pan said, noting that communities with the most coronavirus transmission are often those inhabited by essential workers. So far, Humboldt County is the only county to move to a less restrictive reopening tier based on its HPI score, moving to the least restrictive yellow tier.

State tracking inequity of coronavirus spread

Outbreak at assisted living facilities

California will start tracking a metric intended to determine the inequity of the coronavirus’ spread, the state’s two top public health officials said Tuesday. The state’s Healthy Places Index provides coronavirus test positivity data on a census tractlevel with the goal of highlighting the areas of the state that are either healthier or unhealthier than others, allowing for more targeted support for communities that are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. Since late August, state public health officials have tracked the case rate per 100,000 residents and the test positivity rate for each of the state’s 58 counties to determine how widespread the virus is and whether it is safe for a county to open certain businesses. Starting Tuesday, the state also began tracking the HPI scores for individual counties. Those with lower scores will be able to move quicker through the state’s color-coded, tiered reopening system, according to Dr. Erica Pan, the state’s acting public health officer. “We have to prioritize our interventions to the communities where we’re seeing the most

As health leaders warn of a potentially dangerous fall and winter that could lead to new cases of COVID-19, recent outbreaks at long-term care facilities in Palo Alto highlight how difficult controlling the coronavirus can be. Channing House has had 13 COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks: six cases among residents and seven among staff, CEO and Executive Director Rhonda Bekkedahl confirmed on Oct. 1. In total, 10 residents and 17 staff members have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. One contracted caregiver also tested positive. The cases are all in the assisted-living section, Bekkedahl said in an email. The long-term care facility isn’t the only one with cases. Vi at Palo Alto and Palo Alto Commons also had cases within the past 14 days, according to data posted on a Santa Clara County Public Health Department public dashboard. Bekkedahl said Channing House Health Center staffers, which include assisted living and skilled nursing, are currently tested weekly for the virus

CRASH

fast crashes and starts a fire then it takes off and everyone else suffers for another person’s selfish desire for thrills,” Ellis wrote. “We’re all very concerned about the problem of cars racing on Skyline Blvd and Highway 84 west of Skyline,” she added. “The lawlessness has been markedly worse since the COVID lockdown because there are fewer tourists on the road to slow those behind them.” Montiel said there’s no evidence of speeding at this point in the investigation, but added that driving under the influence and speeding tend to be the primary causes of crashes off the roadway in the area. In an unrelated incident at the site of the hit-and-run, a 28-year-old Redwood City man was arrested for driving under the inf luence of

By Embarcadero Media staff

continued from page 5

suppression and mop-up, followed by one-way traffic control for about two hours while the car was recovered. The incident frightened nearby residents, according to Karyn Ellis, who lives about a quarter-mile from the crash site and said several people briefly evacuated after seeing the fire ignite in the woods below their homes. Her family was “unpacked and in bed by midnight but a little bit shaken by the experience,” she wrote in an email to neighbors that she sent to The Almanac. “The firefighters thankfully had the flames extinguished and mopped up two hours later but this could have been worse. It’s a hint at something we’ve all feared: Someone going too

while other staff receive tests on a monthly basis. All residents are tested at least monthly. Outside caregivers also follow the Channing House testing schedule. Channing House also doesn’t allow indoor visits at its facilities except in end-of-life situations, she said. Staff encourages outdoor visits and provides support in scheduling and facilitating meetings over Zoom and other videoconferencing platforms with family and friends, according to Bekkedahl. “The health and safety of the Channing House residents and staff are our top priority,” Bekkedahl said. As soon as the pandemic began, staff implemented multiple, “stringent” measures for health screenings, cleaning and disinfection, Channing House has also enforced a face coverings requirement across the facility and installed more hand-washing and hand sanitizer stations.

Comprehensive COVID-19 coverage View interactive charts tracking the spread of the coronavirus in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties online at paloaltoonline.atavist.com/trackingthe-coronavirus. Find a comprehensive collection of coverage on the Midpeninsula’s response to the new coronavirus by The Almanac and its sister publications, Palo Alto Online, and the Mountain View Voice, at tinyurl. com/c19-Almanac. A CalMatters and Bay City News Service contributed to this report. marijuana and driving on a suspended license after accelerating his car and coming close to hitting a San Mateo County Sheriff ’s Office deputy, Montiel said. The man was driving a BMW westbound on Highway 84 just east of Sequoia Drive shortly after 2 a.m. and was asked to stop by officers due to one-way traffic control at the crash site. However, he sped up and “one of the (Sheriff ’s Office) deputies came close to the vehicle,” Montiel said. The driver ultimately stopped and police suspected he was under the influence of marijuana, Montiel said, prompting his arrest. A Email Julia Brown at jbrown@ almanacnews.com

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Five running for three open Sequoia high school district seats By Angela Swartz Almanac Staff Writer

istance learning programs, school reopenings and coronavirus safety procedures are just some of the topics on the minds of candidates running for the Nov. 3 Sequoia Union High School District board election. District residents will, for the first time, vote based on the district they reside in. Incumbent Georgia Jack is running for reelection against challengers Rich Ginn, a parent and business owner, and Shamar Edwards, former TIDE Academy principal and current Sunnyvale Middle School principal, in Trustee Area C, which represents Woodside, West Menlo Park and Portola Valley. Incumbent Carrie Du Bois is running uncontested to represent Area B, which includes Redwood City, Belmont and San Carlos. The Sequoia District Teachers Association announced its endorsements of Ginn and Stevenson on Sept. 16. Jacqui Cebrian, a candidate for Trustee Area E, dropped out in September to support candidate Shawneece Stevenson instead. Cebrian explained that she

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dropped out of the race because she believed Stevenson, as a Black woman, would better represent the area, which includes Menlo Park neighborhoods east of Highway 101 as well as East Palo Alto. Along with the challenges of distance learning, the district, which operates the local comprehensive high schools MenloAtherton and Woodside, as well as TIDE Academy, is transitioning to new leadership. Superintendent Mary Streshly resigned last month following a call by the district’s teachers union and 22 school administrators for her firing. Rich Ginn

On Ginn’s website he distinguishes himself from the other candidates by saying that he is the only candidate with a child currently enrolled in the district, the only candidate with a financial background (as a CFO who has an MBA), and that he

has a technology background relevant to the current challenges with online learning. “I served for two terms on a well-functioning school board and am proud of everything the (Las Lomitas district) achieved during my time on that board,” he said. “Everybody that I served with and all of the current board members have endorsed my candidacy for this race.” Ginn said his focus is to improve student engagement and outcomes by providing appropriate rigor for each student and ensuring that all students have the required technology tools. He would also like to enhance alternative academic routes for students who do not wish to follow traditional pathways. During the pandemic, Ginn would like to bolster professional development for teachers and bring back extracurricular activities. The district, like almost all school districts, was not prepared to deliver services entirely remotely when school shifted to online-only learning in March, he said. “Teachers invested significant time over the summer to prepare for online instruction and the current online offering

is effective,” Ginn said. “The SUHSD (Sequoia district) is making every effort to ensure that all students have access to the technology that they need to be highly effective online learners; and that all students have learning environments that enable them to concentrate and participate in online classes. This work will never be 100% complete as student situations change and is a significant ongoing challenge.” He said he thinks the school board’s decision to transition to pass/no pass grading in the spring was not the right move. “I believe that many other districts adopted an approach that I would have preferred which was a form of hold-harmless (in which students would have at least earned the grade they held prior to the transition to distance learning) with teacher discretion to lower a grade if a student was abusing the system,” he said. Ginn is endorsed by the San Mateo County Central Labor Council, former and current Las Lomitas school board members, Menlo Park City Council members Ray Mueller and Catherine Carlton, Atherton Mayor Rick DeGolia and others.

Georgia Jack As a school board member, she has demonstrated her commitment to her students, staff and schools by working to make balanced decisions, Jack said. Since the pandemic, she has been working on making sure all students are able to access their education through technology. One of her top priorities if reelected includes addressing equity issues in the district. “Nothing can compare to facing COVID-19,” she said. “But pre-COVID-19, getting into a deeper conversation about equity in SUHSD is a top priority. … This work supports my reason for running for my first term in 2015, which was ensuring a voice for Redwood City’s students, who are disproportionately low-income students of color.” She’d also like to work collaboratively with the district’s principals, teachers and unions to proactively plan on reopening schools, whether partially or fully. “While we have a phased-in plan sketched out, there are many details that need to be tackled before we can fully reactivate our See SEQUOIA, page 19

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Meet the four candidates for two Atherton council seats Fire district separation and housing are main issues By Angela Swartz Almanac Staff Writer

here are four people vying for two open seats on the Atherton City Council this November, marking the first time in six years there has been a contested election in town. The candidates are incumbents Elizabeth Lewis and Cary Wiest, and challengers Christine David and Diana Hawkins-Manuelian. Lewis was elected to the council in November 2008, while Wiest was elected to the council in 2012. David and HawkinsManuelian are both longtime Atherton residents. Recently, Mayor Rick DeGolia made waves when he endorsed Hawkins-Manuelian over Wiest because she opposes the town detaching from the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, while claiming that Wiest is in favor of it. Wiest denies he has ever supported separation from the fire district. Talks of separation were spurred by a 2016 fire services study, which showed a disparity between the fixed percentage of property tax revenues from Atherton that fund the fire district and how much it actually costs the district to provide emergency response services to the town. Town officials have prioritized the construction of the new civic center, which is slated to be completed in 2021. A major topic of concern among the council members earlier this year was how the project is going to raise additional funding. They ultimately decided to borrow money through a financing mechanism called “certificates of participation” (COPs). There are also questions of how the COVID-19 pandemic could affect city budgets. The council is weighing how to use the Caltrain station space since it decided earlier this year to recommend Caltrain shut down the station (which only runs limited weekend service). This month, the council will discuss and vote on approving a memorandum of understanding to close the station, said City Manager George Rodericks in an email. Removing the train station will make Atherton less attractive as a location for affordable or multifamily housing, which is usually targeted to areas near public transit. Officials are also grappling

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with how to address growing concerns about smoke from wildfires in the Bay Area and throughout Northern California affecting air quality throughout the Peninsula. The Almanac asked candidates about all these issues and more via questionnaires.

PA I D P O L I T I•C ACongresswoman L A DV E RT I SAnna E M EEshoo NT •

See ATHERTON COUNCIL, page 10

Senator Jerry Hill

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Palo Alto Mayor Adrian Fine, Vice Mayor Tom DuBois and Councilmembers Alison Cormack, Eric Filseth, Liz Kniss and Greg Tanaka Endorsed by: • Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District Board President • Santa Clara County Democratic Party Todd Collins, Vice President Shounak Dharap and • California Teachers Association Trustees Jennifer DiBrienza and Ken Dauber •• Congresswoman Anna Eshoo Former Palo Alto Mayors Bern Beecham, Sid

Elizabeth Lewis

Lewis said she’s running to preserve Atherton’s rural character while promoting new, forward-thinking policies, and added that she can be a voice of reason. “I understand the political process under which to operate to move projects along within the guidelines of the FPPC (California Fair Political Practices Commission) and Brown Act, and working with my fellow council members to achieve consensus and not create division,” she said. Her top priorities are financial oversight, safety and security in town, and council transparency. Lewis said the greatest challenge Atherton will be facing is the potential for state mandated legislation requiring the town to create multifamily housing. Senate Bill 50, which would have relaxed zoning standards for residential developments along transportation corridors, failed to pass the state Senate in January. “All of these bills would have required Atherton to compromise its General Plan and zoning ordinance that we are a singlefamily residential town without commercial, retail or multifamily housing,” she said. “I am the Atherton council representative to the San Mateo County C/ CAG board and member of the Legislative Committee. In this role, I make sure that Atherton’s voice is heard loudly and clearly and I lobby against any loss of local control.” Also of concern to Lewis: developments in neighboring Redwood City and Menlo Park causing increased traffic in Atherton. “Speeding, cut-through traffic, unsafe intersections are a

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N E W S ATHERTON COUNCIL continued from page 9

few of the top issues,” she said. “The challenge will be how to mitigate these issues without losing our rural, small-town character and not move the problem from one street to the next.” She would like to help improve the town’s relationship with the fire district, which has been contentious in recent years. She wants to work with the district to develop more Atherton-related fire programs, such as identifying the risk of tree canopy fires and how to mitigate it. This could include education and financial assistance to residents to manage the risk. Lewis noted that the structure

of the train station is “historic, charming and should be maintained and used in some manner.” “There have been several ideas floated around over the past several years, including possibly moving it from its existing location and incorporating it somehow into the Civic Center or maybe even (Holbrook-Palmer) Park as a historical venue showcasing the important part that Atherton and its former longestterm council member, Malcolm Dudley, have played in the development of the rail service,” she said. Lewis is endorsed by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and San Mateo County supervisors Don Horsley and Warren

Elizabeth Lewis Elizabeth Lewis, 70, is the vice mayor of Atherton and was elected to the council in 2008. Lewis, a 23-year Atherton resident, has worked in commercial real estate since 1985. She moved to Palo Alto in 1964 with her family and lived in Menlo Park before moving to Atherton. She sits on various town committees and regional bodies, including Environmental Programs, San Francisco Airport/Community Roundtable, San Mateo County Sub-Regional Housing Policy Advisory and more. She attended San Jose State University and San Francisco State University. Her campaign website is ElizabethLewis2020.com.

Diana Hawkins-Manuelian Diana Hawkins-Manuelian, 61, is an entrepreneur and board member. She has lived in Atherton for 27 years and sits on the Environmental Programs Committee. As a consultant, she has advised companies on the development of prototypes for TV services and virtual entertainment. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Buffalo. She holds a doctorate in media and cognition from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her campaign website is DianaforAthertonCity Council.com.

Cary Wiest Cary Wiest, 56, has served on the Atherton City Council for eight years and is a business owner. He has lived in town for 11 years. He sits on various town committees: Rail, Audit and Finance, Contractor’s Roundtable, Transportation and COVID-19 ad hoc. He is also a liaison to the Menlo Park Fire Protection District, the Refuse & Recycling subcommittee and the Caltrain MOU ad hoc committee. His campaign website is carywiest.com.

Christine David Christine David, 57, is an independent marketing consultant with experience working at local tech startups and public relations firms. She has lived in Atherton for 21 years and has sat on town committees and is a Friends of Atherton Community Library board member. She graduated from University of San Francisco with a degree in international business and international finance. Her campaign website is Christine4Council2020.com. 10 Q The Almanac Q AlmanacNews.com Q October 9, 2020

Slocum, along with DeGolia, according to her website. Diana Hawkins-Manuelian

With a long career as an academic, entrepreneur, board member, and startup mentor, Hawkins-Manuelian said she can bring her problem-solving and consensus-building skills to the council. “We face a global pandemic, a deteriorating climate, economic uncertainty, increased fire risks, and unhealthy air quality,” she said. “The pandemic has disrupted work, forcing many to work from home; disrupting back-to-school routines and ended normal social interactions. With social media bubbles that exacerbate the divides, we need our local elected officials to represent our needs and be engaged in building community and working to solve our problems in ways that bring us together. I would like to see the City Council work more collaboratively to take an active leadership role within the Bay Area community to address the matters that will impact our future.” Given the recent wildfires and smoke, ensuring the fire district has the best quality fire protection services for the town is her highest priority. She said she would work to reestablish good working relations with the district. “Smoke and fire do not recognize city borders!” she said. “We need to work together with our fire district and the state to create a plan to address the difficult and costly longer-term problems of smoke inhalation and potential damaged drinking water systems. Because of the number of trees, the city of Atherton is at higher risk for canopy fires. I would prioritize planning with the fire district and the state to create a timely response to this increasing risk.” Addressing pressing environmental issues — specifically air and water quality — would also be a priority for her as a council member, she said. “I believe Atherton needs to be more active in addressing the mandated state environmental codes and to work toward the reach codes advocated by Peninsula Clean Energy,” she said. “The recent wildfires and smoke hazards will continue to be an increasing challenge that we must plan for and address on a local and state level. We need to work toward supporting policies that meet and exceed the minimum green building standards in the California code and lower our overall carbon footprint. I would like to see Atherton

weigh in on demanding better grid planning.” She would like to see the town continue to pursue building a water treatment facility to solve the flooding challenge that results from “a serious rainwater drainage problem,” she said. She would also like to help the town better engage with a broader number of residents so they can stay informed. “There is a natural tension between homeowners who prefer to live privately behind their hedges and fences and the need to build community and lines of communication between residents and the town,” she said. Hawk ins-Ma nuelia n is endorsed by the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Eshoo, and Josh Becker, a Menlo Park resident who is running for California state Senate in District 13, according to her website. Cary Wiest

Wiest said he is committed to his work on the council, having not missed a single council meeting or study session during his eight-year tenure. If reelected, Wiest plans to make sure public safety services — police, fire and medical — are first in class and aligned with residents’ needs; maintain Holbrook Palmer-Park; address traffic issues; and enhance bicycle lanes. Wiest said he is not in favor of detaching from the local fire district, despite DeGolia’s claims. “What I have supported is making sure our residents get the services they want and need (i.e., the vast majority of our calls are for medical service and we have requested enhanced ambulance response),” he said. He said he supported the alarm testing for Walsh Road, funding ADAPT, the Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team, installation of the hybrid beacon on El Camino Real at Almendral Avenue, and initiated discussions offering the fire district an opportunity to build within the new Civic Center. “One of my pledges is to provide transparent government, and part of transparency is knowing how and where tax dollars are spent — in my mind, that is the only reason for the discussion — not to leave the district,” Wiest said. Meanwhile, the pandemic has the potential to erode city budgets and as an “experienced, fiscally savvy council member,” he said he is already adept at understanding potentially hidden liabilities, or attempts at cost shifting. He can help avoid such pitfalls before the town becomes negatively impacted,

he said. For example, because of the town’s involvement in joint agreements with multiple jurisdictions, there will likely be increased demand by other entities on Atherton’s fiscal resources since the town’s revenue base is relatively stable, and not dependent on any in-town commercial revenues, he said. The Atherton train station closure could potentially allow other jurisdictions with higher ridership opportunities to gain stops. It would also eliminate upgrade costs that would be necessary if the station remained open. He also noted the closure helps “protect the character of the surrounding community” from housing bills like SB 50. He would also like to continue to ensure the town is environmentally responsible. He cites his past environmental work such as helping establish the Marsh Road drainage channel, which replaced a deteriorating stone and concrete drainage channel with a cast-in-place concrete culvert. Fellow council members Mike Lempres and Bill Widmer and state Sen. Jerry Hill have endorsed Wiest, according to his website. Christine David

Despite eight years of civic involvement in Atherton through town committees, planning town events and generating awareness around local issues, David said she can make a greater impact in Atherton as a City Council member. She’d also like to see more fresh blood on the council and said she supports establishing term limits. She resigned from her position on the Park and Recreation Committee in December in protest of a City Council decision to turn down the building of a new off-leash dog park near Holbrook-Palmer Park. “My decision (to run) is motivated by my commitment to protect our community’s incredible character, charmed history and promising future by reinvigorating resident involvement on every level,” she said. She would like to increase council transparency by requiring that all projects and services currently under consideration by the council include memorandums of understanding, detailed business plans reflecting all short- and long-term costs, overhead and expenses, including long-term liabilities. David said she is not in favor of SB 50 and similar housing bills since they “threaten the character of existing single-family residence only Continued on next page

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mode of transportation to and from San Francisco,” she said. David said she sat on the Civic Center Advisory Committee and co-chaired marketing for Atherton Now, the fundraising effort to support the financing of the new Civic Center. She suggests the committee should plan annual Atherton community events so residents can have regular opportunities to meet each other. David would also like to see more civic engagement among residents. Council member term limits would generate more opportunities for residents to participate in local government, she said.

neighborhoods and towns like Atherton.” Ending train service in Atherton will help ward off potential threats from current bills concerning housing, she said. It will eliminate the use of train horns within the town’s boundaries by establishing a “quiet zone” at the Watkins Avenue crossing with quad gates, she noted. Given the station’s long history, she would like to see it be part of the new Civic Center. The space can act as a reminder of the “successful and important train service, which was once, historically, the only swift

To further increase resident participation in government decisions, she would like to increase the responsibilities of town committees and see residents, rather than council members, lead subcommittees. With the pandemic, David would like to expand local pedestrian and bicycle routes to mitigate traffic issues, while protecting the pedestrians, runners, dog walkers and bicyclists throughout Atherton. With indoor activities more limited and more people spending time outdoors, these routes have renewed importance, she said. She wants to hold off on

building a wastewater treatment facility and other projects of similar magnitude for at least the next five years since the town’s budget is earmarked until then for the Civic Center project, she said. Lempres and former fire district member and current candidate Peter Carpenter have endorsed David. Campaign finances

Candidates filed campaign disclosure statements Sept. 24 for the period starting July 1 and ending Sept. 19. Statements show Lewis has not exceeded the $2,000 threshold required

to file campaign finance reports. Hawkins-Manuelian’s committee said it raised $2,000 from her spouse, George Manuelian, an Amazon executive. Her campaign didn’t report spending any money during this period. Wiest’s committee reported raising $3,135 and spending all of it. David’s committee raised $5,760, including a $5,000 loan to herself. She reported spending more than that amount, $7,298. A Email Angela Swartz at aswartz@almanacnews.com

Council criticizes Facebook for dominating oversight board eight-member oversight board to decide how to allocate a $1.5 million contribution from the company. However, under the terms of the agreement, only two members of the oversight board will not be selected by Facebook — the city managers of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park each get one representative. The fund is different from Facebook’s “Catalyst Housing Fund,” which the company has contributed $18.5 million toward. The fund, which has raised about $75 million, has produced or preserved about 600 affordable homes near Menlo Park in East Palo Alto, Redwood City and San Carlos, Facebook reported in August. “Facebook picks three-quarters of the people that determine how we use this,” Councilwoman Catherine Carlton pointed out. “I don’t know how we got there.

By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

ere are updates from the Menlo Park City Council’s Oct. 6 meeting, with decisions on outdoor dining, Facebook’s outsize role on deciding how to use a $1.5 million housing fund and endorsing state propositions. Community oversight?

As the city of Menlo Park works through an agreement reached years ago with Facebook, council members are raising concerns that the company has too much say over how it will spend $1.5 million set aside for a Housing Innovation Fund. As part of the development agreement, Facebook agreed to conduct a study on the local housing inventory and create an

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Facebook is basically determining how those funds get used.” Vice Mayor Drew Combs, who works for Facebook and noted it wasn’t clear whether he could vote on the matter, said he was also concerned. “This seems like theater,” he said. “I don’t see the value of us participating in something like that.” However, because the terms of the agreement were laid out in a development agreement, interim City Attorney Cara Silver said the council can’t change it. The council also directed staff

to contact the team that did an initial study, University of California at Berkeley’s Center for Community Innovation and its Y-PLAN group from the Center for Cities and Schools, to learn more about its methodology and look into the costs and time it might take to collect more data for the time period between 2017 and 2020. The council also directed the Housing Commission to explore the recommendations from the study and consider adding them to that advisory

group’s work plan. Outdoor dining update

The council voted 4-0 on Oct. 6, with Councilman Ray Mueller absent, to follow through on a few changes it had previously discussed to the downtown closures on Santa Cruz Avenue. By mid-October, the city will put up “walk your bike” signs to deter cyclists from riding through street dining areas, See MENLO COUNCIL, page 20

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N E W S MAX FENNELL continued from page 1

applying for the Housing Commission, because his platform was primarily focused on housing issues. At the time, the council had only weeks previously made appointments to city commissions, and there had been only one applicant to fill a vacancy on the Housing Commission. The phone call with Fennell “was purely an effort to get to know who the candidate was,” Tate said. “I did not hang up the phone thinking Karen was trying to push him any direction or trying to discourage him at all,” she said. “By no means was this a call from Jen (Wolosin)’s camp,” Tate said, noting that she has not endorsed any City Council candidate in the race and does not plan to do so. Fennell said that at the time of the phone call, he was under the impression that Grove was acting on behalf of Wolosin’s campaign. “Somebody’s running for office trying to silence a voice they say they are trying to represent,” he told The Almanac Oct. 1. Fennell said he feels that the conversation has affected his

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Max Fennell is running for the District 3 seat on the Menlo Park City Council.

campaign. “For quite a few weeks, I didn’t say anything to anyone (about the call),” he said. “I was holding it in.” In an email, Wolosin told The Almanac that Grove has never been part of her campaign team. Grove said that she checked in with Wolosin before making the call, but Wolosin distanced herself from the matter and did not provide any direction. Grove noted that she has endorsed and contributed to Wolosin’s campaign. According to campaign finance documents, she contributed $500 to Wolosin’s campaign last year. While the phone call between Fennell, Grove and Tate took place on June 22, it wasn’t until

several days later, on June 25, that Wolosin announced her formal plans to step back from Menlo Together, according to email records she provided. She was removed from the group’s mailing list the following day. She said she is grateful for Grove’s support, but added, “I was not happy to learn about her outreach to Max and I can see why he found it offensive. ... I think it is good for our community to have multiple candidates in an election, sharing a variety of viewpoints and ideas.” Fennell declined to participate in the candidate forum hosted by Menlo Together on Oct. 3 and said he had asked that it be canceled. In a statement he sent to Menlo Together in advance of the forum, he said that he would not attend due to a conflict of interest between the Wolosin campaign and Menlo Together, and alleged that her campaign had engaged in intimidation against him. Candidate Chelsea Nguyen also declined to participate, leaving only Wolosin to answer the questions posed by the advocacy organization of which she is a former member. “I’m still going to give it 110%,” Fennell said about his run for the District 3 seat. “We’re so focused on bringing about real change.” A

MENLO SCHOOLS continued from page 5

“widespread” risk tier on Sept. 22. Although kindergartners and first graders attended in-person classes last week, schools were closed last Friday because of the unhealthy air quality, said Parke Treadway, district public information officer. Campuses are closed when the air quality index (AQI) is at or above 150 by 4 a.m. or near 150 with a forecast of 150 or above as measured by airnow.gov, according to a report prepared for the Oct. 1 board meeting by staff. “MPCSD is the first public school district in San Mateo County to open its campuses so broadly and it has been very smooth so far,” the press release said. “The district has learned valuable lessons about the staffing, logistics, communication and coordination required to execute a safe and successful return of students while following robust health and safety protocols.” The district will follow a “hybrid model,” with some learning remaining online. The vote came after an original motion to return all

students beginning Oct. 12, earlier than even the earliest timeline that Superintendent Erik Burmeister proposed, according to a district press release. The original motion was withdrawn, leading to the unanimous vote to bring students back in three phases. Many teachers, administrators and parents spoke in favor of the measured approach in the superintendent’s recommendations, noting that the logistics of bringing hundreds of students and staff back on campus require much planning, training and communication with all stakeholders prior to the actual opening, according to the district. The county granted the district a waiver last week to allow kindergartners and first graders to return to schools. In addition to kindergartners and first graders, small groups of vulnerable students in all grades have returned to campuses, according to the district. If a student or staff member tests positive, his or her class will move to distance learning for two weeks, Treadway said. A Email Angela Swartz at aswartz@almanacnews.com

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For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings call 1-855-200-9227 or, for TTY users, 711. *You may reach a messaging service on weekends from April 1 through Sept. 30 and holidays. Please leave a message, and your call will be returned the next business day. Stanford Health Care Advantage is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Stanford Health Care Advantage depends on contract renewal. Stanford Health Care Advantage complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. H2986_21-051_C

12 Q The Almanac Q AlmanacNews.com Q October 9, 2020

PAW_10.9

Fire Prevention Week

Menlo Park Fire Protection District

Coloring Contest Whee-ho Whe

o! ! o o h e

Name______________________ Grade_______ Phone number___________________ Please mail to: 170 Middleﬁeld Road, Menlo Park CA 94025 or drop off at your nearest ﬁre station

PRE SCHOOL ~ K-2 ~ 3-5 GRADES

END DATE: OCTOBER 31, 2020

www.menloﬁre.org

Age appropriate PRIZES October 9, 2020 Q AlmanacNews.com Q The Almanac Q 13

N E W S FIRE BOARD

Sean Ballard Sean Ballard, 43, is an investment professional who has lived in Menlo Park on and off for the last 20 years. He is a member of the fire district’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), and has served as chairperson of its Community Crisis Management Advisory Board and as a resident representative on its Finance Committee since 2019. He sat on the district’s Strategic Planning Committee as a resident representative in 2018. Ballard has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brigham Young University. His campaign website is carpenterballardforfireboard. com.

Peter Carpenter Menlo Park resident Peter Carpenter, 80, is a corporate officer/director and former fire board member who has lived in the district for 39 years. In addition to his combined 15 years on the fire board, he has extensive experience in emergency preparedness from working with multiple local CERT groups. He has served on numerous committees and as director of various organizations, including stints on Stanford Hospital’s Ethics Committee and with Innovative Support to Emergencies, Diseases and Disasters (InSTEDD). He served in the Air Force, working as a military aide at the White House and as a test parachutist for the Air Force Weapons Laboratory, among other roles during his service. He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Chicago. His campaign website is carpenterballardforfireboard.com.

Virginia Chang Kiraly Virginia Chang Kiraly, 56, has served on the fire board since 2011 and has lived in unincorporated West Menlo Park for over 25 years. She is a member the San Mateo County Harbor District Commission since 2015 and served on a number of its committees, and currently serves on the fire district’s Finance and Human Relations committees. Chang Kiraly spent seven years as a California Commission for Economic Development member, as an appointee of then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007. She is a fire district CERT member and a licensed ham radio operator. Her professional background is in investing and trading, having worked for the Nasdaq Stock Market and PaineWebber, among other companies. She has a bachelor’s degree in government from University of Texas at Austin and a master of public administration from the University of Southern California. Her campaign website is virginiachangkiraly.com.

Rob Silano Rob Silano, 68, has lived in Menlo Park for 32 years and has been a fire board director since 2011. He currently sits on the district’s Emergency Preparedness Committee and has over 40 years of public safety experience in federal, state and local governmental agencies ranging from working as a senior manager and special agent for the Department of Justice to working as an intelligence officer for the Department of Homeland Security. He has volunteered with a number of organizations, including FBI National Academy Associates, the Silicon Valley Homeland Security Coordination Group and Peninsula Habitat for Humanity. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration and a master’s degree in education administration from Florida International University, as well as law enforcement and public safety certifications. His campaign website is robsilano.com. 14 Q The Almanac Q AlmanacNews.com Q October 9, 2020

continued from page 1

run in 2018, he’s vying for a seat on the fire board for the second time because he says he’s well aware of the challenges and opportunities the district is facing. He underscored his experience as a former Strategic Planning Committee member and current Finance Committee member as relevant experience. “I believe that I have an evenhanded and steady management style and a low-ego personality that will serve the next board well in restoring the ability to make timely decisions, supporting the men and women of our professional staff to do their job without imposing unnecessary burdens, and bringing back the drive to work together to get things done and accomplish goals,” he said. Ballard is campaigning alongside fellow challenger Carpenter. Among Ballard’s supporters are Atherton Mayor Rick DeGolia, former Woodside Mayor Paul Goeld and Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team (ADAPT) president Tom Prussing. His top three priorities as a board member would be fiscal accountability, responding to population growth and emergency preparedness, respectively. Since property taxes from within the district make up 90% of its revenue, he said, it “has an enormous responsibility to use those funds wisely.” The board in June approved a 2020-21 fiscal year budget that projects $60 million in total revenues — including $54.7 million in property tax revenue, an increase of 4% over last fiscal year — and $57 million in expenditures, although that estimate was given before the board decided to leave out new positions and reclassifications. Ballard is a member of Menlo Park CERT and chair of the advisory board overseeing the fire district’s Community Crisis Management program, which works to establish and maintain a team of trained volunteers who can provide initial neighborhood response in the event of a major emergency. Emergency preparedness is important to him, he said, and he will work to encourage community members to get prepared and involved. Ballard criticized the district’s Emergency Preparedness Committee, saying it “does not have a handle on the community-based issues it faces.” At the same time, he lauded board member Chuck Bernstein, a committee member, for proposing a board study session on the district’s citizen volunteer program that was held last month. “The vacuum from the Emergency Preparedness Committee

in the early days of the pandemic left citizen volunteers adrift,” Ballard said. “We volunteers then proceeded to organize, seek assistance from the professional staff of the fire district, and take initiative without guidance from the committee.” He believes the most significant issue the board will be facing is the search for a new fire chief, adding that he thinks the current board — which he called dysfunctional — would struggle to accomplish the task. “It would be a nearly insurmountable challenge to secure the most talented candidate for the role when that candidate will surely understand what likely awaits them and decides to pass,” he said. Ballard added that he believes mutual respect is missing from the current board, and that it has micromanaged “in a way that impedes the smooth functioning of the district.” “The fire board simply should not be involved in day-to-day operations of the district in a way that interferes with our professional staff,” he said. As a member of the Finance Committee, Ballard says he is already involved in oversight of the district’s budget. “As a board member, I can augment this fiscal stewardship with the ability to provide governance over complementary items, such as standards of cover studies and timeliness of responses to emergencies, to ensure careful planning and budgeting in an ever-changing landscape,” he said. Asked about the town of Atherton’s decision to further research the idea of detaching from the fire district and contracting out for emergency services — a process that has been put on hold due to the pandemic and was prompted by a fiscal services review that found property tax revenue from Atherton is millions of dollars more than it costs the fire district to provide the town services — Ballard said separation would be a “tremendous blow” and that joint discussions between the board and Atherton City Council need to get back on track. “I believe that a fair outcome, that both sides consider to be amenable, will require each side give a little in deference to the other,” he said. Peter Carpenter

As a former fire board member who is heavily involved in local emergency preparedness efforts, Peter Carpenter represents a familiar face for voters despite being a challenger this time around. He said he believes he’s the best candidate based on his corporate leadership

experience, years of public service and knowledge of the fire district. Carpenter has been endorsed by Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, former state Senator and Congressman Tom Campbell, and former Woodside Mayor Goeld, among others. If elected, his top three priorities would be ensuring that the district “continues to provide the same level of superior service to all of its residents,” recruitment of a new fire chief and timely decision-making by the board. The first two priorities are also among the greatest challenges facing the district, Carpenter said, along with aggressive innovation in order to respond to growth and changes in the community. In searching for a new fire chief, the district and board should prioritize leadership, integrity and a distinguished career of firefighting experience, Carpenter said. Asked about the district’s spending in recent years, he said it needs to “significantly increase its investments in innovation and in citizen-level disaster preparedness.” Carpenter spoke strongly against the concept of Atherton detaching from the fire district, calling it “a cancer that must be eliminated.” “I am working hard to elect Atherton City Council members who will abandon this effort,” he said. “The best way to serve our residents would be a county-wide consolidation of fire agencies with the added responsibility for EMS services ... such a consolidation would provide better services at a lower cost per capita than the current fragmented non-system.” He believes the district should enter into agreements with Atherton, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park to become the lead agency in the event of a disaster, to operate a combined emergency operations center and to train and equip a significant number of volunteers. Asked what the current board could be doing better, he said, “Focusing on broad policy issues and reinstating the chief as the district’s CEO rather than engaging in micromanagement and interpersonal squabbles.” Virginia Chang Kiraly

West Menlo Park resident and incumbent Virginia Chang Kiraly has the rare distinction of running for reelection to two different positions within the county: As she seeks her third term on the fire board, she is also running for reelection to the harbor district’s board against former Menlo Park City Councilwoman Kirsten Keith.

N E W S

Chang Kiraly said that she is the best candidate to “rebuild bridges” with Atherton and Menlo Park, strengthen the district’s Community Emergency Response Team programs and maintain its healthy finances. She added that she has experience serving on the fire board during tumultuous times — including when Schapelhouman suffered paralyzing injuries from a fall at his home in 2013 — that would serve the district well moving forward given the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing frequency of disastrous wildfires in the state. She has served as board president twice and said she considers her management of the process for a newly negotiated contract with the district’s two bargaining units in 2015 an accomplishment she is proud of. Chang Kiraly has been endorsed by a number of wellknown current and former politicians, including state Sen. Jerry Hill, former state Assemblymember Rich Gordon and current Assemblymember Marc Berman. “My professional financial background, extensive community involvement, open communication, and track record of success over the last nine years of service on the fire board allow me to bring my relevant experience to help repair relationships with our community volunteers and the jurisdictions that the fire district serves and continue providing stable leadership on the fire board,” she said. Her top priorities if reelected would be to continue ensuring the district’s budget is healthy by funding capital improvement projects and paying down unfunded pension liabilities; improving the district’s relationship with local jurisdictions and its volunteers; and ensuring a smooth transition to the new fire chief when Schapelhouman retires. The greatest challenges facing the district, Chang Kiraly said, are repairing the “broken relationships” between the district, board and jurisdictions they serve and restructuring the CERT program “so that our incredible volunteers are reengaged to help their families and neighbors during a disaster, such as an earthquake or fire.” She believes conflicts between the district and the areas it serves can be addressed through regular joint meetings and respectful dialogue. Respect on the fire board is lacking at times, Chang Kiraly said, and inappropriate behavior — what she referred to as misogynistic and chauvinistic behavior that she says she’s experienced from a few fellow

board members — does not reflect the values of the fire district. Chang Kiraly has been the only woman on the board for the last nine years and is the second female member since the district’s formation in 1915. “Our fire district cannot afford to be divisive, with bullying fire board members, when all of us must face the challenges of COVID-19 and the dangers of wildfires right here in our community, such as the Triangle encampments in the eastern area of Menlo Park that experienced 11 incident responses in July,” she said. Chang Kiraly believes a new fire chief would need to be fiscally responsible, collaborative and ethical. Replacing Schapelhouman will be difficult, and if reelected Chang Kiraly said she would bring continuity and institutional history to the selection process. She said the fire district has healthy financial management and said that has allowed the organization to plan for the future by purchasing properties adjacent to fire stations for the construction of new stations. She added, however, that the board must be mindful of employee compensation expenses and unfunded future pension liabilities. She is a proponent of continuing to pay down unfunded employee pension liabilities and said rethinking how non-sworn employees should be compensated is something that will have to be discussed. On the town of Atherton weighing whether to detach from the fire district, Chang Kiraly said she is against any jurisdiction detaching from the district. “I believe that the financial impact would be adverse for the entire fire district if Atherton detached. ... the district’s excellent emergency-response service would have to be reduced, and this adverse impact would harm low-income and at-risk communities, which also happen to be fast-growing areas in the Bay Area,” she said. Chang Kiraly believes the district is very prepared when it comes to responding to a major emergency, but added that it could strengthen its group of neighborhood CERT volunteers by rethinking how they can be trained and deployed in a meaningful way when needed. The board could be better at providing broad oversight rather than micromanaging operations, which she said the board has done over the last couple of years, and with being respectful toward fellow directors. Chang Kiraly and challenger Carpenter, who sat on the board together for seven years, repeatedly clashed in

public during their overlapping tenures, and she said she would not want to see him return. “I fear that electing former board members who have a history of antagonism toward the jurisdictions that the fire district serves may endanger the relationships that are already fragile but have a chance to be rebuilt,” Chang Kiraly said. Rob Silano

As an incumbent with over 40 years of public safety experience, Rob Silano says he wants to return to the board to help ensure the district provides the best possible service in a fiscally responsible manner. He touts several accomplishments during his nine-year tenure, including being a part of successful labor contract negotiations with all employee labor groups and the development of the district’s strategic plan for 2020 through 2025. He has been endorsed by a list of emergency response officials and elected officials that includes Don Long, the former deputy fire chief for Menlo Fire, Eshoo and DeGolia. Silano’s top three priorities if reelected would be to “maintain the highest level of fire and emergency services to communities served by the district;” continue to support prudent fiscal management oversight policies with balanced budgets and strong reserves; and keep pace with current trends in public safety equipment, facility upgrades and additional personnel. The greatest challenges facing the district, he said, are traffic congestion and global warming.

“Traffic congestion is a problem and continues to be a problem,” he said. “It is critical to retain our excellent response times. The fire district needs to participate more with the building-zoning departments of each city and town within our district. “Global warming is a problem too, since many coastal areas fall within the fire district and flooding has been a concern for our East Palo Alto residents,” Silano added. Silano commended Schapelhouman’s work as fire chief and said he would want to initiate a nationwide search for his replacement that would also involve local jurisdictions, the county and local businesses. He says the current fire board is “very transparent” about its finances and works within its budget, adding that the newest fire stations were paid for by set-aside tax dollars and the district could currently pay off its California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CALPERS) debt with its reserves. Silano called the accusations of board micromanagement by the other candidates false, saying it is not micromanagement but rather “appropriate fire board oversight.” He said the board has rejected multiple project proposals because they were deemed too costly and wouldn’t benefit all communities served by the district. “We as a board would not be good stewards of our fire district expenditures if we did not rightfully request further information or an explanation or documentation when considered necessary,” he said. “Close oversight by the board

of taxpayers’ money is effective fiscal management and should not be criticized but lauded.” Asked about Atherton weighing a split from the district, he said separation “could have dire consequences.” “It’s like a house of cards,” he said. “One town withdraws, the entire public safety response system is affected in San Mateo County. ... The other communities in the fire district will be damaged by Atherton’s move to detach.” Silano added that he has spoken to several Atherton council members on the subject and said he is ready to meet and “see what is a reasonable solution,” acknowledging that the town’s property taxes wouldn’t be lowered if they detached. The district is prepared for a major emergency, he said, but the San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services should better coordinate and publicize its SMC Alert system as a recent San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury report recommended. Menlo Fire’s Community Crisis Management program is also too big, and it does not always share the volunteers, training, and equipment with all the other volunteer groups, Silano said. “We need to do more to support all volunteer groups equally,” he said. The current board should create a strategic plan involving all the communities the district serves, Silano said, and schedule more working groups and joint meetings with them. A Email Julia Brown at jbrown@ almanacnews.com

October 9, 2020 Q AlmanacNews.com Q The Almanac Q 15

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N E W S SEQUOIA continued from page 8

campuses,” she said. Jack has heard from teachers and students that there is a lot of good learning happening remotely. “The challenges are specific to classes and students — in that it’s a challenge to run a lab-based class in a virtual world,” she said. “And it’s a challenge for our students who are at Redwood High School to handle fully remote learning. It’s also a challenge for our students living in the county’s ‘internet desert’ to make it online or stay online with sketchy connectivity. We continue to address the array of needs and rely on our principals and teachers to raise issues.” Jack has been pushing for partnerships with tutoring centers, so students can access live academic support as they need it. She said she has also been asking the district for increased mental health support for students and parents. “It’s difficult to learn if anxiety, depression, and other issues are clouding the ability to process new information and learn,” she said. Finding affordable housing options for teachers is also still top of mind for Jack, who said the issue isn’t going away despite the current focus on the pandemic. Jack has been working with Vice Mayor Shelly Masur of Redwood City, San Mateo County Superintendent Nancy Magee, Armando Sanchez, executive director of HEART and Jessica Stanfield Mullin of San Mateo County’s Home for All to work on housing solutions. “We will need more than a new apartment complex to solve this problem,” she said. “When I first took office in 2015, I did champion Landed being able to offer our teachers mortgage support, and I believe a small group did participate. And I would also like to explore the idea of a bunk-house, similar to what the Sherriff’s Office has, because we have staff and teachers who own homes out in the Central Valley, down in Hollister, and up in Sacramento, who are looking for hotel space Monday to Thursday, as opposed to permanent shelter.” On the board, she has also focused on reducing expulsions through the discipline task force. The task force has helped reduce expulsions from 33 in 2014 to 3 in 2019, she said. Her supporters include the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Magee, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, and Sequoia trustees Chris Thomsen, Allen Weiner and Alan Sarver.

Shamar Edwards Edwards has 20 years of experience as a teacher, assistant

principal, principal, principal coach and leadership consultant. During her career she has taken a particular interest in ensuring equitable practices on behalf of all students, with an emphasis on underrepresented students, and she wants to bring that experience to the board, she said. “Given the challenges of educating our youth in these times, the changing demographics, and the social unrest we witness daily, I believe that it is the right time to ensure that there is diverse representation on our school board and I believe it is the right time to have an educator’s perspective on the board to help navigate the new landscape of education,” she said. Edwards said she would advocate for the following: social emotional learning for students; resiliency coaching for staff; open forums for community stakeholders; and expanding parent outreach coordinators and counselors. She would like a district office of equity and diversity and to support the site equity teams. She also supports special education inclusion efforts. Education is a core function of society, and the pandemic shifted the way the entire society operates, she noted. “What is reassuring is that school staff are finding ways to be resilient and provide students with an education, although it is clear that the dynamic of teaching in person cannot be duplicated in a virtual setting,” she said. “Adolescents need to interact, collaborate, and engage with their peers. I don’t think there is one school district or school that got distance learning 100% right, but it is critical to examine who has access to technology including Wi-Fi and devices.” The next critical area to continue to monitor is who is attending and engaging in their classes, she said. “Far too often, it is usually students who come from lower socioeconomic groups that are tasked with an added layer of complexity so it behooves school districts to put in explicit supports to ensure no student is left behind,” she said. “Once the health professionals give schools the green light to reopen, I am a proponent of choice. … For some students, focusing on their school work, without the distractions that come with going to school is optimal. For those who are high risk or live in homes with family that have high risk medical conditions that should also be considered.” For students who may have fallen behind during distance learning, it is critical to first assess where students are before moving into the learning process, she said. “It is always the case that

students learn at different paces, but given the virtual modality that students are in, it is critical to first assess, teach, assess and intervene if the learning goals are not met,” she said. “As an educator, teachers identify power standards and narrow the focus to essential content and skills. This practice would need to exist to ensure that student’s time is maximized and there is still opportunity for skill development.” She is endorsed by Menlo Park City Council member Carlton, San Mateo Union High School District trustee Peter Hanley, Menlo-Atherton High School’s athletic director, Steven Kryger, and others.

Shawneece Stevenson Stevenson said she would like to bring “a fresh voice for families living in Ravenswood School District and Redwood City and North Fair Oaks.” Stevenson serves on the MenloAtherton Foundation for the Future board, SUHSD Academic Operation Reopening Task Force and Comprehensive Coordinated Early Intervening Services. Being a mom of three children — two of whom attend Menlo-Atherton High School — with diverse learning and health needs, coupled with her social work background, has prepared her to serve on the school board, Stevenson said. Her top priorities as a board member would be to engage parents and students from Area E; improve opportunities for students with diverse learning needs and special needs; and bring a lens of equity and consider all perspectives when making policy decisions. Stevenson said she has seen improvements in distance learning from the spring to the fall. “We are a resilient school community, however I worry about the emotional, mental and social health of our community including teachers, staff, students, and parents,” she said. “And when we do come back to in-person learning, our students and teachers would have had ‘distance learning’ for at least six to seven months. Our students’ and teachers’ emotional and mental health must be supported — there is a direct correlation with students’ academic success and access to an engaging learning environment.” She said it will take a “true village” to reopen schools given the public health guidelines. She also believes the district should consider which students most need to return to in-person first before expanding to more students. “For example, I live in (East Palo Alto) and we have the second-highest rates of COVID-19 in the county,” she said. “I am

very mindful of this and the increase of exposure in high schools. In addition, the district will need to ensure our students, teachers and staff are safe and get the health resources they need, including COVID testing, basic sanitizing resources and personal protective equipment.” The district could explore partnering with other districts, especially those that have a high teacher turnover, to tackle teacher housing issues, she said. “It’s so special for families to see their teacher at the grocery store, jogging around the neighborhood, or even attending church with them,” she said. “I think it’s important to create a positive,

open, working environment where feedback, growth, and support are provided. Teaching and working overall in all positions are hard in the district.” Stevenson has also been working across the county on the vaping epidemic that has impacted youth health, providing education and advocacy. She is endorsed by Weiner, DuBois, the San Mateo County Democratic Party, Mueller and East Palo Alto council members Larry Moody and Lisa Yarbrough-Gauthier, and others. A Email Angela Swartz at aswartz@almanacnews.com

Rich Ginn

Ginn, 49, is managing director and CFO of Costella Kirsch, a structured debt provider to early-stage technology companies. He has lived in the Sequoia district for about 22 years and formerly served on the Las Lomitas Elementary School District board for eight years, including two as board president. He currently serves as a member of the Las Lomitas district’s Bond Oversight Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in engineering from Stanford University. He has an MBA from University of California at Los Angeles. His campaign website is richginn. com. Georgia Jack

Jack, 56, has served on the Sequoia board since 2015. She has lived in the district for more than 24 years and has two decades of experience volunteering in schools, including the site council, the Woodside High School Foundation and the Redwood City Education Foundation. She works in development at Stanford University. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. Her campaign website is georgiajack2020.org. Shamar Edwards

Edwards, 42, is the former principal of TIDE Academy and describes herself as a “transformational school leader with 20 years of experience in public education.” She is principal of Sunnyvale Middle School, where she is leading traumainformed restorative justice programs, according to her candidate website. She holds a master’s degree in education administration with an emphasis in social justice from University of California at Berkeley, along with a bachelor’s degree in communication from University of Southern California. Her campaign website is shamaredwards.com. Shawneece Stevenson

Stevenson is a social worker, a parent of two children at Menlo-Atherton High School and a 22-year East Palo Alto resident. She has served on the Menlo-Atherton Foundation board and worked closely with Black Student Union clubs at MenloAtherton and Sequoia high schools. She also served on the district’s COVID-19 reopening task force. She has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Wright State University and a master’s in social work from University of Cincinnati. Her campaign website is shawneece.com. October 9, 2020 Q AlmanacNews.com Q The Almanac Q 19

N E W S

Isabel Renée Mathews

Menlo Park’s District 3 candidates propose unconventional fixes for city’s woes

Resident of Menlo Park, California Dec. 5, 1998 – Sep. 14, 2020 Our beloved Isabel was unexpectedly released from this life on September 14, 2020. Born in Palo Alto, CA, she graduated in 2017 with a high school diploma from Lydian Academy in Menlo Park, CA. She attended Chico State University where she studied Recreation, Hospitality and Parks Management. Isabel is survived by her parents, Kurk and Cathy and her sister, Sabrina. She also leaves behind her maternal grandmother, Linda Beccio (Gil Ward) of Marana, AZ, her paternal grandfather, Jim Mathews of Menlo Park, CA, her maternal step-grandmother, Mary Ann Beccio of San Mateo, CA, her uncle, Bill Beccio of Hawthorne, CA, her aunt, Sue Beccio (Alessandra Giacomelli) of Rome, Italy, her uncle, Christian Mathews (Inna) of Campbell, CA, three cousins scattered around Europe, and the many loving friends, teachers, mentors and others who loved and cared for her. Isabel has been laid to rest next to her paternal grandmother, Janice Mathews, at Gate of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Los Altos, CA. Her family welcomes your fond memories and prayers of peace for us all. Donations can be made to LYRIC Center for LGBTQQ Youth in San Francisco, 6th Street Center for Youth in Chico, or by planting trees in her name with the National Forest Foundation. Additional information can be found at cusimanocolonial. com. PAID

OBITUARY

Public Notices 995 Fictitious Name Statement LA ESTRELLITA MARKET RWC FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 285130 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: La Estrellita Market RWC, located at 2211 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA 94063, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): CIELO STAR, INC. 2211 Middlefield Road Redwood City, CA 94063 This business is conducted by: A Corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on Nov. 13, 2014. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on September 4, 2020. (ALM Sep. 18, 25; Oct. 2, 9, 2020) LA ESTRELLITA MARKET EPA FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 285131 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: La Estrellita Market EPA, located at 2381 University Ave., East Palo Alto, CA 94303, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): FIRE STAR, INC. 2381 University Ave. East Palo Alto, CA 94303 This business is conducted by: A Corporation. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on Nov. 13, 2014. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on September 4, 2020. (ALM Sep. 18, 25; Oct. 2, 9, 2020)

BREAKING GROUND THERAPY FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 285223 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Breaking Ground Therapy, located at 732 Montezuma Dr., Pacifica, CA 94044, San Mateo County. Registered owner(s): REBECCA GOOD, PsyD. 732 Montezuma Dr. Pacifica, CA 94044 This business is conducted by: An Individual. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on September 25, 2020. (ALM Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2020) FitCuts FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 285340 The following person(s) is (are) doing business as: FitCuts, located at 1181 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, CA 94025, San Mateo County; Mailing address: 200 Leland Ave., Menlo Park, CA 94025. Registered owner(s): KCH LLC. 200 Leland Ave. Menlo Park, CA 94025 California This business is conducted by: A Limited Liability Company. The registrant commenced to transact business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of San Mateo County on October 6, 2020. (ALM Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2020)

Call Alicia Santillan at 650-223-6578 or email asantillan@paweekly.com for assistance with your legal advertising needs.

20 Q The Almanac Q AlmanacNews.com Q October 9, 2020

By Kate Bradshaw Almanac Staff Writer

n two virtual candidate forums held over the past week, Menlo Park’s three District 3 candidates were invited to hash out their positions on key policy issues impacting residents. The three candidates seeking the City Council seat are Chelsea Nguyen, a U.S. Air Force veteran and project manager at Cisco; Max Fennell, a professional triathlete and coffee entrepreneur; and Jen Wolosin, founder of Parents for Safe Routes. The district includes a section of Menlo Park bounded between Palo Alto and Atherton, stretching southwest to Crane Street and northeast to the VA property off of Willow Road. It includes the Civic Center, the Caltrain station and the neighborhoods of Vintage Oaks, Linfield Oaks and Felton Gables, among other areas. During a candidate forum hosted Sept. 30 by the League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County, the candidates spoke about their policy ideas and priorities should they win. At a second forum scheduled Saturday, Oct. 3, Fennell and Nguyen announced that they would not participate, alleging that the advocacy organization hosting the forum, Menlo Together, was too politically aligned with Wolosin, a former member of the group who quit near the end of June. Menlo Together invited a representative from The Almanac to moderate the debate, but the editor was unavailable. Candidates aligned in broad strokes on a number of topics, but had different perspectives on how to bring about the changes they said are needed in Menlo Park. Go to is.gd/d3voterguide2020 MENLO COUNCIL continued from page 11

according to a staff report. The council also gave support to a proposed partial closure of Ryans Lane, which runs parallel to Santa Cruz Avenue between Crane Street and Chestnut Street. The idea came from owners at Carpaccio’s and Ann’s Cafe who wanted to use the space between their restaurants to expand outdoor dining. So long as the city signs off on a permit and the businesses meet the city’s requirements, the council supported that idea. Other updates

The council also decided not to

to read The Almanac’s profiles of each candidate. While the other candidates generally expressed positions that The Almanac has previously reported on, in the forums, Wolosin came forward with two unconventional policy positions. She said that the city should explore zoning changes to permit duplexes and triplexes in single-family zoned areas, and that it should set a maximum speed limit of 25 miles per hour citywide. Housing

Several questions posed in the League of Women Voters forum focused on the topic of affordable housing — how can the city get more of it built, and where? Nguyen and Wolosin said they both favor increasing the percentage of below-market-rate housing developers are required to build or pay for to greater than 15%. Fennell said he favors stepping back even further and starting out by defining affordable housing, looking at what renter households like his can actually afford. “Where is the solution going to come from if you’re not directly affected by this?” he asked. “That’s why we need to elect someone who understands what we’re going through.” As for where to build, Wolosin said the city should look in all areas of Menlo Park for places to develop more housing — including large sites like the USGS campus, which is soon to be vacated, as well as the area near the Safeway shopping center in Sharon Heights. In addition to large sites, she said, the city should look at allowing duplexes and triplexes in single-family areas. State law already make any endorsements on state propositions. Combs called the practice a “slippery slope.” Several months after Councilwoman Betsy Nash and Mayor Cecilia Taylor proposed a long list of initiatives for the City Council to take up to promote equity in the city, they have pared back the list. The two council members were appointed to a subcommittee to work on adopting the list of community amenities that developers must provide in exchange for certain development permissions from the city, and to create a comprehensive and updated inventory of existing, proposed and potential development citywide. In the future, they’re interested in reviewing how land use is

permits up to three housing units on a single-family lot, counting a main house, a detached accessory dwelling unit and a garage or attic conversion, she noted. “No neighborhood should undergo radical change and no neighborhood should be exempt from change,” she said, noting the idea came from Strong Towns, a national urban development nonprofit. Fennell said he favors working first to figure out how to get existing vacant and designated “luxury” apartments occupied by talking to developers and property managers. The middle class is shrinking, Nguyen said, because the city doesn’t have cheap housing for them; housing development skews toward luxury development instead, she said. Speeding

The Menlo Together forum, in which only Wolosin participated, posed the following three-part question: Would you support setting speed limits to a maximum of 25 mph citywide? Would you support setting design standards to gradually redesign streets to support 25 mph speeds? And would you support the city joining other cities in advocating for changes to the state’s 85th percentile law, which sets speed limits based on the speed at which 85% of drivers travel? To all three questions, Wolosin responded with a yes. “Right now, the injury rate and fatality rate of people who are hit by a car walking or biking is exponentially higher when speeds are higher,” she said. “Someone who comes into See DISTRICT 3, page 22

counted and reviewing the impacts of development near the city’s Bayfront. A Email Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@almanacnews.com OB I TUA R I E S

Local residents who died recently include Joseph Merkert, 84, a Menlo Park resident since 1971 who died on Sept. 2, and Edna Lillian Parker, 86, a Menlo Park resident who died on Sept. 25. To read their full obituaries, leave remembrances and post photos, go to Lasting Memories at almanacnews. com/obituaries.

The Rotary Club of Menlo Park foundation

enthusiastically thanks all the riders, sponsors and donors who participated in the 2020 Do It Yourself Ride Cal Water Services Charles Schwab D.R. Johnson & Company Duo Homes Facebook First Republic Bank Geraldi Law Ofﬁce Investor’s Capital Mgnt JSM&F Law Ofﬁces KCM Investment Advisors Menlo Management Ovation Real Estate Palo Alto Medical Foundation SABA SBM Fitness Signature Development Co. State Farm Insurance, Emily Chapman agent Team Tarlton The Toguchi Gorup Wealth Architects Western Allied Mechanical WestValley Construstion Adam Paczuski Adam Tachner Adrian Morrison Alan Hodes Allan Cose Amy Boggs Andrew Treptow Angela Schmiede Annemarie Lekkerkereker Anuj Saigal April Watson Art Pope Avni Sisodiya Barbara Christian Barry Goldblatt Bill Meyer

Bill Wohler Blaine Mauldin Bob Andrews Bob McCowan Brad Hoo Brad James Brad Johanson Carmel Higgins Carol Koenig Carol WarshawCarolyn Fairman Cassidy Morgan Catherine Phillips Catherine Quigg Charles Gerrish Charles Lindauer Charles Schmuck Chris Golden Christine Thorburn Dale Ruokangas Dana Tom Daniel Steinberg Danielle Aubele Dariusz Paczuski Dave Johnson David and Karyn White David McQuilkin David Mitchell David Sykora Debra Rojas Doug Adams Douglas Yung Dudley Andersen

Eddie Gee Eileen Wall Elizabeth Sippl Elizabeth Toguchi Ellen Haller Emily Chapman Emily Johanson Emmett Seeger Eric Barnikel Eric Hartwig Erik Bakke Eugene Whitlock Felix Morgan Francis & Robert Dehn Francisco Majia Geraldi Law Ofﬁces Glen Rojas Greg McMillan

Gregory Boyd Gregory Smith Hans Bernhardt Harold Davis Henry Seeger Hubert Pun Jack Aby James Clendenin Jan Jindra Janet Renner Jayna Chua Jeffrey Pierce Jim Sussenguth Jim Wall Joan Martel Joanne Engel Joe Hogan Joel Onodera

John Boggs John Flegel John Reiter Jon Hagstrum Joshua Magee Joyslyn Bishop Julie Schatz Justin Vayda Karen Frling/Duo Homes Kate Paddock KatheGobboney Kathryn Johnson Kathy Picard Kerry Kravitz Kirsten Keith Kyle Leimkuhler Lawrence Lutz Leland Levy

Leslie Givens Lily HurlimannLinda Hibbs Linnet Kwok Lisa Cesario Lisa Safreno Marggi de Lusignan Mark Heim Mark Pichel Martin Kessler Mary Ann Somerville Mary Helen Armstrong Mary Lu Lehman Matt Hall Matthew Morse Matthew Smart Maya Hagstrum Maya Sewald Megan Heredia Michael Herzen Michael Sanie Michelle Tsui Nelson Wong Oliver Morgan Patricia Mcguigan Paul Ries Paul Treptow Peter Nelson Piero Fagnini Rafael de la Vega Rafael Luevano Ralph Adams Randi Bethel Ray Moon

Ricardo Almeida Rich Ginn Richard Levy Rick Rasmussen Rick Schwartz RJ Toguchi Robert Holyoake Robert Morse Robert Vincent Roger de Lusignan Roger Toguchi Ruslan Kiyanchuk Sandra McNamara Sanjeev Sisodiya Sankar Bose Sayan Sisodiya Scot Morrison Scott Lohmann Sheldon Kay Sheri Luevano Stacey Kayden Stephanie Carlson Stephanie Seeger Stephen Ames Stephen Kerr Stephen Walker Steven Muramoto Suki Toguchi Ted Huang The Benevity Community Inpact Fund Tim Leary Timothy Watson Tom Gibboney Veronica Montero Warren Long Wil Paterson Yuhui Chen Yusra Hussain

CELEBRITY RIDER CHRISTINE THORBURN

October 9, 2020 Q AlmanacNews.com Q The Almanac Q 21

N E W S

RESOLUTION NO. 2227 - (2020) RESOLUTION OF INTENTION TO ANNEX CERTAIN TERRITORY TO THE WEST BAY SANITARY DISTRICT ON-SITE WASTEWATER DISPOSAL ZONE Lands of Yan District Board of West Bay Sanitary District finds and determines as follows: A. This Resolution of Intention is adopted pursuant to the District’s “Zone Master Annexation Resolution” (“ZOMAR”), which was adopted by the District Board August 12, 1996. The provisions of ZOMAR are incorporated by reference into this Resolution of Intention. B. The District has received an application to annex a parcel of real property (the “Parcel”) to the District’s On-Site Wastewater Disposal Zone (the “Zone”). The Parcel is described in Exhibit “A” attached to this Resolution of Intention and the description contained in the Exhibits are incorporated by reference. The name and address of the applicants and the number, type, volume and location of on-site wastewater disposal systems which are proposed to operate on the parcels to be annexed are described in Exhibit “B” attached to this Resolution of Intention and the information contained in the Exhibit are incorporated by reference. C. The applicants have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the District Board that the Parcel constitutes “real property” for the purposes of Section 2(b) of ZOMAR in that: X All of the conditions described in Subsections i., ii., iii., iv. and v. of ZOMAR Section 2(b) are satisfied; or Other conditions exist which demonstrate that the Parcel will benefit directly or indirectly from the activities of the Zone. If applicable, those conditions are also set forth in Exhibit “B” and are incorporated by reference. D. All of the conditions and requirements of ZOMAR Sections 2(a), 2(c), 2(d) and 2(e) have been fully satisfied. In consideration of the foregoing findings and determinations, IT IS RESOLVED by the District Board as follows: 1. It is the intention of the District Board to annex the Parcel to the Zone pursuant to the provisions of ZOMAR and applicable provisions of law. 2. In conjunction with a meeting of the District Board to be duly and regularly called and conducted, the Board will conduct a Public Hearing for the purpose of considering all matters pertaining to this Resolution of Intention. The time, date and place of the Public Hearing are: Date: October 28, 2020 Time: 7:00 PM Place: West Bay Sanitary District Offices, 500 Laurel Street, Menlo Park, CA 94025 At the Public Hearing, all interested persons will be heard. 3. This Resolution of Intention shall be published and copies shall be delivered to the persons and entities as specified in ZOMAR Section 2(e)(i.). 4. A true copy of this Resolution of Intention shall promptly be filed for record in the office of the County Recorder of the County of San Mateo. 5. The District Manager shall cause the matters set forth in Sections 3 and 4 of this Resolution of Intention to be completed as directed. Exhibit A

Exhibit B

CRIME BRIEFS continued from page 6

was also there, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said Harris became jealous at the party and began to argue with Mose, then went to retrieve a handgun and returned, loudly telling the victim to come outside with him. He then allegedly fatally shot her once in the chest and once in the back. Harris fled to his home in Stockton but the next day turned himself in to Stockton police and handed over the alleged murder weapon. He entered his not guilty plea Oct. 2 in San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City and is set to return to court on Jan. 14 for his preliminary hearing. Harris remains in custody on $10 million bail and his defense attorney was not immediately available to comment on the case. —Bay City News Service

Stolen safe A safe was stolen from a closet after someone broke into a vacant home on Belbrook Way in Atherton sometime between 5 p.m. Oct. 1 and 3 p.m. on Oct. 2, Atherton police said. The burglar broke a glass door to the backyard in order to enter the house, and stole a small safe from the master bedroom closet, police said in a statement released Oct. 2. The safe was sitting on a closet shelf and wasn’t bolted down. No other items were reported stolen, and police said they had no suspect information. —Andrea Gemmet

DISTRICT 3 continued from page 20

contact with a vehicle traveling 40 mph or higher has a much greater likelihood of being seriously injured or killed than somebody hit by a car traveling at 30 or 20 mph.” She added that under state law, there is a rule that says that cities can’t enforce speed limits more than 5 miles per hour slower than how fast cars generally travel on the roads. “I do not agree with this at all,” she said. “It incentivizes the wrong driving behavior.” Despite the law, she said, she favors setting up signs saying the city’s speed limit is 25 miles per hour even though it’s not enforceable, to promote safe driving. She also said she favored road designs that make the road look less open to further slow drivers. Go to is.gd/lwvmpforum2020 to watch the League of Women Voters forum and go to is.gd/ m2gforum2020 to watch the Menlo Together forum. A

22 Q The Almanac Q AlmanacNews.com Q October 9, 2020

Email Kate Bradshaw at kbradshaw@almanacnews.com

Viewpoint IDEAS, THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS

ABOUT LOCAL ISSUES

Elizabeth Lewis and Cary Wiest for Atherton City Council E DI TO R I AL The opinion of The Almanac

therton doesn’t always have a contested City Council election, but when it does, you can expect things to get lively. This year’s race, between incumbents Elizabeth Lewis and Cary Wiest and challengers Christine David and Diana HawkinsManuelian, is no different. In neighboring cities, the most contentious issues are the housing crisis, the pandemic and police reform. In Atherton, the pivotal issue of the Nov. 3

L E TT E R S Our readers write

Together we are stronger “You are a light. You are the light. Never let anyone — any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light.” The words of civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis, whom we lost this year, in his 2017 memoir, Across That Bridge, speak to encourage the strength in spirit of every child, woman and man, of every race, religion, and sexual orientation, to know they are meant to shine and share their collective voice in this great American experiment of our democracy. It is through our diversity, our shared voices, our shared wisdom — together we are stronger. And yet recently, here in Menlo Park, in our District 3 City Council election, we are reminded how diversity and inclusion can come under attack when it comes time to measure our values by the metric of how our community conducts itself during the quintessential exercise underlying our local government decision-making, our elections. We must come together, united, to denounce the inexcusable harassment and abuse in the form of emails sent to a candidate and person of color in this race, Chelsea Nguyen (“Menlo Park council candidate receives profane messages,” Oct. 2). While the emails did not expressly state as such, we cannot ignore the implicit: that the only candidate to receive such emails in this election is a

election is the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. The well-regarded fire district, which also serves Menlo Park, East Palo Alto and nearby unincorporated areas, is funded by a fixed percentage of property taxes. Property owners in Atherton contribute more than their less-expensively housed neighbors, a reality that has been roiling town politics for the past few years. The debate over whether Atherton should “detach” from the fire district and contract out for emergency services is still alive and playing out in this City Council race. As The Almanac opined on this page in March: “The notion

that Atherton taxpayers, who own some of the highest-valued property in the entire country, are somehow being abused by having to bear a higher proportion of the cost for emergency services in the wider community is absurd. And sad. It rejects the widely held principles of a just society, and the values that underpin the belief in a common good that ensures that all citizens — rich or poor, and everyone in between — are entitled to equal access to education, medical care and emergency services.” Atherton would be best served by detaching from the expensive studies and pointlessly

woman of Asian descent, during a time period of heightened xenophobia toward citizens with Asian ancestry in our country. We must come together united, to call out the coward or cowards who wrote the emails, and proclaim “there is no place for your hatred and vitriol here.” We must come together, united, to say to Ms. Nguyen and those who have witnessed this behavior in this election in our voice and in our actions, “you are a light, you are the light. Never let any person or any force — dampen, dim or diminish your light.” Ray Mueller Menlo Park City Council member

beginning in fiscal year 20252026 (or at a later date that the Legislature decides on). This measure was carefully written to address the unfair tax advantage large commercial and industrial corporations have because of the 1978 Prop 13 property tax changes. Companies like Disney get away with paying very little tax compared to residential owners because their property doesn’t change hands and therefore doesn’t get reassessed. They’re still paying almost the same amount of property taxes as they did in 1978. Our schools used to be funded from property taxes and took a direct hit when Prop 13 was passed. You can see the results in how far California schools have fallen in rank since then, from the best in the nation to among the worst, with some of the lowest per capita spending on students in the U.S. This measure will bring much needed funds to our local communities and schools and not at the expense of residential owners, apartment dwellers or small businesses. Please vote yes on Prop 15. Sheri Sprung Morrison Mountain View

Yes on Prop 15 California’s Proposition 15, the California Schools and Local Communities Act of 2020, will not hurt small businesses or residential properties. Prop 15 specifically exempts from property taxation changes: Q Residential properties Q Agricultural land Q Small businesses. The Prop 15 definition of small businesses: those that are independently owned and operated, own California property, and have 50 or fewer employees. It exempts a small business’ tangible personal property from taxes and $500,000 in value for a non small business’ tangible personal property. Q Owners of commercial and industrial properties with $3 million or less of California holdings Properties, such as retail centers, whose occupants are 50% or more small businesses would be taxed based on market value

Slowing down will save us time In response to Dan Jacobson’s op-ed “Five solutions to California’s climate crisis Gov. Newsom should implement right now,” (Sept. 25) I found three articles from Population Connection Magazine (June 2020) entitled “Destruction of See LETTERS, page 24

contentious process of examining its contributions to Menlo Park Fire and instead, work proactively with the district to make the town safer in fires and other emergencies. That makes it easy to recommend reelecting Lewis, a knowledgeable, productive and reasonable member of the council throughout her four terms. Lewis consistently has spoken out against the process that has soured the town’s relationship with the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. We think she’s the right person to mend fences with the fire district and provide leadership on other key issues facing the town, including deciding the future of the historic Caltrain station, managing town finances and representing residents

on regional housing and traffic concerns. Recommending incumbent Wiest is a harder choice in light of his history on the fire district issue. He was a key member of the narrow majority that voted for the consultants to parse the town’s fiscal contributions to the fire district. And the prospect of getting some new blood on the City Council is tempting. However, Wiest’s full-throatedsupport of keeping Atherton in the fire district, and his history as a productive and dedicated member of the council in his previous two terms, tipped the balance in his favor over the more inexperienced challengers. We believe we can take Wiest at his word, and recommend voters reelect him. A

It’s your responsibility to vote GUEST OPINION By Ronald and Dorothy Schafer

f you believe in true representative government, the rule of law, and protection of individual rights, you will agree with us that the upcoming election is our last best chance of protecting and preserving our democracy. Facing the daunting challenges of renewing public health, mitigating climate change, rebuilding an equitable economy and ensuring justice for all will require intelligent, practical and compassionate leaders at all levels of government. As citizens of the United States, it is both our privilege and our responsibility to elect such leaders on Nov. 3. Here in California, every registered voter should soon receive a ballot by mail. At voterstatus. sos.ca.gov, you can check to see if your registration is up to date. This is particularly important if you are a student, have changed your address, have changed your name or have not voted recently. In 30 seconds you can verify your registration status. If you are not registered, and are a citizen of the United States and 18 years old before Nov. 3, you can register to vote at registertovote.ca.gov. An excellent recent posting on The Almanac’s website, at tinyurl. com/ca-voting-2020, answers most questions about registering and voting in California. Beside voting, there are many

things we can do to ensure that this election will put the nation on the road to recovery without risking our own health. We can send letters, emails and postcards to the people we know, encouraging them to participate in this most important election. At postcardstovoters.org we can join an effort to encourage others to verify their registration and vote on Nov. 3. And of course, we can donate money to the candidates that will represent our values at all levels of government. Remember that senators and representatives from all states make decisions that affect all U.S. citizens and the world at large. “The common good” is a term that we don’t hear much anymore, but we have a unique opportunity to reject the politics of division by electing candidates up and down the ballot who will unite us to solve the problems we’re facing. On issues such as the pandemic and climate change, we truly are all in it together, so how could we opt for less than the common good? If your favorite candidate did not make the cut and you are not excited by either of the final candidates, you still can’t afford to sit this one out and let others decide. Somewhat ironically, we find that Thomas Jefferson said it very well, “We do not have government by the majority, we have government by the majority who participate.” A Ronald and Dorothy Schafer live in Mountain View

October 9, 2020 Q AlmanacNews.com Q The Almanac Q 23

V I E W P O I N T LETTERS continued from page 23

Habitat and Loss of Biodiversity Are Creating the Perfect Conditions for Diseases Like Covid-19 to Emerge,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Think Exotic Animals Are to Blame for the Coronavirus? Think Again.â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;What 11 Billion People Mean for Disease Outbreaksâ&#x20AC;? very interesting reading. It gave me a new way to view global warming and climate change, how it affects the world and what we can do about it, as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure it has for many others. What is the solution? Strive for a balanced world population. Conserve energy by insulating our homes and use the thermal mass to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advantage. Keep trees thinned and pulled down so they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t block out the sun to the neighbors, especially on the shortest days of the year. Get back to the simple, primitive basics of saving energy via a passive solar system. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be dependent on high tech to have a healthy planet and healthy people living on it. We could also be growing more of our own food. Slowing down now will save us time, energy and headaches in the future. Jackie Leonard-Dimmick Walnut Avenue, Atherton

Forest mismanagement As a longtime, passionate environmentalist I read the Dan Jacobson/Cal Matters guest opinion with dismay. Suggesting that our dirty air this summer is a result of California not having 100% clean electricity is misleading and ignores the obvious: Mismanagement of our forests is the primary cause of the devastating forest fires this summer. Our policies that have prevented clearing and cleaning of our forests have had consequential effects that we all are suffering from. It is estimated that one single day of our forests burning generates harmful air emissions equal to one year worth of auto particulate emissions. Let me repeat that: One day of fires equals one year of gas auto emissions. Let that sink in and letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hold our elected officials responsible. Manage our forests better! Jody Gessow Albion Avenue, Woodside TOW N S QUA R E Post your news and views on TownSquare at: www.AlmanacNews.com

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24 Q The Almanac Q AlmanacNews.com Q October 9, 2020

Artscene

P E O P L E A N D P E R F O R M A N C E S I N A R T S A N D E N T E R TA I N M E N T

TRAVEL AGENCY The 23rd United Nations Association Film Fest takes you around the world, via the internet

By Peter Canavese

ven in a global pandemic, the nonprofit United Nations Association Film Festival endures, presenting entirely online this year (its 23rd) a program of 60 documentaries over 11 days, beginning Oct. 15. UNAFF Founder and Executive Director Jasmina Bojic continues to think globally and act locally with this year’s array of offerings, including several films with a local connection as well as opportunities for discussion and networking via Zoom panels, salons, and outreach to schools and libraries, kids, seniors and veterans. In a useful change, films will be available to screen any time during the day on which they’re scheduled. Organizers hope that flexibility will also encourage festival goers to digitally mosey over to the fest’s daily 6 p.m. Zoom sessions, where filmmakers and their subjects, as well as other special guests, will mingle among audience members for a combination of the day’s highlights, Q&A and informal chit chat. Of course, the real draw of the festival remains the films themselves. UNAFF 2020 — with its theme “The Power of Empathy” — covers ground ranging from A to V, Afghanistan to Venezuela. For a subject that’s close to home, virtual attendees can begin with any of three films that profile area teachers. For the STEM-energized girl in your life (and indeed anyone interested in cutting-edge mathematics), there’s the hourlong “Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani.” This deep-dive profile of and tribute to Stanford University professor Mirzakhani features an impressive array of interviewees singing Mirzakhani’s praises as promising student, valued friend, loving wife and mother, energetic teacher, and genius-level, “superstar” mathematician, whose honors include being named the first female Fields Medalist in 2014. Animated segments help to bring the mathematical concepts to life in what’s just as much the story of coming of age in Iran as it is a major American immigrant success story. The oft-told story of Cubberley

High School’s infamous “Third Wave” lesson gets a fresh retelling from A+E’s German arm in the hourlong “The Invisible Line: America’s Nazi Experiment.” Former Cubberley history teacher Ron Jones and several of the students from his 1967 sophomore World History class sit for new interviews recounting the weeklong experiment Jones developed on the fly to answer an American student’s nevermore-relevant question: How did the German citizenry just allow fascism to claim their country? Jones’ experiment proved all too effective, instructing students and teacher alike about the corrupting appeal of power and all-too-easy submission to selfpreservatory instincts. Menlo Park residents may recognize the beloved yoga teacher of “Lolly Font, Yoga Rebel.” This 14-minute short from director Liz Cane finds the cheery and spry octogenarian recounting how she discovered yoga at Big Sur’s Esalen Institute and how she subsequently became “married to yoga” for life. To supplement the interview with Font, Cane talks with the teacher’s starry-eyed pupils and takes us inside Font’s yoga studio to audit her class. With her four-minute, 16mm black-and-white tone poem “Susana,” produced in Stanford’s documentary film M.F.A. program, Laura Gamse artfully examines the impact of ICE on the immigrant community as well as the determination of one woman to protect the vulnerable. Former slaughterhouse worker Susana returns to her erstwhile workplace — the American job site most frequently targeted by ICE — as she follows her heart (and sets an example for her teenage daughter) by protesting animal abuse and slaughter. UNAFF 2020 also features Palo Alto medical professionals in “Why Doctors Write: Finding Humanity in Medicine,” a half-hour short examining the push to use writing as a tool of support and communication in clinical care. The fest’s most high-profile selection this year takes its message of empathy on a time-travel trip to the 1960s. Judith Ehrlich’s “The Boys Who Said NO!” — presented in collaboration with

Courtesy UNAFF

Above: “Susana” is a short film featured in this year’s United Nations Association Film Fest, about a former slaughterhouse worker who risks it all to fight animal abuse. Top: “Secrets of the Surface: The Mathematical Vision of Maryam Mirzakhani” profiles the late Stanford University professor.

the Mill Valley Film Festival — concerns anti-Vietnam War activism, serving as a brief history of the government’s war strategies overseas and at home but more so as a humanizing account of conscientious objectors and the various forms resistance took: passive-resistance protest (including burning draft cards) as well as more aggressive activism (The Weather Underground, destroying government files). Prominently featured are Woodside resident and folk-music icon Joan Baez, whose presence on the scene kept spirits high by words and music, and her then-husband David

Harris, who served a federal prison stretch for draft resistance that largely kept him apart from Baez and their newborn child. Baez will be honored with this year’s UNAFF Visionary Award, “recognizing her lifelong unwavering commitment to human rights, and her leadership, creativity, persistence, and vision, which inspired several generations to promote peace and a better future for all,” according to the festival’s press release. She will receive the award and participate in the final panel discussion on the festival’s closing day, Oct. 25.

A nonprofit film festival always makes for a challenging proposition, in a good way for filmgoers and a laborious way for dedicated organizers — never more so than during our current moment of multiple national crises. UNAFF is a Peninsula institution: Use it or lose it. Losing it will leave us sitting in the dark, with only the memory of the projectors that used to help us see the light. For ticket, schedule and access information, go to unaff.org. A Freelance writer Peter Canavese can be emailed at pcanavese@bcp.org

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Food&Drink What’s new in local dining Farmhouse Kitchen opens opulent Thai restaurant in Menlo Park; Zareen’s new Redwood City outpost By Elena Kadvany

he coronavirus pandemic’s devastating effect on the local dining scene hasn’t scared off two local restaurant owners. While many eateries are struggling to stave off permanent closure, Kasem Saengsawang and Zareen Khan have both expanded their small Bay Area chains, opening new outposts of Farmhouse Kitchen in Menlo Park and Zareen’s in Redwood City.

Farmhouse Kitchen San Francisco Thai restaurant Farmhouse Kitchen has opened a glitzy new location in Menlo Park, offering limited indoor and outdoor dining, takeout and delivery. Farmhouse Kitchen has revamped the 4,000-square-foot space at 1165 Merrill St., across

from the Caltrain station, decking it out with opulent decorations (including handmade gold Thai chandeliers and flower wall), a private dining room, a lounge area with velvet chairs and a gleaming full bar. The restaurant opened barely a week after San Mateo County announced that indoor dining could resume at 25% capacity or with 100 people, whichever is fewer. But the “new normal guidelines” for dining in at Farmhouse Kitchen include a health screening, temperature check, masks required when diners aren’t eating or drinking and parties of no more than six people with reservations capped at 90 minutes. The restaurant also charges a $3 “COVID-19 sanitation fee” per table. Kasem Saengsawang, a native of Thailand, opened his first Farmhouse Kitchen in San Francisco in 2015. The restaurant

Courtesy Farmhouse Kitchen

Farmhouse Kitchen recently opened a large new restaurant by Menlo Park’s Caltrain station, serving dishes like sesame-crusted ahi tuna with seaweed salad.

was inspired by the food he ate and cooked growing up in Loei, a rural province in northeast Thailand, but he spent much of his adult years in Bangkok. Saengsawang now runs five restaurants, including one in Portland, Oregon. He recently moved to Menlo Park so he plans to be a frequent presence at this location. Saengsawang describes his cooking style as “contemporary.” The Farmhouse Kitchen Menlo Park menu spans Northern and Southern Thailand, including dishes like pineapple fried rice, lobster pad thai, 24-hour beef noodle soup and slow-braised short rib served with panang curry, a dish the menu says is “reminiscent” of the large childhood meals Saengsawang would cook in Thailand for his family. Desserts include mango sticky rice, Thai tea crepe cake and the very Instagrammable “Thai vacation,” a halved coconut filled with sticky rice, coconut ice cream, coconut cream, peanuts and sesame, garnished with a brightly colored drink umbrella. The Menlo Park restaurant also serves cocktails, beer and wine. Farmhouse Kitchen is open Monday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.

Zareen’s Zareen’s, one of the Peninsula’s most popular Pakistani-Indian restaurants, has opened a new

Natalia Nazarova

Zareen’s recently opened a new location in Redwood City, serving Pakistani-Indian dishes like grilled chicken boti.

location at 2039 Broadway St. in downtown Redwood City. This is owner Zareen Khan’s third restaurant, joining the original location in Mountain View and a second outpost in Palo Alto. The Redwood City Zareen’s is open only in the evenings for takeout and delivery for now but will ramp up to full hours and both indoor and outdoor dining starting on Friday, Oct. 16. The menu is the same as the other Zareen’s locations, with samosas, chicken tikka masala, garlic naan made to order in a clay oven, paratha wraps and other Pakistani and Indian fare. Khan said she may add more tandoori dishes later in the year. During the coronavirus shutdown, Zareen’s also started selling frozen foods, including naan, samosas, biryani and chicken shami (patties made from slow-cooked chicken and lentils plus egg and herbs). Khan said she was nervous to open a new restaurant in a new city during a pandemic but received an “outpouring of support” in the first few days of soft opening. “I am grateful and humbled at

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the way Redwood City residents have welcomed me to their community,” she said. “I think we will be fine here.” She said her restaurants were noticeably busy after Zareen’s was named to the San Francisco Chronicle’s annual Best 87 Restaurants list (previously known as the “Top 100” list) last month, one of only a handful of Peninsula eateries to earn the distinction. Khan, a restaurant owner with a penchant for social justice and activism, is celebrating the restaurant opening by making a $12,000 charitable donation. She’s asking customers to rank their three favorite charities out of seven organizations the restaurant regularly supports, including Doctors Without Borders, the ACLU and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The three charities that receive the most votes will each receive a $4,000 donation. Khan will announce them on Oct. 16. More information can be found at zareensrestaurant.com by clicking on the Redwood City link. A

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