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East Palo Alto, Page Mill set to negotiate Page 3
BANKING ON A TURNAROUND
LENDERS TO BECOME OWNERS OF MERC, DAILY NEWS Page 14
Spectrum 12
Movies 24
Puzzles 45
N Arts Young, but wise, bluegrass musicians
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N Sports Hoop team hopes mission is possible
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N Home Shedding light on the outdoors
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Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
East Palo Alto prepares for Page Mill lawsuit negotiations City and court-appointed receiver set to begin settlement talks next week by Gennady Sheyner ast Palo Alto officials and the city’s biggest landlord will begin negotiations next week in hopes of settling more than a dozen lawsuits between the two parties. Most of the lawsuits between East Palo Alto and Page Mill Properties were initiated by Page Mill and challenge the city’s rent-
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control ordinance. The Palo Altobased company lost control of its East Palo Alto properties last fall after it missed a $50 million payment to Wells Fargo. The San Mateo County Superior Court appointed a receiver, Wald Realty Advisers, to oversee the more than 1,700 units. The East Palo Alto City Council
has recently received an offer to settle the suits from Wald Realty and has already met in several closeddoor sessions to discuss the offer. The council has also appointed a two-member subcommittee to convey the council’s position to Wald Realty, said Councilman Ruben Abrica, a member of the subcommittee. “The city has always been willing to sit down and try to mediate some of the issues with Page Mill, but Page Mill was always on a warpath, always attacking,� said Abri-
ca — himself a Page Mill tenant. “Now, the city is willing, in good faith, to talk to the court-appointed receiver about anything that can be mediated and that can avoid further financial cost to the city.� Abrica said the subcommittee — which also includes Mayor David Woods — would have its first meeting with Wald Realty officials next week, at which time the parties will discuss the pending litigation and Page Mill’s outstanding fees. The company had failed to pay close to $360,000 in registration fees and
now owes the city more than $1 million — the bulk of it in penalties. He said the city would not negotiate away any of its current laws or consider waiving the fees owed by Page Mill. The penalty, however, could be up for discussion when the two sides meet next week. The city also has the option of placing a lien on Page Mill’s properties, he said. David Wald, president of Wald (continued on page 9)
TRANSPORTATION
New high-speedrail business plan draws criticism Lawmakers concerned about revenue projections, ridership estimates by Gennady Sheyner
C
Don Feria
A hooded passerby strolls across University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto during one of the week’s first storms on Monday.
COMMUNITY
Powerful storms sweep through Palo Alto No serious damage reported despite heavy downpour, tornado warning by Palo Alto Weekly staff
A
series of tumultuous storms punctuated by heavy rainfall and high winds rolled into Palo Alto Saturday night and is expected to continue next week, with a brief respite over the weekend.
The peak of this week’s storms hit Wednesday afternoon with steady downpour, lightning, thunder and occasional cloudbursts. Creek flows surged and city officials and residents were on high alert for flooding. The National
Weather Service even issued a rare tornado warning Wednesday, which was in effect until 2:30 p.m. Palo Alto has so far escaped serious damage from the storms. There were reports of flooding in the Embarcadero Road area near Palo Alto High School at around noon Wednesday, and of power outages. The storms felled a pair of Palo Alto trees, slowed local traffic and disrupted power to more than 1,000 city residents. But most residents and drivers adjusted to the weather quickly, Communication Manager Linda Clerkson said. “Motorists should drive with caution, slow down, drive with
lights on and windshield wipers going,� Clerkson said, noting that most have been driving slowly and safely. Roughly 1,200 neighborhood customers lost power in the St. Francis neighborhood, though 900 had it restored by 10 a.m. Wednesday, Clerkson reported. The outage also shut off a traffic signal at East Bayshore Road and Corporation Way. A smaller power outage hit about 200 Palo Alto city electricutility customers along Park Boulevard near California Avenue late Tuesday afternoon, but power was restored to all by about 7 p.m. A (continued on page 6)
alifornia’s legislators have yet to fully digest the latest business plan from the California High-Speed Rail Authority, but the new document has already caused ripples of concern around the Peninsula and in Sacramento. The business plan, which the rail authority released last month, has been criticized over the past two weeks by lawmakers from both chambers of the California Legislature. At a Senate informational hearing on Tuesday, Sens. Joe Simitian and Alan Lowenthal questioned the rail authority’s financial projections and asked high-speed-rail officials to release more details about their plans to solicit private funds. Last week, the state Assembly Transportation Committee had expressed similar concerns. At Tuesday’s meeting, Simitian asked rail authorities for more information about how the new system would be funded. He also quoted from a variety of newspaper editorials characterizing the high-speedrail project as a “boondoggle� and demanded more accountability from the rail authority. “This to me is as fundamental an issue as anything else,� Simitian said. “There’s no one being held accountable.� Both Simitian and Lowenthal pointed to a recent report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO), which found a multitude of flaws in the rail authority’s new business plan. The report noted that the rail authority’s business plan “assumes some form of revenue guarantee (continued on page 5)
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450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Renata Polt, Jeanie Forte Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors John Squire, Mike Lata, Editorial Interns Be’eri Moalem, Arts & Entertainment Intern DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Laura Don, Gary Vennarucci, Designers PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Judie Block, Esmeralda Flores, Janice Hoogner, Gary Whitman, Display Advertising Sales Neil Fine, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Joan Merritt, Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Assistants Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Molly Stenhouse, Online Sales Consultant BUSINESS Mona Salas, Manager of Payroll & Benefits Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Sana Sarfaraz, Cathy Stringari, Doris Taylor, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Amy Renalds, Assistant to the Publisher & Promotions Director Alana VanZanten, Promotions Intern Janice Covolo, Receptionist Ruben Espinoza, Jorge Vera, Couriers EMBARCADERO PUBLISHING CO. William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Susie Ochoa, Circulation Assistants Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo, Computer System Associates Lisa Trigueiro, Assistant to the Webmaster The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Publishing Co., 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright Š2009 by Embarcadero Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed by SFOP, Redwood City. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our e-mail addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or e-mail circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
‘‘
‘‘
CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
There’s no one being held accountable.
— Sen. Joe Simitian, on how high-speed rail would be funded. See story on page 3.
Around Town
ROLLING WITH SILVIO ... Rod Diridon, a member of the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s Board of Directors, recently took a train ride in Italy with another public figure who knows a thing or two about facing public criticism: Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The flashy prime minister, who over his long career survived a flurry of corruption allegations, made international headlines in December when a man threw a statue in his face at a political rally. Diridon assured his fellow board members that he had nothing to do with the statue attack, which occurred three days later. “But I can understand why he might be hit,� Diridon added. “He goes into crowds and acts very much like Bill Clinton — running around the crowd and outrunning his security.� Diridon, who attracted a flurry of criticism around Palo Alto over the past year for his blunt and unapologetic comments about the controversial project, said he joined Berlusconi for a high-speed-rail run from Rome to Milan. He called the train ride “quite enjoyable.�
Eater’s Manifesto� was recently chosen as the 2010 book selection of Silicon Valley Reads, a countywide reading program that seeks to promote reading and a sense of community spirit. The book, which urges readers to eat more plants and to avoid food with complicated, multi-syllabic ingredients, is available for checkout at local libraries. Palo Alto libraries also plan to present three programs relating to Michael Pollan and responsible eating. On Feb. 13, a PBS documentary based on Pollan’s earlier book, “The Botany of Desire,� will be screened at the Palo Alto Art Center. On Feb. 20, the Mitchell Park Community Center will host a P and T Puppet Theatre presentation of “Goldielocks and the Three Teddybears,� which according to a city media release will feature the three bears “expounding on good food and making good choices.� On March 12, researcher and agricultural expert John Jeavons will discuss effective gardening techniques at the Palo Alto Art Center. All events are free.
WAKE-UP CALL ... Woodside resident Joan Baez, who sang “We Shall Overcome� at Martin Luther King’s 1963 March on Washington, sang it again Sunday along with the congregation at the Annual Community and Interfaith Celebration of King at Palo Alto’s First United Methodist Church. Baez, who worked closely with King in civil-rights activities throughout the south, told of a time they were late for a rally and she was sent into the sleeping King’s room to awaken him with a song. She sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot� to awaken King, and sang it again for Sunday’s standing-roomonly crowd. At the podium with Baez Sunday were the Eastside College Preparatory Choir and Palo Alto High School student Alex Freeman, who performed King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream� speech.
READ ALL ABOUT IT ... Palo Altans eager for fresh information about pressing local issues will soon have an easier time acquiring it in a timely manner. City Manager James Keene announced at the most recent City Council meeting that the city will soon begin releasing reports pertaining to council agendas on Wednesday nights — a day earlier than under current policy. This means residents will have all day Thursday and Friday to pick up city reports — well in time for Monday’s City Council meeting where these reports would be discussed. The decision to release the information earlier is part of the city’s process for getting the community more engaged in the city’s policy-making process. “We want to start making some incremental improvements where we can,� Keene said. The new policy is scheduled to take effect at the end of February, he said. N
EATING IT UP ... Palo Alto’s foodie bookworms now have a reason to rejoice. Food maven Michael Pollan’s best-selling book “In Defense of Food: an
Today’s news, sports & hot picks
Upfront
High-speed rail
COMMUNITY
(continued from page 3)
Parking-permit program a success, residents say College Terrace streets open up as nonresidents seek to avoid fines by Sue Dremann
A
long-awaited parking-permit program in College Terrace is finally relieving residential woes, according to residents. A two-hour limit for street parking in the area from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays has been instituted, along with a new pilot program that allows residents to purchase a license and park on the street for longer than the limit. Residents who live between Stanford and California avenues and west of El Camino Real could opt into the pilot program on a blockby-block basis. Of 704 addresses in College Terrace within blocks opting into the program, 447 addresses applied for the permits, according to Shahla Yazdy, the city transportation engineer overseeing the program. Enforcement began in December. Residential streets in College Terrace were overrun with parked cars and traffic from Stanford University and employees at Stanford Research Park prior to the permit program, residents said. The city issued 147 citations from Dec. 7 to Jan. 6 for overtime parking, Yazdy said. Neighborhood leaders said they are mostly pleased. “It’s like night and day,� said Susan Rosenberg, secretary of the College Terrace Residents’ Association, who lives on Stanford Avenue at Dartmouth Street. “Once the grace period was over, nobody was parking there. It’s very successful,� she said. Brent Barker, Research Park observer for College Terrace, said that parking has improved on side streets adjacent to the industrial park, but that more must be done. “There is a sense of relief. There are still a lot of visitors, but there is a sense of hopefulness,� he said. Parking lots that were once relatively empty on the Facebook campus are now well used, he added.
‘What’s
your
The P alo A lto S tor y P r oject
story?’
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“The two-hour limit is forcing people to park in the lots. Most have picked up on the spirit of it. They want to be good neighbors and comply,� he said. Facebook’s recent announcement that it will move half its employees to another building with a parking lot could also reduce parking pressures, he said. Diane Finkelstein, chair of the “working group,� a citizen task force that works with the city on the permit program, said people are mostly pleased but that some hot spots still need to be worked out. “There are still some concerns about Facebook. We haven’t put our finger on it yet. They seem to get an inordinate amount of visitors,� she said. Zoning issues could also be contributing to some problems in the Lower Terrace, she said. “We’re still concerned about the CN zone,� she said, where the neighborhood borders a retail area. One side of a side street near El Camino Real is part of the program, but the commercial-building side is not in the program, she said. “We’re working with the city to work out the bumps,� she said. Finkelstein said the pilot program is being subsidized in part by $100,000 from Stanford, as mitigation for impacts when Escondido Village was built. Residents are concerned the $15 a year they currently pay for permits will go up when the subsidy runs out — and they don’t
know by how much, she said. In theory, revenue from citations is supposed to cover the additional cost, but the working group is concerned it might not be enough, she said. But the program has created at least one fringe benefit: many parents who transport their children to Escondido Elementary School are less harried, she said. “It’s easier for parents who drive kids to Escondido to find a space where they can stop for a short time to pick up their children. You don’t see people in front of fire hydrants or blocking intersections. It has opened things up,� she said. A program evaluation will last into April, after which the results will be reported to the Palo Alto City Council, Yazdy said. But parking problems are only getting worse in adjacent neighborhoods, Evergreen Park residents said. Evergreen Park, which is across El Camino from the research park, experiences considerable overflow parking by employees, according to David Schrom, neighborhood association president. At a recent Architectural Review Board meeting, at least one resident wanted a parking-permit program for that neighborhood, according to Yazdy. The city evaluated nonresident parking there 10 years ago, when there was a midday average of 200 (continued on page 6)
from the public sector to attract private investment.� It also pointed out that the state bond that voters approved for the project in 2008 expressly forbids public subsidies for the system’s operations. The LAO report stated that the new business plan is more informative than the 2008 version. But analysts also faulted the plan for having an “uninformative timeline,� and an inadequate discussion of project risks. “We find there are significant issues still inadequately addressed in this business plan,� Eric Thronson, an LAO analyst, said at the Tuesday hearing. “The plan’s discussion of risk is incomplete and inappropriate for a project of this magnitude.� The new business plan was released at a time of major transition for the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Earlier this month, the authority announced that Mehdi Morshed, its executive director, will retire at the end of March, and began its search for a new chief executive officer. The rail authority had also hired a consultant to evaluate its operating structure, said Curt Pringle, chair of the High-Speed Rail Authority Board of Directors. In the coming weeks, the agency plans to reorganize its leadership structure and hire new staff. The new structure would include a highranking official charged with risk management, Pringle told the Senate committee at this week’s hearing. The project has attracted great scrutiny on the Peninsula last year, when residents learned that highspeed trains would glide through their communities, possibly along elevated tracks. More than a dozen residents and elected officials from Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton and Burlingame attended Tuesday’s Senate hearing and a similar one in
the Assembly on Jan. 11, to demand more information and criticize the current business plan. Elizabeth Alexis, a Palo Alto resident who co-founded the grassroots group Californians Advocating Responsible Rail Design (CAARD), attended both Sacramento meetings and publicly criticized the rail authority’s plan to have a private company operate the system once it’s built. Former Palo Alto Mayor Mike Cobb argued at the Jan. 11 hearing that the rail authority’s plan to get more than $4 billion in local funds for the project is unreasonable, given that cities such as Palo Alto are already facing severe budget shortfalls. Assembly members shared residents’ concerns about the rail authority’s plans to pay for the system. Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan questioned the high-speed rail’s assertion that the system would be profitable and its projection that the state will receive billions of federal dollars for the project. Assemblyman Roger Niello was even more blunt. He said he has “huge concerns� about the proposed high-speed-rail project and the authority’s plan to pay for it. The authority is banking on more than $10 billion in private funding; more than $17 billion in federal grants; and more than $4 billion in local grants to fund the project. That’s in addition to the $9.95 billion California voters approved in November 2008, when they passed Proposition 1A. Niello called the rail authority’s plan for the new system a notion that becomes increasingly troubling upon closer examination. “I wake up from my romantic notion and I see something next to me that’s not as attractive as it was when I was entertaining my romantic notion,� Niello said. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
19th Annual Photo Contest Coming Soon!
Look for rules and entry form starting Friday, January 29 in the Palo Alto Weekly or online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
Woodland School Open House January 23, 2010, 1:00-3:00 Preschool through eighth grade Visit our beautiful 10 acre campus in Portola Valley and learn about our strong academic and enrichment programs in the areas of the arts, science, math and technology. You‘ll see why Woodland School was voted Best Private Day School in the San Francisco Bay Area by Bay Area Parent Magazine.
Please call our Admissions OfďŹ ce at 650.854.9065 Reservations recommended. Woodland School 360 La Cuesta Drive, Portola Valley www.woodland-school.org
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2010
14th Annual Juana Run
A fun family and competitive road race with events for all ages. A complimentary pancake breakfast courtesy of the Pancake House for all 8K participants immediately follows the race.
EVENTS:
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Police to be on special ‘Safe Passage’ alert Be careful. Palo Alto police will be on special lookout for student bicyclists without helmets and drivers surreptitiously checking their text messages next week, Jan. 25 through 29. That is “Operation Safe Passage� week, during which police, together with Santa Clara County law enforcement agencies, strictly enforce traffic laws in and around local schools during peak commute hours. In particular, police will focus on violations by students and drivers, including failing to stop for school buses with flashing stoplights; speeding violations; failing to yield to pedestrians; jaywalking; student bicyclists without properly secured helmets; seat-belt and child-restraint violations; cell-phone or texting violations; and stop-sign violations. Palo Alto police participate in Operation Safe Passage three times a year in order to increase the safety of students commuting to school, the department said. “This is just a reminder for all commuters to slow down and exercise extra care in the school zones,� the department said. N — Chris Kenrick
Local Judge Lucy Koh nominated to federal court The Santa Clara County Superior Court judge presiding over panhandler Victor Frost’s constitutional challenge to Palo Alto’s sit-lie ordinance has been nominated to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, by President Barack Obama. Koh, 41, of Stanford, was nominated to the bench on Wednesday, Jan. 20, according to a White House press release. Koh is the first KoreanAmerican to be appointed to a federal court in the country. A Democrat, Koh was appointed to the Superior Court of California by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2008. Prior to that appointment she was a litigation partner at McDermott, Will and Emery, representing technology companies in intellectual-property issues. Until recently, she presided from the Palo Alto Courthouse and was poised to transfer to the bench in San Jose. She recently heard a challenge to the constitutionality of Palo Alto’s sit-lie ordinance by Palo Alto panhandler Frost and is due to issue a written decision in that case in mid-February. Koh is married to Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, a Stanford law professor who is a top advisor on immigration issues to the Obama administration. She received her law degree from Harvard University and has worked in federal courts, including as an assistant U.S. attorney in the major frauds section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in California. From 1996 to 1997, Koh was a special assistant to the U.S. Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C., and special counsel for the U.S. Department of Justice from 1994 to 1996. N — Sue Dremann A Palo Alto woman who tripped on a raised sidewalk has been awarded $24,000 by an outside arbitrator. Paula Goldberg, 59, tripped over a buckling slab of concrete at 419 Waverley St. in June 2006, tearing a ligament in her thumb as she attempted to break her fall, according to Michael Servarian, the city’s hired attorney. Goldberg filed suit in Santa Clara County Superior Court in June 2007 and both sides entered into mandatory nonbinding arbitration in July 2009, Servarian said. “Both sides accepted the award. It is very unusual for both sides to accept a settlement,� he said, pointing out that if one side is happy and the other is not, the disatisfied party can still choose to go to trial. Both sides seemed content with the award, he said. The sidewalk was most probably repaired after the accident, Servarian said. “What often happens is a person falls and submits a claim then Public Works fixes it,� he said. Mike Sartor, assistant director of Public Works, said he did not know when the sidewalk was repaired. He referred comment to the attorney. Greg Cattermole, attorney for Goldberg, was in court on Tuesday and did not return phone calls requesting comment. N — Sue Dremann
Stanford taps UN ambassador for commencement
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News Digest
Palo Alto pays $24,000 for sidewalk tumble
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Insured/Bonded
Stanford University students have chosen United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice, a 1986 Stanford alumna, to be their commencement speaker June 13. Rice will join Stanford Philosophy Professor Debra Satz and interfaith leader Eboo Patel as featured speakers in the three-day graduation festivities that begin Friday, June 11. “(Ambassador Rice) is in a position of international leadership with a record of service promoting peace and humanity. Every one of us will benefit from hearing how we can similarly go forth and make a difference in the world with a Stanford education,� Senior Class Presidents Walter Foxworth, Dan Ha, Ansaf Kareem and Aria Florant said in a statement. N — Palo Alto Online staff
Storm
(continued from page 3)
lightning strike caused a small power outage high up Page Mill Road, impacting 15 to 20 homes for several hours. The storm had also knocked down two trees, one of which caused a power outage that temporarily affected the creek monitor near San Francisquito Creek. Trails between the Baylands Nature Center and San Francisquito Creek will be closed to the public during high tide, the city announced. Seasonal trails at the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve are also closed until next week. In Menlo Park, the driver of a silver Toyota was injured Monday morning when the top of a redwood tree came crashing through his windshield as he was driving on Santa Cruz Avenue near Hillview Middle School. Police identified the driver as Mohammed Nizam of Hayward. The car, emblazoned with the Discovery Cab Co. logo on its doors, crashed through the wooden fence in front of David Eline’s home on Santa Cruz Avenue, and then through a chain-link fence into his neighbor’s front yard. It came to rest only a couple of yards away from the car parked in the home’s driveway. Nizam was taken to Stanford Hospital, according to Officer Tony Mendoza of the Menlo Park Police Department. He was treated at the hospital and discharged. “I heard the crash of the tree limb literally going through the car, and then I heard the crash of the car going through the fence,� Eline said. Flooding, fallen trees and minor mudslides were also reported throughout San Mateo County on Wednesday. N
Permits
(continued from page 5)
vehicles parking on neighborhood streets, Schrom said. Early discussion about including Evergreen Park in the pilot parking-permit program was dropped, he added. “This is one of those things where I wonder why they failed to take a more integrated approach,� he said on Monday. “I want some city employee to call me up on Tuesday morning and I want the study to be offered to us straight up.� Some residents say they have heard anecdotally that people who used to park in College Terrace are now parking in Evergreen Park to avoid fines. Schrom said there isn’t any hard data to prove that theory, but that parking has gotten increasingly worse in recent years. Common sense dictates the problem would not be eliminated by instituting the program in one problem community only, he said. That’s something even his 10-year-old pointed out, he added. “If you essentially destroy a parking lot for several hundred people they are going to go somewhere else,� he said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
Upfront COMMUNITY
The weatherman of College Terrace Resident Richard Stolee forecasts — rain or shine
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alking about the weather is never boring to Richard Stolee. Wednesday morning’s torrential rains offered a plethora of opportunities to discuss his favorite subject: The rain roared and thunder pealed, closely followed by bright flashes of lightning. “I used to just stare out the window and look at the rain and I wondered, ‘Gosh, why does it happen?’� he said, recalling his early childhood. Stolee, 68, is College Terrace’s very own amateur meteorologist. He has been forecasting the weather for more than 60 years, passing on predictions to a loyal band of 150 friends, colleagues and neighbors, he said. “I’ve been studying weather since age 5. I started forecasting when I entered school because I didn’t want to do my homework, so I forecasted weather instead,� he said. When he was 6 or 7 years old and living in Los Angeles, Stolee’s parents drove him to the National Weather Bureau office. Stolee got a tour and met meteorologists, with
whom he became friends, he said. He attended weather-forecast meetings, learning first-hand from the professionals. In the U.S. Navy, he went to post-graduate school in meteorology, he said. Back then, the weather service was the only place to get weather data, he said. “It was compiled all throughout the world. The information was collected via ships. Now the computer does everything,� he said. Sitting at his dining-room table Stolee pulled up a computer-generated forecast map of the Northern Pacific region. One week ago, a very powerful jet stream pushed straight toward the coast, setting up storm after storm, which the area has experienced this week, he said. He pointed to a dark ribbon of blue forming a thick, undulating band from the southwest toward the coast. “We’re seeing a buckle of pressure that is pushing the storm into Southern California,� he said, where heavy rains and flooding are predicted. Real-time models showed intense,
Don Feria
by Sue Dremann
Richard Stolee, amateur meteorologist, had plenty to blog about this week from his College Terrace home. red areas where towering clouds filled with moisture were dumping onto San Jose and into Palo Alto. Outside, thunder boomed. Stolee uses many computer models to form his predictions, from the U.S., Canada and Europe, he said. One shows a huge blob of moisture that another does not, coming up from the south. Stolee studies ridges, peaks and
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troughs to find commonalities, which provide the most probable weather scenarios, he said. He started Richard Stolee’s Weatherblog, at www.weatherpro.wordpress.com, to keep locals and friends informed when e-mailing predictions became too cumbersome. Stolee’s long-range forecasts go further out than the weather service, he said. He projects out 15
days and his predictions are more refined, homing in on local weather patterns and in Central and Southern California, where he has many friends, he said. “Everybody talks to me about the weather. They want to know about travel weather; they want to know the weather 30 days out,� he said. (continued on page 10)
Portafoglio di Pollo con Proscuitto e Fontina has its origins in Val d’Aosta a region located in the upper Northwest corner of Italy which shares its border with France and Switzerland. Val d’Aosta is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy. This recipe pays homage to the classic French dish of Chicken Cordon Bleu but has a long and storied history if its own dating back to the House of Savoy. Created with Fontina and using only the strict practice of making cheese from a single milking instead of combining batches, Fontina brings the herbaceous notes of this Alpine region to infuse its elegance into the dish. Add to this the sweetness of Prosciutto and you have an unparalleled melding of avors and cultures in one incredible meal.
From our kitchen to yours. Buon appetito! Chef Marco Salvi, Executive Chef
Portafoglio di Pollo con Prosciutto e Fontina Chicken Pouch with Prosciutto and Fontina s BONELESS CHICKEN BREASTS ounces each s LARGE EGGS s CUP PLAIN BREADCRUMBS s 0ROSCIUTTO SLICES s OZ SHREDDED &ONTINA CHEESE
Salsa di Pomodoro s LARGE TOMATOES s TABLESPOONS OF EXTRA VIRGIN olive oil basil s SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE
Preparation:
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Pound chicken breasts to 50% larger and evened out. Cut each breast to form a pouch, our each piece then dip it in beaten eggs and ďŹ nally dredge in breadcrumbs. Open each pouch and ďŹ ll it with slices of prosciutto and 4 oz. of the Fontina. Prepare Salsa di Pomodoro (see below) Place oil in medium hot SautĂŠ pan. Add the coated breasts and cook for 7-9 minutes or done and internal temp reaches 160 degrees. Coating should be golden brown. Serve with a fresh tomato salsa made of diced tomatoes seasoned with extra-virgin olive oil, pepper, salt and basil. Note: Coated and stuffed breasts may be browned and ďŹ nished in a 400° oven for 12 minutes or until cooked.
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Upfront
Online This Week
These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on “News� in the left, green column.
Paly choir chosen for national choral festival Palo Alto High School’s Concert Choir has been chosen as one of 12 high school groups from across the country to take part in a new national choral festival. (Posted Jan. 21 at 9:04 a.m.)
Palo Alto crash lands wounded man in hospital Palo Alto and East Palo Alto police are investigating a car crash on East Bayshore Road in Palo Alto Wednesday evening in which a man in the car was rushed to Stanford Hospital — with a gunshot wound in his abdomen. (Posted Jan. 20 at 7:07 p.m.)
Alleged crack dealers arrested in Menlo Park Police arrested a Menlo Park couple allegedly selling crack cocaine out of their apartment near Menlo Park’s Willows neighborhood Tuesday. (Posted Jan. 20 at 4:41 p.m.)
Stanford professor testifies in Prop 8 trial A judge presiding over a same-sex marriage trial in San Francisco heard testimony Wednesday from a Stanford University professor who said homosexuals lack political power and from a gay man who said conversion therapy made him suicidal. (Posted Jan. 20 at 12:39 p.m.)
San Mateo County hit with flooding, mudslides Flooding, fallen trees and minor mudslides have been reported throughout San Mateo County Wednesday morning. (Posted Jan. 20 at 10:43 a.m.)
Woodside woman uninjured when oak hits car A woman narrowly escaped serious injury or death in Portola Valley Tuesday when a large oak tree fell onto the car she was driving, Woodside Fire District Battalion Chief Don Romero reported. (Posted Jan. 20 at 6:46 a.m.)
Mitzvah Day draws 600 volunteers
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Tree limb impales car in Menlo Park, injures driver The driver of a silver Toyota was injured when the top of a redwood tree came crashing through his windshield as he was driving on Santa Cruz Avenue near Hillview Middle School at around 10:30 a.m. Monday morning. Police identified the driver as Mohammed Nizam of Hayward. (Posted Jan. 19 at 8:19 a.m.)
Armed robbers pick wrong place for crime Mountain View police have arrested four suspects they say committed armed robbery with a semiautomatic assault handgun in front of the police station Friday night. (Posted Jan. 18 at 5:04 p.m.)
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Pouring rain and blustery wind didn’t stop nearly 600 people from participating in Mitzvah Day on Monday, organized by the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. (Posted Jan. 19 at 12:32
Hennessy: Outdated export laws hurt U.S. Restrictions on technology exports are hurting American innovation and scientific leadership, Stanford University President John Hennessy warned U.S. lawmakers Friday. (Posted Jan. 18 at 4:44 p.m.)
Student caught in cyberattack applauds Google Stanford University sophomore Tenzin Seldon was not entirely surprised to learn that someone from China had hacked into her Gmail account. The 20-year-old activist is a leader in the group Students for a Free Tibet, publicizing Chinese human-rights abuses in the disputed territory. (Posted Jan. 18 at 8:48 a.m.) QualiďŹ ed candidates will be contacted for an interview.
Second $50,000 match offered for Haiti relief
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A local drive to raise $50,000 to help victims of the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti has been accomplished, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation in Mountain View announced Friday. Now, a second $50,000 drive is underway. (Posted Jan. 16 at 10:03 a.m.)
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Zumot’s murder case moved to San Jose A tense shouting match between the families of murder suspect Bulos Zumot and victim Jennifer Schipsi before Zumot’s Friday morning court hearing prompted the hearing judge to move the case from Palo Alto to San Jose because of inadequate security. (Posted Jan. 15 at 2:25 p.m.)
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Upfront
Page Mill lawsuit (continued from page 3)
Realty, declined to discuss the negotiations between his company and the city, citing a company policy not to comment on pending litigation. Page Mill did not respond to calls seeking comment. The legal conflict between Page Mill Properties and East Palo Alto had snowballed in the past two years as Page Mill filed a flurry of lawsuits challenging the city’s rent-control ordinance and the City Council’s efforts to moderate the company’s rent increases. A recent City Council agenda listed 14 pending lawsuits between Page Mill and the city. Most of the lawsuits focus on whether Page Mill acted legally when it spiked the rates at its apartment buildings — in some cases by more than 50 percent. The company and the city also went to court over a rent-control measure that city officials had planned on placing on the ballot last November. The city had to delay the ordinance after a legal challenge from Page Mill. Last year, the company had also sought to remove the entire Woodland Park neighborhood from East Palo Alto’s sphere of influence. The San Mateo County Local Agency Formation Commission had rejected the company’s request to separate the neighborhood in October. Amid growing financial woes, the company temporarily abandoned its apartment buildings last September, leaving overflowing trash cans, malfunctioning fire-alarm systems and confused tenants in its wake. Wald Realty was then appointed to oversee the properties. Wells Fargo is scheduled to begin auctioning off the properties on Feb. 1. Earlier this month, tenants had received “notices of sale� informing them that the foreclosure process has begun on Page Mill’s properties. “If you are renting this property, the new property owner may either give you a new lease or rental agreement or provide you with a 60-day eviction notice,� the notices said. Well Fargo had subsequently assured city officials that the foreclosure process would not affect the rents of current tenants. Chris Lund, a tenant advocate who had long accused Page Mill of being involved in a “predatory equity� scheme, said the foreclosure proceedings would be closely followed both in East Palo Alto and at other cities where rent-control laws had been in the headlines. Lund said Page Mill’s recent crash is among the first national cases in which a “predatory equity� scheme leads to all of the company’s properties being sold. “This could set a national precedent on how these types of deals unwind,� Lund said. “People across the country, including many groups in New York and Washington, D.C., are paying close attention to what’s happening here.� N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board
CityView A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
Architectural Review Board (Jan. 21)
Annual retreat: The board held its annual retreat, and discussed design implications for public art and considered finalists for its 2010 ARB awards. Action: None
LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
Public Agenda PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL ... The council is scheduled to hold a study session on the annual Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report for fiscal year 2009. The council is also scheduled to hear a report from its ad hoc committee on high-speed rail and to hear a presentation from a representative of the League of California Cities Peninsula Division. The study session on the SEA report will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 25. The regular meeting will follow in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PALO ALTO PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss a proposal to rename Lytton Plaza to Thoits Plaza. The commission is also scheduled to receive an update on the Community Taskforce for Youth and Teen Health and Wellness. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PALO ALTO BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board is scheduled to discuss enrollment projections and the annual independent audit report for 2008-09. The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the board room of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave). PALO ALTO PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to hold a study session to discuss the proposed high-speed rail project. The commission is also scheduled to review the Community Services and Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hold its annual retreat, where members will discuss the city’s priorities for 2010. The retreat will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, in the board room of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave).
Please be advised the Historic Resources Board shall conduct a meeting at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 in the Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: September 2, 2009 NEW BUSINESS Public Hearings 358 Addison Avenue [09PLN-00258]: Application by Aino Vieira da Rosa, Architect for Historic Resources Board review and recommendation regarding proposed restoration, alteration, and a two-story addition to a Queen Anne residence, constructed in 1894, located in the Professorville Historic District and in the R-1 zone district. The project includes a new one-car garage and a comprehensive site plan. The project would require Individual Review and a Home Improvement Exception for building height and additional oor area. OTHER BUSINESS Review of the 2009 Annual Report of repair and maintenance undertaken at the Children’s Library at 1276 Harriet Street, as required by the perpetual Historic Preservation Covenant on the property. Questions. If interested parties have any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Division at (650) 329-2441. The ďŹ les relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and staff reports will be available for inspection at 2:00 PM the Friday preceding the hearing. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Julie Caporgno, Planning and Transportation OfďŹ cial
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Weatherman (continued from page 7)
Paul Cole, a resident of Arastradero Road near Gunn High School, used Stolee to forecast weather during a trip to Italy with his wife a few months ago. “His predictions are significantly better than on commercial sites,� Cole said. The site is easy to use, he added. “He has neat features not found on other sites. I can see a radar picture of rainfall and can zoom in close to my home. I can see exactly what the radar shows in near-real time. I can see if in five minutes’ time when I go outside if I will be soaked,� he said. Stolee’s day job is as a family therapist in Palo Alto. His dissertation was on the causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a cyclical mood disorder that frequently occurs in winter, he said. He wanted to understand which part of weather affects mood: clouds, rain, light or barometric pressure. People tend to have emotional responses to weather, finding the darkness and rain depressive or exciting and invigorating, he said. Stolee, an optimist, is happy when it rains and tends to be bored by long periods of sunshine, he said. “There was a big emotional factor in early forecasting,� he said. An op-
timist who wanted it to rain would look for indications of potential rain when developing a forecast, while a pessimist might make an assumption that wouldn’t anticipate rain, he said. But there is less personal projection in forecasting today because of computers, which crunch data from multiple sources, he said. “Now they try to keep continuity so people don’t get confused,� he said. Stolee’s love of the weather has filtered down to his children and wife, Eileen. “They like the exciting weather� but shun the computer forecasting, he said. Just as the storm roared into Palo Alto on Wednesday, Stolee’s daughter, Bridget, sent a text message to her dad letting him know the storm was drenching her area in Puget Sound, Wash. In his six decades of forecasting Stolee has noticed weather swings, such as drought and storms, seem more intense, he said. There are many things still unknown about weather and that meteorologists don’t know how to put into weather forecasting, Stolee added. And that’s what has made weather prediction endlessly fascinating: “There are lots of things going on every day,� he said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be e-mailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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Transitions Deaths Phillip Falcon
Phillip James Falcon, 49, a resident of Stanford and of Marion, Iowa, died Jan. 4 at Stanford University Hospital. He was born in Boston, Mass. After spending his early years in Lexington, Mass., he moved with his family to Stanford in 1972. He continued to reside with his parents on the Stanford campus and on their Iowa farm until his death. He completed the special education program in Palo Alto schools, and was long associated with HOPE Workshop. He traveled extensively in Asia with his parents, and he especially loved the farm in Iowa. He was also one of Stanford’s most loyal football fans. He profoundly touched many lives with his sociability, good cheer, and zest for living life each day as an adventure, loved ones said. His bravery in the face of many medi-
cal challenges was an inspiration to everyone. He evoked the best of the human spirit, making all those around him the better for it, according to family members. He is survived by his mother and father, Laura and Walter Falcon; his sister and brother-in-law, Lesley and Michael Hammond, of Aurora, Neb.; and his brother, sister-in-law and their children, Andrew, Mary, Hallett and A.J. Falcon, of Upland, Calif. A memorial service is planned for 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6, in the Bechtel Room within Encina Hall, Stanford University. His burial service will be in the spring in Marion, Iowa. A Phillip Falcon Memorial Fund (c/o his parents) has been established to assist young people with special needs.
John Trautmann John Jordan Trautmann, 76, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, died
*%!.).% 0!2)3 29!. Resident of Belmont Jeanine Paris Ryan, beloved wife of 39 years to William Ryan. Born and raised on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. She spent 30 years at Palo Alto Medical Foundation and was a USYRU Judge. Jeanine had a long battle with cancer and ďŹ nally succumbed on November 23, 2009. She is also survived by her sister Janice. A Memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2010, 12 pm at St. Mark’s Church, 325 Marine View Ave. in Belmont. In lieu of owers, contributions to Covenant House CA Bay Area, 200 Harrison St., Oakland, CA 94607 are preferred. Crippen & Flynn Carlmont Chapel www.crippenynn.com (650) 595-4103 PA I D
O B I T UA RY
&2!.#%3 /.!/.! $/7%2 ()00 Frances Onaona Dower Hipp passed away on Wednesday January 13 at her home in Palo Alto, her husband of 63 years, Carl was at her side. Frances was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii one block from Waikiki Beach and attended Punahou School. She met Carl on a blind date at a Naval OfďŹ cer’s dance in October of 1945. They married in February of 1946 in Palo Alto at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. After short stints in Washington DC, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania, Carl and Fran returned to Palo Alto to raise their family. Frances enjoyed entertaining, social gatherings with her neighbors and many friends, gardening, cooking, traveling, and was an active member of Our Lady of the Rosary Church. She is survived by 6 children and spouses, Michael (Ginger), Peter (Michele), Jeffrey (Kim), Stephen (Hindi), Patrice, Kurt (Margan), along with her grandchildren, Taylor, Rachelle, Kevin, Alison, Kyle, Parker, Madison, and Emerson. Also survived by sister Beryl Mayrhofer, brother Weston Dower, and sister-in-law Jean Hipp, along with many nieces and Fred. She was preceded in death by her mother Bertha Landgraf(1963), father Weston Dower(1947), and daughter Nancy Leiona(1966). Services were held Wednesday January 20th. In lieu of owers, donations can be made to the Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County or the charity of your choice. She will be missed.
Jan. 8. He was born in Santa Monica, Calif. He served in Italy as a military medic in the 1950s and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1961, when he married his wife, Jane McCleave. He lived most of his life in Palo Alto, where he coached youth soccer and was a member of the Great War Society. He operated a machine
shop, where he designed and built brass and glass coffee bins. He also rebuilt antique automobiles and built a flying automobile now displayed in a museum in Florida. Loved ones recall his dignity, sense of humor and intelligent curiousity. He is survived by his wife, Jane McCleave Trautmann of Redwood City; children, Nancy, Tom and
Jeannie; brothers, Phil and Hugh; and six grandchildren. A memorial service will be held Monday, Jan. 25, at 11 a.m. at the Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 1060 La Avenida St., Mountain View, CA 94303; or relief for Haiti through the American Red Cross.
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!02), $%#%-"%2 Mary S. Lewis, Ph.D., of Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Berkeley, and Washington, D.C., passed away gently at Woodside Terrace in Redwood City surrounded by her four daughters. Mary grew up with her artist parents and brother, Carol Summers, in Woodstock, New York. She came to California to attend U.C. Berkeley where she met and married her husband, David E. Lewis. She will be missed by her large family including Wendy Lewis-Rakova (Mikhail), Ellen Rief (Bob), Kathy Lewis (Cathy Boe), Sutie Wheeler (Jim), four grandchildren, two nephews, and their families. Mary was the Director of Parents’ Nursery School in Palo Alto for twenty years, where she wrote the ďŹ rst Head Start proposal in Santa Clara County. She went back to school, attending Vassar, Stanford, and San Francisco State University, where she also taught and did research, and earned her
Ph.D. in Child Development from U.C. Berkeley. She went on with the career of her dreams as regional and national Early Childhood Specialist for Head Start, visiting Native American and Trust Territory programs, including those in Micronesia and Samoa. She became an international consultant, working all around the world until she was 85. Among the many awards she received, she was proudest of the Native American Educator of the Year, in 1984. In February she will be posthumously awarded the ďŹ rst Lifetime Achievement Award from the California Head Start Association. Mary retired to Palo Alto and continued her global travels up to her ďŹ nal illness, resulting from complications of hip surgery. A celebration of her life will be held April 17, 2010, at 1pm at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 East Charleston Road. Contact kathrynclewis@ sbcglobal.net for more information. In lieu of owers, please donate to the National Head Start Association in the name of the Mary S. Lewis Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 890080, Charlotte, North Carolina 282890080 or to the charity of your choice. PA I D
,!52! '!,6). 6!5'(!. Laura Galvin Vaughan died January 18th, just 16 days short of her 104th birthday. She was born in Oswego, New York, on February 4, 1906, a date she shares prophetically with Charles A. Lindbergh, who was born four years earlier. She graduated from what is now SUNYOswego in 1927 and accepted her ďŹ rst job as a kindergarten teacher in Johnstown, New York. She hadn’t planned to teach kindergarten but in 1927 teaching jobs were not plentiful. It was a good choice because in Johnstown Laura met her husband to be: Asahel William Vaughan. “Aceâ€? was from a prominent Johnstown family, but more importantly, he was a â€œďŹ‚yer,â€? a very romantic ďŹ gure like Charles Lindbergh, who would later have his own ying ďŹ eld on his family’s acreage. They were married and Laura left teaching to begin establishing homes around the country and around the world as he pursued his ying career,
ďŹ rst in the Royal Canadian Air Force and then in the US Army Air Corps- later the US Air Force. They had one child, Virginia Lee. Ace died in 1967. In 1981 Laura moved to Palo Alto to be near her daughter. She was a communicant of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish. Besides her daughter, Virginia Saldich, she leaves her devoted son-in-law, Robert Saldich, four grandchildren whom she adored: Tad Thomas (Eleanor) of Los Altos, Stanton Thomas (Heather) of Palo Alto, Melinda Thomas Fabozzi (Michael) of New York City, and Margaret Thomas Dudley (Scott) of San Ramon. In addition, she leaves a step grandson, Alan Saldich (Nancy) of Berkeley, eight great grandchildren: Elizabeth, Andrew, and Bronwyn Thomas; Drew and Lindsey Dudley; Clare, Paige and Will Thomas and four step greatgrandchildren: Emily and Ben Saldich; Elizabeth and Madeline Fabozzi. There was a visitation and recital of the Rosary on Thursday, January 21, 2010 from 5pm-8pm at Roller Hapgood & Tinney, 980 MiddleďŹ eld Road, Palo Alto. A Funeral Mass took place Friday, January 22, 2010 at 10am at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1095 Channing Avenue, Palo Alto. PA I D
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Editorial
A new era in newspaper ownership As owner of Mercury News and Daily News seeks bankruptcy reorganization, banks assume uncomfortable role as media owners
T
he only good news about the announcement that a group of banks led by Bank of America will become the owners of the second largest newspaper group in the nation is that it unburdens the company from most of its almost billion-dollar debt.
But community leaders and local newspaper readers have every reason to be worried about last week’s announcement that MediaNews, the privately held company that owns almost every daily newspaper in the Bay Area and more than 150 papers nationally, will fall into the hands of bankers — who are struggling with their own financial difficulties. Locally on the Peninsula, MediaNews publishes the San Jose Mercury News, the Palo Alto Daily News and the San Mateo County Times. Officially, the papers echo the MediaNews announcement that there will be no changes, further layoffs or other impacts of the “pre-packaged� bankruptcy filing, expected within days. In a prepared Q&A for its employees, the company said the “financial restructuring is a non-event for readers and advertisers.� Yet MediaNews CEO Dean Singleton told the Wall Street Journal that the banks assuming an 80 percent interest in the company will insist on further consolidations and improved profitability. He thus signaled that continued cost-cutting is likely, but declined to be more specific about consolidations other than to tell people to “look at the map.� Even though Singleton and his management team will retain operational control, for now, the idea that major newspapers would someday be owned by major banks would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. As newspaper ownership has become more and more concentrated in fewer companies, the most common concern was over the loss of local control and the elimination of competitive and independent voices. Those concerns now seem trivial when compared to ownership by banks or other conglomerates. While it is likely that the banks taking over MediaNews will seek to sell their interest to others as soon as they can, the low current values of publicly traded media companies suggest that will be difficult. Federal law gives banks up to five years to divest themselves of companies acquired through bankruptcy or due to collateral provisions in loan agreements. Unfortunately, the Mercury News did its readers a disservice by its buried and incomplete coverage of its own restructuring. In doing so, it ironically demonstrated the hazards of media organizations being owned by large corporate parents. These are treacherous times for many industries, but media companies have been hit hard by the recession and the growing use of the Internet. As a locally-owned media company that is also working hard to weather these conditions, we empathize with our colleagues at the Merc and Daily News and hope the impending restructuring will indeed strengthen their operations. We doubt it will be as smooth and painless as the MediaNews announcement suggests. The community benefits from having many voices and competing journalists seeking answers from policymakers.
Good job on storm preparations, updates
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s rainstorms swept through the Midpeninsula, Palo Alto city officials and others in the region seemed to have prepared well, and generally kept information flowing to the public.
The biggest impacts included campus-wide loss of power to Stanford University for most of a day, other storm-related power outages here and there, traffic blockage by trees down along Skyline Boulevard and some accidents. Some wind-buffeted trees in rain-soaked ground at the city’s golf course fell over. But Communications Manager Linda Clerkson, working with various city departments, did timely and proactive updates on storm-related incidents or problems, sandbag availability and other updates that made it easier to convey to the public via www.PaloAltoOnline.com and neighborhood listserves. All in all, the Peninsula so far has, luckily, escaped serious storm impacts — but good luck often follows good preparations. Page 12ĂŠUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊÓÓ]ÊÓä£äÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Waste policies Editor, I’m writing regarding the new Green Waste fee for private streets in Palo Alto (an extra $15/month), which residents will eventually have to pay, as I’m told by the city that a majority of all affected people have to protest in writing by some-to-bedecided future date. Streets such as Ellsworth Place and San Carlos in Midtown are easy to serve and we feel that the extra fee is not justified. This is a citywide policy issue and I think it should be taken up by the City Council and not just decided by Green Waste and city staffers. Not all private streets are the same and equally difficult to service and not all should be treated the same. PASCO used really little trucks to service our particular street, at no extra cost, after we ourselves paid to have it repaved and requested the smaller trucks. The much larger Green Waste trucks now being used do damage to the paving. So we on Ellsworth Place will be required to pay extra for the privilege of having trucks that damage our street and will cost us extra for maintenance. This is injury on top of injury. This is a policy question, an issue for the City Council. Natalie Fisher Ellsworth Place Palo Alto
Limiting lawns Editor, Limiting homeowners’ lawn size is yet another short-term proposal from politicians in the quest to avoid dealing with the real problem of limited water supplies in California. We’ve already been asked to reduce water consumption by 20 percent and the kinds of toilets and shower heads we can buy are regulated. Will the next laws cover when we can bathe or brush our teeth? Unfortunately none of these lifestyle-reducing tactics will help without addressing the underlying problem of our ongoing water shortage. Over-population is the driving cause of water shortages and the ever more draconian proposals to deal with it, from damming free-flowing rivers to turning lawns to dirt. Forty years ago, California’s population was under 20 million. Today it is close to 40 million and in 40 more years it will be over 60 million. This population growth is the intensifier of the many problems that impair the quality of life in this state. More people means crowded cities and roads, dysfunctional schools, environmental degradation and resource shortages. Isn’t it past time for an open debate on a sustainable population size and ways to achieve it voluntarily? If we don’t deal with the real issue ... now, one day instead of mandatory lawn
sizes there may well be mandatory family sizes. Tina Peak Palo Alto Avenue Palo Alto,
Sit-lie ordinance Editor, My family moved to Palo Alto in 1959 because the city had the reputation of having a strong social conscience and a lot of compassion. It was not true of all Palo Altans but I still had illusions about my city when I heard that it was considering banning the homeless from University Avenue. I worked for one year getting grants for the homeless and learned that many were troubled Vietnam veterans who had not received help. One displayed his war pictures next to Walgreens. A member of the City Council, who had a shop across the street, got annoyed by the display and kicked the pictures. Their owner became angry, although not belligerent. Then the woman convinced her fellow council members to ban the homeless from University Avenue with an anti-sit-lie ordinance. The fact is that there was a Palo Alto ordinance providing for fines and even jail for people who created
disturbances... So that new ordinance was superfluous. As Victor Frost put it, “They want us out only because we are ugly.� As many as 20 people came to the City Council sessions to protest the ordinance, which was obviously illegal. The streets and sidewalks belong to everybody... The members of a civil rights organization to which I belonged sat on the curb three days in a row but were never arrested. Palo Alto was criticized not only in the Bay Area but in The New York Times. When I heard that another street was again going to be illegally closed to the homeless I was furious anew. Whole Foods clogs the sidewalk with enormous fruit displays and many homeless who beg there are thin and frail, like shadows. But the commentaries I read online showed that many Palo Altans did not want to have them next to Whole Food only because they, indeed, are ugly! This time the homeless had very few defenders. But why is the city attorney tolerating that violation of their civil rights? How can the council so brazenly break the law? Christiane Cook Emerson Street Palo Alto
YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? How did you fare in the recent storms? Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number so we can reach you. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, objectionable content, libel and factual errors known to us. Anonymous letters will generally not be accepted. You can also participate in our popular interactive online forum, Town Square, at our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Read blogs, discuss issues, ask questions or express opinions with you neighbors any time, day or night. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Publishing Co. to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jay Thorwaldson or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.
Check out Town Square! Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly on our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Post your own comments, ask questions, read the Editor’s blog or just stay up on what people are talking about around town!
Guest Opinion Palo Alto priorities should be the budget gap and hospitals by Bern Beecham hen I stepped down from the Palo Alto City Council two years ago I didn’t stop caring about Palo Alto’s wellbeing as a community. In my eight years of council service I continually strived to enhance our local economy so it could adequately support our city’s budget, programs and services, as well as support our local businesses and provide local jobs. Now the new council has the opportunity to do the same. The council members, returning and new, will be setting their 2010 goals Saturday morning, Jan. 30, 8:30 a.m. at the Palo Alto Unified School District’s board room, 25 Churchill Ave. Their first and most difficult priority will be to balance the city’s budget, closing a $5 million gap for the remaining months of this fiscal year (ending June 30) and more of the same for next. Their second highest priority must be to complete the approval of the expansion and rebuilding of Stanford Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Since leaving the council I have joined the boards of three local nonprofit organizations, each working hard to raise millions of dollars for major capital and infrastructure projects in Palo Alto. I know first-hand how difficult it is to find new money in today’s economic environment. Many businesses we talk to are at their limits. Many families we call have suffered reductions in or even loss of an income. Many who thought they were comfortably retired now have worrisome futures.
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Last Nov. 2, we Palo Altans turned down a tax measure to place a large part of the city’s deficit burden on our small businesses. Put simply, many of our local “deep pockets� are much shallower and some are coming up empty. Many of us have heard about Palo Alto’s $5 million operating deficit for this fiscal year. But few are aware of the approximately $500 million shortfall Palo Alto has for upgrading its infrastructure, including buildings, sewers, roads, bridges and parks. As for my second suggested priority for the new council, I will bypass the many benefits that improved health care facilities would bring to the community and focus on economic impacts. The Stanford and Lucile Packard hospitals expansion will help Palo Alto with many economic and budgetary concerns. This will be a $3.5 billion dollar investment, funded privately. Jobs will be created for the heavily impacted construction industry in the short term and will add more than 2,000 local jobs for the long term, according to initial estimates. In addition to $18 million paid directly to the city for construction fees and trafficmitigation measures, the hospitals propose to contribute more than $125 million to the community in the long run to mitigate other impacts of the expansions. But there is far more at stake than economics in approving the hospitals’ upgrade and expansion. Most of us know that earthquake concerns are the catalyst for upgrading the hospitals, but the city and Stanford have a “hospital relationship� that goes back nearly 80 years, when the old Palo Alto Hospital (where the Lawn Bowling Green now is) was supplanted by the “new� Palo Alto Hospital (now Hoover Pavilion). In the mid-1950s, with energetic support
Streetwise
“Tell us about your first kiss?�
of Palo Alto Medical Clinic founder Russel V.A. Lee, Stanford moved its medical school from San Francisco and built the new “Palo Alto-Stanford Hospital� jointly with the city. In the late 1960s, beset by bed shortages due to a growing population in the area and priority “teaching� needs for medical students, Stanford bought out the city’s share, with guarantees for continued care of community patients. The Children’s Hospital became a special place for caring treatment of seriously ill and terminal patients, relocating from a small hospital along Sand Hill Road to its present site. The two complementary hospitals have far surpassed what would serve as just a local community hospital. Some argue that that’s all we should have, a hospital for our community alone. I strongly disagree. Few of us who have lived in Palo Alto for some time (myself included) have not either directly or through family members benefited from care at these hospitals. We demand the best care possible, which is what I want from my “local� hospital. Serving a larger population base means there is a broader range of services available for all of us. Other area hospitals are facing threats to reduce services or even close major departments. At our hospitals, we’re looking at the benefits of a $3.5 billion investment. I’ve toured the core of Stanford Hospital, still dating from the 1960s. Not only does it not begin to satisfy today’s seismic requirements, it cannot accommodate current (or future) medical technologies. Even the basic design of the hospital’s shared patient rooms (common when built) is obsolete. Every modern hospital is now designed around single-patient rooms to control infections, provide patient privacy and ensure
individual treatment of every patient. When undergoing surgery some years ago, I could hear every painful conversation between my “roommate,� a fairly young heart patient, and his doctors and family — including concern about losing his business if he followed his doctor’s advice to slow down to live. And he could hear my conversations. Moreover, my doctor had to release me early because my bed was needed for a new patient just coming out of surgery. The hospitals’ upgrade and expansion will be the single largest and most complex project ever in Palo Alto. The environmental impact report (still delayed and still coming) will detail impacts, both beneficial and negative, and it will outline mitigation measures. Last year, we lost one of the key economic benefits once associated with this project, an expansion at the Stanford Shopping Center and a new hotel there. In 2005, then Mayor Judy Kleinberg and I personally worked to get this revenue-generating project included in the overall process. This project would have, by itself, come close over time to closing the existing city budget deficit. Delays and excessive mitigation requirements killed this benefit. Now the council must make very painful cuts in programs and services to close the city’s immediate budget gap. That is the top priority for 2010. Approving the hospitals will not erase Palo Alto’s immediate fiscal problems. But the new council must get this job done in 2010. N Bern Beecham is a resident of north Palo Alto and served as councilman and mayor for two terms. As mayor, he spearheaded an effort to reinvigorate the Palo Alto economy in the aftermath of a slump in the early 2000s. He can be e-mailed at bern@beecham.org.
Asked at the Stanford Theatre, downtown Palo Alto. Interviews by Mike Lata. Photographs by.John Squire
Linda Li
Curt Weil
Raad Rabeh
Ed Murphy
Geetha Swamy
“Haven’t had mine yet.�
“A lovely young lady. She was 6 years old. Her name was Barbara.�
“It was probably one of the best experiences of my life.�
“Must have been a kissing cousin. I had cousins in Texas and they would come over to visit. They were all girls. Probably when I was 10 or 11 I kissed my cousin.�
“That was our wedding day — that night. Because we are from India and don’t do anything before marriage, strictly.�
Midtown, Palo Alto Student
Crescent Park, Palo Alto Financial Adviser
Monroe Street, Sunnyvale Fencing Coach
Downtown Palo Alto Tennis Coach
Middlefield Road, Menlo Park Software Architect
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Cover Story
Banks to take ownership of MediaNews while CEO Dean Singleton gives mixed signals on future of MediaNews papers
BANKING ON A TURNAROUND by Sam Chapman and Jay Thorwaldson
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s Bank of America assumes ownership of the second largest newspaper company in the nation, what does the future hold for MediaNews’ Bay Area newspapers, including the San Jose Mercury and Palo Alto Daily News? Carefully orchestrated to hit the news wires at the beginning of a holiday weekend — the time PR experts advise clients to release damaging news in order to minimize coverage — the parent company of the San Jose Mercury News, Palo Alto Daily News and almost every other daily newspaper in the Bay Area except the San Francisco Chronicle announced last Friday afternoon it would file for bankruptcy protection. Subscribers of the 54 daily newspapers owned by Denver-based and privately held MediaNews had to read their Saturday papers very closely to even notice the announcement, much less understand its significance. Buried in the business section, the Mercury News’ headline was, “Mercury News parent swaps debt for equity.� The story read more like a routine business restructuring than the unprecedented shift in ownership to lenders that are owed almost a billion dollars. “It gives us breathing space to create a new model for the newspapers we publish,� the story quoted MediaNews Chairman and CEO Dean Singleton, also the founder and — until now — major shareholder. And while the “pre-packaged� bankruptcy keeps him at the helm and offers him and other managers up to a 20 percent ownership interest, Singleton and business partner Richard Scudder will lose the company they started in 1985 and built into the second largest newspaper chain in the nation. The bankruptcy plan will give 80 percent of the ownership to Bank of America and the 116 other banks and 49 bondholders owed money, but allows Singleton to control and appoint a majority of the board, at least for now. Until the actual bankruptcy filing in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, expected “soon,� details are limited to those contained in MediaNews press releases and the interpretation of that information by industry and financial analysts. It is expected that the banks will seek to sell off their stake in the company as soon as possible, but the state of the newspaper business may make that difficult. What the bankruptcy and own-
ership change means to readers or employees is unclear, other than the probability of further consolidations and staff cutbacks to further improve profits — including potential impacts on the MediaNews-owned Bay Area papers. (See map.) While the Jan. 15 bankruptcy announcement and the story in the Mercury News emphasize there would be nothing but positive affects on current operations, as the pressure from the massive debt is relieved, Singleton contradicted that in a statement to the Wall Street Journal in which he said further consolidations were essential to satisfying the banks that will own 80 percent or more of the company. “You can look at the map,� Singleton said when asked which newspapers, apparently referring to those areas — such as the Bay Area s Prescrat o a) m e D a Ros t
(San
and Southern California — where MediaNews has multiple papers in overlapping or adjacent markets. On the Peninsula, MediaNews has already made consolidations. The Mercury News now relies on news reports from Daily News reporters for its local coverage and both the Daily News and San Mateo County Times frequently carry stories and advertising from the Mercury News. The Daily News contracted from five editions to one. Most editing and production has been centralized in the East Bay and advertisements are produced in India. Singleton told employees in an e-mail last Friday, “We expect all of our daily operations to continue without disruption, with employees receiving normal salary and benefits, suppliers being paid, advertising
being placed and newspapers being printed and delivered as usual. No layoffs, sale of newspapers, facility closings or consolidations are anticipated as a result of the financial reorganization announced today.�
‘It gives us breathing space to create a new model for the newspapers we publish.’ – Dean Singleton, MediaNews chairman and CEO He described the bankruptcy restructuring as a “non-event for readers and advertisers.� (To read the full text of the announcement and e-mail to employees, go to www.
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Several of the newspapers reflected on this 2007 graphic have since morphed into on-line-only versions, including Burlingame, San Mateo and Redwood City Daily News editions.
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PaloAltoOnline.com, under the MediaNews story headline.) Mercury News President and Publisher Mac Tully declined to comment for this story. The bankruptcy filing is not a surprise to those who have watched the MediaNews chain grow increasingly laden with debt as the company went on a buying binge of newspaper after newspaper nationwide, culminating in the 2007 purchase of several Knight Ridder papers, including the San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times. The bankruptcy and assumption of ownership by the lenders will reportedly slash the company’s debt from $930 million to $165 million. The actual bankruptcy is being filed by a heretofore little-known entity, Affiliated Media, Inc., identified as the holding company of MediaNews. A “pre-packaged� bankruptcy is one in which most debtors have agreed in advance to the terms, instead of the usual filing of a bankruptcy and then addressing the terms of the payment of debts. Other than Singleton and his longtime partner, Richard Scudder, the apparent big loser is Hearst Corporation, owner of the San Francisco Chronicle, which had invested more than $300 million in MediaNews to enable MediaNews to acquire several former Knight Ridder publications in 2007. In a complex threeway deal, Knight Ridder was sold under investor pressure to longtime California publisher The McClatchy Company, which then resold to MediaNews the Mercury News (including the Palo Alto Daily News and sister papers), Contra Costa Times, Monterey Herald and St. Paul Pioneer Press. Ironically, because Singleton is also chairman of the major wire service, Associated Press, and because most daily newspapers in the Bay Area are owned by MediaNews, most regional reporting on the bankruptcy comes from entities directly affected. The entanglement of the Chronicle as both a competitor and an investor through its parent Hearst Corp. may also be affecting coverage. The Chronicle Saturday only carried a small Associated Press story on inside pages that said in part: “Hearst Corp., which owns magazines and newspapers including The Chronicle, has an investment in MediaNews but it was not clear how that would be affected by the bankruptcy.� The bankruptcy will be filed un-
Cover Story
Prophetic words echo from last fall MediaNews CEO Dean Singleton predicted that banks will become ‘accidental’ owners of newspapers by Sam Chapman speech given last September MediaNews properties has been by MediaNews CEO the order of the day, as it has in William Dean Singleton some other parts of the industry. now seems prophetic. Whether readers and advertisers Addressing the National Confer- are unscathed in the process is the ence of Editorial Writers, Single- subject of much debate. ton said that “motives for newspaOne thing is known: Banks are per ownership have shifted over not permitted to own parts of comthe years, from those who wanted panies except in cases such as the to cover news and write opinion MediaNews bankruptcy when their to those who came to view news- stake is due to a swap for debt. In papers as purely financial invest- such cases federal law requires that ments,� according to coverage in they divest their ownership within his own Salt Lake City Tribune. five years. “Now banks are becoming ‘ac“The first question these banks cidental’ stockholders. To reduce have is: ‘What is my exit stratdebt, more newspapers are likely egy?’� Marc Abrams, a New York to seek bankruptcy court protec- lawyer who represented newspation, while others try to convince per publisher Journal-Register Co. banks to swap debt for ownership while in bankruptcy protection, stakes in their companies.� said as quoted in an Associated The speech was a sneak preview Press report. He said the bank’s of a pre-packaged bankruptcy fil- decisions are not based on criteing MediaNews announced, as ria related to what produces highquietly as possible, late Friday, quality journalism and sustainable Jan. 15. Singleton reportedly was publications but on how they can already intently working on the extract as much equity as possible bankruptcy package. as quickly as possible from the investment. The highly regarded Knight Rid‘The first question der newspaper company, which inthese banks have cluded the San Jose Mercury News is: “What is my exit and Contra Costa Times, came to an end when Florida investment strategy?�’ manager Bruce Sherman, who – Marc Abrams, lawyer owned 19 percent of the company’s representing publisher stock, decided his return on investHe went further: “Whether by ment wasn’t as high as he wanted. supervision of the courts or by ne- He forced a sale of the company gotiation to convert some debt to and its dissolution. equity, America’s banks will own The irony here is that Mediaa large position in the newspaper News acquired Bay Area Knight sector going forward. Ridder newspapers by incurring “Get used to it,� Singleton said. major debt that has now helped put While the proposed bankruptcy MediaNews itself in a similar deal indicates that Singleton and situation of being dependent on his management team will be able the financial calculations of nonto appoint four of the seven mem- newspaper investor/owners who bers of the new company board are mostly interested in selling and and retain control of the company, recovering as much of their investsuch deals are not simple. A Bank ment as possible. of America-led group of 116 banks And in the restructured and 49 bondholders will own 80 MediaNews empire with its 54 daipercent of the second largest ly newspapers and 100 non-daily newspaper company in the United papers in 12 states, the banks and States. bondholders will own 80 percent of The problem for readers and the the company, more than four times public is that financial institutions the percentage Sherman owned of don’t want to be in the business of Knight Ridder. journalism. They want maximum The financial picture in the return on their distressed invest- broader daily newspaper publishments, which may not bode well ing business is not rosy. Respected for healthy journalism. credit-rating company Fitch RatIn the same story, Singleton re- ings in a 2009-10 report noted that turns to a favorite theme — con- while “the worst of the advertissolidation — in predicting how ing downturn has passed, Fitch banks as newspaper owners will believes that newspapers are likely behave: “Singleton said lenders to be left behind in an ad recovery. will seek to recoup their invest- Fitch expects revenues to be down ments by pushing newspapers to again off very easy comparable consolidate. Through mergers, periods due to permanent shifts in banks will eliminate expensive advertiser sentiment and excess ad corporate overhead and allow pa- inventory that will plague the inpers to improve their financial per- dustry for years to come.� N Sam Chapman is publisher of formance without hurting readers the Pacific Sun, the Weekly’s sisor advertisers.� Consolidation of Bay Area ter paper in Marin County.
A
Only the Palo Alto Daily News survived in a print edition, after the MediaNews acquisition. The future of the San Mateo County Times is uncertain. der provisions of Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, commonly used when a debtor proposes a plan of reorganization to keep the business alive and pay creditors over an extended time. Prepackaged filing means there are fewer decisions for a court to make and fewer negotiations with creditors, resulting in a faster completion of the bankruptcy. Singleton reported in a December 2009 memo to employees that he planned to restructure the company’s debt in the first quarter of 2010, but made no mention of possible bankruptcy. MediaNews, which claims to be the nation’s second largest newspaper publisher by circulation, was reported throughout 2009 to be unable to meet debtpayment deadlines and to be in the process of talking to creditors, including Bank of America, about a way to rework its debt. MediaNews papers have gone through multiple waves of layoffs and cost cutting in recent years, which included outsourcing their production of advertising to India. Downsizing has been common throughout all print publications, including magazines, for a number of years, as the industry has struggled with a severe recession, declining circulation, and migration of many readers and advertisers to the Internet. For the future, Singleton told the Wall Street Journal that dealing with the company’s debt allows him to lead newspaper industry consolidation. He said he wants to be aggressive in merging newspapers,
but responded to a follow-up question about which papers might be combined with just, “You can look at the map.�
‘Newspaper stocks have come back so far from their parlous state a year ago that the sector now ranks among the market’s best performers.’ – Editor and Publisher The MediaNews filing, along with one by Morris Publishing Group announced a day earlier, will bring to nine the number of daily newspaper publishers forced to file for bankruptcy because of unsustainable debt they acquired just prior to the great recession, according to Silicon Valley-based industry observer Alan Mutter. Others include Freedom Communications (Orange County Register), Heartland Publications, Journal Register Co., Minneapolis Star Tribune, Philadelphia Newspapers LLC, Sun-Times Media Group and, the $13 billion Tribune Co., which publishes the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. The horizon is not entirely bleak, however. A story in industry trade journal Editor and Publisher (which itself recently folded then surfaced again under new ownership) reported last week that “Newspaper stocks have come back so far from their parlous state a year ago that the sec-
tor now ranks among the market’s best performers. ... Zacks Investment Research Chief Equity Strategist Dirk Van Dijk says newspapers now rank seventh-best among 206 industries tracked by the Chicagobased firm. Two stocks — Gannett Co. Inc and The New York Times Co. — are now given No. 1 ratings in its stock evaluation system.� However, it’s all relative: “Newspaper stocks across the board are trading at or near 52-week highs, and some have rebounded spectacularly since hitting all-time low prices in the winter of 2009. Gannett’s share price, for instance, is up 103 percent from a year ago. Stock in The McClatchy Co. sunk below $1 a share last year, and only narrowly avoided being delisted by the New York Stock Exchange. A year later, McClatchy shares have soared 322 percent. Still, newspaper stocks remain near historic lows. McClatchy shares in January of 2005, for instance, traded for around $60. On Wednesday, McClatchy shares closed at $5.06. ... “While they (newspapers) may never return to their glory days, that doesn’t mean that they are all going to go extinct in the near future, either. Most have greatly reduced their costs over the last year, so just a small pick up in revenue should lead to large gains on the bottom line.� N Sam Chapman is publisher of the Pacific Sun, the Weekly’s sister paper in Marin County. Weekly Editor Jay Thorwaldson can be emailed at jthorwaldson@paweekly. com.
*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊÓÓ]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 15
A community health education series from Stanford Hospital & Clinics
Deadly Heart Condition Yields to Screening and Prompt Treatment
“But a couple of weeks later my mom said, ‘Maybe we should get you checked out, just to be safe,’ � Cooper said. This exam, with a cardiac specialist, included an ECG, an non-invasive test that can identify potentially dangerous heart conditions by measuring the heart’s electrical activity. When his mother, a former U.S. Navy medic, saw the look of that ECG and the physician’s scrutiny of it, she knew something was wrong. “That’s when my heart dropped,� she said. Cooper did not have Marfan’s, but the specialist was fairly certain he did have a genetic heart condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, sometimes shorthanded as HCM. The physician recommended Cooper and his mother go to Stanford Hospital
& Clinics, where Euan Ashley, MD, PhD, heads the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center, one of a few clinics in the world devoted to the diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Norbert von der Groeben
High school senior James Cooper and his mother laughed at first when, in the middle of a sports physical, the examiner mentioned that the young man’s arm span was suggestive of Marfan syndrome, a connective tissue disease that can seriously affect the heart. Cooper was otherwise in the peak of youthful fitness, working out four to five hours a day and playing several competitive sports.
“Thank God we found out. I thought of all the families who have no idea, and sudden death is how they realized their son or daughter had this condition� & ' & '
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– Paulette Cooper, mother of patient at Stanford’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center “From the moment we first met Dr. Ashley at Stanford,� said Paulette Cooper, “I felt we were sitting in a room with a doctor who really cared – a really gentle person, a really caring person who was not rushing us through, not treating us like he had a waiting room full of other people he had to see. His staff was amazing, too. I felt we were in a really good place.� Ashley, himself an athlete as a youth, developed an early clinical and research interest in heart health, including that specific to the kind of activity athletes ask of their bodies.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the heart as an organ,� he said. “It’s a phenomenal thing that can power Olympic athletes but holds an 80-year-old woman to her chair, not able to walk.� He suspected Cooper had HCM, but also thought some of the behavior of Cooper’s heart might be the result of his heavy athletic training, so he ordered the young man to take a break. That enforced inactivity was a major blow to Cooper. Sitting on the bench and watching his classmates playing team sports was the complete opposite of a path he had followed since he was six years old and ran his first 10k. “I wasn’t feeling too good about myself,� he said. As such a change might affect any young athlete, “that just about took the rug out from under him,� said Cooper’s mother. “This was a kid who worked out four to five hours a day, without a coach. It was hard for him just to suddenly stop. Everybody’s saying, ‘I’m sure you’re fine,’ and James is sitting there saying, ‘I hope so, but there’s something happening.’’’
Norbert von der Groeben
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Recognizing the unusual Stanford’s center is a place where hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is understood as a condition that can be found, as it was in Cooper, in the most athletic of patients. It is caused by genetic mutations that change the structure
of the heart’s muscle cells, thickening them and disrupting the flow and force of blood through its chambers. It is the most common cause of sudden death in young people and the most common form of inherited cardiovascular disease.
“From the moment we first met Dr. Ashley at Stanford, I felt we were sitting in a room with a doctor who really cared – a really gentle person, a really caring person.� – Paulette Cooper, mother of a patient at Stanford’s Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center Cooper’s mother knew her grandmother had been in and out of the hospital, treated for congestive heart failure. And there had been others in the family who had died young, stricken with sudden heart attacks. But she had had no clue that that history might be reflected in her son’s heart health. Often, the symptoms HCM chest pain, fainting, palpitations – can be misdiagnosed. Genetic testing is still evolving, but only at a few places, like Stanford, is it available. The center has had long experience with the surgery sometimes performed to counteract the obstruction to blood flow caused by the condition. Few surgeons specialize in that surgery, Ashley said. It calls for judgment and experience. “You might only make a small
special feature
What To Know About Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Treatments include medication to alter how the heart muscle acts, surgery to remove a portion of the thickened heart muscle or implantation of a defibrillator, which starts the heart if it stops.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle which causes certain areas to enlarge and obstruct blood flow. Typically, it’s inherited and can affect both children and adults.
Anyone with a family history of unexplained early cardiac death should think about screening and genetic testing. Euan Ashley, MD, recommends that young athletes be evaluated by a physician before they begin to do sports. Adults with family history of heart issues should see a physician to address their risk factors. The disease can show itself in adults into their 40s and 50s.
Symptoms don’t always appear in the early stages of the disease, but later can include dizziness, shortness of breath, fatigue and swelling of legs, ankles and feet.
number of cuts, but they make a very big difference,� he said. Even after cutting back on his strenuous physical workouts, Cooper’s heart still showed the disturbing abnormalities and Ashley presented Cooper with his choices. “He said I could continue living my life as I had before and have the possibility of suddenly dropping dead. Or, I could get a defibrillator or we could talk about medications like beta blockers.�
The next steps Cooper chose the defibrillator. Compared to his pre-diagnosis lifestyle, his physical activity now is quite restricted – he’s not allowed to push his body in ways that significantly raise his heart rate. That means no marathons. And no more competitive sports. But Cooper’s personality fights against the restrictions.
People with this heart condition face “something they’re going to be dealing with for the rest of their life,� said Heidi Salisbury, a nurse who has worked with Ashley at the center for several years. “We encourage our patients to learn as much as possible about their condition, to make the necessary changes in behavior and lifestyle and then to live a high quality of life.�
“For a long time, I went through a lot of difficult feelings,� said his mother. “On one side, I thought, ‘This isn’t fair. Here’s a kid who wanted to be a firefighter since he was four years old – why does it have to be this? If this was a kid who played videogames all day, it wouldn’t have had the impact. On the other side - thank God we found out. I thought of all the families who have no idea and sudden death is how they realized that their son or daughter had this condition.�
Cooper is both the worst and best case scenario, she said. “He epitomizes a young man, playing basketball, who could have died of cardiac arrest. He had no idea he had this disease or the severity of the disease. He had a higher chance of death than others. But he was a save.�
“James has gone through some hard times, being angry and disappointed. It’s been hard for him, but once he had the defibrillator put in, his goal was to help other people like him. He wanted to reach out and talk to others and help them.�
“I’ve been living with it for awhile now, it’s not something I dwell on,� Cooper said. “ I’m in a good place now. It’s not something I fear.�
Norbert von der Groeben
For more information, visit stanfordhospital.org. Video talks by Dr. Ashley can be viewed at healthlibrary.stanford.edu. Contact the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Clinic at 650.736.1384.
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“I’ve been living with it for a while now. It’s not something I dwell on. I’m in a good place now. It’s not something I fear.� Norbert von der Groeben
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– James Cooper, patient at Stanford Hospital Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Center Cooper took part in last year’s Stanford HCM Patient Day. He ran on a treadmill in front of the 75 attendees, demonstrating the importance of remaining active while exercising within the necessary restrictions. His internal defibrillator, about the diameter of a
can of shoe polish, was visible below the surface of his skin. “That visual of seeing him run was really inspiring to the audience,� Ashley said. His internal defibrillator is routinely monitored, but doesn’t need much maintenance except for its battery, which lasts for an average of 10 years. The technology is improving continually, Salisbury said. His medical team monitors Cooper’s activity remotely, so they know when he’s pushing the limit. “It’s hard to change your behavior when you’re young and vital,� she said. “But we are here to support every patient and their family for the long run. This is a process and James is living proof of our mission.�
Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. Consistently ranked among the top institutions in the U.S. News & World Report annual list of “America’s Best Hospitals,â€? Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. It is part of the Stanford University Medical Center, along with the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford. For more information, visit stanfordmedicine.org. *>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?ÞÊUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊÓÓ]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 17
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF CITY MANAGER’S PUBLIC HEARING CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Palo Alto City Manager or his designee will consider the applications of Amendment to the current CertiďŹ cates of Public Convenience and Necessity for Yellow Cab Company Peninsula, Inc to increase the number of taxicabs to operate in the City of Palo Alto under the business name California Cab Company, and Yellow Checker Cab Company, Inc to increase the number of taxicabs to operate in the City of Palo Alto under the business name of Silicon Valley Checker Cab Company and Yellow Cab Company of Palo Alto, at a special meeting on Wednesday, February 3, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. in the First Floor Human Resources Conference Room, located at 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto.
CITY OF PALO ALTO
2010 PREMIERE SEASON
at the Oshman Family JCC
Jeff Sanford’s Cartoon Jazz Orchestra
UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS
1/ 24, 2:30PM Fun for the whole family! Join us for an afternoon of vibrant arrangements that evoke images from familiar cartoons such as Bugs Bunny, The Simpsons and The Incredibles!
Arts CafĂŠ Jeff Sanford Quartet 2/ 4, 7:30PM Jeff Sanford is also performing for adults at our intimate, monthly Arts CafĂŠ. Immerse yourself in a night of live jazz.
Notice of Funding Availability Program Year 2010-2011 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Capital Projects Applications are now available for the City of Palo Alto’s 20102011 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program for capital projects. The City expects to distribute locally approximately $680,000 in funds in the forthcoming ďŹ scal year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the CDBG Program speciďŹ cally directed to capital projects. (The areas of public services and administration have been previously addressed in a two year funding cycle for program years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011). The primary objective of the Program is: “The development of viable urban communities, including decent housing and a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low and very low income.â€? The CDBG Program is directed toward expanding and maintaining the affordable housing supply, promoting housing opportunities and choices, maintaining and improving community facilities and services, and providing supportive services speciďŹ cally for persons of low and very low income. Targeted groups might include persons who are homeless, seniors, persons with disabilities, and other special needs groups. Applications are available at the City of Palo Alto Planning Division, City Hall, 5th Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, during regular ofďŹ ce hours. Applications are also available on the City’s website: www.cityofpaloalto.org/depts/pln/default.asp. To request an application by mail or for more information please contact Kathy Marx, CDBG Coordinator at 650/329-2428. The deadline for submitting applications is 3:00 p.m. on Monday, February 22, 2010 for the ďŹ scal year beginning July 1, 2010.
For our full schedule and ticket information, please visit www.paloaltojcc.org/arts
Oshman Family JCC 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto, Ca 94303 (650) 223-8700 | paloaltojcc.org
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Persons with disabilities who require auxiliary aids or services in using City facilities, services or programs, or who would like information on the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, may contact: ADA Coordinator, City of Palo Alto, 650-329-2550 (Voice) ada@cityofpaloalto.org
Pulse A weekly compendium of vital statistics
Palo Alto Jan. 13-19 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Child abuse/physical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Elder abuse/physical. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Family violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Check forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Embezzlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Residential burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Residential burglary attempt. . . . . . . . . .1 Shop lift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/ suspended license . . . . . . . .8 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Theft from auto attempt . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle abandoned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/mnr. injury . . . . . . . . . .9 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .9 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle stored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 N&D possession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Elder abuse/financial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Noise complaint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psych. subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Warrant/Palo Alto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Menlo Park Jan. 13-19 Violence related Spousal abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Residential burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/ suspended license . . . . . . . . .2 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/mjr. injury . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/mnr. injury . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . .7 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol and drug related Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Registrant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Located missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Other/Misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Atherton Jan. 12-17 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Vehicle accident/mnr. injury . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Citizen assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Follow up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
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Bluegrass musicians attain polish — and sweet world-weariness — despite being under 18
Sullivan Tuttle coaxes sounds from his guitar that are mellow despite the music’s speed. LÞÊ ˆ>˜>ĂŠ,iĂžÂ˜ÂœÂ?`ĂƒĂŠ,œœ“iĂŠUĂŠÂŤÂ…ÂœĂŒÂœ}Ă€>ÂŤÂ…ĂƒĂŠLÞÊ ÂœÂ˜ĂŠ iĂ€Âˆ> alent declares itself anywhere. In a crowded are measured and mellow despite their speed. family room in Palo Alto’s Midtown neigh“We do it fast,â€? said their father Jack Tuttle, who borhood, the air is electrified by the playing is primarily a fiddler, but also plays and teaches of five bluegrass musicians preparing for an up- banjo, mandolin, guitar and bass. “The words in coming concert. bluegrass are always so sad, but not the tempos.â€? Four members of the band are young — so For the past 30 years, Tuttle has taught 80 stuyoung that the lightning-quick fingers of Michael dents a week at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Tuttle, age 11, look impossibly assured as they Palo Alto, while more recently keeping a proud race up and down the neck of his mandolin. Molly eye on his own family band, which already holds Tuttle, 17, whose voice already expresses a sweet its own in practically any company of bluegrass world-weariness, leaps confidently across octaves players. in a kind of yodel that characterizes songs such as AJ (Aissa) Lee performs as a special guest with “White Freightliner,â€? crisply snapping her guitar The Tuttles. At just 12, she produces a surprisstrings. Sullivan Tuttle, 14, drapes himself com- ingly rich, polished vocal tone. She pushes out fortably over his guitar, coaxing out sounds that notes with intense concentration and fluency, her
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Top: In the Tuttle family home in Palo Alto, Jack Tuttle practices with his children: Molly, second from left; Sullivan, second from right; and Michael, right. Vocalist AJ (Aissa) Lee, center, performs with the family band as a special guest. Above: A close-up of Jack Tuttle’s hand on the strings. Left: Part of the assortment of instruments in the home. pure pitch undisturbed by the occasional melismatic finale. Despite the maturity of the singing, the melancholy themes of bluegrass — romance, love, loss and faith — sound oddly poignant coming from the mouths of such youthful musicians in songs like “He Ain’t Never Done Me Nothin’ But Good,� and “Red, Red Rose.� (continued on next page)
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Look for rules and entry form starting Friday, January 29 in the Palo Alto Weekly or online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L
Your Child’s Health University Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital offers classes and seminars designed to foster good health and enhance the lives of parents and children. INFANT MASSAGE Learn the techniques of infant massage along with tips to relieve gas, aid digestion and soothe the soreness of vaccination sites on your baby. Class is recommended for infants from one month of age to crawling. New classes begin at the end of January.
PEDIATRIC WEIGHT CONTROL PROGRAM Start the new year with a family-based, behavioral and educational weight management program that promotes healthy eating and exercise habits for overweight children and their families. More than 80% of children achieve long-term weight loss through this program – and parents lose weight too! The new session starts soon, call (650) 725-4424 to register. Spaces are limited.
NEWBORN CARE 101 This interactive program teaches the speciďŹ cs of newborn care including bathing, swaddling, soothing, and more. Infant doll models are used to allow for hands-on practice. - Saturday, February 27: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
STAYING CLOSE WHILE STANDING BACK Julie Metzger, RN, creator of our “Heart to Heart� program, hosts an evening for parents of adolescents and young teens with a discussion of ways we can encourage our children to be resilient, accountable, and independent people in a fast-changing world. - Tuesday, March 9: 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Call (650) 723-4600 or visit www.lpch.org to register or obtain more information on the times, locations and fees for these and other courses.
L U C I L E PA C K A R D
C H I L D R E N’S H O S P I T A L C A L L TO D AY TO S I G N U P F O R C L A S S E S ( 6 5 0 ) 72 3 - 4 6 0 0 Page 20ĂŠUĂŠ >Â˜Ă•>ÀÞÊÓÓ]ÊÓä£äÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
By contrast, “Needles and Pins� (which Jack Tuttle calls “not really bluegrass, more Western swing�) revels in its nervy energy. Jack Tuttle’s composition “Gypsy Palo Alto� incorporates difficult solos for each member of the band, allowing the instruments to emerge and shine in a series of jazz riffs. AJ’s composition “Catch the Keet� — written in response to the loss of her parakeets — produces a fluttery sense of acceleration. Molly, who started guitar at age 8 and banjo at 10, plays Bob Dylan’s “Been on a Mail Train� in double time. She also plays guitar in clawhammer style (essentially like a banjo). In singing, Molly has learned to avoid the head voice and to switch registers in the characteristic bluegrass style that propels the voice in something resembling a yodel. “The vocal cords slap together — I had to practice a lot,� Molly said. In addition to her father’s instruction, Molly had a blues guitar teacher, and now has an instructor for old-time banjo (a subtler style that is becoming trendy again, according to Jack) as well as a voice coach. Jack’s teaching style resembles osmosis more than instruction, at least with his own children, according to their mother, Maureen Tuttle. “Every family has something a mom or dad loves, and Jack loves music. Every day he would sit and play,� she said of the family’s early years. The immersion goes back farther to Jack’s father, who heard Hank Williams and was inspired to form his own band with Jack and his sister in rural Illinois, where Jack grew up. Jack Tuttle’s quiet prompts carry their authority lightly. “You sound a little tentative,� he remarks to Sullivan at one point. And despite his high standards, the children don’t express any concern about feeling pressured. Michael said he practices for half an hour a day, Sullivan for one hour. To help the children achieve the pace required for bluegrass music, Jack said he took advantage of their natural competitiveness. “I had them working on speed to the point where they were pretty raggedy, and then cleaned it up afterwards,� he said. “They are extremely efficient with practicing, because any problems immediately get fixed.� Listening is another important way to learn, Jack says, and Molly especially likes to imitate bluegrass singers Hazel Dickens and Gillian Welch. AJ Lee, who also plays with a group called OMGG (Obviously Minor Guys and a Girl) in Contra Costa County, started learning ukulele at the age of 3 from her Irish mother, Betsy Riger, who involved her in rhythm games and gave her little pitch exercises. AJ then moved on to mandolin, and later learned some fiddle and guitar. At 5, she was performing at stage events held by Kids on Bluegrass, a program of the California Bluegrass Association. At the association’s annual Father’s Day Festival, which draws thousands of people to Grass Valley, the Lees and the Tuttles got acquainted, and Jack ultimately asked AJ to sing with them.
“The first time I ever heard AJ sing, she must have been about 7,� he said. “She was good, very musical and had a lot of potential. Next year, she’d progressed so far: She had one of the most remarkable voices I’d heard for that age group. She’s growing into that voice all the time.� AJ and Molly have already performed in Nashville, at the International Bluegrass Association’s showcase for kids. “When AJ opened her mouth and started singing, it stopped them cold,� Jack Tuttle recalled. The Tuttles, too, have drawn attention, both on stage and with a YouTube video of them playing “El Cumbanchero� that has drawn more than a million and a quarter hits since it went up in 2006. Because AJ lives with her family in Tracy, Jack sends MP3 files that he records of the Tuttles’ own playing, and AJ practices harmonizing with them at home. He also sends the tablatures (musical notations) of new pieces over the Internet. AJ incorporates her practice time into her day, often while doing other things, she said. “Walking around, I just think of a song and sing it off the top of my head. At home, I’ll just let it all go, even yell it — that helps me memorize it. I practice maybe 10 times a day.� Since 2004, the Mountain Viewbased nonprofit Redwood Bluegrass Associates has offered an annual showcase for Jack Tuttle’s students, including musicians who have became well-known names in bluegrass. These include Brittany Haas, who’s now in the band Crooked Still; Angelica Grim, currently on the bluegrass charts with her first release; and the banjo player Frankie Nagle. But at an upcoming concert on Jan. 23, the Tuttles and AJ will be the main event. “They’re far beyond ‘pretty good for kids,’� said Peter Thompson of Redwood Bluegrass Associates. “They are, simply, flat-out great, destined to be major forces in bluegrass. We’re lucky to be able to experience them in concert before they get really famous.� N
What: The Tuttles and AJ Lee perform in the Redwood Bluegrass Associates concert series Where: First Presbyterian Church, 1667 Miramonte Ave., Mountain View When: Saturday, Jan. 23. Jamming starts at 5 p.m.; doors open at 7; the show begins at 8. Cost: Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door (half-price for teenagers and free for children ages 12 and under). Info: Go to www.rba.org or call 650-691-9982. Jack and Molly Tuttle are also scheduled to perform Feb. 20 at the Lucie Stern Theatre at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. They’ll be opening for bluegrass singer and fiddler Laurie Lewis as part of an 8 p.m. benefit for the Juana Briones Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association; call 650-493-2131 or email schoolbenefitconcert@gmail. com for more.
Arts & Entertainment
Palo Alto Players Presents THE POWERFUL WINNER OF THE 2007 pulitzer prize
Rabbit Hole By David Lindsay-Abaire january 22 through february 7, 2010 Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 MiddleďŹ eld Road )8CF CKF a www.paplayers.org
A Guide to the Spiritual Community Derek Hutchison
First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto Sunday Services – 8:30 & 10:25 Sunday School – 9:00 Rev. Love & Rev. McHugh OfďŹ ce Hours: 8-4 M-F
Henry Clarke plays Robert Kennedy, and Kevin Daniels is Martin Luther King Jr., in L.A. Theatre Works’ production of “RFK: The Journey to Justice.�
Remembering Robert Kennedy Radio play traces RFK’s changing relationship with civil-rights movement by Rebecca Wallace
I
t’s June 1968, and graduate student Susan Albert Loewenberg is finishing a paper on Robert Kennedy. As she writes her last paragraph, she’s tired but thrilled: On the television, Kennedy is celebrating his victory in the California presidential primary. Then, to her horror, chaos breaks out on the screen. Kennedy has been shot. Loewenberg feels as though she has come to know Kennedy through working on her paper. For a long time after the assassination, she is devastated and haunted. Forty-two years later, Loewenberg is still fascinated by the myth and the man. She’s the producing director of L.A. Theatre Works, a radio theater company that tours and records the plays for broadcast. On Jan. 27, the company comes to Stanford University with “RFK: The Journey to Justice,� a docudrama co-commissioned by Stanford Lively Arts and written by Murray Horwitz and Jonathan Estrin. A work on Robert Kennedy could take many paths. This one focuses on Kennedy’s work in civil rights and his changing — and checkered — relationship with Martin Luther King Jr. and others in the movement. Civil rights seemed a timely subject with the election of Barack Obama, Loewenberg said in an interview. “I just think that so many young people don’t know about that time of history, and Robert Kennedy’s part in that effort,� she added. The play doesn’t depict RFK as
an eternal activist. In the opening scene, John and Robert Kennedy are mired in politics, working to ensure JFK’s presidential nomination in the 1960 race. They’re angry that Jackie Robinson has endorsed Richard Nixon, and concerned about winning the black vote. “It sets the tone that, for the Kennedy brothers, civil rights is something that can be managed. They just weren’t that familiar with the issue,� Loewenberg said. Later, after John Kennedy is elected, black leaders criticize the administration for not doing enough for their community. A big creative
inspiration for “RFK� was a 1963 meeting between then-U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy and black leaders including writer James Baldwin, playwright Lorraine Hansberry and singer Harry Belafonte. Dramaturg Elizabeth Bennett wrote in the play’s program notes: “Kennedy ... expressed privately his shock that his brother’s administration wasn’t lauded by blacks for its efforts, who told him that if this is the best he could do, then the best was not enough.� Over time, though, Kennedy becomes increasingly moved by the racial injustices he sees in the country. Although he never meant to be a civil-rights hero, “RFK’s strides towards achieving equality began with legislative measures, eventually expanding his concerns beyond black-white issues to fundamental issues such as workers’ rights and poverty,� Bennett wrote. (continued on next page)
In this period photo, Robert Kennedy addresses a crowd.
625 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
(650) 323-6167 s WWW &IRST0ALO!LTO COM FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC
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This Sunday: The Problem with Universal Praise Rev, David Howell Preaching An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ
Stanford Memorial Church University Public Worship Sunday, January 24th, 10:00 am Multifaith Celebration Honoring the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Why We Can’t Wait: The Legacy and Promise of Interfaith Leadership� All are welcome. Information: 650-723-1762
Stanford F.A.I.T.H. (Faiths Acting in Togetherness and Hope) Music featuring Talisman and Memorial Church Choir F.A.I.T.H. Clothing Drive, donations will be appreciated. http://religiouslife.stanford.edu
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A resource for special events and ongoing religious services. To inquire about or make space reservations for Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 326-8210 x6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com
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FPCMV welcomes our new Pastor Timothy R. Boyer. Biblically based Sermons and Worship Service 10:30 AM. www.fpcmv.org 1667 Miramonte (Cuesta at Miramonte) 650.968.4473
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Robert Kennedy (continued from previous page)
The changes in Kennedy make him a compelling character, Loewenberg said. “He had a very specific way of looking at the world. But a number of things happened that really changed his world view. He allowed himself to grow enormously as a result of his encounter with new information.� Crafting the play required sifting through heaps of period material, including speeches, letters, newspapers and Senate transcripts. The authors also brought varied experience to the table. Estrin has directed theater and written and produced
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2010, 11:00 A.M. TERRACE ROOM, BUILDING 460
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INFORMATION: 650.723.0011 HTTP://CREATIVEWRITING.STANFORD.EDU Sponsored by Stanford University Creative Writing Program
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Leadership: From the Basketball Court to Business
films and television. Horwitzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resume includes originating the NPR quiz show â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wait Wait ... Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Tell Me!â&#x20AC;? and penning lyrics for the Metropolitan Operaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Great Gatsby.â&#x20AC;? The radio play does not have sets, but features costumes and lighting as well as a wealth of sound. Soundeffects artist Nick Caruso will be on stage with a table of equipment to play recorded speeches, typewriter noises and other sounds. He also creates effects the old-fashioned way, rustling paper or even drinking a glass of water if a character is imbibing. Actor Henry Clarke plays Robert Kennedy, with Kevin Daniels as Martin Luther King Jr. Philip Casnoff portrays John Kennedy. It can be difficult to cast such iconic characters, but Loewenberg noted that choosing the ensemble in the nine-member cast was also challenging, â&#x20AC;&#x153;finding actors who could do a variety of accents and age ranges.â&#x20AC;? Lynn Wactor, for instance, plays all the female roles, including Coretta Scott King, Dolores Huerta and Myrlie Evers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;RFKâ&#x20AC;? comes to Stanford on a tour that includes stops at other universities. Then in March itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back to L.A. Theatre Worksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recording studio, where the play will be recorded for the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radio show. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;RFKâ&#x20AC;? tour also includes educational components, such as student matinees and free talks. Loewenberg said she hopes audiences of all ages learn lessons from the show, not only about leadership and the courage to change oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, but also about the difficulties activists faced. More personally, she hopes people find Robert Kennedy inspiring for overcoming personal loss. â&#x20AC;&#x153;JFK was everything to Robert. His whole life had been dedicated to serving his brother,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When that rug is pulled out from under you, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how you manage to pick yourself up and go on,â&#x20AC;? she said. N
What: â&#x20AC;&#x153;RFK: The Journey to Justice,â&#x20AC;? a radio docudrama by L.A. Theatre Works Where: Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27 Cost: $34/$38 general, $10 for Stanford students, with other discounts for groups, young people and other students Info: Go to livelyarts.stanford. edu or call 650-725-ARTS. The Aurora Forum will also host a free talk with Susan Albert Loewenberg and cast members at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 in Stanfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pigott Theatre.
Another radio-style show is on tap for the South Bay. On Feb. 21, the Palo Alto-based California Pops Orchestra puts on a 1930s-style radio variety show in Los Gatos, featuring impressions, detective stories and orchestra music. For more info, check out Weekly arts editor Rebecca Wallaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blog, Ad Libs, at blog. paloaltoonline.com/adlibs.
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Help the City of Palo Alto Develop Its New
Palo Alto Recycling and Composting Ordinance Nearly 43% of our â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;garbageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is actually recyclable. By simply placing items in the appropriate containers, we can further our community goals of Zero Waste by 2021 and 15% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. To address this important issue, the City is creating a new Recycling and Composting Ordinance to restrict recyclables and compostables from the garbage. Join the Community Discussion The Palo Alto community is invited to attend public meetings hosted by the City to develop the specifics of the new ordinance. The meetings have been separated into two categories, residential and commercial, to specifically address the differing needs and concerns of these community members.
PUBLIC MEETINGS - Commercial -
- Residential -
Wednesday, January 27 2:30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4 p.m. Roche, A2-1 Conference Room 3431 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto
Wednesday, February 3 7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 8:30 p.m. Art Center Auditorium 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto
Thursday, January 28 8:30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 a.m. Comerica Bank boardroom 250 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto
Saturday, February 6 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 11:30 a.m. Art Center Auditorium 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto
Visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/zerowaste or call (650) 496-5910 for more information on this issue. *>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;U Page 23
â&#x20AC;&#x153;THRILLING!â&#x20AC;? SHAWN EDWARDS, FOX-TV
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CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES SORRY, NO PASSES ACCEPTED FOR THIS ENGAGEMENT
NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) Please be advised that Thursday, February 4, 2010, the ARB shall conduct a public hearing at 8:30 AM in the Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard. 1700 Embarcadero Road [09PLN-00175]: Request by Stoecker & Northway Architects, Inc., on behalf of Wu-chung Hsiang & Vicky Ching, for rezoning to Service Commercial with a Site and Design Review Combining District (CS(D)), approval of a variance, and approval of site and design review for demolition of an existing restaurant, and construction of a four-story hotel and restaurant. Environmental Assessment: An Initial Study/Negative Declaration has been prepared in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements. 910 Charleston Road: request by ACS Architects, on behalf of Ai Yueh Lee, for a Minor Architectural Review for the addition of approximately 95 sq. ft, exterior improvements, new signage, landscape and parking lot improvements for an existing restaurant. A Design Enhancement Exception is requested to allow less building frontage at the Charleston Rd. frontage. Environmental Assessment: Exempt from the provisions of CEQA, 15301 (Existing Facilities). Zone District: CS. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Amy French Manager of Current Planning Page 24Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;
A Single Man (R) ((((
Aquarius: 4:30, 7 & 9:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 2 p.m.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (G) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:30 a.m.; 1:45, 4, 6:30 & 8:45 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 1:30, 3:45, 6, 8:20 & 10:40 p.m.
An Education (PG-13) (((
Aquarius: 7:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. also at 2:30 p.m.
Avatar (PG-13) (((
Century 16: In 3D at 11:35 a.m.; 1:30, 3:30, 5:30, 7, 9 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 2:30 & 8:40 p.m.; In 3D at 11:20 a.m.; 12:30, 1:40, 2:50, 4:10, 5:30, 6:30, 8:05, 9:10 & 10 p.m.; Sat. also at 10:10 a.m.
The Blind Side (PG-13) ((
Century 16: 12:05 & 6:15 p.m. Century 20: 12:40, 4, 7:30 & 10:25 p.m.
The Book of Eli (R) (((
Century 16: 11:45 a.m.; 1:10, 2:30, 3:55, 5:15, 6:40, 8, 9:30 & 10:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m.; 12:45, 2, 3:35, 4:45, 6:25, 7:35, 9:15 & 10:25 p.m.
Broken Embraces (R) (((
Guild: 2, 5 & 8 p.m.
Crazy Heart (R) (((
Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:40 & 7:15 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:55 p.m.
Daybreakers (R) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 3:20 & 9:55 p.m.
Extraordinary Measures (PG) ((
Century 16: 11:40 a.m.; 2:10, 4:40, 7:15 & 9:55 p.m. Century 20: 11:40 a.m.; 2:20, 4:55, 7:45 & 10:20 p.m.
Invictus (PG-13) (((1/2 Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Complicated (R) (((
Century 16: 1, 4:10, 7:10 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 1:55, 4:40, 7:40 & 10:30 p.m.
Century 16: 3:05 & 9:10 p.m. Century 20: 12:10 & 6:40 p.m.
Leap Year (PG) 1/2
Century 16: 3 & 8:05 p.m. Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 1:50, 4:35, 7:05 & 9:30 p.m.
Legion (R) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 12:15, 2:45, 5:20, 7:55 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 12:25, 2:55, 5:25, 7:55 & 10:35 p.m.
The Lovely Bones (PG-13) ((1/2
Century 16: 11:55 a.m.; 1:25, 2:55, 4:25, 5:55, 7:25, 8:55 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 1, 2:35, 4:05, 5:40, 7:10, 8:45 & 10:10 p.m.; Sat. also at 10 a.m.
The Metropolitan Opera: Century 20: Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Palo Alto Square: Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Der Rosenkavalier (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Precious (R) (((1/2
Aquarius: 5 & 9:55 p.m.
The Princess and the Frog (G) (((
Century 20: 11:35 a.m. & 2 p.m.; Fri.-Tue. & Thu. also at 4:30, 6:55 & 9:35 p.m.
Sherlock Holmes (PG-13) (((1/2
Century 16: 12:45, 3:45, 7:05 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 1:15, 4:15, 7:15 & 10:15 p.m.; Sat. also at 10:20 a.m.
The Spy Next Door (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 12:30, 2:50, 5:10, 7:35 & 10:05 p.m. Century 20: 12:15, 2:40, 5, 7:25 & 9:45 p.m.
Tooth Fairy (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:50 a.m.; 2:20, 4:50, 7:30 & 10 p.m. Century 20: 1:50, 4:25, 7 & 9:30 p.m.; Fri. & Sun.-Thu. also at 11:15 a.m.
Up in the Air (R) (((1/2
Century 16: Noon, 2:35, 5:05, 7:45 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 2:25, 5:10, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m.
The Young Victoria (PG) (((1/2
Palo Alto Square: 2:20 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 4:50, 7:20 & 9:50 p.m.; Sun.-Tue. & Thu. also at 4:50 & 7:20 p.m.
Youth in Revolt (R) (((
Century 16: 12:10, 5:40 & 10:35 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m. & 6:20 p.m.
( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260)
Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260)
Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264)
Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700)
Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264)
Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to Palo Alto Online at http://www.PaloAltoOnline.com/
CinĂŠArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456) ON THE WEB: The most up-to-date movie listings at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
OPENINGS Extraordinary Measures --
(Century 16, Century 20) Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fitting that the first theatrical release from CBS Films should be one that would have been right at home on the CBS television network â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 20 years ago when â&#x20AC;&#x153;disease of the weekâ&#x20AC;? TV movies were commonplace. But this kiss-off, which will no doubt appear in the vast majority of the reviews for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extraordinary Measures,â&#x20AC;? ignores the upside of this picture about a race for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;cure.â&#x20AC;? For starters, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extraordinary Measuresâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which stars Brendan Fraser and Harrison Ford â&#x20AC;&#x201D; will appeal to underserved audiences. With its PG rating, Tom Vaughanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film is a rarity in Hollywood: a movie with a mid-range budget thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acceptable for precocious kids and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feature talking animals or 3-D CGI. The subject matter and Fordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence will help to draw
an older audience looking for something different than the usual crop of overblown sci-fi blockbusters, teen slasher films and unfunny romantic comedies. That said, a simply produced movie that follows a familiar outline doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly provide a strong imperative to leave oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s couch, arguably making this mildly compelling medical drama a better candidate for Netflix queues than an evening out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inspired byâ&#x20AC;? the non-fiction book â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Cureâ&#x20AC;? by Wall Street Journal reporter Geeta Anand, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extraordinary Measuresâ&#x20AC;? tells the story of the Crowleys, a family reeling from the impact of Pompe disease. This form of muscular dystrophy afflicts young Megan and Patrick Crowley, causing their father John (Fraser) to switch careers. Throwing himself into the world of biotech, Crowley becomes as motivated a businessman as anyone has ever seen, because his goal is not money or fame, but rather to save lives â&#x20AC;&#x201D; above all those of his own children. With fretful support from his wife, Aileen (Keri Russell,
reduced to bystander status), John desperately pursues any avenue showing a hint of promise for timely results in treating Pompe disease. The path leads to Dr. Robert Stonehill (Ford), a cranky scientific researcher languishing, under-funded, at the University of Nebraska. By making Stonehill a composite character (who actually resembles Dr. William Canfield of â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Cureâ&#x20AC;?), the filmmakers give themselves the freedom to sketch the true storyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complexities using cleaner narrative lines. To a point, the gambit is effective. Ford gets a bit of a change of pace in playing a smart but weary and antisocial grump whose idiosyncrasies include bass fishing, dispatching wives (â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Cause Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so easy to get along withâ&#x20AC;?), blaring classic rock in his lab and driving a pickup truck (a Ford, of course). His prickly demeanor and realism spark dramatically against Crowleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warmth, idealism and urgency. Um, spoiler alert, but the two men bring out the best in each other, overcoming seemingly insurmount-
able odds. Though predictable and, in the end, embarrassingly sappy, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extraordinary Measuresâ&#x20AC;? does touch on some interesting points about the ethics of drug trials and approvals, the entrepreneurial spirit and the challenges of doing important work that isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a sure thing in financial terms. And letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be honest, some like it sappy (you know who you are). Rated PG for thematic material, language and a mild suggestive moment. One hour, 45 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese To view the trailer for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extraordinary Measures,â&#x20AC;? go to Palo Alto Online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
power-hungry book lover (Gary Oldman). If Washington or the filmmakers had hit a single false note, the action scenes might have been laughable. Instead they offer riveting reprieves from Eliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s achingly slow road trip, turned up a notch when joined by a runaway (Mila Kunis).Rated: R for some brutal violence and language. 1 hours. 58 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; S.T. (Reviewed Jan. 15, 2010)
agrees to an interview with a hopeful music journalist named Jean (Maggie Gyllenhaal). More than usually attracted to the potential lover in his midst, Bad seduces her and realizes that, for the first time in a long time, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not interested in leaving his conquest behind. Rated R for language and brief sexuality. One hour, 51 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed Jan. 8, 2010)
Crazy Heart --(Cinearts) Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one reason â&#x20AC;&#x153;Crazy Heartâ&#x20AC;? is a must-see: Jeff Bridges. Bridges plays Bad Blake, a faded country-western music star relegated to playing dives like a bowlingalley bar. He treats his chronic weariness with chronic drinking, defensive pleasantries and one-night stands. These escapes are understandable. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to face up to the disappointments that have brought him here, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier to blame someone else â&#x20AC;&#x201D; his manager, perhaps, or his one-time friend and colleague Billy Sweet (Colin Farrell), currently living the music-star life that has slipped from Badâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fingers. Traveling America in his beat-up â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;78 Chevy truck, Bad would rather be left alone to anesthetize himself before, during and after gigs, but he
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus --(Century 16, Century 20) Locked with the Devil (Tom Waits) in a centuries-long struggle for human souls, the unhappily immortal Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) tells his ruthless foe, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop stories being told.â&#x20AC;? Helping Parnassus put on his greatest show on Earth is an itinerant troupe of actors: diminutive Percy (Verne Troyer) and ingenues Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Valentina (Lily Cole). The latter is Parnassusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; daughter, just about to turn what Mr. Nick lasciviously refers to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sweet 16 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the age of consent.â&#x20AC;? Mr. Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excitement stems from a long-ago deal made with Parnassus for Valentinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soul, a deal set to close on her birthday. Endearingly packed to the rafters with ornate anachronistic artistry,
TerryGilliamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Imaginariumâ&#x20AC;? is a great place to window shop â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and get lost for a spell. Rated PG-13 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking. Two hours, two minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed Jan. 8. 2010) The Lovely Bones --1/2
(continued on next page)
Discover the
FRENCH FILM CLUB OF PALO ALTO at Winter Program â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les CENTER Classiquesâ&#x20AC;? PALO ALTO ART 1313 Newell Road
January 22nd Doors open at 7pm Movie 7:30pm
â&#x20AC;&#x153;DELICATESSENâ&#x20AC;?
Fri & Sat ONLY 1/22-1/23 Crazy Heart - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15, 9:55; The Young Victoria - 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50; Sun-Tues 1/24-1/26 Crazy Heart - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15; The Young Victoria - 2:20, 4:50, 7:20 Wed ONLY 1/27 Crazy Heart - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15 The Young Victoria - 2:20 Thurs ONLY 1/28 Crazy Heart - 2:00, 4:40, 7:15 The Young Victoria - 2:20, 4:50, 7:20
1991 Film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Director of Amelie) with Pascal Benezech Dominique Pinon Karin Viard Jean-Claude Dreyfus Reserve your your seat, seat, get online at: at: Reserve getaadiscount discount online www.frenchfilmclubofpaloalto.org
www.frenchďŹ lmclubofpaloalto.org Established in 1977, the French Film Club is an independent non-profit Organization, open to the public. For full program and archives, go to:
frenchfilmclubofpaloalto.org
NOW PLAYING
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL
The following is a sampling of movies recently reviewed in the Weekly:
CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26
Avatar --(Century 16, Century 20) James Cameronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plot focuses on Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), a disabled ex-Marine lying in a VA hospital. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tapped to replace his late twin brother in a multinational corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s avatar program, which mixes human DNA with that of the native Naâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;vi population living on Pandora, the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mining colony. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;dumb grunt,â&#x20AC;? who has no avatar training, must quickly learn how to manage his remotely controlled, 10-foot-tall body in a hostile environment. The payoff? The jarhead gets his legs back. Things get more complicated when the avatar team headed by Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) realizes that science and peaceful diplomacy are only part of its mission. rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking. Occasionally in the fictional Naâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;vi language with English subtitles. 2 hours, 42 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; S.T. (Reviewed Dec. 18, 2009) The Book of Eli --(Century 16, Century 20) This hell-onearth movie stars Denzel Washington as a man with a mission beyond mere survival. Thirty winters have passed since the flash, a vaguely described cataclysmic event of global proportion. Either the sun or the war blinded many survivors. Considered an old man and one of the few who remembers the world as we know it, Eli (Washington) says that people had more than they needed and no idea of what was precious. They would discard items that survivors would kill for now. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heading west with precious cargo: a leather-bound tome, coveted by a
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF DIRECTORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HEARING To be held at 3:00 p.m., Thursday, February 4, 2010 in the Palo Alto City Council Conference Room, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Documents related to these items may be inspected by the public at the Development Center, 285 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California on: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Wednesday
8:00 am - Noon, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm 9:00 am - Noon, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
1. 639 Homer-09PLN-00287-Request by Tuong Tran on behalf of Farzad Ghafari for a Preliminary Parcel Map for the creation of three residential condominium units. Environmental Assesment: Exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act(CEQA)per Section 15301.
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA-SPECIAL MEETING-COUNCIL CHAMBERS JANUARY 25, 2010 - 7:00 PM 1. League Legislative Update 2. Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report for Fiscal Year 2009 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Annual Report on City Government Performance 3. Presentation from League of California Cities Peninsula Division Representative 4. Resolution Expressing Appreciation to Tim Grippi Upon His Retirement 5. Adoption of a Resolution to Provide a Supplemental Military Leave BeneďŹ t to Pay for the Differential Between Regular Salary and Military Pay and to Extend Employee BeneďŹ ts (As Applicable) to Employees Called to Active Duty 6. Resolution Expressing Appreciation to Changam Naidu Upon His Retirement 7. Parks and Recreation Commission and Palo Alto Historical Association Recommendation to City Council to Adopt a Resolution Naming the Parcel of Land in the Vicinity of High Street, University Avenue, and Hamilton Avenue as Anna Zschokke Plaza 8. Utilities Advisory Commission Recommendation to Adopt a Resolution Approving the Utilitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Legislative Policy Guidelines for 2010 9. Policy and Services Committee Recommendation for Approval of 2010 Legislative Priorities 10. Utilities Advisory Commission Recommendation to Adopt a Resolution Establishing a Salinity Reduction Policy for Recycled Water 11. Approval of an Agreement with the Palo Alto UniďŹ ed School District of Santa Clara County Concerning the Public Use, Brokering and Maintenance of District-Owned Athletic Fields, Tennis Courts and Basketball Courts Jointly Used by School Students and the General Public 12. Approval of a Cooperative Agreement with the Family Resources Foundation for the Continued Funding Support of Program Staff and the Successful Attainment of Program Goals 13. Finance Committee Recommendation to Accept Maze & Associatesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Audit of the City of Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Financial Statements as of June 30, 2009 and Management Letter 14. Ad Hoc Committee Report on High Speed Rail Report and Approval Contract 15. Finance Committee Recommendation to Adopt an Ordinance Authorizing the Closing of the Budget for the 2009 Fiscal Year and to Approve 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and to Approve a Budget Amendment Ordinance (BAO) to Transfer $809,000 from the General Fund Budget Stabilization Reserve (BSR) to the Technology Fund in Fiscal Year 2010 (Continued by Council Motion on December 14, 2009)
1.
2. 1449 UNiversity-09PLN-00231-Request by Bogdan Ryczkoinski for a Preliminary Parcel Map for subidivsion of one parcel into two. Zoning: R-1 (10000). Curtis Williams Director of Planning and Community Environment 1
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, listening assistive devices are available in the Council Chambers and Council Conference Room and Sign language interpreters will be provided upon request with 72 hours advance notice.
2.
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SPECIAL MEETING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM JANUARY 26, 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5:30 P.M. Interviews of Candidates for the Parks and Recreation Commission for Four Three-Year Terms Ending December 31, 2012
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; SPECIAL MEETING â&#x20AC;&#x201C; COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM JANUARY 27, 2010 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5:30 P.M. Interviews of Candidates for the Library Advisory Commission for Three Three-Year Terms Ending January 31, 2012 Interviews of Candidates for the Storm Drain Oversight Committee for Three Four-Year Terms Ending December 31, 2013
*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;U Page 25
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Movies (continued from previous page) (Century 16, Century 20) Alice Seboldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bestseller â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lovely Bonesâ&#x20AC;? held good potential for a screen treatment, but Peter Jackson squanders it on a schizoid film that largely misses the point of the novel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Lovely Bonesâ&#x20AC;? takes place partly in the afterlife of Susie Salmon, teen victim of a rapemurder. Seboldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story finds Susie exploring
UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x160;,iViÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160;IMMEDIATEĂ&#x160; xÂŻĂ&#x160; 6 -/ /Ă&#x160; " 1UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x160;,iViÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;>``Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;>Â?Ă&#x160;xÂŻĂ&#x160; " 1-Ă&#x160;Â&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x160; iĂ&#x153;Ă&#x160; iÂŤÂ&#x153;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x152;Â&#x2026;iĂ&#x160;wĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x17E;i>Ă&#x20AC;t UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x201C;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;,i}Ă&#x2022;Â?>Ă&#x152;i`Ă&#x160;
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her â&#x20AC;&#x153;In-Betweenâ&#x20AC;? purgatory while failing to let go of Earth, where her family mourns and her killer roams free. Jackson fails to engage us in the hurt of the Salmons, to whom at least half of the story should belong. Jackson contains himself mostly to the obsession of Susieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Jack (Mark Wahlberg), who believes he can and must solve his daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s murder. Rated PG-13 for mature
FIFTY-FOURTH SEASON 2009-10 BOX OFFICE 650.424.9999 Tickets online at WBOpera.org
Der FreischĂźtz
Carl Maria von Weber
in German, with English titles
UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;i>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;vÂ&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160; , Ă&#x160;qĂ&#x160;{ä£ Ă&#x160;qĂ&#x160;{äĂ&#x17D; Ă&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;,Â&#x153;Â?Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x203A;iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;°
will Love triumph?
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JosĂŠ Luis Moscovich conductor
Yuval Sharon director
Paula Goodman Wilder Ben Bongers Peter Graham Gregory Stapp Eric Coyne David Hodgson Patrycja Polushowicz Joaquin Quilez-Marin and
Yannis Adoniouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s KUNST-STOFF Dance Company
thematic material involving disturbing violent content and images, and some language. Two hours, 15 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed Jan. 15, 2010)
STANFORD THEATER
Up in the Air ---1/2 (Century 20) George Clooney is professional downsizer Ryan Bingham, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;transition specialistâ&#x20AC;? with an arsenal of platitudes at his disposal for doing a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dirty work. Ryan meets his match in Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a sexy mileage junkie equally as turned on by elite status and sleekly wheeled luggage. Theirs is a match made in heaven â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and hour-long intervals in Omaha, Modesto and Wichita. Ryanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s carefully crafted cocoon threatens to rupture when savvy supervisor Craig Gregory (Jason Bateman) hires wet-behind-the-ears consultant Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) to eviscerate 85 percent of the travel budget and take the company â&#x20AC;&#x153;glocalâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; global-turning-local. Ryan and Natalie set off for Detroit and a series of test firings to prove their points. His that the proper sack requires face-toface commitment; hers that a disembodied computer presence is just as effective. Let the games begin! Rated R for language and sexual content. 1 hour, 49 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; J.A. (Reviewed Dec. 11, 2009) Youth in Revolt --(Century 16, Century 20) Teen Nick (Michael Cera) longs to lose his virginity, and he sets his sights on one Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), the incongruously self-possessed daughter of Bible-thumping trailer park dwellers. The star-crossed would-be lovers face plenty of obstacles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Excessively nice,â&#x20AC;? Nick hatches a plan to turn bad and thus be sent from his mother (Jean Smart) to his father (Steve Buscemi), who lives closer to Sheeni. To get up the gumption, Nick fashions a devilish French alter ego named Francois Dillinger, ever-ready to counsel badness. Rated R for sexual content, language and drug use. One hour, 30 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed Jan. 8, 2010)
The Stanford Theatre is at 221 University Ave. in Palo Alto. Go to www.stanfordtheatre.org or call 650-324-3700.
Carrie (1952) Naive Carrie (Jennifer Jones) hopes to make it in the big city, but loses her job and seeks help from a man sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s met. Fri.Sat. at 7:30 p.m., plus Sat. at 3:20 p.m. We Were Strangers (1949) Directed by John Huston, this film of the Cuban underground stars Jennifer Jones and John Garfield. Fri.-Sat. at 5:30 and 9:40 p.m. Since You Went Away (1944) Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones and Shirley Temple struggle with life on the home front during World War II. Sun. at 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Mon.-Tue. at 7:30 p.m. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956) Gregory Peck plays a Connecticut commuter haunted by war memories. Wed.-Thu. at 7:30 p.m.
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Bay Area debut of celebrated choreographer Wheeldonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;dream ballet troupeâ&#x20AC;? (The New York Times) with live music.
West Coast Premiere! Compelling radio theater company returns with new docudrama charting Robert F. Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal and political journey.
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CINEMARK
CINEMARK
Palo Alto (800) FANDANGO 914#
San Jose (800) FANDANGO 983#
CINĂ&#x2030;ARTS AT PALO ALTO SQUARE CINĂ&#x2030;ARTS AT SANTANA ROW
MEXICAN The Oaxacan Kitchen 321-8003 Authentic Mexican Restaurant 2323 Birch Street, Palo Alto 1 Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;
,Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;/ Ă&#x160;"1/Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; / ,
of the week
also visit us at 6 Bay Area Farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Markets www.theoaxacankitchen.com
PIZZA Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town
AMERICAN
CHINESE
Armadillo Willyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 941-2922
Peking Duck 856-3338
1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos
2310 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Range: $5.00-13.00
We also deliver.
Hobeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 856-6124
Su Hong â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Menlo Park
4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Dining Phone: 323â&#x20AC;&#x201C;6852
Also at Town & Country Village,
To Go: 322â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4631
Palo Alto 327-4111
Winner, Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;&#x153;Best Ofâ&#x20AC;?
Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
Burmese
www.spotpizza.com
POLYNESIAN Trader Vicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 849-9800 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm
8 years in a row!
Available for private luncheons
INDIAN
Lounge open nightly
Green Elephant Gourmet (650) 494-7391
Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688
Burmese & Chinese Cuisine
129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto
3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto
Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days
(Charleston Shopping Center)
Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm
SEAFOOD Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park
Janta Indian Restaurant 462-5903
Seafood Dinners from
Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering
369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto
$6.95 to $10.95
CHINESE
Lunch Buffet M-F; Organic Veggies
Chef Chuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (650) 948-2696
ITALIAN
1067 N. San Antonio Road
Spalti Ristorante 327-9390
#1 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto lunch and dinner
on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos
417 California Ave, Palo Alto
Happy Hour 7 days a week 4-7 pm
2008 Best Chinese
Ă?ÂľĂ&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x152;iĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Â&#x153;`Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;"Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x152;`Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x160; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;}
Full Bar, Banquets, Outdoor Seating
MV Voice & PA Weekly
www.spalti.com
www.scottsseafoodpa.com
Jing Jing 328-6885
Pizzeria Venti 650-254-1120
THAI
443 Emerson St., Palo Alto
1390 Pear Ave, Mountain View
Thaiphoon Restaurant 323-7700
Authentic Szechwan, Hunan
www.MvPizzeriaVenti.com
543 Emerson St., Palo Alto
Food To Go, Delivery
Fresh, Chef Inspired Italian Food
Full Bar, Outdoor Seating
www.jingjinggourmet.com
JAPANESE & SUSHI
www.thaiphoonrestaurant.com
1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com New Tung Kee Noodle House 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr.
Fuki Sushi 494-9383 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
650-323-1555 855 El Camino Real #1 Town & Country Village
www.scottsseafoodpa.com
Best Thai Restaurant in Palo Alto 3 Years in a Row, 2006-2007-2008
STEAKHOUSE
Open 7 days a Week Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798
MEXICAN
JUST ACROSS EL CAMINO FROM THE STANFORD CAMPUS
Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Seafood 323-1555 Open 7 days a week serving breakfast,
Mingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 856-7700
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner 7 days a week
1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm
Voted MV Voice Best â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;01, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;02, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;03 & â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;04
Palo Alto Sol 328-8840
Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm
Prices start at $4.75
408 California Ave, Palo Alto
Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm
947-8888
Ă&#x2022;}iĂ&#x160;Â&#x201C;iÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Â&#x201C;iĂ&#x192;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x17E;Â?iĂ&#x160;,iVÂ&#x2C6;ÂŤiĂ&#x192;
www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com
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Sports Shorts
PREP BASKETBALL
Eastside Prep hopes mission is possible
ON THE COURT. . . Stanford grads David Martin and Scott Lipsky have accepted a wild-card invitation into the SAP Open, which will be held at San Joseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HP Pavilion beginning Feb. 8. Martin and Lipsky, who won the doubles here two years ago, join fellow Stanford products and brothers, Bob and Mike Bryan, currently ranked first in the world. Lipsky and Martin were 30-10 as a doubles team in their senior year at Stanford in 2003, reaching the semifinals of the NCAA doubles tournament. Martin (34-11) and Lipsky (24-10) also played No.1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. Martin was named National Co-Player of the Year. Their title in San Jose two years ago remains their lone career championship, although the pair has reached four other finals. The Bryan twins have won 56 career doubles titles together and reached 38 other finals. They have been ranked in the top 10 every week since Sept. 9, 2002 . . .Three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova and current world No. 5 Elena Dementieva will return to the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University in July . . . Nearly four years after winning her first professional womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis title, Kristie Ahn will be going to college, and playing tennis. Ahn has signed a national letter of intent to Stanford and will join the team in the fall. A native of Upper Saddle, N.J., Ahn won a Challenger event as a 15-year-old, and owns three career singles titles.
ON THE AIR Saturday Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball: Stanford at Oregon, 11 a.m., Comcast Sports Net Bay Area; KZSU (90.1 FM) Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball: Oregon at Stanford, 5 p.m.; XTRA Sports (860 AM); KZSU (90.1 FM)
Thursday
SPORTS ONLINE For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com
he Eastside Prep girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basketball team is on a mission, one that might seem impossible given the Panthersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roster features only six players â&#x20AC;&#x201D; five of whom play nearly every minute of every game. Every contest and every victory is being dedicated to Eastside Prep junior Takara Burse, who underwent knee surgery on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season. Burse, who was averaging 13 points and eight rebounds, will be sorely missed in a number of ways. Not only was the starter a key member of this seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successful team, but she also gave head coach Donovan Blythe an all-important seventh player on his Ahjalee Harvey squad. The Panthers now are down to six. Blythe rarely plays sophomore Cinthia Cunningham, who acts more of an insurance policy should any of the starters foul out. Thus, Eastside Prep will continue its remarkable journey with the smallest squad in the Central Coast Section. The Panthers are 3-0 in the West Bay Athletic League (14-2 overall) and have won nine straight following a thrilling 41-38 victory over host Castilleja on Wednesday night. Things looked very bleak for the Panthers as they took the floor for the fourth quarter, trailing by nine points. That, however, was before junior Ahjalee Harvey took control. Harvey scored 14 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 26 to carry the Panthers to a stirring triumph that dropped Castilleja to 1-2 (12-3 overall). â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole focus is on an injured player (Burse),â&#x20AC;? Harvey explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had to come together. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing this for other people on the team. I had to focus and take charge.â&#x20AC;?
T
Menlo keeper Julia Dressel (right) couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get her hand on this corner kick, which eventually was booted into the cage by Sacred Heart Prepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kendall Jager (16) for the eventual winning goal.
(continued on page 30)
PREP SOCCER
WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GYMNASTICS
Versatile SHP girls are tough to deal with in the WBAL
Top-ranked UCLA takes on Stanford in national preview
by Keith Peters
by Rick Eymer
W
T
hen the lightning struck and temporarily delayed a showdown between the Sacred Heart Prep and Menlo girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; soccer teams on Tuesday, SHP coach Jake Moffat used the divine intervention wisely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It gave me time to change my game plan,â&#x20AC;? Moffat said of the eight-minute delay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to pressure more up top, so I moved Lizzy (Weisman) from the midfield.â&#x20AC;? The diminutive Weisman, whose makes up in her lack of size with a fierce intensity, made quite a difference as she became more involved in the offense. Ultimately, Weisman was involved in both scoring plays as the Gators handed the Knights a 2-0 loss in an im-
Page 28Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;
(continued on next page)
Keith Peters
Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball: Stanford at Arizona, 5 p.m., Fox College Sports; XTRA Sports (860 AM); KZSU (90.1 FM) Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball: Arizona St. at Stanford, 7 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM)
by Keith Peters
Keith Peters
OF LOCAL NOTE . . . Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Daniela Barnea was pleasantly surprised recently when she received an official certificate from FINA, the world governing body for aquatics, notifying she had broken a world record for her age group (womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 65-69) in the 200-meter butterfly. Barnea just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t figure out why it took so long. She swam the race at the Pacific Masters Swimming Long Course Championships at Chabot College in Hayward during July 9-11. Barnea broke six Pacific records at the meet, including one in the 200 fly that also was a national of 3:29.68. The former national mark was 3:36.25 set in 1994. Barnea didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know it then, but her time also broke the existing world mark of 3:33.04.
Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; team wins again, but has huge task ahead as tiny roster is reduced
SHPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lizzy Weisman (4), battling Menloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dana Gornick, figured in both scoring plays.
hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a reasonably good chance that this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pac-10 champion in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics will be competing in Burnham Pavilion on Sunday. Eighth-ranked Stanford hosts top-ranked UCLA at 2 p.m. and for the previous 13 years, no other team has won a conference title outside of the Cardinal (five) and Bruins. Over that same period, Stanford has produced four all-around champions and UCLA has produced 10 (including ties). Oh yeah, there are Olympians scattered about each schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roster. Simply put, until the Pac-10 championship meet, this is as good as it gets. At this early stage of the season it appears UCLA has the advantage. The current rankings are based on average team scores and the Bruins have scored (continued on next page)
Prep soccer
(continued from previous page)
portant West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division) match played in conditions that ranged from sunlight to rain to thunder and lightning. Had the match been played on grass, well, it wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have been played. Fortunately for the Gators (3-0, 9-3-1), they were able to get it in because the victory allowed them to open a gap in the division standings over Priory (2-1-1), Castilleja (2-1) and Menlo (1-1-1). â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was really nice to beat Priory last week,â&#x20AC;? Moffat said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having these two wins is nice. There was a target on our backs anyway.â&#x20AC;? As the defending WBAL (Foothill Division) and Central Coast Section Division III champion, Sacred Heart Prep is in everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gun sight this season. The Gators are also the measuring stick for their opponents, as so it should be despite the fact the team has only four seniors. Thus, Sacred Heart has to be at its best nearly every time out. Fortunately for Moffat, he has the players to get the job done. One of those players is sophomore Stephanie Terpening, who was moved to sweeper this season after one player didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work out and another, junior Geena Graumann, was injured playing the position. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stephanie has stepped in and been really spectacular,â&#x20AC;? Moffat said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She really didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to play there, but she has taken control of the defense.â&#x20AC;? With Terpening, seniors Carolina Moe and Christie Byrne plus juniors Lauren Espeseth and Sophie Abuel-Saud helping take the pressure off sophomore keeper Chris Sours, Moffat has been able to keep players like Graumann, Weisman, juniors Abby Dahlkemper and Nicole Quilliam plus freshman Kendall Jager on the offensive. There was a time, only a couple of years ago when SHP played in the tough West Catholic Athletic
Gymnastics
(continued from previous page)
196 or better twice. Stanford scored 196.025 in its most recent meet, a victory over Arizona last Sunday. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To score a 196 this early with places to make big improvements is a good sign,â&#x20AC;? Stanford coach Kristen Smyth said afterward. The energy should be hyper-elevated within the confines of the venerable pavilion this weekend. The two teams meet again next month at Pauley Pavilion and then will compete again at the Pac-10 championships in Tucson in late March. UCLA hosts one of the NCAA Regional events this year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This team has great potential,â&#x20AC;? Smyth said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re underdogs who are coming back with something to prove.â&#x20AC;? Stanford senior Carly Janiga, the reigning Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week, is the most visible of Cardinal gymnasts thanks to her allaround performance. Janiga, a six-time All-American and the defending conference allaround champion, has won the allaround in each of the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first two meets. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s currently ranked fourth in
League that Moffat had to use his best offensive players in a defensive mode. Now, he can utilize those playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; talents where they belong â&#x20AC;&#x201D; by putting more pressure on opposing defenses. The result has been seven straight victories. During that time, the Gators have outscored their opponents 23-4 while registering four shutouts. The point total grew on Tuesday. Following a brief eight-minute delay due to the inclement conditions, which included thunder, lightning and heavy rain, the teams returned to the field. The Gators didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take long to put up a score as Weisman lofted a corner kick over the reach of Menlo freshman keeper Julia Dressel. SHPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Quilliam got a foot on it and knocked it off the crossbar. The rebound went to Jager, who headed it in with about 19:20 left to play in the half. Sacred Heart took that lead into halftime. The teams battled fairly evenly in the second half despite the on and off rainy weather. With under 12 minutes to play, Weisman again got involved â&#x20AC;&#x201D; getting a pass to Graumann, who found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead. In another important WBAL (Foothill Division) match played in often torrential conditions, Priory bounced back from its big loss to Sacred Heart Prep last Thursday to knock Castilleja out of a share for first place with a 5-0 triumph at the Mayfield Soccer Complex. The Panthers (2-1-1, 4-5-5) perhaps drew a defining line between the league contenders and pretenders with the dominating victory over Castilleja (2-1, 5-2), leaving SHP, Menlo and Priory as the clear favorites for league honors this season. Junior Massiel Castellanos scored two first-half goals and would have had a third, in the second half, but was called for offsides. The first goal came in the fifth minute and the second, with help from a defender who slipped on the slick artificial grass, came 30 minutes later. With about four minutes gone
in the second half, senior Lauren Allen passed to sophomore Darrah Shields, who finished for a 3-0 lead. Junior Alex Schnabel, who had been sidelined with a leg injury for a number of weeks, provided an offensive boost when she scored in the 55th minute and again in the 69th minute following a nice run through the defense by Castellanos. In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Palo Alto (2-2, 5-4-1) overcame the bad weather and visiting Los Altos to post a 3-0 victory on the Vikingsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; field. Following a scoreless first half, Paly seniors Erika Hoglund and Kelly Jenks teamed up for what proved to be the winning goal. Hoglund broke free in the penalty box and, after passing up a shot, slid a pass to Jenks, who put the ball low and into the net in the 47th minute. Just seven minutes later, Jenks juked a defender and fed the ball to sophomore Marina Foley, who worked herself past the goalie and a defender and finished for a 2-0 advantage. In the 75th minute, junior Gracie Marshall passed the ball to a wide-open Sophie Cain, and the senior midfielder lofted a 34-yard leftfooted shot into the far back corner of the cage -- just over the reach of the keeper. Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; soccer Sacred Heart Prep strengthened its hold on first place in the West Bay Athletic League with a 2-0 victory over visiting Harker on Wednesday. The Gators (7-0, 9-3) grabbed the lead on a goal by Jack Odell at the 22-minute mark and added an insurance goal in the second half when Odell scored again off an assist from Alec Mishra at the 55-minute mark. In another WBAL match, Priory defeated Crystal Springs on the road, 3-2. Evan Filipczyk scored two goals and Tommy Shields put in the game-winner for the Panthers (4-3, 4-5) in the last minute of the game, off a set piece by Filipczyk, who has scored two goals in each of the past three games -- all victories. N
No. 2 Stanford men host Cal he second-ranked Stanford Thonoring menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gymnastics team is the maxim that to be the best, you must play the best. Welcome to the Big Flip, Part Two. The Cardinal hosts eighthranked California on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in Burnham Pavilion. Then-No.1 Stanford beat the then-No. 2 Bears at Hass Pavilion in Berkeley last weekend. The the nation in the event and will see one of her top rivals in the event up close Sunday as UCLA sophomore Elyse Hopfner-Hobbs is ranked third nationally in the all-around and owns the top floor score. Hopfner-Hobbs, last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conference Freshman of the Year, and Stanford sophomore Alyssa Brown were teammates on the Canadian National Team. Hopfner-Hobbs competed on Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Olympic team while Brown served as first alternate. Janiga participated in the U.S. Olympic trials in 2004, finishing in the top 10 in all-around. Last year Janiga was the NCAA runnerup in the uneven bars, and won the all-around titles at the
same two teams will meet each other again in next weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stanford Open, also at Burnham Pavilion. The Stanford Open showcases the best of high school and age group gymnastics and is a threeday affair beginning Friday, Jan. 29. The Cardinal-Bears meet will be held that Saturday at 7 p.m., with Open Junior Division competition on that Sunday. N NCAA South Central Regional and Pac-10 championships. She recorded 19 first-place finishes. In addition to earning the allaround title, Janiga is the two-time Pac-10 beam champion and tied for first on the uneven bars. She was named the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year after finishing fourth at the NCAA championships in the event in her first season at Stanford. As good as Janiga and HopfnerHobbs are for their respective teams, it takes the contributions of many for a team to be successful. In Stanfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case that starts with Janiga and fellow seniors Allyse Ishino, Blair Ryland and Tenaya West. N
NOTICE OF A REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commision Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a Regular Meeting at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in the Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org. and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday. NEW BUSINESS. Public Hearing 1.
Recommendation to the City Council to incorporate the preliminary Draft East Meadow Circle/Fabian Way Concept Plan into the Draft Comprehensive Plan
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: None NEXT MEETING: Regular Meeting of February 24, 2010 Questions. Any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2440. The ďŹ les relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment *>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;U Page 29
Keith Peters
Sports
Castillejaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve Zelinger (right) chased down this ball and scored 20 points, but couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t overcome Eastside Prepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s late rally.
Prep basketball (continued from page 28)
With Burse sitting on the bench with her surgically repaired knee propped up and her crutches nearby, Harvey went to work with her team trailing by 34-25 with just one quarter remaining. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; energy was low,â&#x20AC;? Harvey said of the third-quarter deficit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Someone had to step it up . . . I had to be the one to pick up the momentum.â&#x20AC;? Harvey did just that after going scoreless in the second quarter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had to break pattern with her,â&#x20AC;? explained Blythe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead of her getting others involved, we needed her to be more aggressive.â&#x20AC;? Blythe basically told Harvey at halftime that it was time to show what kind of player she is. Harvey and her teammates were in foul trouble and senior Felicia Anderson was off on her game (she finished with just six points). The Panthers needed a spark and Harvey filled that role. Castilleja grabbed its seemingly safe nine-point lead entering the fourth quarter after senior Eve Zelinger hit a three-pointer and a basket to close the third. All the Gators needed to do at that point was score enough points, take care of the ball and run time off the clock. Castilleja, however, did none of them. The Gators opened the fourth with three straight turnovers while Harvey took control of the game and scored on back-to-back layins. After a free throw, another layin and three of four free throws by Harvey, Eastside Prep was within 36-35. Freshman Hashima Carothers scored her only basket of the game to give Eastside Prep a 37-36 lead with 3:35 left to play. Castilleja went in front for the final time when Zelinger followed in a shot for her 20th, and final, points with 2:50 left. The Gators did not score again. Page 30Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; >Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2022;>Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x201C;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;UĂ&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;
Harvey scored again with 1:21 left for a 39-38 lead and, essentially, the winning points. After Castilleja missed three free throws with under 50 seconds to play, Harvey hit a pullup jumper with 11 seconds left to give her team a 41-38 lead. Castilleja still had a final shot to tie with five seconds to play, but Zelingerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inbounds pass went directly into Carothersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hands. The Panthers ran out the clock and had themselves a stirring comeback victory as they outscored the Gators in the final quarter, 16-4. Harvey, Anderson and Ausjerae Holland all finished the game with four fouls. Nonetheless, all played hard. Eastside Prep even pressed full court to open the game and kept applying the pressure throughout. That forced Castilleja into too many mistakes that ultimately cost the Gators a big victory. Eastside Prepâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streak and first place will be on the line Friday when the Panthers visit Menlo (2-0, 10-4), the only other unbeaten team in the WBAL, at 5 p.m. In the PAL Bay Division, MenloAtherton ended a brief two-game losing streak by posting a 46-39 triumph over visiting Burlingame on Tuesday evening. The Bears, who have been strengthened by the return of Victoria Fakalata, got 12 points from sophomore Tennyson Jellins and 11 from Fakalata in holding off Burlingame. Menlo-Atherton (1-2, 6-11) pulled away in the third quarter and took a 36-27 lead into the fourth period. In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Palo Alto let a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter slip away as the Vikings dropped a 49-47 decision to host Mountain View on Tuesday night. The victory kept the Spartans (4-1, 11-7) in sole possession of first place while Paly (2-2, 9-5) fell into a four-way tie for third place. (continued on next page)
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Lizzy Weisman
Levente Juhos
Sacred Heart Prep
Woodside Priory
The senior striker had the winning goal in a 5-0 soccer victory over ND-San Jose and three goals plus an assist in a 5-2 triumph over Priory to keep the Gators unbeaten and atop the WBAL (Foothill Division) standings.
The senior center from Hungary scored 17 points with 16 rebounds against Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy and added 15 points and 14 rebounds in a basketball win over Eastside Prep to move the Panthers back into contention in the WBAL.
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Honorable mention Hashima Carothers Eastside Prep basketball
Emily Colvin Castilleja soccer
Hailie Eackles Pinewood basketball
Drew Edelman* Menlo basketball
Ajahlee Harvey* Eastside Prep basketball
Emily Mosbacher Castilleja soccer
Scott Alexander
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Guillermo Talancon Woodside Priory soccer * previous winner
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
(continued from previous page)
Palo Alto dominated the boards as Emilee Osagiede grabbed 12 rebounds, Katerina Peterson had 10 and Lindsey Black pulled down six. Paly held a 47-46 lead with 33 seconds to play before Mountain View scored on a layin with under 20 seconds to play. The Vikings failed to get off a shot in the final seconds and wound up turning the ball over 24 times. Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; basketball With plenty at stake in next week, Palo Alto perhaps reached a crossroad on Wednesday as it trailed Los Altos in a SCVAL De Anza Division game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were down 35-28 with seven minutes to go in the game,â&#x20AC;? said Paly coach Bob Roehl, who challenged his team to be better. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The players just started playing like they were capable of playing.â&#x20AC;? The Vikings responded to the advice with a 24-point four quarter to wrap up a 52-38 victory over the host Eagles. The victory vaulted Paly (3-1, 10-6) ahead of Los Altos (3-2,
11-5) and into a tie for second place (with Fremont) in the division. The importance of Palo Alto responding and rallying will be played out over the next week when the Vikings visit Fremont (3-1, 10-6) next Wednesday before hosting first-place Los Gatos (4-0, 15-1) on Jan. 29 to begin the second half of league play. The Wildcats handed the Vikings their only loss two weeks ago. Paly senior Brendan Rider sparked the rally, hitting back-toback baskets (one a three-pointer) to bring the Vikings to within 35-33 in the fourth. Joseph Lin scored in the lane, Rider hit two free throws and Kevin Brown hit a short jumper and Paly was in front to stay. The Vikings forced six turnovers during the spurt and outscored the Eagles, 18-0. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We stopped turning the ball over when we had steals and fast-break opportunities,â&#x20AC;? Roehl said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We started making shots that we were missing in the first three quarters. Brendan Rider was fantastic . . . Max Schmarzo also hit a three in the run that broke the game open Davante Adams played excellent defense along with Charlie Jones.â&#x20AC;? N
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Prep basketball
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