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Palo Alto faces layoffs, $8.3M gap Page 3 w w w.PaloA ltoOnline.com
The Green evolution R Palo Alto looks to energy efficiency to power its clean-tech future page 16
Spectrum 14
Worth a Look 25
Movies 26
Eating Out 28
Puzzles 60
N Arts A touch of whimsy on every canvas
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N Sports Tennis, polo showdowns at Stanford
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N Home Amble through Gamble Garden’s spring tour Page 37
Perinatal Diagnostic Center
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Obstetric Anesthesia
Center for Fetal Health
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TOGETHER WHAT DREW US HERE AS DOCTORS, DRAWS US BACK AS PATIENTS.
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Obstetricians Karen Shin and Mary Parman spend their days caring for pregnant patients and delivering babies. Now that each doctor is pregnant with her first child, the choice of where to deliver is clear: right here where they deliver their patients’ babies, at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. “At Packard, every specialist you could ever need is available within minutes, around the clock. When you’ve seen how successfully the physicians, staff and nurses work, especially in unpredictable situations, you instinctively want that level of care for you and your baby.” To learn more about the services we provide to expectant mothers and babies, visit lpch.org
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Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
Palo Alto seeks help with ‘difficult’ budget Faced with $8.3 million gap, city plans to lay off dozens of workers, may reduce library hours, institute park fees by Gennady Sheyner alo Alto officials are bracing for two months of painful negotiations with residents over City Manager James Keene’s sweeping plan to lay off dozens of city workers and possibly reduce library hours, contract out park maintenance and charge residents for visiting three
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major open-space preserves. The conversation officially kicked off at Monday night’s City Council meeting, where Keene presented a budget filled with more than $11 million in cuts and new fees. These include eliminating 75 positions, requiring homeowners to
pay for sidewalk repairs and eliminating a five-officer traffic team in the Police Department. The plan seeks to close a projected $8.3 million budget gap in fiscal year 2011, which begins July 1. Keene’s proposed budget includes more than $2 million in surplus cuts to give the council more flexibility in deciding which programs to cut and which positions to eliminate. Administrative Services Director Lalo Perez called the 2011 bud-
get the most difficult one he’s ever worked on. “We had reductions in the past but never at a level that impacts the community on this magnitude,” Perez said Monday night. Keene seeks to reduce costs by contracting out many services currently performed by city employees, including tree trimming, custodian service and maintenance of the Palo Alto Golf Course, Mitchell Park and Rinconada Park.
Other services would be curtailed or absorbed by other personnel. Eliminating the Police Department’s traffic team would require other patrol officers to spend more time on traffic enforcement. The Community Services Department would lose one of its four division manager positions, which will require the other managers to take over more duties, Keene said. The city’s afternoon shuttle would (continued on page 6)
ENVIRONMENT COMMUNITY
Activist group targets Searsville Dam
The good news bears Neighbors uncover a mystery in figurines whose original inspiration dates back to concentration camps by Aimee Miles
A
few weeks ago, happenstance led a pair of neighbors in Los Altos to discover the shared origins of two household knickknacks that neither knew the other had. The serendipitous reunion of two matching clay bears — one a casual rummage-sale find and the other a forgotten family heirloom — set their respective owners, Pat Marriott and Jan and Maria Tavenier, on a quest to discover the history of their separation and rediscovery. In the process, they’ve set a new standard for the term “conversation piece.” The tale of the bears began when Marriott and her husband decided to drop in on the Taveniers for an
—Maria Tavenier, daughter of man who sculpted neighbor’s bear
afternoon visit. Maria Tavenier was showing Marriott one of her prized possessions, a 4-inch-tall white porcelain bear, whose glossy finish and sharp, delicately pointed claws belied its true age. Marriott was surprised, remembering a near-identical clay bear she had bought for $2 at a rummage sale at Palo Alto’s Museum of American Heritage a few years ago. “I immediately recognized it,” she said. She told the Taveniers so, and their daughter grew excited. She remembered that her parents also had a hand-carved clay version of the porcelain bear stowed away in
by Sue Dremann
S
Veronica Weber
‘I immediately recognized it.’
their closet. When Marriott saw the replica, her astonishment doubled — her $2 find was essentially a larger glazed reproduction of the Taveniers’ clay bear, both modeled after the porcelain original. The initials “VH,” accompanied by a small wheat stock, confirmed they were crafted by the same artist. “I was kind of numb,” Maria Tavenier recalled. The identity of “VH” is no mystery — he was Maria’s late father, Gijsbertus Van Halm. Tavenier is certain that both her clay bear and Marriott’s were his handiwork — but she wonders how they were ever separated. The original porcelain bear had been her father’s treasure, and it was passed to Maria after his death. The porcelain bear’s story, like Van Halm’s, is one of miraculous survival. Their paths crossed in Nazi Germany, a few months before the end of World War II. Van Halm was a political dissident who had been blacklisted for protesting Nazi arrests of Jews. He was arrested in 1941 and divided the next four years among concentration camps in Schoorl, Holland, at Neuengamme in Hamburg, Germany, and finally at Dachau near Munich. During that time, Tavenier recalled, he kept in touch with his family by writing letters, communicating the true conditions of the camp through subtle insinuations — inquiring after the ailing health of a nonexistent uncle, for example — that escaped Nazi censorship. He survived by eating charcoal to keep his stomach in shape and volunteering for odd jobs, “to keep busy and get extra food,” she said. Then, in 1945, shortly before the end of the war, news of incoming American troops reached
Proponents of plan to remove dam aim to pressure Stanford University
Maria Tavenier holds up the bear her neighbor found at a rummage sale — identical to one sculpted by her father (at left) and modeled after the white one found at the Dachau concentration camp.
Dachau. In 1936, the Nazi Party’s infamous paramilitary wing, the SS, had taken over the nearby Allach porcelain factory, renowned for its delicately crafted figurines. The SS enlisted slave labor from skilled workers at Dachau to manufacture them, according to military antiques specialist Bruce Hermann of Arcadia, Calif. With the Americans fast approaching, the SS opted to destroy evidence of the Allach operation by smashing its porcelain to pieces. Van Halm recovered his bear, perfectly intact, from the rubble of
other shattered figurines. The Allach bear, known as the Bitten Bär, or “Begging Bear,” sits on its haunches with its head inclined, right paw raised above its left. At its base, beneath the artist Theodor Karner’s name, are two jagged, crisscrossing lightning bolt letters, emblazoned in black like a scar — the insignia of the SS. Van Halm managed to keep the bear intact through the liberation of Dachau in April 1945 and (continued on page 8)
aying the time is now to get Stanford University to commit to demolishing Searsville Dam, a group of local activists galvanized more than 200 people at a kickoff event Tuesday evening. Beyond Searsville Dam Coalition, spearheaded by Portola Valley native Matt Stoecker, talked to a crowd that packed the outdoor-gear store Patagonia on Alma Street in Palo Alto, which hosted the event. The dam, built by the Crystal Springs Water Company in the foothills and completed in 1892, is the biggest limiting factor to steelhead trout spawning in San Francisquito Creek and its tributaries. It blocks 10 miles of habitat, he said. Stoecker has been waging a lonely campaign for 10 years, ever since he saw a steelhead vainly try to breach the 60-plus-foot-high dam. Stanford is currently seeking approval for a 50-year Habitat Conservation Plan from federal and state officials that would be the guiding principle of conservation, restoration and areas of potential development. Stoecker and his supporters want Stanford to put dismantling the dam into the Habitat Conservation Plan, he said. Stanford, however, favors keeping the dam, a position favored by scientists at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, where Searsville Dam is located, just south of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. Stanford favors removing the sediment that has built up in the past 118 years. About 90 percent of the dam’s water-holding capacity is (continued on page 7)
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Upfront
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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We’re going to have to shed that baggage.
— James Keene, Palo Alto city manager, on cutting “bureaucracy� in order to close an upcoming $8.3 million budget gap. See story on page 3.
Around Town
CUTTING THE WASTE ... Palo Alto officials have finally stumbled upon the best way to trim waste at City Hall — take away workers’ trash cans. On March 29, the city introduced its threesort recycling system, which involves separate containers for recyclables, compostables and plain old trash, to City Hall. Under the new system, which has also been adopted at local fire stations, Cubberley Community Center and the Regional Water Quality Control Plant, janitors collect only recyclable goods from individual work stations. Employees have to carry the other stuff to “centralized collection points,� according to a new staff report by Rene Eyerly, the city’s solid-waste manager. So far, the results seem promising. “After just two weeks, garbage services at City Hall have been reduced by 50 percent and recyclables collection has increased from two to three times per week,� Eyerly reported. Staff plans to introduce this “zero-waste sort system� to the remaining city facilities over the next few months.
MEDICINE AND THE MUSE ... “Fiction is the great lie that tells the truth,� said Northern California writer Dorothy Allison. Allison’s observation was cited by Stanford University medical student and novelist Blake Charlton at a recent gathering of Medicine and the Muse, a forum for medical students, faculty and staff to share their art. Following a performance of a Tchaikovsky string quartet movement by medical students Lisa Qian, Luz Silverio, Anna Lee and Chris Nguyen, doctors, lab managers and students shared poetry, humor and other creative projects probing the intersection of medicine and art. Best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell addressed the packed auditorium with his musings on serendipity in medical research. A physician’s first obligation must always be to the privacy of the patient, Charlton said, but fiction “allows us to tell the truth about healing, about patients and physicians — about the beauty of the human body and the horror of disease.� THE NEW WATCHDOG ... San Jose’s new police auditor might look familiar to civically engaged Palo Altans. LaDoris Cordell, who served on the Palo Alto
City Council between 2004 and 2008, was appointed this week to serve as the leading watchdog over the San Jose Police Department. Cordell, a former judge who recently retired from her position as vice provost and special counselor at Stanford University, will begin her new job in late May. “From my years as a state court judge and as a city councilmember, I have worked with all sides in the justice system from law enforcement to victims and their families to community organizations,� Cordell said in a statement. “My goal is to bring that experience to this new role and work collaboratively with all the stakeholders.� HIGH-SPEED HUMOR ... “I’ll wager that most people in the room are supporting our objectives,� Rod Diridon said at the beginning of last week’s meeting of the California High-Speed Rail Authority in San Jose. The audience laughed and jeered (though no one took him up on the wager), prompting Diridon to remind everyone not to talk when other people are talking. Diridon, a former Santa Clara County supervisor who now serves on the authority’s board of directors, was asked by board Chair Curt Pringle to make a few welcoming remarks to his hometown audience. After the shaky opening, Pringle reminded Diridon, “This is supposed to be a positive message.� The $42.6 billion rail project has encountered significant grief on the Peninsula over the past two years so one might have expected the board to engage in some damage control during its rare Bay Area appearance. Not so. Pringle, the mayor of Anaheim, poured more salt on the local wounds by conjuring up the possibility of a “high-speed World Series� between San Francisco and one of the Southern California teams. “If it ever got to a World Series, we know how that worked out last time,� Pringle said, alluding to the Anaheim Angel’s victory over the San Francisco Giants in 2002. “I’m doing my best to build a close bond in Northern California,� Pringle added with a grin. “Chairing high-speed rail and trying to rub in a World Series championship at the same time.� N
Upfront
Menlo Park Academy of Dance
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A tradition of Ballet and Dance Excellence in Menlo Park for over 60 years.
A mother’s plea: No peanuts for squirrels
Ballet-Tap-Jazz-Hip Hop-Pre DanceLyrical-Ballroom-Musical TheatreMommy & Me-Contemporary-AcrobaticsBoys Hip Hop Mix
Benignly offered to wildlife, peanuts can be life-threatening to people with allergies
T
by Sue Dremann peanut allergies also are allergic to tree nuts, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation. The likelihood that Oliver will encounter a peanut or tree nut as he plays in the back yard is increased as people put out bird and squirrel feeders, which often contain the nuts. Squirrels “really do squirrel it away,� according to Sandi Stadler, head of Palo Alto Animal Services. The rodents just can’t resist packing their cheeks full of the tasty fatand protein-laden treats, and they can travel great distances to cache the food for the future or to feed their babies, she said. Payne has yet to find the peanut source in her Midtown neighborhood. After Oliver’s initial allergic reaction, she was tempted to post flyers around the neighborhood asking people to switch to less allergenic squirrel treats, but she decided to reach more residents by sending a plea through the Midtown Residents Association e-mail list, she said. Given the population of peanut and allergy sufferers — 1 to 2 percent of Americans — she wonders how many other neighbors also are being exposed. “Naturally the threat is worse with toddlers, who often put foreign objects into their mouths, but even some older children and adults have such severe food allergies that even being in close proximity to nuts can trigger an allergic reaction. “I don’t want to ask other people to stop feeding squirrels, which is something that so many others enjoy, but I would like to ask our Palo Alto neighbors to use safer alternatives, such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, corn or dried fruit — all of which are foods that
EDUCATION
Simitian: Kindergartners should be 5 years old Requiring earlier cut-off date for kindergarten is better for education, finances, senator says by Chris Kenrick
S
tate Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, has joined a chorus of child-development experts in calling for California children to be 5 years old before starting kindergarten. On Wednesday, the Senate Education Committee unanimously approved Simitian’s proposal requiring that students starting kindergarten turn 5 by Sept. 1 of the school year. The current cutoff date is Dec. 2. The new age requirement would be phased in over three years, beginning in 2012. Its effects would be positive both educationally and financially, Simitian said. Last year, some 289 Palo Alto teachers sent a petition to Simitian requesting the change, saying many of the younger children they see simply are not ready for the in-
creasingly academic rigors of kindergarten. California has one of the latest kindergarten cut-off dates in the nation, with about a quarter of children starting kindergarten before age 5. Past legislative proposals to change the date have been unsuccessful. Now, Simitian believes, the state may have reached a “tipping point,� with both the educational and financial arguments for the change looming large. Removing the approximately 100,000 children who would no longer be eligible to start kindergarten would save about $700 million a year, according to the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office. Those savings would continue through the 13 years the children would have been in the system, adding up to
Kimihiro Hoshino
wo-year-old Oliver Payne developed a severe case of hives in March after having his first taste of peanut butter. His worried parents, Ellen and Jonathan, rushed him to the hospital. Oliver was alright, but a pediatrician said if the boy is exposed to peanuts again, he could develop life-threatening anaphylaxis, a condition in which his throat would swell up and he could even stop breathing. Then, just a few days later, the peanuts began to appear in the back yard. “We removed all foods containing peanuts and tree nuts from our house to create a safer environment for our son. Imagine my dismay when I discovered peanuts in our back yard,� Ellen Payne said. At first she thought a handyman or construction worker had left the nuts, but after questioning workers she learned that no one had been snacking in the yard. It didn’t take long for the culprit to appear. On Saturday morning, Payne spied a squirrel running on the fence clutching a nut shell, she said. “A friend pointed out to me that many people enjoy feeding squirrels and leave nuts out for the animals to eat,� she said. The issue of stray peanuts and tree nuts is no trifling matter. Peanut allergy is the most common cause of food-related death, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Three million people in the U.S. report being allergic to peanuts, tree nuts or both and less than 21 percent will ever outgrow the allergy, the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology reports. Roughly one-third of persons with
While squirrels, such as this one found at Rinconada Park, are delighted to be offered peanuts, toddlers (and others) can have a severely adverse allergic reaction to those nuts inadvertently dropped. One local family is asking Midtown neighbors to stop feeding peanuts to the squirrels. squirrels enjoy but are not highly allergic to humans,� she said. Stadler said in all of her years of handling wildlife, the threat to human health by peanut- and nut-wielding squirrels is “absolutely new.� But she doesn’t discount the threat to the health of squirrels — or any wildlife — that feeding them can cause. In short, Stadler doesn’t recommend it. “Feeding wildlife unnaturally brings a group (of animals) together,� she said. When one animal gets sick, the illness quickly spreads, she added. Palo Alto doesn’t have an ordinance against feeding wildlife, although some cities do, including San Francisco, she said. “How can you put a value on the pleasure some people receive from feeding wildlife? The squirrels are such clowns. But there are some real downsides to it,� she said. N $9.1 billion, Simitian said. He proposes to take half those savings and put it toward preschool programs. One financial concern with the bill could be that savings would not be realized in the first year because of California’s longstanding policy of giving declining-enrollment districts one year’s worth of revenue even though they’ve lost the kids to cushion the blow. “So for the first year, we’re still funding those kids without the net savings. And if we take half of those ‘savings’ and use them for preschool, it’s a net cost. So we’ll have to sort that piece out,� Simitian said. Simitian’s bill allows parents of younger children to request exceptions from their local school board if they want their child to begin kindergarten at an earlier age. When he received the petition from the Palo Alto teachers last spring, Simitian said he was struck by the fact that it was signed by more than just kindergarten teachers. The petition was initiated by Walter Hays kindergarten teacher Diana Argenti and Palo Verde reading specialist Natalie Bivas. (continued on page 9)
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Upfront
Budget
(continued from page 3)
be eliminated and its cross-town shuttle would be limited to one run, Perez said. The College Terrace library, which is undergoing renovations and is scheduled to reopen in November, would be shut down for an additional eight months. Main, Mitchell Park and the Children’s libraries would be closed on Mondays. The proposal will be discussed and revised over the next two months by the council’s Finance Committee. But while council members offered brief comments, a few community members voiced concern about Keene’s budget proposal. Former Vice Mayor Jack Morton urged the council to focus less on community services and more on the police and fire expenditures, which he said were too high. “The community is looking to you, the council, to find ways in which the budget can be balanced, but not be balanced on their backs,� Morton said. Bob Moss, a land-use watchdog, also criticized a proposal to charge fees to visitors to Foothills, PearsonArastradero and Baylands parks. The city would spend more money to collect the fees than it would get back in fees, Moss argued. The council generally refrained from commenting on specific cuts in Keene’s proposal, though Councilwoman Karen Holman warned that she might not support major reductions to library hours. She alluded to the voters’ passage of a $76 million bond for library improvements in 2008. “I think the public has spoken pretty loudly and clearly about how much they cherish the libraries,� Holman said. Budget cuts are not new to Palo Alto, which closed a $10 million gap in the beginning of the current budget year and then another $6.2 million gap mid-year. The city filled these gaps by reducing employee benefits, eliminating 20 vacant positions and transferring funds from various reserves into the General Fund, a $146 million fund that pays for core services such as police, firefighters, street repair and recreational programs. But with revenues dwindling and deficits projected to grow in the coming years, Keene and the council decided to focus on permanent “structural� cuts in 2011. The proposed budget eliminates 8 percent of all full-time positions supported by the General Fund, as well as 18 temporary positions. It would impact 119 individual jobs, including 70 that are currently filled. Keene called the proposed layoffs “absolutely the worst, most unfortunate aspect of these kinds of recommendations and in trying to deal with this budget.� But he also pointed out
Budget cuts: What’s on the table? The City of Palo Alto is proposing to close its $8.3 million budget gap with cuts in programs and staffing. Among the possible changes: UĂŠĂŠ Â?ˆ“ˆ˜>ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠVÂœÂ˜ĂŒĂ€>VĂŒĂŠvĂ•Â˜`ˆ˜}ĂŠvÂœĂ€ĂŠ the annual Sidewalk Replacement Program, with shift of costs for sidewalk repairs to residents ($500,000) UĂŠĂŠ Â?ˆ“ˆ˜>ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠĂŒÂ…iĂŠÂŤÂœÂ?ˆViĂŠĂŒĂ€>vvˆVĂŠĂŒi>“]ĂŠ which will cut five full-time policeofficer positions ($894,000) UĂŠĂŠ-Â…ÂœĂ€ĂŒi˜ˆ˜}ĂŠÂ?ˆLĂ€>Ă€ĂžĂŠÂ…ÂœĂ•Ă€ĂƒĂŠ>˜`ĂŠ closing Main, Mitchell Park and Children’s libraries on Mondays, which would eliminate two fulltime positions and one part-time position ($215,000)
UĂŠĂŠ Â˜ĂƒĂŒÂˆĂŒĂ•ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠ`>ĂžÂ‡Ă•ĂƒiĂŠviiĂƒĂŠ>ĂŒĂŠ ÂœÂœĂŒhills, Pearson-Arastradero and Baylands parks ($100,000) UĂŠĂŠ Â?ˆ“ˆ˜>ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠĂŒÂ…Ă€iiĂŠvĂ•Â?Â?Â‡ĂŒÂˆÂ“iĂŠLĂ•ÂˆÂ?`ˆ˜}ĂŠ maintenance positions ($230,000) UĂŠ Â?ˆ“ˆ˜>ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠĂŒĂœÂœĂŠvĂ•Â?Â?Â‡ĂŒÂˆÂ“iĂŠÂŤÂœĂƒÂˆĂŒÂˆÂœÂ˜ĂƒĂŠ in the Police Department’s investigative services, which focus on financial loss and fraud ($377,000) UĂŠ ÂœÂ˜ĂŒĂ€>VĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠÂœĂ•ĂŒĂŠVĂ•ĂƒĂŒÂœ`ˆ>Â?ĂŠĂƒiĂ€vices, which would eliminate five positions ($540,000) UĂŠ ÂœÂ˜ĂŒĂ€>VĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠÂœĂ•ĂŒĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ Ă•nicipal Golf Course maintenance, which would eliminate seven fulltime positions ($236,000) UĂŠ Â?ˆ“ˆ˜>ĂŒÂˆÂ˜}ĂŠĂŒÂ…iĂŠ/ĂœÂˆÂ?ˆ}Â…ĂŒĂŠ œ˜ViĂ€ĂŒĂŠ and Brown Bag summer concert series ($27,000)
Council trio opposes firefighters’ petition
T
hree members of the City Council are urging Palo Alto voters to refrain from signing a circulating petition that would make it difficult for the city to change staffing levels at the Fire Department. The petition, backed by the local firefighters’ union, would ensure that the current number of Fire Department personnel would be “continuously maintained� in future budgets. Any proposal to change the staffing level would require two public hearings and approvals by both the City Council and the majority of city voters. In a new colleagues’ memo, to be discussed at Monday night’s meeting, council members Karen Holman, Larry Klein and Greg Scharff are calling the proposal “bad government.� The petition would “effectively give the Union veto power over any changes to firefighter employment regardless of the wishes of the citizens of Palo Alto or their elected representatives. “The largest component of the budget is staff salary and benefits,� the memo reads. “It is incumbent upon the City to evaluate the appropriate staffing levels for all City departments, including public safety, in an effort to that the process could also make the city’s operation more efficient. “There’s good reasons for bureaucracy, but many of them lie in the past and we’re dragging them around,� Keene said. “We’re going to have to shed that baggage.� The council is scheduled to approve the 2011 budget in June. There will be outreach to the community. This week, Keene took
reduce costs while minimizing any impact to services.� City Manager James Keene’s proposed fiscal year 2011 budget identifies only one position in the Fire Department for elimination — a hazardous-materials specialist. The union’s current contract expires June 30, and the union is preparing to negotiate with the city over a new agreement. Tony Spitaleri, president of the firefighters’ union, said the staffing level at the department is at a “bare bones� level and has remained relatively flat over recent years, despite an increase of calls. If the firefighters’ petition gathers the required 5,446 signatures (15 percent of Palo Alto’s registered voters) to qualify for the November election, it would cost the city about $190,000 to hold the election. Council members called this “a waste of money in this time of extremely tight budgets.� The union represents 109 fulltime-equivalent positions — about 10 percent of the city’s workforce. According to city data, firefighters earn an average of $104,878 and $16,001 in overtime (an average of $178,387 when benefits are factored in). N — Gennady Sheyner his presentation to neighborhood groups, including the Midtown Residents Association on Tuesday. A few of the 30 people who attended offered their ideas on how the city could cut the budget, including eliminating fire stations, transferring operation of the Children’s Theatre and Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo to nonprofit organizations, and lowering commercial rent to attract new businesses.N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
TALK ABOUT IT
www.PaloAltoOnline.com How do you propose Palo Alto should close its $8.3 million budget gap? Share your ideas on Town Square, the online community forum, on Palo Alto Online.
Page 6ĂŠUĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠÂŁĂˆ]ÊÓä£äÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
Upfront
Searsville
Thank You Palo Alto. Lets Celebrate Our
Searsville Dam: Demolish or de-silt?
(continued from page 3)
But Steve Rothert, California regional director of American Rivers, which has helped get numerous dams removed, said Tuesday night there are ways to prevent downstream problems after the dam is removed. Computer modeling for other projects proved to be accurate in predicting where problems could occur, he said. Taking steps to ease sediment and flooding problems for the similarly sized San Clemente Dam in the Carmel area costs an estimated $70 to $80 million. Much of the costs are paid for by funding from federal, state and private sources, he said. Stanford hasn’t been passive when it comes to the dam, however. Its Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been working on studies in the last four years related to the accumulation and management of sediments and how water flows through the system. Researchers hope their work will help make management decisions about the dam. Stoecker and Rothert said their groups will try to pressure Stanford, holding informational meetings,
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blocked with sediment. The dam is expected to top off with sediment in 15 to 40 years, according to scientific reports. Jean McCown, a Stanford spokeswoman, said the Habitat Conservation Plan commits the university to a study of the dam in 10 years. The university has been considering what to do with the dam since at least the late 1990s. A position paper by the Stanford’s Jasper Ridge Advisory Committee called removing the dam “a highly experimental project� that would be “complex and challenging.� Philippe Cohen, administrative director of Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, said that conditions have changed since the dam was built. The area downstream from the dam has grown much more populated and residential. The main problem with removing the dam today is that sediment currently being held back behind the dam would flow further downstream, through creeks in Woodside, Portola Valley and Palo Alto, then further through the San Francisquito Creek to East Palo Alto and the San Francisco Bay. No one knows exactly what that would mean for residents, Cohen said. “With the change in the amount of sediment, how it’s going to change flooding is a really tricky question,� he said.
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Experts do not agree on whether removing Searsville Dam, located at the end of Searsville Lake which feeds into San Francisquito Creek, would improve habitat or cause flooding downstream.
engaging residents in letter-writing campaigns, adding a legal and outreach component and forming student-based groups. “We have an amazing opportunity to improve the watershed health,� he said. Other longtime watershed supporters are not yet committing to a position on the dam. The nonprofit Committee for Green Foothills was considering taking a position a few months ago but decided not to until the factors related to downstream flooding are known, said Lennie Roberts, San Mateo County advocate for the committee. There needs to be much more study of the potential impacts, she said. “There are a lot of countervailing concerns,� she added. N A longer version of this article is posted on Palo Alto Online. Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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Upfront
Bears
News Digest
brought it home with him that summer, when he saw his family again for the first time in four years, Tavenier said. “By golly, I still don’t know how he kept it,” said Tavenier, who was 21 at the time. Thirteen years later, Maria Van Halm had married Jan Tavenier, and the couple had two young sons. The family left Amsterdam for Los Altos, where the Taveniers would make their home for the next 50 years. Maria’s parents joined them soon after. Upon reaching California, Van Halm got a job at Pomeroy Elementary School in Santa Clara. “He had been inspector for the city of Amsterdam,” Tavenier said. “Here, all he could find was custodian, and he took it.” Nevertheless, Van Halm approached his work with gusto — helping out teachers in the classroom and volunteering as a substitute. It was during his six-year tenure at Pomeroy that the Taveniers believe Van Halm probably sculpted the near-identical clay bears, along with two others that were inherited by the Taveniers’ sons — but they can’t be sure. Maria wonders how Marriott’s bear ever made its way to the Museum of American Heritage, since her father, who died in 1979, never sold his work. The museum’s executive director, Gwenyth Claughton, said the museum had no record of the figurine. Claughton said the museum often receives donations that never make it to the collection. “Often we get items donated with no history ... and without any provenance on the artifacts, no knowledge of the story, it’s hard for us to find something to do (with it), so we have these treasure sales,” she explained. Now the Taveniers are searching for the individual who first owned Marriott’s bear — presumably someone Van Halm held in high esteem, as he had bestowed similar gifts upon two of his grandsons. But the identity of this individual remains elusive, as his closest friends died years ago. “Who (my parents) would’ve given the best one to ... I have no idea,” Tavenier said. “Not the foggiest.” Marriott has sent a note around to various neighborhood e-mail groups seeking insight into the history of her bear. Both women hope that old-fashioned luck, unlike lightning, will strike twice. N Editorial Intern Aimee Miles can be e-mailed at amiles@paweekly.com.
Stanford loses bid to renew EPA charter schools
(continued from page 3)
Marisa Walker, Dave McKenna, and Jeuel Espanola
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Corrections
In the Weekly’s April 9 edition, the City Council Finance Committee action on the proposed Ameresco contracts was incorrectly reported. The four-member committee split 2-2 on how many contracts the city should sign for landfill gas, so neither proposal received the three votes it needed for passage. To request a correction, contact Managing Editor Jocelyn Dong at 650-326-8210, jdong@ paweekly.com or P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302.
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Stanford University was rebuffed Wednesday in its bid to renew the charter of a struggling East Palo Alto elementary school it oversees. Citing poor academic performance and ineffective behavior management in the classroom, trustees of the Ravenswood City School District voted 3-2 to deny a new five-year charter to Stanford New Schools. The Stanford-affiliated nonprofit operates an elementary school and a separate high school, which together serve about 550 students from East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park. “Whether your name is Stanford or something else, it’s all about the data,” trustee Larry Moody told a standing-room-only audience of parents, teachers and Stanford professors who had come out to support the schools. “Certain levels of performance had to be adhered to.” Trustees left open a chance that the two Stanford schools could survive for at least two more years but only under strict supervision. They asked Ravenswood Superintendent Maria De La Vega to work out terms of such a deal with Stanford and bring it back to them for a final decision. Wednesday’s vote came after passionate, sometimes tearful, pleas from parents, students and Stanford professors to save the school community they have taken years to build. The vote also followed conflicting interpretation of reams of oftencontradictory state data. Stanford argued that its state Academic Performance Index “similar school ranking” scores of 6 in 2006-07 and 7 in 2007-08 technically qualified it for automatic renewal under state criteria. A drop in that score to 3 in 2008-09 was attributable to “a significant change in the group of state-identified similar schools,” Stanford said. In recommending against charter renewal, De La Vega viewed the same data differently. Saying the 2006 to 2008 scores represented only the better-performing Stanford high school, she argued that the drop in the 2009 score reflected a serious “downward drag” of including the poor-performing elementary school in the score. N — Chris Kenrick
Historic Palo Alto Bowl gets a new lease The historic Palo Alto Bowl in south Palo Alto will get a new owner May 1 and its lease is being extended to 2014, according to new owner Rhythm Smith and a representative of the San Jose-based Barry Swenson Builder. “We’ve extended the lease,” Aaron Barger, senior development manager at Swenson, confirmed Tuesday when asked about a reported delay in redevelopment of the site at 4309 El Camino Real. Smith, currently general manager of the bowling alley, told the Weekly that she has purchased the business from current owner Rex Golovic, who operates two other bowling alleys in San Mateo and Daly City. She said the lease-extension arrangements have been completed and that she will become owner as of May 1. The Thai Garden restaurant in front of the bowling alley is part of the business and will remain, she said. The development plan had been to replace the half-century-old bowling alley and Thai Garden restaurant with a 167-room hotel and 26 three-story townhouses, with a pedestrian/bike path along the rear of the property. Barger said the economy is a significant factor in the extension of the lease, which was finalized Tuesday. “We are not ready to build yet, anyway, and it’s a good thing to keep the bowling alley there,” he said. N — Jay Thorwaldson
Palo Alto Fire Chief Nick Marinaro to retire in June Nick Marinaro, Palo Alto’s soft-spoken fire chief since late 2004, announced Thursday that he will retire June 29 after 37 years with the Palo Alto Fire Department. He earlier had worked his way through Stanford University as a student firefighter with the former Stanford Fire Department and moved to the Palo Alto department when the two merged in 1976. Marinaro, a Palo Alto resident, said he plans to travel, remodel his home, do some volunteer fundraising for Stanford and perhaps work with Habitat for Humanity. In recent years Marinaro has struggled with economy-related budget problems and has scrapped with firefighters’ union leader Tony Spitaleri. The union is currently circulating initiative petitions seeking to freeze staffing levels within the department, which is nearly 18 percent of the city’s overall budget. N — Jay Thorwaldson
Locals celebrate Earth Day Earth Day is officially Thursday, April 22, but Palo Alto and nearby towns are celebrating the Earth and all things green throughout the week and beyond. Highlights range from Gamble Garden’s free event for kids on April 16 to a tour of the Water Quality Control Plant on April 24. For a listing of Earth Day events, visit www.PaloAltoOnline.com. — Karla Kane
Upfront
S
ST E T IREN S R DOO T U RD O O F 19TH STAN L I R P A , MONDAY
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.
Police arrest man for attempted murder of cops A man suspected of firing a gun at two police officers during a traffic stop in East Palo Alto Tuesday was arrested early Thursday morning, police said. (Posted April 15 at 8:41 a.m.)
Stanford University will test its newly installed outdoor emergency siren system on Monday, April 19th, at 12:10pm. The test, which residents of Menlo Park and Palo Alto may hear, will consist of a warning tone, followed by a verbal message.
Recent major earthquakes normal, scientists say Scientists say worldwide earthquake activity so far this year is normal, despite the recent deadly temblors in China, Haiti, Chile and Mexico. (Posted April 14 at 3:18 p.m.)
For more information, visit http://emergency.stanford.edu or email preparedness@stanford.edu.
Keene: No ‘perfect solutions’ for budget crisis “Managing a dilemma� differs sharply from “solving a problem� in that dilemmas do not have perfect solutions, Palo Alto City Manager James Keene told about 30 Midtown residents during a “budget outreach� session Tuesday night. (Posted April 14 at 9:51 a.m.)
Walgreens rises from the ashes Walgreens re-opened its store on University Avenue at Bryant Street Wednesday morning after re-building from the ashes of a July 2007 fire. (Posted April 14 at 9:35 a.m.)
Investing in Palo Alto K-9s Three Palo Alto police dogs were presented with canine bulletproof vests during the police department’s promotion ceremony at City Hall Tuesday. (Posted April 13 at 5:32 p.m.)
New hotel to rise over the Baylands Palo Alto’s newest hotel will soon overlook the city’s pristine Baylands after the City Council quickly and enthusiastically gave the project a green light Monday night. (Posted April 13 at 8:26 a.m.)
Crash on Page Mill results in medical airlift A single-vehicle crash at the intersection of Page Mill and Montebello roads high in the Palo Alto hills resulted in a helicopter airlift of the driver to Stanford Hospital, according to officials. (Posted April 12 at 5 p.m.)
Residents divided over eucalyptus removal Still stung by the wholesale removal of 63 trees on California Avenue last fall, some Crescent Park residents are saying “not so fast� to the planned removal of six mature eucalyptus trees from Eleanor Pardee Park. (Posted April 12 at 9:55 a.m.)
Local runaways return home — safe A 15-year-old Palo Alto girl and her 12-year-old boyfriend from Portola Valley returned home safe this afternoon after being reported missing Thursday, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. (Posted April 11 at 5:35 p.m.)
Pets flood local shelter during hard times As head of Palo Alto Animal Services, Sandi Stadler has a unique perspective on how the recession is hurting Peninsula residents. More than ever before, she says, people are abandoning their pets at the shelter because they can no longer afford to keep them. (Posted April 10 at 6:10 p.m.)
Arne Duncan to deliver Foothill graduation address U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will deliver the keynote address at Foothill College commencement ceremonies June 25. Duncan, architect of the $4.35 billion reform-oriented “Race to the Top� challenge for public schools, also will speak the following day at commencement ceremonies for Foothill’s sister institution, De Anza College. (Posted April 9 at 11:58 a.m.)
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(continued from page 5)
“Almost every child who comes to me for reading support has a fall birthday. They don’t catch up somehow down the line,� Bivas said. “By third grade, teachers start asking me why we didn’t hold these children back. By then, we’re discussing special-education intervention.� Research indicates that beginning school at an older age improves children’s social and academic development, Simitian said. A 2005 study by the Rand Corporation found a “significant boost� to
test scores, especially for children from low-income families, he said. Based on these benefits, California’s non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, the California Performance Review and the Governor’s Committee on Education Excellence have each called for an earlier kindergarten cut-off date. In Wednesday’s Education Committee hearing, Simitian’s bill was supported by the Association of County School Administrators and opposed by the California Teachers Association. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be e-mailed at ckenrick@paweekly.com.
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Upfront
CityView A round-up of Palo Alto government action this week
City Council (April 12)
Budget preview: The council heard a presentation from City Manger James Keene about the proposed budget for fiscal year 2011. Action: None Ming’s hotel: The commission approved a zone change to enable the construction of a four-story hotel and restaurant at the present site of Ming’s Chinese Cuisine and Bar at 1700 Embarcadero Road. Yes: Unanimous
City Council Policy & Services Committee (April 13)
Stanford Hospital: The committee discussed the fiscal impacts of Stanford University’s proposed hospital expansions. The committee also discussed the status of the city’s negotiations with Stanford over a development agreement. Action: None
City Council High-Speed Rail Committee (April 15)
High-speed rail: The committee discussed the April 8 meeting of the High-SpeedRail Authority board of directors, the rail authority’s recently released Alternatives Analysis and the Draft Program Environmental Impact report for the Bay Area-toCentral Valley segment of the rail line. Action: None
Architectural Review Board (April 15)
Greenhouse: The board approved a proposed 560-square-foot greenhouse and 625-square-foot shed adjacent to the Duck Pond in the Baylands. Yes: Unanimous
THANK YOU to these large green energy purchasers, for helping to make PaloAltoGreen the #1 renewable energy program in the United States!
Public Agenda PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to discuss a series of “sustainability� and “green� issues, including the city’s 2009 Climate Protection Plan Goals; ways to reduce the city’s potable-water use by 20 percent by 2020; and the city’s green-building program. The council also plans to collect comments about the Program Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Bay Area-to-Central Valley portion of the proposed high-speed rail. The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 19, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to interview applicants for the Library Advisory Commission. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss a quarterly report from the City Auditor’s office, and discuss an audit on fleet utilization and replacement. The committee also plans to discuss a “standards of coverage� study that is currently being conducted for the Fire Department. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD ... The board plans to hold a public hearing on 535 Ramona St., a request by Cody Anderson Wasney Architects for a rehabilitation of a Historic Inventory Category 1 building. The project includes a new window, a new courtyard fountain and a rebuilt handicap ramp. The meeting is scheduled for 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 21, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
City of Palo Alto Utilities wants to thank all the businesses, organizations, and residents in Palo Alto who support renewable energy and contribute to the success of PaloAltoGreen.
To sign up or learn more, visit us at www.cityofpaloalto.org/pagreen or call (650) 329-2161 Page 10ĂŠUĂŠ ÂŤĂ€ÂˆÂ?ĂŠÂŁĂˆ]ÊÓä£äÊUĂŠ*>Â?ÂœĂŠ Â?ĂŒÂœĂŠ7iiÂŽÂ?Ăž
LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to review and possibly adjust the Mitchell Park Building Program and consider a “naming recognition plan� for significant donations to the Palo Alto Library Foundation in support of the library bond measure. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 22, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
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Palo Alto Players Presents
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
Palo Alto April 8-14 Violence related Dependent adult abuse/physical . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Check forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Attempted auto burglary. . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspended license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/major injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .7 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Casualty fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Child abuse/neglect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Firearms and weapons disposal . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Possession of stolen property . . . . . . . . . Psych. Subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Resisting arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Sex crime/misc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2
(continued on next page)
by Jonathan Book, Music and Lyrics
Two Candidate Forums for June 8 Election
Larson
APRIL 23 - MAY 9
Judges Forum Saturday, April 24, 2-4 p.m. Unittarian Universalist Church 505 MiddleďŹ eld Road, Palo Alto
Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 MiddleďŹ eld Rd 650-329-0891
paplayers.org Use promo code “guitar�
Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 60
9 2 1 7 3 8 5 6 4
4 5 8 1 9 6 2 7 3
7 3 6 4 2 5 9 1 8
6 4 5 8 7 2 1 3 9
1 7 3 5 4 9 8 2 6
8 9 2 6 1 3 4 5 7
3 6 9 2 5 4 7 8 1
2 1 4 3 8 7 6 9 5
5 8 7 9 6 1 3 4 2
Sheriff and District Attorney Forum Wednesday, April 28, 7-9 p.m. Los Altos Public Library 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos Co-Sponsors
These free public meetings will also be videotaped for showing on Channel 27 and posting on www.SmartVoter.org & www.midpenmedia.org
Fresh news delivered daily Sign up today www.PaloAltoOnline.com
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Pulse (continued from previous page)
NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION FOR TWO TERMS ENDING MARCH 31, 2013 AND ONE UNEXPIRED TERM ENDING MARCH 31, 2012 (Terms of Hirsch Khan, Hamilton, and Mora) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council is seeking applications for the Human Relations Commission from persons interested in serving in one of two terms ending March 31, 2013, or one unexpired term ending March 31, 2012.
Suspicious circumstances/ annoying children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances/sex crime . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Warrants/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
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Eligibility Requirements: Composed of seven members who are not Council Members, ofďŹ cers or employees of the City, who are residents of the City, and who shall be appointed by the Council. Regular meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month.
(650) 328-1360 www.rollerhapgoodtinney.com Funeral Home FD132
Duties: The Human Relations Commission has the discretion to act with respect to any human relations matter when the Commission ďŹ nds that any person or group does not beneďŹ t fully from public or private opportunities or resources in the community, or is unfairly or differently treated due to factors of concern to the Commission: a) public or private opportunities or resources in the community include, but are not limited to, those associated with ownership and rental of housing, employment, education and governmental services and beneďŹ ts; and b) factors of concern to the Commission include, but are not limited to, socioeconomic class or status, physical condition or handicap, married or unmarried state, emotional condition, intellectual ability, age, sex, sexual preference, race, cultural characteristics, ethnic background, ancestry, citizenship, and religious, conscientious or philosophical belief. The Commission shall conduct such studies and undertake such responsibilities as the Council may direct.
Get Involved!
Application forms and appointment information are available in the City Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s OfďŹ ce, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto (650) 329-2571 or may be obtained on the website at http://www. cityofpaloalto.org.
To find the best volunteer opportunity for you, call (650) 289-5412 or visit www.avenidas.org.
Volunteer Your Time & Talents Â&#x152; Help a child read Â&#x152; Give a senior a ride Â&#x152; Provide office support Â&#x152; Assist with activities Â&#x152; Teach a class
Deadline for receipt of applications in the City Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s OfďŹ ce is 5:00 p.m., May 7, 2010. DONNA J. GRIDER City Clerk
Where age is just a number
MEMBERS MUST BE PALO ALTO RESIDENTS.
6)2').)! /,)6% 2/3% (/7!2$ Virginia Olive Rose Howard entered into heaven on April 10, 2010 at the age of 94 years. She will be greatly missed by the whole family. She was born on October 17, 1915 in Calexico, California as Virginia Olive Rose. In 1940, she married Mosses Gatlin Howard. Her past residences have been Wilmington, Colusa, San Jose and Menlo Park all in California. She received her B.A. in English from Cal State Univ. of Long Beach in 1968 and taught in the Los Angeles school district. She was always active in the community and held the ofďŹ ce of president of the Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Club and the Ebell Club of Wilmington. After her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, she went to
Unity Village in Kansas City and obtained her Unity teaching license. Afterwards, she was active in the Palo Alto Unity church for several years. She was a beautiful seamstress, excellent chef and loved playing golf, nurturing her rose bushes and reading about Egyptian ancient history. She is survived by her two daughters, Rhodine Gifford of Woodside, CA. and Christine Howard of Washington state, three granddaughters and their husbands, Laural & Kevin Lynch, Tracy & Cameron Jones and Jacquelyn & Rick Disney, eleven great grandchildren, three sisters, one brother and many nieces and nephews. Services will be private. Crippen & Flynn Woodside Chapel www.crippenďŹ&#x201A;ynn.com (650) 369-4103 PA I D
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O B I T UA RY
Pasteur Drive, 4/7/10, 3:40 p.m.; dependent-adult abuse/physical. Cesano Court, 4/11/10, 8:39 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.
Transitions Births
Andrea Henderson and Andre Cotton of Palo Alto, a son, March 13. Witney McKiernan and David Zwerin of Menlo Park, a son, March 16. Daniella and Daniel Perlroth of Palo Alto, a son, March 19. Amy and Scott Darling of Palo Alto, a daughter, March 27. Maryam Sanglaji and Ali Zadeh of Menlo Park, a son, March 29.
Submitting Transitions announcements The Palo Alto Weeklyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Transitions page is devoted to births, weddings, anniversaries and deaths of local residents. Obituaries for local residents are a free editorial service. Send information to Obituaries, Palo Alto Weekly, 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306, or email to editor@paweekly.com. Please include the name and telephone number of a person who might provide additional information about the deceased. Photos are accepted and printed on a space-available basis. The Weekly reserves the right to edit obituaries for space and format considerations.
-!2+ 3 "%#+ Mark S. Beck,50, died April 8 in Modesto, Ca. The cause of his death was colon cancer. Born in Orlando, Florida, he grew up in Menlo Park, attending Las Lomitas schools and Woodside High School. He was a loan ofďŹ cer at Midtown Loan of San Francisco for almost twenty years. He later moved to Modesto where he was employed at Wild Horses of Stockton. He sold parts and accessories for his favorite vehicle, Ford Broncos, on a nationwide basis. He is survived by his wife Eileen Knittel Beck, a daughter Stephanie Beverly Beck, and a son Stephen Harry Beck. His passing was preceeded by his ďŹ rst wife, Beverly Schrager Beck, in 1987. Other relatives include his parents, Frances and Harry Beck, a sister Cynthia Swartz (William) of Fremont, a brother William (Virginia) of Longmont, Co and a brother Robert (Lee Damico) of Redwood City, and numerous neices and nephews. Services will be held Saturday, April 17th at 1 p.m.at Centenary United Methodist Church, 1911 Toyon Ave, Modesto. In lieu of ďŹ&#x201A;owers, memorial gifts to Stanford Cancer Center Colon Cancer Research, Palo Alto Ca, attn, Dr. George Fisher will be appreciated. PA I D
O B I T UA RY
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AC<2/G />@7: & j (! >; 27<93:A>73: /C27B=@7C; Joined by special guests, the St. Lawrence String Quartet closes its 2009â&#x20AC;&#x201C;10 series with Schubertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immortal â&#x20AC;&#x153;Troutâ&#x20AC;? quintet. Program also includes Brittenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s String Quartet No. 2 and waltzes by Josef Lanner.
132/@ :/93 1=<B3;>=@/@G 0/::3B E32<3A2/G />@7: j & >; ;3;=@7/: /C27B=@7C; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dancing that pulls viewers right out of their seatsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; New York Times A new and electrifying force in dance, Cedar Lake combines classical ballet with edgy, up-to-the-minute physicality.
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MENLO PARK
28 TH ANNUAL SIDEWALK
FINE ARTS FESTIVAL SA NTA C R U Z AV E N U E
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Sign up today www.PaloAltoOnline.com *>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;ÂŁĂ&#x2C6;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;U Page 13
Editorial
Tackling Palo Alto’s city-budget crisis Officials confront necessity of balancing millions of dollars worth of ‘structural’ cutbacks and new fees and assessments
P
alo Alto faces one of its biggest challenges in decades: Closing an $8.3 million budget gap with cutbacks and new revenues. The
magnitude of the proposed cuts is staggering, as delineated in a “preview budget” report presented to the City Council Monday night by City Manager James Keene and budget staff. If “structural” (meaning permanent or long-lasting) cuts are not made now, there will be far worse deficits in years to come, they warn. The report lists 32 specific items ranging from $27,000 saved by eliminating the summer Twilight and Brown Bag concert series to $894,000 saved by eliminating the Police Department’s five-member “Traffic Team.” The list is replete with items dear to some Palo Altan’s heart, including some seen as important to public safety or “quality of life.” The bottom line is that the $8.3 million gap must be closed before July 1, the beginning of fiscal year 2011. This is on top of $16.2 million cut in the current fiscal year’s budget. Gapclosing moves included one-time transfers from infrastructure reserves, suspending planning for a new public safety building, imposing benefit reductions on employees and eliminating 21 staff positions (20 of them vacant). Keene’s preliminary list to close next year’s $8.3 million gap actually totals $10.3 million, with another $1 million to come after more staff review. This will provide the City Council by June with $3 million worth of flexibility in making the hard choices that need to be made in the face of an unprecedented economic downturn. “These numbers reflect Palo Alto’s continuing fiscal difficulties in the worst downturn since the Great Depression,” the report correctly points out. “Cities across California are in a similar, or worse, condition,” it adds. While that may be true, the pain felt from the needed cutbacks and new fees will be felt by those whose positions are cut, those who must pick up the workload and by residents faced with new park-use fees or assessments for sidewalk repairs in front of their homes. Bringing back to voters a “business license tax” in an improved, streamlined form is still on the city’s long-term agenda, but no active work on that is happening after voters defeated such a tax last November. A significant difference this year is that earlier budgets were balanced mainly with one-time cuts, deferrals of projects or transfers from reserve accounts. Past balancing acts, dating back into the 1990s, rested heavily on deferred-maintenance — which invariably comes back in more-expensive ways. This year the city has run out of alternatives for short-term moves, and must at last address substantial “structural” cuts, meaning permanent cuts that are unlikely ever to be restored. The magnitude of the challenge for the city staff, council members and the community at large is beginning to be felt. Keene has embarked on a series of neighborhood-level meetings to outline the issues and scope of the dilemma. Tuesday night he noted at a meeting in Midtown Palo Alto that there are no perfect solutions or easy answers. Keene and his staff are to be commended for taking an aggressive approach to informing the public about the complex issues. At the same time, reaching 30 people at a time, such as at the Midtown meeting, is frustrating at best. (The Weekly will be putting video highlights of Keene’s presentation on its community website, www.PaloAltoOnline.com. The budget staff report is at www.CityofPaloAlto.org as CMR:208:10.) It is essential for residents to become informed about the realities of city revenues and expenditures before they launch or join a crusade to “save” a favorite program — or before they sign any petitions to give special treatment to specific services, such as the firefighters’ union initiative-petition drive now underway. A huge factor will be the fortitude of City Council members. Past councils have been unable or unwilling to take the heat for cutting popular programs or services in the face of lobbying or criticism from community advocates for one thing or another. The collective ability of the council members to agree upon hard choices, when the budget reaches them in June, and to select the least damaging of bad alternatives will be a test of the fortitude of this relatively new council. We hope the council is up to the task. It will be measured by its success or failure in doing what must be done — now, this fiscal year.
Page 14ÊUÊ «À Ê£È]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Gunn principal Editor, Gunn High School is at a turning point in its history. Still in mourning, still anxious, the school awaits the naming of its new leader — a new principal to fill the shoes of Noreen Likins. Kevin Skelly, our thoughtful district superintendent, is about to decide among candidates. What kind of person should he choose? We owe it to ourselves, and to Mr. Skelly, to think about this and let him know. Because, as an English teacher at Gunn, I see our young people Monday through Friday — say “hi” and “goodbye” to them, witness their moods, ask them how they’re doing, listen to what they say and read what they write, inquire after their (mostly superhuman) work- and stress-loads, see whether their eyes seek me or turn away, light up or are clouded — I have the advantage of knowing how they feel. I believe that it’s this kind of knowledge, and the willingness to acquire more of it, that we most need in our new principal. All wise decisions — about scheduling, staffing, school rules and requirements, safety, counseling, emotional support — will fall out of a feeling for the texture of our kids’ lives. Too many children I teach are sad. They are worried and scared. Night after night they struggle to get off Facebook, do tons of homework, wrestle with whether to cheat or not, get to bed at 1 or 2 a.m. They long for more time with friends; they have important dramas with friends; they are rejected by friends; they have their first, piercing joys and sorrows with boyfriends and girlfriends. So alert are they to every fluctuation in their (and their classmates’) GPAs that every exam they take feels as if their futures are being decided. Gunn’s bigger classes and bigger campus make them feel anonymous. The slow closing of doors at our state universities, and plunging acceptance rates at colleges nationwide, make them feel even more so. And yet their youthful ardor and idealism and intensity as teenagers allow them to accomplish Herculean feats in academics, athletics, extracurriculars, service to others, caring for each other. They write essays for me that reveal that the struggles of Jay Gatsby, Scout Finch, Hamlet and Ophelia have touched them deeply. They are our pride and joy. But if there is one thing that our dead have taught us — have cried out to us in their last acts — it is that they can wear the faces we want them to wear, they can put on a brave front when all inside them is collapsing, and that we can think that we know them when really we don’t. So our new principal must want, above all else, to know them. In my
view that is the central qualification. Whatever your view, I hope you’ll write to Mr. Skelly (25 Churchill Ave., Palo Alto 94306; kskelly@ pausd.org) and tell him. Marc Vincenti, teacher Gunn High School Palo Alto
Union petitions Editor, Firefighters are gathering signatures for their initiative petition to freeze staffing at stations and engines at current high levels. This would decimate Palo Alto’s budget and continue excessive labor expenses. Changes in staffing levels would require an election costing about $200,000. I urge you to refuse to sign the petition when approached. The letter sent out by the firefighters union gives many phony reasons why the initiative is essential. Here are some claims and facts. Claim: changing staffing levels will increase 911 response times, interfere with paramedics and could close a fire station near you. Fact: Management proposed cutting firefighters by one person/engine. There still will be adequate firefighters to respond to calls. Cutting firefighters on an engine, say from 4 to 3, won’t increase 911 response times. Medical staffing could be protected by hiring nonfirefighters for some paramedic tasks. There are NO proposals to
close any fire stations near residents. The letter compares emergency calls and staffing levels in 1976 with 2009 showing far more calls with slightly fewer staff in 2009. Why the comparison with 1976? Because 1976 was before Palo Alto established paramedic service so few calls then were medical. In 2007-08 there were 4,552 paramedic calls, 58.9 percent of 7,723 total calls. There were 192 fires. Typically paramedic calls are more than 60 percent of total calls. The 2009-10 Fire Departments’ budget is $25.532 million, 17.7 percent of the General Fund. It increased $1.087 million, the only department that increased. Firefighters were the only employee group that refused to make any pay concessions this year to help cover the budget deficit. An initiative asking citizens to vote on employee staffing levels or working conditions is a very bad idea. That task is not in our job descriptions. The city manager, department managers, and City Council should set staffing levels, working conditions and employee pay and benefits, not voters. Despite my opposition to this initiative I greatly value and appreciate the high quality, dedication service and capability of our firefighters and the excellent work they do. Bob Moss Orme Street Palo Alto
YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? What three Palo Alto city programs would you nominate for cutting or preserving? 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. 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 The challenge of connecting families to resources they need by Minka van der Zwaag don’t know who to call. My daughter is sick and we don’t have medical insurance; I hope you can help me,” the woman said to Erwin Gonzales, the Family Resources information coordinator as he answered the hotline recently. It turns out he could help. After learning more about her situation, Erwin referred the worried mother to several local low-cost and free medical clinics. Luckily, many of us will never encounter such a scary situation, yet we may have questions about local services and, like the caller, we won’t know where to seek help. That’s where the City of Palo Alto’s Family Resources Program comes in. Now celebrating its 10th year, Family Resources is a collaboration between the City of Palo Alto, the Family Resources Foundation, humanservices providers and the community. At its core, it’s an information-and-referral service to which people can turn when they need information on a wide variety of services that exist in our community. Such services include child care, educational options, disability resources, health care assistance, counseling providers and basic-survival needs such as rent assistance and food. Even though I work for the city, the program has a personal meaning. I was excited to first hear about the Family Resources Program when I was working as the facility manager
“I
at the Lucie Stern Community Center back in 2000. The center is a natural gathering place for the community, with hundreds of families coming through our doors daily, many of whom would stop to ask staff questions about local resources — most of which we did not know how to answer. I participated in the first Ambassador Development class and learned about the myriad of wonderful resources available in the community, and was able to go back and share this knowledge with our staff and visitors. I enjoyed the ambassador program so much that I coordinated the class for a couple of years. Last month, our 11th Ambassador class graduated! The community is lucky to have more than 200 people trained to know about local resources and be willing to share that information with those around them and those with specific needs at certain critical times — which can happen to any of us. There are four ways to get assistance. The program website (www.cityofpaloalto.com/ familyresources) lists more than 600 mostly local social-service agencies arranged by helpful categories. It is updated annually, essential to keeping it relevant. Resources are also listed in reference binders displayed in desktop kiosks at more than 70 locations around town, such as City Hall, library branches and community centers. There is active outreach through the Ambassador Development Program, a free training program for community members, local nonprofit service providers, city staff and local leaders. Ambassadors learn about local resources and reach out to those in need. Lastly, an information coordinator will meet with people one-on-one at the central office at Cubberley Community Center.
The community is lucky to have more than 200 people trained to know about local resources and be willing to share that information with those around them and those with specific needs at certain critical times — which can happen to any of us. Family Resources began as a concept embraced by then City Council member Liz Kniss (now a Santa Clara County Supervisor) during her term as mayor in 1994, Palo Alto’s Centennial year. She made two observations at that time: (1) While there was a vast array of services provided in the Palo Alto community, many didn’t know of them when they needed them, and easier access to information about these services was badly needed, and (2) families were experiencing an increased sense of isolation. Kniss convened a broad-based task force to familiarize itself with the concerns of Palo Alto’s families and develop a plan for the city to assist in addressing some of those needs. This tied in with interests of community-based organizations struggling to get information out about their services. State Senator Joe Simitian, then a county supervisor, had named a liaison to local nonprofit organizations to address this and other challenges they faced.
From that important work blossomed the Family Resources Program. Now, 10 years after its founding, Family Resources still meets the needs of the community and helps to create one-to-one connections. To celebrate our 10th Anniversary and raise support for the continuation of the program, the Family Resources Foundation is hosting a celebration on Tuesday, April 27, 5:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel, at University Avenue and Highway 101. We will be honoring Supervisor Kniss for her visionary leadership in founding Family Resources. Keynote speaker James R. Doty, M.D., the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, will discuss ways to cultivate these traits within an individual, a community and a society. Tickets are $25 each and can be reserved by calling 650-329-2221. Please join me and others as we celebrate this important service. The Family Resources Foundation was created in 2006 and has since taken over primary financial support of the program. This support is especially important now as the City of Palo Alto’s financial situation continues to evolve. Like most cities across California, our budget gap has widened as we experience the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression. The Foundation will continue to look to the community and other avenues to help keep this program operational and financially viable in the future. N Minka van der Zwaag is the Interim Human Services Manager for the City of Palo Alto. She can be e-mailed at minka.vanderzwaag@cityofpaloalto.org.
Streetwise
How do you feel about the recent push to legalize marijuana in California? Asked on California Avenue. Interviews by Aimee Miles and Martin Sanchez. Photographs by Kimihiro Hoshino.
Jamie Jarvis
Self-employed Ilima Way, Palo Alto “I’m fine with it, I think it clogs up our prisons and makes a big deal out of something that’s not a big deal.”
Nick Lowe
Currently unemployed Starr King Circle, Palo Alto “People need it for medical purposes. The state is completely broke — they could tax marijuana, channel it back into the schools and then educate people not to smoke marijuana.”
Catherine Mitchell
Teacher San Jose “I think the problem really goes back to educating our children about things like drug abuse and alcohol and taking care of their bodies and themselves. I don’t know that a law can do that.”
Tony Montooth
Business owner California Avenue, Palo Alto “I think it’s terrible. I think it should be banned even more. I’ve been in the bar business all my life and I’ve seen what it does to people. Alcohol is bad enough.”
Anais Saint-Jude
Graduate student Dudley Lane, Stanford “I haven’t been paying attention to it. I know it was legalized in the Netherlands, Colorado ... It doesn’t sound like the issue has changed much.”
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Riding Palo Alto’s clean-tech revolution P
Investment and innovation in green tech is soaring story by Gennady Sheyner photos by Veronica Weber
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alo Alto resident Gene Wang and his band of musicians piled into their “Unplug It” bus last week and took off for Washington, D.C., on a two-fold mission — to belt out “Happy Birthday Mother Earth” on the National Mall and to get the world to unplug its household appliances. Wang is a singer and serial entrepreneur who works out of his Lowell Avenue home. His company, People Power, focuses on the so-called “smart grid” and energy efficiency. Its products allow developers to wire up buildings so that residents can see exactly how much energy each appliance is using and how much is being wasted. “We love our gadgets: our TV, our mobile phone, our Wii and our Playstation,” Wang said. “We love our microwave ovens, but guess what? A microwave oven, when it’s just sitting there, consumes 6 watts doing absolutely nothing.” Energy efficiency is steadily emerging as one of the hottest sub-sectors in the expanding world of green technology. While local electric-car pioneers such as Better Place and Tesla Motors grab headlines and snag federal dollars, investors are increasingly eyeing green-building and energy-efficiency companies as the next big thing in clean-tech investment. A survey of venture capitalists conducted by the auditing firm KPMG earlier this year found that “energy storage and efficiency” is overtaking renewable power as the leading sub-sector in the growing green field, with 38 percent predicting it will receive the most investment in 2010, up from 33 percent in 2009 (renewable power came in next at 30 percent in the first quarter of 2010). The trend could spell great news for Silicon Valley, a region still reeling from the economic troubles of late 2008. Tesla notwithstanding, the Valley isn’t likely to transform into the electric Detroit or to bump China and Denmark out of the solar and wind markets. But experts say the region’s high concentration of engineers, entrepreneurs, investors and environmentalists makes it perfectly suited to transform how the world uses and saves its energy. Wang is optimistic about this trend. This month, People Power started selling its SuRF (Sensor Ultra Radio Frequency) kit, a software-development kit that allows engineers to create energy-efficiency programs for household appliances. These applications would be built on an open- The control room of Marc Porat’s source platform, which Wang “net-zero” house holds a waterhopes will foster more innova- filtration system and low-energy-use tion among the area’s software water heaters. developers and engineers. Wang’s company has also created a Facebook application, Unplug, which allows users to calculate electricity consumption within their households and encourages them to turn their appliances off. Wang founded the company in early 2009, several months after he visited his daughter’s class at Jordan Middle School and heard students read their essays about climate change. Wang said the exercise made him think of the Native-American saying, “We do not inherit our Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” “Some of the kids were getting pretty incensed about how their parents’ generation is destroying the planet and wondering how they’re supposed to live,” Wang recalled. Though relatively new to the clean-tech field, Wang was a full-fledged member of Silicon Valley’s I.T. revolution. He served as CEO of Computer Motion, a medical robotics company that he guided to an IPO (initial public offering) in 1997. He founded the company Photo Access, which made digital-camera chips and which was ultimately bought by Agilent
Cover Story smart grid, electrification of vehicles, energy storage, coal technology and green-building technology.” What makes clean-technology investment such a huge opportunity right now is the global market, Ehrenpreis said. Unlike traditional areas of venture capital, which are centralized in a small number of places, what he calls the “clean-tech arms race” extends across the planet, with China and Europe dominating the solar and wind markets and Brazil leading the way in alternative fuels. This gives venture capitalists like him great reason for hope. Companies that develop breakthrough clean technologies would have customers across the globe, Ehrenpreis said. At the same time, giant corporations that had previously only seen clean technology as a public-relations tactic have now genuinely embraced the field. In May 2009, German car giant Daimler bought 10 percent of Tesla (it later sold a 4 percent stake to Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments). Two months later, ExxonMobil invested $600 million in Synthetic Genomics, a firm based in La Jolla, to develop biofuel. These days, a major company that doesn’t have a green component is an exception, not a rule, Ehrenpreis said.
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People Power founder Gene Wang holds up a piece from the company’s SuRF (Sensor ultra Radio Frequency) developer’s kit. The kit allows a homeowner to wirelessly monitor a home’s smart grid, including appliances’ energy usage. Technologies. Now, he is channeling his Silicon Valley experience into clean technology. People Power received a $150,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy in December and is competing for a $1 million grant this summer. The company now has about 60 employees. Wang said it’s his boldest and most hopeful undertaking yet. “I think this is the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” Wang said. “Sky is the limit.”
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he green surge couldn’t have come soon enough. In February, the groups Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network and Silicon Valley Community Foundation released the 2010 Index of Silicon Valley, a report full of sobering news about the local economy. According to the annual index, venturecapital investment in Silicon Valley’s cleantech companies dropped from $1.9 billion in 2008 to $1.2 billion in 2009 — a 37 percent tumble. The report cites a wide range of dismal data — fewer patents, job losses, office vacancies and the near-extinction of the oncemighty IPOs — and bluntly concluded, “Silicon Valley’s economic and innovation engine has cooled off.” In this economic malaise, Silicon Valley’s energy-efficiency sector was a rare success story. The region’s energy-efficiency companies attracted 26 percent of total clean-tech investment in 2009, the report found, trailing only renewable energy, which attracted 41 percent. The report also noted that the value of energy-efficiency investment increased by 121 percent over 2008. Outside of Silicon Valley, global investment in clean technology has been gaining momentum in recent months. A new report by Cleantech Group, which measures venture-capital investments in North America, Europe, India and China, showed clean-tech investments in the first quarter of 2010 surging to $1.9 billion, a new record for a single quarter. This includes the $217 million invested globally in energy efficiency in the first quarter of the year. Though the segment still trailed transportation ($704 million, including
$350 million secured by Better Place, a Palo Alto-based company that is building charging-station networks for electric vehicles) and solar power ($322 million) in money raised, it showed more activity than any other sector — 39 deals, compared to 27 in each of the other two industries. “The bounce back in venture investment from lows in early 2009 has continued, with the first three months of 2010 representing the strongest start to a year we have ever recorded,” Cleantech Group President Sheeraz Haji said in a statement. “Key to growth has been increasing interest in a broader range of clean-tech themes.” Ira Ehrenpreis, a partner at Technology Partners in Palo Alto, believes the trend is by no means ephemeral. Ehrenpreis’ venturecapital firm, headquartered on University Avenue, decided in the late 1990s to put half of its funds into the clean-tech sector (“before the ‘clean-tech’ moniker even existed,” he says). When he started out, the segment attracted
what he calls a “niche demographic” of investors and about 1 percent of total venture capital. Now, it’s attracting about 18 percent of all venture dollars and is widely seen as the “greatest opportunity of the 21st century,” Ehrenpreis said. He attributes this to the confluence of five drivers: the segment’s diverse nature, a global market and major shifts in how the public, corporations and politicians view the cleantech field. In the early days, clean-tech investment focused primarily on solar power and biofuels, Ehrenpreis said. The field broadened in recent years. “We’re beginning to see that breadth and diversity open up,” said Ehrenpreis, whose firm invests in such companies as Imperium Renewables, a Seattle-based company specializing in biofuel technology; Deeya Energy, a Fremont-based energy-storage company; and Tesla Motors, where Ehrenpreis sits on the board of directors. “We’re seeing investment in things like
lected officials and the public have also taken notice of the burgeoning cleantech sector. People have different reasons for becoming involved — some want to avert climate change, others to lower their electric bill, yet others to avoid importing oil from terrorist-sponsoring nations. In Washington, meanwhile, green is ceasing to be a strictly Red-versus-Blue issue. “Politicians on both sides of the aisle are fighting to be the greenest,” Ehrenpreis said. “We have a president who aspires to have the greenest administration in history and, for the first time ever, we have a Nobel laureate as our secretary of energy.” The trend is also playing out on the state level, in the race for the open seat in the 21st Assembly District, where clean-tech venture capitalist and political newcomer Josh Becker has emerged as a strong contender in the Democratic primary. Last month’s campaign-finance documents showed Becker dominating his Democratic opponents in cash raised with $224,099, compared to $92,457 raised by former Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto and $82,516 by San Mateo Supervisor Rich Gordon. Becker touts himself as the “innovation Democrat” and points to his long track record in green technology. His venture-capital firm, New Cycle Capital, focuses on clean technology and invests in such energy-efficiency (continued on page 18)
Banking on green Peninsula companies strive to fill niches in variety of clean-tech sectors Auto Tesla Motors, Palo Alto, manufacturer of electric cars Better Place, Palo Alto, recharging stations for electric cars
Energy efficiency and ‘smart grid’ NovaTorque, Sunnyvale, efficient motors People Power Co., Palo Alto, opensource software to manage the energy use of appliances eMeter, San Mateo, software for smartgrid data
Silver Spring Networks, Redwood City, hardware and software for smart-grid networks Trilliant, Redwood City, technology for smart-grid communication
Energy generation Bloom Energy, Sunnyvale, on-site power generation using fuel cells
Solar Ausra, Mountain View, large-scale solar panels (acquired February 2010 by French nuclear company Areva)
SolFocus, Mountain View, high-efficiency solar cells and advanced optics Innovalight, Sunnyvale, efficient solar cells
Food products World Centric, Palo Alto, biodegradable containers, utensils
Green building materials Serious Materials, Sunnyvale, energyefficient drywall, windows, etc.
— Gennady Sheyner and Tim Clark
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Green tech
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companies as TerraPass, a San Francisco company that allows people to buy offsets for their carbon emissions; OPower, a smart-grid and energy-efficiency company based in Virginia; and Oakland-based Renewable Funding, which specializes in energy-efficiency financing. In 2008, he led the coalition Cleantech and Green Business Leaders for Obama, which raised $1.6 million for Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008. If Silicon Valley’s economic engine has indeed cooled, Becker believes clean technology will warm it up again. He sees the industry as the key for both reducing carbon emissions and adding jobs. Becker sees green manufacturers such as Tesla Motors and Solyndra, a Fremont-based solar-panel manufacturer, as hopeful signs for a region that lost thousands of jobs in 2009 and thousands more last month, when Fremont’s NUMMI plant closed. “A lot of innovation is happening here,” Becker said. “We’ve got to make sure we get manufacturing here, too.” That, however, may prove a challenge in the brainy 21st District, particularly in a city like Palo Alto, which is better known for its ideas than for its factories. Though city officials welcomed Tesla’s new manufacturing facility on Deer Creek Road with great fanfare last August, their excitement only underscored the fact that Tesla is the exception rather than the rule. The city’s brainiacs typically crank out ideas that build factories elsewhere. The same holds true, to some degree, for Silicon Valley. The San Jose company Twin Creek Technologies announced recently that it is building a solar-panel factory in Mississippi. Santa Clara-based Applied Materials, meanwhile, recently opened a giant solar research-and-demonstration facility in Xi’an, China. “It’s tough for manufacturers to come here because the real estate is so expensive,” said Michael Kanellos, editor of Greentech Media, a research firm focusing on clean technology. “What you see here is a lot of pilot plants and R&D facilities, with some manufacturing in the East Bay and Sacramento area.” Kanellos, like many other industry experts, is bullish on energy efficiency and green building, calling it “one of the most exciting spots in clean-tech today.” If so, Palo Alto seems particularly wellsuited to benefit given its green builders, architects and residents, who are willing to pay a little more to help the environment. Palo Alto officials have been adopting policies to promote energy-efficient buildings. In 2008, the city became the first in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties to adopt mandatory green-building requirements. Developers now complete a checklist and accumulate green points before they can build residential and commercial structures. The checklist includes
Ira Ehrenpreis, a partner at Technology Partners in Palo Alto, poses with some of the energy-efficient technologies his company is supporting, including (from left) a new wind turbine model, new battery chemistry, biofuels, a cleaner, more efficient coal and thin-film solar. such items as sustainable construction materials, drought-resistant landscaping and solar panels. The city’s renewable-energy program, Palo Alto Green, repeatedly wins awards for the highest rate of customer participation. The private sector has also signed on. The city’s leading developer, Jim Baer, last year founded the not-for-profit organization Wave One that aims to retrofit existing buildings and make them more efficient. One of Wave One’s early projects is the Emerson Street office of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, now the most energy-efficient congressional office in the country. The city also boasts a high population of engineers, academics, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. “Palo Alto has been one of the key epicenters of entrepreneurship and venture capital,” Ehrenpreis said. “What we’re seeing is many of the historic players in Palo Alto now focusing on clean-tech. “It’s become the area where so many of the best and the brightest entrepreneurs and executives want to focus on for the rest of their professional lives.”
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ew exemplify this better than Mark Porat, a Palo Alto resident who made the switch from information technology to
People Power co-founders Gene Wang, left, and David Moss will be driving in their People Power RV to Washington, D.C., where they will play in their band for Earth Day. Page 18ÊUÊ «À Ê£È]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
Marc Porat’s energy-efficient cooktop uses magnets to heat food, yet remains cool to the touch. clean technology in the early 2000s. Porat’s house on University Avenue has all the trappings of its affluent Crescent Park neighborhood — a sprawling yard, a Prius in the driveway and a refrigerator that can house a small family. But it’s also decked out in the latest green-building technology — a reversecycle chiller that heats his water, low-carbon drywall and windows, top-tier insulation and an air-filtration system that replaces the air inside the house every three hours. Born in Israel, Porat now splits his time between Palo Alto, New York and Washington, D.C. He lives off the electric grid in his “netzero” house and leads three Bay Area companies devoted to green building. CalStar Products, based in Newark, manufactures eco-friendly bricks. ZETA Communities, headquartered in San Francisco, builds ultra-efficient apartment buildings and mixeduse structures. Serious Materials, which he co-founded with his friend Kevin Surace, manufactures an assortment of energy-efficient building products, including insulated windows, soundproof doors and eco-friendly drywall that is made of 80 percent recyclable materials. “Anyone can quickly and easily save 20 percent of energy without making much of an effort,” said Porat, whose house has already achieved 63 percent in energy savings and counting. “We should be aiming for 50 percent for everyone.” Like Wang and many others in the emerging field of clean technology, Porat honed his entre-
Marc Porat, founder of three Silicon Valley firms aimed at green home construction, sits in his Crescent Park back yard. Solar panels on the roof are barely visible. preneurial skills in the information-technology revolution. In the 1980s and 1990s, the companies he founded focused on television networks, handheld communication devices and supplymanagement software. He made the jump to green technology in the early 2000s. Buildings seemed like a natural place to start. They consume 39 percent of the nation’s total energy, and more than 70 percent of its total electricity, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Building materials account for another 12 percent of energy use. Seeking to bring their entrepreneurial skills to the emerging green field, Porat and Surace founded Serious Materials. “In Silicon Valley, we’re used to hypercompetitive product cycles and innovation, yet that’s not how the building environment (continued on page 20)
Cover Story
For Palo Alto, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the watts that count City focuses on energy efficiency to save costs, environment by Gennady Sheyner
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ast week, when Palo Alto utilities officials offered residents $8 dimmable, energy-efficient light bulbs â&#x20AC;&#x201D; normally priced at $38 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; they had no idea theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d unleash an L.E.D. craze. Customers snapped up all 2,000 Light Emitting Diode (L.E.D.) bulbs within two days â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a level of demand that utility officials are calling â&#x20AC;&#x153;overwhelmingâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;unprecedented.â&#x20AC;? The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous rebate efforts for light bulbs typically attracted a few hundred participants over periods of several weeks or months. To feed the demand, the department has ordered 1,000 more bulbs and expects them to hit local hardware stores in about a month, said Joyce Kinnear, marketing manager at the Utilities Department. The lights are limited to one per customer. The L.E.D. program is part of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing effort to promote local energy savings as the most direct path to a greener tomorrow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We consider energy efficiency to be the cheapest, best resource we have, and we certainly want to invest in acquiring that resource,â&#x20AC;? Jane Ratchye, the Utility Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistant director for resource management, said at an April 6 meeting of the City Council Finance Committee. The full council is planning to adopt a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ten-Year Energy-Efficiency Planâ&#x20AC;? on Monday night â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a plan that sets a goal of reducing the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of electricity by 7.2 percent by 2020 through energy-efficiency programs. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Utilities Advisory Commission and the Finance Committee have already unanimously approved the proposal. The plan targets everything from building materials and old refrigerators to streetlights and data centers. The council last adopted a longterm energy-efficiency plan in 2007, at which time the council set a goal of saving 3.5 percent by 2016. The city has significantly surpassed its annual goal in every year since then, according to a recent Utilities Department report.
In fiscal year 2009, the city reduced its electricity load by 0.47 percent, far more than the planâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hoped-for 0.28 percent. In fiscal year 2010, the city is projected to save 0.5 percent of its electricity load, far beyond the 0.35 percent called for in the plan. Palo Alto already offers a wide range of energy-efficiency programs for residents, small businesses and large companies. These include: s 2EBATES TOTALING PERCENT OF the cost of switching to energyefficient equipment from standard equipment. s 2EBATES OF UP TO FOR BUILDERS who exceed the requirements of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Building ordinance. s ! FREE IN HOME ENERGY AUDIT CON ducted by Acterra, a local nonprofit organization focused on environmental education and conservation. s ! REBATE TO CUSTOMERS WHO recycle their old refrigerators. s 2EBATES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT lighting systems, chillers, boilers and HVAC (heating and air) units. Refrigerators are far and away the most cost-effective appliances for customers to replace, Kinnear said. Utilities staff estimated that an old refrigerator uses about 1,500 kilowatts per year, while a new energy-efficient refrigerator only uses about 400 kilowatts. A customer who dumps an old fridge for a new, efficient one could cut energy expenditures from about $48 to $180 a year, Ratchye estimated. While people like getting money back, or paying less, utility companies donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily see benefits when they give away products. Kinnear noted that customers who get free energy-efficient appliances donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always use these items. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if you give away items such as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily mean that people will install them,â&#x20AC;? Kinnear said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;PG&E has given away millions of CFLs that are now available on eBay or sitting in peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pay for an item, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t value it as much.â&#x20AC;? N
On the cover: Photo illustration by Shannon Corey based on the painting â&#x20AC;&#x153;Surrender of Lord Cornwallisâ&#x20AC;? by John Trumbull.
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alo Alto seems an odd place for a car manufacturer. But Tesla Motors is hardly your blue-collar, Detroit-style company. Aiming to employ 650 workers in the Stanford Research Park, Tesla is preparing for an initial public offering (IPO), in which the company seeks to raise $100 million. Both its strength and its vulnerability are outlined in its financial filings submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission Jan 29. The modern automobile is a sophisticated blend of hardware and software that requires significant manufacturing expertise and logistics skill, since today’s cars are built with thousands of parts from suppliers. Tesla’s Palo Alto headquarters positions it perfectly for software engineers but puts it far from the auto industry’s epicenter, Detroit. It’s not a coincidence. Tesla has earned the reputation for thinking like software people, not automakers. Tesla’s management, board and early investors are overwhelmingly from software backgrounds, although it has hired seasoned auto executives in design and manufacturing. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the car company’s largest investor even before he got $44 million in stock options last month, founded online
Green Tech
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works,” Porat said. “What Kevin and I did was bring Silicon Valley speed and aggressiveness into a much slower industry.” The economic recession didn’t slow them down. Last September, Serious Materials announced that it secured $60 million in investment,
by Tim Clark payment system PayPal and sold it to eBay. Tesla has intentionally departed from the traditional auto-industry model in two key ways. First, it owns its entire vehicle sales and service network. When your Tesla breaks down, you will take it to a dealership, such as Menlo Park’s, owned by Tesla, not an independent business that runs a Tesla franchise. Second, Tesla is betting the house on electric cars, not hybrids, gasoline or diesel. The electric powertrain is Tesla’s key proprietary technology. It powers both its high-end, $100,000 Roadster model (introduced in 2008) as well as the $57,000 Model S sedan, due in 2012. Tesla will sell its electric technology to other car companies, a potentially lucrative revenue source. Tesla’s IPO features both bluechip bankers (Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, etc.) and Palo Alto talent — legendary Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is Tesla’s legal counsel and the Palo Alto office of law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP helped on the IPO filing. Tesla’s IPO will not be its largest source of capital — and neither is $303 million in venture capital and angel investor funds already powered in. It’s Uncle Sam, through a $465 million, low-interest loan from raising its total capital invested to $120 million. In February, the company’s energy-efficient windows were used in the ABC reality show, “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” for construction of a net-zero home. Last month, the Sunnyvalebased company began its most ambitious and visible undertaking yet: replacing all the windows in the Empire State Building. Porat is optimistic about green
CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Government Code Section 66016, that the City Council of the City of Palo Alto will hold a Public Hearing at the Regular Council Meeting on Monday, May 3, 2010 at 7:00 p.m., or as near thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California to consider adoption of a Resolution amending Utility Rate Schedules W-5 and S-5 of the City of Palo Alto Utilities Rates and Charges pertaining to service connection fees. Copies of the proposed service connection fee changes are available in the City Clerk‘s Office, 7th Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk
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the U.S. Department of Energy. Some $100 million is earmarked for the powertrain manufacturing plant on Deer Creek Road. Manufacturing cars requires lots of capital. One rather odd Tesla investor is Daimler, the German manufacturer of Mercedes-Benz that largely drove U.S. carmaker Chrysler into bankruptcy after Daimler acquired it. In addition to a 5 percent stake in Tesla, Daimler also has contracted for 1,000 Tesla’s powertrains for its electric smart car in Europe. Tesla’s IPO will be closely watched by Wall Street and the green-technology industry. “Tesla is an important and highly visible IPO,” said Kris Tuttle, the France-based CEO of Research 2.0, a Boston research firm focused on emerging technologies. He expects buyers of Tesla stock to include green-themed mutual funds and giddy individual investors. As the e-car sector is increasingly jammed with both old-liner players (Nissan, GM, Ford, Toyota) and newbies (Fisker Automotive), Tesla gives Palo Alto a front-seat view on CleanTech’s sexiest market. N Tim Clark, founding editor of the Palo Alto Weekly, does market research for technology companies through the FactPoint Group. building and clean technology in general. He points to the Obama administration’s new energy-efficiency initiatives, including grants for smart meters and the “Cash for Caulkers” program, which offers rebates to people who retrofit their homes for energy efficiency. And as the field grows, Porat expects Silicon Valley to be among the chief beneficiaries. “Silicon Valley has gone through multiple waves of innovations,” Porat said, citing information, bio-tech and energy-technology revolutions “Every wave of innovation results in a tremendous boon to the Silicon Valley economy as rising stars come out through IPOs and entire ecosystems of smaller companies begin to emerge.” But Porat’s three companies also typify the limitations of Silicon Valley. Though they have seven factories between them, these factories are scattered geographically, with one in Wisconsin, another one in Pennsylvania and several in Fremont. Porat said he doesn’t see that as a problem for Silicon Valley or for Palo Alto. The region may have to go through some changes, he said, but it will continue to lead the world in innovation. The growth of clean technology will bring prosperity to the region and the city, he said, even if this prosperity doesn’t come as manufacturing jobs. “The fact that they’re not manufacturing-oriented things isn’t that big a deal,” Porat said. “Intel and Apple don’t necessarily do all their manufacturing here, but the source of innovation is here and that creates local wealth.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
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Veronica Weber
Left: “The Essentials,” a Steve Curtiss painting currently residing in the artist’s home studio. Below left: “The Scream” — one of a series in which Curtiss imagines the pet felines of famous artists — is now on exhibit at the Pacific Art League. Bottom: Another painting in the show is “Still Life with Power Tool.”
L
Veronica Weber
ike generations of oil painters before him, Steve Curtiss loves a fine landscape. He’ll spend time happily sketching in a bucolic spot, such as Pescadero or Arastradero Pond. And then somehow, on his canvas, a frog the size of a Buick appears. Sometimes, when Curtiss looks at his own paintings, he seems pleasantly surprised by his own turns of whimsy. He calls himself an introvert who expresses his humor best through his art: in puns, enigmatic animals, a still life containing a bowl of fruit, a wine glass and french fries. Curtiss’ schooling in art followed a classical path — he studied the traditional landscape for many years with painter Alfredo D’Annunzio. But, as he notes in an interview at his Los Altos home studio, “If you keep at it long enough ... eventually, whether you like it or not, your own voice will come out.” A Stanford design-school graduate and recently retired engineer, Curtiss became accustomed over the years to painting “in short bursts” when he had a spare moment. Now and then he found time to teach an art class at Palo Alto’s Pacific Art League. Today, with more opportunity to paint, he’s having his first solo exhibition in 12 years. He’s showing 27 oils on canvas at the art league through April 28. The soft-spoken, pleasant artist sees the show as a chance to connect with new people through his work. “If I see someone chuckling in the gallery,” he says, “that does me a lot of good.” He smiles, remembering meeting a little boy at the show who really liked Curtiss’ painting “Big Frog, Small Pond.” It’s a lush, green scene inspired by a visit to Arastradero Pond. Lurking in the trees next to the water is an impos-
Steve Curtiss, pictured at home in Los Altos with his painting “Therapy For Slower Animals #3.”
Paintings with a twist
ARTIST FINDS A PLACE FOR PUNS AND OTHER WHIMSY ON HIS CANVASES
by Rebecca Wallace
(continued on next page)
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Arts & Entertainment
NOTICE OF VACANCIES ON THE HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD FOR THREE THREE-YEAR TERMS ENDING May 31, 2013 (Terms of Bower, Bunnenberg, and DiCicco) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council is seeking applications for the Historic Resources Board from persons interested in serving in one of three, three year terms ending May 31, 2013. Eligibility Requirements: The Historic Resources Board is composed of seven members appointed by the City Council and who serve without pay. Members shall have demonstrated interest in and knowledge of history, architecture or historic preservation. One member shall be an owner/occupant of a category one or two historic structure, or of a structure in an historic district; three members shall be architects, landscape architects, building designers or other design professionals and at least one member shall possess academic education or practical experience in history or a related field. Duties: The primary duties of the Historic Resources Board include: a) Reviewing and making recommendations to the Architectural Review Board on proposed exterior changes of commercial and multiple-family buildings on the Historic Building Inventory; b) Reviewing and making recommendations on exterior changes of significant (Categories 1 and 2) single-family residences on the Historic Building Inventory; c) Researching and making recommendations to the City Council on proposed additions and on reclassifications of existing buildings on the Inventory; and d) Performing other functions as may be delegated from time to time to the Historic Resources Board by the City Council. Application forms and appointment information are available in the City Clerk‘s Office, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto - (650) 329-2571 or may be obtained on the website at http://www. cityofpaloalto.org. Deadline for receipt of applications in the City Clerk‘s Office is 5:00 p.m., April 23, 2010. If one of the incumbents does not apply, the final deadline for non-incumbents will be April 28, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. DONNA J. GRIDER City Clerk
The
Cats have all sorts of adventures in Steve Curtiss’ paintings, including this one, “Bed Surfing.”
Steve Curtiss
(continued from previous page)
sibly enormous frog. “That painting is about shyness and introversion,” Curtiss says. The boy, however, wasn’t too timid to say hello to an adult artist, and to proudly inform Curtiss that he had found the “hidden” amphibian. Another painting in the show often gets a different kind of smile from adults. Titled “Thoreau Moves to Los Altos Hills,” it depicts the writer surrounded by McMansions, reading in front of his tiny, rough cabin. Smoke rises
Jean and Bill Lane
Lecture Series 2009–2010
Presents
Edward Hirsch Reading
MONDAY, APRIL 26, 2010, 8:00 P.M. STANFORD HUMANITIES CENTER
Colloquium
TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2010, 11:00 A.M. TERRACE ROOM, BUILDING 460 FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
INFORMATION: 650.723.0011 HTTP://CREATIVEWRITING.STANFORD.EDU Sponsored by Stanford University’s Creative Writing Program Page 22ÊUÊ «À Ê£È]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
languidly from the cabin’s chimney. Two pieces of reading material inspired the 2003 painting: Thoreau’s “Walden,” which Curtiss was re-reading, and an unwanted copy of a lifestyles magazine that came in the mail. Curtiss flipped through the glossy real-estate ads and felt frustrated by what he saw as excess, he recalls. “Something snapped, and I had to do it (the painting),” he says. “How many square feet do you really need?” Curtiss points out that in his painting, no one from the mansions is out enjoying nature, while Thoreau looks perfectly content
sitting on his front porch. He says he likes to imagine the people inside the huge houses, angrily calling the town council to complain about the cabin. An especially quirky painting in the exhibition was inspired by a power outage. Curtiss got to thinking afterward, “There are so many things that we think are supposed to just be there for us.” The result: “Gravity Goes Out in Palo Alto.” In front of a comfortable-looking home, everything is rising upward: the family car, the trashcan lid, the leaves on the lawn. A dog floats tummy-side-up, looking
Arts & Entertainment happy about it, and a garden hose unspools into the air like a cobra. Curtissâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; playful creativity has clearly won him some fans. Notes from the exhibitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guest book include: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You are a fabulous artist with a macabre sense of humor,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hella funny. How can you sell this stuff?â&#x20AC;? The paintings take shape in Curtissâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; airy garage studio that he shares with his wife, Francie, who does gouache and mixed-media pencil work. Several of Curtissâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sketches are pinned up on the wall, with a painting-in-progress catching the sun from a skylight. The canvas, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renoirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cat,â&#x20AC;? is based on one of Renoirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voluptuous nudes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with an appropriately curvy cat lounging near a woman. The painting is part of a series in which Curtiss imagines just the right feline pet for various artists. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chuck Closeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cat,â&#x20AC;? sitting on his studio floor, has a photorealist style, while â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Screen,â&#x20AC;? hanging in the show, is a play on Edvard Munchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Scream.â&#x20AC;? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the typical horrified Munch face, with a wide-eyed cat on the side clinging to a window screen. The Curtisses have two cats (too shy to emerge during the interview) who sometimes serve as models for the paintings, when they feel like posing. Some of Curtissâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cat paintings are less playful and more peaceful. In â&#x20AC;&#x153;The World Outside #1,â&#x20AC;? a gray tabby gazes out a window, seated between two curtains. Curtiss often makes prints from his paintings, and he says this one â&#x20AC;&#x201D; also included in the show â&#x20AC;&#x201D; has been a popular seller. As for his medium, Curtiss favors oil in part because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forgiving. If he paints something and wants to change it, he can still wipe paint off when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wet, or scrape and sand paint off when itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dry. And oil paint takes a long time to dry. Subjects, however, may not be so flexible. Painting â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Essentialsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a still life with a tea kettle, fruit, bread and credit cards â&#x20AC;&#x201D; took Curtiss six weeks, and he had to replace the bunch of grapes a few times. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bread got hard as a rock,â&#x20AC;? he says, laughing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Essentialsâ&#x20AC;? sits on the floor of Curtissâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; studio, and the artist contemplates it for a moment. The copper kettle gleams like an object of beauty created by an Old Master, while the credit cardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; colors are almost gaudy. While painting, Curtiss says, he was musing about the contrast between what is â&#x20AC;&#x153;earthy, genuineâ&#x20AC;? and what comes from technology. He adds, though, that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always against progress. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure I want to carry a sack of guilders around.â&#x20AC;? N What: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Off Center,â&#x20AC;? a show of oil paintings by Los Altos artist Steve Curtiss Where: Norton Gallery, Pacific Art League, 668 Ramona St., Palo Alto When: Through April 28. The gallery is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: Free Info: Call the art league at 650-3213891. The artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website is www. stevecurtiss.com.
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COMMUNITY MEETING Join the community discussion on the San Antonio Median Improvement Project - Phase II Wednesday, April 28, 2010, 6:30 PM Cubberley Community Center, Room H-5
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4000 MiddleďŹ eld Road Palo Alto, CA 94306 The City of Palo Alto invites public input on planned improvements including tree removal and design of the medians on San Antonio Road from MiddleďŹ eld Road to Highway 101. Meeting hosted by City of Palo Alto Public Works, (650) 329-2151 Visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/sa for information.
*Supervisor: Penny Donnelly, RN, MFT
A Guide to the Spiritual Community First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto
NOTICE OF UPCOMING HIGH SPEED RAIL MEETING Palo Alto City Council Meeting on HSR - Monday, April 19, 7 p.m. in City Council Chambers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The City Council will be discussing the scope of the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comments for the Bay Area to Central Valley Program Level Environmental Impact Report.
Sunday School for all ages â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 9:00 a.m. Sunday Services â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:25 a.m. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The children in our midst, the mission at our doorstep, a place of hospitality and graceâ&#x20AC;? 625 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
(650) 323-6167 s WWW &IRST0ALO!LTO COM FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC ÂŁÂ&#x2122;nxĂ&#x160; Â&#x153;Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x192;Ă&#x160;,Â&#x153;>`]Ă&#x160;*>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;ÂĂ&#x2C6;xäŽĂ&#x160;nxĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x153;°vVVÂŤ>°Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;}Ă&#x160; -Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;7Â&#x153;Ă&#x20AC;Ă&#x192;Â&#x2026;Â&#x2C6;ÂŤĂ&#x160;>Â&#x2DC;`Ă&#x160;-Ă&#x2022;Â&#x2DC;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;-VÂ&#x2026;Â&#x153;Â&#x153;Â?Ă&#x160;>Ă&#x152;Ă&#x160;£ä\ääĂ&#x160;>°Â&#x201C;°
This Sunday: The Last Person You Want to See Rev. David Howell preaching Spring Musical April 30, May 1 & 2 at 7:00 pm 39 Books Featuring 80 children and youth!
Stanford Memorial Church University Public Worship Sunday, April 18, 10:00 am Join the Palo Alto Family Resources Foundation and honored guest
Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss as we celebrate Family Resourceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 10 years of being your link to the community with a special presentation by
Dr. James R. Doty Stanford Professor of Neurosurgery and Director, Center for Compassion & Altruism Research & Education
The Cultivation of Compassion Tuesday, April 27, 2010 < 5:30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 7:30 p.m. Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley 2050 University Avenue East Palo Alto
$25 admission, door prizes Info: contact Erwin.Gonzales@CityofPaloAlto.org - or - call 329-2221 Presented by Hewlett Packard and generously supported by Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital This space donated as a community service by the Palo Alto Weekly.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Redeeming Peter in Us Allâ&#x20AC;? Dean Scotty McLennan All are welcome. Information: 650-723-1762
Music featuring University Organist, Dr. Robert Huw Morgan and the Memorial Church Choir http://religiouslife.stanford.edu
We Invite You to Learn and Worship with Us.
Timothy R. Boyer. A place of caring, sharing and growing Worship Service 10:30 AM. www.fpcmv.org 1667 Miramonte (Cuesta at Miramonte) 650.968.4473
INSPIRATIONS
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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Arts & Entertainment 2010 Wallace Stegner Lecture Series
VENTURES
INTO THE NATURAL WORLD SERIES SPONSORS
Ambassador Bill and Mrs. Jean Lane
Vinod Khosla
in conversation with Michael Krasny ! "
Monday, April 26 8:00 p.m. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
LECTURE SPONSORS
500 Castro Street, Mountain View
For tickets, call
(650) 903-6000
MEDIA SPONSOR
Tracy Martin
All proceeds benefit POST.
Peninsula Open Space Trust POST
Atticus Finch (played by Anthony Newfield) and daughter Scout (Sierra Stephens) in â&#x20AC;&#x153;To Kill A Mockingbird.â&#x20AC;?
222 High Street, Palo Alto, California 94301 (650) 854-7696 www.openspacetrust.org
Script keeps â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mockingbirdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from singing
Please join us for the Palo Alto Poverty Simulationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;
Acting is solid, but a flawed Harper Lee adaptation makes TheatreWorks show uneven
a crash course into the day-to-day realities of life with a shortage of money and an abundance of stress.
by Jeanie K. Smith
â&#x20AC;&#x153;T
o Kill A Mockingbird,â&#x20AC;? Harper Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only novel, is arguably one of the most important works of American literature to come out of the 20th century. It captures an era, a culture and an aspect of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s psyche that still resonates for modern readers. Calling for a higher sense of justice and decency, it appeals to our better natures, and to our desire for progress away from the small-mindedness of an earlier age. We recognize that ignorance and injustice still live among us, but the book has a hopeful, healing message â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and therein lies some of its success, as it encourages us to rise to our best. A famous movie adaptation (screenplay by Horton Foote) has been followed by several stage adaptations by Christopher Sergel, who kept revising his own work over two decades. TheatreWorks has chosen an early Sergel version for its current production celebrating the 50th
Palo Alto Poverty Simulation Friday, May 7, 2010 Noon to 3:45 pm Free Registration and Lunch Hosted by the Garden Court Hotel 520 Cowper Street, Palo Alto Information: www.Poverty-Simulation.com Direct registration inquiries and questions to Eileen Richardson, Downtown Streets Team: (650) 462-1795 or Eileen@Streetsteam.org Organizers:
Sponsors:
Media Sponsors:
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Peninsula HealthCare Connection
Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s news, sports & hot picks
THEATER REVIEW anniversary of the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s publication. The show is uneven, despite the talent on stage, so the problems seem to rest primarily with the adaptation. If you are familiar with the story of small-town Southern lawyer Atticus Finch (Anthony Newfield) and his precocious children Scout (Sierra Stephens) and Jem (Eric Colvin), you know he is called upon to defend a young black man, Tom Robinson (Philipe D. Preston), against a false charge of raping and beating a poor, ignorant young white woman (Blythe Foster). We see the events unfold through the eyes of young Scout, Finchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tomboy daughter, as she begins to view the world with more maturity and understanding, learning to see her father with fresh insight. Sergel wrote his adaptations with schools in mind, as both audience and producers, and this shows in the script, especially this early version. The many subplots found in the book are markedly condensed. For example, the story of eccentric neighbor Boo Radley (Howard Swain) is reduced almost to nothing. In contrast, the subplot of the elderly racist neighbor, Mrs. Dubose (Phoebe Moyer), receives more emphasis as a means of driving home
the playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moral message. The production enlists the audience as the town and as jury and spectators in the courtroom. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a device that works for the court scenes, but is distracting when townspeople directly address the audience in dialogue. What I missed most from this version was Scoutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first-person narrative, her adult reminiscing about those fateful days and months that she now recognizes as the forge of her own sense of justice and ethics. In a later version, Sergel added the adult Scout and some of the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lyrical narrative, which adds a philosophical tone and skews the play toward a more adult audience. Atticus seems less heroic in the play â&#x20AC;&#x201D; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more voluble and argumentative rather than silent and deep. We hear much about his distaste for guns but we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ever learn why. His moral lessons for Scout and Jem come across as simplistic homilies rather than life wisdom. If I were not already so familiar with the book, I might be wondering what all the fuss is about, based on this version. The actors do the best they can with these shortcomings, mostly managing to minimize them. Thankfully, Newfield does a winning job with the character of Finch, especially in the courtroom scenes. His summation rang true, with the right mix of conviction and desperation. Later, his agonized cry over his inability to protect his children surely hit home in the hearts of all parents. Unfortunate costume choices, though, make him appear too much the dandy, not enough the smalltown lawyer taking turnip greens in payment. Michael Ray Wisely is excellent as Sheriff Tate, striking the right balance between good old boy and keeper of the peace. Preston wins us over as the timorous Tom Robinson, and Gabriel Hoffman is a standout as the odd little boy Dill who becomes friends with Scout and Jem. Andrea Bechertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attractive set design gives the sense of a town that has seen better days, and the moveable trees are a nice touch for change of location. The courtroom, however, felt oddly juxtaposed with the town â&#x20AC;&#x201D; with a tree right behind the judgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bench, and part of the stage doubling as jury stand and exit to the street. In addition, all the costumes look brand-new, just off the rack at Ross, and Boo Radleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spooky makeup needs adjusting. But if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a while since you saw the Oscar-winning film, or read the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, you may want to renew your acquaintance with Atticus Finch and Maycomb, Ala. N What: â&#x20AC;&#x153;To Kill a Mockingbird,â&#x20AC;? by Harper Lee, adapted by Christopher Sergel, presented by TheatreWorks Where: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View When: Through May 9, with shows at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, and 7 p.m. Sundays. Cost: Tickets are $29-$62. Info: Go to www.theatreworks.org or call 650-463-1960.
Worth a Look
5th Annual YCS YCS 7th Annual
Family Service Day & Community Fair
BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS RESPONSIBILITY RESULTS
Arts & Entertainment
TOGETHER
Sat, 24, 11am 11am to to 3pm 3pm Sat,April April 26, Goodman/Van Riper
Come join us at Cesar Chavez Academy, 2450 Ralmar Street, East Palo Alto for Projects and Fun for Volunteers of all Ages from Tots to Teens to Grandmothers too! For more information, please visit
www.YouthCommunityService.org or call 650-617-8961
Bassist Anthony Manzo performs this Sunday at Stanford University with the St. Lawrence String Quartet.
Film
Tickets are $40-$46 for adults and $10 for Stanford students, with other discounts available for other students, groups and people ages 18 and under. Go to livelyarts.stanford.edu or call 650-725-ARTS.
Film directors, writers and actors will join academics at Stanford University this weekend for a Romanian film festival titled “Censorship and (R)evolution.” Events include screenings of recent feature films, shorts and documentaries, as well as discussion and Q&A sessions. The free public event starts at 6 p.m. April 16, with opening remarks by Dana Beldiman, honorary consul of Romania in San Francisco; Jim Rosapepe, former U.S. ambassador to Romania; and Pavle Levi, Stanford assistant professor of film and media studies. The first screening starts at 6:25, with the 20-minute 2007 Gabriel Sarbu film “Life’s Hard.” Screenings and other events continue through Sunday evening. Films to be shown include Cristian Mungiu’s “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” which won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film in 2007. It’s scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 17. Guest speakers include Gabriel Pintilei, screenwriter of the 2008 film “Elevator,” which was directed by George Dorobantu. The 85-minute movie will be shown at 2:25 p.m. on Sunday, April 18, with a Q&A with Pintilei following. A closing-night reception for the festival is set for 8 p.m. Sunday. Most events are in Braun Corner, 450 Serra Mall, Building 320, with a few others elsewhere on campus. Details are at www.rofilmfestival.com.
Benefit concert
Romanian Film Festival
Music
St. Lawrence String Quartet For six seasons now, the St. Lawrence String Quartet has held regular Sunday-afternoon concerts at Stanford University, where musicians Geoff Nuttall, Scott St. John, Lesley Robertson and Christopher Costanza teach and serve as ensemble-in-residence. This season wraps up on April 18, with a concert at 2:30 p.m. in Dinkelspiel Auditorium. At this performance, two guests will join the quartet on stage: bassist Anthony Manzo and pianist Pedja Muzijevic. The program gets off to a waltzing start with “Die Werber,” op. 103, by the Austrian violinistcomposer Josef Lanner. Also featured will be Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, op. 36; and Franz Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 66 (“Trout”).
Young readers in Nicaragua will be the beneficiaries of an evening of music in Portola Valley. The Picasso Ensemble hosts a benefit concert at 7 p.m. next Tuesday, April 20, incorporating guest performers and local composers. Music featured on the program includes songs by composer and Menlo School teacher Karen Linford — with the lyrics (some in Spanish) written by students from Mariano Castro Elementary School in Mountain View. The program also includes San Francisco composer Alexis Alrich’s chamber work “California Trees,” and music by Dvorak, Susan Brown and Manuel deFalla. Performing musicians are: violinist Susan C. Brown, cellist Victoria Ehrlich, pianist Josephine Gandolfi, mezzo soprano Wendy Hillhouse, guest singer LaDoris Cordell and guest percussionist Deanne Tucker. Concert proceeds will go to the Children’s Library of Pueblo Nuevo, Nicaragua, which was founded by Kristina Underdal Mundera, a teacher at Escondido Elementary School at Stanford. Suggested donations for admission are $15 general and $10 for students. The event is at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Call 650-493-5046.
A&E DIGEST GREENLIGHT WINNERS ... The three winners of the city of Palo Alto’s Greenlight Earth Day Festival were announced at Thursday night’s fifth annual awards ceremony for the eco-themed festival. Tiana Masnaghetti of Palo Alto won in the middle-school category for her film “What About the Sea?” Los Altos Hills resident Katie Kirsch took first prize in the high-school category with “It’s Time to Conserve Water.” And in the open category, in which filmmakers of other ages competed, Palo Alto resident Matt Harnack won for “Fossil Fuel Free Film.” The winners were chosen from 15 finalist films, all of which were screened Thursday at the Cubberley Theater event. Overall, 54 films were submitted to the festival this year. Winners were presented with monetary prizes and trophies. The ceremony will be shown on the Media Center’s Comcast Channel 28, as well as online. The Media Center’s Web site is at www.communitymediacenter.net.
Sponsored by Sponsored by Ravenswood City School District, Youth Service, Ravenswood City School District, Youth Community Community Service, Public Allies Silicon Valley, City of East Palo Alto, Public AlliesEast Silicon Palo Alto Youth Collaborative, PaloValley Alto Youth Consortium
THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF PALO ALTO
Please join us for our
Spring Kitchen Tour S a t u r d a y, M a y 1 5 , 2 0 1 0 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tour five fabulous Palo Alto kitchens Ticket orders received before May 8 - $30 After May 8 - $35 Ticket orders received after May 8 and tickets for sale at the door will be available at 125 Southwood Drive on Saturday, May 15th. For your comfort and safety, we request low-heeled shoes. Please no cameras or children. For questions, visit www.womansclubofpaloalto.org or call 650.269.3517.
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! " #
Movies OPENINGS
Kick-Ass---
â&#x20AC;&#x153;EXHILARATING!
Acidly funny. Explosively succinct. There is no questioning Banksyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art.
MAY HE VANDALIZE OUR SCREENS FOR DECADES TO COME!â&#x20AC;? NEW YORK MAGAZINE -David Edelstein,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;A SLY SATIRE of celebrity, consumerism, and the art world!â&#x20AC;? LA TIMES -John Horn,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;JOYOUS! One of the most inspired, adroit, hilarious debut FILM COMMENT features ever!â&#x20AC;? -Amy Taubin,
â&#x20AC;&#x153;FUNNY AS HELL!â&#x20AC;? -Thessaly LaForce, THE NEW YORKER
(Century 16, Century 20) What if fanboy zeal inspired a superhero-loving teen to take to the streets â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in his own homemade costume â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to clean them up and bask in the glory of a grateful citizenry? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the idea behind â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Ass,â&#x20AC;? itself based on a fanboy-fave comicbook series by writer Mark Millar (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wantedâ&#x20AC;?) and illustrator John Romita Jr. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Millar nevertheless understands that a zero isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to just waltz his way into being a hero. On the page and on the screen, â&#x20AC;&#x153;KickAssâ&#x20AC;? riffs on the wish-fulfillment afforded by tales of derring-do and the ill-advisedness of taking on the task in real life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With no power comes no responsibility,â&#x20AC;? Dave Lizewski muses, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong, of course. When he pulls on his eBay-bought wetsuit and prowls the streets as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Ass,â&#x20AC;? heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taking his very life into his hands. Lizewski quickly lands himself in the hospital, lucky to be alive. But that accomplished, the story spins wilder and wilder â&#x20AC;&#x153;what-ifâ&#x20AC;?s, throwing Dave (an appealingly nerdy Aaron Johnson) into a world much broader than the walls of his high school. First, having had a taste of adrenaline, the kid canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop himself from donning his outfit and returning to his patrols â&#x20AC;&#x201D; shivs and guns be damned. Then, he gets the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attention when a cell-phone video makes him an Internet celebrity. His naivete compounded by small-scale success, Kick-Ass needs a reality check. Oddly, it comes in the form of an unreal pair of more experienced superheroes: the Batman-styled Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his 11year-old sidekick Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). The secretive father and daughter are all kinds of wrong and, in their own ways, just as delusional as Dave. But theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re exceedingly more successful, cutting down their foes with fatal ef-
ficiency. The sight of an 11-year-old girl slicing criminals to shreds with a katana (and the sound of her uttering the nastiest of profanities) will prove too much for many, but â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Assâ&#x20AC;? will be catnip for the superhero crowd and audiences hungry for material thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deliriously edgy. Director Matthew Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman (previous collaborators on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stardustâ&#x20AC;?) embrace Millarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gleeful disinterest in political correctness. (In fact, the film was developed side by side with the initial run of six comic-book issues, a new precedent in comic-book movies). While up-and-comer Moretz (recently signed to Scorseseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s next film) will get the most attention from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Ass,â&#x20AC;? the real news may be a return to form for Nicolas Cage. Along with the recent â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Assâ&#x20AC;? displays a reinvigorated Cage eager to take risks (his vocal choice, for Big Daddy, which I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spoil, is jaw-droppingly funny). Cage can play a second-fiddle Johnny Depp for Disney as long as he continues to step out to indie films like this one. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Assâ&#x20AC;? isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Ibsen, but it knows just what it is (I refer you to the title) and goes for the gusto: gratuitous ... well, gratuitous everything. Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use â&#x20AC;&#x201D; some involving children. One hour, 57 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese
The Joneses --
(Palo Alto Square, Century 20) Our self-image of American life has been entwined with consumer goods since long before Norman Rockwell painted for Coca-Cola. In recent years, product placement has grown increasingly insidious. The scarily plausible premise of the new film â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Jonesesâ&#x20AC;? imagines advertising going one small step forward.
April 30th Doors open at 6:30 pm -OVIE s 1 ! PM Eric Rohmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;s series â&#x20AC;?Comedies and Proverbsâ&#x20AC;?
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STARTS FRIDAY APRIL16
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FILM BY %RIC 2OHMER Marie Riviere, Beatrice Romand, Eric Hamm Danielle Trudeau, Moderator www.frenchfilmclubofpaloalto.org
AQUARIUS
Page 26Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;ÂŁĂ&#x2C6;]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;
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Rated R for language, some sexual content, teen drinking and drug use. One hour, 36 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese
2ESERVE YOUR SEAT GET A DISCOUNT ONLINE AT
LANDMARK THEATRES 430 Emerson Street, PALO ALTO 650-266-9260 www.landmarktheatres.com
ÂŤ Ah! Que le temps vienne OĂš les coeurs sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ĂŠprennent!* Rimbaud *Ah! May the time come When love begins
Writer-director Derrick Borte imagines a scenario in which corporate actors are cast as a family and slyly moved into a community to push products on their new neighbors. David Duchovny plays the neophyte â&#x20AC;&#x153;dadâ&#x20AC;? placed with â&#x20AC;&#x153;momâ&#x20AC;? Demi Moore and two purportedly teenage children: â&#x20AC;&#x153;daughterâ&#x20AC;? Jenn (Amber Heard) and â&#x20AC;&#x153;sonâ&#x20AC;? Mick (Ben Hollingsworth). Mooreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kate is high-strung about her nuclear familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s productivity, as sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chasing the dream of rising through the ranks of the company that employs them all (represented by the wittily cast ex-model Lauren Hutton). Duchovnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steve represents a triple threat. First, his numbers are soft, but later the student surpasses the master and, whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worse, takes a romantic interest in his allbusiness â&#x20AC;&#x153;wife.â&#x20AC;? Kate seems not to believe she deserves domestic bliss of a kind that hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been bought and sold, and Steve forces her to do some inconvenient soul-searching. Cracks have obviously been forming for some time in this family â&#x20AC;&#x153;unitâ&#x20AC;?: The replaced father aside, Jenn habitually hits on older men and Mick stress-drinks to cope with living a lie. Despite a snappy start, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Jonesesâ&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to know what to build on its strong satiric foundation, making the narrative results either obvious or difficult to swallow. In the former category, put the trajectory of the Jonesesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; immediate neighbors Larry and Summer (Gary Cole and Glenne Headly), whose need to be held in esteem plays right into the game plan of their corporate counterparts. Gotta have those top-of-the-line golf clubs, gourmet frozen dinners, and the latest, greatest hot rod, but the cost may be too much to bear. Making matters worse, aspiring saleswoman Summer canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hold a candle to Kate, her new sales-onthe-downlow friend. The parasitic reach of the Joneses illuminates the limits of capitalism (one canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t squeeze blood from a stone), and the strong acting ensemble carries the script material to its own limits, but Borte allows his satire to go slack. The storytelling approach needed more of Kateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ruthless drive and less of Steveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s humanism, which brings the plot to a conclusion that lands softly and feels like a compromise. The premise begs for wicked bite, but winds up poking along amiably. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the problem with these Joneses: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all too easy to keep up with them.
www.restorationstudio.com
Established in 1977, the French Film Club is an independent non-proďŹ t Organization, open to the public. For full program and discounted tickets go to our website. Call 650-400-3496 for details.
To view the trailers for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kick-Assâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Joneses,â&#x20AC;? go to Palo Alto Online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
MOVIE TIMES Alice in Wonderland (PG) ((
Century 16: 11:50 a.m.; 2:30, 5:05, 7:45 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m.; 1:55, 4:40, 7:30 & 10:05 p.m.; In 3D at 12:40 p.m. Fri.-Tue. also at 6:15 p.m.
The Bachelor and the Stanford Theatre: Wed.-Thu. at 7:30 p.m. Bobby-Soxer (1947) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) The Bounty Hunter (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 4:30 & 9:50 p.m.
Chloe (R) ((1/2
Century 16: 12:05, 5:10 & 10:30 p.m.
City Island (PG-13) (Not Reviewed)
Aquarius: 7 & 9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun. also at 1:30 & 4:30 p.m. No 7 and 9 p.m. shows on Wed.
Clash of the Titans (PG-13) (( Century 16: 1, 3:40, 6:25, 8:15 & 9:20 p.m.; In 3D at 11:40 a.m.; 2:20, 4:50, 7:25 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 2 & 7:10 p.m.; In 3D at 11:50 a.m.; 2:30, 3:30, 5:10, 7:50& 10:25 p.m. Fri.-Tue. also at 8:55 p.m. Date Night (PG-13) ((1/2
Century 16: 12:10, 1:15, 2:25, 3:35, 4:40, 5:50, 6:55, 8:05, 9:15 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:35 a.m.; 12:20, 1, 1:55, 2:45, 3:25, 4:10, 5:05, 5:45, 6:35, 7:20, 8:10, 9, 9:45 & 10:30 p.m.
Death At a Funeral (2010) (R) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: Noon, 2:45, 5:15, 7:40 & 10:05 p.m. Century 20: 12:25, 2:55, 5:30, 8 & 10:20 p.m.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (PG) ((
Century 16: 11:55 a.m.; 2:15, 4:30, 6:50 & 9:05 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 1:50, 4:20, 6:50 & 9:15 p.m.
Every Girl Should Be Married Stanford Theatre: Wed.-Thu. at 5:55 & 9:15 p.m. (1948) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Exit Through the Gift Shop (R) (Not Reviewed)
Aquarius: 4, 6, 8 & 10 p.m. Fri.-Sun. also at 2 p.m. Sat. also at midnight.
The Ghost Breakers (1940) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)
Stanford Theatre: Fri 7:30 p.m.
The Ghost Writer (PG-13) (((1/2
Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 2, 4:50, 7:45 & 10:35 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 1:25 p.m. Fri.-Mon. and Wed.-Thu. also at 4:20 & 7:15 p.m. Fri.-Sat. also at 10:10 p.m.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Not Rated) ((((
Guild: 1:15, 4:30 & 8 p.m. Sat 1:15, 4:30 & 8 p.m.
Green Zone (R) ((
Century 20: Fri 1:45 & 7:40 p.m. Sat 1:45 & 7:40 p.m. Sun 1:45 & 7:40 p.m. Mon 1:45 & 7:40 p.m. Tue 1:45 & 7:40 p.m. Wed 1:45 & 7:40 p.m. Thu 1:45 & 7:40 p.m.
Greenberg (R) (((
Century 16: 2:35 & 7:55 p.m.
Hot Tub Time Machine (R) ((( Century 16: 12:20, 2:50, 5:30, 8 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 11:40 a.m.; 2:20, 4:45, 7:15 & 9:40 p.m. How to Train Your Dragon (PG) ((1/2
Century 16: 12:25, 1:20, 3:05, 3:50, 5:35, 6:15 & 8:40 p.m.; In 3D at 11:45 a.m.; 2:10, 4:35, 7 & 9:25 p.m. Century 20: 12:05, 12:55, 2:40, 3:20, 5:20, 6:10, 7:45, 8:35 & 10:10 p.m.; In 3D at 11:15 a.m.; 1:40, 4:15, 6:55 & 9:30 p.m.
The Joneses (R)
Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 2:15, 4:35 & 7:05 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 2:15, 4:40, 7:20 & 9:45 p.m. Fri. & Sat. also at 9:45 p.m.
((
Kenny Chesney: Summer in Century 20: Wed. and Thu. at 7:30 p.m. 3D (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Kick-Ass (R) (((
Century 16: 11:35 a.m.; 12:35, 1:35, 2:40, 3:30, 4:25, 5:25, 6:20, 7:20, 8:10, 9:10 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m.; 12:15, 1:05, 2:10, 3:05, 3:55, 5, 5:55, 6:45, 7:50, 8:45, 9:35 & 10:40 p.m.
The Last Song (PG) (Not Reviewed)
Century 16: 11:30 a.m.; 2:05, 4:45, 7:15 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m.; 2:35, 5:15, 7:55 & 10:30 p.m.
The Palm Beach Story (1942) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)
Stanford Theatre: Sat 5:50 & 9:25 p.m. Sun 5:50 & 9:25 p.m. Mon 5:50 & 9:25 p.m. Tue 5:50 & 9:25 p.m.
Road to Morocco (1942) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)
Stanford Theatre: Fri 5:55 & 9:05 p.m.
Tyler Perryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Why Did I Get Century 20: 11:05 a.m.; 4:50 & 10:20 p.m. Married Too? (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Unfaithfully Yours (1948) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed)
Stanford Theatre: Sat 3:55 & 7:30 p.m. Sun 3:55 & 7:30 p.m. Mon 7:30 p.m. Tue 7:30 p.m.
( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, theater addresses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to Palo Alto Online at http://www.PaloAltoOnline.com/
â&#x20AC;&#x153;EXCELLENT. A ZEITGEIST FILM!â&#x20AC;? -Richard Corliss, TIME
Fri & Sat Only:
The Joneses 2:15, 4:40, 7:20, 9:45 The Ghost Writer 1:25, 4:20, 7:15, 10:10 Sun thru Mon: The Joneses 2:15, 4:40, 7:20 The Ghost Writer 1:25, 4:20, 7:15 Tues Only: The Joneses 2:15, 4:40, 7:20 The Ghost Writer 1:25 Weds thru Thurs: The Joneses 2:15, 4:40, 7:20 The Ghost Writer 1:25, 4:20, 7:15
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sharp, timely and very funnyâ&#x20AC;Śa sleek, smart debut. An ingenious spin on keeping up with the Joneses.â&#x20AC;? -Karen Durbin, ELLE
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fresh, scintillating and downright terrific! A brisk, captivating entertainment.â&#x20AC;? -Rex Reed, THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
your
The P alo A lto S tor y P r oject
DAVID AMBER DEMI MOORE DUCHOVNY and HEARD
SCREEN GEMS PRESENTS A SIDNEY KIMMEL ENTERTAINMENT/MUSICWONDERFUL FILMS/PARABOLI C PICTURES/STABLE WAY ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE TOLL DEAN CRAIDIRECTEDG GLENN S. GAINOR â&#x20AC;&#x153;DEATHPRODUCEDAT A FUNERALâ&#x20AC;? KEITH DAVID RON GLASS KEVIN HART BY CHRISTOPHE BECK PRODUCERS JIM TAUBER BRUCE WRITTEN BY SIDNEY KIMMEL WILLIAM HORBERG CHRIS ROCK SHARE STALLINGS AND LAURENCE MALKIN BY DEAN CRAI G BY NEIL LABUTE
story?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;
Stories about Palo Alto, as told by local residents as part of the Palo Alto Story Project, are now posted on the Internet. Watch them at www.PaloAltoOnline.com
EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS START FRIDAY, APRIL 16 Cinemark &'$* !( &!( Cinemark $&% " ! &! %# Redwood City 800/FANDANGO 990# 3000 El Camino 800/FANDANGO 914# & &$ $ &!$* !$ !$ %!' !$ & ! % !(& %
LOCAL LISTINGS FOR STARTS FRIDAY, APRIL 16 CHECK THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES
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Eating Out RESTAURANT REVIEW
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Su Hongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crystal shrimp, which is served with scallions in a white sauce, is pictured here with a side of steamed broccoli.
Su Hong returns to Palo Alto Old Dennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is new Su Hong Eatery by Sheila Himmel
A
ccording to my fortune cookie: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You will be called upon to celebrate some good
news.â&#x20AC;? Here it is: Su Hong has reopened in Palo Alto. That is, Su Hong Eatery & Res-
taurant, formerly tucked into El Camino Way, no longer related to Su Hong Menlo Park. The new restaurant is located in the old Dennyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on El Camino Real near the Crowne Plaza CabaĂąa Hotel. For generations of harried families, at least since 1977, Su Hong has been a place to dine with children and a go-to takeout tradition. Some do shun Su Hong, while others treasure favorites such as eggplant in hot garlic sauce. A welcome change with the new menu is that many dishes come in two sizes. The small-size eggplant ($7.25) offers enough bias-cut, soft Chinese eggplant with meat sauce for most tables. Su Hong founder David King has expanded the menu with Shanghai specialties and housemade, hand-cut noodles, trying to span a great palate divide between diners who hunger for authenticity and fatty pork in fermented tofu sauce ($12.95) and those who never venture beyond pot stickers ($3.60) and mu shu pork ($6.25 and $8.95). At a recent takeout dinner, the mu shu pancakes had cooled and stiffened. I guess we could have microwaved them for a second, but they came wrapped in foil and it seemed like too much trouble. (Note: Su Hong isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t especially microwave-friendly. Takeout cartons have metal handles.) Hot and sour soup ($4.75 for small) survived the five-minute trip with its heat intact. Head-cold sufferers swear by the spicy brothâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s healing powers. From the Shanghai menu, a luscious patch of snow pea greens topped with crystal shrimp ($14.95) could have used a few more plump, un-battered yet crunchy shrimp. Among the hand-shaved noodle dishes, stir-fried noodles with mixed seafood ($8.95) was robust with shrimp and fish.
Question:Where can you get a 3 course lunch in Palo Alto for less than $10? Answer: Bistro Maxine. â&#x20AC;?Le Lunch Menuâ&#x20AC;? -iĂ&#x20AC;Ă&#x203A;i`Ă&#x160;/Ă&#x2022;iĂ&#x192;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;qĂ&#x160; Ă&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;`>Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160;ÂŁÂŁ>Â&#x201C;Ă&#x160;Â&#x2021;Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;\Ă&#x17D;äÂ&#x201C; Soup du jour (vegetarian) or House Salad Savory Crepe of your choice Dessert House Coffee Only $9.95 Page 28Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;ÂŁĂ&#x2C6;]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;
When we went to dine at the new Su Hong on a recent Sunday night, we found it packed. We waited 20 minutes for a table, and then a long time for anything to eat. The evening got worse when our starter, Shanghai spring rolls ($6.25), fell flat. But then came everything else, including the eggplant, braised until very tender with spicy garlic sauce and chopped pork. Two Shanghai clay pot dishes were very different. Seafood with tofu ($12.95) was mild and hearty, with prawns, scallops and fish. Wu Xi ribs ($10.95) were large chunks of tender pork, many still on the bone. And if you have a head cold or a bad mood, one sniff of No. 216 may help. A wonderfully aromatic
dark broth, peppery pieces of beef chuck, and chewy hand-shaved noodles make Szechuan-style beef in hand-shaved noodle soup one of those dishes that feels it can cure anything. A search for Su Hong on the Internet nets two â&#x20AC;&#x153;officialâ&#x20AC;? sites. One is for Su Hong in Menlo Park, and the other, www.suhongeatery.com, is the site for the new Palo Alto restaurant
owned by David King. On the site, King explains that his family is from Su Chow (City of Su) and his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is from Hong Chow; thus the name Su Hong. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both cities are located on the east coast of Mainland China, near Shanghai, and are known for their beautiful scenery and wonderful foods,â&#x20AC;? he wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In China, we call them â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Heavenly Earth.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? N
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sequoia Center saved my lifeâ&#x20AC;?
Sign up today www.PaloAltoOnline.com
The Stanford Historical Society Presents
Sixth Annual House & Garden Tour A Study in Contrasts Sunday, April 25, 2010, 1 to 4 p.m.
T
HE SEQUOIA CENTER
helps families recover
the balance in their lives from Su Hong Eatery & Chinese Restaurant 4256 El Camino Real, Palo Alto 650-493-3836 and 4934664 www.suhongeatery.com Hours: Lunch: Daily 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner: Mon.Thurs. 4:30-9:30 p.m.; Fri.Sat. 4:30-10 p.m.; Sun. 4:309:30 p.m.
Reservations
Banquet
Credit cards
Lot Parking
Outdoor seating
Alcohol Takeout Highchairs
Wheelchair access
Catering
Noise level: Moderately loud Bathroom Cleanliness: Excellent
the effects of abusing alcohol and other drugs. Our services are offered in a warm and caring environment by trained staff dedicated to helping individuals gain control over their lives.
The Sequoia Center is licensed through the State of California to deliver: t Medical Detoxification t Outpatient Treatment (Day & Evening) t Residential Treatment t Partial Hospitalization/Day Treatment
â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Call today 650-364-5504 to schedule a FREE, confidential assessment with one of our Specialists.
Three pre-1930 houses and two fascinating modern residences designed by Charles K. Sumner, John K. Branner, Frank Lloyd Wright, and William Wurster Ć&#x2021; also showcasing landscape architect Thomas Church Tickets are $20 each (before April 16) And $25 the day of the event
)&"-5) t )01& t 3&$07&3:
-AIN 3TREET 2EDWOOD #ITY s s WWW SEQUOIACENTER COM
DINNER BY THE MOVIES AT SHORELINEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S
Pizzeria Venti
Tour information & directions: http://histsoc.stanford.edu Questions: 650-324-1653 or 650-725-3332 This space donated as community service by the Palo Alto Weekly
The History Pasta Alla Norma This dish is named for the main character in the Vincenzo Bellini opera â&#x20AC;&#x153;Normaâ&#x20AC;?. Most because â&#x20AC;&#x153;ccââ&#x20AC;? in the people actually call this dish Pasta ccâ Norma. This is incorrect beca ingredient, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pasta with Sicilian dialect means â&#x20AC;&#x153;withâ&#x20AC;?, thereby making Norma an ingredien zucchiniâ&#x20AC;?, which is deďŹ nitely not the case. This dish was dedicated Maestro Bellini and Pasta a la Norma or Pasta Norma-style, refers speciďŹ cally to this dis dish and the composer beholden to the quality who was from Catania. The authenticity of this classic dish is behol This is a non-optional, and abundance of the sauce, and above all, to the salted ricotta. Th essential ingredient of the dish. If you cannot ďŹ nd Ricotta Salata, yyou must move far away, for Please forgive f you live li in i barbarism! b b i l f i meâ&#x20AC;ŚI am nothing hi without good pasta. From our kitchen to yours. Giulia Grisi as Norma in 1831
erious s a t s a e our p k a t e n italy w i g n i n trai
Buon appetito! Chef Marco Salvi, Executive Chef
Pasta Alla Norma Tomato sauce-from scratch @ $.5 :64# 8+4)+0 1.+8' 1+. @ %.18'5 %*122'& )#4.+% @ 1< %#0 %475*'& 61/#61'5 @ (4'5* $#5+. .'#8'5 6140 +061 5/#.. 2+'%'5 @ 5#.6 #0& 2'22'4 SautĂŠ garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add tomatoes and basil. Stir and cook for 10 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste. May be made ahead and refrigerated or use a good quality jarred sauce
@ $.5 :64# 8+4)+0 1.+8' 1+. @ 2170&5 '))2.#06 2''.'& #0& %76 +061 1â&#x20AC;? cubes @ 170%'5 %72 4+%166# 5#.#6# )4#6'& @ 4'5* $#5+. .'#8'5 6140 $; *#0& @ +0%* %475*'& 4'& %*+.+ 2'22'4 5.+%'& !14 dried ďŹ&#x201A;akes] @ #.6 @ 2170& 52#)*'66+
To cook: In a large skillet over medium high heat, fry the eggplant cubes and red
1390 Pear Ave., Mountain View (650) 254-1120 www.mvpizzeriaventi.com
Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday
pepper ďŹ&#x201A;akes in olive oil until eggplant begins to soften and caramelize. Drain off any excess oil and add tomato sauce and reduce to medium heat Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti al dente, drain retaining some of the pasta water, and transfer to a large bowl. Check sauce and add pasta water if sauce appears too dry. Pour sauce over the spaghetti and toss with the salted ricotta and torn basil leaves Serve with grated Pecorino
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MEXICAN The Oaxacan Kitchen 321-8003 Authentic Mexican Restaurant 2323 Birch Street, Palo Alto 1 ÊUÊ
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of the week
also visit us at 6 Bay Area Farmer’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 Willy’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.
Hobee’s 856-6124
Su Hong – Menlo Park
4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
Dining Phone: 323–6852
Also at Town & Country Village,
To Go: 322–4631
Palo Alto 327-4111
Winner, Palo Alto Weekly “Best Of”
Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto
Burmese
www.spotpizza.com
POLYNESIAN 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm Available for private luncheons
INDIAN
Lounge open nightly
(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
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm
SEAFOOD Cook’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
Scott’s Seafood 323-1555
Chef Chu’s (650) 948-2696
ITALIAN
1067 N. San Antonio Road
Spalti Ristorante 327-9390
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
ÝµÕ Ã ÌiÊ `ÊUÊ"ÕÌ` ÀÊ }
Full Bar, Banquets, Outdoor Seating
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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
www.mings.com New Tung Kee Noodle House 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr.
#1 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto Open 7 days a week serving breakfast,
Ming’s 856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto
Fuki Sushi 494-9383 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
STEAKHOUSE
Open 7 days a Week Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798
MEXICAN
4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto
(650) 494-9383 fukisushi.com
Best Thai Restaurant in Palo Alto 3 Years in a Row, 2006-2007-2008
1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm
Voted MV Voice Best ‘01, ‘02, ‘03 & ‘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
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www.sundancethesteakhouse.com
Page 30ÊUÊ «À Ê£È]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ
Specializing in Japanese sushi and cuisine.
Trader Vic’s 849-9800
8 years in a row!
Green Elephant Gourmet
(Charleston Shopping Center)
Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto
Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com
Sports Shorts
ON THE AIR Friday College baseball: Stanford at Oregon St., 5:30 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM) Men’s volleyball: Stanford at UCLA, 7 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)
Saturday College baseball: Stanford at Oregon St., 2 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM) Men’s volleyball: Stanford at UC Irvine, 7 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)
Sunday College baseball: Stanford at Oregon St., 1 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)
Tuesday
SPORTS ONLINE For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com
Stanford hosts Cal in women’s tennis and water polo by Rick Eymer onference titles will be at stake Saturday when the No. 10 Stanford women’s tennis team hosts No. 12 California in The Big Slam at noon and the secondranked Cardinal women’s water polo team hosts No. 3 California in The Big Splash at 6 p.m. It could be the final regular-season match for the Stanford tennis team, but then again, maybe not. A win would give the Cardinal at least a share of the Pac-10 title with USC, though. The Women of Troy and Stanford (6-0, 17-1) would need to play a makeup match if USC beats UCLA on Friday. That match, starting from scratch, would be played at the Pac10 championships in Ojai. California (5-1, 17-4) maintains a chance to share the title, which would be its first since 1987. The Bears need to beat Stanford and they would share first place with either the Cardinal or USC. The Women of Troy and Stanford have yet to complete a match in two tries this season. The contest in Los Angeles was rained out and the April 4 match was suspended after singles play ended in a 3-3 tie. ITA rules dictate the rematch be played from the beginning. Stanford had its string of 21 consecutive conference titles come to an end when USC went unbeaten last year. Adding to the intrigue is that Stanford’s 159-match home winning streak is on the line Saturday. The Cardinal needed a come-from-behind effort from Jessica Nguyen to win last year’s match with the Bears at Taube Tennis Center. Cal was the last team to beat Stanford on its home court, but players from both teams were in grammar school when it happened on Feb. 27, 1999. Lindsay Burdette is Stanford’s lone senior this year and will be honored in a ceremony on Saturday. Cardinal junior Hilary Barte, who is 17-1 in dual meets and 25-4 overall, will compete against Cal sophomore Jana Juricova at No. 1 singles. Juricova regained her No. 2 ranking this week and leads the team with 34 singles wins. She has won nine consecutive dual singles matches. Freshman Mallory Burdette leads Stanford with 28 wins in 32 decisions (16-2 in dual meets) and partners with fellow freshman Stacey Tan to give Stanford, on a 10-match winning streak, a solid No.2 doubles team behind Barte and older sister Lindsay. The Big Splash will also go a long way to determine the Mountain Pa-
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Sacred Heart Prep senior Tory Wilkinson (right) overcame the defense of Menlo-Atherton’s Hilary Benedick and her teammates to score six goals in the Gators’ 13-6 victory on Wednesday in a key WBAL match.
GIRLS’ PREP ROUNDUP
SHP lacrosse gets a breakthrough win Gators step up in class with first-ever victory over rival Menlo-Atherton by Keith Peters hat began in 2005 is finally beginning to pay off for the Sacred Heart Prep girls’ lacrosse team, which has taken its lumps since the program’s inception. During that time, the Gators always were on the short end of their matches with MenloAtherton. That streak of futility finally ended Tuesday when Sacred Heart Prep posted a 13-6 victory in a West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division) showdown on the Gators’ field. Sacred Heart improved to 1-1 in league (9-1 overall) while Menlo-Atherton fell to 0-3 (3-8). The triumph had to be satisfying for SHP senior Tory Wilkinson, who had yet to beat the Bears until Tuesday. She helped the cause by scoring six goals and assisting on others. Prior to Tuesday, the current SHP seniors had been 0-5 against Menlo-Atherton, dating to the 2007 season. The Gators also lost twice to M-A in league play in 2006 and in ‘05, Sacred Heart Prep’s first season of play. Thus, the Gators were 0-9 lifetime against the Bears until Tuesday. “I actually was unaware of the fact that SHP had never
W
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Keith Peters
College baseball: Santa Clara at Stanford, 5:30 p.m., KZSU (90.1 FM)
Titles will be at stake
Keith Peters
SPRING GAME . . . Stanford will wrap up its spring football practice season with its annual Cardinal and White game on Saturday at historic Kezar Stadium in San Francisco. Gates open at 1 p.m. with the kickoff set for 2 p.m. Admission is free, though donations to benefit San Francisco Recreation and Parks Youth Scholarship Program will be accepted at various locations inside the stadium. Festivities begin at 1 p.m. with activity booths such as face painting and football toss, as well as a pregame autograph session with Stanford football alumni at 1:30 p.m. and a postgame autograph session with the current team. Concessions will be provided by Gordon Biersch Restaurant and Brewery and a limited edition 2010 Stanford spring game T-shirt will also be available for purchase.Music will be provided by Live105FM and the Washington High School band of San Francisco. Moving the game to Kezar Stadium, located on Stanyan Street in the southeast corner of Golden Gate Park, was necessitated because the playing surface at Stanford Stadium is being reseeded along with the program’s desire to broaden its Bay Area fan base. Parking is available for $10 at the Waller Street lot, located on the northeast side of Kezar Stadium, on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 12:30 p.m. Public parking is also available at the Millberry Union Garage, located at 500 Parnassus Avenue near the UCSF Medical Center, two blocks away from Kezar Stadium. Limited street parking is also available. Fans are also encouraged to utilize public transportation, including San Francisco MUNI, BART, Caltrain and Golden Gate Ferry service. Kezar Stadium is conveniently accessible from the N-Judah train and the 6, 7, 71 and 43 MUNI bus lines. From the Peninsula, take Caltrain northbound to the final San Francisco stop at the King/4th Street and Townsend Street Station and then transfer to the N-Judah MUNI toward La Playa/Ocean Beach and exit at the Carl and Stanyan Street stop.
COLLEGE WOMEN
SHP’s Caroline Hoskinson (3) gets by M-A’s Kirsten Tinyo on the way to scoring.
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Sports
Stanford men are hoping to defend NCAA gymnastics title Despite being undefeated during the regular season, Cardinal must overcome a No. 4 seed and reach finals on Friday to have a chance for a repeat by Rick Eymer he defending NCAA national champion Stanford men’s gymnastics team, despite finishing the regular season undefeated, weren’t favored when the NCAA preliminaries got underway Thursday night at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point. That honor belonged to Illinois. Stanford slipped into the fourth seed after finishing third at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation finals earlier in the month. The Car-
T
dinal enters the NCAA meet with a season average of 354.480. Illinois, Oklahoma and Michigan are the top three qualifiers. Stanford was a heavy favorite to advance into Friday’s finals, however, and likely will have a say in determining which school goes home the winner. Being the defending champ does have its rewards. The Cardinal, competing in the same group as Illinois, has top apparatus scores on all but the pommel horse, which factored into its effort
at the conference meet. Those scores won’t mean anything when it comes to the finals. Pommel horse was Stanford’s ‘worst’ event last year when it recorded the fourth-highest total. The Cardinal won both the rings and parallel bars competition in Minneapolis. Junior Tim Gentry seeks to add to the pair of All-America honors he earned last year. This year’s team MVP, Gentry is the national leader in the vault with an average score
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL
NOTICE OF A SPECIAL & REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commision
CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 (TENTATIVE) AGENDA-SPECIAL MEETING-COUNCIL CHAMBERS APRIL 19, 2010 - 7:00 PM 1. 2. 3. 4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. 11.
12. 13. 14.
1.
Proclamation Recognizing Friends of the Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo as a Community Star Award Winner Proclamation Recognizing Save the Bay as a Community Star Award Winner Proclamation Recognizing John Reinhardt as a Community Star Award Winner Preliminary Approval of the Report of the Advisory Board for Fiscal Year 2011 in Connection with the Palo Alto Downtown Business Improvement District and Adoption of Resolution Declaring its Intention to Levy an Assessment Against Businesses Within the Downtown Palo Alto Business Improvement District for Fiscal Year 2011 and Setting a Time and Place for a Public Hearing on May 17, 2010, at 7:00 PM or Thereafter, in the City Council Chambers Approval of a Sole Source and Design/Build Agreement with Devcon Construction, Inc. in the Amount of $113,100 for Construction of Improvements to Bobcat and Other Areas at the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo Denial of an Appeal by All Signs Services of an Architectural Review Approval Condition to Delete Two Ancillary, Illuminated Wall Signs: “Liquor” and “Photo” Associated With a CVS Pharmacy Within the CN(GF)(P) Zone District Located at 2701 Middlefield Road Adoption of Two Resolutions to Incorporate a Side Letter Agreement with the Palo Alto Peace Officers’ Association (PAPOA) to Provide a Supplemental Military Leave Benefit to Pay for the Differential Between Regular Salary and Military Pay to PAPOA Members Called to Involuntary Active Duty Amending: (1) Section 1601 of the Merit System Rules and Regulations Regarding the 2007-2010 Memorandum of Agreement and (2) the Compensation Plan for Police Non-Management Personnel (PAPOA) Adopted by Resolution No. 8779 Approval of Utilities Public Benefit Three-Year Contract with OPOWER, Inc. in the Total Amount of $574,083, $213,000 of Which Comes From Federal Stimulus Funds, for Administration and Delivery of Residential Home Energy Reports 2nd Reading Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Title 2 (Administrative Code) of the Palo Alto Municipal Code to Amend Section 2.28.230 (Claims) of Chapter 2.28 (Fiscal Procedures), Section 2.33.110 (Refunds; Credits) of Chapter 2.33 (Transient Occupancy Tax), Section 2.34.220 (Refunds) of Chapter 2.34 (Real Property Transfer Tax) and Section 2.35.190 (Refunds) of Chapter 2.35 (Utility Users Tax) (First reading April 05, 2010 – Passed 9-0) Approval of Comment Letter on the Revised Draft Program EIR for the Bay Area to Central Valley High Speed Train Project and Review of Guiding Principles Report on 2009 Climate Protection Plan Goals and Approval of 1) Expanding the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Goals and Reduction Plan for City Operations in 2012 to 20%, 2) New Initiatives to Accelerate GHG Reductions and Cost Savings for City Operations Response to Colleagues Memo Directing the City Manager to Explore Ways to Reduce Potable Water Use in Palo Alto by 20% by 2020 and Approve Proposed Baseline and Strategies to Achieve the 20% Goal Update on City Sustainability and Environmental Initiatives Including a Report from the Community Environmental Action Partnership (CEAP) Adoption of a Resolution Approving Additional Findings of Fact for the City’s Green Building Ordinance (Ordinance No. 5006) in Compliance with California Assembly Bill 210 (2009) and Review of Report on Implementation of the City’s Green Building Ordinance (TENTATIVE) AGENDA – SPECIAL MEETING – COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM APRIL 20, 2010 – 6:30 P.M. Interviews of Candidates for the Library Advisory Commission for One Unexpired Term Ending January 31, 2011
STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Finance Committee Meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 20, 2010
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of 16.12. He is also ranked second on the rings (15.55) and 15th on the floor (14.89). “We need to be a little bit more consistent, and start focusing on details,” Gentry said in a February interview. “We certainly have the potential to win again this year, and if everything falls into place, we will win.” Nissen-Emery Award candidate Nicholas Noone was third on the rings last year and is currently ranked No. 11 in the event.
Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a special meeting at 6:00 PM and a regular meeting at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, April 28, 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 City’s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org. and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday.
6:00 PM NEW BUSINESS. Public Hearing: 1.
North California Avenue Safe Routes to School/Traffic Calming Project: Review and recommend approval of a six-month trial of this project consisting of 4 speed tables and Share-The-Road pavement markings (sharrows) and warning signs.
7:00 PM NEW BUSINESS. Public Hearing: 2.
Stanford Hospital Fiscal Impact and Development Agreement: A. Review of the Stanford University Medical Center Facilities Renewal and Replacement Project Fiscal Impact Analyses. B. Review of the Stanford University Medical Center Facilities Renewal and Replacement Project Development Agreement Proposal and City's Preliminary Counter Offer.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 31, 2010.
Special Meetings of March 24 and
NEXT MEETING: Special Meeting of May 5, 2010 at 6:00 PM Questions. Any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2440. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@ cityofpaloalto.org. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment
“Bringing another national title to Stanford means a great deal to so many men’s gymnastics affiliates, including athletes that have competed for our program in the past,” Noone told the team’s website. “A great deal of credit must go to the legacy of fantastic gymnasts competing for Stanford. The athletes that came before us set a high standard for our men’s gymnastics program.” Freshman Eddie Penev, who currently ranks second in the floor exercise (15.525), is a veteran of inter national competition in the event. Josh Dixon, who ranks Tim Gentry ninth with a 15.069, and Alex Buscaglia, who ranks 10th with a 14.893, give Stanford a strong cast of characters in the event. Stanford ranks second as a team on the floor. The Cardinal is also ranked second on rings, with freshman James Fosco leading the way as the nation’s No. 5 performer (14.794) in the event. Stanford competed in the first team qualifying session on Thursday night, facing off against five other schools and needing to finish in the top three to advance to the team final on Friday. The Cardinal faced No. 1 Illinois, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Illinois-Chicago and No. 12 Temple. The top three teams went on to face the top three teams from session two that included No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Michigan, No. 6 California, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 10 Nebraska and No. 11 Iowa. Vault has been a strong event for Stanford all season as Penev (15.87) joins Gentry with a top 10 ranking. Buscaglia also ranks 16th with an average score of 15.862. Nicholas Noone As a team, the Cardinal are also second overall. Stanford should also be highly competitive on horizontal bar and the parallel bars. John Martin, Buscaglia and Cameron Foreman are each ranked in the top 20 on parallel bars. On high bar, Ryan Lieberman currently ranks seventh (14.64), while Noone is a returning All-American and ranks 12th (14.45). The Cardinal will look for improvement on the pommel horse, an event Stanford does not have an athlete ranked among the top 20. Stanford has won four titles in the program’s history including last year, which was the first under head coach Thom Glielmi. “That’s the great thing about this sport: you never know who the winner is going to be until that last guy in that last event,” Glielmi said after last year’s championship run. N
Sports
Prep girls
sorbed all four losses in the two-day tournament. Freshman Kelly McConnell picked up the win for Menlo, giving up two runs in the first but settling down after that. Rebecca Friedman’s three-run homer in the second inning gave Menlo a 3-2 lead. McConnell scored the gamewinner in the sixth. Castilleja grabbed an early lead on RBI singles by Amy Yamamura and Annie Apffel. In PAL Ocean Division action, Menlo-Atherton won its second straight game after 11 consecutive losses with a 15-0 blasting of host Jefferson on Tuesday. The Bears (2-3, 2-11) were led by pitcher Tami Vujovich, who struck out 16 in the five-inning game while tossing a one-hitter. That one hit was a bunt single in the bottom of the fifth. The Bears did commit three errors, to ruin a near-perfect outing by Vujovich. The Bears ripped 14 hits, with Seini MoiMoi getting three hits -including a triple -- while driving in five runs. Katie Vallarino also had three hits (two of them doubles) with three RBI. Vujovich added two hits and two RBI as did Hannah Rosenfeld.
(continued from page 31)
Keith Peters
beaten M-A before this week,” said first-year Gators’ coach Nina Pantano. “And, to be honest, I am not sure if the seniors or any of the players had that in mind before Tuesday’s game. “The reality is that teams are different every season and, moreover, every game it seems. We just have to go out there and play to win that day. That is a big part of the mentality I have tried to instill in the girls, that no game is a gimmie or too far out of reach. The winner is not determined until the final whistle and that is why you play the game.” Based on season records, Sacred Heart Prep came into its match with M-A as the favorite. But, it didn’t start out that way as the Bears shocked the Gators by scoring in the first 10 seconds of the match. Sacred Heart Prep bounced back quickly behind goals from Wilkinson and Caroline Hoskinson, who finished with two goals. Julia Keller and Kate Lonergan also tallied twice with Michelle Gonia scoring once. Christina Rodgers and Caroline Edwards had two goals each for the Bears while Katie Kelly and Becca Higgitt added a goal apiece. “I do think that our team sometimes struggles with entering the game with certain expectations and having to let go of them and just play hard, no matter who their opponent is,” Pantano said. “For the remainder of this season, we will continue to work at ‘playing in the moment’ and going hard every play — regardless of the score or situation.” Tuesday’s victory certainly was positive step forward for Sacred Heart in the program’s evolution. The seniors who absorbed so many losses over the past three seasons are now in position to dish them out. “I believe that our team is capable of beating every team on our schedule,” said Pantano. “Doing this will require them to play with confidence and composure, both of which we are still developing, although they have already come a long way this season from previous years. I tell them to push their limits, make practices game-like, and not to be afraid to make mistakes. They are a necessary part of the improvement process.” Pantano is a product of Stanford’s successful lacrosse program. She started all four years and was captain as a senior in 2005. After graduating, she went on to coach the women’s team at UC Davis as an assistant under Elaine Jones from September ‘05 to June ‘09. Pantano stepped in at the right time, taking over for Brandon Badgley, who built the foundation for the program. Fortunately for Pantano, she inherited Wilkinson. “Without a doubt, Tory Wilkinson stands out as one of the best high school lacrosse players in California,” Pantano said. “She certainly has the potential to excel at the collegiate level when she heads to Louisville this fall. She has excellent stick skills and a natural eye for the game. We count on her for a lot of our draw controls, goal scoring, and
Menlo-Atherton defender Hilary Benedick (2) found herself surrounded by aggressive Sacred Heart Prep players (L-R) Julia Keller, Caroline Hoskinson and Danielle Lussier while battling for control on Wednesday. leadership on the field. She makes good feeds and has a fair number of assists to complement her goal stats.” Pantano, however, was quick to point out that Wilkinson is certainly not a one-person team. “I definitely would not say our attack revolves around her,” Pantano explained. “She is supported by a number of strong attackers who work hard for their good looks at the cage.” On Tuesday, that group included Hoskinson, Gonia, Keller, Lonergan, Jacqueline Hong, and Kendall Cody, to name a few. “Tory cannot singlehandedly win games for us,” Pantano said. “Everyone will need to step up and do their part. My hope is that every player on my squad has the confidence and skill to make big plays when we need them, and can work together to accomplish our goals. I am looking forward to seeing them rise to the occasion as we enter into the tougher half of our season.” After 10 matches, Sacred Heart’s only loss was to perennial powerhouse Menlo in the WBAL opener on March 24. That, however, was a thrilling 16-15 overtime setback for the Gators. Those teams will meet again on April 23. Two days before that, Sacred Heart will host NorCal power St. Ignatius (4 p.m.) in another match that will give Pantano a good idea of just far her team has come — and how much further it needs to go to be compared to teams like SI and Menlo. Speaking of the Knights, they
remained atop the division standings at 3-0 (10-3 overall) with a 21-7 blasting of visiting Castilleja (0-2, 3-3) on Tuesday. Maggie Brown led the Knights with six goals while fellow senior Mila Sheeline added four. Freshman Michaela Michael contributed three. Martha Harding led Castilleja with three goals while Stephanie Merenbach added two. Menlo started strong with four unanswered goals in the first 19 minutes, two by Brown and once each by Michael and Kacie Madeira. Harding scored her second goal with 8:33 left in the first half to bring the Gators to within 7-3. During the next 1:12, however, Menlo scored three straight goals for a 10-3 lead and the Knights pulled away for a 13-4 halftime bulge. Castilleja added goals from Harding, Natalie Morin and Charlotte Geaghan-Breiner in the second half but Menlo had the match under control all the way. Freshmen Brooke Bullington and Ali Kim contributed two goals each for the Knights. Menlo will compete in the annual Western States Invitational on Saturday, this year being played on Treasure Island in San Francisco while the fields at Stanford are being redone. Also entered is Palo Alto, which took Menlo to sudden-death overtime before dropping a thrilling 1211 nonleague decision on March 31. Clearly, the competition is getting better in girls’ lacrosse, and Sacred Heart Prep now can proudly say it’s a part of it. In nonleague action on Wednes-
day, Menlo-Atherton made up an earlier rainout with St. Francis and came close to pulling off a big triumph before falling, 9-6, to the visiting Lancers on Wednesday. The Bears (3-9) got two goals from Higgitt and one goal each from Rodgers, Edwards, Diane Masket and Julia Farino in the tough setback. Softball With standout senior pitcher Sammy Albanese sitting out for undisclosed reasons, Castilleja suffered a 4-3 upset loss to host Menlo on Tuesday in a WBAL game. Albanese is the Gators’ top pitcher and hitter and one of the top players in the Central Coast Section. The loss was the Gators’ first in league play and likely dropped them into a tie for first place with MercyBurlingame. Castilleja is now 3-1 in league (8-6-2 overall) after losing four games in the NorCal Classic in Tracy during the weekend. Albanese was on a senior trip to Southern California and missed the tourney. Perhaps, she did not play Tuesday because of that absence. Also missing the tourney were Castilleja starting outfielders Tobi Amos (family emergency) and outfielder Catalina Rodriguez, who factured her right thumb in three places at practice last week. Tuesday’s loss was a costly one while moving Menlo (4-2, 6-2) into contention in the suddenly tight race. Sophomore Aryana Yee took the mound in place of Albanese and suffered the loss, despite limiting the Knights to five hits. She also ab-
Track and field Gunn’s distance medley relay came up with the most outstanding local performance at the annual Arcadia Invitational on Saturday. The team of sophomore Kieran Gallagher, senior Sunny Margerum, junior Emma Dohner and junior Erin Robinson finished fourth in the invitational race in 12:03.15. That time not only broke the school record of 12:12.16 from 2002 (and anchored by school distance standout Ruth Graham), but it also moved the Titans to No. 4 in the nation as the top four teams finished ahead of the previous national-leading time. The time also is believed to be the No. 2 mark all-time in the Central Coast Section, second only to San Lorenzo Valley’s national record in 2000. Gallagher led off with a 3:39.2 for 1200 meters with Margerum following with a solid 58.4 for the 400. Dohner picked it up with a 2:21.3 for 800 meters and Robinson brought it home with a season best of 5:04.2 for the 1,600. First place was 11:54.75 by new national leader Redondo. In two separate WBAL meets on Wednesday, Priory won at Menlo School while Sacred Heart Prep was second on its own track. Priory won the WBAL No. 2 meet with 107 points as sophomore Kat Gregory won both the 1,600 meters (5:29.75) and 3,200 (11:30.25) for a tough double. Sophomore teammate Eugenia Jernick took the 100 (13.62) and 300 hurdles (53.20). At SHP, the Gators were second with 90 points with Castilleja finishing fourth with 65. Laura Swenson of Castilleja won the 1,600 in 5:44.61 while teammate Rachel Skokowski won the 800 in 2:24.67 and Emma Winer the 300 hurdles in 52.24. Sacred Heart Prep’s Maggie Fong took the 100 (13.31) and 200 (27.69) with teammate Haley Gordon taking the discus (77-10). Pinewood’s Angelina Mapa won the shot put at 28-6. N
*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ «À Ê£È]ÊÓä£äÊU Page 33
Sports GUIDE TO 2010 SUMMER C AMPS FOR KIDS
n n o e C c p t i o m n a C
The Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Middle School Summer Camp Mountain View
Sports Camps
Player Capital/Plan Toys Tennis Camp
Palo Alto
? ! 3 ? ! ! & ! * 9 < . * '1G * .( www.playercapital.com 650-968-4783
Spring Down Camp Equestrian Center
Portola Valley
A G 4 * 1 G * 4 ! G G+ G * www.springdown.com 650.851.1114
Champion Tennis Camps
Atherton
3 3 H ! ! ! 9 G G G G J G * , ! G ! G " www.alanmargot-tennis.net 650-752-0540
= 6<A 4 ! G G G , -* 5J A
G! 1 G < G < G G G * www.girlsms.org/summercamp 650-968-8338
Woodland School Summer Adventures
Portola Valley
G G G * >P Q * 9 9 ! * www.info@woodland-school.org 650-854-9065
Oshman Family JCC Camps
Palo Alto
> ! 933 P G G * D G P " www.paloaltojcc.org 650-223-8600
Stratford School - Camp Socrates
Bay Area
G G M A>;> 4 ! 3 / > ! './ L ,/ ( G G 0 * A>;> A ? G / A G+A ! G * 650-851-9091 www.soloaquatics.com
1 M & ! J 3 A * A G 9 1 G Q '9 9 ! (* G G Q ! * * www. stratfordschools.com 650-493-1151
YMCA
Write Now! Summer Writing CampsPalo Alto/Pleasanton
SOLO Aquatics
Menlo Park
Peninsula
? 1 < C ; 1 @ 3 ! ! G ! ? : G G * 5 G G * A G! * * 1 ! 1 3 1 * 408-351-6400 www.ymcasv.org/summercamp.com
Matt Lottich Life Skills
Woodside
5 A ? 1 7 A ? P G / 5J ! D G 3 D G ? I ' "( < ? * 3 * www.headsup.org 650-424-1267, 925-485-5750
TechKnowHow Computer & LEGOÂŽ Camps
Peninsula
1 < ; ; A G G G G G G O * 6 ! M 4 ! 5 3 * www.mllscamp.com 1-888-537-3223
G G! G ," 3 ;56> :&=5E ? H < @ 6 4 G * < ! G ? 1 < ? A ! * 7 ! * www.techknowhowkids.com 650-474-0400
Stanford Baseball Camps
ISTP Language Immersion
Stanford
1 4 ! 7 4 ! 2 3 A 4 * G - A 2 K 2 J G 2 G * 3 G ! * 3 ! * 3 ! 9 , 1 G * @ $ P ! G - , * www.StanfordBaseballCamp.com 650-723-4528
Theatreworks Summer Camps
Academic Camps iD Tech Camps and iD Teen Academies
Stanford
5J = 1 & # 3 M , 2 ! 1 ; " 1G - G ? N % N G G ! G G * ? G A * A + 31B * www.iDTechCamps.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)
Summer @ Harker
San Jose
: 6 * < G L G G G L * 7 G ! I Q ! P * 1 / 0 G 0 G * www.summer.harker.org 408-553-0537
Summer at Saint Francis
Mountain View
A A G G ! G G * 8 G ! G G H ! " www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x446
Nueva Summer
Hillsborough
= A P I G G ? : 6 * 9 9 ! * D ! G / < 2 G! G < B= D 1 4 G* 7 ! J * 7 ! ! * 5J * www.NuevaSummer.org 650-350-4555
Summer Institute for the Gifted Berkeley/Hillsborough 6 G : A 8 6 'A86( G * 7 G B*A* A86 G G * 4 ! G ! G * www.giftedstudy.org 866-303-4744
Page 34Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;ÂŁĂ&#x2C6;]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;
Palo Alto
8 A ? P 3 A 5A; = ! G < A * P * A G G G G G Q !* www.istp.org 650-251-8519
Palo Alto
8 G G :L G G G G G * A G * www.theatreworks.org/educationcommunity 650-463-7146
Amazing Science Camp!
Mountain View
3 Q G G A 5< 'A 5 G G G! < ( ! G G !* 6 ? G > G ' ./ / ( L , G " ' / ,/ ( 2 9 ! 1 G * Email: AmazingSciClass@AOL.com 650-279-7013
India Community Center Camps
Palo Alto & Milpitas
5J G 8 G 8 3 ! 3 & 3 8 7 ; G G 2 ! 4 % 3 8 3 * > , G G , * I F G 8 4 % < A % " www.indiacc.org/culturalcamps 408-416-0215
Art and Music Camps Summer Rock Camp
Palo Alto/Redwood City
1G - * A@3 G ! * ; ! ! * ? ! G G G ! G * ; G * www.summerrockcamp.com 650-722-1581, 650-856-3757
Community School of Music & Arts (CSMA)
Mtn. View
) 6 : " 4 G ? G 3 3 G 3 9 ! 4 G 1 < 1 8 D " 0 ! * 5J * P * 5 ! G '< ! (* www.arts4all.org 650-917-6800 ext.0
Kyle Terada/Stanford Athletics
! PaloAltoOnline.com/biz/summercamps
! !
Kelly Eaton
Weekend preview (continued from page 31)
cific Sports Federation regular-season champ, although the only thing that will guarantee is the top seed in the conference tournament. The tournament champion earns the automatic berth into the NCAA tournament, which will be held in San Diego this year. Stanford (5-0, 20-1) has only played once in April, taking a twoweek break following finals. The Cardinal, on an eight-game win streak, will see plenty of action the rest of the way. Top-ranked USC comes to Avery Aquatic Center next weekend, April 24. If everything works out, Stanford will play six games in a 17-day span to end the season. Menlo-Atherton grad Kelly Eaton is the reigning MPSF Player of the Week and Annika Dries earned Newcomer of the Week honors after Stanford beat host Hawaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;i last Sunday. Palo Alto grad Remy Champion is a senior driver at Cal (4-2, 23-5) and Sacred Heart Prep grad Lindsay Dorst in a redshirt freshman goalie. Champion has appeared in all 28 matches and scored 14 goals. Dorst has recorded 14 saves in three games. Eaton is second in scoring with 38 goals. Sophomore Melissa Seidemann leads with 39. Sacred Heart Prep grad Pallavi Menon is third with 30, followed by Dries with 27 and Menlo School grad Kim Krueger with 21. Sacred Heart Prep grad Vee Dunlevie (10) is one of six other Cardinal players with double-digit goals. The Cardinal has outscored its opponents by a 261-102 margin this season, including a lopsided 77-27 edge in the first period. The Bears are on a nine-game winning streak and are led by Emily Csikos with 59 goals. Stanfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Amber Oland and Calâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stephanie Peckham are two of the better goalies in the conference, although Cardinal freshman Kate Baldoni leads the conference with a 1.94 goals-against average. Oland is second at 4.00. Stanford is second in the MPSF with 12.43 goals a game, and second with a 4.86 goals-against average. N
Sports BOYSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; PREP ROUNDUP
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Paly now leads in baseball
Vikings handed top spot following a Los Gatos upset loss to Wilcox by Keith Peters t only stands to reason that things are going well for a team when it improves without even playing. That was the case for the Palo Alto baseball team on Wednesday. Despite the fact that the Vikings are on spring break this week, they nonetheless took over sole possession of first place in the SCVAL De Anza Division following a midafternoon practice. Wilcox, which was swept by Paly in its two-game series earlier, nonetheless handed the Vikings first place by beating previously unbeaten Los Gatos, 3-2, on the Wildcatsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; field. Los Gatos drops to 8-1 in league (15-6 overall) while Palo Alto is 10-0 (16-3). Wilcox remains in third place at 6-3 (12-9). Assuming that Palo Alto will not be upset by Monta Vista next week, the Vikings will need only to win one of the two games with Los Gatos the following week to ensure an undisputed league title. Palo Alto will put its 11-game winning streak on the line Friday when it plays host to Leigh in a nonleague game at 3:30 p.m. The Vikings will continue their tough nonleague schedule on Saturday with a game at Leland at 1 p.m. While Palo Alto was practicing on Wednesday, Sacred Heart Prep was opening its West Bay Athletic League season at Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy in Sunnyvale. It was a good day for the Gators. Bryan Khors belted a two-run double in the fifth inning, which ended a no-hit bid and propelled Sacred Heart Prep to a 5-0 victory. John Geary (1-2) pitched a complete-game four-hitter to get the victory as Sacred Heart Prep improved to 5-8-1 overall. Sacred Heart Prep capitalized on 11 walks given up by Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy (0-1, 6-7), especially in the fifth and sixth when the Gators scored four runs aided by the free passes. Charlie Bradford and Matt Martella both walked to open the sixth and both eventually scored -- Bradford on a throwing error and Martella on a bases-loaded balk. Sacred Heart Prep will host Menlo on Friday at 3:30 p.m. In Burlingame, the host Panthers used timely hitting, a costly Menlo-Atherton throwing error, and the pitching of Forrest Armanino to defeat the Bears, 3-2, in a PAL Bay Division contest on Wednesday afternoon at Washington Park. Armanino scattered six hits, struck out six, and allowed two earned runs as Burlingame improved to 2-2 in league (12-4-1 overall). M-A fell to 4-1 in league and 10-7 overall. Armaninoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stellar effort was nearly matched by that of M-A
# " $ in Delicious Flavors!
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Michaela Michael
Joc Pederson
Menlo School
Palo Alto High
The freshman scored 18 goals and added 10 assists as the Knights outscored the competition 49-29 while winning all three of their nonleague lacrosse matches on a trip to Southern California, to improve to 9-3 overall.
The senior outfielder had seven hits in 12 at-bats, drove in six runs and scored 12 more as the Vikings won three baseball games to remain atop the SCVAL De Anza Division standings at 10-0 while improving to 16-3 overall.
Honorable mention Maggie Brown Menlo lacrosse
Lauren Bucolo Palo Alto softball
Claire Klausner Gunn softball
Kelly Jenks* Palo Alto softball
Mila Sheeline Menlo lacrosse
Mari Wilson Palo Alto lacrosse
Made in the U.S.A.
''' #& & $ ! !& % '*$ #$% # ! " (
1350 Grant Road #17 Mountain View, CA 94040
Nils Gilbertson Menlo-Atherton baseball
Wade Hauser*
# % # ) near ! # % ;]\ Ac\ O[ b] ^[ O\R "^[ %^[
Palo Alto baseball
Rajeev Herekar Gunn tennis
Nicky Hu Palo Alto tennis
Byron Sanborn Palo Alto swimming
Scott Witte Palo Alto baseball * previous winner
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
starting pitcher Patrick Moriarty (3-2), who yielded just five hits and three runs (one earned) while striking out four Panther batters over six innings. Junior Casey Eason led M-Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offense with two hits and an RBI, and junior Kyle Zirbes drove in M-Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s other run with an RBI single. M-A returns to action on Friday afternoon at home to conclude its two-game series with Burlingame at 3:15 p.m. Menlo tuned up for its WBAL opener on Friday at Sacred Heart Prep with a 3-2 victory over visiting Redwood Christian in 13 innings on Tuesday. The Knights (10-5) got a walk off home run from sophomore Dylan Mayer leading off the bottom of the 13th for the deciding run. It was a pitching battle early on as Redwood Christianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AJ Vanegas, a Stanford signee who throws consistently around 90 mph, battled Menlo sophomore Jake Batchelder. Vanegas lasted seven innings, allowing only one hit with eight strikeouts. Batchelder pitched eight innings, allowing four hits with four strikeouts. Golf Two of the best teams in the Cen-
tral Coast Section went head to head on Wednesday to decide supremacy in the West Bay Athletic League. As expected, the dual match went down to the wire before Sacred Heart Prep pulled out a 198-199 victory on the par-36 Sharon Heights Country Club. The victory keeps the Gators (6-0, 8-0) atop the league standings while the loss drops the Knights (3-1 league) into second place. In the head-to-head matches, neither team held more than a onestroke lead. Menlo junior Patrick Grimes earned medalist honors with a 2-under 34 to beat SHP senior Dalan Refioglu, who shot a fine 1-under 35. SHPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anthony Tran and Menloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Andrew Buchanan both shot 40 to square their match with the Gatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Kevin Knox (40) beating MJ Cootsona by a stroke. Jeff Knox of SHP won his match, 41-42, over Bobby Pender while Brett Van Zanten of SHP and Menloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Will Petit both shot 42. At Sunnyvale Muni, Pinewood picked up its fourth victory of the season with a 49-shot win over Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy. Pinewood junior Trevor Longbottom started off the victory with an eagle on the par-4 first hole when he holed out from the fairway. Sophomore Kim Beers shot 43. N *>Â?Â&#x153;Ă&#x160; Â?Ă&#x152;Â&#x153;Ă&#x160;7iiÂ&#x17D;Â?Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x160;UĂ&#x160; ÂŤĂ&#x20AC;Â&#x2C6;Â?Ă&#x160;ÂŁĂ&#x2C6;]Ă&#x160;Ă&#x201C;ä£äĂ&#x160;U Page 35
Page 36ÊUÊ «À Ê£È]ÊÓä£äÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii Þ