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725 Welch Road, Palo Alto, CA 94301 | (650) 497-800 | lpch.org
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5 Annual Autism Spectrum Disorders Update A one-day conference for parents, educators and care providers of children with an autism spectrum disorder. This annual update will concentrate on promising scientific advances that can lead to improved treatment for children with an autism spectrum disorder.
Presented by Stanford Autism Center at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Saturday, May 12, 2012 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, Stanford University
Register at childpsychiatry.stanford.edu For more information, call us at (650) 721-6327 or email autism@lpch.org. The people depicted in this ad are models and are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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Upfront
Local news, information and analysis
High schools to stop reporting decile rankings to colleges With so many students at the top, rankings are counterproductive, officials say by Chris Kenrick n Palo Alto’s high-flying high schools, it’s crowded at the top. So many students earn stellar grade-point averages that the school district years ago quit reporting a student’s class rank to colleges. Beginning next year, for similar reasons, the district will stop report-
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ing a student’s decile ranking — that is, the student’s standing on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the highest, when compared with classmates. With the top decile bottoming out at 3.947 GPA, school officials decided that decile sorting harms more students than it helps.
A very respectable 3.55 GPA, for example, puts a Palo Alto student squarely in the middle — the fifth decile. A 3.0 relegates the student to decile eight. “Our ‘2s’ would be ‘1s’ in most other places,” said Director of Secondary Education Michael Milliken. Getting ranked below the second decile is “not helpful to students” — particularly when that same student would rise to the top in most other
school populations. And students in Palo Alto’s top decile “have such strong academic profiles that they speak for themselves,” Milliken said. With ranking systems such as that of U.S. News & World Report, college admissions officers are under pressure to select applicants from top deciles, Milliken said. “A lot of these colleges want kids stacked up 1 to 10 so they can scoop off the top two. Have we helped our
kids by putting them into these bins? “I don’t want to invoke Lake Wobegon analogies, but we have an incredibly strong population of students,” he said. More than 24 percent of current high school seniors, for example, were recognized as National Merit Semifinalists or Commended Scholars. And SAT data shows that students (continued on page 16)
RECREATION
Dog area approved for El Camino Park Palo Alto City Council endorses $2.5 million in improvements for busy park by Gennady Sheyner
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(continued on page 16)
(continued on page 10)
Veronica Weber
property, which is under construction, at about 1:30 p.m., and police found him on Hamilton Avenue. But Philip said that Hicks wasn’t stealing from the home. He was living there. Police are coming upon more people who are taking up residence in vacant Palo Alto homes, he said. “There are so many homes under construction. It does happen more often now,” he said. Squatters find the homes attractive because they are in safe, quiet neighborhoods and are frequently obscured by cloth-covered fencing.
hat began as an effort to build a reservoir at El Camino Park in Palo Alto transformed into a broader overhaul Monday night, April 23, when the City Council approved $2.5 million in new improvements, including a synthetic turf, expanded parking and a dog exercise area. The council voted 6-2, with Councilwomen Karen Holman and Gail Price dissenting and Mayor Yiaway Yeh absent, to add a host of amenities to the park, which lies near the Menlo Park border. The project is intended to leverage the current work to build a new reservoir, which city voters approved in 2007. The 2.5-million-gallon tank will provide water for Palo Alto if the Hetch Hetchy system that currently supplies the city were to become damaged in an earthquake. The council agreed the emergency project provides the city an opportunity to pursue additional improvements at the park, including the creation of an amenity that has been sorely lacking in the north part of the city: an exercise area for dogs. The city currently has three dog parks, in Greer, Hoover and Mitchell parks. Staff and council members have long acknowledged the dearth of open spaces for dogs and had agreed to keep that in mind any time the city improves its parks. In this case, the dog area would be one of many added amenities. The project approved by the council also includes a turf field for soccer and
Look out, Pele Carl Albrecht, 80, left, squares off with Bill Mayfield while playing soccer at the Stanford/Palo Alto Community Playing Fields on April 26. The men belong to a 60-and-up recreational soccer club that meets four days a week.
CRIME
Squatter arrested for living in Palo Alto mansion Not the first time police have found homeless living in houses under construction, sergeant says by Sue Dremann
P
alo Alto residents have something else to watch for besides burglars these days — squatters. And these individuals don’t inhabit dilapidated structures. They’re
going for empty mansions in some of the city’s toniest neighborhoods. Police arrested Matthew Hicks, 38, for trespassing on Tuesday, April 24, after a resident thought he was bur-
glarizing a Crescent Park home in the 500 block of East Crescent Drive between University Avenue and Southwood Drive, Sgt. Brian Philip said. The resident saw Hicks leave the
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Upfront
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EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tom Gibboney, Spectrum Editor Sue Dremann, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Eric Van Susteren, Editorial Assistant, Internship Coordinator Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Kelsey Kienitz, Photo Intern Dale F. Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Contributors Junesung Lee, Bryce Druzin, Editorial Interns DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Lili Cao, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Judie Block, Adam Carter, Elaine Clark, Janice Hoogner, Brent Triantos, Display Advertising Sales Neal Fine, Carolyn Oliver, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Asst. Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. Wendy Suzuki, Advertising Sales Intern EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Susie Ochoa, Payroll & Benefits Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Claire McGibeny, Cathy Stringari, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Janice Covolo, Doris Taylor, Receptionists Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO MEDIA William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Tom Zahiralis, Vice President Sales & Advertising Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistant Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo, Computer System Associates The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright Š2012 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or email circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
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450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210
Our ‘2s’ would be ‘1s’ in most other places.
—Michael Milliken, Palo Alto school district’s director of secondary education, on why the district will no longer release student rankings. See story on page 3.
Around Town BUZZKILL ... Tasers were once a hot topic in Palo Alto, where the City Council narrowly approved their use in 2007. But after a few high-profile incidents, including an instance in 2008 in which an officer allegedly lured a man from his van and shot him with a Taser (the city was ordered to pay a $35,000 settlement in the case), stun guns have entered a period of lull. Two years ago, the police department revised its Taser policy, raising the bar for when deployment of Tasers should be allowed. Under the new standard, the suspect must “pose an immediate threat of physical injury before firing a Taser is appropriate.� The city’s independent police auditor, Michael Gennaco, wrote in a recent biannual report that there haven’t been any Taser incidents in the period between August 2011 and January 2012 — the third straight reporting period in which there weren’t any Taser firings. Gennaco also found that the recent slew of retirements in the high ranks of the Palo Alto Police Department has had little impact on the quality of its internal investigations. He wrote that there has been some “transitional confusion� and that the new personnel has been “somewhat tardy� in its communications with the auditor. Still, he gave the department generally high marks for its handling of investigations during the time of major staffing changes, which includes the departure of a lieutenant in charge of internal affairs. “We anticipated that this might challenge the ability of PAPD to maintain quality and continuity in internal affairs investigations,� Gennaco wrote. “We are pleased to observe that recent investigations appear to be of good quality and have been completed promptly.� FOLLOWING SUIT ... Palo Alto is no stranger to high-speed-rail litigation, having already participated in two lawsuits against the state agency charged with implementing the highly controversial $68 billion project (in one case as a “friend of the court,� in the other case as a plaintiff). This week, city officials indicated that part three could be right around the corner. The California High-Speed Rail Authority last week “recertified� its final environmental analysis for the Bay Area-to-Central Valley segment of the
voter-approved rail line. On Thursday, members of the City Council Rail Committee voiced concerns about the revised analysis, which establishes Pacheco Pass as the preferred route to the Peninsula for the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles line. The city is also appealing the most recent Sacramento Superior Court decision that forced the rail authority to revise the environmental study but did not force it to reconsider the route or to address concerns from independent transportation experts and rail watchdogs about the ridership numbers the rail authority used to justify its choice of Pacheco. On Thursday, the rail committee suggested that the time is ripe to ponder a third suit. Committee Chair Larry Klein said that the committee should consider another suit, a subject that members are expected to take up in a closed session in early May. The city has 30 days from the time of the document’s approval date (April 19) to decide whether to file a legal challenge. FOR THE CHILDREN ... Stanford University Medical Center’s $5 billion effort to upgrade and expand its hospitals hit an unexpected snag last June, when parents whose children attend the Stanford Arboretum Children’s Center learned that the project includes major renovations to Hoover Pavilion. The parents, mostly Stanford faculty, argued that the child care center’s location next to the pavilion could pose a health risk to the children. Stanford, while maintaining that construction would not present health risks, agreed to temporarily move the child care center to a site near Stock Farm Road while construction proceeds. In the first two months of this year, Stanford installed the new facility and playground equipment at the site, according to the university’s construction updates. The new child care center officially opened its doors Monday, City Manager James Keene told the City Council. Meanwhile, work on Hoover Pavilion is proceeding at a brisk pace. According to an update newsletter from Stanford, workers are scheduled to remove trees, install HVAC units on the roof and work on the building’s elevator shaft and stairwell this week. N
Upfront
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www.PaloAltoOnline.com Which of the three southern routes from bay to ridge do you favor and why? Share your opinion with others on Town Square, the online discussion forum on Palo Alto Online.
CITY HALL
Building inspector died after climbing guard rails City of Palo Alto-contracted inspector plunged to his death down an elevator shaft in December by Sue Dremann City of Palo Alto-contract- by the city when he was critically ed building inspector who injured Dec. 6. He was inspectplunged down an elevator ing a home under construction on shaft to his death had climbed on the 1700 block of Waverley Street two guardrails that gave way, ac- near Lowell Avenue, according to cording to an investigative report a report by the California Occupareleased this week. tional Safety and Health AdminisGary Collins, 43, a resident of tration (Cal-OSHA). San Ramon, was working for an He died Dec. 19 after being in a inspection-services company hired coma for nearly two weeks.
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TALK ABOUT IT
by integrating the 101 project into the broader Bay-to-Ridge effort, the city would have a better chance to acquire grant funding for the new bridge. Betts said Tuesday that the purpose of a Bay-to-Ridge trail is to connect as many parks and open spaces as possible and to make it easier for residents of Palo Alto and surrounding cities, particularly Los Altos and Mountain View, to walk or bicycle from one nature preserve to another. He called urban trails a “regional concept” that seeks to attract as many users as possible to local nature preserves. “If you’re hiking the 13-mile track up the hill, you’ll have a place to stop in parks to refresh yourself at restrooms or drinking fountains,” Betts told the commission. A southern 13-mile trail would seek the “most central and direct route” between the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Center at the edge of the San Francisco Bay and the Daniels Nature Center on Skyline Boulevard, Betts said. “Along the way the trail route would pass as many urban parks as possible, would pass by the Arastradero Gateway Educational Center and Foothills Park Interpretive Center, and would provide safe routes away from busy streets and intersections, whenever possible,” Betts wrote in his report. The commission agreed with staff that creating a new urban trail in south Palo Alto is a great idea, though members had some reservations about the details of the proposed Fabian/Charleston/Arastradero route. Though Betts wrote in his report that this trail would take advantage of “existing safe on-street and off-street bike and pedestrian routes,” Commissioners Deirdre Crommie and Jennifer Hetterley both argued that the Charleston-Fabian Way portion of the route is not attractive to recreational users. Crommie said this portion of the route is “too busy” for
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alo Alto is flanked by pristine landscapes, from the sprawling Baylands in the east to the rolling foothills in the west, but connecting these popular destinations with trails has been a challenge for the densely developed city split by a major highway, two busy traffic arteries and a set of railroad tracks. Now, however, the city is looking to create two cross-city trails to provide nature lovers from throughout the region easy access between the various open-space reserves. On Tuesday night, the Parks and Recreation Commission endorsed a staff proposal to plan for one path that would take travelers along Fabian Way, Charleston Road and Arastradero Road and another one that would follow Matadero Creek. The city already has a Bay-toRidge Trail, but it is largely conceptual, steering nature lovers along California Avenue through the center of Palo Alto without the benefit of directional signs. Greg Betts, the city’s director of community services, wrote in a new report that the “urban trail” is “only depicted on website and printed trail maps.” This route was, however, bolstered by Stanford University’s recent completion of a trail route near Deer Creek and Page Mill roads that leads to the Interstate 280 underpass at Arastradero. The two new paths, to the south of the existing Bay-to-Ridge Trail, would complement another major project the city is pursuing — the construction of a bridge over U.S. Highway 101 at Adobe Creek to improve east-west connectivity in south Palo Alto. Officials hope that
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bicyclists and is more suited to work commuters than to nature lovers. Hetterley called Fabian Way “an unpleasant place to ride.” They both proposed an alternative route that would use Meadow Drive instead of Charleston Road and then Wilkie Way to get to Arastradero Road. The commission voted 6-0 to support the two proposed Collins was an employee of 4Leaf, Inc., a Pleasanton construction-management and engineering corporation. City of Palo Alto Chief Building Official Larry Perlin confirmed earlier this week that Collins was contracted by the city. He said that Collins fell on his head, striking the concrete floor below. The city, however, did not make a public announcement about Collins’ death in December, despite the fact that he was working on behalf of the city. Perlin said he recalled a memo about Collins’s accident or death that did circulate among some city staff. Collins was known to several staff members at the city’s development center, as he had frequented the office for several months. City Manager James Keene did
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south Palo Alto urban trails, though it included in its approval Crommie’s and Hetterley’s suggestion to use Meadow Drive. The creekside trail along Matadero is more tentative than the one pegged for Charleston. Betts noted that the Matadero trail “would take considerable planning and negotiation with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to not respond to inquiries regarding why the city did not make the death public. Perlin speculated that the city didn’t make the December incident public because Collins was not a city employee and worked for a contractor. The Weekly learned of the incident from a reader after reporting on a separate April 17 accident, during which a construction worker fell 13 feet onto a concrete floor at a classroom-building project at Palo Alto High School. The worker broke a hip and sustained facial injuries in that incident. Perlin said he did not know what city policy is regarding making public fatal accidents. The city also did not issue any statement
construct.” Major challenges include finding ways to cross Alma Street, the Caltrain tracks and El Camino Real, he wrote in his report. “For the time being, and until grant funding for the 101 Overcrossing can be secured, this trail route would serve as a guide for longrange trail planning and construction,” Betts wrote. N regarding the Palo Alto High School incident. According to this week’s CalOSHA report, Collins had been inspecting drywall installation in the kitchen, dining room and main hallway on the ground floor prior to the accident. The 4-foot-wide and 7-foot-high elevator opening, located in the main hallway, was an opening in the wall. It connected the lower level of the house to the ground floor and upper story. The elevator-shaft entrance was blocked on the ground floor by two guardrails. Witness testimony varied regarding the rail positions, but the report noted the bottom rail was secured to the wall by nails at a (continued on page 11)
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Upfront TRANSPORTATION
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long-awaited traffic signal that is key to the future Ross Road Bicycle Boulevard received the green light from the Palo Alto City Council Monday, April 23. The council voted unanimously on the $410,000 budget amendment, which is the city’s fair-share contribution to the $3.1 million Oregon Expressway Improvement Project, planned by Santa Clara County. Changes to the intersections along the expressway are intended to increase safety and traffic flow along the corridor. The $410,000 will provide funding for work on intersections at Ross and Louis roads — adding a specialized bicycle light at Ross and equipment that uses microwaves to detect bicycles as they approach Ross and at Bryant Street. The devices would extend the length of the green lights when bicycles are crossing. Bryant is already a designated bike boulevard. The signal will allow bicyclists and pedestrians to cross Oregon while restricting traffic in both directions
by Sue Dremann on Ross Road to a “right turn only” onto Oregon. Cars on Oregon would be allowed to turn left onto Ross using new left-turn signals. Residents expressed approval for the new signals during 2008-09 community-outreach meetings for the overall Oregon Expressway project, according to a city staff report. Louis Road improvements include modifying the existing “rolled” curbs to vertical curbs on the south side between Oregon and Warren Way. Bicycle-boulevard proponents have pushed for years for a traffic light at the busy intersection of Oregon and Ross, saying it would help link the Midtown area to North Palo Alto. Pam Radin, a member of the Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Committee, said she was thrilled the light could become a reality. “Ross Road Bicycle Boulevard will be a foothold for biking and walking across town. ... This project is a huge public benefit to Palo Alto residents and their health and safety and a way to maintain our community values
of biking and walking while creating a safer Oregon Expressway. “A capital investment in the infrastructure of our community in our area of town is unprecedented,” she said. Michael Aberg, a Midtown resident and a father of three young boys, told the council Monday he’s looking forward to the new traffic light on Ross, which will help school children cross the busy Oregon thoroughfare. “I think this will be the first step to getting a nice Ross Road bicycle boulevard that will help us and a lot of our neighbors who also have young kids in the community,” Aberg said. City staff had recommended approval of the budget amendment. Funding would come from previously collected fees from the Stanford Research Park Transportation Impact Fee Program, according to the staff report. The council approved the item as part of its consent calendar. Construction could begin in the fall, according to city staff. N
Give blood for life! b l o o d c e n t e r. s t a n f o r d . e d u Page 6ÊUÊ «À ÊÓÇ]ÊÓä£ÓÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V
Veronica Weber
Farewell to Palo Alto Bowl Demolition crews tear down Palo Alto Bowl on April 23, 2012. A hotel and townhomes will be built on the property at 4329 El Camino Real.
REAL ESTATE TRENDS
Upfront
by Samia Cullen
EDUCATION
School board gets creative on enrollment Seeking options, members hazard ‘pie-in-the-sky’ scenarios for growth Stanford University-affiliated “lab school” at Garland Elementary? Converting Escondido or Nixon Elementary to a two-story middle school? Confronting a looming shortage of classrooms in Palo Alto, Board of Education members, in a study session Thursday, began to pry the lid off a Pandora’s Box of options to capture more space through creating new programs or shifting the venues of existing ones. Wary of “stirring the pot” of community emotions with bold suggestions, board members nonetheless said they were hungry for a broad discussion that would lay all options on the table. They said they’re willing to wait a year to have that discussion and make decisions, with community comment and suggestions gathered in the meantime. “There are some real emotions about moving anything in this district,” member Melissa Baten Caswell said, adding she believes significant housing growth in Palo Alto is ahead. “Somehow we need to be able to have a conversation — to remove the emotion and just talk about what the facts are.” Board member Barbara Klausner laid out a series of what she called “pie in the sky scenarios” for the Garland campus at 870 N. California Ave., currently leased to the independent Stratford School. Scenarios included partnering with the Stanford School of Education to create a school heavily focused on closing the achievement gap, with capacity to accommodate a “critical mass” of Tinsley Volun-
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by Chris Kenrick tary Transfer students and potentially better serve their social-emotional as well as academic needs. Currently, the 560 students in the court-ordered Tinsley program are scattered among the district’s 17 campuses. Garland also could become a stable home for special-education children, who now frequently must move from school to school depend-
‘I’d rather stir the pot now than make limited choices so we don’t stir the pot.’ —Barbara Klausner, school board member, Palo Alto
ing on program availability in a given year, Klausner said. Under both Garland scenarios, part of the campus still could be reserved as a neighborhood school, she suggested. Klausner also suggested the possibility of using Garland to accommodate middle-school enrollment growth. “I don’t think we’re going to adopt any of these scenarios, but I’d rather stir the pot now than make limited choices so we don’t stir the pot,” she said. On the need for additional middle-school space, board member Dana Tom asked whether it’s possible to add second stories to buildings at Terman Middle School, which has a current enrollment of 663 compared to the more than 1,000 student-enrollments at JLS
and Jordan middle schools. Board member Barb Mitchell said she’d prefer to see a fourth middle school in the area where growth is most likely, which she thinks will be related to Stanford housing now on the drawing board. “Currently we only have two facilities — Nixon and Escondido — in that area,” Mitchell said. “I’d like to see us consider converting one of those campuses to a two-story middle school and addressing the domino effect on elementary.” Rather than making bets now on where to place a 13th elementary school and fourth middle school, board members agreed to wait a year, despite expressing worries that the school district’s growth projections are too conservative. “Rather than having controlled conversations and making incremental decisions, I’d rather have every possible option laid out and give ourselves some room to brainstorm and think outside the box of marginal changes,” Klausner said. Board members agreed to continue their study session on enrollment and facilities in May. Superintendent Kevin Skelly said he would return to the board in June with recommendations on how to facilitate a community discussion. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
TALK ABOUT IT
www.PaloAltoOnline.com What “outside the box” ideas do you think the Palo Alto school district should consider? Share your opinion on Town Square, the community discussion forum on Palo Alto Online.
Keeping Your Home Assessed Value When Moving Propositions 60, 90 and 110 allow qualified homeowners over the age of 55 or persons of any age who are severely and permanently disabled to transfer a property’s base value from an existing residence to a replacement residence, under certain conditions. These propositions apply to homeowners who relocate within the same county or between participating counties (currently, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Diego, Alameda, Los Angeles and Ventura). Additional requirements for this tax treatment include: (1) the cost of the replacement property can’t exceed the current appraised value of the original property, (2) the replacement property must be acquired within two years of the sale of the original property and (3) the owner should file an application within three years. This tax treatment may be of great benefit to qualifying homeowners who wish to downsize. If you have a real estate question or would like a free market analysis for your home, please call me at 650-384-5392, Alain Pinel Realtors, or email me at scullen@apr.com. For the latest news, follow my blog at www.samiacullen.com.
KEEP YOUR VTA YOUTH DISCOUNT Apply for a Youth Clipper card at an upcoming Walgreens event.
®
Starting July 1, 2012, VTA youth monthly passes will be available only on Clipper. To apply for the Youth Clipper card, bring your proof of age to an upcoming application event (a parent/guardian signature is also required).
EDUCATION
College-essay writing help needed, school officials say Calendar change illuminates need for systematic help and feedback for seniors applicants by Chris Kenrick
P
alo Alto students’ need for help with college-essay writing emerged as a theme Tuesday night, April 24, in a Board of Education discussion of the school district’s transition to a new, earlystart academic calendar. As school officials described their efforts to make the calendar transition a smooth one, board members said those efforts should include more explicit help and essay-writing feedback for seniors applying to college. The calendar change, which takes effect next academic year, means school will begin earlier in August — this year, Aug. 16 — and the first semester will end before winter break in December. The new calendar means high
school students will have first-semester finals before the December holidays rather than in late January, leading to worries the new schedule will hurt seniors contending with college applications at the same time. “I believe my daughter, a rising senior, is the victim of a perfect storm,” parent Cheryl Foung told the board. “They’re guinea pigs on a completely untested calendar.” The college process has become increasingly pressured and competitive due to growing numbers of international applicants, she said. “Kids are applying to more and more schools. If a student is applying to 10 schools, the average number of essays they’ll be doing is 50, because in spite of the Common Ap-
plication, each school will have four or five independent essays,” Foung said. School officials noted that 39 of the 46 public high schools in Santa Clara County already have made a similar calendar shift and generally are happy with it. Nonetheless, they said the calendar debate had illuminated the related but separate issue of college essay-writing help, which in the past has taken place in English classes at the discretion of the teacher. School officials said English teachers this fall will offer at least one session of essay-writing help. In addition, a summer essay-writing course and fall campus workshops (continued on page 9)
Thursday, May 3 5536 Monterey Hwy San Jose, 5pm - 8pm Saturday, May 5 780 E. El Camino Real Sunnyvale, 2pm - 5pm Wednesday, May 9 2012 El Camino Real Santa Clara, 5pm - 8pm Saturday, May 12 1795 E. Capitol Exp San Jose, 9am - 12pm Saturday, May 12 770 First St. Gilroy, 2pm - 5pm Tuesday, May 15 4170 El Camino Real Palo Alto, 5pm - 8pm
For a list of accepted proofs of age, visit clippercard.com/VTA or call 877.878.8883.
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Upfront NEIGHBORHOODS
Palo Alto orders analysis of CPI’s toxic risk City seeks to quell community concerns about chemicals at Barron Park site
F
aced with protests from Barron Park residents over toxic materials at a nearby plating shop, Palo Alto officials on Monday, April 23, commissioned new studies to determine the risk level and consider possible options for
by Gennady Sheyner managing the risk. The City Council’s decision to pursue further analysis followed testimony from top staff at Communications & Power Industries (CPI) and from more than a dozen Barron Park neighborhood residents who
urged council members to begin the process of ushering CPI out of their neighborhood. The company is located at 607 and 811 Hansen Way. Though council members expressed concern about residents’ health and safety, they concluded that they don’t have enough information to determine the exact nature of the threat or to make a decision on what to do about it. The 8-0 vote (Mayor Yiaway Yeh was absent) was the latest chapter in the six-year dispute between CPI and its neighbors. The company made upgrades to its plating shop in 2006, when it moved a product line from San Carlos to Palo Alto. It attracted scrutiny several months later when it released nitric acid into the air, prompting reports of an unusual smell from the Chimalus neighborhood. Concerns magnified in March 2008, when CPI spilled water containing hydrochloric acid in the rear driveway, and two months later, when the company accidentally dumped about 50 gallons of wastewater containing copper and nickel into Matadero Creek. Since then, CPI has upgraded its risk-management procedures and delivery protocols to prevent future calamities and reduced the amount of hazardous materials stored on the site. Bob Fickett, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said the amounts of potassium cyanide and nitric acid at the company’s site are now below the threshold of Title 19, a
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state law that restricts the amount of chemicals a company can store before it has to add safety measures. Fickett told the council Monday the company takes the safety of its workers and nearby residents very seriously and that it has been working for the past five years to reduce the amount of hazardous materials at its site. He said that CPI’s facilities are monitored around the clock and that a trained employee oversees each delivery of chemicals. Fickett also said that the company, which manufactures microwave and radio-frequency equipment, employs about 650 workers and has no plans to relocate in any foreseeable future. Any attempt by the city to force it to move would be unlawful, Fickett said. “We’ve done a tremendous amount, and we will continue to focus our efforts here,” Fickett said. “While neighbors and the community are very important to us, our employees and their well-being is equally important.” But residents weren’t convinced. One after another, they asserted to the council that an industrial operation containing hazardous chemicals has no business being so close to single-family homes. Samir Tuma, who lives on Chimalus Drive near the CPI site, praised the company for taking steps in recent years to reduce its levels of hazardous materials. But even with these actions, he said, the company’s proximity to the residential neighborhood does not make sense. “This plating shop is right behind our neighborhood,” Tuma said. “A plating shop with potassium cyanide and nitric acid does not belong right next door to our neighborhood.” Council members agreed and said the CPI plating shop would not have been approved today. The company has occupied the site since 1953. This won’t be the first time that the council is commissioning
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a study to help it deal with this problem. Last year, the consultant CB Richard Ellis completed an amortization study to determine a reasonable period for CPI to phase out its operations. The consultant determined that a 20-year period would be reasonable with the clock starting in 2006, the year CPI completed its most recent improvements. Had the council pursued the amortization option as Barron Park residents had urged, CPI would have 14 years to move its plating shop elsewhere. Now that CPI is no longer a Title 19 facility, the council is taking a look at its options and reassessing its definition of a hazardous facility. Councilman Pat Burt proposed Monday hiring a third party within 30 days to consider different hazard assessments. The consultant would also evaluate the best practices for management of hazardous materials and compare them with CPI’s practices and recommend possible risk thresholds that could be considered for a zoning amendment. Burt’s colleagues agreed that more analysis is needed given the wide range of views expressed at Monday’s meeting. They also accepted Councilwoman Gail Price’s proposal that once the consultant’s study is complete, the city would take the appropriate action within six months. Councilmen Larry Klein and Sid Espinosa both lauded CPI and its recent efforts. But both ultimately agreed that the company’s proximity to the residential homes is troubling. “It’s true that if we were starting from scratch, and we’re not, that we wouldn’t approve it, and we wouldn’t have it so close to the neighborhood,” Espinosa said. “I think the additional information would prove critical.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
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Upfront
Essay
(continued from page 7)
will be offered, they said. Board member Barb Mitchell said the district should consider offering a University of California-approved essay-writing class, in which students could work on polishing their college essays. Superintendent Kevin Skelly said the district may already offer such a class and that he would look into it. He also warned that many students would be likely to select Advanced Placement English over such a class. Board members said they were generally happy with the calendar transition plan but want the situation to be closely monitored. “My biggest question is, ‘How are we going to make sure, the first
‘If a student is applying to 10 schools, the average number of essays they’ll be doing is 50.’ —Cheryl Foung, parent, Palo Alto year we do this, that (students) don’t get hurt by the changes we’re making?’� member Melissa Baten Caswell said. Despite the popularity of the new calendar in nearby public and private schools, board President Camille Townsend remained skeptical. “We need to be driven by the realities of our district, which in some ways are very unique here,� Townsend said. In other business Tuesday, school officials said they will prepare a $10,000-a-month, two-year lease for recently acquired district property at 525 San Antonio Road, formerly the site of the Peninsula Day Care Center. The school district spent $8.5 million last December to acquire the 2.6-acre site with the idea of eventually building school facilities there. In the meantime Carla Rayacich, founder of the startup Athena Academy “for children gifted with dyslexia,� is seeking to rent the property. The plan is for joint use of the property with Jane Yang, who currently operates the Champion afterschool Chinese program on the Garland campus, Facilities and Bond Program Manager Bob Golton told the board. “They intend to bring portables onto the site and start Athena with 18 students and grow by 18 students a year,� Golton said. “Champion (the Chinese program) will have approximately 60 students.� Golton said he would continue negotiations with the prospective tenants and return to the board with a proposed lease. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.
Art Classes Private Lessons, Classes & Ensembles
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Upfront
El Camino Park (continued from page 3)
Renderings courtesy of the City of Palo Alto
lacrosse, a grass field for softball, pathways in the north and 26 new parking spaces (bringing total number to 68). But it was the dog park that proved the most controversial proposal. The Parks and Recreation Commission had endorsed all the improvements except the one for dogs and the expanded parking lot, arguing that the city shouldn’t spend nearly all the funds in its $2.8 million park-development-fees fund on one project. Park development fees are collected from developers for the purpose of improving parks, as compensation for the increased demand for city facilities and services that new residential and commercial buildings bring. The dog run, which would be the size of half a football field, would include a wood-chip base, benches, a water fountain for humans and a special spigot for dogs, according to Daren Anderson, the project manager.
The dog run at El Camino Park in Palo Alto would be located to the far left, past Alma Street. Holman and Price both opposed the project, though for differing reasons. Holman argued that the dog run’s proposed location on the north side near San Francisquito Creek would make it a difficult place for dog owners to reach. “I wouldn’t take my dog there because I think it’s poor access for a dog park,� Holman said.
For Price, money was the swaying factor. Given the city’s limited resources, she said, the council should defer its discussion of a dog park “to a future time when we can complete environmental (analysis) and identify the appropriate funding.� But others argued the city shouldn’t let the opportunity for a
new dog park slip away. Councilman Larry Klein said the city is not a dog-friendly one, despite the huge number of dog owners. Deferring the project, Klein said, creates a likelihood that it would never happen. “I think this is an exciting opportunity to get an excellent community asset completed,� Klein said.
Summer at Saint Francis advanced sports
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bea part of it now Register online
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“Yes, it’s expensive, but we have an opportunity here that we don’t have elsewhere, so we should spend the park-impact fees.� Klein’s colleagues agreed, though with some reservations. The project is complicated by the anticipated relocation of MacArthur Park restaurant, which stands nearby at 27 University Ave. The city is working with philanthropist John Arrillaga on a proposal
‘Yes, it’s expensive, but we have an opportunity here that we don’t have elsewhere.’
SUMMER FUN FOR EVERYONE YMCA Day & Overnight Camps YMCA OF SILICON VALLEY
Your child will discover hidden talents, experience QHZ DGYHQWXUHV JDLQ FRQžGHQFH DQG PDNH ODVWLQJ IULHQGVKLSV DQG PHPRULHV ‡ 'D\ &DPS ZLWK ZHHNO\ žHOG WULSV ‡ 7HHQ /HDGHUVKLS &DPS ‡ 2YHUQLJKW DQG )DPLO\ &DPS LQ WKH 6DQWD &UX] 0RXQWDLQV View our Camp Guide at ymcasv.org/summercamp
—Larry Klein, councilman, Palo Alto
to build an office building and a theater at the restaurant’s site, which would necessitate a relocation of the historic Julia Morgandesigned building that once served as a meeting point for families of World War I soldiers. Greg Betts, Palo Alto’s director of community services, said Monday the city is evaluating three new locations for the historic building: the former Camp Fremont on Willow Road in Menlo Park; the Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course, where it would replace the current clubhouse; and El Camino Park. Though the project is still in an early conceptual phase, several members said Monday they were hesitant to sign off on the proposed El Camino Park improvements while the fate of MacArthur Park remains up in the air. “What’s to say that a major building there wouldn’t call for a major redesign of the park which wasn’t on the table when we first started going with these plans,� Councilman Sid Espinosa said. “I have difficulty reconciling these plans.� Ultimately, however, he sided with the council majority. He referred to the city’s prior commitment to pursue spaces for dogs during park renovations. “If we don’t put it in now, we won’t get it, so I think it’s good to take that bold step and make that commitment,� Espinosa said. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.
Upfront
TALK ABOUT IT
Water Babies to Adults Swim Lessons Carol has 50 years of experience World & National Champion Hall of Fame Swimmer Carol’s precise technical teaching methods allow students to progress rapidly, developing trust and conďŹ dence. All instructors trained by Carol.
June 11-August 15 In Palo Alto: Jordan Pool
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www.PaloAltoOnline.com Should the City of Palo Alto have informed the public about the death of the building inspector who had been contracted to work for the city? Share your opinion on Town Square, the community discussion forum on Palo Alto Online.
Prices starting at $259/week t 4BGF 4FDVSF &OWJSPONFOU XJUI "EVMU 4VQFSWJTJPO BU BMM UJNFT June 11-August 24, 2012 t 1SPGFTTJPOBM 5SBJOFE 4UBò t *OUFSHFOFSBUJPOBM *OUFSBDUJPO XJUI 4FOJPST 5FFOBHF $PVOTFMPST t $VMUVSBM &OSJDINFOU -FBSOJOH XJUI )BOET 0O "DUJWJUJFT t "GUFSDBSF -VODI 1SPHSBN "WBJMBCMF (408) 934-1130, ext.225
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height of between 12 and 24 inches, while the top rail was secured with nails at about 40 to 43 inches high. By all accounts, Collins climbed onto the guardrails to gain a better vantage point to inspect the shaft. He placed one foot on the lower rail and swung his other leg over the top rail, according to the witnesses. As he placed his weight on the rails, they came out of the wall. Collins landed on his knees, with his body leaning into the shaftway. He was unable to regain his balance and fell down the shaft 12 feet to the concrete floor. He was not conscious when paramedics arrived, according to the report. During the investigation, eyewitness testimony varied significantly about the position and integrity of the guardrails, but investigators found the rails were of acceptable construction, based on witness descriptions, according to the report. Cal-OSHA did not issue a serious, accident-related violation in the case or against the contractor, CenterLine Construction of San Carlos, according to the report. Cal-OSHA investigators did issue three “general citations� against 4Leaf, Inc., according to the report: s /N OR BEFORE THE TIME OF THE ACCI dent, the company did not document safety and health training required for every employee. s 4HE EMPLOYER DID NOT HAVE A written plan in place of procedures for responding to heat-related illness. s %MPLOYEES WERE NOT TRAINED RE garding factors that create heat illness, or how to avoid heat illness, such as proper water consumption and acclimatization, symptoms of HEAT ILLNESS 4HEY WERE NOT TRAINED on the importance of reporting the symptoms to coworkers or supervisors, and were not given procedures for addressing heat illness. %ACH VIOLATION CARRIED A FINE and was to be abated by March 26, ACCORDING TO THE REPORT 4HE COM pany has not contested the citations, Cal-OSHA spokeswoman Patricia Ortiz said. Kevin Duggan, president of 4Leaf, Inc., responded by email on Wednesday regarding the violations. “Our violations from Cal-OSHA were not related to the accident and were found to be general, or administrative, in nature,� he wrote. During an April 20 interview, Duggan said he is saddened by Collins’ death. “My heart goes out to the family. I feel very bad for him,� he said. Duggan said that Collins had a wife and two children. 4HE COMPANY HAS WORKED ON projects such as the Amtrak lightrail extension in Sacramento, the "!24 STATION IN 7EST $UBLIN AND the light-rail project for San Francisco MUNI. N
CAROL MACPHERSON AQUATIC CENTER
O IST W R O ATI PE ON N !
(continued from page 5)
N
Inspector
TH 3UCCESSFUL 9EAR OF 3UMMER #AMPS @ )NDIA #OMMUNITY #ENTER
Activities Include:
Swimming - Bike Rides - Field Trips - Organized Activities
Camp details at www.paccc.com
OTHER PROGRAMS ¡ Sport Camps ¡ Swim School
¡ English Language Institute for International Students
summer.harker.org Held on our beautiful lower and upper school campuses
campinfo@harker.org | 408.553.0537
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G U I D E TO 2012 S U M M E R C A M P S F O R K I D S
n n o e C c p t i o m n a C Summer 2012
For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at http://paloaltoonline.com/biz/summercamps/. To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210 Oshman JCC
Athletics Bald Eagle Camps
Mountain View
Bald Eagle Camps is the only camp Approved by the nationally recognized Positive Coaching Alliance, teaching their principles to every camper through our Certified Coaches. We offer 3 uniquely FUN Summer Camps, each of which exude our encouraging team culture: Non-Traditional Sports Camp (1st-8th), Basketball Camp (3rd-8th), and Leadership Camp (7th-8th only). Come experience our positive atmosphere, great coaching, unique structure, inspiring life message and 5-STAR service. Bald Eagle Camps is guaranteed to be a highlight of your child’s summer. www.baldeaglecamps.com 888-505-2253
California Riding Academy’s Camp Jumps For Joy!
Menlo Park
Join us this summer for fantastic and fun filled week with our beautiful horses and ponies! Each day Campers have riding instruction, develop horsemanship skills, create fun crafts and enjoy with our kids’ jump course. In addition, campers learn beginning vaulting, visit our Full Surgical Vet Clinic, and much more! Voted the best horse camp by discerning young campers. Choose English, Western or Cowboy/Cowgirl. Ages 5-15 welcome. Convenient close-in Menlo Park location and online Registration and Payment with either PayPal or Google Checkout. www.CalifiorniaRidingAcademy.com or JumpsForJoy@CaliforniaRidingAcademy.com for more information 650-740-2261
Champion Tennis Camp
Atherton
CTC programs provide an enjoyable way for your child to begin learning the game of tennis or to continue developing existing skills. Our approach is to create lots of fun with positive feedback and reinforcement in a nurturing tennis environment. Building self-esteem and confidence through enjoyment on the tennis court is a wonderful gift a child can keep forever! Super Juniors Camps, ages 4 – 6. Juniors Camps, ages 6 - 14. www.alanmargot-tennis.com 650-400-0464
Earl Hansen Football Camp
Palo Alto
No tagline, no logo, just football. Earl Hansen Football camp is a non-contact camp for participants ages 9 to 14. Develop fundamental skills with proven drills and techniques. Sessions are 9:30 to 3:00, July 30 to August 3. Save 10% with Early Bird registration through April 30. Four morning practice days and 7 on 7 games in the afternoon. Lunch provided daily. Palo Alto High School Football Field. www.earlhansenfootballcamp.com 650-269-7793
Glenoaks Stables’ Horse Camp Portola Valley Giddy up your summer at Glenoaks Stables’ horse camp. Each full day of equestrian fun includes supervised riding, horsemanship, vaulting, pony games and arts & crafts. 6 one-week sessions. All skill levels welcome, ages 6+. www.glenoaksequestriancenter.com/summercamps.htm 650-854-4955
Kim Grant Tennis Academy & Palo Alto/ Summer Camps Menlo Park/Redwood City Fun and Specialized junior camps for Mini (3-5), Beginner, Intermediate 1&2, Advanced and Elite Players. Weekly programs designed by Kim Grant to improve players technique, fitness, agility, mental toughness and all around tennis game. Camps in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. Come make new friends and have tons of FUN!! www.KimGrantTennis.com 650-752-8061
Nike Tennis Camps
Stanford University
Dick Gould’s 43rd Annual Stanford Tennis School offers day camps for both juniors a&dults. Weekly junior overnight & extended day camps run by John Whitlinger & Lele Forood. Junior Day Camp run by Brandon Coupe & Frankie Brennan. www.USSportsCamps.com/tennis 1-800-NIKE-CAMP (645-3226)
Palo Alto
Exciting programs for preschool and grades K-12 include swimming, field trips, crafts and more. Enroll your child in traditional camp, or specialty camps like Pirates, Archery, Runway Project, Kid TV and over 25 others! www.paloaltojcc.org/camps 650-223-8622
Palo Alto Elite Volleyball Club Summer Camp
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Stanford UC Berkeley Santa Clara Princeton UCLA
Palo Alto/ Menlo Park
Girls Volleyball - fastest growing, non-impact sport for girls, emphasizing team work. Camp provides age appropriate fundamentals; setting, hitting, passing, serving, plus; offense vs defense strategy and learning rotations. 3rd - 12th grades (separate camps). High coach to player ratio. Email: info@paloaltoelite.com www.paloaltoelite.com
Spring Down Equestrian Center
& Teen Aca
w w w.interna lD 1-888-709-TE rive.com CH (8324)
Portola Valley
Spring Down camp teaches basic to advanced horsemanship skills. Ages 6-99 welcome! Daily informative lecture, riding lesson, supervised hands-on skill practice, safety around horses, tacking/untacking of own camp horse, and arts/crafts. www.springdown.com 650.851.1114
Stanford Water Polo Camps
Stanford
Ages 7 and up. New to the sport or have experience, we have a camp for you. Half day or full day option for boys and girls. All the camps offer fundamental skill work, position work, scrimmages and games. stanfordwaterpolocamps.com 650-725-9016
Summer at Saint Francis
Mountain View
Sports & Activity Camp (ages 6-12): This all sports camp provides group instruction in a variety of field, water and court games. Saint Francis faculty and students staff the camp, and the focus is always on fun. The program is dedicated to teaching teamwork, sportsmanship and positive self-esteem. After camp care and swim lessons available. www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x650
Summer at Saint Francis
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Advanced Sports Camps (5th-9th grades): We offer a wide selection of advanced sports camps designed to provide players with the opportunity to improve both their skill and knowledge of a specific sport. Each camp is run by a Head Varsity Coach at Saint Francis, and is staffed by members of the coaching staff. www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x650
YMCA of Silicon Valley
Peninsula
Say hello to summer fun at the YMCA! Choose from enriching day or overnight camps in 35 locations: arts, sports, science, travel, and more. For youth K-10th grade. Includes weekly fieldtrips, swimming and outdoor adventures. Accredited by the American Camp Association. Financial assistance available. www.ymcasv.org/summercamp 408-351-6400
Academics Galileo Learning
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Los Altos/Palo Alto/Menlo Park/ Woodside/Hillsborough
Galileo Learning operates award-winning summer day camps at 31 Bay Area locations. Camp Galileo (pre-K rising 5th graders): Inspires campers to bring their ideas to life through art, science and outdoor activities. Galileo Summer Quest (rising 5th - 8th graders): Campers dive into exciting majors like Chefology and Video Game Design. www.galileo-learning.com 1-800-854-3684
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(continued on next page)
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CELEBRATING OVER 30 YEARS
OF
GROWTH & CHANGING STUDENT LIVES
G U I D E TO 2012 S U M M E R C A M P S F O R K I D S
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MID-PENINSULA HIGH SCHOOL
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s %XTENSIVE SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAM s 3MALL #LASSES s /N GOING ENROLLMENT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR s !N ENVIRONMENT THAT SUPPORTS UNIQUE LEARNING STYLES AND CREATIVE THINKING s ! STRONG ACCEPTING COMMUNITY (650) 321-1991 x110 1340 Willow Road, Menlo Park
www.mid-pen.com
For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at http://paloaltoonline.com/biz/summercamps/. To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210 (continued from previous page)
Synapse School & Wizbots
Academics GASPA German Summer School Camp
Menlo Park
Learn German by way of Fairytale! GASPA is taking Summer Camp into the world of fairy tales and everything that comes with it…in German of course! Offering a 4 week program for children ages 3-12. www.gaspa-ca.org 650-520-3646
Harker Summer Programs
San Jose
K-12 offerings taught by exceptional, experienced faculty and staff. K-6 morning academics - focusing on math, language arts and science - and full spectrum of afternoon recreation. Grades 6-12 for-credit courses and non-credit enrichment opportunities. Sports programs also offered. www.summer.harker.org 408-553-0537
iD Tech Camps Summer Tech Fun!
Give Your Child a Summer to Remember! Camps for preschoolers through teens at the Oshman Family JCC t 4QFDJBMUZ DBNQT JODMVEJOH "SDIFSZ 0O UIF 4FU 3PDL #BOE NPSF t &YDJUJOH USBWFM DBNQT UP -BLF 5BIPF BOE %JTOFZMBOE t " WBSJFUZ PG BDUJWJUJFT BU PVS USBEJUJPOBM DBNQT t -FBEFSTIJQ QSPHSBNT GPS UFFOT
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ISTP’s Language Immersion Summer Camp ISTP Summer Camp is designed to give participants a unique opportunity to spend their summer break having fun learning or improving in a second language. Students are grouped according to both grade level and language of proficiency. Our camp offers many immersion opportunities and consists of a combination of language classes and activities taught in the target language. Sessions are available in French, Mandarin, Chinese and English ESL and run Monday through Friday, 8am-3:30pm, with additional extnding care from 3:30-5:30pm. www.istp.org 650-251-8519
Oshman Family JCC 3921 Fabian Way | Palo Alto, CA youth@paloaltojcc.org | (650) 223-8622
Menlo Park
Mid-Peninsula High School offers a series of classes and electives designed to keep students engaged in learning. Class Monday-Thursday and limited to 15 students. Every Thursday there’s a BBQ lunch. The Science and Art classes will have weekly field trips. www.mid-pen.com 650-321-1991 x110
SuperCamp
www.paloaltojcc.org/camps
Stanford
Learn different aspects of video game creation, app development, filmmaking, photography, and more. 2-week programs where ages 13-18 interact with industry professionals to gain competitive edge. iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD Visual Arts Academy are held at Stanford, and other universities. www.iDTeenAcademies.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)
Mid-Peninsula High School Summer Program
Stanford
Increases Grades, Confidence and Motivation. Academic pressure to stand out. Social pressure to fit in. It’s not easy being a high school or middle school student. Straight A or struggling, kids are overwhelmed by homework, activities, and technology distractions. SuperCamp provides strategies to help kids succeed. Bobbi DePorter created SuperCamp to empower kids. Now in its 30th year with 64,000 graduates, SuperCamp builds study skills, self-esteem, and test scores. SuperCamp works. Parent Patty M. says, “We saw a jump in grades … the things she learned about her worth are of lasting value.” www.supercamp.com 1-800-285-3276.
Summer at Saint Francis
Write Now! Summer Writing Camps
Palo Alto
Emerson School of Palo Alto and Hacienda School of Pleasanton open their doors and offer their innovative programs: Expository Writing, Creative Writing, Presentation Techniques, and (new!) Media Production. Call or visit our website for details. Also Pleasanton. www.headsup.org 650-424-1267, 925-485-5750
Arts, Culture and Other Camps
Take hobbies further! Ages 7-17 create iPhone apps, video games, movies, and more at weeklong, day and overnight programs held at Stanford and 60+ universities in 27 states.. Also 2-week, Teen-only programs: iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD visual Arts Academy (filmmaking & photography). www.internalDrive.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)
iD Teen Academies
Menlo Park
Cutting-edge, imaginative, accelerated, integrated, and hands-on academic summer enrichment courses with independent in-depth, project-based morning and afternoon week-long programs for children ages 4-12. Young Explorers, Thinking Math, Leonardo da Vinci’s Inventions, Nature Connections, Girls’ & Soccer Robotics, and more! synapseschool.org/curriculum/summer 650-866-5824
Mountain View
Summer at Saint Francis provides a broad range of academic and athletic programs for elementary through high school students. It is the goal of every program to make summer vacation enriching and enjoyable! www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 x446
Community School of Music & Arts (CSMA )
Mountain View
50+ creative camps for Gr. K-8! Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Musical Theater, American Idol Workshop, more! Two-week sessions; full and halfday enrollment. Extended care available. Financial aid offered. www.arts4all.org 650-917-6800 ext. 0
India Community Center Palo Alto/ Sunnyvale/ Summer Camps Milpitas/Olema Join ICC’s Cultural Camps which give campers a quick tour of India and its vibrant culture. These camps include arts, crafts, folk dance, bollywood dance, music, yoga, Indian history and geography. Over 10 different camps all through the summer for Grades K-12. To register or for more details visit: www.indiacc.org/camps 408-934-1130 ext. 225
Pacific Art League
Palo Alto,
Art camps are fun, and stimulate visual perception and cognitive thinking. Week-long camps are available for kids and teens 5 – 18, from June 18 to August 19, including Glass Fusing, Cartooning, Printmaking and Claymation. www.pacificartleague.org 650.321.3891
Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC)
Palo Alto
PACCC summer camps offer campers, grades kindergarten to 6th, a wide array of fun opportunities! K-1 Fun for the youngest campers, Nothing But Fun for themed-based weekly sessions, Neighborhood Adventure Fun and Ultimate Adventure Fun for the more active and on-thego campers! Swimming twice per week, periodic field trips, special visitors and many engaging camp activities, songs and skits round out the fun offerings of PACCC Summer Camps! Registration is online. Open to campers from all communities! Come join the fun in Palo Alto! www.paccc.com 650-493-2361
TechKnowHow Computer Palo Alto/ & LEGO Camps Menlo Park/Sunnyvale Fun and enriching technology classes for students, ages 5-14 Courses include LEGO and K’NEX Projects with Motors, Electronics, NXT Robotics, 3D Modeling, and Game Design. Many locations, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Sunnyvale. Half and all day options. Early-bird and multi-session discounts available. www.techknowhowkids.com 650-638-0500
Theatreworks Summer Camps
Palo Alto
In these skill-building workshops for grades K-5, students engage in language-based activities, movement, music, and improvisation theatre games. Students present their own original pieces at the end of each two-week camp. www.theatreworks.org/educationcommunity 650-463-7146
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Upfront
Online This Week
These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on “News� in the left, green column.
Police hail Menlo Park woman’s actions Menlo Park Police recognized a woman on Tuesday, April 24, for helping catch a thief in February. (Posted April 26 at 9:57 a.m.)
NASA asks public for meteor photos and videos NASA and the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence Institute are asking for the public’s help finding footage photos and video of a daylight meteor that fell over Northern California on Sunday, the NASA Ames Research Center announced Wednesday. (Posted April 26 at 9:15 a.m.)
Addison boundary change recommended School boundary changes are in the works for some families in the Addison Elementary School neighborhood as well as for high school students living at Stanford West or in the Oak Creek Apartments. (Posted April 25 at 11:09 p.m.)
Menlo Park fire district strikes deal with Facebook The Menlo Park Fire Protection District board voted unanimously on Tuesday to enter into an agreement between Facebook and the fire district that would provide expanded emergency and fire services for the company and for residents within the district. (Posted April 25 at 2:52 p.m.)
Palo Alto lands bill to aid responders Palo Alto’s effort to improve communications between first responders during major emergencies could get a boost thanks to an effort led by U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, to provide airwaves in the nation’s broadcast spectrum to emergency operations and to give grants to local jurisdictions for new infrastructure. (Posted April 24 at 10:01 a.m.)
The walls came a-tumblin’ down Palo Alto Bowl, the city’s last bowling alley, started falling to demolition crews Monday, April 23. The 60-year-old establishment closed last September, prompting outcry in the community about the demise of places where youth and families could go to enjoy recreation together. (Posted April 23 at 1:46 p.m.)
PAMF to break ground on $200 million campus After a decade of planning to build a new four-story medical campus in San Carlos, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation received the go-ahead from the California State Water Quality Control Board to build on a formerly contaminated industrial site. (Posted April 20 at 3:57 p.m.)
Slight rise is state unemployment rate Bay Area jobless numbers rose slightly in March, following a statewide trend that saw a small uptick in California’s unemployment rate in the past month, according to a report released Friday by the state’s Employment Development Department. (Posted April 20 at 1:51 p.m.)
Rail analysis sets stage for more suits
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The state agency charged with building California’s high-speed rail system approved on April 19 a long-debated environmental analysis for the San Francisco-to-Los Angeles line — a voluminous document that the project’s opponents immediately characterized as an invitation to more lawsuits. (Posted April 19 at 4:34 p.m.)
Want to get news briefs emailed to you every weekday? Sign up for Express, our new daily e-edition. Go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com to sign up.
Looking for something to do? Check out the Weekly’s Community Calendar for the Midpeninsula. Instantly find out what events are going on in your city! Go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/calendar
Upfront The
News Digest
Jean and Bill Lane
Lecture Series 2011–2012 Presents
Most of Palo Alto’s low-income grads go to college Low-income students who graduated from Palo Alto’s high schools last year were far more likely than their parents to go on to college, school district officials said Tuesday, April 24. In an analysis of the 7 percent of last year’s graduates considered “socio-economically disadvantaged� — 60 students in all — at least 52 had plans to attend college, a rate of 87 percent, said Diana Wilmot, the school district’s coordinator of research and evaluation. But among the 60, the rigor of their high-school curricula still bore a relationship to the educational attainment of their parents, Wilmot told the Board of Education. Nearly a third of the low-income graduates of 2011 had completed the entrance requirements for California’s four-year, public universities, the so-called “A-G requirements,� Wilmot found. Of those 19 students, 16 had parents with some college experience. In contrast, of the 20 students who had parents with no college experience at all, only three students completed the A-G requirements. “The impact of parent education is obvious,� Wilmot said. Among all Palo Alto students, about 80 percent complete the A-G, four-year college prep curriculum. Wilmot noted that the college-going rates of Palo Alto’s low-income students far exceed those of low-income students statewide or nationwide. “We have something to celebrate here. The vast majority of our socioeconomically disadvantaged students will be more educated than their parents,� she said. Of the 20 low-income students whose parents never attended college, 80 percent were going to college, she said. “This is about social mobility and the American dream here,� Superintendent Kevin Skelly said. “These students are exceeding the education levels of their parents.� N — Chris Kenrick
Police arrest suspect in March burglary Police arrested a man on Tuesday, April 24, who is suspected in a March 22 home burglary in Palo Alto. Tony Lopez, 27, of East Palo Alto was arrested without incident on a felony burglary warrant at a construction site in Portola Valley where he was working. Police say they believe Lopez was involved in a home burglary on the 3000 block of Louis Road last month. During the burglary, a resident saw a man running from a neighbor’s yard carrying property and getting into a vehicle driven by a second person. The resident called police and reported the pair, and police confirmed that the neighbor’s house had been burglarized. A locked window had been pried open in the back yard, and among other property, a big-screen television had been stolen. Later that morning a Mountain View police officer spotted a car that fit the description of the one that drove away from the Palo Alto burglary. The car made an erratic U-turn and got away from the officer. About a minute later, another officer spotted the same car driving erratically through a Gold’s Gym parking lot. The driver sped away from police and got away again. About 10 minutes later, police found the vehicle abandoned in a Google parking lot. A television and several electronic items stolen from the Palo Alto residence were found inside the car, police said. Police searched the area around the car for two hours but did not locate any suspects. N — Eric Van Susteren
Panel to advise on Cubberley gets going Five community leaders — three from the Palo Alto City Council and two from the Board of Education — will set the tone for upcoming community discussions on the future of Cubberley Community Center. Members of the new Cubberley Policy Advisory Committee are Mayor Yiaway Yeh, council members Larry Klein and Nancy Shepherd, and school board President Camille Townsend and member Barb Mitchell. On Tuesday, April 25, the Board of Education took up the first product from that policy group — a draft set of “principles� to guide the joint discussions on Cubberley. The 35-acre site at 4000 Middlefield Road closed as a high school in 1979 and has been leased by the city for use as a community center in the years since, generating about $7 million in revenue to the school district. The lease is up for renewal in 2014 and, for the first time, school officials have indicated they may need to take at least part of the campus back for future school use. In addition to making recommendations to the council and the Board of Education, the Cubberley Policy Advisory Committee is charged with providing guidance to a much larger group, the Cubberley Community Advisory Panel. That panel is expected to have more than 20 members representing a wide array of community groups. N — Chris Kenrick
Martin Amis Reading MONDAY, MAY 7 , 2012, 8:00 PM CEMEX AUDITORIUM KNIGHT MANAGEMENT CENTER
641 KNIGHT WAY, STANFORD UNIVERSITY “Sentence by sentence, Amis still writes some of the keenest prose in English today.� - The New Republic
Photo by Isabel Fonseca
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC INFORMATION: 650.723.0011
HTTP://CREATIVEWRITING.STANFORD.EDU
Sponsored by Stanford University’s Creative Writing Program
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INFORMATION: 650.723.0011
HTTP://CREATIVEWRITING.STANFORD.EDU
Sponsored by Stanford University Creative Writing Program
The online guide to Palo Alto businesses Good for Business. Good for You. Good for the Community. Visit ShopPaloAlto.com today
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Upfront
CityView A round-up of
Palo Alto government action this week
City Council (April 23)
CPI: The council voted to hire a consultant to evaluate the hazardous risk at the CPI plating operation, to evaluate best practices and to recommend definitions and thresholds of hazardous materials that could be considered for a zoning ordinance amendment. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Holman, Klein, Price, Scharff, Schmid, Shepherd Absent: Yeh El Camino Park: The council voted to use $2.5 million in park development fees for improvements to El Camino Park, including a synthetic turf, a dog exercise area and expanded parking. Yes: Burt, Espinosa, Klein, Scharff, Shepherd, Schmid No: Holman, Price Absent: Yeh
Parks and Recreation Commission (April 24)
Rinconada: The commission heard a presentation about the long-range plan for Rinconada Park. Action: None Trails: The commission discussed potential new trail connections between the Baylands and the foothills and recommended a staff proposal for new trails along Arastradero Road and Matadero Creek. The commission also recommended that the Arastradero trail use East Meadow rather than Charleston Road. Yes: Unanimous
Board of Education (April 24)
Disproportionality: The board heard an update on early intervention efforts to help struggling students in regular classrooms, without having to refer them to special education. The district is currently under state sanctions for having a disproportionate number of Hispanic and African-American students in special ed. Action: None Calendar: The board heard a report on staff efforts to promote a smooth transition to a new, district-wide academic calendar for 2012-13 and 2013-14. Action: None
Planning and Transportation Commission (April 25)
Sustainability: The commission heard an update on the Sustainable Community Strategy Draft Preferred Scenario recently released by the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Action: None
Council Rail Committee (April 26)
Rail: The committee discussed the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s revised 2012 business plan and the rail authority’s recently approved revised program Environmental Impact Report for the Bay Area-to-Central Valley segment. Action: None
Rankings
How GPAs translate into decile rankings at Palo Alto high schools
(continued from page 3)
ranking in Palo Alto’s 25th percentile — with a combined score of 1,740 — would rise to the 75th percentile if compared with seniors across California or across the nation. Officials conferred with leaders from other high-achieving school districts, including New Trier Township in Illinois and Eanes Independent School District in Texas, who already have dropped deciles and believe it helped their students. “We want an environment here where kids can try new things and make mistakes — an atmosphere that’s mutually supportive, not encouraging competitiveness, and we think this will help,” Milliken said. N
TALK ABOUT IT
www.PaloAltoOnline.com Do you agree that reporting decile rankings to colleges harm students? Talk about the issue on Town Square, the community discussion forum on Palo Alto Online.
Squatter
(continued from page 3)
They set up residence in abandoned homes or ones that are being remodeled, he said. Philip said the squatters don’t destroy the house. They are just look-
Palo Alto High School, class of 2012
Gunn High School, class of 2011
Decile
GPA (unweighted)
Decile
GPA (unweighted)
1
4.000-3.947
1
4.000-3.976
2
3.945-3.800
2
3.975-3.878
3
3.795-3.675
3
3.875-3.778
4
3.666-3.555
4
3.775-3.673
5
3.550-3.435
5
3.667-3.580
6
3.429-3.250
6
3.575-3.452
7
3.238-3.031
7
3.450-3.222
8
3.030-2.825
8
3.220-2.948
9
2.818-2.452
9
2.929-2.666
10
2.451-1.441
10
2.665-1.125
ing for shelter and a way to set up camp. They are most often detected when workers stumble upon their belongings. “People are desperate for a place to stay,” he said. The squatters haven’t set any fires in the homes, Philip said. But they will sometimes use the backyard to set up a kitchen. “We had one on Northampton where the guy was barbecuing in the backyard,” he said. Palo Alto Fire Battalion Chief Chris Woodard said his department hasn’t encountered many
squatters. He said the problem is a big issue in larger cities, such as Detroit, and in some areas of Massachusetts. Philip said neighbors should keep an eye on properties that are vacant or being remodeled. Some signs of squatters include lights or flashlights used in the house or shopping carts and bicycles sitting in the yard. Often the construction fencing has been pulled out and moved to gain entry, he said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hold a retreat to discuss funding options for repairing the city’s infrastructure. The council will also receive the city manager’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. on Monday, April 30, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). RAIL CORRIDOR TASK FORCE ... The task force plans to discuss its recent report outlining the community vision for the Caltrain corridor. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 1, in Room H-1 at Cubberley Community Center (4000 Middlefield Road). UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the utilities budget for fiscal year 2013 and proposed adjustments to the gas rate. The meeting will begin at noon on Wednesday, May 2, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).
Memberships begin at only 17¢ per day Join today: SupportLocalJournalism.org/PaloAlto Page 16ÊUÊ «À ÊÓÇ]ÊÓä£ÓÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V
Upfront
Community A roundup of community news
edited by Sue Dremann
NONPROFIT NOTEBOOK
TEEN SUBSTANCE-ABUSE WORKSHOPS ... Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS), a nonprofit that provides free and affordable mental health services and preventive education to teens and families, is offering new workshops: Esther’s Pledge Substance Abuse Prevention Workshops and the Substance Abuse Information Line (SAIL). The new services are free. SAIL, a confidential information line, will go live on May 1, and will provide resources, referrals and information for teens, parents or community members. The information line, 650-384-3094, will operate Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. It will be staffed by local professional treatment counselors and supervised by a drugand-alcohol-treatment expert. The prevention workshops will take place May 3 and 17. The one-session workshops will be offered monthly and followed by regular meeting times for two different age groups: young adults (ages 15-21) and parents of young adults; and parents of youth (ages 10-14). Workshops cover substance-abuse warning signs, drug-use information, how to talk to kids and steps for getting help. Reservations: 650-424-0852, ext. 200, or info@acs-teens.org. CAREGIVER WORKSHOPS ... A series of practical caregiver workshops for residents who are caring for frail, elderly loved ones are being given by Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center, 270 Escuela Ave., Mountain View. Professionals will teach skills on how to improve the caregivers’ quality of life and the lives of those for whom they give care. Free, onsite care of the elderly person will be available during the workshop; 48-hour advance notice is required. “How to cope with a loved one’s dementia or Alzheimer’s” will be discussed May 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.; “How to help a family member who has Parkinson’s” will take place June 27 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Information: 650-289-5499. N
Veronica Weber
A RARE SIGHT ... Pandemonium Aviaries, a Palo Alto-area nonprofit that provides care and conservation breeding of more than 40 non-native bird species in 54 aviaries, will open its doors to the public for the first time in its 16-year history on Saturday, May 5. Pandemonium Aviaries, featured in an April 13 cover story in the Palo Alto Weekly, will offer guided tours for a suggested, tax-deductible donation of $50 per child, $75 per adult or $200 per family. The nonprofit aviary began with the 1996 rescue of a wounded dove at the side of a road. Now it shelters rare birds such as the Victoria-crowned pigeon, blue-crowned pigeon and Bartlett’s bleeding heart. Reservations: www. PandemoniumAviaries.org/event. Location information will be provided upon receipt of a donation. N
Alana Schwartz takes Andretti, a yellow Labrador retriever she’s been training for Guide Dogs for the Blind, everywhere with her, including to Nordstrom’s to exchange some shoes.
ANIMALS
An act of devotion Training guide dogs for the blind is a life-long passion for Alana Schwartz by Sue Dremann ver since she was 8 years old, is 8 weeks old, she said. And at the Alana Schwartz has trained end of all that work and bonding, guide dogs for blind and visu- she has to give the dog back. ally impaired persons. A senior at But Schwartz said even as a child Palo Alto High School, Schwartz, she understood there was a greater 18, is training her ninth dog, a yel- purpose to her efforts. low Labrador retriever named An“Hopefully, he will help someone dretti. get their eyes back. You have to look “I loved dogs as a young kid,” she at it positively,” she said. said. All of the dogs she’s trained have Schwartz got into Guide Dogs been yellow Labs, she said. Poised for the Blind dog training because and self-assured, Schwartz said the of her aunt, Robin Levy, a Jordan dogs have taught her much. Middle School teacher. When Levy “I learned a sense of responsibil“dragged” Schwartz to a meeting, ity. Even from a little age, it gave me she met other young people who confidence. You know people are were raising the dogs. And she was watching, so you try to make things hooked, she said. go smoothly,” she said. Her first dog, Logger, went everyOutside Coupa Café, Andretti, a where with her. large male with soft brown eyes and “He came to school, and we flew a relaxed demeanor, lay stretched on a plane and went to Disneyland out at Schwartz’s feet. A man at the with him,” she recalled. next table edged around the sprawlLogger didn’t make it as a guide ing dog, but the yellow Lab didn’t dog — not all have the requisite budge. temperament — but Schwartz was Schwartz reached down and able to adopt him back, she said. scratched behind his ears. She’s had Andretti for 10 months. “I think he might be the best one Training means 14 to 16 months of we have raised. The one we had commitment, starting when the pup before was very energetic. He just
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wanted to start a party everywhere. We’ve had some wild ones,” she said. On average, 50 percent make it as guide dogs, she said. Three of Schwartz’s dogs have graduated to blind owners, she said. The dogs must go far beyond training for an average canine, she said. They learn not to pick up food on the ground and not to chase balls or sticks — a serious hazard when a blind person is at the other end of the leash. Schwartz shares Andretti’s training and care with her aunt. She takes the dog everywhere so he will not be anxious or feel threatened by any situation. Andretti accompanies her to Paly, to elementary schools, on field trips and to the California Avenue Farmers Market. The latter provides plenty of commotion and noisy children, she said. As they learn more skills, the dogs learn to process their surroundings. “It’s almost like they have a human brain,” she said. Two Sundays each month, Schwartz meets with other volunteer dog trainers. “I definitely looked up to older kids when I was young. It’s fun now to help the younger kids,” she said. Schwartz described herself as a “people person.” Besides attending school, she works part time at the downtown yogurt shop Fraiche and also babysits. She has applied for a summer in-
ternship through the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus in San Rafael. And when she leaves for the University of Oregon in the fall, she’ll be situated near the Guide Dogs’ second campus. She wants to continue training dogs, she said. Schwartz isn’t sure what she wants to study, but veterinary medicine and business are two interests. When it comes time to give up Andretti, Schwartz will take him to the San Rafael campus, where he will be trained to wear a harness and stop at curbs. At his graduation, she will get to meet the blind person with whom he will reside. That moment is when the parting is palpable. “Now his main attention is with the blind person. It’s cool to watch what our training has contributed. It really does change their lives,” she said. “I feel fortunate to do something a little selfless — maybe it’s a little selfish because I love the dogs.” Schwartz has kept in touch with some of the dogs. Their owners post photos on Facebook, she said. “I can’t believe it’s already been 10 years. It makes me feel so old. It’s definitely a community-outreach sort of thing. Everyone asks about it. I definitely think it’s very important to be involved in the community. People get to know you,” she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
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CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Palo Alto City Council will hold a public hearing at the regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. or as near thereafter as possible, in the Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, to Consider an Appeal Of An Architectural Review Approval And A Record Of Land Use Action Regarding the Director's Architectural Review Approval Of A Three Story Development Consisting Of 84 Rental Residential Units In 104,971 Square Feet Within The Upper Floors, 50,467 S.F. Ground Floor Research And Development Area, Subterranean And Surface Parking Facilities, And Offsite Improvements, With Two Concessions Under State Housing Density Bonus Law (GC65915) On A 2.5 Acre Parcel At 195 Page Mill Road And 2865 Park Boulevard. * Quasi-Judicial DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk
Renate Merredew Dec. 14, 1946-Feb. 21, 2012
Renate Gruber Merredew passed away February 21, 2012 at her home in Atherton, California at the age of 65. Renate was born in Walern, Austria December 14, 1946. She emigrated to the United States with her family in 1951 and they settled in Aurora, Illinois where she grew up. Following graduation from Valparaiso University and a post graduate degree from Northwestern University, Renate achieved success and personal satisfaction in a variety of careers. She enjoyed living in a number of locations including Glenview, Ill, New Jersey, California, England and Germany. She is survived by her husband, Clive Merredew, and her niece and nephew, Dr. Kristin Pampel and Erik Pampel, both of Chicago. No services are planned. Those wishing to make donations in her name may do so to Pathways Hospice Foundation, 585 N. Mary Ave, Sunnyvale, CA 94085. PA I D
City of Palo Alto ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Draft Negative Declaration has been prepared by the Palo Alto Department of Planning and Community Environment for the project listed below. In accordance with A.B. 886, this document will be available for review and comment during a minimum 20day circulation period beginning April 30 through May 21, 2012 during the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 4:00 P.M. at the Development Center, 285 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. This item will be considered at a public hearing by the Architectural Review Board, Thursday, May 24, 2012 at 8:30 AM. in the Palo Alto City Council Chambers on the first floor of the Civic Center, located at 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Written comments on the Negative Declaration will be accepted until 5:00 PM on May 21, 2012 in the Planning and Community Environment Department Civic Center offices on the fifth floor of City Hall. 3825 Fabian Way [11PLN-00318]: Request by Brian B. Lawry of Gordon Prill, Inc on behalf of Space Systems Loral for Major Architectural Review Board review for a proposed 50 foot tall approximately 15,763 square foot addition to an existing building with associated equipment, parking, and landscaping modification for a manufacturing and testing facility. Environmental Assessment: an Initial Study and Negative Declaration have been prepared. Zone District GM. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, listening assistive devices are available in the Council Chambers and Council Conference Room. Sign language interpreters will be provided upon request with 72 hours advance notice.
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 ***************************************** THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp
(TENTATIVE) AGENDA–SPECIAL MEETINGCOUNCILCHAMBERS APRIL 30, 2012 - 5:00 PM
ACTION ITEMS- RETREAT 1. Presentation and Transmittal of FY2013 Proposed Budget – Referral to Finance Committee 2. Council Retreat No. 3 for Further Discussion of Infrastructure Investment and Renewal. Direction to Staff Regarding Implementation Issues, Funding, and Other Items. Page 18ÊUÊ «À ÊÓÇ]ÊÓä£ÓÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V
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Carl Langdon Carl W. Langdon passed on April 16, 2012 surrounded by his wife Henriette and daughter Maxine following a courageous battle with lung cancer. Carl graduated from Whitman College, the University of Washington, and Santa Clara University. In 1976, he and Henriette relocated to the Silicon Valley to work in the computer industry. Later on, he practiced as a financial advisor. In addition to Henriette and Maxine, he leaves his mother Harriet, sister Leslie and her children Liam and Lindsay. Carl was also uncle to Alexander and Anne, Henriette’s brother’s children. Donations may be made to CancerCare (275 7th Ave.), New York, NY 10001 or at www.cancercare.org/donate, or Hospice of the Valley (4850 Union Ave) San Jose, CA 95124 or hospicevalley.org. PA I D
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NOTICE OF A SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a special public meeting at 4:30 PM, Wednesday, May 9, 2012 in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Civic Center, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the City’s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org. and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday. NEW BUSINESS. Public Hearing: 1. Capital Improvement Program Plan FY 2013-17: Review and recommendation of the Capital Improvement Program Plan FY 201317 for Comprehensive Plan consistency. UNFINISHED BUSINESS. Public Hearing: 2. Housing Element Update: Review and Recommendation to Council of Proposed Draft Comprehensive Plan Housing Element. Questions. For any questions regarding the above items, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2441. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment
Pulse
A weekly compendium of vital statistics
POLICE CALLS Palo Alto April 19-25 Violence related Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft related Checks forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Abandoned bicycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . 13 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .4 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Other/misc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Trespassing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Weapon disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Menlo Park April 19-25 Violence related Assault & battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Assault with a deadly weapon . . . . . . . .1 Child abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .2 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .4 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Minor possession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Sale of drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Miscellaneous Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 CPS Referral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbing the peace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Gang validations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Information case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Atherton April 19-25 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle related Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ticket sign-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Traffic hazard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .5 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Drug or alcohol related Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Special detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .5 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Tree blocking roadway . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Transitions Amgen co-founder George Rathmann Dies
Palo Alto resident George Rathmann, co-founder and first CEO of Amgen, died in his home April 22 after a long illness. He was 84. He was born on Dec. 25, 1927, in Milwaukee, Wis. He received Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and chemistry from Northwestern University and a doctorate in physical chemistry from Princeton University. In 1951, he went to work as a scientist for 3M, where he helped develop 3M’s Scotchgard product. By the late 1970s, he had assumed numerous management roles and had become vice president of research and development for the diagnostics division at Abbott Laboratories in Chicago. During his eight years at Abbott, his products built the diagnostics division from almost nothing into $1 billion in revenue. As a technical manager with a background in both biology and chemistry, he was a first choice for an entirely new field of science and industry: biotechnology. In 1980, he was recruited by venture capitalists as the first CEO and co-founder of Amgen. Over the next 10 years, he built Amgen from its four initial employees into a biotechnology company with thousands of employees and
two multi-billion dollar products, Epogen and Neupogen. In 1990, he retired from Amgen to form ICOS, a new biotechnology company in the Seattle area. While at ICOS, he raised the largest-ever-to-date private offering for a biotechnology company. The offering included an investment from Bill Gates, his first investment in biotechnology. In 1993, he was approached by the late former Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown to find a way to highlight the achievements of the country’s highest award recipients — the laureates receiving the Presidential Medal of Science and the Presidential Medal of Technology (the U.S. equivalent of the Nobel Prize). To accomplish this, he started the National Science and Technology Medals Foundation, which continues to this day. He is survived by his wife of almost 62 years, Joy Rathmann; five children, James (Anne Noonan), Margaret (John Wick), Laura Jean, Sally Kadifa (Abdo George), and Richard (Mary Anne); and 13 grandchildren. In commemoration and celebration of his life, there will be a memorial service held at the First Congregational Church, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto, at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 4. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that those interested in honoring him make a donation to their favorite charity in his memory.
Norvin Powell Norvin Powell, a lifelong resident of the Bay Area, died April 8 after over a year of declining health. He was born July 22, 1952, in San Francisco. He served in the U.S. Army, and then studied engineering at San Jose State University and later bodywork at Body Therapy Center in Palo Alto and the Hendrickson Institute in Kensington. He then attended International
School of Professional Bodywork in San Diego. He built his life around his daughter Serena, and in his last years enjoyed a blossoming relationship with Becky Wecks. Norvin is survived by his daughter Serena Powell, his partner Becky Wecks, Serena’s mother Kristin Powell, his father Ethan Powell and his sister Debra Powell.
Marian “Polly” Montrouil Tierney Oct. 17, 1920-April 15, 2012 Polly passed away peacefully with family at her side. She was preceded in death by her first husband, George Montrouil. She and George founded Royal Glass & Mirror Company in Palo Alto in 1950 with Polly serving as Secretary Treasurer to the corporation. Polly was proud to hold her own private pilot’s license and she flew often with George in their Piper Cherokee. She is survived by her loving family ~ daughters, Joan Phelan and Georgia Keeran, grandchildren Mariana, Carla, Ryan and Kimberly, great-grandsons Tyler and Michael, and her nieces and nephews. Polly also preceded in death her second husband Michael Tierney, and her sister Marjorie Bailey. Services will be private. Memorial donations may be made in Polly’s name to The Hospice of Santa Cruz County at www.hospicesantacruz.org. (831) 430-3000. PA I D
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Spurgeon (Tim) Tyler May 6, 1927-April 16, 2012 Spurgeon S. (Tim) Tyler died suddenly on Monday, April 16, 2012 just before his 85th birthday. He was a resident of Palo Alto from the early 197Os until 1998 when he and his wife Martha (Dibby) Tyler moved to The Sea Ranch. Tim was born in Baltimore, Maryland on May 6, 1927. He grew up in Baltimore spending summers on the Chesapeake Bay with his grandparents in Chance, Maryland on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Tyler men “followed the water” dredging for oysters. His father became captain of one of the last four- mast schooners used in trade with Latin America. When he was three, Tim’s father disappeared and he was told he had been lost at sea. At the age of 12, Tim entered McDonogh School, a boys’ boarding school in Baltimore. He graduated in 1945 just as World War II was ending, enlisted in the Army and served with the Army Air Corps in Germany during the early occupation witnessing part of the Nuremberg trials. After completing his service in the Army, Tim entered the University of Maryland graduating in 1950 with a BS in industrial engineering. His varied career began with the Federal government where he worked in personnel for the Department of the Navy recruiting college graduates for government service. He left government for Southern Railway where he helped develop the first computer program to manage rail operations. The rest of his career was spent in the forefront of the new and vibrant computer industry. He became a program manager at IBM in New York and served as a vice President of the Singer Corporation. In the early 1970’s, Tim moved to California as an independent consultant, working on a major study for the National Bureau of Standards on how computer technology could improve community and education services using Jacksonville, Florida as a case study.
He wrote reports for industry executives on the directions of computer technology. He retired gradually and after years of visiting The Sea Ranch and experimenting with telecommuting, he and Dibby made the move to the coast in 1998. He read, wrote, walked, visited with friends and traveled, but most of all he read--everything from poetry to mathematics. His son-in-law, Mark Ostrau says: “Tim’s life–both professional and personal–was anchored in a belief in the power of knowledge and the desire to make knowledge accessible to others, from foundational work in computing and digital information to helping underprivileged children or those with special needs learn to read.” Along with his wife, he is survived by his children Stephanie of Acton, Massachusetts, Marc and wife Beth of Cape Elizabeth, Maine and Eric and wife Angie of Las Vegas, Nevada; stepchildren Sandy Ostrau and husband Mark of Palo Alto, Steven Blair and wife Haley Jackson of Long Beach. He also leaves his grandchildren John Tyler Kergil, Skylar Kergil, Heather Ostrau and Scott Ostrau. He was predeceased by his first wife and mother of his children, Betty Lou Tyler and is survived by his second wife Judy Golub of Los Altos. A memorial service to honor the life of Tim Tyler will be held on Sunday, May 6, 2012 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm at the Del Mar Center Hall at The Sea Ranch. Any donations in Tim’s name can be made to a local charity of your choice. PA I D O B I T UA RY
Doris D. Salzer (1917 – 2012) Doris Salzer died peacefully in Palo Alto Saturday, March 31, 2012 after a long illness. Doris was born in 1917 in Boston, Mass. to Molly (Berlin) and Abraham Lyon. Doris attended Wellesley College during the Depression, earning a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After graduating, she worked for a Columbia University research lab that she would find out later had been part of the Manhattan Project. She and her late husband Peter were married for 50 years, most of it in Worcester, Mass. During that time, Doris raised three children next door to her two sisters and across the street from their mother. She also completed a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Clark University in Worcester, and she worked for many years in the local school system as a psychologist and in a group practice testing and advising children with learning disabilities. She and Peter were active in Worcester’s Temple Emanuel, and enjoyed frequent trips to New York and around the world. A second home on Cape Cod served as a family destination for nearly 50 years where Doris entertained family and friends, and delighted in collecting shellfish, preparing large family meals, swimming with her grandchildren and taking them to the flea market. After her husband’s death, Doris moved to Oak Creek Apartments in Palo Alto, where she lived for more than a decade, making new
friends, traveling to new places and undertaking new endeavors. Later, while suffering from Alzheimer’s, she benefited from the support of several devoted caregivers. She is lovingly remembered by her family and many friends for her generous and warm heart, her intellect and love of learning, and her abiding support and devotion to her family, especially her grandchildren, whom she adored. Doris is survived by three children, Karen Salzer Wiener of Los Altos and her husband Bruce, Susan Fort of Seattle and her husband F. William, James of New York City and his wife Barbara Hempstead; a sister, Norma Kumin of Peabody, Mass.; nine grandchildren, Jocelyn, Jonathan, Andrew and Matthew Wiener, Sarah, Meredith and David Fort, and Rebecca and Abigail Salzer; six great-grandchildren; and many loving nieces, nephews and cousins. A memorial service was held April 15 at noon at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills. Charitable donations in her memory may be made to the Doris Salzer Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Greater Worcester Community Foundation. For information, contact lisi@ greaterworcester.org. PA I D
OBITUARY
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Editorial
Toxics don’t belong next to homes Zoning should prohibit use of industrial toxic chemicals near Barron Park and other neighborhoods he six-year conflict between Barron Park residents and Communications & Power Industries (CPI) over the company’s use of toxic chemicals illustrates the difficulty of removing a legal non-conforming use from a neighborhood that is threatened by a spill or the accidental release of these dangerous substances. Located at 811 Hansen Way in one of the original Varian Associates buildings built in 1953, CPI is one of the few companies left that are operating hazardous production processes in a research park that has gradually evolved to be dominated by office uses. And while Barron Park was developed after Varian built its facility, concern over the toxic hazards to the neighborhood didn’t arise until CPI expanded its plating operation in 2006 and soon after accidentally released nitric acid into the air and raised alarms in Barron Park. Residents became more concerned in March 2008, when CPI spilled a hydrochloric acid and water solution in a rear driveway and then two months later, dumped nearly 50 gallons of wastewater containing copper and nickel into Matadero Creek. The three incidents galvanized the neighbors, who have persistently tried to get CPI’s hazardous activities stopped. Monday night, more than a dozen Barron Park residents pressed the council to force CPI to either move or stop its use of toxic chemicals. Such substances should not be located so close to their homes, they said. “This plating shop is right behind our neighborhood,” said Samir Tuma, a Barron Park resident who lives on Chimalus Drive near CPI. “A plating shop with potassium cyanide and nitric acid does not belong right next door to our neighborhood.” It shouldn’t be allowed next to any neighborhood, and the City Council appears on track to do what should have been done long ago: provide reasonable notice to CPI that the use of toxic chemicals next to residential neighborhoods will be prohibited. Complicating the matter for the council were assertions from CPI President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Fickett, who said the amount of chemicals stored at the company are now below the threshold of Title 19, a state law that restricts the amount of chemicals a company can store before it has to add safety measures. He said CPI’s premises are monitored 24-hours a day and that trained employees watch over every delivery of dangerous chemicals. The company employs about 650 workers and Fickett said it has no plans to move anytime soon. And in his view, it would be unlawful for the city to force it to move. Sorry, we don’t buy it. While CPI is in compliance with the zoning code by virtue of its grandfathered rights to continue what is known as a non-conforming use, the city has several ways to begin a process that would eventually require CPI to either shut down its plating operation or move it to another location. Three options were laid out in a staff report for the council and could be implemented regardless of whether CPI’s use is now below Title 19 thresholds for hazardous materials. The first, and in our view the most practical, is for the city to amend the zoning to prohibit plating shops or facilities using similar hazardous materials from being located within 300 feet of residential zones, and require current uses to cease after a reasonable period. A study done for the city found that 20 years is a reasonable period for CPI to phase out its operations, with the clock starting in 2006, the year CPI made its most recent improvements at the Hansen Way site. That would give the company 14 years to phase out its use of toxic chemicals. Other options would require that more details be disclosed about hazardous chemicals and their use near residential areas, while a third would not seek to modify zoning but would work with CPI and the neighbors to achieve voluntary reductions in the use of hazardous chemicals near the neighborhood. The council is taking a cautious approach to the issue, but did move toward what we hope will be a solution, deciding to ask a consultant to reassess the definition of a hazardous facility like CPI. The consultant would compare the best ways to handle hazardous materials with practices currently in use by CPI and advise the council on possible risk levels that could assist in making a zoning change. After this study is complete, the council gave itself six months to take action, a reasonable amount of time but still addressing the urgency expressed by the Barron Park homeowners. We hope that the plan laid out this week will finally bring a resolution to a problem that has been festering unnecessarily for six years or longer. Today, no company using hazardous materials like CPI would be permitted to locate near a residential neighborhood. Now, it is the city’s responsibility to remedy a situation that has gone on long enough. Apologies for past problems and improved emergency procedures aren’t enough. It is time for the city to begin the amortization process and for CPI to find another site for its plating operation. Residents should not be subjected to the risks that these substances could escape containment and threaten their homes and lives.
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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions
Support Cal Ave plan Editor, I want to voice my strong and wholehearted support for the city’s plan to improve California Avenue and make it more of a destination. I am a resident of one of the large condo complexes near California Avenue, and I believe that those objecting to the plan are wrong. Just consider vibrant Castro Street in downtown Mountain View, which has a similar layout. Merchants do not appear to be struggling there. What is most troubling to me is that a few shortsighted people are blocking change at a time when the city is (finally!) attending to our oftenneglected neighborhood. Jamie Beckett Park Boulevard
Move center to airport Editor, In a recent editorial comment, you mentioned a move of the animal shelter would free up the space for an auto dealership. You said the Municipal Services Center would offer space for even more dealerships if the center can be moved. The land (where the center and the animal shelter are) can be developed into a real auto row to house four to five auto dealerships and generate millions per year for the city in rent and sales taxes. You posted a question asking where the center can be moved. I have an answer. Palo Alto can close its under-performing airport and use the land to house the Municipal Services Center. There will be enough land at the airport for other exciting uses. The airport is a large 100 acres of land that is generating only 50 cents of rent per year for the city. It is being used mainly by pilots who are not Palo Alto residents. The airport is an operation that is outdated and not compatible with the green goals of the city. Besides housing the Municipal Services Center, the airport land can house a new public-safety building and be used to expand the Baylands Park and to provide more muchneeded playing fields. Another exciting potential is a land swap with the Bayland Athletic Center, which is currently in a prime location for office development. The current playing fields at the athletic center can be moved to the airport and the city can sell or develop the land at the athletic center. I think the airport is a very valuable piece of property that can be used in a much more environmen-
tally friendly and economically productive manner. I think the city should start a dialogue and explore alternative uses of the property. Joseph Afong Harriet Street
College Terrace parking Editor, I just got done talking with two very nice police officers. A local business called them to complain about my car being parked in front of its store. The police politely explained to the sales clerk that I have a right to park there and that I had done nothing wrong. This is the same thing I told the sales clerk an hour earlier, but she evidently was upset enough to call the police. It seems to me to be a waste of precious police time to constantly have to deal with parking in and around business in Palo Alto. The businesses pay taxes, generate sales tax and otherwise are good for all of us who live here. Why do you not make all commercial neighborhood parking into three-hour parking, or some
other appropriate length during normal business hours? The business along El Camino from Starbucks at Stanford Avenue to Panda Express at Cambridge Avenue have to suffer every day with one individual who is utilizing 15 parking spaces within the commercial neighborhood zone along El Camino. I am sure the business could use 15 more spaces for their customers. The police know who this person is and spend a great deal of time on trying to enforce parking laws. Their hands are tied because of the parking rules that have been allowed to remain in place. The city should get with the police chief and work out a set of fair parking so our businesses do not have their customers go elsewhere for services. This was promised to the College Terrace Residents’ Association five years ago when the city initiated the residential parking program. How long does it take to get appropriate changes made in your city? Larry Robert Kavinoky Oxford Avenue
YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.
What do you think? Should Palo Alto prohibit use of hazardous materials near neighborhoods? Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number so we can reach you. We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, objectionable content, libel and factual errors known to us. Anonymous letters will generally not be accepted. You can also participate in our popular interactive online forum, Town Square, at our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Read blogs, discuss issues, ask questions or express opinions with you neighbors any time, day or night. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Media to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jocelyn Dong or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.
PaloSpectrum Alto Weekly
Guest Opinion
A five-story building has been proposed for the corner of Lytton Avenue and Alma Street in downtown Palo Alto.
Courtesy of Korth Sunseri Hagey Architects
‘Gateway’ elicits strong feelings on either side Project breaks all of city’s zoning rules by Ellen Wyman he Palo Alto City Council seems to have forgotten that the role of a city council is to represent the will of the public. For years our council did a good job of being in tune with the public Ellen Wyman and responsive to their concerns; those were years when we enacted the 50-foot height limit and adhered to it and when exemptions were truly exceptionally rare as they were intended to be. The Lytton Gateway project at Alma and Lytton is simply a developer’s dream. This building wildly exceeds our zoning code and is dramatically out of step with our Comprehensive Plan. It even calls for removing 30 mature trees in a community known for its trees. Are we really ready for another California Avenue tree fiasco? Appropriately, the council did send the developer back to the drawing board. However, it also proposed awarding PC (Planned Community) zoning that is worth millions of dollars. As originally proposed, the project substantially exceeded code not only on height but also density FAR (floor-to-area ratio), and disregarded daylight plane and parking requirements. It simply thumbed its nose at the city’s longstanding height limit — proposing 84 feet in a 50-foot zone, a whopping 68 percent more than code permits. Of course, the project is referred to as a 64-foot building
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with a 20-foot tower. In my book that’s an 84-foot building. Appropriately, the council reduced the height by one floor but appears to accept the tower if reduced proportionately. That would still be about 36 percent taller than our 50-foot height limit. The City’s Architectural Review Board ignored its mandate and simply rubber-stamped the project stating, “The design is consistent and compatible with applicable elements of the city’s Comprehensive Plan...” The board did so despite the fact that our Comprehensive Plan states, “Maintain the scale and character of the city. Avoid land uses that are overwhelming and unacceptable due to their size and scale.” Talk about a feckless board. In addition, since the project has the potential for creating 200 new jobs and provides for only 14 dwelling units, the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) will surely seize on this to demand that Palo Alto build 186 more dwelling units somewhere. The developer’s proposed financial donation for a parking study won’t begin to make up for the project’s parking deficit. The money will be gone in a few years, and we will be left with the problems: a larger ABAG housing mandate and a truly serious parking deficit. Ah yes, the parking deficit. New developments must provide parking for all employees and the developer speaks of 200. But shouldn’t he provide parking for clients and customers as well? Parking is a serious problem now; just ask Downtown North or University South residents. New development
cannot be allowed that exacerbates this problem. One fact that cannot be ignored is that any building as excessively large as the proposed Lytton Gateway will serve as precedent. Approve one egregiously outsize structure, and it serves as precedent thereafter, thus encouraging more such deviations from code. Is this what we want? The Weekly tells us that this project represents in many ways the city’s drive to encourage more intense development near major traffic centers. Is this the city’s new drive? Does the community support this “new urbanism” goal? I would wager that most residents couldn’t even define “new urbanism” let alone have an informed opinion of it. The public was certainly not involved in adopting this “goal.” But three cheers for Planning Commissioner Susan Fineberg who voted against Lytton Gateway because it is inconsistent with Comprehensive Plan, the city’s own land use document and guide mandated by the state that is supposed to govern the city’s development. But where were the rest of our Planning Commissioners? And where oh where are our council members? They don’t have to approve a project even in concept simply because someone proposes it. Palo Alto needs to get back to involving the residents in setting public policy — and needs to do so quickly. The council must not assume that the community sup-
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Even without housing, Gateway offers many benefits by Jim Baer fter eight public hearings with few opposing speakers, we believe the Gateway project, a transitoriented development with Planned Com mun ity zoning proposed for 101 Lytton Ave., is nearing final approval. Both the Arc h it e c t u r a l Jim Baer Review Board and the Planning and Transportation Commission recommended the City Council approve an earlier version of the project with four floors of office space and a fifth floor of rental apartments, of which half were “affordable” below-marketrate units. Then on March 12, the City Council, while indicating support for a strong Gateway building, directed the removal of the fifthfloor residences, preferring instead that the 101 Project provide greater investment in transportation and parking innovations. Other PC zones within the downtown area have included many other well-supported “landmark” buildings, including 250 University, 529 Bryant, 531 Cowper, 499 University, 400 Emerson, the Byxbee House, among others. The new direction from the council was largely in response to neighborhoods that have been impacted by obtrusive parking on their resi-
A
dential streets by Downtown employees. The next hearing will be May 7 before the City Council. Even with the removal of the fifth-floor residences, the 101 Project remains a leader in transitoriented-development. The new office building greatly reduces vehicular traffic. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission reports that offices near a train station can reduce car trips by up to 42 percent. A downtown office reduces far more car trips than does downtown housing. Few residents ride the train. Instead, because of the high cost of Palo Alto housing, residents choose to live in Palo Alto so they can be near their work in Palo Alto. On the other hand, many employees commute by train to Palo Alto for legal, financial and technology jobs. As the highest train-boarding and departing location between San Jose and San Francisco, Palo Alto is a leader for transit-oriented-development. The 101 Project offers the greatest variety and value of public benefits ever provided in the downtown. For example: s (OUSING BENefits include more than $2 million for affordable housing, with a $1.2 million contribution and an $826,000 impact fee. s 0ARKING BENEFITS INCLUDE BY far the largest in-lieu parking fee, $1.5 million, ever paid in the city. None of this fee would be required if the council allowed the 1:1 FAR parking exemption provided under any standard zoning, without dis-
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Spectrum
‘Gateway’ con (continued from page 23)
ports “new urbanism� or a seriously oversized Lytton Gateway. Moreover, if the residents care about our community and the direction it’s going, they need to get back to watching the council and current events and involving themselves in the discussions that set the direction of development.
Palo Alto won’t remain the attractive and inviting community with treelined streets that we all enjoy without awareness and involvement by each of us. ■Ellen Wyman, a long-time Palo Alto resident, has been involved in numerous local issues from the time of the 1967 City Council recall to, most recently, preserving the historic “bird bath� fountain on California Avenue.
Streetwise
‘Gateway’ pro (continued from page 23)
cretionary approval. In addition, the project will: s 0ROVIDE ATTENDANT PARKING FOR SPACES ONLY spaces are credited). s #ONTRIBUTE TO THE .EIGHBORHOOD 0REServation and Permit Parking Program for ProfessorVILLE AND $OWNTOWN .ORTH s 0ROVIDE PUBLIC ACCESS FOR PRIVATE PARKING spaces. s #ONTRIBUTE TO DOWNTOWN PARKING PROgrams. s "EGIN A TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM TO REDUCE PARKING BY PERCENT
s 0ROVIDE URBAN DESIGN BENEFITS VALUED AT OVER s 4O SUPPORT ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP PROVIDE FOR ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS TRANSIT PASSES FOR TENANTS :IP #ARS AND EXCEED building standards for improved energy and water conservation. ■Jim Baer is one of the city’s most active developers and real estate consultants. He is representing the three developers of the 101 Lytton project, Lund Smith, Boyd Smith Jr. and Scott Foster. Baer helped the Weekly develop its office building on Cambridge Avenue and co-owned it until construction was completed in 2009, when the Weekly bought out his interest. The Weekly has no current financial ties to Baer.
Do you think Palo Alto needs more playing fields? Asked on Middlefield Road. Interviews and photographs by Bryce Druzin.
Henry Jackson
Architect Maddox Drive “I’m not so sure about playing fields, but certainly parks and green spaces. It’s what Palo Alto’s known for.�
Robert Menjivar
Supervisor at Starbucks Emerson Street “Yes, it’s very important for children during their childhood. It keeps kids out of trouble.�
Jennifer Rishy-Maharaj
Homemaker Celia Drive “There’s lots of space at Greer Park. ... I think what we really need is a good dog park.�
David Brown
Retired East Palo Alto “Palo Alto does not need new parks. I have a family member who works for the City of Palo Alto and he tells me how they waste money.�
Mary Wong
Stay-at-home mom Ross Road “I think Palo Alto could use more playing fields because of all the teams that utilize the green spaces.�
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CITY OF PALO ALTO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That The City Council Of The City Of Palo Alto Will Hold A Public Hearing At The Regular Council Meeting On Monday, May 7, 2012 At 7:00 P.M., Or As Near Thereafter As Possible, In The Council Chambers, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California Declaring Its Intention To Levy An Assessment Against Businesses Within The Downtown Palo Alto Business Improvement District For Fiscal Year 2013. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk Resolution No. _____ Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Declaring Its Intention to Levy an Assessment Against Businesses Within the Downtown Palo Alto Business Improvement District for Fiscal Year 2013 and Setting a Time and Place for May 7, 2012 at 7:00 PM or Thereafter, in the Council Chambers THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALTO DOES HEREBY FIND, DECLARE, AND ORDER AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. The Parking and Business Improvement Area Law of 1989 (the “Law”), California Streets and Highways Code Sections 36500 et seq., authorizes the City Council to levy an assessment against businesses within a parking and business improvement area which is in addition to any assessments, fees, charges, or taxes imposed in the City.
protest shall contain or be accompanied by written evidence that the person subscribing is the owner of the business. A written protest which does not comply with the requirements set forth in this paragraph will not be counted in determining a majority protest (as defined below). If, at the conclusion of the public hearing, written protests are received from the owners of businesses in the District which will pay 50 percent or more of the assessments proposed to be levied and protests are not withdrawn so as to reduce the protests to less than 50 percent (i.e., there is a majority protest), no further proceedings to levy the proposed assessment, as contained in this resolution of intention, shall be taken for a period of one year from the date of the finding of a majority protest by the City Council. If the majority protest is only against the furnishing of a specified type or types of improvement or activity within the District, those types of improvements or activities shall be eliminated. SECTION 10. For a full and detailed description of the improvements and activities to be provided for fiscal year 2013, the boundaries of the District and the proposed assessments to be levied against the businesses within the District for fiscal year 2013, reference is hereby made to the Report of the Advisory Board. The Report is on file with the City Clerk and open to public inspection. SECTION 11. The City Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to provide notice of the public hearing in accordance with law.
SECTION 2. Pursuant to the Law, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 4819 establishing the Downtown Palo Alto Business Improvement District (the “District”) in the City of Palo Alto.
SECTION 12. The Council finds that the adoption of this resolution does not meet the definition of a project under Section 21065 of the California Environmental Quality Act and, therefore, no environmental impact assessment is necessary.
SECTION 3. The City Council, by Resolution No. 8416, appointed the Board of Directors of the Palo Alto Downtown Business & Professional Association, a California nonprofit mutual benefit corporation, to serve as the Advisory Board for the District (the “Advisory Board”).
Exhibit “A”
SECTION 4. In accordance with Section 36533 of the law, the Advisory Board prepared and filed with the City Clerk a report entitled “Downtown Palo Alto Business Improvement District, Annual Report 2012-2013” (the “Report”). The City Council hereby preliminarily approves the report. SECTION 5. The boundaries of the District are within the City limits of the City of Palo Alto (the “City”) and encompass the greater downtown area of the City, generally extending from El Camino Real to the East, Webster Street to the West, Lytton Avenue to the North and Addison Avenue to the South (east of Emerson Street, the boundaries extend only to Forest Avenue to the South). Reference is hereby made to the map of the District attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated herein by reference for a complete description of the boundaries of the District. SECTION 6. The City Council hereby declares its intention, in addition to any assessments, fees, charges or taxes imposed by the City, to levy and collect an assessment against businesses within the District for fiscal year 2013 (July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013). Such assessment is not proposed to increase from the assessment levied and collected for the prior fiscal year. The method and basis of levying the assessment is set forth in Exhibit “B” attached hereto, and incorporated herein by reference. SECTION 7. The types of improvements to be funded by the levy of an assessment against businesses within the District are the acquisition, construction, installation or maintenance of any tangible property with an estimated useful life of five years or more. The types of activities to be funded by the levy of an assessment against businesses within the District are the promotion of public events which benefit businesses in the area and which take place on or in public places within the District; the furnishing of music in any public place in the District; and activities which benefit businesses located and operating in the District.
Exhibit “B” Downtown Palo Alto Business Improvement District Annual BID Assessments
SECTION 8. New businesses established in the District after the beginning of any fiscal year shall be exempt from the levy of the assessment for that fiscal year. In addition, nonprofit organizations, newspapers and professional “single-person businesses,” defined as those businesses which have 25% or less full time equivalent employees, including the business owner, shall be exempt from the assessment. SECTION 9. The City Council hereby fixes the time and place for a public hearing on the proposed levy of an assessment against businesses within the District for fiscal year 2013 as follows: TIME: 7:00 p.m. or soon thereafter DATE: Monday, May 7, 2012 PLACE: City Council Chambers 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, California 94301 At the public hearing, the testimony of all interested persons regarding the levy of an assessment against businesses within the District for fiscal year 2013 shall be heard. A protest may be made orally or in writing by any interested person. Any protest pertaining to the regularity or sufficiency of the proceedings must be in writing and shall clearly set forth the irregularity or defect to which the objection is made. Every written protest must be filed with the City Clerk at or before the time fixed for the public hearing. The City Council may waive any irregularity in the form or content of any written protest and at the public hearing may correct minor defects in the proceedings. A written protest may be withdrawn in writing at any time before the conclusion of the public hearing. Each written protest must contain a description of the business in which the person subscribing the protest is interested sufficient to identify the business and, if a person subscribing is not shown on the official records of the City as the owner of the business, the
Note 1: For retail, restaurant, service, and professional businesses, size will be determined by number of employees either full-time or equivalent (FTE) made up of multiples of part-time employees. A full FTE equals approximately 2000 hours annually. Lodging facilities will be charged by number of rooms available and financial institutions will be charged a flat fee. Note 2: Second floor (and higher) businesses located within Zone A will be assessed the same as similar street-level businesses located within Zone B. Note 3: Assessment amounts are rounded to the nearest ten dollars. The minimum assessment will be $50.00. ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ «À ÊÓÇ]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 25
Cover Story
Avenidas honors those who’ve made a huge difference over their lifetimes
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ach year, Palo Alto nonprofit Avenidas honors citizens age 65 and older who’ve made significant contributions to the community, professionally and through volunteer service. This year’s Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement honorees have contributed much more than their money. They’ve given their time, care and effort to the causes and organizations that they believe are important to the community. “There are always more people than we are able to honor in this community,” said Mary Hohensee, vice president of development at Avenidas. “There’s been so much incredible work done in this com-
munity, and this valley doesn’t exist because people only cared about themselves. It exists because people went out and did for others, and this is a great reflection of that.” Avenidas will host a garden party for the honorees on Sunday, May 20, from 3 to 5 p.m. along with its community partners, the Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Online. Proceeds from the garden party, which will be held at 334 Lincoln Ave., will help fund the programs offered at Avenidas. Tickets can be purchased for $75 by contacting Avenidas at 650-289-5445 or www. avenidas.org. N
Jean Coblentz
Bill Floyd
Phyllis Moldaw
Kenneth Sletten
Jill Smith
Boyd Smith
— Eric Van Susteren
Cover Story
Veronica Weber
Veronica Weber
A
Jean Coblentz
Bill Floyd
Still growing after more than 50 years of volunteerism
Retired executive has always found satisfaction in charity
by Eric Van Susteren
by Eric Van Susteren
fter decades of volunteer work and community service, Jean Coblentz said she got where she is today by offering to do the work no one else wanted. “You never know when volunteering will take you to the next step,” she said. “So many of the interesting things I’ve done I did because nobody else wanted to.” The daughter of missionaries, Coblentz spent several years of her childhood in China. She joined Stanford University’s Cap and Gown, a women leaders’ honors society, in 1947, co-founded the society’s board in 1953, and hasn’t stopped since. She is chair of the Allied Arts Guild Auxiliary in Menlo Park, where she has volunteered for 50 years. She has been a development officer at Stanford for 27 years, where she served two terms with Associates of Stanford Libraries. She is also an honorary member of the PTA. Coblentz came to Stanford in 1943 and, after a brief stint living in San Francisco, has lived in the area ever since. As a freshman at Stanford she majored in social sciences and minored in psychology. “I’d recommend that major for a lot people who have no particular talent, but the goal was that I wanted an education, and it allowed me to get some of this and some of that,” she said. “It was a good platform to launch to other places.” The first place her education “launched” her was the Hewlett-Packard Company, which was then still a fledgling in the corporate world. During her last quarter at Stanford, Coblentz took a class in industrial psychology, and the professor had continually
praised the company. She went to the company “just to peep in the window” but after a 15-minute conversation was hired on as a secretary for the vice president of marketing. From this position, she said she learned a lot about volunteerism, which Hewlett-Packard championed. “It was a wonderful start for the world of volunteerism and giving,” she said. She worked at the Hewlett-Packard until she had the second of her four children with her husband, Maurice “Harry” Coblentz. But she wasn’t idle. She said she was very involved with the PTA and scouting troops for boys and girls. Close to 50 years ago she started a book club with two friends. That led to an invitation from Channing House in 1968, where she’s given book reviews twice a year since. By the time her last child went to school in 1962, one of Coblentz’s friends offered her a spot on the Menlo-Atherton Auxiliary, a volunteer organization that supports the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. “By George, I was ready to get back to work,” she said. She said she’s still very active with what is now the Allied Arts Auxiliary, has been the president three times, and sits on the board today. Coblentz was organizing volunteers for the Homemaker Service of Santa Clara County when she was tapped by the new director of the annual fund at Stanford to be a development officer for the school. She was told that the organization needed more (continued on page 29)
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ill Floyd first did work to benefit his community as an Eagle Scout in the late ‘40s. Today, even as a major fundraiser and donor, he still enjoys putting in the hours to help people. “I make gifts to a wide range of organizations, but I only spend time on some,” he said. “I get more satisfaction working with those I devote my time to as well as my money.” Floyd has devoted himself to more than a few organizations and causes. A graduate of University of California, Berkeley, he has been a Berkeley Foundation Trustee since 1994 and has chaired the Berkeley Engineering Fund Board since 1996. Locally, he’s served Lytton Gardens, Community Housing Inc., YMCA of the MidPeninsula, the Children’s Health Council and Avenidas. He’s also served on the Yosemite Conservancy Board since 1993. Floyd has received recognition for his efforts, particularly in the area of fundraising. In 1997, he was named the Silicon Valley Distinguished Fundraiser for helping raise $2.2 million to renovate the Sequoia YMCA in Redwood City. Floyd grew up using the YMCA, and he sent his children to its programs as well. He said he supports the organization’s mission. “It’s a lot more than a place to lift weights and exercise,” he said. “There are youth leagues, parenting classes, youth camps and swim lessons and a lot more.” While serving on the board of the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, Floyd helped double the organization’s endowment from $15 million to $30 million. As general chair of the Berkeley Engineering
Fund, he raised money for the engineering portion of Berkeley’s New Century Capital Campaign. The campaign, which ended in 2001, surpassed its $1.1 billion goal, reaching $1.4 billion. He also helped complete a $13.5 million project to renovate the area at the base of Yosemite Falls. “My late wife and I had talked about it about the time she died,” he said. “I pursued the project, and it was 10 years from planning to ribbon cutting — that was 1995 to 2005.” He has since remarried, and he and his second wife have six children and 16 grandchildren between the two of them. Currently, he’s president of Friends of Cal, an advocacy organization for UC Berkeley created in response to declining state funding for the university. “Each campus needs to capitalize on its individual strengths so it can thrive,” said Floyd, who received his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Berkeley. “We need more decisions made at the campus level. There are a lot decisions made by the office of the president that would be better made by the chancellor’s office.” A native San Franciscan and fourth-generation Californian, Floyd has spent much of his life in the Bay Area. After attending the Harvard Business School, he started a family and worked as a vice president and director at Sierra Chemical Company, which made fertilizers for greenhouses and nurseries until he retired in 1989. “At that point I took off my for-profit hat and put on my charitable hat,” he said. (continued on page 29)
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Cover Story
Veronica Weber
Veronica Weber
P
Phyllis Moldaw
Ken Sletten
‘Seeing the potential’ and reaching out
A passion for building community
by Chris Kenrick
by Sue Dremann
hyllis Moldaw observes that she’s “come full circle” in Palo Alto, where in the 1950s she and her husband, Stuart, started their family. Stuart Moldaw — an entrepreneur who went on to found Ross Dress For Less and Gymboree, among other retail winners — launched his first venture, Country Casuals, at Palo Alto’s Midtown Shopping Center in 1958. Last week, Phyllis Moldaw sat for an interview at the Moldaw Family Residences, the new senior housing complex at the Taube-Koret Campus for Jewish Life, less than a mile from where the couple first made a home more than a half-century ago in the Greenmeadow neighborhood. The Campus for Jewish Life housing was named for the Moldaws after a major gift from the family in 2008, the year Stuart Moldaw died. “I feel very privileged and honored to have this award,” she said of the Lifetimes of Achievement honor. “But I’m not standing alone in receiving it.” Moldaw has served as board president of the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, as board member of the Moldaw Family Residences, and as a major supporter of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Communities in Schools and other organizations. She and her husband helped fund construction of the Moldaw-Zaffaroni Clubhouse for the Boys & Girls Club in East Palo Alto, which holds classrooms, a fullsize gym and indoor and outdoor play spaces that serve as a daily after-school base for hundreds of East Palo Alto chil-
dren. “You can’t put a price on it. I don’t know how to describe it, seeing these young people having a home away from home where people understand their lives,” she said. Moldaw participates in major clubhouse activities, including the annual “Youth of the Year” competition, in which teenagers speak before a large audience of family, classmates and donors about their experiences and views of the world. “The struggles they face in their lives and the obstacles they’ve overcome is remarkable,” said Moldaw, who has served on the speech-judging panels. As the December holidays approached one year, shortly after her husband died, Moldaw found herself wishing she could take someone to the Nutcracker at the San Francisco Opera House, a tradition she had always loved with her two daughters and four grandchildren. “It’s such a magical moment, and then I realized: The children are right here at the Boys & Girls Club.” With help from the staff — and new outfits courtesy of Ross Dress For Less — Moldaw for the past three years has taken 18 girls from the club to a matinee Nutcracker performance of the San Francisco Ballet. “The girls walk into the Opera House, and they feel like they’re in a palace or a castle. Their wonderment is precious,” Moldaw said. Moldaw largely credits her husband, whom she met when both were students at Syracuse University, for the family’s phil-
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K
en Sletten has built some of the Bay Area’s best-recognized buildings, among them the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and more than 20 buildings at Stanford University. But Sletten, 82, isn’t being honored for his building prowess this time. His Lifetimes of Achievement Award is for his work helping to build homes for the disadvantaged with Habitat for Humanity, among his other philanthropic achievements. Sletten spent 10 years on the Habitat for Humanity board “pounding nails” and serves on the boards of Stanford Athletics and the Palo Alto Club. He is a past board member of Children’s Health Council and Peninsula Family YMCA and is a donor to the Stanford DAPER Investment Fund. His former construction company, Rudolph and Sletten Inc., took on some of the most complex, specialized building demands for Silicon Valley companies, he said. But through his philanthropic work, Sletten said he is able to express his passion to change communities and make them more livable. It’s the responsibility of every business to influence positive, humanitarian change, he said. He was honored for his work by Habitat for Humanity at its Blueprints and Blue Jeans gala on April 26. Through Habitat, he’s seen a Redwood City neighborhood rife with drugs and prostitutes turn into a clean, safer community. He’s taken great satisfaction in helping a schoolchild to have an individual bedroom in which to study, he said.
“The most gratifying thing is on dedication day, when we open up the homes and present the key. That is the most moving thing that anybody sees,” Sletten said. “They always feel so grateful. It’s hard to find a dry eye in the house.” The living conditions for many of the families before obtaining Habitat homes are “pretty terrible. ... Most are living five families in a one-bedroom apartment,” he said. As a high school student in the Midwest, Sletten worked for city water company digging ditches. He also worked on a paving crew for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, he said. He majored in civil engineering at the University of Colorado, always knowing he wanted to go into construction, he said. Serving in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean conflict, Sletten was badly injured by a mortar attack. He spent a year in the hospital and received a Purple Heart. After leaving the hospital and service, he went to the Stanford Graduate School of Business. “By that time, I decided to be in business for myself,” he said. Sletten took a job at a medium-sized construction company Williams and Burroughs, Inc., where he could learn what he didn’t yet know about the business, he said. He met Onslow “Rudy” Rudolph while working there. Rudolph started a small construction business in his Los Altos garage, and Sletten joined him as a partner. Work for businesses in the burgeoning fields of high-tech and biotech followed. (continued on next page)
Cover Story
Veronica Weber
Jill and Boyd Smith The glue that makes a community work by Carol Blitzer
O
n a typical morning in Old Palo Alto, neighbors can spot Jill and Boyd Smith taking their daily walk — if they are up early enough. Outside by 5:30 or 6 a.m., the Smiths usually spend about an hour talking about the most pressing issues in their lives, whether it’s family, church, business, politics or volunteer work. That desire to communicate — and the built-in discipline to do it — has defined their 51-year marriage. They’ve accomplished much — their list of achievements could fill many lifetimes — but shy away from taking credit. Jill, who punctuates her straight talk with a hearty laugh, instead sees herself as representing the great unnoticed sea of volunteers “who are never ... recognized for their service but who quietly take responsibility for doing what needs to be done, often one person at a time, to make our community a better place. They are the glue that holds our community together and makes it work,” she wrote in a prepared statement. From the beginning of their relationship, both Smiths have looked beyond their immediate needs, ahead to a future when they could focus on making that “better place.” As young marrieds (and students) living in Utah, they set up a budget and stuck to it. “Ten percent was ours, 10 percent was the Lord’s” and the rest was for basics, Jill said, noting they kept track of every hamburger, movie, “every blessed cent.” But just before Christmas that year, they came across a Salvation Army bell-ringer and realized they’d left an important category out of their meager budget: charity. They then squeezed out $1 per month to
give away, knowing that they’d increase it as they earned more, since charity was now a line item on their budget. Another defining moment for Boyd came just after he earned his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. As assistant director of the International Center for the Advancement of Management Education, he was sent around the world to speak with professors in developing countries. “It exposed me to a much broader world, and I came back with a greater appreciation for America and what we had,” he said. Later he would take his whole family on a yearlong round-the-world adventure. “I wanted my family to see the bigger world, to know that they are citizens of a greater world,” he said. As he worked his way up in the work world — as a cofounder and partner of WSJ Properties, a real-estate development and investment company — he took on more leadership responsibilities in the nonprofit world. “We’ve had a philosophy that our time needed to follow our money. We didn’t want to just give money and hope for the best,” he said. “Much of our money has gone to Stanford. Most of our time has gone to these other organizations,” he added, pointing to the California Family Foundation (which funds Beechwood School in East Palo Alto), YMCA of the Mid-Peninsula, Avenidas, Community Foundation Silicon Valley and Children’s Health Council, to name a few. He has served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Stanford Associates; a founder of the Student Athlete Outreach
Program that worked with at-risk youth from Belle Haven; and with Jill endowed the Housing Assistance program for families attending Stanford and the Martin Luther King Jr. Centennial Professorship Chair and Martin Luther King Jr. student scholarships. As for Jill, her greatest time commitment was to the Roadrunners Sports Club in east Menlo Park, which started as a community basketball team and evolved into an athletic and academic program for college-bound youth. “I didn’t know how to administer, work on a (Silicon Valley) board. Boyd has leadership skills. I had mothering skills. I used what skills I developed and applied it,” she said. Jill’s mothering skills came in handy at Roadrunners, where she guided boys from East Palo Alto and east Menlo Park, sent most to St. Francis High School in Mountain View, took them on college visits — even tutored around her dining-room table. Today she refers to them — all graduates of colleges plus one technical school — as her second family. She keeps in close touch with the boys who’ve gone on to volunteer at Roadrunners, giving back to the next generation. Always key to the Smiths’ lives is their involvement in the Church of Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Mormon), where Boyd has served as a bishop for nine years and as stake president. When Boyd would devote 30 to 40 hours a week to a church commitment, Jill would scale back and teach just one class. With their Roadrunner second family grown up and no major church assignment, the Smiths are spending more time restoring an old ranch in Idaho. In summer their five children bring their children — there are 20 grandchildren ranging from 22 years to 2 months — for a camp-like experience. At 71, Boyd balks at the idea of retiring. “I don’t even know what the word means. I like working. It’s fulfilling,” he said, adding that he’s spent the last five years as Northern California finance vice chair for Mitt Romney and continues to serve on the Hoover Institution Board of Overseers and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health board. Jill just comes back to her earlier thought: “I just quietly go about doing things, not head of this or chair of that,” like the people she described as taking care of others in the community. “I want to represent those people, who take individual responsibility for doing that sort of thing.” N Associate Editor Carol Blitzer can be emailed at cblitzer@paweekly.com.
Jean Coblentz
Bill Floyd
minority representation and still jokes that she was “the token older woman.” She stayed on at Stanford for 27 years and became Honorary Life Member of Stanford Associates Board of Governors after 21 years. Coblentz said she thinks anyone can benefit from volunteering. “People don’t realize that volunteering is an amazing way to create and hone skills and to think about things differently,” she said. “You never know where it will lead you.” N Editorial Assistant Eric Van Susteren can be emailed at ericvansusteren@ paweekly.com.
Looking back on the volunteer work during his life, Floyd said he has intentionally focused his time to help with primarily local and statewide efforts. “I have devoted my efforts to the organizations that benefit a lot of people,” he said. “While I think the worldwide efforts people are engaged in are terrific, there’s an awful lot that needs to be done here as well.” N Editorial Assistant Eric Van Susteren can be emailed at ericvansusteren@ paweekly.com.
(continued from page 27)
Kenneth Sletten (continued from previous page)
“You could name any good-sized biotech company or electronics company, and we did work for them,” he said. Rudolph and Sletten was acquired in 2005 and is now one of the largest and greenest builders on the West Coast. Sletten is still working. He is managing director of the advisory board for Level 10 Construction in Sunnyvale. Married with two grown children, he resides in Woodside. He recalled that his son’s early behavior drew him to early philanthropy, and he and wife Phyllis took a particular interest in the Children’s Health Council. “When our son was 4 years old, he was giving us trouble. We took a course on how to raise a kid. The most wonderful thing about it was that the other parents there were just as terrified as we were,” he said. Before, kids got passed around and went to one kind of a doctor for one thing and another kind of doctor for another. The Children’s Health Council “won’t turn you down and won’t back off a diagnosis. We helped them remodel a lot of stuff,” he said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.
(continued from page 27)
Phyllis Moldaw (continued from previous page)
anthropic initiatives. “He could see needs. There are some people who see the big picture, and they have the confidence and courage to step where other people wouldn’t think of going. I was fortunate to have had 57 years with that special person,” she said. “He could see potential in people they couldn’t see in themselves. When he passed away I got hundreds of letters from people saying he changed their lives.” In a 2006 memoir intended for his grandchildren, Stuart Moldaw laid out the perils and opportunities confronting people of economic privilege. “The advantage of financial well-being can make a person indulgent, rob him of the true measure of meaningful accomplishment and allow him to live a shallow life,” Moldaw wrote. “Or it can give him the ability to make a difference in the world that cries out for compassion, action and commitment.” N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly.com. About the Cover: Avenidas’ 2012 Lifetimes of Achievement award winners are (from left) Ken Sletten, Phyllis Moldaw, Bill Floyd, Jean Coblentz, and Boyd and Jill Smith. Photo by Veronica Weber.
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Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace
Veronica Weber
E
Assembling
art
Veronica Weber
by Rebecca Wallace very year around May, strangers send inscrutable gifts to Marianne Lettieri. Silver platters are common, and pincushions that look like fat red tomatoes. A farmer in Woodside once sent her an antique weed sprayer. An old woman brought her a box of cat bones. “Objects appear on my porch like orphaned babies in baskets,” she says. Lettieri is used to people presenting her with oddities, pieces of what she calls “cultural detritus” that she uses in her mixed-media constructions. The number of gifts just goes up in the spring, after crowds drop by her Palo Alto studio during Silicon Valley Open Studios. Lettieri is one of more than 300 area artists who open their doors to the public during the annual event the first three weekends in May. “I get all this cool stuff,” she says. Excitedly, she pulls out a flat mahogany-colored box about the size of a vinyl record and flips it open. The box is full of teeth. A dentist has given her several sets of old veneers, and Lettieri regards the choppers fondly. “Aren’t they just creepy enough to be fabulous?” She laughs with evident delight, and her long earrings swing. “People don’t know what to do with these things, but they don’t want to throw them away.” Lettieri probably never throws anything away. But you wouldn’t know it from a peek into her space at Cubberley Studios in the Cubberley Community Center. This has got to be one of the most organized studios ever. Lettieri’s treasures are neatly stored on shelves and in cupboards, drawers and plastic boxes with snap-on tops, all organized by type or subject matter. Assemblage artists are always looking for the perfect juxtapositions of objects where art is born. Fellow Cubberley Studios artist Inge Infante, who will also be in Open Studios, collects tickets, posters and other items from cities she visits. Julia Nelson-Gal, whose studio is next door to Lettieri’s, gleans old photos at flea markets. When Lettieri obtains new items — whether as gifts, at garage sales or online — she likes to group her treasures by “visual metaphors.” One box is devoted to measurement: clock pieces, rulers and barometers. Others contain sand dollars and scallops, or animal bones. One is labeled simply “Pretties.” The familiar tomato pincushions fill another box. As part of her thesis at San Jose State University, where Lettieri is pursuing an MFA in sculpture, she plans to combine the pincushions into a cathedral rose window, 6 feet across, with a wooden frame. The Middle Ages meet the Victorian era, when the tomato pincushion became popular. “For me, the pincushion is the soul of a woman,” she says. Lettieri often pays tribute to the hardworking domestic woman in her art, exploring what life was like when women couldn’t have careers outside the home. She opens another box, fingering circles of handmade lace. “This, maybe, was the only way women could express themselves. These were feats of engineering. They measured out their lives in skeins of string,” she says. It can’t have been all bad, though, Lettieri muses, picking up a rolling pin. “All these pies,” she says. “Think of the love that went into them.” Nearby in the studio, the assemblage “Wisp” is one of many pieces about women’s lives. Lettieri has spread a white pinafore in a frame, then strung oval photos across it. Girls’ faces look out from the antique graduation pictures. Mirroring age and time passing, the outlines of swallows and the skeletons of leaves dot the piece. Another assemblage, “Church Ladies,” was sold to a Palo Alto resident. It was two angel
Top: Marianne Lettieri surveys her treasures, which include pink cowboy boots and birdcages dangling from the ceiling. Above: Lettieri’s “The Luminatus Reliquary” is a piece about light, with burned-down candles and old Christmas bulbs. Right: In “They Dream and Stare Upon the Roving Sky,” the artist built a village on an old doll pram.
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Objects and oddities come together in artist’s works about women’s lives and the past Objects and oddities come together in artist’s works about women’s lives and the past
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Veronica Weber
Assemblages at home in the artist’s studio. “I Hear Music in My Head,” with a sculpted head in a basket of leaves, was inspired by Lettieri’s musician son, while “What If” places a doll’s head inside a gas lamp. Shining keys and pins emerge from the head, representing creativity. The nostalgic “Wisp” sits nearby in a frame.
Veronica Weber
“Aren’t they just creepy enough to be fabulous?” Lettieri says delightedly about a set of old tooth veneers she may use in her work. wings made from pale vintage gloves. Lettieri calls it “an homage to those women who serve others,” be they housewives or house cleaners. “I embroidered four-letter words on the gloves,” she says with a giggle, “like ‘cook,’ ‘wash,’ ‘bake.’” Another theme is a gentle nudge to turn away from today’s fastpaced world to appreciate “the enchantment of everyday life,” she says in an artist’s statement. “Buck Saw Ace” nods to the male laborer, with a half-wing built of canvas gloves on a buck saw, their fingertips covered with red North Carolina dirt. In “They
Dream and Stare Upon the Roving Sky,” the artist built a miniature wooden village upon a doll pram. Faces in old photos peer out the windows but never see each other, like the neighbors who never meet each other today. Lettieri has played her role in the high-tech world. She previously was a graphic artist in public relations. Even now, she is in the midst of a series of assemblages commissioned by Oracle Corp. Her materials are computer parts harvested from company dumpsters and given new life as triptychs. In a sense, Lettieri’s art is all
about resurrection, and her Christian faith an integral part of her creativity. In 2005, she founded Arts of the Covenant, a group of artists, art therapists and art educators who explore “the intersection of Christian faith and the visual arts.” About 175 people are members, meeting at the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. Besides holding lively discussions about the spiritual context of artworks, the members also hold exhibits and do community service. They have held art activities for spiritual retreats and made quilts for rape victims in an African hospital. This weekend, they plan to do free portraits at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System campus. Several artists will also take part in Silicon Valley Open Studios, joining their comrades from the Peninsula down to Gilroy in opening up individual and group studios. Lettieri and her Cubberley cohorts will open their doors the weekend of May 5 and 6, along with many other studios in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, Stanford, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Ladera, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. The weekend of May 12-13, the event moves to the South Bay, with locations in the San Jose environs and parts farther south. On May 19-20, Open Studios returns to the Peninsula: Menlo Park, Portola Valley, Woodside, Redwood City, San Carlos, Belmont, San Mateo and Hillsborough. Studio visits are free, with no reservations required. Event hours are from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday each weekend. For details, go to svos.org. N Correction Due to an error in a press release sent to the Weekly, an article in last week’s paper gave the incorrect date for a concert by jazz singer Kitty Margolis. It is on Sunday, June 17, at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center in Palo Alto. To request a correction, contact Editor Jocelyn Dong at 650-223-6514, jdong@ paweekly.com or P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302.
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Arts & Entertainment
Left: A 1937 Cord 812 Supercharged Phaeton belonging to Steve Moore. Above: This 1946 Ford station wagon is owned by Rosemary and Hoag Schmele.
Floats and roadsters Palo Alto plans a busy May 5, with May Fete Parade and Vintage Vehicles festival
by Rebecca Wallace
O
nce upon a time, people really knew how to name a car. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cry, dollface. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll buy you a Supercharged Phaeton.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Goodness, Chauncey. Watch out for that Model T Speedster.â&#x20AC;? Saturday, May 5, should be a fine day for Skylarking, as these and other old-school autos cruise into Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heritage Park at 300 Homer Ave. The eighth annual Vintage Vehicles and Family Festival will feature about 40 retro cars and motorcycles on display for free viewing. Vintage Vehicles is usually at El Camino Park, but the event was uprooted this year when the city closed the park through the summer of 2013 to build an underground reservoir and well. The auto show will be smaller (itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s usually about 120 cars), but will get to link up with a major city wingding: the annual May Fete Parade. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Emerson Street and University Avenue downtown, then heads down University, turns right on Waverley Street, and ends up at Heritage Park with all the swanky roadsters.
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a really nice tie-in. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re happy to be more connected with the city,â&#x20AC;? said Gwenyth Claughton, executive director of the Museum of American Heritage, which organizes Vintage Vehicles every year. The new location also brings the auto show closer to the museum â&#x20AC;&#x201D; right across the street. This is fitting because Vintage Vehicles is a major fundraiser for the museum, bringing in donations from sponsors and underwriters from this event and an associated June gala. As for the parade, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 90-year tradition in Palo Alto. The theme for 2012 is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palo Alto at Play,â&#x20AC;? with a parade-float contest, marching bands, old-time cars and contemporary â&#x20AC;&#x153;greenâ&#x20AC;? vehicles, clowns, kids and dancers. (Contest entries are no longer being accepted.) The grand marshal is Robert N. Klein II, former head of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. The May Fete Fair is scheduled at Heritage Park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bands, kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; activities, refreshments, performances and picnicking are being planned by the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto. Meanwhile, Vintage Vehicles will run from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with cars as old as a 1912 Ford Model T Speedster and a 1919 Buick Racecar. Convertibles from the 1950s will be particularly well-represented. Claughton said sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looking forward to again seeing the 1937 Ford Phaeton owned by museum
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What: The May Fete Parade and Fair, the Vintage Vehicles and Family Festival, and open house at the Museum of American Heritage Where and when: Downtown Palo Alto. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at University Avenue and Emerson Street, then continues down University to end at Heritage Park, 300 Homer Ave. The fair is in the park from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and the auto show is in the park from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The museum, at 351 Homer Ave., is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: Admission to all events is free. Info: Go to pamayfetefair.com or cityofpaloalto.org for May Fete details, and to moah.org for information about museum events.
A&E DIGEST MENLO TO JUILLIARD ... Cellist David Finckel, who co-founded the popular Music@Menlo chamber-music festival with his wife, pianist Wu Han, has joined the faculty of the Juilliard School as a cello professor. Finckel recently announced his departure from the Emerson Quartet, but still directs Music@Menlo with Wu Han. The 2012 festival begins July 20 in Atherton; details are at musicatmenlo.org.
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community-advisory board member Steve Moore. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a beautiful art car. White. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gorgeous,â&#x20AC;? she said. During the auto show, the museum will have a free open house with an ongoing exhibition of vintage toys, a printing press that visitors can try out, and a relaxation area for seniors in the gardens. In the science area, people can experience a Van de Graaff generator and a Tesla coil. N
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Eating Out
Veronica Weber
RESTAURANT REVIEW
The â&#x20AC;&#x153;Italian Jobâ&#x20AC;? sandwich at The Melt features fontina and provolone cheese on garlic bread, with Italian sausage-and-pepper soup. so), and pick it up without waiting in line. 2. If you order in person, the counterperson asks for your initials, which seems a little weird. But then your initials show up on a screen showing where you are New mall restaurant serves up a menu in the queue of orders: Working, of squishy comfort food working ... order up! by Sheila Himmel Kaplan had Electrolux, the vacuum-cleaner people, design nonn a cold Tuesday night, not what they want: five varieties of stick sandwich presses that require much is happening at Stan- one much-beloved American com- very little butter and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t squish ford Shopping Center. Yet fort food. Start with three stores in the bread. The sandwiches emerge the Melt is doing a brisk business. San Francisco. Multiply. hot and soft. Who doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love a grilled cheese The main ingredients of the Melt Which is great if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very old sandwich, right? are technological: or very young. But for anyone beAnyway, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the premise that 1. You can order and pay on the tween, say, 7 and 85, a little crunch Jonathan Kaplan, co-founder of Web or the Melt mobile app, scan would be nice, to remind yourself the company that brought you the the QR code when you arrive at that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re eating and not just swalFlip Video camcorder, brings to the restaurant so the sandwich is lowing. Just about every food item at the fast-food table. Give the people cooked right then (in a minute or the Melt is soft, almost drinkable.
Melts in your mouth, and in your hand
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All the soups are purĂŠed. You can watch them being aerated in tureens, also thanks to Electrolux. Within minutes my dining companion and I downed a boatload of calories and fat â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and, with a grilled sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;more for dessert, a bit of sugar. We felt uneasy when we left the Melt. Full, yes, but like weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d had dinner at a day-care center. It isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cheap, especially when you consider the ingredients and lack of labor involved. A small sandwich is $5.95. (The Classic, sharp cheddar on potato bread, packs 590 calories and 35 grams of fat.) A cup of soup is $3.95. (Tomato basil is just 110 calories, 6 grams of fat.) Buy them together on the combo, $8.75, and they throw in a Barbie-size bag of potato chips. (Unstated calories and fat.) Grilled dessert sandwiches are $3.95. We tried the tomato basil soup and the creamy wild mushroom soup. Both were smooth and warm and tasted like their ingredients. Similarly, though, both sandwiches were soft and bland. Bread varieties are: potato, sourdough, eight-grain, garlic, whole wheat and gluten-free. But the two we tried, potato and garlic, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t taste or feel all that different. You can add, for free, bits of bacon and/or tomato. This helped beef up the Classic, but on the Italian Job, fontina and provolone cheese merged into indistinctness. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always been the idea behind the grilled cheese sandwich. Thanks to the Food Timeline, we learn that ancient Roman cookbooks offer the earliest recipes for cooked bread and cheese, and that the American version owes its birth in the 1920s to the inventions of inexpensive sliced bread and American cheese. World War II sailors enjoyed â&#x20AC;&#x153;American cheese filling sandwichesâ&#x20AC;? and soon so did school and company cafeterias, often including a side of tomato soup.
Grilled cheese sandwiches were open-faced until the 1960s. The Melt, located where Smith & Hawken used to sell garden tools, is very pleasant, with high ceilings and comfortable blond-finished plywood booths. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun, with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;50sstyle globe lamps, subway-style white-tiled walls, splashes of bright orange signage, and metal cafeteriastyle trays. All the cups, spoons and napkins are bio-compostable. Naturally, many of the drinks are organic (milk) or natural (Izze sparkling juice and soda). Beer runs $3.50 for the Anderson Valleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boont Amber Ale and $2.75 for the urban hipstersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Pabst Blue Ribbon. Also popular are minicans of Francis Coppola Wineryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sofia sparkling wine. We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spring for drinks, but because of that unfinished feeling we did split a grilled sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;more sandwich. This involves milk chocolate melted into a smidgen of marshmallow â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or marshmallow sauce, it was hard to tell â&#x20AC;&#x201D; between finger-sandwich slices of indistinct bread. A graham cracker would have been nice. N The Melt, Stanford Shopping Center, 180 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (Sand Hill Road side, near Pottery Barn); 650-461-4450. Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun. 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Reservations
Credit cards
Parking
Highchairs
Outdoor dining
Party and banquet facilities
Alcohol
Catering
Takeout Website: themelt.com Noise level: medium-high Bathroom Cleanliness: very good
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Movies OPENINGS
The Five-Year Engagement ---
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(Century 16, Century 20) Albert Brooks meets Hal Ashby meets Judd Apatow in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Five-Year Engagement,â&#x20AC;? a new romantic comedy whose pessimism, sweetness, raunch and loopiness make for a pleasantly offbeat blend. Jason Segel and Emily Blunt (both last seen in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Muppetsâ&#x20AC;?) star as Tom and Violet, a San Francisco couple ready to take their relationship to the next level ... or so they think. Planning follows proposal, but everything gets put on hold when Violet gets a chance at having it all. Her acceptance into the University of Michiganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grad-school psychology program prompts classic pleaser Tom to prove his love by offering to quit his job as a top chef, postpone the wedding and move. Violetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother (Jacki Weaver of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Animal Kingdomâ&#x20AC;?) warns of grandparents who might not live to see the big day (will there be four funerals and a wedding?), but the greater problem may be Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festering resentment, which he keeps shoving deeper as he deals with his new surroundings. Becoming an overqualified sandwich-maker at a deli, Tom tries to settle into his role as the college husband, forgotten by Violet at departmental parties. Meanwhile, Violet is happily consumed in her work, and falls into the thrall of her teacher and boss, Winton Childs (Rhys Ifans). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apt that Violetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s field is psychology, since the film â&#x20AC;&#x201D; more so than any in recent memory â&#x20AC;&#x201D; becomes a psychocomedy, Ă la Brooksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Modern Romance.â&#x20AC;? Every issue gets examined, usually in the language of therapy, leading to lengthy arguments and a great deal of acting out, whether passive-aggressive (Tom growing a wild-man beard) or just plain aggressive-aggressive (infidelity). That the film isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afraid to go dark may be its greatest strength. However, director Nicholas Stoller â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who co-wrote the script with
Some of the lively Claymation characters in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Pirates! Band of Misfits.â&#x20AC;? Segel â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is equally adept at crafting (from the likes of Chris Pratt, Minlegitimate â&#x20AC;&#x153;aw shucksâ&#x20AC;? sweetness dy Kaling and Brian Posehn), and that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;cool,â&#x20AC;? so its emotional range distinguishes it, to speak (hence the dash of Ashby). up to and including a climax that The inherently male point-of-view achieves true romance. somewhat upsets the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s balance, Rated R for sexual content and but it also means a thorough exploration of the unfair-er sexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s post- language. Two hours, four minutes. feminist defensiveness. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese As Bill, a fellow college husband who becomes Tomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mentor, Chris Parnell embodies the consequences The Pirates! Band of of emasculation. Left to his own Misfits --devices, Bill has taken to knitting (Century 16, Century 20) â&#x20AC;&#x153;Walsweaters â&#x20AC;&#x201D; poorly, for double the lace & Gromit.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chicken Run.â&#x20AC;? embarrassment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and amping up â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arthur Christmas.â&#x20AC;? In its consistent his hunting hobby. Tom embraces excellence, Englandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aardman Anthe latter, which leads the film into imations might well be called Euits most exaggerated territory (the roPixar if its U.S. distributor werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t better for a crossbow accident). Sony, and if clay didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trump pixBecause this is an Apatow pro- els at Aardman. Aardmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s streak duction, absurdity is welcome, the continues with â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Pirates! Band film can be too eager to shock, and of Misfits,â&#x20AC;? 88 minutes of sublime the running time creeps past two silliness. hours. But the heroes remain likeThough â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pirates in the Caribbeable, thanks to Segel and Blunt. The anâ&#x20AC;? has long since gotten long in the film is full of funny performances tooth, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still some cachet left in the pirate trend. In fact, Aardmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest film derives from a series of comic books by Gideon Defoe, who here adapts his own â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists.â&#x20AC;? Since â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mericans are stoopid, the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s title has been changed on these shores
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Fri-Sat Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -1:50, 4:30, 7:15, 9:50 4/27-4/28 Damsels in Distress - 2:00, 4:20, 7:25, 9:45 Sun-Tues Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -1:50, 4:30, 7:15 4/29-5/1 Damsels in Distress - 2:00, 4:20, 7:25 Weds ONLY Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -1:50, 4:30, 7:15 5/2 Damsels in Distress - 2:00 Thurs Salmon Fishing in the Yemen -1:50, 4:30, 7:15 5/3 Damsels in Distress- 2:00, 4:20, 7:25
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Movies MOVIE TIMES 21 Jump Street (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Wed 11:40 a.m.; 2:25, 5, 7:40 & 10:25 p.m. Thurs. 11:40 a.m.; 2:25, 5 & 7:40 p.m. 20: Fri-Tues & Thurs 11:40 a.m.; 2:15, 5:05, 7:45 & 10:30 p.m. Wed 7:40 & 10:15 p.m.
Mirror Mirror (PG) ((1/2 Century 16: Fri-Thurs 4:05 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues & Thurs 11:25 a.m., 4:40 & 9:50 p.m. Century
Monsieur Lazhar (PG-13) ((( Guild Theatre: Fri-Mon 1:45, 4:15, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Tues-Thu 4:15, 7 & 9:30 p.m.
American Reunion (R) (( Century 16: Fri-Thurs 11:30; 2:15, 4:55, 7:45 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: Fri 11:30 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Sat 11:30 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Sun 11:30 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Mon 11:30 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Tue 11:30 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Wed 11:30 a.m.; 2:15, 5, 7:50 & 10:35 p.
The Pirates! Band of Misfits (PG) ((( Century 16: Fri-Thurs 11 a.m. & 4:15 p.m. (standard 2D) In 3D at 1:20, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Thurs 11:15 a.m.; 1:35, 3:50, 6:10, 8:25 & 10:40 p.m. (standard 2D) In 3D Fri-Wed at 12:20, 2:40, 5, 7:20 & 9:40 p.m. In 3D Thu at 12:20, 2:40, 5, 7:20 & 9:35 p.m.
Bringing Up Baby (1938) Stanford Theatre: Fri 7:30 p.m. Sat 7:30 p.m. Sun 3:45 & 7:30 p.m.
The Raid: Redemption (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: Fri 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. Sat 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. Sun 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. Mon 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. Tue 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. Wed 12:05, 2:35, 5:05, 7:35 & 10:15 p.m. Thu 12:05
The Cabin in the Woods (R) ((( Century 16: Fri-Wed 11:25 a.m.; 2, 4:50, 7:50 & 10:15 p.m. Thurs 11:25 a.m.; 2, 4:50 & 7:50 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tue & Thu 12:30, 2:55, 5:25, 8:05 & 10:45 p.m. Wed 12:30, 2:55, 5:25, 8:05 & 10:45 p.m. Casablanca (1942) (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: Fri 7 p.m. Sat 7 p.m. Sun 7 p.m. Mon 7 p.m. Tue 7 p.m. 7 p.m. Chimpanzee (G) ((1/2 Century 16: Fri-Thurs 11:30 a.m.; 1:45, 3:55, 6:30 & 9:10 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues & Thurs 11:15 a.m.; 1:25, 3:35, 5:40, 7:50 & 10 p.m. Wed 8:05 & 10:45 p.m. Come and Get It (1936) Stanford Theatre: Fri-Sun 5:40 & 9:25 p.m. Damsels in Distress (PG-13) (1/2 Palo Alto Square: Fri & Sat 2, 4:20, 7:25 & 9:45 p.m. Sat 2, 4:20, 7:25 & 9:45 p.m. Sun-Tues & Thurs 2, 4:20 & 7:25 p.m. Wed 2 p.m. The Five-Year Engagement (R) ((( Century 16: Fri-Thurs 11 a.m.; 12:30, 2, 3:50, 5, 7:30, 8:30 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Thurs 11:20 a.m.; 12:50, 2:10, 3:40, 5, 6:35, 7:55, 9:30 & 10:45 p.m. The Hunger Games (PG-13) ((( Century 16: Fri-Wed 12, 3:20, 6:50 & 9:55 p.m. Thurs 12, 3:20 & 6:50 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues 11:20 a.m.; 1:05, 2:30, 4:10, 5:40, 7:20, 8:55 & 10:25 p.m. Wed 11:20, 2:30, 5:40, 7:20, 8:55 & 10:25 p.m. Thurs 11:20, 1:05, 2:30, 4:10, 5:40, 7:20, 8:50 & 10:25 p.m. Jiro Dreams of Sushi (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: Fri-Sun 3:30, 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs 5:30, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Lockout (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Mon & Wed 11:35 a.m.; 1:55, 4:35, 7:30 & 10:10 p.m. Tue 11:35 a.m.; 1:55 & 10:10 p.m. Thu 11:35 a.m.; 1:55, 4:35 & 7:30 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues & Thurs 2:30, 5:10 & 10:05 p.m. Wed 10:05 p.m. The Lucky One (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Wed 11 a.m.; 12, 1:40, 2:30, 4:20, 5, 7, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues 11:30 a.m.; 1, 2, 3:25, 4:30, 5:55, 7, 8:30 & 9:35 p.m. Wed 11:30 a.m.; 1, 2, 3:25, 5:55, 7, 8:25 & 10:05 p.m. Thurs 11:30 a.m.; 1, 2, 3:25, 4:30, 5:55, 7 & 8:25 p.m. Marley (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: Fri-Sun 2, 5:15, 7:50 & 8:30 p.m. Mon-Thurs 5:15, 7:30 & 8:30 p.m. Marvel’s The Avengers (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Thurs 12:01 a.m. Century 20: Thurs 12:02, 12:06 a.m. & 12:08 a.m.; in 3D at 12:01, 12:03 and 12:07 p.m. The Metropolitan Opera: La Traviata (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Palo Alto Square: Wed 6:30 p.m.
to “The Pirates! Band of Misfits,” but fear not: The story still ropes in smarty-pants historical and literary allusions. Due to its often-sophisticated humor, “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” should appeal in equal measure to adults and children. The madcap plot concerns the also-ran Pirate Captain (the inestimable Hugh Grant), who covets the “Pirate of the Year” award but stands little chance of winning it for his bumbling plundering (especially given the stiff competition from Salma Hayek’s Cutlass Liz and Jeremy Piven’s Black Bellamy). All bets are off when The Pirate Captain and his crew haplessly board the Beagle. Though they discover Darwin (David Tennant) has no booty, the naturalist recognizes the Pirate Captain’s “parrot” Polly to be the last living dodo. And so our hero resets his sights on the Royal Society’s “Scientist of the Year” award. But he’ll have to contend with Darwin — here cast as an ambitious if pathetic villain — and the menacing Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton), who avers to hate pirates (it’s right there on her coat of arms, don’t you know). The story doesn’t skimp on the looting, cutlasses, plank-walking
The Raven (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Thurs 11 a.m.; 1:35, 4:10, 7:20 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues 11:35 a.m.; 12:55, 2:15, 3:35, 4:55, 6:15, 7:35, 7:40, 8:55 & 10:20 p.m. Wed 11:30 a.m.; 12:55, 2:15, 3:35, 4:55, 6:15, 7:35 & 10:20 p.m. Thurs 11:35 a.m.; 12:55, 2:15, 3:35, 4:55, 6;15, 7:35, 7:40, 8:55 & 10:20 p.m. Safe (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Thu 11:50 a.m.; 2:10, 4:50, 7:55 & 10:30 p.m. 10:35 p.m.
Century 20: Fri-Thu 12:30, 3, 5:30, 8:10 &
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: Fri-Tues & Thurs 2 & 7:15 p.m. Wed 7:15 p.m. Palo Alto Square: Fri & Sat 1:50, 4:30, 7:15 & 9:50 p.m. Sun-Thu 1:50, 4:50 & 7:15 p.m. Think Like a Man (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Wed 11 a.m.; 1:50, 4:40, 7:35 & 10:30 p.m. Thurs 11 a.m.; 1:50, 4:40 & 7:35 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues 11:20 a.m.; 12:40, 2:10, 3:35, 4:55, 6:30, 7:45, 9:25 & 10:35 p.m. Wed 12:40, 3:30, 6:30 & 9:25 p.m. Thu 11:20 a.m.; 12:40, 3:30, 6:30, 7:45, 9:25 & 10:35 p.m. The Three Stooges (PG) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Thu 11:20 a.m.; 2:05, 4:30, 7:10 & 9:45 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Wed 11:25 a.m.; 1:50, 3, 4:15, 6:50, 7:55 & 9:15 p.m. Thu 11:25 a.m.; 1:50, 4:15, 6:50 & 9:10 p.m. Titanic 3D (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Tues noon); in 3D at 6:40 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tues 11:50 a.m. (standard 2D); In 3D Fri-Mon at 3:55 & 8 p.m. Wrath of the Titans (PG-13) ((( Century 16: Fri-Wed 9:35 p.m. Century 20: Fri-Tue & Thu Noon; In 3D from Fri-Thu 7:30 p.m.
( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260)
Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260)
Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264)
Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700)
Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264)
Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies
CinéArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456)
and funny hats, but everything gets a winningly ironic spin. The pirates, for instance, look forward to nothing so much as “Ham Nite.” Darwin has a monocled monkey servant named Mr. Bobo who communicates with cue cards, and at one point Jane Austen goes on a date with the Elephant Man. Of course, as directed by Aardman co-founder Peter Lord, the picture offers visual delights in oldschool Claymation style, with an assist from some CGI effects (plus, pie-throwing in 3D). The production design comes courtesy of three-time Oscar nominee Norman Garwood (“Brazil”), and the soundtrack includes the Pogues, the Clash and Flight of the Conchords. Though the film is full of Anglophile Easter eggs for adults (read quickly for a great gag, that’s doubly paid off later in the film, about actor Brian Blessed), kids will appreciate the action, the goofy characters and sentiments like this one: “It’s only impossible if you stop to think about it.” Rated PG for mild action, rude humor and some language. One hour, 28 minutes. — Peter Canavese ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ «À ÊÓÇ]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 35
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Another title for Paly
PALY OLYMPIAN . . . It may be tough for Palo Alto High student Lily Zhang to return to her normal class schedule for the remainder of the school year. She just might have other things on her mind. Like, for instance, competing in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Zhang, 15, made the final day of the North American table tennis qualifier a good one for her country by claiming the final Olympic berth with a victory on Sunday in Cary, N.C. Zhang beat Canada’s Anqi Luo in a five-game women’s final for a spot in London.”It feels like I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for so long. It’s been my dream ever since I was a little kid,” Zhang told The Associated Press. “And now that it’s finally here, I just feel like it’s still a dream.” The 15year-old Zhang joined San Jose’s Ariel Hsing — her teammate and friend from the Palo Alto Table Tennis Club who earned her spot Friday — as American women qualifying for the Olympics.
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by Keith Peters
T
away from a 3-3 halftime deadlock, controlling the draws and at one point scoring three unanswered goals. Sophomore attack Duncan McGinnis scored four goals and added an assist to help spark the second-half comeback that saw the Bears outscore Paly in a crucial third period, 5-2. “We were very flat in the first half, not much energy, a lot of standing around and watching, especially from our midfield lines,” said M-A coach Steven Kryger. “Paly was clearly the aggressor and better team in the first half. Paly moves the vall very well and finds the open man almost every time. The score could have been a lot worse for us at halftime. We were very fortunate to be tied. “In the second half, all phases our our game came alive. Our midfielders were moving both with the ball and, most importantly, moving off the ball, setting lots of screens. The midfielders were also getting back
by Keith Peters t has been a tumultuous week for the Palo Alto girls’ lacrosse team, which has experienced the high of being tied for first place in the SCVAL De Anza Division before facing the low — having to forfeit six matches due to an ineligible player. The Vikings, however, bounced back from that disappointing news last week and posted a 12-8 victory over visiting Pioneer to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Vikings, who would have been 10-1 in league without the forfeits, are now 4-7 (6-9 overall) with three league matches remaining. Next up will be a home match against fourth-place Los Gatos on Friday at 7 p.m. Despite a steady rain in the sec-
o say the Palo Alto baseball team has made a turnaround under third-year coach Erick Raich would be an understatement, sort of like comparing a mouse to an elephant. The Vikings’ program has grown that much under Raich, who is 7816 and has taken Paly to a pair of Central Coast Section championship games in his first two seasons — winning the school’s first-ever CCS title last season and the program’s first since 1927 when the Vikings competed in the North Coast Section. In the five years prior to Raich’s arrival, Palo Alto went 74-76-1 under three different coaches, reached the CCS playoffs four times and lost in the opening round each year. Paly had only two winning seasons during that span. The current Paly seniors pretty much have known nothing but success. Expectations have been high and the players have been well-prepared to reach them. On Wednesday, the Vikings clinched no worse than a tie for a third straight SCVAL De Anza Division title after rallying from a 3-0 deficit to pull out an 8-3 victory over a solid Los Altos team on the Eagles’ field. “Just great at-bats,” Raich said of the comeback, which moved his team to 12-1 in league (21-3 overall) while dropping Los Altos to 11-2 (17-5). “It was a great job by my players.” Palo Alto will host Los Altos on Friday (3:30 p.m.) to conclude the regular season. Should Paly win, it will be the division’s outright champion. If the Vikings lose, the teams will share the crown. No matter the outcome, Palo Alto will take the No. 1 seed into next week’s league playoffs, thanks to holding a tiebreaker over Los Altos — how the teams fared against third-place Saratoga. Paly swept the Falcons while the Eagles split. Wednesday’s victory, Raich said, took “a lot” of pressure off his team. Friday’s game and the ensuing playoffs are more preparation for the CCS playoffs than anything else. The Vikings are ranked No. 3 in the section, No. 41 in the state and No. 195 in the nation by MaxPreps. CalHi Sports has Paly ranked No. 16 in the state. “Now’ it’s like icing on the cake for us,” Raich said. “We perennially get better, offensively, as the season goes along.” On Wednesday, Paly got better as the game went along. Trailing 3-0 heading into the top
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Keith Peters
OF LOCAL NOTE . . . Stanford sophomore Marissa Ferrante outlasted more than 500 competitors to take the women’s overall title at Saturday’s USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala. A standout runner, Ferrante put together a complete race to cruise to victory on the women’s side. She lifted the tape in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 28 seconds -- more than five minutes clear of the field on the 1,500-meter swim, 40-kilometer bike, 10-kilometer run course . . . Menlo-Atherton has named Mike Molieri as its new head coach for boys’ basketball. Molieri has been a member of the Bears’ staff for the past two years. Prior to arriving at M-A, Molieri spent three years as a varsity assistant at Riordan. The Crusaders won West Catholic Athletic League and Central Coast Section championships during his tenure. Before that, he was an assistant varsity coach and the head frosh-soph coach at Jefferson High for eight years . . . M-A is looking for a new girls’ varsity volleyball head coach after Jen Wilson recently resigned. She led the Bears to a 31-7 record and a berth in the NorCal Division I finals opposite eventual state champ Palo Alto. Interested coaches should e-mail a resume and letter(s) of recommendation to Athletic Directors Paul Snow (psnow@seq. org) and Steven Kryger (skryger@ seq.org).
Vikings clinch no worse than co-title, top seed for league playoffs
Despite receiving pressure from Palo Alto defender Scotty Bara (25), Menlo-Atherton’s Duncan McGinnis (5) managed to score four goals to help the Bears post a 10-7 victory in a key De Anza Division lacrosse match Tuesday.
Lacrosse titles coming and going Sacred Heart Prep boys close in on first league crown by Keith Peters hile Sacred Heart Prep is closing in on its first-ever regular-season championship in SCVAL De Anza Division boys’ lacrosse, a battle for the next three seeds for the division playoffs next week rages on. Menlo-Atherton made a big move toward securing a high seed by pulling into a tie for second place with an important 10-7 victory over visiting Palo Alto on Tuesday. The Bears (7-3, 14-4) now share second with Palo Alto (5-3, 8-5) with the regular season winding down. The victory put M-A in position to secure the No. 2 seed in the division playoffs, depending on how both the Bears and Vikings finish up. M-A still has to play SHP to wrap up the regular season. On Tuesday, the Bears pulled
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Paly girls move on from forfeiture of six matches
I
Prep baseball
Prep roundup
of the fourth, Paly got a bad-hop single by Christian Lonsky and a single by Isaac Feldstein. Justin Grey faked a bunt, then chopped an RBI single for a 3-1 game. Jack Witte walked to load the bases with two outs, bringing the dangerous B.J. Boyd to the plate. Before Boyd got a chance to perhaps tie the game or give Paly the lead, Grey was picked off second by Los Altos pitcher Luke Wiechec to end the threat. Despite that deflating ending, the Vikings bounced back in the fifth. Ozzie Braff singled to left field and, with two out, Lonsky ripped a towering home run over the wall in left-center field — well beyond the 345-foot sign to tie the game at 3. Consecutive singles by Alec Wong, Witte and Boyd in the sixth loaded the bases with no outs for Braff, who singled in two runs for a 5-3 lead. A sacrifice fly by Isaac Feldstein later in the inning made it 6-3. Witte ripped an RBI triple in the top of the seventh and Braff doubled him home to wrap things up at 8-3. Palo Alto escaped a potential big inning by Los Altos in the bottom of the fifth after the Eagles loaded the bases with none out. Rohit Ramkumar relieved Danny Erlich and induced a groundout with no runs scoring. John Dickerson came on to relieve Ramkumar and face the dangerous Wiechec, who grounded to first baseman Jack Cleasby, who bobbled the ball before tagging the base for a second out. The Los Altos runner at third was slow to react and headed to the plate late, with Cleasby firing home to Lonsky, who tagged out the runner to complete an inning-ending double play. Senior Ben Sneider, who was the schedule pitcher for Friday’s game, came on in relief in the bottom of the sixth and retired the four hitters he faced to preserve the victory. The win over Los Alto wouldn’t have had such an impact had not Paly beaten Wilcox on Monday in the continuation of game halted on March 9 by rain. The game resumed in the ninth inning with the teams tied at 4. Lonsky scored the winning run on a bunt by Wong for a 5-4 triumph. In the West Bay Athletic League on Wednesday, Menlo School strengthened its hold on first place with a 7-0 victory over host Pinewood in a game that was delayed more than 30 minutes due to a gas leak in the snack shack. Jake Batchelder got the Knights (5-0, 14-7) rolling with a three-run homer in the top of the first to provide himself with all the runs he would need. The Davidson-bound senior finished with a completegame six-hitter, striking out eight while walking none. Batchelder had two singles later in the game while sophomores Will King and Sam Crowder contributed a pair of hits each. Menlo opened a two-game lead in the WBAL thanks to Sacred Heart Prep’s 2-1 loss at King’s Academy on Wednesday. The Gators fell to 3-2 in league (12-9-1 overall) while King’s moved into a tie for second, also at 3-2. In the PAL Bay Division, host Menlo-Atherton remained in the thick of the race with an 11-2 tri-
on defense and swarming the ground balls much better than in the first half. Our attack made crisp passes, as evidenced by the seven assists from our starting attackman.” M-A junior attack Kotaro Kihira provided five assists and one goal while sophomore Nick Schlein and junior Drew Uphoff each added two goals. The Bears grabbed an 8-5 lead after three goals and then kept the Vikings in check in the final period as Paly’s final goal came in the last minute of play. Jonny Glazier led Paly with three goals and one assist with teammates Lukas Peterson, Jordan Gans, Chris Hoglund and Josh Stern each adding one goal. William Hare provided two assists. Elsewhere in boys’ lacrosse on Tuesday: Sacred Heart Prep took a break from its chase for the SCVAL De Anza Division title and took on perennial power Bellarmine in a nonleague match. The host Bells (13-7) proved too tough while recording a 13-5 decision. The Gators hold a two-game lead over Menlo-Atherton and Palo Alto, needing only a win over Mountain View (Thursday) to clinch no worse than a tie for the division title. With that accomplished, SHP can win its first-ever league title by beating Burlingame on Saturday on the Gators’ field at 10 a.m. In Larkspur, Menlo School engaged in a tug-of-war with host Redwood, eventually falling by a 13-12 tally. The Knights (7-9) scored with 39 seconds left to narrow the lead to one, but the Giants held on for the win.
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Keith Peters
Los Altos pinch-runner Ryan Smith is called out after being tagged by Paly catcher Christian Lonsky to end a threat in the fifth.
Keith Peters
Lonsky (right) is greeted by Ozzie Braff (6) and Isaac Feldstein after hitting a two-run homer in the fifth to tie the game, 3-3. his eight-game hitting streak, going 2-for-4, with a triple, two runs scored, ond RBI and a stolen base. Junior catcher Ben Sampson also had two hits on the day, with two RBI and one run scored. N
Keith Peters
umph over Hillsdale. Ryan Cortez got the win and plenty of support as Dylan Cook had three hits, including a double, and drove in three runs. The Bears pounded out 14 hits and improved to 7-2 in league (17-5 overall). In a makeup game Monday, Gunn ran its winning streak to 11 straight by handing host Burlingame a 9-7 nonleague loss at Washington Park. The game originally was rained out on March 17. Gunn moved to 16-5. Gunn senior right-hander Ryan Gorman took the mound and got his third consecutive complete-game victory while improving to 7-0. Uncharacteristically, however, he allowed at least one baserunner in every inning, and had no strikeouts. The defense, however, contributed two double plays in the first two innings to shut down Panther threats. On the day, Gorman allowed five earned runs on 12 hits. Senior Jake Verhulp continued
Menlo’s Jake Batchelder
Girls’ lacrosse With Brooke Bullington scoring five goals and adding two assists, Menlo School moved closer to clinching the West Bay Athletic League (Foothill Division) title with a dominating 21-5 victory over visiting Sacred Heart Prep on Tuesday. The Knights (7-0, 10-4) won their seventh straight by grabbing an 18-3 halftime lead and coasting from there. Junior Michaela Michael added four goals and one assist, giving her 103 goals and 22 assists this season. Menlo seniors Sophie Sheeline and Kacie Madeira added three goals each while senior teammate Elyse Adler contributed four assists. Caroline Cummings and Melissa Holland each scored twice for the Gators (3-4, 7-6). In Burlingame, Castilleja dropped a 15-12 WBAL Foothill Division match to the host Panthers. The Gators (3-4, 8-4) were led by junior Katherine Hobbs (five goals) and senior Martha Harding (four goals). Lou Biffar, Ellie Zales and Charlotte Jones each tallied one goal while sophomore goalie Rebecca Merenbach made eight saves. In San Francisco, Menlo-Atherton (4-3, 6-5) romped to a 24-5 victory over host Sacred Heart Cathedral. Boys’ golf Menlo School successfully defended its West Bay Athletic League title with a 196-231 victory over King’s Academy on Wednesday at Palo Alto Hills Golf & Country
Club. The Knights finished 9-1. Senior Will Petit played the No. 1 spot for Menlo on Senior Day and shot a 41 with birdies on the par-3 second hole and par-5 seventh hole. Senior Jackson Dean shot a 38 in the second spot for Menlo and fired five pars and a birdie on holes 4 through 8. Junior Andrew Buchanan earned medalist honors by shooting a 1- under-par 34. Freshman Ethan Wong shot a 39 with six pars and Junior Max Garnick started slowly at 6over after three holes but rallied to shoot 3-over on the last six holes. In another WBAL season-ending match, Sacred Heart Prep sophomore Bradley Knox made his third birdie of the round on the par-5 ninth hole to wrap up a 1-under-par 35 and lead Gators to a 196-203 win over Pinewood at Palo Alto Muni. SHP, which finished second at 8-2, also got a strong showing from senior Zach Lamb (38). In the SCVAL De Anza Division, Palo Alto wrapped up the division title by defeating rival Gunn, 193196, at Palo Alto Muni to improve to 11-1. Freshman Alex Hwang led the Vikings with a 37. Gunn finished 9-3, needing a victory to force a tie for the title. Softball Castilleja remained in the hunt for a possible title in the WBAL Foothill Division following a 10-0 fiveinning victory over visiting Alma Heights on Tuesday. The Gators (5-2, 7-14) are in a second-place tie with Harker (5-2), trailing both Mercy-Burlingame (6-1) and Notre Dame-San Jose (6-1) with five games to play. Aryana Yee and Sarah Shore each had three hits for Castilleja with Sarah Hinstorff and Callie Brown each driving in two runs to support Yee’s one-hit pitching gem that included 10 strikeouts. Swimming The Sacred Heart Prep boys and girls finished off a third straight unbeaten dual-meet season in the WBAL as each team won a double dual over King’s Academy and host Harker on Wednesday. Getting a pair of victories from sophomore Ally Howe in the 200 free (1:52.15) and 100 back (55.59), the SHP girls defeated Harker, 10070, and King’s Academy, 92-78, to finish 10-0. In the boys’ competition, SHP’s Tom Kremer ripped off a 1:41.50 win in the 200 free and anchored the 400 free relay to victory in 3:19.90 as the Gators beat Harker, 111-58, and topped King’s Academy, 104.5-62.5. Boys’ tennis Menlo School swept the WBAL singles and doubles championships on the second day of the league’s individual tournament at Menlo. Knights’ freshman Victor Pham defeated Sacred Heart Prep’s Nick Pizzuti, 6-2, 6-2, in the singles finals. Pham had blanked Sacred Heart Prep’s Cameron Kirkpatrick, 6-0, 6-0, in the semifinals, and Pizzuti had topped Graham Keystone of Crystal Springs, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, in the other semifinal. In doubles, Menlo’s duo of juniors Michael Hoffman and William Boyd took a 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) victory over Harker’s Derek Tzeng and Chris Chang to earn the crown. N
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Sports
Stanford women put No. 1 seed and rank on the line in MPSF water polo tournament by Rick Eymer acred Heart Prep grad Pallavi Menon has spent much of her athletic life at Avery Aquatic Center. A senior driver with the Stanford women’s water polo team, she’ll have one last go-around at her stomping grounds this weekend. The top-ranked and top-seeded Cardinal (21-1) hosts the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament and will meet No. 8 seed Hawaii (10-12) on Friday in a quarterfinal match at 11 a.m. No. 2 UCLA takes on No. 7 San Diego State, No. 3 USC meets No. 6 San Jose State and No. 4 Arizona State plays No. 5 California in other quarterfinal games. The championship match will be Sunday at 4 p.m., with third place decided at 2:30 p.m. The tournament winner receives an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, which will be held at San Diego State beginning May 11. Menon won’t be alone in finishing her college career at Stanford as former Gators’ teammate KK Clark is a senior at UCLA. Sacred Heart Prep grad Lindsay Dorst, a junior at California, also will join in the celebration. The Dorst family is well-represented in this weekend’s tournament, a thankful relief for their
S
Inspirations a guide to the spiritual community FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC £ nxÊ Õ ÃÊ, >`]Ê*> Ê Ì ÊUÊÈxä®ÊnxÈ ÈÈÈÓÊUÊÜÜÜ°vVV«>° À}Ê -Õ `>ÞÊ7 Àà «Ê>ÌÊ£ä\ääÊ>° °Ê> `Êx\ääÊ«° °
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10:00 a.m. This Sunday: I Know That Voice Rev. Dr. Eileen Altman preaching
Danger Dan, Adventure Man April 27, 28 & 29 at 7:00 pm Featuring over 80 children and youth
Inspirations is a resource for ongoing religious services and special events. To inquire about or to reserve space in Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 223-6596 or email byoc@paweekly.com
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parents, who won’t have to stray far to watch their daughters in action. Menlo-Atherton grads Emily Dorst (Stanford) and Becca Dorst (UCLA) also will be in action. Two others familiar with Avery Aquatic Center are also making appearances. Woodside Priory grad Constance Hiller plays for USC and M-A grad Morgan Leech is at Arizona State. While Stanford hopes to be the team celebrating Sunday, the Cardinal will likely be joined by at least three other MPSF teams at the national championships, an eight-team affair. The MPSF is, by far, the strongest conference in the nation, with seven of the eight teams ranked among the nation’s top nine. Hawaii is ranked No. 15. Stanford, the defending national champion, is a lock to reach the national tournament however the conference championships play out. The final three at-large bids could be decided as late as the fifth-place match. Cardinal coach John Tanner, an M-A grad himself, knew he would be without Olympians Melissa Seidermann, Annika Dries and future freshman Maggie Steffens this season. From the outside, it appeared Stanford would be vulnerable this
season. Tanner kept insisting there was plenty of talent available to compete for the national title. Kaley Dodson, Alyssa Lo, Kate Baldoni and Menon, among others, proved him right. The Cardinal lost three of its top four scorers from last year, losing 152 combined goals from Seidemann, Dries and Menlo School grad Kim Krueger. Dodson, Lo and Menon, along with freshmen Kiley Neushul and Ashley Grossman, stepped up to fill in the missing pieces. “This year’s group comes back eager to prove themselves as great water polo players and to craft a great championship team,” Tanner said at the beginning of the season. “We have a lot of players who are just great water polo players and can play anywhere in the pool.” Junior goalie Kate Baldoni stepped in for the departed AllAmerican Amber Oland, Menon, Lo and fellow seniors Cassie Churnside and Monica Coughlan stepped in to provide leadership and everybody else simply stepped up to contribute for another run at the national title. Stanford has won 49 of its past 51 contests dating to a loss in the 2010 national championship game. The tournament continues Saturday and Sunday, with matches beginning at 11 a.m. each day. N
Stanford’s Shoji makes volleyball history with fourth first-team All-American honor by Rick Eymer and Dave Kiefer
E
rik Shoji has become the first player in the 22 years of American Volleyball Coaches Association All-America selections to be named to the first team all four seasons of his collegiate career. Shoji, a libero from Honolulu, was one of three Stanford seniors named to AVCA All-America teams Thursday, joining three-time first-team choice Brad Lawson and second-team setter Evan Barry, who becomes the 23rd All-America in program history. Only 1988 Olympic gold medalist Scott Fortune and future beach star Matt Fuerbringer were fourtime All-Americans among Stanford players. But no Cardinal had received first-team honors all four years, whether from the AVCA or another organization. “He’s the greatest libero in collegiate volleyball history,” Stanford coach John Kosty said. “He owns every record; he’s the only fourtime first-team All-America. He’s incredible.” Official NCAA records only have been kept in men’s volleyball since 2009, but Shoji’s 1,375 career digs and single-season high of 446 digs in 2009 are believed to be the most all-time, including sideout and rallyscoring eras. This season, Shoji is third in the nation with a 2.66 digs per set (277 total), and is second on the team in assists, with 49. His diving digassist against an unblocked 6-foot-9
Pepperdine hitter on Saturday was spectacular, as was his kick-assist against UC San Diego in 2009 that was No. 2 on ESPN SportsCenter’s Plays of the Day. “It’s a well-deserved award,” Kosty said. “His ability to pass and play defense, and his consistency, is remarkable. It’s been an honor to coach him for four years.” Lawson, a 6-foot-7 outside hitter and close friend of Shoji while growing up in Honolulu, now is among four Stanford players to receive at least three first-team honors, along with Shoji, Fortune, and Fuerbringer. Lawson, who is averaging 4.07 kills per set and has a hitting percentage of .335, recently broke two Stanford career rally-scoring era records, in kills and service aces. Lawson’s totals, going into Thursday night’s Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament semifinal against BYU at USC’s Galen Center, are 1,788 kills, and 126 aces. Barry leads the nation in assists per set (12.04) and has set the Cardinal to a national-leading 13.96 kills per set and a .343 hitting percentage, the second-highest in the nation. Baseball Alex Blandino, Brett Michael Doran and Danny Diekroeger formed a special bond early. They sat on the bench together and helped Stanford baseball coach Mark Marquess keep charts, record pitches and send offensive and/or defensive signals to the team. Halfway into the Pac-12 Confer-
ence season, the group has become important contributors to the Cardinal postseason hopes. Heading into last weekend’s Arizona State series, the Cardinal bats seemed to be in hibernation, it was learned shortstop Lonnie Kauppila would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury and regular center fielder Jake Stewart would miss a few games because of a knee injury. Enter Blandino, Doran and Diekroeger, the self-named “steal squad” who were suddenly needed in the lineup. They didn’t just fill spots, they excelled. “Things always happen,” Cardinal coach Mark Marquess said. “A team can go into a slump or you can get an injury. When guys come off the bench and perform offensively and defensively like they did, it’s a plus. You’re always going to need a little help.” Blandino hit four home runs in three games, helping him earn National Player of the Week honors, and Stanford swept Arizona State, earning a series victory over the Sun Devils for the first time in four years. Doran and Diekroeger also added their own offensive output, with Diekroeger hitting his first career home run. Doran was slotted into the leadoff spot and responded brilliantly. The Cardinal (8-7, 26-10) takes a four-game winning streak into an important series at UCLA (11-7, 26-10), which begins Friday at 6 p.m. N
Sports ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Forfeits
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ond half and missing numerous players to illness and injury, the Vikings moved comfortably ahead when goals by Simone Buteau, Emy Kelty and Anna Marie Drez pushed their lead to 8-4. Drez scored a career-high three goals while Allie Peery had a career-best two. Kelty and Charlotte Biffar finished with two goals. The forfeits were a result of a violation involving one player who transferred from Menlo-Atherton to Palo Alto High at mid-term. She joined the lacrosse team at the be-
Rachael Acker Gunn High The senior swimmer won the 50 free, led off two winning relays and won the 100 free over Paly’s Jasmine Tosky (her first prep individual loss ever) while helping the Titans top the Vikings to remain unbeaten in the SCVAL De Anza Division.
Zeke Brown, Matt Giordano
Menlo lacrosse
Ally Howe Sacred Heart Prep swimming
Freddy Avis Menlo baseball tennis Gunn baseball
Isaac Feldstein
Gunn softball
Palo Alto baseball
Menlo lacrosse
Selby Sturzenegger Sacred Heart Prep swimming
Aryana Yee Castilleja softball
C H I L D R E N ’ S H O S P I TA L
PROVIDED BY LUCILE PACKARD CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL
Your Child’s Health University Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital offers classes and seminars designed to foster good health and enhance the lives of parents and children.
Graham Fisher*
Casey Maltz Michaela Michael*
L U C I L E PA C K A R D
ditional checks and balances to ensure this doesn’t ever happen again.” Winston added that the student and family are not responsible for the situation. “We are responsible for this unfortunate situation,” he said. “We also have an action plan to ensure this doesn’t happen again.” Paly Athletic Director Earl Hansen said letters were sent to the schools involved in the forfeits and apologies were made by Palo Alto. Despite the foul up, Hansen didn’t lay blame on the athlete or coach. It was pretty much a lack of communication. “This one just fell through the cracks,” he said. N
Menlo-Atherton High The seniors combined to win five of six matches overall, teaming to win at No. 1 doubles twice, while helping the Bears’ tennis team win the PAL Bay Division title for a fourth straight unbeaten season.
Honorable mention Brooke Bullington
ginning of the season, but the proper paper work of her transfer was not filed with the CCS office. “We didn’t catch the situation in time and another school filed a complaint with CCS,” Palo Alto Principal Phil Winston wrote in an e-mail. “So, we did an investigation and the result, based on CCS rules, is the team has to forfeit the games the student played in. “This has raised questions for me about our enrollment process and the checks and balances within our athletic department for new students that want to play a sport,” Winston added. “This terrible, unfortunate situation has caused us to review our enrollment process and has resulted in ad-
E.J. Floreal Palo Alto track & field
Bradley Knox Sacred Heart Prep golf
Tom Kremer Sacred Heart Prep swimming * previous winner
To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com
HEART TO HEART SEMINARS ON GROWING UP Informative, humorous and lively discussions between parents and their pre-teens on puberty, the opposite sex and growing up. Girls attend these two-part sessions with their moms and boys attend with their dads. - For Girls: Two Wednesdays, May 2 & 9 and May 23 & 30: 6:30 – 8:30 pm - For Boys: Tuesdays, May 22 & 29: 6:30 – 8:30 pm
SIBLING PREPARATION CLASS This class for children two years of age and older will help prepare siblings for the emotional and physical realities of the arrival of a newborn. - Saturday, May 5: 9:30 – 11:00 am
Palo Alto Unified School District Notice of Public Hearing on Increase in School Facilities Fees as Authorized by Education Code Section 17620 PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that immediately following a public hearing on the matter, a proposed resolution will be considered by the Board of Education of Palo Alto Unified School District at its regular meeting on May 8, 2012 at 6:30 p.m. at 25 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, which if adopted by the Board will increase developer fees established by the District against new residential construction to $3.20 per square foot and against new commercial or industrial construction to $0.51 per square foot, except for parking structures and self storage buildings which would be $0.17 and $0.50 per square foot respectively. The proposed fees are authorized by Education Code Section 17620 for the purpose of funding the construction or reconstruction of school facilities. Data pertaining to the cost of school facilities and the availability of revenue sources is available for inspection during regular business hours in the District’s Business Office.
GRANDPARENTS SEMINAR Designed for new and expectant grandparents, this class examines changes in labor and delivery practices, the latest recommendations for infant care and the unique role of grandparents in the life of their child. - Thursday, May 10: 6:00 – 8:30 pm
NEWBORN CARE 101 This interactive program teaches the specifics of newborn care including bathing, swaddling, soothing and more. Infant doll models are used to allow for hands-on practice. - Saturday, May 26: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm and 12:30 – 3:30 pm
Call (650) 724-4601 or visit calendar.lpch.org to register or obtain more information on the times, locations and fees for these and other courses.
Any interested party may make an oral or written presentation at the public meeting. The fee, if approved by the Board of Education, will become effective on July 9, 2012. VI S IT LP CH.ORG TO S IG N U P FOR CLAS S E S ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ «À ÊÓÇ]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 39
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