Palo Alto Weekly 09.21.2012 - section 1 by Palo Alto Weekly

Palo Alto

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE

2012-13

A local resource guide published by the Palo Alto Weekly

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Spectrum 12 Title Pages 13

Movies 20

Real Estate 38

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N News New theater complex, high-rise ofﬁces proposed

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N Sports Stanford volleyball wins Pac-12 opener

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N Arts Film festival: Technology, innovation, emotion

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Locally Grown Produce U Fresh from The Farm – Coming to Palo Alto!

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Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Four office buildings, theater planned for downtown Palo Alto City partners with developer John Arrillaga on new plan to transform site near downtown Caltrain station by Gennady Sheyner

he City of Palo Alto and billionaire philanthropist John Arrillaga are pushing forward a sweeping development plan that would add a complex of four office towers, including one 10 stories in height, and a new theater to one of the most central areas of downtown.

The project, which would transform the area around the downtown Caltrain station, is so ambitious in scope that the city is now considering bringing it to the voters in spring of 2013, according to a report the city released late Wednesday, Sept. 19. The city and Arrillaga have been discussing the project at 27 Univer-

sity Ave. since early 2011, but details didn’t emerge until late Wednesday, when the city released a report outlining some of the details. The site currently houses the MacArthur Park restaurant, which would have to be relocated to accommodate the new plan. The City Council is scheduled to consider the plan and the proposal to send it to the voters at its meeting Monday night, Sept. 24. But Arrillaga’s development proposal already seems to have won over the city’s

planning staff, who describe it in a new report as “an unprecedented opportunity to transform the centrally located, transitional area between Downtown Palo Alto and Stanford University, a prominent part of town where decades of plans have engendered little change.” “The Project is propelled by an extraordinary public-private partnership involving several parties, which would allow goals that have been pursued for many years to be realized,” Current Planning Man-

ager Amy French wrote in a report, which was approved by Planning Director Curtis Williams and City Manager James Keene. These goals include improvements to the busy Intermodal Transit Center, better links between downtown, Stanford Shopping Center, Stanford University and Stanford Hospital, and a new performing-arts theater, which would likely serve as a new home for TheatreWorks. (continued on page 5)

LAND USE

Historic Eichler demolished Object of 2009 Edgewood Plaza lawsuit appears to have been hauled away by Sue Dremann

Veronica Weber

Leo Swada, center, adds a piece to a tower he is building, while Remina Fujita, right, and Luke Lew, far right, play with more blocks in their Young Fives and Transitional Kindergarten class at Greendell School.

EDUCATION

Few sign up for new ‘transitional’ program Law means fewer kids with late birthdays are in kindergarten this fall by Chris Kenrick

espite its origins in Palo Alto, a new law compelling California school districts to offer “transitional kindergarten” has attracted few students here. Just 16 children signed up for Palo Alto’s new transitional kindergarten program — a number so small that the enrollment has been combined into the school district’s pre-existing Young Fives program. But Superintendent Kevin Skelly said some teachers have commented that the new law may be working because this year’s kindergarten crop seems more mature than before.

State Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, sponsored the legislation — moving the fifth-birthday cutoff for kindergarten from Dec. 2 to Sept. 1 — after he was petitioned by a group of Palo Alto teachers who said too many late-birthday children were entering school unprepared for the increasingly academic demands of kindergarten. Simitian estimates 40,000 California 4-year-olds — kids with November birthdays — are eligible for the new T-K program this fall. Once the law is fully phased in, 125,000 children — those turning 5 between Sept. 1 and Dec. 2 — each year will qualify for the pre-kindergarten year.

Statewide enrollment figures for the new T-K program will not be available until next summer, said Tina Jung, spokeswoman for the California Department of Education. Jung said the department collects enrollment data in October but that updates are not completed until the following summer. Local school officials speculated that demand for transitional kindergarten could be low here because Palo Alto, unlike most school districts, already offers a “Young Fives” program and is rich in high-quality private programs. (continued on page 8)

ne of two historic Eichler com mercial str uctures scheduled for renovation at Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center in Palo Alto appears to have been largely splintered and hauled away, angering the residents who fought in court to have the buildings saved. Perhaps the only extant examples of developer Joseph Eichler’s vision for a commercial retail center, the buildings were part of a 2009 lawsuit by members of the Duveneck-St. Francis neighborhood against developer Sand Hill Property. Residents sought to preserve the 56-year-old structures after Sand Hill planned to redevelop the site into retail and about 25 single-family homes. But Sand Hill settled the lawsuit, known as the Architectural Control Committee for Tract No. 1641, after it was discovered that any development required authorization from residents through the property’s Declaration of Restrictions, Conditions, Covenants, Charges and Agreements, or CC&Rs. Sand Hill then won the goodwill of residents when it held informational meetings and reduced the number of homes to 10. It agreed to preserve the two Eichler structures. One building, which is closest to Embarcadero Road and St. Francis Drive, was to be deconstructed and moved further back toward the neighborhood. The move would have shifted parking along the residential side into the center. But while residents expected the building to come down, they were shocked on Monday and Tuesday to discover that many of its most recognizable features had been splintered, they said. Worse, they did not receive any communication from developer John Tze about changes to the building’s renovation plans, they said.

By Wednesday morning, all that was left was one masonry wall. “We were not notified about the demolition and were surprised, shocked and dismayed,” Diane Sekimura, an Architectural Control Committee member, stated in an email to the Weekly. “Along with the city, we also believed that the building was to be dismantled and moved. We were told by Mr. Tze that some components would have to be replaced due to new building codes. He mentioned doors, which must be widened for disabled access and windows, which today must be double paned and use safety glass. He also said he needed to comply with regulations for heating and cooling equipment on the roof. We expected other materials such as beams, siding, panels, etc., would be recycled and reassembled at the new location. “What remained after the demolition was a pile of shards and pieces of these components. They were hauled away Tuesday. It did not appear anything was salvaged except the single masonry wall still standing,” Sekimura said. Reached while on vacation in Europe, Tze apologized in an email to Sekimura on Tuesday for any surprise. He did not dispute the residents’ account of the demolition. “We have been working closely with the city and (historic-architecture consultants) Page & Turnbull and have consulted with Page & Turnbull continuously throughout this design and construction process. “I do not take this lightly but basically, what we found through the design process was that much of the old material could not be re-used. The glass does not meet current safety and energy codes — it is sin(continued on page 5)

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Upfront

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PUBLISHER William S. Johnson 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 Colin Becht, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Contributors

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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What remained after the demolition was a pile of shards ... — Diane Sekimura, an Architectural Control Committee member, on the razing of the historic Eichler retail building at the Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center. See story on page 3.

Around Town

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD ... While cities across the nation continue to bear economic pain and sluggish job growth, Palo Alto is bracing for an influx of dense new office developments at some of its most prominent locations. Downtown alone is preparing to welcome the four-story Lytton Gateway project, which the City Council approved earlier this year, and a massive, four-tower office complex recently proposed by philanthropist John Arrillaga. But one planned downtown development ran into a speed bump Thursday morning. Charles “Chop” Keenan, who is one of the city’s most prominent and prolific developers, faced some opposition this week from the Architectural Review Board, which was reviewing his newest downtown proposal. Keenan is looking to build a fourstory building, most of which would be office space, at 135 Hamilton Ave., a site currently used as a parking lot. But at its first public hearing on the project, the board panned the proposed building design and sent the project back to the architects for major revisions. Members generally agreed that the proposed building is too blocky and that it doesn’t really fit with the structures around it. Board member Lee Lippert said the project needs “something that respects the adjacent buildings in terms of height,” while his colleague Clare Malone Prichard advocated for more pedestrian amenities. Board member Randy Popp was most vehement in his criticism, calling the proposed building “very flat,” and describing the project as “severe and boxy.” “If this is truly an iconic corner and a ‘gateway’ building, it really needs to be designed as such,” Popp said. The board did not vote on the proposed development but agreed unanimously to hold another hearing on it once the applicant returns with a revised design. PREPPING FOR THE BIG ONE ... As one of 13 students chosen nationally to serve on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Youth Council, Gunn High School junior Divya Saini is already deeply immersed in emergency preparedness. But Saini says Palo Alto could be doing a lot more. With the lure of fun — fake injuries — she’s urging teens to come out for this weekend’s simulated-emergency “Quakeville” campout at Cubberley Community

Center. “Teens will get decked out in fake injuries and we still have spots for victims,” Saini told the school board Tuesday. On a serious note, she asked that schools incorporate emergency-preparedness education into the required high-school Living Skills class — and even offered to help create the curriculum. OUR FRIENDS IN CHINA ... Palo Alto already has more siblings than the Partridge Family, but that’s not stopping the city from looking for more partners abroad. Weeks after celebrating the 25th anniversary of its sister-city relationship with the Swedish city of Linkoping (one of six sister cities in Palo Alto’s municipal family), Palo Alto is now looking even further east. The City Council will on Monday consider a formal partnership with the Yangpu District of Shanghai, China, an area known for a dynamic high-tech sector and the prominent Fudan University. The Palo Alto-based cloud-computing giant VMWare also enjoys a presence in Yangpu. Under a staff proposal, Yangpu wouldn’t be a “sister city” but rather a “partnership city” focusing on economics and technology. The “intention agreement” between Palo Alto and Yangpu would commit the cities “to explore mutual economic interactions to, among other things, enhance the economic health and betterment” of the two communities and “keep each other informed on important economic and civic issues.” Officials from the two municipalities are scheduled to formalize their agreement at a signing ceremony Thursday. FOLLOW THE MONEY ... Palo Alto residents now have a new tool at their disposal for tracking city expenditures. The City of Palo Alto has just partnered with local company Delphi Solutions in launching an “open government” platform that uses graphics, charts and spreadsheets to lay out the city’s budgets over the past five years. The new tool was unveiled last week and heralded as the latest effort in the city’s push to promote “open government.” “It translates to a deeper relationship with our community,” City Manager James Keene said in a statement. “We’re removing barriers and supporting a more informed and engaged citizenry here in Palo Alto.” The new tool can be found at http://data.cityofpaloalto. org/openbudget. N

Upfront EDUCATION

Finding the way around Gunn With more than 500 freshmen, school uses ‘Titan 101’ to break the ice

Edgewood

(continued from page 3)

gle pane, non-safety and we need double paned with light and heat reflecting glass. The doors likewise do not meet handicap widths. However, the signature Eichler concrete block walls will be reused and incorporated into the building that is staying in place. “When we began construction, we opened up walls and found surprisingly that many were not original. However, we walked the entire project carefully with Page & Turnbull, who concluded that many of the structural members were also in poor condition and structurally unsound,” he wrote. He offered to meet with residents upon his return perhaps as soon as next Friday. In an email on Wednesday, Tze said the other Eichler building would remain. He did not specify how much of it might be altered, however, or if it was found to be in similar condition. Elena Lee, city senior planner for the project, said a condition of the project’s approval required the historic preservation of the buildings. The developer is required to dismantle and reconstruct the building in compliance with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s standards. “There should be no exception made. They are supposed to be in full compliance,” she said. She said she would be checking with Tze to find out what had happened. Carolyn Kiernat, a principal at Page & Turnbull, said on Wednesday that she had just

food” was the lie — he actually hates it. But his favorite composer is Beethoven, and he did once clog an airplane toilet. In the process of guessing, the 20 Gunn freshmen in his Titan 101 group got to know him well enough to find some common ground. The Gunn freshman program divides students into groups of 20 to 25 students, who gather 10 times from August to April with their assigned guidance counselor to cover topics like “freshman survival skills,” “homecoming boot camp,” “time management” and “how Gunn does diversity.” Freshman Maya Mahony said her first Titan 101 meeting “calmed us down about starting high school by answering our questions and also just by being there.” Her twin sister, Zoe Mahony, said Titan 101 “helps us freshmen get used to Gunn.” Presence of upperclassmen at all meetings so far “made us realize that it was possible to survive the first day, and year, of high school,” found out about the alleged demolition and removal and had to talk with the city and Sand Hill prior to commenting. “It has all just come to light,” she said, adding that the company’s role has been as a preservation consultant. A site walk was done a couple of weeks ago, she said. Sekimura said her group “believe(s) this demolition violates our October 2009 Superior Court Stipulated Judgment and Injunction agreement. “We thought we had a collaborative process with the developer with frequent communication over the past 2-plus years, not to mention a binding court order stipulating that the two historically and architecturally significant buildings would be renovated. We actively supported the presentations of the developer in front of the Historical Resources Board, the Architectural Resources Board, the Planning and Traffic Commission, and the City Council — all of whom approved the project plans for the preservation of these two buildings,” she said. She added that she isn’t sure what the residents’ next action will be. One possibility is to seek an injunction to stop construction. “We would like to find some resolution short of stopping work on a project which is so important to everyone in Palo Alto. I hope there is a way to regain trust in the relationship with this developer,” she said. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

Gunn freshmen celebrate their new school in an orientation session held in August. The school uses the 10-session Titan 101 program, which runs from August through April, to try to help students feel more connected to school. Maya Mahony said. Titan 101’s inaugural year, 201112, garnered poor reviews, and officials this year reworked the program based on feedback. “We’ve reduced the number of sessions and are paying attention to what students found useful,” Klein said. A session on “breathing and relaxation” was dumped after getting panned by students. “While we value that for students, they didn’t feel that was the best use of their time,” Klein said. Many freshman in a recent session

on “introduction to guidance services” indicated they have multiple extracurricular time demands — sports, jobs or other commitments — as many as seven days a week and feel pressed to leave school when classes break early Thursdays for teacher collaboration time, when Titan 101 sessions are often scheduled. But Maya Mahony said the program doesn’t take too much time — “just enough to make us feel welcomed and get all of our questions answered. “Also, they give us maps. Always a good thing,” she said.

Arrillaga

(continued from page 3)

Aside from the project’s massive scope, the proposal is also unusual in its blurring of the line between public and private. Two members of the city’s land-use boards, former Planning and Transportation Commissioner Daniel Garber and former Architectural Review Board member Heather Young, resigned earlier this year to work on the Arrillaga proposal. And the city plans to approve on Monday a series of architectural, urban-design and environmental contracts for work on 27 University Ave. The council had already approved $250,000 for design work on this project in March. Now, the staff is proposing spending another $286,000 on four contracts, the largest of which would be a $139,500 contract with Fukuji Planning and Design. The money would come from a $2.25 million fund that the Stanford University Medical Center provided as part of a deal with the city that allowed the medical center to vastly expand its medical facilities. In recent months, designers and architects have come up with an urban design plan that seeks to, among other things, create a new, highly visible “Arts and Innovation District” between the Caltrain station and El Camino Real; to create a permanent home for TheatreWorks, which currently performs out of Lucie Stern Community Center and the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts. But the most dramatic and potentially controversial aspect in the new plan is the four office towers, which would be organized in two

Rendering courtesy of the City of Palo Alto

“

Hi, my name’s Gary. I love seafood; I’ve clogged a toilet on a cross-country flight; and my favorite composer is Beethoven.” Freshmen at Gunn High School in Palo Alto recently shared such random facts about themselves in the ice-breaking game, “Two Truths and a Lie.” The session was part of “Titan 101,” an orientation program offered for Gunn freshman even as the school is under pressure to revamp its school-wide guidance and college-counseling program. With more than 500 students — believed to be a record number — in Gunn’s freshman class this fall, administrators are looking for ways to make the school seem smaller, friendlier and easier to navigate for a kid just out of middle school. “Gunn has so much available to students, and there used to be no explanation of how to find it, where to go, what to do,” Assistant Principal Trinity Klein said. In Gary’s case, the “loves sea-

Courtesy of Gunn staff

by Chris Kenrick

The future of Titan 101 is up in the air pending review of Gunn’s overall guidance and college-counseling program this year. High school principals are scheduled to report to the Board of Education Oct. 9 on the status of their efforts to improve counseling programs. Gunn, which has a traditional counseling program in which students meet one-to-one with counselors, has been under pressure from school board members to shift to a model that would offer students more “touch points” with adults on campus. A parent group, We Can Do Better Palo Alto, has tenaciously lobbied the board to order Gunn to adopt Paly’s “teacher-advisory” counseling model, which augments its small professional counseling staff with 40 “teacher advisers,” who meet regularly with small groups of students through their four years of high school. An internal working group is expected to make recommendations early next year on ways to improve Gunn’s counseling program. “There’s a connection between Titan 101 and guidance review, but the overall guidance review process is obviously much bigger,” Klein said. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.

The City of Palo Alto and billionaire philanthropist John Arrillaga are pushing forward a sweeping development plan that would add a complex of four office towers, including one 10 stories in height, and a new theater to one of the most central areas of downtown. pairs with each pair connected by multi-story bridges. The tallest would be 10-stories tall. The commercial complex would also include nine-, seven- and six-story buildings. The floor area of the new office space would be 263,000 square feet. The city currently has at least four buildings taller than 10 stories, including the condominium building at 101 Alma St., the office building at 525 University Ave., the Channing House and Forest Towers at 510 Forest Ave. The proposed offices, much like these buildings, would far exceed the city’s 50-foot height limit for new developments. “The goal of the mixed-use office buildings is for them to be designed as prominent, carefully constructed, contemporary office space to house premier Silicon Valley technology companies in Palo Alto, advancing Palo Alto’s reputation as a global center of technology and innovation,” the new staff report states.

While the proposal is still in its early phase, it has already received support from Stanford University, a major benefactor of Arrillaga’s philanthropy and owner of the land on which the developments would be built. In a letter to the city, Stanford’s Director for Community Relations, Jean McCown, wrote that while the university has not been involved in the development, “it supports the exploration of this concept among Mr. Arrillaga, TheatreWorks and the City of Palo Alto.” “John Arrillaga is an extraordinary, generous philanthropist who has provided great benefits to the University, as well as other local community projects,” wrote McCown, a former Palo Alto mayor. “Stanford is pleased that the City of Palo Alto will be giving this proposal its thoughtful and constructive consideration.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

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Upfront CITY COUNCIL

Palo Alto hopes for residents’ help City to hire public-opinion firm, form campaign committee to assist with ballot issue s Palo Alto officials march toward a 2014 ballot measure to fund infrastructure repairs, they are keeping a close eye on 2008 and trying to apply the lessons they learned from the city’s last successful bond campaign to the next one. The City Council unanimously approved late Tuesday night, Sept. 18, a detailed plan for determining which projects should appear on the November 2014 ballot and for reaching out to the community for help in getting the measure passed. The plan includes polling the community, prioritizing the potential projects that would appear on the ballot, forming a campaign committee to promote the measure and drafting the necessary language by the middle of 2014. At Tuesday’s discussion, council members and staff frequently alluded to 2008, when 69 percent of the city’s voters approved Measure N, a $76 million library bond. The bond, which funded the recent renovation of the Downtown Library, the ongoing reconstruction of the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center and the future upgrade and expansion of the Main Library, cruised to victory after an aggressive outreach campaign from a citizens committee. The drive for a 2014 bond is a major component in the city’s multiyear effort to repair its aged infrastructure, an effort that prompted Mayor Yiaway Yeh to declare 2012 “The Year of Infrastructure Renewal and Investment.” The effort gained momentum in December with the release of a report from the Infrastructure Blue Ribbon Task Force, a 17-member committee that tallied the city’s infrastructure needs and recommended possible ways to pay for items on the list. The task force concluded that the city has a maintenance backlog of about $95 million. It also identified a list of needed projects with a collective price tag of $200 million, including a public-safety building that would cost more than $60 million. But while the public-safety building is a top priority (the existing police headquarters at City Hall is cramped and seismically unsound), council members stressed that they had not yet determined which projects would ultimately appear on the 2014 ballot. Instead, they emphasized that this decision will be reached after extensive community outreach and polling. They also agreed that citizens must play a major role in the coming campaign if it is to succeed. While staff recommended that the city solicit advice from the infrastructure committee, Councilman Larry Klein said the campaign would require an even stronger presence from community volunteers, including active campaigning from a citizen committee. He pointed to the library bond, which he said “was blessed with people who really did a terrific job in running the campaign.” “Advice is great, but the slogging

by Gennady Sheyner work of a campaign committee is absolutely essential,” Klein said. He also recommended that staff develop a timeline for getting accurate price estimates for the roughly 20 items on the city’s menu of desired infrastructure projects — a list that in addition to the public-safety buildings includes two rebuilt fire stations, a bike bridge over U.S. Highway 101 at Adobe Creek and repairs to the city’s streets, parks and buildings. Councilman Pat Burt stressed that the staff-generated list of items does not in any way indicate which projects will ultimately end up on the ballot. That decision will be made after the council considers both the importance of each project and alternative sources of funding for these projects. “The communication part of this

will be critical to its success,” Burt said. “Early misinterpretations of our intent could lead to undermining the initiative.” Members also advocated giving the voters various options for potential bond measures before deciding which has the best chance of passing. The plan the council approved Tuesday night involves hiring a public-opinion research company in November and hiring a communication strategist in January of next year. Councilwoman Karen Holman said the public will play a crucial role in shaping the 2014 ballot measure. “If the council picks its top 10 projects, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what will end up on ballot,” Holman said. “The public plays a major role in this — the deciding role, quite frankly.” N

CityView A round-up of

Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Sept. 18)

Rail corridor: The council discussed a recently completed Rail Corridor Task Force report and voted to send the plan to its Rail Committee for further review before incorporating it into the Comprehensive Plan. Yes: Unanimous Infrastructure: The council approved a proposed timeline from staff for outreach and prioritization of projects that would appear on the November 2014 bond measure. Yes: Unanimous

Board of Education (Sept. 18)

Bond program: The board heard reports from an independent auditor and a citizens’ oversight committee giving the school district’s $378 million bond-construction program a clean bill of health. Action: None Windows: The board voted to award a $1.05 million contract for replacement of windows in Palo Alto High School’s Tower Building and Haymarket Theater. Yes: Unanimous Board efficiency: The board held a preliminary discussion on ideas for making board meetings more productive and efficient, agreeing to hold a study session on the issue in early 2013. Action: None

Planning and Transportation Commission (Sept. 19)

Joint meeting: The commission held a joint study session with the Architectural Review Board. Action: None

Architectural Review Board (Sept. 20)

135 Hamilton Ave.: The board discussed but did not approve a proposal by Keenan Lovewell Ventures for a four-story, mixed-use building with about 20,000 square feet of commercial area and two residential units. The board criticized the design of the proposed building and continued the item to a later date. Yes: Unanimous

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to meet in closed session to discuss potential litigation relating to the construction of the Mitchell Park Library. The council also plans to discuss a proposal from Mayor Yiaway Yeh and Vice Mayor Greg Scharff for a new neighborhoods-grant program. The council will also approve design contracts and consider concepts for 27 University Ave., a proposal to build a four-office-tower complex and a new theater near the downtown Caltrain station. The closed session will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24. The rest of the meeting will follow in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to continue its discussion of a possible name change for Main Library, discuss library statistics for fiscal year 2012 and consider the economic impact of eBooks. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27, in the Downtown Library (270 Forest Ave.).

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News Digest Another woman sexually assaulted in Palo Alto A woman was sexually assaulted while jogging through El Palo Alto Park at Palo Alto Avenue early Wednesday morning, Sept. 19, according to Palo Alto police. A man came up behind the woman, bear-hugged her, grabbed her breast and possibly tried to pull her down in the process. The woman screamed and was able to free herself and the man immediately jogged away, police stated in a press release. The woman didn’t suffer any injuries and followed the man from a distance while using her cell phone to call police. She last saw him running east on Hawthorne Avenue from Alma Street. Police responded with a canine unit but were unable to find the man after a search of the area. The victim described the assailant as Middle Eastern or Hispanic, about 5 feet 9 inches tall with a medium build. She said he had thin black Caption hair. Police said the crime appears to have been committed by the same person who committed two similar assaults in the past month. On Aug. 20 a man grabbed a woman’s buttocks in the 600 block of Fulton Street, and on Aug. 29 a man grabbed a woman’s breast in the Stanford Shopping Center parking lot. “We are concerned about all of these events, but we are particularly concerned about this one, as it appears as though the suspect’s behavior may be escalating,” Lt. Zach Perron stated in the release. Police recommend joggers run in pairs or in small groups, run in welltraveled areas, not wear headphones over both ears and carry a cell phone with them. N —Eric Van Susteren

Plea delayed in Steve Jobs’ home burglary Kariem McFarlin, the Alameda man charged with burglarizing the Palo Alto home of Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs, will wait at least another month before entering a plea. McFarlin, who was arrested Aug. 2 and charged with stealing iPads, iPods, jewelry and Jobs’ wallet from the Waverley Street home, made a brief appearance in a Palo Alto courtroom Sept. 19 for his scheduled plea hearing. But for the second time since his arrest, the plea was postponed. McFarlin’s attorney, James Kellenberger, requested that the plea date be moved to Oct. 17 to give him time to review new information that he has recently received in discovery. Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Thang Nguyen Barrett granted Kellenberger’s request, with no objections from Deputy District Attorney Tom Flattery. McFarlin was arrested last month after Palo Alto officers and investigators from the Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team (REACT) Task Force raided his Alameda apartment and allegedly found some of the items that were stolen during the July 17 burglary. According to a report from REACT, McFarlin subsequently acknowledged that he had burglarized Jobs’ home and admitted to committing other burglaries in San Francisco. Jobs’ home was unoccupied and was undergoing renovation at the time of the theft. N —Gennady Sheyner

School board candidates’ forum set for Sept. 27 Candidates for the Palo Alto Board of Education will share their views Thursday, Sept. 27, in the first of several public forums. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in the cafetorium of Terman Middle School, 655 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto. The forum is co-sponsored by the PTAs of Terman, Gunn High School and Barron Park and Juana Briones elementary schools and will be moderated by a member of the Terman PTA executive board. The four candidates vying for three available spots in the Nov. 6 school board election are software engineer Ken Dauber, parent educator Heidi Emberling and incumbents Melissa Baten Caswell and Camille Townsend. Several other school board candidates’ forums have been announced, including a Wednesday, Oct. 3, event cosponsored by the League of Women Voters and the PTA Council of Palo Alto; and a Monday, Oct. 8, session sponsored by the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education. Both of those events will begin at 7 p.m. in the boardroom of Palo Alto school district headquarters, 25 Churchill Ave. An Oct. 10 school board candidates’ forum is planned for 7 p.m. in the English Resource Center (ERC) adjacent to the Palo Alto High School Library. That event is cosponsored by Paly’s Student Equity Action Network and Parents Advocating Student Success. N —Palo Alto Weekly staff LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com

Upfront

Inspirations

LAND USE

Palo Alto mulls sale of land near Foothills

a guide to the spiritual community

City Council meets in closed session to consider selling 7.7 acres to developer John Arrillaga FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC

s Rd

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Land under negotiation

Foothills Park

The land the City of Palo Alto and John Arrillaga are negotiating over lies next to Foothills Park and between two plots owned by Arrillaga. on “price and terms of payments” for the city-owned property, according to the council’s agenda. City Attorney Molly Stump said the city isn’t required to disclose the terms of Arrillaga’s proposal for the property because of an exception in the Ralph M. Brown Act, which governs open meetings and requires public notification prior to council actions. The act allows city officials to discuss real estate negotiations behind closed doors without publi-

Shannon Corey

hile Palo Alto negotiates with billionaire developer John Arrillaga over a proposal to build a large office complex and theater next to the downtown Caltrain station, the city and Arrillaga are also engaging in behindthe-scenes talks about a separate deal that involves an undeveloped parcel next to Foothills Park. The council met in a closed session Tuesday night, Sept. 18, to discuss the price and terms of the sale, details that the city officials declined to discuss. Deputy City Manager Steve Emslie said the discussion was prompted by an offer the city received from Arrillaga, a philanthropist who owns properties on each side of the city-owned 7.7-acre parcel. Emslie said the site is an undeveloped property adjacent to Foothills Park. The only vehicle access to the landlocked property is through a dirt road off Los Trancos Road. The closed-session discussion is the first time that the current council discussed the potential sale of the property to the prominent developer, who is a donor to Stanford University’s athletic programs. The council took no action after its discussion, which preceded its regular council meeting. The negotiation centered

Los Tranc o

by Gennady Sheyner cizing the terms, Stump said. “These are the kinds of things that can be sensitive,” Stump said. “The law allows a public entity to have negotiations over price and terms without publicly disclosing its bargaining position.” While the Tuesday discussion took place behind closed doors, city officials are now preparing to hold a public discussion of the proposed land sale. Stump told the Weekly that the city plans to hold a public hearing on Arrillaga’s offer in October. City officials said the sale is not related to the much more ambitious proposal that Arrillaga pitched last year, which would add four office towers at 27 University Ave., along with a new theater that would potentially house TheatreWorks. That project also includes relocating the historic MacArthur Park restaurant, which currently occupies the University Avenue site. The magnitude of the University Avenue project is such that the council is considering bringing it to the voters in 2014. The City Council is tentatively scheduled to discuss at its Sept. 24 meeting a proposal to direct staff to prepare language for the possible ballot measure. N

Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m and 5:00 p.m. Church School at 10 a.m.

This Sunday: Hymn Sing Sunday

Music That Makes My Heart Sing An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ

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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NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, October 4, 2012 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144. 4214-4220 El Camino Real [12PLN-00297]: Request by Matt O’Shea, of OTO Development, on behalf of Schnell Brothers Properties for Architectural Review Board review of a Sign Exception Permit to allow the total number of signs (3) to exceed the maximum number of signs on a site and allow a blade sign to exceed the allowable area of five square feet. Zone District: CS 1845 El Camino Real [12PLN-00124]: Request by The Hayes Group, on behalf of Yeh Jen Fu, for Preliminary Architectural Review of a new three-story mixed use condominium building (2,663 sf commercial and one residential unit). Zone District: Neighborhood Commercial (CN). Environmental Assessment: As a Preliminary Review, where no recommendation is requested, the application is not a project and is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Initial Flood Protection Project: Joint meeting of the Architectural Review Board and the Planning and Transportation Commission for a site tour of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority’s (JPA) proposed flood management project along San Francisquito Creek from Highway 101 to San Francisco Bay. Board/Commission members will convene at 10:00 am at the Palo Alto City Council Chambers; the tour is estimated to last until 12:00 noon. Amy French Chief Planning Official

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Upfront

Transitional (continued from page 3)

In fact, the 16 Palo Alto children who signed up for transitional kindergarten “weren’t even enough to run a class,” said Sharon Keplinger, who directs a range of pre-school programs for the school district on the Greendell School campus adjacent to the Cubberley Community Center. Instead, Keplinger accommodated the new students in one of three Young Fives classes. For 37 years Palo Alto has offered the Young Fives program, emphasizing social-emotional and school

readiness for children on the immature side of 5. “The (transitional kindergarten) curriculum is easy for us — kindergarten readiness is still kindergarten readiness,” Keplinger said. The new T-K offering did attract “some kids that probably wouldn’t have come to us otherwise,” Keplinger said. The enrollment boost from T-K also means Keplinger has no space to accept last-minute referrals — as she has in the past — of children who begin the year in kindergarten but are found to be not ready. Skelly told the Board of Education Tuesday, Sept. 18, that some teachers have remarked on positive

effects from the new law. “One unsolicited comment from a teacher at Escondido was the fact that teachers are noticing they have older kids in their classes, which has positively affected kids’ readiness, maturity and ability to learn,” Skelly said. In addition to Young Fives, which serves more than 60 children, Keplinger in 2010 launched the pilot “Springboard to Kindergarten,” aimed at kids about to enter Palo Alto schools with no previous preschool experience. Children are recruited when they register for kindergarten in January, and offered a five-day-a-week preschool experience from February to June. N

Ira Byock, MD The Ethics and Practice of Loving Care Ira Byock, MD, is Chair, Palliative Medicine, at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Director of Palliative Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, and Professor, the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in the Departments of Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Community and Family Medicine. Involved in hospice and palliative care since 1978, Dr. Byock has authorized numerous articles and several books on the ethics and practice of hospice, palliative and end-of-life care. The Best Care Possible is his most recent book. As a consistent advocate for the rights of dying patients and their families, he has received many awards, and has been featured on numerous national television and radio programs.

22nd Annual Jonathan J. King Lectureship Tuesday, October 2, 2011 s 5:30pm Auditorium, 1st Floor, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital

For more information, go to http://bioethics.stanford.edu, or call (650) 723-5760. No reservations are necessary for this event.

Free Admission Open to the Public

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Upfront

Compost to Create Naturally Beautiful Garderns

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 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Newsâ&#x20AC;? in the left, green column.

East Palo Alto community honors David Lewis Backyard composting conserves energy and reduces pollution and waste. Discover how easy it is to use composting techniques to create a vibrant, healthy and beautiful garden. Learn how to turn your food and yard waste into a wonderful soil amendment or mulch that will help your garden thrive by surpressing weeds, protecting the soil, improving soil structure and conserving water.

Compost Workshop

Saturday September 22 10 AM - 12 PM Master Gardenerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palo Alto Demonstration Garden 852 Center Drive This free workshop is sponsored by Zero Waste Palo Alto and taught by UCCE Master Garderners www.zerowastepaloalto.org zerowaste@cityofpaloalto.org (650) 496-5910

A successful re-entry program that helps parolees transition back into their communities held a celebration Wednesday, Sept. 19, honoring slain East Palo Alto activist David Lewis. (Posted Sept. 20 at 8:41 a.m.)

Local physician named White House fellow A physician who recently trained in neurosurgery at the Palo Alto Veterans Affairs Hospital has been named a White House Fellow for 2012-13. (Posted Sept. 19 at 9:46 a.m.)

Senior-housing project wins early praise A proposal by the Palo Alto Housing Corporation to build a seniorhousing development and 15 homes on an old orchard site earned early kudos from city officials Tuesday evening, Sept. 18, though some members of the City Council urged the developer to pay extra attention to the traffic impacts of the new project. (Posted Sept. 19 at 8:57 a.m.)

National Merit semi-finalists announced Forty seniors from Palo Alto High School and 33 seniors from Gunn High School have earned recognition as semi-finalists by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. (Posted Sept. 18 at 2:41 p.m.)

Keplerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finds key to future in its past Keplerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books and Magazines has a new look â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and that look may awaken memories of its radical roots. The store, which struggled to survive during recent years, may have found new life by turning to its past. (Posted Sept. 18 at 9:13 a.m.)

Man on trial for killing ex-girlfriend in 1995 A trial for a man charged with murdering his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend after a First Communion party in East Palo Alto more than 17 years ago got under way in San Mateo County Superior Court Monday, Sept. 17. (Posted Sept. 18 at 8:14 a.m.)

Beechwood School reopens after fire ' ( " )& $* & + & * " $ ! $ & ( ! "

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Beechwood School, a private K-8 nonprofit school located at 50 Terminal Ave. in Menlo Park, reopened Monday morning, Sept. 17, after a Sept. 13 fire destroyed the administrative offices and a classroom in a three-unit portable building. (Posted Sept. 17 at 2:19 p.m.)

Man dies after being hit by car in Mountain View An Illinois man who was fatally struck by a car in Mountain View Saturday night, Sept. 15, has been identified as 34-year-old Joshua Baker, according to the Santa Clara County medical examinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. (Posted Sept. 17 at 11:48 a.m.)

Stanford freshmen by the numbers Nearly 1,800 freshmen and 31 transfer students will be welcomed at Stanford University Tuesday, Sept. 18. The new students come from 49 states â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Rhode Island not included â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and 56 countries. (Posted Sept. 17 at 9:45 a.m.)

Mountain View fire injures four Two residents and two firefighters were injured in a two-alarm fire in a Mountain View apartment building Saturday evening, Sept. 15, fire officials said. (Posted Sept. 17 at 8:24 a.m.)

Menlo Park bank robbery tied to arson The smoking wreck of a Honda Accord set on fire led Menlo Park police back to the scene of a bank robbery as they pieced together witness reports on Friday afternoon, Sept. 14. (Posted Sept. 15 at 10:22 a.m.)

Firefighters contain blaze at Menlo Park apartment

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Firefighters contained a fire Friday afternoon, Sept. 14, at an apartment complex at 785 Roble Ave. in Menlo Park. A witness said that a man was seen setting a car on fire in a garage at the complex and then fleeing from the scene. (Posted Sept. 14 at 4:08 p.m.)

Stanford funds early-stage energy research Can brain-imaging research lead to policies that will save energy? Can engineers dramatically cut the cost of solar energy by designing ultra-thin solar cells? Small grants to Stanford University researchers in these areas are among nine recently awarded by Stanfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy institutes. (Posted Sept. 14 at 2:28 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.

Mary Nell Rogers Jan. 26, 1934 – Sept. 1, 2012

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JOHN GRADUATED WITH A BACHELOR OF ACTING FROM SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY AND A MASTERS IN FINE ARTS FROM AMERICAN CONSERVATORY THEATRE. He’s “overjoyed” when students achieve something they didn’t believe was possible and also believes that the performing arts teach students lifelong skills that are fundamental to developing a “whole” person. John teaches acting, directing, and playwriting to middle and high school students at the introductory and advanced levels. He taught for 9 years with ACT’s Young Conservatory and worked extensively as a guest artist, directing, and playwriting. As a member of the Priory’s on-campus faculty, when John isn’t teaching, he loves to spend time with his family. ONE OF THE MANY REASONS TO SEND YOUR CHILD TO: Woodside Prior y School Admissions Office 302 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028 650/851-8223 ■ www.PrioryCa.org

OPEN HOUSE

for Prospective Students and Families

Saturday. Nov. 10th, 2012 at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28th, 2012 at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8th, 2012 at 10 a.m For information and to R.S.V.P. contact Admissions at 650.851.8223

MARY NELL (APPLEGATE) ROGERS of Los Altos passed away on September 1st after a long illness. Born January 26, 1934, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Mary studied electrical engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Upon graduating, she worked for General Electric in New York and in 1955 married Robert Rogers, a fellow engineer from GE. Three years later she ‘retired’ to raise a family and in 1961 the family moved west, settling in Los Altos. In 1976 Mary returned to work as an engineer, joining Lockheed Missiles & Space. Mary also volunteered for the Girl Scouts and was an active member of the Society of Women Engineers, eventually holding high ofﬁces for both organizations and gaining national recognition as an advocate for women in science. In 1981

she received her MBA from Santa Clara University. Upon her second retirement, in 1998, Mary spent much of her time gardening; she also enjoyed puzzles and needlepoint. Mary is survived by her children, Bob Jr., Beverly, Beth and Molly, and four grandchildren. Service and reception September 29, 10 am, Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos. All are welcome. In lieu of ﬂowers, the family would appreciate donations on Mary’s behalf to the Girl Scouts of Northern California (https ://girlscoutsnorcal. ejoinme.org/MyPages/OnlineDonations/ tabid/59858/Default.aspx) or the Society of Women Engineers’ scholarship fund for the Santa Clara Valley Section (http://swe-goldenwest.org/ggs/scholarship/). PA I D

O B I T UA RY

Barbara Arons Feb 15, 1922 – Aug 23, 2012 Dr. Barbara Arons, 90, retired Director of Acute Psychiatric Services at Valley Medical Center from 1970 to 1989, died on Aug. 23 2012. She was a legendary ﬁgure in the care of the severely mentally ill in Santa Clara County. In addition to her duties as Director of Acute Psychiatric Services, she acted as the psychiatric physician to the Main Jail in San Jose, as well as directing a large psychiatric skilled nursing facility in the same area. Dr. Arons made additional innovative contributions by establishing a Neuro-Behavioral Unit at Valley Medical Center in 1978 which combined the disciplines of neurolog y and psychiatry. She was partially responsible for the discovery of a “designer” narcotic drug that could closely mimic Parkinsonism. Two Nova television programs were devoted to reporting on this unique occurrence of druginduced Parkinsonism and its value in advancing our basic understanding of this crippling disease. In 1989, on the occasion of her retirement as Director of Acute Psychiatric Services for Santa Clara County, she received the extraordinary honor of having a new inpatient psychiatric facility named in her honor on the campus of Valley Medical Center (the Barbara Arons Pavilion). Dr. Arons is the only Santa Clara County resident to have a building named in recognition for her valued service while still living. Dr. Arons attended UCLA as an undergraduate

and completed her medical training at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. She was one of only four women admitted to her medical school class in 1956. This was followed by an internship at Los Angeles County Hospital. She was an internal medicine physician for several years at the now closed Agnews State Hospital starting in 1959. Dr. Arons received her psychiatric training in the Department of Psychiatry at the Stanford School of Medicine and served in a teaching capacity in that same department. Dr. Arons died on Aug. 23, 2012 , at St a nford Un iversit y Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif. Dr. Arons had been admitted to the Stanford Hospital for the surgical repair of a fractured hip resulting from a fall on Aug. 16. Dr. Arons is survived by six children, five grandchildren, t h ree g reat g ra ndch i ld ren and her husband, Dr. Walter Arons, a retired endocrinologist. Her children are Sandra Benbrook Rieder residing in Cathlamet, Wash., Charles Benbrook residing in Troy, Ore., Jeffrey Arons from Portola Valley, Calif., Laurie Arons residing in Sausalito, Calif., Beth Arons of Palo Alto, Calif., and Richard Arons residing in Snoqualmie, Wash. In lieu of ﬂowers, contributions may be made in Dr. Arons’ name to the Peninsula Open Space Trust http://www.openspacetrust.org/ or KQED http://www.kqed.org PA I D O B I T UA RY

Sept. 28

Moonlight RUN&WALK 5K walk, 5K & 10K run

Editorial Stretching the Brown Act Tight-lipped, city staff defends closed council sessions to discuss selling small foothills parcel

n the end, the idea of selling a small, 7-acre land-locked cityowned parcel in the foothills above Arastradero Preserve may have merit. The parcel is almost completely surrounded by private land, is inaccessible to the public and would presumably be required to permanently remain undeveloped as a condition of the sale. It could bring the city some welcome revenue without any obvious negative impacts. But, alas, it’s not that simple. For one, there has been no policy discussion, at least in open session where the law requires it must occur, about whether or why the city should even consider selling this parcel. Yet for unexplained reasons, city staff is already negotiating the terms and price of a sale in private meetings with the potential buyer, long-time Palo Altan and Stanford benefactor John Arrillaga, who owns the large foothills estate adjacent to the parcel under discussion. Since the matter has only been discussed by the City Council in closed session, there is no way to determine how the idea of this land being sold even arose, or who authorized negotiations without first having a public discussion on the concept of or reasons for selling this property, located past the rear emergency access gate at the far end of the large meadow in Foothills Park. But more troublesome is that these closed-door negotiations with Arrillaga are taking place at the same time the city staff is also negotiating with him over his ambitious proposal to build a huge office and theater complex next to the train station in downtown Palo Alto. The office-theater complex, on which the city planning staff has been quietly working with Arrillaga for months, would require unprecedented zoning exceptions through the controversial planned community (PC) zoning process, in which a developer may exceed the normal zoning limits in exchange for providing important public benefits. First disclosed in March, a refined plan calling for four office towers all in excess of the city’s height limit was released last week and will be discussed Monday by the City Council. Introducing the sale of the small foothills parcel into this process, whether coincidental in timing or somehow related to the office project, should have raised all kinds of red flags for both the council and staff. In the absence of any information, what is the public to think when one of the community’s most wealthy and influential citizens is negotiating two different land deals with the city simultaneously? It’s possible that Arrillaga thought the office-theater project negotiations were a good time to achieve the purchase of the foothills parcel as a further buffer between his property and city open space. Or perhaps the idea wasn’t his at all, and the city staff proposed it, getting needed revenue for a parcel that is almost as valuable to the city under private ownership as long as no development is permitted. Or perhaps there is some other explanation as to why this is coming up now, at a critical time in the process of refining Arrillaga’s office-theater project. Whatever the explanation, there is a danger to both Arrillaga and the city to the lack of transparency. As we know from many previous PC projects, great public controversy is guaranteed when the city prepares to grant additional development rights in exchange for difficult-to-quantify public benefits. And the city has historically operated from a position of weakness in these negotiations because it lacks the economic expertise to properly evaluate and value the developer’s profit from an up-zoning of property. The proposed Arrillaga office complex, with some 260,000 square feet, is at once both exciting for its possibilities and overwhelming for its complexity and impacts on traffic flow and congestion. It also could be the largest act of philanthropy in the history of Palo Alto, since Arrillaga reportedly will donate the finished buildings to Stanford University and the theater shell to TheatreWorks, putting the issue of “profit” in a completely different context. The stakes and debate will be quite intense as this ambitious proposal moves forward, and as often happens with PC projects, the city staff that negotiated the proposal can become advocates for it and lose its ability to provide the essential neutral advice to decision-makers and the community. Transparency always helps to mitigate and counterbalance the danger of staff bias, which is why we’re disappointed in the handling of the possible sale of the small foothills parcel. There may be a bird in the hand for Palo Alto from John Arrillaga. Or it may be a fantasy overreach. Let’s not jeopardize a good analysis, discussion and outcome by a lack of full disclosure.

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Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Kids are more than data Editor, A hue and cry is being raised by some local parents to demand that our schoolteachers list all homework, complete or incomplete assignments, and up-to-the-minute student grades online. Similarly, a mother once came to me as her son’s English teacher at Gunn, toward the end of one semester, to demand that I teach her all my course material one-onone, so that she could remediate her failing boy and save his grade. These two demands differ in degree of intrusiveness, but are on the same spectrum — a spectrum of parental anxiety over teenagers’ performance and a wish to enlist teachers in removing all flaws from that performance. Before long, there may also be requests to place course handouts online, as well as overheads and graphs shown in class, quizzes and tests, essay topics, vocabulary words, important dates in history, and conjugations of verbs. Down this spectrum lies madness. Speaking recently to our school board, a parent said that in this day and age when he has instant electronic access to Google’s market cap, his bank balance, property taxes and “continuous tire-pressure readouts,” it’s high time that “the critical data” of teenagers’ school records should be instantly available. I shudder to think that we grown-ups may start conceiving of our kids’ lives in the way we think of tire-pressure (and I don’t think this dad really wants that, either). But it may take some effort to remind ourselves that a high-schooler’s performance is bound up in a fouryear drama that has nothing to do with instantaneous “critical data.” Marc Vincenti Los Robles Avenue Palo Alto

Operatic inspiration? Editor, The opera house in San Francisco currently requires a Seating Element to alleviate the unfairness of some people always being relegated to sitting in the balcony because they can’t afford orchestra, dress circle or grand-tier seats. To promote social equity, multi-level balcony seating should be constructed in the orchestra level, placing it in the aisles and neighboring environs, close to exit doors when possible. Visioning meetings should be conducted to give stakeholders an opportunity to provide their input and create public buy-in until a consensus is reached. Public input will again be sought regarding where to place the new, affordable balcony seating. While some wealthy operagoers who hold orchestra-section season tickets may complain, this is the fair and equitable way to approach opera-house seating. If they try to block these efforts, local NGOs stand in readiness

to sue. Some Orchestra Section seasonticket holders may complain that their sightlines are ruined — a small price to pay for supporting the public good. Every eight years, state law will require the opera house to update its Seating Element, adding a number of low-cost seats to the Orchestra Section, as determined by a regional governmental committee, which is appointed, not elected, and therefore can’t be voted out of power. Eventually, the entire opera house will be converted into balcony seating, except for some prime boxes and the first several rows of the orchestra section, which will be reserved for party officials, billionaire bankers, heads of state and visiting diplomats. Since the opera house will no longer have its current large contingent of high-priced seats, it will lose money every season. This will be remedied through a public-private partnership subsidizing the Opera House with new, equitable taxes, paid by the American taxpayer for the purpose of ensuring equity and music for all. Cherie Zaslawsky Oak Lane Menlo Park

Mala vista? Editor, I’m thrilled that finally the Buena Vista property — which is not a “buena vista,” more like a “mala vista” eyesore — is going to be redeveloped. This is the happiest news I’ve heard in a long time. Kudos to Jisser for finally making improvements on his property by selling it to Prometheus Real Estate, who in turn will be following the city’s mobile-home ordinance of relocation to the renters. As far as the tenants are concerned it is very nice that Jisser and Prometheus are willing, or should I say, are “required to give the tenants money for relocating.” Perhaps they could also set aside some units for low-income housing. Hopefully the City of Palo Alto will put a spine on its back and not drag this project through the mud the way they do every project in the South of the City of Palo Alto. Again, kudos to Jisser for the redevelopment. Finally it should be a real “buena vista” in about five to 10 years. Pamela Diken Amaranta Avenue Palo Alto

WHAT DO YOU THINK? The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest.

Do you think the City should be negotiating over property without public discussion?

Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to letters@paweekly.com. Submit guest opinions of 1,000 words to editor@paweekly.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number so we can reach you. 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. 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 Editorial Assistant Eric Van Susteren at editor@paweekly.com or 650-326-8210.

Book Talk

A DANGEROUS TIME ... Palo Alto author Keith Raffel’s “A Fine and Dangerous Season” is set just a few days before the Cuban Missile Crisis when “JFK needs an old friend from his time in Palo Alto to come help him stop two countries hell-bent on nuclear war,” according to Raffel. Raffel says he had “a great time researching” JFK’s stay during fall quarter of 1940 at the Stanford Business School when he paid $60 per month rent for his place on campus. The book is available through Barnesandnoble.com and Amazon.com. AT STANFORD ... Upcoming author talks at the Stanford Bookstore, 519 Lasuen Mall, include: Jory John, “K is for Knifeball” (Sept. 24, noon-1 p.m.); Nancy Singleton Hachisu, “Japanese Farm Food” (Oct. 3, 5:30 p.m.); Martha Collins, “White Papers” (Oct. 6, 10:30 a.m.); and Nancy Huddleston Packer, “Old Ladies-Stories” (Oct. 10, 6 p.m.). Information: stanfordbookstore.com or 650-329-1217. GIVING AWAY $$$ ... Palo Alto resident Colburn Wilbur, a trustee of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation where he was CEO for 23 years, has co-written with Fred Setterberg “Giving With Confidence: A Guide to Savvy Philanthropy,” which will be published by Heyday in October. The book deals with seven core principles aimed at helping people maximize the impact of their contributions. Wilbur currently sits on a variety of boards, including Planned Parenthood Mar Monte and the Stanford Theatre. He is the coauthor of “The Complete Guide to Grantmaking Basics.” The book is available at Amazon.com and from the publisher at https://heydaybooks.com/book/ giving-with-confidence/. MEET THE AUTHORS ... Upcoming author events at Kepler’s Books at 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park, include Salman Rushdie in conversation with Tobias Wolff, “Joseph Anton: A Memoir” (Sept. 25, 12:30 p.m., cosponsored by India Community Center); T.C. Boyle, “San Miguel” (Sept. 26, 12:30 p.m.); and Carissa Phelps, “Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets, One Helping Hand at a Time” (Sept. 28, 7 p.m.). Tickets at $35 admit one person and include a copy of the book; $10 admits one person (without the book). Also, authors at Books Inc., #74 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto, include: Stephanie Lucianovic, “Suffering Succotash: A Picky Eater’s Quest to Understand Why We Hate the Foods We Hate” (Sept. 27, 7 p.m.); Lynn Povich, “The Good Girls Revolt” (Oct. 1, 7 p.m., cosponsored by the Palo Alto Library); Scott Hutchins, “A Working Theory of Love” (Oct. 4, 7 p.m.); Joshua Welle with Rachel Torres, “In the Shadow of Greatness” (Oct. 8, 7 p.m.); Jon Klassen, “This Is Not My Hat” (Oct. 11, 7 p.m.). Information: www.keplers.com and www.booksinc.net.

Items for Book Talk may be sent to Associate Editor Carol Blitzer, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 93202 or emailed to cblitzer@paweekly.com by the last Friday of the month.

Title Pages A monthly section on local books and authors

“Radical Chapters: Pacifist Bookseller Roy Kepler and the Paperback Revolution,” by Michael Doyle, Syracuse University Press, 416 pp., $29.95

oy Kepler’s life was a tale of two revolutions: one that gave rise to war protests, draft resisters and the bohemian, anti-establishment sensibilities of the late 1960s, and another one that brought paperback books to the masses and, in the process, redefined the bookstore as we know it. But Kepler didn’t look like a typical revolutionary, or, for that matter, a typical bohemian. He did not sport a Che beret, hurl Molotov cocktails, shroud himself in beatnik black, or wear flowers in his hair. While his associates favored group hugs, painted buses and spiraled-down, mind-bending acid trips, Kepler saved his trips for places like Livermore, where he was arrested in 1960 for protesting the recently built nuclear lab; and Oakland, where he was arrested in 1968 after leading a peaceful demonstration in front of the Oakland Induction Center, a transfer point for soldiers about to go to war. As Michael Doyle illustrates in his engaging new biography, “Radical Chapters: Pacifist Bookseller Roy Kepler and the Paperback Revolution,” Kepler was a sharp, unsentimental businessman, known less for his own personality than for those of wild, world-changing bohemians who populated his popular Menlo Park bookstore, a landmark institution that plans to reopen its own next chapter later this month. But while he often wasn’t the loudest man in the room, Kepler was, above all, a leader — a man who parlayed his own pacifism into a broad anti-war movement and, in the process, created a beloved institution that continues to inspire bookworms to this day. Doyle, a journalist with the McClatchy newspaper chain and former Palo Alto Weekly reporter, follows Kepler from his humble upbringing in Denver, Colo.; to his war-resistance efforts during World War II and the Vietnam War; to his radical experiences with new institutions such as the Free University and the Institute for Nonviolent Studies; to his wild success in transforming his stuffy but eclectic bookshop into the Bay Area’s leading melting pot for revolutionary thinkers. Kepler was born in Denver and first became a “radical pacifist” at the onset of World War II — a period when being a conscientious objector didn’t endear one to the general population, particularly when the stance had no religious basis. His brother, Earl, also a pacifist, received a 30-month sentence for

Kepler’s war on war Radical pacifism and the making of an institution by Gennady Sheyner

Michael Doyle resisting the war and avoiding the draft. Though he was paroled after 10 months, Earl would never see happy days. He joined the Civilian Public Service and was assigned to work in a forest north of Glendora, the same camp where Roy was based. Within a month, a fire that was accidentally started by his cabin-mate destroyed his cabin and left 95 percent of Earl’s body covered in second- and third-degree burns. He died in the hospital. Roy Kepler would spend his early 20s shuttling through various work camps, including Germfask, a CPS camp in northern Michigan known as “Alcatraz of CPS.” With morale plummeting because of tedious labor, scarce supplies and aggression from residents of nearby towns, Germfask men fought back with pranks — shattering a 3-gallon mustard jar in the kitchen, clogging latrines, covering the floor in a layer of white flour topped with obscenities written in coffee grounds, calling in sick in alphabetical order. As the war ended, the camps were dismantled and by the spring of 1946, Kepler was a free man. After a few post-war years as an activist in various peace groups, including a stint as an executive secretary of the War Resisters league,

the newly married Kepler took a job for Eastern News Service, a distributor of books and magazines. In the spring of 1955, he began contemplating his own venture — a bookstore that would specialize in paperbacks, a new book type that was largely viewed as vulgar by Stanford Bookstore and other established booksellers. In May of that year, Kepler’s Books & Magazines opened shop at its first location, 939 El Camino Real. From its inception, Kepler’s sought to create something greater than a place that sells books — a community where browsing is encouraged and where connections form. And it is this quality that helped sustain the store through an era of chain bookstores and Amazon — forces that put many independent booksellers out of business. In 2005, with its finances in shambles, the store was preparing to shut down and was saved only by community outcry and an injection of funds from a team of investors. Earlier this year, Roy’s son and longtime store proprietor Clark Kepler retired from the family business, and Kepler’s welcomed a new transition team led by former Kepler’s enthusiast Praveen Madan. The new store is scheduled to reopen in late September.

Doyle’s book, like Kepler’s bookstore, is loaded with colorful cameos, from the civil-rights pioneer Bayard Rustin and troubled beatnik Allen Ginsberg to the shaggy-haired rocker Jerry Garcia and the charismatic Paly graduate Joan Baez, a prominent figure in Kepler’s life. It was at Kepler’s that Garcia, a store regular, met his future Grateful Dead collaborators, the lyricist Robert Hunter and bassist Phil Lesh. Ken Kesey stopped by the store in 1964 in search of a driver for his bus, which would become immortalized in Tom Wolfe’s classic “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” It was here that a teenaged nerd named Steve Wozniak pored through computer books and absorbed the knowledge he would later use to help launch another revolution. And it was also here that Ira Sandperl, a loquacious pacifist and Baez’s intellectual guru, worked his bard-like magic as a bookstore clerk. Throughout the era of protests, experiments and change, Kepler remained a “steady, solid, nonviolent rock,” as Baez described him to the Palo Alto Weekly in 1994, according to the book. His wife, Patricia, likened him to a statue, calling him “a steadfastly unemotional man more easily admired than embraced,” Doyle writes. Even when vandals hurled cherry bombs at his stores and colleagues urged mayhem to resist the status quo, Kepler remained unflappable, methodical and committed to his principles up until his death on New Year’s Day in 1994 at the age of 73. Doyle doesn’t try to veil his own admiration for his subject. His portrayal of Kepler and his inner circle is intimate and deeply sympathetic. He consistently refers to Kepler, Sandperl and Baez by their first names and he doesn’t dig too deeply into the philosophical underpinnings of Kepler’s and Sandperl’s pacifist convictions. Nor does he raise any questions or present any challenges to Kepler’s and Sandperl’s fixed commitment to nonviolence — there are no discussions of “just wars” in this book. But Doyle does a masterly job in weaving Kepler’s life into the colorful, rapidly shifting context of the Bay Area in the second half of the 20th century and in explaining how this principled visionary both shaped and was shaped by the zeitgeist around him. N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

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Stanford freshman setter Madi Bugg (22) had 50 assists, a number to junior Carly Wopat, as the Cardinal opened its Pac-12 season with a sweep of visiting Cal on Wednesday.

tah plays a significant role in the history of the Stanford women’s volleyball program. Freshman setter Madi Bugg just may be the next big thing out of the state to make an impact on the Cardinal program. Between Plano, Texas, where she was born, and Apex, N.C., where she attended Cardinal Gibbons, Bugg spent part of her childhood in the Salt Lake City area. That’s her mother, Robin Maine Bugg, was coaching. In the recent past, Olympian Logan Tom and Team USA member Kristin Richards came to Stanford from Utah. Bugg said she was too young to play on any competitive teams at the time, but has credited her mother, who is in the Tennessee Hall of Fame as volleyball player, for teaching her the sport and how to persevere through troubled waters. The Cardinal travels to Utah for a Pac-12 match Friday at 6 p.m., to be televised by the Pac-12 Network. Bugg, also a member of Team USA, came to Stanford as one of the top setters in the nation. As senior Karissa Cook struggles with various ailments, Bugg is showing why many consider her the best. Bugg recorded 50 assists (an extraordinary 16.7 assists per set) in No. 6 Stanford’s 25-17, 25-17, 28-26 victory over visiting California on Wednesday night in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. “I grew up with volleyball and I’m surrounded by players who are good,” Bugg said. “Karissa talks with me a lot on the bench. She’s a big part of how I play.” Bugg, who averages 9.54 assists per set on the year, is a member of what is considered the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. It would be difficult to debate, as four of the freshmen produced 35 of the team’s 57 kills, 53 of the 55 assists, 29 of the 52 digs and combined for a hitting percentage of .408. “It’s just a number, somebody’s opinion,” freshman Brittany Howard said. “I feel like we are co-existing with the other great players. We had a meeting with (continued on next page)

Upset of USC earns host of honors for Stanford but no rest for Shaw by Rick Eymer avid Shaw could have given himself a few days to reflect over Stanford’s important Pac-12 football victory over USC last Saturday. The coach just doesn’t think like that. Stanford earned all kinds of accolades after winning it conference opener, 21-14, against the then-No. 2 ranked team in the country. Ben Gardner and Stepfan Taylor were named Pac-12 Players of the Week, Taylor was named Maxwell National Player of the Week, Zach Ertz was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week and Stanford was named national Team of the Week. And coach Shaw? What was he up to the past few days? “I’ve been watching Washington film,” he said. “Once the coaching staff goes through game tape of the previous game we move on. You

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can’t linger. If you want to be good at something , you concentrate on the work. You can’t look at the accomplishments.” The ninth-ranked Cardinal (1-0, 3-0) gets the weekend off as it prepares for a Thursday game at Washington. There’s no rest for the coaching staff though. “This is a big recruiting week for us,” said Shaw, who is sending his coaches across the country in search of the next great players. “All wins help recruiting.” Washington (2-1) is coming off its own big victory, a 52-13 thrashing of visiting Portland State. The Huskies lost to LSU and also beat San Diego State. Washington is advertising its game with Stanford (6 p.m., ESPN) as “Blackout Day,” in which black gloves, dark sunglasses and black coffee will be offered to fans. As for the Cardinal, Huskies’

coach Steve Sarkisian told the team’s website “Stanford looks like Stanford. A big, physical team.” Stanford has a four-game winning streak over the Huskies, the same streak its now owns over USC. Shaw did learn a few things about his team against the Trojans, especially regarding quarterback Josh Nunes. “I knew he was tough. I knew he was competitive,” Shaw said. “I wouldn’t have know he would take off and run and break tackles. He’s a good football team.” And yet? “We have to be a 60 percent completion team,” Shaw said. “That’s the way we’re built. When Levine Toilolo is matched up against a smaller cornerback, you have to complete that pass.” Stanford has completed 53.8 per(continued on next page)

Bob Drebin/stanfordphoto.com

ON THE AIR

by Rick Eymer

Hector Garcia-Molina/stanfordphoto.com

PREP ALUMS . . . UC Davis senior Allison Whitson from Palo Alto was named to her second all-tournament team in as many weeks after helping the Aggies go 2-1 in the Butler Invitational women’s volleyball tournament during the weekend in Indianapolis, Ind. Whitson, who earned tournament MVP the week before at Fresno State, finished with a team-best 36 kills and 35 digs in the three matches . . . At the New England Challenge volleyball tourney in Storrs, Conn., the City of Palo Alto was well-represented in the opening round as Castilleja grad Taylor Docter and Gunn grad Teresa Skelly of Harvard faced Palo Alto High grad Maddie Kuppe of Connecticut. Docter had 12 kills and 19 digs with Skelly adding two kills and two block assists, but the Crimson came up short as Kuppe had six kills, four digs and two block assists in a 27-25, 2517, 25-10 victory.

Madi Bugg helps Cardinal end losing streak to Cal with 50 assists in Pac-12 opener

Despite having a bye week, Stanford coach David Shaw is busy.

CITY OF PALO ALTO “MEASURE TO BE VOTED ON” NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the following measure is to be voted on at the Special Municipal Election in the City of Palo Alto on Tuesday, November 6, 2012: CITY OF PALO ALTO INITIATIVE MEASURE “C”: Grant Shorin/The Viking

Tim Aiken

Gunn’s Sean Lydster (left) caught two touchdown passes in a 35-28 loss last week while Paly’s Keller Chryst threw for 338 yards and two TDs in a 28-27 setback.

Palo Alto, Gunn renew their football rivalry by Keith Peters ver the past nine years, Palo Alto has beaten Gunn in their annual football rivalry by an average score of 40-9. Not surprisingly, the Vikings have won all nine. That streak will be on the line when the teams meet on Friday at

Palo Alto’s Hod Ray Field in a nonleague tussle at 7:30 p.m. At stake for Paly is not only the streak, but its reputation as the dominant football program in the city. The teams have met 47 straight years, with the Vikings winning 34 times. Gunn last won (40-19) in 2002. Paly finished only 5-5 that

season while the Titans went 7-3. Palo Alto comes into Friday’s game with a 1-1 mark following a 28-27 setback to Mitty last week, whle Gunn is 2-1 after its 35-28 loss to Capuchino. More telling than those results is one number — 494.

Stanford football

a collective defensive effort.” Shaw cited some red zone, short yardage and pass protection deficiencies. “When you have to kick them, you have to make them,” he said. “What we have to do is score touchdowns.” Meanwhile. Stanford looks ahead to its contest. “What’s next? You have to concentrate on the next step,” Shaw said. “You have to enjoy the work, the day to day stuff.” Taylor’s 213 offensive yards (153 rushing, 60 receiving) were a career high. The senior tailback ran stronger as the game went on, with 11 fourth-quarter carries that averaged 4.1 yards. Of his 27 rushes in the game, none were stopped for a loss. “Stepfan showed the nation what we already know — he’s not only a dependable running back but also a gamebreaker. He can make plays in the running game and passing game which can break open a football game,” Shaw said. “Stepfan is a great pass protector, a great team-

mate, and you can see why our players voted him as a team captain.” On his first-quarter 59-yard touchdown run, which made two defenders miss before he ran away from the USC defense, Taylor broke the 3,000-yard career rushing mark. Taylor has 3,108 rushing yards for third place all-time at Stanford, trailing second-place Toby Gerhart by 414 yards and first-place Darrin Nelson by 925 yards. Taylor averages 112.7 yards a game. He’s on pace to finish with 1,352 yards this season and 4,122 yards for his career, which would set a school mark. “He showed the same thing he’s been doing the last two years,” Nunes said. “He’s a great guy to have on the field. He’s a rock. I love seeing what he’s able to accomplish after contact.” More importantly, Stanford is showing the rest of the Pac-12 that it’s a serious contender to reach the conference championship game. It’s a process in work — something Shaw is well aware of. N

won its seventh straight after losing two in a row in late August. “This was a good thing for us,” Stanford coach John Dunning said. “They (Cal) have people who have taken it to us.” The Cardinal ended a four-match losing streak to California, coached by Palo Alto High grad Rich Feller. The Bears (0-1, 6-5), who were ranked 17th in the nation at one time, have stuttered a bit without three potential starters. Junior Adrienne Gehan had 11 kills and 13 digs to lead Cal, which had a five-match winning streak snapped. Stanford also has its share of injuries, with Cook and junior outside hitter Rachel Williams, an AllAmerican last year, each nursing injuries. Williams, though, saw action against Cal.

The difference for the Cardinal lies in its No. 1 ranked recruiting class. Burgess, who had 16 kills, 13 digs and recorded a hitting percentage of .467, has stepped into a starting role along with Bugg, Howard and Ajanaku. “We’re thankful that we have five freshmen who decided to come here and who are mature on the court,” Dunning said. “They’ve learned a lot of volleyball, can handle this level and add a lot of depth to the team.” Utah (0-1, 9-5) lost its Pac-12 opener at Colorado in three sets. USC beat visiting UCLA in a matchup of the nation’s top two ranked teams and No. 9 Oregon topped Oregon State in other matches on Wednesday. Washington beat Washington State and Arizona bested Arizona State on Tuesday night. N

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cent of its passes over the first three games, while opponents are completing 61.9 percent. Stanford’s win over the Trojans also showed one of the hidden costs of a two-year bowl ban. While USC was on the sidelines, the Cardinal was able to to get two extended periods of practice for the Fiesta Bowl and Orange Bowl. That was a significant difference for Stanford, as most of its defensive secondary worked against Andrew Luck and his bevy of receivers. There’s no replacing that kind of added experience. With the help of a terrific pass rush, the Cardinal secondary was extraordinary against former Heisman Trophy favorite Matt Barkley and his receiving corps. “Terrence Brown was awesome,” Shaw said. “They did not complete a pass on his side of the field. The tackling was better in space. It was

Stanford volleyball (continued from previous page)

coach and asked him what his expectations were of us and he said there were no expectations, just come in and work hard.” It also helps to have junior Carly Wopat, a returning All-American, on the court with you. She’s well on her way to another All-American season. She also beat Cal for the first time in her career. “The goal is to step on the court ready to play at full speed,” Wopat said. Wopat and freshman Jordan Burgess combined to record 30 kills and hit at a .463 clip to pace Stanford’s victory. Freshman Inky Ajanaku added 11 kills and hit .562 as the Cardinal

(continued on next page)

Shall the Palo Alto Municipal Code be amended to permit three medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in Palo Alto in any commerical or industrial zone subject to prescribed zoning criteria? The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Copies of the resolution placing this matter on the ballot is available in the City Clerk’s Ofﬁce, City Hall, 250 Hamilton Avenue, 7th Floor, Palo Alto, CA 94301. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC CITY CLERK

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 MEETING-COUNCIL CHAMBERS Monday, September 24, 2012 – 5:30 PM CLOSED SESSION 1. Mitchell Park Library CONSENT CALENDAR 2. Approval of a Contract with Air & Lube Systems, Inc. in the Amount of $318,031.78 for Repair of In-Ground Vehicle Lifts at the Municipal Services Center, Capital Improvement Program Project VR-12001 3. Approval of Letter of Intent for Yang Pu 4.

Submittal of Mitchell Park Library and Community Center Bi-Monthly Construction Contract Report

Adoption of Resolution Amending 2012-2014 Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Local 1319 International Association of Fireﬁghters (IAFF), Fire Chiefs’ Association (FCA) Representing Fire Managers

Adoption of Resolution of the Council Expressing Appreciation to Myrna McCaleb Upon Her Retirement

ACTION ITEMS 7. Colleagues Memo from Mayor Yeh and Vice Mayor Scharff regarding Council Contingency Funds in the Amount of $25,000 for Neighborhood Grants 8. Request for Council to Review Site Plan and Massing Concepts for 27 University Avenue, to Direct Staff to Execute Letter of Intent with TheatreWorks, and to Authorize Staff to Prepare Advisory Ballot Measure Language for Council Consideration. 9. Approval of Professional Services to: 1) Contract to Fukuji Planning and Design in the Amount of $139,500 for Preliminary Design Concept; 2) Contract to Sandis Civil Engineers Surveyors Planners in the Amount of $16,500 for Trafﬁc Engineering, Civil Engineering and Arborist Report services; and 3) Contract to Fergus Garber Young Consultants for Urban Design and Architectural Services in the amount of $85,000 for real property at 27 University Avenue to be Funded By the Stanford Medical Center Intermodal Transit Funds. 10. Policy & Services Committee Recommendation Regarding Council Priority Setting Process (Staff requests to continue to Oct. 1, 2012)

5K walk, 5K & 10K run

Moonlight RUN&WALK

Sept. 28

Sports

REAL ESTATE TRENDS by Samia Cullen

Listing Low to Generate Multiple Offers In today’s active real estate market, a common strategy adopted by sellers is to list at a relatively low price, hoping to create interest in the property, generate a multiple offer situation and push up the sales price. But what are the inherent risks of that strategy? One obvious risk is that the strategy may fail to generate multiple offers. If the seller receives only one offer at or below the asking price, the seller is not obligated to sell the home at that price. However, under the terms of some listing agreements, the seller may be obligated to pay a commission to the listing agent if the seller receives a full price offer without contingencies. Consequently, a seller adopting this strategy should be aware of and comfortable with the terms of the listing agreement. Sometimes when a seller does not receive any offers after listing the

home at what they thought was a low price, they are tempted to abandon the strategy and increase the list price. This approach is likely to create a stigma on the property and back ﬁre, with the property ultimately selling below fair market value. Listing low is a strategy that has been proven to be successful in generating the best selling price for properties in today’s local market. However, this strategy may not be the best in a soft market, and even in a strong market some sellers may not be comfortable with the approach. My advice to sellers is to not list their home at a price that they are not willing to accept. Use a market analysis prepared by a knowledgeable local agent, discuss your goals and look hard at the different pricing strategies suggested by your agent, then choose the strategy that best matches your goals and personality.

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.

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB)

Becca Raffel

4214-4220 El Camino Real [12PLN-00297]: Request by Matt O’Shea, of OTO Development, on behalf of Schnell Brothers Properties for Architectural Review Board review of a Sign Exception Permit to allow the total number of signs (3) to exceed the maximum number of signs on a site and allow a blade sign to exceed the allowable area of five square feet. Zone District: CS 1845 El Camino Real [12PLN-00124]: Request by The Hayes Group, on behalf of Yeh Jen Fu, for Preliminary Architectural Review of a new three-story mixed use condominium building (2,663 sf commercial and one residential unit). Zone District: Neighborhood Commercial (CN). Environmental Assessment: As a Preliminary Review, where no recommendation is requested, the application is not a project and is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority (JPA) Initial Flood Protection Project: Joint meeting of the Architectural Review Board and the Planning and Transportation Commission for a site tour of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority’s (JPA) proposed flood management project along San Francisquito Creek from Highway 101 to San Francisco Bay. Board/Commission members will convene at 10:00 am at the Palo Alto City Council Chambers; the tour is estimated to last until 12:00 noon. Amy French Chief Planning Official

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Sonia Abuel-Saud

Palo Alto High

Sacred Heart Prep

The junior outside hitter had 52 kills and 23 digs during a 6-1 volleyball week that included a tie for third at the Harbor Invitational, where she made the all-tournament team with 32 kills and 11 digs.

The senior outside hitter had 65 kills and 78 digs during a 6-1 volleyball week that included a tie for third at the Harbor Invitational, where she made the alltournament team with 34 kills and 47 digs.

Honorable mention Samantha Andrew

8:30 A.M., Thursday, October 4, 2012 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Diana Tamale for information regarding business hours at 650.329.2144.

Ricky Grau, are averaging 42.6 points a game and giving up only three per outing.

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Menlo-Atherton tennis

Victoria Garrick Sacred Heart Prep volleyball

Jessica Heilman Menlo-Atherton water polo

Tess van Hulsen Palo Alto water polo

Shelby Knowles* Palo Alto volleyball

Kelly Moran Sacred Heart Prep water polo

Nick Bisconti Menlo water polo

Malcolm Davis Palo Alto football

Ricky Grau Sacred Heart Prep football

Michael Holloway Sacred Heart Prep water polo

Harrison Holland-McCowan Menlo-Atherton water polo

Bret Pinsker Palo Alto water polo * previous winner

To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com

Prep roundup

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That’s the amount of rushing yards the Titans gave up to running back Justin Ewing. That brings up the question, can the Titans stop the Vikings? Paly senior running back Matt Tolbert gained 111 yards on 15 carries against Mitty after getting 221 the week before in a win over San Benito. He leads a rushing attack that is averaging 213 yards a game. If Tolbert and his mates aren’t enough to deal with, Gunn will be facing one of the top young quarterbacks in the Bay Area in junior Keller Chryst. He was credited with 338 yards on 18-of-37 passing with two touchdowns last week. He has thrown for 569 yards and six touchdowns in just two games. Junior wideout Malcolm Davis appears to be this season’s B.J. Boyd after his nine catches for 241 yards last week. The Vikings are averaging 497.5 yards a game. If Gunn coach Dan Navarro isn’t concerned, he should be. The Titans need to be at their very best to keep this one close. Navarro, in his second season at Gunn, has enjoyed success against Paly in the

past during his days as head coach at Mountain View. He beat the Vikings six times with one tie, with a noteworthy 32-9 win in 1980 when Jim Harbaugh was a junior QB for the Vikings. In other local prep games Friday: Menlo-Atherton (1-2) looks to rebound from back-to-back lopsided losses in its first home game of the season as the Bears take on South San Francisco (1-2) at 3:15 p.m. M-A dropped a 31-7 nonleague decision to host St. Ignatius last week as the Bears gave up 454 total yards. On Friday night, Priory (2-0) will visit Alma Heights Christian (6:30 p.m.) in eight-man action. The Panthers romped to a 54-6 win over El Sobrante Christian last week behind two TD passes and one rushing score from quarterback Tom Latta. Menlo School, meanwhile, will put its 2-0 record on the line at Half Moon Bay (1-2) in nonleague action at 7 p.m. The Knights are averaging a gaudy 58 points a game, but should be tested for the first time by the Cougars of the PAL Bay Division. On Saturday, Sacred Heart Prep (3-0) will play host to King’s Academy after scoring a school-record 70 points in a shutout of woeful Los Altos last week. The Gators, who got 187 rushing yards from backup

This weekend Many of the top girls’ volleyball and water polo teams in the Central Coast Section will congregate on the Menlo School campus this weekend for a pair of tournaments -- the annual Chris Chandler Invitational and the 18th annual Amanda MacDonald Girls Water Tournament. The two-day MacDonald water polo event includes 2011 CCS Division I finalist St. Francis, 2011 CCS Division II finalist Los Altos, 2011 CCS Division II semifinalist Burlingame, 2010 CCS Division I champ Menlo-Atherton, and 2010 semifinalists St. Ignatius and Castilleja. Also in the mix is 2011 North Coast Section Division II runner-up Campolindo. The Gold Division title match will be Saturday at 2:50 p.m., followed by the Blue Division finals at 4:10 p.m. The volleyball includes 2011 CCS Division V champ Castilleja and runner-up Prior plus CCS Division IV champ Soquel. Action begins at 8:30 a.m. The championship match is set for 5 p.m. Menlo finished second in the tourney last year. Girls’ golf One day after winning its first-ever league match, Gunn made it two straight as sophomore Anna Zhou fired a 1-under-par 36 and junior Jayshree Sarathy added a 41 to pace the Titans to a 228-408 romp over visiting Lincoln in a Blossom Valley Athletic League dual match on Wednesday at the par-37 Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course. Tiffany Yang added a 44 for the Titans (2-0, 4-1) while Lianna McFarlane (53) and Sandra Herchen (54) rounded out the scoring. Gunn will face Sacred Heart Prep on Monday in a nonleague match at Sharon Heights CC. Water polo Senior Bret Hinrichs poured in five goals to pace the Sacred Heart Prep boys to a 10-3 victory over host Valley Christian in West Catholic Athletic League action on Wednesday. Senior goalie Will Runkel needed only seven saves to help the Gators improve to 2-0 in league (4-3 overall). In Atherton, juniors Camile Zelinger and Morgan McCracken each scored three goals as host Sacred Heart Prep overpowered Valley Christian, 14-2, in a WCAL match. The Gators (2-0, 4-3) also got eight saves from junior goalie Kelly Moran. In Mountain View, MenloAtherton had a better record than St. Francis at last weekend’s St. Francis Invitational, bu that meant little to the Lancers on Wednesday as they toppled the Bears, 12-5, in a nonleague match. M-A (4-2) kept the match close at halftime before St. Francis (5-2) scored five goals in the third period to pull away. Bears’ goalie Sierra Sheeper was under fire throughout the game and came up with 15 saves. Jenna Swartz scored three goals and Jessica Heilman added two. N (For results of Thursday’s high school contests, go to www. pasportsonline.com)

Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace

by Rebecca Wallace

foghorn chants a low note as the San Francisco Bay waters lap against pocket-sized East Brother Island. Seagulls call. Then a phone rings, shrilling its way into the picture. Inside the historic lighthouse inn on the island, Peter Berkhout answers. Bed-and-breakfast knickknacks come into focus — a cross-stitched pillow, a lighthouse bedspread — as Berkhout answers a guest’s questions about bookings. He’s polite. His voice is level. It’s clearly a conversation he’s had before. Berkhout rarely smiles in this short documentary, “Between Land and Sea,” and neither does his wife, Dina, who lives and runs the inn with him on the tiny island near Point San Pablo. This is no romantic tale of working in paradise. While the guests watch the San Francisco skyline shimmer, the Berkhouts make beds, cook fourcourse dinners, field calls and work

Festival

2.0

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Left: Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the futuristic thriller “Looper,” which will be shown Sept. 27 at the festival. Below: A still from “Children Who Chase Voices from Deep Below,” an animated Japanese film that will be screened Sept. 29.

THE PALO

ALTO INTERNATIONAL

FILM FESTIVAL RETURNS WITH STORIES OF

TECHNOLOGY,

INNOVATION AND EMOTION

“Chasing Ice,” a documentary about climate change, screens Sept. 28.

J. Christian Jensen, one of the two filmmakers of the short “Between Land and Sea,” during the making of the movie. ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ-i«Ìi LiÀÊÓ£]ÊÓä£ÓÊU Page 17

Arts & Entertainment

Festival 2.0

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in the garden, always presenting a professional face. The tension between the innkeepersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; heavy workloads and stunning surroundings makes for a visually striking but wistful film. The filmmakers, Sarah Berkovich and J. Christian Jensen, wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have told the story any other way. As Stanford University graduate students of documentary filmmaking, they strive to depict just what they see. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a unique job,â&#x20AC;? Jensen said of the innkeepersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It comes with rugged nostalgia, but the reality is theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also running a business.â&#x20AC;? The story is one of more than 75 that will be told in this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palo Alto International Film Festival, Sept. 27 through Sept. 30. Documentaries and fictional films, features and shorts will be screened in a program that also includes talks and classes. Now in its second year, the festival will take place at the Aquarius and Palo Alto Square movie theaters, TalentHouse and the Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto. A â&#x20AC;&#x153;festival villageâ&#x20AC;? on High Street between University and Hamilton avenues will have an outdoor theater and music stage. The nineminute â&#x20AC;&#x153;Between Land and Seaâ&#x20AC;? starts off a program of local shorts scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. on

Filmmaker Sarah Berkovich. Sept. 28 at the Palo Alto Square. Put on by the nonprofit Palo Alto Institute, the festival often focuses on innovation, screening films that were made in an innovative way or that explore technology issues. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s schedule includes a 9 p.m. free outdoor screening of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paperman,â&#x20AC;? a new Disney film with an unusual mix of hand-drawn and computer-generated animation, on Sept. 27 at the festival village. Directed by John Kahrs, the film centers on a lonely man watching a woman in a window across from his high-rise â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and using cleverly folded pieces of paper to get her attention. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s set to open in main-

stream theaters Nov. 2. As an added free event, Kahrs will be part of a panel discussion about â&#x20AC;&#x153;Paperman,â&#x20AC;? along with Disney engineer Brian Whited and Andy Hendrickson from Disney Animation Studios. The talk is planned for 11 a.m. Sept. 28 at Talenthouse, 542 High St. Another unusual film is â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Renga],â&#x20AC;? billed as an â&#x20AC;&#x153;interactive cinematic gameâ&#x20AC;? about a heroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey, in which audience members work together to harvest asteroids, fight off warships and rebuild their own spaceship. The movie by Adam Russell and John Sear will be shown at 4 p.m. on Sept. 28 and 29 at the Aquarius Theatre, 430 Emerson St. Tickets are $12. Among the films exploring issues related to technology are â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sexy Baby,â&#x20AC;? a Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus documentary about the new sexual culture being created by the cyber age, 4 p.m. Sept. 28 at Palo Alto Square, 3000 El Camino Real; and â&#x20AC;&#x153;We Are Legion: The Story of the Hactivists,â&#x20AC;? a Brian Knappenberger doc about civil disobedience in the digital age, at 7 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Aquarius. Meanwhile, the documentary â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Startup Kids,â&#x20AC;? screened at 1 p.m. Sept. 28 at the Aquarius, looks at young Internet entrepreneurs. Made by a pair of Icelandic entrepreneurs, the film includes interviews with the founders of Vimeo, Dropbox and Soundcloud. Other free panel talks include â&#x20AC;&#x153;Netflix: Data, UX and Entertain-

ment,â&#x20AC;? with Mike Hastings, Navin Prasad and Michael Spiegelman from the product-development team at Netflix. They will speak at 11 a.m. Sept. 29 at Talenthouse. The festival also makes time for young local filmmakers, with a program of shorts made by high school students starting 5 p.m. Sept. 28 at Palo Alto Square. The offerings include: Ryan Leeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dystopian â&#x20AC;&#x153;Citizen 4422â&#x20AC;?; Charlie and Henry Badgerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Tunnel,â&#x20AC;? about a boy trying to prove himself by swimming through an ocean tunnel; Dean Moroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;His Last Day,â&#x20AC;? about a young manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final day before he joins the military; and Annalise Tahran and Lauren Amoreseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jimothyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Adventure,â&#x20AC;? a quirky film about a boy checking off items on his bucket list. For filmmakers getting started in the movie world, the first filmfestival premiere can be a major event. Berkovich and Jensen are certainly looking forward to introducing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Between Land and Seaâ&#x20AC;? to a new audience. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve shown it to others in their Stanford MFA program, but this will be their first festival. The pair, who are in the last year of the two-year graduate program, made the movie last year as a class assignment to work in pairs. Berkovich had stumbled onto the story of the East Brother Island innkeepers while reading about historic-preservation programs. She got in touch with Peter and Dina

Berkhout and found them open to being interviewed. While Berkovich and Jensen knew they had an unusual story, they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t at first realize the challenges the Berkhouts were facing on the tiny island. This quickly added dimension and emotion to the film, which was a plus, Jensen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to make a film just about a unique job. We wanted to explore the good and bad.â&#x20AC;? The filmmakers went to the island several times, and Jensen did some scenic, time-lapse photography at different hours of the day and night, shooting Bay vistas from Richmond. He and Berkovich found that they worked well together. She particularly likes story development and planning; he brings a news sense from his background in print journalism. Together, they edited and revised, and gathered feedback, something they found in abundance at Stanford. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our professors demand high quality, and the students do too,â&#x20AC;? Jensen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a lot of high levels of perfectionism.â&#x20AC;? In the MFA program, the students produce three films in the first year, with a longer thesis film in the second. While many moviemakers opt against film school, Jensen and Berkovich said theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been very pleased with their decision. Both praised the connections theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made and the ways theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re growing artistically. A masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

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Arts & Entertainment degree can also open doors for teaching. In addition, Jensen said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been learning ways to get his films out there, through social media, networking and other types of promotion. These skills are increasingly crucial in the digital age, where anyone can shoot a film. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think you can be just an artist anymore,â&#x20AC;? he said. As a case in point, Berkovich and Jensen have their work cut out for them this academic year. While they work on their thesis, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also continue to promote the films theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already made, submitting them to other festivals and looking for new opportunities. Berkovich already has a few other festivals planned. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blank Canvas,â&#x20AC;? another short she made last year at Stanford, will be screened next month at the United Nations Association Film Festival. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about a woman who has her head painted in an intricate henna design after she loses her hair from cancer. Berkovich was moved by the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story, and filmed her in artistic, dramatic black and white. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She really wanted to talk about what she was going through,â&#x20AC;? she said. N

Black & White Ball is back Biennial benefit has a Vegas theme this year tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vegas, baby, for Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Black & White Ball. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s benefit event will have a Vintage Las Vegas theme, which means the revelers dressed in black and white will have blackjack tables, a poker room and a roulette wheel to go with their live music and dancing. Singer and Dean Martin impersonator Matt Helm is scheduled to perform, along with Johnny Fab, who croons numbers from the Great American Songbook. The party is planned from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sept. 29 at the Lucie Stern Community Center. It happens every other year and usually attracts about a thousand attendees, organizers said. Proceeds go to Palo Alto schools and community groups such as the Palo Alto Library Foundation, Partners in Education

(PiE) and Youth Community Service (YCS). Other musicians booked for the ball are: Foreverland, a 14-piece Michael Jackson tribute band; the funk, soul and neo-hip hop group BASSment; party band The Fabulous Hummerz; and R&B/rock group Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gravy. Various area restaurants, wineries and breweries including Flemingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Pampas Palo Alto and Macarthur Park provide food and drink along with a no-host bar. Tickets are $150 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or $100 for guests ages 35 and under. Groups of 10 or more can also get $100 tickets when buying at the same time. For more information, go to thepaloaltoblackandwhiteball.org or call 650-463-4900. N

What: The Palo Alto International Film Festival, with 75-plus feature films and shorts, panel discussions, classes and other events Where: Events are in Palo Alto, at the Aquarius and Palo Alto Square movie theaters, Talenthouse and the Garden Court Hotel, with an outdoor theater and music stage on High Street between University and Hamilton avenues. When: The festival runs Sept. 27-30. Cost and info: Talks and some screenings are free, with ticket prices varying for other events. For cost and schedule details, go to paiff.net or call 650-641-8947.