Palo Alto Weekly 05.03.2013 - Section 1 by Palo Alto Weekly

Palo Alto

Vol. XXXIV, Number 31 N May 3, 2013

Citizens challenge trail proposal Page 3

w w w.PaloA ltoOnline.com

GROWING AUTHORITY OF COMMITTEES DIVIDES CITY COUNCIL

PAGE 3

Transitions 14

Spectrum 16

Movies 25

Eating Out 28

Shop Talk 29

Seniors 46

Puzzles 86

N Arts Vive l’art: Six exhibits come to the Cantor

Page 19

N Sports Menlo tennis coach closes in on milestone

Page 34

N Home Tell it with ﬂowers: interpreting storybooks

Page 57

From providing more ways to connect with your doctors, to bringing you the most advanced medical technology, we work in partnership with you. It’s how you plus us. And we plus you.

pamf.org

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Upfront

To our readers

Due to recent cutbacks by the U.S. Postal Service that will prevent your Palo Alto Weekly from reliably arriving by mail on Fridays, delivery of the newspaper in most areas of Palo Alto will be switching over the next few weeks to our own carrier service. For details, go to tinyurl.com/weeklydelivery. If you miss an edition or would like to request a vacation stop, simply call 223-6557 or email circulation@ paweekly.com.

Local news, information and analysis

Rise of committees divides Palo Alto council Some members think new committees are overstepping their authority

by Gennady Sheyner hen the Palo Alto City Some members of the council Council prepared to go into also seemed to have been caught off a closed-door meeting last guard, a rare occurrence given that week to discuss the future of Cub- it’s the council that normally decides berley Community Center, neigh- how it should tackle issues. But on borhood leaders and community April 22, after several residents and activists weren’t the only people to community activists argued that the express shock and concern. closed session should not take place

on a subject of such public interest, council members themselves offered their agreement. Councilwoman Karen Holman was one who sided with the speakers. She said a closed session at this time would be “premature” and argued that the city should first hold a public meeting. A public discussion, she said, would “speak better to transparency.” Councilman Greg Schmid said he found it “striking”

that the council was scheduled to hold a closed session. He said his understanding was that there was an agreement to hold a public discussion on the Cubberley report — “a promise to both the (Cubberley Community Advisory) Committee and the community for an open discussion.” Faced with pressure, the council voted unanimously, with Liz Kniss absent, to hold a public hearing on

Demeter St

Illinois St

Residents to city: Move trail

Small businesses, including towing service, vacant lot Bay

Matadero Creek Trail opposed over safety, environmental concerns

by Sue Dremann

Pulgas Ave IKEA East Palo Alto

Four Seasons Hotel Silicon Valley

University Ave

Ave

Donohoe

Current school HQ, bus yard, tech center, nutrition program, nonprofit

Euclid

University Ave

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Pulgas Ave

T Clarke Ave

Map by Lili Cao

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The Ravenswood City School District and The Sobrato Organization are negotiating to swap districtand privately owned parcels, which would relocate district headquarters to Pulgas Avenue, near the proposed new building for the Ravenswood Family Health Center, and allow district-owned land to be developed as office space.

LAND USE

School deal with developer could transform East Palo Alto’s freeway edge Ravenswood district headquarters would move across town to corner of Pulgas and Bay by Chris Kenrick

ast Palo Alto’s Ravenswood City School District is in talks to sell or exchange acres of property — including its own headquarters — to an office developer.

(continued on page 10)

MIDTOWN

Proposed East Palo Alto land swap

Bay

May 13 and a closed session on May 20. But while the discussion assuaged the community concerns for the time being, it left one questioned unanswered: How did this closed session that most council members didn’t want to have end up on the council’s agenda in the first place? The idea came from the Cubberley Policy Advisory Committee, a group

The prospective deal with the Cupertino-based The Sobrato Organization could transform the freeway-facing edge of the city surrounding University Avenue into office buildings and send

the school district to new headquarters across town, to Pulgas Avenue north of Bay Road. The new district headquarters (continued on page 7)

he proposed Matadero Creek Trail is so disliked by some Midtown Palo Alto residents that they have told the city to change the project’s name. A group of 70 residents, calling themselves the Concerned Midtown Residents, said they want the project renamed the “Midtown East-West Bicycle/Pedestrian Route” to get away from the plan for a creekside trail. They would like to see alternatives considered that they say would be safer. The current project name artificially limits the project, for which the city provides no alternatives, they stated in a document submitted to the city this week. The 1.3-mile trail would run along Matadero Creek levees and access roads, stretching from West Bayshore Road to Alma Street. The majority of the route would follow an existing Santa Clara Valley Water District maintenance road along the north side of the creek, except from Middlefield to Ross roads, where it would run south of the creek, according to city documents. A decomposed granite surface would replace an existing gravel maintenance road, with decorative railings in places for safety. The project would add new signage and improved crosswalks at intersections. The route is part of the Stanford and Palo Alto Trails Program, a plan to expand and create more than 8 miles of recreational corridors in and around the Stanford University campus and Palo Alto. A $1.5 million grant from Santa Clara County and $500,000 in city matching funds will pay for the trail. The program would eventually link San Francisco Bay trails to Stanford University and Pearson-Arastradero Preserve. The trail is also a key element of the city’s 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and would connect with future bike boulevards along Ross, Greer and Louis roads,

city officials said. But residents said the trail comes too close to homes, in part running directly behind backyards. Residents are concerned about noise, debris and trespassing at night when the trail would be closed because it is unlit. Safety is a major issue, they said. “The concrete walls on Matadero Creek can drop more than 10 feet into the creek, and the creek swells with rushing water during winter rains. What measures need to be taken to prevent teenagers and kids who might be tempted to climb the railings and accidentally fall in?” residents asked in their summary of concerns to the city. To communicate their concerns, residents rewrote the city’s request for proposals for the trail’s feasibility study. The residents would like the consultants to consider barriers, crime, safety, privacy, noise, litter, traffic congestion, property devaluation and liability between the county water district and city for injuries and fatalities along the route or in the creek. An environmental-impact report would also be required instead of being an option, they wrote. Of main concern: six pedestrian crossings designed for the middle of blocks along the route. Mid-block crossings account for more than 70 percent of pedestrian fatalities, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration. The residents asked that six safer alternatives be explored by the consultants. One alternative would link from the Bryant Street Bike Boulevard and El Carmelo Elementary School along El Dorado Avenue, Cowper Street, Hoover Park Path, Sutter Avenue to Clara Drive. At Louis Road, pedestrians and cyclists could go in any of three directions: south on Louis to Seale Park and Palo (continued on page 8)

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Upfront

Stanford Graduate School of Education Cubberley Lecture Series presents

The West Coast premiere of

REBIRTH: New Orleans

EDITORIAL Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516) Express & Online Editor Eric Van Susteren (223-6515) Arts & Entertainment Editor Rebecca Wallace (223-6517) Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) Spectrum Editor Tom Gibboney (223-6507) Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator Elena Kadvany (223-6519) Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) Contributors Andrew Preimesberger, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Tyler Hanley, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns Rebecca Duran, Audra Sorman

Free and open to the public . President, Learning Matters Education Correspondent, PBS NewsHour

In conversation with Prudence L. Carter Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education

Friday, May 3, 2013 Film, 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Discussion, 7:00 to 7:45 p.m. Q

Cubberley Auditorium Graduate School of Education 485 Lasuen Mall Reception, 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. Q

ohn Merrow’s latest film, based on 6 1/2 years of filming in post-Katrina New Orleans, reveals how a failing school system has become a fair-to-middling system of public charter schools. The cast of characters in the one-hour documentary includes Brittne Jackson, a 19-year-old senior who has failed the graduation exit exam about a dozen times; Bobby Calvin, an engaging young man chafing under the harsh behavior code at his charter high school; two Teach for America corps members having dramatically different classroom experiences; and Clarke Bordelon, a special needs student whose mother cannot find a charter school willing to take on the challenge of teaching her son. As the film reveals, real change is possible, but anyone looking for a silver bullet will be disappointed. Merrow and Professor Carter will use the film as a springboard to a broad range of issues. Audience participation will be encouraged. GRADUATE SCHOOL OF For more information, please call 650) 723-0630.

EDUCATION

9[`TQ^_ 0Me .^aZOT .aRRQ` Sunday May 12, 2013 9:00 am - 2:00 pm $35- Adults | $12- Children (12 years & Under) 10% Senior Discount

Featured Item Prime Rib Carving Station French Toast & Maple Syrup Scramble Eggs Bacon Sausage Assorted Salads Tomato Bisque Smoked Salmon Shrimp Cocktail Grilled Chicken & Mango Salsa Roasted Fingerling Potatoes Coconut Crusted Salmon Seasonal Vegetables Fruit Platter Assorted Cakes & Pastries Fresh Baked Cinnamon Rolls Coffee & Juices

ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Multimedia Advertising Sales Christine Afsahi (223-8582), Adam Carter (2236573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571), Janice Hoogner (223-6576), Wendy Suzuki 223-6569), Brent Triantos (223-6577), Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Inside Advertising Sales David Cirner (223-6579), Irene Schwartz (223-6580) Real Estate Advertising Assistant Diane Martin (223-6584) Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596) DESIGN Design Director Shannon Corey (223-6560) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn Designers Lili Cao, Rosanna Leung EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Online Operations Coordinator Ashley Finden (223-6508) BUSINESS Payroll & Benefits Susie Ochoa (223-6544) Business Associates Elena Dineva (223-6542), Mary McDonald (223-6543), Claire McGibeny (223-6546), Cathy Stringari (223-6541) ADMINISTRATION Receptionist Doris Taylor Courier Ruben Espinoza EMBARCADERO MEDIA President William S. Johnson (223-6505) Vice President & CFO Michael I. Naar (223-6540) Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) Major Accounts Sales Manager Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Bob Lampkin (223-6557) Circulation Assistant Alicia Santillan Computer System Associates Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 3268210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. ©2013 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 223-6557, or email circulation@paweekly.com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr.

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PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505)

A story of community, leadership and educational access

John Merrow

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210

People will be forced to essentially take transit that doesn’t exist. Arthur Keller, Palo Alto planning commissioner, on a regional mandate to build housing around public-transit corridors. See story on page 8.

Around Town HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN ... Remember those bygone days of 2010 and 2011, when Palo Alto officials talked about things like budget deficits, staff cuts and reductions to the traffic enforcement? These days, it’s a whole new world in Palo Alto. According to City Manager James Keene’s proposed budget, which was released this week, things are looking rosy on the financial front with the general fund balanced and no significant service reductions in the works. Tax revenues this year are expected to reach $79.3 million, compared to $65.8 million in the recession-plagued 2009, and home prices are “surging due to demand and limited supply.” Even the problems can be seen as blessing. “While downtown parking is a serious issue to address, it does indicate an economic renaissance,” Keene wrote in the budget’s transmittal letter. He also noted that business vacancy rates are at an “extremely low level.” For Class A office space in downtown Palo Alto, “there is a remarkable zero percent vacancy,” he wrote. The city’s return to prosperity should spell particularly good news for the Police Department, which had been hit particularly hard by staffing reductions in the aftermath of the 2008 “Great Recession.” This year, Keene proposes unfreezing the seven positions in the department that were frozen last year to balance the budget. The move, Keene wrote, “will boost our investigations and traffic efforts.” The proposed budget also adds funding for street and sidewalks repairs, allocates more funds for planning studies relating to downtown, the Comprehensive Plan; and a new Office of Sustainability, which will coordinate City Hall’s various green efforts. The letter also identifies a series of challenges, including the rapidly rising costs of pensions and benefits — trends that Keene calls “unsustainable.” But the tone of the budget, which the council will start to wrestle with next week, is mostly sanguine. “While we will never rest on our laurels and linger long on our achievements, for there is much work to be

done, let’s remember that this is a great place to live and work,” Keene wrote. DAY OF THE BIKE ... Handlebars will compete with steering wheels for road supremacy on May 9 as Palo Alto joins other cities and states throughout the nation for “Bike to Work Day.” The event is part of a broader celebration of May as “National Bike Month,” which the City Council will recognize with a special resolution on Monday night (this is not to be confused with 2011, Palo Alto’s “Year of the Bike”). CHARGING AHEAD ... When Palo Alto officials meet behind closed doors Monday night to discuss lithium batteries, it won’t be as part of a new green-energy initiative or technology pilot. The city is one of many agencies that is considering initiating a lawsuit against foreign companies that have been accused of price fixing in other lawsuits filed in California and in New Jersey. Samsung, Sony and Panasonic are among the companies named in these lawsuits. City Attorney Molly Stump said the pending lawsuits allege that lithiumbattery manufacturers “illegally conspired to fix and inflate prices for those batteries between 2001 and 2011.” The Palo Alto council, she said, will consider “whether to participate as a class representative seeking redress on behalf of cities, schools and individual consumers of products that contain lithium ion batteries manufactured by the defendants.” GIVING IT IN SPADES ... The groundbreaking for the new Stanford Hospital was a gala affair on Wednesday, May 1, with champagne, hand-rolled sushi and miniature hamburger sliders with caramelized onions and bleu cheese. But the gift bags included a more symbolic treat. Along with an embroidered cap with the hospital’s name, several hundred celebrants received a miniature chocolate spade — a replica of the ones used by hospital and university officials and Palo Alto Mayor Greg Scharff to dig shovelfuls of dirt during the ceremony. The hospital expansion will be completed in 2017, and is expected to open to patients in early 2018, officials said. N

Upfront COMMUNITY

Nonprofits receive record funding from Weekly charitable campaign Community donates $390,000 to 19th annual Holiday Fund early 500 community members donated a record $390,000 to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund this year, enabling grants to 55 local nonprofits, it was announced Monday night, April 29. It was the most money raised in the 20 years that the Holiday Fund has existed, Palo Alto Weekly Publisher Bill Johnson said at a reception honoring the donors and community organizations. The nonprofits will receive grants totaling $380,000, and the remainder will be awarded as scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Gunn, Palo Alto, Menlo-Atherton and Woodside high schools who have performed exemplary communityservice work. Representatives from four of the nonprofits — Silicon Valley FACES, Project WeHOPE, Ada’s Cafe and The Magical Bridge Playground — spoke at the reception. Silicon Valley FACES runs Camp Everytown, a retreat in which high school students of all races go to the Santa Cruz Mountains for three nights and four days to learn about diversity. “They go there as strangers, and they leave at the end of those four days as family,” Executive Director Pat Mitchell said. Mitchell referenced two events — one local, the suicide of Audrie Potts, and one national, the Boston bombings — to explain the impact of the work her organization does. “When you look at those kinds of issues and those kinds of incidents

in the community and in our country, those things happen because we do not have relationships with each other,” she said. “And FACES is all about relationship-building.” The $10,000 Holiday Fund grant will go toward expanding the FACES program throughout the entire Gunn campus, including faculty. Project WeHOPE, which stands for We Help Other People Excel, runs a homeless shelter in East Palo Alto called The Warming Shelter, where it provides food, housing and counseling. It received $10,000. The grant will help fund the installation of heating and ventilation systems in the shelter.

‘Ada’s is about giving jobs to people that are a truly underrepresented part of our community.’ —Kathleen Foley-Hughes, founder, Ada’s Cafe “It’s rough, as we all know, working in a nonprofit arena,” Pastor Paul Bains of Project WeHOPE said. “But when you get a call from the Palo Alto police that says there’s a mother that has a 2-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son in the rain over at Cubberley Community Center, and you’re able to give them a place to stay, it makes it that much rewarding. It makes going through what you’re going through all the worthwhile.”

Veronica Weber

by Elena Kadvany

Bill Johnson, publisher of the Palo Alto Weekly, speaks to guests at the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund reception about this year’s nonprofits who received grants on April 29. Johnson introduced the last two speakers together, saying their organizations share a common goal of trying to bring much-needed services for disabled people in the area. The organizations — Ada’s Cafe and The Magical Bridge Playground — received the largest Holiday Fund grants, each receiving $25,000. Kathleen Foley-Hughes of Ada’s Cafe, a restaurant that will employ disabled young adults to work alongside teens at the Mitchell Park Community Center, explained the organization’s model and vision. Her disabled son, Charlie, and two other Ada’s employees stood next to her. “Ada’s is about giving jobs to people that are a truly underrepresented part of our community,” she said. “The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 80 percent. So that’s our mission.” The Magical Bridge Playground aims to design and build a new kind of playground that will serve all children, those with and without

disabilities. Olenka Villareal, the organization’s founding board member and president of Friends of the Magical Bridge Playground, spoke about her disabled daughter. “I realize there’s not a single park where she can really truly play safely. So we want to change the playing field — literally.” The park is designed “with everybody in mind,” Villareal said. She also brought an example of one playground apparatus — a technologically advanced, interactive musical zone that responds to touch with instrumental sounds and lights. Villareal added that the Holiday Fund’s $25,000 grant will actually amount to a $50,000 investment, as the organization will receive a matching $25,000 from the Peery Foundation. The Peery Foundation, along with the Packard, Hewlett and Arrillaga foundations, all made large donations to the Holiday Fund this year.

The Packard Foundation, inspired by an anonymous $100,000 donation from a Palo Alto family for the second year in a row, upped its support to $50,000. The Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run & Walk, held in September, also raised $29,000 for the Holiday Fund. Johnson recognized the run’s corporate sponsors for their support: the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati Foundation, Lyfe Kitchen and Hewlett-Packard Co. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which is the secondlargest community foundation in the country, also supports the Holiday Fund. The foundation helps to process all donations, generate the grants and handle administrative costs, thus enabling 100 percent of donations to be distributed to grantees, Johnson said. N Editorial Assistant Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

COMMUNITY

Saturday marks 91st annual May Fête Parade Theme of ‘What will you discover?’ touches on science, art by Elena Kadvany

alo Alto will celebrate its 91st annual May Fête Children’s Parade on Saturday, May 4, beginning at the corner of Emerson Street and University Avenue at 10 a.m. and ending at Heritage Park at 1 p.m. This year’s parade features two grand marshals, 64 parade entries, 10 decorated floats, music, food and more, all relating to the 2013 May Fête theme, “What will you discover?” The theme’s diverse nature — fostering exploration, curiosity and discovery — led to having two instead of one grand marshals, said Alison Williams, the event

coordinator. The grand marshals this year will be block preparedness coordinators from the Community Emergency Response Team and a representative from the Cantor Arts Center. “We’ve gone from science and helping the community to art programs,” Williams said. “It’s so diverse and different, showing how many things are out there to discover.” Williams said that participants include numerous preschools, elementary schools, Boy and Girl Scouts troops and organizations such as the Palo Alto Humane So-

ciety and the YMCA. Entertainment will feature clowns, seven bands — one of which will be the Stanford Marching Band — and dance groups from Dance Connection. Though the parade ends at Heritage Park on 300 Homer Ave., the celebration continues with the May Fête Fair. The fair will feature 29 booths hosted by local businesses and nonprofits, such as the Palo Alto History Museum, Galileo Camps, TheatreWorks, Magical Bridge and Zero Waste Palo Alto. The band Grounds for Dismissal, Palo Alto school bands and the Stan-

ford Marching Band will all perform. Several food trucks — Armadillo Willy’s, Kara’s Cupcakes, MoBowl, The Mulberry Guy and WeSushi — will serve food, according to the fair’s Facebook page. The Museum of American Heritage, across the street from the park, will have antique cars parked on the street, as well as a museum exhibit and a family fair as part of its Annual Vintage Vehicle and Family Festival from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. May Fête, the oldest children’s parade in Northern California, is

sponsored by University Art, Palo Alto Toy and Sport, Stanford Park Nannies, the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, Allied Brokers, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Hobee’s, the Palo Alto Weekly and Palo Alto Online. Though pre-registration for youth groups has passed, individual kids who show up by 9:30 a.m. the morning of the parade can march in the “Kids on Parade” category. N Editorial Assistant Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@paweekly.com.

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Upfront NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, May 16, 2013 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. 711 El Camino Real [13PLN-00017]: Request by HKS on behalf of Pacific Hotel Management LLC for Architectural Review of the demolition of a 3,200 sq.ft. commercial building and construction of a new 4-story, 22,957 sq.ft. hotel with 23 guest units, including one level partially submerged parking facility, on a 0.26 acre site in the Service Commercial (CS) Zoning District. Environmental Assessment: A draft Initial Study and Negative Declaration have been prepared and the public comment period is April 26, 2013 to May 26, 2013. Amy French Chief Planning Official

EDUCATION

Benefits of math tutoring depend on brain-region size, wiring Stanford study could help create specialized tutoring programs for math learners by Sue Dremann ize does matter, Stanford University scientists have discovered — at least where math is concerned. Stanford scientists have discovered that the size and wiring of specific brain areas predicted how much a child will benefit from math tutoring. The research is the first using brain scans to look at ability to learn math and brain structure or function. The study also looked at differences between how children and adults learn math, and it could help researchers understand the origins of math-learning disabilities. The study was published online April 29 in Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences. “We can actually predict how much a child is going to learn during eight weeks of math tutoring based on measures of brain structure and connectivity,” said Vinod Menon, the study’s senior author and a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. The results are a significant step toward the development of targeted learning programs, said the study’s lead author, Kaustubh Supekar, postdoctoral scholar in psychiatry and behavioral sciences. The researchers focused on thirdgrade students. Children at that age — 8 and 9 — are at a critical

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District Notice is hereby Given that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District for the Palo Alto High School Synthetic Track Resurfacing and Striping (PAST-13).

HERBIE HANCOCK, SOLO Saturday, June 22 “Herbie was the step after Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, and I haven’t heard anybody yet who has come after him.” – Miles Davis

Description of the projects/work is as follows: Synthetic track repair as needed, resurfacing and striping of the synthetic track at Palo Alto High School. Mandatory Job Walk: May 1, 2013; 10:00 a.m. for all bid packages. All participants required to sign in at Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306. Failure to attend or tardiness will render bid ineligible. Bid Submission: Sealed bids will be received on May 21, 2013 at 10:00 am at the District Facilities Office, Located at 25 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto, California, Building “D”. Bidding Documents: Plans and specifications are available for pick up, free of charge, at the District Facilities Office located at 25 Churchill Ave, Palo Alto, California, Building “D”. PREVAILING WAGE LAWS: The successful Bidder must comply with all prevailing wage laws applicable to the Project, and related requirements contained in the Contract Documents.

TRIO DA PAZ w/ MAÚCHA ADNET

STANLEY CLARKE TRIO

BLUES NIGHT w/ HENRY BUTLER

Thursday, July 13

Saturday, July 20

Wednesday, July 24

Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District will maintain a Labor Compliance Program (LCP) for the duration of this project. In bidding this project, the contractor warrants he/she is aware and will follow the Public Works Chapter of the California Labor Code comprised of labor code sections 1720 – 1861. A copy of the Districts LCP is available for review at 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306.

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1. A pre-job conference shall be conducted with the contractor or subcontractors to discuss federal and state labor law requirements applicable to the contract. 2. Project contractors and subcontracts shall maintain and furnish to the District, at a designated time, a certiﬁed copy of each payroll with a statement of compliance signed under penalty of perjury. 3. The District shall review and, if appropriate, audit payroll records to verify compliance with the Public Works Chapter of the Labor Code. 4. The District shall withhold contract payments if payroll records are delinquent or inadequate. 5. The District shall withhold contract payments as described in the LCP, including applicable penalties when the District and Labor Commissioner establish that underpayment of other violations has occurred.

JAZZ ORGAN BLOWOUT w/ CHESTER THOMPSON

KIM NALLEY w/ HOUSTON PERSON

Friday, June 28

Friday, July 5

For more details on obtaining plans and speciﬁcations, the mandatory job walk, bid submission, prevailing wage laws, or the bid documents, please contact:

TUCK & PATTI

DR. LONNIE SMITH

Saturday, June 29

Friday, July 19

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SAVION GLOVER & HIS TRIO

CHUCHO VALDÉS QUINTET

Saturday, July 27

Saturday, August 3

Saturday, August 10

ﬁnd out more & purchase tickets STANFORDJAZZ.ORG or 650-725-ARTS (2787) Page 6ÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District 25 Churchill Avenue, Building “D” Palo Alto, CA 94306-1099 Attn: Bryant Truong Phone: (650) 329-3927 Fax: (650) 327-3588

stage for acquiring basic arithmetic skills, the scientists said. The study’s 24 third-graders received 15 to 20 hours of individualized math tutoring over eight weeks, including lessons on new concepts. Children also practiced math skills with an emphasis on speed. The sessions were tailored to each child’s level of understanding. Before tutoring began, the children were given standard assessments, including tests of IQ, working memory, reading and math problem-solving. The children’s arithmetic performance was tested before and after the eight weeks. And all children had magnetic-resonance-imaging scans performed on their brains. Because the children also learned math at school, which could have influenced the study results, the study included a control group of 16 third-grade children who didn’t receive tutoring but had the same testing and brain scans. All 24 children who received tutoring improved their arithmetic performance, the researchers discovered. The accuracy and speed of their problem solving improved 67 percent on average. But individual gains varied widely, ranging from 8 percent to 198 percent. The children who did not receive tutoring did not show any change in arithmetic performance during the study. When the researchers analyzed the children’s brain scans, they found that the amount of gray matter in three areas predicted ability to benefit from math tutoring. A larger hippocampus, considered one of the brain’s most important memory centers, was the best predictor of improvement with tutoring. Connections between the hippocampus and several other brain regions, especially the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia, also predicted the degree of benefit from tutoring. These regions are important for forming long-term memories, the researchers said. “The part of the brain that is recruited in memories for places and events also plays a pivotal role in determining how much and how well a child learns math,” Supekar said. None of the students’ assessment scores, such as IQ or tests of working memory, could predict how much an individual child would benefit from tutoring. Researchers noted that the hippocampus and other brain regions highlighted in the study differed from those previously found to aid adults in learning math. When solving math problems, adults rely on other brain regions that are specialized for representing complex visual objects and processing spatial information. (continued on page 8)

Upfront

Ravenswood (continued from page 3)

would be next door to a proposed new building for the Ravenswood Family Health Center, which is currently raising funds for the facility. The school district met in closed session with Sobrato representatives Thursday, April 25, for a discussion described as negotiations about “price and terms of payment.” Neither Sobrato CEO John M. Sobrato nor Ravenswood Superintendent Maria De La Vega have responded to requests for comment. On Wednesday, a school district representative said the parties are “still in negotiations.” Three district-owned parcels on Euclid Avenue and three privately owned properties on the northwest corner of Pulgas Avenue and Bay Road are under discussion. The district-owned land — stretching a quarter-mile down Euclid from the corner of East Bayshore — currently includes the school district’s administrative headquarters, its transportation center and bus yard, a building that houses the federal lowincome nutrition program known as WIC (Women, Infants and Children), a school warehouse and receiving building, the district’s technology center and the nonprofit Foundation for a College Education. The addresses are 2110, 2120 and 2160 Euclid, which extends to Bell Street Park, home of a community swimming pool and the Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA. The school district facilities are contiguous with a mostly vacant lot on East Bayshore, where Sobrato has posted a sign advertising “Phase II” of University Plaza, described as premier “Class A” office space. Signage for Phase I of Sobrato’s University Plaza is posted on a vacant lot a few blocks away on Donohoe Street opposite IKEA, describing a “Class A office campus” with 208,000 square feet and underground parking. The Sobrato Organization manages about 7.5 million square feet of commercial office space, with tenants that include Apple, Yahoo and Netflix, as well as 30 apartment communities with 6,700 units, according to Forbes magazine. Sobrato’s philanthropic arm has contributed to numerous programs in East Palo Alto including the Ravenswood Education Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula. The Sobrato family has signed the Buffett-Gates Giving Pledge, asking billionaires to promise to give away 100 percent of wealth during their lifetimes or leave it to a foundation. The other three parcels listed for negotiation last Thursday are privately held lands across town. One of the parcels, 2519 Pulgas, is described in an Internet listing by real estate broker Greg DeLong of CBRE as 5 acres of vacant land with entitlements for 93,000 square feet of research and development space. The price is listed as $2.75 million. The other two, 1885 and 1891 Bay Road, are described in a similar listing as 0.59 acres with 2,040 square feet of existing industrial space for

a price of $750,000. The district’s new headquarters might be housed there, if the land swap goes through. Last Thursday’s closed-door meeting was authorized under a section of California law that permits a local agency to hold a closed session “prior to the purchase, sale, exchange or lease of real property by or for the local agency to grant authority to its negotiator regarding the price and terms of payment for the purchase, sale, exchange or lease.” Although state law authorizes the closed negotiations it requires publication of the identities of negotiators, the properties under negotiation and the persons with whom its negotiators may negotiate.

Listed as negotiators for the school district in Thursday’s talks were Superintendent De La Vega, Ravenswood’s Chief Business Official Megan Curtis and lawyer Marilyn Cleveland of the education law firm Dannis Woliver Kelley. Individuals negotiating for the Sobrato Organization were not specified. De La Vega is set to retire in June. Trustees of the K-8 Ravenswood district, which serves about 4,000 mostly low-income and Englishlearning students in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park, are searching for a new superintendent. N Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly. com.

Online This Week

These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on “News” in the left, green column.

Leaders break ground at new Stanford Hospital Gesturing toward the hole that will become Stanford Hospital and Clinics’ new hospital, Board of Directors Chair Mariann Byerwalter said it holds the promise of medical care and discovery to come. (Posted May 2, 9:55 a.m.)

University Rotary Club marks 25th anniversary The Palo Alto University Rotary club will mark two major milestones at a gala on Saturday, May 4, at the University Club of Palo Alto, 3277 Miranda Ave. (Posted May 1, 4:59 p.m.)

Son testifies in Woodside murder trial

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to have a closed session to discuss the construction of the Mitchell Park Library and Community Center and potential initiation of class-action litigation involving price fixing in foreign manufacturing of lithium ion batteries. The council also plans to review the guiding principles for revenues received as part of the Stanford University Medical Center expansion; approve the 2014 allocation for the Community Development Block Grant; consider authorizing issuance and sale of $20.7 million in bonds for the Measure N projects; and consider approving a new compensation plan for managers and professionals. The closed session will begin at 5:30 p.m. Regular meeting will begin at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will hold a study session on a school district “action plan to create safe and welcoming schools.” The session will begin at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 7, in the boardroom of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.). The board will recess to closed session at 1:15 p.m. to discuss evaluation of the superintendent. COUNCIL INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to hear an update on the proposed public-safety building that is part of the Jay Paul development proposal for 395 Page Mill Road. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to hear an overview presentation on the fiscal year 2014 budget and discuss the budgets for the offices of the City Attorney, the City Auditor, the City Clerk and the City Manager. The committee will also discuss the proposed budgets for the City Council, the new Office of Sustainability, and the Human Resources, IT and Administrative Services departments. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will vote on union agreements whereby teachers and staff, including managers, will receive a 3 percent salary increase retroactive to the start of the 2012-13 school year as well as a onetime bonus equal to 1 percent of salary. The board also will discuss a statement of support for students and families in Buena Vista Mobile Home Park and proposed new or revised policies on the following topics: Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act, guidance counseling services, high school graduation requirements, suspension and expulsion and fees and charges. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 7, in the boardroom of school district headquarters (25 Churchill Ave.) PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the California Avenue/Fry’s Electronics area concept plan and the Sustainable Community Strategy. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL REGIONAL HOUSING MANDATE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss the city’s revised Housing Element and the city’s response to Plan Bay Area. The meeting will begin at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss the budgets for the Community Services, Library and Planning departments and review the recommended Human Services Resources Allocation funding for fiscal year 2014. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ... The commission plans to continue its learning series on affordable housing and hear updates on the Palo Alto Mediation Program and on the countywide HRC breakfast. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.).

The son of a Woodside man who is charged with killing his wife in April 2010 testified today that his mother had been depressed and under stress in the months leading up to her death, leaving open the possibility that she committed suicide. (Posted May 1, 9:10 a.m.)

Stanford alum sentenced for ‘cyber stalking’ A former Stanford University student was sentenced to four months in county jail after she pleaded no contest to hacking her ex-boyfriend’s computer, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office. (Posted April 29, 3:52 p.m.)

Palo Alto to try less-frequent street sweeping Residents of certain Palo Alto neighborhoods may notice their streets and sidewalks get a bit leafier in the coming months as the city cuts back on street sweeping. (Posted April 29, 9:40 a.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.

PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District for: RFP # 13-P-04-M: Pool Chemicals Bidding documents contain the full description of the work, and may be requested via email to: dbuschke@pausd.org, or at the District Ofﬁce, Purchasing Department. 25 Churchill Ave Palo Alto, CA 94306. There will be a mandatory Conference and walkthrough at 10:00 A.M. PTD on Wednesday, May 8, 2013. All questions concerning this request should be directed to Denise Buschke at (650) 329-3802 or emailed to dbuschke@pausd.org.

Interested parties must submit proposals to the Purchasing Department, Attn: Denise Buschke, 25 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, by 3 PM PTD on Tuesday, May 28, 2013. BY ORDER of the Business Department of the Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District, Palo Alto, California. Posted Legal Ads Dated April 26, 2013 & May 3, 2013 ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 7

Upfront 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 May 6, 2013 - 5:30 PM CLOSED SESSION 1. Mitchell Park 2. Potential Litigation SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 3. Community Presentation from the REACH Program 4. Proclamation Supporting May 2013 as Bike Month Including Bike to Work Day on May 9, 2013 5. Acknowledgement and Recognition of Development Center Improvements CONSENT 6. 2305 El Camino Real CUP – Request for Hearing 7. Appeal of Director’s Architectural Review Approval of the Co-location by AT&T Mobility LLC of One Pole-Mounted Wireless Communication Antenna and Equipment Boxes on the Existing Utility Pole Within the City’s Public Utility Easement on 3706 Carlson Circle 8. Extending SAP Sierra Infosys Contract 9. Proposed Resolution of the Council of the City of Palo Alto Confirming that the City Manager is Authorized to Report Greenhouse Gases Generated in Municipal and Utility Operations to Federal and State Agencies and to Participate in Cap and Trade Programs 10. Request for Authorization to Increase the Existing Blanket Purchase Order with Cooper Power systems, Inc. by $225,000 for Fiscal Year 2013 and to Approve a $225,000 Blanket Purchase order with Cooper Power Systems, Inc. for Fiscal Year 2014 for the Purchase of Padmount Switches 11. Recommendation to purchase eighteen (18) 5 year extended warranties for new Electrocardiogram (EKG) monitors for a not to exceed total of $93,000 12. Approval of a Contract with Advanced Design Consultants, Inc. In The Total Amount of $234,869 for Design of Mechanical, Electrical and Fire Life Safety Upgrades for the Lucie Stern Community Center Complex PF-09000 13. Second Reading Adoption of an Ordinance amending the Zoning Map to add the Ground Floor (GF) Combining District (regulated under PAMC Section 18.30(C)) to properties on the 600 block of Emerson Street zoned CD-C-P (Commercial-Downtown Community with Pedestrian Combining District) and street fronting ground floor spaces zoned CD-S-P (Commercial-Downtown Service with Pedestrian Combining District) (4/8/13 passed 6-3 Klein, Price, Shepherd no). 14. Second Reading Adoption of an Ordinance Amending Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 5.35 to Expand Plastic Bag Ban to Retail and Food Establishments, Require Retailers to Charge Fee for Paper Bag Use and Provision of Phased Implementation (Passed 4/15/2013, 8-0, Berman not participating) ACTION 15. Stanford Development Funds Project Allocation 16. Public Hearing for Business Improvement District levy of proposed assessments reauthorization 17. Public Hearing: Adoption of a Resolution Approving the Proposed Fiscal Year 2014 Community Development Block Grant Funding Allocations and the Draft 2014 Action Plan 18. Adoption of a Resolution Authorizing the Issuance and Sale of Second General Obligation Bonds For Measure N Projects in the Principal Amount of Not to Exceed $20,695,000, Authorizing and Directing the Execution of a Paying Agent Agreement, and Certain Other Related Documents, and Authorizing Official Actions Related Thereto 19. Management and Professional Compensation Plan

STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Infrastructure Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 4:00 P.M. to discuss; 1) Update on Public Safety Building. The Finance Committee will be meeting on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 at 6:00 PM to discuss: Budget Kickoff; Departments: Council Appointed Officers & Council, Office of Sustainability, Human Resources, Employee Benefits Funds, General Liability Fund, IT Department (Capital and Operating), Administrative Services, and Printing and Mailing Fund. The Regional Housing Mandate Committee will be meeting on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 4:00 PM to discuss: 1) Recommendation of Housing Element, and 2) City of Palo Alto Response to Plan Area Final Draft and Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Finance Committee will be meeting on Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 6:00 PM to discuss: 1) Review of Human Services Resource Allocation Funding Recommendations for FY 2014, and 2) Budget Hearings for Community Services, Library, and Planning.

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News Digest Weekly, Palo Alto Online named ‘best in state’ The Palo Alto Weekly was honored April 27 as best large newsweekly in California and, for the fourth year in a row, PaloAltoOnline.com was named best news website in its category in an annual journalism competition. The prestigious General Excellence award and a dozen other honors were bestowed to the Weekly by the California Newspaper Publishers Association (CNPA). A panel of 35 journalists from states outside of California selected the winners, who were chosen from among journalists with daily, weekly and school newspapers. “This is a clear winner,” wrote the judges who selected the Weekly for the General Excellence award. “The depth and range of its coverage is impressive. ... The editors obviously take seriously their public service obligation.” The competition judges reviewed more than 4,000 entries and chose 450 award winners in the Better Newspapers contest. Overall, the Weekly received a company record of six first-place and seven second-place honors, competing against other weekly papers of its circulation size of 25,000 or more. In addition to group awards for its news and design departments, individual honors went to Gennady Sheyner, Chris Kenrick, Veronica Weber, Jay Thorwaldson, Carol Blitzer, Sue Dremann and Rebecca Wallace. In addition, the Weekly received honorable mentions in the categories of editorial comment, investigative reporting, sports section, sports story, special sports section, coverage of the environment, coverage of business/ technology, coverage of education, news photo, artistic photo, feature photo, sports photo and photo essay. N — Jocelyn Dong

Regional housing projections: ‘excessive’ Palo Alto, like other Bay Area municipalities, is now in the final stages of reviewing Plan Bay Area, a state-mandated vision document filled with strategies for reducing carbon emissions by 15 percent by 2040 and providing adequate housing to accommodate job growth. The goal is to make sure each community in the Bay Area provides its “fair share” of housing, thereby reducing the need for sprawl and the number of vehicles on state highways carrying just one person. The plan, which was released in March by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, seeks to accommodate a projected increase of 2.1 million residents and 1.1 million jobs in the Bay Area in the period between 2010 and 2040. City Council members have consistently disagreed with the regional agencies about the growth projections, arguing that they are overstated and that the housing mandates cannot be reasonably met. On Wednesday night, May 1, the Planning and Transportation Commission took its own crack at Plan Bay Area and voiced similar concerns. The commission voted 5-0, with commissioners Alex Panelli and Greg Tanaka absent, to approve a letter from the city to ABAG challenging the agency’s approach for allocating housing and calling its projections “highly unrealistic and excessive.” Palo Alto, under the plan, would have to build 2,860 housing units over the next decade, growth that council members have long argued cannot be accommodated in a city with astronomical real estate prices and a shortage of undeveloped land. The city’s letter argues that expecting Palo Alto to increase its housing supply so significantly is “entirely unrealistic, and using such an assumption as the basis for growth scenarios and transportation investments will likely result in failure of the planning effort.” “What Plan Bay Area seems to be designed to do is make it impossible to drive in communities like Palo Alto, so people will be forced to essentially take transit that doesn’t exist,” Commissioner Arthur Keller said. “We’re forced to shoehorn into the techniques of the region instead of getting credit of what we’re actually accomplishing,” Keller said, adding that the plan’s process “doesn’t necessarily work for us.” N — Gennady Sheyner

Traffic delays expected on Foothill, Alma Those heading north on Foothill Expressway this weekend will be detoured at Hillview Avenue to make way for heavy equipment work on a gas line replacement in the area between Hillview and Page Mill Road. Both northbound lanes and the bike lane on Foothill will be closed starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, May 3, and ending at 5 a.m. on Monday, May 6, while workers using heavy excavation equipment install a transmission pipeline segment under Matadero Creek. Northbound traffic will be rerouted through Hillview and Deer Creek Road during the construction, but drivers should expect increased traffic in all directions in the area. Miranda Avenue, which runs parallel to Foothill in that segment, will remain open, but there will be extra traffic controls and flagmen directing cars in and out of the road’s entry points. In mid-May, workers will begin street-valve replacement work on Alma Street, slowing northbound traffic and causing some sidewalks and driveways to be dug up in the area between Colorado Avenue and Oregon Expressway. N — Eric Van Susteren

Matadero

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Verde Elementary School; north on Louis Road to Ohlone Elementary School and continuing to Oregon Avenue to the Oregon/101 overpass; or east on Colorado Avenue to Greer Park and the potential Matadero Canal/101 Underpass, and further south to the potential Stering Canal Trail, Adobe Creek Underpass and future Adobe Creek/101 Overpass. There is little traffic on these streets; they are already bike friendly; and the path would run in front of rather than behind homes, they noted. The alternative does not involve mid-block crossings but would require safe crossing at Middlefield Road, they said. A second alternative would travel from the California Avenue Underpass to North California Avenue along Louis Road to Oregon Avenue to the Oregon/101 Overpass. But city Chief Transportation Official Jaime Rodriguez said alternatives were considered during public meetings for the 2012 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation. Midtown resident Sheri Furman, who lives next to the creek on Greer Road said the discussions didn’t include Midtown residents. Although the city held public meetings to discuss the bike master plan, none were held in Midtown where the trail would affect neighbors. Instead, they were (continued on next page)

Math

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The tutoring approach used in the study was also a factor in students’ improved performance, the scientists found. Tutoring included repeating problems in a sped-up fashion. Once kids are able to pull up answers to basic arithmetic problems automatically from memory, their brains can tackle more complex problems. “Memory resources provided by the hippocampal system create a scaffold for learning math in the developing brain. Our findings suggest that, while conceptual knowledge about numbers is necessary for math learning, repeated, sped practice and testing of simple number combinations is also needed to encode facts and encourage children’s reliance on retrieval — the most efficient strategy for answering simple arithmetic problems,” Menon said. The researchers will next compare brain structure and wiring in children with and without math learning disabilities. They want to analyze how brain wiring changes in response to tutoring and examine whether lowerperforming children’s brains can be exercised to help them learn math. Other Stanford co-authors included social science research assistants Anna Swigart and Caitlin Tenison; and postdoctoral scholars Dietsje Jolles and Miriam Rosenberg-Lee. A researcher at Vanderbilt University also collaborated on the work. The research was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. N Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly.com.

Upfront

CityView

Proposed Matadero Creek Trail Greer Rd

A round-up of

Henry W. Seale Park

Palo Alto government action this week

City Council

Louis Rd

The council did not meet this week.

Clara Dr

Palo Verde Elementary School

Utilities Advisory Commission (May 1)

Fiber: The commission discussed the future of fiber optics in Palo Alto. Action: None Budget: The commission approved the proposed Utilities Department operating and capital budgets for fiscal year 2014. Yes: Cook, Foster, Hall, Waldfogel Absent: Chang, Eglash, Melton

Ross Rd

Historic Resources Board (May 2) e

Renovations: The commission discussed proposals to renovate historical houses at 329 Lincoln Ave. and at 505 Embarcadero Road, and decided to continue the items to a later date. Action: None

Loma V erde Av

Oregon Expy

Middlefield Rd

Hoover Park

Cowper St

Planning and Transportation Commission (May 1)

Plan Bay Area: The commission approved a letter from the city expressing concerns about Plan Bay Area, a document recently released by the Association of Bay Area Governments and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Yes: Alcheck, Keller, King, Martinez, Michael Absent: Panelli, Tanaka

Waverly St

Architecture Review Board (May 2)

El Dorado Ave

Map by Lili Cao

across town at Terman Middle School. The trail was a late add-on and wasn’t in the draft plan, she said. “None of the neighbors were notified,” she added. Furman has already seen the dangers posed by traffic and trespassing — without the trail, she said. “Mid-block crossings are just insanity — especially if kids use these routes during school hours. I watch how many people don’t stop at a stop sign,” including bicyclists who almost never stop, she said. The city proposes a nighttime curfew for using the trail. But Furman said she thinks people would violate restrictions. “I watched a parent encouraging a kid to climb the fence to get into the creek last night. So there’s always trespassing,” she said on Wednesday. Furman is also concerned about drownings during the rainy season. “This creek fills up very quickly. There’s a romantic notion of this being a wooded path, but it’s not. It’s a cement culvert — it’s a flood channel,” she said. Rodriguez said a feasibility study will show if the creek route is possible. Asked if a design that does not include the creek would jeopardize the county funding, he said the city received the money for a project on the creek, but there might be areas where the trail could jog away. The community will have to make a decision if it wants a segmented trail, he said. N

2755 El Camino Real: The board held a preliminary review of a proposal to build a fourstory, mixed-use building at the corner of El Camino Real and Page Mill Road. Action: None

Proposed Matadero Creek Trail Alternative 1

REAL ESTATE TRENDS

Alma St

by Samia Cullen

A group of citizens is proposing alternatives to the proposed Matadero Creek Trail, including one that would stretch from the Bryant Street Bike Boulevard and El Dorado Avenue to Cowper Street, Hoover Park Path, Sutter Avenue and Clara Drive.

Charmed by chinchillas In an education event hosted by the nonprofit Chinchilla Rescue of Menlo Park at Know Knew Books in Palo Alto on April 30, Olivia Pliam, 8, got a chance to play with a furry, white critter. Little gray ones were also on hand.

What’s Driving the Rise in Home Prices?

Katie Brigham

Our local real estate market is seeing significant year-over-year gains. While there are many factors behind the rise in home prices, the big price drivers are: 1. Improving economy and stable employment. Employees are feeling more secure in their jobs with the improving economy and the easing of the European financial crisis. 2. Low interest rates. According to some economists, today’s low rates give buyers 30% more buying power. This is attracting buyers who wish to get into the market before interest rates go up. 3. Inventories of homes for sale are at low levels. Our local market has a limited supply of new homes due to the lack of vacant land. Most of our inventory is coming from home owners who are realizing the benefit of moving up or taking advantage of economic conditions to cash out on the equity in their properties.

4. Immigration and influx of foreign skilled workers. The need for skilled workers in Silicon Valley has resulted in many immigrants from China, India and other foreign countries coming to our area. These immigrants have increased in number recently and constitute a significant percentage of buyers in our area. 5. Increase in real estate investment. Foreign and local investors are pouring cash into the real estate market and are a major contributor to rising home prices. The loss of confidence in the stock market has motivated many individuals to diversify their investments and invest in the local real estate, which over time has proven to be a more secure investment and a hedge against inflation. 6. The rise in rents. Increasing rents has prompted more investors to purchase properties to rent out and more renters to second guess why they are paying so much in rent when they could buy.

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 real estate news, follow my blog at www.samiacullen.com

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road” - Jack Kerouac, On the Road

171 University Ave., Palo Alto

650.328.7411

www.paloaltobicycles.com

Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10am - 7pm, Sat. 10am - 6pm, Sun. 11am - 5pm ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 9

Upfront

Power

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of three council members and two school-board members who have met periodically to discuss Cubberley and to track the progress of the broader Cubberley Community Advisory Committee — 28 community stakeholders who worked for much of the past year on a voluminous study with recommendations on the future of the south Palo Alto community center. Councilman Larry Klein, who serves on the committee with Mayor Greg Scharff and Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd, told the Weekly he and his colleagues felt they had enough information to go into negotiations and put it on the full council’s agenda. “I think the three members of the committee, Greg Scharff, Nancy Shepherd and I, felt that we’re ready to move forward with negotiations,” Klein said. “We got the report from the citizens committee, and we talked with the city attorney, who said this would be perfectly allowable under the Brown Act because we’re talking about negotiations with lease terms.” The decision to schedule the meeting didn’t sit well with his colleagues, some of whom told the Weekly in interviews this week that they believe the committee had overstepped its boundaries. Committees typically limit their input to issuing recommendations. The full council then considers the recommendation and issues a decision. In this case, members of a committee decided to alter what has so far been a highly inclusive process on Cubberley by scheduling the session without the council at large weighing in. “The committees don’t make the decisions; they make recommendations,” Holman said. “There was not a decision by the full council to have a closed meeting.” Councilwoman Gail Price voiced a similar sentiment, saying the closed session on Cubberley caught people off guard because the process felt “a little bit unorthodox.” “It was a situation where it just evolved and where there were no discussions about what was the appropriate response,” Price said. “We never had a public discussion of next steps. I think that’s a key issue.” Councilman Pat Burt was more blunt in his assessment.

“I think several of my colleagues not only disagreed whether there should be a closed session first, but we have misgivings about the process in which it got agendized,” Burt said. “I certainly don’t think it was a wise decision to simply agendize a closed session.” The Cubberley policy committee, which was formed last year and has just disbanded, is one of a crop of “ad hoc” council committees that have been popping up in Palo Alto in recent years. Earlier this year, the council formed the Infrastructure Committee, which has been meeting to discuss the potential infrastructure bond that would go on the November 2014 ballot. Next month, the new Technology and the Connected City Committee will meet for the first time, with the goal of implementing a citywide high-speed Internet system. Then there is the Rail Committee, which focuses on high-speed rail and Caltrain, and the drily but aptly named Regional Housing Mandate Committee, which has been debating and disputing housing mandates from the Association of Bay Area Governments. Council committees are a longstanding part of Palo Alto’s famously thorough democratic process, though the nature and the number of these committees have undergone gradual changes. The council’s two “standing” committees, the Finance Committee and the Policy and Service Committee, are permanent and typically have no overlap in membership. This means that on a nine-member council, every council member except the mayor is assured a seat on one of these two committees. The mayor makes the appointments. However, “ad hoc” committees typically have narrower scopes and finite shelf lives (though the Rail Committee and the Regional Housing Mandate Committee are both stretching the definition of “finite”). The Municipal Code empowers either the council or the mayor to set up what it calls “special committees,” though it specifies that the mayor’s committees are “subject to approval of the council.” The council’s protocols, however, don’t require the mayor to get the council’s approval before appointing an ad hoc committee, as long as the mayor publicly announces the committee, its membership and its stated purpose. The city manager is also required by the council procedures to prepare a

report about the “anticipated time commitment for staff to assist the ad hoc committee” and allows the council to terminate such committees through a majority vote. In practice, these committees have generally been informal affairs with more questions and back-and-forth exchanges than would be possible in a regular council meeting. Committees allow four council members to delve into an issue, ask questions of staff and then issue a recommendation to the council at large. When the committee recommendation is unanimous, the full council typically approves it on its “consent calendar” without discussion.

‘The notion of committees is that the work of the council would be spread out in equal portion. With these new committees, they certainly don’t do that.’ — Greg Schmid, city councilman, Palo Alto Klein, who served on the council for much of the 1980s before returning to the council in 2007, said he does not recall a time when there have been so many committees. This growth, he said, is driven partly by an increasing number of outside forces that warrant the council’s response — whether a high-speed rail system threatening to bisect the city along the railroad tracks or regional planning agencies demanding that Palo Alto plan for more housing. Local issues are also a major factor. There are more demands today on council members, Klein said, than there have been in all the years he had served on the council. “Our population isn’t that much larger than it was 15 or 20 years ago, but we are in many ways a bigger place with much more demands,” Klein said. “Lots more issues seem to arise from the things that we do.” The committees have value in that they “allow people to focus intensely on particular issues,” Klein said. Council members have a chance to discuss things in a more leisurely setting and have staff on hand to answer questions.

f a growing number of local issues is one reason for the proliferation of committees, the style of Palo Alto’s 2013 mayor is another one. Since taking helm in January, Scharff has been shredding the notion that a mayor’s post is nominal or ceremonial. In this sense, he is a sharp contrast from the two mayors who preceded him. Sid Espinosa, the city’s 2011 mayor, may best be remembered for his polished presence, smooth delivery and magical ability to appear at every ceremony. Yiaway Yeh, the 2012 mayor, was known for mild-mannered inclusiveness, love of compromise and devotion to community engagement. Scharff, by contrast, is an aggressive pragmatist who has no qualms about setting big goals and shaking things up. He has added time estimates to each discussion of an agenda item and has been diligent about making sure meetings don’t stretch until past midnight, a common practice in the past. He has also just created a committee (an act that is usually done by the council) to focus on technology and, through his power to make appointments, put his stamp on Palo Alto’s other ad hoc committees. While the council’s tradition keeps the mayor from serving on the two standing committees, Scharff has been a consistent presence on the new ad hoc committees. He currently serves on the Regional Housing Mandate Committee, the Infrastructure Committee and the new Technology and the Connected City committee. He has also served on the Cubberley Policy Advisory Committee, taking over for Yeh after the latter concluded his term in December. In an interview this week, Scharff praised committees as important tools for exploring issues. “The committees allow the council to delve deep into issues that you can’t deal with at council meetings,” Scharff said. “You can go way into the weeds and get a strong understanding what the issues are and what the concerns are. That’s a really useful and valuable tool to make policy.” Scharff isn’t the only council member juggling a full load of committee assignments. In addition to appointing himself to every ad hoc committee except the Rail Committee, Scharff has also brought Klein and Shepherd along. Both serve with him on the Infrastructure Commit-

tee, with Marc Berman as the fourth member. The trio had also served together on the Cubberley Committee and will also serve together on the Technology committee, where Liz Kniss will round out the membership. The fact that Scharff, Klein and Shepherd are serving on just about every ad hoc committee and that four other council members aren’t sitting on any of them has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the council. “I think the committees should have broad participation and representation,” Holman said in a recent interview, when asked about the membership overlap of committees. Scharff said that he bases his appointment decisions on who expresses interest in serving. For the new technology commission, he said, only five people said they were willing to serve. But several council members said they had made a case that they should be included on the new ad hoc committees but were not selected. Holman, Schmid, Burt and Price all said they had such experiences, to various degrees. Schmid, a former school board member who lives in south Palo Alto, said he made a case for serving on the Cubberley committee but was not chosen. “There is a striking anomaly,” Schmid told the Weekly. “There are two council members who were elected who reside south of Oregon (himself and Price). The population of the city is divided 50-50. But there are no members who live south of Oregon who are on any of the new committees.” Price also said she believes assignments should be dispersed among all council members. “I think it’s really, really important to be thoughtful about assignments and about opportunities,” Price said. “I feel very strong about that.” Burt, who had served as mayor in 2010, said the composition of the committees is in many ways a reflection of the new mayor’s style, which includes “making a lot of decisions unilaterally.” “The mayor is looked upon to do the best job he or she can in trying to be impartial,” Burt said. “We all bring a certain amount of bias with us. We have individual perspectives and we don’t expect perfection, but we expect mayors to really work and be really self-reflective about it. “I think there needs to be some reconsideration about what’s going on,” he said. Scharff’s decision to unilaterally create the technology committee also didn’t sit well with everyone. Burt said there were “legitimate questions about whether that was the best way to go about it” and said the committee’s creation would have benefited from a public conversation. The council didn’t discuss the committee’s existence or its potential membership because it wasn’t given the opportunity, Burt said. “I think there was a reluctance to have that discussion after the mayor has already acted on his own,” Burt said.

ommittee memberships are particularly important these days given the magnitude of the issues being considered and the committees’ growing autonomy. Page 10ÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

Upfront The Infrastructure Committee, for instance, is tasked with helping the council meet its deadline for placing a bond measure on the November 2014 ballot, a funding mechanism that could impact the city for decades. In its last two meetings, it has also discussed the proposed Jay Paul development for 395 Page Mill Road, which would bring 311,000 square feet of new commercial space to a site that is already built out to the maximum under the zoning regulations. In exchange, Jay Paul offered to build the city a new police building — the Holy Grail of city infrastructure needs. Two meetings ago, the four-person committee had asked staff to come back with a new timeline for reviewing this proposal so that the review process would coincide with the drive toward a bond measure and the council would know whether the police building should be included on the measure. On April 16, the committee heard a report from staff about an expedited timeline that would limit reviews by the city’s famously thorough Planning and Transportation Commission and Architectural Review Board to one formal meeting each and allow the council to vote on the project within a year — an effective sprint for a project this size when compared to other developments. (The new process also allows the architecture board to hold a “preliminary hearing” on the project in June, which doesn’t allow a vote, and gives the planning commission a chance to discuss the Environmental Impact Report for the project in a September meeting. On Thursday, staff recommended pushing the council hearing to March 2014.) Committee members emphasized at the April 22 meeting that they aren’t changing the process for the review, just making it faster. Klein made the same point in an interview this week, saying the committee didn’t modify the schedule but just “squeezed it tighter,” while keeping all the legally required steps in place. “Two meetings (for the planning commission and the architectural board) is not required by anything in the ordinance. It’s not essential. It’s not in the code,” Klein said. But whether or not squeezing the schedule constitutes changing it, the committee’s tacit endorsement of the new timeline (there was no vote) concerned several other council members, who told the Weekly they felt the committee had overstepped its authority in considering an expedited timeline without direction from the full council. “I think there could’ve been other ways in which it could’ve been brought forward,” Price said. “I know we’re trying to be efficient by having ad hoc committees and all of that, but the fact is, if they felt there should be a modified schedule, that should’ve been a recommendation brought back to the full City Council for discussion. “If it appears like, by fiat, we are changing the process, I don’t think that’s a good way to go.” Holman and Schmid made similar points, challenging Klein’s stance that the discussion on a tightened schedule is a minor matter that did not need the full council’s input. Holman said she was concerned that

an expedited schedule would lead to a premature decision. The fact that the committee did not take a formal vote on the tightened schedule did not ease her concerns. “Sometimes, by not making a decision or not rolling recommendation up to the council, we are making decisions because the calendar dictates them, or other actions and activities dictate them,” Holman said. “I understand we have a 2014 election cycle we’re trying to catch, but I’m a little concerned about rushing to judgment and having a premature decision on a public-safety building as part of a project that hasn’t been fully vetted and viewed. “Those are big decisions to be made,” she added. “They’re not committee-level decisions.” Burt suggested that the members of the Infrastructure Committee may be a little too enthusiastic about the Jay Paul proposal, which at 311,000 square feet is the largest commercial project in the city’s current pile of development applications. (In terms of floor area, it is about 50 percent larger than John Arrillaga’s proposed office towers for 27 University Ave.) Burt has argued that the Jay Paul development should be significantly reconsidered, keeping in mind the city’s and community vision for the site. This could mean significantly reducing the proposed size, rather than negotiating minor adjustments, Burt said.

‘Those are big decisions to be made. They’re not committeelevel decisions.’ — Karen Holman, city councilwoman, Palo Alto “We now have a process being driven by a few council members who I think may be too enamored with the public benefit of the project, and it’s moving us in a direction that the community is going to be very upset about,” Burt said. “Frankly, if we want to go to the community for infrastructure funding, I’ve been very concerned that we are alienating the community by continuing to consider proposed projects that are out of scale.” Burt said he wasn’t aware that the council had delegated to the committee the power to change the process. The council, he said, “had not intended to defer to the committee to the degree that the committee is acting.” “I don’t believe that a subcommittee has the authority to request or direct staff to change the process of review to that project,” Burt said. “Under our protocols, I don’t see where that authority exists.” Schmid also took issue with the process for the Jay Paul application, which under the revised schedule would get to the council at the end of the year. He said he was “struck” by the scheduling change. “The judgment of whether the council should or should not be involved in something is not the role or function of the committee,” Schmid said. “The committee’s role is to make recommendations on council action.”

Scharff said the committee was simply trying to retain Jay Paul’s proposal for a new police building as an option in the city’s conversation about infrastructure by coordinating it with the process for the bond measure. If the infrastructure bond and the Jay Paul application aren’t planned in a coordinated way, Scharff said, the city would lose the option of having a police building as a “public benefit” of the development. “What we’re trying to do is to make sure that the timing of the Jay Paul project makes the public-safety building a possibility as a public benefit.” Council members also expressed broader concerns about the recent proliferation of committees. Burt said that while they generally serve a valuable purpose, they should not be permanent unless absolutely necessary. “I think we do need to continue to question the necessity of each of them,” Burt said. Price said committees serve an important role when they reflect the focus of the full council (this year’s priorities include infrastructure and technology). But she said she has broader concerns about the impact the new groups have on staff’s workload. She also said she feels strongly about the fact that participation and leadership roles on the new committees should be spread out among all nine council members. “I think it’s really, really important for the ad hoc committees to be mindful of what they’re doing and what their responsibilities and roles are, and the fact that they should be vetting things and going forward with the council’s direction,” Price said. Schmid took a similar position. “The notion of committees is that the work of the council would be spread out in equal portion,” Schmid said. “With these new committees, they certainly don’t do that.” N Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

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Pulse

A weekly compendium of vital statistics

POLICE CALLS Palo Alto April 25-May 1 Violence related Child abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Checks forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Counterfeiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Credit card forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Driving with suspended license . . . . . . 4 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . 8 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . .2 Miscellaneous Animal call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Casualty fall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . 6 Property for destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 5 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Violation of court order . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

CPS referral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Fire call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Juvenile problem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Property for destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .1 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Found property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of stolen property . . . . . . . 1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Returned missing person . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Warrant arrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

VIOLENT CRIMES

Atherton

Palo Alto

April 25-May 1

Embarcadero Rd./Louis Rd. , 4/25, 4:11 p.m.; child abuse/physical Unlisted block Park Blvd. , 4/26, 9:08 p.m.; child abuse/neglect Unlisted block Embarcadero Rd. , 4/28, 9:58 a.m.; child abuse/physical Unlisted block Industrial Ave. , 4/30, 10:45 p.m.; domestic violence/battery

Vehicle related Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle accident/ prop. damage . . . . . .4 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous 911 hang-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Civil matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board [HRB] 8:00 A.M., Wednesday, May 15, 2013 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. 329 Lincoln Avenue [12PLN-00210]: Application by Talon Design Group, on behalf of Scott and Nicole Hawkins, for Historic Resources Board review and recommendation regarding an extensive proposed redesign, enlargement, and a new two-story rear addition, of a Colonial Revival residence, originally constructed circa early twentieth century, that is located in the Professorville National Register Historic District and in the R-1 (10,000) zone district. The existing house is defined in the Professorville National Register Nomination Form as a “nonconforming intrusion detracting from the integrity of the district” whose date is “indeterminable due to alterations.” The redesign of the house would be in a traditional Colonial Revival style similar to the style of the existing house. The project would require Individual Review and a Home Improvement Exception for 84 square feet of additional floor area over the maximum allowed for the site. This item was continued from the May 1, 2013 meeting.

Menlo Park 1100 block Cotton St. , 4/26, 5:09 p.m.; battery 1300 block Henderson Ave. , 4/28, 6:41 a.m.; domestic violence

505 Embarcadero Rd [12PLN-00206]: Request by Heather Trossman, on behalf of Nicholas Jitkoff and Ty Ashford, for Historic Resources Board review and recommendation regarding proposed restoration, alteration and addition to a residence listed on the City’s Historic Inventory in Category 4 and located in the Professorville Historic District. The project includes Individual Review for a second story addition of more than 150 square feet, a Home Improvement Exception for a small two-story encroachment in the rear yard, and a fence variance. This item was continued from the May 1, 2013 meeting.

Menlo Park April 25-May 1 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Checks forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Driving with suspended license . . . . . . .3 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Tampering with a vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Drunken driving 4 Possession of drugs 1

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John M. Geaghan Hero for the Ages John M. Geaghan, decorated World War II U.S.Army veteran and Chevalier of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic, died April 17. A resident of Menlo Park, he was 89. His death was due to complications of heart disease. Mr.Geaghan was named a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by decree of the President of the French Republic, Mr. Nicholas Sarkozy, in 2009. As explained by L’Ambassadeur to the United Sates, Pierre Vimont, in a letter to Mr.Geaghan : “The Legion of Honor was created by Napolean in 1802 to acknowledge services rendered to France by persons of great merit”. He wrote, “This award testifies to the President of the French Republic’s high esteem for your merits and accomplishments. In particular, it is a sign of France’s true and unforgettable gratitude and appreciation for your personal, precious contribution to the United States’ decisive role in the liberation of our country during World War II”. Mr.Geaghan was presented the medal by then consul general of France, Pierre-Francois Mourier,in 2011 during a private ceremony with his family in San Francisco. Mr. Geaghan, the first born American in his family, was raised in Bangor, Maine. He was awarded a scholarship to attend the Millard Military School in Washington, D.C. After completing the year, he enlisted in the 101st Army Yankee Division and served as a combat infantry platoon sergeant in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Under General Patton, he served in the Battle of the Bulge. His heroism won awards including: the Silver Star; a Bronze Star medal, a EuropeanAfrican-Middle Eastern Campaign medal and two purple hearts, among others. As the citation was written in 1945, for “heroic achievement in connection with military operations against an armed enemy near Sarre-Union , France on 3 December 1944”: “As he proceeded along a road to accomplish his mission, he observed a friendly vehicle loaded with much-needed ammunition coming up another road, separated by one hundred and fifty yards of open terrain from his own position. The driver of the vehicle was apparently unaware that the building in Sarre-Union formerly used as an ammunition dump was at the moment in enemy hands, and that at the road junction directly ahead of his vehicle lay a concealed enemy Mark V tank. With utter disregard for his own safety, Staff Sergeant Geaghan ran across the intervening exposed terrain under hostile machine gun fire and stopped the driver just one hundred yards before the hidden enemy tank. At

this point the enemy armored vehicle opened fire and wounded the driver. Despite the enemy tank fire, Geaghan successfully managed the escape of both driver and vehicle from the dangerous position. His courage under fire, strong initiative and unusual devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon Staff Sergeant Geaghan and the armed forces of the United States”. Following his service, and recovery from injuries, he graduated from Boston College in 1949 and Harvard Law School, Class of 1952. He always enjoyed the practice of law and was highly principled in his daily life. He practiced admiralty law for several years in Boston, and then joined Raytheon Company, where he served as Deputy General Counsel. He practiced a wide spectrum of corporate law in the Boston area for 38 years, from submarine manufacturers to consumer aircraft, from consumer appliances to installations of the first electronic airlines reservation systems. He was a member of the bar in five states. He was active in, and appointed to serve on committees of the American Arbitration Association, local and national bar associations. Prior to relocating to Menlo Park in 2003, the Geaghans lived for 47 years in Lexington, Mass and were active in Harvard’s Pierian Club. “My father rarely spoke of his experiences in the war”, his daughter commented. “He had an amazing appreciation of his life and never forgot that most of his friends and fellow soldiers had died in battle. He has been described by others as one of the happiest people they have ever met, which is our experience with him as husband to my mother, father, brother to his 5 siblings and grandfather to four. His mind, his memory and his selflessness were extraordinary”. Mr. Geaghan is survived by his wife of 60 years, Maureen Geaghan; a daughter Dr. Sharon Markham Geaghan, a professor at Stanford University School of Medicine; her husband David Breiner; four grandchildren, Charlotte, Meredith , Julia and Beatrix Geaghan- Breiner, all of Menlo Park, Ca.; and a sister , Catherine Meyers of Wilton, CT. Epitaph on my Ever Honoured Father by Robert Burns O YE whose cheek the tear of pity stains, Draw near with pious rev’rence, and attend! Here lie the loving husband’s dear remains, The tender father, and the gen’rous friend; The pitying heart that felt for human woe, The dauntless heart that fear’d no human pride; The friend of man- to vice alone a foe; For ev’n his failings lean’d to virtue’s side PA I D

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Transitions Births, marriages and deaths

Carl L. McConnell Carl L. McConnell died on March 17 at Gordon Manor in Redwood City. He is survived by his wife, Susan; his son, Matthew (Stacy); his daughter, Jessica Grundelman (Eric); his five grandchildren, Ryan, Madelyn and Dylan McConnell and Alison and Andrew Grundelman; and his brother, Joseph. He was born in Elmira, N.Y. on June 18, 1942. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Lehigh University. He married his wife, Susan, in 1965. That same year, he earned a master’s degree in Geology from Yale University. He went on to get his law degree from Yale School of Law. He and Susan then went to California where he began his law career at the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County. He served as director of litigation and managing attorney. From 1980 to 1996, he practiced at the firm of Packard, Mellberg and McConnell. In 1996, he joined the firm of Hoge, Fenton, Jones and Appel, Inc. in San Jose. For his commitment to justice for low-in-

come children, families and seniors in San Mateo County, demonstrated by decades of work both as a public interest lawyer and as a private attorney, San Mateo Legal Aid awarded him with the Guardian of Justice Award. He served on the Board of Directors of the San Mateo County Bar Association and as president of the Palo Alto Bar Association. He served as president of the Board of Directors for the Advocates of Equal Justice, a public interest program providing advocacy services on health and welfare issues. After 45 years of practice, he retired in 2010. He will be remembered as a colleague, mentor, friend, husband, father and grandfather. Donations in his memory may be made to the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County (www.legalaidsmc. org/donate.htm). A private celebration will be held in May.

MEMORIAL SERVICE James Jay Horning A memorial service for James Jay Horning will be held on May 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 505 East Charleston Road, Palo Alto. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a gift to the good cause of your choice.

BIRTHS Skip Allums and Sabrina Wolfson Menlo Park, April 19, a boy.

Norma Virginia Stewart September 24, 1924 – April 22, 2013 Norma Virginia Tate Stewart, age 88, passed away on April 22, 2013. Norma was born on September 24, 1924 in Los Gatos and raised in San Jose. She was preceded in death by her parents John and Reine Tate, her sister Bertha David, her brother George Tate and her granddaughter Anna Bonde. Loving mother of Cherie (David) Bogart and Debra Bonde. Proud grandmother of Jonathan (Amber) Hartley, Megan Bonde, and Sara Bogart, and greatgrandmother of Adriana Hartley. Norma graduated from San Jose High School in 1942, then lived for many years in Palo Alto. Norma will always be remembered for her love of family, her thoughtful, generous nature, and her zest for life. A celebration of Norma’s life will be held Friday, May 10th, 2:00 pm in the chapel of First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto. Memorials may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org) or Seedlings Braille Books for Children (www.seedlings.org). PA I D

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Visit

Michael H. Rose Michael Henry Rose, a lifelong resident of the Peninsula, died April 21 after a long illness. He was 65. Born in Palo Alto on Oct. 13, 1947, he graduated from Palo Alto High School in 1966. He served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army and earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He owned Michael’s Men’s Wear in Mountain View and was self-employed in the computer industry. He enjoyed volunteering with ARIS and the Billy DeFrank Center along with playing bingo at various organizations across the bay. He leaves his twin sister, Mary, of Palo Alto; nephews Kyle and Kevin Emard; and numerous friends. Services will be held on May 11 at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital chapel, celebration of life at 11:30 a.m. PA I D

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Dimitrije Mita Postich A resident of Portola Valley since 1972 and widowed since 2011, died, unexpectedly, on the 27th of April, 2013. Dimitrije was born on the 15th of July, 1932 in Belgrade, Yugolavia where he grew up, later attending the University of Belgrade where he earned his master’s in Electrical Engineering in Telecommunications and Electronics in 1957. Dimitrije immigrated to the United States in 1959 at the age of 27 to join his mother, Mirjana, and father, Milivoj Postich. In 1969 he met the love of his life, Zlata, they were married in 1971, built a home in Portola Valley and began a family. He was a loving father and grandfather, a brilliant scientist, avid private pilot since the early 1960s, president of the Saint John’s Serbian Orthodox Church Board, vice president of the Serbian National Defence, member of the First Serbian Benevolent Society, the “Dusan Silni” Historical Society, the Nicola Tesla Society, IEEE, AOPA, and a co-founder of the ETF BAFA-an engineering alumni foundation supporting education at the University of Belgrade. Dimitrije is survived by his mother-in-law, Vera Solovkov, sons; Mark and George, daughter-in-law Jenny, grandchildren; Natalia and Alexander, niece Angelique and nephew, Clarence. His strong personality, charisma, and an ever inquisitive mind will be deeply missed. A private memorial gathering will be held in San Francisco for family and friends. Donations may be made in his memory to the Saint John’s Serbian Orthodox Church, 900 Baker Street, San Francisco, CA 94115. PA I D

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COMMUNITY MEETING Safe Routes to School for Fairmeadow & Hoover Schools Review and comment on Draft Walk and Roll Maps and Route Improvements Tuesday, May 7, 2013, 7:00 - 8:00pm Fairmeadow Elementary, 500 E. Meadow Drive

Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 7:00 - 8:30pm Hoover Elementary School, 445 E. Charleston Road The Palo Alto Safe Routes to School program is documenting suggested routes to school and identifying opportunities for engineering improvements and enforcement which, when combined with safety education and promotion activities, will encourage more families to choose alternatives to driving to school solo. More info: Contact Sylvia Star-Lack at saferoutes@cityofpaloalto.org or (650) 329-2156

Lasting Memories An online directory of obituaries and remembrances. Search obituaries, submit a memorial, share a photo. Go to: www.PaloAltoOnline.com/obituaries

Jodi Newlan Wright Mar.17,1947 - Apr. 15, 2013 Resident of Menlo Park Jodi died of cancer, peacefully, at home with family at her bedside. She was born to Irl and Lillian Newlan in Eagle Rock/Los Angeles. She got her BA degree from University of the Pacific, and MA in Education from Occidental. She began her life-long career in the Los Angeles area as a teacher of intermediate and high school students, mostly in the subjects of algebra, geometry, history and English. In 1984, she married Mike and moved to the Bay Area where she continued her teaching profession at Mid-Peninsula High School in Menlo Park until retiring in 2011. She was a gifted, dedicated teacher who was beloved by her students. Jodi was devoted to her loving husband, her chil-

dren and her students. She was known for her generosity, insight, empathy, and love of life. She was compassionate, affectionate, vivacious, happy, fun, and a talented story teller. In addition to teaching, she enjoyed reading, history, archaeology, travel, gardening, cooking, fishing and vacations at her mountain cabin in Mammoth Lakes. Jodi is survived by her husband Mike, sons Jason and Jesse, daughter Anna, and three grandsons. At her request, no memorial service is planned. Donations in her memory can be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. PA I D

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Mimi Pachacki March 20, 1916 – March 6, 2013 A Life to Be Celebrated Miriam “Mimi” Bopp (Fisch) Pachacki March 20, 1916 to March 6, 2013 Occupation: Psychiatric social worker/private therapist, loving mother, grandmother, greatgrandmother, mentor, and friend. Education: Master of Social Work, University of Washington, 1947 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, Radcliffe College, 1938 Mimi’s life could be characterized by one word, Adventure. Born in New York to Carl and Mildred Bopp, she quickly caught the travel bug at an early age as her father, a career military man, constantly kept his family on the move. One of Mimi’s fondest memories was attending elementary school in the Philippines. She attended high school at Punahou in Honolulu, Hawaii. After ﬁnishing her studies there she was accepted into Radcliffe, the all-girls school of Harvard. Graduating Radcliffe with a BA in Sociology, Mimi traveled back to Manila with her parents. It was on that lengthy sea voyage that she met her ﬁrst husband, Lt. Ted Fisch, a pilot in the Army Air Forces. Shortly after they wed, Ted was shipped off to war. Ted was tragically lost when his plane was shot down a week after the Pearl Harbor Attack in 1941. Mimi lived on Clark Air Base in the Philippines until she was evacuated and she returned to the West Coast. She went on to serve with the American Red Cross as a medical social worker from 1943-1945. After the Red Cross, she enrolled in graduate school at the University of Washington where she received a Masters Degree in Social Work. While in Washington, she met and married Ed Pachacki in 1947. She and Ed started a family and they had four children, Carl, Mark, Glenn and Michele. First starting in San Francisco, and then making their way to New York, before they eventually settled in Palo Alto in 1955. Mimi was very active in the PTA, AAUW and the Radcliffe Club while the kids were growing up. She later became the President of the Radcliffe Alumni locally. In 1961, Mimi got a job

as a social worker, a career of helping people that made her extremely happy and which she found immensely fulfilling. Mimi eventually retired in 1978 after achieving the position of Director of Mental Health in Santa Clara County. Although she officially retired, she continued to see her private practice patients well into her 80’s. Her adventurous spirit continued into retirement. Spending time with her family, traveling the world and being a part of the community was her passion. Her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren gave her so much pleasure and were the light of her life. A love of travel had taken her almost all continents: Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, South and North America all the while taking beautiful photos and keeping fascinating diaries. She wrote with a perspective of great appreciation of the people and places she encountered. On these travels she met many people who became lifelong friends of the entire family. These friends became welcomed house guests who she loved hosting and correspond. Her most memorable trips were those she took with her beloved grandchildren. These trips included Hawaii, England, Scotland, Australia and Africa. In Eastern Europe she discovered and contacted previously unknown relatives from Poland. Giving back to the community was an integral part of her life. She collaborated on several books about the Pacific front during WWII, providing valuable information and photos. Additionally, her volunteered for St Vincent De Paul Society, taught English and played bridge, attending the opera regularly and supporting local theatre. She passed away peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her loving family. There will never be another one like her. Mimi truly was an amazing person who lived an extraordinary life, touching so many along the way. She will be dearly missed. If there is one sentence which could sum up Mimi it is “Mimi never met a stranger.” PA I D

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Editorial New committees undermine transparency Ad hoc committees may fulfill mayor’s wish for efficiency, but they threaten public’s right to fully participate

alo Alto Mayor Greg Scharff has just a year as the ceremonial head of the City Council, but in just four months he has made some changes that are rankling some of his colleagues and should also concern members of the public. Scharff has made clear he wants to use ad hoc committees of council members to focus on specific issues facing the city because he believes some issues are best addressed by a smaller group rather than in full discussion among all nine council members. As the mayor, he gets to decide on who serves on these committees, and so far the result is the emergence of a sub-group of council members who appear to be gaining more influence than their colleagues over policy matters. Some on the council, especially those who are left out, are not happy. But Scharff says the committee process is a good way for the council to look more deeply into a subject, formulate a policy and take it back to the full council for a vote. For Scharff, these committees are tools for exploring issues in more detail than would be possible at a council meeting, where nine members may all want to chime in on a topic. Creation of a committee has been traditionally reserved for the council, but Scharff recently unilaterally created a new committee on Technology and the Connected City and named himself, Larry Klein, Vice Mayor Nancy Shepherd and Liz Kniss as its members. In addition to that committee, Scharff, Klein and Shepherd also serve on the Infrastructure Committee and served on the Cubberley Policy Advisory Committee. Other committees that serve the city include the Rail Committee, which follows the high-speed rail project and the Regional Housing Mandate Committee, which addresses how the city should respond to the mandates handed down by the Association of Bay Area Government. There are two permanent council committees, Finance and Policy and Services, which have no overlap among council members. Historically, an occasional ad hoc committee has been formed by the council to track a particular issue, but Scharff is taking this approach to a new level, and one that we think merits careful scrutiny. One problem is exemplified by the recent scheduling of a closed session for the council to discuss the renewal of the city’s lease with the school district for the Cubberley site. Without bringing the matter to the full council for discussion, Scharff scheduled the closed meeting based on his desire and the agreement of the other two committee members, Klein and Shepherd. When other council members objected, arguing that the community expected and was entitled to a public discussion prior to negotiations commencing, the committee members backed down, the closed session was canceled and a public meeting scheduled for May 13. But the larger issue is one of public participation and transparency. Issues that are important enough to warrant the formation of a committee of council members must follow a process that bends over backwards to ensure transparency and public input. While Scharff has indicated his intention that these committees comply with the strict provision of the Brown Act, California’s open meeting law that requires both public notice and open meetings, and the opportunity for full public participation, the law doesn’t require it and there is no way to enforce it. Committee actions, while only recommendations to the full City Council, can also have a powerful impact in determining the final outcome on an issue. If these recommendations are being formed by a small group of council members hand picked by the mayor, who also serves on the committee, the opportunity for other council members (and therefore certain segments of the community) to be marginalized are great. Council committees are not a new mechanism for addressing important issues, but they will only be effective if their membership is not manipulated by the mayor to achieve his or her personal goals, and only if they take their direction from the full City Council. It is not acceptable, for example, for a four-person committee to instruct the staff to modify the timeline for the review of a development proposal, as the Infrastructure Committee did with a proposal for a huge office development next to the AOL building on Page Mill Road at Park Boulevard. The City Council has a long and largely successful tradition of working through tough issues in highly visible public meetings of the entire nine-person group. If Scharff prefers another approach, then he should seek the council’s approval in advance and if approved, then seek to ensure diversity and balance to whatever committees are formed. It does not serve the community for any committee to be loaded with like-minded members who will use the committee to pressure other council members to join them. If Scharff wants to redefine the role of the city’s mayor or change long-standing processes, then he should seek consensus, or at least majority approval, of his colleagues. Or change the city charter and establish an elected mayor. Page 16ÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Get ready to wait Editor, With Stanford not so much growing as metastasizing — huge projects planned for Menlo Park and Palo Alto, plus an office park in Redwood City over a million square feet — locals should anticipate unrelieved gridlock on El Camino and environs. As if this weren’t bad enough, there’s a devilish plan afoot to get us out of our cars once and for all: the Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI) — a euphemism for, among other things, two dedicated BUS-ONLY lanes on El Camino. First, if the GBI group really wanted to improve Peninsula transit, they’d be focusing on our east-west connectivity. After all, in addition to Caltrain, we have buses running north/south on El Camino. But this plan is not primarily about transportation — it’s about changing our lives, both by urbanizing our suburbs, and by making driving practically unfeasible. Otherwise, why is the plan also espousing high-density zoning for one-quarter mile on either side of El Camino? Here’s a quote from the GBI Principles: “Amend General Plans and implement zoning and Specific Plans that facilitate increases in density, particularly around transit stations and key intersections.” In GBI logic, more people crammed into tight spaces near the bus routes means more riders. So, instead of the buses serving the needs of the community, the community is being reconfigured to serve the needs of the buses! That is, of VTA and SamTrans under the umbrella of the GBI, partnering with the usual suspects: NGOs with special interests, developers and bureaucrats who relish the opportunity to foist their pipedreams on an unsuspecting public. Peninsulans, ask yourself why you haven’t heard the details of this plan. Did you know one of your city council members supposedly represents you on the GBI Task Force? Maybe time to tell him/her what you think. Otherwise get ready to queue up and wait for the bus. Cherie Zaslawsky Oak Lane, Menlo Park

City Council: Be brave Editor, To the Palo Alto City Council, regarding the closure of the Empire Tap Room: You know, to be blunt, you guys are all hypocrites; you lament a decision to shut down a community landmark, hoping that the public lament will make you seem less cowardly. You are not brave enough to stand up for community and quality of life. Developers such as Barry Swenson, etc., adore you because they know they have you in the palm of their hands, and that you are a government that more often than not refuses to stand up for the people, and for society.

You are “in” power; you “have” the power to do things. You know ... like how you used your power to get around the city’s building height limit? I am being blunt; unlike you, I am not afraid. Like Peter Drekmeier, poor excuses for leaders. He was a terrible mayor. You ought to be ashamed. Judging from history, though, you won’t be. Daniel Mart Awalt Drive, Mountain View

Trail project: a step back Editor, Palo Alto is considering spending $2.5 million on a bike/pedestrian path from Waverley Street to Greer Road, along the SCVWD easement between the Matadero Canal and private property. There are no destinations at either end of the path, and six unsafe road crossings along the preferred route, including a midblock crossing at Middlefield Road. The city planning/transportation department is launching a request for proposal (RFP) and is racing toward a feasibility study. Why? Because it has received

partial funding for the project and seems determined to spend this money. Does it make sense to spend taxpayer money on ill-conceived, pointless projects? It would make a lot more sense to conserve these funds for bigger and more useful projects, such as a safe underpass between Alma and the Park Avenue bike path, or a safe bike crossing at Page Mill and 280. Some supporters of the project believe that any incremental improvement in Palo Alto’s bike network is worthwhile. However, the Matadero project, as proposed, would be a step backward. In exchange for an unsightly path from nowhere to nowhere, it would create six dangerous mid-block intersections, become a magnet for undesirable late-night activities, increase the city’s maintenance costs, and lead to unknown potential liabilities. Imagine the inherent risk of allowing children, pets, skateboarders, bicyclists and others to come right to the edge of the Matadero Canal during the rainy/flood season. This is a bad idea that could lead to a disaster. Joe Brock Clara Drive, 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 Council’s committees have too much power?

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.

Check out Town Square! Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly on our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Post your own comments, ask questions, read the Editor’s blog or just stay up on what people are talking about around town!

Guest Opinion

The promise and reality of electric cars by Debbie Mytels hile environmentalists are calling for an end to fossil fuel pipelines, and oil company apologists claim that Greens want to force everyone onto mass transit, electric vehicles (EVs) are emerging as a solution to this name-calling battle, and people are starting to respond. “EVs are selling at a faster rate than hybrids were when first introduced,” explained Rafael Reyes, executive director of the Bay Area Climate Collaborative, a nonprofit that’s leading several initiatives to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Moderating an April 2 discussion about “The Promise and Reality of Electric Cars” that was organized by Acterra, a local nonprofit environmental group, Reyes asked how many attending owned an EV. About half of the 70 persons in the audience raised their hands. Without counting the “conversion” EVs built by hobbyists, Bay Area roads currently host 7,000 plug-ins, Reyes said. Holding up his cell phone and reminding us how unusual, and clunky, they were 15 years ago, Reyes predicted that EVs would take off just as fast. He ticked off the reasons why: “An EV fuels at half the cost of a gasoline car, and they need only half the maintenance. For the environmentally conscious, a fully electric EV will deliver about 70 percent lower

emissions than a gasoline vehicle — and if it’s charged by solar cells or wind power it’s truly a ‘zero emission’ vehicle.” Moreover, the Federal tax credit of $7,500, combined with a California state rebate of $2,500, brings the price within reach for many. Calling himself a “gearhead,” Gary Lieber is co-founder of SF Bay LEAFs, an organization of Nissan Leaf owners. “It’s amazing how fast it’s happening,” he said. Noting that Nissan has now sold 75,000 Leafs worldwide, he added, “Everybody’s reporting record sales right now. And Silicon Valley has quickly become ‘ground zero’ for innovative ideas in personal transportation.” There are a number of motivations for getting an EV, he said. “The coolness factor, the savings, the environmental responsibility — these mattered to the early adopters. Today the motivation is a little less about environmentalism and a little more about saving a few bucks.” “The standard objections to EVs are dropping away,” Lieber said. If you can drive 1,500 miles for $45 worth of electricity, you can no longer assert that an EV is too expensive, he said. And the question of “range anxiety” is being overcome by improved, lighter-weight batteries. Beyond battery power and the call for “clean” electrons not produced by burning fossil fuels, a whole new set of EV-related issues is emerging: s 3HOULD ELECTRICITY RATES BE MODIFIED FOR EV users? Paul Stith, executive director of Project Green OnRamp, explained how the California Public Utilities Commission is exploring

this question, since EV drivers want predictable information about how much it will cost them to charge up every day. A fivecent per kilowatt hour overnight charging rate is going up to 10 cents, in part because other ratepayers are objecting to preferential rates for EV users. s (OW DO YOU STOP PEOPLE FROM PARKING ALL day at a charging station site? Jim Helmer, president of LightMoves, said cities need to rethink how parking spaces are used, converting many to charging stations and putting a price on the electricity — along with a time limit for parking there. “We also need to develop some etiquette. I don’t want to see a plug-in Prius in a public charging site,” he said, because that car can get home with its gasoline assist. Paul Stith added that the seven EV charging sites in downtown Palo Alto are already in such demand that you need to arrive by 5:30 a.m. to get plugged in. Charging for the power, time limit signs and an indicator signal when the car is charged could help smooth out this access issue, he said. s 7HERE CAN WE PUT ALL THE NEEDED CHARGing stations? Everywhere! Stith said that Washington state now has a model ordinance requiring developers to put chargers in home and office buildings, and Sonoma County is looking at such a law to support its eco-tourism initiative of a “no carbon” trip from SFO to Sonoma vineyards. Helmer said 50 percent of California drivers don’t have their own garages, so publicly available sites will be essential. However, putting charging stations along the freeways makes little sense. “You need to put

chargers where people are spending a longer amount of time — homes, offices, grocery stores. Investing in a system of EV chargers along the highways should be a lower priority,” Reyes stressed. s 7HERE WILL WE GET ALL THE ENERGY WE need for EVs? Conservation is one answer. In his previous job as director of transportation for the City of San Jose, Helmer explained how he set up the first on-street, public charging station across from San Jose City Hall, using the same pole where an energy efficient LED street light had been installed. “You get from 50 percent to 75 percent energy savings by switching from older lighting to LEDs,” Helmer said. “What could we do with all this energy not being used at night?” s (OW WILL WE PAY FOR ROAD REPAIRS WHEN gasoline tax revenues decline? This is already becoming an issue. The recession has reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and “smart growth” planning means that people are living more closely together. Clearly, the source of funds for road repairs will have to change. Reyes thinks that the funds will be there for reallocation: If the Bay Area’s goal of 100,000 EVs by 2020 is met, the region will collectively save $120 million to $200 million a year, he said. “These funds could be invested into our local economy,” including roads and other infrastructure. N Debbie Mytels is associate director for programs at Acterra. A Midtown resident, she has been involved with many community organizations and plans to buy an EV within the next two years.

Streetwise

If you could change one thing about Palo Alto, what would it be? Photos and interviews by Audra Sorman. Asked in front of Trader Joe’s and Peet’s Coffee & Tea at Town & Country Village in Palo Alto.

Anabel Pieper

Alex Beretta

Chayton Smith

Charles Dyer

Wendy Cardamone

“I think more bathrooms in parks for kids. There are a lot of parks where bathrooms aren’t available.”

“More dive bars to increase cultural diversity.”

“They need to have more homeless shelters in different locations. The shelter is adequate, but it’s not adequate time-wise; (the homeless) have to stand there for hours and hours.”

“The cost of living. Even though Palo Alto has its own worth, the price of living is too costly. Rent is high.”

“I would say to have more accessible performing arts happening for families. I’d really like to see more dance.”

Stay-at-home mom Southampton Drive, Palo Alto

Unemployed Ramona Street, Palo Alto

Student Encina Avenue, Palo Alto

Construction Alma Street, Palo Alto

Finance and facilities manager Charles Marx Way, Palo Alto

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PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District for:

Saturday, June 8 from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

RFP # 13-P-04-SN: Student Nutrition Consulting Management Services Bidding documents contain the full description of the work, and may be requested via email to: dbuschke@ pausd.org, or at the District Ofﬁce, Purchasing Department. 25 Churchill Ave Palo Alto, CA 94306.

Helping the environment and making money has never been so easy. Reusing – whether you donate, buy or sell – is one of the best ways to reduce waste and keep usable stuff out of the landfill. Sign up to hold a yard sale and join the fun.

There will be a mandatory Conference and walkthrough at 8:00 A.M. PTD on Thursday, May 9, 2013.

Sign Up to Sell t Register online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale or call (650) 496-5910. The registration deadline is May 10, 2013. t We’ll send you a fact sheet with tips for a successful sale and a list of reuse organizations. t Your address and sale merchandise will be included in a full-page map listing all participating sales. The map will be printed in the June 7, 2013 edition of the Palo Alto Weekly and online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale

All questions concerning this request should be directed to Denise Buschke at (650) 329-3802 or emailed to dbuschke@pausd.org. Interested parties must submit proposals to the Purchasing Department, Attn: Denise Buschke, 25 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306, by 2 PM PTD on Tuesday, May 28, 2013. . BY ORDER of the Business Department of the Palo Alto Uniﬁed School District, Palo Alto, California.

For more information about the Yard Sale www.PaloAltoOnline.com/yardsale zerowaste@cityofpaloalto.org (650) 496-5910

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

Scholars believe the 16th-century engraving “Enlightenment of François I” by Rene Boyvin is partly inspired by mythology, with the distraught people representing sin and despair.

Vive l’art

Six exhibitions of French art fill the Cantor with centuries of prints and drawings by Rebecca Wallace

f you truly love French art, it would be hard to limit yourself to just one exhibition. This year, the Cantor Arts Center will have six. Viewers will begin in the 1500s with sweeping engravings and etchings from the Palace of Fontainebleau, then travel through 400 years of French drawings. Along the way, they’ll drop in on Manet and the graphic arts, with one detour to focus on figure drawings and another side trip to visit the symbolist artist Odilon Redon. Lastly, a sojourn with Matisse during World War II, when he created the unexpectedly cheerful wartime series “Jazz.” Vive l’art! The series began last month with the opening of “A Royal Renaissance: School of Fontainebleau Prints from the Kirk Edward Long Collection.” The small, vibrant upstairs exhibition serves as a preview of sorts for the centerpiece of the season: “Storied Past: Four Centuries of French Drawings from the Blanton Museum of Art,” a collection of 55 drawings from the Texas museum, opening July 3. Cantor curators hadn’t intended to have so many French programs, but the exhibitions “just started to line up that way” around the big show, curator Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell said. Mitchell isn’t complaining. Her primary area of expertise is art from 18th-century France and England, and she also curated last year’s show

of Honoré Daumier prints. With “Storied Past,” she has a wealth of sketches and finished drawings to work with, many from the 17th- and 18th-century heyday of Paris’ Academie Royale de Peinture. Fragile chalk drawings include “The Arms of a Girl Holding a Bird,” by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, circa 1765; and Nicolas Lancret’s 1730s “Study of a Man.” More color is evident in Alexandre-Louis Leloir’s “Moroccan Girl, Playing a Stringed Instrument,” an 1875 work in watercolor, gouache and graphite. With the art spanning four centuries, many trends reveal themselves. Viewers will be able to see an increasing Italian influence, with the artists’ “cool and rational” Gallic approach becoming “a little looser and more expressive,” Mitchell said. In the 18th and 19th centuries in particular, the artists can also be seen moving away from traditional religious subjects and into everyday life and politics. Théophile Alexandre Steinlen’s circa-1895 “À l’atelier,” for one, shows a man walking with a little girl, hand in hand, in straightforward graphite. “They’re responding to what’s going on around them rather than drawing cavorting nymphs and Christ,” Mitchell said. A particular treat for Mitchell is the collection of drawings on blue paper, a precious commodity. Sometimes the paper was dyed blue; other times it was

fashioned from ground-up blue fibers. “When you work on it with black or white chalk it’s absolutely gorgeous,” Mitchell said. While viewers must wait until the summer for most of the French exhibitions, the Fontainebleau prints are now on display through July. They pop against green walls, impossibly detailed. When King François I was turning his medieval lodge at Fontainebleau into a royal residence in the 1500s, he brought in artists to depict the transformation. The engravings and etchings show many stately aspects of the chateau: frescoes, columns, busts, ceilings. In some cases, the frescoes have been lost but the prints live on. One featured artist is René Boyvin (1525-1598), who was known for, as the exhibit puts it, “the glacial precision with which he incised the designs onto the copper plates.” Many frescoes depicted scenes of eroticism or violence from classical tales, and Boyvin exceled at showing emotion. In his “Enlightenment of François I,” distraught people representing sin and despair writhe as “a barefoot armored figure (who may represent the king) strides boldly toward the lightfilled doorway,” an exhibit card reads. “While the image suggests an alignment between François I and Jupiter, the ruler of the Olympian gods, its spe(continued on page 23)

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Sweetbay brings to life the all-American feeling of a neighborhood home – where genteel

24 ADAM WAY, ATHERTON

daily living unfolds, yet gatherings of any size can easily be hosted inside or out. Built with loving care and just completed, the design of Sweetbay is thoughtful, awe-inspiring, and remarkably appointed with a refreshing new joie de vivre not to be missed. A place where memories are meant to be made and time is meant to be cherished. A heritage home today and for generations to come. Please contact Hugh Cornish or Natalie Comartin for a private showing. Offered at $14,250,000

www.24AdamWay.com

Page 20ÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V

Hugh Cornish

Natalie Comartin

650.619.6461 hcornish@cbnorcal.com

650.380.3122 natalie.comartin@cbnorcal.com

DRE# 00912143

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ÜÜÜ°*> Ì " i°V ÊUÊ*> Ê Ì Ê7ii ÞÊUÊ >ÞÊÎ]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 21

Hot Tip for Seniors 60+ La Comida serves the most delectable and affordable lunch in town! Three-course meal for only $3.00 (suggested donation) Monday – Friday from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Tired of cooking? Want to get out and meet new friends?

For a complete list of classes and class fees, lectures and health education resources, visit pamf.org/healtheducation.

May 2013

Senior Exercise Presented by Joanna Losito, R.N., MSN PAMF Health Education

Wednesday, May 8, 1 to 2 p.m. Sunnyvale City Senior Center 550 E. Remington Drive, Sunnyvale

Join us for lunch in the beautiful La Comida Dining Room 450 Bryant St. (Avenidas Building), 650-322-3742, or at the Stevenson House Dining Room 455 E. Charleston Rd., 650-494-1944, Ext. 10 Reservations required by 10:00 a.m. for Stevenson House View the menu and video at: www.LaComida.org

408-730-7360 SAVE THE DATE:

WHAT’S GOING ON? MOTOWN GALA

Turning No into Yes: Encouraging Cooperative Behavior in Children

FUNDRAISER

Dr. Marvin Small Memorial Parent Workshop Series

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2013 OSHMAN FAMILY JCC

Presented by Heidi Emberling, M.A. Early Childhood Educator, ParentsPlace

Tuesday, May 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Mountain View Center 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

650-934-7373

linkAges Time Bank Orientation Wednesday, May 15, 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 23, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Mountain View Center 701 E. El Camino Real, Mountain View

El Camino YMCA 2400 Grant Road, Mountain View

Presented by linkAges Team Member linkAges Time Bank 650-691-8784

The linkAges TimeBank connects neighbors with neighbors through an online community-based service exchange network, focusing in and around the community of Mountain View. Connect with others in your community to exchange services, explore interests and learn new skills in exchange for time.

The Dr. Tom McDonald Memorial Lectures at the Palo Alto Center

TICKETS WILL BE ON SALE SOON AT: DEBORAHSPALM.ORG

may highlights FOR THIS MONTH: – College Admissions: Two-Part Workshop – Awareness Workshop with Horses – Personal Creativity Workshop – Free Weekly Mentoring – Job Search Strategy Team – Women’s Support Group For further details, visit our website: deborahspalm.org 555 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto 650 /473-0664

debor ah’s palm David Ramadanoff Conducts

Much Better Vision: An Overview of Common Eye Conditions Presented by Jason Much, M.D. PAMF Ophthalmology

Tuesday, May 14, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Palo Alto Center 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto

Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra with Florin Parvulescu

650-853-4873

Men’s Reproductive Health Monday, May 20, 7 to 8:30 p.m. San Carlos Library 610 Elm Street, San Carlos

Presented by Keith Lee, M.D. PAMF Surgical Oncology, Urology RSVP to Rhea Bradley at 650-591-0341, extension 237

The Aging Eye Monday, May 20, 10 to 11 a.m. Cupertino City Senior Center 21251 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino

Presented by Barbara Erny, M.D. PAMF Ophthalmology

Weber

Overture to Der Freischutz

Bruch

Violin Concerto No.1 with Florin Parvulescu Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish”

Tickets: Gen Admission

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Valley Presbyterian Church 945 Portola Rd., Portola Valley Free reception after concert Sunday, May 5th, 2013 at 2:30 pm

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instagram.com/ paloaltomedical pamfblog.org

pinterest.com/ paloaltomedical youtube.com/ paloaltomedical

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Scan this code with your smartphone for more health education information. Get the free mobile scanner app at http://gettag.mobi.

This ad sponsored by Ginny and Joe Kavanaugh Coldwell Banker, Portola Valley. Visit them at www.thekavanaughs.com

Los Altos United Methodist Church 655 Magdalena (at Foothill), Los Altos Free reception at intermission

Arts & Entertainment

GREGORY DEANE OPEN STUDIOS

Saturday, May 4th â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Sunday, May 5th 11:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m. 4075 Transport Street, Palo Alto | 650-424-1970

www.gregorydeane.com Alexandre-Louis Leloirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1875 work â&#x20AC;&#x153;Moroccan Girl, Playing a Stringed Instrumentâ&#x20AC;? will be seen in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Storied Pastâ&#x20AC;? exhibition opening at the Cantor Arts Center in July.

Vive lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;art (continued from page 19)

cific meaning continues to baffle scholars.â&#x20AC;? Other artists include Antonio Fantuzzi, LĂŠon Davent and Domenico del Barbiere. Pierre Milanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dramatic engraving â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jupiter among the Olympic Godsâ&#x20AC;? lets viewers see the vaulted ceiling in the Gallery of Ulysses. The rest of the French exhibitions will open this summer. Next up on June 12 is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Manet and the Graphic Arts in France, 1860-1880,â&#x20AC;? which looks at how Manet and his contemporaries

were affected artistically by the Insurrection of 1871. A show of French figure drawings from the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection opens July 3, along with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inspired by Temptation: Odilon Redon and Saint Anthony.â&#x20AC;? Redon was known to pair his artwork with works of literature; his lithographs on display drew their inspiration from the Gustave Flaubert novel â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Temptation of Saint

Anthony,â&#x20AC;? in which a monk is troubled by visions. The exhibit on Matisseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jazzâ&#x20AC;? series opens July 31, with 20 colorful prints. The artist created them with the help of his assistants after having surgery for cancer, and this edition of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jazzâ&#x20AC;? was later donated to Stanford. N

What: Six exhibitions of French artwork, with tours and a curatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lecture by Elizabeth Kathleen Mitchell at 5:30 p.m. July 18 in the museum auditorium. Where: Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University When: â&#x20AC;&#x153;A Royal Renaissanceâ&#x20AC;? is open now, with the others opening this summer. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursdays until 8 p.m. Cost: Free. Info: For a full schedule and event details, go to museum. stanford.edu or call 650-7234177.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Alexander Mastering Bucephalus,â&#x20AC;? a circa-1546 etching by LĂŠon Davent, is in the current Frenchprints show at the Cantor Arts Center.

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Arts & Entertainment

Palo Alto Historical Association presents a public program

In love and war California Slim and the Palo Alto Music Scene 3PEAKER !NDREW * "ERNSTEIN

Sunday, May 5, 2013, 2:00-4:00 p.m. Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 MiddleďŹ eld Road, Palo Alto 2EFRESHMENTS s .O ADMISSION CHARGE

Palo Alto Playersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Miss Saigonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hits the right notes by Karla Kane

lassic meloTHEATER drama meets modern musical in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigon,â&#x20AC;? the current, ambitious production by Palo Alto Players. It lifts its storyline from Pucciniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s East-meets-West opera â&#x20AC;&#x153;Madame Butterflyâ&#x20AC;? and moves it to 1970s Vietnam, to the time just before and after the fall of Saigon to Communist rule. Kim, a 17-year-old country girl, has fled to the city after her village was destroyed and her family killed. She unhappily takes a job as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bar girlâ&#x20AC;? at Dreamland, the seedy nightclub run by the shady Engineer. The club is packed with restless, disillusioned American G.I.s looking to lose themselves in debauchery, and Engineer makes the most of the opportunity, raffling off a night with the girl he crowns â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigonâ&#x20AC;? as a prize. Chris is a U.S. Marine sergeant dragged to Dreamland by his pal John. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fed up with the war, his comrades and his life, but when he lays eyes on the fresh-faced Kim, whom he sees as a beacon of goodness in a world of darkness, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love at first sight. The feeling is mutual, and Kim quickly pins all her hopes and dreams on Chris. When Chris takes Kim away to stay with him, and her friends per-

form a pseudo-marriage blessing on their relationship, it seems Kim may be the true â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigonâ&#x20AC;? after all â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the one to achieve the goal of so many of the girls, to escape their war-torn homeland. Even her cousin and jilted former fiancĂŠ, Thuy, who curses her for breaking the betrothal arranged by her late parents, canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t destroy her joy. The lovebirds are separated, however, when Chris must evacuate the city. Moving ahead three years, we learn Kim has survived but is desperately poor. Thuy, now a big shot in the Communist regime, forces the also-surviving Engineer to find Kim, who refuses to marry him and enrages him further by revealing Tam, the secret son of the long-lost Chris. When Thuy threatens Tamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, Kim is forced to take extreme measures. Meanwhile, Chris has married sensible, American Ellen, who knows nothing of his past romance but hears him call Kimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name during his nightmares. Chrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; old buddy John has since started an organization to help the children fathered and abandoned by U.S. soldiers in the war, and gives the startling news that Kim bore Chris a child. Chris, Ellen and John travel to meet him, and Kim, now thinking only of her

REVIEW

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a public meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, May 8, 2013 in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Civic Center, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday.

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Public Hearings 1. Update and direction to staff regarding the draft California Avenue/Fryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Area Concept Plan Alternatives Questions. For any questions regarding the above items, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2441. The ďŹ les relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. *** Curtis Williams Director of Planning and Community Environment

sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future, is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Audiences looking for a feel-good story, beware: Like the Puccini original, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigonâ&#x20AC;? is a tragedy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigonâ&#x20AC;? was written by Claude-Michel SchĂśnberg and Alain Boublil â&#x20AC;&#x201D; creators of that other epic musical â&#x20AC;&#x153;Les Miserablesâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and there are similarities in sound and style. â&#x20AC;&#x153;West Side Storyâ&#x20AC;? updated â&#x20AC;&#x153;Romeo and Julietâ&#x20AC;? with stellar songwriting and an edge, as, to a lesser extent, did â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rentâ&#x20AC;? with â&#x20AC;&#x153;La Boheme.â&#x20AC;? In â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigon,â&#x20AC;? most of the songs on their own are not too memorable, though parts of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last Night of the Worldâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d Give My Life for Youâ&#x20AC;? are exceptions. In context, though, the music is lush and compelling and the lyrics, if sometimes cheesy, are effective. Unfortunately some crackly microphone problems during the performance I attended caused occasional distraction. The cast as a whole, and the principals in particular, have strong, clear voices well suited to their roles and to the music. Katherine Dela Cruz as Kim has the sweet, dulcet tones of a Disney princess, exactly whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s required of her doomed, saintly heroine. Stanford student Danny Gould, as leading man Chris, displays an impressive range, especially with the higher notes. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen Brian Palac in three Players shows now, and each time heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a standout. As the weaselly, greedy, scheming Engineer he oozes sliminess and charm in equal measure and you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but root for the guy, who wants only to move to America and fulfill his capitalist dreams. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a hammy role, for sure, but Palac makes the most of it, often bringing in welcome levity. Lindsay Stark has the somewhat thankless â&#x20AC;&#x153;other womanâ&#x20AC;? role of Ellen, but brings maturity and a wonderful voice to the part. The original â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigonâ&#x20AC;? was famous for its high-tech special effects and the small Lucie Stern Theatre is not really suited to such bells and whistles, but the directors and crew do just fine with what they have. I liked the way the staging and costumes, as well as the classic story, echo its operatic roots, while the Vietnam War setting gives the tale more tragic, real-world weight. Though Chris and Kimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s star-crossed story is sad, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the based-on-actualevents scenes, such as that of desperate people clinging to the fence of the U.S. embassy, that are ultimately the most heartbreaking. N

What: The musical â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Saigon,â&#x20AC;? presented by Palo Alto Players Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto When: Through May 12, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Cost: Tickets are $32, with discounts for students, seniors and groups. Info: Go to paplayers.org or call 650-329-0891.

Movies

ROBERT SHIA JULIE SAM JACKIE REDFORD LaBEOUF CHRISTIE ELLIOTT EVANCHO ANNA STANLEY NICK RICHARD BRIT NOLTE MARLING JENKINS KENDRICK TUCCI With

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Dennis Quaid and Kim Dickens in â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Any Price.â&#x20AC;?

At Any Price --1/2

(Palo Alto Square) The Midwest farm, she ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t what she used to be, many long years ago. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the sociological underpinning of Ramin Bahraniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new film â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Any Price,â&#x20AC;? in which agribusiness puts the squeeze on an Iowa farming family. Taking inspiration from such iconic forebears as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Death of a Salesmanâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hud,â&#x20AC;? Bahrani and co-writer Hallie Elizabeth Newton set down on a 3,000-acre farm where three generations of Whipple men have worked the land. Henry Whipple (Dennis Quaid) would like to see at least one of his sons show an interest in one day running the farm, but the elder boy, Grant, has relinquished his golden-boy status and gone away to see the world, leaving his younger brother, Dean (Zac Efron), to feel the brunt of Dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectations. Deanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attentions are elsewhere â&#x20AC;&#x201D; on the local stock-car racing circuit (which he hopes will be his ticket to NASCAR) and on his hot-blonde girlfriend Cadence (Maika Monroe) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but it appears Henry has greater and more immediate concerns. With his farm leveraged in the millions, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s had to double as a salesman for Liberty Seeds, a Monsanto surrogate that has effectively taken ownership of American farms by enforcing its patents on GMO corn. Worse, Henryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales numbers are threatened by a rival salesman (Clancy Brown) ever-ready to poach accounts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Any Priceâ&#x20AC;? works best when it sticks close to Henry, whose broad grin fails to mask a growing desperation. Quaid not only makes a believably cornfed patriarch, but he captures the mien of one who is slowly ceding his soul. In his willingness to do anything to stay successful, loved and happy, Henry increases the likelihood of losing it all. He appears to be guilty of unethical business practices (with investigators breathing down his neck); he relentlessly pushes his sons; and he steps out on his loyal wife (Kim Dickens, excellent as ever) with a gal (Heather Graham) whose loyalty he hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t earned. Though Efron gives one of his more palatable performances, his clichĂŠd storyline just isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t very compelling, especially in comparison to whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on with Henry. When a plot turn forces Dean to need his father even more than Henry needs Dean, their under-duress meeting of minds lends the story an unexpected tragic weight, but prior to that climax, the scenes with Dean seem to be time-killers with a character who never amounts to much more than a plot device. Still, if Dean evaporates, Henry resonates, as emblematic of an American economy â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and American soul â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in crisis. And even if making a move toward the mainstream, after such micro-indies as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Man Push Cartâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chop Shop,â&#x20AC;? stymies Bahrani a bit in his conflicting impulses toward realism and the

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Rated R for sexual content including a strong graphic image, and for language. One hour, 45 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Peter Canavese

Iron Man 3 ---

(Century 16, Century 20) No actor has brought a superhero to life like Robert Downey Jr. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to take anything away from Christopher Reeveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Superman, Christian Baleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Batman or Hugh Jackmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wolverine. But Downey deserves extra credit for transforming arrogant billionaire Tony Stark into a likable everyman. In fact, much of Marvel Studiosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; recent big-screen success can be traced directly to Downeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crowd-pleasing turn in the first â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Manâ&#x20AC;? (2008). This ambitious third installment in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Manâ&#x20AC;? franchise offers Downey another opportunity to shine. He continues to add layers to an already complex character and infuse the often somber genre with comedic charm (this is a comic-book movie, after all). Despite a somewhat slow start and occasional plot missteps, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Man 3â&#x20AC;? ultimately soars thanks to its charismatic leading man and director Shane Blackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s man-on-wire balancing act of humor and action. After helping defend Earth from a horde of alien invaders and nearly dying in the process (as seen in 2012â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Avengersâ&#x20AC;?), Tony Stark is content tinkering in his Malibu mansion and sharing a bed with his girlfriend/personal assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). But heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quickly reminded of the pitfalls of being a high-profile superhero with the introduction of two new adversaries: Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), a fellow tech genius and founder of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics); and a shadowy Osama bin Laden-esque terrorist known as The (continued on next page)

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DENNIS ZAC KIM HEATHER CLANCY QUAID EFRON DICKENS GRAHAM BROWN â&#x20AC;&#x153;A GREAT FILM. THE BEST NEW AMERICAN DIRECTOR OF RECENT YEARS. DENNIS QUAID GIVES THE PERFORMANCE OF A LIFETIME.â&#x20AC;? -Roger Ebert, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MAYBE THE BEST FILM Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE SEEN THIS YEAR.â&#x20AC;? -Lou Lumenick, NEW YORK POST

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Movies (continued from previous page)

Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). The Mandarin serves up ominous threats while Killianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s machinations include the use of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extremis,â&#x20AC;? a dangerous new technology. Meanwhile, Tony begins to suffer anxiety attacks based on his near-death experience in New York. Tonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mettle is quickly tested when a brazen attack with ties to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Extremisâ&#x20AC;? leaves one of his closest friends clinging to life. As the conflict escalates, others are thrown in harmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way, including Pepper and U.S. President Ellis (William Sadler). The visual effects and action sequences are stunning, especially when Tonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Iron Man armor(s) take flight. The costuming, however, is more hit-and-miss. In one scene, Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle, reprising his role from

â&#x20AC;&#x153;GORGEOUS.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Man 2â&#x20AC;?) emerges from his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Patriotâ&#x20AC;? armor wearing a polo shirt and blue jeans â&#x20AC;&#x201D; not exactly the sort of attire one would generally wear when strapped into a mechanical suit for hours on end. Then again, The Mandarin, with his ringed fingers and muted green garb, looks terrific. A nice surprise in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Man 3â&#x20AC;? is the way the character of Pepper Potts is developed. Not only does Paltrow deliver a wonderful performance, but Pepper proves increasingly strong and resilient. Pearce is also a welcome addition to the cast with his blend of sleaze and toughness. And Kingsley demonstrates his thespian skills yet again as the enigmatic Mandarin. Iron Man, with Downey playing pilot, continues to launch Marvel into the cinematic stratosphere. Rated PG-13 for intense sci-fi action/violence and brief suggestive content. 2 hours, 20 minutes.

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; STEPHEN HOLDEN, THE NEW YORK TIMES

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tyler Hanley

LUSH AND ... ENGAGING â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;RENOIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; IS CLASSIC FRENCH â&#x20AC;&#x153;

NOW PLAYING The Croods -- 1/2 Monty Python alum John Cleese once co-wrote a book called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Families and How to Survive Them.â&#x20AC;? Given that, I suppose my jaw shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have dropped, then, to see his co-story credit on the animated adventure â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Croods,â&#x20AC;? in which a bickering modern Stone Age family daily enthuses, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Still alive!â&#x20AC;? Nevertheless, Cleeseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name comes as a surprise after an hour and a half, given the degree to which â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Croodsâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D; though set in a world of mortal danger â&#x20AC;&#x201D; plays it safe. Writerdirectors Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders (the latter best known for â&#x20AC;&#x153;How to Train Your Dragonâ&#x20AC;?) carry the rock over the finish line with enough slapsticky action and mild gags to hold kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention. But discerning audience members will wish for more in the plot department and greater courage in convictions. Even as it panders to kids, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Croodsâ&#x20AC;? takes care not to offend parents too badly for being behind the times, as thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a theme of parental sacrifice and unspoken love, rewarded with hugs all around at the end. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just disappointing that â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Croodsâ&#x20AC;? feels an obligation to be reassuring and noncommittal, wrapping up with the thought â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anyone can change. Well, sort of.â&#x20AC;? Rated PG for some scary action. One hour, 38 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed March 22, 2013)

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES

MOVIEMAKING WITH SOME MODERN TWISTS.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; KENNETH TURAN, LOS ANGELES TIMES

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Owen Gleiberman, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

MICHEL BOUQUET CHRISTA THĂ&#x2030;RET VINCENT ROTTIERS

â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Richard Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE

RIZ AHMED KATE HUDSON LIEV SCHREIBER KIEFER SUTHERLAND OM PURI A FILM BY

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Ryan Gosling in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Place Beyond the Pines.â&#x20AC;? Oz the Great and Powerful --1/2 The â&#x20AC;&#x153;sound-alikeâ&#x20AC;? has long been a practice of those looking to borrow the cachet of a piece of music. Well, Disney has a shiny new â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ozâ&#x20AC;? movie thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a â&#x20AC;&#x153;look-alikeâ&#x20AC;? of Warner property â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Wizard of Oz.â&#x20AC;? This prequel tells how the Wizard installed himself in the Emerald City. James Franco plays roguish carnival magician Oscar Diggs (aka â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ozâ&#x20AC;?), whose balloon gets whipped by a tornado into the magical land of Oz. There he meets fetching witch Theodora (Mila Kunis), who informs him that he must be the wizard foretold in prophecy to inherit the Emerald City throne. Theodora takes Oz to meet her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz), who regards him with suspicion but sends him on a mission to kill witch Glinda (Michelle Williams) and earn his position. In story terms, this sort of connect-the-dots prequel is a dead end, doomed to a foregone conclusion. The script by Mitchell Kapner and Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rabbit Holeâ&#x20AC;?) mostly settles for revisiting every trope of the original story. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ozâ&#x20AC;? gets saved from the junk heap by Franco and especially by director Sam Raimi, who happily treats the enterprise as a sandbox. Like Ang Lee and Martin Scorsese before him, Raimi finds his first foray into 3D creatively invigorating, at least in visual terms. Rated PG for

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The Place Beyond the Pines ---1/2 This new drama announces with its first shot that it is a film with risk on its mind, both in front of and behind the scenes. The three-minute-plus tracking shot follows a tattooed motorcycle stunt rider through carnival fairgrounds, through a tent and into the â&#x20AC;&#x153;globe of deathâ&#x20AC;? that is his workplace. It helps that the director is Derek Cianfrance and the actor is Cianfranceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue Valentineâ&#x20AC;? star Ryan Gosling. Laden with stigmata that include a dripping-dagger tattoo by his left eye, Goslingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Luke Glanton will prove violent and reckless but also highly sensitive, traits that could describe the actor-director teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volatile approach to cinematic narrative. Glantonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest stint in Schenectady unexpectedly reunites him with an ex-lover (Eva Mendesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Romina), who in turn introduces him to the 1-year-old boy he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know he had. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a third act, with a baton pass to another set of characters, but perhaps Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already said too much. The film offers the most satisfying cinematic experience weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had at the multiplex thus far this year, and largely through its disinterest in playing along with movie trends. Rather, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complicated â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and proudly so, big-heartedly embracing timeless themes with the bold dramatic impact of an ancient Greek tragedy writ 20 feet tall. Rated R for language throughout, some violence, teen drug and alcohol use and a sexual reference. Two hours, 21 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed April 12, 2013) Renoir --1/2 Perhaps itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s damning â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renoirâ&#x20AC;? with faint praise to call it agreeable, but Gilles Bourdosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; film about the waning days and household entanglements of Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir shows an admirable restraint, quiet simplicity and lush pictorial beauty. Screenwriters Jerome Tonnerre, Michel Spinosa and Bourdos walk us through the summer of 1915, when 74-year-old Renoir (Michel Bouquet) receives his latest muse: â&#x20AC;&#x153;a girl out of nowhere, sent by a dead woman.â&#x20AC;? She is Andree Heuschling (Christa Theret), a teenage aspiring actress referred by the painterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recently departed wife. Andree quickly establishes herself as a free spirit who punctures pretension and wants to seize â&#x20AC;&#x153;everything life has to offer,â&#x20AC;? starting with men. All the Renoir men betray their neuroses about their own and the othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; uncertain futures, particularly Augusteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s should his shaky hand refuse to cooperate. Despite all the opportunity for (figurative) handwringing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renoirâ&#x20AC;? tends to the understated and accentuates the positive. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A painting should be something pleasant and cheerful,â&#x20AC;? says Auguste. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are enough disagreeable things in life.â&#x20AC;? With the inherent interest of its subjects and its every frame a painting, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Renoirâ&#x20AC;? is, indeed, agreeable enough. Rated R for sequences of art-related nudity and brief language. One hour, 51 minutes. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; P.C. (Reviewed April 26, 2013)

Tickets and Showtimes available at cinemark.com

Family Concert Family Concert

featuring the Winners of our featuring the Winners of our Concerto Movement Competition! Concerto Movement Competition! Pianist Alex

Rachmaninoff Concerto #3 for Piano

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Songyi Chun Violinist

Saint-SaĂŤns Havanaise

3pm Sunday, May 12, 2013 Cubberley Theatre

Cellist

Bloch Schelomo

in B minor, Op. 104, 1st mvmt.

Cellist

4000 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto, CA 7E GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGE SUPPOR T FOR THE EXHIBITION S PRESENTATION AT 3TANFORD FROM THE #LUMECK &UND THE #ONTEMPORARY #OLLECTORS #IRCLE AND #ANTOR !R TS #ENTER -EMBERS

Elena Ariza

Op. 125, 2nd mvmt.

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Prokofiev Sinfonia Concertante,

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J.W. and H.M. Goodman

Alex Zhou

Tickets: $5/$10/$10 at the door (student / senior / general)

or online

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Movies

MOVIE TIMES All showtimes are for Friday through Sunday only unless otherwise noted. For other times, as well as reviews and trailers, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies. 42 (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 12:35, 4, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 10:25 a.m. & 1:20, 4:20, 7:20 & 10:20 p.m. Alien (1979) (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Wed 2 & 7 p.m. At Any Price (R) ((1/2 Palo Alto Square: 2, 4:30 & 7:15 p.m. Fri & Sat also at 9:50 p.m. The Big Wedding (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 10:20 & 11:20 a.m. & 1:40, 4:10, 6:20, 7:20 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: 10:35 & 11:45 a.m. & 12:55, 2, 3:15, 4:35, 5:40, 7:15, 8:25, 9:45 & 10:45 p.m. (Sat no 4:35, 7:15, 9:45 p.m.) The Company You Keep (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 1:40, 4:40, 7:30 & 10:30 p.m. Guild Theatre: noon & 2:45, 5:30 & 8:15 p.m.

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The Croods (PG) ((1/2 Century 16: Fri 9:30 a.m. & 7:10 p.m. In 3D 4:30 & 9:50 p.m. Sat-Sun 10:20 a.m. & 4:20 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: Fri 10:45 a.m. & 3:55 p.m. In 3D 1:15 p.m. Sat-Sun 10:45 a.m. & 3:55 & 9:10 p.m. In 3D 1:15 & 6:40 p.m. Disconnect (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri 9:30 a.m. & 9:10 p.m. Sun also 3:20 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m. & 2:10, 5:10, 7:55 & 10:35 p.m. Filly Brown (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 4:45 & 10:40 p.m.

L U C I L E PA C K A R D

C H I L D R E N â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S H O S P I TA L

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 9:50 p.m. The Great Gatsby (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Thu 10:40 p.m. In 3D 10 p.m.

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Iron Man 3 (PG-13) ((( Century 16: 10 & 11:30 a.m. & 1:10, 2:50, 4:30, 6:05, 8, 9:30, 11:25 & 11:55 p.m. In 3D 9 & 11 a.m. & 12:10, 12:40, 2:10, 3:30, 4, 5:30, 7, 7:30, 8:50, 10:30 & 10:55 p.m. Century 20: 10 & 11:30 a.m. & 1, 2:30, 4, 5:30, 7:05, 8:35, 10:10 & 11 p.m. In 3D 11 a.m. & noon & 12:30, 2, 3, 3:30, 5, 6, 6:35, 8:05, 9:50 & 9:40 p.m. In XD 10:30 a.m. & 1:30, 4:30, 7:35 & 10:40 p.m. Jurassic Park (2013) (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 10:50 a.m. In 3D 1:45 & 7:45 p.m. Kon-Tiki (2012) (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Palo Alto Square: 2:15, 4:45 & 7:25 p.m. Fri-Sat also at 9:45 p.m. Mayday: Mayweather vs. Guerrero (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Sat 6 p.m. Century 20: Fri 6 p.m. Sat 6 p.m. Sun 6 p.m. Mon 6 p.m. Tue 6 p.m. Wed 6 p.m. Thu 6 p.m. Mud (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 9:50 a.m. & 12:45, 3:40, 7:05 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 10:30 a.m. & 1:25, 4:25, 7:25 & 10:25 p.m. Oblivion (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Fri-Sat 10:10 & 11:10 a.m. & 1, 2, 3:50, 4:50, 7:20, 8:20 & 10:40 p.m. (Sun last show is 10:30 p.m.) Century 20: 11:05 a.m. & 1:55, 4:50, 7:45 & 10:35 p.m.

Lucile Packard Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital offers classes and seminars designed to foster good health and enhance the lives of parents and children. CAR SEAT EDUCATION & INSTALLATION The Kohlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Child Safety and Outreach Program at Packard Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hospital offers a free car seat check and installation education. Appointments can be made online or by calling 650-736-2981.

CHILDBIRTH PREP CLASS

Olympus Has Fallen (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 20: 11:25 a.m. & 2:20 & 8 p.m. Oz the Great and Powerful (PG) ((1/2 Century 20: 3:45 p.m. In 3D 12:15 & 6:50 p.m. Pain & Gain (R) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: 10 & 10:40 a.m. & 12:55, 1:50, 3:50, 4:50, 7:10, 8:30 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 10:55 a.m. & 12:25, 1:50, 3:25, 6:55 & 10 p.m. The Place Beyond the Pines (R) (((1/2 Century 16: 11:40 a.m. & 3:10, 7 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 12:10, 3:40, 7 & 10:15 p.m. The Reluctant Fundamentalist (R) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: 1, 4, 7 & 9:55 p.m. Renoir (R) ((1/2 Century 16: 10:30 a.m. & 2, 4:40, 7:40 & 10:25 p.m. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R) (Not Reviewed) Guild Theatre: Sat midnight.

A preparation class for childbirth taught by a certified childbirth educator focuses on labor and delivery of the baby with emphasis on the many variations of normal birth. Relaxation and breathing techniques for use during labor will be taught. - Two Saturday afternoons, June 1 & 8: 1:00 - 5:00 pm

GRANDPARENTS SEMINAR Designed for new and expectant grandparents, this class presents the latest trends in obstetrics and pediatrics, including new ideas for infant care, as well as the important role for grandparents in the life of a grandchild. - Monday, June 10: 6:00 - 8:30 pm

PILATES FOR NEW MOMS

The Sapphires (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Aquarius Theatre: 1:15, 3:30, 6 & 8:30 p.m. Scary Movie 5 (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Century 16: Tue 8:30 p.m. Wed 10:10 p.m.

Your Childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Health University

Century 20: 5:05 & 10:45 p.m.

( Skip it (( Some redeeming qualities ((( A good bet (((( Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260) Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264)

A postpartum fitness class taught by a physical therapist and Stott-certified Pilates instructor focuses on regaining abdominal tone and strength and targeting postural muscles that are important for avoiding strain during routine childcare activities. Ideal for moms with infants up to crawling age. - Tuesday mornings, 9:30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10:20 am

Call (650) 724-4601 or visit calendar.lpch.org to register or obtain more information on the times, locations and fees for these and other courses.

CinĂŠArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (4930128) Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260) Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies

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Eating Out FOOD FEATURE

For German baker, there’s no slowing down In his long career, Ernst Ruckaberle has made pastries for cruise ships, airlines and celebrities orking beneath the skylight in an industrial kitchen recently, Ernst Ruckaberle’s gently wrinkled hands deftly molded a lump of marzipan. His movements were quick, efficient, as he transformed the red almond paste into a delicate rose. At 74, with six decades of baking under his belt, Ruckaberle could be traveling around the world, as he did when he worked as the pastry chef on a cruise ship in the early ‘70s. Or, he could be resting on his laurels: He’s made strudel for Arnold Schwarzenegger, petit fours for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and cakes and cookies for hundreds of

TV celebrities. Instead, Ruckaberle shows up at 6 a.m. seven days a week at the Esther’s German Bakery kitchen on Old Middlefield Way in Mountain View, ready to turn flour, butter, eggs, chocolate and sugar into Old World cakes and confections. The German native surveys what’s already in the icebox, makes his mental list of what needs to be baked that day, and gets down to business. At Easter, there are hot cross buns. At Christmas, there is stollen. For New Year’s, melt-in-your-mouth doughnuts called Berliners. (continued on page 29)

Michelle Le

by Jocelyn Dong

Ernst Ruckaberle pours chocolate over cakes at the Esther’s German Bakery kitchen in Mountain View.

BULLYING, HARASSMENT, AND CIVIL RIGHTS:

What’s it all about? Representatives from the U.S. Department of Education Ofﬁce for Civil Rights will be providing a workshop on bullying/harassment based on race, sex, or disability on

Over 25 and

Want to Play Soccer?

Thursday May 16, 6:30-8:30pm Ohlone School MP Room, 950 Amarillo Ave, Palo Alto The presentation will include: » A brief introduction to the Ofﬁce for Civil Rights (OCR); » Information about bullying/harassment based on race, national origin, disability, or sex (including not conforming to gender stereotypes):

Men and Women Recreational Leagues: Sundays: Men’s A and Men’s B Women Evenings: Men’s A and Men’s B

3 how a school learns about bullying/ harassment;

Preferential Registration for Palo Alto Residents

3 appropriate response and possible remedies;

Sunday Summer League Registration

3 how to ﬁle a complaint with OCR;

Open Now

» Q&A with OCR attorneys; » Who to contact if you have more questions.

Childcare will be provided. For more information contact Mary Vincent at maryvincent999@yahoo.com or email info@wecandobetterpaloalto.org