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Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

2016

Year in Review B

y any account, 2016 has been a long, strange, extraordinary year. This was the year when Palo Alto realized the true meaning of “disruption.” We aren’t talking about the latest app that earnestly strives to make the “world a better place,” but events that shook us to the core, rattled us out of complacence, changed the way we think and — in some cases — the way we live.

Weirdness also abounded in 2016, a year in which the Palo Alto school board was ambushed by a budget deficit and in which the City Council race was spiced up by an impersonation scandal involving a fake political action committee. A child was assaulted by a friendly looking mall robot; the Super Bowl came to the Bay Area, and no one seemed to notice; and — on a less surprising note — rent prices in Palo Alto climbed to absurd new heights.

Veronica Weber

The past 12 months offered plenty of such occasions. There was the trial of a former Stanford University swimmer, whose threemonth sentence sparked international outrage. Then, there was the resignation letter from a Palo Alto planning commissioner, a public indictment of the city’s housing policies that made national headlines and added fuel to the city’s heated growth debate.

Our Year in Review package looks back at the faces, events and issues that impacted the community in 2016.

Students from Palo Alto, Gunn and Castilleja schools converge on Cowper Avenue in downtown Palo Alto chanting “love trumps hate,” “Black lives matter” and “immigrants are welcome here” during a post-election march on Nov. 15.

The takeaways Palo Alto’s best, worst, most outrageous moments that defined the year by Elena Kadvany, Gennady Sheyner, Jocelyn Dong and Sue Dremann

Voice heard around the world: Emily Doe’s “You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today.” It was a raw and deeply personal start to a letter whose 7,390 words became synonymous around the world this year with the entangled issues of campus sexual assault, college drinking culture and, as one advocate put it, “The End of Business As Usual.” They came from “Emily Doe,” the anonymous young Palo Alto woman who was sexually assaulteds — while unconscious — by former Stanford University student Brock Turner outside a fraternity party in January. Her 12-page victim impact statement — which she read in part in a Palo Alto courtroom in front of Turner, his family and hers in June before he was sentenced to six months in county jail — has been viewed and shared millions of times online; read in full by Congress members on the U.S. House floor and by reporters on live television; recognized by figures from Vice President Joe Biden to elected officials in Palo

Alto; inspired new mandatoryminimums legislation that was signed into California state law within two months; and led to an agreement between local colleges, universities and the county district attorney’s office on how to collaboratively respond to students’ reports of sexual violence.

Best mic drop: Kate Downing When Kate Downing announced her resignation from Palo Alto’s Planning and Transportation Commission in August, she went out with a bang that was heard from coast to coast. In a letter that went viral, Downing lambasted the City Council for ignoring residents’ demands for more housing and for charting an errant course for the next 15 years that threatens to turn a “once thriving city” into a “hollowed out museum.” Downing, a corporate attorney who co-founded the group Palo Alto Forward, also declared her intention to move to Santa Cruz, where she said she and her software-engineer husband can afford to live. But even after her departure, her sentiments continued to reverberate,

with the council subsequently agreeing to consider more housing options and with voters choosing in November a slate of candidates less opposed to growth.

Most inspiring moment: Post-election march One week after the Nov. 8 presidential election, Palo Alto’s typically car-filled University Avenue was taken over by a long line of cheering and chanting teenagers. The entirely student-organized march brought together high school students, adults and even young children who gathered to reaffirm the value of all members of their communities, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation or background. The students received kudos at the march from none other than Palo Alto singer-activist Joan Baez, who told the Weekly it was “enormously heartening” to see young people organizing a nonviolent demonstration in 2016.

Most expected news: 429 University Ave. No project brought together

developers, residents and Architectural Review Board members like 429 University Ave. — a four-story mixed-use project that in 2016 left every party involved angry and exasperated. The proposal from Elizabeth Wong initially succeeded in winning the architectural panel’s support, only to see that approval appealed by a neighbor and rescinded by the City Council, who agreed the project would be too big and incompatible with the largely Victorian character of Kipling Street. This year, Wong tried again with new renderings, new architects and a fresh round of public hearings — all while keeping the building at about 30,000 square feet. In late October, the board minced no words when it struck down the project. “I think this project is going backward,” board Chair Robert Gooyer said, just before the 3-0 vote to deny.

Most unexpected news: Budget shortfall It was the multi-million dollar surprise of the year for the Palo Alto school district: a propertytax revenue estimate from the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office that, 15 days into the fiscal year, came in about 3 percent lower than the district had budgeted for.

“Shocked” and “surprised,” district leadership scrambled to address an initial $3.7 million shortfall in an otherwise financially robust year. The shortfall has been attributed to various factors — a rise in assessed properties that are exempt from taxation (primarily the Stanford hospitals); the unpredictability of propertytax growth; and, for some, the board’s adoption of unprecedented three-year raises for teachers. How to respond to the unexpected drop in revenue divided the school board, with some trustees viewing the shortfall with greater urgency. The issue will continue to play out in 2017 as the district must plan for further cuts.

Most touching testimony: 9/11 survivor The strength and bravery of surviving the greatest horror on U.S. soil in the 21st century was exemplified by 9/11-attack survivor Lori Schertzer Brody, who told her story in the Weekly’s print edition and in a video on Palo Alto Online for the 15th memorial of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Brody, who now resides in the Bay Area, lost her brother, Scott Schertzer, in the attack. Her unflinching story of that day, its aftermath and (continued on page 8)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 5

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

YEAR IN REVIEW: COMMUNITY

PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505)

Uplifting stories 99-year-old veteran Joe Graham, a World War II tank-company commander who had the difficult job of writing condolence letters to families.

At 97, she still finds joy performing music At nearly 100 years old, Palo Alto resident Kato Reis continues to inspire people through her music. She still deftly performs the works of Chopin, Brahms and Mozart — from memory — on the piano.

Veronica Weber

by Sue Dremann

Perry the donkey, left, gets a new companion (Jenny) in November after Miner 49er, his longtime stable buddy at Bol Park, died.

Mother, kids, gave postelection cookies, hugs Saddened Democratic voters reeling from Donald Trump’s election received a little TLC from a Palo Alto woman and her children, who handed out cookies and hugs on Nov. 10.

Missing for 18 days, man safely returned Dozens of community members came forward to help find Palo Alto resident Andrew Pearl who went missing for 18 days in July.

ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Marketing Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Multimedia Advertising Sales Adam Carter (223-6573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571), Janice Hoogner (223-6576), V.K. Moudgalya (223-6586) Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Inside Advertising Sales Irene Schwartz (223-6580) Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578)

In November, Barron Park got back its famed donkey, Perry, and a new addition, Jenny. Perry was removed from the pasture while he went through a mourning period after his pal Miner 49er, was euthanized. Q

What could have been an ugly battle between Gordon Stewart and his neighbors turned into a collaborative effort when neighbors helped the homeowner find a long-term renter.

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Upfront In December, the city looked toward in-law quarters and ‘accessory dwelling’ units as possible ways to ease the affordablehousing crisis.

YEAR IN REVIEW: HOUSING

Housing shortage takes center stage at City Hall Consensus grows around need for more, and different, kinds of housing by Gennady Sheyner teachers, millennials, baby boomers, architects and former mayors — have attended meetings over the year, urging the council to “Go Big” on housing. The citizens group Palo Alto Forward spearheaded a petition in March, signed by more than 1,000 residents (including eight former mayors), that stated a growing number of decades-long Palo Altans are moving out because of skyrocketing rents. “We are on the path to being a city composed only of longtime landowners and wealthy newcomers,” the petition stated. There was the explosive resignation letter from planning Commissioner Kate Downing, who accused the council of “ignoring the majority of the residents” and who predicted that, unless the council adopts less-restrictive housing policies, the “once-thriving city will turn into a hollowed-out museum.” And various citizen surveys the council commissioned this year revealed it’s not just activists like Downing and Wolbach who are passionate about solving the housing problem. In the city’s annual National Citizens Survey, just 52 percent of people rated the city as a “good” or “excellent” place to retire (down from 68 percent in 2006 and 60 percent in 2014), while the percentage of those giving the city the top two grades for “variety of housing options” slipped from 27 percent in 2014 to 20 percent in 2015. And when the council commissioned a survey last year to see if a transportation-tax would be feasible, members were surprised to see 76 percent of the respondents rank “cost of housing” as an “extremely serious” or “very serious” problem, even more than the statewide

drought and traffic congestion. And there was the November election, which swung the political pendulum away from the slow-growth “residentialists” and toward those members more amenable to development. Three of the four candidates who were favored by the Chamber of Commerce (incumbent Liz Kniss, Adrian Fine and Greg Tanaka) won council seats, compared to only one of the four candidates backed by the citizens group Palo Altans for Sensible Zoning (Lydia Kou). Given the rising prominence of the issue, the council spent much of 2016 exploring — and debating — possible solutions. To be sure, a wide range of opinions remain about what kind of housing should be encouraged (some say Palo Alto needs all types of housing; others say “affordable housing” should be the priority), how much new housing is feasible, where it should be located and what it should look like. But these divisions notwithstanding, 2016 has also been a year of remarkable consensus, as the council agreed to explore zoning changes that would enable the construction of more accessorydwelling units and “microunits” of several hundred square feet. Mayor Pat Burt was one of several council members who said in November that he would support bringing back “planned community” zoning (a controversial process that allows developers to exceed zoning regulations in exchange for negotiated “public benefits” for affordable-housing projects. And in December, the council agreed to raise the impact fees charged to developers to support affordable-housing projects. But even as the construction of housing that’s affordable remains

Park Plaza, a new mixed-use development at 195 Page Mill Road, includes 82 apartments.

When completed, University Terrace will add 112 condominiums and 68 singlefamily homes to Stanford University’s housing inventory.

Photos by Veronica Weber

“

There is a housing crisis destroying our community and Silicon Valley,” Palo Alto City Councilman Cory Wolbach proclaimed during a February meeting. In years past, this assertion could easily be dismissed as a hyperbolic declaration by the council’s staunchest housing advocate. But as 2016 progressed, and more residents began to demand solutions to the city’s housing-affordability problems, he found himself preaching to a steadily growing choir. More than any other issue, Palo Alto’s housing shortage was the leading driver of City Hall discussions. It was adopted as a City Council priority at the beginning of the year. It was the most divisive issue during November’s rancorous council elections and the biggest wildcard the new council faces as it prepares to adopt an updated Comprehensive Plan in 2017. At the February meeting, Wolbach failed to sway his colleagues to consider a city-growth scenario that would set a high goal for new housing between now and 2030. He had more success in August, when the council agreed to explore a new scenario that includes 6,000 new housing units. Evidence for the “housing crisis” was particularly easy to find this year. Roughly 400 residents of Buena Vista Mobile Home Park face displacement as the park owner pursues his plan to shutter the park. In June, the council reaffirmed its commitment to spend $14.5 million to preserve the park as part of a broader plan that also includes the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the Housing Authority of Santa Clara County. Hundreds of people — including seniors, techies, attorneys,

paralyzed, the council’s multi-year effort to fix up outdated city infrastructure has surged. Palo Alto officials this year began work on the long-delayed renovation of the city’s municipal golf course. They also ended the year by approving design contracts for new garages in downtown and near California Avenue. The latter would be located near the city’s new public-safety building, a project that also charged ahead in 2016 after years of delay. In Burt’s final meeting on the council (he and Councilman Greg Schmid are both termed out after nine years of service), he acknowledged both the benefits and the challenges of the city’s recent prosperity. The latter include the need to protect local retail so that muchneeded stores don’t move away or shutter; relieving traffic and parking congestion, and addressing the needs of low-income residents. But he also struck a hopeful note and urged residents not to lose sight of “what brings us to Palo Alto

— a beautiful and safe city with great parks, open space, exceptional services; a local economy that is the envy of many and that is centered on innovation and ideas for the future; an engaged and educated citizenry who cares deeply about its city, schools and the value of knowledge.” “These are among the reasons people come — and stay — in Palo Alto and why, despite our challenges, we value our community and are committed to its well-being,” Burt said. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

WATCH IT ONLINE

PaloAltoOnline.com

The Weekly’s reporters talk about the biggest issues on their beats this year on the news analysis webcast “Behind the Headlines,” posted on YouTube. com/paweekly and PaloAltoOnline. com. Tune in to hear their thoughts on covering housing, airplane noise and the Brock Turner trial.

A month-by-month look at openings and closings in 2016 January Stanford Neuroscience Health Center

April The Clement Hotel Lululemon Athletica (Stanford) The North Face (Stanford) AllSaints (Stanford) BOSS Hugo Boss (Stanford) UNO de 50 (Stanford) Glassybaby (Stanford)

OPEN April Village Stationers

May Luisa Spagnoli (Stanford) Penhaligon’s (Stanford) Palo Alto High School Performing Arts Center

June Paperwhirl Patrick Dougherty’s “Double Take” art installation ends

July Oasis Play Space (JCC)

July Palo Alto Square: August closure announced

August Palo Alto Square: remains open Jenni Kayne (Stanford) Amour Vert (Stanford) Peleton (Stanford) Allen Edmonds (Stanford)

October Cartier (Stanford)

November Patrick Dougherty’s “Whiplash” art installation Alex & Ani (Stanford) Anthropologie (Stanford)

December Ivivva (Stanford)

October Peninsula Hardware Anthropologie (downtown) Keeble & Schuchat

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 7

Upfront

Personnel shifts also abounded. Jordan Middle School, JLS Middle School, Palo Verde Elementary and Juana Briones Elementary each got new principals this year, bringing more permanent leadership to positions that had been in flux in recent years. At the district level, Palo Alto got a new chief academic officer for secondary education in former JLS Principal Sharon Ofek, replaced an oft-criticized law firm with a new one and hired a parttime person dedicated to bringing the district into compliance with its Public Records Act requests.

Rights, which has been investigating Palo Alto Unified since 2013, submitted to the district earlier this month a draft agreement that outlines specific steps the district will be obligated to take to address its failure to comply with federal law. The agency’s investigation was expanded beyond the initial complaints that launched it to include several cases of sexual misconduct reported more recently, including Paly teacher Kevin Sharp, who was reported to have had an inappropriate consensual sexual relationship with a student; Paly teacher Ronnie Farrell, who was arrested this summer for allegedly touching a student inappropriately in a classroom at the end of the last school year, and former Ohlone Elementary School teacher Michael Airo, who was arrested in January for alleged child sex abuse that occurred more than a decade ago. How the district responds to — and complies with — the Office for Civil Rights’ agreement and eventual findings in the new year will be telling for a district that historically has chosen to battle rather than work with the federal agency.

Federal investigation

Looking ahead

YEAR IN REVIEW: EDUCATION

School district faces unexpected challenges Year marked by issues raised by community members

n many ways, 2016 was a year of surprises for the Palo Alto school district. Palo Alto Unified was unexpectedly hit with a multi-million dollar shortfall this summer, the result of overestimated property tax revenue. In the school-board election, incumbent advantage fell to the might of two newcomers — one who dominated precincts throughout the city. Surprise issues that weren’t on the district’s agenda, from a push to rename schools bearing the monikers of eugenicists and a deep dive into class sizes at Palo Alto’s secondary schools to an emotionally charged debate over weighted grade-point averages, bubbled up from the community throughout the year, becoming some of the most paid-attentionto issues of the year. It was also a year of action for the school district. The school board approved multi-year teacher contracts for the first time in years, providing significant 12 percent raises spread out over three years. The contract, repeatedly called “historic” by school leadership, came in the midst of increased debate over how the

by Elena Kadvany district must make itself a more attractive place for teachers living and working in an increasingly expensive region.

Elementary changes At the elementary level, Palo Alto’s 12 elementary schools shifted to a full kindergarten day in October, a controversial move that was hailed by some as the most significant early-education investment the district has made in years but criticized by others as a rushed, possibly harmful decision for the district’s youngest students. The board also approved two new elementary mathematics curricula to pilot in the 2017-18 school year, a decision that revealed tensions in Palo Alto between teachers’ wishes and board decisions. The board also gave the green light to capital improvements for many elementary campuses, including a major revamp of Addison Elementary School, paid for by an anonymous donor.

Mental health Students’ mental health remained a present concern, with new wellness centers opening at the district’s high schools and a

19-member committee of teachers, administrators, parents and students working to bring a uniform social-emotional learning curriculum to the entire district.

Personnel shifts

One of the most significant stories of the year came just weeks before 2016 ended: The long-anticipated conclusion to a federal investigation into how the school district has responded to cases of sexual harassment at its two high schools. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil

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Many pressing issues that rose to the surface in 2016 remain on the horizon for 2017. The new school board will be tasked with reforming the special-education program, prompted by a longawaited Harvard University review of the district’s services. The board will vote whether to

Takeaways (continued from page 5)

her struggle to overcome trauma and survivor guilt made for this year’s most touching story.

Most outrageous idea: 11-bed mega home

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Just when Palo Alto’s mega homes couldn’t seem to get any more extravagant, residents on Newell Road learned that their neighbor submitted plans to the city for an 11-bed, 14-bathroom home. Residents feared the proposed 4,529-square-foot, two-story home at 1710 Newell Road, would replace the existing 1,878-square-foot, single-story residence with an Airbnb rental or group residence. And the proposal only had a one-car garage. Bishoy William, one of the owners, said the home was for himself, his wife and two children. The other bedrooms were for visiting relatives. As of Nov. 10, city planners had not yet reached a decision and sent the owner a notice requesting clarifications to the application, according to city documents.

Most awkward election moment: Impersonations? Ever since the citizens’ group Palo Alto Forward launched in 2014 to advocate for more housing and transportation options, its members have maintained that its focus isn’t politics but educating

rename Jordan and Terman middle schools and Cubberley Community Center, potentially taking a stand against the reprehensible parts of their namesakes’ legacies. Come April, Superintendent Max McGee will make his recommendation for whether the district should permanently report high school students’ weighted GPAs, sure to stoke strong community response once again. This year’s unexpected shortfall will continue to put pressure on the district budget, with hard choices ahead at both the district office and schools for how to make up the revenue gap. Perhaps most telling in 2017 will be the impact of the new school board. Terry Godfrey and Ken Dauber, elected this month by their peers as president and vice president of the board, now form the board’s agenda-setting committee, which meets regularly with the superintendent to determine what will come before the board. Godfrey will also now chair the board’s policy-review committee. They are joined at the dais by like-minded Todd Collins, a budget hawk and data wonk; Jennifer DiBrienza, a voice for teachers, equity and innovation; and Melissa Baten Caswell, who is serving a rare third term on the board with an emphasis on institutional knowledge, retaining and recruiting teachers and data-driven decisions. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com. the public and facilitating a conversation. So when paperwork was filed in June for a politicalaction committee bearing the group’s name, it raised a few eyebrows, particularly among the group’s own founders. That’s because, as it turns out, the paperwork was filed not by the group but by Tim Gray, who is affiliated with the group’s ideological adversary — Palo Altans for Sensible Zoning — and who served as treasurer for City Council candidate Lydia Kou’s campaign. Gray maintained that he only registered the name to protect the city’s brand (a short-lived program also called Palo Alto Forward) from being misused by pro-housing advocates. Members of Palo Alto Forward found that explanation to be ludicrous. “That’s pretty much impersonation,” founder Elaine Uang said.

Biggest conflict: Keller vs. Fine When political newcomer Adrian Fine applied to join the Planning and Transportation Commission in 2014, he didn’t sign up for a fight with one of Palo Alto’s best-known development skeptics. But that’s what happened when the outgoing council opted to appoint Fine and not reappoint Arthur Keller, a data-crunching veteran who favors slow city growth. The rivalry spilled into this (continued on next page)

Upfront

Biggest disappointment: Missing grocery store In a year and nine months — more than double the time it takes to birth a baby — the Edgewood Plaza Shopping Center has remained without a promised grocery store. The Fresh Market, the only one to open there since the renovated center reopened in 2013, closed on March 31, 2015. Developer Sand Hill Property Company said its hands are tied. Fresh Market has the lease for 10 years and has authority to sublease the property. Andronico’s was rumored to be close to a deal but bowed out in April, las did Lucky Store. In November, the Palo Alto City Council increased the daily fine to $2,500 against Sand Hill for violating its zoning ordinance by leaving the store empty.

Biggest nonissue: Super Bowl 50 Despite all of the hype and hoopla and fear of traffic jams, the golden anniversary of the nation’s biggest football game of the year, the Super Bowl, fumbled spectacularly in Palo Alto. Hotels had vacancies, and restaurants, bars and even business organizations just didn’t think the event, which was at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara Feb. 7, would bring throngs to the city worth the cost of putting on events. The Denver Broncos used Stanford University athletic facilities for the team’s pre-Super Bowl practices, but it still wasn’t

Veronica Weber

year — when both jumped into the City Council race — and reached its apogee in October, when Keller and fellow candidate Lydia Kou sent out mailers conflating Fine with developers who support “unlimited sprawl and giant growth.” Fine struck back with his own public message, which pointed out that Kou and Keller were the only candidates who received contributions of more than $5,000. Ultimately, Fine finished third out of 11 candidates. Keller finished fifth and was not elected.

Veronica Weber

(continued from previous page)

Edwin Mora and Marisa Coloma take a selfie outside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara before Super Bowl. The much-talked-about event was expected to bring tourists and traffic to Palo Alto, but did neither. a touchdown for Team Palo Alto.

The most Palo Alto story: $32k monthly rent Just when Palo Altans thought the ceiling on housing costs couldn’t go any higher, a new penthouse condominium in downtown Palo Alto was listed this fall for $32K per month, more than five times Palo Alto’s median rate of $5,500. But in a city that has long bemoaned (or celebrated, depending on which side of the lease you’re on) the skyrocketing price of rentals, perhaps it shouldn’t have been such a surprise. The 5,000-square-foot threebedroom suite on the fourth floor of 611 Cowper St. includes all the usual luxurious trappings of Silicon Valley life: a private elevator, a pool, a spa and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the Palo Alto skyline, according to the listing.

Pet peeve of the year: Dog poop disposal The most under-the-radar quality-of-life issue in Palo Alto in 2016? Inappropriate disposal of dog feces. Little did Town Square poster “PA Resident/Neighbor” know when he or she wrote a polite warning this summer to the person who placed dog waste in PA Resident’s trash can that a firestorm of reaction would follow. Within days, the thread drew

nearly 100 comments from outraged residents — some at the audacity of an apparently frequent practice of using someone else’s trash cans to dispose of pets’ poop, and others at the audacity of being so upset about said practice. The perpetrator is an “irresponsible dog owner,” one commenter wrote. Another asked for the police chief to weigh in with a statement and expressed a willingness to catch offenders on video camera. Others debated whether a trash can on the sidewalk is considered public or private property. Others took a lighter view on the situation. “Would you rather have someone step in it?” poster “Dennis the Menace” asked. “That person can put dog poop in our trash receptacle any time they want.”

Toughest goodbye: Police Chief Burns Since joining Palo Alto in 1982, Dennis Burns has served as a beat cop, a detective supervisor and a member of the SWAT team. He’s rappelled off buildings served as incident commander and after a fatal plane crash helped diffuse community ten- Dennis Burns sions after his

The new mixed-use College Terrace Centre along El Camino Real received mixed reviews. predecessor was forced to resign us how you really feel. When a amid allegations of racial profil- Barron Park neighborhood resiing. He also temporarily served dent by the name of “Wade” postat the helm of both the Police and ed about the new College Terrace Fire departments. Centre on the online forum Town So when the City Manager Square, he didn’t mince words. “So James Keene announced that Po- ugly I drive a different route” he lice Chief Burns will be stepping titled his three-sentence critique. down at the end of this month, it “That new mega-something bewas a bittersweet moment for ev- ing built on JJ&F Market’s old site eryone at City Hall. (El Camino between Stanford and “While it’s a loss for our city, College) is such a ghastly eyesore everyone deserves the opportuni- that I now actually drive a differty to enjoy the next phase of life, ent way to work so I don’t have especially after three-and-a-half to see it.” decades,” Keene said. The 65,000-square-foot development at 2180 El Camino Real includes office and retail space, Just. Plain. Wrong: affordable housing and parking Track guards arrested They were hired to protect and is scheduled to open by early the most vulnerable among us 2017. Q — those whose pain was leadOn the cover: Clockwise ing them to contemplate the unfrom top left: Two Gunn thinkable. But among the guards High School grads share entrusted to monitor Palo Alto’s a hug; Stanford University railroad tracks, a few bad apples students march in solidarity were watching out for themselves of minority, LGBTQ and instead. women’s rights following Late in 2015 and early this year, the presidential election; three guards from two separate the Stanford Neuroscience security companies were arrested Health Center opens; 9/11 for committing crimes in Palo survivor Lori Schertzer Brody Alto including assault, burglary shares her story 15 years and lewd conduct. All three were after the attack; preparations charged, and two were sentenced get underway for Super Bowl this year. No additional arrests 50 at Levi’s Stadium; Patrick have since been reported. Dougherty creates a new public sculpture. Bluntest commentary: Gunn graduate Photo by ‘So ugly I drive a Magali Gauthier/All other different route’ photos by Veronica Weber C’mon, Palo Alto residents. Tell

The most notable quotables “It’s criminal to pit resident against resident.” —Lucinda Lenicheck, Evergreen Park resident, on the city’s competitive process for granting parking programs to neighborhoods.

“Small retail is just really doomed.” —Terry Shuchat, Keeble & Shuchat owner, on the closing of his store.

“The idea that in America you can have your land taken from you simply because government bureaucrats think they can put it to a better use than you can is an outrage.” —Larry Salzman, a Paciﬁc Legal Foundation attorney representing the Jisser family, on the possibility of using eminent domain on their mobile home park.

“Names matter.” —Heidi Emberling, Palo Alto school board president, on the impact of the views held by people for whom district schools are named.

“Legally, we are not endorsing anybody.” —Judy Kleinberg, Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce CEO, on the Chamber’s statement characterizing some City Council candidates as worthy of support.

“Every crime in this city is a personal affront to us.” — Zach Perron, Palo Alto Police lieutenant, following the Jan. 23 home-invasion robbery of an elderly Palo Alto couple.

“For a long time — let’s be honest, for decades — what happened on college campuses on Saturday nights was overwhelmingly swept under the rug.”

“This is that moment that catalyzes what comes next.” —Dereca Blackmon, associate dean and director of Stanford’s Diversity and First-Generation Ofﬁce, on protesting against president-elect Donald Trump.

—Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara County District Attorney, on the growing awareness of sexual assault.

“It’s such a motherhoodand-apple-pie program, and now there’s a problem with the apple pie.” —Bob Wenzlau, president of Neighbors Abroad of Palo Alto, on the decision of student performers from Mexico cancelling their visit.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 9

Support our Kids with a gift to the Holiday Fund Last Year’s Grant Recipients 10 Books A Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,000 Ada’s Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Adolescent Counseling Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Art in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Art of Yoga Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Blossom Birth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Beechwood School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Building Futures Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 CASSY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Children’s Center of the Stanford Community . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Children’s Health Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Common Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Community Working Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Computers for Everyone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Deborah’s Palm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Downtown Streets Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 DreamCatchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 East Palo Alto Children’s Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 East Palo Alto Kids Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 East Palo Alto Youth Court . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Environmental Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Family Engagement Institute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Friends of Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Girls to Women . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Grace Lutheran Preschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Hagar Services Coalition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Health Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 InnVision Shelter Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Jasper Ridge Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 JLS Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,500 Jordan Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,500 Kara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 The Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Marine Science Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Music in the Schools Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 New Voices for Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,000 Nuestra Casa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 One East Palo Alto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Palo Alto Art Center Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Palo Alto Community Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Palo Alto Friends Nursery School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,000 Palo Alto School District Music Department. . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Palo Alto Housing Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Parents Nursery School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,000 Peninsula Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Peninsula College Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Peninsula HealthCare Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Project WeHOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,000 Quest Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Ravenswood Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 RISE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Silicon Valley FACES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,000 Terman Middle School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,500 TheatreWorks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 YMCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Youth Community Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Youth Speaks Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000

ach year the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund raises money to support programs serving families and children in the Palo Alto area. Since the Weekly and the Silicon Valley

Community Foundation cover all the administrative costs, every dollar raised goes directly to support community programs through grants to non-profit organizations. And with the generous support of matching grants from local foundations, including the Packard, Hewlett, Arrillaga & Peery foundations, your tax-deductible gift will be doubled in size. A donation of $100 turns into $200 with the foundation

Give to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund and your donation is doubled. You give to non-profit groups that work right here in our community. It’s a great way to ensure that your charitable donations are working at home.

matching gifts. Whether as an individual, a business or in honor of someone else, help us reach our goal of $350,000 by making a generous contribution to the Holiday Fund. With your generosity, we can give a major boost to the

CLICK AND GIVE

Donate online at s siliconvalleycf.org/ p paw-holiday-fund

programs in our community helping kids and families.

Enclosed is a donation of $_______________ Name__________________________________________________________ Business Name __________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________________ E-Mail __________________________________________________

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All donors and their gift amounts will be published in the Palo Alto Weekly unless the boxes below are checked.

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Non-profits: Grant application & guidelines at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund Application deadline: January 6, 2017

Page 10 • December 30, 2016 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Please make checks payable to: Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund c/o Silicon Valley Community Foundation 2440 West El Camino Real, Suite 300 Mountain View, CA 94040 The Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund is a donor advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization. A contribution to this fund allows your donation to be tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Upfront

Thank you donors 24 Anonymous .................... $6,934 New Donors Carolyn Williams & Mike Keeler.... * Amy Harris & Jopss Geiduschek................... 100 Jeremy Platt & Sandra Murphy...... * Hugh McDevitt ......................... 200 Hans & Judith Steiner ............... 100 Hoda Epstein ................................ * Sandra & Scott Pearson ............ 500 Sally O’Neil & Ken Bencala........ 100 Fran Codispoti .......................... 500 Marvin & Kate Feinstein............ 150 David & Virginia Pollard ............ 150 David & Karen Backer ............... 500 Rosalie Shepherd ...................... 100 Lani Freeman & Stephen Monismith ............ 150 Herb & Alice Fischgrund ........... 175 Douglas & Leslie Murphy-Chutorian.............. 1,000 Dan & Chris Logan ................... 100 Hal & Iris Korol.............................. * Anna Messner .......................... 250 Patricia Levin................................. * Stan & W Marie Scott ............... 100 M. Cairns & A. Martin .............. 100 Cindy & Dennis Dillon ............... 202 Howard Wolf ............................ 500 Stephanie Klein & Larry Baer......... * Marlys Keoshian ....................... 200 Robert Gamburd ...................... 500 Virginia Laibl ............................. 100 Meri Gruber & James Tayler .......... * Ellen & Ron Krasnow ................ 500 Laure Woods ............................ 100 Xiaofan Lin ................................. 50 Drew McCalley & Marilyn Green .................... 100 Romola Georgia ........................... * Gwen Barry .............................. 100 Colleen Anderson ..................... 250 Bryan Wilson & Geri Martin Wilson ................ 100 Georgie Gleim .......................... 500 Steve & Diane Ciesinski............. 500 Merele McClure ........................ 500 Richard Ellson ........................... 100 In Memory Of New Donations................................ Tracy & Alan Herrick ..................... * Ryan ............................................. * Maria Serpa ................................ 30 Bob Markevitch ............................ * Carol Berkowitz ............................ * Tracy Herrick ............................. 500 Bob Donald .................................. * Previously Published Betsy & George Bechtel ............ 100 The Gallo Family ....................... 500 Vic & Mary Ojakian ................... 200 Janice Bohman ......................... 250 Richard & Karen Olson.............. 200 The Dawes Family ..................... 250 Richard Zuanich .......................... 75 Cynthia Costell ......................... 100 Bonnie Packer and Robert Raymakers .................. 100 Mitchell Rosen ............................ 50 David Wynn.................................. * Eric & Anne Kastner............... 2,500 Star Teachout ........................... 100

Joan & Robert Jack ................... 300 Mehdi Alhassani ....................... 150 Weil Family .............................. 250 Annette Glanckopf ....................... * Marion Lewenstein ................ 2,000 Jennifer DiBrienza ....................... 50 Barry Goldblatt ............................. * Nancy McGaraghan.................. 500 Carol Kersten............................ 300 Eileen Brennan ............................. * Jeffrey Ericson............................. 36 Mindy Williams Hollar............... 150 Cassius McEwen ....................... 200 The Braff Family ........................ 500 The Epstein Family .................... 200 Chris Kenrick ......................... 1,000 The Stauffer Family ................... 500 Nancy Steege ........................... 100 Nina & Norman Kulgein............ 250 Constance Crawford .................... * Bjorn Liencres ........................ 1,000 Patti Yanklowitz & Mark Krasnow ....................... 150 Jacquie Rush............................. 100 Joyce & Gerry Barker ................ 200 Don & Dee Price ........................... * John & Mary Schaefer .............. 100 Micki & Bob Cardelli ..................... * Shirley Ely ................................. 500 David & Diane Feldman ......... 1,000 Sallie & Jay Whaley ....................... * Veronica Tincher ....................... 125 Al & Joanne Russell................... 300 Lijun & Jia-Ning Xiang............... 200 Margaret & Les Fisher ............... 100 Karen & Steve Ross ....................... * Gordon Chamberlain................ 250 Norman & Nancy Rossen .......... 200 Mr. & Mrs. Robert Loarie .............. * Fred & Deborah Kurland ........... 200 Marina Remmel ........................ 500 Mark Kreutzer .......................... 100 Bandy & Diane Sikic .................. 300 Robert Simoni........................... 200 Craig Jurney ............................. 100 Michael Kieschnick ....................... * John Wilkes .............................. 300 Sally & Abdo Kadifa ............... 1,000 Robert & Barbara Simpson............ * Debbie Nusinson ...................... 100 Joanne Koltnow ....................... 300 Michael & Jean Couch .............. 250 Susan Hyder ............................... 20 Merrill & Lee Newman .................. * Brigid Barton & Rob Robinson .. 200 Laurie Jarrett................................. * Bill & Barbara Busse .................. 200 Jody Maxmin ................................ * Tony & Judy Kramer ...................... * Beth & Peter Rosenthal ............. 300 Page & Ferrell Sanders .............. 100 Bill Reller....................................... * Roger & Joan Warnke ............... 275 Catherine Dolton ...................... 200 Lee Sendelbeck......................... 500 Ruth Rosenbaum .......................... * Tom & Patricia Sanders ................. * Margaret & Marc Cohen .......... 250 Marcia & Michael Katz.............. 200 Susan & Doug Woodman ............. * Sue Kemp................................. 250 Jerry & Linda Elkind .................. 250 Diane Doolittle ............................. * Patrick & Emily Radtke ........... 2,000 Don & Bonnie Miller ................. 100 Ron Wolf .................................. 200

Richard Morris ....................... 1,500 Michael Nelson ........................... 50 Solon Finkelstein....................... 150 Cathy Kroymann ...................... 250 Havern Family ........................ 5,000 Nigel Jones ................................. 50 Pamela Mayﬁeld ....................... 100 Hugh MacMillan ....................... 500 Teresa Roberts ....................... 2,000 Bill Johnson & Terri Lobdell .... 1,000 Arden King ................................. 25 David Labaree ........................... 200 Bonnie Berg.............................. 300 Ellen & Mike Turbow ................ 250 Hal & Carol Louchheim ............. 400 Carol Bacchetti ......................... 200 Bruce Campbell ........................ 200 Stan Shore ................................ 500 Roy & Carol Blitzer........................ * Sally & Craig Nordlund ............. 500 Tom & Ellen Ehrich .................... 300 Eve & John Melton ................... 500 Nancy & Joe Huber ................... 100

Betty Gerard ............................. 100 Robyn Crumly............................... * Peter Stern ............................... 250 Jim & Nancy Baer.......................... * Elizabeth Salzer & Richard Baumgartner ............................. * Barbara Klein & Stan Schrier ......... * Judith Appleby ......................... 200 Caroline Zlotnick........................... * Bobbie & Jerry Wagger ................. * Harry & Susan Hartzell .............. 200 Diane Moore ................................ * Helene Pier ................................... * Phil Hanawalt & Graciela Spivak ...500 Edward Kanazawa ........................ * Steve & Nancy Levy................... 500 Eugene & Mabel Dong ............. 200 Roger Smith ............................. 300 Jim & Alma Phillips ................... 250 Donald & Adele Langendorf ..... 200 Ann & Don Rothblatt.................... * Bob & Edie Kirkwood ................... * George & Betsy Young ............. 100 Richard & Tish Fagin ................. 300 Brigid Barton ............................ 500 Lawrence Yang & Jennifer Kuan ..................... 1,000 Richard Johnsson ................... 7,000 Ted & Ginny Chu .......................... * John & Florine Galen ................ 100 Jan Thomson & Roy Levin ......... 250 Vince & Amanda Steckler ...... 1,000 Boyce & Peggy Nute ..................... * Jan & Freddy Gabus .................. 100 Kevin Mayer & Barbara Zimmer .... * Andrea Smith ........................... 100 Deborah Williams ..................... 250 Peter Beller ............................... 200 Elaine Hahn .............................. 500 John & Meg Monroe ................ 500 Jan Kilner.................................. 500 Dena Goldberg ......................... 500 Sharon & Leif Erickson .............. 250

Thomas Rindﬂeisch ....................... * Charles Williams ....................... 100 Gail Taylor................................. 200 Deborah Baldwin & Lawrence Markosian .............. 200 Linda & Steve Boxer ...................... * In Memory Of Ando & Barbara MacDonell ...... 250 Aaron O’Neill ................................ * Katharine Rogers King .................. * Emmett Lorey ............................... * Becky Schaefer ............................. * Ernest J. Moore ........................ 200 Jim Byrnes ................................ 100 Betty Meltzer ................................ * Bob Wolbach.............................. 50 Ted Linden ................................ 200 Joe & Rema Cotton .................. 100 Leonard Ely, Jr. .......................... 250 Glen A. Lillington, MD .............. 200 Marie & Don Snow ................... 100 Nate Rosenberg ........................ 150 Willie Branch ................................ * August Lee King ........................... * Ruth & Chet Johnson ................... * Robert Lobdell .............................. * Y.C. and Er-Ying Yen ................ 250 Abe and Helene Klein ................... * Mrs. Katina D. Higbee .............. 200 Helen Rubin.............................. 200 Dr. & Mrs. Irving Rubin ............. 200 Max & Anna Blanker ................ 200 Leo & Sylvia Breidenbach .............. * Thomas & Louise Phinney ............. * Laddie Hughes.............................. * Pam Grady ............................... 250 Yoko Nonaka ................................ * Our parents Albert & Beverly Pellizzari ..................... * Robert Spinrad ......................... 500 Boyd Paulson ................................ * Florence Kan Ho ........................... * Jack Sutorius............................. 300 Dr. Elliot W. Eisner ........................ * Mary Floyd.................................... * John Packard ............................ 100 As a Gift For E G Lund Family........................ 100 In Honor Of Lucy Berman’s Clients ............ 2,500 Lynn Radzilowski .......................... * Jill, Scott, Polly, Hayley, Jake & Garrett ............................ 1,200 Marilyn Sutorius ....................... 300 Organizations Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run & Walk ...................... 25,907 Sponsors of Moonlight Run: Palo Alto Medical Foundation ....................... 10,000 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation ........... 5,000 Stanford Federal Credit Union ................................. 5,000 Palantir ............................... 5,000 DeLeon Realty .................... 5,000 Lakin Spears ....................... 2,000 Bank of the West................ 1,000 Harrell Remodeling ....................... * Alta Mesa Cemetery & Funeral Home.................. 1,800 Attorney Susan Dondershine .... 200 Good Bear and Co. Charitable Fund .................. 5,000 Bleibler Properties LLC .............. 500 deLemos Properties .................. 300 Carl King/Mayﬁeld Mortgage ....... *

Weekly file photo

As of Dec. 22, 2016, 287 donors have donated $103,147; with match $206,294 has been raised for the Holiday Fund

Jose Cabrera resolved a dispute with his landlord thanks to Community Legal Services.

HOLIDAY FUND

Getting justice and a safe home Community Legal Services protects tenants from landlord abuses by Sue Dremann

ose Cabrera cranked up the heater to full blast in his duplex unit to keep his wife and three children warm. It wasn’t the coldest day of the year, nor was the winter excessively frigid. But he was willing to face an enormous utility bill as the only way to fight the streaming, chilly air seeping through the cracked glass and wide gaps in the windows, which flapped in the wind. Cabrera tried to tape the gaps shut to keep the wind out, but it didn’t help much. The only reason the glass stayed in place was because of the bars he had added to the door and windows after a break-in the first week the family moved in, he said. One day, when workmen hammered on the gutters one of the windows fell out onto the floor. Leaks in the bathroom; an old rug that irritated his daughter’s eczema; a malfunctioning heater — after 17 years living in the same residence, often silent about the deteriorating conditions, Cabrera finally asked the landlord for repairs. But each time the landlord said the rent would go up: $100, then $200 and more a month. And still, the conditions were not fixed, he said. At festivals and public events, Cabrera kept hearing other longsuffering East Palo Alto residents talk about a group that had helped (continued on page 14)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 11

Supporting Our Communities ee L a n Julia n o i t a Educ

650.8 57.10 00 Found ation

Together, We Prosper.

Juliana Lee Education Foundation OUR MISSION The Juliana Lee Education Foundation was created to support local schools and believes education has the power to expand opportunities and transform lives. We hope to inspire others to get involved and support our communities.

Since 2013, the Foundation has provided grants to the following programs / projects • PiE (Palo Alto Partners in Education) • Gunn High School

• Mountain View Los Altos Education Foundation

• JLS Middle School

• Ohlone Elementary School PTA

• Palo Alto High School

• Hoover Elementary School PTA

• East Palo Alto schools

• Palo Verde Elementary School

• East Menlo Park schools

• Palo Alto Chinese School

• Menlo Park Atherton Education Foundation

• Terman Middle School PTA • Walter Hays Elementary School

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HELP AND MAKE A DONATION Please make checks payable to: Juliana Lee Foundation Send to: Juliana Lee Foundation - 505 Hamilton Ave, Ste 100, Palo Alto, CA 94301 For more information please email: JulianaLeeFoundation@gmail.com

TOGETHER, WE PROSPER.

Page 12 • December 30, 2016 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

100 Properties Sold and still counting!

- Sellers Wanted If by 1/31/2017, you sign an agreement to sell your home with Juliana, She will pay for your 3 day / 2 night stay in a Las Vegas Vacation Home and airfare from the Bay Area to Las Vegas.

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Dear Shirley and La

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What do you like about our service? Juliana Lee is a true professional who was able to answer our questions quickly with precise details which silenced our doubts about using a realtor service. Conversing in multiple languages was a key quality which helped our group of investors.

What is the one thing that jumped out at you while working on your transaction? The ability to reach Juliana Lee anytime we had a question and meet with her even if it was at the last minute and time was at the essence.

Why did you choose to work with us? Juliana’s professionalism and her work-horse ethic combined with her strong motivation to see this deal go through smoothly made us feel at ease.

What can we do to improve our service? Give her a raise. She is the best of the best, I have no complaints, perfect.

Although I hope ther e are no challenges for any of my clients, and m y years of experienc e and passion for selling real estate enables me to avoid most problems. If there are issues, th en you can see how I as a top ex perienced Realtor re solve any challenges and make the sale smoo th again. Thank you for being

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 13

Upfront

Holiday Fund (continued from page 11)

them out of housing and immigration jams. He didn’t believe at first that anyone would offer free and effective legal help. But after two years of haggling with the landlord and getting nowhere, he went to Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. The longtime nonprofit organization of volunteer attorneys provides legal services to some of the Bay Area’s most needy residents. A $7,500 grant from the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund last

year helped fund legal clinics. Low-income residents receive free consultations about housing problems and learn about their rights. Many work with an attorney who helps guide them and will write letters and offer other support to help the client negotiate a better living situation or avoid an eviction. The grant also helped support a program with San Mateo County Superior Court to help residents without a lawyer negotiate resolutions with their landlords when they faced displacement. “East Palo Alto residents are facing a crisis,” Keith Ogden,

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senior attorney for housing and economic advancement, said. “As rents skyrocket in the Bay Area, some landlords aggressively try to evict tenants, particularly those who have had long tenancies in rent-controlled units. Landlords try other tactics to force tenants out, letting units ... deteriorate to the degree that tenants will flee for their health and safety,”s he said. Potentially thousands of working-class families face being forced out of the city and out of Silicon Valley by such tactics. Since last November, Community Legal Services has assisted more than 85 families with emergency rental funds, he said. But many cases such as Cabrera’s can be resolved, keeping families in stable homes, Ogden said. Cabrera said he came to Community Legal Services in February 2016. After two months his landlord began to make some of the repairs. Through Community Legal Services, he learned he could withhold his rent until the landlord made the necessary repairs and rug replacement. By July, with many of the issues still unresolved, the landlord faced a hearing before the Rent Stabilization Board. He fixed the bathroom, replaced the rug and got the heater to work again. The landlord has reimbursed the family for excess rent increases. “I recommend Community Legal Services to anybody. They have beautiful people working here and they help a lot,” Cabrera said. Q More information about the Holiday Fund, including how to donate and the agencies it supported this year, can be found on page 10. Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

Holiday Fund grant applications due Jan. 6

ocal non profits have until Friday, Jan. 6 to submit applications for funding to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund. The guidelines and one-page application can be downloaded at PaloAltoOnline.com/ holiday_fund. This is the 23rd year for the Holiday Fund, which is administered with the help of Silicon

Valley Community Foundation. Last year, 59 local organizations serving families and children received funding that ranged from $3,000 to $15,000. The grants are announced at an April reception. Donors wishing to help the fund meet its goal of $350,000 can contribute online at www.siliconvalleycf.org/ paw-holiday-fund.

CityView

A round-up of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council

The council did not meet this week.

Online This Week

These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAlto Online.com/news.

Nonprofit struggles to lessen traffic Two years after Palo Alto jump-started a new nonprofit charged with reducing traffic congestion and offering other commuting alternatives for drivers, the organization is struggling to make a dent in the rate of single-occupancy vehicles, according to a recent survey.(Posted Dec. 27, 2:17 p.m.)

Plan to replace Brutalist building rejected Love it or hate it, the Brutalist six-story building at 2600 El Camino Real is unlike any other in Palo Alto. But a project to replace it raised some eyebrows earlier this month, with the city’s Architectural Review Board offering the developer a mixed review before sending the project back to the drawing board. (Posted Dec. 24, 8:26 a.m.)

Caltrain collision leaves one dead in Palo Alto A 60-year-old Santa Clara man died Friday night, Dec. 23, after a train on the Caltrain right-of-way struck his vehicle at Charleston Road in Palo Alto, Caltrain officials said. (Posted Dec. 23, 7:46 p.m.)

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The Housing Authority of Santa Clara County has made a $36,072,500 offer to purchase the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park, Executive Director Katherine Harasz said on Friday. The offer was made after the housing authority’s board of directors unanimously authorized the agency on Dec. 20 to negotiate the sale. (Posted Dec. 23, 2:54 p.m.)

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Palo Alto hopes to speed up deployment of self-driving cars Council committee calls for making the city a testing area for autonomous vehicles

Palo Alto, announced in October that all of the cars that are now being produced have self-driving hardware installed. “Full autonomy will enable a Tesla to be substantially safer than a human driver, lower the financial cost of transportation for those who own a car and provide low-cost on-demand mobility for those who do not,” the company stated in an announcement. Less than two miles away from Tesla’s headquarters on Deer Creek Road, the Ford Research and Innovation Center is advancing its own effort to deploy selfdriving Fusion Hybrid vehicles. In 2013, the Michigan-based company partnered with Stanford University to develop the new technology. According to Ford’s announcement, its Palo Alto team has also developed a virtual-test environment to “test algorithms such as traffic sign recognition in dynamic driving situations.” “This allows for more aggressive time lines for validating driving algorithms to prepare for on-road testing,” the company’s website states. In addition to companies like Honda and General Motors, which are also pursuing autonomous vehicles, Bay Area tech giants like Google, Apple and Uber are doing the same. Just in the past week, Google was discussing a partnership involving its self-driving technologies with Honda, according to Bloomberg News, while

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by Gennady Sheyner hould the streets of Palo Alto become the newest testing ground for selfdriving cars? For several members of the City Council, as well as for City Manager James Keene, the answer is a resounding “yes.” All three members of the council’s Policy and Services Committee agreed on Nov. 29 that making Palo Alto a place for autonomousvehicle testing should be one of the city’s top lobbying priorities. The full council will have a chance to discuss and officially approve the committee’s list of legislative priorities on Jan. 9. The initiative was proposed by Committee Chair Tom DuBois and quickly embraced by Vice Mayor Greg Scharff and Councilwoman Liz Kniss. During its discussion, committee members agreed that helping to accelerate the development of autonomous vehicles would both help the city solve its congestion problems and shore up its reputation for innovation. “We can actually create a shuttle system or autonomous-vehicle system that can pick you up or can pick four people up — there could be a whole host of things that can work to get people our of cars if we can pilot this in our city,” Scharff said. The commmittee’s decision comes at a time when several car giants are pushing forward their own autonomous-vehicle efforts. Tesla Motors, which is based in

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Uber shipped its self-driving fleet to Arizona after failing to get the needed permits from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. In embracing self-driving cars, Palo Alto officials pointed to the example set by the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, which recently succeeded in getting a law passed to allow testing of fully autonomous vehicles (current state law already allows testing of semiautonomous vehicles, which must have a steering wheel, brakes and a person present inside). Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill in September. Scharff, who said he is “all in” when it comes to autonomous vehicles, said he would like to see Santa Clara County pursue a similar approach. Even if the testing area is confined to just Palo Alto, Scharff said he would support that. City Manager James Keene agreed. “We have a number of major car companies and startups in town that really are probably on the pioneering frontier of autonomous vehicles,” Keene said. “The need to actually be able to test drive in real life is a critical component of being able to accelerate the uptake on that. “It seems as part of our brand identity as a city, as a center of innovation, and our interest in dealing with the congestion issues that we’ve got to be thinking about that,” Keene said. Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

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LAND USE

East Palo Alto suing Menlo Park over general plan updates Lawyer says East Palo Alto bears burdens, but not benefits, of Menlo Park plan by Barbara Wood Just days before time runs out to file a lawsuit challenging Menlo Park’s adoption of major changes to its general plan and zoning, East Palo Alto has notified the city that it is challenging the changes because they violate the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The changes in Menlo Park’s M-2 industrial zone that would allow up to 2.3 million square feet of nonresidential uses, up to 4,500 residential units, and up to 400 hotel rooms will go into effect on Jan. 6, and Menlo Park City Attorney Bill McClure said the lawsuit will not delay the changes. In a short letter emailed to Menlo Park officials on Dec. 28, attorney Ellison Folk of the San Francisco legal firm of Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger notified Menlo

Park that the “City of East Palo Alto will file suit challenging the City of Menlo Park’s approval of an update to the Menlo Park General Plan (MenloConnect) and the adoption of zoning ordinances in connection therewith for failure to comply with the California Environmental Quality Act.” Folk said the suit will be filed on Thursday or Friday in San

Mateo County Superior Court, before the period allowed to challenge the adoption runs out. She said the lawsuit will include East Palo Alto’s concerns about how the general plan update will affect that city, including displacement of residents, traffic and housing. Writer Barbara Wood can be emailed at bwood@ embarcaderopublishing.com.

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to swear in its newly elected members; elect a new mayor and vice mayor; and adopt resolutions honoring outgoing Mayor Pat Burt and council members Greg Schmid and Marc Berman. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 15

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Arts & Entertainment New Year’s Eve countdown Where to go for music, food, festivities

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All-Bach organ concert Santa Clara University organist and lecturer in music James Welch will perform his annual New Year’s Eve organ concert — this time with an all-Bach theme — at 8 p.m. at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto. The St. Mark’s pipe organ, which boasts around 5,000 pipes, is one of the largest in the area, and Welch’s program will feature numerous Bach favorites as well as a Vivaldi concerto arranged for the organ by Bach. Admission is $10. Go to welchorganist.com.

Fab Four tribute Always dreamed of spending the holidays with the Fab Four? Locals can pretend they’re in old Liverpool with the Beatles tribute band The Sun Kings, who will ring in the new year with a concert at Redwood City’s Club Fox (2209 Broadway St.). Tickets are $50-$75 and the show starts at 9 p.m. Go to clubfoxrwc.com.

Jazz and belly dancing Morocco’s Restaurant in Mountain View (873 Castro St.) will host a New Year’s Eve dinner with live belly dancing and jazz music, with doors opening at 4

p.m. Dinner starts at $40 per person, with a variety of menu options (including vegetarian) available. Go to moroccosrestaurant.com.

Five-course celebration If you’re looking to ring in the new year with some fine dining, you may want to head to The Sea by Alexander’s Steakhouse (4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto), which is offering a five-course New Year’s Eve dinner, including a champagne toast and two-macaron gift box. The seafood-based meal is $175 per person, plus $65 optional wine pairings, and seatings will be available between 5:30 and 9:30 p.m.

Movies OPENINGS

MOVIES NOW SHOWING

Ain’t got time to ‘Creed’

Dear readers: We have heard you. We are again publishing a list of the movies that are playing in local theaters over the weekend. However, we are not restoring the specific movie times, given that theaters often change the times after our press deadline, resulting in errors. To find out when movies are playing, we ask instead that readers call the theaters, check the theaters’ websites or look on movie sites such as Fandango.com.

Video-game flick not as bad as you’d think 00 (Century 16 & 20) What do you get when you take the director of a well-received Shakespeare film, and give him a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, and Charlotte Rampling? An action movie based on a video game, of course. “Assassin’s Creed” may sit a cut above other films of its type, but director Justin Kurzel can’t do more than dress up the weak source material. Kurzel directed Fassbender and Cotillard as the leads of last year’s “Macbeth,” and they obviously admire and trust him enough to follow him into this $125-millionbudgeted action sci-fi fantasy. The loony premise finds Fassbender playing death row prisoner Callum Lynch, who — upon being surreptitiously rescued from lethal injection — learns he is descended from a long line of assassins, who have been locked for centuries in mortal combat with the Knights Templar over the possession and whereabouts of the Apple of Eden. Scientist Dr. Sophia Rikkin (Cotillard) wants to obtain the apple, which holds sway over the free will of humanity, for the Templar Order (rebranded in modern times as Abstergo Industries) to eliminate violence from human society. Finding the apple involves extracting unconscious ancestral memories from Lynch by making him relive the adventures of 15thCentury Spanish assassin Aguilar de Nerha. The complicated but coherent plot tees up many action sequences, whether they be fights among the prisoners and staffers at the Abstergo compound, or the large-scale inquisition-themed action sequences involving Aguilar and others. In many ways, “Assassin’s Creed” is what it resembles, just another video-game adaptation. And yet, there are those stars, carrying you through it all. And finally, there is Kurzel, frequently lending arresting visuals that make the dumb action movie feel poetic in choice moments along the way. Despite its style points, “Assassin’s Creed” fails to resonate. Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements and brief strong language. One hour, 55 minutes. — Peter Canavese

Arrival (PG-13) ++++ Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Assassin’s Creed (PG-13) Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Collateral Beauty (PG-13) Zero stars Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Dangal (Not Rated) Century 16: Fri.-Sun. The Eagle Huntress (G) ++ Aquarius Theatre: Fri.-Sun. Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (PG-13) ++1/2 Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Fences (PG-13) ++++ Aquarius Theatre: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Jackie (R) +++ Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Palo Alto Square: Fri.-Sun. La La Land (PG-13) Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Lion (PG-13) Palo Alto Square: Fri.-Sun. Manchester by the Sea (R) +++1/2 Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Guild Theatre: Fri.-Sun. Moana (G) +++1/2 Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Moonlight (R) Aquarius Theatre: Fri.-Sun. Office Christmas Party (R) +1/2 Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Passengers (PG-13) ++ Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (PG-13) +++1/2 Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Sing (PG) ++1/2 Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Why Him? (R) Century 16: Fri.-Sun. Century 20: Fri.-Sun. Stanford Theatre did not provide its schedule by the Voice’s press deadline. Contact the theater for information.

Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 327-3241) tinyurl.com/Aquariuspa Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View tinyurl.com/Century16 Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City tinyurl.com/Century20 CineArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (For information: 493-0128) tinyurl.com/Pasquare Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (For recorded listings: 266-9260) tinyurl.com/Guildmp Stanford Theatre: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 324-3700) Stanfordtheatre.org

Can We Ever Get Rid of the Electoral College? Come hear Dr. Jack Rakove, Stanford University Political Science Professor and Pulitzer Prize winner, speak on this important and timely topic. Date: Wednesday, January 11, 2017 Time: 7:00 - 9:00 PM Place: Congregation Beth Am, Main Sanctuary 26790 Arastradero Road Los Altos Hills, CA RSVP at https://electoralcollege.eventbrite.com This event is free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by The League of Women Voters of Palo Alto, Los AltosMountain View League of Women Voters, Congregation Beth Am, AAUWPalo Alto Branch, Avenidas, and the Palo Alto Weekly

Find trailers, star ratings and reviews on the web at PaloAltoOnline.com/movies + Skip it ++ Some redeeming qualities +++ A good bet ++++ Outstanding

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 17

Home&Real Estate A weekly guide to home, garden and real estate news, edited by Elizabeth Lorenz

2016 had four-year peak for median sales price 2017 bodes well for home ownership as economy may put dollars into first-time home-buyers’ hands by Hadar Guibara

he 2016 Santa Clara County housing market continued to build off of the momentum of the last three years. New price thresholds were set in all tiers of the market, interest rates remained low, and springtime (March through June) continued its fouryear streak as the market peak for sales. As of November 2016, the median sale price of all 9,563 single family homes sold in Santa Clara County was $1.25 million. This compares to the median sale price of $955,000 of 9,979 homes sold in Santa Clara County as of November 2015. These prices represent a 30.9 percent increase in 2016. In 2015, the increase was 11.7 percent over the same figures measured in 2014. Compound these combined increases and the market results are noteworthy,

particularly when you factor in the uncertainty in all markets caused by this year’s Brexit vote in England and the presidential election in the United States. One might have expected a gradual decrease during these months of uncertainty reinforced by the media proclaiming a slowing market; instead the median sale prices increased in Silicon Valley. Uncertainty revealed itself not in the median sale price but rather in the total number of sales. The number of homes sold as of November was down 4.3 percent in 2016 from 2015, and were 0.5 percent lower than total sales in 2014. It’s definitely worth taking a look at each tier of single-family homes in the market separately. The top tier, the luxury tier, reported a median sales price of $2,095,000; this is a 7.3 percent increase from 2015. The second tier of the market reported a median sales price of $1,225,500. The third tier a median sales price of $898,444. The average days on the market (DOM) was 25. Quality homes in the mid- to lower tiers

of the market ($800,000 to $1,200,000) continue to see multiple offers. Low interest rates also continue to play a big role here, as does easier access to financing when compared to 2015. The top tier of the housing market continues to sell strongly when properly priced, and when considered both desirable and functional by potential buyers according to their needs and tastes. The major constraint in this luxury market segment is low inventory. Santa Clara County’s 2016 housing market has been constrained by low, and by some measures historically low, inventory levels (sales inventory for single-family homes is down 17 percent). On the other hand, low inventory may bode well for price appreciation in 2017. Estimating what appreciation rates may be is always difficult, but given the positive wage growth trajectory in Silicon Valley, and possible increased borrowing power, more buyers may be in a position to afford larger, more expensive homes in the near future therefore increasing appreciation rates for existing, limited inventories that may go on the market. The Santa Clara County housing market continues its fourth consecutive year of upward trajectory. A more gradual upward trajectory in 2016 than 2015, but still upward. Perhaps, now that Donald Trump is the president-elect, uncertainty is being replaced with the word conjecture as Mr. Trump has yet to discuss his specific plans concerning the real estate market in either his campaign or his post-election statements.

Turning to policy issues, deregulation has been a centerpiece of Trump’s campaign rhetoric from the beginning. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 will likely be lifted or loosened. Lifting/loosening these policies could be a boost for home ownership as well as the new construction market in Santa Clara County. On the other hand, it’s not just tax reform, deregulation, interest rates, greater access to bank loans, affordability, and a seemingly pro-growth Trump administration. Additional factors, some national, some international, may impact continued uncertainty and volatility in the housing market specifically, as well as the overall economy in general. Add other possible elements to this mix for 2017: a likely gradual rate increase by the Federal Reserve (a most impactful element), a continually growing local job market, and a local upward wage growth index along with a historically low housing inventory. The result? A guardedly optimistic and increasingly steep, highly competitive housing market in need of new inventory to enable first time buyers to access home ownership in the Santa Clara County. Q Hadar Guibara is a Realtor with Sereno Group in Palo Alto. She can be reached at hadar@serenogroup.com. Note: All data referenced above was provided by MLS Listings. This information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. The information presented above are the thoughts and views of Hadar Guibara from Sereno Group. It is not intended to be used as investment advice.

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The DeLeon Difference® 2775 Middleﬁeld Rd, Palo Alto, CA 94306 Phone: (650)321-1596 Fax: (650)328-1809 Page 18 • December 30, 2016 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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245 Miscellaneous

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“Keep Dividing”—the pieces get smaller and smaller. Matt Jones

This week’s SUDOKU

Answers on page 21.

Across 1 “Better Call Saul” star Odenkirk 4 BLT spread 8 Keeps from happening 14 “The Simpsons” character with an 18-letter last name 15 Common freshwater bait fish 16 Outcast 17 50% of an ice cream dessert? 20 “The Zoo Story” dramatist

41 25% of property to play in? 45 “David Copperfield” villain Heep

34 Cremona violinmaking family name 35 It’ll make you pull over 36 “I ___ thought about it”

3 Flower bed planting

47 Number that looks like itself repeated, when expressed in binary

4 Titular TV attorney of the ‘90s-’00s

39 Late “60 Minutes” reporter Morley 43 Watered-down

6 Big guffaw

44 Like a litter of puppies

50 Maintenance sign

7 Just say yes

53 Jacques or Jeanne, par exemple

8 “Bridesmaids” producer Judd

49 City where the Batmobile is driven

55 Scuba spot

9 “Batman Forever” star Kilmer

48 Insect with two pairs of wings

56 The “Y” in YSL 62 Deck that all episodes of Hulu’s “Shut Eye” are named after

26 Blow the socks off

66 12.5% of a push-up undergarment?

28 One of many on a serialized TV show

70 Cat or goat type 71 Poker couple 72 Capital attachment? 73 What many gamblers claim to have

38 Capitol Hill figures, slangily

74 “___ Like the Wind” (Patrick Swayze song)

40 Mythical monster that’s part woman, part serpent

75 “Help wanted” sign?

10 Cultural periods 11 Gain altitude 12 Withstand 13 Pillow cover 18 “Dogs” 19 Drops in the grass 24 Mature 25 Angry bull’s sound

51 “The Jerk” actress Bernadette 52 “Bearing gifts, we traverse ___” 54 Use blades on blades 56 Affirmative votes 57 Crawling with creepers 59 Chance 61 Destroys, as bubble wrap 63 MLB stat, incorrectly but commonly

28 Excite, as curiosity

64 “... ___ I’m told”

29 Dern of “Jurassic Park”

65 Bagpipers’ caps

30 Lighted sign at a radio station

67 One less than quattro

33 Howl at the moon

Page 20 • December 30, 2016 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

The Peninsula’s FREE Classifieds Website

58 Frittata needs

27 Pedestrian path

31 Be rude in a crowd

A BOLD NEW APPROACH TO CLASSIFIEDS FOR THE MIDPENINSULA

42 Bitterly cold

5 “Now I understand!”

22 Look to be

37 James Bond novelist Fleming

1 ___ Men (“Who Let the Dogs Out” group)

46 Stir-fry ingredient

60 Sweater, say

32 Indiana-Illinois border river

Down

www.sudoku.name

2 Flashy gem

21 As of this time 23 Spock’s dominant feature

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Legal Notices 995 Fictitious Name Statement THE COOKOUT LLC FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 623888 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: The Cookout LLC, located at 3394 Birch Street, Palo Alto Cali 94306, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: A Limited Liability Company. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): THE COOKOUT LLC 3394 Birch Street Palo Alto, CA 94306 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on November 30, 2016. (PAW Dec. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2016) ELEGANT WOOD DESIGN OF CALIFORNIA FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 624041 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Elegant Wood Design of California, located at 18280 Serra Place, Morgan Hill CA 95037, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: An Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): ADRIANA CALDWELL 18280 Serra Place Morgan Hill CA 95037 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 5, 2016. (PAW Dec. 9, 16, 23, 30, 2016) LAMPLIGHTER APARTMENTS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 623894 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Lamplighter Apartments, located at 3312 St. Michael Drive, Palo Alto, CA 94306, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: A Limited Liability Company. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): 2390 WEST MIDDLEFIELD LLC 3312 St. Michael Drive Palo Alto, CA 94306 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 8/5/2016. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on November 30, 2016. (PAW Dec. 16, 23, 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 2017) WaveOne FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 623747

The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: WaveOne, located at 555 Bryant St., Palo Alto, CA 94301, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: An Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): JAMES E. BAER 555 Bryant St. Palo Alto, CA 94301 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on November 23, 2016. (PAW Dec. 16, 23, 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 2017) MORGAN HILL REAL ESTATE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 624415 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Morgan Hill Real Estate, located at 1240 Lions Peak Lane, San Martin, CA 95046, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: A Corporation. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): DIRESTA CONSULTING GROUP INC. 1240 Lions Peak Lane San Martin, CA 95046 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 08/28/2008. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 15, 2016. (PAW Dec. 23, 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 13, 2017) PERFECT FIT CABINET SHOP FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 624434 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Perfect Fit Cabinet Shop, located at 276 Martin Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: A General Partnership. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): ELVIR OMEROVIC 276 Martin Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95050 BRANKO MARIN 276 Martin Avenue Santa Clara, CA 95050 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 10/07/2016. This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 16, 2016. (PAW Dec. 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 13, 20, 2017) RK LIMOUSINE SERVICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: 624713 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: RK Limousine Service, located at 2625 Middlefield Rd. #335, Palo Alto, CA 94306, Santa Clara County. This business is owned by: An Individual. The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): SAVTANTAR KUMAR 2625 Middlefield Rd. #335 Palo Alto, CA 94306 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on N/A.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 23, 2016. (PAW Dec. 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 13, 20, 2017) STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME File No. 624685 The following person(s)/ registrant(s) has/have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name(s). The information given below is as it appeared on the fictitious business statement that was filed at the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME(S): HOCK & COMPANY 15305 Watsonville Road Morgan Hill, CA 95037 FILED IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY ON: 05/12/2014 UNDER FILE NO.: 591871 REGISTRANT’S NAME(S): GREGORY O HOCK 15305 Watsonville Road Morgan Hill, CA 95037 THIS BUSINESS WAS CONDUCTED BY: An Individual. This statement was filed with the County Clerk Recorder of Santa Clara County on December 22, 2016. (PAW Dec. 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 13, 20, 2017)

997 All Other Legals NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE TS No. CA-16-734587-BF Order No.: 5917923 NOTE: THERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT ATTACHED TO THE COPY PROVI DED TO THE MORTGAGOR OR TRUSTOR (Pursuant to Cal. Civ. Code 2923.3) YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 4/3/2007. UNLESS YOU TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, IT MAY BE SOLD AT A PUBLIC SALE. IF YOU NEED AN EXPLANATION OF THE NATURE OF THE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. A public auction sale to the highest bidder for cash, cashier’s check drawn on a state or national bank, check drawn by state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings association, or savings bank specified in Section 5102 to the Financial C ode and authorized to do business in this state, will be held by duly appointed trustee. The sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale. BENEFICIARY MAY ELECT TO BID LESS THAN THE TOTAL AMOUNT DUE. Trustor(s): JOHN H WHARTON, AN UNMARRIED MAN Recorded: 4/11/2007 as Instrument No. 19378233 of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of SANTA CLARA County, California; Date of Sale: 1/20/2017 at 10:00 AM Place of Sale: At the Gated North Market Street entrance of the Superior Courthouse, 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113

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Amount of unpaid balance and other charges: $714,653.83 The purported property address is: 3419 CORK OAK WAY, PALO ALTO, CA 94303 Assessor’s Parcel No.: 127-48-023 NOTICE TO POTENTIAL BIDDERS: If you are considering bidding on this property lien, you should understand that there are risks involved in bidding at a trustee auction. You will be bidding on a lien, not on the property itself. Placing the highest bid at a trustee auction does not automatically entitle you to free and clear ownership of the property. You should also be aware that the lien being auctioned off may be a junior lien. If you are the highest bidder at the auction, you are or may be responsible for paying off all liens senior to the lien being auctioned off, before you can receive clear title to the property. You are encouraged to investigate the existence, priority, and size of outstanding liens that may exist on this property by contacting the county recorder’s office or a title insurance company, either of which may charge you a fee for this information. If you consult either of these resources, you should be aware that the same lender may hold more than one mortgage or deed of trust on the property. NOTICE TO PROPERTY OWNER: The sale date shown on this notice of sale may be postponed one or more times by the mortgagee, beneficiary, trustee, or a court, pursuant to Section 2924g of the California Civil Code. The law requires that information about trustee sale postponements be made available to you and to the public, as a courtesy to those not present at the sale. If you wish to learn whether your sa le date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call 916939-0772 for information regarding the trustee’s sale or visit this Internet Web site http://www.qualityloan.com , using the file number assigned to this foreclosure by the Trustee: CA-16-734587-BF. Information about postponements that are very short in duration or that occur close in time to the scheduled sale may not immediately be reflected in the telephone information or on the Internet Web site. The best way to verify postponement information is to attend the scheduled sale. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the property address or other common designation, if any, shown herein. If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. If the sale is set aside for any reason, including if the Trustee is unable to convey title, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return o f the monies paid to the Trustee. This shall be the Purchaser’s sole and exclusive remedy. The purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Trustor, the Trustee, the Beneficiary, the Beneficiary’s Agent, or the Beneficiary’s Attorney. If you have previously been discharged through bankruptcy, you may have been released of personal liability for this loan in which case this letter is intended to exercise the note holders right’s against the real property only. QUALITY MAY

BE CONSIDERED A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. Date: Quality Loan Service Corporation 411 Ivy Street San Diego, CA 92101 619-645-7711 For NON SALE information only Sale Line: 916-939-0772 Or Login to: http://www. qualityloan.com Reinstatement Line: (866) 645-7711 Ext 5318 Quality Loan Service Corp. TS No.: CA-16-734587-BF IDSPub #0120194 12/30/2016 1/6/2017 1/13/2017 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: JOAN LENORE WINSOR, aka JOAN L. WINSOR, aka JOAN WINSOR Case No.: 16PR180045 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of JOAN LENORE WINSOR, aka JOAN L. WINSOR, aka JOAN WINSOR. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: RICHARD WINSOR AND JANICE WINSOR in the Superior Court of California, County of SANTA CLARA. The Petition for Probate requests that: RICHARD WINSOR AND JANICE WINSOR be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition

and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A HEARING on the petition will be held on February 17, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. in Dept.: 10 of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, located at 191 N. First St., San Jose, CA, 95113. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58 (b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for Petitioner: Tisa M. Pedersen, Esq. Thoits Law, A Professional Corporation, 400 Main St., Ste. 250 Los Altos, CA 94022 (650)327-4200 (PAW Dec. 30, 2016; Jan. 6, 13, 2017)

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 20.

We handle all your Legal publishing needs To assist you with your legal advertising needs Call Alicia Santillan 650.223-6578 asantillan@paweekly.com Free. Fun. Only about Palo Alto. 24/7 Online

C R O S S W O R D S www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 30, 2016 • Page 21

Sports Shorts

ALL-STAR FOOTBALL . . . Sacred Heart Prep grad and East Palo Alto resident Leo Koloamatangi, a senior offensive lineman for the University of Hawai’i, accepted an invitation to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, an all-star football game, on Jan. 21 on the campus of Cal State Dominguez Hills. Koloamatangi, a four-year letterman, received honorable mention all-Mountain West honors this season. He started 12 games, playing three different positions, and received the team’s Tom Kaulukukui Offense Captain Award. He was also a nominee for the Wuerffel Trophy. The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl began in 2012 and is run by the NFL Players Association. The game will be broadcast on FS1 at 1 p.m. Stanford running back Remound Wright played in last year’s game. Cardinal safety Dallas Lloyd, defensive end Jordan Watkins, guard Johnny Caspers, linebacker Noor Davis, kicker Conrad Ukropina, punter Alex Robinson, and wide receivers Francis Osuwo and Michael Rector are on this year’s watch list.

Bill Dally/isiphotos.com

SUN BOWL . . . Playing in every game the past three seasons, Michael Rector entered 2016 with 72 catches for 1,314 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has been Stanford’s top deep threat, averaging over 18 yards per reception during those three years, and is dangerous on end-arounds. Rector completed his degree in human biology last June and considered applying for the NFL Draft. Ultimately, he decided to stay to help the team and spend additional time working in the stem cell research lab. “I’d wake up one day wanting to declare for the draft, then I’d wake up the next day wanting to come back for a fifth year,” Rector said. “For me, it was talking to my parents and coaches and trying to get my mind right.” Rector will join his teammates at the Sun Bowl in El Paso on Friday morning. Stanford meets North Carolina at 11 a.m. Rector still hopes to play in the NFL, but medical school also is on his radar. He would like to become a cardiovascular surgeon. Rector spent most of the summer working in the lab, often joined by teammate Bryce Love and former Cardinal All-America Joshua Garnett, who now plays for the San Francisco 49ers. Some sessions were overseen by Jeff Trojan, a former Stanford wide receiver and special teams ace. “It’s cool seeing how football translates,” Rector said. “You work as a team but everyone has their own job that ultimately comes together as a unit.”

Reid Travis has recorded six of his seven career double-doubles in the first 12 games of the season.

Travis, Pickens are key to Stanford offense Cardinal opens Pac-12 schedule at home Friday against Arizona State by Rick Eymer eid Travis and Dorian Pickens are central to Stanford’s offense heading into the conference schedule. Travis, after missing most of last year, has made a strong impact in his return this season. He has posted six of his seven career double-doubles in the first 12 games of this season. Pickens is coming off, perhaps, his best offensive game in a Cardinal uniform, matching his career-high of 25 points in a nonconference 86-80 victory over visiting Idaho just over a week ago. He made a career-high seven 3-pointers. Stanford (8-4) opens the Pac-12 season at home against Arizona State on Friday at 6 p.m. “I am anxious,” Cardinal coach Jarod Haase said of his first Pac12 game as a coach. “It will be exciting. It’s an unbelievable conference. I don’t think we’ve peaked yet. Our best basketball is ahead

of us, which it needs to be.” Haase is 2-2 in conference openers as a head coach. He coached UAB to victories over Middle Tennessee to open the Conference-USA slate each of the last two seasons, after dropping conference-opening decisions to Middle Tennessee in 2014 and UCF in 2013. Stanford owns a 20-18 record in conference openers since 1978-79, including a 15-7 mark at home. The Cardinal has won its last two Pac-12 openers, defeating No. 21 Utah last season and Washington State to open the 2015 conference slate. Stanford enters the game ranked 11th in the conference in scoring offense but fourth in scoring defense. Arizona State ranks fourth in scoring offense and last in scoring defense. Travis and Sun Devils’ Torian Graham are both averaging 17.8 points, tied for second in the conference. Pickens averages 13.1,

ON THE AIR

Bob Drebin/isiphotos.com

Friday College football: Sun Bowl: Stanford vs. North Carolina, 11 a.m., CBS Women’s college basketball: Stanford at Arizona State, 3 p.m., Pac12 Networks College basketball: Arizona State at Stanford at Arizona State, 6 p.m., Pac-12 Networks Bob Drebin/isiphotos.com

Sunday College basketball: Arizona at Stanford, 5 p.m., Pac-12 Networks