Palo Alto Weekly November 22, 2019

Palo Alto

Vol. XLI, Number 7

Q

November 22, 2019

Violent arrest costs city $572K Page 5

w w w. P a l o A l t o O n l i n e.c o m

g, With more trains comin lans residents argue over p for busy rail crossing Page 17

THE

L L I H C R U H C CHALLENGE OF

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Donate to the HOLIDAY FUND Page 4

Spectrum 14 Eating Out 25 Shop Talk 26 Movies 27 Home 30 Q Arts Stunt dogs storm the stage at Oshman Family JCC Page 23 Q Books Six inspiring and heartfelt narratives for kids Page 28 Q Sports Palo Alto, Sacred Heart in CCS football semiďŹ nals Page 37

Every kind of care for every kind of patient.

Stanford Health Care is redefining the patient experience. We are transforming health care to be bigger than a building or the number of beds. We are designing what healing means to the whole being of a person; bringing personalized care, customized treatment plans, and the best innovation in medicine for each individual. This is your new Stanford Hospital, a place of healing that is inspired—by you.

A new hospital for more healing.

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Why is the LOCAL component of Real Estate so important for Buyers?

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He helped us get up to speed very quickly on the market’s particularities and was able to tailor our search very well based on what we were looking for.”

-Betty B. “Early in the process, Derk helped us investigate neighborhoods, understand the trade-offs of different areas, and played an integral role in helping us quickly bM B VdaO sVBs zO zOoO O{KWsOM about.”

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-Stephen and Sabrina

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Derk Brill Wall Street Journal “Top Residential Realtors” in America M: 650.814.0478 Derk@DerkBrill.com www.DerkBrill.com License# 01256035 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 3

Support our Kids with a gift to the Holiday Fund Last Year’s Grant Recipients 49ers Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Able Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Ada’s Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Adolescent Counseling Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Aim High for High School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 All Students Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,000 Art in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Art of Yoga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Bayshore Christian Ministries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Big Brothers Big Sisters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Buena Vista Homework Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 CASSY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. . . . . . . . $10,000 Downtown Streets Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 DreamCatchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20,000 East Palo Alto Academy Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 East Palo Alto Charter School (EPACS). . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 East Palo Alto Kids Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Environmental Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Family Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Fit Kids Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Foundation for a College Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Friends of Palo Alto Junior Museum & Zoo . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Get Involved Palo Alto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Hidden Villa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Jasper Ridge Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Kara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 KIPP Valiant Community Prep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,000 La Comida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Live in Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Marine Science Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Music in the Schools Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 New Creation Home Ministries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 New Voices for Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $3,000 Palo Alto Art Center Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Palo Alto Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Palo Alto Music Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Peninsula HealthCare Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Peninsula Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Project WeHOPE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $15,000 Ravenswood Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $7,500 Rebuilding Together Peninsula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Silicon Valley Urban Debate League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 St. Elizabeth Seton School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 St. Francis of Assisi Youth Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 TheatreWorks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 YMCA East Palo Alto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 YMCA Ross Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Youth Community Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20,000 Youth Speaks Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $12,000

Child Care Facility Improvement Grants Friends of Preschool Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Grace Lutheran Preschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 The Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Palo Alto Community Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10,000 Palo Alto Friends Nursery School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000 Parents Nursery School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $5,000

E

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Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

City to pay nearly $600K after violent arrest Police officers to undergo LGBTQ sensitivity training as part of lawsuit settlement

by Gennady Sheyner

T

he city of Palo Alto will pay out $572,500 and require all officers in the Police Department to go through two hours of LGBTQ sensitivity training as part of its settlement with Gustavo Alvarez, the Buena Vista Mobile

Home Park resident who sued the city after he was violently arrested in February 2018.

The settlement also requires Sgt. Wayne Benitez, the supervising officer who slammed Alvarez on the hood of the car during the arrest and was

later seen on surveillance video making fun of Alvarez, to write an apology letter to Alvarez, his attorney, Cody Salfen told the Weekly. Benitez retired from the department in September.

The City Council discussed Alvarez’s case against the city on Monday night but gave little indication at the meeting that it had approved any kind of settlement. Mayor Eric Filseth said

immediately after the closed session that the council took “no reportable action.”

City Attorney Molly Stump told the Weekly that the “settlement documentation is in process,” which is why there was no reportable action at the Monday meeting.

While Palo Alto officials have consistently declined to discuss the incident, citing pending litigation, the city did

release a statement Wednesday confirming the settlement. The council settled the claims to “minimize the burden and expense of federal litigation,” according to the statement.

The February confrontation that sparked the lawsuit was captured on Alvarez’s home surveillance camera. The footage showed Officer Christopher (continued on page 8)

TRANSPORTATION

Construction of bike bridge to begin Despite high cost, City Council approves project’s contracts

by Gennady Sheyner

I Sammy Dallal

Kristen Lee, a Fletcher Middle School librarian and adviser to Fletcher’s first-ever Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club, leads students during a club meeting on Nov. 20. Lee credits the nonprofit Outlet program, which provides mental health and other services to LGBTQ youth, for guiding her and other staff in supporting LGBTQ students.

HOLIDAY FUND

A go-to resource for supporting LGBTQ youth Outlet helps local educators, families raise LGBTQ kids

by Elena Kadvany

S

everal years ago, when a transgender student wanted to transition from female to male at Fletcher Middle School in Palo Alto, librarian Kristen Lee reached out to Outlet, which provides services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning

(LGBTQ) youth, to lead a training for the entire staff.

Later, when a student approached Lee to start the school’s first-ever Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club, her first call for guidance was to Outlet.

When the school administrators started hearing reports of

students being harassed while using gender-neutral bathrooms on campus, Lee sought Outlet’s advice on how to address it.

And when a series of posters appeared last summer criticizing Palo Alto libraries for displaying literature about LGBTQ issues as part of its Pride Month

celebration, Lee brought Outlet to Fletcher for a parent education event attended by more than 75 people.

Outlet’s role in Lee’s efforts to better support LGBTQ students at Fletcher has been “all encompassing,” she said.

“This organization has been (continued on page 12)

t took far more time and money than anyone had expected, but construction is finally ready to launch on Palo Alto’s bike bridge over U.S. Highway 101, with the City Council approving on Monday $15.5 million in contracts for the long-awaited overpass.

The bridge, which is the most ambitious project in the city’s 2012 bike and pedestrian master plan, will provide year-round access to the Baylands at Adobe Creek. It will replace the existing underpass, which is typically only open from April to October due to the risk of flooding, and create a new entry for residents, nature lovers and employees at Google and other companies headquartered around East and West Bayshore roads in Palo Alto and Mountain View.

Originally envisioned as a $10 million project, the costs have roughly doubled since 2014. Today, it stands at about $20 million, which includes the roughly $3.5 million that the city spent on the design process, a $13.8 million construction contract with Granite Construction and a $1.7 million contract with Zoon Engineering for construction management.

If city staff salaries and benefits are considered, the price tag for the bridge is about $23 million, according to Public Works staff.

“When a project takes this (continued on page 8)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 5

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

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505) EDITORIAL

®

Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Linda Taaffe (223-6511) Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6516) Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane (223-6517) Home & Real Estate Editor Heather Zimmerman (223-6515) Assistant Sports Editor Glenn Reeves (223-6521) Express & Digital Editor Jamey Padojino (223-6524) Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Elena Kadvany (223-6519), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) Chief Visual Journalist Magali Gauthier (223-6530) Staff Visual Journalist Sammy Dallal (223-6520) Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator Lloyd Lee (223-6526)

650.543.8500 www.deleonrealty.com

Editorial Intern Jonathan Guillen

—Inyoung Cho, Southgate neighborhood resident, on building a viaduct at the Churchill Avenue rail crossing. See story on page 17.

Around Town

Contributors Chrissi Angeles, Mike Berry, Carol Blitzer, Peter Canavese, Edward Gerard Fike, Yoshi Kato, Chris Kenrick, Jack McKinnon, Sheryl Nonnenberg, John Orr, Monica Schreiber, Jay Thorwaldson

Courtesy of Palo Alto Public Art Program

The DeLeon Difference

®

Even if I didn’t live here, I think it’s ugly.

ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Marketing Tom Zahiralis (223-6570)

650.543.8500 | www.deleonrealty.com | DeLeon Realty CalBRE #01903224

Multimedia Advertising Sales Tiffany Birch (223-6573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585)

The Top 5 Reasons People Love Their Avenidas Village Membership!

I appreciate I depend on my the vast Avenidas Village network of “Med-Pal” vetted vendors I feel safer volunteer to take I love the and the transportation because of notes for me pre-negotiated assistance and the 24/7 at my doctors’ discounts! assistance! appointments! free rides to Avenidas!

I enjoy all the social activities!

Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Kevin Legarda (223-6597) Sales & Production Coordinators Diane Martin (223-6584), Nico Navarrete (223-6582) DESIGN Design & Production Manager Kristin Brown (223-6562) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Paul Llewellyn Designers Kevin Legnon, Amy Levine, Doug Young BUSINESS Payroll & Benefits Cassadie Gonzalez (223-6544) Business Associates Kristine Cortes (223-6543), Suzanne Ogawa (223-6541), Rushil Shah (223-6575) ADMINISTRATION Courier Ruben Espinoza EMBARCADERO MEDIA President William S. Johnson (223-6505) Vice President Michael I. Naar (223-6540) Vice President & CFO Peter Beller (223-6545) Vice President Sales & Marketing Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) Director of Marketing and Audience Development Emily Freeman (223-6560)

We’ve added lots of new benefits to the Avenidas Village membership program, including free and discounted rides. Come learn more at a free Coffee Chat. Over a cup of coffee, you’ll hear from members how Avenidas Village enriches their lives.

To find out more about Avenidas Village, feel free to call, stop by or attend one of our monthly Coffee Chats.

DECEMBER: Tues. 12/3 and Tues. 12/17 JANUARY: Thurs. 1/9 and Tues. 1/21 FEBRUARY: Thurs. 2/6 and Tues. 2/25 All Coffee Chats start at 2pm.

Major Accounts Sales Manager Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Circulation Assistant Alicia Santillan Computer System Associates Chris Planessi, Mike Schmidt The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County.

The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306. ©2019 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper?

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A SPLASH OF COLOR ... The construction site for a future parking garage in Palo Alto’s California Avenue business district may be a damper for the area’s visitors, employees and residents, who currently have fewer parking spaces to utilize, but new murals installed on the fence bordering the project aim to make the lot more visually appealing to the public.

On Wednesday, the city’s Public Art Program finished installing four art pieces by artists Phillip Hua, Allison Kunath, Oree Originol and Samuel Price, who were all selected from a pool of Californiabased visual artists and graphic designers considered for the project at 350 Sherman Ave. Hua’s work brings a slice of nature to the side facing Birch Street, where passersby will see hummingbirds and butterflies in motion. Kunath’s linear work featuring hands is visible on the Sherman Avenue wall facing the Visa building. Originol’s mural on Ash Street is the most dynamic, colorful and playful of the bunch with diverse, geometric shapes across the canvas. Price’s collage of 16 dogs will most likely be the one pedestrians will gravitate to on the Jacaranda Lane side of the project behind Starbucks. The works were printed on vinyl, which Program Director Elise DeMarzo warned will be susceptible to damage from construction and weather conditions during their yearlong run. Once they come down, portions of the mural could be reused by community members to make goods, DeMarzo said during the Public Art Commission’s Sept. 19 meeting.

A FAMILY AFFAIR ... As part of Palo Alto’s ongoing celebration of its 125th birthday, council members and a few dozen dignitaries gathered on Monday in the City Hall lobby for a ceremony recognizing the city’s eight sister cities: Palo, Philippines; Oaxaca, Mexico; Albi, France; Linköping,

Sweden; Enschede, Netherlands; Tsuchiura, Japan; Heidelberg, Germany; and the Yangpu District in Shanghai, China. Among the speakers was Bob Wenzlau, president of Neighbors Abroad, the nonprofit that helps coordinate the city’s foreign diplomacy. Palo Alto’s quasquicentennial, he said, also marks 25 years since the city formed its relationship with Albi and 10 years since Tsuchiura joined the family. The city’s sister partnerships have also “modernized” over the past decade, with a new focus on sustainability and “smart city” initiatives. Attendees also viewed a video in which mayors from the different sister cities congratulated Palo Alto on its 125th birthday.

Judy Kleinberg, president of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, said the video will be included in a time capsule that the city is putting together. Kleinberg, a former mayor, also recalled the city’s last 25-year time capsule, which was buried 26 years ago and opened last year. Inside the capsule were a petrified bagel, a big piece of silicon and letters from teenagers talking about what they thought the world would be like in 25 years.

“One teenager wrote in their own handwriting that she thought maybe someday everybody would have a computer and they might be able to do things on their own computer,” Kleinberg said.

A WELCOME ARRIVAL ... The new Stanford Hospital added the final piece to its $2 billion facility on Sunday, Nov. 17: patients.

Stanford Health Care CEO David Entwistle helped wheel in the first patient, 51-year-old Paul Lee of Texas. In the new building at 500 Pasteur Drive, Lee said he liked the large size of his private room, the comfortable furniture for his family when they visit and the view outside his window. “This is one of the best hospitals that I’ve ever been in and I’ve been in lots of them,” he said. Q

Upfront joining the city of Palo Alto, according to the city’s news release. His position with the city was lineperson/cable splicer, Horrigan-Taylor said.

Okhomina was also a member of the International Brotherhood of Electric Workers, Local 1245, according to his LinkedIn webpage. Between July 1996 and July 2000, he worked as a distribution lineman in the Civil Engineering 60th Squadron of

UTILITIES

Utility worker dies while upgrading transformer Donatus Okhomina was a U.S. Air Force veteran with two decades of utilities experience

by Gennady Sheyner and Sue Dremann

T

Courtesy Palo Alto Utilities

he city of Palo Alto Utilities lineman who died Saturday while upgrading a transformer in south Palo Alto was a U.S. Air Force veteran who had just started his job with the city this month, city staff said in a news release.

Donatus Okhomina was working on a five-person line crew near Covenant Presbyterian Church at 670 E. Meadow Drive on Saturday morning when he was electrocuted. Okhomina was taken to Stanford Hospital, where he died later in the day.

City staff declined to say exactly what happened, pending an investigation by the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). This was the Utilities Department’s first work-related death in more than 30 years, according to the city’s news release.

Cal/OSHA spokesman Frank Polizzi said on Monday the city alerted his agency on Saturday that an employee had been electrocuted after coming in contact with high-voltage power lines while in a manlift.

“Cal/OSHA is investigating this incident and other general workplace safety” procedures in the city’s utilities department, he said. Cal/OSHA has up to six months to conduct its investigation and issue corrections for any

City of Palo Alto Utilities lineman Donatus Okhomina died on Nov. 16 while upgrading a transformer in south Palo Alto. hazards it finds, he said.

On Monday, the city flew flags at City Hall and other municipal buildings at half-staff in tribute to Okhomina and adjourned the City Council meeting in his honor.

Mayor Eric Filseth opened the council’s meeting with a few words about the weekend incident.

“It’s with great sadness that we mourn the loss of one of our own team members this evening,” Filseth said before holding a moment of silence for Okhomina.

Three city employees who

were at the accident site on Monday morning declined to speak with the Weekly about the incident.

The city is conducting its own review of the accident and is offering counseling and support services to utilities staff members and their families, Meghan Horrigan-Taylor, the city’s chief communications officer, said in an email to the Weekly on Wednesday.

“The review includes all aspects of the worksite incident including equipment used while the work was being performed.

The work truck is part of this evaluation. As a result, the truck is not in service,” she said in an email.

The Altec-brand truck is less than 2 years old.

The incident and the investigation are affecting the Utilities Department’s work, HorriganTaylor said. There may be delays to some work, though the agency is responding to time-sensitive service calls.

Okhomina, a 42-year-old resident of Dixon, is survived by a wife and four daughters, ages 6 to 17. Though he just started his position with the city, he had about 20 years of experience as a lineman. He had worked at Pacific Gas & Electric and at Sacramento Municipal before

the United States Air Force.

A GoFundMe account organized by utilities managers was set up to support Okomina’s family and can be found at bit. ly/2rYOGMb. As of Thursday, $86,536 had been raised. Q Staff Writers Gennady Sheyner and Sue Dremann can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com and sdremann@ paweekly.com, respectively.

CityView A round-up

of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Nov. 18)

Wastewater: The council approved a proposed agreement with Mountain View and the Santa Clara Valley Water District to construct a salt-removal plant at the Regional Water Quality Treatment Plant and transfer treated wastewater from Palo Alto to cities south of Mountain View. Yes: Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, Tanaka Absent: Fine Bike Bridge: The council approved the construction contract for the bike and pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 101 at Adobe Creek. Yes: Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Kniss, Kou, Tanaka Absent: Fine

Board of Education (Nov. 19)

Contracts: The board approved tentative agreements with the Palo Alto Education Association (PAEA) and with the CSEA Chapter #301 for the 2019-20 school year. The board also voted to approve the financial terms of “Compensation and Benefits.” Yes: Unanimous

Council Finance Committee (Nov. 19)

Finances: The committee recommended approving the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for fiscal year 2019. Yes: Unanimous

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.

Urgency law on eviction delayed A proposal in Palo Alto to prevent evictions before California’s rent-cap law takes effect will not be discussed until early next month after the City Council, erroneously citing a shortage of members present on Monday, delayed the hearing. (Posted Nov. 20, 9:55 a.m.)

Sand Hill buys ‘Four Corners’ A property that is a linchpin of East Palo Alto’s development plans at the corner of University Avenue and Bay Road has been sold to Sand Hill Property Company, the company announced in a press release on Monday. (Posted Nov.19, 3:58 p.m.)

New deal for recycled water Seeking to fortify the city against future droughts, the Palo Alto City Council endorsed on Monday a long-term agreement with Santa Clara Valley Water District and Mountain View to build a salt-removal plant in the Baylands and then transfer the treated wastewater south. (Posted Nov. 18. 8:47 p.m.)

Collaborative pushes for mental health services A group of local nonprofits, health care providers and schools are coming together to address what one participant called a “big problem” in East Palo Alto and Belle Haven: the lack of mental health services for children and teens. (Posted Nov. 18, 12:36 p.m.)

Lloyd Lee

A Thanksgiving tradition Calvin Chan, center, announces on Nov. 20 the start of “No Turkey for Perky,” a 17-year tradition at Palo Alto’s Addison Elementary School for Laura Wright’s second-grade class. To read the article, go to PaloAltoOnline.com.

LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com/square www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 7

Upfront

Settlement (continued from page 5)

Bike bridge (continued from page 5)

long, we really pay for it in the end,” said Councilwoman Liz Kniss, an early champion of the bridge who in her earlier role as a Santa Clara County supervisor helped land $4 million in county funding for the structure.

Initially envisioned as an iconic structure with a “Wow!” factor, the bridge was the subject of a design contest in 2014.

Courtesy Cody Salfen

Conde trying to get Alvarez to come out of his mobile home; Alvarez repeatedly refused.

Conde was later joined by more officers, including Benitez and Agent Thomas DeStefano. The officers ultimately kicked the door in and, once Alvarez came out, the officers grabbed, handcuffed and pinned him on the hood of a car.

The video shows Benitez then grabbed Alvarez by the hood of this jacket, slammed him against the windshield and asked him, “You think you’re a tough guy?”

When Alvarez told Benitez, “I’m bleeding,” Benitez responded, “You’re going to be bleeding a whole lot more.”

After the arrest, Benitez is shown recapping the incident to another officer and imitating Alvarez, who is gay, by raising the pitch of his voice.

The department arrested Alvarez on suspicion of driving with a suspended license, resisting arrest, possession of controlled substance paraphernalia and appropriation of lost property. All of these charges were ultimately dismissed by a judge.

On April 29, Gustavo sued the city in federal court, claiming that the assault followed “prior, repeated and ongoing harassment by the Palo Alto Police Department.” He alleged that the officers’ conduct was motivated by “hatred and prejudice of homosexual males.”

In this screenshot from a home-surveillance video, Palo Alto police Sgt. Wayne Benitez, top left, is shoving handcuffed arrestee Gustavo Alvarez against the windshield of Alvarez’s car, while Agent Thomas DeStefano, bottom left, watches and Officer Christopher Conde, at right, walks around the car.

The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in Oakland, also claims that the city has failed to adequately train its police officers and that its discriminatory policies are subjecting individuals “to serious and physiological harm.”

The suit also claims that Police Chief Robert Jonsen and the city at large have “demonstrated deliberate indifference to this pattern and practice of constitutional violations, having shown deliberate indifference, by failing to take necessary, appropriate, and/or adequate measures to prevent the continued perpetuation of said pattern of conduct

by their employees and agents.”

The officers’ behavior, the suit states, “demonstrates an existence of an informal custom,

But the project was scaled back after staff deemed the winning design too expensive to execute within the budget. In December 2015, the city pivoted to a more standard bridge design.

With the council’s 6-0 approvals Monday of the contracts with Granite and Zoon (Vice Mayor Adrian Fine was absent), construction is set to begin in January and be completed around May 2021.

The new bike bridge will cost about $7 million more than the

one East Palo Alto recently constructed at Clarke Avenue.

While one reason for the discrepancy is the length of the Palo Alto bridge (it is 22% longer than the one in East Palo Alto), the city’s long and involved review process also contributed to the higher price tag.

East Palo Alto spent $1.1 million on design work, less than three times what Palo Alto had spent.

The biggest factor, however, remains the hot construction

city of Palo Alto Police Department’s agents and employees.”

The city confirmed in the statement that all sworn police officers will undergo training, which is scheduled for January.

The statement from the city also alludes to Alvarez’s criminal record, which includes a 2012 arrest for robbery at the former JJ&F Food Store.

“While the City and Police Department sharply dispute the vast majority of Mr. Alvarez’ claims and have deep concerns about Mr. Alvarez’s continuing criminal behavior, the city believes that this resolution is in the best interests of all involved

‘There is no amount of money that will ever give him back what was taken from him.’

—Cody Salfen, attorney for Gustavo Alvarez policy or practice, which tolerates and promotes the continued violation of civil rights of individuals by city of Palo Alto and

market, which has significantly raised the costs of all infrastructure projects. Given these conditions, council members agreed that waiting longer will only drive costs even higher.

“It seems to me that our space of choices here is fairly constrained,” Mayor Eric Filseth said. “If we don’t do this now, it makes no sense to try again in six months because construction costs will continue to escalate.

Every month that goes by, it’s going to get harder to close this gap.”

It helps that the city is receiving about $9 million in funding from outside sources. In addition to the $4 million in county funds, the project is benefitting from another $4.35 million from the One Bay Area Grant program distributed by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and a $1 million pledge from Google.

Even with the escalating construction costs, council members agreed that the bridge remains an important, exciting project, Courtesy city of Palo Alto

The Palo Alto City Council approved $15.5 million in contracts on Nov. 18 for the construction of a bike bridge over U.S. Highway 101.

Page 8 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

— including the Police Department, its police officers, and Mr. Alvarez,” the statement reads.

The Police Department is also conducting its own internal review of the incident, according to the statement.

Salfen called the non-monetary components of the settlement “really positive” but criticized the department for continuing to employ all the officers who were involved in the incident. The only exception is Benitez, who was allowed to retire and draw a pension.

Salfen also called the city’s statement dismissing most of the allegations against the officers “disingenuous.”

“If they want to dispute what’s on the video and try to justify what’s on there, it wouldn’t surprise me. But it’s just a symptom of a department that doesn’t take its obligation seriously.”

Salfen said Alvarez continues to suffer from the effects of the February 2018 encounter.

“There is no amount of money that will ever give him back what was taken from him,” Salfen said. “He lost his sense of peace and security, he lost his sense of his civil rights — the rights that are guaranteed to all individuals.

“He is still a resident of the city of Palo Alto and I’d like to think the city has a continued obligation to take care of all members of the community.” Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.

one that will both enhance the city’s recreational offerings and allow it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The steel structure will include concrete ramps connecting to trailheads and the Adobe Creek “Reach” Trail.

Councilwoman Alison Cormack called the approval of the contracts a “bittersweet moment,” noting that the project now costs $4 million more than it did in the last estimate. Even so, she said she and her neighbors have been waiting “a very, very long time.”

“It’s no longer mythical. If it’s not there next year, it will be there the year after. I can’t wait to ride my bike on it,” Cormack said.

Kniss agreed.

“I wish it weren’t as expensive as it is. I wish we’d moved more expeditiously. That was yesterday; this is today. And this is the time to move forward,” Kniss said. Q Staff Wr iter Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council has no meetings scheduled this week.

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IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY CALL 911 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 11

Upfront

Rita Maria Vogel

June 23, 1922 - November 14, 2019 Rita Maria (Tollini) Vogel passed away peacefully on November 14 at the age of 97.

Born in San Francisco in 1922, Rita was the daughter of Italian immigrants Maddalena and Dominic Tollini. She grew up in the Russian Hill neighborhood and attended St. Brigid Elementary and High Schools.

After graduation she enrolled at UC Berkeley, where she met the love of her life, Warren, during registration. They dated during their years at Cal, enjoyed Rita’s sorority (Alpha Delta Pi) and Warren’s fraternity (Alpha Sigma Phi) activities together and began their 76 year marriage five months after graduation in November 1943.

Rita worked for a San Francisco insurance firm while Warren served overseas for two years during World War II. After living in San Francisco for a short time, they settled in San Carlos in 1948 and started their family. They spent the last fifty years living in their home in Menlo Park.

Rita loved to cook, travel, play golf and accompany Warren trout fishing, but her finest talent was as an artist.

She began to paint seriously in 1967 and soon earned “best of show recognition” and other honors for her work. She was a versatile artist whose preferred medium was oils. Her favorite style was the detailed “trompe l’oeil and many of her paintings were displayed in various art galleries throughout the Bay Area.

Rita was happiest when she was with her family. She was the quintessential example of wife, mother and grandmother.

Rita provided the gifts of love, confidence, encouragement and someone to talk with to her husband, children and grandchildren. She supported her sons Randy and Scott in everything they did. She adored her three grandchildren, Kenny, Jeffrey and Steven and was a regular at their baseball, soccer and basketball games over the years. She took delight at every opportunity for the family to share a meal, be it a holiday, a birthday celebration or just an open Sunday afternoon.

She served as a greeter at St. Denis Catholic Church in Menlo Park for many years and was a long time member of Sharon Heights Country Club. Rita will be remembered for her devotion to her family and for her faith as well as her genuine concern for and generosity to those around her. She was always concerned with how everyone else was doing.

Survived by her husband Warren, sons Randy and Scott, daughter-in-law Irene, and grandchildren Kenny (fiancée Pia Saavedra), Jeffrey and Steven. She will be greatly missed by her loving caregivers Milika Aukafolau and Loisi Alatini. Interment services will be private.

Donations in her named may be made to St. Francis Center, 151 Buckingham Avenue, Redwood City CA 94063 or to the Vogel Family Endowed Scholarship at Junipero Serra High School, 451 W. 20th Avenue, San Mateo CA 94403 PAID

OBITUARY

LGBTQ youth (continued from page 5)

key to my work not only in the GSA but my work in parent education, my work as a librarian,” Lee said. “It’s really invaluable.”

Outlet, which is part of local nonprofit Adolescent Counseling Services, was awarded a $10,000 grant this year through the Palo Alto Weekly’s Holiday Fund to support services for transgender youth; counseling for LGBTQ teens struggling with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues; and education, consultations and outreach for hundreds of Palo Alto, Menlo Park and East Palo Alto residents.

Outlet was formed in 1997 as an HIV-prevention and education program through the YWCA of Palo Alto. The organization taught volunteer high school students how to lead HIV-prevention workshops, with the goal that they would then teach peers at their schools. It turned out that many of those students identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual, eventually prompting Outlet to form a support group for LGBTQ youth.

Today, Outlet runs six peer support groups for different ages (from 10 years old to 25) and gender identities. All of the groups are free, drop-in, confidential and run year-round.

The structure of the groups is

flexible, said Ryan Fouts, program director for Outlet. Sometimes, the teens want to talk through challenges they’re facing at school or at home, such as difficulty coming out or being misgendered by a peer or teacher. Other groups spend time doing homework, playing games or simply hanging out.

A transgender man who transitioned from female to male while a Gunn High School student several years ago said in a previous Weekly interview that at the Outlet groups, he felt he had “permission to exist.”

“These are spaces where youth can come and find support with their peers and have a chance to be who they are,” Fouts said. “It gives youth an opportunity to maybe explore and test out their identity, if they’re still in a process where they’re exploring who they are. This is a safe place for them to do that. And it’s an opportunity for them to meet other people who are going through similar things.”

The Holiday Fund grant will help Outlet boost its support in particular for transgender students, a group that has “drastically increased” at the program in recent years, according to the Outlet’s grant application. Transgender youth now make up onethird of all young people served by the program’s support groups.

Fouts attributed this increase to a “slow progression of folks feeling more comfortable

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coming out earlier.”

Outlet is seeing an overall rise in LGBTQ teens needing and seeking mental health services.

According to the California LGBTQ Youth Report, more than 78% of LGBTQ youth in the state felt depressed or down in the prior week and only 10% said all of their school staff are supportive of LGBTQ students. In Santa Clara County, students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer are three times more likely than their peers to attempt suicide and are 1.5 times more likely to use drugs and alcohol, according to a 2016 survey.

Outlet staff, all of whom are members of the LGBTQ community, work to communicate to youth that “there’s an opportunity to be happy and healthy and successful, despite challenges that you might experience” related to gender identity and sexual orientation, Fouts said.

Lee said that students in Fletcher’s Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club have benefited from an Outlet staff member who is biologically female but identifies with they/them pronouns. The staff member comes to the school library, and students can sign up to spend time with them one-onone or in pairs.

For the students, the staff member is “like a rockstar,” Lee said. “The first time they showed up my kids were like, ‘Here is a person who identifies within the community. They are out, they are proud and they are thriving.’”

Lee said Outlet’s training has helped staff better understand the spectrum of gender identities. She urges teachers to ask students their preferred name and pronouns at the start the school year — and to apologize directly if they get it wrong at any point.

She’s also become more aware of gendered language, such using as the phrases “you guys” or “ladies and gents” to address students.

“This is the kind of advice I’ll get from Outlet,” she said. “I’ll send an almost-weekly email: ‘This came up. What do I do about this?’”

One of Outlet’s priorities this year is to be more purposeful in reaching out to local middle schools, which are increasingly requesting support from the program, Fouts said. The program provides training to teachers and school staff on how to create inclusive policies and safe environments and on the laws that protect students’ safety at school.

Outlet also offers free consultations to families; provides parent education in school districts such as Palo Alto Unified; and is launching soon a support group for parents of transgender and gender-expansive youth.

Outlet anticipates serving more than 3,000 people this year through all of its services, including 330 LGBTQ youth and straight allies. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

Transitions Births, marriages and deaths

John Vasiharan Arulanantham John Vasiharan Arulanantham, 48, died of natural causes on Oct. 5 at his home in Palo Alto.

He was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka in Oct. 1, 1971 and lived in Burma, Iraq, Sri Lanka and Pakistan as a child before moving to southern California in the 1980s. He briefly attended Harvard-Westlake preparatory school in Los Angeles, while living in Studio City with his cousins, and retained a lifelong attachment to the school and it’s alumni community. He was an avid tennis player and played for the school’s varsity team during his one year at the school.

Following high school, he

Pulse

A weekly compendium of vital statistics

POLICE CALLS Palo Alto

Nov. 14-Nov.20 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Child abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Strong arm robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Counterfeit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Vehicle related Abandoned auto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Auto burglary attempt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto theft attempt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 3 Vehicle accident/no imjury . . . . . . . . . . 3 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . 2 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . 4 Miscellaneous Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . 4 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Menlo Park

Nov. 13-Nov. 19 Violence related Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

attended the University of California, Berkeley as a Chancellor’s Scholar, and graduated with a degree in economics in 1994. He then spent a few years in consulting and banking in Los Angeles and San Francisco as well as a brief position at Stanford University.

After a heart attack in 2009 compromised his health, Arulanantham lived a simpler life. He enjoyed playing chess, discussing religion and politics and entertaining his four nieces and nephews who were very fond of him. He also frequented the many parks and shops in Palo Alto, where he’d live for nearly 25 years. He was strong willed and lived life on his own terms, his family said.

He is survived by his parents Vijayan and Rohini Arulanantham of Palo Alto, and younger brothers Ravi Arulanantham of Piedmont and David P. Arulanantham of Palo Alto and their families. Q

Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Spousal abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Residential burglary attempt. . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle related Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 6 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Miscellaneous Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 1 Suspicious person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto Webster St., 10/29, 7 p.m.; child abuse/ sexual.

Alester Ave., 11/06, 6:30 p.m.; battery.

Forest Ave., 11/11, 8 a.m.; domestic violence.

Encina Ave., 11/11, 10:03 a.m.; domestic violence.

Dennis Drive, 11/11, 6:25 p.m.; child abuse.

Roble Ridge Road, 11/13, 7:33 p.m.; domestic violence.

2605 Middlefield Road, 11/14, 12:46 p.m.; strong arm robbery.

Middlefield Road, 11/16, 3:15 a.m.; domestic violence.

Nelson Court, 11/16, 3 p.m.; child abuse/sexual.

Menlo Park 700 block Laurel St., 11/16, 5:12 a.m.; assault.

500 block El Camino Real, 11/16, 10:45 p.m.; battery.

3600 block Haven Ave., 11/17, 11:44 p.m.; spousal abuse.

Public Notices 995 Fictitious Name Statement BABES MUFFLER SERVICE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: FBN660091 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Babes Muffler Service, located at 808 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A Limited Liability Company.

The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): JC AUTOCARE LLC 697 Lakehaven Dr. Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 10/28/2019.

This statement was filed with the County ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on October 28, 2019.

(PAW Nov. 8, 15, 22, 29, 2019) NAKED FACE FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: FBN660343 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Naked Face, located at 1139 Summergarden Ct., San Jose, CA 95132, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: A Limited Liability Company.

The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): NAKED FACE LLC 1139 Summergarden Ct. San Jose, CA 95132 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 03/01/2019.

This statement was filed with the County ClerkRecorder of Santa Clara County on November 5, 2019.

(PAW Nov. 15, 22, 29; Dec. 6, 2019)

997 All Other Legals NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE Trustee Sale No. : 00000008500399 Title Order No.: 190970183 FHA/VA/PMI No.: ATTENTION RECORDER: THE FOLLOWING REFERENCE TO AN ATTACHED SUMMARY APPLIES ONLY TO COPIES PROVIDED TO THE TRUSTOR, NOT TO THIS RECORDED ORIGINAL NOTICE. NOTE: THERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT ATTACHED. YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 10/17/2011.

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. BARRETT DAFFIN FRAPPIER TREDER and WEISS, LLP, as duly appointed Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 10/25/2011 as Instrument No. 21382129 of official records in the office of the County Recorder of SANTA CLARA County, State of CALIFORNIA. EXECUTED BY: ELAINE HEAL, AND MICHAEL GRIFFIN, WIFE AND HUSBAND AS COMMUNITY PROPERTY WITH RIGHT OF SURVIVORSHIP, WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH, CASHIER’S CHECK/CASH EQUIVALENT or other form of payment authorized by California Civil Code 2924h(b), (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States). DATE OF SALE: 12/09/2019 TIME OF SALE: 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. STREET ADDRESS and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 609 ARASTRADERO RD, PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA 94306-3858 APN#: 167-07-015 The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said 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 said Deed of Trust, with interest thereon, as provided in said note(s), advances, under the terms of said Deed of Trust, fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. The total amount of the unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is $978,313.75. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election to Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located.

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 sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call 714-730-2727 for information regarding the trustee’s sale or visit this Internet Web site www.servicelinkASAP. com for information regarding the sale of this property, using the file number assigned to this case 00000008500399. 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.

FOR TRUSTEE SALE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: AGENCY SALES and POSTING 714-7302727 www.servicelinkASAP.com BARRETT DAFFIN FRAPPIER TREDER and WEISS, LLP as Trustee 3990 E. Concours Street, Suite 350 Ontario, CA 91764 (866) 795-1852 Dated: 10/30/2019 BARRETT DAFFIN FRAPPIER TREDER and WEISS, LLP IS ACTING AS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. A-4709200 11/08/2019, 11/15/2019, 11/22/2019 APN: 167-49-017 OTHER: 5939670 TS-190708 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE UNDER DEED OF TRUST YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST, DATED 5/11/2016 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. NOTICE is hereby given that C.N.A. FORECLOSURE SERVICES, INC. A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, as trustee, or successor trustee, or substituted trustee pursuant to the Deed of Trust executed by Paul Lindsey Borrill, Trustee of the Paul Borrill 1999 Declaration of Trust Dated December 16, 1999 and any amendments Recorded on 12/23/2016 as Instrument No. 23542540, of Official records in the office of the County Recorder of Santa Clara County, California, and pursuant to the Notice of Default and Election to Sell thereunder recorded 8/09/2019 as Instrument No. 24250344 of said Official Records, WILL SELL on 12/06/2019 At the Gated North Market Street entrance of the Superior Courthouse, 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113 at 10:00 a.m. AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at the time of sale in lawful money of the United States), all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County and State hereinafter described. The property address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purposed to be: 4287 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the property address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. The total amount of unpaid balance of the obligation secured by the property to be sold and reasonable estimated costs, expenses and advances at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale is: $698,815.01 (estimated). In addition to cash, the Trustee will accept a cashier’s check drawn by a state or federal credit union or a check drawn by state or federal savings and loan association, savings association or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state. In the event tender other than cash is accepted the Trustee may withhold the issuance of the Trustee’s Deed until funds become available to the payee or endorsee as a matter of right.

Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied regarding title, possession or encumbrances, to satisfy the indebtedness secured by said Deed, advances thereunder, with interest as provided therein, and the unpaid principal balance of the Note secured by said Deed with interest thereon as provided in said Note, fees, charges and expenses of the trustee and the trusts created by said Deed of Trust. 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 sale date has been postponed, and, if applicable, the rescheduled time and date for the sale of this property, you may call telephone number for information regarding the trustee’s sale 916-939-0772 or visit this Internet Web site www.nationwideposting. com for information regarding the sale of this property, using the file number assigned to this case 190708 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.

FOR SALES INFORMATION CALL : 916-939-0772 C/O C.N.A. FORECLOSURE SERVICES, INC., A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION as said Trustee.

2020 CAMINO DEL RIO N. #230 SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92108 (619) 297-6740 DATE: 11/07/2019 KIMBERLY CURRAN TRUSTEE SALE OFFICER NPP0363473 To: PALO ALTO WEEKLY 11/15/2019, 11/22/2019, 11/29/2019 NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: MARY ANNE FOLEY Case No.: 19PR187074 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MARY ANNE FOLEY. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: MARSHA L. KEEFFER in the Superior Court of California, County of SANTA CLARA. The Petition for Probate requests that: MARSHA L. KEEFFER 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 January 6, 2020, at 9:01 a.m. in Dept.: 13 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: Rachael N. Phillips, Esq. Law Offices of Ann Marshall Robbeloth, P.C. 31 East Julian Street, San Jose, CA 95112 (408) 371-5206 (PAW Nov. 22, 29; Dec. 6, 2019)

Call Alicia Santillan at 650-223-6578 or email asantillan@paweekly.com for assistance with legal advertising.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 13

Editorial An iconic mistake Palo Alto bike bridge over 101 now set to cost $20 million, $7 million more than East Palo Alto’s new bridge down the road

I

t won’t be a bridge to nowhere, as an often maligned federally funded bridge in Alaska has been described. But it may go down as the most poorly implemented capital project in Palo Alto history.

And it has shown us why we should perhaps adopt an “avoid the iconic” principle of municipal governance.

With good intentions but no self-restraint, the Palo Alto City Council decided back in 2011 that a simple bicycle/pedestrian highway overcrossing connecting south Palo Alto with the Baylands and the Googleplex — the kind that one drives under on freeways everywhere — would not be good enough for Palo Alto.

A consultant’s feasibility study and city planners envisioned a “signature piece of community infrastructure that connects the general community, the Baylands Nature Preserve and technology/business campuses with a safe and convenient pedestrian/bicycle pathway.” The cost was estimated at $9 million.

In a surprise twist, the council unanimously decided to add a complication — a design contest.

The contest idea, suggested by then-Councilwoman Karen Holman, included the caveat that if funding wouldn’t allow for a “really stellar design,” the fallback should be a “good utilitarian design” rather than an “underfunded artistic endeavor.”

With no idea of what a “stellar” design might cost, nor how it would be funded, the city began searching for grant funding while figuring out how to conduct the desired design contest.

Almost three years later, in September 2014, the contest was finally rolled out. Then-Mayor Nancy Shepherd said the council was seeking a bridge that “balances engineering with art, efficiency and beauty, while recognizing the integration with our Baylands.”

“We hope the architects and engineers submitting will be inspired by the beauty and innovation in Palo Alto when creating their designs, and we look forward to seeing what they come up with,” Shepherd’s statement said. She was joined by her eight colleagues, including Holman, who was responsible for coining the much-maligned “iconic” descriptor for what the council was seeking in a bridge that would be seen by every vehicle traveling on 101.

The contest was expected to take just three months and result in the selection of a winning concept in December 2014. At that time, the estimated cost had risen to $10 million and was expected to be funded primarily by grants. The plan was to have it built by 2018.

But in March 2015, facing public pushback on the concept of a showy and expensive design, a defensive council surprised everyone by rejecting the dazzling design that won the competition in favor of the more subtle and restrained design of the runner-up. As current Mayor Eric Filseth said at the time, “Our natural landscape will be more dramatic and iconic than anything you can make out of glass and steel.”

To the shock of everyone, within six months the selected design firm had revised its cost estimate to almost $17 million due to increased construction costs. After the city staff warned that the price tag could go even higher due to site complexities, the council voted to abandon the design and start over with a simpler and cheaper bridge — nothing like what had been originally envisioned.

In November 2017, the environmental assessment for the scaled-back bridge was approved amid great frustration about a process that had wasted six years in search of an “iconic” design. And last week, still talking about the ever-increasing costs — now $20 million — the council quietly approved the construction and management contracts for a bridge that will get bicyclists and pedestrians across the highway but won’t attract any attention as an architectural achievement.

The history of this project is emblematic of what often happens in Palo Alto with major infrastructure projects. With ambitious and complicated ideas, the process drags on so long that it loses continuity and momentum, leading to changes that further prolong decisions and implementation. This not only drives up costs, it is deflating to everyone involved, including the public, city staff and consultants.

Palo Alto needs this bridge, and it will get enormous use. It should be a permanent reminder of how in Palo Alto we too often become mired in ideas that seek to solve a simple problem in complex and “iconic” ways that are not worth the time, money and frustration. Q Page 14 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

This week on Town Square Town Square is an online discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square In response to ‘Commission supports expanding access to Foothills Park’ Posted Nov. 15 at 3:10 p.m.

by Geoff Paulsen, a resident of another community: “As a member of the Lee family and a former Foothills Park ranger, I recommend that the city council approve the Palo Alto Parks & Recreation Commission’s proposal.

Here’s why: 1. Purchase. Although my grandfather wanted to develop the park, my grandmother refused to sell because she wanted the land to be saved as open space. They agreed to sell the land to the city for a greatly reduced price, but an enemy of my grandfather demanded

The costs of the Caltrain electrification project.

Editor, On Nov. 7 there was a community meeting at Mitchell Park on possible options for the grade separation for the electrified Caltrains. The cheapest option is closing Churchill Avenue. They would leave the tracks where they are, but cars would not be allowed to cross the tracks at Churchill.

You would need to either take Embarcadero Road or Oregon Expressway.

During the construction, which will take about six years, Alma Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction. This project will cost billions, which we were told would be paid by a tax of Palo Alto businesses.

I cannot imagine that will cover it. Residents will probably be taxed as well. I heard one couple from Southgate tell the city manager that though they do not want Churchill closed, if it is for the good of the rest of Palo Alto, it would be okay. If Churchill were closed, they would no longer need to deal with all of the traffic especially from all of the Palo Alto High School students. But getting into Paly for the students would become a nightmare.

Another concern that was brought up was if a viaduct is used, then that might attract homeless people to live underneath.

Regardless, there will be more

that the issue be put to a citywide vote. It was never my grandparents’ intent to restrict admission.

2. Payment. Although Palo Alto unsuccessfully asked neighboring cities to help pay for the park, Palo Alto was in the unique financial position to buy the land because it incorporated early enough to buy into incomegenerating hydroelectric and water projects in the Sierra foothills. Adjacent cities tend to have expensive homes but minimal municipal services and funds.

3. Protect. The argument that increased usage would disturb the Park’s ecology ignores the fact that the greatest disturbances to the Park’s original ecology are the irrigated turf,

trains and this will be hard on our community. I hope the value of our houses and our quality of life remain the same.

Faith W. Brigel Byron Street, Palo Alto

From classroom to living room Editor, I read two articles in the Palo Alto Weekly from the Nov. 1, 2019 issue. One was “With school closures looming, Ravenswood District to hold series of public meetings” by Elena Kadvany and the other was “Berman expects big legislative push on boosting housing supply” by Gennady Sheyner.

If the Ravenswood School

the artificial lake, and the exclusion of regular low-intensity wildfires. As a former park ranger at Foothills Park who has also worked for the National Park Service, California State Parks and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, I know that Foothill Park is underused and that some increase in usage would minimally affect the natural ecology.

4. Prejudice. There is an element of social justice that also needs to be considered. Although they are being rapidly priced out, there are still many East Palo Alto residents who would be living in Palo Alto if they had not been told, because of the color of their skin, that no houses were available in Palo Alto.”

District does close one or two of its schools, why not remodel the campus into shelter/housing for the homeless? Odd-numbered classrooms could be turned into bed/living rooms. The even-numbered classrooms could be turned into two bathrooms. The auditorium could be turned into multiple kitchens. The other large buildings could be used for socializing.

Reuse instead of building new.

Providing affordable housing is a necessity. Just as necessary is the need to stop the influx of people coming into the Bay Area. Many of the people who are homeless were raised here and were pushed out by large corporations.

Jackie Leonard-Dimmick Walnut Avenue, Atherton

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

What design should the city select for the Churchill rail crossing?

Submit letters to the editor of up to 300 words to letters@paweekly.com.

Submit guest opinions of 1,000 words to editor@paweekly.com. Include your name, address and daytime phone number so we can reach you.

We reserve the right to edit contributions for length, objectionable content, libel and factual errors known to us. Anonymous letters will generally not be accepted. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Media to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square.

For more information, contact Editorial Assistant Lloyd Lee at llee@paweekly. com or 650-223-6526 or Editor Jocelyn Dong at editor@paweekly.com.

Check out Town Square!

Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly at PaloAltoOnline.com/square. Post your own comments, ask questions or just stay up on what people are talking about around town!

Guest Opinion

Go ahead — talk to strangers

by Yvonne Boxerman

I

love to talk to st r a ngers when I can. Having been born in Ireland, a country where ever yone ha s something to say about everything, it’s easy for me to see how engaging with all kinds of people is a rewarding way to live. If one sounds fairly sane, I find people will respond and even want to prolong most discussions. It’s as if some of us, especially those already in the grandparent generation, are starved for normal friendly conversations with people we don’t know.

Lately, though, it’s becoming much more difficult to talk to people when we’re out and about. Either everyone is in a rush or more likely they’re otherwise engaged — engaged with their handheld device that allows only the user and whomever he or she is communicating with to talk to each other. Haven’t we all seen groups at a restaurant having dinner, each in his or her own world? Heads down and thumbs flying, each is holding a device, finding what they’re reading or texting to be so much more interesting than the group they are sitting with. And that seems to be true whether it’s a family or a group of coworkers. It’s even becoming common that we have to interrupt sales people, drag them away from the conversation literally “at hand” so we can

try to engage them in a discussion about something we’d like to buy!

The conversations my husband and I have had, especially when traveling, which is an optimal time to meet new people, have been truly memorable. Over the years we’ve had discussions about topics ranging from Brexit to our political situation, to what we’ve just seen in that city or in that national park. Giving and receiving tips makes for a wonderful connection with people, especially when away from home.

Not too long ago while we were having dinner in a hotel, we noticed the young woman at the next table was all alone.

Turned out she had a couple of days off from her job working on an international cruise ship. After we talked for a while across the two tables she was more than happy to join us for the rest of the meal, and share some of her fascinating experiences traveling the world.

And while international connections are wonderful, one doesn’t necessarily get the same sense of community building that a local conversation can engender. Recently I had already reached the cashier in a local grocery store when I realized I’d forgotten an item.

“No problem,” said the helpful fellow.

“I’ll call someone and he’ll bring it to us”.

Just a few minutes later a clerk brought the item up to the checkout counter.

“You’re a scholar and a gentleman,” commented the cashier in thanks. I was really taken aback because I hadn’t heard

that phrase since my father passed away some years ago.

I turned to the person behind me and asked her if she’d ever heard that expression.

“Sounds pretty sexist, don’t you think?” she asked. To which the fellow behind her said, “Nah. I like it. Does anyone know where it comes from?”

He, of course, whipped out his phone to ask Google. And though I was already checked out, we prolonged the conversation while he shared with those of us listening what Google had to say.

For many years I liked to take a daily walk along the Bol Park shared pathway.

More often than not the same woman would pass me going the opposite direction. We would always say hello to each other but never really stopped to talk.

One day, after probably a year of greeting each other this way, I happened to see her up ahead of me, this time on my side going the same direction. I hurriedly caught up with her and introduced myself and she did the same.

By the time we had reached Gunn High School, she going one way and me another, we had talked about books and literature, our families and so much more. At that time I was in the process of starting a new book group and invited her to come to the initial planning meeting. Now four years later our group is still going strong and she is a loved and cherished member!

So how does one strike up a conversation with a stranger? It goes without

saying that one has to be mindful of not being too intrusive into someone else’s life. When there is reticence then that’s the time to hold back on questions and comments.

It would not be uncommon, though, when in the checkout line at the grocery store, to turn to the person behind and ask “Why do I always manage to pick the slowest line?” Or perhaps when in a long line to buy tickets for a sporting event or concert we might start a friendly conversation about the playoffs coming up, or when we heard that particular group perform last.

I find that it works best to start a conversation with a stranger to say something they can agree with like “I can’t remember when the weather was this beautiful in November” or “Aren’t those leaves absolutely magnificent?” You will be able to tell in their response whether this is the start to a friendly conversation or the end of one as they are not interested in engaging!

I learned a lot from my parents who just loved to talk to everyone, even those not so easily classified as being either scholars or gentlemen! I hope that more of us, especially in these times of increasingly less-civil discourse, will be inspired to reach out of our comfort zone and engage a stranger in a friendly conversation. Q Yvonne Boxerman, a longtime Palo Alto resident, recently retired from a career in human resources and administration. She can be reached at boxy946@yahoo.com.

Streetwise

What do you think about food delivery services?

Asked on Town & Country Village in Palo Alto. Question, interviews and photographs by Jonathan Guillen.

Dennis Hong

Francisco Reye

Nitin Rao

Ashley Canak

Meera Agarwal

Dry Cleaners Associate Greendale, Emerald Hills

Student Tasso Street, Palo Alto

Student Pitman Avenue, Palo Alto

Gott’s Roadside Worker Rosemary Street, Menlo Park

Student Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

“I don’t really use those services because I usually cook at home.”

“I usually order food about once a week on the weekends so that I don’t have to go there in person.”

“I use it once every one or two weeks through the JoyRun app.”

“I cook at home, so there is no need for me to use those.”

“I use it to get food often, and (it’s) useful for when I’m with friends by delivering it to us.”

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 15

Page 16 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

LOOKING CLOSURE FOR

Rendering by Aecom, courtesy city of Palo Alto

Cover Story

Residents by the train tracks clash over Palo Alto’s plans for Churchill Avenue

BY GENNADY SHEYNER | PHOTOS BY SAMMY DALLAL

F

or Monica Tan Brown and her neighbors on Churchill Avenue, the summer of 2018 was a season of high anxiety.

The city of Palo Alto was in the midst of narrowing down its options for reconfiguring the Churchill rail crossing, and under some of the alternatives, dozens of residents would lose their homes — Brown included.

Living just east of the train tracks, many of the neighbors first learned about the threat in 2017. A study by the city’s consulting firm, Aecom, indicated that two of the more ambitious options for separating the road from the tracks — a “hybrid” design that combined an elevated railway and lowered roads and a “reverse hybrid” that would raise the road and lower the tracks — would require the seizure of dozens of properties.

To prevent this outcome, Brown

and her neighbors in the North Old Palo Alto area spearheaded a petition in early 2018 strongly opposing alternatives that would require the lowering of roads, raising of the rail tracks and seizure of homes.

‘I have skin in the game. I would lose my house.’

—Monica Tan Brown, resident, Old Palo Alto neighborhood The petition garnered more than 450 signatures from residents in and around Old Palo Alto by late May 2018. It stated that raising the railway would make the trains more visible from the neighborhoods and invade residents’ privacy. It would also cause “increased risks for those living along the

tracks in the event of derailment and an increase in noise,” the petition stated.

In June 2018, just after then-Assistant City Manager Ed Shikada confirmed that just about every major engineering option would require some property acquisitions, dozens of residents appealed directly to the City Council, which by that time had winnowed down options for the city’s four rail/road intersections from 35 to about 10.

Along with her neighbors, Brown pressed the council in June 2018 to eliminate trenches, viaducts and “hybrid” options for Churchill, calling them an “existential threat” looming over her and other residents’ heads.

“There are people here who talk about slowing down the process, who have no skin in the game,” Brown told the council. “I have skin in the game. I would lose my house, which would have a huge

At top: If the city were to close Churchill Avenue to cars at the rail crossing, a pedestrian/bicycle underpass would be added. Above: Churchill Avenue resident Jason Matlof talks about his desire for the city to close the rail crossing to cars rather than reconfigure the intersection to accommodate more trains — and in the process seize dozens of homes. detrimental impact on my family.”

Brown and neighbors Jason Matlof and David Shen, who helped lead the petition effort, pushed for the closure of Churchill to cars, saying it was the most costeffective of the remaining options for the grade crossing and one that would make the intersection safer.

The desire to improve safety at

Churchill is a key consideration of the grade-separation project. The Churchill rail crossing is deemed the 15th most dangerous in the state by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the city’s rail consultant, Etty Mercurio, said at a community meeting earlier this (continued on page 18)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 17

Cover Story

Churchill (continued from page 17)

month. Two other city rail crossings, at Charleston Road and East Meadow Drive, are Nos. 4 and 5 on the FRA list, Mercurio said.

“We really want to increase public safety for both vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians,” Mercurio said. “When we eliminate the conflict between pedestrians, bicyclists and motor vehicles with railroads we can increase safety and enhance traffic mobility and circulation as well.”

The fact that Churchill is hazardous and chaotic is well-known to residents. Just last Friday evening, a train struck an unoccupied vehicle that had stopped on the tracks. (While no one was hurt, Caltrain passengers faced train delays of up to 90 minutes.) During afternoons, the street is filled with drivers who take Churchill to avoid the congestion on Embarcadero Road, and they wait at the crossing along with hundreds of school children heading home from Palo Alto High School.

Eduardo Llach, who lives on the 100 block of Churchill in Old Palo Alto, cites the danger on the street as the main reason why he strongly supports closing Churchill.

“We’ve lost two cats to Churchill — literally killed in front of our eyes when cars rolled over them,” Llach said. “We have dogs now, and I’m constantly working with them to make sure they don’t even think about crossing.”

Llach said his four children have to dodge cars when they try to cross the street. As one neighbor was trying to leave her house, her car was smashed by a vehicle speeding down the street to beat the red light, he said.

Even if closing the street means eliminating an important eastwest route, the inconvenience would be a small price to pay for

improved safety, he said. Furthermore, the city’s concept for closing Churchill calls for building a bike and pedestrian underpass at the tracks, an amenity that Llach and others lauded.

“Our perspective is that if we were to close Churchill, the whole neighborhood from Old Palo Alto all the way through Southgate (on the west side of the tracks) would have a sense of a place where you can walk and bicycle and move around as a traditional neighborhood, without a highway going in between them,” Llach said.

The neighbors’ lobbying of the council to eliminate the two “hybrid” options from consideration in June 2018 was successful.

Many in north Old Palo Alto and Southgate drew a collective sigh of relief.

The respite, however, didn’t last.

This past April, in an effort to ensure broad public support for the ultimate rail redesigns, the council passed a motion that allowed the city’s newly established Community Working Group to consider additional alternatives for the grade crossings, including a potential viaduct at Churchill and new road configurations for Embarcadero. On May 13, city staff returned to the council with a list of options that included a 20-foot tall viaduct that would start rising near Homer Avenue, remain elevated over Churchill, and then dip back to ground level near the California Avenue station.

Though the council didn’t spend much time discussing Churchill, by the end of the meeting, the viaduct was officially on the table.

Suddenly, the battle over Churchill sparked anew. This time, it has set off a political storm, pitting neighborhoods against each other and launching a fresh round of petitions and counter-petitions. Each side claims that its preferred option would improve traffic flow. Each has accused the other of placing hyper-local interests over those of

Churchill Avenue residents Eduardo and Terri Llach stand with one of their dogs, whom they have trained not to go onto the busy road after their two cats died in hit-andrun incidents.

Churchill connects to El Camino Real and is used

by Palo Alto High School students. the city at large.

About the only thing they agree on is that whatever decision the council makes at this crossing will fundamentally change how people get around in north Palo Alto.

Neighborhoods divided

N

o neighborhood is as split over what to do about Churchill as Southgate, a set of homes sandwiched between El Camino on the west and the railroad tracks on the east. For many in Southgate, Churchill represents the main route to and from their homes.

On one side is Steven Carlson, who has no problem with the city exploring ambitious options, including a viaduct. Carlson submitted a letter to the council arguing that the viaduct, which would not require properties to be seized, “helps preserve east-west connectivity, addresses the serious traffic issues that will likely arise as a result of closing Churchill, and preserves more of the city’s options going forward.

Carlson also called for reopening discussion of some of the

options that had previously been discarded, even those that may require the use of eminent domain.

“For example, no one likes to consider property takings, but should it be completely off the table? If we don’t dismiss it, what becomes possible and how do we value the positive effects of those possibilities?” he wrote.

Last year, Carlson informally surveyed residents at a neighborhood block party about the proposed closure of Churchill. He said he was struck by the diversity of opinions he encountered.

While many, particularly those who live closer to the tracks, supported closing Churchill, most also said they would like to consider other alternatives, he said.

This summer, he and a few other residents went door-to-door to do a more extensive survey, which posed four questions: Are you aware of the possible plan to permanently close Churchill? Are you in favor of (or resigned to) this option? Would you encourage the city to continue exploring alternatives? Would you be interested in hearing about new developments?

The results, which Carlson subsequently shared with the

city, indicated that of the 127 people who took the survey, just 24% favored closing the street, while 60% were opposed and 16% were unsure. And 85% said they favored the exploration of alternatives.

The survey also noted that residents who live closest to Alma Street and the tracks are more likely to support closure, with “most of the rest of the neighborhood tending to be against.”

On the other side of the issue from Carlson is Inyoung Cho, who lives on Mariposa Avenue.

She is firmly against the viaduct, and from her backyard, it is easy to see why. A rendering by Aecom of the viaduct shows the 20-foottall elevated structure running directly above a resident’s backyard fence. In the real world, that’s Cho’s fence.

Cho is a member of the Expanded Community Advisory Panel, a 13-member advisory group of residents that is helping the council choose preferred alternatives for the four rail crossings. She said she has always been skeptical about the prospect of building a viaduct so close to residents’ homes. “Even if I didn’t live here,

The challenge of Churchill Proposed Road Reconfigurations

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Churchill Railroad Crossing SOUTHGATE Kristin Brown

Steve Carlson, a resident of the Southgate neighborhood, would like the city to consider more options for redesigning the Churchill Avenue rail crossing than simply closing the road to through traffic or building a viaduct.

Page 18 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

The challenge of closing Churchill Avenue to cars would be an increase in traffic on Oregon Expressway and Embarcadero Road, consultants predict.

Cover Story between Palo Alto High and Town and Country Village.

Other proposed improvements to accommodate additional traffic include optimizing signal timing at El Camino and Embarcadero and installing signals on all the ramps at the Alma and Oregon Expressway interchange.

The plan for Oregon Expressway calls for installing a right turn lane from westbound Oregon onto El Camino and a right turn lane from southbound El Camino onto Oregon.

“With those improvements, we would be able to accommodate those cars that are not using Churchill and instead would use Embarcadero and Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road,” Gary Black, a consultant for Hexagon, said.

Black said about 400 cars use Churchill in each direction during both morning and afternoon peak hours. With Churchill closed, about half would go to Embarcadero; the other half to Oregon. The preliminary traffic analysis, which was shown at the Nov. 7 meeting but which has yet to be fully vetted by the city, indicates that the impact on “level of service” — a measure of delays at roadways and intersection — on Embarcadero and Oregon would be “less than significant.”

Tom Kellerman said the proposed reconfiguration of Embarcadero and Alma is a “big step” but needs far more study.

“We’ve got to spend some time fleshing out that idea. What would that look like? What would be the projected traffic impact and would that particular conceptual reconfiguration be considered?”

Weekly file photo

Inyoung Cho, a resident of the Southgate neighborhood, stands at the Churchill Avenue rail crossing, which she would like to see closed. She opposes the option of a viaduct, which would be built right outside of and above her backyard fence. half will go south to Oregon.”

Traffic jams on both roads, he predicted, will be disastrous during the morning and afternoon commute hours.

A focus on Embarcadero

F

or Barbara Hazlett and Rachel Kellerman, the potential increase of traffic on Embarcadero hits particularly close to home. The two Professorville residents live on separate blocks of Emerson, just north of Embarcadero and just east of the tracks. Because Embarcadero crosses below the Caltrain tracks in an underpass, drivers on Alma Street have to use what Hazlett calls an “ugly and informal cloverleaf” to get to westbound Embarcadero. That route consists of driving for several blocks on residential Lincoln Avenue and Emerson Street.

One morning in late September, Hazlett and Kellerman did a count of traffic that passed through the intersection of Embarcadero, Kingsley Street and Emerson. Between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m., they counted 102 cars. Of those, 40% failed to stop at the stop sign near the crosswalk and 10 cars sped through without even slowing down, Kellerman told the Expanded Community Advisory Panel at the Sept. 26 meeting.

During that hour, they witnessed four “near misses” involving cars, bikes and pedestrians. It was only the quick actions of pedestrians and bicyclists involved that prevented the accidents, Kellerman said.

“Closing rail crossings without meaningful, thoughtful mitigation would only make this perilous situation even worse,” she said.

Hazlett told the Weekly she remains skeptical about the idea that the city can keep Embarcadero from getting more congested, once Churchill is closed. The intersection closure will push “hundreds, if not thousands more cars into neighborhoods other than North Old Palo Alto,” she said.

“I’m not a person who isn’t for change. I think the vibrancy of Palo Alto is terrific. But I don’t

think it’s fair that one neighborhood has to pay the price for the other neighborhood to get what it wants,” Hazlett said.

Tom Kellerman, Rachel’s husband, said the city’s plans for Churchill have engendered a diversity of opinions on his block.

But he and his wife are looking for confirmation that traffic won’t worsen.

‘I don’t want to be too critical of the city and the consultants, but there is a general concern that they may be understating the impact of closing a very, very busy road.’

—Steven Carlson, resident, Southgate neighborhood “A closure of Churchill with well-designed mitigation that spreads the traffic in ways that aren’t a burden on any one street or one specific neighborhood — if that’s possible, that would be interesting,” Tom Kellerman told the Weekly last week. “We haven’t seen that yet.”

To allay such concerns, the city’s traffic consultant, Hexagon, proposed at the Nov. 7 community meeting how the interchange at Alma and Embarcadero could be reconfigured so that vehicles would no longer need to use the “informal cloverleaf” of residential streets. Alma would be widened at the Embarcadero underpass, and there would be a left-turn lane on southbound Alma for cars to access Embarcadero via Kingsley. These cars would approach a new traffic light at Kingsley and Embarcadero, which will allow them to go either east on west on Embarcadero. For cars heading east on Embarcadero and wishing to get onto Alma, a right-turn lane would be added that would connect to Kingsley.

The plan also includes constructing a pedestrian and bike overpass across Embarcadero

The next juncture

T

he tensions between — and within — the neighborhoods around Churchill Avenue are expected to intensify in the coming months, as Palo Alto expands its outreach effort and gets closer to its goal of reaching a decision next spring.

The city’s newly launched effort to engage residents in the

rail decision-making will include additional Town Hall meetings, email blasts and public hearings in front of XCAP, the council’s Rail Committee and the council.

The outreach notwithstanding, some people, like Carlson and Newman, are calling for additional time and design options.

Last month, they proposed a concept developed by a Southgate resident, Mike Price, that would create a shallow underpass for cars on Churchill. The design, they say, would achieve the main goals of grade separation while obviating the need for property seizures.

Carlson would also like to see the membership of the XCAP expanded to include people who represent the views of Southgate and Professorville. If the group is not expanded, Carlson told the Weekly, the committee’s ultimate recommendation “may not be sufficiently supported by the larger community, which could put the council in a challenging position.”

But Matlof hopes that the council, unlike in the past, remains on track with its deadline and can refrain from revisiting previously discarded options. In early 2018, the council had set a goal of selecting a preferred alternative by the end of that year. Having missed that target, it moved the goalpost to fall of 2019. Now, it’s eyeing next spring.

For Matlof, Brown and others in North Old Palo Alto, frustration grows every time the council resurrects, or considers resurrecting, design options that it had previously eliminated.

“We’re now adding more committees,” Matlof said. “We’re going back on things we said we weren’t going to do a year ago — a year and a half ago. We’re adding new options that weren’t on the table six months ago.”

Matlof also told the Weekly that once Caltrain increases its train traffic, the south Palo Alto crossings at Charleston and East Meadow will get “ridiculously gridlocked.” Given that the city is (continued on page 22)

Rendering by Aecom, courtesy city of Palo Alto

I think it’s ugly,” she said.

She and her Mariposa neighbor Rachel Croft both sharply criticized Carlson’s neighborhood survey, which didn’t explain why the city is considering closing Churchill; the impact on traffic of leaving Churchill open once trains start running more frequently; or the fact that the only alternative on the table is a viaduct. Given the lack of context, neither was surprised that so many people answered as they did.

“For me, it’s almost fake news,” Cho said, referring to the survey results.

While Cho is okay with leaving Churchill open (effectively, the “do nothing” option) and seeing what happens, Croft strongly supports closing Churchill and believes doing nothing is not an option. Both believe building a viaduct, which has an estimated price tag of $300 million to $400 million, would be a huge mistake.

It would send elevated trains past people’s homes and, by keeping the road open, do little to reduce the conflicts between cars and bicyclists.

“I’d rather the city take my home than leave me with a train literally on my roofline,” Croft said.

But Carlson and other opponents of Churchill’s closure argue that the option, while potentially improving safety in Old Palo Alto, would bring additional congestion to east-west roads like Embarcadero. It will also make getting out of Southgate more of a hassle.

Susan Newman, who lives on the west side of Southgate, takes Churchill multiple times per day and said closing the intersection would substantially change her life for the worse.

“One of the things I like about Southgate is that it’s centrally located, as long as the intersection remains open,” Newman told the Weekly. “When you close it, it’s no longer so centrally located.”

City staff and consultants have consistently maintained that the closure of Churchill would be complemented by road changes at Embarcadero to accommodate more vehicles. But Carlson and Newman aren’t completely buying it.

“I don’t want to be too critical of the city and the consultants, but there is a general concern that they may be understating the impact of closing a very, very busy road,” Carlson told the Weekly, adding that he questions whether the city’s assertion is based on sufficient data.

Rob Levitsky, who lives in Professorville, near Embarcadero Road, signed the Old Palo Alto petition last year but has since become a leading skeptic of the idea that closing Churchill to cars could be done without creating a traffic nightmare.

“We have no idea now to mitigate it,” Levitsky said at a September meeting of the Expanded Community Advisory Panel.

“The odds are, half (of the cars) will go north to Embarcadero and

If the Churchill Avenue rail crossing were closed to cars, the interchange of Embarcadero and Alma Street could be changed to accommodate more traffic: a new signal added at Embarcadero and Kingsley Avenue (above), Alma widened with a new left turn lane from southbound Alma onto Kingsley, and a bike/pedestrian overpass added along Embarcadero between Town & Country Village and Palo Alto High School. www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 19

Page 20 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 21

Cover Story

Churchill

WEIGH IN

PaloAltoOnline.com

(continued from page 19)

Join the discussion about the Churchill Avenue rail crossing on Town Square, the community discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline. com/square.

Rendering by Aecom, courtesy city of Palo Alto

preparing to pursue an ambitious engineering solution along this part of the corridor (any of which would cost hundreds of millions of dollars), it doesn’t make sense, he said, for the council to also spend more than $300 million on a viaduct around Churchill. (Closing Churchill and making associated traffic improvements would cost $50 million to $65 million, according to Aecom.)

The timing of the council’s decision may have major bearing on whether its goals can actually be achieved. The sooner Palo Alto comes up with a preferred alternative, the sooner it can pursue grant funding for design work and compete for funds from Measure B, a 2017 county tax measure that includes $700 million for grade separation in Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Both of those cities remain well ahead of Palo Alto in their decision-making process.

Then there’s the issue of traffic congestion created by the more frequent trains. As Caltrain moves ahead with the electrification of its system, the agency anticipates roughly tripling ridership from the 2017 level of 62,000 passengers to between 161,000 and 207,000 by 2040.

More trains, of course, mean more time that crossing gates will

A 20-foot-tall elevated structure for trains, known as a viaduct, has been proposed. It would start rising from ground level at Homer Avenue, pass over Churchill Avenue and return to ground level at the California Avenue train depot. be down and more traffic-light cycles that cars will have to wait through before they can cross the tracks at Churchill. Once electrification is complete, gates will be down about nine minutes per hour during peak commutes, or 15% of the time. During the morning commute, it would take between 10 and 12 minutes for cars heading north on Alma to turn left onto Churchill, according to Hexagon. A diagram of future conditions shows a queue of cars lining up for more than five blocks south of Churchill, past Seale Avenue. In the evening, cars going east on Churchill toward Alma would queue up all

Page 22 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

the way to El Camino Real.

Shen, a member of XCAP who lives on the 100 block of Churchill, alluded to this in a December 2018 email to the council, in which he expressed concerns about the overlap of time between when Caltrain starts increasing its train frequency and when the city finishes its rail corridor reconstruction.

“It will be a time of great pain and discomfort for Palo Alto, when roads are alternately open and closed and traffic snarls are the norm every day during rush hour, and we experience construction noise and disruption across the town,” Shen wrote. “Right

now, if we were to magically start today, that time of pain is approximately six to seven years from when Caltrain starts increase trains in 2021-22 to when we finish grade separation in 2028, 10 years from now. The more we delay decisions, the longer the length of time we experience this pain.”

Even that estimate is probably optimistic. At a Nov. 7 community meeting, Shikada told a crowd of about 150 at Mitchell Park Community that under the current timeline, the city won’t award a construction contract until 2026 and the projects wouldn’t be completed until 2032.

That, however, presumes that council members will make a decision next spring, allowing the city to launch the environmental analysis in fall 2020. Matlof and his neighbors hope that will be the case.

“The trains are coming,” Matlof told the Weekly. “There’s nothing stopping the trains. We’ve got to make a decision, and there’s no way to choose a solution that some people aren’t unhappy with.”

He also hopes that in weighing the different opinions on

Churchill, the council will appropriately weigh the concerns of residents in his area, who he says have been experiencing “major anxieties,” not knowing whether they will lose their homes.

Brown agreed. After successfully fending off the “hybrid” and “reverse hybrid” proposals in June 2018, she temporarily stopped following the twists and turns of the council’s selection process. Then this summer she was disturbed to hear a contingent of residents in an adjacent neighborhood successfully lobby for the viaduct.

She now feels like she can’t relax.

“Who is to say that if I’m not involved in this through the Christmas season, an underpass won’t be back on the table? Something that I lobbied for so hard last year is all of a sudden back on the table because I’m not standing my ground?”

“I can’t keep my eye off of it.

If I take my pedal off the gas, it feels like something shows up that I’m unaware of,” Brown told the Weekly. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

About the cover: Pedestrians and bicyclists on Nov. 20 cross the busy Churchill Avenue intersection, where cars wait on Alma Street to turn west to get to El Camino Real and Palo Alto High School students cross en masse to get to class. Photo by Sammy Dallal.

Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, culture, books and more, edited by Karla Kane

JCC to host the clever canines of ‘Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience’

by Karla Kane “She’s got a really touching stohen Chris Perondi met the dog now named ry; that’s the story of a lot of resCrazy Confetti at the cue dogs,” Perondi said of Crazy Yolo County Animal Shelter in Confetti. He, along with his Stunt Woodland, California, he was Dog Productions team, has made told that while her litter of pup- it his mission to champion shelter pies had easily found homes, the dogs as well as entertain audiences high-strung mama mutt had been with a variety of impressive tricks, returned to the pound several times acrobatics and feats of intelligence already. The future wasn’t looking and agility from a cast of more than too bright for the little-but-feisty a dozen dogs per show. In any given show, there might be dogs jumping terrier mix.

Perondi had been looking for a rope, dancing, juggling or competbigger dog but a shelter employee ing in a triathlon.

What’s now a career began as a pleaded with him to give the “little spitfire” a chance. It was love at hobby, when, back in 1996, Perondi adopted a dog he taught to catch first sight.

“I took her immediately. She’s a Frisbee disc. They proved to be so playful; she just needed to be a good team and began entering taught some manners,” Perondi competitions, with Perondi evensaid. “She was a little bit of a hand- tually starting a local club. The loful. She tried to show all the other cal media took note and Perondi, dogs she’s the boss, but we started who soon added more rescue dogs to his pack, began getting calls learning how to fix it.”

Crazy Confetti is now a skate- from schools, festivals and venues board-riding canine star, one of eager to book the act. In 1999, he the most popular pups in Peron- got his business license and now, di’s show, “Chris Perondi’s Stunt 20 years on, Stunt Dog ProducDog Experience,” which will be tions is going strong, making apcoming to Palo Alto for two per- pearances at high-profile events, formances at the Oshman Family including the Rose Bowl and on major television shows.

JCC on Nov. 23.

Courtesy Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience

W

Rescue dogs and their trainers demonstrate amazing feats at the Oshman Family JCC on Nov. 23.

What makes a good stunt dog?

Perondi said they should be playful, toy-driven, motivated by treats and not too easily distracted. He’s worked with a variety of professional trainers to use positive reinforcement and said his dogs all seem to enjoy performing.

“They each have their own talents. They’re just playing. We encourage people to have fun and play with their pets as well,” he said.

Art adviser opens contemporary gallery in a historic Palo Alto site

by Sheryl Nonnenberg

Courtesy PWG

T

here is a vital art scene in downtown Palo Alto, with organizations such as the Pacific Art League, Pace Gallery and The Bryant Street Gallery, all within blocks of each other. Now there is an addition to the cultural landscape, the Pamela Walsh Gallery, located in a historic Birge Clark building on Ramona Street.

The gallery had a formal opening on Nov. 16 with a group show of six artists but its genesis began years ago when Pamela Walsh decided to put down her paintbrush and become an art adviser.

Born in Massachusetts, Walsh attended Indiana University. She was a painting major but quickly discovered that the solitary, isolated lifestyle of the typical artist was not her cup of tea.

“I liked organizing modeling sessions and arranging exhibitions of my friends’ work. I liked being in the studio with other people,” she said.

After graduating, she made her way to California with little work experience and no connections.

“My first job was selling copiers in San Francisco,” she said with a smile. As her boss told her,

“if you can sell these, you can sell art.” After just one year she felt she had the confidence to approach an art gallery for a job.

“I practiPamela Walsh cally begged the owner of Franklin Bowles Gallery for a job and he took a chance on me.” Fast forward 20 years, and Walsh was still with the gallery, moving up the ranks to director and overseeing multiple galleries and a staff of two dozen people. When the owner of the gallery decided to retire, Walsh seized the moment to leave (“the hardest thing I have ever done”) in order to become an independent art adviser.

She worked from her home for two years, while looking for a brickand-mortar space to further grow her business. After a year-long search, a perfect space in a charming Spanish Colonial Style building became available and Walsh made her move.

Walsh, who exudes enthusiasm when talking about her new

gallery, always knew that Palo Alto was the perfect venue for what she wants to do.

“Palo Alto is a little bit of a vortex, an energy vortex,” she said.

“There is a great innovative spirit here.” Her new space, formerly a clothing store, is large, airy and has fantastic natural light.

“I love the fact that Birge Clark designed the whole block and that it has such historic appeal,” she said.

But in an age when art can be purchased over the internet, why take the risk of setting up a new business in a city with sky-high rents?

“I am deeply passionate about what I do,” Walsh said. Noting that she did not get into this business “to get rich quick,” she went on to explain her belief in the fundamental need for art. “I have seen people transformed by art. And it’s so great for an artist to be ‘gotten.’”

And as for the argument that art is now available online, Walsh counters by saying, “There is nothing on your screen that can explain how you feel when you stand in front of a painting.” She points to the large-scale work of Australian artist Craig Waddell. These

The highlight of each performance is the “Golden Bone Showdown,” in which members of two teams compete in a series of individual challenges to win the coveted “Golden Bone.” Audiences have a chance of participating and meeting the show’s mascot, Diggy.

Another of Perondi’s favorite performers, Flashy Ferrari, is semiretired at age 13 (Perondi’s parents are credited with caring for their retired dogs while Perondi, his life-sized botanical paintings are studies in texture, with thick impasto applied to canvas, creating a visual symphony of floral forms.

Another example is Spanish artist Raul De La Torre, who adds delicate embroidery to the surface of his abstract paintings. Such detail cannot be discerned by looking at a digitized picture. Walsh feels that the “pendulum is moving and people have learned that life is very rich when we move away from our screens and experience things.”

In addition to the contemporary artists and sculptors that she will be showing, Walsh has entered into an agreement with the estate of Bay Area figurative artist Nathan Oliveira. She is showing several of his watercolor pieces and plans, in the future, to hold a show of his rarely-seen sculpture.

“Sculpture is often something people come to later in their collecting journey,” she noted. Her inaugural show, titled “Grand: The Significance of Scale,” includes the bronze and stainless steel sculpture of San Francisco artist Matt Gil. “Gil is doing a large-scale commission for a private company on Webster Street so it seemed quite natural to introduce his work to Palo Alto.”

Other artists featured in the first exhibition include Marna Shopoff, whose brightly colored geometric

wife, Suhey, and son, Anthony, are on the road).

“This will probably be her last big hurrah” on tour, Perondi said.

Still, the energetic border collie/ Australian cattle dog mix, whom Perondi rescued from the streets of Kansas City, wows crowds with her “big-air” catches and high jumping skills.

Each dog has a special place in Perondi’s heart. Ferrari resembles his first “big star,” a beloved Australian cattle dog named Pepper, who helped him through a hard time in his personal life.

“It sucks that they get old. It sucks that they don’t live longer,” he said. “I’ve lost 13 and it never gets easier, but what helps me get through it is that their legacy lives on and that the next dog will have an opportunity. If their lives were longer, then maybe we’d never give another one a chance.” Q Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane can be emailed at kkane@paweekly.com.

What: “Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience.”

Where: Schultz Cultural Arts Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto.

When: Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 and 6 p.m.

Cost: $35/kids, $45/adults.

Info: paloaltojcc.org.

abstractions explore the ideas of perception, place identity and visual memory. In contrast, the black-and-white portraits of Armenian artist Tigran Tsitoghdzyan are notable for their hyper-realism.

Walsh anticipates that she will have a combination of both solo shows of contemporary artists and group exhibitions.

“People who love art and appreciate art have to keep pushing it forward.”

Fully aware that the easier course of action might have been to continue to advise and sell art from her home, Walsh commented that “you don’t build community if you don’t have a space.” She knows opening a gallery is a risky business venture but also an opportunity to fully explore her passion for bringing art and people together.

“In a community like Palo Alto, where there are educated and creative people, what I want to tell them is that they need art. I am sure of it.” Q Freelance writer Sheryl Nonnenberg can be emailed at nonnenberg@aol.com.

What: Pamela Walsh Gallery.

Where: 540 Ramona St., Palo Alto.

When: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cost: Free.

Info: pamelawalshgallery.com.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 23

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QUALITY BRINGS YOU IN, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE BRINGS YOU BACK! 707 Santa22,Cruz Avenue, Menlo Park | (650) 327-6608 | www.theorientalcarpet.com Page 24 • November 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

by Kate Bradshow Photos by Sammy Dallal

Lin Howery runs a French-style gourmet jam business called J’aime Confiture from her Menlo Park home. J’aime Confiture’s jam flavors include tomato, fig, chocolate-raspberry, kiwi-lemon and strawberry.

hen Lin Howery was growing would reward their students with jam, the up, her family never bought jam — candy of the day, to which the kids would they always made it, she said. Now, the say, “j’aime.”

With a cottage food operations permit, Menlo Park resident is hoping you’ll buy Howery uses her home kitchen for all of her hers.

Owner of the gourmet jam business J’aime preserving work.

“It’s a little challenging to have a business Confiture, the Sharon Heights resident said she could never find the right jam in the at home,” she admitted, adding, “At the moment it’s worked for me. ... managing my time market.

“It was always too sweet,” she said. “I pre- like this is best in my situation (as a mother).”

Her kids’ favorite flavor? Strawberry. fer that my kids get something healthier.”

“You can see the actual fruit in it,” she said.

The hobby turned into a business idea three Contrary to what some believe, Howery years ago as Howery began giving out a tomato jam she makes to her friends. It wasn’t said, jam is much more versatile than just besomething that could be found easily outside ing one of the two critical fillings of a PB&J sandwich. For instance, of gourmet food shops, she uses her savory tomato and a few friends recomjam as a salad dressing or mended that she make In French, “j’aime condiment with steak or some to sell, she said. cold cuts.

So in 2016, she and a confiture” means She’s developed uncomfriend approached the “I love jam.” The mon jam flavors, such as Filoli Historic House and Garden in Woodside about word “jam” itself has kiwi lemon or cedrat (a the possibility of selling an apocryphal French citrus), asking friends for recommendations and jam at its holiday garden hosting tasting events with show. Filoli offered to sell etymology story. samples to have them test her wares even sooner at one of its fall events, so they sprang to work her creations before they make their way to creating a business and working with the San market.

Beyond the French business name, she inMateo County health department to meet all corporates French jam-making techniques, the requirements to do so.

In less than an hour at the fall Filoli event, prioritizing high-quality fruits and skipping Howery said, the 60 jars she’d brought had ingredients like pectin and preservatives.

They’re not overcooked, so they retain their sold out.

“We thought, ‘OK, we have a business body and color.

“There’s no cheating. It’s pure fruit and then,’” she said.

Later on, a friend put in an order for cor- sugar,” said her husband, Raf Howery.

Howery said she doesn’t skimp on preporate gifts, which expanded the business sentation in packing her jams either, focusfurther, she added.

This year, she’s expanding with events and ing on elegant packaging. She generally ofplacement in shops such as the Filoli gift shop fers 6-ounce jars topped with a trinket for and a couple of boutiques in San Francisco, between $18 and $25 each, as well as boxed she said. She recently got a permit to sell the sets.

The most popular jam is the chocolate jams in stores and is hoping to have them raspberry flavor, followed by strawberry. She available by the holiday season.

The business name, she explained, incor- also tends to sell out of the persimmon orange porates some clever wordplay. In French, flavor quickly.

More information about J’aime Confiture “j’aime confiture” means “I love jam.” The word “jam” itself has an apocryphal French is available at jaimeconfiture.com. Q etymology story. As Howery tells it, during Almanac News staff writer Kate the 13th century, the French brought jam to Bradshaw can be emailed at kbradshaw@ England. In the royal court, French teachers almanacnews.com. www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 25

Kick off the holidays with this gorgeous production, featuring world-class singing and a rich score!

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Eating Out

ShopTalk

Local food & retail happenings

BELOVED PHARMACY CLOSES ...

Maximart Pharmacy, one of the few remaining independent pharmacies in Palo Alto, closed its doors at 240 Cambridge Ave. on Wednesday after serving the city’s residents for more than four decades.

According to a store clerk, owner Ben Kwong is retiring. On Monday, patrons — many of whom have frequented Maximart for decades — were blindsided by the news as they came to the register to pick up their prescriptions and Kwong informed them matter-of-factly that the neighborhood pharmacy was closing. Many longtime customers said they were loyal to Maximart because of Kwong’s personalized service and dedication to the job. He greeted customers on a first-name basis, and, in some cases, specialordered prescriptions and delivered them for those who were no longer in town.” He and (Maximart) have been a real anchor for the community,” said Seth Knoepler, who runs a counseling and psychotherapy office on Cambridge Avenue. “In the two decades that I’ve been a patron, I’ve come to think of the place as a little like a neighborhood bar for people who don’t drink.” Maximart Pharmacy first opened its doors in 1970 at

the current site of Fry’s Electronics before moving to Cambridge Avenue in 1988. — L.L. A NEW SAMSUNG EXPERIENCE ...

Samsung announced on Wednesday that it plans to open its newest Samsung Experience Store in the old Nike Store at Stanford Shopping Center on Dec. 12, giving shoppers the opportunity to try out Samsung’s latest smartphones, tablets, wearables and other products first hand. This will be the second Samsung store to open in California and only the fourth in the country.

The company opened its first stores in Los Angeles, Houston and Long Island last February. According to a company press release, the Palo Alto store will be the first in its chain to provide small-business owners the opportunity to work with a business-solutions representative for questions, requests and support set up. The store also will offer a dedicated space to educate customers about 5G, as the networks continue to expand. — L.T. DOWNTOWN MARKET GOES YEARROUND ... Starting next month, the Downtown Palo Alto Farmers Market will begin operating yearround. The market’s all-volunteer

board of directors decided in June to expand the market’s operations after running it as a seasonal market for four decades. Board President Bob McDiarmid told the Weekly this summer that the they made the change for a host of reasons, including increasing market competition and a need to remain financially stable, according to Now, there are year-round farmers markets in nearly every surrounding city — markets that customers would move to when the downtown Palo Alto market closed every December. In a survey of vendors and customers last year, they found that they were losing about a quarter of those customers who wouldn’t return when the Saturday-morning market reopened in May, McDiarmid said. The market now will close for just two weeks around Christmas but otherwise stay open year-round.

They planned to bring in more local prepared foods, offer cooking demos and other events. The Downtown Palo Alto Farmers Market is located on Gilman Street between Hamilton and Forest avenues. It’s open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon. — E.K. Compiled by the Weekly staff; this week written by Elena Kadvany, Lloyd Lee and Linda Taaffe. Got leads on interesting and newsworthy retail developments? The Weekly will check them out. Email shoptalk@paweekly.com.

HELL’S FURY: THE HOLLYWOOD SONGBOOK Dec 6 & 7 | Bing Concert Hall ★★★★ “...nothing short of brillant.”

—The Star

Hell’s Fury examines the life of composer Hanns Eisler, known for his Oscar-nominated film scores and for composing the national anthem of East Germany. During World War II, Eisler fled Nazi Germany to the US, only to become blacklisted by Hollywood studio execs for his communist beliefs.On Dec 6 & 7, baritone Russell Braun and pianist Serouj Kradjian perfom a stunning program of Eisler’s work at Bing Concert Hall.

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Page 26 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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21 Bridges (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (PG) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Elsa and the rest of the “Frozen” characters set out to find the origin of her powers in “Frozen II.”

The ice queen returneth ‘Frozen II’ won’t let it go 000 (Century 16 & 20, Icon) OPENINGS Disney’s princess culture took a palpable hit from 2013’s “Frozen,” Disney’s 53rd animated feature.

Speaking of hits, “Frozen” was a certified one at the box office, bringing in over $1.2 billion worldwide for its revisionist take on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” As sure as there are shareholders, then, “Frozen II” was inevitable, and its day has come.

“Come, my darling, homeward bound. When all is lost, then all is found,” sings Queen Aduna (Evan Rachel Wood) in one of the film’s seven new songs (again by the twotime Oscar-winning team of Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez). While nodding at a return to the world of “Frozen” six years later, “All is Lost” sets up the mysterious history behind this sequel’s plot: “A very old and enchanted forest” lies somewhere out there, “a place of transformation.” From this hidden world, a voice that only Elsa (Idina Menzel) can hear wafts into Arendelle, eventually prompting Elsa, her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell), Anna’s boyfriend, Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), Kristoff’s reindeer, Sven, and sentient snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) on a risky mission to find answers and, hopefully, protect Arendelle. In the process, they stumble upon the origin of Elsa’s wintry superpowers.

“Frozen II” touches on environmental themes and, even more so, indigenous rights as our heroes turn up the past of a hidden culture and Arendelle’s own colonialist past.

REVIEWS The Good Liar00 The new thriller “The Good Liar,” would be all well and good if it had a well-crafted plot with fascinating characters and surprising twists. Instead, it has Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen, and for those of us who’d watch them read the phone book, “The Good Liar” comes uncomfortably close. The first signal that we’re in for shenanigans comes from the setting: 2009 London.

Condon gets off to an amusing start as Roy Courtnay (McKellen) and Betty McLeish (Mirren) white-lie to each other on a dating website, followed by an ostensibly charming first date that cashes in on the film’s star power. We’re immediately privy to Roy’s true nature as a con artist. Rated R for some strong violence, and for language and brief nudity. One hour, 49 minutes. — P.C.

In most respects, “Frozen II” has a more considered and less piecemeal plot than its predecessor. But if “Frozen” didn’t always make story sense or character sense, it felt right to audiences, and the makers of “Frozen II” chase that feeling by putting an emphasis on broadly drawn characters and animated dazzle. These come together most prominently for the number “Into the Unknown,” sung by Menzel and the clear power-ballad inheritor of Oscar-winning Best Song “Let it Go.” Add plenty of goofy gag comedy that goes into overdrive whenever Olaf is around, and “Frozen II” amounts to a crowdpleasing sequel that knows not to mess with a winning formula.

Bell gets a weepy musical soliloquy in “The Next Best Thing,” while Groff this time gets to better demonstrate his musical-theater chops with, of all things, an ‘80s-style rock ballad, “Lost in the Woods.” The way the characters talk out their thoughts in song remains pretty clunky (albeit with kid-friendly lyrical simplicity), but this cast can sing, and the orchestra swells accommodatingly. By embracing the environmental harmony of air, water, fire, earth and a fifth spirit to be named later — as well as pointedly setting up its own Turkey Day-teasing Truth & Reconciliation Commission about a proud nation’s not-so-proud past — “Frozen II” arrives just in time for Thanksgiving as an entertainment parents and kids can be thankful for.

Rated PG for action/peril and some thematic elements. One hour, 43 minutes.

— Peter Canavese ‘Doctor Sleep’000 Memories, like ghosts, have a way of haunting people with their psychic energy. It’s a notion that powers Stephen King’s 2013 novel “Doctor Sleep,” a story of reckoning with the long-ago trauma depicted in his 1977 novel “The Shining.” Cinematic memories can be almost as indelible as real experiences, which brings us to the film “Doctor Sleep,” adapted, directed and edited by Mike Flanagan as not only a film of the sequel novel but a sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 film of “The Shining.” Flanagan tries and largely succeeds at reconciling the work of King and Kubrick for a continuation that makes for a moody and unsettling horror fantasy. Rated R for disturbing and violent content, some bloody images, language, nudity and drug use. Two hours, 33 minutes. — P.C.

Abominable (PG) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Charlie’s Angels (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. Confessions of a Nazi Spy (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Friday Doctor Sleep (R) +++ Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Ford V Ferrari (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. Frozen II (PG) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. The Good Liar (R) ++1/2 Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun.

&

PRIDE PREJUDICE An Exhilarating New Musical Paul Gordon Jane Austen

Book, music, and lyrics by Based on the novel by

Dec 4–Jan 4

Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto theatreworks.org 650.463.1960

Harriet (PG-13) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. JUSTIN MORTELLITI & MARY MATTISON / PHOTO KEVIN BERNE

Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Movies

NOW SHOWING

Honey Boy (R) Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun. JoJo Rabbit (PG-13) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun. Joker (R) ++1/2 Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. Juarez (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Saturday & Sunday Knives Out (Not Rated) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. Last Christmas (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (PG) +1/2 Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Midway (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun.

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 39.

Pain and Glory (R) Aquarius Theatre: Fri. - Sun. Parasite (R) +++1/2 Aquarius Theatre: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. Playing with Fire (PG) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Stagecoach (1939) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Saturday & Sunday Terminator: Dark Fate (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Wuthering Heights (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Friday

+ Skip it ++ Some redeeming qualities +++ A good bet ++++ Outstanding 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 ShowPlace Icon: 2575 California St. #601, Mountain View tinyurl.com/iconMountainView Stanford Theatre: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 324-3700) Stanfordtheatre.org Find trailers, star ratings and reviews on the web at PaloAltoOnline.com/ movies

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 27

Book Talk INSIDER’S LOOK AT SAN JOSE ...

Local arts reviewer and author Susannah Greenwood, a Palo Alto native who now lives in San Jose, provides an insider’s look at some of San Jose’s weird, wild and wonderful sights in her newly released second edition of “100 Things to Do in San Jose Before You Die.” The guide book is aimed at everyone from first-time visitors to regular travelers to locals looking to find things in San Jose that they never knew existed.

Greenwood maps out intineraries and day trips and highlights some of the city’s lesser-known events, such as San Jose’s “open road” party, Viva Calle SJ, during which six miles of city streets are closed for bikes, blades and boards. There’s also a feline-themed escape room with free-roaming adoptable cats, an iris garden and a Star Wars-themed bar and grill.

HOLIDAY BOOK PARTY ...

Kepler’s Books is hosting its annual holiday party in Menlo Park on Sunday, Dec. 8, from 3-5 p.m. to thank its loyal customers. The event will feature special discounts, champagne and chocolate, as well as experts available to help shoppers select the perfect books for everyone on their holiday shopping lists.

Community volunteers will be standing by to gift wrap all purchases. Members of the Keplers Literary Circle will receive an additional 10% off on all purchases. Keplers is located at 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park. To join the Literary Circle or RSVP to the holiday party, go to keplers. com BOOK SALE... More than 50,000 new and gently used books, media and art will be on sale in three rooms and two outdoor venues on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 14 & 15, at Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, during the final sale of 2019.

Proceeds from the event, hosted by the Friends of the Palo Alto Library, will benefit Palo Alto libraries. The event includes everything from gently used books in the Main Sale Room to $1 books at the Tent Sale. Most items for sale are donated by individuals, estates and companies in the community. The sale is open from from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, go to fopal.org/ book-sale-info.

Title Pages A Amonthly booksand andauthors authors monthlysection sectionon on local local books

c i s s a l c o Not-s

s k o o b y holida for kids Six heartfelt stories that shed light on unforgettable life lessons

by Debbie Duncan

S

tories about disaster, death, anxiety and segregation might not be topics typically associated with a holiday reading list for children, but many of the best children’s books published in 2019 touch on these topics. This year, our suggested reading list includes a selection of inspiring and heartfelt narratives aimed at shedding light on some of life’s classic lessons — from mourning the loss of a pet to coping with anxiety in the classroom to learning about survival during a disaster.

“Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border“ by Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Sara Palacios; Farrar Straus Giroux; $18; ages 4-8.

Most Christmas books for children are set in snowy climes.

But as we Californians know, kids enjoy the season even when outside temps are above freezing. Holiday tales can even be found on a beach in San Diego where two tall fences between

Page 28 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Mexico and the U.S. “... stretch along the border, reaching deep into the sea.”

It’s there where Maria and her brother, Juan, wait with their mother during a Christmas celebration known as Las Posadas, when small groups of Americans are allowed to enter the area between the fences to visit relatives and friends on the Mexican side. They have presents for their abuela, but Juan’s drawing of Mary and Joseph won’t fit through the fence. Poor Juan is devastated! A little ingenuity on Maria’s part plus a helpful wind blowing toward Mexico save the day and the holiday.

Colorful illustrations capture perfectly a hopeful story by East Bay author and Stanford alumna Perkins. “Between n Us Us and Abuela” is both timely y aand ndd classic.

”Sulwe” by Lupita Nyong’o, illustrated by Vashti Harrison; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; $18; ages 4-8.

Difficult as it may be to believe, Academy Award-winning actress and celebrated beauty Lupita Nyong’o was teased as a child for her appearance, specifically the color of her skin. That long-ago hurt was the inspiration for this book about a darkskinned little girl. Sulwe doesn’t even resemble the other members of her family. At school she’s called “Blackie” and “Darky,” and has

trouble making friends. She reacts by trying to lighten her skin.

Sulwe’s mother can’t convince her to see her own beauty, but a nighttime story about sisters Night and Day shows her that people like her are needed “just the way you are.”

Brightness is in everyone in this luminous picture book that serves as a gentle introduction to the concept of shadeism and its harmful effects, even on the very young.

”The End of Something Wonderful: A practical Guide to a Backyard Funeral” by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic, illustrated by George Ermos; Sterling Children’s Books; $17; ages 4-8.

“First you need something dead ...” is how this clever book

by Menlo Park author Lucianovic begins. That something could be a pet or perhaps a pill bug. It will need a box, a hole

(or toilet), appropriate songs and flowers. The backyard funeral organizer will probably want tissues and a way to continue to mourn the loss. “Maybe you want to curl up close to where you buried your Something Dead and have chats every so often.”

That’s okay and encouraged.

“The End of Something Wonderful” acknowledges and validates the emotions children often feel when a pet dies. It offers a roadmap to process that grief in a kind and compassionate manner, with a generous helping of humor and inviting illustrations featuring a multicultural cast of characters (and dead somethings).

”Todos Iguales / All Equal: Un Corrido de / A Ballad of Lemon Grove” written and illustrated by Christy Hale; Children’s Book Press/Lee & Low; $20; ages 6-12.

Title Pages (continued from page 28)

This rich, gorgeously illustrated bilingual picture book tells in text and song the story of the first successful school desegregation case in the United States. In 1931, 12-year-old Roberto Alvarez was among 75 Mexican American students in Lemon Grove, California, who refused to attend the barnlike school hastily constructed for them. While the children — most of whom were United States citizens— boycotted the school, parents sued the school board. Roberto was chosen to represent the students, and they won! The judge ruled that “... to separate all the Mexicans in one group can only be done by infringing the laws of the State of California.”

A thorough appendix delves into the history of school desegregation in the U.S., describes the participants in this case, and explains corridos, which are songs or ballads that tell a story.

This is an important equal-rights case that all California families should know about. Here, too, are sun-splashed illustrations inspired by labels on vintage citrus crates, created by an awardwinning Palo Alto author and illustrator.

”Guts” by Raina Telgemeier; Scholastic/Graphix; $13; ages 8-12.

America’s favorite graphic novelist for kids is back with another unputdownable memoir, this time about her chronic stomachaches and panic-inducing anxiety, especially about food.

Raina misses a lot of school in fourth and fifth grades. Her relationships with friends suffer when she’s afraid she’s going to throw up. She also has trouble dealing with being teased. So her mom, the good San Francisco parent that she is, takes her to a therapist. Raina learns in therapy how to cope with her fears by breathing deeply. She then teaches the technique to her classmates. “And everyone seemed a little calmer afterward.” (Except, perhaps, her nemesis.)

Telgemeier relates this honest, compelling story with her trademark humor. She gives a face to anxiety and therapy that will

help thousands of young readers whether or not they’re dealing with anxiety.

”Torpedoed: The true story of the World War II sinking of ‘The Children’s Ship’” by Deborah Heiligman; Henry Holt/Godwin; $20; ages 8-12.

Most kids have heard of the Titanic. But are they familiar with the SS City of Binares? It also met a tragic ending in the North Atlantic — while carrying, among others, 100 children being evacuated from Great Britain to Canada at the beginning of World War II. Passengers and crewmen drowned in frigid waters after a German U-boat torpedoed the Binares.

Not everyone perished, however. Nonfiction master Heiligman interviewed survivors and dove into the history. She used that research, documented in an extensive bibliography, to tell a dramatic and detailed story of heroism and courage in the midst of death.

British parents had decided to send their children away after Germany began nightly bombing raids on cities. Young evacuees between 5 and 15, each in a group led by an adult escort, were enrolled in a government program. For the first several days, the journey was a dream: Kids ran and played on the elegant cruise ship and had access to all the food they wanted, especially ice cream. Fast friendships formed early. Four days after setting sail, at 10:03 p.m., the dream became a nightmare.

“Torpedoed” tells riveting in-

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THE CHRISTMAS BALLET “SHEER JOY!” – SF Chronicle

Simply irresistible!

From ballet, to tap, jazz, swing, and festive new surprises, this warm and witty celebration offers something for everyone.

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dividual stories of children and adults as they escape during an icy storm onto life boats and rafts before the ship sinks. Beth Cummings and Bess Walder cling to an overturned lifeboat as it crashes on waves. Music teacher Mary Cornish keeps boys awake and alive by telling stories for eight days on Lifeboat 12. Gussie Grimmond had sent letters home to her parents about life on the ship; she and her four siblings died. Sonia Bech was traveling with her mother, sister and brother; they were separated during the evacuation, but all survived.

Heiligman was able to interview Sonia. She is still alive.

There is a lot of sad in “Torpedoed,” a book that reads like a good movie, but kids can handle that. Once they start reading this gem, they’ll want to know — need to know — what happens next. Q Debbie Duncan is a Stanford writer and author of books for children and adults.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 29

Home&Real Estate

OPEN HOME GUIDE 36 Also online at PaloAltoOnline.com

A weekly guide to home, garden and real estate news

If you’re interested …

Home Front

FROST PROTECTION ... Even in our temperate climate, Jack Frost still shows up for occasional visits. At this free workshop on Sunday, Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m., at SummerWinds Nursery, learn how to protect plants that are vulnerable to frost damage, particularly tropical plants. The class will cover frost protection techniques and provide a list of plants that are prone to ill effects from frost. SummerWinds Nursery is located at 725 San Antonio Road, Palo Alto.

For more information, visit summerwindsnursery.com/ca/ events or call 650-493-5136.

KITCHEN HERBS ... Culinary herbs — it’s not just all about the basil. Learn about the wide variety of herbs you can grow for your kitchen at a class held Sunday, Nov. 24, 5-6 p.m. at Hidden Villa. Ros Creasy, a pioneer of the edible landscaping movement, will discuss how to grow herbs from around the world to use in cooking, and brighten your garden. This class is intended for adults and is free, but registration is required. Hidden Villa is located at 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills. Call 650-493-5136 or register at hiddenvilla.org/ Send notices of news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening to Home Front, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302, or email editor@paweekly. com. Deadline is one week before publication.

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PaloAltoOnline.com

There are more real estate features online. Go to PaloAltoOnline.com/ real_estate.

Davey Tree Care Menlo Park office, 855-335-8307.

Weekly file photo

HABITAT RESTORATION ...

Help restore the ecosystem along San Francisquito Creek at a volunteer event hosted

by Grassroots Ecology on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2-4 p.m.

You’ll help remove non-native species around the creek to provide habitat for native wildlife. Be prepared to encounter some steep slopes in the terrain. This event is open to all ages but volunteers under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Meet at San Francisquito Creek, across the street from 782 Palo Alto Ave., Palo Alto. The event takes place rain or shine.

Register at grassrootsecology. org/volunteer

Luna’s pruning class is open to the public and scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon at Mitchell Park Library, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Register at bawsca.org/ classes or call 650-349-3000 for more information.

Fall is a good time to prune, when trees are about to go dormant and branches are bare.

Experts share tips on pruning and caring for trees for the colder months

by Jonathan Guillen

T

he Midpeninsula’s temperate weather serves as an ideal climate for all kinds of trees, natives and non-natives alike. But even in this moderate climate, temperatures do turn chillier in fall and winter, and when they do, that’s the best time to take care of some routine maintenance to help trees stay healthy.

Deva Luna, a horticulturist and designer for Earthcare Landscaping, is teaching a pruning and propagating class for the city of Palo Alto on Nov. 23 offered through the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency. She will offer tips and tricks on how to properly maintain trees and how to make new plants from old (called propagation). In addition to helping homeowners learn how do it themselves, Luna also will talk about hiring an arborist and share with people how to tell if the arborist is doing a good job.

With this class, Luna aims to share her love for plants and teach others how to tend their gardens.

The right time to propagate varies from plant to plant, but for most perennials, fall is a good time because the weather is cooler and the plant shoots are firm, she said “First of all, it’s fun working with plants and nature. Second, you can do it inexpensively and third, you would propagate when you have something special or unique you want to reproduce,” Luna said.

Just as fall is a good time for new plants to take root, it’s also an opportunity to prepare trees for the cold season and set them up for healthier growth in the spring. As trees begin to go dormant for the winter, pruning trees ahead of the

Page 30 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

storm season also prevents falling debris.

Luna said that pruning is useful in maintaining the landscape and functions as a way to control how things look.

“My theory is to try to make things look as natural as possible,” Luna said.

She also said that without proper care, trees can cover windows, eaves and even go so far as to damage house foundations.

Luna said a good strategy is making choices early in a tree’s life, noting the importance of shaping trees while keeping in mind how it will look in the future. In an ideal situation, a tree would need no pruning — best left alone — but for most people, pruning is a way to decrease the size of a tree. Taking a step back, it is just as important to plant the right tree for the given space as it is to maintain it.

“You shouldn’t plant a redwood, the tallest tree in the world, near a powerline or too close to a house,” Luna said.

Some trees need to be watered more often than others, or fertilized, or pruned. According to Luna, each tree is unique and should be researched to provide the best care.

“The very best thing for a tree is to understand what it needs,” Luna said. “All trees are not the same and require different levels of attention.”

Properly pruning any tree includes removing obvious problem areas, such as dead, diseased or broken branches, and making smart choices in where, how — and how much — you cut.

“It’s important to properly treat

trees,” Leonardo Rivera, an arborist for over 11 years, said. “Otherwise you can jeopardize the structure of the tree and potentially (it will) fall over.”

Rivera is the district manager for the Davey Tree Expert Company in Menlo Park and assesses and maintains healthy trees in the Peninsula area.

“The best time to prune is before trees go dormant, between fall and winter,” Rivera said.

“Once the leaves fall, it’s easier to assess the tree structure.”

He said it is important to cut as little as possible, removing 20 to 25% of tree branches at most.

Focusing on the branches that need attention will prevent cutting too much, a common mistake.

“Think twice before every cut because once it’s gone, its gone,” Rivera said. “Think of how the tree will look with a cut and consider what other branches need to be pruned.”

Remove branches that are poorly attached to the trunk. According to Rivera, branches with a strong attachment will have a ridge of raised bark where the branch meets the trunk, while branches that have weak attachments won’t have that ridge and often grow at a sharp angle (due to bark growing into the area where the branch meets the trunk.)

Rivera suggested that homeowners consult a professional arborist if they’re not comfortable pruning or do not have the proper tools, especially with mature trees and tall trees growing near power lines.

Tree topping, in which the top of a tree is cut off in an effort to control its size, is not a recommended practice. As Luna pointed out, tree topping can lead to health issues such as sun damage, nutrient stress, insect attacks and decay.

Luna also said there are aesthetic issues with tree topping: Improperly pruned trees are unattractive and don’t look natural.

“Trees are a thing of beauty, of majesty, and should be properly treated,” Luna said. Q Editorial intern Jonathan Guillen can be emailed at jguillen@paweekly.com.

Tree care tips Arborist Leonardo Rivera recommended three steps to help homeowners assess and care for their trees.

First, check the tree for signs of weak branches and disease, focusing on branch attachments, checking the foliage for insects (look for leaves that have been eaten), and looking for brown spots on the trunk, which could be a sign of fungal diseases.

Second, prune no more than 25% of the tree. In addition to dead or broken branches, remove any small, thin shoots on the branches (known as water sprouts) or that grow from the base of the trunk.

Rivera described a technique called the three-point cutting method. The first cut on a branch should be about 12 inches away from the trunk, on the underside of the branch, about a quarter of the way through. This is called an undercut, which prevents bark from peeling off and damaging the tree.

The second cut should be three to six inches away from the undercut and go all the way through the branch. The weight of the branch will cause it to snap where you made the undercut and fall away. Then make the last cut outside of the thickest part of the branch to remove the remaining stub and allow for proper healing.

“The last cut should not be flush, but still close to the trunk,” Rivera said.

Third, fertilize the tree to provide it with enough nutrients to last through the winter, so it will have enough energy to put out healthy growth when spring arrives.

Elegant Menlo Commons Condominium 2140 Santa Cruz Avenue #E204, Menlo Park • OM Ĺš • BsV Ĺš ”Û•““ /n s Ĺš Ä?ÂœÂœÂ˜Ă›Â“Â“Â“ Welcome home to this perfectly located and stylishly updated two bedroom, two bathroom condominium in the sought after Menlo Commons community designed for active adults 55 years BbM dyOoĂ? 9WsV Bb dlOb BbM WbyWsWbU ‚ddo l_Bb TOBstoWbU UObOodtp_| lodldosWdbOM oddapĂ› sVWp “stretchâ€? unit is ideal for the way we live, work and entertain today. The oversized windows and private covered balcony offer ample light, tree top views and comfortable outdoor enjoyment.

Host friends in the spacious living / dining room while preparing appetizers in the well appointed kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Relax in the expansive master suite zWsV Wsp _dyO_| pOBsWbU BoOB zVWKV Kdt_M B_pd JO BooBbUOM Bp Bb dTÂ KO do pstM|Ă /sB| VOB_sV| J| sB^WbU BMyBbsBUO dT sVO KdaatbWs| ldd_Ă› plB BbM O{OoKWpO TBKW_WsWOpĂ /KVOMt_O Uodtl aOOsWbUp or social gatherings in the elegant clubhouse facilities. Participate in classes or take in a concert, l_B| do pldosWbU OyObs Bs K_dpO J| /sBbTdoM 3bWyOopWs|Ă 2VWp plOKWB_ KdbMdaWbWta VBp B__ sVO oOntWpWsOp Tdo oOsWoOaObs /W_WKdb 8B__O| ps|_OĂ?

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Colleen Foraker Realtor 650.380.0085 colleen@colleenforaker.com DRE 01349099 .Bb^WbUp lodyWMOM KdtosOp| dT .OB_ 2oObMpĂ› 2VO 2VdtpBbM _Wps dT WbMWyWMtB_ BUObsp J| sdsB_ pB_Op yd_taO Wb •“”›à dalBpp Wp B oOB_ OpsBsO Jod^Oo _WKObpOM J| sVO /sBsO dT B_WTdobWB BbM BJWMOp J| ntB_ dtpWbU #lldostbWs| _BzpĂ WKObpO !taJOo Â“Â”Â˜Â•ÂšÂ•Â–Â˜Ă __ aBsOoWB_ loOpObsOM VOoOWb Wp WbsObMOM Tdo WbTdoaBsWdbB_ ltoldpOp db_| BbM Wp KdalW_OM Toda pdtoKOp MOOaOM oO_WBJ_O Jts VBp bds JOOb yOoW OMĂ VBbUOp Wb loWKOĂ› KdbMWsWdbĂ› pB_O do zWsVMoBzB_ aB| be made without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 31

5 ALMA COURT, LOS ALTOS Open House: Saturday 11/23/19 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, 11/24/19 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

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(650) 996-9898 *LY[PÄLK 9LZPKLU[PHS :WLJPHSPZ[® ,JV)YVRLY® :9,:® ;VW 0U[LYV Page 32 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 33

Page 34 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 35

PALO ALTO WEEKLY OPEN HOMES EXPLORE REAL ESTATE HEADLINES, NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDES, MAPS AND PRIOR SALE INFO ON www.PaloAltoOnline.com/real_estate

LEGEND: CONDO (C), TOWNHOME (T).

ATHERTON 58 Northgate St Sun 2-4 Compass 45 Valley Ct Sun 1:30-4:30 Compass 87 Patricia Dr Sun 2-4 Coldwell Banker 40 Selby Ln Sun 1:30-4 Coldwell Banker 234 Park Ln Sun 2-4 Compass 77 Serrano Dr Sun 1-4 Compass 86 Tallwood Ct Sun 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty

$3,495,000 4 BD/3.5 BA 823-8212 $7,500,000 4 BD/4.5 BA 868-0434 $10,795,000 5 BD/6.5 BA 400-2933 $5,800,000 5 BD/4 BA 855-9700 $15,500,000 6 BD/6 BA 400-8424 $10,695,000 6 BD/6.5 BA 862-3266 $14,988,000 7 BD/6+2 Half BA 900-7000

BELMONT 2902 Belmont Woods Way Sat/Sun 1-4 Coldwell Banker

$1,995,000 3 BD/2.5 BA 520-5122

EAST PALO ALTO 2772 Georgetown St Sun 1-4 Coldwell Banker

$879,000 3 BD/1 BA 408-644-5041

HAYWARD 24982 2nd St Sat/Sun 1-4 Coldwell Banker

$799,950 3 BD/2 BA 465-5602

LOS ALTOS 1070 Mercedes Av #20 Sun 2-4 Sereno Group Realtors 920 Damian Way Sat 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty 5 Alma Ct Sat/Sun 1-4 Intero 400 Orange Av Sat/Sun 1-4 Sereno Group Realtors 465 Knoll Dr Sun 1-4 Sereno Group Realtors

$960,000 2 BD/2 BA 434-2755 $2,988,000 3 BD/2.5 BA 900-7000 $3,889,000 4 BD/3 BA 996-9898 $2,999,000 4 BD/3.5 BA 947-2903 $5,999,000 5 BD/5.5 BA 465-7628

LOS ALTOS HILLS 26880 Ortega Dr Sat/Sun 1-4 Sereno Group Realtors 10776 Mora Dr Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty 11801 Francemont Dr Sat 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty

$4,248,000 3 BD/2.5 BA 207-0226 $3,788,000 4 BD/2 BA 900-7000 $6,488,000 5 BD/6+2 Half BA 900-7000

27500 La Vida Real $49,990,000

By Appointment 5 BD/7+5 Half BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 14780 Manuella Rd $6,488,000 Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 5 BD/5.5 BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 26724 Palo Hills Dr $4,695,000 Sat 2-4 5 BD/3.5 BA Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 722-1065

MENLO PARK 1326 Hoover St #2 (C) $1,998,000 Sun 1-4 2 BD/2 BA Compass 207-0781 2140 Santa Cruz Av (C) $995,000 Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 2 BD/2 BA Compass 380-0085 1280 Sharon Park Rd #27 (C) $1,468,000 Sat 2-4 2 BD/2 BA Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 980-8899 807 Curtis St $1,698,000 Sat/Sun 1-4 3 BD/2.5 BA Compass 868-2291 180 Forest Ln $2,488,000 Sun 2-4 3 BD/2 BA Compass 743-0734 330 Lennox Av $2,825,000 Sat/Sun 1-4 3 BD/2 BA Compass 867-7976 1155 Merrill St #203 $1,688,000 Sun 1:30-4:30 3 BD/2 BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 485 Arbor St $3,198,000 Sat/Sun 2-4:30 4 BD/3 BA Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 575-0991 723 College Av $3,749,000 Sun 2-4 4 BD/2.5 BA Compass 862-3266 725 Evergreen St $3,800,000 Sun 1:30-4 4 BD/2.5 BA Compass 888-4898 655 Gilbert Av $3,598,000 Sun 2-4 4 BD/3.5 BA Compass 269-8556 323 Pope St $3,488,000 Sat/Sun 1-5 4 BD/3 BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 153 & 161 StonePine Ln $3,950,000 Sun 1-4 4 BD/4.5 BA Coldwell Banker 207-8444 1111 Woodland Av $2,595,000 Sun 2-4 4 BD/3 BA Compass 380-0085 1395 Woodland Av $2,975,000 Sun 2-4 4 BD/3 BA Compass 400-8424 1700 Bay Laurel Dr $5,895,000 Sun 2-4 5 BD/2.5 BA Compass 823-8212 3 Helen Pl $4,750,000 Sat 2-4 5 BD/3.5 BA Compass 400-8424

®

The DeLeon Difference® 650.543.8500 www.deleonrealty.com 650.543.8500 | www.deleonrealty.com | DeLeon Realty CalBRE #01903224

Page 36 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

1165 Klamath Dr Sun 2-4 Compass 1740 Oak Av Sat 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty

$6,988,000 5 BD/4.5 BA 255-6987 $6,988,000 7 BD/5.5 BA 900-7000

MOUNTAIN VIEW 725 Mariposa Av #205 (C) Sat/Sun 2-4 Coldwell Banker

$749,000 1 BD/1.5 BA 400-5039

PALO ALTO 765 Loma Verde Av #A $1,698,000 Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 2 BD/2.5 BA Coldwell Banker 855-9700 360 Everett Av #3B (C) $1,999,995 Sun 1-3 2 BD/2 BA Coldwell Banker 465-5602 3421 Orinda St $1,989,000 Sat/Sun 1-5 3 BD/2 BA Keller Williams Realty 630-2147 734 Seneca St $8,749,000 Sat 2-4 3 BD/3 BA Compass 400-8424 505 Byron St #303 (C) $2,200,000 Sat 2-4 3 BD/3 BA Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 208-8824 2951 Bryant St $4,950,000 Sun 2-4 4 BD/4.5 BA Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 255-7372 1023 Forest Av $5,488,000 Sun 1:30-4:30 4 BD/3.5 BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 640 Fulton St $3,488,000 Sun 1:30-4:30 4 BD/3 BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 515 Jefferson Dr $4,695,000 Sun 2-4 4 BD/3 BA Compass 380-5989 3124 Alexis Dr $3,495,000 Sat 1:30-4 5 BD/3.5 BA Compass 888-0860 369 Churchill Av $39,988,000

By Appointment 5 BD/7+3 H BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 741 Homer Av $6,550,000 Sun 1:30-4:30 5 BD/5.5 BA Compass 906-8008 142 Kellogg Av $4,988,000 Fri 5-7/Sat 1:30-4:30 6 BD/5 BA DeLeon Realty 900-7000 1436 Harker Av $5,500,000 Sun 2-4 7 BD/5.5 BA Intero 400-4208

PORTOLA VALLEY 210 Escobar Rd Sun 1:30-4:30 Coldwell Banker 277 Mapache Dr Sun 2-4 Coldwell Banker

$2,895,000 3 BD/2.5 BA 619-6461 $7,750,000 3 BD/4.5 BA 619-6461

180 Willowbrook Dr Sat 1:30-4:30 Coldwell Banker

$3,600,000 4 BD/2.5 BA 619-6461

REDWOOD CITY 669 Sylvan Way Sun 1-4 Compass

$2,100,000 4 BD/3.5 BA 867-0199

SAN CARLOS 777 Elm St #C Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 Keller Williams Realty

$1,459,000 2 BD/2.5 BA 255-5007

3338 La Mesa Dr #5 (C) Sat/Sun 1-4 Compass

$1,100,000 3 BD/2 BA 464-6080

742 Crestview Dr Sun 2-4 Compass

$4,150,000 4 BD/4.5 BA 787-0839

SAN JOSE 1091 Franquette Av $1,898,000 Sat 1:30-4:30 3 BD/2.5 BA Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty 408-387-3227

SAN MATEO 106 Harbor Seal Ct (T) Sat/Sun 1-4 Compass

$1,408,888 3 BD/2.5 BA 207-1093

SARATOGA 12140 Woodside Dr Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty

$1,998,000 4 BD/3 BA 900-7000

13651 Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd $3,799,999 Sat/Sun 1-5 5 BD/6 BA Keller Williams Realty 408-497-6528

SUNNYVALE 1140 Karby Ter #202 Sun 1:30-4:30 DeLeon Realty

$998,000 2 BD/2 BA 900-7000

311 S. Fairoaks Av Sat 1-4 Intero

$1,098,000 3 BD/2 BA 525-4535

WOODSIDE 1447 La Honda Rd Sat/Sun 2-4 Compass

$899,980 3 BD/2 BA 642-1422

2128 Stockbridge Av Sat/Sun 1:30-4:30 Compass 370 Mountain Home Ct

By Appointment DeLeon Realty

$2,800,000 3 BD/2 BA 776-5445 $17,988,000 3+1 BD/5.5 BA 900-7000

518 Patrol Rd Sun 2-4 Compass

$3,295,000 4 BD/2.5 BA 740-2970

205 Eleanor Dr Sat 1-4/Sun 2-4 Compass

$5,495,000 5 BD/4 BA 740-2970

Support our Kids with a gift to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund Drive.

Donate online at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund

Sports Shorts CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND ...

Central Coast Section girls cross country champions Palo Alto (Division I), Menlo (Division IV) and Castilleja (Division V) lead a large local contingent into the state meet on Nov. 30 at Woodward Park in Fresno. The Gunn (D-1) and Sacred Heart Prep (D-4) girls teams also qualified along with the Menlo (D-4) and Priory (D-5) boys. Among the five girls champions, only St. Francis (18:30) had a faster average time than Palo Alto (18:45).

Menlo was third (19:03), Castilleja fourth (20:07) and St. Ignatius fifth (20:11), though second-place finishers Gunn (19:42) and Willow Glen (19:30) were under 20 minutes. In addition, Woodside sophomore Elise Arana qualified as an individual in Division II. Palo Alto had its top five runners finish between eighth and 15th place overall, led by senior Miranda Jimenez in eighth with a time of 18:35.64. Paly freshman Hillary Studdert finished ninth in 18:39.54 and senior Ella Ball was 10th in 18:42.77. Menlo School (30 points) produced another outstanding team run in Division IV, with six runners all finishing in the top 10 and within 15 seconds of each other. SHP’s Luci Lambert finished second overall with a time of 18:48.95. Menlo’s Alexandra McCusker was the first Knight to cross the finish line, placing fourth in 19:00.5.

In quick order, Kyra Pretre (19:01.25), Katie Aufricht (19:01.95), Marisa Castagna (19:04.51) and Cameron Boom (19:06.39) followed McCusker.

Amanda Foster (19:14.49) was 10th and Sophia Gallo finished 18th. Tevah Gevelber (18:54.92) placed second overall in Division V to lead Castilleja (29 points) to the team title. She was followed by Samira Kennedy (19:20.14) in third. Gunn qualified for state by finishing second. Izy Hilbert was the Titans’ top placer, running 19:13.77, good for 17th place. The Menlo and Priory boys are also advancing to the state meet. Menlo’s Kamran Murray (15:48.44) and Calvin Katz (15:50.26) ran third and fourth, about six seconds behind the winning time.

Freshman Justin Pretre was 20th in 16:44.30 ... The Menlo School girls tennis team reached double figures in Central Coast Section titles over the weekened, beating St. Francis 4-3 in the championship match at Bay Club Courtside in Los Gatos. The Knights (23-3) won their first CCS title since 2015 and recorded their 10th overall. Q

ON THE AIR Saturday College football: California at Stanford, 1 p.m., Pac-12 Network

Sunday College women’s volleyball: Stanford at Colorado, 11 a.m., Pac-12 Network College women’s soccer: Stanford at NCAA tournament, 1 p.m. (tentative) Pac-12 Network College men’s water polo: Stanford at MPSF Championship 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network

Monday College men’s basketball: Stanford vs. Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m., ESPN2

Tuesday College men’s basketball: Stanford at Hall of Fame Classic (tentative), 6:30 p.m., ESPN2

Sports

Local sports news and schedules, edited by Rick Eymer

Palo Alto’s Creighton Morgenfeld forced three fumbles against Palma and will be counted upon again this week against Oak Grove in the CCS Division II semifinal game on Friday at 7 p.m. Photo by Karen Ambrose Hickey.

CCS FOOTBALL

Palo Alto, Oak Grove reviving traditions Sacred Heart Prep goes on the road to face traditional power

by Glenn Reeves

A

n unlikely pair of road upsets took place last week in the first round of the Central Coast Section Division II football playoffs, with the result that Palo Alto, the No. 6 seed is getting a home game Friday in the semifinals.

The Vikings beat No. 3 Palma 2720 and No. 7 Oak Grove knocked off No. 2 Salinas 26-20. So Paly will play host to Oak Grove in a 7 p.m. start.

It’s a return to the limelight for Oak Grove, one of the most successful programs in CCS annals.

“They’ve got a ton of history, a ton of talent,’’ Palo Alto coach Nelson Gifford said.

Oak Grove has won seven CCS football championships. After a couple of down years and a 0-2 start this season the Eagles caught fire and have won nine in a row heading into Friday’s game.

“Having a program like that does a lot for them,’’ Gifford said. “The kids believe in themselves even if no one else does. They have too much pride, too much history to be taken lightly.’’

Palo Alto (7-4) has its own proud tradition, having won four CCS titles as well as the first state championship won by any CCS team in 2010. That was the only state title won by a CCS team prior to the CIF’s expansion of the state football playoffs to 13 divisions in 2016.

Oak Grove is led by 1,000-yard rusher Malique Sumler, who is listed at 5-10 and 191 pounds.

“He runs like he’s 220,’’ Gifford said. “He brings it, makes people look silly. He’s a handful to tackle.’’

Paly, already without two key

players lost for the season, tackle Alberto Ruiz and tight end Lou Passarello, had a third key player go down against Palma when receiverlinebacker Colin Giffen suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Center Jackson Bundy also came out of that game and is questionable.

Sophomore Danny Peters, the starter at quarterback in eight of Paly’s 11 games, missed the Palma game due to illness. He should be available for Oak Grove.

Kevin Cullen filled in nicely against the Chieftains. He provides a running threat as evidenced by his 70-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half. But when he plays quarterback Gifford reduces the number of snaps he plays on defense at safety, and that’s his best position.

“Kevin offers a certain dynamism few guys can match at quarterback,’’ Gifford said. “Danny with his arm and accuracy has done a lot of good things for us.’’

Paly is not an overly deep team to begin with, so with key players out it’s vitally important for other players to step up. Gifford was raving about how that happened against Palma.

“Jurgen Dittrich had two huge picks,’’ the Paly coach said.

“Creighton Morgenfeld had three forced fumbles. Will Moragne made an incredible one-handed pick. Rowan Felsch is a sophomore we brought up to give us some depth at linebacker. He ended up playing both ways, made three catches and four tackles. We went deep on the bench. We had a kid playing right tackle (Sebastian Rice) who never played football before this year.

We’ve used him at guard, tackle

and defensive end. He’s come in and done a good job.’’

The Vikes will need a repeat performance of that nature to be successful against Oak Grove.

“We’ve got to protect the football,’’ Gifford said. “Our defense played out of their minds against Palma. That was the third game with a defensive score. That’s been our hallmark, taking the ball away.

And getting Jamir Shepard involved early made a huge difference.’’

Shepard, the standout wide receiver and Fresno State commit, had two first-half touchdown receptions against Palma.

Sacred Heart Prep at Los Gatos, 7 p.m.: The No. 4 seed Gators (8-3) will be in for a rigorous test against top-seed Los Gatos (10-1) in the other CCS Division II semifinal.

“We are trying to prepare for their physicality and how disciplined they are,’’ SHP coach Mark Grieb said after practice Wednesday. “They don’t do a lot, but what they do, they do well. We want to play fast and get the ball to our playmakers.’’

Los Gatos is a deep team with 62 players on its roster, but as Grieb pointed out, “Fortunate for us you can only play 11 at a time. I’ve seen Half Moon Bay win multiple championships with 20-something guys.

It’s what you do with the guys you have out on the field. There are no excuses. This is playoff time.’’

A longtime Wing-T offensive program, this year the Wildcats have taken most of their snaps out of the shotgun. Junior running back Alex Garwood has rushed for 1,056 yards, 7.9 yards per carry and 18

touchdowns, but the team also uses multiple other ball carriers. Five other players have more than 100 yards rushing. Quarterback Yost Girvan has thrown for 1,405 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Wildcats blew out Live Oak in the opening round, 41-7. Their one loss this season was to Wilcox, 37-0.

“The strength of their team is up front,’’ Grieb said. “When you look at them on film they’ve really gotten after some people. They have size, some quickness, big athletes, disciplined up front. They do some things on offense that make you play honest. It’s going to be tough, a challenge, we’d like to get a win any way we can get it done. We expect to get Los Gatos’ best effort.

We want to do what we do best and be their problem.’’

That means getting a rhythm going with the team’s fly offense.

Senior Tevita Moimoi has rushed for 967 yards, 6.4 per carry and 16 touchdowns. Fullback Tatafu Mahoni has 434 yards rushing and flyback Wilson Weisel 192.

Junior quarterback Teddy Purcell has thrown for 1,376 yards on 65.5 percent completions with 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

In their 27-7 win over Bellarmine in the opening round the Gators shut down the run, forced the Bells to pass and turned loose a pass rush that came up with six sacks. Shutting down the Los Gatos ground game won’t be as easy.

“If we can have that kind of effort again that would be a good start,’’ Grieb said. “Shutting down the run makes teams one-dimensional. It’ll be tough, but we have good players.

They will have to play well.’’Q

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 37

Sports

Jim Shorin/ISIPhotos.com

Stanford’s Catarina Maracio leads the nation in goals and assists and set a NCAA postseason record in last week’s win.

STANFORD ROUNDUP

Looking for a return trip to the College Cup Men. women’s soccer both at home this weekend

by Rick Eymer he top-seeded and topranked Stanford women’s soccer team, winners of 14 straight, hosts Hofstra (16-3-2) in the second round of the NCAA tournament at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Cardinal (19-1) set an NCAA postseason and program record with 15 goals in its opening-round shutout of Prairie View A&M. Catarina Macario’s 13 points (four goals, five assists) were an NCAA postseason record.

Stanford leads the NCAA in virtually every offensive category: goals (87), goals per game (4.35), assists (88), assists per game (4.40), points (262), points per game (13.10), shots per game (26.20) and shots on goal per game (12.05).

Reigning MAC Hermann Trophy winner Macario leads the NCAA in goals (27), goals per game (1.35), assists (23), assists per game (1.15), game-winning goals (10) and shots per game (6.30).

Stanford is unbeaten in its last 39 home matches, a streak dating to Nov. 18, 2016.

Stanford has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each

T

of the last 22 seasons and has earned a berth in seven of the last 11 College Cups.

Should Stanford advance past Friday, it would take on the winner of Arizona and Penn State, who face off at 4 p.m. on Friday at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.

Stanford and Hofstra have both played Penn State this season, with the Cardinal winning on the road 2-1 and Hofstra losing 6-0 on the road. Stanford was the Nittany Lions season opener and the Pride followed two days later.

Hofstra, the three-time defending CAA champions, has an international roster with players from New Zealand, Australia, Great Britain, Germany and Sweden.

Men’s soccer Stanford received the No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. It’s the Cardinal’s seventh straight appearance in the postseason and 18th overall.

The 48-team field has 16 seeded squads, of which the Cardinal is one, that receive byes into the second round. Stanford (13-2-3) will host the winner of LMU (11-5-3) and Seattle (14-3-4) at Cagan Stadium on Sunday at 5 p.m.

“We’ve had a tremendous season and been in every game,” Stanford coach Jeremy Gunn said. “At times we’ve played fantastic, attacking soccer and other times we’ve been fighting our way through.

The Cardinal is 28-13-7 all-time in the NCAA tournament and 153-4 at home, advancing on penalty kicks in three of four draws. Stanford is ranked No. 4 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll.

Stanford has won three of the last four NCAA titles, five of the past six Pac-12 championships and posted an 90-16-21 (.791) overall record since 2014.

Stanford is one of just two programs to win three straight NCAA titles (2015-17). Virginia won four in a row from 1991-94. It is also one of seven to win at least three national championships along with Saint Louis (10), Indiana (8), Virginia (7), San Francisco (4), UCLA (4) and Maryland (4).

“The most important thing is how you perform and execute on the day,” Gunn added. “But there’s no doubt the experience we have as a program helps because the players have been in that environment before.”

Stanford finished its regular season 13-2-3 overall and 6-2-2 in conference. The Cardinal is 51-8-11 in its last 70 matches at home.

Women’s volleyball Senior Libero Morgan Hentz will become Stanford’s all-time leader in digs sooner rather later, perhaps as early as Friday. That’s when the fourth-ranked Cardinal (20-4, 142) meets host Utah (19-8, 11-5) at 6 p.m. in Salt Lake City in a Pac-12 Conference match.

Hentz surpassed 2,000 career digs earlier this season, becoming the 14th player in Pac-12 history to reach that mark. She is 13 digs away from surpassing Gabi Ailes’s school record of 2,147.

Stanford is 17-2 all-time against Utah, including a five-set victory over the Utes in October.

The most recent Utah win was on Oct. 9, 2016 in Maples Pavilion.

The Utes enter the week tied for third in the Pac-12. Junior outside hitter Dani Drews paces the Utes with 4.60 kills per set, ranking fourth in the Pac-12.

Utah has not been swept this year and its last five losses have been in five sets. The Utes are 5-6 against Top 25 opponents. Q

Holiday

Waste Service Schedule

GreenWaste of Palo Alto will be closed on Thanksgiving (November 28). If your regular collection day falls on Thanksgiving, your collection day will be moved to Friday (November 29), and customers with a collection day on Friday will be serviced on Saturday (November 30).

PREP ROUNDUP

Palo Alto soars to girls state golf championship SHP, M-A volleyball seasons end in NorCal finals

by Rick Eymer and Glenn Reeves here’s a first time for everything and the Palo Alto girls golf team surprised the field by winning the CIF High School Championship at Pebble Beach’s Poppy Hills Golf Club, becoming the first Northern California team to ever win the event since its inception 15 years ago.

The Vikings scored 377, an eightstroke edge over second-place and defending state champion Troy.

Diamond Bar was third (386), followed by Granite Bay (388), Dougherty Valley (391) and Mater Dei (394).

Senior Katherine Sung helped complete a big year, finishing in a tie for third with a round of 73.

“It is so cool to end my high school golf career with not only qualifying for the State Championship for the first time since I’ve joined the team, but to win states is so amazing,” Katherine Sung said.

“Being the underdogs heading into this tournament, I am so proud of the team for playing well today and keeping their heads in the game.”

Lauren Sung tied for 13th with a 75, and senior Priya Bakshi and sophomore Bridget O’Keefe each

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SUNDAY

MONDAY

Addie Ahlstrom

Kevin Cullen

MENLO TENNIS The junior clinched the Knights 4-3 victory over St. Francis in the Central Coast Section team tennis championship match on Saturday with a win at No. 1 singles. She also won three other CCS matches during the week.

PALO ALTO FOOTBALL The senior quarterback/free safety threw two touchdown passes, ran 70 yards for another score, recovered a fumble on defense and was one of the team’s leading tacklers in the Vikings CCS win at Palma on Friday.

Honorable mention Eleanor Facey, Megan Norris* Sacred Heart Prep water polo

Teveh Gevelber Castilleja cross country

Natalie Grover* Kate Mallery, Cooper McKenna*

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

24 25 26 27 28 29 30 Questions? Contact GreenWaste of Palo Alto at (650) 493-4894 894 • pacustomerservice@greenwaste.com t i

Page 38 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Girls volleyball After winning the first two sets against Lowell, the Sacred Heart Prep volleyball team looked to be on its way to the state finals.

But Lowell, the No. 6 seed in the Northern California Division III playoffs, snuck back into the match with a win in the third set.

And once the door was opened a crack the top-seeded Gators were never able to close it. Lowell won the fourth and fifth sets and celebrated a come-from-behind NorCal championship.

In the Division I final, host Campolindo needed four sets to get past Menlo-Atherton 25-14, 25-19, 2025, 25-14. Q

ATHLETES OF THE WEEK

Menlo-Atherton volleyball

NOVEMBER

finished with a 76, tied for 18th.

“I am so excited that this is the way that I get to end my high school golf career with the team,” Bakshi said. “I feel really lucky to be part of such a close and talented team and am really going miss them. I feel like there’s no team that is as close as we are, and I think the bond we have is what makes us so successful.”

Sydney Sung shot a 77 and finished in a tie for 23rd. Marina Mata completed the scoring with an 84.

Gunn water polo

Alexandra McCusker, Kyra Pretre Menlo cross country

Miranda Jimenez, Hillary Studdert Palo Alto cross country

Jason Draxler Sadler Priory cross country

David Evans Palo Alto cross country

Calvin Katz, Kamran Murray* Menlo cross country

Griff Price, Luke Johnston Sacred Heart Prep water polo

Zach de Haaff, Michael Heller Menlo-Atherton water polo

Tevita Moimoi Sacred Heart Prep football *Previous winner

Watch video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to PASportsOnline.com

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“I Strain” — Each has three in a row. By Matt Jones

This week’s SUDOKU

Answers on page 27.

Answers on page 27.

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46 Artist’s workroom 47 Inventor’s acquisition 52 Rinkmaster Bobby 53 The L in PSL 55 “___ Heart Mother” (Pink Floyd album) 58 Securely closed 60 Works the garden 61 Casually 62 They flew at Mach 2 64 “Can ___ least think it over?”

65 Edward ___ (Victoria’s successor) 66 Mag wheels?

67 Part of LGBTQIA+ ©2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 22, 2019 • Page 39

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Page 40 • November 22, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com