Palo Alto Weekly August 14, 2020

Palo Alto

Vol. XLI, Number 45 Q August 14, 2020

Deal reached over back-to-school plan Page 7

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

Read up-to-the-minute news on PaloAltoOnline.com Q News Target sets sights on Ventura Q News Young activists sound off on racial injustice Q Arts Surreal art for surreal times

Page 5 Page 7 Page 23

on your list of safe places to go “Stanford Medicine is probably one of the safest places you can be.

We are taking every precaution.”

—Mary Hawn, MD | Chair of the Department of Surgery, Stanford Medicine

At Stanford Health Care, we are raising standards at our locations throughout the Bay Area to create a safe environment for our patients and staff.

U.S. News & World Report recognizes Stanford Health Care among the top hospitals in the nation. Ranking based on quality and patient safety.

• Employees are tested for COVID-19 using methods developed by Stanford Medicine.

• Waiting rooms and clinics are arranged for physical distancing.

• Every individual entering our facilities is given a mask and screened for symptoms of COVID-19. Those with symptoms are directed to a separate waiting area.

• A restricted visitor policy and expanded access to video visits limit the number of people passing through.

• Appointment check-in is available through the MyHealth app, reducing patient queues and use of shared devices.

• Medical teams have sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), including gowns, gloves, and masks.

• Patients are tested before all procedures and surgeries and when visiting the emergency room.

• Enhanced cleaning measures are in place, utilizing chemicals and UV light.

• Specialized filtration systems eliminate the circulation of airborne contaminants.

We are prepared to provide healthcare through this crisis, with safe in-person care and convenient video visits.

To learn more about how we are adapting care, visit: stanfordhealthcare.org/resumingcare Page 2 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 3

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Page 4 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Not wearing a mask? Expect to be fined County adopts penalties as state threatens to get tough on counties that don’t crack down

by Kevin Forestieri and Lloyd Lee The Santa Clara County Board iolating public health orders in Santa Clara Coun- of Supervisors unanimously apty now carries a hefty fine proved an ordinance Tuesday of up to $500, giving teeth to that places civil penalties on mask requirements and social- people and businesses that disredistancing rules in Santa Clara gard public health orders, which County that have been in effect mandate wearing a mask in public spaces and maintaining a for months.

V

physical distance of 6 feet from others. Repeat offenders will get hit with stiffer fines, while less egregious, first-time violations will be met with the equivalent of a “fix-it” ticket.

Enforcement of these rules has been lax since they were imposed in March, but the soft reopening of numerous businesses and a recent surge of cases in the region has county health officials

worried that the public health order won’t be effective without at least the threat of fines. County Supervisor Joe Simitian, who represents the northern end of the county, said that lives are at stake and there must be a reasonable deterrent for those who flout the law.

“The order already has been promulgated two months ago.

The question is whether or not

we’re going to enforce the order in some way,” Simitian said at the Aug. 11 supervisors meeting.

“Are we going to be serious about the order? Or are we just going to say our orders have no meaning if they come from the public health officer because there’s no enforcement tool?”

Santa Clara was among the (continued on page 28)

HOUSING

Council spars over new housing goal Some oppose, others support regional mandates

by Gennady Sheyner

A

(continued on page 31)

(continued on page 9)

Magali Gauthier

new housing, given that it’s zoned for multifamily residential use and is generally deemed to be underdeveloped. The city’s Housing Element identifies the property as the place for up to 249 residential units.

There’s a catch, however. The council granted Fry’s Electronics in 1999 a zoning exemption so it could remain at the old cannery building, an exception that the council voted in 2006 to make permanent in order to give Fry’s some assurances about its future.

Then Fry’s moved out last December.

state push to more than double the Bay Area’s construction of housing in the next eight years is stoking opposition in Palo Alto, with some City Council members characterizing the new goals as unrealistic, unachievable and largely unfunded.

The city is still waiting to see how many housing units it will have to plan for in the next Regional Housing Needs Allocation cycle, which will stretch from 2023 to 2031. But city leaders know the number will be significantly higher than in the past.

The state recently determined that the Bay Area needs to plan for 441,176 homes over the eightyear period. Now, it’s up to two regional agencies, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments, to determine how much housing each Bay Area county should be required to plan for in each income category.

Under any scenario, Palo Alto would have to aim significantly higher on housing. If the regional agencies choose to base the new allocations on the 2019 numbers (and assume population growth of 16%), Palo Alto would need to plan for 4,475 new housing units between 2023 and 2031.

That’s more than double the 1,988-unit allocation that the city is trying to meet in the current eight-year cycle. So far, Palo Alto has issued 554 building permits,

Happy trails A bicyclist rides along the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District’s latest trail extension at the Ravenswood Preserve in East Palo Alto on Aug. 11.

DEVELOPMENT

As Target eyes Fry’s building, Palo Alto rethinks its housing plan Property owner requests zone change to accommodate large retailer, other commercial space

W

ith prospects for housing at the former site of Fry’s Electronics fading, Palo Alto leaders and Ventura neighborhood residents are preparing to accept a far more modest proposal for the old

by Gennady Sheyner cannery building on Portage Avenue: an assortment of retail and office space anchored by a small Target store.

The question of what will happen to the sprawling complex at 340 Portage Ave. has been — and

remains — at the heart the city’s yearslong debate over Ventura’s future and the city’s housing strategy. The City Council has for more than decade eyed the Fry’s building and the surrounding area as the city’s most suitable site for

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 5

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

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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. ©2020 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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It’s not as if somebody gains power over somebody else in virtue of this ordinance —Barry Katz, Palo Alto resident, on county’s new fines for violating COVID-19 mask requirements. See story on page 5.

Around Town BOOKISH BUDDIES ... The coronavirus pandemic has increased the demand for a local youth group that has logged more than 1,000 hours over the past eight weeks to help students get ready for this coming academic year.

Summer Learning Buddies is made up of nine volunteers who have assisted Englishlanguage learners, students with dyslexia and children who fall in the achievement gap. The volunteers, who are 10 to 19 years old, have built a library of phonics lessons that have made a significant impact on the children they serve. The cause is personal for 15-yearold Ahshima Sima, a rising Gunn High School sophomore and co-director of the program.

Her younger brother, who has struggled with reading and writing, has benefited from the lessons. She said being involved with the program has also shown her the importance of patience and communication while working with others.

Carter Baginskis, 14, a rising Palo Alto High School freshman who has dyslexia, sees himself as a “positive role model” for participants. “My goal is to help them through a difficult process that I’ve had to go through,” he said. The program also has been valuable for school employees.

Maribel Vignato, a student attendant at Walter Hays Elementary, considers herself in the “first grade” of learning through technology. “They are helping me be more efficient to do my job teaching our students. ... They are heaven-sent,” she said of Summer Learning Buddies.

YOU GOT MAIL BURGLARS ... The U.S. Postal Service on Hamilton Avenue in Palo Alto is among the latest victims of a rash of burglaries that have been plaguing the federal mail agency for nearly two years.

An undisclosed number of post boxes at the downtown branch were damaged during a burglary on Aug. 4, said Jeff Fitch, spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s San Francisco division. The burglary was followed on Aug. 7

by a larger break-in at Mia Palo Alto, an apartment complex on Everett Avenue. Thieves entered multiple boxes at the complex, according to a letter sent to residents. The Hamilton Avenue thefts likely took place after the post office had closed for the day, according to Fitch.

He declined to say how many boxes were broken into, but the burglar, or burglars, entered from the lobby, he said. In light of the recent thefts, he emphasized the importance of alerting authorities to burglarized mailboxes and keeping an eye on suspicious activity, including transactions at banks and on bank and credit card statements or unauthorized use of credit cards, he said. Stealing mail and damaging postal property is a federal offense with penalties of up to five years in federal prison and up to $250,000 in fines, he said. The Postal Service has a standing reward of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in mail theft. Mail-theft reports can be made to the Postal Inspector Office’s 24-hour line at 877-876-2455.

NEW LEADERSHIP ... A woman who has made an impact on local philanthropy, media, entrepreneurship and advocacy has taken the helm at the Palo Alto Community Fund. The organization announced this week its new executive director, Lisa Van Dusen, who was recently chief relationship officer at Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund. Van Dusen, a former employee of Embarcadero Media, the Palo Alto Weekly’s parent company, was also host of the newspaper’s “First Person” video interviews. “The Palo Alto Community Fund has been a hidden gem and a much-needed hyperlocal bridge connecting the unparalleled resources in our community with our equally staggering and growing needs,” Van Dusen said in a statement. The organization has distributed more than $1.7 million during the first six months of 2020, including $660,000 in annual grants to area nonprofits and $1 million in grants through its COVID-19 Relief Fund. Q

Upfront

Divya Ganesan

Cleo Goodwin

Makayla Miller

RACIAL JUSTICE

What can you do to fight racism in your community? These young activists have some ideas.

High school and college students of color share experiences with activism

by Elena Kadvany

T

hree young Black women who have been leading efforts to bring about social change on the Midpeninsula expressed a mix of optimism and pessimism, motivation and anger during an Aug. 6 virtual panel about the roles they’ve assumed as activists — and the experiences with systemic racism that propelled them into action.

“I’m mad I have to be an activist, but it’s something I look forward to fighting,” Hele’ine Grewe, a rising Menlo-Atherton High School senior who lives in East Palo Alto, said about criminal justice reform.

The three, plus a high school

senior, spoke on a panel on Generation Z and social justice, moderated by former Stanford University Dean of Freshmen and Undergraduate Advising Julie Lythcott-Haims and presented by Embarcadero Media and the nonprofit Youth Community Service.

The panelists included Grewe; Cleo Goodwin, a 2018 Gunn High School graduate; Makayla Miller, a 2020 Palo Alto High School graduate; and Divya Ganesan, a rising senior at Castilleja School.

The panelists’ recent activism has ranged from organizing Black Lives Matter protests to founding a nonprofit that encourages political discourse among young people.

Each of the Black panelists shared experiences of racism in local schools, from casual racial jokes to teachers using the N-word.

Goodwin recalled a classroom lesson on stop-and-frisk at Gunn and the teacher who pointed at her and every student of color who would have been affected by the law.

Feeling ostracized for their skin color on campuses with mostly white students took a personal and academic toll, they said.

“Going to school with a group of people who don’t look like us, who don’t talk like us ... it is definitely a lot harder to achieve at the standards of Palo Alto,” Goodwin said.

“For a lot of us, we can’t afford the

Hele’ine Grewe tutors. We can’t afford the prep classes. We can’t afford the fancy ACT/SAT tutors. We’re trying to catch up in this game that Palo Alto has been stuck in.”

Grewe, the daughter of a Black father and Tongan mother, became emotional describing the isolation she felt as the only Black student in an accelerated English class she took at Menlo-Atherton her junior year.

“I was scared a lot of times to ask for help. It felt like everyone tried to ignore me and avoid me,”

she said. “It’s hard being an outcast. It’s hard when you’re seen as a Black person in a class and you shouldn’t talk to them because they’re different.”

The young women advocated for incorporating more Black history into curriculum, hiring more teachers of color and providing deeper anti-racism training to educators. Grewe transferred to M-A from Oxford Day Academy, a public charter school in East Palo Alto, where her English teacher was a Black woman rather than a white man.

Ganesan, co-founder of Real Talk, a nonprofit that encourages youth political engagement and discourse, said she’s been starting conversations about race and anti-Blackness in her South Asian community, particularly with her grandparents. She said her activism stemmed from realizing her own privilege — “feeling as if I’ve been living in a bubble and that bubble needs to somehow break” and is (continued on page 30)

EDUCATION

District, union reach tentative deal on distance learning, safety Dates set for reopening middle schools, if public health conditions allow

by Elena Kadvany

A

fter months of negotiations over working conditions for the new school year, which starts remotely next week, the school district and teachers union have reached a tentative agreement on a new memorandum of understanding.

The two separate agreements for elementary and secondary schools, which have not yet been ratified, lay out distance-teaching requirements, daily schedules, safety provisions and plans for transitioning from online learning into a hybrid in-person model when public health conditions improve. The district released the agreements on Aug. 6 after a seven-hour negotiation session the day before.

Notably, the union and district have tentatively agreed on a hopeful date when middle and high schools can reopen this fall but haven’t reached a consensus for the elementary schools. If Santa Clara County has been off the state’s

watchlist for 14 days by Oct. 9, the middle and high schools could reopen on Oct. 12 in a hybrid model determined by the school board, the agreement states. If conditions still haven’t sufficiently improved in the county by Nov. 2, full online learning would continue with a “potential” return date of Jan. 7.

The teachers union is arguing for the same timeline for the elementary level while the district believes elementary schools could potentially reopen sooner than the middle and high schools, according to the memorandum.

The Palo Alto Educators Association previously lobbied the district to commit to full distance learning for all students through January 2021.

Under the draft agreements, all teachers will be required to provide daily synchronous instruction at the beginning of each class period and be available for the percentage of the school day they normally work (such as full- or

part-time) during in-person instruction. Teachers will take daily attendance within the first 10 to 20 minutes of virtual classes.

Teachers will not be required to come to their classrooms during the full distance learning weeks but will be provided with spaces if they want, the agreements state.

The district will provide virtual training to teachers before school starts, the agreements state, on topics including blended learning, flipped classrooms and educationtechnology tools. Teachers will be “strongly encouraged” but not required to complete an additional 12-hour training course related to distance learning by Aug. 10 for a stipend or earned units toward salary advancement.

Before reopening campuses, the district will provide to all staff a safety plan with a list of personal protective equipment, protocols and checklists that “show (continued on page 27)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 7

Upfront ELECTION 2020

Council candidate hopes to change city’s ‘anti-business’ climate Ajit Varma opposes caps on office space, supports new housing for all income levels

by Gennady Sheyner

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Page 8 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Courtesy Ajit Varma

hen Crescent Park resident Ajit Varma says Palo Alto has a big problem, he means business.

As a director of products at WhatsApp, he’s been interacting with companies from around the globe as they try to recover from virus-induced shutdowns. And he is increasingly worried by what he sees in his own hometown, where businesses are struggling to stay open and where city leaders are perennially failing to meet their housing goals.

These trends, he believes, are diminishing the city’s longenjoyed status as a beacon of opportunity.

A Texas native who moved to Palo Alto two decades ago to pursue a career in technology, Varma is hoping to be elected to the council so he can start reversing this trend. On Aug. 7, he filed his papers to join a crowded race for three council seats.

“We came to Palo Alto because of opportunity, and we want the next person, who wants the same opportunities, to have them,” Varma, 40, told the Weekly. “For my kids, and the next person who comes to Palo Alto, I want to say, ‘You have the same opportunities that people have had 10 or 20 years ago.’ Every single race should have those opportunities.

Every single viewpoint should have those opportunities.”

More so than other candidates, Varma believes the council has gone in the wrong direction when it comes to supporting the business community and helping it to grow.

While council members have long talked about the need for a business tax (they had planned to place such a tax on the November ballot before halting the plan in March in the face of the pandemic), Varma seeks to “eradicate damaging business taxes,” according to his campaign website.

He also disapproves of the council’s strategy on limiting commercial development, which in recent years included the adoption of an annual office cap in the city’s three main commercial areas and a reduction in the citywide limit on nonresidential growth. The council’s primary goal with these actions was to address the city’s high jobs-to-housing imbalance by reducing office growth and encouraging the construction of more residential projects.

Varma believes this is a failed and misguided strategy. Rather than capping office space, he believes the city should be encouraging mixed-use developments

Crescent Park resident Ajit Varma, who is running for the Palo Alto City Council, believes the city is falling short when it comes to supporting the business community. in which offices subsidize housing, particularly below-marketrate housing. In his view, the city can achieve both economic growth and housing construction by fostering mixed-use communities such as Santana Row in San Jose or the ones that Google and Facebook are pursuing in Mountain View and Menlo Park, respectively.

“It is always presented as tradeoff, like you can have one or the other but you can’t have both,” Varma said, referring to commercial and residential developments.

“I feel we’re in a situation where we have neither, and we have failed at both.”

Varma, who worked at Square and Google before Facebook (the parent company of WhatsApp), believes the city’s office restrictions and lengthy permitting processes have created a difficult business environment — a problem that will make the city’s recovery from the COVID-19 recession all the longer and more difficult.

“I’m really worried that with our policies in Palo Alto being so anti-business — with getting permits being very difficult, with the office caps — we’re discouraging businesses from being in Palo Alto,” he said.

He is also concerned about the impact of Palo Alto’s housing shortage on the city’s social dynamics. He said he has seen more people leave the region because of the astronomical living costs. Just a few years ago, companies like Pinterest and Doordash departed Palo Alto to go to San Francisco.

Many of his friends, even those who are well-off, have concluded (continued on page 27)

Upfront

Housing (continued from page 5)

the vast majority of them in the “moderate� or “above moderate� income categories.

Other factors, which are meant to promote equity and create housing near jobs and public transit, could make Palo Alto’s housing allocations even higher. For example, a methodology that prioritizes a link between jobs and transportation would raise Palo Alto’s allocation by about 24%, requiring it to plan for 6,532 new units.

In addition to advancing the housingallocation process, the two regional planning agencies are also now developing a long-range planning document called Plan Bay Area 2050 for the nine Bay Area counties. Staff from Palo Alto’s Planning and Development Services Department estimates that under some of the proposed growth strategies in Plan Bay Area 2050, the city would have to zone for between 11,000 and 15,000 housing units over the next eight-year cycle. Planning staff noted in a new report that an expectation that the city would increase its housing supply by 55% over the next eight years is “clearly unattainable.�

The council agreed on Monday that just about any target beyond the 2019 baseline would be impossible to meet, though members clashed over how to express their opposition. Some blasted the entire allocation process, while others lauded its goals and acknowledged the need to be more aggressive on housing. Ultimately, a four-member majority of Mayor Adrian Fine and council members Alison Cormack, Liz Kniss and Greg Tanaka endorsed a letter that urged ABAG’s Housing Methodology Committee to use the 2019 allocation (with 16% projected growth) to determine the next housing targets.

A three-member minority of Vice Mayor Tom DuBois and council members Eric Filseth and Lydia Kou argued that the allocation process is inherently flawed and that the regional agencies should come up with a new model with lower housing obligations for cities that are proactively limiting job growth.

All seven council members acknowledged that just about any option that ABAG will present would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the city to meet. The city has been consistently falling well short of the council’s goal to build 300 units per year, despite a series of zone changes that council members have made since 2018 to streamline the approval process and to offer incentives to affordable-housing developers.

The letter that the council approved by a

4-3 vote argued that any approach that goes beyond the 2019 “baseline� would effectively set up cities for dramatic failure. The regional growth plan requires “significant economic investment and an extraordinary amount of regional policy collaboration to implement its vision.� “Building a methodology today that is actionable over the next eight years and relies on an idealized model depicting a regional housing distribution 30 years from now ignores the reality that the infrastructure, funding and local regulatory framework is simply not yet present to achieve this goal,� the letter states.

Signed by City Manager Ed Shikada, the letter also notes that the city recognizes its role in stimulating more housing, particularly “more equitable and inclusive housing for all.�

DuBois, Filseth and Kou, who favor slower city growth, suggested that the proposed regional model is unduly burdensome on west Santa Clara County, the area that the regional agencies project to see the heaviest growth in jobs and housing. All three argued that regional agencies should develop a new model that considers job restrictions as a factor in allocating housing units. Because Palo Alto has an annual cap on office development in three main commercial areas (as well as a citywide cap on nonresidential growth), its housing obligations would be lowered under such a model. “We need to get our arms around this jobs thing as well, if we’re ever going to get out from under this rock, especially the affordable-housing rock, without doing unnatural things that create more demand for it than actual supply,� Filseth said. “We’ve got to get that idea more socialized in the world. “I think it’s an important one, and I don’t understand why we wouldn’t take this opportunity to take a little leadership on that because I think most Palo Altans support it.�

Before the Monday meeting, DuBois, Kou and Filseth co-authored an alternate letter urging the Housing Methodology Committee to consider “upper limits on allocation� for communities that “proactively seek to address their jobs/housing imbalance.� “Balancing jobs-housing growth at the city level is an important and realistically achievable first step towards regional sustainability,� their letter stated.

DuBois called the new housing targets a “clear threat to charter cities.� That’s because cities that fall well short of the regional targets will become subject to

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 9

Upfront

Housing

CityView A round-up

(continued from page 9)

of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Aug. 10) Housing: The council approved submitting a letter to the Association of Bay Area Governments supporting a methodology for housing allocation based on the 2019 baseline. Yes: Cormack, Fine, Kniss, Tanaka No: DuBois, Filseth, Kou Dining: The council approved extending the outdoor dining program on California and University avenues until the end of the year and to extend permits for parklets until September 2021. Yes: Unanimous

Board of Education (Aug. 11) Lexia Learning: The board approved a three-year contract with Lexia Learning, an online reading program for K-8 students. Yes: Unanimous Reopening: The board discussed special education, the PAUSD+ support program and other reopening issues. Action: None

Planning and Transportation Commission (Aug. 12) 788 San Antonio Road: The commission recommended approving a proposed 102-unit development at 788 San Antonio Road and supported the applicability of the Housing Incentive Program to San Antonio Road. The commission also recommended that the council conduct a land use and transportation analysis on this segment of San Antonio Road. Yes: Alcheck, Hechtman, Lauing, Riggs, Roohparvar, Templeton No: Summa

the provisions of Senate Bill 35, which requires them to approve residential developments through a streamlined process.

“I think failure to meet those numbers is going to mean override of local land use” authority, DuBois said. “And control of local land use is really one of the reasons we have local governments. It’s the idea that local representation can understand the local conditions best.”

DuBois wondered on Monday whether the city should “willingly participate in a process where we’re set up to fail, and that’s leading us to relinquishing our rights as a city.” Kou agreed and suggested that in establishing aggressive housing goals for Santa Clara County, the regional agencies have failed to consider recent trends, including the shift by employees to telecommuting and the disruptions in transportation

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While DuBois characterized the regional allocation as an “unfunded mandate,” Fine countered that the state directives are necessary to prod cities such as Palo Alto to do better on housing.

“I think our community and, specifically, this council has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity on housing,” Fine said. “We have shown an unwillingness to solve this problem locally, using the local control we have to actually build new market rate housing and affordable housing.

“Of course, we as a city don’t build it, but we create conditions by which home builders do it, and we failed at that. In my opinion, that’s why we actually need regional and state guidance on planning. Otherwise, cities like ours are going to wilt on the vine.”

Cormack and Kniss similarly favored a more cooperative and less adversarial approach. As Kou

and DuBois pushed for the city to consider legal options or lobbying strategies to modify or delay the allocation process, Cormack suggested that the city is “not an island” and that it will have to “operate beyond our borders in ways that perhaps we hadn’t had to before.”

The full council agreed that identifying funding for affordable housing will be a major barrier.

While Filseth and DuBois pointed to the funding gap for belowmarket-rate housing as evidence for why the regional plan is unrealistic, Kniss suggested that the city can generate local funding for housing by approving commercial projects.

“Most cities fund their affordable housing through building offices. Unless we find another way in our city of raising money to go for affordable housing, we are going to be stuck where we are right now,” Kniss said. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

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Page 12 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Upfront ELECTION 2020

School board president decides to pursue second term In Palo Alto race, five are vying for three openings

T

he race for three open seats on the Palo Alto Unified school board has expanded to five candidates, with President Todd Collins confirming he’s running for a second term.

The terms of Collins and board members Jennifer DiBrienza and Melissa Baten Caswell end in November. Baten Caswell is not running for reelection while DiBrienza is seeking a second term on the board.

Three challengers have declared their candidacies: Karna Nisewaner, a parent and a lawyer; Jesse Ladomirak, a parent and co-owner of a remodeling company in San Francisco; and Katie Causey, a Palo Alto Unified graduate.

Todd Collins Going into 2020, Collins said he was openminded about whether to seek a second term on the board. The district had made significant progress on the issues that had motivated him Todd Collins to run in 2016, he said — primarily management, budget and organization. But then the pandemic hit, ushering in what he described as “the most challenging year in public education in everybody’s career.”

“I think given the unusualness of the situation, it seems sensible to serve another term if the voters want me to,” he said.

Collins, an investment manager and longtime schools volunteer, said Palo Alto Unified in 2020 operates vastly different than in the past. During Collins’ tenure, former Superintendent Max McGee resigned, and there was enormous turnover at the district office. He voted to hire Superintendent Don Austin in 2018.

“We’ve got a much stronger management team. We’ve got much stronger direction. The distractions and divisive issues that dominated the prior 10 years have been substantially put to bed,” Collins said.

He said he’s particularly proud of the board’s, district’s and community’s work on Stanford University’s proposed expansion plan, which was ultimately withdrawn but could have brought in new students without an increase in funding.

“If and when the GUP (general use permit) comes back, I think now and our community and Stanford have ... largely agreed on a structure for how that should be

by Elena Kadvany addressed going forward, which I think is a huge accomplishment,” Collins said.

Collins has been a staunch advocate for data-driven accountability — often asking district staff at board meetings how exactly they’ll know if a program or initiative accomplishes what it set out to do — particularly when it comes to closing Palo Alto Unified’s long-standing achievement gap. As an example, he pointed to a “Moving the Needle” section added to the district’s longterm plan, the PAUSD Promise, which measures the district’s performance on state and local data points, such as chronic absenteeism and graduation rates.

“Debate without data is usually a waste of time. Even worse, since it can drive people apart,” his campaign website states. “We need to insist on good data to make good decisions and bring a spirit of cooperation and constructive problem-solving to every issue.”

Collins cited work to improve outcomes for minority and lowincome students at Escondido and Barron Park elementary schools as an example of the approach he wants the district to do more of: breaking down a problem into manageable parts and then applying what works to other schools and populations. He sees a similar opportunity in the area of improving persistently low reading performance among Hispanic students.

“Most of what I want to see is us get better at the cycle of identifying problems, developing programs to address leverage points and executing and following up to see if they worked,” he said. “Developing that as an organizational capability will pay huge dividends going forward.”

With a new school year starting fully online and deep uncertainty about when and how schools will be able to reopen, Collins said this isn’t a time for sweeping change from the school board.

“I don’t think this is time you want the board to get distracted or pick up new issues. ... I think that won’t serve students very well,” he said. “If I get elected, my view is: I’m going to keep us focused on the fundamentals.”

Collins said he favors bringing the highest-need students back to campuses in person first and then staggering students’ returns by certain groups and grade levels.

“If we try to flip it on like a light switch, we’ll probably fail,” he said.

Collins has three children who attended district schools. Before he was elected to the board, he chaired the district’s bond

Citizens Oversight Committee and served on the Enrollment Management Advisory Committee, which in 2015 and 2016 evaluated the possibility of opening new district schools. He also serves on the board of directors of DreamCatchers, a nonprofit that provides tutoring and other support to low-income and minority students.

In 2016, Collins won 21% of the vote behind the top vote-getter, DiBrienza, who won 28.7%.

Jesse Ladomirak Jesse Ladomirak believes her experience as the parent of four children who attend district schools is needed on a board tasked with the unprecedented challenges of public educa- Jesse Ladomirak tion during a global pandemic.

“It feels imperative now more than ever that people on the school board have the lived experience of families and children in this district. Having people on the school board with kids who are currently enrolled in PAUSD feels like the only way that effective governance can happen right now because nothing about schooling right now is like anything any of us have ever experienced,” she

said in an interview.

Ladomirak was born and raised in Palo Alto and graduated from the school district. She was a practicing attorney for several years, representing public agencies, cities and transportation districts, before she and her husband unexpectedly became co-owners of Teevan, a remodeling company. She left her law firm job when she had her first child and focused on her new role as general manager and chief financial officer of Teevan.

During college and into her adult years, Ladomirak has worked with children, including through child development nonprofits in New Haven, Connecticut; a Head Start program in rural Pennsylvania; at the Opportunity Center in Palo Alto, where she tutored homeless and low-income youth; and for the last six years with All Students Matter, a nonprofit that connects volunteers with Ravenswood City School District teachers and students.

She said she extended her focus on social justice to her remodeling company, setting out to prove in an “industry that treats people as disposable” that carpenters, painters and other laborers can, and should be, paid well and treated fairly.

Ladomirak has two biological children and two adopted children of color, three at Addison Elementary School and one at Greene Middle School.

Running for a seat on the school board wasn’t part of Ladomirak’s plan until recently. She said she had been working with a group of parents to find a candidate who is “committed to issues of educational equity.” That person ended up being her.

The school closures have exacerbated educational and socioeconomic inequities in the

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school district, as well as student mental health concerns. Ladomirak didn’t say how exactly she’d address these issues differently if elected but said she’d bring a persistent, analytical focus to both areas.

“I am less worried about somehow critiquing or thinking I can perfect what the district is offering,” she said. “I am much more worried about being a voice that is constantly advocating for self-critique.”

She said she’s hopeful that a “critical mass” of board members who are also focused on improving outcomes for low-income and minority students would help spark systemic, sustained progress. If elected, she said she’d press for an “equity audit,” using software and experts to identify where the district is failing students of color.

“There’s always been this divide in PAUSD between the students whom the district is serving extraordinarily well and students that are not being served well,” Ladomirak said. “These issues are structural ... and they need a different kind of approach than what we’ve been giving them for decades.”

Ladomirak said she’s less familiar with how the school board operates as a body but has been “impressed” by its level of responsiveness to parents. She said she would similarly strive to be a proactive, accessible board member who focuses on problem-solving, whatever the issue.

“The first step to solving a problem is identifying the problem. Where are we trying to go?

What are we trying to fix? And then working on fixing it,” she said. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

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Pulse POLICE CALLS Palo Alto

Aug. 6-Aug. 12 Violence related 800 block Lytton Avenue, 7/31, 7:07 p.m.; assault w/ a deadly weapon.

El Camino Real,8/4, 6:25 p.m.; battery/ simple.

300 block University Avenue, 8/5, 10:38 a.m.; battery/peace officer.

300 block University Avenue, 8/5, 7:51 p.m.; strong arm robbery.

El Camino Real, 8/6, 6:01 p.m.; armed robbery.

700 block Colorado Avenue, 8/7, 11:14 p.m.; armed robbery.

3000 block Middlefield Road, 8/9, 2:22 p.m.; battery/simple.

Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Commercial burglary attempt . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Prowler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle related Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 2 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Theft from auto attempt . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 3 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . 4 Vehicle tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Alcohol or drug related Drinking in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . 4 Miscellaneous Animal call . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Court order violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Firearm disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Indecent exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 3 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Menlo Park

Aug. 5-Aug. 11 Violence related 700 block Laurel Street, 8/5, 4:29 p.m.; battery.

700 block Willow Road, 8/7, 9:42 p.m.; robbery.

1300 block Hill Avenue, 8/8, 10:49 a.m.; assault.

500 block Oak Grove Avenue, 8/9, 3:01 p.m.; robbery.

Theft related Burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Prowler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

OBITUARIES A list of local residents who died recently: Patrick Emanuel Brock, 69, a longtime East Palo Alto entrepreneur and founder of the annual East Palo Alto Blues Festival, died on Jan. 23. Junior “Jim” Leung, 90, a cook and lifelong Palo Alto resident died on July 31. Ray Simpson Stewart, 93, a leading entrepreneur during Silicon Valley’s budding electronics industry and Palo Alto resident, died on Aug. 1. Mary Kiki Wilcox, 92, an educator for the San Francisco Unified School District and researcher at SRI International, died on Aug. 4.

To read full obituaries, leave remembrances and post photos, go to Lasting Memories at PaloAltoOnline.com/ obituaries. Q

Mary Katherine Dybdahl

Ray Simpson Stewart

September 28, 1939 – July 25, 2020

December 16, 1926 – August 1, 2020

Mary Katherine Dybdahl passed away peacefully on July 25, 2020 at the age of 80. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Harlan Dybdahl. She will be deeply missed by her son David Dybdahl, daughter Tracy Everson, son-in-law Bryan Everson, grandsons Cameron Everson and Reece Everson, sisters Carolyn Chapman and Janice Berndt and brother Larry Lee. Mary was born in Valley City, ND to Harold Lee and Katherine Lee(Jenkins), the youngest of five children. She went to high school in Aberdeen, SD and graduated from nursing school with her RN in Huron, SD. She married Harlan Dybdahl in 1960, creating a partnership that spanned 47 years full of laughter and family adventures with their children David and Tracy.

Mary and Harlan lived in Europe and Japan for many years, and traveled the world building lasting friendships and wonderful memories. They moved to San Carlos after returning from Japan, where she worked as a Physician Liaison for Stanford Hospital.

She moved to Mountain View after Harlan passed in 2007, where she worked at El Camino Hospital until she retired. Mary loved to beautifully decorate her homes and create the most wonderful gardens. She was a voracious reader, lover of animals, enthusiastic traveler, and ardent hiker. She loved scrapbooking, visiting with her family and friends, live theatre, and a good movie. She adored her children and grandsons, and was a wonderful friend to many. She will be grievously missed by all.

Ray Simpson Stewart, a pioneer in the development of the Silicon Valley electronics industry, passed away on Saturday, August 1st at his home in Redwood City, CA due to complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was 93.

Ray first came to the Palo Alto area in 1953 when he was asked by his employer, Convair, to participate in the testing of Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft at Moffett Field in Mountain View.

From there, he became involved with the development of the video recorder at Ampex Corporation. He and several colleagues from Ampex formed Datamec Corp., which was sold to Hewlett Packard in 1965, and he then became President of Data Memory, Inc., a company that produced instant replay for television. Ray continued to engage in entrepreneurial endeavors in the electronics industry in Silicon Valley for the remainder of his career.

Born in Honolulu, HI on December 16, 1926, Ray was the second son of Col. William Robert Stewart (USA, Ret.) and Mary Agnes Simpson. His father was a career Army officer, which led the family to live in numerous places around the world, including Alcatraz Island, where Col. Stewart was the last military warden of the prison prior to it becoming a Federal penitentiary in 1934. The family then moved to Corregidor, Philippines, and Fort Stevens, OR, where Col. Stewart was the commanding officer, and then Seattle, prior to finally settling in La Jolla, CA just before World War II. Ray graduated from La Jolla High School and attended UCLA for one year before he was drafted into the US Navy, where he was fortunate enough to be enrolled in an electronics training program. Following his discharge from the Navy, Ray completed his college degree at San Diego State College, where he was a founding member of the Theta Chi fraternity. He earned an MBA degree from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1951.

In 1953, Ray married Jean Carol Anderson, whom he met at Convair in San Diego, and they raised five children together in Los Altos and Atherton, CA prior to their divorce in 1972. Midlife, Ray became very involved in running and participated in numerous marathons, including New York, Boston, and Cal International, and track events, including the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Eugene, OR in 1994. He was also part of a team that continues to hold the world record for the 70+ Men’s age group for the 4 X 800 relay set at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in San Jose in 1997. He was an active member and Executive Director of Fifty Plus, an organization to promote fitness for seniors. Ray was also an avid traveler and enjoyed traveling with his family to all parts of the world.

Ray’s second wife, Norma Pappas, whom he married in 2006, died in 2019. Ray was predeceased earlier this year by his older brother, William Robert Stewart, Jr. (USAF, Ret.) of San Antonio, TX and he is survived by his younger brother, Stanley Hays Stewart (Masako), of La Jolla, CA. Ray is also survived by his five children: Sandra Stewart MacPhail (Jack) of Portland, OR, Claire Stewart Kostic (Mark) of Atherton, CA, Sharon Stewart of Ukiah, CA, Kim Stewart of Los Altos, CA, and David Stewart (Paula) of Los Altos, CA. In addition, he is survived by nine grandchildren: Sheldon Stevenson, Jeffrey Stevenson, Creighton Stevenson, Kirsten Hanafee, Sean Hanafee, Emily Bortz, Edward Bortz, Camila Stewart and Giana Stewart, and two great-grandchildren: Finn Stevenson and Charles Stevenson.

Due to circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, burial services and celebration of life will be private. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Stanford Medicine Cancer Discovery Fund, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, or Pathways Hospice.

PAID

OBITUARY

Maureen Patricia Kenney February 9, 1949 – August 1, 2020 Maureen Kenney (Nook) passed away peacefully August 1st, 2020. She was born and raised in Palo Alto, CA, the daughter of Josephine & Edward Nook and was the second of five children. She attended Palo Alto High School and after graduating in 1967, went on to become a flight attendant for Trans International Airlines where she traveled the world and built lasting friendships and wonderful memories. She married Michael Kenney in 1975 and settled down to raise her two children.

Besides traveling, Maureen loved animals, especially her many cats, swimming in the ocean, waterskiing at her lake house, being with friends, sharing stories and having a good laugh. She was preceded in death by her father, Edward Nook, mother, Josephine Nook and her brother, Gary Nook.

Her remaining years were spent surrounded by her loved ones. She is survived by her two children, Allison Jones (Jon) and Jason Kenney (Serena), her grandson, Benjamin, her brother Doug, two sisters Marianne & Kathy and all her grand-fur babies, Sadie, Cheddar, Coco & Puff.

In loving memory, Maureen will be forever missed and cherished by her friends & family.

She will be laid to rest at Alta Mesa Cemetery and a memorial service will be planned when it is safe to gather again. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in her honor to Hospice of the East Bay. PAID

OBITUARY PAID

OBITUARY

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 15

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 19

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

Letters Castilleja’s modernization Editor, I am writing in response to the positive news about the Final Environmental Impact Report for Castilleja School’s modernization. It is very exciting that there is now a new alternative that is both environmentally superior and has no significant impacts. I attended the Planning and Transportation Commission hearing last summer, and I am so gratified that Castilleja has addressed the core concerns I heard voiced there. With the much smaller garage design and dispersed drop off, Castilleja has retained homes to keep the neighborhood feel, preserved beloved trees and eliminated the traffic impacts.

Bravo to Castilleja for developing this excellent solution and thoughtful compromise. I appreciate the time and care that went into studying the findings in the Draft Environmental Impact Report, listening to neighbors and responding creatively. I look forward to seeing our community come together around the good work Castilleja has done as the project is now able to move forward into another phase.

Even more, I am thrilled that Castilleja’s enrollment increase is supported in this report. Now more than ever, offering this unique educational opportunity for a more diverse set of young women is a mandate for a city

like Palo Alto. While there are so many things we can disagree about as we watch our state, nation and planet struggle through the pressures of current events, education is always part of every solution for a better future for all.

Trisha Suvari Iris Way, Palo Alto

Thank you, Sara Cody Editor, Thank you County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody for your expert navigation and leadership in the coronavirus crisis and for standing up to the ignorant bullies trying to intimidate you. Don’t give up the fight!

We know we speak for thousands of Santa Clara County and Bay Area residents who are grateful that you remain on the job, using your expertise to protect us in the greatest public health crisis of our lifetimes. Nearly all of us are well aware that the coronavirus is a deadly threat and that science (not wishful thinking) must guide the response. We also know that strong measures are needed to control the threat, and that we can’t return to normal while a lethal pathogen stalks us.

Please know that your work is understood, appreciated and supported.

Mitchell Zimmerman Jane Zimmerman Maybell Avenue, Palo Alto

This week on Town Square Town Square is an online discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square In response to ‘To get OK for school expansion, Castilleja proposes plan with lesser traffic impacts’ Posted July 30 at 8:50 p.m. by Eduardo F. Llach, a resident of Southgate: “My grandmother went to Castilleja (School) over 100 years ago, and the great education she received continues to this day. My kids needed different help at different times and benefited from options available to them.

They graduated from Paly but went to the German American school for the first seven years, which helped them get a perspective they wouldn’t have been able to get. My kids benefited from scholarships, similar to the ones available from Castilleja. Options and variety are key to the success of our children.

Palo Alto is proud of its history, Castilleja has been part of it for over 100 years. I’m proud of my grandmother, and I’m proud to support Castilleja.”

In response to ‘Palo Alto’s COVID-19 numbers are growing’ Posted Aug. 9 at 10:26 a.m. by Neilson Buchanan, a resident of Downtown North: “Thanks for this alert. We need the Santa Clara and San Mateo county experts to provide more data and longer-term analysis.

Health care statistics for small geographic regions, especially ZIP codes, are tricky and I urge Palo Alto Online to follow up for your readers.”

In response to ‘Palo Alto moves to expand access to residentsonly Foothills Park’ Posted Aug. 4 at 9:39 a.m. by Eric Filseth, a resident of Downtown North: “This notion that ‘some issues are too important for voters who might disagree with me, and I’ll decide what those issues are,’ floated

around in the SB50 discussion last year and came up last night from a few corners as well.

We ought to watch out for that one. We may expect it from Trump, but the government ought to work for residents, not the other way ‘round. Democracy isn’t perfect, just better than the alternatives.”

In response to ‘Palo Alto mayor will not seek reelection to City Council’ Posted Aug. 6 at 5:52 p.m. by Ken Horowitz, a resident of Downtown North: “Thank you Adrian (Fine) for your service these past four years. Not an easy task being on the Palo Alto City Council, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

You added a lot to the Council especially being a renter. Hope you continue to live here with your new family member and housing becomes affordable for young families like yours. Best wishes, stay safe and be well.’

In response to ‘Meet the seven candidates vying for two seats on the Ravenswood school board’ Posted Aug. 11 at 11:10 a.m. by Mark Dinan, a resident of East Palo Alto: “I am encouraged by Bronwyn Alexander’s comments regarding marketing Ravenswood City School District Schools to parents in East Palo Alto. I’ve asked school board members multiple times, ‘What is your strategy for attracting the children of middle-class households in East Palo Alto to enroll in Ravenswood City School District Schools?’ I’ve never heard a good answer, and I know many parents in East Palo Alto who currently send their kids to Tinsley Schools, private schools, charter schools and homeschool who have never been recruited to send their kids to local schools.”

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

What do you think of the county’s mask fines?

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.

Page 20 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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Gennady, Sue and Elena, we’ve come to trust that you will be our eyes and ears day after day, and you do that so well. Bill’s editorials are our good fortune — and also that he thought up Embarcadero Media. I have no idea how Jocelyn keeps it all together — it would make me nuts. I never subscribed but will now, knowing that it is vital to support all and the Weekly in these and all times. And thank you Bill for asking for that support.

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

by Sheryl Nonnenberg

Courtesy Pamela Walsh Gallery

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 23

Courtesy Pamela Walsh Gallery

S

Fernando Reyes — were familiar to her as a result of networking with other galleries and art fairs. “I wanted to curate a worldclass exhibition featuring artists from many places who each feel a deep connection to the earth. The subject matter is fairly similar (light, water, land, plants) but the artists’ expressions of them are all unique,” she explained.

With its high ceilings and abundant natural lighting, the Ramona Street gallery space is perfect for art of all sizes and media, and many pieces in this show Salvador Dali’s “Spectacles” is featured in “Surreal Art for Surreal are quite large. Waddell’s thickly painted, Times,” a virtual exhibition of works by the surrealist painter abundantly floral still lifes seem to glow in presented by the Pamela Walsh Gallery. this setting. His impasto approach to applying paint seems almost sculptural, even as it adheres as the cool minimalism of MacDonald’s landscapes. to canvas. Although flowers are Waddell’s main sub- Finally, for those who appreciate the creatures of land ject matter, Walsh has also included a rare seascape and sea, Brisson’s lovely batik-like evocations of birds by the Australian artist. “I can hear your whispers and fish might be just the ticket. These mixed-media from across the sea” is a dramatic evocation of water works will find you looking closely to ascertain just meeting land, thanks to the thick, almost gestural ap- how the artist achieved such a feeling of tactility.

For those who are not ready to venture out yet, plication of paint and the cool palette. Water is also the subject matter of Frolova, who also happens to Walsh has organized a virtual exhibition of works by be a competitive swimmer. In “Following Light,” the an art world icon, Salvador Dali. The title “Surreal artist has depicted an ocean that seems to end at the Art for Surreal Times” says it all — and seems most side of the canvas, much like an infinity pool. A tiny appropriate in the current situation. Walsh explained origami boat floats along enigmatically under the that the prints belong to a collection owned by a dear eyes of a hazy sun. It’s mysterious and friend, Michael Schwartz, who owns Galerie Michael in Beverly Hills. She explained, “The word ‘surrealist’ yet, somehow, calming.

Water is also the theme for Eubank, — or ‘beyond reality’ — was coined by French poet who undertook a project to paint every Guillaume Apollinaire at the beginning of the 20th ocean on Earth in order to raise aware- century. The confluence of the physical world and the ness about climate change. It took 20 dream world was starting to feel like our new reality.”

The lithographs and engravings in the exhibition years and was completed in 2019 after a visit to Antarctica. Walsh explained that convey the well-known dream (or nightmare) tropes: the artist “claims every ocean is differ- skulls, anthropomorphic figures and distorted facent.” In “Arctic VI,” roiling waves are es. Be sure to take the short audio tour, written and painted in cool shades of green and blue, narrated by Walsh, who has a familiarity with Dali against a white background. Compare it that only many years in the art world could achieve. with “Phoenician Reflection II,” with its Walsh said that she plans to continue virtual programwarm hues of gold and brown and one ming, with future exhibitions of work by Picasso and can, physically, feel the temperature Rembrandt.

Walsh reports that, although foot traffic in Palo change.

“Putting together a show is a multi-fac- Alto has been sparse, the response to an open gallery eted process of relationship-building, lo- has been fantastic.

“There is no replacement for seeing art in person; gistics management and curation,” Walsh said. “It is one thing to pick great artists there is an energy exchange that occurs when you are and art but another to put all of it in a face to face with a work of art that is powerful and gallery and create a dialogue that allows transformative,” she said. “Art helps us to connect to our human experience, and my gallery provides a each work to sing.”

Walsh has managed to do just that, space for that.”

More information is available at pamelawalshgalcombining disparate artists who work in wildly different styles — somehow, it all lery.com. Q works well aesthetically. Consider, for exFreelance writer Sheryl Nonnenberg can be ample, both the sinewy realism of Reyes’s reached at nonnenberg@aol.com. This story “Clout 55” by Pierre Marie Brisson is part of the group show trees as they reach for the sky, as well originally appeared on thesixfifty.com.

“Seeking Nature,” a new in-person exhibition now on view at the Pamela Walsh Gallery. ince the beginning of the pandemic-related shut downs, viewing visual art has been mostly limited to online offerings by major museums. But the Midpeninsula has some art galleries that are not only featuring virtual exhibits but slowly beginning to open in a physical space as well, such as Pamela Walsh Gallery in downtown Palo Alto.

A commercial art gallery with the designation of a retail space, Walsh’s gallery reopened last month with a group show entitled “Seeking Nature” as well as a virtual exhibition featuring the works of the Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali.

Walsh, who is an art advisor as well as a gallery owner, is thankful that she was able to open her doors again.

“I am fortunate that my business provides a low-risk environment, so I have not had to make radical adjustments. Although I won’t be hosting any gatherings in the near future, people can visit the gallery safely and enjoy the art while maintaining a safe distance,” she said.

For her first show after reopening, Walsh decided to look to nature and invited six artists to participate with works focused on that central theme. Two of the artists, Craig Waddell and Don Scott MacDonald, are part of her gallery roster. The remaining four — Danielle Eubank, Zoya Frolova, Pierre Marie Brisson and

Page 24 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 25

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Page 26 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Upfront COMMUNITY

Stuck at home, TV travel show host continues to collect stories from around the world Megan Zhang inspires readers through the lives of others coping through the pandemic

by Lloyd Lee

N

pandemic, I’ve definitely felt very lost and uncertain,” Zhang said in an interview with the Palo Alto Weekly. “The future kind of looks blank, almost.”

Still, it hasn’t stopped Zhang’s passion for telling other people’s stories. Since April, a month after California’s lockdown began, she has collected stories of people from all over the world — China, England, the Czech Republic and Jordan, to name a few — and cities across the U.S. and shares them on her new website, TalkingThroughWalls.com.

In brief articles, she gives insight into the lives of a student, a teacher, a musician, a hotel owner — even a Florida resident who dresses in an inflatable unicorn costume and gallops around her neighborhood to spread joy during times of social distancing.

No story told in her project is the same, but they all serve a similar purpose.

“I just thought, maybe by bringing these stories to the surface, it might help people feel a little more connected or hopeful,” Zhang said. “It’s a little bit of a reminder that this fight is everybody’s, and there are so many people trying to make a difference.”

Using her journalism skills, and with the help of Zoom and her phone, Zhang has been able to seek out stories of resilience from all walks of life.

In Detroit, for example, Asha Shajahan, a medical director turned COVID-19 unit physician, told Zhang about the emotional toll of working five consecutive nights of 12-hour shifts, constantly treating infected patients.

“Dr. Shajahan recalls sometimes simultaneously covering 50 patients, many of whom were having difficulty breathing,” Zhang wrote.

“On some nights, she would see five patients pass away — usually with no loved ones at their side.”

Council

Varma also said he wants to see Palo Alto strive to be more diverse, by addressing what he calls the city’s “bad record with housing and policing.” One of his top priorities, if elected, would be to attract people with diverse viewpoints to Palo Alto, he said.

“We need to structurally reform our systems to ensure that people of all backgrounds belong here,” Varma said.

Varma’s decision to seek a seat means voters will get to choose from among 10 candidates for four seats in the November election. Council members Lydia Kou and Greg Tanaka are each hoping for a fresh four-year term. Also

running are former Mayor Pat Burt; attorney Rebecca Eisenberg; Planning and Transportation Commission member Ed Lauing; Human Relations Commission member Steven Lee; engineer and activist Raven Malone; teacher Greer Stone; and Planning and Transportation Commission Chair Cari Templeton.

Two incumbents are not standing for reelection: Mayor Adrian Fine has decided against seeking another term, while Councilwoman Liz Kniss will term out at the end of this year. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Magali Gauthier

othing could more swiftly and effectively impede Megan Zhang’s work as a freelance journalist and host of “Travelogue,” an international travel show, than a global pandemic.

Before COVID-19, Zhang was in Chongqing, China, documenting its modest but vibrant culinary scene and in a city in Inner Mongolia, where temperatures dip to -22 degrees Fahrenheit and yet still feel right for daring athletes who Megan Zhang race on snowmobiles or compete in Mongolian wrestling.

But like many of us, Zhang is stuck at home in Palo Alto. It’s hard to tell when she’ll be back out in the field.

“Throughout this whole

(continued from page 8)

that the benefits of living here are no longer commensurate with the costs, he said.

When it comes to housing, he believes the city needs to incentivize construction of both marketrate and below-market-rate units, particularly around prominent corridors such as El Camino Real and Page Mill Road. Focusing exclusively on below-market-rate units is a recipe for getting no units at all, he said, because of the difficult economics of building affordable housing.

School (continued from page 7)

compliance with all state and locally required regulations in order to show that they are ready to open safely,” the agreements state.

When schools can reopen, certain teachers will be dedicated to teaching virtually students who don’t choose to go back to their campuses. In assigning those teachers, the district will take into account “the efficacy of the distance learning program” and whether teachers fall in high-risk groups or live with or care for atrisk groups.

If schools reopen and are again required to close, the schools will revert to the agreed-upon distance learning schedules.

The agreements also detail how the district will protect teachers from the spread of the coronavirus when in-person instruction resumes, including by providing

sufficient masks, face shields and Plexiglas shields or three-sided cubbies for work that requires being closer than the recommended 6 feet; and establishing a dedicated discretionary fund for the superintendent to “quickly address safety issues arising after reopening.”

At the elementary level, thirdthrough fifth-graders will be required to wear masks in classrooms and students of all ages must wear them in any area outside the classroom (except when eating, drinking or engaging in physical activity). The district and union continue to negotiate mask requirements for younger students, with the union proposing that transitional kindergartners through second-graders be required instead of strongly encouraged to wear cloth face coverings in the classroom.

All middle and high school students will be required to wear masks inside and outside their classrooms.

Any teachers who are exposed to the coronavirus and required to quarantine will continue to be paid and not have any days subtracted from sick or personal leave as long as they can continue to teach remotely, the agreements state.

“We enter this year with clear common schedules, increased synchronous interaction, assignment of traditional grades, daily attendance, and a well-trained staff,” Superintendent Don Austin said.

The district is continuing to negotiate special education conditions with the teachers union.

Tentative agreements with both the teachers union and California School Employees Association are set to be ratified soon and brought to the school board for approval at its first regular meeting of the new school year on Aug. 25. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

Even after being surrounded by so much death, Shajahan felt a sense of optimism, though “measured,” when the influx of patients slowed down.

In a small town in Slovenia, just by the northern Italian border, Tina ÿLĀ WROG =KDQJ DERXW KHU ZRUN RQ a historic stud farm, where the nearly five-century-old tradition of horse breeding has survived World War II — when American soldiers helped save thousands of horses on the farm from being potentially slaughtered by Nazis — and continues during the pandemic.

Each story shows how someone’s life was suddenly disrupted by the global health crisis and how they have learned to adapt to a fluid situation. For Zhang, it’s not only her passion project, but also her own source of hope.

“It’s been just an amazing reminder of how much resilience and resourcefulness and strength is out there,” Zhang said.

Zhang was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but moved through five different states and two different countries before her parents finally settled in the Bay Area.

During her nomadic childhood and onward, Zhang always loved storytelling, whether through writing her own novellas or exploring her growing interest in videography and filmmaking.

“Some part of me always knew that I wanted to tell stories,” Zhang said. “I just didn’t know necessarily in what capacity.”

As a part-freelance journalist and part-presenter for China Global Television Network’s “Travelogue,” Zhang has traveled the world to share the stories of other cultures as she experiences them.

One day, she hopes to visit Africa.

But in the meantime, Zhang continues to look for her next story from home.

“I do very much believe that everyone has a unique perspective to share and that everyone is the protagonist of their own life story,” Zhang said. “So if there’s anyone out there who knows of someone who has a particularly inspiring, relatable or interesting story to share, I would love to hear it.” Q Editorial Assistant Lloyd Lee can be emailed at llee@ paweekly.com.

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to consider amending the carbon neutral plan for the city’s electric supply portfolio and its electric utility reserves management practices. The council also plans to revise its zoning code to comply with latest state laws on construction of accessory dwelling units. The virtual meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 362 027 238.

ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to review a request from Castilleja to redevelop its campus and build a below-grade garage. It also plans to review a proposal to build a 102-unit residential development with 1,803 square feet of office space at 788 San Antonio Road. The virtual meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20.

Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-9006833 and using Meeting ID: 932 2779 7046.

CITY/SCHOOL LIAISON COMMITTEE ... The commission plans to review recent meetings of the City Council and the Board of Education and discuss bike safety. The virtual meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 739 622 589.

PUBLIC ART COMMISSION ... The commission will discuss allocation of funds for the annual maintenance of the California Avenue fountain and consider agenda topics for its September retreat. The virtual meetings will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 20. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 986 5240 4450.

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To place an ad or get a quote, call 650.223.6597 or email digitalads@paweekly.com. www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 27

Upfront

Masks

in order to avoid losing revenue,” County Executive Jeff Smith said.

(continued from page 5)

The new rules

U

nder the county’s ordinance, which takes effect immediately, the public health department can deputize peace officers, county employees and others to act as enforcement officers, empowered to impose civil penalties on individuals and businesses caught disobeying health orders.

Individuals will face fines between $25 and $500, depending on the circumstances and number of repeat offenses, while businesses will face between $250 and $5,000 in fines. Businesses under investigation could be subject to review by county employees including environmental health inspectors, which will include on-site observations and documentation similar to food facility inspections.

Up until now, the county has taken a somewhat cumbersome approach to enforcing the public health order, routing reports and complaints through the District Attorney’s Office as a misdemeanor criminal matter. That approach has led to some citations.

Civil penalties are far more flexible and less punitive and will lead to more consistent enforcement of violations as businesses reopen, County Counsel James Williams said at the Aug. 11 meeting.

“It’s not overwhelming numbers, but there are entities and individuals who don’t believe that

Complaints about scofflaws

L

eading medical experts in the region have repeatedly urged residents to wear a mask in public areas and to practice social distancing and good hygiene techniques as a way to curb the spread of COVID-19. Dr. Mark Adams, chief medical officer at El Camino Hospital, said the spread of the virus can occur even when individuals aren’t experiencing any symptoms, making it all the more important for everyone to adhere to the rules.

“By wearing a mask, you are protecting others,” Adams said.

“If we all take these simple steps, we will flatten the curve once again.”

Even though a small minority may be ignoring the health directives, it’s adding up. County staff say they have received a “significant volume” of complaints. In Mountain View, for example, the city had received 441 complaints as of Monday. Of those cases, 172 led to either a warning or a police investigation documenting the purported violation, while nine citations have been issued, police spokeswoman Katie Nelson said.

PUBLIC HEALTH

San Mateo County is fining the maskless Repeatedly failing to comply with health orders will cost Individuals up to $500 and businesses up to $3,000

by Kate Bradshaw

C

ompared to San Mateo County, Santa Clara County is late to the game when it comes to enforcing public health orders related to curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted an urgency ordinance Aug. 4 establishing fines, but even before the ordinance was passed, violators had been subject to criminal penalties, including misdemeanor prosecution or arrest.

Now they face civil penalties or fees instead.

“I think this is a great idea,” Supervisor Carole Groom said at the Aug. 4 meeting.

She said that she was concerned about monetary fines and people’s abilities to pay them and urged the county to be proactive about distributing masks to those who need them.

She has started a social media campaign to showcase photos of people wearing masks and asked people to tweet photos of themselves wearing masks to

twitter.com/@carolesanmateo2.

Supervisor Warren Slocum said he was particularly concerned about ordinance violations in the commercial sector, rather than by individuals, after hearing about a particular business in North Fair Oaks that had live music and drinks where patrons were not wearing masks.

“It’s not so much that we’re sending the mask police out looking for individuals,” he said.

“I think we have bigger fish to fry to tame the corona.”

The civil fees start at $100 and rise if there are repeated violations, according to a county memo. For individuals and noncommercial entities, people would receive an infraction if a law enforcement officer sees the mask order being violated. They would be fined $100 at the first violation, $200 for the second and $500 for any additional violations within a year of the first violation. Infractions could be appealed in writing to a neutral dispute officer, who is designated by Mike Callagy, the county

Page 28 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

manager and current director of emergency services.

Commercial entities would be cited if an officer sees a violation or receives a credible report of one. They would be fined between $250 and $3,000 per violation depending on the gravity of the health risk, prior warnings, intent to profit from the violation, and whether there are good faith efforts to comply. Citations could be appealed in a written or oral hearing before a neutral dispute officer and further appealed to a Superior Court judge.

Several other California counties, such as Contra Costa, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Yolo counties have also imposed fines for not following the mask mandate and other public health orders, according to the county memo. Santa Cruz County also passed a similar ordinance Aug. 4. Q Staff Writer Kate Bradshaw writes for the Almanac, the Weekly’s sister publication. She can be reached at kbradshaw@ almanacnews.com.

Magali Gauthier

first counties in the nation to take what Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody called “extreme measures” to control the spread of the coronavirus, requiring all residents to shelter at home and mandating nonessential businesses to shut down. But the county has also been among the last in the Bay Area to impose fines on public health violators, trailing behind San Mateo, Contra Costa, Marin and Napa counties (see sidebar).

County leaders at the meeting emphasized that reopening businesses, even using so-called “risk reduction” guidelines, carries a higher risk of spreading COVID-19. Between July 13 and Aug. 11, the number of confirmed cases in the county spiked from 7,537 to 12,962 — an increase of more than a 70% in less than a month.

Adding to the sense of urgency, the state is now telling counties that they will face penalties for not cracking down on violators.

California’s 2020 Budget Act requires that local jurisdictions show they are enforcing public health orders in order to receive certain state funding. The warning comes at a time when the county is facing a deep deficit in excess of $300 million.

“I think the message pretty clearly is we have to come up with an enforcement mechanism

they need to be following health orders,” Williams said. “It’s important for us as a matter of fairness to all of the many, many businesses who are very carefully and thoughtfully adhering strictly to the social-distancing protocols and risk-reduction protocols.”

Anyone in Santa Clara County caught disobeying health orders, including not wearing a mask in public, will face fines between $25 and $500 under an ordinance passed on Tuesday.

The Mountain View Police Department will continue to walk the line between education and enforcement under the county’s new ordinance, she said.

“We will continue to be responsive to calls and complaints we receive, while continuing to educate and inform, request compliance and enforce through citations, when necessary,” Nelson said.

A key difference between Santa Clara County’s ordinance and the enforcement measures across the rest of the Bay Area is a “grace period” provision allowing violators a second chance to fix the problem before getting hit with a fine. In the majority of cases, Williams said, the default option will be for enforcement officers to give people and businesses a 24- to 72-hour window to comply before handing out a ticket.

Even with the softer touch, some residents raised concerns to the Board of Supervisors that fines would be inappropriate.

Bruce England, a Mountain View resident, told supervisors in a letter that the current mask mandate, which requires the use of a face covering in most situations outside the home, is ambiguous.

“As it is, people are having public arguments about what the rules are,” England said.

“Adequate clarification around the rules must come first, before putting teeth behind official enforcement.”

But Williams urged supervisors to take action now, saying the emergency ordinance in front of them Tuesday was critical for addressing the huge number of complaints related to workplace violations and other compliance failures. Several weeks of delay would only worsen that, he said, and could jeopardize the county’s state funding.

Businesses, residents react

M

ost residents and business owners who spoke with this news organization agreed that, five months into the pandemic with no end in sight, enforcing fines is a move the county must take in order to slow the spread of the virus.

“It’s taking too long to get in control of COVID,” said Adela Alvarado, a Palo Alto resident who runs a preschool in Mountain View. “And I feel like there’s still a pocket of the population that still doesn’t understand the situation.”

If anything, the ordinance on fines should have come earlier, she said.

But some business owners, many of whom are willing to comply with the health orders and support the new ordinance, say they are concerned over how hard the county will crack down, particularly when it comes to violations by customers. If some residents are already confused about when and where it’s acceptable not to wear a mask outside, then businesses — already subject to an exhaustive list of specific directives — are even more fallible to small errors.

Franco Campilongo, owner of Palo Alto restaurants iTalico and Terún, said it’s difficult in a hot and busy kitchen for workers to constantly maintain a 6-foot distance from each other and for the staff to wear a mask throughout an entire shift. Restaurants, which are currently operating outdoors under Santa Clara County orders, are already one of the few businesses given play-by-play instructions for how staff and customers should interact within the establishment throughout the meal.

Campilongo said it can easily get complicated to constantly enforce every single rule.

Upfront PUBLIC HEALTH

Palo Alto’s COVID-19 numbers are growing Majority of new cases attributed to community transmission

by Sue Dremann early five months into the Emergency Operations Center coronavirus shutdown had none.

Palo Alto’s cases started risand the number of new COVID-19 cases in Palo Alto is ing in the third week of June, rising sharply after almost com- according to county data, a few pletely plateauing in May, ac- weeks after the county relaxed its cording to Santa Clara County stay-at-home order as of June 5.

Testing also ramped up in June, data.

In the five weeks between mid- although Dr. Sara Cody, the May and late June, just nine new county’s health officer, said at cases were reported — resulting the time that testing alone did not in 86 cumulative cases as of June account for the surge in numbers.

23. In the six weeks since then, She also pointed to hospitalizahowever, no fewer than eight tions as an indicator of the true residents per week, and in most incidence increase.

The rise in Palo Alto’s cases weeks many more, have contractdoesn’t appear tied to an outbreak ed the virus.

The city’s COVID-19 cases in any congregate care facilities, totaled 183 as of Aug. 9 — in- such as skilled nursing homes. cluding 20 new ones in the prior The California Department of week alone. That’s a rate of 273 Public Health monitors skilled cases per 100,000 residents, or nursing facilities for COVID-19 cases, and all in Palo Alto had ei0.27% of the city’s population.

While the county’s coronavi- ther none or fewer than 11 among rus dashboard does not show the its residents. Webster House, numbers of Palo Altans who have Channing House, Palo Alto Subbeen hospitalized, countywide Acute and Rehabilitation Center, data reveals hospitalizations for and Vi@Palo Alto each have COVID-19 have been on the rise: fewer than 11 residents who’ve Daily counts of patients in ICU tested positive.

Cases among nursing home and non-ICU beds were high in March and April, decreased to staff, who presumably aren’t lows in late May and early June, counted in Palo Alto’s COVand then began rising again. ID-19 totals, are another story: They now approach the March As of Aug. 7, Palo Alto SubAcute in downtown Palo Alto and April numbers again.

It’s unclear why case num- reported having 14 cases among bers in Palo Alto are increasing. staff, the state database showed.

So how is the virus beAsked for an explanation, the spokesperson for the county’s ing spread? Countywide,

N

Peter Katz, president and CEO of Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, said he believes businesses have been trying to do everything they can to adhere to at least the spirit of the law, if not the letter of it. He said the lack of clarity in the county’s rules could be a big problem for businesses trying to obey.

“Fining businesses for rules that they don’t even know they should adhere to or they weren’t clear on is not moving in the right direction,” Katz said.

The grace period built into the county’s enforcement ordinance does add some leniency, Katz said, but it may not always be enough for businesses.

Some residents and businesses, who already find the current stayat-home and mask mandates too restrictive, may oppose the enforcement, likely deeming it an overstepping of the government’s boundaries or a highly impractical rule to enforce.

Barry Katz, a Palo Alto resident who recently wrote an op-ed in the Weekly encouraging use of face coverings, said he would point to the number of deaths in

response to those who feel the enforcement is unnecessary.

“It’s not as if somebody gains power over somebody else in virtue of this ordinance,” he said.

“Nobody wins.”

Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga said she believes the county’s fines make sense, if only to stay in step with neighboring counties’ impositions of similar penalties.

“I believe in consistency with all this — I don’t think it helps when one county does something and another county next door doesn’t. I think we all need to be aligned,” she said.

Fines for hospitals?

P

assage of the enforcement ordinance Tuesday was not a guaranteed outcome; in fact, a debate among supervisors over whether to fine hospitals who fail to perform enough COVID-19 tests threatened the ordinance’s adoption.

Under the county’s public health rules, all large health care systems in Santa Clara County must provide tests to patients at heightened

Palo Alto COVID-19 cases, cumulative 200

183 174

175 155 144 138

150 126 125

111 103

100 73

77

77

78

80

82

86

75 Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department.

50 May 17 May 24 May 31 June 7 June 14 June 21 June 28 July 5 July 12 July 19 July 26 Aug. 2 Aug. 9

nearly two-thirds of new cases are thought to be communitytransmitted, according to the county Public Health Department’s COVID-19 dashboard, meaning that the person didn’t contract the virus from someone known to them who had COVID-19.

Cody pointed last week to two concerning trends countywide: an increase in cases among Latino individuals and a steady rise in cases among people ages 35 and younger. Among adults, the 20-to-39 age group comprises 38.4% of those who have tested positive for the virus, according to county data. Cases among Latino individuals have skyrocketed to 52.2%, while they make up 25.8% of the county’s population.

Within Palo Alto, cases have not been evenly distributed, according to ZIP code data from the state’s California Reportable Disease Information Exchange

(CalRedie) reporting system and the county.

As of Aug. 9, ZIP code 94301 in north Palo Alto has had 60 cases among 17,191 residents (an equivalent of 349 cases per 100,000 people). ZIP code 94306, which encompasses mid-Palo Alto, has had 65 cases among 27,549 residents (or a rate of 236 cases per 100,000 people).

Meanwhile, 94304, which includes west Palo Alto and a bit of north Palo Alto, has had 21 cases among its 3,982 residents (for a rate of 538 cases per 100,000).

The county and the state health departments do not include a specific case total for Palo Alto’s portion of the 94303, which it shares with East Palo Alto.

The higher case numbers in certain ZIP codes could be due in part to the long-term care facilities and apartment buildings in those areas, where the risks of the virus spreading can be greater.

risk of contracting the coronavirus. Hospitals risk getting hit with civil fines if they cannot provide tests to patients with COVID-19 symptoms; patients who had close contact with people who tested positive for COVID-19; and all patients at “higher risk” of exposure because of the nature of their job or recent high-risk activities.

Hospital staff from Stanford Health Care and Kaiser Permanente, joined by representatives from local physician groups, said the ordinance would punish them for failing to meet an unattainable goal. Testing equipment is in short supply and is a problem totally out of the control of local hospitals, and the county’s demand that such a large group of patients gets tested threatens to take away COVID-19 testing from the most vulnerable groups.

“Penalizing their efforts, when many factors are not in their control, is counter productive,” said Dr. Cindy Russell, president of the Santa Clara County Medical Association, in a letter to supervisors. “Your reconsideration of the dire consequences of your testing order are essential for ensuring

that health care of our community does not come to a halt.”

Supervisor Dave Cortese said he was uneasy passing new enforcement rules on hospitals without finding some way to determine whether hospitals are showing a “good faith” effort to meet the county’s testing requirements, which could be used as proof to waive any penalties. The county should work with hospitals in the coming weeks to find out what that looks like, he said, and avoid having unclear standards that could damage the county’s partnership with health care providers.

“If we can’t agree with health care facilities on what the standard is for civil penalties, I don’t think we’re gonna get what we want,” Cortese said.

Supervisor Susan Ellenberg took a similar stance, saying she was not in favor of penalizing hospitals when there are other options to achieve more COVID-19 testing. At the very least, she said, there ought to be a memorandum of understanding between the county and health care providers that avoids punitive action.

“I’d like to use every last tool that

The coronavirus case count in Palo Alto may actually be higher than the county is currently reporting. A recent and as-yetunfixed glitch in the state’s CalRedie reporting system is likely underreporting the number of cases, and the state is working to remedy the problem, the county has noted.

Santa Clara County issued its stay-at-home order starting on March 17; it began lifting the order incrementally in early May. Since May 31, the county has followed state guidelines for reopening the economy. It relaxed its health order on June 5 only to end up on the state’s “watch list” twice in July. It partially rolled back the reopening on July 15 due to rising numbers of COVID-19-related hospitalizations. Q Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com. we have before mandating something to our partners,” she said.

On the other side was Simitian, who said hospitals have had months to figure out ways to boost testing capacity and should be expected — and applauded — for stepping up to the task. But hospitals are still apparently falling short.

“Frankly, I remain concerned that they may not be in full compliance,” Simitian said.

In an attempt to gather the fourfifths vote required to pass the emergency ordinance Tuesday, Simitian proposed the passage of the ordinance be contingent on negotiations between county staff and hospital leaders on the standards for enforcement, which could be later used to amend the ordinance.

The motion passed unanimously. Q Staff Writer Kevin Forestieri writes for the Mountain View Voice, the Weekly’s sister paper. He can be reached at k fo res t i er i@ m v -vo i ce. com .

Editorial Assistant Lloyd Lee can be emailed at llee@ paweekly.com.

About the cover: Illustration

by Douglas Young.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 14, 2020 • Page 29

995 Fictitious Name Statement STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME File No. FBN666907 The following person(s)/registrants(s) has/ have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name(s). The information given below is as it appeared on the fictitious business statement that was filed at the County Clerk-Recorder’s Office. FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME(S): SILICON VALLEY ALLERGY AND ASTHMA INC. 2500 Hospital Drive Building 14 Mountain View, CA 94040 FILED IN SANTA CLARA COUNTY ON: 5/18/16 UNDER FILE NO. FBN617615 REGISTRANT’S NAME(S): SILICON VALLEY ALLERGY AND ASTHMA INC. 2500 Hospital Drive Building 14 Mountain View, CA 94040 THIS BUSINESS WAS CONDUCTED BY a Corporation.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk Recorder of Santa Clara County on July 20, 2020.

(PAW Aug. 14, 21, 28; Sep. 4, 2020) THERAVIE WELLNESS FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: FBN 667335 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: TheraVie Wellness, located at 2260 Wyandotte St., Apt. 6, Mountain View, CA 94043, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): Rashmi Chidanand, Phd. 2260 Wyandotte St. Apt. 6 Mountain View, CA 94043 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 7/1/2020.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on August 6, 2020.

(PAW Aug. 14, 21, 28; Sep. 4, 2020) DUTCH POET PRESS ROBERT PERRY BOOK DESIGN FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: FBN667311 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: 1.) Dutch Poet Press, 2.) Robert Perry Book Design, located at 4296C Wilkie Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): ROBERT HAROLD PERRY 4296C Wilkie Way Palo Alto, CA 94306 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 09/01/2015.

This statement was filed with the County Clerk-Recorder of Santa Clara County on August 5, 2020.

(PAW Aug. 14, 21, 28; Sep. 4, 2020)

997 All Other Legals APN: 154-24-024 T.S. No.: 2020-1450 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 11/1/2018. 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. Will sell at a public auction sale to the highest bidder, payable at the time of sale inlawful money of the United States, by a cashier's check drawn on a state of national bank, check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, or savings association, or savings bank specified in Section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state will be held by the duly appointed trustee as shown below, of all right, title, and interest conveyed to and now held by the trustee in the hereinafter described property under and pursuant to a Deed of Trust described below. The sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, express or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by the Deed of Trust, with interest and late charges thereon, as provided in the

note(s), advances, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, interest thereon, fees, charges, and expenses of the Trustee for the total amount (at the time of the initial publication of the Notice of Sale) reasonably estimated to be set forth below. The amount may be greater on the day of sale. Trustor:WRP PROPERTIES, LLC, A CALIFORNIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Duly Appointed Trustee: S.B.S. TRUST DEED NETWORK, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION Deed of Trust recorded 11/9/2018, as Instrument No. 24062183 in book XX, page, XX of Official Records in the office of the Recorder of Santa Clara County, California. Date of Sale: 8/21/2020 at 10:00 AM Place of Sale: AT THE GATED NORTH MARKET STREET ENTRANCE OF THE SUPERIOR COURTHOUSE, 191 N. FIRST STREET, SAN JOSE, CA Amount of unpaid balance and other reasonable estimated charges: $2,332,118.73 Street Address or other common designation of real property: 1555 MERCY STREET MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041 A.P.N.: 154-24-024. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address or other common designation, if any, shown above.

If no street address or other common designation is shown, directions to the location of the property may be obtained by sending a written request to the beneficiary within 10 days of the date of first publication of this Notice of Sale. 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 FOR SALES INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (855)9869342, or visit this Internet Web site www. superiordefault.com using the file number assigned to this case 2020-1450. 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. Date: 7/17/2020.

S.B.S. TRUST DEED NETWORK, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION. 31194 La Baya Drive, Suite 106, Westlake Village, California, 91362 (818)991-4600. By: Colleen Irby, Trustee Sale Officer. WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION WE OBTAIN WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. (7/31/20, 8/7/20, 8/14/20 TS# 2020-1450 SDI-19089) NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: MATHILDA G. SCHEUER, a.k.a MATHILDA GROEDEL SCHEUER, a.k.a TILLIE SCHEUER Case No.: 20PR188446 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MATHILDA G. SCHEUER, a.k.a MATHILDA GROEDEL SCHEUER, a.k.a TILLIE SCHEUER. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: LEE SCHEUER in the Superior Court of California, County of SANTA CLARA. The Petition for Probate requests that: LEE SCHEUER be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

Page 30 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate.

The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

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 September 14, 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: Tisa M. Pedersen, Esq., Thoits Law, A professional Corporation 400 Main St., Ste. 250, Los Altos, CA 94022 (650) 327-4200 (PAW July 31; Aug. 7, 14, 2020) NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: ANNE KNIGHT Case No.: 20PR188011 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ANNE KNIGHT. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: BENJAMIN KNIGHT in the Superior Court of California, County of SANTA CLARA. The Petition for Probate requests that: BENJAMIN KNIGHT be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate.

The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court.

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 September 2, 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: Dan G. Berris 333 W Santa Clara Street #700, San Jose, CA 95113 (408) 280-0535 (PAW July 31; Aug. 7, 14, 2020) ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA Case No.: 20CV368845 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: KATE MARIA LOUIE filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: KATE MARIA LOUIE to KATIE MARIE LOUIE. THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted.

Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING: October 06, 2020, 8:45 a.m., Dept.: Probate of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113.

A copy of this ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: PALO ALTO WEEKLY Date: August 3, 2020 /s/________________ JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT (PAW Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28, 2020) NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (SECS 6104, 6105 U.C.C.) Escrow No. FSBC-8012001485 Notice is hereby given to the Creditors of: GUMMY FRUIT DESSERT INC., Seller(s), whose business address(es) is: 841 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041, that a bulk transfer is about to be made to: PRINCE FEN GUIZHOU CUISINE SERVICE LLC, Buyer(s), whose business(es) address is: 841 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041.

The property to be transferred is located at: 841 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041.

Said property is described in general as: ALL STOCK IN TRADE, FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, GOODWILL AND OTHER PROPERTY of that business known as: NOODLE KING and located at: 841 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041 The bulk sale is intended to be consummated at the office of: FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE COMPANY, ESCROW DIVISION, 2099 GATEWAY PL, STE 500, SAN JOSE, CA 95110 . The bulk transfer will be consummated on or after the SEPTEMBER 1, 2020.

The bulk transfer is subject to Section 6106.2 of the California Commercial Code. If Section 6106.2 applies, claims may be filed at: FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE COMPANY, ESCROW DIVISION Escrow No. FSBC8012001485R-JW, 2099 GATEWAY PL, STE 500, SAN JOSE, CA 95110 PHONE: (408)4374313, FAX: (408)392-9272. This bulk transfer does NOT include a liquor license transfer.

All claims must be received at this address by the AUGUST 31, 2020 So far as known to the Buyer(s), all business names and addresses used by the Seller(s) for the three (3) years last past, if different from the above are: NONE IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this document on the date(s) set forth below.

PRINCE FEN GUIZHOU CUISINE SERVICE LLC Date: AUGUST 3, 2020 17055 PALO ALTO WEEKLY 8/14/2020

Upfront

Youth (continued from page 7)

fueled by a desire to expose herself to backgrounds and perspectives that are different than hers.

She asked the other panelists what role she and other non-Black young adults should play in combating racism.

“I think it’s important for our non-Black peers to speak up about things because when Black people do it, we’re being the loud, angry Black person,” Miller said.

Lythcott-Haims echoed the same sentiment after a white audience member, a retired Palo Alto Unified principal, asked what he can do as a white man of privilege.

“We need you to step up, be courageous and dare to call stuff out — the jokes, the misinformed opinions, the outright racism,” she said. “White people talking with white people — you are the most likely to influence people like you, so we need you to take it on.”

Lythcott-Haims asked each of the panelists to issue a call to action for the more than 200 people watching the Zoom panel. They urged people to get involved with local nonprofits, both financially and as volunteers, that support young people of color, including Youth United for Community Action in East Palo Alto, One East Palo Alto and the Big Homie Project, which connects local Black youth with Black mentors in their field of interest. They urged them to get civically engaged — to run for school board or participate in school board meetings — and to vote, particularly young people.

They also urged support for Black businesses.

Ganesan called on others, particularly non-Black people of color, to engage in what might be uncomfortable conversations about race within their own communities and to “come in with intent to listen rather than listen to respond.”

For Goodwin, the seed for activism was planted when she was 9 years old. It was 2009, and she remembered watching protests break out in Oakland after Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old Black man, was killed by a police officer.

“At that moment I knew and I began to understand ... this may or may not be me one day,” she said.

“I have four older brothers. Seeing a man who looks like my brothers on TV, dying at the hands of people who are supposed to protect us and serve the community — that’s when I started to question a lot of things. That’s when I knew that if I want to live in a world where I feel comfortable, the only thing that I could do is try and change how things are.” Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

THERE’S MORE ONLINE

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Watch the full 90-minute panel discussion for yourself. Go to tinyurl. com/GenZpanel. Afterward, talk about the issue on Town Square, the community discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square.

Upfront

Ventura (continued from page 5)

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 35.

Courtesty city of Palo Alto

With the exemption still in effect, the 340 Portage Ave. building, as well as adjoining areas at 3200 Park Blvd. and on Olive Avenue, can continue to be used for retail, storage and research and development. The city’s code also requires, however, that these uses are permitted in “approximately the same ratio” of uses existing in October 2006. Under this restriction, the retail component of the 90,000-square-foot building cannot exceed 60,000 square feet.

The property owner, The Sobrato Organization, is now requesting to be free of that ratio restriction — a zoning change that, if granted by the city,would dash any hopes that a significant housing project would be built there in the foreseeable future.

The trigger for the request is Target’s proposal to set up a 30,000-square-foot store in the 340 Portage building. Tim Steele, senior vice president for residential development at Sobrato, pitched the idea of bringing a Target to Ventura at a January community meeting, where he cited the company’s history of building small stores tailored to the communities and neighborhoods where they are established. He pointed to examples in Berkeley and Cupertino.

“This is a company that’s

finding ways to blend in with each community differently,” Steele said.

The ensuing pandemic and economic shutdown, which has rattled Palo Alto’s retail industry, has not deterred Target from pursuing its plans. Steele noted in a July 6 letter to Planning Director Jonathan Lait that Target is still “very interested.”

“However, without more clarity and flexibility from the city of Palo Alto on what is permitted here, the Target store is unlikely to come to fruition as the program we develop for the site will need to account for the full 90,000 square feet of space that is currently vacant,” Steele wrote.

The city has yet to make any determinations on the Target application.

Steele noted in his letter that keeping the Fry’s building — and its commercial uses — need not preclude the construction of housing elsewhere in the north Ventura area. If the building at 340 Portage were to continue as offices and retail, residential buildings can be built on the south side of the property and a parking structure on the north side, Steele wrote.

“We strongly believe that this zoning code text amendment will achieve multiple city objectives, including the preservation of this historic structure while still allowing for a significant amount of future housing,” Steele wrote.

The commercial campus in the Ventura neighborhood that until recently included Fry’s Electronics would get a Target store under a new proposal by the property owner, The Sobrato Organization.

“This includes the preservation and utilization of at least 30,000 square feet of community serving retail space — something that is significant in the current economic environment.”

Housing, anyone?

While Sobrato has resisted building housing at 340 Portage, neighborhood residents Terry Holzemer and Becky Sanders and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Keith Reckdahl are pitching another alternative: having the city buy the site and build hundreds of units of housing. Holzemer and Reckdahl, members of the North Ventura Coordinated Area Plan working group, and Sanders, moderator of the Ventura Neighborhood Association, have proposed preserving the Fry’s building but converting it into multifamily housing.

Under their proposal, the city would build about 400 belowmarket-rate housing units for teachers, seniors and people with disabilities as well as 770 other housing units. This would be accomplished by converting both the Fry’s building and a newer office building at 3250 Park Blvd. to housing, as well as constructing several smaller apartment buildings along Park, between Olive and Lambert avenues. The plan also calls for converting the small office building at 3201-3205 Ash St. to a community center.

The city would finance the purchase through 30-year municipal bonds, which will be repaid through tenant rents and by revenues from a business tax that the city is looking to adopt (the council in March halted its effort to place the business tax on the November ballot because of the economic shutdown, but the tax could make an appearance on the 2022 ballot).

In presenting the proposal, the trio cited the city’s history of allowing high-tech firms to replace local retail space and community-serving offices such as health providers. These tech tenants, the proposal states, “increase peakhour traffic, price out local businesses” and force neighborhood residents to go farther to shop, dine and receive professional services.

“We propose to end this trend by converting the zoning along El

Camino and other streets in Ventura to allow only housing and true local-serving businesses,” the proposal states. “This will benefit residents, open up new housing opportunities, and benefit many local firms priced out of our community.”

Unlike Sobrato’s proposal, the trio’s plan would prohibit offices at the Fry’s building.

“With Fry’s now gone, we think it’s time the site became housing, just as the city’s zoning and housing inventory intended,” Holzemer, Reckdahl and Sanders wrote in the proposal.

Despite the city’s historical yearning for housing at the site, Palo Alto is unlikely to go along with the plan. The council passed a budget in June that cuts expenses by $40 million and, as the city’s recent abandonment of renovation plans for Cubberley Community Center demonstrates, city staff and council members have little appetite for new infrastructure projects or big-ticket purchases.

Even though the city has traditionally opposed — and banned — big-box stores, numerous Ventura residents said at the July 28 meeting of the working group that they would support having a mix of retail operations at the Fry’s building that combines neighborhood services and a small Target.

Kirsten Flynn, a Ventura resident and member of the working group, said that she would endorse continued commercial activities at the site but would like a “good

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fail-safe” that the space intended for retail doesn’t get converted to offices.

While residents continue to cite below-market-rate housing as a top priority for the North Ventura plan, many have grown hesitant to replace the Fry’s building, which was constructed more than 80 years ago by Thomas Foon Chew and used as a cannery until 1949.

Some, including Holzemer, have advocated for retaining the Fry’s building and commemorating it as an important part of local, state and national history.

Others, including Flynn, said they are open to the redevelopment of some portions of the Fry’s building to facilitate housing but would like most of the old cannery preserved. Both said they would support having a mix of retail, which could include a Target, at the site.

Lakiba Pittman, an Olive Avenue resident and working group member, expressed a similar sentiment. A Target could “add some excitement” to the neighborhood, she said during the July 28 discussion.

“I don’t want to put down Fry’s in any way, but at least it was a store that people could go to for some things,” Pittman said. “I didn’t think it would be missed, but it kind of is missed, so I think having a store — not just a little, itty-bitty store, but a small Target — would be good for the area.” Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

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Upfront

News Digest Mayor will not seek reelection

Soak Up Summer Savings! (\N\Z[ UK [OYV\NO (\N\Z[ [O

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Palo Alto Mayor Adrian Fine, a staunch housing advocate who has frequently clashed with his City Council colleagues on issues pertaining to growth, will not seek another council term.

Fine, a former member of the Planning and Transportation Commission whose mayoral term coincided with one of the most turbulent years in Palo Alto’s recent history, told the Weekly on Aug. 6 that he will not seek reelection. His decision not to run meant that the Aug. 7 deadline for filing candidacy papers was extended Aug. 12.

Fine’s decision means that voters will choose between 10 candidates vying for four seats. Incumbent council members Lydia Kou and Greg Tanaka are both seeking new four-year terms, while Councilwoman Liz Kniss is terming out this year. Joining Kou and Tanaka on the ballot will be former Mayor Pat Burt, planning commissioners Cari Templeton and Ed Lauing, attorney Rebecca Eisenberg, teacher Greer Stone, Human Relations Commissioner Steven Lee, activist Raven Malone and businessman Ajit Varma.

Fine said his decision not to seek a new term was based on both personal and political factors. The main reason has to do with family. He and his wife, Jane, are expecting their first child in October, he said.

At the same time, Fine said that he has concerns about the direction in which Palo Alto is going. The city, he said, has become more “inward focused” and less concerned about diversity and inclusiveness. He said he doesn’t see a future for growing a young family in Palo Alto and he does not believe the community is prepared to take serious action on equity, inclusion and affordability. Q —Gennady Sheyner

City extends Summer Streets program Seeking to provide a lifeline to struggling businesses and further enhance the city’s nascent outdoor dining program, Palo Alto agreed on Monday to keep University and California avenues closed to cars until at least the end of the year.

The council voted unanimously to keep its Summer Streets program until the end of this year and to allow restaurants that build parklets to support outdoor dining to keep the structures in place until at least Labor Day of 2021. In addition, the council asked staff to consider creating a “COVID surcharge” that restaurants and retailers can tack on to their bills and formulate a plan for dealing with an expected rise in vacancies. This could include expanding the menu of permitted uses at retail locations.

The council’s decision was prompted by overwhelming support from residents and patrons for the outdoor dining program, which made its debut on California Avenue in June and which premiered on University Avenue in early July. In a city survey of about 200 residents and diners, about 95% reported that they felt “comfortable and safe” while dining in the two commercial districts and 77% said they would like to see the program extended.

“The experiment of street closures and pedestrian zones may not be perfect and there are respected business leaders who are strongly in opposition to the closure, of University at least,” Judy Kleinberg, president of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, said.

“But so far, we haven’t heard any better strategy and the city and resident-created surveys both seem to reinforce the residents’ enthusiasm for the program.” Q —Gennady Sheyner

Armed men rob Midtown 7-Eleven

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Page 34 • August 14, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Police are searching for two suspects in the armed robbery of a convenience store in Midtown Palo Alto on Friday, Aug. 7.

The clerk of a 7-Eleven store at 708 Colorado Ave. told police that the suspects entered the store shortly after 11 p.m., pointed handguns at him and forced him to open the cash register.

After the clerk complied, the suspects removed cash from the register, stole several packs of cigarettes and fled in a dark-colored SUV east on Colorado Avenue.

No one was injured and the suspects were still at-large as of Aug. 13.

A second employee was also in the store, but there were no customers at the time of the robbery.

The suspects are described as white or Hispanic males between 20 and 25 years old. Both were wearing face coverings, black jackets and jeans. One suspect carried a silver handgun; the other carried a black handgun.

The store was previously robbed in April 2019. Police have not identified the suspect in that case, and have made no arrests.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the department’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be emailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent by text message or voicemail to 650-383-8984. Q —Bay City News

Across 1 Band that’s the theme of this puzzle 6 “Heroz4hire” rapper ___ the Damaja 10 Slasher flick props 14 “... quack quack there, ___ quack ...”

15 Actor Arkin 16 “99 Luftballons” singer 17 Impulsive, courageous person, so they say 18 Hollywood cross street 19 He was a real Dick on “NewsRadio” 20 1-Across guitarist and vocalist 23 Summer month, for short 24 Speaks like a heavy smoker 26 Shop class tool 29 Cry convulsively 31 Letters on a Cardinals hat 32 “Bali ___” (“South Pacific” song) 34 1-Across and The Dude of Life album released in 1994 38 “Hell’s Half ___” (1954 movie) 39 Velvet Underground vocalist Reed 40 Singers lower than soprani 41 1-Across predecessors and mentors 46 Jazz band’s song list 47 They taketh away on Apr. 15 48 ___ Fighters (Dave Grohl band) 49 Org. that gives out 9-digit IDs 50 Sends to hell 52 Sound from a lamb 54 1-Across keyboardist who started as a fan 61 Cheat, in a way 63 Cleopatra’s river 64 “Jeremy” singer Vedder 65 Subject of “Weird” Al Yankovic’s “The White [31-Down]” 66 The last word in sermons?

67 “___ White Swan” (T. Rex song) 68 They’re separated on some old sitcoms

“Food for Thought” — the first Jonesin’ puzzle ever. [#1, May 2001] by Matt Jones

Answers on page 31.

69 Elevator, to Elvis Costello 70 European compilation album for 1-Across Down 1 ___ Farm (bygone clothing line) 2 Mister, in Munich 3 Powerful and pleasing, to a Rasta 4 “Later” 5 Is of practical value 6 Coffeehouse quaff 7 Yale students, familiarly 8 Blow a gasket 9 Dig up 10 “Henry and June” diarist Nin 11 They adore strange things

This week’s SUDOKU

Answers on page 31.

12 Jim Morrison song, with “The” 13 “___ Anything” (John Cusack movie) 21 Gps. like CARE and Amnesty International 22 Word after bake or garage 25 Ubiquitous December mall guys 26 Sings like Kurt Elling 27 Like an angry cat’s back 28 Spied via the telephone 30 Neckwear for Frankenstein’s monster?

31 Nondescript category 33 “___ bad, bad thing” 35 1000 K 36 Friend’s opposite 37 “Spy vs. Spy” magazine 42 Decoder’s wear?

DO YOU WANT TO

www.sudoku.name

43 “Your ___” (Morrissey album) 44 Man, in Mantua 45 Cars given while yours is in the shop, e.g.

51 Sandwich spreads 53 “We love to fly ___ shows” (Delta slogan) 55 “Rent” character 56 F or G, on sheet music 57 It’s worth next to nothing 58 Old Icelandic saga 59 “What ___ Beneath” 60 Remini of “The King of Queens” 61 Corn remnants 62 Raw metal source © 2001, 2020 Matt Jones

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