Palo Alto Weekly November 13, 2020

Palo Alto

Vol. XLII, Number 6

Q

November 13, 2020

Third grocer throws hat into ring at College Terrace Centre Page 7

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

Donate to the HOLIDAY FUND page 5

Pulse 13 Transitions 13 Spectrum 19 Eating Out 29 Q Upfront The election results are in ... almost Page 5 Q Upfront Secondary students to return to campus in 2021 Page 7 Q Arts Stanford goes ‘Beyond’ with new musical ritual Page 24

dependable health care in uncertain times It is as important as ever to get the care you need.

Stanford Health Care is taking every precaution to keep you safe.

To protect your health, we are: • Sanitizing exam rooms after every patient U.S. News & World Report recognizes Stanford Health Care among the top hospitals in the nation. Ranking based on quality and patient safety.

• Testing patients for COVID-19 before most procedures • Screening everyone for COVID-19 risk before entry • Providing and requiring masks for patients and staff • Monitoring employee health, including regular COVID-19 testing Don’t delay your care. Appointments are available at our locations across the Bay Area and remotely by video visit.

To learn more, visit: stanfordhealthcare.org/resumingcare Page 2 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

75 Tulip Lane, Palo Alto 3 Bed

6,050 Sq Ft Lot

1 Bath

$2,499,000

1,093 Sq Ft Home

Enjoy all that Palo Alto has to offer in this cheerful Green Gables neighborhood home. Gather with family BbM ToWObMp Wb Todbs dT sVO Â oOl_BKO do pVBoO B aOB_ Wb the comfortable living / dining main room. {l_doO bOz oOKWlOp Wb sVO oOadMO_OM BbM JOBtsWTt__| designed kitchen overlooking the backyard. Walk, bike or drive to all of the attractions nearby that make Palo Alto such a great place to live, including Rinconada Park, Lucie Stern Community Center, Palo Alto Main Library and Stanford University.

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Rankings provided courtesy of Real Trends, The Thousand list of individual agents by total sales volume in 2018. Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. All material presented herein is intended Tdo WbTdoaBsWdbB_ ltoldpOp db_| BbM Wp KdalW_OM Toda pdtoKOp MOOaOM oO_WBJ_O Jts VBp bds JOOb yOoWÂ OMĂ VBbUOp Wb loWKOĂ› KdbMWsWdbĂ› pB_O do zWsVMoBzB_ aB| JO aBMO zWsVdts bdsWKOĂ !d psBsOaObs Wp aBMO Bp sd BKKtoBK| dT Bb| MOpKoWlsWdbĂ __ aOBptoOaObsp BbM pntBoO TddsBUO BoO Bllod{WaBsOĂ

Inviting Green Gables Neighborhood Home

Colleen Foraker Realtor 650.380.0085 colleen@colleenforaker.com DRE 01349099 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 3

Support our Kids with a gift to the Holiday Fund Last Year’s Grant Recipients 49ers Academy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20,000 Able Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Acknowledge Alliance (Cleo Eulau) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Ada’s Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Adolescent Counseling Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500 All Students Matter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15,000 Art in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Art of Yoga. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Bayshore Christian Ministries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Big Brothers Big Sisters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Buena Vista Homework Club (Caritas). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 CASA of San Mateo County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 CASSY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 DreamCatchers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20,000 East Palo Alto Academy Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500 East Palo Alto Kids Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 East Palo Alto Library (formerly Quest) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 Ecumenical Hunger Progam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 Environmental Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Family Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Fit Kids Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Foundation for a College Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500 Friends of Junior Musuem & Zoo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Health Connected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Heart and Home Collaborative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15,000 Hidden Villa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Jasper Ridge Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Kara. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500 Live in Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Marine Science Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Music in the Schools Foundation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Musikiwest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 New Voices for Youth (Social Good Fund) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,000 Nuestra Casa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500 Palo Alto Art Center Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Palo Alto Housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Palo Alto Music Connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Peninsula Bridge Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Peninsula College Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Peninsula Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Ravenswood Education Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$7,500 Rich May Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Rise Together Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 Robotics for All. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,600 Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Silicon Valley Urban Debate League . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 St. Francis of Assisi Youth Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 TheatreWorks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Vista Center for Blind & Visually Impaired . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 WeHOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$15,000 YMCA - EPA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 YMCA - PA Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Youth Community Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$20,000 Youth Speaks Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000

Child Care Facility Improvement Grants Gatepath (Abilities United) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 All Five. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 Grace Lutheran Preschool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 The Learning Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 Palo Alto Community Child Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10,000 Palo Alto Friends Nursery School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$6,000 Parents Nursery School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$5,000 High school scholarships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$8,000

E

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

Community Foundation cover all the administrative costs, every dollar raised goes directly to support community programs through grants to non-profit organizations.

And with the generous support of matching grants from local foundations, including the Packard, Hewlett, Peery and Arrillaga foundations, your tax-deductible gift will be doubled in size. A donation of $100 turns into $200 with the

Give to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund and your donation is doubled. You give to non-profit groups that work right here in our community.

It’s a great way to ensure that your charitable donations are working at home.

foundation matching gifts.

Whether as an individual, a business or in honor of someone else, help us reach our goal of $400,000 by making a generous contribution to the Holiday Fund.

With your generosity, we can give a major boost to the

CLICK AND GIVE

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

programs in our community helping kids and families.

Please consider donating online, which enables your gift to be processed immediately. The secure website is: silconvalleycf.org/paw-holiday-fund Enclosed is a check for $_______________ Name__________________________________________________________ Business Name __________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip ___________________________________________________

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

Email __________________________________________________________

T I wish to contribute anonymously.

Phone _________________________________________________________

T Please withhold the amount of my contribution.

I wish to designate my contribution as follows: (select one)

Please make checks payable to: Silicon Valley Community Foundation

T In my name as shown above

Send coupon and check to:

T In the name of business above OR:

T In honor of:

T In memory of:

T As a gift for:

_______________________________________________________________ (Name of person)

Non-profits: Grant application & guidelines at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund Application deadline: January 11, 2021

Page Pa P age ge 4 • N November ovem ov ovem e mb be er 1 13 13, 3, 20 2020 020 20 • P Palo alo Alto al Alltto A oW Weekly ee e ekklly • w ww www.PaloAltoOnline.com w w.Pa ww w..P w Paalo oA Alltto oOn Onlin lliin ne e.c .com om

01 – Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund c/o Silicon Valley Community Foundation P.O. Box 45389 San Francisco, CA 94145 The Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund is a donor advised fund of Silicon Valley Community Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) charitable organization.

A contribution to this fund allows your donation to be tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

University, Cal Ave to stay closed through May City Council extends street closures, explores options to address vacant retail stores

by Gennady Sheyner

B

y just about any measure, it’s been a grim year for Palo Alto’s retailers, with businesses all over the city losing money, reducing hours and closing up shop altogether.

City staff have identified at least 50 sites that, until recently, have

been occupied by popular establishments — such as Chipotle, Lemonade, Tam Tam, Antonio’s Nut House and Dan Gordon’s — but that now stand empty. At Town & Country Village, in recent years one of the city’s most vibrant shopping areas, the vacancy rate has

climbed from about 6% to more than 20% during the pandemic, according to Jim Ellis, whose company Ellis Partners owns the center.

The City Council acknowledged the deep challenges facing the retail sector on Monday night, as it debated and agreed on several measures to help businesses stay afloat during the economic slump. For starters, council members voted to keep California and

University avenues closed to traffic until May 31 to allow street dining to continue and to help retailers along those blocks weather the economic shutdown.

The program, initially called Summer Streets and more recently rebranded as Uplift Local, has attracted visitors to those areas and prompted restaurateurs to not only set up tables and chairs on the streets but also, in some cases, to install protective fences and tents

and bring in elaborate potted plants and heat lamps. It was scheduled to end on Dec. 31 but now will continue through Memorial Day. The council members also generally supported the idea of hiring a consultant who specializes in economic development to help guide the city’s retail strategy.

However, the council was less keen on moving ahead with more (continued on page 32)

PUBLIC HEALTH

COVID-19 spike worries health leaders New calls issued for vigilance and adherence to safety measures

by Sue Dremann

S Magali Gauthier

Zoua Her, left, and Lene Lauese, staff members at Ecumenical Hunger Program, put bags of produce in a client’s car at drive-thru set up by the nonprofit in East Palo Alto on March 19.

COMMUNITY

Amid pandemic, Holiday Fund launches charitable campaign Annual giving drive seeks to raise $400K for local nonprofits

by Palo Alto Weekly staff

F

or the past eight months, local nonprofit organizations like East Palo Alto’s Ecumenical Hunger Program have been scrambling to meet the needs of their clients. In ordinary times, Ecumenical Hunger Program staff would be hard at work to provide emergency food, clothing, furniture, household essentials, social support and sometimes financial assistance

for families in need.

But since the pandemic and shutdown began, the agency has had to do a hard pivot.

With families out of work and many not qualifying for government assistance, the greatest need in the community has simply been food, according to Executive Director Lesia Preston.

The nonprofit is distributing 1,000 boxes of food per week

— at least double the pre-pandemic level of 350 to 500, she said this fall. Because of public health mandates, the nonprofit cannot bring in volunteers to help, and the 45-year-old nonprofit has temporarily closed all services except for essential food programs.

Food boxes containing protein, vegetables, grains, cereals and canned goods are distributed

using a drive-thru method at the agency’s Pulgas Avenue headquarters in East Palo Alto.

Unfortunately, traditional food bank resources at the same time are “diminishing,” she said.

To supplement food bank supplies, Preston and her staff have contacted local grocery stores, warehouses, restaurants and farms to see if they can get donations or

anta Clara County health leaders delivered a sobering message on Monday morning: COVID-19 cases in the county are starting to rise quickly again.

The increase in cases in the last week comes after a slower drift upward in October, Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody said during a press conference in San Jose. The trajectory is starting to look like other areas of the state and country, which have seen steep hikes, she said.

“The sharp uptick in cases is a very worrisome sign in terms of what it will mean for our hospitals,” Cody said, noting that the county is also seeing a rise in hospitalizations.

As of Nov. 9, the county has had a cumulative total of 26,747 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 264 of which were new, according to its online COVID-19 data. There have been 433 deaths since the pandemic began, including three that were announced Monday.

There are currently 103 hospitalizations, 19 of which are new, according to the county’s dashboard. The number of hospitalizations had been about 80 per day.

People ages 18 to 34 are showing the most cases, and county officials are monitoring cases between 25 to 29 year olds, Cody said.

The seven-day rolling average of cases stood at 143 per day on Nov. 10; in early October, the

(continued on page 34) (continued on page 31)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 5

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Contributors Chrissi Angeles, Mike Berry, Carol Blitzer, Peter Canavese, Edward Gerard Fike, Yoshi Kato, Chris Kenrick, Jack McKinnon, Sheryl Nonnenberg, John Orr, Monica Schreiber, Jay Thorwaldson ADVERTISING Vice President Sales & Marketing Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Multimedia Advertising Sales Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) ADVERTISING SERVICES Advertising Services Manager Kevin Legarda (223-6597) Sales & Production Coordinator Diane Martin (223-6584) DESIGN Design & Production Manager Kristin Brown (223-6562) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Paul Llewellyn Designers Kevin Legnon, Amy Levine, Douglas Young BUSINESS

Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto 9th Annual

Angel Award 2020 Angel Award Honoree

Dr. Philippe Rey Exec. Dir. of Adolescent Counseling Services

Thank You to our Sponsors!

Proceeds from the Angel Award in 2020 will benefit programs, services, and scholarships for children and youth in the Palo Alto area through the Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto Charitable Foundation.

Media Sponsor: Palo Alto Weekly Gold Sponsors: Patrick Farris • Julie & Pete Fukuhara Renée & Mark Greenstein • Nancy & Rick Stern Silver Sponsors: Nancy Goldcamp, Realtor • Irvin, Abrahamson & Co. John King, Realtor • Mayfield Advisors, Inc. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford • Palo Alto Medical Foundation Judy & Marty Deggeller • Diana & Mike Irvin • Debbie & Harold Lorber Alma & Jim Phillips • Allean & John Richter • Rob Ruskin Valerie & Jim Stinger • Carole & Alan Stivers • Lanie & Dave Wheeler Bronze Sponsors: Ann Eddington • Pat Emslie • Judy & Tony Kramer Terry & Stuart Silverman www.KiwanisAngelAward.org www.Facebook.com/KiwanisAngelAward Page 6 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Assistant Business Manager Gwen Fischer (223-6575) Business Associates Nico Navarrete (223-6582), Suzanne Ogawa (223-6543) ADMINISTRATION Courier Ruben Espinoza EMBARCADERO MEDIA President William S. Johnson (223-6505) Vice President Michael I. Naar (223-6540) Vice President & CFO Peter Beller (223-6545) Vice President Sales & Marketing Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) Director of Marketing and Audience Development Emily Freeman (223-6560) Major Accounts Sales Manager Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571) Circulation Assistant Alicia Santillan Computer System Associates Chris Planessi, Mike Schmidt The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County.

The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306. ©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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Why disrupt something that is perfectly stable during such unstable times?

—Justin Brown, Gunn High School English teacher, on school district’s decision to reopen middle and high school campuses. See story on page 7.

Around Town

‘NICE AND FRESH’ ... Feeding local low-income families has been particularly urgent for the Ecumenical Hunger Program as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for boxes filled with protein, vegetables, cereals and other goods. Nowadays, the East Palo Alto nonprofit is distributing donations outdoors, which has allowed EHP to renovate and expand its food closet. Once public health orders allow the organization to welcome community members back inside, there will be a bigger space with new flooring, a project that was years overdue, according to Executive Director Lesia Preston.

“It just looks nice and fresh,” she said. The closet now has an office area for case managers, which will help food distribution run more smoothly. The organization also has new, industrial-strength shelves that will allow staff members to easily find items rather than having to pull them out from boxes. The work was completed with financial help from the Rotary Club of Palo Alto. The club granted EHP with $10,000, the largest of its 10 community grants distributed earlier this year, according to member and City Council member Liz Kniss. “I remember when it (EHP) got started long ago and it’s still running and it still meets an incredible need,” Kniss said.

THE MAGIC IS BACK ... It’s been a bit of a wait, but Palo Alto’s most popular playground, Magical Bridge, will finally reopen to the public on Nov. 17 under new coronavirus protocols, city officials announced this week. Due to its high number of visitors — about 25,000 a month before COVID-19 —the Mitchell Park attraction, which is accessible to visitors of all abilities, was the only city playground to remain shuttered for the past month even as all the other city playgrounds were permitted to open back up with new safety measures. Magical Bridge will now have new rules to control overcrowding, including a 30-minute time limit for visits and capacity of 55 visitors at one time.

When demand is high, visitors will be asked to line up 6 feet apart and wait for their turn. City staff will monitor the entrance and exit to the playground to make sure the site doesn’t exceed capacity and that everyone is socially distanced. The playground will be

open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On Mondays, staff will clean the playground and open it up for limited hours to disability classes and organizations. The rules are largely consistent with the requests from the Magical Bridge Foundation, a nonprofit that has been advocating for inclusive playgrounds and that is preparing to open a new one in Redwood City. The city and nonprofit are also looking for new Kindness Ambassadors, volunteers who will monitor the playground, welcome visitors and assist with group transitions.

Shifts are available in two-hour slots for those ages 14 and higher, according to the city and the foundation. Those interested in becoming an ambassador are asked to contact volunteer coordinator Chase Hartmann at Chase.Hartmann@cityofpaloalto. org. Jill Asher, executive director of the Magical Bridge Foundation, thanked city officials for their support in developing a reopening plan that she said will “welcome the community back to play safely at the Magical Bridge Playground.”

“Please ensure that we can continue to offer you this magical experience by following our new rules to play safe for all to enjoy.”

EARLY VOTING ... On Nov. 2, almost 2,000 middle school students in Palo Alto participated in a virtual, mock presidential election after spending weeks learning about politics, civics and U.S. government in their social studies classes. The first-time voters overwhelmingly supported former Vice President Joe Biden (more than 80% at all three schools). At Fletcher and Greene middle schools, 7.4% of students voted for President Donald Trump and at JLS Middle School, 8.6%.

“Elections provide many exciting opportunities to teach students about how government works, the election process, campaign politics, and current events,” said Kirsten Missett, who teaches seventh grade social studies at Greene. “Even though these are uncertain times, listening to our students engage in thoughtful and respectful conversations about such meaningful topics as the Electoral College, the Supreme Court, the California Propositions, voting rights, etc. has been truly awe inspiring and up-lifting.” Q

Upfront EDUCATION

Board gives green light to open middle, high schools in January despite opposition Concerns focus on whether the return to campuses will cause more disruption than benefit

S

tark division over reopening schools spilled over again into Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, when Palo Alto Unified District board members unanimously voted to resume in-person instruction at the middle and high schools over the concerns of some students, teachers and parents.

Starting on Jan. 7, the Palo Alto school district will reopen its five secondary schools to students who choose a hybrid model, which will combine in-person and online instruction.

Board members and district leadership continued to emphasize their goal of providing this as an option to families, particularly for students who are struggling with distance learning. Board member Jennifer DiBrienza even said she was dismayed the district couldn’t bring more students back; with social distancing and staffing, only about 30% of students will be able to return in person. (If more students request the hybrid model, the district will prioritize at-risk and

by Elena Kadvany struggling students and then use a lottery system to fill the remaining seats.)

“Let’s hopefully take some celebration (in the) moment that we’re going to return some percentage of students back to school while some other districts aren’t,” Superintendent Don Austin said, acknowledging that the reopening plan is “imperfect.”

“Not coming back is easier. We chose hard. I hope that we’re a district that chooses the tougher route every single time,” he said.

Numerous speakers, however, worried about the disruption this will cause, particularly for high school juniors and seniors who will likely see their schedules and teachers change as the district redistributes classes to accommodate the hybrid and distance learning models. Many said that distance learning is now working well — much better than in the spring when schools first closed — and that returning for only two in-person classes will not reap the desired academic or social benefits. Some

said they felt the reopening plan still lacked concrete details that families need to make the binding decision for how their students will attend school for the second semester.

“Why disrupt something that is perfectly stable during such unstable times?” asked Justin Brown, a Gunn High School English teacher.

As of Wednesday, district families had one week to choose between the hybrid model or full distance learning for the rest of the school year. They are also able to indicate that, in the event that the hybrid model is overcapacity, they are fine sticking with distance learning instead.

The hybrid model will look slightly different at the middle and high schools. Sixth graders who opt in will be assigned to cohorts of 30 to 60 students with two to four teachers. They will attend school in person for half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays (the other half of the day they will learn from home) and full days on Wednesdays and Fridays. The district is planning to

bring the sixth graders — who have never attended their schools in person — back a week before the upper grades, to help them transition.

Seventh and eighth graders will be in cohorts of about 45 students with three teachers. They will attend school in person in the mornings for English language arts, history-social science and science classes, and then have the rest of their classes online after lunch.

The high school students, who will be in cohorts of 30 to 60 students with two to four teachers, will be on campus in person only for English and history-social science classes during one of three possible period blocks — first and second, third and fourth or sixth and seventh periods.

Criticisms of the plan mostly focused on the high schools. Students and college counselors said that a mid-year change in teachers will be challenging for juniors hoping to seek letters of recommendation for college applications and that seniors will have to report any course changes to each individual college to which they applied.

Several speakers also voiced concerns that electives will be cut as the district shifts to accommodate the hybrid model, but district staff clarified that any cuts would be unrelated to the reopening; courses with low enrollment would be eliminated at the second semester during a normal school year.

With the reopening, online class sizes will increase, though no class

will have more than 39 students, district staff said. The district will not offer livestreaming, despite a petition from a group of parents asking for a pilot livestreaming program.

Associate Superintendent of Education Services Sharon Ofek said that livestreaming is demanding on teachers, and pedagogically it’s an unsound instructional model.

“Livestreaming is at face value something this appealing to people, but in reality, when we look at what that entails and what that requires on behalf of an individual teacher, it doesn’t pan out the way people think it will. What we’re trying to do is provide quality of instruction over providing a mediocre program,” she said.

The student school board representatives, both high school seniors, cast their provisional votes against the reopening plan.

“I think the tradeoffs are not worth it,” Gunn student board representative Thomas Li said. “The benefits are very marginal. I don’t think the plan is really meeting our goals. There’s so much that’s blurry at this point.”

Palo Alto High School student board representative Medha Atla said distance learning has been fine for her academically, but as an only child who sees few people her own age, it’s been an incredibly lonely experience.

“I really, really want to go back (continued on page 32)

BUSINESS

Family-owned grocery store seeks to set up shop at College Terrace Centre Real Produce International Market would be third grocer on site

by Sue Dremann Real Produce International would take over a space that is mandated by city ordinance for use by a grocery store. The Oxford Avenue site was once the longtime location of JJ&F Market before the lot was redeveloped into a mixeduse building.

The center’s developer was required to provide space for a grocer in the 57,900-square-foot, mixed-use building at 2100 El Camino Real. The ordinance made the grocery tenant subject to city approval. Residents had fought long and hard for a replacement for the beloved JJ&F Market, which served local families and businesses for 65 years. The council approved a restrictive covenant requiring the grocery store in 2014.

But maintaining a viable market has proven difficult. The first market that moved into the center, College Terrace Market, owned by investors The Grocery Men 1 LLC, was met with fanfare when it opened in 2017, but it closed after six months, in part due to a failure to obtain adequate signage, the owners said at the time.

A second grocer, Khoury’s

Market, opened in January 2019 and operated for about a year, closing this past January. The building had been enshrouded by scaffolding and netting for exterior modifications and repainting, causing an unattractive appearance and reduced visibility, according to the store’s owners.

Taffi said Real Produce International Market has a good chance to succeed where the other two markets failed. He can source fresh produce from his wholesale businesses, so the market will offer the freshest products at lower prices, he said.

The family’s grocery store in San Jose has thrived even while competing with Trader Joe’s and Costco in the same shopping center. Customers of the San Jose store have been asking the family to open in Palo Alto, he said.

“We have invested a lot of money in this business. ... A lot of people think the success of the business will be difficult, but we will bring quality and good prices.

We will be the life on the block. It will be a magnet,” he said.

College Terrace resident Melanie Grondel has been actively

Veronica Weber

A

family-owned and operated grocer could open in the College Terrace Center before the holidays if the Palo Alto City Council approves its proposal on Nov. 16.

Real Produce International Market could occupy the vacant 8,000-square-foot space in College Terrace Centre at 501 Oxford Ave. as soon as two to six weeks after the vote, according to a report from the city’s Planning and Development Services Department. The new market would offer high-quality, fresh produce, meats, organic and international products, coffee service, a deli, a grab-and-go area, fresh flowers “at good prices,” online shopping and free, same-day delivery to Palo Alto residents, CEO and manager Khaled Taffi said by phone on Wednesday.

Taffi and his partners own and operate two produce wholesale businesses in South San Francisco and Oakland and a retail grocery store in San Jose.

“The grocery business is in my blood,” he said, noting that he has been involved since his youth. His father was also a grocer.

College Terrace Market, the first market that moved into College Terrace Centre, was met with fanfare when it opened in 2017 but closed after six months, in part due to a failure to obtain adequate signage, the owners said at the time. recruiting potential grocers since Khoury’s Market closed. She noted that Palo Alto residents had driven down to San Jose to shop at Real Produce, and she was among those who encouraged Taffi to open in Palo Alto.

“It’s very much in a JJ&F spirit of a grocery store. They have the basic product line of JJ&F and are very committed to being a part of the community,” she said.

Every two weeks or so, Grondel said she looked in the store’s front windows to see if anything was happening. One day she met Taffi outside the door.

“We talked about what he is planning to do. He wants to have a nice outside terrace like Sigona’s and have sandwiches outside with parasols and seating and a deli and the grocery store with a butcher

and fresh produce,” she said.

Grondel said she thinks the neighborhood and surrounding community still need a grocery store.

“I walk with a cane,” she said, and many people are older or can’t drive to a store. Adjacent Stanford University has many young families, and despite the pandemic, there are still many people on the campus, she said.

Fred Balin, who supported the previous two markets, said in an email: “Disappointed twice, but (I) am encouraged by Mr. Taffi’s enthusiasm, track record, and plans. Opening the rear parklet for customers is a new opportunity. If the city stays firm on penalties, the landlord provides adequate (continued on page 33)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 7

Upfront TRANSPORTATION

Residents, businesses clash over parking policies at new garage City Council declines to OK staff proposal to further limit worker parking in neighborhoods

by Gennady Sheyner companies should be encouraging them to take public transportation?

Should the garage designate some spots for low-income retail and restaurant workers, who need to come and go during the day? Will there be enough space in the garage for businesses’ customers, as the district’s retailers said they were led to believe? Can residents in adjacent neighborhoods get employees’ cars off of their streets for good, now that the garage is opening?

The stalled debate means that the city still has no plan in place for how to fill the 636-space garage, which is nearing completion at 350 Sherman Ave. Because the garage occupies a former parking lot, the net gain in parking spaces for the California Avenue business district is about 300 spaces.

Under a proposal presented by the Office of Transportation, most of these spaces would be filled by area employees, many of whom currently participate in the Residential Preferential Parking program and park on residential streets.

Transportation staff is planning to

cut the number of employee permits from the current level of 250 to about 130 in the next round of sales, which is scheduled for March (the city sells an additional 40 permits to employees who park on El Camino Real) and redirect the employees away from the neighborhood and toward the new garage.

The number would then be further reduced, potentially to zero, in the following year, creating a system in which only residents are allowed to park all day in the neighborhoods.

Chief Transportation Official Philip Kamhi said the new garage would also include room for the roughly 228 employees who are currently on the waitlist to acquire permits for California Avenue garages and parking lots. His plan would designate the two upper levels of the garage for employees on weekday mornings but then allow visitors to park there after 11 a.m.

“Staff considers the transition of 120 RPP employee permits as a first step in a phased approach to reducing employee permits in the

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Page 8 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Magali Gauthier

W

ith Palo Alto’s new sixstory garage near California Avenue preparing to open later this month, city officials, residents and businesses remain at odds over a key question: Who exactly will be allowed to park there?

The question came up repeatedly during the City Council discussion that stretched from Monday night into early Tuesday morning and concluded without clear resolution.

Council members were prepared Monday to consider a staff proposal that would have dramatically slashed the number of employee parking permits sold in the two neighborhoods around California Avenue, leading workers who currently park on residential streets to use the garage. Instead, a confused and exhausted council found itself facing conflicting accounts about the garage from business leaders and area residents before voting to defer its decision to a later date.

Among the points of contention: Should office workers be allowed to park in the garage, even those whose

The parking garage under construction behind Antonio’s Nut House along Jacaranda Lane in Palo Alto is scheduled to open this month.

RPP district,” Kamhi told the council Monday.

The plan, however, has left both residents and business owners unsatisfied. Some residents believe the city should move faster and eliminate all employee permits as soon as the new garage is open, following the model established in the College Terrace neighborhood, where the residential parking program is limited to residents.

Business leaders counter that filling the new garage with employees who currently park in neighborhoods means that there would be fewer spaces available for visitors and customers. Judy Kleinberg, president of the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce, suggested that this proposal runs counter to the city’s original goal, which was supported

by the business community, of making it easier for people to dine and shop on California Avenue.

“This proposal would move all 290 employee street parking permits to the new garage by 2022, but it was always presented to California Avenue businesses that that garage would add an additional 300 parking spaces to address parking problems for their customers, that the new garage would add to parking that would benefit local businesses — not eliminate street parking,” Kleinberg said.

“This was going to be additive and supplemental.”

Michael Ekwall, co-owner of the restaurant La Bodeguita del Medio, called the plan “a sneak attack” and (continued on page 34)

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 9

Upfront ELECTION 2020

The results are in ... almost With most ballots counted, election contests are nearing the finish line

by Palo Alto Weekly staff

M

ore than a week after Election Day, ballot counting is nearly its unofficial conclusion in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, and that means races whose outcomes that have remained in doubt are mostly decided.

While stray ballots that were postmarked by Election Day but haven’t reached the Registrar of Voters will still be counted if delivered by Nov. 20, those ballots, expected to be small in number, are not anticipated to affect any of the election results.

The counties have until Dec. 3 to certify the election results, and in the meantime, an audit known as a “1 percent manual tally” must be conducted by the elections offices. The tally involves a hand count of a randomized selection of ballots, to verify the reported computergenerated results.

All the results below are as of Thursday morning, Nov. 11, when 92% of the Santa Clara County ballots and 97% of the San Mateo County ballots had been counted.

Palo Alto City Council (four seats) As of Thursday, former City Council member Pat Burt remained in first place with 13,812 vo t e s, or 13.4% of the votes counted; Ed Lauing incumbent Lydia Kou held on to second place with 12,899 votes, or 12.5%. Incumbent Greg Tanaka, who was in fourth place on Election Night, Greer Stone rose to third place and had 12,374 votes.

Teacher Greer Stone, who was in third on Election Night, traded places with Tanaka and is in the fourth position with 11,528 votes. Planning and Transportation Commissioner Ed Lauing

appears to be out of contention for the fourth seat. He has been in fifth place since Election Night and is trailing Stone by 787 votes, although 8% of the county’s ballots are yet to be counted. In Palo Alto, that totals around 3,150 ballots.

Palo Alto Board of Education (three seats) I n c u m bent Jennifer DiBrienza maintained her f i r s tplace finish with 19,709 vo t e s, or 24.4% of the votes counte d; pa rent and business owner Jesse Ladomirak remained in second place with 16,991 votes, or 21%.

Incumbent Todd Collins’

Katie Causey

Todd Collins

lead over community advocate Katie Causey for the third Board of Education seat stood at 1,860 votes, with Collins at 13,812 and Causey with 11,952 votes. Approximately 2,300 ballots in the Palo Alto Unified School District may yet to be uncounted.

East Palo Alto City Council (three seats) In this definition of a nailbiter contest, doctoral student Antonio Lopez has overtaken data scientist Webster Lincoln for Webster the third East Lincoln Palo Alto City Council seat, with just 30 votes separating the two.

On Tuesday, Lincoln had been in the lead by just four votes.

Lisa Gauthier kept her first- Antinio Lopez place finish wit h 3,109 votes, or 17.5% of the votes counted; Carlos Romero stood in second place with 2,952 votes, or 16.6%.

Ravenswood City School District Board of Education (two seats) Vote totals for newcomers Bronwyn Alexander and Jenny Varghese Bloom indicate that they have won the two seats on the Ravenswood City School District Board of Education. The election count on Nov. 11 showed Alexander maintained her firstplace finish with 3,470 votes, or 23.1% of the votes counted; Varghese Bloom secured second with 3,241 votes, or 21.6%. In third place, incumbent Marielena Gaona Mendoza had 2,090 votes, or 13.9% of the votes. Only 3% of the county’s ballots remain to be counted — not enough for Gaona Mendoza to overtake Varghese Bloom.

Santa Clara County Board of Education (one trustee) In this close race, incumbent Grace Mah’s lead over Palo Alto school board member Melissa Baten Caswell for the Area 1 seat on the Santa Clara County Board of Education grew to 3,751, according to the latest election count. Mah has won 50,682 votes, or 52% of the votes counted. Baten Caswell trails with 46,931 votes, or 48.1%. (continued on page 35)

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Page 10 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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Upfront EDUCATION

Meet Palo Alto’s new generation of #MeToo activists Youth mobilize on social media to raise awareness of Title IX rights buy Elena Kadvany

A

heartbreaking and comforting for Anna, who wishes sexual assault had been talked about more openly when she was at Gunn.

“I felt like I needed to make sure that people had a voice,” said the 2020 Gunn graduate. “I think seeing that we’re not alone was really important for me.”

Anna is part of a new wave of local young Title IX activists who during the pandemic have used social media and socially distanced protests to press for reform and raise awareness about youth sexual violence in Palo Alto. The Instagram page Anna created, metoopaloalto, was inspired by one started by Los Gatos High School students this summer. She watched as one student’s disclosure of a rape on Instagram prompted dozens of students to come forward with their own experiences with sexual violence. The Instagram account, metoopaloalto, is now as much a resource page as it is a platform for survivors to feel heard and seen.

In May, Gunn senior Rachel Sun formed a student club dedicated to

creating policies to protect survivors of sexual harassment and violence. She runs Instagram and Facebook pages where students discuss local and federal Title IX policies and changes they’d like to see their schools make.

Sun was first moved to advocacy by outrage at the Trump administration’s new Title IX regulations, which took effect this summer and were widely criticized by survivor advocates as tipping the balance toward those accused of sexual assault.

“I started just posting on social media, ‘Is there anything that can be done?’ I was waiting for someone else to be like, ‘I already do this advocacy thing so you can stop now.’ But then no one did that so I just had to keep going,” Sun said.

Sun’s club focused this fall on lobbying the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to review local K-12 public and private schools, community colleges and universities’ compliance with Title IX and (continued on page 12)

Courtesy Lam Nguyen

nna was a 15-year-old Gunn High School student when her then-boyfriend sexually assaulted her in a campus bathroom.

She had never heard of Title IX, the federal anti-discrimination law that protects students’ right to an education free of harassment. She couldn’t process what had happened to her, let alone answer the three male administrators who questioned her in the school office immediately afterward. She felt unsafe and alone, and as her mental health degraded, she attempted suicide.

This summer, Anna, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, started an Instagram account devoted to sharing anonymous stories of Palo Alto students who have experienced sexual violence and harassment. The stories — of a girl who was raped while too drunk to consent, of another who reported a teacher for making inappropriate comments about her body, and of another who was asked “What kind of clothes were you wearing?” — are at once

Gunn High School senior Rachel Sun, center, marches in Palo Alto with other students rallying for a countywide review of schools’ Title IX compliance on Oct. 11.

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foothill.edu/apply www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 11

Upfront

Activists (continued from page 11)

other laws related to sexual harassment and violence. Dozens of local high school and Stanford University students and advocates gave more than two hours of public testimony at a September Board of Supervisors meeting, some describing their own assaults and frustration with the Title IX process at their schools. The YWCA of Silicon Valley, Next Door Solutions, Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Maitri, Law Foundation, Community Solutions and the Asian Law Alliance wrote

a joint letter urging passage of the countywide review, which they said would for the first time “make it possible to identify gaps in policies that can adversely impact the right to have an education free from harassment and violence.”

The local students’ representative on the county board, Supervisor Joe Simitian, asked county staff to conduct outreach and include input from stakeholders at the local, state and federal level rather than approve the review as presented. Frustrated by the delay, Sun and other students organized a protest, marching from Duveneck Elementary School to Simitian’s home. They wore all black and

masks with the word “listen” and sat cross-legged in the street in silent protest.

“It felt really empowering to go to Simitian’s house and demand that he actually listen to us,” Sun said.

The next month, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the review, which is expected to take up to a year and a half to complete. At Simitian’s request, they allocated $1 million — double the proposed funding — for the audit.

“The moment an academic institution fails to comply with state and federal sex discrimination laws and laws, rules, and regulations

Edward Paul Brown December 11, 1935 – October 29, 2020 sense of humor was enjoyed by many. He was an active member of Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish, as a lector, eucharistic minister, usher, and member of the Knights of Columbus. As long term patrons of the San Francisco Ballet, Ed enjoyed performances at the Opera House and dining in San Francisco.

Since becoming an Eagle Scout in Ohio, Ed had a deep love of the outdoors, spending vacations with his family camping and backpacking in the mountains, fishing, birding, and joining family Sierra Club camping trips.

Ed loved animals of all kinds. As a young man, he had numerous pets, including a red-tailed hawk, an armadillo, parakeets, a canary, and many dogs. As a family man through the years, he had many pets; the most memorable of which was Commander Sally Ride (Sally) his favorite beagle. Ed always had a supply of treats for the neighborhood dogs in the garage, who would pull on their leash when they passed, hoping to stop for a treat and pat from Ed. Ed is survived by his wife of 60 years, Carole, his daughter Theresa Storm, grandchildren Michelle Belk and her husband Forbes, and Paul Summers. His son Michael Brown and his wife Irma, his grandchildren Michael Brown and his wife Alyson, Christian Brown, and his fiancé Bradley Fitzhenry. His sister Patricia Ward and her husband Keith, and numerous loving relatives in Ohio and Minnesota. Ed was preceded in death by his father Merle Brown, his mother Bonnie Boxler, his sister Linda Poets, and his brother Richard Brown.

You will find Ed’s spirit on the beaches in Kauai, in the gardens of Salzburg, Austria, and in the woods and lakes of the Sierras and surrounding mountains. The private funeral mass will be celebrated at Saint Thomas Aquinas Church, Palo Alto, CA. Interment will be at Alta Mesa Cemetery, Palo Alto, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish 3290 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA, 94306, or Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, 2626 Zanker Road, Unit 200, San Jose, CA, 95134.

PAID

Page 12 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

OBITUARY

IX and what to do if they’re sexually assaulted or harassed. With the schools closed, she’s also concerned that students are less likely to tell a trusted teacher if they’re assaulted. She wants the district to post Title IX resources and policies in a clear, noticeable place on school websites.

As of early November, there have been 13 reports of sexual harassment and discrimination this school year, including two cases at Gunn and five at Paly, according to the district’s Uniform Complaint Procedure (UCP) report.

Sun strongly believes that the district’s consent education should be more nuanced and engaging — especially given not all students are fully on board with preventing sexual violence, she said.

“There are a lot of young women especially who are very interested in preventing rape culture from persisting and making sure that survivors feel safe at school. But there are also a lot of people who think that girls are being dramatic and that it’s not really a big issue,” Sun said. “People treat it as kind of a turn-off if you’re interested in these things.”

Kayla Stitt, a recent Palo Alto High School graduate who helps run the metoopaloalto Instagram, said it’s not the norm among teenagers to talk about consent and sexual assault. That’s why she and others feel so passionate about the account.

“Pages like this, which allow for people to share their stories, to see how common it is, will definitely allow for more conversations,” she said. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

Resources where one can receive help: National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE (4673) and 24/7 chat: hotline. rainn.org/online; Crisis Text Line: Text 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor; PAUSD Title IX information: pausd.org/ about-us/policies-procedures/ title-ix-office.

Courtesy Lam Nguyen

Edward Paul Brown, Ed, was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend to many. He passed away from a heart attack October 29th at his home in Palo Alto, CA. He was just short of his 85th birthday and had fought various health issues over the past few years.

Ed was born in Akron, Ohio in 1935 to Merle and Bonnie Brown. He joined the US Navy in 1953 where he was a medic, traveling the world from Japan to San Francisco, his first introduction to California and his intent was to return to the state he loved. Upon discharge, he earned his BS in Biochemistry at Akron University and worked as a Medical Technologist at Akron City Hospital while earning his degree. There he met the love of his life, Carole, who was attending the Akron City Hospital School of Nursing.

They were married in January 1960, and celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary this year.

As Ed had hoped he and Carole moved to California in 1962, with their daughter Theresa, traveling by car on USA Route 66.

Their son Michael, was born in 1963. Ed worked as a lab tech in the Dept. of Medicine at Stanford University before starting his long distinguished medical device career at Syva Co., a subsidiary of Syntex Corporation, in Palo Alto, and he later worked at Collagen Corp. until his retirement in 2000.

During his career, Ed enjoyed frequent international travel with Carole often accompanying him. They traveled extensively and some favorite vacation destinations were Europe, South East Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Kauai, and the Caribbean, as they were avid SCUBA enthusiasts. They also enjoyed visiting one of Ed’s favorite cities Salzburg, Austria, where they made many friends, and taking the family on vacations to Kauai, Hawaii.

Ed and Carole lived in Palo Alto for 55 years, where Ed enjoyed his neighborhood gatherings, maintaining their home, gardening, and weekly Friday lunch with neighborhood friends. His quick wit and

addressing sexual and intimate partner violence and stalking — be it through poorly crafted policies or failure to enforce policies, we have failed our learners,” a staff report on the county review states.

“Students have the right to an education free from harassment and/or violence and academic institutions bear the responsibility of fostering such an environment through comprehensive policies and just enforcement.”

Palo Alto Unified for years struggled with Title IX compliance and culture, particularly at the high schools. In 2013, Palo High School’s Verde Magazine’s often-cited “rape culture” article shook the school community and prompted a yearslong federal Office of Civil Rights investigation that ultimately found the district violated both federal law and its own policies and procedures in numerous cases. This and other developments eventually led to the hiring of the district’s first-ever full-time Title IX coordinator, new consent education, a district task force focused on ending sexual assault and an unprecedented number of reports of sexual violence, gender and racial discrimination and other forms of harassment.

Sun said she feels lucky to be in a district with a more intense focus on Title IX in comparison to other local schools.

“But I think also the bar is very low. To say my district is following the law so we’re doing great is kind of disappointing,” she said.

“That being said, I think Palo Alto does make efforts to try and consistently improve. I’m glad they are receptive to that.”

Anna said she hopes school and district administrators see the metoopaloalto account and reflect on how their handling of a Title IX report can impact a student’s mental health.

“I want them to understand that they have a significant role in how a victim processes what happens to them,” she said.

Sun said many students are still unaware of their rights under Title

Local students held a socially distanced protest in October to press the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors to approve a review of schools’ Title IX compliance.

Pulse

Ronald P. Reis Feb. 11, 1947 - Oct. 31, 2020

A weekly compendium of vital statistics

POLICE CALLS Palo Alto

Nov. 5-Nov. 10 Violence related El Camino Real, 6/23, 12 p.m.; sex crime/exploit children.

Commercial Street, 8/30, 12:51 p.m.; child abuse/physical.

Alma Street, 9/18, 7:22 p.m.; child abuse/physical.

Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Residential burglary attempt. . . . . . . . . 1 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle related Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 8 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . 3 Vehicle tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . 3 Miscellaneous Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 2 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Menlo Park

Nov. 5-Nov. 9 Violence related Nancy Way, 11/5, 10:22 a.m.; spousal abuse.

200 block Terminal Avenue, 11/7, 9:53 a.m.; battery.

Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Vehicle related Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . 2 Miscellaneous Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Court order violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Indecent exposure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mental evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Property for destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

OBITUARIES A list of local residents who died recently: Philip R. Lee, 96, a physician at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic and faculty member of Stanford University who served as the United States Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Services under President Lyndon B. Johnson and President Bill Clinton, died on Oct. 27. Edward Paul Brown, 84, a Palo Alto resident of 55 years, died on Oct. 29. Mary Katherine Rudolph, 89, a Palo Alto resident, died on Nov. 4.

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

If the true measure of a life well lived is achieving heartfelt happiness, then Ronald P. Reis, known to all as Ron, was a master of living well. The longtime Menlo Park resident welcomed all with smiles of enthusiasm and often a joke or two. He was friends with many, most of whom shared his passion for family life, golf, tennis, card games, magic tricks and a good laugh.

On Saturday, Oct. 31, Ron’s joyous life came to an end as he lost his long battle with lymphoma at UCSF Medical Center. His loving wife Barbara and their family were at his bedside. The music of Carole King and James Taylor, his favorites, was playing softly.

Ron Reis was a native San Franciscan who was raised on the Peninsula. His parents were Bob and Kato Mendelssohn Reis.

Kato was a classical pianist and music teacher who taught piano to Ron and his brothers. Bob Reis was the founder of DataSafe, a South San Francisco-based records management company where Ron served as executive vice president during his second professional career. Ron and his brother, Tom Reis, co-owned and managed the company.

Ron graduated from Woodside High School, where he was senior class president in 1964, and received both an undergraduate and a master’s degree from the University of Redlands, where he played varsity tennis. Ron then pursued a Ph.D. in speech pathology and audiology from Kent State University in Ohio. He was a teaching assistant there during the infamous National Guard shootings of students on May 4, 1970.

After receiving his degree in 1973, Dr. Reis chaired the speech and audiology departments at a physical rehabilitation hospital in northeast Ohio where he met his future wife, Barbara. They were married on May 10, 1975, and soon after their marriage they relocated to Denver, Colorado, where Ron joined the faculty of the University of Denver as an assistant professor of speech and audiology.

While in Denver, the couple welcomed their first two children, Klari and Peter.

Six years later the family moved to Bakersfield where Ron directed Mercy Center, a multipurpose community wellness center that was part of the Mercy Hospital system. The lure of the Bay Area drew the family back to the Peninsula a

few years later when Ron joined DataSafe, the family business. The following year, 1987, Michael Reis, the family’s third child, was born.

Ron retired from DataSafe in 2010. The years following retirement were filled with world travels and the joys of seeing their three children succeed in their chosen careers and be happily married.

Daughter Klari is a San Francisco-based artist with an international reputation. She and husband Michael Isard have two beautiful children, Otto and Phoebe, who lovingly called their grandfather, Ronpa. Son Peter is also a professional artist whose works sell worldwide. He and wife Kay Panchal reside in Richmond.

Michael Reis is married to Olivia Maki, and they are the owners of the Redfield Cider Bar and Bottle Shop in Rockridge in Oakland. Ron was fond of saying that it doesn’t get any better than seeing your kids married to wonderful people and loving what they do.

Ron and Barbara enjoyed an active social life and traveled whenever they could, most recently to Egypt, Jordan and Israel. They were frequent concert and theatergoers who appreciated an eclectic mix of the arts. The couple shared a love of fine art, particularly modern and contemporary works. They were frequently seen at the Anderson Collection and the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford, where Barbara is a docent. Ron was also an active member of the local Sons In Retirement (SIRs) professional men’s organization.

In addition to his beloved wife, children, and grandchildren, Ron is survived by his three brothers, Tom (Julie) Reis of San Francisco, Brian (Prudence) Reis of Foster City, and John (Karen) Reis of Menlo Park, as well as their families and many cherished friends.

Persons wishing to donate in Ron’s name should consider the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, or LifeMoves, an organization dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness in local communities. Ron served as a former board member of LifeMoves, sharing his signature optimism and hope.

A celebration of Ron’s life will be arranged post-Covid. Not surprisingly, he requested his memorial to be an ice cream social.

PAID

OBITUARY

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 13

SILI C O N VA LLE Y H O M E S

1928 Cowper Street, Palo Alto Offered at $5,995,000 Michael Dreyfus · 650.485.3476 Lic. #01121795 Noelle Queen · 650.427.9211 Lic. #01917593

555 Byron Street #301, Palo Alto Offered at $2,000,000 Lucy Berman · 650.208.8824 Lic. #01413627

777 San Antonio Ave #48, Palo Alto Offered at $1,098,000 Omar Kinaan · 650.776.2828 Lic. #01723115

50 Amador Avenue, Atherton Offered at $9,500,000 Emily Smith-Silvestri · 650.346.1361 Lic. # 01927979

2199 Clayton Drive, Menlo Park Offered at $5,500,000 Shena Hurley · 650.575.0991 Lic. #01152002

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1330 University Dr #63, Menlo Park Offered at $1,795,000 Lisa Keith · 650.703.8644 Lic. #00882247

807 Bay Road, Menlo Park Offered at $1,298,000 Omar Kinaan · 650.776.2828 Lic. #01723115

21 Willow Road Unit #44, Menlo Park Offered at $1,198,000 Barbara Telesco Curley 650.861.2488 Lic. #01837664

679 Yosemite Avenue, Mountain View Offered at $3,295,000 The Campi Group · 650.917.2433 Lic #00600311

620 Magdalena Avenue, Los Altos Offered at $3,795,000 Chris Iverson · 650.450.0450 Lic. #01708130

111 Grove Drive, Portola Valley Offered at $3,998,000 Omar Kinaan · 650.776.2828 Lic. #01723115

2 Acorn Street, Portola Valley Offered at $3,795,000 Chris Iverson · 650.450.0450 Lic. #01708130

3 Redberry Ridge, Portola Valley Offered at $16,800,000 The Campi Group · 650.917.2433 Lic #00600311

2050 Green Oaks Way, Pescadero Offered at $7,500,000 Michael Dreyfus · 650.485.3476 Lic. #01121795 Jakki Harlan · 650.465.2180 Lic. #01407129

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 15

New Listings

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#1 AGENT SILICON VALLEY Michael Dreyfus, Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty TOP 125 AGENT WSJ / Real Trends Page 16 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Additional Listings SOLD

SALE PENDING

2158 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park · $1,695,000

24591 Summerhill Court, Los Altos · $3,495,000

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159 Cowper Street, Palo Alto · $4,995,000

1928 Cowper, Palo Alto · $5,995,000

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2050 Green Oaks Way, Pescadero · $7,500,000

221 Kipling Street, Palo Alto · $7,500,000

15350 El Camino Grande, Saratoga · $7,995,000

Bates Ranch Vineyard, Gilroy · $13.200,000

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Each Office is Independently•Owned andWeekly Operated. www.PaloAltoOnline.com Palo Alto • November 13, 2020 • Page 17

Page 18 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

This week on Town Square Town Square is an online discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square In response to ‘As stores struggle, Palo Alto prepares to let offices fill retail spaces’ Posted Oct. 31 at 11:50 a.m. by Patrick Burt, a resident of Community Center: “Our valued retailers, restaurants and local service providers are currently in dire jeopardy.

We need the city and residents to step up to support them through the recovery if we want them to survive.

That’s why the staff proposal is so bewildering. The proposal to allow office uses in formerly retail/service zones would HARM retailers and service providers while providing a financial bonus, now and after the recovery, for commercial property owners who have made hundreds of millions of dollars in windfall profits during the boom over the last decade.

Many of our most valued local-serving businesses have been driven away by big rent increases in recent years. More moderate rents would enable more local businesses a better future.

The argument is false that these long-term changes are needed to support our office-based businesses. Vacancies are currently high in our many office-zoned areas. We do not now need to expand the areas zoned for offices.

So what should we do? First, retain our current ground-floor retail zoning in our core retail areas — the two downtowns, Town & Country, and neighborhood shopping centers, etc. — while providing city support for those businesses through the recovery. Second, we should evaluate loosening the definition of retail/services in selected areas outside of our retail cores to allow other local service businesses (such as local medical providers), but not offices for law firms, accountants and other office uses that belong in office zones.

Changing our retail zoning will be semi-permanent. We should not let the current crisis be used as a backdoor excuse for expanding offices to the detriment of local services. It should be done thoughtfully and promptly, but not rashly.

It must be designed for outcomes that will help, rather than hurt, the businesses that make up a healthy community.”

In response to ‘Council members cry foul over lame-duck appointments’ Posted Nov. 8 at 1:27 a.m. by Przemek Gardias, a resident of Community Center: “The practice of nominations or appointments by the outgoing members should not be taking place in our town. The incoming council needs to have a privilege of filling vacated commissioners’ seats according to its preference.

The same practice has been carried at the Planning and Transportation Commission, when outgoing members elected the new leadership, thus effectively denying an incoming commissioner her representation. It seems the same habit has been carried over to the council level.

However, the root of the problem is in the misaligned timing of appointments to the city commissions. The appointments, specifically to the planning commission, were conducted in summer for the terms ending on July 31, per city Ordinance 4606 enacted in 1999. Then due to realignment of all board and commission terms, the planning commission terms were changed to end on Oct. 31 per city Ordinance 5208, enacted in 2013, to later change to Dec. 15 per city Ordinance 5311, enacted in 2015.

Those consequent changes created a potential (and now real) conflict allowing very soon departing council members to nominate their preferred commissioners.

While the propensity to extend one’s reach is a matter of personal convictions, the city ordinances should be corrected to stop continuation of such practices.”

In response to ‘Family-owned grocery store seeks to set up shop at College Terrace Centre’ Posted Nov. 9 at 11:14 a.m. by Larry Robert, a resident of College Terrace: “Hopefully all parties now understand that having the market is like paying your utility bill.

If the landlord does not pay the utility bill, then tenants will not continue to pay rent.

Likewise, the landlord needs to make the terms of the lease to the grocery store sustainable over the long run, even to the point of paying the tenant a $5,000 per month subsidy. That sure beats a $60,000 per month penalty for not having a grocery store. Let’s hope the landlord understands this now.”

Letters Dangerous roads Editor, The notice from Palo Alto police about the death of a pedestrian in a downtown crosswalk on Nov. 5 is sad and disturbing, but it should not surprise us. Drivers in our downtown area routinely run red lights, speed and exhibit other behaviors that put pedestrians at risk.

I have personal experience of drivers failing to yield the right of way when I was walking in a crosswalk. Many others have written to express their concerns about dangerous driving in

downtown, but the city has failed to respond in any meaningful way. If we permanently lose our traffic enforcement officers, the problem will surely worsen.

Palo Alto needs to evaluate options to make our downtown streets safer. Closing University Avenue to traffic is clearly not a sufficient response. A start would be to ensure that all accidents are recorded (today, even when the police are called to an accident scene, there is no guarantee it will be reported) and a geographic analysis is conducted to see where the highest danger zones exist.

John Guislin Middlefield Road, Palo Alto

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

Who should be allowed to park in the new California Avenue garage?

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.

In response to ‘Car-free zones on University, California avenues will stay through Memorial Day’ Posted Nov. 10 at 8:35 a.m. by Allen Akin, a resident of Professorville: “As always, for permanent closure of downtown, the elephant-in-the-room is ‘Where do you put the traffic?’

Staff mentioned at last night’s council meeting that traffic on Hamilton and Lytton avenues is already back to pre-pandemic levels.

More traffic is coming. Work-from-home is not going to be a game-changer downtown. No tenant is going to pay the extravagant downtown lease rates for offices they leave empty; they’ll sublet some space or renegotiate their leases to free up the space they’re not using. No property owner is going to leave vacant space unoccupied, and since Palo Alto office space is in high demand, they’ll be able to fill it more easily than landlords in the rest of the Valley.

And on top of that, staff and some council members want to replace retail space with more offices.

I think it’s fine to extend the closures through next summer, but it would be irresponsible to make them permanent without first having a plan to solve the problems that will create.” www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 19

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 21

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 23

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

Cast member Alexa Luckey acts in “Beyond the Wound is a Portal,” a new, original virtual production from Stanford’s Department of Theater and Performance Studies.

by Karla Kane | Photos courtesy of Stanford TAPS

D

reams, deep feelings and the phases of the moon are channeled by Stanford University Department of Theater and Performance Studies’ (TAPS) new production, “Beyond the Wound is a Portal,” which creators describe as an “immersive musical ritual.”

The show, presented via Zoom Nov. 12-14, will be the first fullscale, live production for TAPS since COVID-19 restrictions struck the theater world earlier this year.

Director Haruna Lee and around 40 collaborators (including the seven-student cast) have developed the show together, based on a line by author/activist adrienne maree brown: “dream beyond the wound.” This prompt “tells us to use the medicine of our imagination and bring that to the wounded parts of our community,” the Brooklyn-based Lee (TAPS’ Moher Visiting Artist for 2020-21) explained.

“From there, we really started looking at our own wounds and dreams to mine for content — there was a lot of deep excavation.” What emerged, Lee said, is a fusion of “auto-fictional stories from the cast about the tender ways that wounds and dreams are in conversation with each other,” set to an original soundtrack.

According to Lee, though it deals with some dark themes, it’s also “a celebration; a time to slow down and check in with yourself,” full of playfulness and healing.

The play also takes inspiration from a part of nature that has fascinated artists for millenia: the moon.

“In my experience, one of the trickiest parts (of devised theater) is figuring out a structure together,” Lee said. “After much conversation, the students arrived at the eight phases of the moon as a structure for the piece itself.” The show is organized into eight parts, starting with waxing crescent and ending with the new moon.

“A big motif for the students was thinking about the full moon — the brightest moment — connected to a feeling of darkness and transgression,” they said.

“The most violent moment of the show happens when there is the most light, while the new moon — the moment of the most darkness and mystery — is when we are reclaiming ourselves.”

Live theater in the COVID-19 era is full of challenges, both logistically and artistically. Music director Sheela Ramesh, who’s currently based in Scotland, said that while technology is constantly improving, it’s still pretty difficult to achieve synchronization of musical elements over Zoom. For “Beyond the Wound is a Portal,” she and her team are utilizing a hybrid model, with instrumental orchestration and some vocals recorded and mixed in advance and other vocals performed live.

“All of the leads will be singing live over Zoom through at least three or four different pieces of software — some of which is being created in this moment for this moment — that we’re all knocking on wood will work the way we want them to,” she said.

Putting all the pieces together has been trickier than anticipated, she acknowledged. “We’re excited to be inventing this new form of digital music and it’s also

Page 24 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

a bit scary,” she said. The result “respects the limits of our format but also pushes the limits of them.”

As for the music itself, it’s a blend of pieces composed by students during the devising process. “Part of piecing together the show has been working with the students and other musicians to weave the music they created (independently) into something cohesive that can work in a single show,” she said.

A low-string trio of double bass, cello and viola gives the score a slightly off-kilter sound, she said,

without a soprano violin leading a melody as it would in a traditional string quartet. Djembe drums and other percussion, a bit of piano, acoustic steel-string guitar and vocals round out the sound, which encompasses ballads, spirituals, love songs and folk numbers, representing the diverse inspirations and backgrounds of the student composers and mixing ethereal and earthly textures.

“My goal was to create a sonic style that respected individual voices but worked together,” she said.

Choreographer Sarah Ashkin

has also been challenged to figure out the best ways to translate live group movement to Zoom.

“It’s been a trip to figure out how to dance together ... to figure out, how can we all lift our right hands and left hands at the same time, because we’re dealing with mirroring. How do we do set design?

How do we show that we’re in a car, a club, together?” she said.

Despite the limits of the virtual format, “I am still searching for that piece of connection that dance brings us.”

Costume designer and TAPS lecturer Becky Bodurtha,

Cast member Emily Saletan performs in “Beyond the Wound is a Portal.” The new, original virtual production was developed by about 40 collaborators, who drew on both personal wounds and dreams to create content for the show.

Arts & Entertainment

Left, The virtual production uses a hybrid of live and recorded singing, and cast members also dance “together” over Zoom.

Right, cast members Diana Khong, Morgan Gwilym Tso and Alexa Luckey perform in “Beyond the Wound is a Portal.” representing the show’s large design and technology team, has had to transcend the physical boundaries as well, helping the actors find ways to best embody their characters and create set design in their own spaces, while also creating digital and animated elements to enhance the visual experience.

With creators spread out across the globe, “We have rehearsals in different time zones; all our eating and sleeping patterns are based around the show,” Ashkin said with a laugh.

The show will be performed Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m.

Admission is free, with a hope that attendees will make a donation to nonprofit organizations selected by the student cast (listed online).

For audiences, the creators hope the show will also be a time to “be with each other and tap into our aliveness as humans together,” Lee said. “We’re doing that through song and humor, and lots of wild dream logic and storytelling.”

More information is available at taps.stanford.edu. Q Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane can be emailed at paweekly.com

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Craftsman ft Style, St l Newly N l Built B ilt in i 2013 20 Offered at $5,500,000 · 4 Bedrooms · 3.5 Bathrooms · Home ±3,196 sf · Lot ±14,620 sf More photos and details at 2199Clayton.com

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Page 26 • October 16, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • October 16, 2020 • Page 27

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Learn More at a Free Online Seminar!

You will learn: • The Medicare basics you need, including information about eligibility and enrollment dates • A breakdown of the pros and cons of your options such as Original Medicare, Medicare supplements, and Medicare Advantage plans • Ways to save money on your medical and prescription drug costs

• How to get coverage over and above what Original Medicare provides • Details about Stanford Health Care Advantage plans available in your community • How Stanford Health Care Advantage plans give you access to Stanford Medicine and Sutter Health-affiliated doctors, specialists, and hospitals

For a complete list of webinars, visit StanfordMA.com and click Attend a Seminar.

Call 1-855-200-9227 (TTY: 711) from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.* Webinar Sat., Nov. 14 | 10 a.m.

Webinar Mon., Nov. 16 | 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Webinar Tues., Nov. 17 | 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Webinar Wed., Nov. 18 | 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Webinar Thurs., Nov. 19 | 10 a.m. & 2 p.m.

Webinar Fri., Nov. 20 | 10 a.m.

For accommodations of persons with special needs at meetings call 1-855-200-9227 or, for TTY users, 711. *You may reach a messaging service on weekends from April 1 through Sept. 30 and holidays. Please leave a message, and your call will be returned the next business day. Stanford Health Care Advantage is an HMO plan with a Medicare contract. Enrollment in Stanford Health Care Advantage depends on contract renewal. Stanford Health Care Advantage complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

H2986_21-051_C

PAW_11.13

Best Of and Readers’ Choice 2020

For the first time, Best Of and Readers’ Choice won’t include public voting. Instead, we’ll be publishing inspiring stories about how local businesses have taken positive steps to respond to the pandemic and highlighting all they have done for the community.

ERS’ CH

E OIC

This year, our Best Of and Readers’ Choice special publications will honor local businesses, the beloved institutions that have fought to stay open for staff and customers.

READ

Saluting local businesses — the heart and soul of our communities.

2020

Don’t miss our Nov. 27th special edition featuring inspiring stories from those behind the scenes.

Learn more at TheAlmanacOnline.com/best_of or PaloAltoOnline.com/best_of For advertising options call 650.326.8210.

TheAlmanacOnline.com | PaloAltoOnline.com Page 28 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

2020

Eating Out Two local eateries weather COVID by getting creative Vina Enoteca adds pop-ups, Red Berry changes owners The much sought-after Basuku cheesecake will now be available on Fridays at Vina Enoteca. Photo Elena Kadvany.

by Elena Kadvany

A

s local restaurateurs, already hit hard by the pandemic, brace themselves for a difficult winter, there are a few local bright spots. Italian restaurant Vina Enoteca in Palo Alto has reopened with a variety of new offerings.

In Los Altos, a favorite cafe that threatened to close is staying alive thanks to a new owner.

the inequity of tipping, which allows waiters and bartenders to earn more than kitchen staff. “I think it’s time for a change,� Scordella said about tipping.

When the Los Altos community heard that Red Berry Coffee Bar would be closing in August, customers rallied to keep the much-loved cafe alive.

Their efforts resulted in Stacy Savides Sullivan, Los Altos resident and owner of Los Altos candy store Sweet Shop, taking over the business. Red Berry’s original owner, Jeff Hanson, will be staying on through the end of the year to help with the transition.

Hanson opened Red Berry at 145 Main St. in 2014, bringing a multi-roaster

coffee concept to downtown Los Altos.

This summer, he said his lease was close to expiring and the financial losses of the pandemic made it difficult to renew. “We were 10 days away from possibly shutting down the shop and liquidating but I had a bunch of customers who really, really love the place,� he said.

They found Sullivan, who has spent many hours drinking coffee with friends and family at Red Berry and working in the cafe’s upstairs space so much it became like a second office. “We love Red Berry,� Sullivan said. “We really do want to keep the essence of it.�

Things will mostly look the same at Red Berry, with some updates. The current employees will stay on, Sullivan said, (continued on page 30)

Courtesy Rocco Scordella

Three months after pressing pause on dine-in service at Vina Enoteca, the Palo Alto Italian restaurant is reopening with a new market, pop-ups and a more casual pizza and pasta concept.

Vina Mercato, an Italian market with imported and housemade specialty items, opened Nov. 5, inside the 700 Welch Road restaurant. Look for imported goods from small producers in Italy — fresh prosciutto, guanciale from Tuscany, a pecorino cheese from Sardinia that Scordella said is outstanding, a wood-aged balsamic vinegar produced by Michelin-starred Italian chef Massimo Bottura — as well as wine, housemade sauces, fresh pastas and frozen pizzas. Vina Mercato will be open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The restaurant also resumed serving fresh pizzas for takeout last week. They’re available for pickup or delivery ThursdaySaturday, 5-8:30 p.m.

As of Nov. 6, Charles Chen of Basuku Cheesecakes will sell his wildly popular and hard-to-get, Japanese-inspired Basque cheesecakes at Vina Enoteca.

Every Friday at 10 a.m., 10 cheesecakes will be available on a first-come, firstserve basis in person at Vina Enoteca (no preordering on Instagram). Chen is now based out of the Vina Enoteca kitchen and hopes to increase production, he wrote in a recent Instagram post.

Another popular pop-up will also be moving to Vina Enoteca: Local baker John Shelsta of Love For Butter will now sell his pastries and breads there on Saturdays. He will no longer be baking out of Zola in Palo Alto, where customers have been able to pick up his baked goods the last few months.

Shelsta has also taken over the Vina Enoteca baking program and is making

the fresh focaccia, baguettes and loaves that will be sold at the market.

In a couple of weeks, Vina Enoteca will reopen with indoor and outdoor seating to serve pastas and pizzas, keeping the menu casual, accessible and “family-friendly,�

Scordella said. This is also driven by COVID economics: It’s no longer financially feasible to run a 200-seat restaurant with 68 employees and serve entrees with tight margins, he said.

Vina Enoteca will continue to offer virtual wine tastings and cooking classes, which Scordella hopes to host in person when safe to do so. “It’s about building different revenue streams,� Scordella said.

When the restaurant reopens, he’s making another notable but less visible change: a 20% service charge that will be shared equally between front- and backof-house workers. The goal is to address

The new Vina Mercato opened inside Vina Enoteca in Palo Alto on Nov. 5. www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 29

Eating Out

Holiday

Waste Service Schedule

GreenWaste of Palo Alto will be closed on Thanksgiving (November 26). If your regular collection day falls on Thanksgiving, your collection day will be moved to Friday (November 27), and customers with a collection day on Friday will be serviced on Saturday (November 28).

NOVEMBER SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Questions? Contact GreenWaste of Palo Alto at (650) 493-4894 • pacustomerservice@greenwaste.com

995 Fictitious Name Statement

997 All Other Legals

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF BULK SALE (SECS 6104, 6105 U.C.C.) Escrow No. FSBC-0272006229 Notice is hereby given to the Creditors of: DU ENTERPRISE INC.,, Seller(s), whose business address(es) is: 740-742 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041-1327, that a bulk transfer is about to be made to: T KING INTERNATIONAL INC., Buyer(s), whose business(es) address is: 740-742 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041-1327.

The property to be transferred is located at: 740-742 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041-1327.

Said property is described in general as: ALL STOCK IN TRADE, FIXTURES, EQUIPMENT, GOODWILL AND OTHER PROPERTY of that business known as: VILLA TEA and located at: 740-742 VILLA ST., MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 94041-1327 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 DECEMBER 3, 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. FSBC-0272006229R, 2099 GATEWAY PL, STE 500, SAN JOSE, CA 95110 PHONE: (408)437-4313, FAX: (408)3929272. This bulk transfer does NOT include a liquor license transfer. All claims must be received at this address by the DECEMBER 2, 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.

T KING INTERNATIONAL INC. Date: OCTOBER 18, 2020 102093 PALO ALTO WEEKLY 11/13/2020

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

Page 30 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

and continue to serve the same coffee drinks and food, though she wants to add savory pastries, more specials and possible collaborations with Sweet Shop.

She plans to add online ordering and make the cafe’s hours more consistent. The cafe is operating outdoors only right now, with a new parklet, but she looks forward to safely reopening inside, which has been a gathering space for many in the community.

“I really enjoy anything I can

Customers drink coffee at Red Berry Coffee Bar’s new parklet in downtown Los Altos.

Courtesy Yelp

Title Order No. 95524126 Trustee Sale No. 85020 Loan No. EWL5838BRADLEY APN: 132-41-002 NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE YOU ARE IN DEFAULT UNDER A DEED OF TRUST DATED 10/24/2018. 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 PROCEEDINGS AGAINST YOU, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LAWYER. On 12/2/2020 at 10:00 AM, CALIFORNIA TD SPECIALISTS, AS TRUSTEE as the duly appointed Trustee under and pursuant to Deed of Trust Recorded on 11/8/2018 as Instrument No. 24057924 in book N/A, page N/A of official records in the Office of the Recorder of Santa Clara County, California, executed by: CHARLES J. BRADLEY, AN UNMARRIED MAN, as Trustor TROY MORIN, A MARRIED MAN AS HIS SOLE AND SEPARATE PROPERTY, as Beneficiary WILL SELL AT PUBLIC AUCTION TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER FOR CASH (payable at time of sale in lawful money of the United States, by cash, a cashier's check drawn by a state or national bank, a check drawn by a state or federal credit union, or a check drawn by a state or federal savings and loan association, savings association, or savings bank specified in section 5102 of the Financial Code and authorized to do business in this state). At: At the Gated North Market Street entrance of the Superior Courthouse located at 191 North 1st Street San Jose, CA 95113, NOTICE OF TRUSTEE'S SALE — continued all right, title and interest conveyed to and now held by it under said Deed of Trust in the property situated in said County, California described the land therein: See Exhibit "A" Attached Hereto And Made A Part Hereof. The property heretofore described is being sold "as is". The street address and other common designation, if any, of the real property described above is purported to be: 3785 PARK BOULEVARD PALO ALTO, CA 94306. The undersigned Trustee disclaims any liability for any incorrectness of the street address and other common designation, if any, shown herein. Said sale will be made, but without covenant or warranty, expressed or implied, regarding title, possession, or encumbrances, to pay the remaining principal sum of the note(s) secured by said Deed of Trust, with

(continued from page 29)

do to build community and connection, fun and people getting together. This has always been one of those places — it’s a social, interactive cafe,” Sullivan said.

Like at Sweet Shop, Sullivan will donate the cafe’s proceeds to local schools or educational programs.

Sullivan is asking the community to give feedback on any improvements or additions they’d like to see at Red Berry by emailing redberrycoffeebar@ gmail.com. Q Email Elena Kadvany at ekadvany@paweekly.com

Courtesy Red Berry Coffee Bar’s Facebook

ABBOTT LEARNING FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT File No.: FBN669272 The following person (persons) is (are) doing business as: Abbott Learning, located at 1590 Dana Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94303, Santa Clara County.

This business is owned by: An Individual.

The name and residence address of the registrant(s) is(are): MATTHEW ABBOTT 1590 Dana Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94303 Registrant began transacting business under the fictitious business name(s) listed above on 9/9/2020.

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

(PAW Oct. 30; Nov. 6, 13, 20, 2020)

interest thereon, as provided in said note(s), advances, if any, under the terms of the Deed of Trust, estimated fees, charges and expenses of the Trustee and of trusts created by said Deed of Trust, to-wit $363,027.42 (Estimated). Accrued interest and additional advances, if any, will increase this figure prior to sale. The beneficiary under said Deed of Trust heretofore executed and delivered to the undersigned a written Declaration of Default and Demand for Sale, and a written Notice of Default and Election to Sell. The undersigned caused said Notice of Default and Election of Sell to be recorded in the county where the real property is located and more than three months have elapsed since such recordation. DATE: 10/27/2020 CALIFORNIA TD SPECIALISTS, AS TRUSTEE, as Trustee 8190 EAST KAISER BLVD., ANAHEIM HILLS, CA 92808 PHONE: 714-283-2180 FOR TRUSTEE SALE INFORMATION LOG ON TO: www.stoxposting.com CALL: 844-4777869 PATRICIO S. INCE', VICE PRESIDENT CALIFORNIA TD SPECIALIST IS A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT. ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. "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 844-477-7869, or visit this internet Web site www.stoxposting.com, using the file number assigned to this case T.S.# 85020.

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." TS# 85020 LEGAL DESCRIPTION EXHIBIT "A" BEGINNING AT A NORTHWESTERLY CORNER OF LOT 24 HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO, AND BEING THE MOST EASTERLY CORNER OF LOT 47 IN BLOCK 9 AS SHOWN UPON THE MAP OF

THE BARTLEY TRACT SUBDIVISION NO. 3 OF RECORD IN THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY RECORDER OF THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, IN VOL. "0" OF MAPS, PAGE 66, SAID POINT OF BEGINNING BEING ALSO IN THE SOUTHWESTERLY LINE OF THE RIGHT OF WAY OF THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY; THENCE ALONG THE NORTHERLY AND WESTERLY LINE OF SAID LOT 24 AND ALONG THE LINE OF RIGHT OF WAY OF THE SAID SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY S.51° 30' E. 36.31 FEET OF THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING OF THIS DESCRIPTION; THENCE CONTINUING ALONG THE NORTHERLY LINE OF SAID LOT 24 AND SAID RIGHT OF WAY LINE S.51° 30' E. 50 FEET; THENCE S. 33° 30' W. 114.52 FEET TO THE SOUTHEASTERLY PROLONGATION OF THE NORTHEASTERLY LINE OF THIRD STREET, SAID STREET IS SHOWN UPON SAID MAP OF THE BARTLEY TRACT SUBDIVISION NO. 3, THENCE ALONG SAID PROLONGATION OF SAID STREET LINE, N 51° 30' W. 50 FEET; THENCE N. 33° 30' E. 114.52 FEET TO THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING AND BEING A PORTION OF LOT 24 AS DELINEATED AND SO DESIGNATED UPON THAT CERTAIN MAP ENTITLED, "MAP OF THE J.J. MORRIS REAL ESTATE CO.'S SUBDIVISION OF PART OF THE WM. N. CURTNER TRACT, BEING A PART OF THE RANCHO RINCON DE SAN FRANCISQUITO", WHICH MAP WAS FILED MARCH 30, 1905 IN THE OFFICE OF THE SAID COUNTY RECORDER IN VOL. "K" OF MAPS, AT PAGE 57. Assessor's Parcel Number: 13241-002

Local eateries

A view of Red Berry Coffee Bar from the Los Altos cafe’s second floor, pre-pandemic.

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Upfront

COVID (continued from page 5)

Tracking COVID-19 cases, deaths in Santa Clara County

‘We’re only going to get through this one way. ... We’re asking everyone in our community to dig in a little deeper and dig in a little longer.’

– Cindy Chavez, president, Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors nity expectation and norm that people only go to places where they see that orange check mark,” he said.

Michael Balliet, head of the county’s Emergency Operations Center business engagement branch, said staff have been actively engaging with businesses to help them be in compliance. His office has received 1,850 complaints or concerns about businesses and has assessed more than $600,000 in fines so far to habitually noncompliant businesses. The majority of businesses have corrected any issues. The county has delivered 79 notices of violations

Available data as of Nov. 11

27,124 cases, 440 deaths as of Nov. 11

28,000 26,000 24,000 22,000 20,000 18,000 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000

Total Cases

Total Deaths

and dozens of notices of fine impositions, he said.

Anyone who has a concern or complaint about a business or gathering — or regarding access to testing for the virus — can file a report at scccovidconcerns.org.

The public can also see which businesses have submitted protocol plans by visiting sdp.sccgov. org.

Along with Santa Clara County’s warnings Monday, 10 Bay Area health officers issued a joint statement Monday on how to reduce risk from the coronavirus during the holidays. They strongly discourage people from nonessential travel. If they do, they’re advised to quarantine at home for 14 days after they return.

“Travel outside the Bay Area will increase your chance of getting infected and spreading the virus to others after your return. For those who are traveling, there are tips to help avoid catching COVID-19 or spreading it to fellow travelers,” the officers said.

The recommendations include no in-person gatherings with people outside of their household to reduce the risk of catching and spreading COVID-19. If people decide to have one, they should be “small, short, stable and outdoors,” according to the statement.

“When people who live in different houses or apartments are together at the same time in the same space, risk of COVID-19 spreading goes up, even

when the people are relatives or friends. Please celebrate safely this year and protect yourself and your family by including masks, keeping a distance, and staying outdoors,” Cody said in the statement.

The officials recommend decorating homes or yards, sharing a virtual meal with family or friends, hosting online parties or contests, preparing meals to deliver to family and neighbors, having drive-by visits, attending drive-in venues to see holiday movies or attending holiday-themed, outdoor holiday installations.

Cindy Chavez, president of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, said she understands that people are tired of following rules and that they miss their families and friends, but she urged the public, particularly during the upcoming holidays, to continue to be vigilant and restrict their movements. She urged everyone to get a flu shot so that hospital beds needed for COVID-19 patients won’t be taken up by people who are sick with influenza.

“A household is not everybody I know. A household is the people you live with,” she said.

“We’re only going to get through this one way. ... We’re asking everyone in our community to dig in a little deeper and dig in a little longer.” Q Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

6 11 /2 11 /9

9

/2

10

2

/1

/1

10

10

99//2 9/221 9/25 2 10 8 10/3 /5

7

14

9/

9/

1/

27 2/ 3 2/ 10 2/ 17 2/ 24 3/ 2 3/ 9 3/ 16 3/ 23 3/ 30 4/ 6 4/ 13 4/ 20 4/ 27 5/ 4 5/ 11 5/ 18 5/ 25 6/ 1 6/ 8 6/ 15 6/ 22 6/ 29 7/ 6 7/ 13 7/ 20 7/ 27 8/ 3 8/ 10 8/ 17 88/ /224 5 8/ 31

0

Source: California Reportable Disease Information Exchange. Cases reported for the past seven days are subject to change.

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to discuss the city’s initiatives on race and equity and consider approving a proposed development at 788 San Antonio Road that includes 102 apartments and 1,800 square feet of commercial space. The virtual meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 362 027 238.

COUNCIL FINANCE COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss with the Palo Alto History Museum options for rehabilitating the Roth Building at 300 Homer Ave. and approve a budget amendment for design services relating to the secondary treatment process at the Regional Water Quality Control Plant. The virtual meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 992 2730 7235.

CITY/SCHOOL LIAISON COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to review recent City Council and school board meetings, discuss COVID-19 coordination, and get updates on after school sports programming, Cubberley Community Center and the Connecting Palo Alto effort on grade separation. The virtual meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 739 622 589.

ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW BOARD ... The board plans to discuss the master sign program for 744-750 San Antonio Road; review Objective Standards; hold a study sessionon ex-parte communications; and discuss its annual report to council. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 925 4447 0390.

PUBLIC ART COMMISSION ... The commission plans review and accept an artwork donation by former Cubberley Artist Studio Program artist Yishu Wang into the city’s Collection of Public Art; discuss the council’s referral to develop a permanent public artwork on King Plaza to recognize the city’s priorities on race and equity; and hear an update from staff on the eight artists selected to create temporary murals in the California and University avenue districts. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 19. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 940 9897 2190 .

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 31

Jamey Padojino

rolling average hovered around 100.

Health leaders don’t have a clear explanation of what’s causing the surge, such as specific superspreader events. The rise does come nine days after Halloween.

It’s possible many people are developing “pandemic fatigue” and might be less careful about following local health protocols, she said.

The county’s last sharp spike was in July. Restrictions and publicity helped bring the case numbers down. By the beginning of October, new positive cases had dropped to double digits per day; that number has now risen to triple digits, she said.

Cody said it will take everyone’s effort to help bring the numbers down.

“What each of us (does) every day really matters to keep us from trending ourselves into the red and possibly purple tier,” she said, noting that greater restrictions under the state’s colored-tier system could be instituted again if cases continue to rise.

To keep the coronavirus in check, the public and businesses must do everything that they can to follow safety protocols, including wearing masks, washing their hands and socially distancing themselves, she said.

County Counsel James Williams said the public should look for an orange check mark at businesses that have filed and submitted revised protocols they will follow for reopening their businesses safely under the state’s orange tier rules.

“We do need it to be a commu-

Upfront

Retail

TALK ABOUT IT

PaloAltoOnline.com

(continued from page 5)

Lloyd Lee

long-lasting changes to the city’s retail rules, including relaxing the zoning code to allow a broader range of businesses to fill spaces designated for retail. One such idea would expand the city’s definition of “retail” to include businesses such as banks, law firms and medical offices. Another would remove or modify an existing zoning law that requires retail on the ground floor of buildings in the city’s commercial areas.

With little consensus on these issues, the council directed its Planning and Transportation Commission to study ways to diversify retail uses and consider modifications to the ground-floor retail protection law. The key question that it will focus on is: Should the retail requirement apply citywide, as is currently the case, or exclusively to commercial cores such as downtown and California Avenue?

As in the past, the council split over retail protection, with some urging caution and others counseling aggressive action. Mayor Adrian Fine and council members Greg Tanaka, Liz Kniss and Alison Cormack all supported changing rules to allow for more flexibility for commercial sites.

How do you feel about allowing medical offices and banks to move into ground-floor retail space in Palo Alto? Share your opinion and read others’ on Town Square, the community discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square.

Diners eat outside on University Avenue, which will remain closed to traffic through Memorial Day. This includes expanding the definition of “retail” and allowing certain types of businesses that currently require a conditional use permit to open in those spaces.

Vice Mayor Tom DuBois and council members Eric Filseth and Lydia Kou all voted against having staff return with proposed changes that would broaden the definition of retail and allow more offices.

All three stressed the potentially permanent impacts of those decisions. Once an office occupies retail space, even purportedly on a temporary basis, it is unlikely to move out, even when the zoning reverts to a stricter definition of “retail,” they pointed out.

“If we loosen this, we’re only going to allow the rents to

Olivia Treynor

Jessica Roth, owner of The Cobblery on California Avenue, has spoken out against the city’s proposal to allow offices, including doctors’ offices, in retail spaces.

School (continued from page 7)

to campus,” she said. “At the same (time), I don’t think one to two classes are worth disrupting the schedules of so many students.”

The presidents of the Gunn and Paly PTSAs and the Palo Alto Council of PTAs, meanwhile, spoke in support of reopening.

“Some students are thriving; some are tolerating; and some are suffering,” Gunn PTSA president Kimberly Eng Lee said. “We need to support them all. It’s time to make plans to bring student activities and supports back to campus.”

The discussion of secondary schools reopening again highlighted fraught communication problems between teachers and the district. Palo Alto Educators Association President Teri Baldwin said there wasn’t any teacher input into the plan and that it came

to the union “after it was already finished” last week. (The union opposes the reopening plan.) District staff, meanwhile, said that site administrators discussed the plan with teacher instructional leaders, school educational councils and in department meetings.

This disconnect, which also happened with the elementary school reopening, prompted the board to vote to formally direct staff to take input from instructional leaders as they continue to refine the reopening plan over the next two months.

Many questions around how specific elements of the reopening will shake out — schedule changes, class sizes and the like — will remain unanswered until the district knows how many middle and high school students choose the hybrid model. Families have until Nov. 18 at 5 p.m. to make a decision.

In other business Tuesday, the school board unanimously extended Austin’s employment contract

Page 32 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

continue to stay high,” DuBois said. “I think we should continue with our retail protection ordinance until we have more data — and more nuanced data.”

Cormack agreed that the zone changes could have long-term effects but said that, given the magnitude of the economic downturn, she is willing to be more flexible.

“It’s an inflection point,” Cormack said. “That means it’s appropriate for us to make some changes.”

Kniss suggested that the city needs to streamline Palo Alto’s permitting processes for businesses looking to make improvements.

“I think we need to dispel the notion that Palo Alto doesn’t really want certain things and therefore drags their feet in the development department,” Kniss said. “I think it’s important that we work at changing whatever reputation we have that is out there, saying this is a tough city to do business in.”

Council members voted unanimously to direct the Planning and Transportation Commission to evaluate ways to diversify use of retail spaces. They also voted 6-1, with Kou dissenting, to direct the commission to explore changes to the ground-floor protection ordinance, a topic that has consistently divided the council. As in the past, Fine argued that the ordinance should not apply citywide.

Others balked at moving ahead with the change but agreed to let to June 2024. Some community members protested the placement of the proposed contract extension on the boardís consent calendar — which includes items typically approved without discussion — and asked for greater transparency.

Last June, the board approved a one-year extension for Austin’s contract, extending it until June 2022. The latest contract extension, as well as ones for four other senior administrators, should have taken place this June but fell by the wayside until now due to the pandemic, board President Todd Collins said.

The board gave Austin a satisfactory performance evaluation in June, which typically is followed by a contract extension.

Collins apologized for the delay, which he said was his failure, but described Austin’s contract extension as “customary and routine.” Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

the commission consider possible changes, including a more limited geography for the ground-floor retail requirement.

Tanaka, a CEO of a company that specializes in retail analytics, cited broad national trends that made the environment challenging even before the pandemic — most notably, the large number of retail locations in the United States. In lobbying for zone changes, he noted that the businesses that have thrived during the pandemic are big-box stores such as Costco, Walmart and Home Depot. The small, specialty stores that are predominant in Palo Alto are precisely the types of retail operations that have taken the biggest hit.

“It’s the retail that we love in our city but it’s exactly the kind of retail that’s been totally hammered overall — not just in our city but in all cities,” Tanaka said.

Ellis agreed. To cope with the growing vacancies, Town & Country is preparing to ask the council to allow it to devote 20% of its ground-floor space to medical offices. The proposal would also permit the shopping center to fill 30% of its space with offices.

“The fact of the matter is that the pandemic has accelerated trends that are already underway, which has significantly impacted retailers.” Ellis said. “There are far fewer of them and the average size of retail use is much smaller.”

But many residents and some merchants strongly opposed revising the definition of “retail”

or allowing more offices in retail areas. Jessica Roth, owner of The Cobblery on California Avenue, said she has great concerns about the proposed zone changes, which she argued could change the character of the eclectic strip.

“We need to add public art to these areas; we need to make them more community-friendly, not have office spaces and doctor’s offices,” Roth said. “I really hope you will strongly think about this. Something you do now will impact our businesses for generations, decades to come.”

The council was more unified when it came to extending the street closures on University and California avenues, authorizing staff to modify the design of the program. While DuBois supported reopening parts of University Avenue to cars to support retailers along the strip, the rest of the council voted to keep both streets closed until May 31. Kniss said the extension would make it easier for restaurant owners to invest in their outdoor-dining amenities, including heating and rain protection. Others, including Cormack and Fine, noted that the program has been extremely popular with residents.

“I think this is one of the silver linings of 2020 ... in this hard year we’ve been through — reimagining what our two downtowns can look like,” Fine said shortly before the 6-1 vote. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

About the cover: Diners eat at tables set up along California Avenue, which will remain closed to traffic until the end of May 2021.

Photo by Magali Gauthier.

Cover design by Douglas Young.

CityView A round-up

of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Nov. 9)

Retail: The council directed its Planning and Transportation Commission to explore options for diversifying the city’s retail. Yes: Cormack, Filseth, Fine, Kniss, Kou, Tanaka No: DuBois Zoning: The council directed staff to return with modifications to the definition of retail and adjust the threshold for retail uses that require conditional use permits. Yes: Cormack, Fine, Kniss, Tanaka No: DuBois, Filseth, Kou Garage: The council considered management strategies for the new garage in the California Avenue business district and agreed to defer its decision to a later date. Yes: Unanimous

Council Policy and Services Committee (Nov. 10)

Auditor: The committee discussed the city auditor’s scope of work. Action: None Equality: The committee accepted a report on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and voted to direct staff to proceed with a community summit on gender equality issues. Yes: Unanimous

Board of Education (Nov. 10)

Contract extensions: The board approved contract extensions for Superintendent Don Austin and four senior administrators. Yes: Unanimous Secondary schools reopening: The board authorized actions to implement a hybrid/in-person return at the middle and high schools starting Jan. 7, 2021.

Yes: Unanimous Meeting: The board waived its two-meeting rule and rescheduled its Dec. 8, 2020 meeting to Dec. 15, 2020. Yes: Unanimous

Upfront

Market (continued from page 7)

particularly beneficial during the pandemic, which will provide instore and same day delivery service,” a staff report in advance of the Nov. 16 council meeting noted.

The proposal for approval is scheduled on the council’s consent calendar, but it could be pulled for additional discussion. If three council members vote to pull the item off of consent, staff is recommending the council vote on the proposal that same evening to help the market’s owners quickly open — if the tenant is approved.

AGB Pact, a partnership between Blox Ventures and Angelo Gordon, owns College Terrace Centre. Jason Oberman, CEO of Blox Ventures, deferred comment on the proposed grocery store to Taffi.

A grocery store is required at College Terrace Centre as a “public benefit.” Under the planned community ordinance, the city can levy daily penalties of $2,000 after a cumulative six-month grace period if a market is not operating at the site. The repeated absence

Courtesy Hayes Group Architects

signage, shop local is more than a slogan, then the public benefit can be both real and lasting.”

Doria Summa, a city planning commissioner, said as a College Terrace resident and not on behalf of the commission that Real Produce “seems like a good fit to me.”

The property owner has repainted the building and fixed up the parklet behind the building, which is one of the public benefits required under the planned community ordinance.

Photos of the San Jose store online remind Summa of Sigona’s, the Stanford Shopping Center grocer, she said.

“There are tons of fresh produce and a little bit of everything else you might need,” she said.

Summa said she hopes the new store will prosper.

“We’ve had two grocery stores fail,” she observed. “I’m really concerned about the finances for

a grocer in such a small store.”

Opening the market in advance of the holiday season is important, Taffi said in an Oct. 9 letter to city Planning Director Jonathan Lait.

“While times are tough right now for so many businesses with (the) COVID-19 pandemic, safety concerns, and increased regulatory restrictions for businesses in these times, we take the long view and have signed a long-term lease for the grocer space at 501 Oxford Ave. We are excited for the opportunity to serve the community. We want to open our doors as soon as possible and if there isn’t a delay from the city or county, we would love to open before Thanksgiving,” he wrote.

Staff is recommending the council approve the market.

“A stable market at this location has been a long-desired goal by the City Council and neighborhood when it approved the College Terrace Centre development. Having another grocery store that provides essential services and goods to the Palo Alto community is

If approved, Real Produce International Market, shown in this rendering, would be the third grocery store to open at 501 Oxford Ave. in Palo Alto since 2017. of a grocery store at the site over the years has resulted in penalty assessments in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for AGB Pact.

New York-based Greystone Property Development sold the center to AGB Pact for $78 million on June 29, 2018, just prior to when the penalties were due to begin.

AGB Pact has appealed the fines. Some of the appeals are

currently going through the city’s administrative process and others are being litigated in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The council’s approval of Real Produce International Market is independent of the legal issues, according to the staff report. Q Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

RECOGNIZING LOCAL HEROES LOCAL HERO

LOCAL HERO

Bob Roth Bob Roth has spent 25 years curbing nonnative plants at Foothills Preserve. As a charter member of Friends of Foothill, a group dedicated to habitat restoration, Bob has shared his knowledge widely. The preserve needs more heroes of his kind as it enters its new phase.

Submitted by: Ruth Marshall & Roger Smith

Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto For over 95 years, the Kiwanis Club of Palo Alto has served the City of Palo Alto and dozens of non-profit groups with both financial support and hands-on service projects ranging from rebuilding and painting facilities at local parks and maintaining the Duck Pond, to planting trees and refurbishing preschool facilities.

During the pandemic, the group has made targeted donations to needy groups and distributed educational materials, household goods, and protective equipment to the home-bound.

Submitted by: Judy Deggeller

Have a local hero you want to recognize? Spread the joy and support our journalism efforts by giving him/her a shout-out in the Palo Alto Weekly. Submit entries at PaloAltoOnline.com/local_hero/

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 33

Upfront

Garage (continued from page 8)

chided city staff for failing to reach out to area businesses before finalizing the details.

He told the council that there was “zero outreach” to the business community and “zero transparency.”

“This proposal basically erases any benefits that the new garage creates by accommodating all the waitlist for permit parking and the RPP permits,” Ekwall said.

Residents countered that the city should move faster with moving employees — specifically, the higher-wage office workers — out of their neighborhoods. They also criticized the staff proposal for failing to include low-income service employees in their plans for the new garage. Under the proposal, the

city would still offer a limited number of discounted permits for workers who meet the income thresholds so they can park on neighborhood streets and not in the new parking structure.

“It is amazing that low-wage retail workers who come and go throughout the day and often cannot take public transportation are not given any spaces in the new garage and employee permits are not being moved out of the neighborhood, despite the large increase in parking available within the business core,” Evergreen Park resident Carol Scott told the council. “Instead, the recommendation de facto give almost the entire garage over to commercial office workers — the very ones who should be parking in their own parking lots or commuting by public transportation in this ‘transportation rich’ area.”

Scott also joined residents Wolfgang Dueregger, John Guislin, Paul Machado and Neilson Buchanan in penning a letter urging rejection of the staff proposal.

“Residents did not support the construction of the garage at taxpayer expense in order to provide additional parking to commercial office workers, many of whom work in under-parked office buildings that should have TDM agreements that promised to eliminate the need for workers to use public parking in the California Ave Business District (CABD) or residential areas,” the letter states.

Part of the conflict stems from the fact that conditions on California Avenue and in its surrounding neighborhoods have changed dramatically since 2014, when the council voted to place the California Avenue garage on its infrastructure plan. At that time, the Evergreen Park and Mayfield neighborhoods did not have a Residential Parking Permit program and residents were up in arms about the high number of employees using their streets for all-day parking on weekdays.

That changed in 2017, when the council approved the residential program, which provided instant relief for neighbors around California Avenue. While some blocks, particularly those closest to California Avenue’s commercial core, continued to see high parking rates, others became largely empty as a result of the new program. The city later refined the parking zones throughout Evergreen Park and Mayfield to better disperse employee parking in these neighborhoods.

While these moves have alleviated many anxieties over parking, they have not completely quashed the decadeslong tug-of-war over spots between businesses and residents.

Some council members struggled to reconcile the conflicting accounts from residents and businesses about why the garage was built in the first place. Council member Alison Cormack posed the question in blunt

terms on Monday night.

“I’m not clear we know the problem we’re trying to solve,” Cormack said.

Both she and Kniss recalled that when the council was moving ahead with plans for the new garage, a major reason was the severe shortage of parking on the commercial strip, particularly during lunch hours.

“This was more about lunch than anything else,” Kniss said. “Because it was so difficult to park in the California Avenue area that people would say, ‘I’ve been driving for half an hour and couldn’t find any place to leave the car so I can meet you for lunch.’”

While Council member Eric Filseth generally supported the staff approach, Vice Mayor Tom DuBois sided with the residents and suggested eliminating all the employee permits from the residential parking program.

“I’m not sure what a better time is to try to move those cars out of the neighborhoods,” DuBois said. “It seems with decreased parking during the pandemic, we can move it all out.”

Most of his colleagues didn’t feel comfortable making any decision on the divisive topic. With the discussion creeping past midnight, Council member Greg Tanaka suggested postponing the decision to a later date and, in the meantime, conducting more outreach. The council unanimously approved his recommendation.

“It seems like some people are blindsided,” Tanaka said. “It seems like there are more conversations that should have happened.” Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@paweekly.com.

Holiday Fund

said this week.

“We’ve always been inspired by the unflagging generosity of our fellow neighbors who donate to the Holiday Fund. As this pandemic has exacerbated the inequities in our community, we’re asking those who have been less materially affected to please join us in supporting these nonprofits that are working around the clock to ease the burdens of increasing numbers of people,” Johnson said.

In addition to individual tax-deductible donations, the fund this year is being supported through matching grants from local, longstanding foundations, including the Packard, Hewlett, Peery and Arrillaga foundations, so that every donation is effectively doubled.

The Holiday Fund campaign is also seeded by the annual Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run & Walk, which this year took place virtually and raised more than $50,000 with help from participants and the event’s corporate sponsors: Stanford Health Event, Bank of the West, Wilson Sonsini, Sutter Health/ PAMF, Palantir, Facebook, Wealth Architects, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, A Runner’s Mind, the city of Palo Alto and The Six Fifty.

In the coming weeks, the Weekly will profile several of the agencies that have benefited from the grants this year and show how donors’ dollars are impacting people’s lives.

To contribute online to the campaign, go to siliconvalleycf.org/Paw-holiday-fund.

Nonprofits wishing to apply for a grant can find guidelines at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund. The application deadline is Jan. 11, 2021. Q For those who need food assistance, call Ecumenical Hunger Program at 650-3237781 or stop by the agency Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to noon or 2:30-4:30 p.m. More information about EHP can be found at ehpcares.org.

(continued from page 5)

Experience.

Integrity.

Knowledge.

Home has never been more important.

Helping buyers and sellers navigate their real estate needs during these challenging times.

Carolyn Aarts Keddington Realtor® 650.946.8122 carolyn.keddington@compass.com DRE 01490400 Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only and is compiled from sources deemed reliable Jts VBp bds JOOb yOoW OMà VBbUOp Wb loWKOÛ KdbMWsWdbÛ pB_O do zWsVMoBzB_ aB| JO aBMO zWsVdts bdsWKOà !d psBsOaObs Wp aBMO Bp sd accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate.

Page 34 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

purchase critical supplies in bulk.

“Staff members are wearing multiple hats, which include sourcing food, picking up and accepting fresh food donations, stocking the food pantry, packing food boxes, directing traffic and more,” Preston said.

She and key staff members are working seven days a week to keep up with the demand.

To give a much-needed boost to organizations like Ecumenical Hunger Program, the Palo Alto Weekly is again launching its annual Holiday Fund campaign to raise funds for dozens of programs serving families and children in the Palo Alto area.

Last year, nearly 400 business organizations and community members donated to the campaign, which then directed a recordbreaking $465,600 to 63 vetted organizations in the area. Because the Weekly and its Holiday Fund partner the Silicon Valley Community Foundation covered all the administrative costs of the campaign, every dollar raised went directly to nonprofit organizations through grants of between $5,000 and $20,000, as well as into $1,000 college scholarships for eight high school students.

Since launching in 1993, the fund has given away more than $7.6 million.

“The needs in our area have always been pressing for those families and individuals who aren’t benefiting from the tech economy, but this year, with the pandemic, our nonprofit partners are seeing deeper and more widespread pleas for assistance. What’s more, those agencies are operating within considerable constraints due to public health protocols,” Weekly Publisher Bill Johnson

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

PaloAltoOnline.com

Weigh in on who should be allowed to park in the new California Avenue district garage. Join the discussion on Town Square, the community discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square.

Upfront

News Digest

Palo Alto City Council race Unofficial results as of Nov. 10, 5 p.m.

14,000

13,812 13.4%

Number of votes

12,000

Council cries foul over appointments 12,899 12.5%

12,374 12%

10,000

11,528 11.2%

10,741 10.4%

8,000

10,322 10%

9,848 9.6%

9,460 9.2%

6,000

7,406 7.2% 4,642 4.5%

4,000 2,000

Burt dia Kou Tanaka r Stone Lauing Malone ven Lee pleton enberg t Varma Pat e g Ly Ed Aji en Tem cca Eis Ste Gre Gre Rav e Cari Reb Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters

Election roundup

control indefinitely maintained voter approval with only a slight drop in percentage of approval from Nov. 3. The measure had 75% approval as of Nov. 12.

(continued from page 10)

With about 8,000 ballots left to be counted, Baten Caswell said she’s not yet conceding the race but is “realistic” about the growing vote gap.

Measures RR (66.7% approval required) Caltrain’s ? cent sales tax held on to approval, despite lower support among voters whose ballots have been counted after Election Day. The approval rate on Nov. 12 stood at 68.98%. The residents of three counties — San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara — all voted on the measure, and San Francisco voters most strongly supported it, with 73.36% favoring, whereas Santa Clara County voters would not have passed the tax had the decision been theirs alone (65.89% in favor).

Measures O (66.7% approval required) Measure O, the Palo Alto Unified parcel tax renewal, has passed. As of Nov. 12, it received 29,654 “yes” votes, or 77.3% of the ballots counted, and 8,720 “no” votes, or 22.7% of the ballots. Even if all outstanding ballots yet to be counted were “no” votes, the measure would still have more than 66.7% of the votes, the threshold for passage.

Measures S (66.7% approval required)

votes needed to pass. On Nov. 12, it had 4,770 “yes” votes, or 64.7% of votes counted, and 2,602 “no” votes, or 35.3%.

Foothill-DeAnza Community College District Board of Trustees (three seats)

Karen Hendricks leaves Palo Alto Unified

As initially reported on Election Night, the three incumbents have kept their seats for the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees.

As of Nov. 12, Gilbert Wong continued to lead the incumbents with 29.8% of the vote, with Peter Landsberger in second position garnering 28.1% and Laura Casas at 27.4%. Challenger Govind Tatachari placed fourth with 14.7%. Q

Measure V (66.7% approval required)

Santa Clara Valley Water District’s bid to extend a parcel tax for water protection and flood

Jamey Padojino /Paul Llewellyn

0

READ MORE ONLINE

Get up-to-date results on local races at PaloAltoOnline.com

East Palo Alto City Council race Unofficial results as of Nov. 11, 4:30 p.m.

3,500

Number of votes

3,000 2,500

3,109 17.5%

2,952 16.7%

2,000 1,500

2,783 15.7%

2,753 15.5%

2,352 13.3%

2,038 11.5%

1,743 9.8%

1,000 500

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Source: Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters

Jamey Padojino /Paul Llewellyn

0

Deputy Superintendent Karen Hendricks, who led Palo Alto Unified for nine months after the resignation of former Superintendent Max McGee, is leaving the school district to become a superintendent in Southern California.

Hendricks has been named the new superintendent of the Alta Loma School District in Rancho Cucamonga.

Hendricks came to Palo Alto in July 2017 to become the district’s assistant superintendent of human resources. In September, following the upheaval of McGee’s departure, she was appointed interim superintendent and held the position until Superintendent Don Austin was hired. While interim superintendent, Hendricks also convened and led a task force devoted to addressing sexual assault and harassment in the district.

Hendricks’ resignation is effective Jan. 31. Q —Elena Kadvany

Woman dies following collision

PaloAltoOnline.com

Measure V still has not received the necessary 66.7% of

In a bitter split, the Palo Alto City Council voted Nov. 2 to give its outgoing members the opportunity to appoint commissioners to key city boards just weeks before their terms expire.

By a 4-3 vote, with Vice Mayor Tom DuBois and council members Eric Filseth and Lydia Kou dissenting, the council decided on Monday to select new members for the Planning and Transportation Commission, the Architectural Review Board, the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Historic Resources Board on Dec. 14. The vote means that the council’s more pro-growth majority of Mayor Adrian Fine and council members Liz Kniss, Alison Cormack and Greg Tanaka will get to pick new commissioners just before new council members, dominated by the more slow-growth faction, is sworn in.

The controversial decision came just a week after the council agreed unanimously to shift appointments to the spring, precisely to avoid the politicization of the commission appointment.

While the council’s vote took place before Tuesday’s general election, the three members in the minority denounced the decision to make the appointments in December rather than to wait for the new council to be sworn in. The four council members in the majority noted that because the new rules hadn’t yet been adopted, it is perfectly reasonable for them to make the appointments.

Kniss made a motion, which Cormack seconded, to accept the submitted applications to the Architectural Review Board and the Parks and Recreation Commission but to extend the recruitment period for the Planning and Transportation and the Historic Resources Board, which has three open seats and three applications.

The motion also called for the council to complete interviews for all the commission applicants by Dec. 7 and to make the appointments by Dec. 14. Q —Gennady Sheyner

A woman in her 70s who was struck by a car while crossing a street in downtown Palo Alto on Thursday morning died soon after she was taken to a hospital, police said Nov. 6.

The woman was identified as 79-year-old Pinxiang Zhou of Palo Alto, the Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office said Nov. 6.

The collision was reported to police at about 10:40 a.m. Thursday, when multiple calls came in to emergency dispatchers of a major injury collision at Lytton Avenue and Waverley Street, police said in a press release.

When officers and fire crews headed to the intersection, they found the woman, whom paramedics took to a hospital where she died soon after, police said.

The woman had been walking east on the south side of Lytton Avenue in a crosswalk, then proceeded to make her way across Waverley Street, where she was struck by a blue 2011 Honda Fit that turned left onto Waverley, according to a preliminary investigation by the police Specialized Traffic Accident Reconstruction Team.

The driver, an Oakland resident in her 30s, had been heading west just before the collision. She stayed at the scene, cooperated with investigators, police said and didn’t report any injuries.

Palo Alto fire crews were on scene for about an hour, according to PulsePoint, an app displaying emergency response incidents.

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 —Palo Alto Weekly Staff LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com/square

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 35

Page 36 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 37

Across 1 1990s Disney show with characters from “The Jungle Book” 9 Clear music holder 15 Prozac maker 16 Enter, as data 17 They have two legs each 19 Icon used in Twitch chat to express feelings 20 Uganda’s Idi 21 Being, Roman-style 22 “Tiny Alice” dramatist Edward 25 Active chemical in cannabis 28 “Parklife” group 29 The heavens, for Olympians 32 They have four legs each 37 Broadcast studio sign 38 Key to get out?

39 Cover once more?

40 They have six legs each 43 “Here are the words on the label ...”

44 State with a three-word capital 45 Abbr. in a job posting 46 Charlie of “Hot Shots!”

48 Singer with the EPs “BLQ Velvet” and “PRINCESS” 52 “Transformers” actor LaBeouf 54 Abbr. on marked-down clothes 55 They have eight legs each 61 Like a difficult battle 62 Comedian Sarah who once wrote “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard” 63 “Game of Thrones” actress Williams 64 Followed Down 1 Tiny laugh 2 Class reunion attendees 3 Cars for execs

“Leg Work” — keep on counting! by Matt Jones

This week’s SUDOKU

Answers on page 25.

Answers on page 25.

4 Make happy 5 Mathematical ratio 6 Middle East gp.

7 French 101 pronoun 8 “All the news that’s fit to print” initials 9 Sevastopol resident 10 Metric prefix for “tenth” 11 “Call Me Irresponsible” lyricist Sammy 12 City southwest of Tulsa 13 Sample of wine 14 Methyl ending 18 Actress Issa 22 Olympic flame lighter in Atlanta 23 Winter Games vehicles 24 Rudely abrupt

www.sudoku.name

49 Streisand’s “Funny Girl” role 50 Levy again 51 Bond, for example 52 Downhill runners 53 Hindu festival of colors 54 Maui, for one 55 Rum ___ Tugger (“Cats” cat) 56 Bitter brew, briefly 57 Athens X 58 One-hit wonder band behind “How Bizarre” 59 “When the Rain Begins to Fall” singer Zadora 60 Einstein’s birth city

25 “Is ___ fact?”

26 Poet Gil Scott-___ 27 Advanced very slowly 28 Daft, in Derby 30 You are here 31 Van Gogh’s brother 32 “Holy moly!”

33 Maternally related 34 ___ profundo (lowest vocal range) 35 Morning TV host Kelly 36 Like some angles 41 Tiny ear bone 42 “American Gods” actor McShane 47 It might go over your head 48 Shimerman of “Deep Space Nine”

© 2020 Matt Jones

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Page 38 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

SAN FRANCISCO | $1,498,000 Welcome to the prime location of 1104 Church Street in the highly desirable neighborhood of Noe Valley. Incredible 3br/2ba top floor flat w/rooftop deck & expansive views. Well-manicured green-filled rooftop to take in spectacular unobstructed 360 degree views of the city w/plentiful entertainment space. A private garage w/ample space for storage, completes this amenity-full home.

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • November 13, 2020 • Page 39

PORTOLA VALLEY | $5,500,000 Unique and contemporary architecture. 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home on approx. 1 acre in Central Portola Valley. Recently remodeled, the interior is filled with modern design elements and exceptional finishes. Light filled rooms offer views ranging from the natural surroundings to the western hills. An elevator connects the 2-story addition offering 2 of the bedrooms and 2 of the full baths.

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MOUNTAIN VIEW | $2,178,000 Welcome to this move-in ready 4br/2.5ba two-story home on a private cul-de-sac in Mountain View. Enjoy newly installed hardwood floors and upgraded stainless steel appliances. This home features a family room adjacent to the kitchen, a living room with a fireplace, a dining room off the living room and a laundry room on the main level. Relax in the backyard patio with low-maintenance landscaping.

Camille Eder 650.464.4598 camille.eder@gmail.com CalRE #01394600

LOS ALTOS | $1,798,000 Rare end unit - 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home in North Los Altos. Large private patio, pool and spa, A/C, wood floors, designer features. Close to WFoods and San Antonio Shopping center, and Caltrain. 2 reserved park spots underground + large private storage locker. Gas range in kitchen and top of the line cabinetry, with under-cabinet lighting. www.4388ElCaminoReal18.com.

Francis Rolland 650.224.4817 frolland@cbnorcal.com CalRE #00896319

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Page 40 • November 13, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com