Palo Alto Weekly December 4, 2020

Palo Alto

Vol. XLII, Number 9

Q

December 4, 2020

New restrictions imposed as Covid-19 cases surge Page 5

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

IN SIDE UE TH I S I S S

Donate to the HOLIDAY FUND pages 7, 10

Read up-to-the-minute news on PaloAltoOnline.com Q Upfront Residents challenge open access to Foothills Park Page 8 Q Arts Artists prepare virtual holiday concerts, plays Page 24 Q Living Well NonproďŹ ts serve up meals and cheer Page 34

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 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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Lot size: 16,131 sq.ft.

Listing Price: $5,250,000

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Listing Commission As Low As 0.0% (Almost Free) COVID-19 SPECIAL The Highest Sales Price Isn’t Always The Best Price

Selling A Home That Is Loved

• The more you spend on improvements, the higher your sales price.

• When you look into remodeling, most remodeling companies will estimate by how much the improvements will increase your home value. The increase is almost always less than the cost of the remodeling.

• While your home is being remodeled, you are still paying for it even if you aren’t living in it.

• Different people want different things. You can’t get everyone to value your improvements as much as you do or your agent does.

• A higher sales price always makes your listing agent look better but the cost of getting it also often makes your own bottom line worse.

• Reduce uncertainty!

• Fix problems that prevent buyers from seeing your home’s value.

• Fix problems that prevent buyers from getting a mortgage.

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• Experience, expertise, and passion for selling homes.

Do you really want to remodel your home to be the best home, no matter the cost, just so your agent can sell it?

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Marketing Your Home • Advertise your home where buyers are already looking.

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• Even before Covid-19 most buyers wanted to get help from their own agent. There are no open houses now.

Buyer agents are extremely important.

Presenting Your Home To Buyers

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• 3rd party digital real estate portals are constantly trying to separate buyers from real estate agents. My team is constantly optimizing existing strategies and creating new ones to maximize your homes exposure.

• How long has it been since you searched through a newspaper to find what you are looking for? I advertise in newspapers but most buyers are looking online.

• I don’t want to separate buyers from their own buyer agents. I encourage all 10,000 plus local agents to bring their own buyers.

• I know what attracts buyers. I don’t want to own and manage furniture. I manage professional service providers.

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Call Juliana Lee for • free analysis www.PaloAltoOnline.com Palo Altomarket Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 3

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Serving Palo Alto Buyers & Sellers for Almost 20 Years 887 E. MEADOW DR. 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms 1,928 SF, Lot 6,895 SF Sold for $2,900,000 on 7/28/20 Represented Sellers

8 8 7 E . M E A D O W D R . PA L O A LT O

788 FOREST AVE. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms

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2,041 SF, Lot 7,500 SF Sold for $3,200,000 on 10/1/20 Represented Buyers

795 CEREZA DR. 1 bedroom 1,092 SF, Lot 8,250 SF Sold for $2,625,000 on 10/30/20 Represented Buyers

7 8 8 F O R E S T AV E . PA L O A LT O

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Linda Xu

7 9 5 C E R E Z A D R . PA L O A LT O

PA R C A G E N C Y I S T H E A R E A’ S P R E M I E R R E A L E S TAT E B R O K E R A G E 707 MENLO AVE SUITE100 MENLO PARK, CALIFORNIA 94025 DRE#02081836

Page 4 •hello@parc-agency.com December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com www.parc-agency.com

650-862-7078 linda@lindaxu.com www.LindaXu.com DRE# 01425342

Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Cities slam VTA plan to divert funds to BART Palo Alto, Mountain View council members among critics of new 10-year scenario

by Gennady Sheyner

W

hen the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority asked voters in 2016 to approve a sales tax increase, the agency promised to use the funds to repair streets, expand the BART system to San Jose and support the efforts of

Mountain View, Palo Alto and Sunnyvale to redesign their rail corridors, among other projects.

Now, staff of the transit agency are pitching an abrupt change of direction: spending all revenue from Measure B over the next decade on the BART extension

and allocating no funding at all for Caltrain improvements, road paving or highway upgrades.

While the VTA’s board of directors has not taken action on the proposed scenario, the tentative plan is already angering city leaders throughout Santa Clara County, who are characterizing the abrupt shift as nothing short of a betrayal of public trust by the agency.

Critics of the new proposal have plenty of history to point to.

The VTA’s prior tax measures, which were approved in 2000 and 2008, were used primarily to fund BART projects, despite promises to fund transportation projects in other parts of the county. An analysis conducted by the Santa Clara County Department of Roads and Airports estimated that about 80% of the proceeds from those two measures were directed to BART. To ensure that this didn’t happen

again, city and county elected officials included language in Measure B that explicitly caps expenditures on BART Phase II — the 6-mile extension of the system to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara — at 25% of the measure’s total revenues. The rest would be divvied up for transportation projects throughout the entire county, including congestion relief along (continued on page 11)

PUBLIC HEALTH

Rising cases, new limits State to go into more serious regional stay-inplace order in next days

by Sue Dremann, Elena Kadvany and Kevin Forestieri

I

Magali Gauthier

Ian Irwin and Carol Kiparsky pet their cat on their backyard deck in Palo Alto on Dec. 2. After getting lost in the wilderness, the couple went missing for nine days in February. Rescuers called it a “miracle” that they were found alive.

COMMUNITY

Nine days in the wilderness Before the COVID-19 shutdown, a Palo Alto couple went missing in Marin.

Now they’re telling their story.

T

he late afternoon hike from their vacation cottage wasn’t supposed to take more than 15 minutes. For Palo Altans Carol Kiparsky and Ian Irwin, the idyllic sunset walk along a narrow Marin County trail instead became a nine-day walkabout and a fight for their very survival.

Their disappearance on Feb. 14 set off a massive

by Sue Dremann search-and-rescue mission, which took helicopters and ground teams over and through the rough terrain near Seahaven/ Inverness. Given their ages — she, 77, and he, 72 — the length of time of their absence and weather conditions, authorities at one point declared that the rescue had turned into a recovery mission and started searching Tomales Bay for their remains.

But Kiparsky and Irwin did survive, living off fiddlehead tops of ferns and a few seeps, or puddles, containing muddy water. They were found safe by a search-and-rescue team on Feb. 22. Now recovered but still processing their journey, they agreed to talk to the Palo Alto Weekly on Nov. 25, their first interview since their rescue.

Theirs is a story of survival,

but don’t call what they went through an “ordeal,” they said.

Their experiences amounted to much more than that, with deeper insights into the importance of love and companionship, universal human experience and of never giving up.

Irwin and Kiparsky weren’t novice hikers the day they disappeared. The couple has trekked many places over the years, and they were acquainted with the area around their vacation retreat in Seahaven/Inverness, they said.

Irwin was an experienced backpacker, spending weeks at a time in the Sierra Nevada.

Having arrived earlier in the (continued on page 12)

n an attempt to prevent a crisis in hospitals and intensive care units in the coming weeks due to ballooning cases of COVID-19, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced a regional stay-at-home order for most areas of the state, including in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.

The state’s regional stay-at-home order, which could begin in days or weeks depending on the region, affects areas where the intensive-care unit capacity in hospitals is below 15%. The state is projecting five regions that will be below that level by mid to late December. The first could reach that level in the next day or two, he said. Overall, the order would affect an estimated 40 million people.

Currently, hospital beds statewide are at 86% of capacity and ICU beds are at 67% of capacity, he said. Greater Sacramento, northern California, San Joaquin Valley and southern California regions are projected to drop below the 15% capacity ICU-bed threshold in early December; the Bay Area region is projected to reach that level by mid- to late December, Newsom said.

Santa Clara County’s COVID-19 dashboard states that the seven-day rolling average of ICU beds with COVID-19 patients is only 22%.

The overall occupancy of ICU beds, when including all patients, is 84% in the non-southern part of the county and is even more limited in the south county, including in Morgan Hill, Gilroy and eastern San Jose, according to health officials. (continued on page 14)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 5

Upfront 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505) EDITORIAL Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Linda Taaffe (223-6511) Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6516) Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane (223-6517) Home & Real Estate Editor Heather Zimmerman (223-6515) Express & Digital Editor Jamey Padojino (223-6524) Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Elena Kadvany (223-6519), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) Chief Visual Journalist Magali Gauthier (223-6530) Visual Journalist Intern Olivia Treynor Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator Lloyd Lee (223-6526)

OUR T EAM IS IN MOT ION FOR YOU

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

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ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA FOR THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA Case No.: 20CV372765 TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: Petitioner: Aren Leon Zhang filed a petition with this court for a decree changing names as follows: Aren Leon Zhang to Aaron Steve Zhang.

THE COURT ORDERS that all persons interested in this matter appear before this court at the hearing indicated below to show cause, if any, why the petition for change of name should not be granted. Any person objecting to the name changes described above must file a written objection that includes the reasons for the objection at least two court days before the matter is scheduled to be heard and must appear at the hearing to show cause why the petition should not be granted. If no written objection is timely filed, the court may grant the petition without a hearing.

NOTICE OF HEARING: January 5, 2021, 8:45 a.m., Room: Probate of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, 191 N. First Street, San Jose, CA 95113.

A copy of this ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE shall be published at least once each week for four successive weeks prior to the date set for hearing on the petition in the following newspaper of general circulation, printed in this county: PALO ALTO WEEKLY. Date: November 10, 2020 Julie A. Emede JUDGE OF THE SUPERIOR COURT (PAW Nov. 27; Dec. 4, 11, 18, 2020) NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF: RUNHSIANG YANG Case No.: 20PR188955 To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of RUNHSIANG YANG. A Petition for Probate has been filed by: JUNEKANG YANG in the Superior Court of California, County of SANTA CLARA. The Petition for Probate requests that: JUNEKANG YANG be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent.

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

Page 6 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

With top executives at Downtown Streets Team facing allegations of sexual harassment, the Palo Alto City Council agreed on Monday to postpone its vote on a $336,400 contract with the nonprofit, which provides homeless individuals with jobs cleaning up local roads.

By a unanimous decision, the council rejected a recommendation from city staff to approve the three-year contract on its “consent calendar,” where numerous items get approved by a single vote. Instead, it directed staff to return at a later date for a public hearing on the proposed contract for maintenance of downtown parking lots, streets and alleys.

The decision followed months of unsuccessful attempts by city staff to obtain information from the Downtown Streets Team about the investigation that it had commissioned in 2018 into five complaints from former female employees. The former employees claimed that the nonprofit fostered a hard-drinking party culture and that its CEO Eileen Richardson was involved in sexual harassment.

The Monday vote to delay discussion of the new contract marked the first time that the council had declined to approve funding for Downtown Streets Team since the allegations against its executives first surfaced more than a year ago. Council member Lydia Kou suggested that she would vote against the contract if the item was not removed from the “consent calendar.” Q —Gennady Sheyner

Police offer $20k reward in homicide

Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) Director of Marketing and Audience Development Emily Freeman (223-6560)

Council prepares for lame-duck appointments

DESIGN

The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority.

A HEARING on the petition will be held on January 6, 2021 at 9:01 a.m. in Dept.: 13 of the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, located at 191 N. First St., San Jose, CA, 95113.

If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney.

If you are a creditor or a contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the later of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined in section 58 (b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law.

You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk.

Attorney for Petitioner: Shirley Tam 111 North Market Street, Ste. 300 San Jose, CA 95113 (408) 977-7766 (PAW Nov. 27; Dec. 4, 11, 2020)

Council delays Downtown Streets contract

East Palo Alto police have identified Julian Rico Santana as the person who allegedly shot and killed two men during a Halloween party on Oct. 14, 2018. Authorities are seeking the public’s help in locating Santana for the deaths of Eduardo Alvarado Sandoval, a 22-year-old Stockton resident, and Mario Andres Vidalesmendez, 23, of East Palo Alto.

On Tuesday, the Police Department announced a $20,000 reward in partnership with Palo Alto-based nonprofit Mothers Against Murder for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect in the double homicide.

Santana, 20, of East Palo Alto, came uninvited to the party, which was held outside the rear of a business in the 2500 block of Pulgas Avenue near Bay Road, police said. He allegedly became involved in a dispute that incited a physical altercation and shot four people before he fled the scene, according to police.

Sandoval and Vidalesmendez died at the scene and the other two were transported by emergency response crews to nearby hospitals with life-threatening injuries.

Anyone who might have witnessed the shootings or has any knowledge of this incident is urged to contact the East Palo Alto Police Department by calling Detective Aleyda Romero at 650853-7249. Anonymous tips can be made by email to epa@tipnow. org or text or voicemail to 650-409-6792. Q —Sue Dremann

Sales & Production Coordinator Diane Martin (223-6584)

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Design & Production Manager Kristin Brown (223-6562) Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Paul Llewellyn Designers Kevin Legnon, Amy Levine, Douglas Young BUSINESS 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)

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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After more than a year of debate, the Palo Alto City Council approved on Monday night a new set of rules for the city’s boards and commissions, which now include term limits, rules for talking to the media and a process for removing members.

But while council members generally supported the handbook, they squabbled over whether a key new rule should apply to them.

The newly approved handbook specifies that board and commission members would start their terms in the spring, which would avoid a situation in which lame-duck council members appoint advisers to future councils. But with two Planning and Transportation Commission members now at the end of their respective terms, the council voted 4-3 to make the appointments to the influential board in its final meeting of the year, thus depriving newly elected council members Pat Burt and Greer Stone of a chance to participate in the process.

As in past discussions of the highly politicized appointment process, the council split into its familiar camps, with Mayor Adrian Fine and council members Alison Cormack, Liz Kniss and Greg Tanaka all supporting moving ahead with the Dec. 14 appointments. The three council members aligned with the more slowgrowth “residentialist” camp — Vice Mayor Tom DuBois and council members Eric Filseth and Lydia Kou — all vehemently opposed the action and recommended deferring the appointments until next year. Q —Gennady Sheyner LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com/square

Upfront HOLIDAY FUND

Making child care work during a pandemic New challenges, including financial, face programs serving the community’s youngest

by Elena Kadvany

F

many ways upended how the nonprofit functions, both on the front end with children and on the back end operationally. The nonprofit is blowing through its reserves, had to close a site and is raising prices to keep its programs open for families who need in-person care, with no clear sense of when public health restrictions will allow for greater capacity and thus revenue.

“I think we need to be really, really concerned about the future of child care,” Executive Director Lisa Rock said last month. “Child care is critical to the infrastructure of our cities because this is how parents go to work, and working with your kids underfoot is not a long-term solution.”

Palo Alto Community Child Care received a $10,000 grant from the Palo Alto Weekly’s Holiday Fund this year, which the nonprofit used to buy medical-grade

air purifiers for its classrooms and administrative offices. PACCC also reallocated a Holiday Fund grant from last year that was originally supposed to fund a preschool garden project to purchase air purifiers instead. The purifiers accomplish a dual purpose: decreasing the risk of COVID-19 in reopened classrooms and cleaning the air when wildfires bring unhealthy levels of smoke to the Bay Area.

PACCC has spent more than $25,000 on medical grade air purifiers — without which Rock said the child care programs would have had to close during several days of poor air quality this fall.

“They were critical to our ability to operate safely this year,” she said of the air purifiers.

PACCC is currently serving about 300 children — compared to the usual 900 across 19 sites — in stable cohorts of 12 with two staff members each. When the nonprofit first reopened this summer, Palo Alto Unified elementary schools were still closed, so PACCC staff became students’ distance-learning guides, overseeing 12 children’s different schedules, programs and internet needs.

While revenues decreased with fewer students enrolled, the

Olivia Treynor

or Karna and Arne Nisewaner and their two children, Palo Alto Community Child Care has been a lifesaver.

Instead of her elementary-aged children feeling ignored and isolated at home and Nisewaner and her husband feeling endlessly torn between their jobs and managing their children’s online learning, her son and daughter are around other children during the day while their parents can work uninterrupted.

Nisewaner said she’s watched her children return to their former selves, making new friends at the nonprofit’s program at Addison Elementary School and engaging more in online learning with the support of familiar staff whom they knew pre-pandemic.

“The most important thing is the mental (and) social well-being of my kids and the absolute improvement in disposition and mood that they experienced. They’re interacting with other kids. They’re running around outside. They’re playing games,” Nisewaner said. “That has had such a mood-stabilizing impact.”

Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) reopened in June after three months of pandemicforced closure. The shutdown has in

Ian, Braelynn, and Mikael (left to right) play inside the Downtown Children’s Center in Palo Alto on Nov. 19. The center purchased a medical-grade air purifier using its Holiday Fund grant. nonprofit’s costs went up to be able to staff smaller cohorts of children and to cover additional cleaning, personal protective equipment (PPE) and new health protocols, Rock said. PACCC had to raise prices as a result. Starting on Jan. 1, PACCC will charge families a new “COVID fee,” $100 for schoolage children and $300 for younger age groups. (Even pre-pandemic, the infant toddler programs were financially tight given the more costly, lower children-to-staff ratios the state requires for young children, Rock said.)

Children are now attending PACCC’s programs for full days two to three days a week and half days two to three days a week based on when they’re going to school in

person. Students older than 2 years old must wear face coverings, as do staff, have their temperatures checked and wash their hands before entering the sites.

“When children return to school and child care, it will feel very different than it did when they left,” PACCC’s COVID-19 plan states.

“There will be times when children forget the new ‘rules’ and there will be times when children feel distressed by social distancing, missing their parents or maybe they will just need a hug. In these moments we will respond with caring and kindness and make decisions in each moment that put the needs of the child front and center.” (continued on page 11)

PUBLIC HEALTH

How an entire household of six got COVID-19 This week, when a Palo Alto mother reached out for help, neighbors and strangers reached back

by Lloyd Lee Thanksgiving Day was mostly a single household affair: There was Hernandez; her husband, Jesus Valdivia; her son, Moizes; her eldest daughter, Natalie Mendez; Mendez’s boyfriend, William Somoza; and Mendez’s daughter, Crystal Toris, who is a student at Palo Alto High School.

Hernandez insisted the holiday be restricted to her own household with the exception of her second daughter, Sasha, who also lives in Palo Alto. (Hernandez’s fourth child, a son, didn’t come for the holiday.)

“I just wanted to stay home, by myself, with my children,” Hernandez said.

Despite her efforts to minimize the health risks, however, by Saturday, Hernandez learned that everyone had been infected with the coronavirus. And the most likely culprit isn’t Sasha, she said.

(Nonetheless, health officials have repeatedly cautioned against inviting people from outside one’s household during the holidays.)

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Moizes, who works in

construction, began to feel fatigue and a runny nose, Hernandez said.

It’s no big deal, he said — just the usual symptoms of the flu during flu season. But his boss insisted Moizes take a COVID-19 test anyway if he wanted to come back to work the following Monday.

Moizes went for a test at Stanford Health Care the Friday after Thanksgiving and received the news within hours that he was positive. Alarmed, Hernandez went with the rest of her household to get tested. By Saturday afternoon, they learned they were all positive.

“We all feel the symptoms now,” said Hernandez, who is 56 years old and diabetic. “I just hope it’s not gonna get worse.”

Like Hernandez, her husband is in the high-risk category due to his age and his high blood pressure. But every household member seems to be afflicted to varying degrees with the common symptoms of COVID-19, such as body aches, congestion and fatigue, including Hernandez’s granddaughter Crystal, who is 14 years old.

Courtesy Zoila Hernandez

A

fter nine grueling months of following the mandates and dealing with the restrictions of the pandemic, all it took was one slip-up for Zoila Hernandez and her whole Palo Alto household of six people to become infected with the coronavirus.

Now, days away from her rent deadline, with a diminishing food supply and no stable income, Hernandez is looking for any help she can get to weather the twoweek isolation period that started Saturday.

“It’s a really, really stressful, painful and depressing time,” the Midtown neighborhood resident said.

Since the outset, Hernandez said everyone carefully followed the precautions of the health crisis. The mother personally knows how urgent it is to get the virus under control: In April, she sought financial help on NextDoor after her husband was let go from a job at a now-closed restaurant. The couple has since started delivering food with DoorDash.

Palo Alto residents Jesus Valdivia and Zoila Hernandez have COVID-19, along with the other four members of their household, and are being helped by neighbors and strangers in Palo Alto who heard about their situation.

According to Hernandez, Crystal also wasn’t spared from the more unusual symptoms of the illness, reporting a loss of appetite and some irritation in the ears.

Perhaps it would have helped if Moizes had sought a test as soon as he felt his flu-like symptoms.

At the very least, it would’ve prompted Hernandez not to let her daughter Sasha come on Thanksgiving. But beyond that, Hernandez feels there was very little she could have done to avoid an outbreak in her two-bedroom home that houses six people.

“I don’t live in a hotel,” she said.

Now, every household member,

including the main income-earners, cannot work or do essential tasks such as shopping for groceries or getting quarters to do her family’s laundry. Hernandez said she had tried contacting the county for financial assistance but to no avail.

“The county hasn’t been helping us,” she said. “No resources.

Nothing.”

Hernandez is most worried that the family will run out of food and other essential supplies if everyone’s stuck in the house. And with rent due in a few days, Hernandez (continued on page 14)

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 7

Upfront OPEN SPACE

Residents launch referendum petition to keep ban at Foothills Park Appeal would force city to hold public vote on access, restore 1965 policy at nature preserve in the interim

by Gennady Sheyner

P

alo Alto’s recent decision to expand access to Foothills Park by welcoming nonresidents to the exclusive nature preserve is facing a challenge from a group of residents who are hoping to reverse it through a referendum.

If the referendum effort succeeds, the City Council would have to cancel its plan to open Foothills Park to nonresidents on Dec. 17. It would also likely revive the lawsuit against the city by a coalition that includes the American Civil Liberties Union, the NAACP and residents from Palo Alto and neighboring cities over the exclusive nature of the 1,400acre preserve where admission is currently limited to Palo Alto residents and their guests.

In challenging the 1965 law that restricts Foothills Park access, the plaintiff coalition has argued that it violates several fundamental rights of nonresidents, including the right to travel, the right to free speech and their right to free assembly. The Sept. 15 lawsuit also argues that the law “traces its roots to an era when racial discrimination in and around the city was open and notorious,” citing the prevalence of blockbusting, redlining and racially restrictive covenants in home deeds.

“The ordinance perpetuates this historic exclusion and violates the constitutional rights of

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individuals who are not Palo Alto residents,” the lawsuit states. “It bars non-residents from entering a public park that occupies nearly 10% of the land in Palo Alto. And it transforms this vast space into a preserve for the fortunate few: for people who were not systematically denied the right to reside in the city during the era of outright racial exclusion, and people who are wealthy enough to afford to move into the city today, as it has become one of the five most expensive places to live in the United States.”

The council was preparing to expand access to the preserve even before the lawsuit, though council members were planning to do it on a more limited and gradual basis. In August, the council approved a pilot program that would allow nonresidents to buy up to 50 permits per day to visit Foothills Park. The council also specified at that time that it intended to send the issue of nonresident access to the voters in November 2022.

But faced with the lawsuit, the council voted 5-2 on Nov. 2 to follow the advice of City Manager Ed Shikada and City Attorney Molly Stump and strike the ban on nonresidents from the municipal code. The council also agreed to limit park access to 750 visitors at any one time for the first 90 days (after that, the limit would

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revert to the current level of 1,000 visitors). Council members Lydia Kou and Greg Tanaka both dissented, with Kou arguing that the lawsuit “circumvents the democratic process.”

Now, Kou is supporting a citizen effort to overturn the action of the council majority. On Nov. 26, she sent out a mass email informing her supporters of the referendum drive and urging them to get involved.

Much like Kou had argued at the Nov. 2 meeting, supporters of the referendum are alleging that because the council made its decision to settle in a closed session, the council should suspend the policy change until a public vote.

Irina Beylin, who is gathering signatures for the referendum, told the Palo Alto Weekly that she does not oppose opening Foothills Park to nonresidents — she just wants to see it done through a transparent public process. She said she supported the council’s initial proposal for a one-year pilot program with limited nonresident permits and careful evaluation of impacts on the nature preserve.

She strongly objected, however, to the council’s Nov. 2 decision to scrap the provision based on a lawsuit. This, she said, creates a “slippery slope” in which outside groups can pressure the city with lawsuits to overturn policies

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Page 8 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

already gathered a “few hundred” signatures, Beylin said. They need to get more than 2,500 by the Dec. 16 deadline to force a referendum. With the pandemic raging across the nation and Santa Clara County recently adding new restrictions to contain the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, Beylin knows the signaturegathering effort remains an uphill climb, particularly since local law requires all signatures to be gathered by hand. But she believes that if the council rescinds its Nov. 2 policy and instead moves ahead with a more gradual pilot program, it will have the added benefit of securing buy-in from more residents.

“When people see that the pilot program works, I’m positive that it would be overwhelmingly supported by Palo Alto residents to open the park, with certain conditions,” Beylin said. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council (Nov. 30)

66 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos • 650-948-0881 • DeMartiniOrchard.com

D RIED F RUIT S PECIALS

favored by the public.

She noted that even if the signature-gathering effort succeeds, it doesn’t mean that the city will have to wait until November 2022 to welcome nonresidents. The council, she said, can simply revert to the pilot program that the council had initially approved through a public process.

“We have to do it openly and transparently. Nothing behind closed doors,” Beylin said.

The referendum petition similarly frames the issue as one of transparency.

“The democratic process should be followed,” the referendum petition states. “The current changes to Foothills Park Ordinance were approved by City Council behind closed doors without input from the public. The measure to open Foothills Park to the general public should be put on the ballot, and details should be openly discussed with constituents.”

As of Monday afternoon, proponents of the referendum have

CityView

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A group of residents has launched a referendum to keep Foothills Park closed to nonresidents until Palo Alto voters weigh in.

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Economy: The council held a study session to discuss economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Action: None Commissions: The council approved the new handbook for local boards, commissions and committees. Yes: Unanimous 233 University Ave.: The council affirmed the planning director’s decision to allow a proposed development at 233 Univeristy Ave. to receive density bonus for demolishing an existing unreinforced masonry building and replacing it.

The council also directed staff to return with a text amendment specifying that demolition of unreinforced masonry buildings in the downtown area qualifies as “rehabilitation” for the purpose of receiving density bonuses. Yes: Cormack, DuBois, Filseth, Fine, Kou, Tanaka No: Kniss

Council Finance Committee (Dec. 1)

Finances: The committee recommended approving the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for fiscal year 2020. Yes: Unanimous Budget: The council recommended approving various budget amendments proposed by staff. Yes: DuBois, Kniss No: Tanaka Energy: The committee supported moving ahead with a base resource power supply contract with the Western Area Power Administration. Yes: Unanimous

Utilities Advisory Commission (Dec. 2)

Water: The commission dicussed a comparison of water rates among the various cities supplied by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Action: None Forecast: The commission discussed the fiscal year 2022 utilities financial forecast and rate projections. Action: None

Architectural Review Board (Dec. 3)

3585 El Camino Real: The board approved a proposed mixed-use development at 3585 El Camino that includes 2,400 square feet of office space and three residential units. Yes: Baltay, Hirsch, Lee, Lew Absent: Thompson

Upfront DEVELOPMENT

City to grant incentives for demolishing, replacing seismically shaky buildings Council agrees to revert to incentivizing reconstruction, not just rehabilitation

by Gennady Sheyner by an appeal from three former council members — Karen Holman, Pat Burt and Greg Schmid — who all felt that planning staff had overstepped its boundary in allowing the demolition of the unreinforced masonry building to move ahead while still providing a density bonus of 2,500 square feet. The three challenged the interpretation that Planning Director Jonathan Lait published in June, which allowed demolition to count as “rehabilitation” when an applicant proves that actually rehabilitating the building would be infeasible.

Lait made the interpretation despite also acknowledging that, under a strict application of the municipal code, a building would have to be “seismically rehabilitated, or retained and strengthened to contemporary structural standards” to qualify for the bonus. Since at least 2014, the city has been following that strict interpretation. Now, staff was proposing a looser one and establishing it as a new precedent for judging future projects.

In explaining the decision, Lait noted that the Mills family, which owns the building, had presented ample evidence, including reports from structural engineers, showing that its earlier plan to rehabilitate the brick building would be

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to meet in a closed session to discuss the status of the city’s labor negotiations with the Utilities Management and Professional Association of Palo Alto and to discuss existing litigation pertaining to code enforcement relating to the grocery store at the College Terrace Centre development. The council is then tentatively scheduled to continue its discussion of strategies for economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The closed session will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 7. The rest of the virtual meeting will take place at 8 p.m. or immediately after the closed session. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 362 027 238.

infeasible. Staff had spent months talking to the property owners and reviewing technical reports, he said.

“At the end of the day, what we ended up with was a rehabilitation effort that seemed impractical and had the same, or very similar result to a building that, if it were demolished and rebuilt, would look similar to the one that would be rehabilitated,” Lait told the council. “But it wouldn’t have the added benefit of meeting other safety measures in the building code, and constructing it would not be as easy and, in and of itself, would pose some risks and some challenges for rehabilitation.”

The council agreed that the University Avenue project, as approved, should move ahead. Like Lait, council members acknowledged that, zoning issues aside, the goal of the seismic rehabilitation program is to promote safety by reducing the risk posed by unreinforced masonry buildings.

Reconstructing the vulnerable building would accomplish that.

File photo/Veronica Weber

I

t’s easy for a reasonable person to conclude that rehabilitation and demolition are not the same thing. One preserves a building; the other knocks it down.

But things get murky in the world of zoning. And on Monday night, the Palo Alto City Council had to weigh this very question — Should demolition count as rehabilitation? — when confronted with a development proposal that seeks to get a density bonus through the city’s seismic rehabilitation program, despite the fact that the project calls for knocking down an old brick structure and building a new two-story building in its place.

In considering the proposed development at 233 University Ave., council members acknowledged that their decision goes well beyond this particular building, which houses Mills Florist, the Tap Room and Hookah Nites Lounge. It would also influence how the city treats future proposals that involve demolishing — rather than refurbishing — old structures. Even more broadly, the debate centered on whether city planners should be creating a new policy, a function that the City Council generally reserves for itself.

The hearing was triggered

Mills Florist is one of three occupants of a downtown building at 233 University Ave., owned by the Mills family, which is looking to demolish and replace rather than rehabilitate the structure.

But the council also agreed with the three appellants that the broader decision on whether demolition should count as rehabilitation for the purpose of the bonus program is a policy change. As such, it should be an issue that is settled by the council, not through an interpretation of a specific development application by city staff.

By a 6-1 vote, with Council member Liz Kniss dissenting, the council voted to support a motion from Vice Mayor Tom DuBois that allows Lait’s current interpretation to stand for up to

a year and that also directs staff to return to the council with a zoning amendment. The amendment would specify that demolition qualifies as rehabilitation when applied to downtown’s unreinforced masonry buildings, provided the applicant provides all the necessary technical data showing that rehabilitation is not feasible.

Mayor Adrian Fine proposed simply rejecting the appeal and letting Lait’s interpretation stand as the new law of the land. That (continued on page 14)

Here for you. Or over there for you.

In-person or virtual visits at Peninsula Pediatric Medical Group genpeds.stanfordchildrens.org

BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The school board will hold a special study session to hear from students about Title IX policies and procedures and consider whether any improvements should be made. Open session will begin at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8. The meeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 28 and midpenmedia.org. Those wishing to participate

by Zoom can do so by going to pausd.zoom.us/j/97888498129 or dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 949 9734 6242.

COUNCIL POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to hear updates from the city’s state and federal lobbyists, discuss the council’s priority setting process for 2021 and consider recommendations pertaining to the council’s policies and procedures handbook. The virtual meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 946 1874 4621.

PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to consider a recommendation on the preferred plan alternative for the North Ventura Coordinated Area Plan. The virtual meeting will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Those wishing to participate by Zoom can do so by dialing 669-900-6833 and using Meeting ID: 929 0426 8221.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 9

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

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 taxdeductible gift will be doubled in size.

A donation of $100 turns into $200 with the 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 programs in our community helping kids and families.

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.

As of December 1, 144 donors have contributed $102,265 to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund.

11 Anonymous.............................................. $3,835

New Donors Janis Ulevich.........................................................125 Tess & Eric Byler......................................................75 Robyn H. Crumly .....................................................* Stephanie Klein & Larry Baer ...................................* Sue Kemp ............................................................250 Judy Kramer.........................................................150 Barbara Klein ...........................................................* Tobye Kaye...............................................................* Michael Kieschnick ..............................................500 Bruce Campbell ...................................................250 Cathy Kroymann .................................................250 Werner Graf ............................................................* Dorothy Deringer.................................................250 Amy Crowe .........................................................500 Gary & Karen Fry .................................................250 Bill Reller ..................................................................* Jody Maxmin ...........................................................* Martha Shirk .................................................... 1,000 Jim & Karen Lewis....................................................* Judith Appleby.....................................................250

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.

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Please make checks payable to: Silicon Valley Community Foundation

T In my name as shown above

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T In honor of:

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High school scholarships. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$8,000

Non-profits: Grant application & guidelines at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund

Vic Befera ............................................................100 Ted & Ginny Chu .....................................................* Penny & Greg Gallo .............................................500 Brigid Barton.................................................... 5,000 Brigid & Rob Robinson.........................................200 Kaaren & John Antoun .................................... 2,000 Harry Hartzell .......................................................250 Susan & Doug Woodman .......................................* Peggy & Boyce Nute ................................................* Roy & Carol Blitzer ...................................................* Gerald & Donna Silverberg ..................................100 Jan & Freddy Gabus.............................................250 Hal & Iris Korol .........................................................* Sally Hewlett .................................................... 3,000 Arthur Keller ........................................................500 Bruce & Jane Gee ................................................250 Denise Savoie and Darrell Duffie .............................* Loreto Ponce de Leon ..........................................100 Thomas Ehrlich ....................................................500 Ron Wolf .............................................................250 Andrea Smith.......................................................100 Bonnie Packer ......................................................100 Michael & Gwen Havern ................................. 5,000 Jan and Scott Kilner .............................................500 Daniel Cox ...........................................................200

_______________________________________________________________ (Name of person)

Application deadline: January 11, 2021

Page 10 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

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.

In Memory Of Ray Bacchetti .........................................200 Norman L. Frazee ......................................* Sandy Sloan ...........................................100 Lee Domenik .............................................* Millie Fuchs ................................................* David W. Mitchell ......................................* Rudy Schubert .........................................50 Marie & Don Snow................................200 The Zschokke Family..............................100 Alissa Riper Picker ..................................250 Bertha Kalson ............................................* Er-Ying and Yen-Chen Yen ....................250 Mrs. Elsie Yang.......................................200 Ernest J. Moore..........................................* Tracy & Alan...............................................* Pam Grady .............................................500 Lily & Philip Gottheiner ..............................* Bob Kirkwood.....................................2,500 Our Loving Parents Albert & Beverly Pellizzari..................................................* Boyd Paulson Jr...................................3,000 Edward & Elizabeth Buurma......................*

In Honor Of Fairmeadow Principal Iris Wong ................* Joe Simitian............................................220

Businesses & Organizations Alta Mesa Cemetery & Funeral Home ................................ 2,000 Delores Eberhart, DDS ...............................* Hayes Group Architects ......................5,000 Sponsors of Moonlight Run: Stanford Health Care .....................10,000 Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation ......................................5,000 Sutter Health/Palo Alto Medical Foundation ......................................5,000 Palantir .............................................5,000 Facebook .........................................5,000 Wealth Architects ............................5,000 Chan Zuckerberg Initiative...............5,000 Bank of the West .............................1,500 A Runner’s Mind ..............................1,000 * Donor did not want to publish the amount of the gift.

Upfront

VTA

measure had passed.

“If we believe that the reason that this measure was passed was so that it can be raided to fund BART, I believe there will be citizen outrage, or I believe there will be a lawsuit and we will have no way to fund BART,” Miller said.

His view was widely shared by other local leaders at the meeting. Council members from Los Altos, Cupertino and Los Gatos all argued that the new scenario is inconsistent with Measure B. Mountain View Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga and Palo Alto Council Member Liz Kniss, a former VTA board member, have also come out against the new scenario, though they were absent from the Nov. 12 meeting.

In a Nov. 16 letter to the VTA, Abe-Koga noted that her city had already spent $2.3 million on engineering and environmental clearance for Caltrain grade separation at Castro Street, a project that is banking on $10 million in Measure B funds for final design work. Mountain View has also spent nearly $4 million for engineering and environmental analysis relating to its grade-separation project at Rengstorff Avenue and is expecting Measure B to fund final design work, Abe-Koga wrote in the letter.

“It is imperative that the Measure B 10-Year Outlook serve the needs of the entire county to the greatest extent possible and not be focused on a single project to the exclusion of the other Measure B programs,” Abe-Koga wrote in the Nov. 16 letter to the VTA board.

Kniss said she was “astonished” to see the VTA attempt to

shift funding to BART yet again, especially given the provisions in Measure B. The measure requires a supermajority vote by the VTA’s board of directors to change the allocation formula.

While this would normally make it next to impossible for members to shift funding, the fact that San Jose dominates the board makes the protective measure far less than ironclad.

The 12-member VTA board includes five elected officials who represent San Jose, including Mayor Sam Liccardo. Two other members are Santa Clara County Supervisors Dave Cortese and Cindy Chavez, whose districts cover San Jose. Kniss serves as an alternate board member on behalf of Palo Alto, while Mountain View is represented by Council MemberJohn McAlister.

The VTA board was scheduled to hear an update on the 10-year plan for Measure B funds at its Dec. 3 meeting.

On Monday, Kniss cited San Jose’s outsized presence on the VTA board and suggested that the new scenario, while presented by staff, is in fact coming at the behest of VTA board members from San Jose. The Palo Alto City Council has long been critical of the VTA’s governance, which last year was subject to a scathing audit from the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury. In its June 2019 report, the grand jury concluded that the VTA board “had not effectively managed the finances of the VTA” and that the board is “too large, too political, too dependent on staff, too inexperienced in some cases, and too removed from

the financial and operational performance of VTA.” “What we have found is that the staff has found clever ways to determine that this money should be spent first on their project,” Kniss said just before the council voted to send a letter of opposition to the new funding scenario.

Palo Alto Council MemberEric Filseth also expressed shock at the agency’s by-now familiar pivot toward BART and San Jose.

“No one actually believed they would do this again,” Filseth said.

“We know the VTA has execution and operation problems. Ethics problems (are) — I think — something that people haven’t really suspected.”

Had Measure B stated that the funding would be used primarily for BART, it would never have passed, Filseth noted.

“To go back and do this now is a pretty gross violation of public trust,” Filseth said.

Palo Alto’s letter criticizes the proposal to strip funding from local transportation projects, particularly grade separation. Removing funding, the letter argues, will delay relief from the impacts of increased Caltrain ridership on atgrade crossings in Palo Alto and other cities by a decade or more.

“The city of Palo Alto urges you to reconsider this 10-year Base Scenario outlook, and instead of prioritizing BART Phase II, prioritize your member cities and projects, particularly ongoing projects supporting Caltrain grade separations,” the letter, signed by Mayor Adrian Fine, states.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, whose district includes Palo Alto, has also blasted the proposed scenario. At the Nov. 19 meeting of the county board’s Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee, Simitian portrayed it as an attempt by the transportation agency to backtrack on its promises to voters.

“I think the scenario we’ve been presented with is an act in bad faith,” Simitian said. “There’s no other way to describe it. If the intention of folks at the VTA was to prompt the discussion, I’d say that has happened.” Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

substitutes or vacations for staff.

“When we reopened, staff and kids and families were really excited, and I think our staff really recognized just how important the services are that they’re providing. On the other hand, it’s a hard environment for them to work in. You’re very focused on cleaning protocols and daily intake protocols — taking every child’s temperature and the litany of health and safety questions you go through before they can even walk through the door every day — and not being able to see a real light at the end of the tunnel,” Rock said. “We’ve been trying to focus more on the emotional

well-being of our staff, to help them continue to do this work because the families that need us really need us.”

As PACCC continues to operate at a loss, the nonprofit’s leadership is looking for other funding opportunities and ways to rebuild reserves to prepare for the next crisis, whatever it may be. Rock, meanwhile, is looking around at other local child care programs, some of which have not reopened and at least one of which closed permanently.

“Child care has always operated on thin margins. Even if you were set up to last for a while, like we were, you’re not going to last

forever, and you might not even last a year,” Rock said. “Whether you’re a larger program like we are or smaller, you’re in real jeopardy right now.” Q The Holiday Fund campaign to raise $400,000 for local nonprofit agencies serving families, kids and individuals in need is now in full swing. Please see page 10 of this edition for information, or to donate online to the campaign, go to siliconvalleycf. org/Paw-holiday-fund. More information about Palo Alto Community Child Care is available at paccc.org.

Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com.

(continued from page 5)

the state Highway 85 corridor, upgrades to highway interchanges, street improvements and Caltrain capacity enhancements such as level boarding. The measure also allocated $700 million for grade separations — the redesign of rail crossings to separate roads from tracks — in Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. All three cities are currently advancing plans to redesign their rail crossings and are banking on Measure B to partially fund the construction work.

In the newly proposed scenario, all of these projects would receive no funding at all at least until 2030. BART, meanwhile, would receive $1.95 billion between now and 2030, according to information that Marcella Rensi, the VTA’s deputy director of grants and fund allocation, provided to the agency’s Policy Advisory Committee, which is made up of local elected officials from throughout the county.

While Rensi emphasized at the Nov. 12 meeting that the presented 10-year plan isn’t a proposal but a “baseline to start discussion,” her presentation drew a sharp rebuke from committee members. Even though the item was part of a study session, which typically precludes the committee from taking formal action, all 10 members who were present slammed the new scenario and voted to reject the staff report.

They particularly objected to a slide that showed annual allocations to BART and blank spaces next to every other category save for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, which has already been allocated some funding.

Saratoga Mayor Howard Miller reminded VTA officials that the primary reason for the measure’s passage was the agency’s commitment to improving local streets and roads. When residents were polled in 2014 and 2015 about various transportation projects, almost every item on the list — including the BART extension — had support levels below the 66.7% needed for the measure’s passage, he said. The only item that polled above that level was “streets and roads,” Miller said.

That’s the only reason why the

Holiday Fund (continued from page 7)

Parents must fill out daily health checks for their children, now a sign-in and -out requirement. Parents are no longer allowed to visit their children’s classrooms — a major change from the nonprofit’s longtime open-door policy, Rock said.

The nonprofit has lost about 20% of its staff, either because there wasn’t enough work for them, they moved out of the area or they didn’t feel comfortable returning to work in person, Rock said. To keep the cohorts stable, there’s also no possibility for

File photo/ Michelle Le

Patrick Burt ............................................500 Jocelyn Dong .........................................100 Carolyn Brennan ........................................* Tom & Patricia Sanders ..............................* Page & Ferrell Sanders ...........................100 Debby Roth............................................200 Diana Diamond .....................................300 Dorothy Saxe .........................................100 Jeanne & Leonard Ware ........................500 Richard A. Baumgartner & Elizabeth M. Salzer .................................* Jerry & Bobbie Wagger ..............................* Linda & Steve Boxer ...................................* Nancy & Joe Huber ....................................* Steven Feinberg ..................................5,000 Jean Wu..............................................1,000 Marc Igler & Jennifer Cray .....................200 Ann & Don Rothblatt.............................500 Marcia & Michael Katz ..........................200 Diane Moore..............................................* Amado & Deborah Padilla .....................250 Pat & Penny Barrett................................100 Robert & Barbara Simpson ........................* John Galen ................................................* Julie & Jon Jerome .....................................* Leif & Sharon Erickson ...........................500 Edward Kanazawa.................................200 Scott Carlson & Katharine Miller ......10,000 Stephen & Nancy Levy ...........................500 Mike & Jean Couch ...............................250 Karen & Steve Ross ....................................* Katherine & Dorsey Bass........................500 Lani Freeman & Stephen Monismith .........* Harriet & Gerry Berner ...........................350 Judy Palmer .............................................25 Teresa Roberts........................................500 Carol Uyeno.............................................50 Mark Cairns & Amanda Martin .............100 Sally & Craig Nordlund ..........................500 Christine Min Wotipka & Anthony Lising Antonio ..............................................100 Kathleen Foley-Hughes & Tony Hughes ...................................1,000 Thayer Gershon .......................................50 Xiaofan Lin...............................................50 John Pavkovich ......................................400 Cynthia Costell ......................................100 Richard Zuanich .....................................150 Neha Choksi ............................................40 Braff Family ............................................500 Jennie Savage .....................................1,000 Bill Johnson & Terry Lobdell ................1,000 Dawes Family.........................................250 Mary Lemmon ..................................20,000 Leonard & Shirley Ely ..........................1,000 Jennifer DiBrienza & Jesse Doroguske...1,000

Bus driver Jesus Rivera inspects his bus before starting his line 22 towards Palo Alto at VTA North Yard in Mountain View in 2016.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 11

Upfront

Found (continued from page 5)

‘(The helicopter) flew right over us. We waved and screamed constantly.’

—Ian Irwin The trail was covered in thick vegetation along many stretches.

With Irwin injured and the dark upon them, they realized they could not travel farther. They decided to spend the night where they were.

Magali Gauthier

week, they set out on a narrow trail near their cottage to find a commanding view of their surroundings, including Tomales Bay. “We thought it would be lovely to see the sunset and come back and have dinner,” Irwin recalled.

As the sun descended in the sky, they worked their way back toward the cottage. Seemingly in an instant, the beauty and grace of the setting sun fell away into a black, moonless void. Coastal mist enveloped them.

They became disoriented. They were walking the trail “by Braille,” Irwin recalled, tapping their feet on the ground to figure out what was the trail and what was off-trail.

“I tripped and fell and I banged my head and broke my glasses,” he said.

Irwin balanced the cockeyed pieces on the bridge of his nose.

He had blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, and later he found blood had dripped down his glasses that had obscured his vision, he said.

The Marin County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team heads out to search the waters of Tomales Bay in Inverness on Feb. 19. After failing to find the Palo Alto couple over five days, authorities began to fear the worst.

Normally on hikes, they carry a small pack with essential supplies, but they were only on a brief stroll.

“We had nothing with us. No phone, no light, no water, nothing,” Irwin said.

“Not even a candy bar,” Kiparsky added.

They were also dressed for a short evening outing. She wore corduroy pants, a favorite sweatshirt with a jacket on top, a hat and comfortable shoes; Irwin had a light down sweater jacket, flannel shirt, corduroy pants with a small tear in one leg and hiking boots.

Alone in the cold and darkness, they piled up ferns on which to rest their heads. That night would be the first of many without much

Magali Gauthier

The Marin County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team preps diving gear at the Inverness Yacht Club in Inverness on Feb. 19.

Page 12 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

sleep. With temperatures in the low- to mid-30s, the nights were “bone-chilling,” Irwin said. They huddled as best as they could to keep each other warm.

“We would take turns to warm each other up,” Irwin added. As they tossed and turned through the night, they alternated holding the other’s back for warmth.

By 10 a.m., the sun was high enough and the shadows had receded so they could warm up and catch a little sleep. The first day, they were high on the hillside and could hear cars and voices. If they followed the sounds, they would find their way out, they thought.

“I could see Tomales Bay in the distance. The trails are narrow here and tend to come and go, so we wandered most of that morning. We thought if you can navigate downhill we would get to Tomales Bay and to civilization. It was really hard going. We were beating through dense, dense underbrush,” Irwin said.

He threw himself backward over the dense vegetation to flatten it with his back so they could walk on top.

“It was very slow progress.

Imagine it was really big and dense like a Brillo pad and you are in the middle of it,” Kiparsky said.

“It’s kind of hard to find your way through. And in any direction you go, there’s more Brillo.”

In many places, they would fall through the vegetation, which had grown over a creek about five or six feet beneath, soaking their feet and legs. But they could not drink the water; it smelled of sewage.

They decided they wouldn’t take a chance. Getting sick on top of being lost was unthinkable, Irwin said.

Hope came in the form of a few distant summer homes, but these were closed up, uninhabited for the winter, they soon realized, with no one inside to see or hear them.

“By day two we did a lot of screaming,” Irwin said, trying to attract attention.

At first, they weren’t frightened. The couple has done much

backpacking. They felt comfortable in the woods, Kiparsky said.

Kiparsky remembered hunting for fiddleheads, the spiral, young fronds of Ostrich ferns not yet unfurled that people would pick and eat on the East Coast where she grew up. The tops would usually be sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

The couple sustained themselves on uncooked fiddleheads and a few other recognizable edible plants, she said. The fiddleheads are low in calories — only 34 calories per about 100 grams — but they are high in antioxidants, vitamins A and C and essential fatty acids. But they had nothing to drink.

By day four, they became delusional from the lack of water.

“We saw imaginary people. At one point Carol thought we were in the bedroom. All we had to do was go to the closet and get a blanket to keep warm,” Irwin said.

Her delusions became treacherous at times. She didn’t recognize

‘It was very slow progress. Imagine it was really big and dense like a Brillo pad and you are in the middle of it.’

—Carol Kiparsky her own jacket and took it off, thinking it belonged to someone else; she left a shoe behind that came off in the mud, then saw no need to keep the other.

One saving grace: As the couple drifted in and out of confused states of mind, at least they did it at separate times, they said.

“There was always someone with an ounce of sanity,” Kiparsky said.

Irwin said that, just like the spots one sees floating in one’s field of vision, thoughts of people he knew passed by, and being alone for so long gave him the chance to remember them more deeply.

“It was an opportunity to think of everyone I’ve ever known,” he

said. “I wondered if something did happen to us if they would find out about it and how that would affect them.”

“There were all kinds of moments in the day,” Kiparsky said.

“Definitely, we thought we might die. We thought about grandchildren and children and other people and my cat and I thought, ‘There’s no way I’m ready to leave these beings. So I’m sorry, I’m not dying.’”

Thoughts of death didn’t consume them, though, Irwin said.

Their goal was to keep moving and not to give up. And they knew the key was having each other.

“Being close was indispensable,” Kiparsky said. “I think I would’ve not gotten out of there if I had been there by myself.”

Because Irwin was injured, at one point she tore pieces of a silk scarf and tied them onto trees so that Irwin could follow her to the next clearing, but even at 20 feet away they couldn’t see each other.

Although she lost her shoes, Kiparsky’s feet were in better shape than Irwin’s. Irwin, with boots and wet socks, developed foot problems from the lack of circulation — sort of like trench foot that soldiers developed during World War I, he said. He was afraid to take his shoes off to look at blisters.

When end-of-life thoughts did creep in, they managed them with humor at times.

“At one point we had been talking about planning our estate and the possibility of doing — instead of ... being incinerated or buried — that we would want to be compost. And we were sitting there amid piles of vegetation and everything, and he says, ‘You know about that compost burial? We might be accomplishing it right now,’” Kiparsky said.

After the fourth day without water, they resolved they had to drink whatever they could. If not, they knew they would die. They found small seeps — puddles created by water oozing up through the ground — and places where a deer might have put their hoof print.

The water there didn’t smell like a septic system. They tried to absorb the water with a sock, squeezing handfuls into their mouths. Sometimes, they laid down and sipped from the small puddles, they said.

The water seeps contained bioluminescent fungi. At night, sticks around the water margins would glow in the dark, Irwin said.

They always had the expectation they would be rescued. At nights, a helicopter flew overhead. Irwin could see its green and red lights.

He took off his shirt, hoping his skin would give off a heat signature detectable by infrared sensors.

“It flew right over us. We waved and screamed constantly,” he said.

Sometimes they sang songs to lift their spirits. Old favorites turned into ballads about their

WATCH MORE ONLINE PaloAltoOnline.com Excerpts from Sue Dremann’s video interview with Carol Kiparsky and Ian Irwin can be viewed at facebook. com/paloaltoonline.

Upfront circumstances, such as songs about drinking muddy water, they said.

By Day 9, however, they were beginning to feel they might truly die. The couple was hesitant to leave the water holes. “We were pretty spent� by then, Irwin said.

But on the morning of Feb. 22, their ninth day in the wilderness, they heard faint voices. The couple called out. “It seemed to be a call and response,� Irwin said.

‘Definitely, we thought we might die.

We thought about our children and our grandchildren, and I thought, “There’s no way I’m ready to leave these beings.�’ —Carol Kiparsky On the other end were Marin Search and Rescue volunteer Quincy Webster, California Rescue Dog Association volunteer Rich Cassens and Groot, a golden retriever.

Kiparksy and Irwin had been found, about 4 miles from the cottage where they’d started their sunset hike.

Cassens said they would send the dog down to the couple. The brush was too dense to get through. “I asked, ‘Is that a cadaver dog or a person dog?’� Irwin recalled. “He said, ‘He does both.’�

The friendly, 3-year-old Groot made his way to them, but it took another 40 minutes for Quincy and Cassens to reach them after cutting through the thick vegetation. They had fresh water, Gatorade and warm clothing.

A helicopter arrived with a litter on which to carry Kiparsky and Irwin out. Irwin broke into song as he was hoisted into the sky, singing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,� he recalled. As he swung out over the forest, he felt a kinship with all of history: with all of the people who had been lost or traveled through forests before them; of the Coast Miwok who inhabited these lands and all of the slaves who had escaped through forests in the South and into an uncertain and often

hostile environment. “Think about all of the people who endured that for one reason or another,� he said.

Kiparsky, who is terrified of heights, said she shivered as the litter carried her into the sky. But her fear was eased. They had made it out alive. “I looked around and saw the world,� she said.

Just as they had been inseparable for nine days, they remained together as they healed. Placed in the ambulance together, they stayed in the same intensive-care unit in Marin General Hospital.

Both were hypothermic, with body temperatures of about 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Of the two, Irwin was injured the worst due to hitting his head and with his feet nerve-damaged from being cold and wet in his boots and with poor circulation. Kiparsky mainly had scratched feet, she said.

The couple is immensely grateful for the outpouring of support they have received from all over the world and for their neighbors, who brought them food once they returned home. But don’t ask them to talk about their “ordeal,� they said. “It was a much more mixed experience than that,� Irwin said.

There was “good conversation, good company and some beauties of nature.�

The experience was also transformative: “The commonality of all humanity, even across time and even across individual experiences.

We share an awful lot across time, history and as a nation,� Irwin said.

Kiparsky said she was most struck by “truly being present. Really present and immersed, even for a moment, was something I learned out there.�

Kiparsky and Irwin now savor each taste of food, each encounter with a person, the sound of music — and nature. Looking out at the finches at their backyard bird feeder, Kiparsky said, “Before, it was a fleeting, ‘Oh, we’ve got birds. Isn’t that nice?’�

But now, “There’s so much more capacity to know who’s who and how many different kinds they are and their behaviors and seeing them from different angles,� she said.

There are flashbacks. During a visit to a garden store in

Redwood City, Irwin came across revisiting the place where they benches made out of twisted wil- became lost. In August, they went back to those woods low branches. It brought to find where they back unpleasant memohad started. They ries of the thicket of ‘I asked, “Is were accompanied brambles, he said. that a cadaver by two of their The couple has been rescuers, and they doing much writing dog or a shared all of the about their experiences person dog?� events, including since returning home. what was involved “We’re definitely He said, “He in their rescue. processing,� Kiparsky does both.�’ About 1,400 or said of their time in the —Ian Irwin 1,500 people get lost wilderness, which is still vivid to her. “I feel there’s a in national parks each year, Irwin lot to be learned from it. ... When said he has heard.

Looking back on their experiI stop and think about it, things ence, Irwin said when taking even come up.�

They also haven’t shied from a short walk in the wilderness now,

he will take a cell phone, as much as he dislikes mobile devices.

Kiparsky said that what stands out to her most is a new perspective: “You are just more aware of being alive. Alive.� Q Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com.

About the cover: Sitting in the backyard of their Palo Alto home, Ian Irwin and Carol Kiparsky look back on the nine days in February when they went missing in the wilderness. Photo

by Magali Gauthier. Design by Douglas Young.

7HSV (S[V <UPĂ&#x201E;LK :JOVVS +PZ[YPJ[ 5V[PJL PZ OLYLI` .P]LU [OH[ WYVWVZHSZ ^PSS IL YLJLP]LK I` [OL 7HSV (S[V <UPĂ&#x201E;LK :JOVVS District for bid package: *VU[YHJ[ 5HTL! 7(36 (3;6 / : /> *> 707, 9,73(*,4,5; 7961,*; *VU[YHJ[ 5V 7(/>*> +,:*907;065 6- ;/, >692! The work includes, but is not limited to: Excavation and removal of existing asphalt and concrete pavement, landscaping and underground Hot Water and Chilled Water (HW-CW) pipes and control valves to be replaced with new pipes, materials, surfaces, and SHUKZJHWPUN [OYV\NOV\[ [OL JHTW\Z 7YV]PKL [YHÉ&#x2030;J JVU[YVS ZHML[` HUK ZLJ\YP[` IHYYPLYZ HSVUN [OL *HTW\Z ^HSR^H`Z YL YV\[PUN WLKLZ[YPHU MVV[ [YHÉ&#x2030;J ZHMLS` HYV\UK LHJO >VYR AVUL 9,=0:,+ +(;,:! There will be a 4(5+(;69@ pre-bid conference and site visit at ! (4 ;\LZKH` +LJLTILY and HS[LYUH[L KH[L (4 -YPKH` +LJLTILY at the =PZP[VYZ 7HYRPUN SV[ VM ;V^LY (KTPUPZ[YH[PVU )\PSKPUN ,TIHYJHKLYV 9VHK 7HSV (S[V *HSPMVYUPH Proper PPE attire required, including Masks and Gloves.

Please register and respond with your date preference via e-mail to rinaldo@fs3h.com ,SLJ[YVUPJ )PK :\ITPZZPVU! 7YVWVZHSZ T\Z[ IL YLJLP]LK H[ [OL +PZ[YPJ[ -HJPSP[PLZ 6É&#x2030;JL ]PH L THPS I` ! 74 ;\LZKH` 1HU\HY` :LUK `V\Y )PK PU 7+- MVYTH[ [V ]TLSLYV'WH\ZK VYN ;V IPK VU [OPZ 7YVQLJ[ [OL )PKKLY PZ YLX\PYLK [V WVZZLZZ VUL VY TVYL VM [OL MVSSV^PUN :[H[L VM California contractorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; license(s): ( * * VY * In addition, the Bidder is required to be registered as a public works contractor with the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to the 3HIVY *VKL 7\YZ\HU[ [V 7\ISPJ *VU[YHJ[ *VKL Â&#x160; VUS` WYLX\HSPĂ&#x201E;LK IPKKLYZ ^PSS IL LSPNPISL [V Z\ITP[ H IPK (U` IPK Z\ITP[[LK I` H IPKKLY ^OV PZ UV[ WYLX\HSPĂ&#x201E;LK ZOHSS IL UVU YLZWVUZP]L Moreover, any bid listing subcontractors holding C-7, C-10, C-16, C-20, C-36, C-38, or C-43 SPJLUZLZ ^OV OH]L UV[ ILLU WYLX\HSPĂ&#x201E;LK ZOHSS IL KLLTLK UVUYLZWVUZP]L Bonding required for this project is as follows:Bid Bond 10% of the total bid, Performance Bond to be 100%, Payment Bond is to be 100%.

The Architectural Firm for this project is: /,+ (YJOP[LJ[Z 4VU[NVTLY` :[ :\P[L :HU -YHUJPZJV *( *VU[HJ[! *OYPZ 9HTT 79,=(0305. >(., 3(>:! The successful Bidder and all subcontractors shall pay all workers for all Work performed pursuant to this Contract not less than the general prevailing rate of per diem wages and the general prevailing rate for holiday and overtime work as determined by the Director VM [OL +LWHY[TLU[ VM 0UK\Z[YPHS 9LSH[PVUZ :[H[L VM *HSPMVYUPH MVY [OL [`WL VM ^VYR WLYMVYTLK HUK the locality in which the work is to be performed within the boundaries of the District, pursuant to section 1770 et seq. of the California Labor Code.Prevailing wage rates are also available on the Internet at: http://www.dir.ca.gov. This Project is subject to labor compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code section 1771.4 and subject to the requirements of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations.The Contractor and HSS :\IJVU[YHJ[VYZ \UKLY [OL *VU[YHJ[VY ZOHSS M\YUPZO LSLJ[YVUPJ JLY[PĂ&#x201E;LK WH`YVSS YLJVYKZ KPYLJ[S` to the Labor Commissioner weekly and within ten (10) days of any request by the District or the Labor Commissioner.The successful Bidder shall comply with all requirements of Division 2, Part 7, Chapter 1, Articles 1-5 of the Labor Code.

Bidders may examine Bidding Documents on line at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14yG_ QJ 4U3J] AJZZ*-. IKF*Z\ R &\ZW$ZOHYPUN )PKKLYZ TH` HSZV W\YJOHZL JVWPLZ VM [OL WSHUZ HUK ZWLJPĂ&#x201E;JH[PVUZ H[ (9* +VJ\TLU[ :VS\[PVUZ *OLYY` 3HUL :HU *HYSVZ *( 7OVUL 5\TILY The District shall award the Contract, if it awards it at all, to the lowest responsive responsible bidder based on the base bid amount only.

Lloyd Lee

California Rescue Dog Association volunteer Rich Cassens, far left, and Groot, his 3-year-old golden retriever, and Marin County Search and Rescue volunteer Quincy Webster, center, found Palo Alto residents Carol Kiparsky and Ian Irwin in Marin County on Feb. 22.

The Board reserves the right to reject any and all bids and/or waive any irregularity in any bid received.If the District awards the Contract, the security of unsuccessful bidder(s) shall be returned within sixty (60) days from the time the award is made.Unless otherwise required by law, no bidder may withdraw its bid for ninety (90) days after the date of the bid opening.

(SS X\LZ[PVUZ JHU IL HKKYLZZLK [V! 7HSV (S[V <UPĂ&#x201E;LK :JOVVS +PZ[YPJ[ 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA94306-1099 ([[U! 9PUHSKV =LZLSPaH :Y 74 Fax: (650) 327-3588, Phone: (650) 808-7946 rinaldo@fs3h.com www.PaloAltoOnline.com â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ December 4, 2020 â&#x20AC;˘ Page 13

Upfront

COVID-19

7-day rolling average of new daily cases

(continued from page 5)

People hospitalized with COVID-19

% of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients

In Santa Clara County

(7-day rolling average) In Santa Clara County

In Santa Clara County

Family (continued from page 7)

this week again turned to NextDoor to seek help. That’s when Becky Chan, a new Palo Alto resident and total stranger to Hernandez, stepped in to help Hernandez receive a much-needed lifeline.

“I’m very privileged because I do work in tech; I’m working from home; I don’t need to go outside,” Chan said. “In theory, I could live like this for a very long time. But there are people who need to leave their homes to go to work, therefore being more exposed.”

Chan, a program manager at Google, was scrolling through the neighborhood social media app when she ran across Hernandez’s call for help. Wanting to take a more active approach to helping Hernandez rather than redirecting her to another online resource, Chan decided to set up a GoFundMe page to help raise enough money for the family to get through the month.

“You hear a lot about these

500

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261

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the tunnel. This is not a marathon any longer; this is a sprint,” he said.

Newsom’s Thursday announcement came just days after Santa Clara County instituted its own additional restrictions to address an expected surge in hospitalization.

Santa Clara County Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody announced mandatory limitations that took effect on Nov. 30. These include capacity limits for stores and other indoor facilities, which would have to limit capacity to 10% (for grocery stores and pharmacies, the limit would be 25%); a temporary ban on all professional, collegiate and youth sports and involve physical contact or close proximity; and a requirement that people who travel more than 150 miles undergo quanantine for 14 days upon return.

The new mandatory directives will remain in effect until at least

Dec. 21 at 5 p.m. unless they are extended.

“This pandemic is like a highspeed train, and our projections tell us that we are on target to derail by the third week of December if we don’t apply brakes right now with all our collective might,” Cody said, noting that the number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 doubled in the past couple of weeks.

As of Dec. 2, Santa Clara County had 35,945 COVID-19 cases, 486 deaths and a seven-day rolling average of 498 new cases per day — up from 347 a day the week prior. In addition, 287 people were hospitalized with the virus on Dec. 1, a jump of 74 people in one week.

Of these, 83 were in intensive care units and 185 out of 715 ventilators were in use. While COVI19 patients are using only 22% (the seven day rolling average) of the ICU beds, health leaders said on Dec. 2 that the overall occupancy of ICU beds when other patients are included is more than 84%.

resources that are quote-unquote available for people who need help,” Chan said. “But until working with Zoila, I didn’t really realize how challenging it was to actually navigate and find these resources. Yes, you can Google ‘Santa Clara COVID help,’ but how you actually get the help is an entirely different story.”

Since Sunday, the fundraiser has collected $10,500 out of the $3,400 goal — enough to pay for several months of rent and groceries. Other local residents have also stepped up to deliver household supplies and food to Hernandez’s doorsteps.

“What really hit home was when I was setting up the GoFundMe page with her over the phone and asked her what her ZIP code was,” Chan said. “I realized, ‘Oh, we have the same ZIP code. You’re probably just 2 miles down the road.’ I tried to write the GoFundMe Page in a way (to emphasize) Zoila is part of our community and anyone can be in her situation.”

Though unfortunate, nothing

about Hernandez’s case is surprising. For weeks and in some cases months, experts have known how COVID-19 would disproportionately impact low-income families, how the virus would be a doublewhammy during flu-season, and how it will spike during the holiday season.

In Santa Clara County, citing a dramatic rise in cases, Health Officer Dr. Sara Cody on Saturday announced more local health restrictions.

For Hernandez, she has only the now all-too-familiar message to share: “Please wear your masks; don’t go outside much; and don’t bring outside family and friends to the house.” Q For those who wish to access Santa Clara County’s Isolation & Quarantine Support Services, call 408-808-7770 seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or go to sccgov.org/coronavirus and click on “Home isolation and quarantine guidance.”

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

County adds new restrictions

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

7

5

50

0

10

10

11/3 11/10 11/17 11/24 12/1

Source: Santa Clara County Public Health Department

Plan for vaccine distribution State and county health officials are also in the midst of formulating plans for distributing vaccines once they become available.

California expects to receive the first 327,000 vaccine doses from pharmaceutical company Pfizer by Dec. 12 to 15. Since two doses must be administered about a month apart, that means only half that number of people would actually be vaccinated, he noted. The state is also expecting to receive doses from Moderna and details are currently being worked out, he said.

County health department staff also released new details on Dec. 2 about the COVID-19 vaccine, including a specific plan to manage and distribute doses when they become available. The county will receive an allocation of the vaccine by the state of California and is required to follow a federally mandated prioritization for distribution.

Doses will initially be available for those who are at highest risk, Dr.

Buildings (continued from page 9)

proposal fell by a 3-4 vote, with only Kniss and Council member Greg Tanaka joining him.

“The purpose of this program is to promote public safety and mitigate risk from seismic events,” said Fine, who supported DuBois’ motion after his own failed. “Sometimes you can’t do that with an old building.”

Council member Eric Filseth suggested that planning staff exercised the “right instinct” in agreeing to approve the proposal at 233 University Ave., which will mitigate the seismic risk.

But both he and Council member Lydia Kou also noted that the interpretation is in fact a policy change. Holman and Burt made a similar argument in their appeal to the council.

“Staff has the authority to interpret when there is an ambiguity,” Holman said at the Monday hearing. “There is no ambiguity here. ... It is a clear policy measure, and

Kristin Brown

The order temporarily closes bars, wineries, personal services, hair salons and barbershops.

Schools already with waivers and critical infrastructure such as grocery stores and pharmacies will remain open. Retail will be limited to 20% of capacity to reduce exposure, and restaurants will be limited to take out and deliveries.

Once triggered, the order would be in place for at least three weeks, he said. The order also limits all nonessential travel.

“If we don’t act now, the hospital system will be overwhelmed,” Newsom said, adding that “this is not a permanent state” but that the nation is in the final surge in the pandemic.With vaccines, the state is a few months away from seeing some control over the virus, he said.

But in the meantime, California residents must prevent as many deaths as possible and help keep hospitals and their essential workers from being overwhelmed. The number of COVID-19 deaths, for example, has increased eight-fold in the last 30 days from 14 deaths on Nov. 2 to 113 on Dec. 2, he noted.

State officials are also taking additional steps to ensure there are enough hospital beds. For the last 72 hours, they have been discussing with hospitals ways to proactively suspend elective surgeries to free up beds. The state also has 11 facilities in “warm status” with 1,503 additional beds to meet the surge. One facility, at the San Mateo County Convention Center, has the capacity for 250 beds.

Newsom urged people to comply with the regional order and to have patience. He estimated the next month or two would be significantly challenging.

“This is the light at the end of

Jennifer Tong said during a press conference, including those working in the health care environment and other front-line workers with heightened risk of exposure to the virus.

She could not say how many doses the state would provide to the county, nor how much capacity is available in the county to store vaccine doses.

One of the vaccines developed to date must be stored at temperatures as low as minus 70 degrees Celsius.

Tong said it may be a long time before vaccines are widely available and that it is imperative for people to follow public health guidelines and prevent the spread of the virus until then.

“Let me emphasize that we all must continue to do our part to stay safe while we wait,” Tong said. “It might take many months before everyone who is interested in getting a vaccine is able to get one.” Q Bay City News Service contributed to this report. Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@paweekly. com. this should not set a precedent for staff to set policy.”

Burt noted that when the council decided in 2014 to follow a strict interpretation of the seismic program, the intent was to have staff re-evaluate the program and return with revisions that would make it more effective. Development Services staff began the work under former department Director Peter Pirnejad, but the revision was never completed.

Staff had determined that it would require additional consultant services. Given the city’s ongoing budget challenges, staff deferred completing the work.

Burt, who served on the council along with Holman and Schmid when these discussions were taking place, said that the council’s goal at the time was to have a report that would allow them to design a new program through a combination of mandates and incentives for seismic rehabilitation. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

Pulse A weekly compendium of vital statistics

POLICE CALLS City Palo Alto Nov. 19-Dec. 2 Violence related Center Drive, 11/13, 11 a.m.; sex crime/ lewd & lascivious.

El Camino Real, 11/16, 7:18 p.m.; simple battery.

El Camino Real, 11/17, 12:16 p.m.; strong arm robbery.

Cowper Street, 11/17, 1:07 p.m.; sexual assault/rape.

El Camino Real, 11/18, 1:29 a.m.; sex crime.

University Avenue, 11/18, 12:35 p.m.; strong arm robbery.

Pasteur Drive, 11/18, 9:16 p.m.; battery/ peace officer.

Bryant Street, 11/19, 8:41 a.m.; arson/ misc.

El Camino Real, 11/20, 11:56 a.m.; strong arm robbery.

Bryant Street, 11/21, 10:33 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.

Chimalus Drive, 11/22, 5:56 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.

Forest Avenue, 11/23, 4:06 p.m.; sexual assault/rape.

El Camino Real, 11/27, 1:54 p.m.; strong arm robbery.

El Camino Real, 11/27, 10:41 p.m.; sex crime/misc.

Cowper Street, 11/29, 8:36 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.

Encina Ave., 11/30, 12 p.m.; simple battery.

Alma Village Circle, 11/30, 9:40 p.m.; domestic violence/battery.

Theft related Checks forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Commercial burglary attempt . . . . . . . 2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Prowler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Shoplifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Vehicle related Abandoned bicycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . 5 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Stolen catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . 11 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Theft from auto attempt . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 3 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . 3 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . 10 Sale of drugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Miscellaneous Court order violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . 3 Outside investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 8 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Menlo Park Nov. 18-Dec. 1 Violence related 400 block Encinal Ave., 11/18, 1:08 p.m.; assault.

1300 block Willow Road, 11/23, 4:44 p.m.; battery.

600 block Santa Cruz, 11/24, 9:36 a.m.; battery.

1200 block Willow Road, 11/25, 3:37 p.m.; battery.

Theft related Burglary attempt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Checks forgery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Prowler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle related Abandoned auto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Stolen catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . 3 Miscellaneous Court order violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Found property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Mental evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Property for destruction . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 2 Warrant arrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

OBITUARIES A list of local residents who died recently: Jerry Tinklenberg, 80, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and Palo Alto resident, died on Nov. 18.

Patricia “Pat” Birkel, 89, former Palo Alto resident of 45 years, died on Nov. 28.

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

obituaries.

Employment The Almanac offers advertising for Employment, as well as Home and Business Services.

If you wish to learn more about these advertising options, please call 650.223.6582 or email digitalads@paweekly.com.

Jerry Tinklenberg

November 25, 1939 – November 18, 2020 On Wednesday November 18, 2020 Jared (Jerry) Tinklenberg, M.D. passed away at age 80 with his wife and daughters by his side.

Jerry was born on November 25, 1939 in South Dakota. His father was a chaplain in the US Navy, serving in World War II. Jerry was a football and track star in high school and after graduation he volunteered for six month active duty training in the US Army and then eight years in the Reserves. He received his Bachelors and Medical Degree from the University of Iowa. In 1964 he married Mae Van der Weerd and they moved to New Haven for his internship at Yale.

In 1966, Karla was born and they moved to California for Jerry’s psychiatry residency at Stanford. In 1968, Julie was born and they bought a home in Palo Alto in which they resided for the rest of his life. Jerry then joined the Stanford Faculty, where he focused on psychopharmacology research.

In 1974, he was selected to serve on the White House Drug Abuse Council, so the family moved to Washington D.C. for a year. Jerry then expanded his research at the VA Alzheimer’s Center and he received tenure in 1977. In honor of his longtime work at Stanford, in 2017 his daughters endowed the Jared and Mae Tinklenberg Professorship Chair.

Jerry enjoyed running marathons in his younger years, birdwatching more recently, and hiking with his family throughout his life. He was a long-time member of First Congregational Church in Palo Alto. He will be missed for his kindness, patience, intellectual curiosity and his attentive devotion to others. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Mae, his daughters, Karla and Julie, and his sisters, Lois and Yvonne.

In lieu of gifts, donations may be sent to Human Rights Watch or The Nature Conservancy.

Human Rights Watch - https://www.hrw.org The Nature Conservancy - https://www.nature.org/en-us/ PAID

OBITUARY

Give blood for life! b l o o d c e n t e r. s t a n f o r d . e d u www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 15

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 17

Guest Opinion

Holiday Fund: A future of hope and resilience

by Nicole Taylor

T

here is no denying that 2020 has been a difficult year. Families in our communities have faced health challenges and even the deaths of loved ones from COVID-19, and the pandemic has devastated the economy. The West Coast has confronted a record-breaking fire season. The killing of George Floyd in May started a nationwide reckoning regarding racial injustice. And we have just come through a contentious election, showing us just how deeply divided our country is. On top of all that, our region still faces ongoing challenges: affordable housing, food insecurity and equity in education, to name a few.

Yet, the Bay Area has long been known for its innovative spirit, its problem-solving ability and its resilience. We take care of our neighbors — as has been evident in this extraordinary year, when the community has come together to support the members most affected by the multiple crises we have faced.

One role Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) fills in our community is helping to get aid to the people in the community who need it most. That’s why once again this year, SVCF is proud to partner with the Palo Alto Weekly on the annual Holiday Fund campaign — a great way to help those in need locally. Your generous gift to the fund will support causes including emergency food aid, academic programs for at-risk youth, essential child care, environmental education, grief support, disabilities resources and more.

SVCF’s efforts are both local, like the Holiday Fund, and regional. In all cases, we help direct funding and resources to the people and organizations who need it most, including nonprofits that help low-income workers, undocumented immigrants, people facing food insecurity, and those who need housing assistance. We have worked with community partners and donors to respond to several challenges this past year.

As the COVID-19 pandemic caused enormous health and economic hardship across our region, SVCF channeled donor support to more than 370 nonprofit organizations working on the front lines. SVCF’s fundraising helped provide food assistance to more than 626,000 residents in 10 Bay Area counties, as well as housing support to more than 31,000 households.

SVCF has also worked to elevate the voices of community leaders of color in the wake of George Floyd’s slaying. We created a giving guide that supports Black-led organizations in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties focused on health, education and cultural programs for the Black community — organizations that have received more than $3 million from our donors in recent months.

And after the CZU, SCU and other fires affected our region, SVCF set up a Wildfire Relief Fund to provide emergency grants to local nonprofits that are helping those affected. Our community members once again stepped up with funds and allowed us to provide grants to groups providing immediate relief: search and rescue, shelters, and financial assistance for victims. Other grants focused on the recovery phase, helping with issues such as rehousing, mental health services, and legal services. Still others went to groups looking to the long term, helping rebuild homes, workplaces and infrastructure — as well as planning for resiliency and preparedness for when the next wildfire season strikes.

That’s what SVCF does: provide an avenue for generous donors to give back to the community. And that’s what Silicon Valley community members do: put together both large and small gifts to help their neighbors get through tough times.

You may be wondering how you can help. One way is to support local nonprofits, who are doing critical work in our community.

Many nonprofits are seeing the number of volunteers decrease due to COVID-19, just as they need help the most. Volunteering, if you are able, is a great way to give back. Another option is to make a financial donation. Your gift will support their efforts year-round, and the Holiday Fund is a great way to support multiple nonprofits.

As we look to next year with hope and optimism, know that together, we can make a difference, addressing our local and regional challenges and building a stronger, more equitable, and more inclusive community. Q Nicole Taylor is president and CEO of Silicon Valley Community Foundation. To learn more, visit www.siliconvalleycf.org.

Page 18 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions

More water, less housing Editor, Shouldn’t the question be: “What do you think about the mandate to increase Palo Alto’s population by 25,000 people, and where will the water come from?” We’ve reached the point where no amount of water conservation can prevent surviving the next multi-year drought without repeating the painful sacrifices made during the previous ones. Since droughts are becoming more severe due to global warming, more demand will result in less water distributed to each user — a disastrous situation. Instead, we should do everything we can to limit our local and state populations to what our sustainable resources can support, both now and in the future. Perhaps the Association of Bay Area Governments plans to make up the difference by importing melting glaciers from the Arctic?

Irv Brenner Byron Street, Palo Alto

Kudos to Castilleja Editor, I appreciate your recent article about the Planning and Transportation Commission’s decision to allow Castilleja School’s project to move forward. I live across the street from the school, and I want to see this proposal approved by the city council. I am gratified to learn through the hearings and your reporting that city leaders are newly aware of the widespread support of this project among direct neighbors.

We do not feel that traffic and events from the school are a burden at all. Quite the opposite, we see the school as a conscientious neighbor, and its “events” — as many small meetings are called according to the conditional use permit guidelines — come and go without making an impact.

I want to applaud the commissioners who were able to fulfill their duties by relying on facts and data to vote in support of the application for a FAR variance and for an increase in enrollment to 540 students. The commissioners who supported the city staff recommendations saw beyond politics and voted based on detailed analyses in the Final Environmental Impact Report, close study of city code, and recognition that the school is required to mitigate any impact on the neighborhood. I hope that as this proposal moves forward into review by the city council, the traffic analysts, environmental

engineers, tree specialists, and city staff and legal counsel will be relied upon for what they are — trusted experts in their fields who have worked hard to study this project in order to deliver unbiased findings. I appreciate that Castilleja has listened to feedback, made changes and succeeded in creating a proposal that enhances the neighborhood.

I can’t wait to look out my windows and see the new building.

Theresia Gouw Kellogg Avenue, Palo Alto

The long commute Editor, Palo Alto employers, including Stanford University, benefit greatly from the skilled labor who commute from surrounding areas. The lack of local, practical housing options in Palo Alto is a serious disservice to them, and I believe it can and should

be corrected. Many in Palo Alto believe “Black Lives Matter,” and we can stand behind that by adapting our city’s housing landscape to provide housing for those who support our economy.

Quite often, they are members of the Black community.

My own experience includes hiring professional staff and managing construction contractors in Palo Alto/Stanford. With very limited options for local housing, workers face extreme commute times and we face increased costs and reduced worker efficiency. I would like to urge local leaders to take all reasonable steps to alleviate the housing shortage to ensure the long-term of the local economy.

The state’s mandate, seen from this perspective, is a practical, responsible ask.

Marc Ross El Verano Avenue, Palo Alto

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

What do you think about the referendum to keep Foothills Park closed to nonresidents?

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

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

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

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

Check out Town Square!

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

Guest Opinion

An important message to kids: ‘Go out and play’

by Mona Luke-Zeitoun, M.D.

“

If exercise could be packaged in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.”

Robert Butler, M.D., the founder of the National Institute on Aging, made this statement in the 1980s, and it is as true today as it was then. For decades and even centuries, no single treatment has exceeded the benefits of exercise on immune function, mental health and cardiopulmonary health. Exercise is also a key component in the prevention and management of chronic disease.

Physical inactivity has been a growing problem for decades and is known to lead to loss of muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, weight gain, psychosocial problems and poor academic achievement. This crisis has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and will unfortunately persist long after the pandemic has passed. The potential impact of natural disasters on physical activity was demonstrated after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in East Japan, which led to a significant decrease in children’s physical activity over three years following the disaster.

Surveys done on U.S. and Canadian children in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic have found rates as high as 80%90% not meeting physical activity recommendations. Shelter in place, social distancing and remote learning have led to increased sedentary behaviors and social isolation,

which are clearly negatively impacting our children’s mental and physical health.

I am heartbroken by the loss of joy, hope and creativity I encounter in my patients on a daily basis. Not only are our children affected by the physical constraints and daunting gravity of this pandemic but also by the challenges of screen time. We have seen a considerable increase in leisurely screen time during this pandemic.

As much as the internet may have helped us as a society maintain productivity and connection, it cannot replace direct human interaction. Recent research has shown that adolescents who spend more than seven hours a day on screens are twice as likely as those spending one hour to have been diagnosed with anxiety or depression.

Could the COVID-19 pandemic present an opportunity for us to make better and healthier choices for our community, our children and future generations?

Nature-based recreation has been shown to potentiate the beneficial effects of exercise on overall well-being, resilience and cognition. Connection and engagement with nature are known to lead to pro-environmental attitudes and sustainable human behavior, such as conservation of energy and water, anticonsumerism, and financial support for environmental organizations. The amount of time spent in nature as a 6-year-old is related to environmental attitudes and behavior as a young adult.

Unfortunately, technology and globalization have led to reduced interactions with nature and widespread psychological and physical disconnection from nature. Now more than ever, we need a society that is not only physically active but also in tune with

nature and our environment.

We can overcome social isolation and associated mental and physical health problems by safely connecting with others outdoors, and by doing so, we may also slow global warming.

Palo Alto is recognized as a national model for providing its community with a strong Safe Routes to School program and active transportation choices for families. These efforts have been extremely successful in promoting healthy, active and sustainable lifestyles. In 2019, more than 58% of all Palo Alto’s school children either walked or rode their bikes to school every day, compared to 13% nationally. With schools now virtual, our children risk losing these hard-earned habits, and it is in our hands to not let this happen.

This is the time to make a difference and take advantage of our exceptional infrastructure and open spaces, which took our community decades to develop. We can turn around this concerning trend by reframing our mindset and opening our eyes to the unique opportunities to safely connect while maintaining a healthy exercise routine.

Practice your walking or biking to school route with your children and make it fun by having a contest or incorporating a scavenger hunt (look for different colors, shapes, animals) along the way. Play “Active Transportation Bingo” or set up a “Neighborhood Rainbow Hunt.” Discover or re-discover the phenomenal Palo Alto self-guided historic preservation tour, the self-guided Stanford walking tour or the Palo Alto self-guided public art tour. (See the city of Palo Alto’s Walk and Bike Route page for planning maps and links, at tinyurl.com/PAwalkbike.)

As the days get shorter, branch out into your backyard after school. Practice sportspecific drills and help your young athletes advance their skills. Build an obstacle course, play hide and seek, badminton or basketball. Engage in martial arts or have a dance party.

And most importantly, exercise as a family. Children who regularly exercise together with family members are much more likely to make exercise a lifelong habit.

Masks and 6-feet social distancing will continue to be a necessity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, even outdoors. However, they should not represent barriers. It is safe and extremely important for families to continue to exercise.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends one hour a day of moderate to vigorous intensity exercise for children above 6 years, three hours a day for children between 3 and 5 years. This is most easily and effectively achieved through outdoor activities.

Let’s look beyond COVID-19 and remind ourselves of the importance of exercise and the dire consequences of physical inactivity and social isolation, which have the potential to weaken the immune response and thereby increase our vulnerability to COVID-19 as well as any future pandemics. Let’s find connection with our loved ones and nature by maintaining healthy habits, and let’s together instill hope and compassion in our children and future generation. Q Mona Luke-Zeitoun, M.D., is a Pediatric Pulmonary and Exercise Medicine physician practicing in Palo Alto and San Carlos. She can be contacted at mlzmd2020@gmail.com.

This week on Town Square Town Square is an online discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline.com/square In response to ‘Policy, politics clash as Palo Alto looks to appoint planning commissioners’

In response to ‘Sobrato pitches townhome project at former site of Fry’s Electronics’

Posted Nov. 24 at 4:57 p.m. by Paul Brophy, a resident of Professorville: “Given the centrality of land-use policy in our last election, having a lame duck council decide they will appoint the planning commissioners early rather than allow the new council to make their choices early next year as scheduled is precisely the sort of act that needlessly creates division and resentment. And for what possible purpose? Any decision of consequence facing the Planning Commission will be advisory only, with the City Council making the final decision.

What can possibly be gained by engaging in a last-minute activity like this when at the very least the council majority can overrule any commission recommendation, and at worst, look at any work the Planning Commission does with a chip on their collective shoulders.

Having spent seven years on the Cupertino Planning Commission prior to moving to Palo Alto in 2015, I would say to all of our council members that instead of looking for candidates who you think most agree with you that you, focus on candidates who bring thoughtfulness and a willingness to listen to and to attempt to understand all those who come before them, regardless of what their initial thoughts on an upcoming matter are.”

Posted Nov. 27 at 11:52 a.m. by Lucy Berman, a resident of Crescent Park: “We have a huge need for larger single-story condos for people wanting to downsize from large homes. Sobrato should be encouraged to make some of these units one level. This location is very walkable to Cal Ave. and would be highly desirable for our aging population who want to free up their homes for younger families but have nowhere to go now. It’s a win for the city and school coffers as well, as the property tax base increases when the larger homes are sold.”

In response to ‘Downtown Streets Team declines to divulge investigation into sexual harassment by top executives’ Posted Nov. 28 at 11:28 a.m. by Michele Landis Dauber, a resident of Barron Park: “First of all, I want to address what Downtown Streets describes inaccurately as the ‘preordinance of investigation’ standard. Although this is such illiterate gibberish that it is impossible to tell what they are referring to, I believe it is

referring to the preponderance of evidence standard. There is no such thing as a ‘preordinance’ standard, that is not a thing, and it is a sign of the complete contempt in which Ed Shikada and Molly Stump apparently hold all women that he allowed this garbled (mess) to be sufficient to pass muster and justify even more money for this allegedly sexscandal-plagued entity without transparency and without even a full council discussion — by cowardly placing it on the consent agenda.

Or perhaps the use of the word ‘preordinance’ isn’t just the nonsense word it appears but is somehow revelatory of what actually occurred, since it means being pre-ordained, that is, predetermined as to the outcome.

In any event, if you needed more evidence of city leadership not necessarily being the sharpest Crayolas in the box, now you have it.

As to the substance of the issue, no one is at this time even asking to cancel Downtown Street Team’s contract. All that has been requested is transparency into the outcome of the investigation. Instead of the transparency requested by Council, the organization engaged in victim blaming, accusing victims of ‘greatly exaggerating’ the extent of their harassment despite the fact that we already know that at least one state agency found the allegations credible. This is gaslighting.

Women deserve better than this. Taxpayers deserve better than this. If there is nothing to hide, release the report.”

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

By Karla Kane, Sheryl Nonnenberg and Heather Zimmerman

T

his holiday season is a time to stick close to home and stay healthy rather than traveling afar or gathering in big groups. However, it doesn’t mean the community is lacking for seasonal cheer that can be enjoyed from a safe distance, whether it’s via livestream, from a vehicle, or outdoors in the fresh air (bring your masks).

While the coronavirus has curtailed many holiday plans and activities this year, Filoli House and Garden in Woodside is among those local organizations keeping spirits bright. As in past years, a plethora of programs will be offered, including outdoor light displays, cozy fire pits and special theme nights. The major difference this year is the need for masks, social distancing and advanced reservations (the house is currently closed, as of Nov. 29, thanks to San Mateo County’s move into the state’s purple tier).

“With the challenges we have all experienced in 2020, hope for a season that brings peace and calm is central as Filoli serves our community as a place of respite. To spread the season of cheer, we have extended our Holidays program into January 2021 and, for the first time, we will be open every night of the week for Holiday Lights,” said Chief Executive Officer Kara Newport.

A recent media preview was a bright and festive escape, despite steady rainfall. The lights in the garden are dazzling and have been

extended into two new areas, the Woodland Garden and the Garden Court. Seasonal music sets the tone for a casual walk through the gardens, with the opportunity to stop for a hot cider or mulled wine.

Those in the mood for shopping can stop by the Clock Tower Shop, where everything from ornaments to food products to clothing is available. It is also beautifully decorated and smells, well, it smells like the holidays. And if all of this walking and shopping has built up an appetite, the Quail’s Nest Cafe serves soups, salads and sandwiches (limited outdoor seating), as well as holiday cookies. Beer and wine are also on the menu.

If your visit takes place on a Monday, you can participate in a Theme Night: Holiday Hats (Dec. 7), Holiday Pajama Party (Dec. 14), Night Lights (Dec. 21; sold out) and Vintage Christmas (Dec. 28). And it would not be the holidays without Ugly Sweater Day on Friday, Dec. 18.

Wear yours and you might win a prize. Finally, the big man himself, Santa Claus, will be on hand the three Saturdays prior to Christmas for a safe-distance selfie.

For a full list of events and activities and to make reservations, information is available at filoli.org.

Some more December holiday highlights are presented below. Event info is subject to change with short notice; check directly with organizations to confirm. To search for more listings, or to submit your own, check out the community calendar at almanacnews.com/calendar.

Page 24 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Above: Each year, Smuin Ballet presents “The Christmas Ballet” — a blend of classical and contemporary dance set to holiday tunes.

This year, the performances will be virtual. Photo by Keith Sutter.

Top: Santa Claus himself will be available on select days at Filoli House and Garden for some socially distant selfies. Photo by Tiffany Zabala.

Arts & Entertainment

Palo Alto Players’ ‘Holiday Family Sing Along’ What: For the third in its Homebound Cabaret series, Palo Alto Players invites audiences to sing and dance along with actors performing holiday classics and more offbeat festive tunes.

When: Streaming Dec. 4-13.

More information: paplayers.org/ event/sing-along.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s ‘Simple Gifts’ What: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents an online multicultural celebration of diverse holiday traditions, featuring songs and stories from winter celebrations including Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hanukkah, Noche Buena, Diwali and Las Posadas.

When: Streaming Dec. 10-28.

More information: theatreworks.org. (continued on page 26)

Courtesy Hershey Felder Presents.

Melita Music What: Children’s musician and singer-songwriter Melita Silberstein will perform a virtual holiday concert for families, hosted by Stanford Research Park.

When: Streaming Dec. 8 at 5 p.m.

More information: stanfordresearchpark.com/blog.

Pianist/actor/writer Hershey Felder will livestream a new version of his ode to Tchaikovsky — with emphasis on “The Nutcracker.”

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Arts & Entertainment

Photo by Little Fang Photography.

The multitalented Taylor Mac and friends will livestream a holiday show spanning genres including music, burlesque, film and humor, plus a virtual after party.

Holidays

christmasballet.

(continued from page 25)

‘Brocelïande Winter Solstice Concert: Wassail!’

What: Celtic/Medieval ensemble Brocelïande will celebrate the winter solstice with a virtual concert featuring winter dances, carols, and ballads from many times and places, hosted by East West Book Store.

When: Streaming Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.

More information: eastwestbooks.org/ events.

‘Holiday Shorts’ What: The Oshman Family JCC is offering access to “Holiday Shorts” by Hank Kimmel, a series of comedic short plays with holiday themes.

When: Streaming Dec. 10-23.

More information: paloaltojcc.org.

‘The Christmas Ballet’ What: Smuin Contemporary Ballet presents its first virtual edition of the annual “Christmas Ballet,” featuring its trademark blend of classical ballet with holiday tunes and styles including tap, jazz and swing.

When: Streaming Dec. 11-24.

More information: smuinballet.org/

music, burlesque, film and more, followed by a virtual after party.

When: Streaming Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.

More information: live.stanford.edu/ calendar/december-2020.

Latke-pa-zoom-sa What: The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center hosts an online Hanukkah celebration. Participants are invited to bring a hanukkiah (menorah) to light and enjoy a Hanukkah singalong led

by Bay Area musician Isaac Zones. Registration required.

When: Streaming Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

More information: isaaczones.com/ calendar.

‘Taylor Mac’s Holiday Sauce ...

Pandemic!’

What: Stanford Live will present access to the multitalented Taylor Mac and a crew of collaborators celebrating the glorious dysfunction of the holidays, through

Ragazzi Boys Chorus ‘Beyond the Stars’ What: Ragazzi Boys Chorus will livestream its holiday concert, with its local youth choristers singing in real time from home.

When: Streaming Dec. 13 at 4 p.m.

More information: ragazzi.org.

‘A Virtual Chanticleer Christmas From Darkness to Light’ What: Chanticleer — the Bay Area a cappella ensemble — can’t perform its traditional Stanford University holiday concert, but it can present an online version, complete with candlelight procession.

When: Streaming Dec. 15-Jan. 1.

More information: chanticleer.org.

File photo by Sammy Dallal.

Pedestrians enjoy Christmas decorations along Fulton Street in Palo Alto on Dec. 15, 2019. This year, one-way traffic will be set up on the sidewalks along Christmas Tree Lane for visitors to safely view the attraction.

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‘Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol’ What: Stanford Live members and Stanford University students can access Manual Cinema’s world premiere adaptation of the Dickens Christmas ghost story classic, involving Zoom calls, puppets and visual innovations.

When: Streaming Dec. 17-19.

More information: live.stanford.edu/ content/manualcinema.

‘Winter’s Gifts’ What: The Choral Project and the San Jose Chamber Orchestra presents a virtual version of their annual holiday concert, “Winter’s Gifts.”

When: Streaming Dec. 19 at 7 p.m.

More information: choralproject.org/ winters-gifts-treasures.

‘Hershey Felder Tchaikovsky’ What: TheatreWorks Silicon Valley favorite Hershey Felder is currently based in Florence, Italy. Thanks to livestreaming, local audiences can catch “Hershey Felder Tchaikovsky,” a spinoff of “Our Great Tchaikovsky” with an extended emphasis on “The Nutcracker,” online.

When: Streaming Dec. 20-27.

More information: hersheyfelderlive.com.

Ernie’s Trains What: John Bianco continues his late father’s tradition of putting on a holiday model train display, this year running on indoor tracks (visible through windows) only.

Engines and trains change daily.

When: Planned to run WednesdaysSundays from about 6:30-9 p.m. through Christmas Day. Where: 2387 Adele Ave., Mountain View.

Christmas Crèche Exhibit What: The 33rd annual event presented by the Menlo Park and Los Altos Stakes of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints goes virtual this year with an online exhibit of photos and videos of Christmas crèches submitted by the community.

When: Through Dec. 25.

More information: christmascreche.org.

Holiday Traditions What: The San Mateo County Historical Association will offer a virtual presentation on holiday traditions from around the

Arts & Entertainment

Courtesy TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.

David Crane tells the story of Diwali in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s virtual presentation of “Simple Gifts.” world, plus a recorded concert from the San Francisco State University Handbell Choir.

When: Streaming Dec. 5 at 10 a.m.

More information: historysmc.org/events/ hometown-holidays-online.

Gamble Garden Festival of Trees What: Visitors can enjoy a virtual “stroll” among holiday trees decorated by creative individuals, groups, and organizations. All trees are available for purchase by online silent auction with proceeds benefiting Gamble Garden.

When: Links to all the trees will be available between Dec. 4, noon, and Dec. 5, 6 p.m.

More information: gamblegarden.org/ festivaloftrees.

Palo Alto Christmas: A Visual Christmas Experience What: Four local churches are inviting visitors to each of their campuses to enjoy a socially distanced scavenger hunt by car, bike or on foot to spot items hidden among holiday decorations. After visiting each church, guests can register their findings online and be entered in a prize drawing for gift cards, a Kindle and an iPad. When: Dec. 12-25, 5-10 p.m.

More information: paloaltochristmas.com.

Christmas Tree Lane What: Every year, neighbors along two blocks of Palo Alto’s Fulton Avenue adorn their yards and houses with lights and festive displays. This year will mark the 80th anniversary of this beloved neighborhood tradition.

When: Dec. 12-31, 5-10 p.m.

Where: 1700 and 1800 blocks of Fulton Avenue, Palo Alto More information: christmastreelane.org.

and then picked up on-site).

When: Online through Dec. 6.

More information: paacfshop.org.

Hometown Holidays What: Downtown Redwood City’s annual celebration is planned to go on with COVID-19 precautions in place. Participants must register in advance for a slot in the car parade, from which they can spot Santa, collect treats and observe music and decorations.

When: Dec. 19, 3-6 p.m.

Where: Downtown Redwood City (directions will be released upon registration).

More information: hometownholidays.org.

FabMo Artisan Showcase What: An online showcase of creations by about 60 artisans that features unique clothing, fine art, fashion accessories, jewelry, home decor items, gifts, toys and dolls and holiday items, all crafted at least in part from FabMo’s stock of discontinued designer samples that have been rescued and repurposed.

When: Through Dec. 31.

More information: fabmo.org/ artisan-showcase.

Homage to the Holidays Video What: The city of Los Altos, Festival of Lights Parade Association and town of Los Altos Hills present a video homage to local holiday traditions — the town of Los Altos Hills Barn Lighting, the city of Los Altos holiday lights and street decorations, Festival of Lights Float Display — airing on local access TV. When: The video airs Dec. 6-Jan. 3 Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m. and Wednesdays at noon on KMVT 15 (Silicon Valley Community Media Comcast Channel 15, Uverse Channel 99).

More information: losaltoshills.ca.gov/calendar.

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Hanukkah Pop-up What: The Oshman Family Jewish Community Center has partnered with Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen to present a contactless drive-thru pop-up where visitors can purchase all the trimmings for a Hanukkah meal. Preorder and pick up; early orders are encouraged.

When: Dec. 10, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (pickup) Where: Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto More information: facebook. com/events/133623771637080. Q Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane can be reached at kkane@paweekly.com.

To place an ad call 650.223.6597 or email digitalads@ paweekly.com.

Sign up today at PaloAltoOnline.com/express

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 43.

German Holiday Market What: German International School of Silicon Valley’s annual Germany holiday market is virtual this year, available online and offering an array of traditional German holiday treats.

When: Through Dec. 20.

More information: germanholidaymarket.org.

Palo Alto Art Center Holiday Sale What: Palo Alto Art Center artists in a variety of media are selling their creations in a virtual holiday sale (orders placed online

File photo by Joyce Goldschmid.

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Eating Out

The 2020 vintage

How Peninsula wineries are struggling — and innovating Battered by the pandemic and wildfires, wineries offer Zoom tastings, DoorDash delivery and vineyard yoga

T

Testarossa is among many wineries on the Peninsula still grappling with the losses brought on by the pandemic, compounded by a devastating fire season that caused some wineries to lose entire crops due to smoke damage. Many have adapted to their new normal by reinventing the wine tasting experience to comply with constantly shifting public health restrictions, hosting virtual events, offering COVID-19 discounts (one winery offered a cheeky 19% discount at the start of the shutdown) and even putting bottles of wine on DoorDash for the first time.

More than ever, they’re thinking creatively about how to draw in more support for small, local wineries at a dire time for the industry.

For independent wineries, tasting rooms and events are the best way to bring in new — and hopefully repeat — customers. Wineries were closed for months until COVID-19 rates improved enough in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties to allow them to reopen outdoors with some modifications. Wineries can’t operate indoors until their counties return to the state’s orange, or “moderate,” COVID tier, and even then capacity is limited to 25% or 100 people.

Testarossa was lucky to have 8,000

square feet of space to repurpose for outdoor tastings. Dubbed Wine Bar 107, the outdoor patio is set with tables that are separated by at least 10 feet and set with QR code menus (no more communal wine spittoons). Reservations are now required for tastings, which are limited to 45 minutes. Communal bathrooms were converted to only allow one person at a time and equipped with lights outside that turn red when occupied, like on an airplane, to prevent crowding.

“Of course, hand-washing is one of the most important things, other than wearing a mask, that you can do to keep healthy and safe,” Jensen says as he turns on a faucet attached to the top of a wine barrel during a four-minute video tour of the new, socially distanced setup. “If you haven’t washed your hands in a wine barrel lately, next time you come to Wine Bar 107 that would be a great time to do it.”

When Santa Clara County moved into the less restrictive yellow tier several weeks ago, allowing wineries to resume indoor operations, Jensen weighed his chances and decided against doing so.

“Out of an abundance of caution we decided to not hire additional staff and reopen indoors due to the risk of having to shut these spaces down again, which is

exactly what happened,” he said.

At Kings Mountain Vineyards in Woodside, which is only open by appointment, the winery pivoted to offering private, seated tastings capped at six people.

Only two staff members are now working at the winery and only one usually at the tastings, said Kristi Bowers, Kings Mountain Vineyards’ director of sales and marketing (she’s often that one person).

They pour fewer wines and, in accordance with state COVID-19 guidance, if a bottle touches a glass that someone drank from, they dump that bottle. They now put an order form on every table so customers can fill out their names, car make and model, and license plate so any wine they purchase is delivered to the trunk of their car by the time they leave. (On the back of the order form? Tasting notes.)

“Tastings are extremely important because for us, besides a few outlets, our club and our online sales — that’s it,” Bowers said. “Coming to the vineyard is a special thing.”

It’s hard to imagine tasting wine while taking a mask on and off, but winery owners are trying to emphasize safety while not policing customers.

“I’m not the law,” said Nicolas Vonderheyden of Chaine d’Or Vineyards, a tiny,

Federica Armstong

Courtesy Waxwing Cellars Facebook

estarossa Winery started 2020 on a high. The Los Gatos winery saw its highest sales to date the year prior. It won winery of the year from Connoisseur’s Guide to California Wine.

The owners were excitedly planning the largest renovation to the winery in 70 years, hoping to open a sparkling new 10,000-square-foot private event space on March 1.

We all know what happened next: the arrival of the coronavirus and midMarch shutdown that upended virtually every aspect of our lives, including how we drink and buy wine. Testarossa not only saw private events and weddings canceled overnight but had to refund hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits. They had to shut down their popular tasting room. Profits plummeted by 80%. The winery went from a robust 152 employees to just 22.

“We’ve been through 9/11. We’ve been through the dot-com bubble. We went through the Great Recession. This was the worst of all of those,” said Rob Jensen, who owns Testarossa with his wife, Diana. “The most important thing is you’ve got to get your ship through the other side of the storm and then you can assess the damage.”

By Elena Kadvany

Top: Portola Vineyards assistant winemaker Anthony Triolo clips pinot noir grapes for harvesting. Photo by Michelle Le. Left: Waxwing Cellars’ Counoise rosé is displayed at the Belmont winery, which has tried outdoor tastings and delivery during the pandemic. Right: Kelly Curtis, one of the attendees of the fundraising wine tasting is served a flight of two different pinot noir: a 2011 ‘Bacchus’ pinot noir produced by Kings Mountain Vineyards and a 2011 Teac Mor pinot noir produced by Teac Mor Vineyard in Santa Rosa.

Page 32 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Eating Out three-decade-old winery in Woodside. “I try to emphasize the fact that we all have to do our part. I think everyone knows it will take a lot of individual efforts to try to get rid of this virus and I don’t see the need to argue with anyone about wearing a mask during tastings.”

Wearing masks during tastings can feel awkward — “you don’t know if people are smiling but at least you can hear it in the tone of their voice,” Vonderheyden said — but like most pandemic adjustments, “it’s something that we easily get used to.”

In a time when we’re being told to stay home and stay apart, Vonderheyden still feels attached to the in-person experience of wine tasting. He’d rather convince someone to come to the winery for a safe, in-person tasting than hold one on Zoom.

“I’m not old by any means, but I’m this old-school thinker and believer that you need to see and touch and feel wine to really enjoy it. I’ve seen a huge difference in people tasting the wine without having been on-site and people tasting the wine while they’re on-site,” he said. “The experience is really, really different. It’s almost like the wine doesn’t taste the same.”

For months, Waxwing Cellars in Belmont was only open for curbside pickup of its limited-production pinot noir, Syrah, riesling and Chardonnay. With revenue down 50%, the winery started offering free delivery between Burlingame and Palo Alto. Waxwing usually hosts tastings inside on Fridays; instead, owner Scott Sisemore recently experimented

will get better. But they probably won’t be the same,” Bowers said. “You have to observe the new world order, or whatever you want to call it, and you need to pivot.

That’s what I’m trying to do.”

One silver lining of the shutdown for Silicon Valley wineries, owners said, is that people who live in the area but would have typically driven to Napa and Sonoma for wine tastings are now looking to the wineries in their own backyards.

They hope this will create a sustained allegiance to drinking local wine, just like the heightened calls of the last few months to support local restaurants.

The Peninsula’s wineries are “not the kind of tourist destinations as those in Napa,” said Len Lehmann of Portola Vineyards. “No big tour buses pull up. They’re authentic. They’re intimate.

They’re on windy roads that may be hard

with outdoor tastings in the parking lot.

It’s wine club season, so money is coming in, he said, but uncertainty hangs heavy over the next few months.

“Once there’s some sort of a vaccine and I feel safe again, I’ll be excited to go back to what I usually do, which is indoor, Friday night tastings,” Sisemore said, “but who knows when that’s going to be.”

Pre-pandemic, many local wineries relied heavily on private events — weddings and corporate events made up nearly 60% of Testarossa’s profits in 2019 — many of which were booked by the tech companies whose offices are now indefinitely shuttered. So wineries are experimenting with new kinds of events.

Neely Wine, a small Portola Valley winery, just launched an online cooking series with wine pairings. In August, Portola Vineyards in Palo Alto tried out “yoga in the vineyard,” carving out circles for people to get into downward dog and meditate among the vines.

Kings Mountain has started hosting philanthropic events, which Bowers described as a win-win to support local causes while exposing more people to its wines. They’ve included a Zoom tasting in partnership with the 49ers Foundation (Bowers is on the organization’s board) and a fundraiser for Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School held at the winery, with socially distanced tables set with individually packaged antipasto skewers and hand sanitizer.

“I’m always an optimist. I believe things

to locate. But they’re the wineries of the neighborhoods where your readers live.”

At Testarossa Winery, Jensen is still working to get the permits necessary for the renovation. They’re expanding local retail sales, which is helping to offset the major losses from restaurants that, struggling themselves, haven’t been able to purchase as much wine. He urged customers to think of local, independent winery owners like him, who have no investors and are fueled in many cases by a lifelong passion for winemaking and community.

“The big corps, they’ll live or die without you,” Jensen said. “We need you.”

For a list of wineries on the Peninsula, go to winesofthesantacruzmountains. com. Q Email Elena Kadvany at ekadvany@ paweekly.com

OUR T EAM IS IN MOT ION FOR YOU

D E L E O N R E A LT Y, I N C .

Michael Repka | CEO & Managing Broker | DRE #01854880 650.900.7000 | Info@deleonrealty.com | www.deleonrealty.com | DRE #01903224

Your Realtor & You Courtesy Testarossa Winery Facebook

Testarossa Winery in Los Gatos has revamped its outdoor wine tastings for the pandemic era.

Selling Your Home During a Pandemic? Here’s What You Need to Know Eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic and Silicon Valley's housing market continues to show strength and stability. In fact, at no time during the pandemic has Santa Clara County's median price been less than that of the previous year, according to data from MLSListings.

“This has been an impressive market, even at a time of year when the market should be slowing. It is certainly a good time for sellers, but sellers need to make sure they are selling their home in a safe manner and practicing CDC health and safety guidelines," said Mary Kay Groth, president of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®. "Showing and marketing homes during a time of social distancing may seem difficult, but a new wave of tech tools is helping streamline the remote transaction process, as buyers continue home searches online. Sellers can look to their REALTOR® to guide them through the process."

Below are some important tips for sellers to know during the pandemic from houselogic. com, a free source of information and tools for homeowners from the National Association of REALTORS®.

Magli Gauthier

Lucy Neely of Neely Winery in Portola Valley just launched an online cooking series with wine pairings.

What Sellers Need to Know: Use tech tools to help market and show your home – For sellers uncomfortable with in-person showings, many digital tools are available to help them continue marketing

and showing their home. A REALTOR® can help coordinate three-dimensional interactive property scans, virtual tours (either prerecorded or live), on-demand open houses, and virtual staging to showcase their property.

If sellers receive an offer on their home, their REALTOR® has the ability to present it to them virtually.

Take steps to protect yourself – “Sight unseen” purchases are not a new phenomenon, but this pandemic has certainly increased their prevalence. Sellers may want to include language in the purchase agreement that ensures buyers acknowledge they are responsible for personal verification, walkthroughs, and professional inspections to confirm that the property meets their needs.

Buyers are still searching – It continues to be a competitive market due to the limited supply of homes for sale. As potential buyers increasingly browse homes online, having attractive and accurate photos and videos is even more important. Sellers can use this extra time at home to make updates around their home and take fresh pictures of those improvements.

For more information and resources on buying or selling a home, visit www.houselogic.com. *** Information provided in this column is presented by the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®. Send questions to Rose Meily at rmeily@silvar.org.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 33

Senior Focus ZOOM FOR BEGINNERS ...

Senior Planet is offering a series of free workshops titled “Getting Started on Zoom” on Monday, Dec. 7, and Monday, Dec. 14, at 10 a.m. The sessions will cover how to sign up for a free, basic Zoom account as well as how to schedule meetings and share details with people you want to invite. To sign up, go to seniorplanet.org/locations/ palo-alto.

LivingWell A monthly special section of news

& information for seniors

CENTURY SUMMIT ... The Longevity Project and the Stanford Center on Longevity will convene leaders in business, media, policy and research to discuss the implications of the 100-year life in a free, virtual conference Dec. 9, 10, 14 and 15. Participants will present new visions on how society can restructure work, reorganize cities, enhance lifelong learning, support financial security and promote greater health and vitality in the “new age of longevity.” For more information or to register, go to longevity.stanford.edu and click on “events.”

WISE OWLS ... The 50-andover Wise Owl Players will Zoom a dramatic staged reading of Paula Vogel’s “The Oldest Profession,” a bittersweet tale of five senior women working and struggling as prostitutes in New York City in the early 1980s.

Directed by retired library director and storyteller Enid Davis and appropriate for ages 18 and up.

Saturday, Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, at 2 p.m. Cost is $8 per device. For more information, call Avenidas at 650-289-5400.

FAMILY CAREGIVING ... “Don’t go it alone for the holidays,” says Avenidas Care Partners manager and social worker Paula Wolfson, who holds weekly sessions for family caregivers. Wolfson will convene virtual Pajama Parties for Family Caregivers on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Both events will be at 7 p.m. She invites participants to bring stories, jokes or inspired readings and wear colorful PJs. “All emotions are welcome,” says Wolfson. For a Zoom link, call Wolfson at 650-289-5438. Q

Volunteers pack food at the Little House kitchen in Menlo Park on Nov. 25. The 390 meals served for Thanksgiving were a single-day record in the agency’s 48-year history.

As holidays approach, demand for food hits new record Local nutrition programs find creative ways to provide meals and cheer

by Chris Kenrick

A

s they face rising demand for food, organizers of local senior nutrition programs say they’re committed to meeting the need and making the holidays special — even if socially distanced — for those who depend on them.

Instead of its traditional musicfilled Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year’s gatherings inside a festive dining hall, Palo Alto’s La Comida is distributing freshly prepared, boxed meals from an outdoor table.

Recipients have to stand in line for the daily takeout distribution, but special menus — including brisket, latkes and turkey — will be offered for the holidays. Volunteer masked musicians Jena Rauti and Gary Breitbard often stop by to liven up the scene with background music.

“Demand (for the hot meals) has gone up significantly” since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Bill Blodgett, La Comida board co-president and longtime volunteer, said. The agency currently is serving as many as 250 meals per day at two locations, up from about 160 per day a year ago. The 390 meals served last month for Thanksgiving were a single-day

Page 34 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

record in the agency’s 48-yearhistory, Blodgett said.

More than 1,200 homebound seniors get meals delivered to their doorsteps several days per week by Menlo Park-based Peninsula Volunteers, Inc., which operates Meals on Wheels for much

of San Mateo County, including East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

The average number of meals delivered per month jumped from 13,837 to 15,450 from last year’s third quarter to this year’s, the agency said.

Turkey with all the trimmings is

on the Christmas menu. Peninsula Volunteers is also seeking donations of small gifts to place inside the packages with the meals.

“We’ve had to get creative on our programming,” Peninsula (continued on page 37)

Olivia Treynor

Items for Senior Focus may be emailed to Palo Alto Weekly Contributing Writer Chris Kenrick at ckenrick@ paweekly.com.

Olivia Treynor

COGNITIVE HEALTH ... Dr. Mehrdad Ayati, director of The Geriatric Center in Los Altos, and Neurologist Logan Schneider, co-director of the Stanford VA Alzheimer’s Center, will discuss cognitive health, decline and testing protocols during a free, town hall-style Zoom meeting Wednesday, Dec. 16, from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. To register, leave a message at 650-2895400 specifying the event, your phone number and email address.

Volunteers Amy, Sadie and Tallulah Redell-Evans pack a car with coolers of food for delivery through the Meals on Wheels program outside of Little House.

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Page 36 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Living Well

Olivia Treynor

Staff member Eddie Francisco organizes coolers of food outside Little House in Menlo Park.

Nutrition (continued from page 34)

Volunteers CEO Peter Olson said.

To reduce client exposure, Meals on Wheels comes only three days per week — with multiple meals — instead of the usual five days. Staff and volunteers must disinfect hands before and after each home delivery.

“We make wellness calls on days clients do not receive a meal delivery to assess each client’s well-being on a regular basis while also helping to reduce their feelings of isolation and to provide additional

Give your parents a gift that helps them live better in their own home…

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resources where needed,” Rebecca Matteson Nelson said Peninsula Volunteers development director, said.

Peninsula Volunteers, which also operates the Little House senior center, the adult-day program Rosener House and senior transportation services, has substantially altered its other programs in response to the pandemic.

Rosener House, which serves adults with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, and Little House have closed their doors to the public and are offering classes

by Zoom. The agency continues to offer (continued on page 38)

Living Well

DECEMBER

Dec 1 Protecting Your Personal Information Online Explore Tech Lecture, 10-11am via Zoom, Senior Planet @Avenidas. RSVP to rsvp@seniorplanetavenias.org Free.

Avenidas Honors National AIDS Day Zoom Event 1pm. For program schedule and to register, email tkingery@avenidas.org. Free.

Dec 2 Hosting A Zoom Meeting 10-11am via Zoom, Wednesdays, Senior Planet @ Avenidas. RSVP to rsvp@seniorplanetavenias.org for log on info. Free

Dec 3 Lesbian Social Group via Zoom

An Avenidas Village membership provides peace of mind for you and a community of support and resources for your loved ones to help them stay independent and secure. They will enjoy joining a network of active seniors sharing resources for handling life’s transitions.

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P2P Payment Explore Tech Lecture 10-11am via Zoom, Senior Planet @Avenidas. rsvp@seniorplanetavenias.org for log on info. Free.

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Dec 7 Learn about ClearCaptions phones 10:30-11:30am via Zoom, every 1st and 3rd Monday. RSVP at register@avenidas.org. Free

LGBTQ Senior Empowerment & Connections Group 2:30 to 4pm via Zoom, every Monday. Email tkingery@avenidas.org with subject “Connections” for log on info. Free.

Dec 8

Money Matters Explore Tech Lecture 10-11am via Zoom, Senior Planet @Avenidas. rsvp@seniorplanetavenias.org for log on info. Free.

Dec 9

Book Club with Carol Novello

www.avenidasvillage.org For complete schedule or info about Avenidas events, call 650-289-5400

Former president of the Humans Society Silicon Valley and author of Mutual Rescue - How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You Too 2:30-4pm, via Zoom. RSVP for log on info to register@avenidas.org. Free

2020

Calendar of Events

Dec 10

Tinnitus Support Group

Caregiver Roundtable: Minimizing Stress -Increasing Joy during the Holidays

6:30-8:30pm via Zoom. RSVP for log on info to register@avenidas.org. Free Dec 18

11am-12:30pm via Zoom. Register: 650-289-5438

Webinar: Hearing your Best During COVID-19: Technology, research, and solutions for better communication *ÀiÃi Ìi` LÞ À° *i} Ã ] *>V wV i>À } -iÀÛ Vi 1:30-2:30pm via Zoom. RSVP for log on info register@avenidas.org. Free

Friendly Men’s Walking Group, 3-4pm. Email tkingery@avenidas.org for more info. Free.

Hanukkah begins.

Dec 11

Visit Avenidas’ new online shop Check out the handmade items available for gifting. Go to www.Avenidas.org, then donate, then shop. Items are available for pick-up only.

Dec 14 Webinar: Savvy Saving Seniors® Steps to Avoiding Scams presented

by Emily Farber, MSW 2-3:15pm via Zoom. RSVP for log on info register@ avenidas.org. Free Dec 15

Wearables 10-11am via Zoom, Senior Planet @Avenidas. rsvp@seniorplanetavenias.org for log on info. Free.

Dec 16

Town Hall: “What You Need to Know About Cognitive Health, Decline and Mental Status Capacity Evaluations” with Dr. Mehrdad Ayati and Dr. Logan Schneider 11am-12:30pm via Zoom. RSVP for log on info to register@avenidas.org. Free Incredible World Food Tour—Holiday Special Edition Bilingual Zoom Party 2-3pm. RSVP by 12/9 to pfung@avenidas.org Dec 17

Connecting to the Internet Explore Tech Lecture: Home for the Holidays 10-11am via Zoom, Senior Planet @Avenidas. RSVP to rsvp@seniorplanetavenias.org for log on info.

Free.

Ugly Sweater Day. Go for it!

Dec 19

The Oldest Profession by Paula Vogel, live streaming performance by the Avenidas Wise Owl Players 2pm. Tickets $8 at www.showtix4u.com Dec 20

The Oldest Profession by Paula Vogel, live streaming performance by the Avenidas Wise Owl Players 2pm. Tickets $8 at www.showtix4u.com Dec 21

Shakespeare Club 10:30am-12pm via Zoom every Monday. Email tmccloud@avenidas.org for reading and to register.

Free Dec 22 National Date Nut Bread Day

Dec 23 Short Story Reading Club 10:30am-12pm via Zoom every Wednesday. Email tmccloud@avenidas.org for more info and to register. Free Dec 24 Christmas Eve Dec 25 Merry Christmas! Avenidas closed Dec 26 Happy Kwanzaa!

Dec 29 Tick Tock Day. Check your list. Get that WPƂPKUJGF DWUKPGUU EQORNGVG Dec 30 Mindfulness Meditation, every Wednesday 2-3pm, via Zoom. Visit www.Avenidas.org for log on information. Free.

Dec 31 New Year’s Eve – say good-bye to 2020!

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 37

TELL YOUR STORY We help you create beautiful and lasting masterpieces that will be remembered and enjoyed for generations to come.

Books - Documentaries - Digitizing

YOUR LEGACY

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Living Well

Nutrition (continued from page 37)

transportation services for medical, dental and grocery visits.

Olson said data from the 2010 Census indicates “there are an estimated 16,000 seniors in San Mateo County suffering from food insecurity.

“We’re serving 1,200 individuals (with a waiting list of 266) and we’d like to serve more, but fundraising is critical for any type of expansion,” he said. “It takes support from the community.”

While some of the volunteer drivers for Meals on Wheels had to withdraw because of the pandemic, the agency has “received an outpouring of community support and interest from new volunteers,” Nelson said.

It’s a different story at La Comida in Palo Alto. A shortage of volunteers “has been one of our greatest challenges during the pandemic,” Blodgett said. “Most of our volunteers are

For a FREE in-home or ZOOM Consultation, contact Paul Newman at 408-800-1608 paul@PhotosMoviesMore.com

seniors, so understandably many are sheltering at home and not volunteering.

“We definitely need more volunteers Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. ’til 12:30. We need volunteers year-round, not just at the holidays.”

Extra funding from Santa Clara County covered additional La Comida meals from July through October, Blodgett said. “We are hopeful that there will be additional county funding to cover the higher meal volume through the rest of the year but we will have to wait and see on that. In any case La Comida is committed to fully meeting the demand for senior meals throughout the pandemic period,” he said.

For more information on La Comida, go to lacomida.org or email manager@lacomida.org.

For more information about Peninsula Volunteers, go to penvol.org.

Contributing Writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly.com.

Support our Kids with a gift to the Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund Donate online at PaloAltoOnline.com/holiday_fund

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Page 38 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Morgan VTA Rider Since 2014

Home has never been more important.

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compass

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compass.com

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Numbers 01079009 and 01272467. All material presented herein Wp WbsObMOM Tdo WbTdoaBsWdbB_ ltoldpOp db_| BbM Wp KdalW_OM Toda pdtoKOp MOOaOM oO_WBJ_O Jts VBp bds JOOb yOoW OMà VBbUOp Wb loWKOÛ KdbMWsWdbÛ pB_O do zWsVMoBzB_ aB| JO aBMO zWsVdts notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footage are approximate.

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 39

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 41

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Across 1 Raccoon relative 6 BTS or Blackpink genre 10 Lawn mower’s spot 14 “It’s just ___ those things” 15 Edison’s middle name 16 Jekyll’s alter ego 17 Make yourself sleepy, in a way 19 “1917,” for one 20 Writer Vonnegut 21 Thicke of “Growing Pains” 22 ___ Domingo (capital of the Dominican Republic) 23 Seed for flavoring soft drinks 25 Gp. with a Brussels HQ 26 “Whose ___ was this?”

27 “Well done” 30 Got angry 33 Concave cooker 34 Title said by Zazu in “The Lion King” 35 Tall prez, for short 36 Clothing item that I suppose could make you sleepy (if it’s really comfy) 40 Poseidon’s realm 41 Soften up 43 Acne medication brand 44 Tank covering 46 Synthpop duo that released an album of ABBA covers 48 Transport 50 Senatorial stretch 51 Snarky, but less fun 54 Lagoon locale 56 “Star Trek: TNG” counselor Deanna 57 Egyptian fertility goddess with a cow’s head 59 Rice-A-___ 60 Chemical in turkey that makes many people sleepy 62 ZZ Top, e.g.

63 Pueblo dwellers 64 “Once Upon a Time in the West” director Sergio 65 Email app folder

“You’re Getting Sleepy” — some ways to get there. by Matt Jones

This week’s SUDOKU

Answers on page 27.

Answers on page 27.

66 “Let’s Roll” blues singer James 67 “Melrose Place” actor Rob Down 1 Scar 2 Actress Aimee of “La Dolce Vita” 3 Brain surgeon’s prefix 4 “Be honest” 5 Back, on a boat 6 Liqueur used in a Black Russian 7 Feature of some khakis 8 Major kitchen appliance 9 Soft food for babies 10 Sword holders 11 Demonstration where you might hear the line “You’re getting sleepy ...”

12 Fix

13 Style from about 100 years ago 18 “Aladdin ___” (David Bowie album) 22 Give in to gravity 24 Tacks on to a friends list 25 “Swoosh” company 27 Go off in the kitchen?

28 Cookie with a jokey November tweet showing itself in mashed potatoes 29 Warm, in a way 30 Prominence 31 Service with an “Eats” offshoot 32 Supplement that can help make you sleepy 33 Method 37 Early bird’s prize 38 Application file suffix 39 George’s sitar teacher

www.sudoku.name

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53 “Big Little Lies” author Moriarty 54 Sunday newspaper section 55 Ripped (off) 56 Relaxed pace 58 1990s game console, initially 60 Chance ___ Rapper 61 Cheer for Cristiano Ronaldo © 2020 Matt Jones

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • December 4, 2020 • Page 43

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Page 44 • December 4, 2020 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com