text:
Palo Alto Weekly 03.04.2011 - Section 1
Section 1 of the March 4, 2011 edition of the Palo Alto Weekly
Palo Alto City banks on clean-tech firms Page 3 w w w.PaloA ltoOnline.com Doctors, patients connect via social media page 14 online is in... and doctor The Transitions 10 Spectrum 12 Movies 26 Camp Connections 31 Puzzles 52 Page 22 Page 28 Page 33 Arts Photos explore global tragedy, emotion Sports Basketball teams reach CCS finals Home Plenty of greenery at The Greenhouse Community Health Education Programs Palo Alto Center, 795 El Camino Real Lecture and Workshops Healthy Restaurant Eating Presented by Valerie Spier, MPH, R.D., CDE., PAMF Nutrition Tuesday, Mar. 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Hearst Center for Health Education, Level 3, 650-853-4873 Put A Lid On High Blood Pressure Health Lecture Series Presented by Ronesh Singha, M.D., PAMF Internal Medicine Monday, Mar. 28, 7 to 8:30 p.m. San Carlos Library, 650-591-0341 x237 Mountain View Center, 701 E. El Camino Real Lecture and Workshops 650-934-7373 A Roundtable Discussion on Peripheral Arterial Disease For Your Health Lecture Series Presented by Fae Lindo, N.P., and Carolyn Dudley, P.A., PAMF Vascular Surgery, Wednesday, Mar. 16, 7 to 8 p.m., Third Floor Conference Center Deconstructing Supper PAMF Healthy Screenings Film Series Panel discussion after film led by Ed Yu, M.D., PAMF Family Medicine, Friday, Mar. 25, 7 to 9 p.m., Third Floor Conference Center Understanding Food Allergies Dr. Marvin Small Memorial Parent Workshop Series Presented by Steven Rubinstein, M.D., PAMF Allergy and Immunology, Tuesday, Mar. 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m., Third Floor Conference Center Cancer Care 650-934-7373 or pamf.org/cancercare Cancer Support CARE Eating Tips During Cancer Care Treatment Healing Imagery Qigong Ask the Dietitian 650-934-7373 Celebrate Nutrition Month with free (5 minutes) drop-in visits with a dietitian every Monday in March, noon to 1 p.m. in the Health Resource Center. Cancer Care 650-934-7373 or pamf.org/cancercare Nutrition and Diabetes Classes 650-853-2961 Bariatric Orientation Bariatric Pre-Op Bariatric Shared Medical Appointment Healthy eating. Active lifestyles. Healthy Eating Type 2 Diabetes Introduction to Solids Living Well with Diabetes Living Well with Prediabetes Sweet Success Program (Gestational Diabetes) Exercise for Energy (men and women's group) Expressions Healing Imagery When Eating is a Problem...During Cancer Treatment HMR Weight Management Program 650-404-8260 Nutrition and Diabetes Classes 650-934-7177 Bariatric Surgery Orientation Session Diabetes Management Healthy eating. Active lifestyles. Heart Smart Class Living Well with Prediabetes New Weigh of Life Sweet Success Program (Gestational Diabetes) Post-Stroke Caregiver's Workshop 650-565-8485 Pregnancy, Breastfeeding & Child Care Classes Breastfeeding � Secrets for Success Childbirth Without Medication New Parent ABC's � All About Baby Care PAMF Partners in Parenting Prenatal Yoga Preparing for Birth (2-sessions) Preparing for Birth (3-sessions) Preparing for Birth (6-week) Preparing for Birth (Fast Track, 3 sessions) Your Baby's Doctor For all, register online or call 650-853-2960. Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Child Care Classes Baby Safety Basics Breastfeeding Your Newborn Childbirth Preparation Feeding Your Young Child Infant Care Infant Emergencies and CPR Introduction to Solids OB Orientation Tools to Active Birth What to Expect with Your Newborn For all, register online or call 650-934-7373. Support Groups Bariatric CPAP Diabetes Drug and Alcohol Kidney Multiple Sclerosis Support Groups AWAKE Bariatric Surgery Breastfeeding Chronic Fatigue For a complete list of classes and class fees, lectures and health education resources, visit: pamf.org. Page 2 Upfront by Gennady Sheyner BEST LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE California Newspaper Publishers Association 1ST PLACE Local news, information and analysis Palo Alto hitches economic future to green innovation City to look for partnerships with clean-tech companies as part of new economic-development strategy S eeking to lure new clean-tech companies and retain existing ones, Palo Alto officials are pitching a new program that would turn some of the city's utility cus- tomers into "test beds" for emerging technologies. The concept is part of an aggressive new strategy for boosting economic development that the office of City Manager James Keene unveiled this week. The effort, spearheaded by the city's Economic Development Manager Thomas Fehrenbach, aims to reverse recent dips in tax revenues and bolster Palo Alto's image as a hub of green innovation. The plan, which is still in draft form and is likely to see modifications in the coming months, reflects the City Council's ambition to become more proactive in attracting clean-tech companies. At their annual retreat in January, several council members expressed interest in using the cityowned utilities to create partnerships with Stanford University and emerging green companies. Palo Alto already boasts a strong crop of young green leaders, includ- ing the electric-vehicle companies Better Place and Tesla Motors. At the same time, existing tech giants such as Hewlett-Packard Co. and SAP continue to place a higher emphasis on clean technology, Councilman Pat Burt said at the retreat. "It's hard to be a major corpora(continued on page 8) TRANSPORTATION Hundreds protest Caltrain cuts Caltrain riders' message: Service cuts will permanently shrink ridership by Sue Dremann hey came in wheelchairs, with canes and crutches, schoolbooks and written speeches. Hundreds of people packed the Caltrain headquarters in San Carlos Thursday to warn transportation officials that cutting service would run the risk of losing riders permanently. The audience overflowed the auditorium into a second room, and a long line of speakers stretched down the aisle. Caltrain officials have been warning for months that the rail line faces a $30 million operations deficit on a $100 million budget due to major subsidy cuts from its three contributing transportation agencies: San Mateo County's SamTrans, Santa Clara County's Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency. The three agencies fund nearly 40 percent of Caltrain's operating budget but face financial problems of their own due to statefunding cuts, officials said. The fiscal crisis began after SamTrans, which faces a $50 million deficit, announced it would cut its contribution to the rail line from $14.7 million to $4.8 million. The two other agencies likewise would make proportional cuts: VTA would reduce its share from $14.1 million to $4.6 million and San Francisco would drop from $6.2 million to $2 million for fiscal year 2012, according to a Caltrain staff report. Cuts to the 147-year-old passengerrail line could include ending train service south of San Jose's Diridon Station, ending service at as many as seven out of 10 stations, dropping the number of weekday trains from 86 to 48 and ending all daytime, evening, weekend and special-event T Veronica Weber In the sticks Yasim Simon, 8, runs through Patrick Dougherty's environmental-art installation outside the Palo Alto Art Center recently while playing hide-and-seek with her mom. Dougherty's sculpture, made of intertwined saplings, will be featured -- even during the Art Center's reconstruction -- through Jan. 30, 2012. department supported by the city's General Fund. In total, the salaries of Palo Alto workers dropped by more than $2 million in 2010 after several years of increases. The city paid out $101 million in salaries last year, the lowest year since 2007, when the gross salaries totaled $98 million, according to the data. The number went up to $102.2 million in 2008 and to $103.4 million in 2009 before dipping by 2.2 percent last year. The slight decrease in overall salaries reflects recent concessions made by the city's labor unions over the past two years, as Palo Alto's revenues dropped. The city also (continued on page 6) CITY HALL Firefighters' salaries rise, while citywide payroll decreases City releases salary figures for employees; firefighters' collective pay went up 9 percent by Gennady Sheyner D efying a citywide trend, members of the Palo Alto Fire Department saw their collective salaries go up by 9 percent between 2009 and 2010, data from the city's Administrative Services Depart- ment shows. The combined salaries for the fire department totaled $16.5 million in 2010, compared to $15.1 million the year before. The figure includes overtime expenditures, which jumped from $2.1 million to $2.5 million -- a 20 percent spike. The figures illustrate the dramatic difference between Fire Department, where salary expenditures continue to rise, and every other (continued on page 7) Page 3 Fresh fish today in Half Moon Bay!! HALF MOON BAY FISH MARKET Upfront 450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jocelyn Dong, Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Keith Peters, Sports Editor Tyler Hanley, ExpressTM and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer Dale Bentson, Colin Becht, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Sarah Trauben, Zohra Ashpari Editorial Interns DESIGN Shannon Corey, Design Director Raul Perez, Assistant Design Director Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn, Senior Designers Gary Vennarucci, Designer PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Dorothy Hassett, Samantha Mejia, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators ADVERTISING Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Judie Block, Esmeralda Flores, Janice Hoogner, Gary Whitman, Display Advertising Sales Neil Fine, Rosemary Lewkowitz, Real Estate Advertising Sales David Cirner, Irene Schwartz, Inside Advertising Sales Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. Diane Martin, Real Estate Advertising Assistants Alicia Santillan, Classified Administrative Asst. EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Rachel Palmer, Online Operations Coordinator Rachel Hatch, Multimedia Product Manager BUSINESS Penelope Ng, Payroll & Benefits Manager Elena Dineva, Mary McDonald, Susie Ochoa, Doris Taylor, Business Associates ADMINISTRATION Amy Renalds, Assistant to the Publisher & Promotions Director Janice Covolo, Receptionist Ruben Espinoza, Courier EMBARCADERO MEDIA William S. Johnson, President Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO Walter Kupiec, Vice President, Sales & Marketing Frank A. Bravo, Director, Information Technology & Webmaster Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing Services Alicia Santillan, Circulation Assistants Chris Planessi, Chip Poedjosoedarmo, Computer System Associates The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 3268210. 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 free 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. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright �2010 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Printed by SFOP, Redwood City. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our e-mail addresses are: email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com. Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or e-mail circulation@paweekly. com. You may also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $60/yr. 99 San Mateo Road NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING of the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board Please be advised the Historic Resources Board shall conduct a meeting at 8:00 AM on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in the Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. 365 Lincoln Avenue [11PLN-00014]: Request by Cody Anderson Wasney Architects, on behalf of Thomas and Gab Layton, for Historic Resource Board review of improvements to a single family residence and the addition of a second dwelling unit and detached garage for a property listed on the City's Historic Inventory in Category 2 and located in the Professorville National Register Historic District. Zoning: R-1 (10,000). Questions. If interested parties have any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Division at (650) 329-2441. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and staff reports will be available for inspection at 2:00 PM the Friday preceding the hearing. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City's ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing email@example.com. Steven Turner, Advance Planning Manager VOLVO Top Rating For Quality By Bay Area Consumer Check Book and off El Camino near Hwy 85 www.corporateautoworks.com CORPORATE AUTO WORKS Since 1981 650-691-9477 Distributor JT Design Products to make Palo Alto more peaceful s r r Become a Volunteer Mediator Volunteer to Mediate to make Palo Alto more peaceful The City of Palo Alto Mediation Program is now accepting applications for volunteer The City of Palo Alto Mediation Program is now accepting applications for volunteer This free program handlesProgram handles disputes involving tenant/ mediators. mediators. This free disputes involving tenant/landlord, landlord, neighbor-to-neighbor, and consumer and workplace issues. neighbor-to-neighbor, and consumer and workplace issues. Help fellow citizens resolve conflicts and: build your communication skills receive valuable mediation training give something back to your community TheThe application deadline is April 18, 2008. application deadline is March 25, 2011 To learn more and to download an application*, visit Support your local newspaper by becoming a paid subscriber. $60 per year. $100 for two years. Name: _________________________________ Address: _______________________________ City/Zip: _______________________________ Mail to: Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610. Palo Alto CA 94302 SUBSCRIBE! www.paloaltomediation.org or call (650) 856-4062 * Applicants must live, work, or own property in Palo Alto or Stanford Page 4 `` Just say "The Weekly sent me" and receive 10% OFF your purchase QUOTE OF THE WEEK `` "This is an economic- and socialjustice issue." --Sue Digre, Pacifica City Council member, on the potential impact of Caltrain service cuts on people with disabilities. See story on page 3. Around Town CAN-DO SPIRIT ... Palo Alto residents are passionate about the environment, but by at least one measure, those who live in the Palo Verde and Charleston Terrace (Adobe Meadow, Meadow Park and Charleston Gardens) neighborhoods are the greenest of them all. The adjacent south Palo Alto neighborhoods boast the highest percentage of households using 20-gallon mini-cans to dispose of their trash instead of the traditional 32-gallon variety. Palo Verde leads the city with 37 percent of its refuse customers using the smaller cans, while Charleston Terrace is right behind it with 36 percent. The results were presented and mapped out by Zero Waste Palo Alto, a city program that seeks to reduce the percentage of local trash going to landfills. The map, which can be viewed at zerowastepaloalto.org/progress-report, uses colors to highlight the neighborhoods with the highest percentage of mini-can customers, as well as those that haven't come around. On the other end of the scale were Downtown North (a comparatively feeble 13 percent), Green Acres (15 percent), University South and Duveneck/St. Francis (18 percent each). Local environmentalist David Coale, who lives in College Terrace, cited the map at the Wednesday night meting of the Utilities Advisory Commission and told the commission that he wants to see his part of town win the race to become the first "green" neighborhood -- defined by Zero Waste as one in which more than 50 percent of the households use mini-cans. MEDICAL EMERGENCIES ... Four months after Palo Alto fired a consultant who was analyzing the city's Emergency Medical Services program, the City Council is preparing to embark once again on the study. The council is scheduled to approve an $87,000 contract for a new study with the firm Systems Planning Corporation/TriData -- the same one that took part in a recent evaluation of the Fire Department and issued dozens of recommendations to dramatically change department operations. According to TriData, medical calls to the Fire Department went up by 48 percent between 2000 and 2009 and are expected to make up 64 percent of the incidents the Fire Department will be responding to in 2025. BRANCHING OUT ... With much fanfare and a pinch of irony, Palo Alto's leading tree lovers are preparing to flock to Eleanor Pardee Park on Saturday, March 12, to celebrate Arbor Day. The Palo Alto Arbor Day Festival will be held two months after the City Council voted to chop down 10 diseased eucalyptus trees that until recently adorned the park in the Crescent Park neighborhood, outraging some tree lovers. In the spirit of Arbor Day, Mayor Sid Espinosa will lead the ceremonial tree-planting (or, rather, replanting) ceremony in the park at 9:30 a.m. The celebration will also include a tree-climbing demonstration and race, "Tree Story Time" with Palo Alto's Planning Arborist Dave Dockter, an arborist booth and activities for children. The festival will take place between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the park, which is located near the intersection of Channing Avenue and Center Drive. PAY UP ... As if $4-per-gallon gas isn't aggravating enough, drivers who frequent Palo Alto can now expect another fee increase. Local parking tickets would rise by $3 under a proposal by the Police Department. The reason is a new state law that requires the city to pay a greater share of ticket revenues to the state. Senate Bill 857 imposed a new $3 surcharge on parking tickets to help pay for the state's court system. This means the amount the city sends to Santa Clara County Treasurer (who subsequently sends part of it to the state) would go up from $9.50 to $12.50 per ticket. Because Palo Alto issues about 50,000 parking tickets every year, the city would lose about $150,000 in revenue by keeping the current fines in place, according to a new report from the police department. The City Council is scheduled to approve the change to the parking fines Monday night. Upfront ENERGY TECHNOLOGY Compost plant draws excitement, skepticism Utilities Advisory Commission lauds the green potential but costs remain top concern by Gennady Sheyner n ambitious and divisive proposal to build a waste-toenergy plant in Byxbee Park won cautious praise from Palo Alto's utility commissioners Wednesday night. The Utilities Advisory Commission discussed the preliminary results from a study that looked at the potential costs of building an anaerobic digestion facility -- a plant that would convert local food scraps, yard trimmings and sewage sludge into electricity. Commissioners didn't endorse the project, citing a host of unanswered questions about its costs, but they agreed that a local anaerobic digestion facility would bring a host of environmental benefits to Palo Alto. Chief among these benefits is retiring the incinerators that currently burn Palo Alto's sewage sludge, Vice Chair Jon Foster said. He echoed several public speakers who characterized this practice as an embarrassment for a city that takes such pride in its green accomplishments. "For us to be burning our biosolids is terrible," Foster said. "It's expensive and the contributions to the environment couldn't possibly be worse. "We should send a message to the City Council that we should absolutely move forward in the direction that would lead to the closure of the incinerator," Foster said. Commissioners briefly discussed the facility's energy potential and agreed that while the project holds great promise, it's too early to have a serious discussion about whether the city should pursue it. Palo Alto's consultant, Alternative Resources, Inc., released the preliminary feasibility study last month and is scheduled to complete the final study in September. Early numbers show that processing Palo Alto's yard trimmings, food waste and sewage sludge in a local anaerobic digestion facility would cost the city more than $100 per ton, while shipping yard trimmings to Gilroy and food waste to San Jose would cost about $70 per ton. Former Mayor Peter Drekmeier, a leading proponent of building a local plant, said the numbers are skewed because they don't consider the fact that without a new facility, the city would have to retrofit its existing incinerators or build a new one -- a project that he said would cost tens of millions of dollars. Drekmeier is leading a drive to "undedicate" a roughly 9-acre portion of parkland at the site of the existing landfill. The landfill is scheduled to close next year, at which time the land is slated to revert to parkland. Drekmeier's coalition, the Palo Alto Green Energy and Compost Initiative, has already collected enough signatures to place the issue on the November ballot. Other residents, including former Palo Alto makes fresh pitch for Google Fiber City manager cites existing collaborations with Google as reason why Palo Alto should be selected for Google's fiber-optic project by Gennady Sheyner A Councilwoman Emily Renzel and former Vice Mayor Enid Pearson, oppose the use of parkland for an industrial waste operation. Renzel pointed out at Wednesday night's meeting that the city is already conducting a separate master plan for the Regional Water Quality Control Plant -- a plan that would consider Palo Alto's options for processing sewage. "I think you need to understand that the biggest energy and greenhouse-gas savings can occur by just dealing with the water-quality plant," Renzel told the commission. "You do not need to take parkland and build a power plant there." The commission stayed away from the thorny land-use issue and focused on the plant's capacity to supply gas and electricity. The facility's generator would produce between 1.5 and 2 megawatts -- enough to supply between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of the city's annual electricity usage, according to a report from Jon Abendschein, a resource planner at the Utilities Department. It would also nudge the city toward its goal of getting 33 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015, the report stated. Foster called the energy-generation component of the project "fabulous" and the "holy grail" of locally generated renewable energy. His colleagues agreed, though they also acknowledged that this green project would also have to make financial sense to get their endorsement. Commissioner Steve Eglash said there are "a lot of wonderful reasons for doing this," but also warned against entering a situation in which the utility would pay "exorbitantly high rates" to subsidize the project. Commissioner Marilyn Keller agreed. "There's a lot of things we don't know," Keller said. "I won't say, `Yes, at any cost.'" Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com. A s Google winnows down the field of applicants for its highly coveted "Google Fiber to Community" project, Palo Alto is making a last-gasp push to convince the high-tech giant to turn the city's longstanding fiber dreams into reality. Google had planned to select one or more U.S. communities for its ultra-high-speed Internet initiative by late 2010 but postponed the selection until "early this year" because of the "incredible" level of interest, company spokesman Dan Martin told the Weekly. Though the Mountain View company still plans to announce its chosen community or communities early this year, it doesn't have a specific date for announcing the decision, Martin said. The company received bids from nearly 1,100 communities nationwide, Martin said. Given the intense competition, Palo Alto submitted a follow-up letter to Google in mid-February highlighting the history of cooperation between the city and the company and making a fresh pitch for why the city should be chosen. The letter from City Manager James Keene to Milo Medin, Google's newly hired vice president for access service, cites several examples in which Palo Alto's and Google's fiber efforts currently intertwine, including Google's fiber experiment at Stanford University. Google announced last fall its plan to install a fiber network at Stanford -- a project that would bring ultra-high-speed Internet access to about 850 faculty homes on Stanford's property. The project would be a precursor to the highly coveted "Google Fiber for Communities" that caused ripples of excitement across the nation. To complete its Stanford project, Google reached out to Palo Alto's Utilities Department to ask if it could use the city's own dark-fiber system. The city and Google are now working on an agreement that would enable Google to stretch its fiber network beyond Stanford University and link it to the city's fiber network, said Josh Wallace, account representative for the city's fiber service. Wallace said the city sees Google's Stanford venture as a "bona fide dark-fiber community project" and that it's happy to assist with the implementation. "They're formerly a Palo Alto company, and we'd love to help them out," Wallace told the Weekly. "They're a great customer." The Stanford project is one of several Keene cited in his letter to highlight the close links between Palo Alto and Google. The company that Google chose to operate the Stanford network, Sonic.net, also happens to license the city's dark-fiber system, Keene said. He also mentioned the fact that Google has been Palo Alto's fiber customer since 2005 and that the company currently licenses the city's dark fiber to connect to the Palo Alto Internet Exchange -- a neutral hub that allows different Internet service providers to exchange network traffic. Fiber is one of many areas where Palo Alto and Google overlap. Google was briefly headquartered in Palo Alto in 1999, before it moved to Mountain View. Sergey Brin and Larry Page both studied at Stanford University before they co-founded the company, and Stanford is one of several institutions that submitted letters to Google in support of Palo Alto's bid. Palo Alto is also home to many Google employees, some of whom formerly worked for the city, Wallace said. Last year, a group of more than 30 Google employees raised $500,000 for the Palo Alto Library Foundation, which is raising money to furnish the city's rebuilt libraries. Despite the shared history, Palo Alto officials aren't taking the city's candidacy for granted. A year ago, city officials and local technophiles residents boogied for a video in front of a giant "Palo Alto for Google Fiber" sign in hopes of catching Google's eye. The city's notoriously tech-savvy residents also flooded the company with e-mails and postings urging it to choose Palo Alto. Palo Alto officials also know that Google's involvement in Stanford's fiber network won't necessarily have any bearing on the larger project. Google has persistently maintained that the two projects are completely separate -- a position that Keene acknowledged in his letter. "Nevertheless, with the Stanford project next door to our community and our fiber providing essential communications support, the City would appreciate an opportunity to discuss bringing Google fiber to Palo Alto," Keene wrote. "We realize we have a lot of competition, but Google's selection criteria for Fiber for Communities appear to be closely aligned with many factors in Palo Alto." Palo Alto has been working to bring a high-speed fiber-optic network to the city masses for about 15 years. Its latest effort to establish a citywide system faltered in March 2009 when a high-tech consortium charged with building the system saw its financing collapse and withdrew from its partnership with the city. Meanwhile, the city's utilities department is considering other ways to expand the city's existing fiber system, which currently has 154 licensed connections and which generates about $2 million in annual profits. The city has recently hired consultants to evaluate the potential market for a municipal fiber system and to look at ways to attract private investment to the project. Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com. Learn the Guitar this Spring Carol McComb's "Starting to Play" workshop includes the FREE use of a Loaner Guitar for the duration of the classes.* Regular cost is just $160 for nine weeks of group lessons, and all music is included. *"Starting to Play" meets for one hour each Monday night for nine weeks beginning March 28th. Students are encouraged to bring their own guitar, but both nylon-string and steel-string loaner guitars are available. Other classes at more advanced levels are also offered. A full brochure is available at Gryphon. Palo Alto Historical Association presents a public program JUANA BRIONES HOUSE Stringed Instruments Since 1969 "Preservation: Connecting Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. Case History: Juana Briones House" Speaker: Scott Smithwick, A.I.A. Sunday, March 6, 2011, 2:00 p.m. Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto 650 493 2131 www.gryphonstrings.com Page 5 Upfront Top 10 city overtime earners in 2010 City employee Jason Amdur Fire Captain EMT Ryan Stoddard Fire Apparatus Operator EMT John Parks Fire Inspector EMT Kenneth Green Fire Captain EMT Patrick Morris Fire Captain EMT Joseph Ottolini Fire Fighter EMT Mark Shah Fire Apparatus Operator EMT John Dean Fire Captain EMT Adrienne Moore Police Agent Shane Lopes Fire Fighter EMT Salary $126,276 $101,390 $126,188 $120,338 $122,406 $112,751 $116,986 $120,338 $111,433 $96,398 Overtime $86,515 $75,727 $71,197 $65,548 $65,509 $63,664 $63,138 $63,008 $57,653 $55,138 Cash Out $7,500 $5,224 $6,048 $7,200 $7,200 $5,886 $6,478 $7,200 $7,338 $5,966 $7,539 Other Total $220,291 $182,340 $203,433 $193,086 $195,115 $182,301 $186,602 $190,546 $183,962 $157,502 City salaries (continued from page 3) SEE MORE ONLINE www.PaloAltoOnline.com A list of City of Palo Alto workers' salaries is posted on Palo Alto Online. eliminated 40 positions from the General Fund in the current fiscal year, which began last July. City management is currently in the midst of negotiations with the firefighters union over a new contract. At the City Council's January retreat, City Manager James Keene talked about bringing the city's public-safety employees "into alignment" with other labor groups that have recently been hit with salary freezes and benefit reductions. Of the two major unions that represent public-safety workers, it's the firefighters union that has posed the biggest budget-balancing obstacle for city management. The Police Department's overtime expenditures fell by 12.8 percent, from $1.4 million to $1.2 million, between 2009 and 2010 even though its total salary expenditures (which include base pay, overtime and various reimbursements) went down by less than 1 percent. YOU'LL LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR! The Latest Information on Hearing Loss, Breakthrough Technology, and New Tinnitus Treatments! Free Educational Seminar � Event Location Sheraton Palo Alto Reception Room 625 El Camino Real Palo Alto, CA 94301 Event Date: Thursday, March 10th, 2011 Breakfast Seminar 8:00 a.m. � 10:00 a.m. Lunch Seminar 11:30 a.m. � 2:00 p.m. RSVP required. Seating is limited. Validated parking. For reservations, please call: (650) 322-0384 Many Bay Area Office Locations to serve your Hearing Healthcare Needs! Visit our Website www.betterhearing.com CSG Better Hearing Center 31 Panoramic Way a Walnut Creek, CA 94595 a r (925)938-8686 Better Hearing Center of Palo Alto 480 Lytton Ave Suite 1 y v Palo Alto, CA 94301 (650)322-0384 Better Hearing Center of Berkeley 2316 Dwight Way a Berkeley, CA 94704 (510) 862-3449 Better Hearing Center of Monterey 665 Munras Ave., Suite 103 v Monterey, CA. 93940 (831) 648-1600 The city's Community Service Department was among the hardest hit by the recent cuts, the data show. The combined salaries of department employees dropped from $8.9 million in 2009 to $7.8 million in 2010 -- a 12.3 percent reduction. The combined salaries in the Planning and Community Services Department dropped by 8.8 percent between 2009 and 2010, while those in the Administrative Services Department fell by 8 percent. The city has outsourced some of the functions that have traditionally been performed by city workers. The council agreed last year to contract out the maintenance of city parks (formerly the purview of the Community Services Department) and print operations (traditionally performed by the Administrative Services Department). In this period of belt-tightening, the Fire Department stands out as an anomaly. The department's budget remained largely untouched last year, even as other departments, including the police, faced cutbacks. Firefighters also tried to change the City Charter in November to require a citywide vote before any firefighter positions could be eliminated or any fire stations could be closed -- a proposal that was shot down by city voters in November. The department's rising expenditures are driven in large part by the "minimum staffing" clause in the city's contract with the union -- a requirement that forces the city to have at least 29 firefighters on duty at all times. As a result, when a firefighter gets injured or goes on vacation, his or her colleagues have to fill in and, in some cases, put in extra time. The department also relies on overtime to staff Station 8, a fire station in the foothills that only remains open during the summer season. The trend of rising overtime is reflected in the latest salary data. Whereas only four firefighters made it to the Top 10 list of overtime earners in 2008, eight made the list in 2009. Last year, nine of the top 10 overtime earners (and 26 of the top 30) were in the Fire Department. The department's overtime expenditure of $2.5 million in 2010 was more than double the amount the city spent on fire overtime in 2003. The Palo Alto council is now considering ways to reverse the trend. Last year, the council hired two consultants to review the Fire Department's operation and recommend ways to make the department more efficient. Last month, the consultants' report recommended, among other things, ending the practice of staffing Station 8 with overtime and scrapping the minimum-staffing requirement in the city's contract with the fire union. The council will discuss the status of the city's labor negotiations Monday night. Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com. Page 6 Upfront EDUCATION elementary school level going forward," Board Chairwoman Melissa Baten Caswell said. "We need to talk through where the enrollment is and where we want classrooms as a result of that enrollment. "We're not going to talk about boundary changes but about how to accommodate elementary school enrollment." Board member Barb Mitchell noted that $50 million for elementary facilities remains from a $378 million, K-12 bond measure approved by voters in 2008. "In short, we want to meet the changing needs of residents and neighborhoods in allocating the remaining $50 million in elementary facilities funds," she said. Mitchell, who serves along with Barbara Klausner on the board's property committee, said Tuesday's meeting will "help us prepare a series of recommendations for subsequent public discussion and action, and we also would like to address attendance and questions and comments from community members." Demographers for the district have said last fall's kindergarten and first-grade enrollment numbers were "surprisingly high," far exceeding previously reliable predictors such as data on local births and housing turnover. "The predictive power (of local birth data) really broke down this year," demographer Shelly Lapkoff said. Palo Alto's district-wide enrollment, at 12,024 last fall, has been on a steady upward trajectory since a post-Baby Boom low in 1989. At its historic high in 1968 -- when Palo Alto had three high schools and more than 20 elementary schools -- enrollment reached 15,575. Currently, there are two high schools, three middle schools and 12 elementary campuses. Staff Writer Chris Kenrick can be e-mailed at firstname.lastname@example.com. School enrollment, space to be discussed Tuesday With booming elementary enrollment, Palo Alto school board ponders where to expand W by Chris ith Palo Alto's elementary school classrooms bursting with children, school officials will meet Tuesday (March 8) to discuss how to handle what they expect to be continued strong growth in the younger grades. Residents will have a chance to comment as school board members analyze demographic projections, identify available classroom space and consider sites for possible new building. City officials said they would provide meeting attendees with a map identifying all Palo Alto property currently zoned for "public fa- Kenrick cilities." The session will focus particularly on elementary space, where enrollment last fall exceeded "high end" projections. Middle-school and high-school enrollment came in between low- and medium-range predictions. With the demands on elementary space, increasing numbers of children have been "overflowed" from their neighborhood schools, forcing parents to drive them to campuses farther afield. Tuesday's gathering "will be a way for us to talk through how we want to handle the growth at the that is planned for cuts, he said. City officials and residents from up and down the Peninsula echoed his sentiment, saying that many city development plans for higher-density housing and residential and retail mixed-use development had been driven by the expectation that Caltrain service would be available. Transit-oriented development in the general plan for the City of San Bruno includes 1,600 homes and a million square feet of office space -- some of which would be above the train station, Aaron Aknin, community development director, said. In October, the Burlingame City Council approved a downtownspecific plan that would have to be scrapped if the city rail stop ends up on the chopping block, Burlingame Mayor Terry Nagel said. Several residents who have developmental and physical disabilities also said the cuts would harm their ability to travel and maintain independence. Angel Wiley, who advocated on behalf of people with developmental disabilities, said many people with disabilities live in the federally subsidized Horizon Apartments near the Belmont station, which is also being considered for cuts. "The location for this housing was chosen because it is close to the train," she said. "This is an economic- and socialjustice issue," said Sue Digre, a Pacifica City Council member and advocate for family-support services at Parca, a Burlingame-based advocacy and housing organization for people with developmental and other disabilities. "These are folks who have no recourse. They are people who need service seven days a week. For them, this is it," she said of Caltrain. Board members did not take a vote on whether to declare a fiscal emergency. That vote will take place April 7. If cuts are made, service could be reduced by July 1, members said. Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be reached at email@example.com. L U C I L E PA C K A R D C H I L D R E N ' S H O S P I TA L Caltrain cuts (continued from page 3) service except for peak commuter times, the board has warned. But residents urged the board to consider several alternatives, including taking $5.5 million earmarked for the Dumbarton Rail project, selling excess rail property, deferring electrification and using some capital funds for Caltrain operations and raising fares and parking fees. The VTA board of directors was expected to vote on Thursday night, after the Weekly's press deadline, whether to support some of these proposals and to offer to pay SamTrans $7.1 million it owes the agency, provided the funds will go to Caltrain. Residents from as far away as Monterey said they rely on Caltrain for service that links them to the Peninsula. Students from Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose said they travel from as far south as San Juan Bautista (south of Gilroy) and as far north as San Francisco to get to school. With two parents working, many students rely on financial aid and don't have any way to get to school other than Caltrain, they said. "The train is the largest and most efficient carpool," sophomore Jack Morris said. Other meeting attendees said their housing choices were contingent on the train service. "I live within spitting distance of the Tamien station. We moved there because we knew they were opening up that station," Victoria Carmona, a San Jose resident, said. Residents asked the Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board members to preserve even minimal service to each station. "By eliminating service, you will lose ridership and reduce the return of public and private TOD (transitoriented development) investment," Don Rosenblatt, a Palo Alto resident who lives near the Caltrain station, said. Ironically, crews were working on Thursday on improvements to the San Antonio station -- one Lucile Packard Children's Hospital offers classes and seminars designed to foster good health and enhance the lives of parents and children. CHILD CPR & FIRST AID ALL ABOUT PREGNANCY BREASTFEEDING SEMINAR BRINGING BABY HOME LU C I L E PA C K A R D C H I L D R E N'S H O S P I T A L V I S I T W W W. L P C H . O R G TO S I G N U P F O R C L A S S E S Page 7 Upfront CityView A round-up of These and other news stories were posted on Palo Alto Online throughout the week. For longer versions, go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com/news or click on "News" in the left, green column. Online This Week Economic future (continued from page 3) Palo Alto government action this week Ultimatum to East Palo Alto gangs: `Get a job' City Council The council did not meet this week. City Council Finance Committee (March 1) East Palo Alto police called in 11 gang members who are at risk for committing more crimes to a sit-down meeting Tuesday afternoon (March 1) to warn them they will be targeted for arrest and long prison terms if they persist in committing crimes. (Posted March 2 at 2:15 p.m.) Water rates: The committee recommended approval of a staff proposal to raise the city's water rates by an average of 12.5 percent in July. The committee also recommended an increase to the fixed-cost component of the rates. Yes: Scharff, Schmid, Yeh No: Shepherd Gas efficiency: The committee discussed and recommended approval of the Utilities Department's Ten-Year Gas Energy Efficiency Goals for the period 2011 to 2020. Yes: Unanimous Palo Alto credit card leads to two robbery arrests Palo Alto police arrested two Sunnyvale residents who allegedly used a credit card that was stolen during a December robbery on El Cajon Way to buy a Sony PlayStation game console. (Posted March 2 at 9:54 a.m.) Historic Resources Board (March 2) Main Library: The board discussed the city's proposal for a 3,700-square-foot addition to the Main Library. The project is part of the city's $76 million effort to rebuild and renovate local libraries. Action: None Bike lane under consideration where cyclist died A bike lane design similar to that at Sand Hill Road and Interstate 280 is under consideration for Alpine Road as it approaches I-280. At that intersection, on Nov. 4, cyclist Lauren Ward died after a collision with a tractor trailer. (Posted March 2 at 9:52 a.m.) Utilities Advisory Commission (March 2) Architectural Review Board (March 3) Compost: The commission heard an update on the preliminary results of the feasibility study for an anaerobic-digestion plant in Byxbee Park. Commissioners discussed the energy potential of such a facility. Action: None `10 Books a Home' promotes early-childhood literacy Paul Thiebaut had trouble with school when he was a student. It was noticeable in grade school and carried into young adulthood, when he dropped out of high school. (Posted March 1 at 4:15 p.m.) 4073 El Camino Real: The board approved a proposal by Ken Hayes on behalf of Eton Capital for a three-story, mixed-use project at 4073 El Camino Real. Yes: Unanimous Marguerite shuttle route expands Major changes to the popular Stanford Marguerite free shuttle, which include expanding the service, began Tuesday (March 1). (Posted March 1 at 3:57 p.m.) Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the Humans Services Resource Allocation Process. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, March 3, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to discuss a proposed expansion of Palo Alto Commons at 4041 El Camino Way, and adopt long-term strategic plans for the gas and electricity acquisitions. The council will hold a closed session to discuss labor negotiations at 6 p.m. Monday, March 7. Regular meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. or as soon as possible after the closed session in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). BOARD OF EDUCATION ... The board will hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. to discuss growing enrollment and capacity in the district's elementary schools. In its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m., the board will consider a proposal for a trial full-day kindergarten program at Barron Park School and hear a budget report. Both meetings will be Tuesday, March 8, in the boardroom of school-district headquarters, (25 Churchill Ave.). POLICY AND SERVICES COMMITTEE ... The committee plans to discuss the city's plan for economic development, proposed changes to council procedures and protocols, the council's work plan and Project Safety Net. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 8, in the Council Conference Room at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION ... The commission plans to review the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Stanford University Medical Center expansion project. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, in the Council Chambers at City Hall (250 Hamilton Ave.). INFRASTRUCTURE BLUE RIBBON COMMISSION ... The task force will discuss Palo Alto's infrastructure backlog and ways to fund some of the items on the list. The meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the Lucie Stern Community Room (1305 Middlefield Road). City of Palo Alto staff salaries decreased in 2010 After several years of increases, the salaries of Palo Alto workers took a step in the opposite direction in 2010 as total pay dropped by more than $2 million. (Posted March 1 at 9:55 a.m.) Gas prices on their way up? With Mideast unrest fueling a surge in oil prices, premium gas surpassed the $4-a-gallon mark at Portola Valley Fuel in Portola Valley. Nationally, regular-grade gas prices average $3.39 a gallon, up 25 cents in the past week or so, reports the New York Times. Prices peaked around $4 a gallon back in the summer of 2008. (Posted March 1 at 9:50 a.m.) Suspected thieves flee from Varian in Palo Alto Three men fled from Varian in Palo Alto Friday (Feb. 25) after being spotted by a security guard. Hopping a sound wall, they left behind a Ford truck filled with heavy-duty metal warehouse shelving, police reported. (Posted Feb. 28 at 5:43 p.m.) New leads sought in 2004 unsolved murder Mountain View police are re-examining a stalled 2004 murder investigation and are looking for help from the community, the department reported. (Posted Feb. 28 at 2:21 p.m.) 2.1 quake in south Santa Clara County An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 2.1 shook Santa Clara County Saturday night (Feb. 26), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. (Posted Feb. 27 at 11:11 a.m.) One person dead after suspected freeway race A 24-year-old San Jose man died Sunday morning (Feb. 27) and another was seriously injured when their car overturned on southbound U.S. Highway 101 in East Palo Alto, a California Highway Patrol officer said. (Posted Feb. 27 at 10:59 a.m.) Light snow sprinkles Peninsula Saturday morning Record low temperatures combined with rain overnight to create snow throughout the Bay Area at elevations as low as a few hundred feet, according to Chris Stumpf of the National Weather Service. While most of the snow melted quickly, some neighborhoods on the Peninsula at higher elevation still looked white Saturday afternoon. (Posted Feb. 26 at 3:09 p.m.) 20th Annual Photo Contest CALL FOR ENTRIES New: Digital Entries Only ENTRY DEADLINE: April 8, 2011 ENTRY FORM & RULES AVAILABLE at www.PaloAltoOnline.com Small plane crashes after takeoff in Palo Alto A man in his 50s walked away unscathed after his plane crashed into mud flats near the eastern end of the Dumbarton Bridge Saturday afternoon (Feb. 26), authorities said. (Posted Feb. 26 at 1:49 p.m.) Want to get news briefs e-mailed to you every weekday? Sign up for Express, our new daily e-edition. Go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com to sign up. tion without being engaged in clean technology and sustainability," said Burt, himself a high-tech CEO. "It's emerging even more than we thought a few years ago." The new plan places clean technology at the center of the city's strategy for economic development. "As we move forward with economic development and sustainability goals, we intuitively know that they must fuse," the plan states. "We understand that in order to maintain our leadership as a global center of innovation, we must continue to attract the next wave of start-up entrepreneurs, cutting edge clean-tech, bio-tech, and research firms, while retaining the existing companies that keep our character and charm." Fehrenbach said the proposal to designate "test bed" partnerships is a response to the comments made at the retreat. Partnerships of this sort, the plan states, could help the city attract a clean-tech firm that "could eventually mass-market a taxable product from within our city." "It's about finding ways to partner with emerging technology companies to leverage city resources in a way that can attract such companies and use the fact that we have our own utilities," Fehrenbach told the Weekly. Fehrenbach said staff is still exploring the "test bed" idea and discussing possible incentives it could offer to companies. These could include technical expertise from the Utilities Department and the prospect of having utilities customers volunteer to test the latest cuttingedge green technologies. Palo Alto's Utilities Department is already partnering with a Stanford University professor and graduate students on a "demand response" project that encourages large commercial customers to reduce their electricity usage during high-peak days. If successful, the project could be a precursor to a broader smartgrid program in Palo Alto. The strategic plan, which Fehrenbach is scheduled to present to the City Council's Policy and Services Committee Tuesday night, calls on staff to draft a business plan for other pilot projects by June and to implement these projects by Jan. 31, 2012. The plan also calls for a new survey of local businesses to identify reasons why businesses move to Palo Alto and ways in which the city can help the companies remain successful. The survey would be released by the end of this year. Staff would also hold regular outreach meetings with key company leaders to identify expansion, relocation and renovation opportunities and assist the companies as needed. The document calls for 20 general outreach meetings every month starting in January 2012. "The goal is really to have my team interface with businesses on a regular basis to understand what the business climate is and to understand what opportunities exist," Fehrenbach said. Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be e-mailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com. Page 8 Upfront News Digest Coroner: Man killed by train was from Palo Alto The Santa Clara County Coroner's Office Wednesday identified the man who died Monday evening (Feb. 28) after being struck by a train at the University Avenue station in Palo Alto as Riyan Mynuddin, 27, of Palo Alto. A "preliminary investigation indicates that the person acted intentionally," a Caltrain press release stated. The coroner's office said it could release no further information about Mynuddin. The incident happened about 7:30 p.m. and involved southbound Caltrain 284, Caltrain officials said. The train was not scheduled to stop at the Palo Alto station. Caltrain is authorized to operate at a maximum speed of 79 miles an hour. Mynuddin listed himself as a network technician by profession and the founder and chief network architect at advantEDGE computing on his Linkedin.com profile. It also indicated he had attended Santa Clara University. This is the fourth Caltrain fatality this year on the right of way, which stretches from San Francisco to Gilroy. Last year there were 11 fatalities on the right of way; of those nine were determined by the coroner to be suicides and two are pending final investigation, Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn stated. Last year, Caltrain installed 250 suicide-prevention signs along a 10-mile stretch of the right of way between Menlo Park and Mountain View. The signs, which have a hotline number to a local crisis intervention agency, are part of national study to test the effectiveness of signs in preventing suicides on railroads. The calls are tracked to determine whether the signs are effective in preventing suicides. -- Palo Alto Weekly staff Palo Alto teens to hold first all-city dance Friday Palo Alto's youth are hosting the first all-high-school social of its kind, Ignite, Friday (March 4) from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Lucie Stern Community Center. Organizers say they hope conversation and joviality will help to triumph over interscholastic competition at the event. "This is an event where teenagers get to get together as teenagers, instead of as teenagers from competing schools," said Gunn High School junior Elsa Chu, a member of the city's Teen Advisory Board. The event -- planned by both the board and the city's Youth Council for Palo Alto high school students -- will offer a game room, a lounge, live music and dancing to a DJ's music. Food will be provided. SATs and college-admission decisions make March an especially stressful month for Palo Alto students from Gunn, Palo Alto High and other local schools, Chu said, and Ignite may be a well-earned respite. "It's a hard month for a lot of teenagers," she said. Organizers have planned and promoted Ignite via school announcements and social-networking sites. It is designed to appeal to a wide variety of students. The event is the result of 2010 Youth Forum recommendations that more student activities be made available. It is sponsored by the city's Youth Collaborative, a coalition of nonprofits, city staff, business leaders, public safety officers and youth. It was planned with the input of 400 surveys distributed by the two Palo Alto youth-leadership organizations. "It's really an effort by the community to respond to Palo Alto's youth," said Jessica Lewis, a recreation coordinator for the city. Tickets are $5 in advance and $10 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at Lucie Stern, 1305 Middlefield Road, and Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road. ID is required to purchase a ticket, organizers said. -- Sarah Trauben Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Family violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suicide attempt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suicide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Commercial burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Embezzlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Vehicle related Abandoned auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .5 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Parking/driving violation . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . .4 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . 11 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Vehicle impound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Alcohol or drug related Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbing/annoying phone calls. . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . .1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Resisting arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .3 Trespassing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Pulse Palo Alto Feb. 19-March 1 H ELLER I MMIGRATION L AW G ROUP Employment-based, Family/Marriage & Investor Visas A Full-Service Immigration Law Firm Serving the SF Bay Area & Silicon Valley for 25+ years PERM Labor Certification EB1/NIW Self-Petitions Green Cards, H1B and Work Permits Engineers, IT/Computer fields, Scientists/Researchers HR/Corporate, Business & Individual Clients Free Attorney Consult! 650.424.1900 greencard1.com email@example.com Weight Loss Mineral Body Wrap Lose 10-30 inches 2055 Grant Rd., #100, Los Altos 650-390-9727 bayareahealthspa.com benefiting art in action Atelier d'Artistes Celebrating Art & Creativity Experience Local Artists at Work Bid on Unique Art Tours and Original Art Enjoy Lunch with Friends Guest Speaker: Sculptor Fletcher Benton Honorees: Goodstein Foundation, Fran Eastman, Edward Goodstein Menlo Park Feb. 22-28 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Driving w/suspended license . . . . . . . . .4 Driving without license . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .1 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Alcohol or drug related Drug activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Drunken driving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Miscellaneous Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 CPS cross report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Disturbing/annoying phone calls. . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Info case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Located missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Mental evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Possession of stolen property . . . . . . . .1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 11 am - 2 pm Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, Menlo Park $85, $75 before 2/14/11 Monday, March 7, 2011 For reservations and information 650.566.8339 x202 � www.artinaction.org Benefit for Art in Action's art education programs This space donated as a community service by Avenidas presents the 4th Annual Housing Conference Saturday, April 2, 8:30 am - 3 pm Atherton Feb. 22-28 Palo Alto committee backs higher water rates A proposal by Palo Alto's Utilities Department to raise the city's water rates by an average of 12.5 percent in July earned the endorsement of a City Council committee Tuesday night. After a lengthy debate, the council's Finance Committee voted 3-1, with Nancy Shepherd dissenting, to increase the water rates this summer. The four committee members agreed that the rates have to be raised to keep up with the spiking costs of wholesale water. The wholesale price of water is scheduled to double by 2016 because of a $4.6 billion effort by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), the city's water supplier, to repair the aged water structure. The increased rates would bring the Utility Department an estimated $3.1 million in extra revenue, which will be used to help offset a projected deficit of $6.2 million in the Water Fund. The balance of the deficit would be covered by the city's reserves. The full council is scheduled to discuss the rate increases in June. The new rates would take effect July 1. -- Gennady Sheyner LET'S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com Theft related Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle related Parking/driving problem . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Road/vehicle hazard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Suspicious vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Traffic detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle accident/property damage. . . . .4 Vehicle accident/no damage . . . . . . . . .1 Vehicle code violation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Alcohol or drug related Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Miscellaneous Animal call. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Building/area/perimeter check . . . . . . . .4 Citizen assist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Juvenile problem. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Meet citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Pedestrian check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Psychiatric hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Special detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . .4 Town ordinance violation . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Tree down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Keynote address, "I'm Not Ready Yet!" by Donna Robbins, author of Moving Mom & Dad Discover... What the local housing options are How to remain safely in your own home The tricks to staying sane when selling your home How to create order out of cluttered chaos Thanks to Presenting Sponsor Nancy Goldcamp, Coldwell Banker For more info or to register, call (650) 289-5445 or visit www.avenidas.org Where age is just a number Page 9 32nd A N N U A L T A L L T R E E A W A R D S design by harrington design HONORING: Transitions Nursery school director Gayle Nathe dies Director at First Congregational Church taught generations of local toddlers G a y l e Nat he, w h o touched the lives of countless families as a teacher and director of the First Congregational Church Nursery School of Palo Alto, died Wednesday night at her Palo Alto home. She was 64. Nathe taught at the popular preschool for 33 years, starting in 1978. She was introduced to the nursery school when her older daughter, Tristan, enrolled there in 1973. Nathe balked a few years later when offered a promotion to school director. "She was none too sure she wanted that job," Nathe's husband, Don Nathe, recalled Thursday. "'I don't want to be director -- I want to jump in mud puddles with the kids,'" Don Nathe remembered her as saying. After assurances that she would be able to do both, Nathe accepted the job and -- until a recent recurrence of breast cancer -- continued as both a teacher and school director. Nathe is remembered by generations of children for her warm and playful personality and her elaborate collection of artistic frogs. The frogs -- reflecting the travels of many nursery school students and friends -- were displayed behind glass near a small table, where Nathe personally greeted each child at the beginning of each day, pinning bird-shaped name tags on their shirts. Her husband said Nathe's teaching philosophy could be summed up in a quote from Janet Gonzalez-Mena -- "There is a beautiful child inside every child. Put your Warner Raleigh Carr, Jr. Warner Raleigh Carr, Jr., a long time resident of the Peninsula, died on February 21, 2011, just one month after his 87th birthday. He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois, the eldest of 6 brothers. He taught himself to read and attended a one room school in his early education. He enlisted in the Navy during WW II and graduated from the University of Southern California after the war. After a successful career as the head of two local steel companies and The George F. Cake Co., he earned a Master's degree in English, writing a novella for his thesis. He volunteered as a reading tutor for underprivileged children late in his life, supporting his belief that education is the both a right of and key for success for every person. He was an avid golfer, reader, and an amateur historian. His second wife, Loretta predeceased him. He is survived by first wife, Nedra Carr, his daughter Lisa Carr, and his two grandchildren, Catherine and Clayton Carlson. His family will have a memorial service for him in May. PA I D OBITUARY Doris Harvey Sept. 15, 1922-Feb. 24, 2011 Doris Harvey, surrounded by her family, died peacefully on February 24 from pneumonia complicating the multiple medical problems that she had fearlessly and quietly battled. Born in Columbus, Wisconsin in 1922 to Henry and Pearl Roberts, she grew up and attended school there. After graduating from The University of Wisconsin with a B.S. degree in medical technology, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Upon completion of her military service, while working in New York City as a medical abstractor and editor for a pharmaceutical company, she received an M.A. degree in psychology from Columbia University. In New York, in 1952 she met and married Birt Harvey. They lived in a number of cities before settling in Palo Alto in 1958. While raising 5 children, she was active in the community. She was involved with the Addison school PTA, was a rental applicant with Midpeninsula Citizens for Fair Housing, canvassed for candidates, tutored children in reading after school, and graded and edited essays written by Palo Alto High School English Department honors students. After the youngest of her children left for college, she worked at Syntex Pharmaceuticals, initially as a medical writer and editor, and later as manager of the medical information department. After retiring from Syntex, she continued working as a free lance writer. She was a wonderful, supportive, selfless woman, always happy to share her time and talents, always available but never intrusive. She was generous, creative, intelligent, intuitive, and gracious. She was an excellent mother, grandmother, and mother-in-law, influencing by example rather than by preaching. Doris enjoyed traveling overseas to many places with her husband and, at times, with the children. She loved preparing elaborate feasts with recipes she collected over the years. An avid reader, she also enjoyed doing acrostic puzzles. She rarely missed a sporting event in which her children or grandchildren participated. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Birt Harvey, her sister Daisy Winslow of Spartanburg, South Carolina, and sons Brit (Jamie Chau), Paul, and Tom, daughters Kim (Kevin Coleman), and Ann (Francesca Cunningham) all living in the Bay Area and three grandchildren, Allison and Megan Coleman and Colina Harvey. Donations may be made in her name to her favorite radio and television station, KQED at 2601 Mariposa St., San Francisco, CA 94110. PA I D OBITUARY Bill Alhouse, 85, A Good Friend To All William "Billy" Alhouse, a Palo Alto resident who owned Alhouse Realty for 50 years passed away peacefully of pneumonia with his loving family surrounding him on February 24, 2011. Born in Jamaica, NY, he graduated from Stony Brook Christian Boys School, joined the Navy and was released in California. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara and obtained a Masters Degree in Education from Stanford University. He married his college sweetheart, Barbara Pattee, in 1951 and began his career in real estate in Palo Alto. Bill maintained his passion for baseball by being the Assistant Coach at Stanford for 17 years, 12 years at Gunn High School and 4 years Menlo School. He was committed to youth sports and was a co-founder of Palo Alto Little League in 1952. His zest for life was inspirational to many baseball players and employees at Alhouse Realty. He was a Deacon at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. Playing the piano and clarinet were his hobbies. Nothing made Bill happier than spending time with his family and encouraging others to make a difference in their community. Bill is survived by his wife Barbara, daughters Ginger Van Wagner and Jane Gee, sons-in-law Tom Van Wagner and Bruce Gee, grandchildren Wendy Meade, Tim Van Wagner, Kirby Gee, Keri Gee, greatgrandson Felix Meade and brother Col. Robert Alhouse who all adored him. A Celebration of Bill's life will be held at 2pm Thursday, March 10 at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church at 950 Santa Cruz Ave. In lieu of flowers those wishing to honor him may send contributions to the Alzheimer's Assoc, 2065 W El Camino Real, Mt. View, Children's Health Council, 1000 Clark Way, Palo Alto or Menlo Park Presbyterian Church. Your fond memories can be shared at www.tinyurl.com/ BillyAlhouse. As Billy would say, "Let's play ball!" PA I D OBITUARY Page 10 Margaret West Arnold energy into finding that child" -- and Ralph Waldo Emerson's, "It is a happy talent to know how to play." She loved children's literature, with Mem Fox's "Whoever You Are" a particular favorite. Born Gayle Tallo, she was raised in Honolulu, where she graduated from Maryknoll School. She moved to the mainland to attend Seattle University, where she met Don Nathe. The two married in Honolulu in 1968 and moved to Palo Alto two years later. Nathe completed her undergraduate education, which included a credential in early childhood education, at San Jose State University and California State University, East Bay. Before joining the nursery school staff, Nathe spent several years caring for neighborhood children in her home. Nathe loved the ocean and spending time with her grandchildren. Even before her own diagnosis of breast cancer, she volunteered with Breast Cancer Connections (formerly the Community Breast Health Project), a nonprofit resource center for people facing breast cancer. Besides her husband of 42 years, she is survived by her mother, Gladys Tallo of Palo Alto; her daughters, Tristan of Oakland and Alayna of Santa Cruz; and her three grandchildren, Teagan, Kirra and Kadin. A memorial service is tentatively set for April 9, with details pending. Memorial contributions may be made to the Gayle Nathe Fund of First Congregational Church Nursery School, 1985 Louis Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303, or to Breast Cancer Connections, 390 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306. Proceeds from the Gayle Nathe Fund will go toward improvements to the school's vegetable and sunflower garden and toward other "green" activities at the school campus. -- Chris Kenrick Margaret West Arnold, a longtime resident and former First Lady of Palo Alto, died March 1, 2011, after suffering a stroke. Born Aug. 18, 1916, in Live Oak, Fla., she graduated from Florida State College for Women with a degree in home economics. Remembered by family members for her credo, "pass it on," she helped to fund her siblings' educations. She met her husband Edward Arnold, future mayor of Palo Alto, on a weekend trip to Princeton, N.J, from her home in New York City. She moved to Palo Alto in 1950 and was active in community work. She founded "Camp Friendship," a 20-year-event which gave underprivileged girls from East Palo Alto a chance to attend a camp run by older Girl Scouts counselors. She also started the Covenant Presbyterian Church branch of the Palo Alto Food Closet and ran a workshop at Avenidas. Her hobbies included creating arts and crafts and conducting genealogical research. She is survived her husband of 68 years, Edward Arnold; daughter Nancy and son-in-law Ross Weinstein of Seattle; daughter Martha Alstor of Detroit; daughter Heidi Arnold of Moutain View; son James Arnold and daughter-in-law Lisa of San Diego; and two grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 5, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, of which she and her husband were founding members. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Avenidas or Covenant Presbyterian. Palo Alto Unified School District 25 Churchill Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306 Juanita "Nita" Marie Grimm Morris A loving wife, mother and grandmother, Nita was taken by the Angels on February 25, 2011. As was her wish, she spent her last days at home surrounded by family where she passed peacefully. She was born in Manila, Philippine Islands, on July 13, 1930, the daughter of Edward M. Grimm and Juanita Kegley Grimm. Residing in the Philippines until age 11, she came to Palo Alto in 1941 where she lived with her mother and sister, Ethyl. Her father stayed in the Philippines and served as a Colonel on General MacArthur's personal staff. Nita was a graduate of Addison Elementary, Jordan Junior High and Palo Alto High School, Class of 1948, and attended UC Berkeley (a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority) and San Jose State University, majoring in Art at both schools. Nita married Robert B. "Bob" Morris of Palo Alto, her longtime friend and love in June 1952. She was the loving mother to her son Michael and her daughter Janet. Nita was a longtime supporter of Bob and Michael's baseball endeavors, The PTA, Girl Scouting, and a supporter of Janet's singing and choral activities. Nita also worked for 18 years running the Graphic Arts department of Palo Alto High School and as the school secretary of Hoover Elementary School. She loved the summers spent with family and friends in Yosemite, her many stays at her vacation homes on Maui and in Boulder Creek, and her trips to the Orient. Nita is survived by her husband Bob, son Michael, daughter-in-law Julia, granddaughters Ashley and Julia, sister Ethyl, brother-in-law Roger, sister-in-law Donna, and eight nieces and nephews. Nita touched a lot of people's lives in many ways and will be missed. Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 7th, 1 pm at Roller &Hapgood & Tinney, 980 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Interment to follow at Alta Mesa Cemetery. All are welcome. PA I D OBITUARY March 4, 2011 REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS Division of State Architect Approved Inspectors of Record The Palo Alto Unified School District (District), is seeking qualifications from Division of State Architect (DSA) Approved Class I and, II Inspectors of Record (IOR). The District intends, through this RFQ, to establish a shortlist of qualified professionals eligible to provide Inspection Services for various construction projects that will take place throughout the Palo Alto Unified School District over the next five (5) years. Proposal packets will be available at the Palo Alto Unified School District Facilities office located at 25 Churchill Avenue, Building "D", Palo Alto, CA 94306 Phone (650) 329-3927. Statements of qualifications must be submitted on or before 2:00 p.m. April 5, 2011 to: Palo Alto Unified School District Facilities Department 25 Churchill Avenue, Building "D" Palo Alto, CA 94306 Attn: Alex Morrison Statements of Qualification must be marked clearly on a sealed package "RFQ No. 2011-IOR " Questions regarding this request for proposals ("RFQ") may be directed to Mr. Alex Morrison at email@example.com. This is not a request for bids or an offer by the District to contract with any party responding to this RFQ. The District reserves the right to reject any and all Proposals. All materials submitted to the District in response to this RFQ shall remain property of the District and may be considered a part of public record. Darlene Pearson Vian Darlene Pearson Vian, 78, of Palo Alto passed away on 9 Feb. 2011. She was born in Long Beach to Alice Knutson Pearson and Lee Pearson. Raised in Wilmington and Compton, CA, she graduated from Compton HS and Jr. College. She attended UC Berkeley and received a history degree in 1954 from Sacramento State College. In 1952 she married Ted Vian. She married Dr. Brian McCune in 1992. Ms. Vian worked at Stanford Medical School from 1972 until the week before her death, including as Faculty Senate Secretary (10 yrs.) and Student Services Administrator (30 yrs.). She helped establish the MS/PhD program in Biomedical Informatics, soon finding that working with students was her true calling. She managed the degree programs; created a unique esprit by planning social events at her home, the Asilomar retreat, and the alumni banquet; and advised students�on everything from funding to thesis writing to personal problems. She was awarded the Stanford Graduate Service Award in 1999. Ms. Vian loved entertaining and cooking effortlessly for groups from 4 to 40, leading to publication of her cookbook, Cooking for Compliments. For 15 yrs. she hosted a banquet for the speaker at Stanford's King Lecture, which she helped establish. She loved music and theater, from SF Opera (37 yrs.) and Symphony to TheatreWorks, ACT, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She also loved movies, reading, gardening, and travel. Ms. Vian most enjoyed being surrounded by friends and family. She is survived by her husband; children (spouses) John (Mary-Ellen) Vian of Atlanta, Emily (Trevor) Knaggs of Pleasanton, and Lisa (Scott) Hunter of Mercer Island, WA; and sister Kay (John) Stewart of Pleasanton. She also leaves 6 beloved grandchildren: Lee and Mary-Kate Vian, Erik and Kevan Knaggs, and Chloe and Ethan Hunter. Ms. Vian's ashes will be scattered in Monterey Bay near her home there. A private party celebrating her life will occur in May. Gifts may be made to the Darlene P. Vian Foundation, c/o Kara Reiter, 757 Tennyson Ave., Palo Alto 94303, established to endow support of her Biomedical Informatics students. PA I D OBITUARY Answers to this week's puzzles, which can be found on page 52 1 8 7 3 9 5 4 2 6 5 6 9 7 4 2 3 8 1 3 2 4 8 6 1 9 7 5 4 9 8 6 1 7 2 5 3 6 5 1 9 2 3 7 4 8 7 3 2 5 8 4 6 1 9 8 1 3 2 7 9 5 6 4 9 7 6 4 5 8 1 3 2 2 4 5 1 3 6 8 9 7 Fresh news delivered daily Sign up today www.PaloAltoOnline.com Page 11 Editorial City should allow digester discussion to play out Environmental spat should not hold up consideration of high-tech way to compost food and yard waste pposing sides in the battle to build a high-tech composting plant on what will become a part of Byxbee Park when the city's landfill closes both will find plenty of information to stir up their supporters in the preliminary feasibility study released last week by the city's consultant. The spat is between environmental camps -- one that believes nine acres of the park should not be sacrificed, even if it is used to reduce greenhouse gases -- and the other that argues just as strongly that Palo Alto should build the plant to process its own garden trimmings and food scraps rather than truck them to Gilroy. It is also possible that the city could close down its sewage incinerator -- one of only two left in the state -- and process the sludge in the digester. The City Council is also far from unified about the project, voting 5-4 last year to go ahead with the $250,000 study by staff and consultants. The preliminary initial study concluded that it will be significantly more expensive to operate the digester than to haul the city's compost away. The example put the Gilroy option at $70 per ton, compared to more than $100 per ton for a digester in one scenario and considerably more in two others. Supporters of the digester plant immediately noted that the $70 a ton estimate for trucking did not include an inflation factor for gasoline costs, while the consultant did include a 30 percent contingency for a digester project. But the immediate issue is less about money than about a possible November ballot measure to carve out a nine-acre piece of dedicated Byxbee Park land to use for the digester. Forces led by former Mayor Peter Drekmeier are circulating an initiative petition to put the question on the ballot, while those who follow Emily Renzel, the former city council member, who is a fervent supporter of city parks, are hoping to keep it off the ballot. For the city to build the digester as proposed, voters must first agree to rescind the parkland status of the nine-acre site, or about 9 percent of Byxbee Park, so that the site is an option. There are good arguments on both sides of what has become a contentious issue in Palo Alto's environmental community. Drekmeier and Renzel have both played major roles in championing environmental causes here over the years. And it is unfortunate that on this issue they are not able to reach an understanding that would support allowing the digester discussion to go forward. A November referendum will give both sides plenty of time to persuade voters that their position is the right one. Much more information on the digester plant will be available, and there will be time to educate the public on this high-tech process that is being used now in Europe but has not been adopted in the U.S. The Utilities Advisory Commission praised the digester's environmental promise at a Wednesday night meeting, but agreed that the project would have to make financial sense to get their support. We're not yet convinced that it will make financial sense to proceed with the digester plan, but we are persuaded that there is value in creating the option of using the nine-acre site through a ballot measure. As landfills fill up and transportation becomes more expensive, it is time for cities like Palo Alto to look for waste-disposal methods that have a much lower environmental impact. The digester technology uses bacteria to almost magically make garden clippings, food scraps and biosolids disappear while producing methane that could be used as natural gas or converted to electricity. This is a solution that should have appeal in Palo Alto, where caring for the environment is high on everyone's agenda. With the council divided it may fall upon citizens to decide this important issue. The digester would take away only nine acres of the 126 acres that will make up Byxbee Park after the landfill is closed next year. In addition, there are nearly 2,000 acres in the adjacent Baylands. When viewed in this context, setting aside parkland to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 15,000 metric tons per year is a price we believe the community should be more than willing to pay, if studies conclude it is economically feasible. Page 12 O Spectrum Editorials, letters and opinions Caltrain cuts Editor, If Caltrain makes its proposed service changes, specifically the seven station closures and the nighttime service cuts, my household will no longer be able to ride Caltrain. This will not be a temporary change; it will be a life-altering adjustment. We will be forced to buy a second car and we will never have an opportunity to commute to our jobs by public transportation again. I don't think MTA or the JPB realize the irreparable damage they will cause throughout the Bay Area if they enact these service cuts. These changes will not only kill ridership for Caltrain (easily 2/3 of its customer base will be affected by these cuts), but more seriously, they will disrupt people's lives: lives that Caltrain riders (and their communities) planned specifically for train transportation. I can say with complete confidence -- and I know the MTA has to admit this itself -- that if these cuts are made, Caltrain will be forced into bankruptcy, and the service will die -- there is simply no turning back. For Caltrain and its vital customer base alike, everything possible must be done to avoid enacting any of the proposed service cuts. The Bay Area cannot afford such a drastic, horrific step backward. Emily Hunter Laurel Avenue Belmont broadly supported? Clearly the schools must do more to work on emotional needs of struggling students whose families choose to live here. The Daubers' column hopefully will begin an honest debate on our community's values and perhaps compel universities to reexamine their own policies which "wag the dog." Suzan B. Stewart Middlefield Road Palo Alto Dirty little secret Editor, Palo Alto has a dirty little secret: We are one of the last two cities in California to incinerate our sewage sludge. Oh my. That sounds bad, doesn't it? We pride ourselves on being environmental leaders. Palo Alto does have climate goals for specific reductions in energy, water and waste and for renewable energy targets that track California's. That's a good thing. When it comes to sewage sludge incineration, it turns out we are big-time environmental stragglers. (Our incinerator's emissions equal those of about 1,250 cars.) How would we like that on a billboard on 101? Meanwhile, there is a lot of back and forth about the merits of repurposing 10 of 126 acres of what is slated to become Byxbee Park for a facility to handle our organic waste, including sewage sludge (a.k.a. "biosolids"); whether the higher use is park vs. waste management; and the pros and cons of various technologies. There is much to study and learn. But right now, as Palo Alto voters, we need to decide whether we want the opportunity to vote this November to have the option of using up to 10 acres next to the wastewater treatment plant for something other than parkland. That's it. It's about having options. Bottom line, we need to close the gap between our climate goals and our backward resource systems. By signing the petition before March 15 to allow a vote in November, each of us can take a key step toward closing that gap. Lisa Van Dusen Greenwood Avenue Palo Alto YOUR TURN The Palo Alto Weekly encourages comments on our coverage or on issues of local interest. What do you think? Do you think Palo Alto firefighters are overpaid? Submit letters to the editor of up to 250 words to firstname.lastname@example.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. You can also participate in our popular interactive online forum, Town Square, at our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Read blogs, discuss issues, ask questions or express opinions with you neighbors any time, day or night. Submitting a letter to the editor or guest opinion constitutes a granting of permission to the Palo Alto Weekly and Embarcadero Publishing Co. to also publish it online, including in our online archives and as a post on Town Square. For more information contact Editor Jocelyn Dong or Online Editor Tyler Hanley at email@example.com or 650-326-8210. Student stress Editor, As a retired PAUSD teacher, I have previously commented on the issue of academic stress. I noted that for every parent who decries the emphasis on AP classes, there are others who demand more AP and honors classes. The insecurity of parents regarding the collegeadmission process makes it highly unlikely that district priorities will change unless prestigious colleges and universities stop emphasizing weighted GPAs, or PAUSD parents stop caring. It might be possible for the PAUSD to limit the number of AP classes per year to two, forcing students to select subjects of greatest interest, and then inform academic institutions of the policy. The quality of instruction in "regular classes" is sufficiently high to meet university standards. What would be the response of these institutions? Has that been researched? Would that at least somewhat mitigate academic stress? Now Dr. Skelly and high school faculties are attempting to meet the academic demands of this community. Would a change in emphasis be Check out Town Square! Hundreds of local topics are being discussed by local residents on Town Square, a reader forum sponsored by the Weekly on our community website at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. Post your own comments, ask questions, read the Editor's blog or just stay up on what people are talking about around town! On Deadline: Audrey Rust never planned on a career saving open spaces T by Jay Thorwaldson here's something about open land that draws one in, almost like a vacuum. But when one experiences the spaces along Skyline Ridge, the lower foothills, the baylands and the coastside one discovers how full they are, teeming with wildlife, trees, plants of all sizes and descriptions. And now they teem with people: walkers, hikers, runners, cyclists, equestrians exploring hundreds of miles of trails that didn't exist just a few decades back. But for soon-to-retire Audrey Rust, president and CEO of the Peninsula Open Space Trust (better known as POST), preserving open space lands in Santa Clara, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties has a national, even international significance. She sees it as a philosophical statement, an example in how humans can live better in the world, reducing urban sprawl and enhancing life in adjacent communities. POST and government agencies with which it has partnered are cited internationally as leaders in preserving land in a way that keeps regions vibrant and livable. She sees a strong connection between the Silicon Valley economy and surrounding open lands, from towering Mt. Umunhum south of Los Gatos to the Skyline Ridge stretching north into San Mateo County. The views and trails, like quality schools and availability of entrepreneurial financing, help attract highlevel firms and their workforce, she believes. Rust, a self-described "nature freak" and watercolorist who has hiked many of the hun- dreds of miles of trails now open to the public, has focused on open space preservation for two dozen years. In 1987 she was named director of POST, a nonprofit organization. That was 10 years after POST was formed under the leadership of its first board president, Ward Paine of Portola Valley, a venture capitalist who still serves on the board. Rust succeeded the late Robert Augsberger, a former Stanford vice president, as POST's president. Rust will be succeeded by Executive Vice President Walter T. Moore, who has been with POST for 16 years. POST is distinct from the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), a special governmental district with which it is often confused. Rust, a Menlo Park resident and native of Connecticut, announced in late January that on July 1 she will retire as POST president but that she will still be around in an advisory capacity. It will give her more time to hike and paint in nature, and travel, as compared to sitting in her office taking phone calls and doing business, she said. It will be a tailing off of a career that started as an English teacher in New England, veered into university fundraising at Yale, Vassar and Stanford universities, then as a Sierra Club fundraiser and membership steward from 1981 to 1987 -- a job about which she had mixed feelings. "I used to call it the Sierra Meeting Club," she said, citing "endless meetings" and frustrating contentious debates within the board while fighting "endless battles, constant threats to the same things you won last year" in efforts to protect the environment. At POST, the focus is as clear as the view on a windy spring day from atop Windy Hill, looking down on the Midpeninsula to the east or toward the Pacific Ocean on the west -- or any of dozens of lookout points once off limits, set off by barbed-wire fences. As with the view from the ridgetop, the focus is on two directions: the local region and the world beyond. POST's method is to negotiate donations or discounted sale of properties, raising funds privately to acquire the lands, then convey them to public entities, including the MROSD, where the idea to create an agency such as POST originated after Santa Clara County voters approved formation of the district in late 1972. Southern San Mateo County was annexed by petition in 1977. But in addition to MROSD, POST has worked with counties, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and a number of other entities. Rust proudly cites the acquisition and protection of about 64,000 acres of open space, a goodly chunk of which is part of MROSD's nearly 60,000 acres it has acquired. One cannot add the totals together -- they substantially overlap. Rust credits the vision of Paine and others with POST's success. Paine "set the tone for the whole thing: We're going to be nimble, take risks; we're going to bet the ranch" to acquire important properties, she said of POST's mandate. Rust's personal reputation of tough determination has helped her achieve what skeptics doubted could be done. POST has tackled huge challenges. Rust's first big challenge was to raise $2 million in six months to protect the 1,200-acre Cowell Ranch, south of Half Moon Bay, then threatened with development. Yet that amount seems measly compared to later achievements. Overall, POST has raised more than $300 million, increased its staff five-fold and helped add thousands of acres to open space lands. In the late 1990s, POST raised $33.5 million that went to protecting more than 12,500 acres of land, including the 1,623-acre Bair Island off Redwood City, once threatened with a major development by Mobil Land Company and later by a Japanese firm. Then came the big effort, a $200 million campaign called "Saving the Endangered Coast." It was launched in 2001 with two $50 million gifts from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. It was completed in December 2005. It was the largest land-protection effort ever by any local land trust in the United States, Rust notes. Lands protected include the 3,681-acre Driscoll Ranch in La Honda and the 4,262-acre Rancho Corral de Tierra near Montara. Overall, the effort preserved more than 20,000 acres along the San Mateo County coast. POST recently has been expanding the concept of continuing agricultural and timberharvesting in select areas. But its biggest challenge may lie ahead. That is awakening a new generation of wealthy individuals to the importance of philanthropic giving, both locally and worldwide. "This economic engine here is so completely integrated to the natural systems surrounding it," Rust says. Many firms "would not be here if we didn't have that beauty and accessibility around us," which their employees treasure and use. "We have to keep that core alive." Jay Thorwaldson is the former editor of the Weekly. He can be e-mailed at email@example.com. Streetwise What types of social media do you use and why? Asked on S. California Avenue, Palo Alto. Interviews and photographs by Zohra Ashpari. Abraham Khalil Insurance Broker and Restaurant Owner Waverley Street, Palo Alto "I use Facebook once or twice a day to see my friends overseas. Instead of emailing, Facebook is easier. You can interact by people tagging your pictures or see videos of friends." Alex Lyon Student Edgewood Drive, Palo Alto "I use YouTube becaue you can watch all kinds of stuff like music videos, for free." Sarah Canalez Mail Carrier Park Boulevard, Palo Alto "I use Facebook to get in touch with friends in the Philippines and chat online. On Facebook, you can see comments and tagged photos right away and it's less formal in comparison to e-mail." Randy Megoloff Maintenance Supervisor California Avenue, Palo Alto "I used to go on you YouTube and Facebook but I gave up because it was too frustrating -- I'm visually impaired and its nearly impossible to navigate. Obul Kambham Engineer Mayfield Avenue, Stanford "I don't like computer interaction or the idea. I'd rather meet people in person. That's more interesting than wanting to know about everyone every second of the day." Page 13 Cover Story The doctor is in... your social network LOCAL PHYSICIANS AND HOSPITALS MAKE NEW PERSONAL CONNECTIONS WITH PATIENTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA online. "I save that for people coming in to see me," he said. But in a hectic world where a patient can feel like a number, a simple human interaction with a doctor can be surprisingly valuable. "There's no rule against expressing concern or expressing empathy," Choi said. giving an overview of kidney disease: risk factors, symptoms, treatment options. In other videos on Stanford Hospital & Clinics' YouTube page, doctors seek to demystify other conditions such as Parkinson's Disease and thyroid disorders. Then there's the video in which cardiologist Michael McConnell recommends his wife's salade nicoise. This one is part of a series that Stanford made for heart month in February. Rather than just giving data about heart disease, the videos profile cardiologists' personal efforts to keep their own hearts healthy. by Rebecca Wallace P hysicians may not make house calls anymore, but it sure is nice to have your doctor as a Facebook friend. A few weeks ago, a particular Facebook posting caught the attention of Enoch Choi, an urgent-care doctor at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. A patient of his had written that she was having trouble sleeping and had charted her sleep patterns and posted the graphic. Choi immediately typed in a response -- "I can help you with that" -- and posted his schedule. The patient went to see Choi, who gave her medication and behavioral advice to help with her insomnia. Before long, she was back on Facebook, posting a new chart showing how her doctor had helped. Choi was thrilled. "A doctor can show compassion online via social media and can make a difference," he told the Weekly. As technology has evolved, health-care organizations and doctors have been using it more frequently to connect with patients. People are e-mailing their doctors, getting test results on the Internet and keeping track of their medications and appointments online. Several social-media sites have also expanded well beyond the merely social. Local health-care providers such as Stanford Hospital & Clinics and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation are now regular Page 14 presences on the social-networking site Facebook. They also frequently post videos on YouTube and write 140-character tweets on the popular Twitter microblogging site. All of this online activity serves to disseminate information, promote events on health issues and help patients build personal connections with doctors and hospitals. For example, a hospital staffer might write on Twitter detailing the warning signs of a heart attack, or a doctor might appear in an informational YouTube video about sleep apnea and its treatments. Healthcare providers use Facebook to post photos and videos. They spread information via wall postings and comments. Social media, of course, has its limits. Because of its open, public nature, it doesn't lend itself to preserving medical privacy. It's more suited to, say, promoting a class on food allergies than hosting a talk between a worried patient and an oncologist. In a sensitive case, though, the technology can provide an opening for a human connection that might not have happened otherwise. "Twitter can be a starting point for a conversation," said Renee Berry, a Palo Alto Medical Foundation patient. For instance, a patient might write a question about his health care as a public tweet on Twitter. A health-care provider might respond via a direct (private) message, e-mail or phone call, which could then lead to an in-person visit. That human connection happened with Choi and his insomnia patient. He emphasizes that he doesn't provide medical care or prescriptions A futuristic, translucent image of a torso appears in a YouTube video, its kidneys glowing a deep orange. All the while, Neiha Arora, a Stanford clinical instructor of medicine in nephrology, speaks, Stanford Hospital & Clinics posts videos on YouTube and other social-media sites covering such topics as kidney disease, pain management and deep-vein thrombosis. Some videos profile patients; in others, doctors provide information on symptoms, risk factors and treatment options. Cover Story Experience the Pleasure of Saving Time! Whole Foods MarketTM Palo Alto provides personal shopping for your home or office. Just give us your list and we'll do the shopping for you! We offer pick up or delivery service Monday through Friday, 10am - 6pm Placing Your Order is Easy! Call or email us and we will fill your home or office with delicious and nutritious foods! email: email@example.com phone: (650) 326-8676 Orders must be a minimum of $50. Free delivery to all Palo Alto zip codes for orders over $200. Delivery fees vary depending on distance. 774 Emerson St., Palo Alto Veronica Weber Dr. Enoch Choi, an urgent-care doctor at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, stands with his iPad in an exam room. Choi is active on social media, where he sometimes talks to patients. While he doesn't prescribe or treat online, he says, "There's no rule against expressing empathy." McConnell talks about his diet and is shown running with a floppy-eared black-and-white dog. Another doctor, Paul J. Wang, plays tennis in his video and admits he could be better about getting more sleep. Dipanjan Banerjee pedals his bike through his video and says he's planning to be more consistent about exercising. Since its inception, social media has taken flak from people who criticize it as insubstantial and even silly. Detractors say they're tired of people tweeting about what they ate for brunch or posting videos of their kids saying cute things. But, in the context of health care, that very levity and informal spirit can be valuable, some say. When used appropriately, social media can humanize doctors and other health-care providers, helping patients feel a personal link with them. "I like how I can contact the hospital through Facebook ... makes them a bit more `human,'" said Brenda Bonturi-Klassen, who has been a patient at Stanford's cardiovascular clinic. A heart-attack survivor, Bonturi-Klassen found herself drawn last month to a collection of photos on the hospital's Facebook page. EKG technicians and other employees were pictured in red for Wear Red Day, a campaign to raise awareness of heart disease in women. Bonturi-Klassen clicked the "Like" button and posted a comment thanking the doctors who have treated her. There's also another reason why Bonturi-Klassen enjoys connecting with Stanford through Facebook. She lives in a remote area, a 45-minute drive east of Hollister. In the winter, the phones often go out, but the Internet keeps working, thanks to satellite service. "It's so far away that I just feel like it's a little bit closer (with social media)," she said. "I just like the fact that I can have some sort of contact whenever I want." Besides contributing comments to social media, patients have also played active roles in making videos. At the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, one prostate-cancer patient was a major force behind creating a series of videos of men who had undergone treatment. "It was men talking to men, guys talking to guys about their experiences" to provide information, said Erin Macartney, the medical foundation's publicaffairs and social-media specialist. "You can't always absorb everything right there in the doctor's office." The men in the videos also provided encouragement to those watching. "Don't be quiet about it," one said about prostate cancer. "Talk to your friends about it, and you might be surprised at how much support they'll give you." Another said: "I had my radiation first thing in the morning. I was at work by 9:30, 10 o'clock and had absolutely no problems at all." (continued on page 18) Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Cover Story JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR 4-6 DAILY Half off All Wines by the Glass Half off All Specialty Cocktails, Spirits, and Beer $8 Small Plates Bar Only Freshly baked, thin crust gourmet wood fired pizzas 2 for $25 to go only Available All Day Veronica Weber 430 Kipling Street, Palo Alto I 650.328.6722 www.zibibborestaurant.com Erin Macartney, left, public-affairs and social-media specialist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, first "met" patient Renee Berry on a Twitter chat about health care. When they realized they both lived on the Peninsula and had jobs involving health-care issues, they agreed to meet for coffee and chat in real time. Here they're pictured at Rick's Caf� in Los Altos. "I'm able to share timely health ago. Both began with Facebook, information that is evidence-based," then expanded to Twitter and then (continued from page 15) said Choi, one of the most active YouTube. "We've always had a mission of With several social-media sites doctors around on Facebook and available, organizations now have Twitter. "It's a helpful way to pub- advocating and partnering with more ways to get videos out there: licize the availability of flu shots ... patients," Macartney said, citto patients, families or anyone look- and to counter the health fads and ing the medical foundation's use ing for information. For instance, dangerous pop-health trends like of electronic health records as an the medical foundation posted the avoiding vaccinations or (follow- example. Social media, she added, "was a fairly natural extension of prostate-cancer videos on YouTube, ing) fad diets." Those fads and trends are often communications for us." embedded them in a blog, and then Both Macartney and Stanford's sent out messages about them on spread virally by social media, so in a sense Choi is trying to beat the Kobza praise social media's swiftFacebook and Twitter. ness. Patients can get answers to "Different forms of social media misinformation at its own game. Social media is also an efficient questions quickly, and, assuming work together, and people all over the world can see this information," way to give updates on news events. someone from a health-care proLast month, after a suspicious letter vider is online, answers can come Macartney said. Overall, video "is huge" -- one forced the evacuation of an office outside regular business hours. "The beautiful thing about social of the most important tools used building at the VA Palo Alto Health The doctor is in... `I like how I can contact the hospital through Facebook ... makes them a bit more "human.'" --BRENDA BONTURI-KLASSEN, FORMER PATIENT AT STANFORD'S CARDIOVASCULAR CLINIC in health-related social media, said Liat Kobza, media-relations coordinator at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. It's also huge in general. According to a report released last year by the Pew Research Center, 69 percent of adults in the United States have used the Internet to watch or download video. Besides featuring doctors in videos, Stanford also profiles patients with cystic fibrosis and other conditions. "We try really hard to put a face with the story," Kobza said. "Why not use social media as a way to tell people: `You're not alone. We've treated others like you; we can help you.'" Beyond posting videos, healthcare providers also use social media to disseminate information in a host of other ways, including tweeting links to health articles and studies, promoting classes on health topics and offering wellness tips. Care System, VA officials wrote on their Facebook wall to let people know what was going on. "There was no contamination of any kind found -- results were negative," director Lisa Freeman wrote on Feb. 16. A few hours earlier, communications officer Kerri Childress had gone on Facebook to give assurances that "patient care was not affected." Several readers chimed in with comments including: "Glad all is good," "Glad everybody is ok." A few used the opportunity to give the VA positive feedback via Facebook, including one man who commented, "The VAPAHC is the best health care facility this 87 year old WWII Purple Heart veteran has ever been privileged to use." media is: Anywhere you have a network, you can get on and talk. ... There are very little barriers as far as communicating," Kobza said. Things can happen very fast online. In January, a man went on Twitter and wrote a public tweet at 9:02 a.m. saying that he was looking for a good general practitioner in the South Bay. A few people responded with recommendations for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and by 9:45 a.m. he tweeted: "thanks! PAMF sounds like the win." Good news -- and bad -- travels fast. Recently a woman complained on Twitter about how long she had to wait to get an appointment at the medical foundation. "She wasn't commenting directly to us, more like complaining to her friends," Macartney said. "So we e-mailed her to address the problem." (continued on page 20) Sign up today at www.PaloAltoOnline.com Page 18 B oth Stanford Hospital and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation started using these types of social media a few years Cover Story Real Estate Matters and palliative care, Berry said. He was new to the chat, and she was pleased to find a new advocate. "We'll have a phone meeting soon." Berry, who gets her own health care at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, has also forged a partnership with Erin Macartney, the foundation's public-affairs and social-media specialist. The two met on Twitter on a health-care and social-media chat, then realized they were both here on the Peninsula. So they met for coffee. The two agreed that they were seeing a lot of talk about the importance of social media in health care but not so much locally. So they co-founded Health Care Social Media Silicon Valley. Their mission is to inspire conversations about using social media for "advocacy, public health and patient empowerment." "We hope to start having quarterly meetings with a speaker and a topic," Macartney said. But plenty of activities still happen outside of the old-fashioned in-person meeting. "I tweet from hospice conferences to spread the word about what people are talking about. Sometimes I'm not even there," Berry said. "There was a conference in Washington, D.C. They live-streamed it on video, and I tweeted about it in my bathrobe." The new networking Health-care professionals link up on social media not only with patients, but with each other YOU CAN'T GO WRONG Want to see homes that are exactly what you can afford? Want the best possible terms for your mortgage? Want to show sellers that you're serious and capable? Then get a lender pre-approval letter. Forget about pre-qualification that's just a quick ballpark figure the banks will offer without checking your credit history. Pre-approval, on the other hand, produces a Good Faith Estimate, which spells out the terms of your loan, like interest rate, loan type, and closing costs. You'll have to provide documentation (bank statements, paystubs, W-2's, etc.) and the lender will check your credit report, but this extra work will give you a much I by Rebecca Wallace n past years, you couldn't have buddy." gotten Renee Berry to go on Berry recalled: "I was so starTwitter for anything. She found struck. ... I thought, `I think I like the microblogging site completely Twitter!'" silly, and people's tweets self-abBerry's community is an exsorbed. ample of how people who work in "I didn't want to know where ev- health care are connecting not only eryone got their burger for lunch." with patients on social media, but Then Berry realized she could with each other. On the Internet, follow favorite NPR journalists on she's gotten to know many people Twitter and hear their thoughts in who share her interest in hospice a more informal way. Before long, and palliative care, including docsocial media was also playing an tors, grief counselors and people active role in her own work. who work for hospices, hospitals Berry, a resident of Mountain and nonprofits. View, interned in college with a Today, Berry also works for a hospice and ended up becoming startup called KLX Media, foundan advocate for better hospice and ed by physician Christian Sinclair. palliative (comfort-focused) care KLX's clients are hospices and and more education about advance other health-care providers; the medical directives. On Twitter company helps them better use she found a community of people Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and just as passionate about her topics, other social media. sharing resources and ideas. Berry and Sinclair also founded Last year, Berry was in Wash- a weekly Twitter chat on hospice ington, D.C., for an event put on by and palliative care. the National Hospice and Palliative "A recent topic was: `How do Care Organization. She spotted you, as a palliative-care doctor, one of her heroes: Diane E. Meier, deal with doctors in other specialdirector of the national Center to ties who won't refer patients to Advance Palliative Care. you?'" Berry said. One chat parTo Berry's surprise, Meier looked ticipant was an oncologist, who at her nametag, then stopped her agreed that doctors must be more and said, "Hey, you're my Twitter open with patients about hospice firmer idea of what you can afford, as well as give you a powerful tool for making an offer and negotiating your purchase. Investigate several lenders, because little things like the interest rate can make a huge difference when it comes to such a large amount. Make the banks compete, and you could save thousands by comparing their terms. Banks won't guarantee the loan until you've made an offer and the appraisal and title work have been approved, but you can't go wrong by doing your loan search before your home search. Call Jackie & Richard for real estate advice. Richard (650) 566-8033 Realtor, Architect, Contractor Jackie (650) 855-9700 Realtor, CRS, SRES email@example.com firstname.lastname@example.com schoelerman.com DRE # 01092400 DRE # 01413607 schoelerman Page 19 Cover Story The doctor18) in... is (continued from page FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, UCC Later, the woman went back on Twitter and praised the medical foundation's response, writing, "I'm glad PAMF is mining Twitter." The foundation's action is part of a larger trend of organizations and businesses "mining" social media. Big brands keep a careful eye out these days for mentions of their names, be they positive or negative. If you post a snarky comment about getting slothful customer service at an airline counter, someone from that airline is probably going to write you back quickly with a public apology. Macartney said she doesn't mind seeing negative remarks online, as long as she can help address the concerns. If the woman had only spoken about the appointment problem and not tweeted about it, "That would have been a cry in the dark," Macartney said. "We wouldn't have heard about it." Kobza also calls social media an open forum. Barring something out of line, like a personal threat, negative comments and postings on Stanford's social-media pages don't get taken down, she said. "Our policy has been to give a voice to whoever wants to have that voice," Kobza said. "If someone has a complaint, it's a perfect opportunity for us to learn about something the hospital is doing that we can make better." Links and resources Here's how to find several of the organizations and groups mentioned in these stories: Websites: book, Twitter and YouTube pages Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube amoya/, with a link to Facebook home.php#!/hcsmSV Twitter communities: People who tweet about particular health issues or take part in Twitter chats often include a hashtag (hash mark followed by a few letters), which you can then search for. Health-related hashtags include: #hcsm (health care and social media), #hpm (hospice and palliative care) and #dsma (diabetes). formation and posts peer-reviewed published articles and other sources of information on moyamoya. Mostly, though, the Facebook page is a place for patients and former patients to talk about their experiences with moyamoya disease and Stanford Hospital. "We've never asked a patient to post a testimonial," Bell-Stephens said. The page is an example of the many ways patients are connecting through social media -- not only with their doctors and health-care organizations, but with each other. Some, like the moyamoya patients, talk to each other on their health-care providers' sites. A doctor's video might spark a flurry of comments, with the commenters ending up in conversation with each other. Or a patient might ask a question on Facebook and find several other patients responding. Other patients take the discussions to their own space. Some create their own Facebook groups or connect by following and commenting on each other's blogs and Tumblr microblogs. Also popular are weekly Twitter chats. You name a health topic, and chances are there's a Twitter community about it. Typically in Twitter chats, a moderator tweets a discussion topic or question, and other people respond in tweets during an hour-long session. Chat members find each other by including a special hashtag (pound sign followed by a few letters) in each tweet. For example, people chatting about diabetes and social media type the hashtag "#dsma" at the end of their tweets. "Twitter is part of getting to know someone; you see what they're tweeting about," Palo Alto Medical Foundation patient Berry said. "You start to accumulate a community of people who see you as a resource for quality information." Social media is also a major tool for Berry in her efforts as an advocate for hospice and palliative care (see sidebar on page 19). ter it launched. On any given day, he might tweet a piece of advice ("AED Defibrillators save lives! Users need to check them regularly") or a piece of a doctor's day ("Busy day when u have to borrow iV poles from other departments..."). In the future, Macartney would like to see more Palo Alto Medical Foundation doctors become savvy about social media. "In the coming year, we plan to offer social-media training for doctors: boot camp," she said. She's also interested in having the medical foundation host tweet chats, and she'd like to do more tweeting and live streaming video at health conferences and other events, to spread the information far and wide. At Stanford, Kobza would like to get more connected to Scribd, a social-publishing site that allows users to share documents and writings such as magazine articles and newsletters. Social media is practical in that it doesn't cost money for organizations to use, although it is good to have a professional videographer, Macartney said. Still, Bell-Stephens cautions that it can become consuming of staff time if overused. On social media, patients become more used to getting answers right away, and staff members don't have unlimited time. That's why BellStephens has been reluctant to supplement Stanford's moyamoya Facebook page with a Twitter feed. "The Internet has been phenomenal on one hand. But on the other hand, the demands on health-care providers have substantially increased because of the demands of the patients," she said. "It's a mixed blessing." Overall, Bell-Stephens sees social media as a good thing because it empowers patients and gives them more opportunities for information. But good or bad, at this point it's perhaps inevitable. Once a type of technology catches on, there's no fighting it. "We have to use social media because that's the world now," Macartney said. "It isn't a question of yes or no. We just have to jump in." Arts & Entertainment Editor Rebecca Wallace can be e-mailed at email@example.com. This Sunday: There's Something in Your Eye Rev. David Howell preaching An Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ INSPIRATIONS A resource for special events and ongoing religious services. To inquire about or make space reservations for Inspirations, please contact Blanca Yoc at 223-6596 or email firstname.lastname@example.com Public meeting S Redistricting Advisory Committee You are invited The Santa Clara Valley Water District Board of Directors has appointed an independent 7-member Redistricting Advisory Committee to conduct a redistricting study that will adjust the boundaries of the existing seven electoral districts, pursuant to the requirements of federal and state laws to do so following each decennial census. In order to conduct the study in a transparent, inclusive, and comprehensive manner, the committee will hold several public meetings to gather input and comments from the community. If you are interested in attending, or providing input, the meetings will be held as follows: March 15, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. April 19, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. May 17, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. May 31, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. June 21, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. July 19, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. Aug. 2, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. Aug. 16, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. Sept. 13, 2011 9:30 a.m. Santa Clara Valley Water District Headquarters Board Room 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose 95118 Roberto Cruz Alum Rock Library, Community Room 3090 Alum Rock Ave., San Jose, CA 95127 Sunnyvale Community Center Recreation Center Bldg., Neighborhood Room, 550 E. Remington Dr., Sunnyvale, CA 94088 Berryessa Union School District Board Room 1376 Piedmont Rd., San Jose, CA 95132 City of Los Altos Youth Center 1 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos, CA 94022 Willow Glen Middle School Auditorium 2105 Cottle Ave., San Jose, CA 95125 City of Gilroy Council Chambers 7351 Rosanna St., Gilroy, CA 95020 Santa Clara Valley Water District Headquarters Board Room 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118 Santa Clara Valley Water District Headquarters Board Room 5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA 95118 You can also visit our website at www.valleywater.org/about/redistricting.aspx to provide your input and get more information. 3/2011_GS ocial media sites also provide a powerful venue for patients to connect with one another. "I was just told yesterday that I have Moyamoya," a woman posted on Facebook. "I'm not sure what the next steps will be but glad to have found this page. Sounds like the surgery goes well if I have to go that route." Another woman responded: "Shocking words to hear, aren't they? I remember well our reaction to my daughter's diagnosis almost 6 1/2 years ago." She then went on to give advice about finding a neurosurgeon. This is the Facebook page for the Stanford Moyamoya Center, filled with postings from patients seeking information, offering virtual hugs and giving updates on their health -- post-surgery and years later. Because moyamoya disease, an occlusive cerebrovascular disorder, is uncommon, the page seems to provide a welcome resource and forum for many people posting. "So glad to have found this page ... now I can keep up with others who I have `rare things' in common with," one woman wrote. Teresa Bell-Stephens, a nurse coordinator, runs the Facebook group as part of her role facilitating care and serving as a liaison to patients for years afterward. "One of the problems with this population is that they come from all over the world. Trying to stay in touch with them becomes a real logistical nightmare. We want to answer questions and find out how they're doing long-term," she said. "This provides an avenue of information for us." Online, Bell-Stephens answers questions, gently corrects misin- W hen it comes to being plugged in, not all doctors or health-care organizations are as fluent in social media as Enoch Choi. The physician has been on Twitter since July 16, 2006, the day af- Page 20 PIZZA Pizza Chicago 424-9400 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto This IS the best pizza in town Spot A Pizza 324-3131 115 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto Voted Best Pizza in Palo Alto www.spotpizza.com of the week POLYNESIAN AMERICAN Armadillo Willy's 941-2922 1031 N. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos Range: $5.00-13.00 CHINESE Peking Duck 321-9388 151 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto We also deliver. Trader Vic's 849-9800 4269 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-10pm; Fri-Sat 5-11pm; Sun 4:30 - 9:30pm Available for private luncheons Lounge open nightly Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-6 pm Rated the BEST Chicago Style, Deep Dish Gourmet Pizza Hobee's 856-6124 4224 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Also at Town & Country Village, Palo Alto 327-4111 Su Hong � Menlo Park Dining Phone: 323�6852 To Go: 322�4631 Winner, Menlo Almanac "Best Of" Cook's Seafood 325-0604 751 El Camino Real, Menlo Park Seafood Dinners from $6.95 to $10.95 Scott's Seafood 323-1555 #1 Town & Country Village, Palo Alto Open 7 days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Happy Hour 7 days a week 4-7 pm Full Bar, Banquets, Outdoor Seating www.scottsseafoodpa.com SEAFOOD Burmese Green Elephant Gourmet (650) 494-7391 Burmese & Chinese Cuisine 3950 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto (Charleston Shopping Center) Dine-In, Take-Out, Local Delivery-Catering 8 years in a row! INDIAN Darbar Indian Cuisine 321-6688 129 Lytton, Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Open 7 days Since 1991, we have had the honor of serving the Bay Area & we thank you for your continued support. 4115 El Camino Real, Palo Alto CHINESE Chef Chu's (650) 948-2696 1067 N. San Antonio Road on the corner of El Camino, Los Altos 2010 Best Chinese MV Voice & PA Weekly Janta Indian Restaurant 462-5903 369 Lytton Ave., Downtown Palo Alto Lunch Buffet M-F; Organic Veggies THAI Thaiphoon Restaurant 323-7700 543 Emerson St., Palo Alto Full Bar, Outdoor Seating www.thaiphoonrestaurant.com Best Thai Restaurant in Palo Alto 5 Years in a Row, 2006-2010 Siam Orchid 325-1994 496 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto Organic Thai Free Delivery to Palo Alto/Stanford/Menlo Park Order online at www.siamorchidpa.com 424-9400 Order online at www.pizzachicago.com ITALIAN Spalti Ristorante 327-9390 417 California Ave, Palo Alto Jing Jing 328-6885 443 Emerson St., Palo Alto Authentic Szechwan, Hunan Food To Go, Delivery www.jingjinggourmet.com www.spalti.com JAPANESE & SUSHI Fuki Sushi 494-9383 Ming's 856-7700 1700 Embarcadero East, Palo Alto www.mings.com 4119 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Open 7 days a Week STEAKHOUSE Sundance the Steakhouse 321-6798 1921 El Camino Real, Palo Alto Lunch: Mon-Fri 11:30 am-2:00pm Dinner: Mon-Thu 5:00-10:00pm Fri-Sat 5:00-10:30pm, Sun 5:00-9:00pm www.sundancethesteakhouse.com New Tung Kee Noodle House 520 Showers Dr., MV in San Antonio Ctr. Voted MV Voice Best `01, `02, `03 & `04 Prices start at $4.75 947-8888 MEXICAN Palo Alto Sol 328-8840 408 California Ave, Palo Alto Search a complete listing of local restaurant reviews by location or type of food on PaloAltoOnline.com Page 21 Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, movies and more, edited by Rebecca Wallace P HOTOS F ROM FA R by Zohra Ashpari A ND I m a g e s ex p l o re g l o b a l t ra g e d y, e m ot i o n W IDE ore than nine years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the question has become not what you were doing on 9/11, but how you are still wounded. Is there a psychological wound, a residue that stays with you after such events? And can it be seen? Leo Rubinfien's "Wounded City" photographs, now on display at Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center, can inspire self-reflection of this kind. The series is part of the larger exhibition "Paths Through the Global City: Photographs by Leo Rubinfien," which continues until May. Rubinfien experienced the devastation of the World Trade Center attacks firsthand. A week before 9/11, his family had moved into a nearby building. They would soon be witness to events of violence. In fact, Rubinfien was in his studio when the first plane crashed into the trade center, and felt the heat of the explosion. "The experience was terrible, dreadful. At least one year afterwards, I walked around feeling a good amount of fear. I asked myself if other people were Page 22 M Arts & Entertainment Photos on facing page, clockwise from top: "Tokyo -- At Shibuya Station," 2002; "In Inverarity Street, Karachi," 2008; and "New York, at Broadway & John St.," 2006. All are archival pigment prints by Leo Rubinfien, from his "Wounded Cities" series. feeling the same thing," Rubinfien, a Chicago native, photographer and author, said during a recent interview with the Weekly. It got him to thinking and wondering about what he calls the "mental wound," the scar that remains after such a trauma. Rubinfien began photographing cities that had experienced terrorism, concentrating on people's faces in the streets, probing for psychological imprints left by terror. He called the collection of faces "Wounded Cities." In a press release, Cantor curator Hilarie Faberman wrote that a central question the photos ask is how much what one sees is observed, and how much projected. "The photos are constantly asking: `Who are you? What have you experienced and how are you still experiencing it?'" Rubinfien said. He added that he believes it's important while looking at the photos to consider the undercurrent of terrorism: how these individuals may have been impacted by violent events. One "Wounded City" photo, "Tokyo -- At Shibuya Station 2002," depicts a Japanese girl looking stupefied. Tokyo drew wide attention in 1995 after sarin-gas attacks on several subway lines killed and injured several people. Then in the 2002 terrorist bombings in Bali, the lives of more Japanese nationals were lost, reopening the "mental wound" incurred in 1995, Rubinfien said. At the exhibition, one museum visitor, Mary-Ann Healy, gave her own interpretation of the Tokyo photo, although not in the context of terror. "The Japanese girl's blond hair looks American, and her makeup looks like a clash between East and West," she said. When told of this comment later, Rubinfien responded: "Not necessarily. Her blond hair may have had a Western influence, but the way her face is made up belongs to a Japanese subculture." "The girl looks like she's wearing a mask," he added. A mask obscures, and Healy's interpretation raises the question of whether effects of past trauma are at all etched onto the Japanese girl's face. Can viewers ever extract themselves out of their own projections, and to what extent can they ever know of the experience of the subject? Another exhibition photo, "Kuta Beach -- In Poppies Lane 2007," shows two girls juxtaposed. One appears to be happily, innocently examining a dress. And another, wearing an Islamic head covering, looks away, perhaps in pain, or distaste. In the top left corner of the image, quietly discernible are the words "Bad Girl" inscribed on an umbrella. Pondering the photo, museum visitor Victoria Holman said: "There is a good contrast between the two. The younger one is enjoying shopping; her life is going on despite what may have occurred." Another visitor, Alan R. Akana, gazed at another photo, "In Inverarity Street, Karachi." The 2008 image is a vision of the Muslim world, men in traditional garb with calm and intelligent faces. "The faces drew me in, and made wonder about what their lives were about, what was going on in their minds," Akana said. "Rubinfien captures everyone, regardless of culture. He shows their very human faces. Throughout the six-year undertaking of "Wounded Cities," Rubinfien has seen many faces and sites that have experienced terrorism. Nairobi, Bombay, Madrid, Japan and Bali were all intensely troubled, he said, but in these communities, there usually was a feeling that the event was in the past and that they were getting over it. In New York City, people healed, although the nation didn't. "NYC received double wounds: first from the attackers, then from the people running the government," he said. People who believed themselves in peace found themselves dragged into war, he added. For Cantor docent Martha Mertz, the exhibition made her recall her daughter's experience on 9/11: "She had been staying near the World Trade Center and saw people jumping out of the building to their deaths. Seeing that impacted her, without a doubt." Although people were angry after the attacks, the experience brought America closer together, at least for a while, Mertz said. The condition of America today or of other countries that have also experienced terrorism, whether people are still wounded, is a question Rubinfien's "Wounded Cities," poses to the viewer. "It's funny: Rubinfien's photographs don't capture anger or fear, but I do see some suspicion and caution in their faces," Mertz said. In addition to "Wounded Cities," the Cantor show also provides a survey of Leo Rubinfien's other major bodies of work, including "A Map of the East," "In the World City" and "New York." The latter two are works in progress. "In the World City" explores the landscape of globalization, examining what the world and the people in it share with each other, Rubinfien said. "'World City' has a shining, bright quality showing places of promise in contrast to `A Map of the East,' which is tender, elegiac, with some anxiety and suspicion," Rubinfien said. The works are all different from one other but also related, he added. "I wanted to see what would happen when I put all of my projects in one room together." What: "Paths Through the Global City: Photographs by Leo Rubinfien" presented in tandem with "In a New York Minute: Photographs by Helen Levitt." Where: Pigott Family Gallery, Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University When: Through May 1. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Cost: Free Info: Go to museum.stanford.edu or call 650-723-4177. City of Palo Alto ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared by the Palo Alto Department of Planning and Community Environment for the project listed below. This document will be available for review and comment during a minimum 20-day inspection period beginning March 4, 2011 through March 24, 2011 during the hours of 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Development Center, 285 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Application 10PLN-00460 will be considered at a public hearing by the Architectural Review Board on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 8:30 a.m. in the Palo Alto City Council Chambers on the first floor of the Civic Center, located at 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, 4073 El Camino Real (File No. 10PLN-00460): Request by Ken Hayes of Hayes Group, applicant, on behalf of Eton Capitol, property owner, for Major Architectural Review Board review of a new three-story commercial and residential mixed use building. The application also includes a request for a Design Enhancement Exception for a two foot encroachment into the required 12 foot effective sidewalk width. Zone District Neighborhood Commercial (CN). Environmental Assessment: An Initial Study has been completed and a Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration has been prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements. Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, listening assistive devices are available in the Council Chambers and Council Conference Room. Sign language interpreters will be provided upon request with 72 hours advance notice. NOTICE OF VACANCY ON THE PUBLIC ART COMMISSION FOUR TERMS ENDING APRIL 30, 2014 (BROWN, COLLINS, RICHTER, USICH) NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council is seeking applications for the Public Art Commission from persons interested in serving in one of four terms, each three years long, ending on April 30, 2014. Eligibility Requirements: The Public Art Commission is composed of seven members who are not Council Members, officers, or employees of the city, and will be appointed by the City Council, serving without pay. Regular meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. Qualifications: Members of the Public Art Commission either shall be members of the Architectural Review Board or shall be professional visual artists, professional visual arts educators, professional visual arts scholars, or visual arts collectors whose authorities and skills are known and respected in the community and, whenever feasible, who have demonstrated an interest in, and have participated in, the arts program of the City. Application forms and appointment information are available in the City Clerk's Office, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto (650329-2571), or at www.cityofpaloalto.org. Deadline for receipt of applications in the City Clerk's Office is 5:30 p.m., Thursday, March 17, 2011. If one of the incumbents does not reapply, the deadline for non-incumbents will extend to 5:30 pm, Tuesday, March 22, 2011. DONNA J. GRIDER, MMC City Clerk PALO ALTO RESIDENCY IS NOT A REQUIREMENT. Page 23 More photos from the big city ogether with "Paths Through the Global City," the Cantor Arts Center is also hosting the exhibition "In a New York Minute: Photographs by Helen Levitt." The show features 55 color and black-and-white images by Levitt (19132009), as well as her film "In the Street." "These images by Levitt are icons of the spontaneity and eccentricity of the New York City streets. Rubinfien's work reveals the poetry of urban life, especially the street," Hilarie Faberman said in a press release. She's curator of modern and contemporary art at the museum. "Although the two exhibitions are separate and distinct, commonality resides in the photographer's attraction to the urban scene and in the spontaneity of their work," Faberman added. "Rubinfien's T An image from Helen Levitt's film "In the Street" (1941-1952). and Levitt's works, presented in tandem, underscore changes in urban life and documentary photography over the last 60 years." -- Zohra Ashpari Arts & Entertainment A thriller is born Pulitzer-finalist playwright readies his new drama for TheatreWorks curtain by Rebecca Wallace "T Adam Poss, left, plays high school student Khadim in "The North Pool," which also features Remi Sandri, right, as Vice Principal Danielson. NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the city of Palo Alto Architectural Review Board (ARB) 8:30 A.M., Thursday, March 17, 2011 Palo Alto Council Chambers, 1st Floor, Civic Center, 250 Hamilton Avenue. Go to the Development Center at 285 Hamilton Avenue to review filed documents; contact Alicia Spotwood for information regarding business hours at 650-617-3168. Study Sessions 1. 1213 Newell Road (Main Library): Request by Palo Alto Public Works Engineering for Study Session review of an addition and other improvements to the Main Library. 2. 520 Webster Street (Webster/Cowper Parking Garage): Request by Palo Alto Public Works Department for Study Session review of the replacement of railings on all levels of the parking garage and the addition of new elements to reduce the sizes of railing openings. Public Hearing Items 4. 100 El Camino Real (El Camino Park) [11PLN00097]: Request by Palo Alto Utilities Department for Architectural Review for the replacement of the existing pump station and reservoir and other site improvements. Zone: PF. Environmental Assessment: An Environmental Impact Report was adopted March 5, 2007 in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). 5. 3000 Hanover [11PLN-00056]: Request by Elinor Kumpf of Gensler Architects on behalf of Leland Stanford Junior University for Architectural Review of a new two story 35,000 square foot addition for a new executive briefing center at the existing HP headquarters facility on an RP zoned parcel in the Stanford Research Park. Environmental Assessment: An initial study and Negative Declaration has been prepared. Amy French Manager of Current Planning Page 24 he North Pool," the new psychological thriller premiering next week at TheatreWorks, was once a six-person play, and then a three-person play. Its action stretched out over many scenes. No matter how playwright Rajiv Joseph changed the script, it still felt problematic. In 2009, when Joseph started a New Works Festival playwright's residency at TheatreWorks, he was ready to try something different. He narrowed the play down to two characters, and to just one scene set in real time. Through rewrites and readings with actors, the thriller started to gel. "I had been working on the play for a long time and had many different readings and many different theaters," the New York writer said. "When TheatreWorks offered me the weeklong opportunity, it was great. They let me bring in the director I wanted to work with, and they were very supportive. ... We had a great reading." The cast clicked, too. When "The North Pool" opens next week, it will have not only the same director from New Works, Giovanna Sardelli, but the same actors: Adam Poss and Remi Sandri. Poss plays Khadim, a Syrianborn student new to this country and to his suburban American high school, while Sandri is Vice Principal Danielson, an authoritarian with his eye on Khadim. "Havi ng the same director and actors, that was very important to me because I had some Rajiv Joseph. other plays going on and wasn't able to be involved through the whole process (of readying the final production)," Joseph said. "To have people I trusted." Joseph, 36, has indeed had a few other projects on his plate. Last year, his play "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo" was a finalist for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The play had also been chosen as an Outstanding New American Play by the National Endowment for the Arts in 2009. That was the same year it premiered in Los Angeles and a Los Angeles Times critic called it "thrillingly genre-busting." Now the play, which is about a tiger, two Iraq War soldiers and the absurdity of war, is set to open on Broadway this month with Robin Williams playing the zoo animal. Other plays by Joseph that have NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING of the Palo Alto Planning & Transportation Commission Please be advised the Planning and Transportation Commission (P&TC) shall conduct a special meeting at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, March 16, 2011 in the Civic Center, Council Chambers, 1st Floor, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, California. Any interested persons may appear and be heard on these items. Staff reports for agendized items are available via the City's main website at www.cityofpaloalto.org. and also at the Planning Division Front Desk, 5th Floor, City Hall, after 2:00 PM on the Friday preceding the meeting date. Copies will be made available at the Development Center should City Hall be closed on the 9/80 Friday. NEW BUSINESS. Public Hearing: 1. 355 Alma Street Planned Community: Request by Lund Smith on behalf of Lytton Gateway LLC for initiation of a new Planned Community zone district and Comprehensive Plan land use designation amendment to allow a mixed use, five-story (64-foot high) building on the former Shell Station site on parcels having a combined area of 21,700 square feet and zoned CD-C(P) and CD-N(P). The Comprehensive Plan designation of Neighborhood Commercial for a portion of the site would be amended to Regional/ Community Commercial. Following initiation, an environmental document would be prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act. Questions. For any questions regarding the above applications, please contact the Planning Department at (650) 329-2440. The files relating to these items are available for inspection weekdays between the hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. This public meeting is televised live on Government Access Channel 26. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City's ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing email@example.com. *** Curtis Williams, Director of Planning and Community Environment received acclaim in recent years include "Gruesome Playground Injuries" and "Animals Out of Paper." The latter had a run at the SF Playhouse last year. As for "The North Pool," Joseph has been working on it for about six years. It has some roots in the post9/11 world, with its undercurrents of racial profiling. He decided to bring that and other themes to a public American high school. While he says the characters are fictional, he notes that the school is based on the one he attended in Cleveland. Joseph's background also includes earning a master's in fine arts in dramatic writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and serving a three-year stint in the Peace Corps in Senegal. In 2009, he was pleased to come to California for New Works, where "The North Pool" got its time in front of TheatreWorks audiences as a staged reading. Joseph said he enjoyed talking to people after the performances and reading their feedback forms. The feedback particularly helped him with the character of young Khadim, he said. "I realized going into the reading that, even though I felt like I knew who this character was, it wasn't exhibiting that he was as sympathetic as I wanted him to be," he said. "I agreed with the comments that (at one point) `We're supposed to think this kid is totally OK, and I'm not sure if I do.'" Fittingly for Silicon Valley, technology and cell phones also play a role in "The North Pool," Joseph said. "There's a generational gap between adults and kids; for kids, the digital age is all they know," he said. "It's part of the disconnect between the two characters in the play." Joseph has been in the Bay Area for some of the TheatreWorks rehearsals, and he plans to be back this month as well. It's part of his busy schedule of sitting in on rehearsals for his plays, writing and rewriting new scripts, and doing research. For "Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo," for instance, his research load was heavy. He read books and watched film documentaries on Iraq and the other subjects in the play, as well as interviewing soldiers and journalists who had been in Iraq. With "The North Pool," though, Joseph spent more time turning inward. "So much of it is based on my own imagining," he said, "and this very isolated moment in these people's lives." Tracy Martin Mark Kitaoka What: "The North Pool," a psychological thriller by Rajiv Joseph, presented by TheatreWorks Where: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto When: The show has 8 p.m. previews on March 9, 10 and 11, with opening night starting at 8 p.m. March 12. The show is set to run through April 3, Tuesday through Sunday, with afternoon and evening performances. Cost: Tickets are $24-$67. Info: Go to theatreworks.org or call 650-463-1960. Palo Alto Unified School District Notice is hereby Given that proposals will be received by the Palo Alto Unified School District for bid package: Contract No. GH 2011 - 01 DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK: The work includes, but is not limited to: Add air conditioning to existing classroom HVAC units, select roofing replacement and the installation of a cool roof system as well as all other incidental work necessary to provide complete and operational systems. Bidding documents contain the full description of the work. There will be a MANDATORY pre-bid conference and site visit at 3:30 p.m. on March 16th, 2011 beginning at the Gunn High School Office located at 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto, California 94304. Bid Submission: Proposals must be received at the District Facilities Office Building D, by 11:00 a.m. on March 28, 2011. PREVAILING WAGE LAWS: The successful Bidder must comply with all prevailing wage laws applicable to the Project, and related requirements contained in the Contract Documents. Palo Alto Unified School District will maintain a Labor Compliance Program (LCP) for the duration of this project. In bidding this project, the contractor warrants he/she is aware and will follow the Public Works Chapter of the California Labor Code comprised of labor code sections 1720 � 1861. A copy of the Districts LCP is available for review at 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D, Palo Alto, CA 94306. 1. A pre-job conference shall be conducted with the contractor or subcontractors to discuss federal and state labor law requirements applicable to the contract. 2. Project contractors and subcontracts shall maintain and furnish to the District, at a designated time, a certified copy of each payroll with a statement of compliance signed under penalty of perjury. 3. The District shall review and, if appropriate, audit payroll records to verify compliance with the Public Works Chapter of the Labor Code. 4. The District shall withhold contract payments if payroll records are delinquent or inadequate. 5. The District shall withhold contract payments as described in the LCP, including applicable penalties when the District and Labor Commissioner establish that underpayment of other violations has occurred. Beginning February 23rd bidders may examine Bidding Documents at Facilities Office, Building "D". Bidders may purchase copies of Plans and Specifications at Peninsula Digital Imaging, 599 Fairchild Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043, Phone (650) 967-1966 All questions can be addressed to: Palo Alto Unified School District 25 Churchill Avenue, Building D Palo Alto, CA 94306-1099 Attn: Alex Morrison Phone: (650) 329-3927 Fax: (650) 327-3588 PUBLIC NOTICE FORMER NAVAL AIR STATION MOFFETT FIELD Restoration Advisory Board Meeting The next regular meeting of the Restoration Advisory Board (RAB) for former Naval Air Station (NAS) Moffett Field will be held on: Thursday, March 10, 2011, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at: Mountain View Senior Center Social Hall 266 Escuela Avenue Mountain View, CA 94040-1813 The RAB reviews and comments on plans and activities about the ongoing environmental studies and restoration activities underway at Moffett Field. Regular RAB meetings are open to the public and the Navy encourages your involvement. To review documents on Moffett Field environmental restoration projects, please visit the information repository located at the Mountain View Public Library, 585 Franklin St., Mountain View, CA 94041, (650) 903-6337. For more information, contact Mr. Scott Anderson, Navy Base Realignment and Closure Environmental Coordinator at (619) 532-0938 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Visit the Navy's website: http://www.bracpmo.navy.mil/basepage.aspx?baseid=52&state=California&name=moffett 20 thA ual Photo Co nn ES ENTRI LL FOR CA NEW: DIGITAL SUBMISSIONS ONLY t ntes Sign up today at www.PaloAltoOnline.com Page 25 � PORTRAITS � BAY AREA IMAGES � VIEWS BEYOND THE BAY AREA ENTRY DEADLINE: April 8, 2011 ENTRY FORM AND RULES AVAILABLE AT www.PaloAltoOnline.com CATEGORIES 20 thA l Phot nnua o Co Fri & Sat ONLY 3/4-3/5 The Kings Speech 1:30, 4:20, 7:15, 10:00 Cedar Rapids 1:45, 4:45, 7:20, 9:35 Sun thru Thurs 3/6-3/10 The Kings Speech 1:30, 4:20, 7:15 Cedar Rapids 1:45, 4:45, 7:20 Movies MOVIE TIMES The Adjustment Bureau 1/2 (PG-13) Beastly (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Big Mommas: Like Like Father, Son (PG-13) (Not Reviewed) Biutiful (R) 1/2 Century 16: 11 & 11:50 a.m.; 1:30, 2:30, 4:55, 5:20, 7:40, 8:10, 10:15 & 10:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:40 a.m. 2:15, 4:50, 7:30 & 10:10 p.m. Century 16: Noon, 2:40, 4:55, 7:40 & 10:15 p.m. Century 20: 11:20 a.m.; 1:40, 3:55, 6:10, 8:25 & 10:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 2:10, 4:45, 7:20 & 10:05 p.m. The Big Shakedown (1934) Stanford Theatre: Thu. at 6:15 & 9:25 p.m. Century 16: 12:10 & 6:55 p.m. Century 16: 1:10, 4, 7:15 & 10:05 p.m. Century 20: Noon, 2:45, 5:25, 8 & 10:35 p.m. Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Mon. at 5:15 & 9:25 p.m. Century 20: Sat. at 10 a.m.; Wed. at 6:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:50 a.m.; 2:30, 5, 7:15 & 9:30 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 1:45, 4:45 & 7:20 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 9:35 p.m. Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 6:10 & 8:55 p.m. Century 16: In 3D at 3:55 & 10:10 p.m. Century 20: In 3D at 12:20, 2:50, 5:30, 8 & 10:30 p.m. Aquarius Theatre: 1:30, 4, 7 & 9:30 p.m. Century 16: 12:20, 3:20, 6:40 & 9:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:55 a.m.; 2:40, 5:45 & 8:30 p.m. Century 16: 11:45 a.m.; 4:20 & 9 p.m.; In 3D at 2:10 & 6:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:45 a.m.; 1:55, 4:10, 6:25, 8:35 & 10:45 p.m.; In 3D at 12:45 & 3 p.m.; also in 3D Fri., Tue. & Thu. at 5:20 p.m.; also in 3D Sat. & Sun. at 10:35 a.m. & 5:20 p.m.; also in 3D Mon. at 5:15 p.m. Century 16: 12:40, 3:30, 7, 9:45 & 10:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 2, 3:25, 4:35, 6, 7:10, 8:45 & 10 p.m.; Fri. & Mon.-Thu. also at 12:50 p.m.; Sun. also at 10:15 a.m. & 12:50 p.m. Century 16: 11:30 a.m. & 2:05 p.m.; Fri.-Sun. & Tue.Thu. also at 4:50 & 7:50 p.m. Century 20: 12:15, 2:55, 5:35, 8:10 & 10:45 p.m. Aquarius Theatre: 12:30 & 4:30 p.m. Century 16: 1, 3:50, 7:05 & 9:50 p.m. Century 20: 11:35 a.m.; 2:20, 5:05, 7:50 & 10:35 p.m. Century 16: 1:35, 6:45 & 9:20 p.m.; "Director's Fan Cut 3D" at 11:05 a.m. & 4:05 p.m. Century 20: 11:30 a.m.; 5:10 & 10:25 p.m.; "Director's Fan Cut 3D" at 2:25 & 7:40 p.m. Stanford Theatre: Thu. at 7:30 p.m. Century 20: 11:25 a.m.; 2:10, 4:55, 7:45 & 10:30 p.m. Palo Alto Square: 1:30, 4:20 & 7:15 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. also at 10 p.m. Black Swan (R) Caravan (1946) Carmen 3D (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Cedar Rapids (R) The Curse of the Cat People (1944) Drive Angry (R) (Not Reviewed) Even the Rain (Not Rated) OPENINGS Even the Rain (Aquarius) Spanish-American writer George Santayana remarked, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Modern film producers aren't so inclined to take heed, since repeating the past is the safest route to profit. The Spanish drama "Even the Rain," directed by Ic�ar Bolla�n, casts a withering glance at "haves" blithely taken to destroying "have nots." Put more accurately, the locals of Cochabamba, Bolivia, are "have littles." So when a Spanish film crew making a historical drama about Christopher Columbus puts out a reckless casting call ("Everyone gets a chance"), a mass of Quechuan natives clamors for acting work. Producer Costa (Luis Tosar) and director Sebasti�n (Gael Garcia Bernal) can't even offer most of the crowd an audition, and they narrowly avoid a riot. But the cinematic carpetbaggers also find just the man to play their antagonist when Daniel (Juan Carlos Aduviri) refuses to take "go home" as an answer. Over the concerns of his producer, Sebasti�n casts Daniel as Cuban martyr Hatuey, a native who stood up to Spanish imperialism. The filmmakers' disregard for the consequences of their actions bodes badly for the production, but equally worrisome is the water crisis in the city. With full government support, private water companies are seizing community wells, and the people fight for their rights. Busy with their own story of native exploitation, the filmmakers couldn't care less, until they realize that Daniel couldn't care more. A natural-born rabble-rouser, Daniel leads the protest movement and therefore constantly risks arrest and civil unrest so dire it could send the production packing. When the filmmakers try to win his loyalty, Daniel makes his priorities plain: "Some things are more important than your film." That audience identification rests with the understandably but sadly selfish Sebasti�n more than with the community-oriented Daniel goes beyond a run-of-the-mill indictment of entitlement. It extends to the troubling question of personal values and their definition of identity. One character unexpectedly turns a corner in this regard, and though his transformation may be hard to swallow, the example is properly shaming to our almighty-dollaroriented value system. Sure enough, some things are more important. "Even the Rain" proudly wears its liberalism on its sleeve, and Ken Loach's regular screenwriter Paul Lavery ("The Wind That Shakes the Barley") gives the proceedings the pointed simplicity of a parable. Lavery also productively pokes fun at cinema's penchant for revisionist history; in the film-within-the-film, Dominican friar Antonio de Montesinos delivers his famous sermon: "The truth has many enemies. The lie has many friends." Though obvious, Bolla�n's morality tale dramatizes vital issues facing the global economy, forcing the audience to experience them on a human level. It's all about the money, Columbus' nation-building imperialism remade as modern governmentindustrial exploitation. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. CALL FOR ENTRIES www.PaloAltoOnline.com NOTICE OF PUBLIC REVIEW PERIOD AND PUBLIC HEARINGS ON PALO ALTO'S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT (CDBG) PROGRAM This is to notify the general public and other interested parties that a 30-day public review period of the draft Annual Action Plan for the allocation of 2011/12 Community Development Block Grant funds, will begin on March 28, 2011 and end on April 29, 2011. The draft Annual Action Plan describes the activities the City may fund under the 2011/2012 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. These activities are intended to meet Palo Alto's affordable housing and community development objectives described in the 2010-2015 Consolidated Plan. Copies of the draft Annual Action Plan will be available on March 28, 2011 at the Department of Planning and Community Environment, 250 Hamilton Avenue, 5th Floor, Palo Alto, CA 94301, on the City's website at http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/cdbg or by calling Suzanne Bayley, Interim CDBG Coordinator, at 650-329-2428. Interested parties are encouraged to submit written comments on the proposed draft Annual Action Plan during the public review period, or to comment at the public hearings and meetings described below. The City Council will allocate an estimated $884,304 in CDBG funding. The estimated amount of the annual CDBG entitlement grant is $731,500. $60,000 is available from program income, and $92,804 in reallocated funds. All of the proposed activities are consistent with the CDBG program's national objective of funding activities which benefit low- and very-low income persons. Public Hearings and Meetings The City of Palo Alto Human Relations Commission will hold a Public Hearing on March 16, 2011 to review the 2011/2012 CDBG funding allocations recommended by the CDBG advisory committee. The Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m., or as soon as possible thereafter, in City Hall Council Conference Room, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto. The City of Palo Alto Finance Committee will hold a Public Hearing on April 5, 2011 to review the proposed 2011/2012 CDBG funding allocations identified in the Draft Annual Action Plan. The Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m., or as soon as possible thereafter, in City Hall Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto. The Palo Alto City Council will hold a Public Hearing on May 9, 2011 to adopt the Annual Action Plan and the associated 2011/12 CDBG allocations. The Public Hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m., or as soon as possible thereafter, in City Hall Council Chambers, 250 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto. ADA. The City of Palo Alto does not discriminate against individuals with disabilities. To request accommodations to access City facilities, services or programs, to participate at public meetings, or to learn more about the City's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), please contact the City's ADA Coordinator at 650.329.2550 (voice) or by e-mailing email@example.com. Page 26 t ntes The Fighter (R) 1/2 Gnomeo & Juliet (G) Hall Pass (R) I Am Number Four (PG-13) The Illusionist (2011) (PG) Just Go With It (PG-13) 1/2 Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (G) (Not Reviewed) Kid Galahad (1937) The King's Speech (R) 1/2 Oscar-Nominated Aquarius Theatre: 2:30 & 6:30 p.m. Animated Shorts (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Oscar-Nominated LiveAquarius Theatre: 8:30 p.m. Action Shorts (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Rango (PG) Century 16: 11 & 11:40 a.m.; 1:40, 2:20, 4:30, 5:10, 7:10, 8, 9:55 & 10:35 p.m. Century 20: 11:10 a.m.; 12:10, 1:45, 2:45, 4:25, 5:25, 7:05, 8:05, 9:45 & 10:40 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. also at 10 a.m. Century 16: Mon. at 7:30 p.m. Century 20: Mon. at 7:30 p.m. Aquarius Theatre: Sat. at midnight. RISE (PG) (Not Reviewed) The Rocky Horror Picture Show (R) (Not Reviewed) The Seventh Victim (1943) Stanford Theatre: Fri. at 7:30 p.m. (Not Rated) (Not Reviewed) Take Me Home Tonight (R) (Not Reviewed) True Grit (PG-13) Unknown (PG-13) 1/2 Century 16: 11:20 a.m.; 2, 5, 7:55 & 10:25 p.m. Century 20: 12:05, 2:35, 5:15, 7:50 & 10:20 p.m. Century 16: 12:30, 3:10, 7 & 9:40 p.m. Century 20: 11:15 a.m.; 1:50, 4:30, 7:05 & 9:40 p.m. Century 16: 11:10 a.m.; 1:50, 4:40, 7:30 & 10:20 p.m. Century 20: 12:30, 3:35, 6:15, 9 & 10:15 p.m.; Fri.-Sun., Tue. & Thu. also at 7:35 p.m. Stanford Theatre: Sat.-Mon. at 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun. also at 3:20 p.m. The Wicked Lady (1945) Skip it Some redeeming qualities A good bet Outstanding Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (266-9260) Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View (800-326-3264) Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City (800-326-3264) Cin�Arts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (493-3456) Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (266-9260) Stanford: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (324-3700) Internet address: For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more information about films playing, go to PaloAltoOnline.com. Not rated. One hour, 43 minutes. -- Peter Canavese Rango (Century 16, Century 20) Generally speaking, animated movies these days are sure-fire entertainment for uncritical tots and iffier propositions for seen-it-all adults. But the CGI-animated "Rango" flips that script with its bizarro sensibility. It's the grown-ups who may not believe their eyes (and ears), and the kids who may wonder what all the fuss is about. I suspect the young'uns will still take a shine to the hero of "Rango" -- a chameleon that's part Kermit the Frog, part street-corner kook (and all Johnny Depp, who supplies the often hilarious voice). The film begins with the wild-eyed chameleon, a legend only in his own mind, a dreamer whose play-acting is contained within the four glass walls of a terrarium. A spill onto a desert highway forces the lizard out of his comfort zone, where he gets oddly existential advice from a flattened armadillo (Alfred Molina): "Enlightenment: We're nothing without it." A couple of Hunter S. Thompson allusions later, the Hawaiian-shirt-clad hero wanders into the desert and arrives at the depressed town of Dirt. Given the opportunity to reinvent himself, the chameleon bluffs a heroic persona, calling himself "Rango" (a quick-thinking contraction of "Durango"). Like the Brave Little Tailor of Grimm Brothers lore, Rango builds his reputation on the notion of killing seven with one blow or, in this Western variation, seven men with one bullet. Since Dirt is in the midst of a severe water shortage, a hero fills a vital need. "People have to believe in something," says the turtle Mayor (Ned Beatty), who appoints Rango as the new sheriff. The comedy comes from the chameleon's ironically dubious adaptability and unearned confidence. Strutting through town, he advises youngsters, "Stay in school, eat your veggies, burn everything but Shakespeare." There's a touch of mystery to the proceedings, as Rango and the townspeople get to the bottom of the water plot, which plays out as a parody of "Chinatown." Also, there's a touch of head trip in a reverie bringing Rango face to face with "The Spirit of the West" (Timothy Olyphant), who looks and sounds like Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name. The cinematic allusion comes courtesy of screen talent imported from live-action films: director Gore Verbinski ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), screenwriter John Logan ("The Aviator") and "cinematography consultant" Roger Deakins. The first animated feature to come out of Industrial Light & Magic, "Rango" is a sight to behold -- whether in shadowy interiors or dusty, sun-baked exteriors -- with pleasingly idiosyncratic supporting characters voiced by Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Harry Dean Stanton and Ray Winstone. But what most separates "Rango" from the kiddie pack is its willingness to come out of left field with, say, a banjo-and-jug version of "Ride of the Valkyries," or sexual malapropisms that will fly over kids' heads, or a line like "We're experiencing a paradigm shift!" And why not? Rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking. One hour, 47 minutes. -- Peter Canavese To read the Weekly's review of "The Adjustment Bureau," go to PaloAltoOnline.com/movies. Caring for Older Parents Diet/Binge BREAK FREE OF THE Cycle You care about your aging parents. And yet, sometimes, you just don't know the best way to help them, especially when they are trying to remain independent. Seniors Helping Seniors� in-home services is an exceptional program of care and caring that matches seniors who want to provide services with those who are looking for help. FINALLY THE PROGRAM TO: Call us today. Like getting a little help from your friendsTM If you are interested in becoming a provider, we would like to hear from you too. 650-964-4112 Office 650-391-6275 Mobile Call us today at 650.833.9892 to schedule a free consultation! firstname.lastname@example.com Gale Iguchi, Counselor A CARING APPROACH TO OUT-OF-CONTROL EATING TOP CRITICS AGREE `CEDAR RAPIDS' IS THE PLACE TO BE! "A TENDER AND RAUNCHY COMEDY OF SELF-DISCOVERY." www.hungryheart.org www.seniorshelpingseniors.com/ MidPeninsula "COMIC GOLD POWERED BY A DREAM CAST." "ED HELMS SHINES." mp Connec tion Ca Find the camps for your kids this summer in our newspapers and peninsula websites. We have all the camps you could possibly want! Also, pick up a copy of the Camp Connection magazine at family-oriented retailers on the Peninsula. SU 011 y, eekl to W lo Al e Pa by th e uced Voic ew prod ion ntain Vi icat publ and Mou l ecia A sp Almanac The SUMMER 2011 ATTENTION PARENTS! nec tion Con MM ER CA MP O S F ID R K S "MAKES YOU LAUGH � OFTEN AND OUT LOUD." p am C GU IDE TO 2 m Sum er 2 011 MERCADO 20 CENTURY 20 Santa Clara DOWNTOWN (888) AMC-4FUN AMC EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS NOW PLAYING CINEMARK Redwood City (800) FANDANGO 990# San Jose (800) FANDANGO 983# Palo Alto (800) FANDANGO 914# CIN�ARTS AT SANTANA ROW CINEMARK CIN�ARTS AT PALO ALTO SQUARE CINEMARK Page 27 BEST SPORTS COVERAGE California Newspaper Publishers Association 1ST PLACE BOYS' CCS ROUNDUP CARDINAL CORNER . . . Junior outside hitter Brad Lawson of the Stanford men's volleyball team, is the Sports Imports/AVCA Men's Division I-II National Player of the Week. Lawson was a key player in leading the Cardinal to a pair of top-10 wins over No. 8 UCLA and then-No. 3 UC Santa Barbara. His totals for the week amounted to 43 kills, 14 digs and three aces while accumulating a .480 hitting percentage . . . Stanford captured its second straight Pac10 Conference Women's Swimming and Diving Championships by 22 points over California last Saturday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash. The title is the Cardinal's 18th overall. Trailing Cal entering the final day, Stanford won three individual events and picked up valuable points in the 1650-yard freestyle with four finishers in the top eight to hold off the Golden Bears. Stanford finished with 1567.5 points to Cal's 1545.5. "This Pac-10 championships has probably been one of the closest meets in history," said Stanford head coach Lea Maurer. Stanford freshman Maya DiRado won her first Pac-10 title, taking the 200-yard backstroke in 1:53.04 while Cardinal senior Kate Dwelley won her second event of the week, adding the 100-yard freestyle to her 200 free crown from Friday. Dwelley touched the wall in 48.14, followed by Cal junior Liv Jensen (48.34) from Palo Alto High. Stanford senior Meg Hostage captured her second career diving title and first since 2008 by winning the platform with 322.65 points . . . Anthony Brown matched his career-high with 21 points and had 11 rebounds as the Stanford men's basketball team beat visiting Seattle, 7766, in a nonconference contest Tuesday night in Maples Pavilion. Jeremy Green added 22 points as the Cardinal (15-14) won its second straight and will complete the regular season with a Pac-10 game at California at 4 pm. on Saturday. Green made his first seven shots. Sports Shorts A win and loss for SHP Gators in hoop final, but lose No. 2 scorer to ejection ruling by Keith Peters I Gunn senior Stefan Weidemann (left) won his first Central Coast Section wrestling title with a 5-0 decision over Sam Hopkins of St. Francis at 152 pounds, earning a trip to this weekend's State Meet. STATE WRESTLING A final goal to pin down Gunn's Weidemann hoping for medal at state meet after winning CCS title S ON THE AIR Friday College baseball: Stanford at Texas, 1 p.m.; KZSU (90.1 FM) Saturday College baseball: Stanford at Texas, noon; KZSU (90.1 FM) Men's basketball: Stanford at Cal, 4 p.m.; Comcast Sports Net California; XTRA (860 AM); KZSU (90.1 FM) Sunday College baseball: Stanford at Texas, 11 a.m., KZSU (90.1 FM) READ MORE ONLINE For expanded daily coverage of college and prep sports, please see our new site at www.PASportsOnline.com www.PASportsOnline.com by Keith Peters tefan Weidemann had some specific goals when he began his senior season of wrestling for Gunn High this winter. His No. 1 priority was to win a Central Coast Section title. With that done, it would set him up for goal No. 2 --getting to the CIF State Meet and earning a medal. For Weidemann, goal No. 1 is s done deal. He took care of that by going 5-0 and capturing the 152-pound title at the CCS Championships last Saturday at Independence High in San Jose. "Right after the match I was ecstatic," Weidemann said. "I was pretty happy. But then I realized that Mid-Cals was a tougher tournament and this was a qualifier. I'm looking ahead to state." The third-seeded Weidemann upended No. 1 seed Sam Hopkins of St. Francis in the title match, 5-0, after taking down No. 2 seed Ian Messaros of Cupertino in the semifinals, 4-2. That victory avenged Weidemann's only loss of the season, at the SCVAL Championships two weeks ago. "That was important," Weidemann said of his semifinal victory. "But, Palo Alto junior Kalen Gans (bottom) went 5-1 and finished third at 160 pounds at CCS, also earning a berth in the State Meet. I didn't want to get too emotional about it. It was pretty much businesslike." The previous loss to Messaros probably helped Weidemann in the long run. "I just learned not to overlook anyone," he said. "It was a wakeup call." Weidemann is only the fourth wrestler in Gunn history to win a CCS title. The first was Dwight Miller, who won the 103 title in 1973 and won at 112 in `74. Dan Gibben (165 pounds) won in 1979 and Zack Blumenfeld (171) captured it in 2009. Blumenfeld was on hand to see Weidemann become the newest champ. Weidemann will take a 25-1 record to the state tournament, which begins this weekend at Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield. Weidemann failed to place at the state meet last season after finishing fourth at 140 pounds at CCS. Ranked No. 8 in the state, Weidemann will open against Nava Arroyo of Alfredo. Weidemann opened CCS last week by pinning Giovanni Marconcini of Riordan in 1:53. He followed that with a pin of Evan Enright of Sobrato in 4:54. In the third round, Weidemann pinned Mike Heraz of Soledad in 5:44. Weidemann said he doesn't have any specific goals for the state meet, other than taking it a match at a time. "I'm not looking that far ahead," he said. "I just want to win my next (continued on page 30) t wasn't all that unusual when things got a little heated during Sacred Heart Prep's blowout victory over Carmel in a Central Coast Section Division IV boys' basketball semifinal on Tuesday night. The top-seeded Gators had erased a first-half deficit and were finishing up a 35-point third quarter on the way to a 61-point second half and 78-39 triumph over the No. 4 Padres, who weren't too happy with how things were turning out. With about 25 seconds left in the third period and following three steals by the Gators, things got rough. A Carmel player, evidently frustrated by the turn of events, dished out a hard foul to SHP senior Will McConnell. A brief tussle ensued, during which Sacred Heart senior Reed McConnell, Will's twin, left the bench to help his brother. Reed was hit with a technical foul and then ejected. As McConnell departed, perhaps so did the Gators' hopes for a possible appearance in the CIF Division IV state championship game. "At this point," said SHP coach Tony Martinelli, "it looks like we will be playing without Reed." According to CCS bylaws, any player ejected from any CCS playoff contest because of flagrant misconduct or unsportsmanlike behavior shall e excluded from participating in the remainder of the playoff contests in that sport during that season and his/her team shall be subject to further sanctioning, as deemed appropriate by the CCS Commissioner. Not only will Reed McConnell miss Friday's CCS Division IV championship game against No. 2 Santa Cruz at Santa Clara University (4:45 p.m.), but apparently he'll be sidelined for the CIF NorCal playoffs, as well. "Hopefully, that will not be the case," said Martinelli. "It would be a pretty severe penalty for a kid that loves the game as much as he does and has worked so hard." The rules, however, apparently say McConnell is done for the season. "As a CCS member school, CCS players and teams are subject to CCS bylaws throughout the entire season, whether they are playing CCS member schools or schools from outside the CCS," said Steve Filios, an assistant CCS commissioner and former head boys' basketball coach at St. Francis High. "The membership of the CCS has adopted this rule. Because violation of the rule carries severe sanctions, every principal (or his or her desig(continued on next page) Butch Garcia Jim Anderson Page 28 CCS boys (continued from previous page) GIRLS' CCS BASKETBALL nee) has been required in all sports to review these rules prior to the start of the CCS playoffs. This rule is also reviewed with the team captains and coaches prior to each playoff game." "It is a CCS decision and one that we have to respect," said Martinelli. "The only tough thing was, it was a pretty dirty play and it was committed on his brother. I believe that Reed's emotions got the best of him and he went out on the court. To his credit, he didn't get involved in any altercation and went back to the bench." With the 6-foot-5 McConnell sidelined, the Gators lose their No. 1 three-point shooter (51 made), No. 2 scorer (14.6 ppg), No. 2 free-throw shooter (72-for-90) and No. 2 assist man (62). While Sacred Heart Prep will miss those statistical advantages and McConnell's veteran experience, the strength of this season's team has been its depth. "Our depth has been the key to our success all year," Martinelli said. "So, guys like Cal Baloff, Pat McNamara and Zach Watterson will have to keep playing well." The 6-4 McNamara, 6-3 Baloff and 6-3 Watterson all come off the bench but have played a great deal in the Gators' fast-paced offense. They have combined for 12.7 ppg, 33 three-pointers and 72 assists. The remaining starters are the 6-6 Will McConnell (15.5 ppg, 6.7 rebounds per game), 6-5 Tomas O'Donnell (5.6 ppg), 6-4 Cole McConnell (8.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg), and Colin Terndrup (8.4 ppg, 2.9 assists). Six of the seven are seniors, with Cole McConnell the only junior. The Gators (24-2), riding a 20-game winning streak, will have a considerable height advantage over the No. 2 Cardinals (21-6), who eliminated No. 3 Palma in Tuesday's other semifinal at Menlo School, 76-52. Michael Adams is the tallest Santa Cruz player at 6-4. "Santa Cruz isn't as big, but they are extremely deep," said Martinelli. "They shoot the 3 well and press and trap. We both feel more comfortable with the game in the 60s and 70s. I really think the winning team will be the one that presses well and plays solid half-court defense." Sacred Heart didn't do that until the second half in its win over Carmel (21-5) on Tuesday. The Gators spent the first half trying to figure out Carmel's 1-3-1 zone, which the Gators hadn't seen much this season. SHP missed nine of its first 10 shots and trailed by as much as 17-9. What the Gators lacked in the first half -- pressing, forcing turnovers and scoring -- they gained big time after intermission as their defense sparked the turnaround. The Gators shot 75 percent from the floor in the third period to blow the game open. Martinelli credited assistant coach Dan Coffey for firing up the Gators at halftime. "He even controlled himself enough to come up with a better way to attack the 1-3-1. I think it's tough for a team to do something they don't do all the time. If Santa Cruz can put that in and execute it in the next two days, I would be very impressed. I do think we learned a lot about playing against it." Will and Cole McConnell each scored 18 points for the Gators while Baloff added 13. Sacred Heart Prep heads into its title defense against a Santa Cruz that lost three times to the Gators last season, including a 55-54 loss in the CCS semifinals. CCS Division V Top-seeded Pinewood and No. 3-seeded Mid-Peninsula will meet for the first time ever in a section final when the local squads play Saturday at Santa Clara University at noon. The winner will host a CIF NorCal playoff game Tuesday at 7 p.m., while the runnerup will have to travel. The two advanced from Wednesday night's semifinals at St. Francis-Central Coast Catholic in Watsonville in different fashion. In the opener, Pinewood went on a 31-13 run to finish the game during a 59-39 triumph over No. 4 Crystal Springs (13-13). Junior Solomone Wolfgramm had 16 points and 14 rebounds while Dante Fraioli added 19 points, three steals and two assists. The Panthers grabbed 22 offensive rebounds and held the Gryphons to 25 percent shooting, including 19 percent from threepoint range, in what amounted to a rematch of the team's two West Bay Athletic League games that Pinewood also won. Pinewood grabbed a 28-15 halftime lead before Crystal cut the deficit to just two, just three minutes into the third quarter, on a flurry of three-pointers by junior It's a first: Gunn, Paly meet in a title game Top-seeded Vikings, No. 3-seeded Titans make history by playing each other in section finals at SCU on Saturday by Keith Peters s the 2010-11 girls' basketball season got under way, talk quickly shifted to the obvious -- that Pinewood and Eastside Prep could meet up to five times with one advancing to the CIF Division V state championship game. There was no such talk about Palo Alto and Gunn. While the teams did have a natural rivalry, only the Titans had ever made it to a Central Coast Section final. The chances of these two teams meeting in a CCS championship game was not much of an issue, until now. Thanks to increased enrollments at both schools, the Vikings and Titans were elevated into Division I for the postseason and away from the likes of Presentation, Mitty and any other Catholic school that has ruined the hopes of Paly and Gunn over the years. As the season progressed and victories by each team began to pile up, it finally did become obvious that the Vikings and Titans not only would qualify for the postseason but quite likely earn high seeds and -- hold your breath -- somehow wind up playing each other in the CCS championship game. Could it be? Was it possible? Yes, it is. For the first time since 1977, when 14 league champions were brought together for the first girls' CCS playoffs, No. 1-seeded Palo Alto (21-4) and No. 3-seeded Gunn (19-5) will face each other in the section finals. They'll meet Saturday at Santa Clara University at 6 p.m., with both teams also earning berths in the CIF NorCal playoffs that begin Tuesday at 7 p.m. Gunn reached the 2009 CCS Division II finals, but lost to Mitty and eventually finished with a 29-3 record, best in school history. The current Titans, however, are in a better position to bring home the first section girls' title in school history. Palo Alto, meanwhile, will be playing in its first CCS final. Coach Scott Peters guided his 2006 squad to a 25-5 record, but that squad fell in the semifinals -- to Mitty. "I think it is a great honor for our girls to get a chance to play for the CCS championship," Peters said. "I think the game with Gunn will be another war; should be very fun." Palo Alto and Gunn advanced out of semifinal games Wednesday night at Christopher High in Gilroy. The Vikings had the early game and struggled offensively -- trailing at the half, 11-9, before stepping up its offense and clamping down its defense to beat No. 5 North Salinas, 33-25. "We stuck with our game plan in the second half, of pressuring their ball-handlers, which helped us get some steals and easy shots," said Peters. "Our girls play very hard, with a lot of passion and effort. It may not be pretty to watch, but our girls are A Palo Alto junior Israel Hakim (left) provided eight points during the Vikings' 61-39 loss to No. 1 Mitty. Andrew Lim. Fraioli responded with a pair of threes and Pinewood never looked back. Pinewood will be looking to win its first CCS title since 1996 against explosive Mid-Peninsula, which had to go into overtime before holding off defending champion St. Francis-CCC, 68-65, to reach its first-ever CCS title game. The host and No. 2-seeded Sharks (16-11) made a halfcourt shot with 1.3 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime. "After they made that shot, we could have fallen apart," said Mid-Peninsula coach Curtis Haggins. The Dragons, however, didn't. They opened the extra frame with a layup before hitting nine free throws to hold off the hometown team. Senior Lydell Cardwell provided the winning points on two charity tosses and finished with 31 points while Reggie Williams added 18. Haggins believes his team has a chance Saturday if the Dragons can keep Wolfgramm off the boards. "And we have to rebound," Haggins said. "I'm sure they'll try to take Cardwell out of the game. Cardwell can get 30-40 (points) a game if he wants." Mid-Peninsula, however, will be the underdog, which is fine with Haggins. "Anything can happen," he said. "Our toughest (CCS) game was against a 7-18 Eastside Prep team. It's hard to beat a team with nothing to lose. "I'm proud of these kids," added Haggins. "We're just enjoying the ride." CCS Division II Fourth-seeded Palo Alto was held scoreless in the second quarter and had just 12 points in the first half in its showdown with top-seeded Mitty. The second half was a little better for the Vikings, but not enough as they saw their season end in a 61-39 setback in the semifinals at Foothill College on Tuesday. The Monarchs (27-2) ended the Vikings' 2010 season in similar fashion, 62-39. Like in last season's loss, Paly (19-7) had no inside game to answer the talents of Mitty's 6-foot-8 sophomore Aaron Gordon, who had 11 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks and held Paly's 6-3 standout sophomore E.J. Floreal to just three points. Mitty grabbed a 32-12 halftime lead after holding the Vikings scoreless in the second period. Paly bounced back with 20 points in the third period as seniors Davante Adams (13 points) and Max Schmarzo (11) contributed to the comeback. going to make you work for every inch of the court." The Vikings played fullcourt, man-to-man defense that helped hold North Salinas's top scorer to just eight points. "Lindsay Black, Shamelia Clay and Stephanie Allen took turns guarding her throughout the night," Peters explained. "This disrupted their offense." Both teams struggled offensively and were plagued by turnovers -- the teams combined for more than 60 -- but the Vikings came up with the key stops when needed. Junior Emilee Osagiede led the way with 15 points while sophomore center Josie Butler grabbed 10 rebounds and swatted away numerous shots to further disrupt the North Salinas offense. In the nightcap, Titans rallied for an exciting 43-40 victory over No. 2 Gilroy (22-2). Julia Maggioncalda led Gunn with 13 points while fellow junior Cat Perez added 12. The Titans trailed 40-36 with just over a minute remaining Nora Shevick hit a three-pointer with 1:12 left for a 40-39 game and then Gunn stopped Gilroy on back-to-back possession, with Maggioncalda grabbing the rebound each time and getting fouled. She made two with 43 seconds left to give Gunn the lead and hit two more with eight seconds remaining for the final margin of victory. "Nora's shot was huge," said Gunn coach Sarah Stapp. "If we don't convert there, it could be all over." Following Maggioncalda's four free throws, Gilroy had one more possession in front of its hometown fans, but was unable to get off a good shot. Gunn's Emily Redfield got the rebound with a second remaining to end the final threat. "The final minute was like a blur," said Stapp. "We did everything right and I couldn't be more proud of my girls." CCS Division V As expected, No. 1-seeded Pinewood (23-5) and No. 2 Eastside Prep (21-7) advanced to the CCS finals. They'll meet at Santa Clara University on Saturday at 10 a.m. This will be their fourth meeting this season, with Pinewood holding a 2-1 edge. Pinewood cruised to a 75-26 victory over No. 4 St. Francis-CCC (1811) as Hailie Eackles poured in 26 points and Casey Cairo nailed six 3-pointers and finished with 20. The Panthers rolled to a 55-16 halftime lead and were never threatened. Eastside Prep used its pressure defense to defeat No. 3 Castilleja (13-15) and avenge last season's semifinal loss to the Gators. Ahjalee Harvey scored 25 points and fellow senior Takara Burse added 22 while the Panthers limited Castilleja senior scoring leader Natasha von Kaeppler to just 13 points. (Tom Jacoubowsky contributed) Page 29 Matt Ersted PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL CIVIC CENTER, 250 HAMILTON AVENUE BROADCAST LIVE ON KZSU, FM 90.1 CABLECAST LIVE ON GOVERNMENT ACCESS CHANNEL 26 THIS IS A SUMMARY OF COUNCIL AGENDA ITEMS. THE AGENDA WITH COMPLETE TITLES INCLUDING LEGAL DOCUMENTATION CAN BE VIEWED AT THE BELOW WEBPAGE: http://www.cityofpaloalto.org/knowzone/agendas/council.asp Sports Wrestling (continued from page 28) ATHLETES OF THE WEEK (TENTATIVE) SPECIAL COUNCIL AGENDA-COUNCIL CHAMBERS MARCH 7, 2011 - 6 PM 1. Closed Session: Labor 7:30 p.m. -- SPECIAL ORDERS OF THE DAY 2. Community Partners Non Profit Presentation � Canopy 3. Proclamation � National Arbor Day and California Arbor Week 4. Resolution Expressing Appreciation to Wayne Fluss 5. Appointments to the Human Relations Commission 6. Proclamation � March 2011 as Peace Corp Month CONSENT 7. Approval of Minutes from January 18 and 31, and February 7, 2011 8. Resolution Amending Utility Rule and Regulation 29 9. Deferral of Adoption of the Energy Risk Management 10. Resolution to Update Parking Violation Penalties 11. Approval of High Speed Rail Committee Name Change to Rail Committee 12. Resolution for the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery Rubberized Asphalt Concrete Grant Program 13. Amendment to System Planning Corporation/Tri Data Division Contract for Emergency Medical Services ACTION 14. Public Hearing: Palo Alto Commons PC Amendment 15. Resolution Approving Proposed Gas Utility Long-Term Plan Objectives, Strategies, and Implementation Plan 16. Resolution Approving Proposed Long-term Electric Acquisition Plan Objectives, Strategies and Implementation Plan 17. Colleague's Memo: Review of City/School Committee Agenda Calendar for 2011 STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS The Policy and Services Committee Meeting will be held at 7 PM on March 8. The High Speed Rail Committee Meeting scheduled on March 10 has been cancelled. match." While Weidemann was the only local CCS champion, he won't be alone in Bakersfield. Menlo-Atherton junior Andre Delagnes finished second at 119 pounds and Palo Alto junior Kalen Gans finished third at 160. Gans helped the Vikings finish seventh in the team race with 83.5 points. The Vikings trailed only team champ Gilroy (243 points), St. Francis, Bellarmine, Riordan, South San Francisco and Alisal. "Overall, we were pleased with the finish," said Paly co-head coach Dave Duran. "We were ranked 11th going in and finished seventh. This may be the best finish ever for Paly. It is the best finish since our coaching staff has been together � four placers is the most we have had as well." Along with Gans, Paly had Ryan Oshima finish fourth at 152 pounds, Nick Ortiz take fifth at 125 and Joey Christopherson finish sixth at 119 pounds. Palo Alto finished 10th in 2007 and 11th in `04 with three placers and one champion. The previous best finish was eighth in 1997 with two winners and a fifth-place finisher. "We left a few winnable matches out there both Friday and Saturday," Duran said. "Next year we will get it done. Of the 83.5 points we scored, 80.5 come back next year." As for Gans, who finished 5-1: "He has wrestled a few of the highly ranked wrestlers this year and has done well," Duran said. "There are only eight place-winners. With two good days of wrestling, Kalen will be on the podium next Saturday night." Delagnes likely is hoping for something similar after becoming the first Menlo-Atherton wrestler since 2007 to reach the state meet. He upset No. 1 seed Kaelob Obien of Independence in the semifinals, 6-2, to reach the 119-pound finals. Mariana Galvan Priory School The sophomore scored four goals and added one assist in a 6-0 win in a CCS Division III soccer playoff opener and added three goals and one assist in a win over No. 4 Santa Catalina as the No. 5 Panthers reached the semis. Molly Butera Gunn soccer Stefan Weidemann Gunn High The senior wrestler pinned his first three opponents before decisioning the No. 2 seed in the semifinals and the No. 1 seed in the finals to capture the 152-pound title at the CCS Championships and qualify for the state meet. Jake Bruml Menlo baseball Honorable mention Melissa Holland* Sacred Heart Prep basketball Andre Delagnes Menlo-Atherton wrestling Alyson Perna Priory soccer Jonny Halprin Menlo basketball Mariah Philips Palo Alto basketball E.J. Floreal* Palo Alto basketball Darrah Shields Priory soccer Edgardo Molina Menlo-Atherton soccer Molly Simpson Priory soccer John Richardson Palo Alto soccer * previous winner To see video interviews of the Athletes of the Week, go to www.PASportsOnline.com Can higher consciousness be measured? Thieves hid behind a fake chimney to cut a hole in the roof of a Brooklyn bank, then made off with the contents of 60 safe-deposit boxes. Heavy duty blowtorches were used to cut the hole in the roof. A neighboring business owner, whose surveillance camera was stolen a week earlier, commented, "I warned them (the bank), but they just didn't take me seriously." �New York Post/Feb.24, 2009 At ITP we are asking the important questions. Join us and earn your degree. Ps y.D. | Ph .D. | M. A . | Cer tif icate Onl ine and On Campus Learning Spi r itually-or i ent ed Cli nical Psychology Counseli ng (M F T ) Tr ansper sonal Psychology Educat ion and R ese arch Women 's Spi r itualit y Coach i ng Spi r itual Gui dance Cr e at ive E x pr ession Gr aduat e Educat ion at t h e Front i er of Psychology and Spi r itualit y Page 30 p Connec t ion am C For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at PaloAltoOnline.com/biz/summercamps To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210 GUIDE TO 2011 SUMMER C AMPS FOR KIDS Athletics Athletic Fitness � "Train with the Best" Menlo Park Riekes Summer Camps -- A world of opportunity and fun-filled learning. Ages 9-18. Strength & conditioning, speed & agility, sport specific training, skills development, professional coaches, pre & post evals, leading edge methods, latest equipment. Register by March 1st for a 10% Discount. Sessions run from June through August. www.riekes.org 650-364-2509 Arts and Nature Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) Mountain View 50+ creative camps for Gr. K-8! Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Musical Theater, American Idol Workshop, more! Two-week sessions; full and half-day enrollment. Extended care available. Financial aid offered. www.arts4all.org 650-917-6800 ext. 0 Bay Area Equestrian Center Woodside Creative Arts � "Express Yourself" Menlo Park At Wunderlich County Park Stables. Kids 8-15 have outdoor fun joining BAEC for horse camps. Camps focus on caring for and riding horses so come ready to ride and have fun learning good horse care. www.bayareaequestrian.net 650-446-1414 Camp Jones Gulch La Honda Riekes Summer Camps -- A world of opportunity and fun-filled learning. Ages 9-18. Rock camps, Hip Hop, recording, filmmaking, animation, B&W and digital Photography, graphic arts, comic book creation, Photoshop, magazine publishing. Register by March 1st for a 10% Discount. Sessions run from June through August. www.riekes.org 650-364-2509 Join the fun this summer! Camp Jones Gulch offers friendship and growth to kids ages 6-16. Enjoy our Traditional Camp or Mini, Horse, Surfing, Leadership and Travel Camps. One- and two-week sessions. Limited financial assistance available. www.campjonesgulch.org 415-848-1200 Nature Awareness � "Explore Our Natural World" Menlo Park Champion Tennis Camps Atherton Riekes Summer Camps -- A world of opportunity and fun-filled learning. Ages 6-18 and families. Learn awareness & survival skills, explore Monterey Bay, deep redwoods & coastal marsh. Surf camp. Family Festival. AFCANA Combo Camps combining fitness, arts & nature. Register by March 1st for a 10% Discount. Sessions run from June through August. www.riekes.org 650-364-2509 CTC provides an enjoyable way for your Junior to begin learning the game of tennis or to continue developing existing skills. The 4-6 year olds have fun learning eye-hand coordination and building self-esteem! www.alanmargot-tennis.net 650-400-0464 Academics Delphi Academy Santa Clara Have your best summer ever at Delphi Academy's summer camp! Ages 5-13. Full Day Camp. Morning academics with experienced teachers, afternoon activities, day trips, camping trips, swimming, sports, crafts, activities, and a lot of fun! www.bestsummerever.org 408-260-2300 Jefunira Camp Palo Alto Celebrating our 20th year of Jefunira Camp summer fun in 2011! Come join us for some good old fashion summer fun! Our combination of an exceptional college aged staff and innovative, inclusive programming will create a memorable summer experience for your child. Programming for children ages 4-13. Pre and post camp care offered. www.jefuniracamp.com 650- 291-2888 Harker Summer Programs San Jose Kim Grant Tennis Academy Summer Camps Palo Alto/Menlo Park/ Redwood City Fun and Specialized junior camps for Mini (3-5), Beginner, Intermediate 1 & 2, Advanced and Elite Players. Weekly programs designed by Kim Grant to improve players technique, fitness, agility, mental toughness and all around tennis game. Camps in Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Redwood City. Come make new friends and have tons of FUN!! www.KimGrantTennis.com 650-752-8061 K-12 offerings taught by exceptional, experienced faculty and staff. K-6 morning academics - focusing on math, language arts and science - and full spectrum of afternoon recreation. Grades 6-12 for-credit courses and non-credit enrichment opportunities. Swim, Tennis and Soccer also offered. www.summer.harker.org 408-553-0537 iD Tech Camps - Summer Tech Fun! Stanford Team Esface Elite Basketball Skills Clinics Woodside/ Redwood City Ages 7-17 create video games, iPhone apps, C++/Java programs, websites and more. Weeklong, day and overnight programs held at Stanford, UC Berkeley, Santa Clara, UCLA and others. Also special Teen programs held at Stanford in gaming, programming and visual arts. Free year-round learning! Save with code CAU22L. www.internalDrive.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324) Spring Training (April-May). High-energy, high-level basketball training for ages 6-16. Use your offseason as a time to develop your basketball skills and IQ with the unparalleled coaching staff of Team Esface. Learn the fundamentals of the game, offensive attack moves and advanced footwork through dynamic drills and competitions led by young, positive coaches including former Division 1 athletes. April and May. Two days per week. Sibling and group discounts available. More information and sign up at: www.teamesface.com 1-888-537-3223 iD Teen Academies Stanford Teens spend two weeks immersed in the dynamic world of video game creation at iD Gaming Academy, computer science/application development at iD Programming Academy or photography/ filmmaking at iD Visual Arts Academy. Overnight programs held at Stanford, Harvard, MIT and others. Week-long programs for ages 7-17 also available. Free year-round learning! Save w/code CAU22T. www.iDTeenAcademies.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324) ISTP Language Immersion Palo Alto Matt Lottich Life Skills Basketball Camp Woodside/ Redwood City MLLS offers high-level, high-energy basketball instruction for ages 6-16. This summer we celebrate the 8th year!! With two to three "leagues" in each session, young beginners to advanced elite players get to learn fundamental skills, advanced footwork and valuable life lessons from an unparalleled staff of Pro and Collegiate level players. Camps at Woodside Elementary and Sequoia High School. Early bird, multi-session, and group discounts available. www.mllscamp.com 1-888-537-3223 International School of the Peninsula camps offered in French, Chinese, Spanish or ESL for students in Nursery through Middle School. Three 2-week sessions, each with different theme. Students are grouped according to both grade level and language proficiency. www.istp.org 650-251-8519 Mid-Peninsula High School Summer Program Menlo Park Spring Down Camp Equestrian Center Portola Valley Spring Down camp teaches basic to advanced horsemanship skills. All ages welcome! Daily informative lecture, riding lesson, supervised hands-on skill practice, safety around horses, tacking/untacking of own camp horse, and arts/crafts. www.springdown.com 650-851-1114 Mid-Peninsula High School offers a series of classes and electives designed to keep students engaged in learning. Classes Monday-Thursday and limited to 15 students. Every Thursday there's a BBQ lunch. The Science and Art classes will have weekly field trips. www.mid-pen.com 650-321-1991 x110 Summer at Saint Francis Mountain View Summer at Saint Francis Mountain View Sports & Activity Camp (ages 6-12): This all sports camp provides group instruction in a variety of field, water and court games. Saint Francis faculty and students staff the camp, and the focus is always on fun. The program is dedicated to teaching teamwork, sportsmanship and positive self-esteem. www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 ext. 446 Summer at Saint Francis provides a broad range of academic and athletic programs for elementary through high school students. It is the goal of every program to make summer vacation enriching and enjoyable! www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 ext. 446 TechKnowHow Computer & LEGO Camps Palo Alto/ Menlo Park/Sunnyvale Summer at Saint Francis Mountain View Advanced Sports Camps (5th-9th grades): We offer a wide selection of advanced sports camps designed to provide players with the opportunity to improve both their skill and knowledge of a specific sport. Each camp is run by a Head Varsity Coach at Saint Francis, and is staffed by members of the coaching staff. www.sfhs.com/summer 650-968-1213 ext. 446 Fun and enriching technology classes for students, ages 5-14! Courses include LEGO and K'NEX Projects with Motors, NXT Robotics, 3D Modeling, and Game Design. Many locations, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Sunnyvale. Half and all day options. Early-bird and multi-session discounts available. www.techknowhowkids.com 650-474-0400 Woodland School Summer Adventures Portola Valley YMCA of Silicon Valley Peninsula Say hello to summer fun at the YMCA! Choose from enriching day or overnight camps in 35 locations: arts, sports, science, travel, and more. For youth K-10th grade. Includes weekly fieldtrips, swimming and outdoor adventures. Accredited by the American Camp Association. Financial assistance available. www.ymcasv.org/summercamp 408-351-6400 For kindergarten through 8th grade. Offers academics, sports, field trips and onsite activities. June 27 - July 29 firstname.lastname@example.com 650-854-9065 Write Now! Summer Writing Camps Palo Alto/Pleasanton Emerson School of Palo Alto and Hacienda School of Pleasanton open their doors and offer their innovative programs: Expository Writing, Creative Writing, Presentation Techniques, and (new!) Media Production. Call or visit our website for details. www.headsup.org 650-424-1267, 925-485-5750 Page 31 1005 Lakeview Way, Redwood City MUST SEE TO BELIEVE! are opportunity to own one of the last original estates on private Lynda Lake. Over an acre of completely useable land with 1/11 ownership of Emerald Hills upper lake. Build, develop, subdivide, or restore lake front property. Enjoy one of a kind property. Fish, boat, and swim on your own private lake. Must see to believe. www.1005lakeview.com R 435 Alameda de las Pulgas, Redwood City ASKING $575,000 B eautiful 2 bedroom 1 bathroom in Roy Cloud School district. Updated kitchen and bath, 2 large bedrooms, hardwood floors throughout All double pane windows, fully landscaped front and back yards, central heat, vaulted ceilings in living room with inviting fireplace, eat-in kitchen, separate dining room, Large loft for storage, 2 car driveway, 1 car garage, updated electrical recessed lights throughout. Fresh paint inside and out. LARGE 6150 LOT. www.435alameda.com 1690 Kingman Avenue, San Jose TERRIFIC EICHLER hree bedroom two bath room Eichler home with separate family room or 4th bedroom. Lots of natural light. Great landscaping, private backyard with hot tub, and beautiful rose garden. New exterior paint. Located in Roseglen neighborhood. Near 280 and City College. www.cooperandgamble.com T ALICIA NARDINI, Realtor dre #01701961 SUE GAMBLE, Realtor dre #00809604 650-771-2579 firstname.lastname@example.com 415-407-8807 email@example.com R E A L E S T A T E 19 5 4 O L D M I D D L E F I E L D R D. S U I T E C , M O U N TA I N V I E W Page 32