Pacific Art League Members Divided Over Building Sale Page 3
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Palo Vol. XXIX, Number 1 • Wednesday, October 10, 2007 ■ 50¢ Alto Pacific Art League members divided over building sale Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.comw ww.Pa l o Alt o O nline . c o m Aiming for Candidates for City Council talk about their concerns, the sky campaigns Page 15 Norbert von der Groeben Talk about the news at Town Square, www.PaloAltoOnline.com ■ Upfront Corporations could do better, philanthropy chief says Page 3 ■ Health & Fitness Osteoporosis: not just a ‘woman thing’ Page 20 ■ Sports Stanford achieves monumental football upset at USC Page 27 apr.com It's just one click to a complete list of virtually all homes for sale in the Bay Area. PALO ALTO Dramatic, updated and architecturally-detailed 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath home in Old Palo Alto. Spacious rooms with exquisite finishes. Gleaming hardwood floors. Wonderful great room/family kitchen. 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In fact, LaFrance Associates said, tracks corporate philanthropy trends nology and financial and business “Our corporations are doing a Silicon Valley companies give about services, responded to the survey, lot,” Carson said. 1 percent of their revenue, compared by Becky Trout which was sent to 2,000 compa- Determining how local corpo- to the 0.1 percent national average. hizzes at innovation, Sili- said. nies. Carson said the relatively low rations compare to their national Carson said he would like to see con Valley companies “(Here) average has always been turnout suggests “(philanthropy) is counterparts proved a bit tricky, corporate philanthropy become a W haven’t translated their second best,” Carson said. not high enough on the agenda that according to the study. A 2006 na- standard part of all Silicon Valley business prowess into philanthropic Companies in Santa Clara and people thought they needed to drop tional survey of 100 firms showed companies, whatever their size. leadership, Silicon Valley Commu- San Mateo counties are brimming everything to respond.” average corporate giving much “What we’re really hoping is that nity Foundation CEO Emmett Car- with potential, however, he said. About 72 percent of the compa- higher than in Silicon Valley, but corporations will unleash the poten- son said Monday. Carson’s remarks came on the nies donate money, employee time the national sample included For- tial of their employee work force,” Compared to the rest of the coun- eve of the Community Foundation’s or other resources locally, according tune 100 companies, while the lo- Carson said. try, corporate donations and volun- release of its study, “Corporate Phi- to the study, conducted on behalf of cal study’s sample included smaller teering efforts are average, Carson lanthropy in the Silicon Valley.” (continued on page 5) COMMUNITY Plan for art league sparking ire Despite some members’ fears, organization not planning to sell the whole building, league head says by Sue Dremann plan to turn the top two floors of the historic Pacific Art A League into business condo- miniums and to move many of the art classes to a new location is being met with distrust from some organi- zation members. For 86 years the nonprofit Pacific Art League has offered a showcase for local artists and classes in the fine arts at its downtown location at 668 Ramona St. But the 1929 build- ing is composed of hollow-clay brick — one of the most vulnerable building materials in an earthquake zone, some board members said. Norbert von der Groeben The structure needs seismic retrofit- ting; and it isn’t compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Although the league owns the building outright, the organization lacks more than $2.5 million to do the retrofitting. Renovating the building, including renting a space to continue Bless the beasts and the children activities while the building is being Father Antonio Medina sprinkles holy water on dogs, cats, birds and a guinea pig during the Blessing of the Animals ceremony Sunday after- upgraded, would push the figure to noon at St. Albert the Great Church in Palo Alto. People brought their pets to receive a blessing as part of the feast of St. Francis. as high as $6 million, according to Board Chair Carol Nast. The board is proposing to sell off Real and a possible combination the loss of Rickey’s Hyatt and its LAND USE the top two floors of the building to extended-stay hotel and restaurant tax revenue. To recoup some of a developer, who would renovate the on the current Ming’s Restaurant the funds, city officials are asking bottom floor of the building for an property are being explored, ac- voters this November to approve art-league gallery. The league would Wave of hotels cording to city officials and devel- an increase in the city’s hotel tax retain ownership of the first floor opers. from 10 to 12 percent. and Studio One. The hotel-building wave is be- The Stanford hotel would in- Cornish & Carey Commercial in city’s future ing aided by a spike in hotel oc- clude 120 rooms with restaurant, Realtors was hired to market the cupancy in recent years. Revenues bar, conference and meeting-room concept of shared ownership to in- Three hotels expected, more may come from the hotel transient-occupan- facilities. It is part of an overall terested buyers. The board received cy tax rose 6 percent last year, ac- proposed expansion of Stanford six inquiries, three proposals and by Sue Dremann cording to planning commissioner Shopping Center by the Simon one outright purchase offer along hree hotels — and possibly more — may bring at least $2 million a Pat Burt. Property Group, Inc., the mall’s with the promise of others. year in tax revenues to Palo Alto’s coffers, city officials hope. It couldn’t come soon enough, owners. That fact, relayed in a Sept. 18 T Plans for a luxury hotel at Stanford Shopping Center, an extend- say some city officials and resi- The hotel would cover 120,000 letter by league president and Ex- ed-stay hotel to replace the Palo Alto Bowl and Motel 6 on El Camino dents, who are still bemoaning (continued on page 7) (continued on page 9) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, October 10, 2007 • Page 3 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER Our William S. Johnson NATURAL BODY CARE EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors Keith Peters, Sports Editor Town & COSMETICS SALE! by Don Kazak Tyler Hanley, Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Don Kazak, Senior Staff Writer Becky Trout, Staff Writer Alcohol, drugs and teens Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Arden Pennell, Reporter Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant hen a Halloween party Actually, a little experimenta- Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer spun out of control a year tion with alcohol or marijuana isn’t Marjan Sadoughi, Veronica Weber, Staff ago, with drunken teens necessarily a bad thing, Blumberg Photographers W Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, spilling out onto the street in a said. Kids experiment. That’s what Lynn Comeskey, Kit Davey, Tim Goode, Jack quiet Palo Alto neighborhood, kids do. Repeated use of drugs or McKinnon, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors police officers had to round up drinking can lead to serious prob- Lila Razzaqui, Karen Song, Andrea Wang the intoxicated kids and call their lems, though. Editorial Interns parents for rides home, at least for There are physiological reasons Kyle Lemmon, Arts & Entertainment Intern Victorugo Gonzalez, Photography Intern those kids who didn’t lam out the for problems with underage drink- DESIGN back door. ing or drug use, Blumberg said. Carol Hubenthal, Design Director The infamous party sparked Right when kids are beginning UP TO 30% OFF Diane Haas, Sue Peck, Senior Designers; postings by angry parents and to mimic adults and think for Dana James, Paul Llewellyn, Charmaine Mirsky, Scott Peterson, Designers teens on the Town Square forum, themselves, they are exposed to with many parents incensed that substances that can make them feel MARIE VÉRONIQUE • JURLIQUE PRODUCTION Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager adults would host a party where good. But the part of the brain that WELEDA • JANE IREDALE Dorothy Hassett, Blanca Yoc, kids got drunk in their home. controls impulses, the prefrontal AVALON • DESERT ESSENCE Sales & Production Coordinators Other parents took a “kids will cortex, doesn’t fully develop until ADVERTISING be kids” attitude. Some teens ar- age 23 or so. EARTH SCIENCE Vern Ingraham, Advertising Director Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. gued that things weren’t really that So kids don’t have the normal BEAUTIFUL SOAP & CO. Judie Block, Tony Gay, Janice Hoogner, Display bad, despite reports from officers impulse controls adults do. That’s Advertising Sales Kathryn Brottem, Real Estate Advertising Sales of kids vomiting inside the house probably not news to any parent.