Palo Vol. XL, Number 3 Q October 19, 2018 Alto Train trench for south Palo Alto faces problems Page 5 www.PaloAltoOnline.comwww.PaloAltoO nline.com SOLD FOR $1,330,000 SOLD FOR $1,100,000 $1-MILLION MARKET EAST PALO ALTO SOLD FOR $956,000 SOLD FOR $880,000 HEATS UP PAGE 32 Neighborhoods 9 Transitions 19 Spectrum 20 Eating Out 27 Movies 28 Puzzles 55 QNews District places controversial robotics coach on leave Page 5 QA&E International documentary fest explores ‘Tomorrow?’ Page 23 QSports Sacred Heart preps for boys water-polo tourney Page 57 Page 2 • October 19, 2018 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com NEIGHBORHOOD PREVIEW 518 GEORGIA AVENUE, PALO ALTO OPEN HOUSE FRIDAY 9:30AM to 6:00PM | SATURDAY AND SUNDAY 1:30PM to 4:30PM VIP Tour of this $5,000 from the sale will be donated to Beautiful Home! 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Certified Residential Specialist DRE# 00851314 Jade Lee 李裕立 ⹼㢶➟☼⅐㾖☨㾎⧝ 合夥管理人 DRE# 02032430 #1 AGENT AT KELLER WILLIAMS OUT OF 110,000 AGENTS www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • October 19, 2018 • Page 3 Paid for by Stanford Health Care “I’m a very big proponent of genetic testing. It’s what probably saved my life.” —Parul Parul credits her health today to the care she Young Woman Faces Breast received at Stanford, and to the knowledge she gained from genetic testing. A doctor recommended Parul receive genetic testing when Cancer After Birth of Baby she was just 29 years old because of her family During a routine 38-week ultrasound for her Treatment would consist of 12 to 20 weeks history. Her mother had been diagnosed with second pregnancy, Parul felt a lump in her left of combination chemotherapy, followed by breast cancer in her early 30s. A simple saliva swab breast. For most women, a clogged milk duct or surgery, neither of which was compatible with showed that Parul was positive for a mutation in pregnancy-related hormones would be suspected. breastfeeding. the BRCA 1 gene, putting her at a much higher But for Parul, who had a known genetic risk for lifetime risk of developing breast and ovarian “Because we knew her BRCA status, we could breast cancer, the lump set off alarm bells. Before cancer. “If I hadn’t gotten the genetic testing, it more optimally select therapies,” said Telli. She she could schedule a breast workup, her water would have probably been a year later, once I further explained that for Parul’s type of breast broke. She delivered a healthy baby girl two weeks stopped breastfeeding, that I would feel my lump cancer, how a patient responds to chemotherapy early. When her milk came in, she could no longer again,” she said. “And by then, the end of this story is directly related to their long-term survival. By feel the lump. But her instincts drove her to push would be very different than what it is today.” administering chemotherapy first, her medical for an evaluation. team could assess Parul’s response and adjust “I’m a very big proponent of genetic testing,” said “My husband wheeled me in my C-section gown the therapy if needed. After 12 weeks, Parul had Parul. “It’s what probably saved my life.” to the neighboring breast clinic for an ultrasound no sign of cancer in the breast or lymph node, a U.S. News & World and a biopsy,” said Parul. Just days after leaving complete response to treatment. Report the hospital, she received the news. At 32 years of recognizes, Understanding her genetic risk and treatment age, she had cancer. again, Stanford Health options helped guide Parul’s medical decision- “We had two glorious days at home with our happy making. She selected to have bilateral Care in the top 10 best family when I got the call that the biopsy results mastectomies, according to her surgeon Amanda hospitals in the nation. were in and it was malignant,” she said. She was Wheeler, MD, both to help prevent a recurrence seen at Stanford within a week of her diagnosis. and to avoid further treatment with radiation. Discover our patient stories on Less than a month later, her treatment began. Th at was in 2014. Four years later, she remains StanfordHealthNow.org cancer free, well past the peak risk for recurrence. “When Dr. Telli told me I would need to stop breastfeeding my newborn, it was only then that “It’s important to take the time to do the research, I started crying,” she recalled. Because she had a be comfortable with your care team and plan out high-grade, aggressive type of cancer, she needed the best course of action,” said Parul. “Th at was to try to rapidly wean the baby, said her medical one of the things I loved about Stanford. Dr. Telli oncologist Melinda Telli, MD, assistant professor and Dr. Wheeler just sitting down with me, and of oncology at Stanford Medicine. “Th ese kinds of very clearly walking me through this. Th is is what cancers tend to grow very quickly, and they can be we see. Th is is what it means. Th ese are the trade very life threatening.” offs. Th ey’ve been so amazing at a time when I needed it most.” Page 4 • October 19, 2018 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Trench plan for train faces obstacles City would need to get design exceptions, for the two crossings in the north- is still evaluating a “hybrid” op- On Wednesday morning, the Rail ern half of the city: Palo Alto Av- tion that would combine raising Committee signaled its intent to permits from water district enue and Churchill Avenue. the tracks and lowering Palo Alto further narrow down options for by Gennady Sheyner The council’s Rail Committee Avenue. But the ultimate solution, these two crossings when three recently abandoned the explora- several council members have ar- members voiced support for alo Alto’s ambitious effort the train tracks. tion of any significant engineer- gued in recent weeks, may be best eliminating the “viaduct” alterna- to redesign its rail corridor If the city succeeds in its plan- ing solutions for Churchill, where explored as part of a separate plan tive, in which trains would run on P is starting to pick up speed ning, these two rail crossings are a trench or a viaduct would re- that focuses specifically on the elevated tracks over the roadway. in the southern half of the city, likely to see the most dramatic quire the seizures of property. The downtown area. If the council does that, the only with elected officials this week changes, potentially involving city is still exploring a scenario in At Charleston and East Mead- options left on the table would be leaning toward narrowing down construction of a trench for the which Churchill would be closed ow, which are being explored a train trench or a “hybrid” option options for separating Charleston trains. By contrast, the city has to car traffic across the tracks. jointly, the city is hoping to come Road and Meadow Drive from scaled down and delayed its plans At Palo Alto Avenue, the city to a big decision in early 2019. (continued on page 10) EDUCATION Paly robotics coach placed on paid leave Robotics club to be shut down during investigation by Elena Kadvany he Palo Alto school dis- trict has placed Kathleen T Krier, Palo Alto High School computer-science teacher and head robotics coach, on paid leave following concerns voiced by members of the robotics team about her behavior. She was placed on administra- tive leave on Oct. 12 “to provide the Weber Veronica time and Veronica Weber Veronica space needed to thoroughly investigate concerns ex- Kathleen Krier pressed by students and parents,” An a-maize-ing time Superintendent Don Austin said. Dillen Barnes, left, 11, and her mom, Shaler Barnes, weave their way through a corn maze at the Webb Ranch pumpkin patch in Portola He declined to provide further de- Valley on Oct. 18. The pumpkin patch also features hay rides, bouncy houses and a reptile house and is open through Halloween. tail, citing the confidentiality of personnel decisions. In the meantime, the robotics club will be shut down temporar- Simitian and Supervisor Cindy ily, per a recommendation from LAND USE Chavez, to work on the Stanford Paly Principal Adam Paulson, negotiations and to require any po- Austin said. tential development agreement be Robotics students and parents Stanford, county gear up for negotiations publicized at least 14 days before came to the Oct. 9 school board potential adoption. meeting to air grievances about Faced with ‘transparency’ concerns, county board endorses approach for discussions By pursuing the development Krier, whom they described as agreement, the board is entering clashing with students — some- on a development agreement into uncharted territory in its deal- times inappropriately, from their by Gennady Sheyner ings with Stanford.