PaloAltoOnline.com Vol. XXXIV, Number 39 N June 28, 2013 Same-sex marriage backers hail court ruling Page 3 Who’s to blame for delays, strife over tangled library project? PAGE 20 Transitions 17 Spectrum 18 Eating Out 31 Shop Talk 32 Movies 33 Puzzles 66 NArts Architect’s art inspired by Palo Alto Baylands Page 27 NSports Swimmers head to the World Championships Page 36 NHome Monroe Park: a split-personality neighborhood Page 41 Page 2ÊUÊÕiÊÓn]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Gay-marriage backers hail court ruling Santa Clara County awaits guidance before issuing ing marriage as “between a man and cannot be enforced. trict Judge Vaughn Walker — the licenses to gay couples a woman” lacked standing to make California Attorney General Ka- period in which petitioners techni- their case. mala Harris said all 58 counties in cally can seek a rehearing before the by Chris Kenrick The Santa Clara County Clerk’s the state must now recognize the Supreme Court. Office said it was waiting for a go- right of same-sex couples to legally In Palo Alto, the Rev. Amy Zuck- ackers of same-sex marriage the legal dust settles and gay mar- ahead from county lawyers before marry. Harris asked the Ninth Cir- er Morgenstern of the Unitarian celebrated Wednesday’s U.S. riages resume here. issuing marriage licenses to same- cuit Court of Appeals to lift its stay Universalist Church had promised B Supreme Court rulings clear- In separate decisions, the high sex couples. on the 2010 district-court ruling and to offer free weddings for one day ing the way for issuance of mar- court ruled unconstitutional the Gov. Jerry Brown said the effect allow same-sex marriages to take should the court rule against Propo- riage licenses to gay couples in Defense of Marriage Act’s denial of the ruling is that the 2010 fed- place. sition 8. California. of federal benefits to married same- eral district court’s decision that It was speculated that the Ninth Morgenstern is out of the coun- But it could be days or weeks — sex couples and said defenders of a Proposition 8 is unconstitutional is Circuit would wait 25 days to lift its probably at least 25 days — before 2008 California proposition defin- left intact and that the proposition stay on the 2010 ruling by U.S. Dis- (continued on page 10) LAND USE Ohio ‘shared campus’ could be model for Palo Alto Advisory group says joint use could be solution for Cubberley by Chris Kenrick new public high school that shares the 35-acre Cubberley A Community Center with child care centers, dance studios and oth- er local organizations was the vision painted recently by a community advisory committee on the future of the south Palo Alto facility. While not common, such joint school-city arrangements can be found in communities around the na- tion, with some planners touting the collaborations as the answer to land Veronica Weber Veronica scarcity, tight budgets and desire for multi-generational public spaces. In Wadsworth, Ohio, 40 miles south of Cleveland, a 1,629-student high school and 750-student middle school share a 95-acre parcel with Bubble, bubble, toil and ... a senior center and café, a commu- Preparing for an upcoming performance of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth,” from left, Ryan Gruschka, Sara O’Riordan, Zoe Lew, Avril Cierniak nity television studio, a recreation and Eleni Kapur finish coloring in the castle backdrop. A group of 7- to 13-year-olds, along with a group of 13- to 15-year-olds, is center managed by the YMCA and participating in the two-week Bay Area Shakespeare Camp at First United Methodist Church in Palo Alto, culminating in a performance for doctors’ offices. parents and friends on June 28. Across the bay in Emeryville, plans are underway for a 7.6-acre “center for community life” that will house 750 students in grades K-12 CITY BUDGET and an array of community services including a library, health and fami- ly-support services, job training and Retiring firefighters, officers lead county in disability claims recreation opportunities. Such a scenario at Cubberley is Grand Jury report finds that more than half of the city’s public-safety officers filed for “industrial disability retirement” far from reality, but planning for by Gennady Sheyner shared city-school use in the future was a central recommendation of ore than half of Palo Alto’s the county’s Civil Grand Jury. mined that overall about 27 percent disability retirements,” a term used the Cubberley Community Advi- police officers and firefight- The Grand Jury report was prompt- of all public-safety retirements in the to describe retirements due to job- sory Committee, which issued its M ers retired with disability ed by a 2011 finding by the City of county “have been granted as retire- related disabilities, varies widely findings in March. benefits over the past five years, a San Jose Auditor that a higher-than- ments with a job-related disability.” from one jurisdiction to another, The status quo — the city’s pay- rate that is far higher than in any average number of public-safety Palo Alto had by far the highest according to the Grand Jury, which ment of $7 million a year to the school other surveyed jurisdiction in San- workers in San Jose had retired with rate, with 51 percent of public-safety used questionnaires and follow-up district to lease the aging campus as ta Clara County and that is almost job-related disabilities. Since then, workers claiming disability when interviews to arrive at its findings. a community center — is no longer double the county average, accord- the Grand Jury surveyed 12 agencies, retiring. ing to a report released Thursday by including the county itself, and deter- The cost impact of “industrial (continued on page 15) (continued on page 11) ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÕiÊÓn]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 3 Upfront 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 QUOTE OF THE WEEK Vote online: (650) 326-8210 PaloAltoOnline.com/best_of PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505) ‘‘ EDITORIAL Deadline July 7 Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516) Express & Online Editor Eric Van Susteren (223-6515) NOTICE OF INTENT TO CIRCULATE Arts & Entertainment Editor How have we reached this point Rebecca Wallace (223-6517) REFERENDUM PETITION Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) of no return? Spectrum Editor Tom Gibboney (223-6507) — Liz Kniss, Palo Alto City Council member, Notice of Intent to Circulate Referendum Petition Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) on the myriad construction problems that have Notice is hereby given of the intention of the persons whose Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator delayed the Mitchell Park Library opening. names appear hereon to circulate a referendum petition Elena Kadvany (223-6519) ‘‘ See story on page 20. Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) within the city of Palo Alto for the purpose of repealing the act Contributors Andrew Preimesberger, Dale F. of the City Council to rezone the property located at 567-595 Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Tyler Hanley, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Maybell Avenue to allow a Planned Community. A statement Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, of the reasons of the proposed action as contemplated in Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns John Brunett, Rye Druzin, said petition is as follows: Karishma Mehrotra The City Council’s action establishes a bad land use ADVERTISING Around Town precedent and abandons the City’s promise to preserve Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) CASHING IN ... Palo Alto officials are eco-friendly, unique, eye-catching, single family neighborhoods. We support affordable senior Multimedia Advertising Sales wrestling with a wonderful dilemma: and above all affordable. One thing Christine Afsahi (223-8582), Adam Carter (223- housing provided for under existing zoning. For the Maybell 6573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton a $44 million pool of funds and plenty they don’t want it to be is just another Action Group: (223-6571), Janice Hoogner (223-6576), Wendy of discretion about how to spend bridge. Another thing they don’t want, Suzuki 223-6569), Brent Triantos (223-6577), Signed: Rosemarie C. Dufresne, Real Estate Advertising Sales it. The money, which was provided in the words of City Councilman Pat Kenneth D. Scholz, Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), by the Stanford University Medical Burt, is a “Bay Bridge Mini-me.” But Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) Center, is part of the development these restrictions notwithstanding, Ruth A. Lowy Inside Advertising Sales David Cirner (223-6579), Irene Schwartz (223-6580) agreement the city signed with council members signaled on Real Estate Advertising Assistant Stanford two years ago to enable Monday, June 24, that they would Diane Martin (223-6584) Stanford’s giant expansion of its like to see a wider-than-usual range Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) hospital facilities. This week, the of design options for the bridge that NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING ADVERTISING SERVICES City Council’s Policy and Services will span U.S. Highway 101 at Adobe of the Palo Alto Advertising Services Manager Committee laid out a process for Creek and agreed to launch a design Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) deciding on how to spend this competition. While appreciating Sales & Production Coordinators Planning & Transportation Commission Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596)