Palo Vol. XXIX, Number 51 • Wednesday, April 2, 2008 ■ 50¢ Alto Something fishy in Los Trancos Creek? Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.comw w w. P a l o A l t o O n l i n e . c o m Questions arise *over program for lower-income residents Page 17 Photo illustration Photo Talk about the news at Town Square, www.PaloAltoOnline.com ■ Upfront Improvements coming for Oregon Expressway Page 3 ■ Title Pages Tobias Wolff offers realistic, strange new stories Page 15 ■ Sports Stanford women’s basketball advances to Final Four Page 20 apr.com It’s just one click to a complete list of virtually all homes for sale in the Bay Area. PALO ALTO $3,295,000 Best of California living. Four bedrooms, three bath home with formal entry, separate living and dining rooms. Expansive family rooms with access to patio, pool and separate cottage. We bet you’ve never seen this headline in any recent media coverage of the real estate market. Yet it is fact—92.7 percent of all mortgages in the United States are current. What’s more, the “sub-prime mortgage PALO ALTO $1,250,000 crisis” refers to a tiny portion of sub-prime mortgages. Sub-prime mortgages represent only a fraction of all mortgages—and the vast majority of these are current. 6 Percent of U.S. mortgages that are current 92.7% 6 Percent of U.S. mortgages that are sub-prime 13.2% 6 Percent of sub-prime mortgages that are current 76.8% Source: Mortgage Bankers Association, 3Q07 Report Crises may sell newspapers, but at Alain Pinel Realtors, we conduct business based on market realities. Our clients are enjoying Lovely three bedroom, one bath Midtown home. Beautifully historically low mortgage rates.* remodeled kitchen, hardwood floors throughout. Sunny backyard Credit-worthy buyers can easily find with deck, lawn and garden. Gunn High School District. attractive mortgage packages. And our lending partner, Private Mortgage Advisors, funded 23 percent more loans in 2007 than in 2006. If you’re considering selling or buying a MENLO PARK $815,000 home, call us. Get the facts. And make your decision based on Bay Area market reality. * Source: Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation Historical performance and data provided is not necessarily an indication of future performance. Darling three bedroom, 2 bath charmer in desirable Suburban Park in lovely tree-lined neighborhood. Living room with fireplace and hardwood floors. Separate dining area off beautifully remodeled cook’s kitchen. Square footage, acreage, and other information herein, has been received from one or more of a variety of different sources. Such information has not been verified by Alain Pinel Realtors. If important to buyers, buyers should conduct their own investigation. PALO ALTO 578 University Avenue 650.323.1111 Page 2 • Wednesday, April 2, 2008 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis State cuts could hit Foothill-De Anza at worst time More students but less money will be a recipe for stand to lose $484 million in the fis- and Foothill-De Anza about $2.4 But the governor’s proposal funds cal year starting in June under Gov. million. a mere 1 percent enrollment growth, disappointment, district officials say Arnold Schwarzenegger’s plan to The cuts couldn’t come at a worse she said. by Arden Pennell meet California’s $14 billion bud- time, according to district spokes- It also provides no funding for get deficit. person Becky Bartindale. cost-of-living adjustments, such as tate funding cuts could mean The cuts could hurt students in in- The cuts — on which the legisla- In economic slowdowns, commu- increasing wages, insurance or utili- fewer teachers to meet grow- troductory classes as well as those ture will vote in May — are part of nity colleges see enrollment swell ties costs, she said. S ing demand at Foothill-De in cutting-edge green-technology his suggested 10 percent across-the- as students seek new skills for the But the college district must make Anza Community College District, programs, officials said. board reduction in spending. tougher job market, she said. such payments — meaning it sim- officials said this week. Everyone is affected when an al- In addition, an unexpected dip in For the spring semester alone, en- ply can’t spend money to ramp up “We’re starving, and we’re even ready under-funded system takes a state property-tax collections will rollment at Foothill-De Anza is up 5 programming for the additional stu- getting thinner,” Chancellor Martha financial hit, Kanter said. increase the burden, costing com- percent, she said. Its annual growth dents, she said. Kanter said. California’s community colleges munity colleges $84.4 million — is 2.5 percent, she said. (continued on page 7) TRANSPORTATION Oregon Expressway may get improvements County meeting slated for Thursday to gather suggestions by Becky Trout alo Altans with keen memo- ries will recall Santa Clara PCounty-led discussions about Oregon Expressway’s problems about five years ago. Drawing on the community’s suggestions, Santa Clara County approved a 13-page implementation plan for the 4.7-mile-long road in August 2003. And now, after receiving $2.8 Norbert von der Groeben million through the 2005 federal Transportation Equity Act, thanks to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Palo Alto), some of those improvements may finally materialize. Palo Altans rejected a proposal to add sound walls along Oregon Expressway but called for improve- Lake Lagunita, on the Stanford University campus, is filling with more water than usual due to preparations for a project at Felt Lake. ments that would make it easier for bicyclists and pedestrians to cross LAND USE Zigterman, associate director of concrete step-pool and “weir” lad- the four-lane roadway, said Council- utilities at the university. der would be easier to navigate in woman Yoriko Kishimoto, who was Called an Alaska Steep Pass, flows as low as half a cubic foot involved in the planning effort. Stanford proposes changes the ladder was designed for full, per second, he said. In particular, the plans call for rushing bodies of water in Alaska It may even increase chances coordinating the timing of signals to creek, Felt Lake — not Los Trancos Creek, whose of steelhead survival by easing to improve both traffic movement flow varies wildly and sometimes their journey and allowing them to and “crossability” east of El Cami- Project should help fish, won’t hurt creek, school slows to a trickle, Launer said. spawn more readily throughout the no Real. Pedestrian ramps may And steelhead trout, a threat- creek, he said. also be added to direct walkers and officials say ened species that travels upstream In addition to the fish ladder, the the handicapped safely across the by Arden Pennell to spawn, have trouble making it project would revamp the system road. up the ladder in low flows, Launer by which Los Trancos water is Crossings at Waverley Street, two-foot steelhead trout is Felt Lake, located west of Inter- said. diverted to Felt Lake, Zigterman Ross Road and Indian Drive are not a happy fish when stuck state 280. Instead of spawning, fish occa- said. targeted for improvements, ac- Ain shallow Los Trancos Creek As part of the three-part Steel- sionally get stuck below the ladder, The university uses the lake, a cording to the plan, which is avail- during dry season, Stanford Uni- head Habitat Enhancement Proj- then turn around and head back to man-made reservoir, to irrigate able at www.PaloAltoOnline.com/ versity’s campus biologist Alan ect, a fish ladder in the creek will the bay, he said. golf and athletic fields. pivot/?ore. Launer said this week. be replaced, among other improve- “They don’t want to get stuck in To hold extra water, the school Middlefield Road might also see To aid fish migration and help ments. this dinky little creek,” he said. would dig up roughly 100 acre- an added turn lane. the school collect water more ef- The fish ladder currently allows The current ladder works poorly feet of sediment that has settled in Other proposed projects include ficiently, Stanford is planning water to spill over a dam and rush when creek flow dips below three Felt Lake since its 1920 creation, a $250,000-plus study of the Alma changes to the creek and its own downstream, according to Tom W. Street interchange, which has very cubic feet per second; the new (continued on page 7) (continued on page 7) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, April 2, 2008 • Page 3 • Specialize in hot and spicy dishes (mild also Szechwan & Hunan Gourmet available) • Banquet and catering 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 Tel: (650) 328-6885 are available (650) 326-8210 Fax: (650) 328-8889 Call for special banquet and PUBLISHER Our 443 Emerson St. catering menu William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Palo Alto, CA 94301 Jay Thorwaldson, Editor jingjinggourmet.com FOOD TO GO • DELIVERY Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Associate Editors Keith Peters, Sports Editor Town Tyler Hanley, Online Editor by Don Kazak Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Re-engage Don Kazak, Senior Staff Writer Arden Pennell, Becky Trout, Staff Writers Talking about the Bomb yourself Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor with Avenidas! Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer iscussing the destructive can presidents have increasingly Marjan Sadoughi, Veronica Weber, Staff power of nuclear bombs is stopped thinking of nuclear weap- Photographers not a pleasant way to spend a ons as weapons. “It would be dev- Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, D Lynn Comeskey, Kit Davey, Jack McKinnon, Tuesday morning, but the students astating for us diplomatically to use Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Craig Wentz, were attentive and asked smart, so- the bomb,” she said.