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Vol. XXVI, Number 84 • Wednesday, July 20, 2005 ■ 50¢ Last of the old hangouts? Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com Pressure to raise kids ‘the‘the rightright way’way’ increases Page 20 Can you find the phony ad? Look inside for details. Nicholas Wright ■ News Council candidates: Get tough with the budget Page 3 ■ ■ Schools Out Plugging up the ‘brain drain’ Page 23 ■ News Midtown’s hefty bill for underground utilities Page 3 apr.com REDEFINING QUALITY SINCE 1990 Reading between the emotional line makes the difference between finding a house and a home. PALO ALTO Charming and cozy 2bd/2ba home in premier Old Palo Alto. Formal living room, family room and dining room with hardwood floors throughout. Great potential to expand or build new on this private, 7500+/-sf lot. Top Schools. $1,698,000 PALO ALTO Absolutely gorgeous four year old 4 bedroom, 3 bath home in a very quiet part of Midtown. High end kitchen with granite counters, oak floors and high ceilings. $1,640,000 MOUNTAIN VIEW Tastefully remodeled 3 bedroom home in Old Mountain View on a lovely tree-lined street. New amenities include dual pane windows, hardwood floors and granite counters. $839,000 apr.com | PALO ALTO OFFICE 578 University Avenue 650.323.1111 APR COUNTIES | Santa Clara | San Mateo | San Francisco | Alameda | Contra Costa | Monterey | Santa Cruz Page 2 • Wednesday, July 20, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Residents get sticker shock over utilities project Midtown neighbors plan protest over cost of putting utilities underground by Jocelyn Dong “Oh my Lord — almost $6,000. town neighborhood. It includes telephone lines. hen Ruth Brown opened an envelope from the City of Palo Alto ... I don’t have that kind of money,” 175 residential and commercial So far, about 20 percent of Palo Utilities in June, she got a jolt. she said. She also worried about properties. Alto has underground utilities, es- W There in black and white was an estimate for more than $10,000, the seniors on her block with fixed Four decades ago, the City timated Tomm Marshall, the city’s the cost to hook up her home to a proposed underground utility system incomes. Council adopted a policy that all electrical engineering manager. the city wants to install. Brown and Emard are part of the utilities on poles in the city should District No. 41 is the next in line. “I thought, ‘Holy you-know-what,’” Brown said. “I don’t want to city’s underground utility district be put underground for the purpose The project will take two years and spend $10,000 to convert to underground.” No. 41, which stretches from Ore- of aesthetics, public health and remove 80 utility poles. Up and down Bryson Avenue her neighbors were opening their letters gon Avenue to just past Colorado safety. Last week, the City Council pre- and receiving similar sticker shock. Mary Emard is a single mother who Avenue, and from Middlefield These days, that system handles liminarily voted to approve the operates a daycare center in her home. Road to Cowper Street in the Mid- electricity, cable television and (continued on page 9) ELECTION ’05 Major issue emerges: the budget City Council race officially begins this week by Bill D’Agostino ity leaders should stop “poor- mouthing,” and be more inno- C vative, Sanford Forte argued. Palo Alto is figuratively fraying around the edges, according to Lar- ry Klein. City Hall will have a hard time paying for cherished services in coming years, Harold “Skip” Just- man predicted. The race for five seats on the Palo Alto City Council officially kicked off on Monday (see sidebar, page 7), and one of the race’s defining issues was immediately clear: the city’s recently approved $120.7 mil- lion general fund budget. Many of the challengers inter- viewed this week — like Forte, Klein and Justman — said a chief Norbert von der Groeben reason for their candidacy is to help the city better balance its spending plan. They argued the current nine council members had not reduced costs enough during recent years’ tough economic times. Last month, the council cut $5.2 million from the 2005-2006 budget, James Kim, owner of the Cookbook restaurant in Town & Country Shopping Center for almost 20 years, is being forced out of the center. bringing long-term expenditures into line with stagnant projected revenues. Cookbook given abrupt 30-day notice to close or move “There was an acceptance that $5 Upscale pregnancy/infant supply store will ter at El Camino Real and Embar- restaurant or consult about how to million was the right number; who cadero Road, in 1980. It currently improve a restaurant. says?” asked Klein, a former mayor supplant ‘hangout’ — some angry patrons launch a served only breakfast and lunch. The restaurant, known for its who recently led the campaign to ‘boycott Town & Country’ petition Kim said he received a letter a comfortably spaced tables to allow raise the monthly storm-drain fee. by Jay Thorwaldson couple of weeks earlier, but con- for conversations and small meet- Cutting more funds from the budg- sulted with his attorney before no- ings, has been a regular gathering et would have allowed the city to aitress Karen Robinson said of the impending closure. tifying staff on Friday. spot for city officials, committees set aside more money to make ad- greeted customers Friday Cookbook owner James Kim, He said the closure means his of both the Kiwanis and Rotary ditional renovations to its aging in- W morning with tears in her looking grim but controlled, had plans for retirement income are service clubs, a group of owners frastructure, he argued. eyes as she broke the news that the notified his staff of 10 employees blown away — he had hoped to sell of vintage “hot rod” cars, a group The city this year is spending Cookbook restaurant in Palo Alto’s on Friday morning of the final days the business and create a retirement of local attorneys who discuss more than $50 million on capital Town & Country Village shopping of the restaurant, which he had pur- nest egg. He said he will not be able points of law, and a men’s prayer projects, such as renovating and ex- center must close on July 31. chased out from under a bankrupt- to finance a relocation — which group. panding facilities like the Children’s “It’s like losing a family, my cy in 1986. The original Cookbook could cost $100,000 to $200,000. “It’s a real bummer,” Ken Bot- Library and the Animal Shelter. But friends and my job,” Robinson, who had opened at the present location, But he said he might be interest- tari, a member of the “Rod Talk” council members have yet to set has worked there for nearly 15 years, near the back of the shopping cen- ed in helping others launch a new (continued on page 9) aside funds for numerous major (continued on page 7) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, July 20, 2005 • Page 3 SANTA CLARA COIN, STAMP & COLLECTIBLES EXPO July 21st-24th Kids Treasure Hunt DO NOT MISS THIS EVENT! 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 Sat 11-2pm Held at The Santa Clara Convention Center (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER $1 Million Quintuple Stella/Metric Double Eagle William S. Johnson OVER 1000 OF THE NATIONS TOP DEALERS IN COINS, STAMPS, PAPER MONEY, POSTCARDS, JEWELRY, EXONUMIA, MEDALS, TOKENS, CASINO CHIPS, GOLD NUGGETS, BULLION, COIN & STAMP SUPPLIES, COLLECTIBLES & MORE... EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Our $8 Admission For all 4 Days For More Info Call (805)962-9939 or Visit us on the Web at www.SantaClaraExpo.com Marc Burkhardt, Managing Editor Jennifer Aquino, Associate Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors $2 Off Admission with this Ad Keith Peters, Sports Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Town Robyn Israel, Arts & Entertainment Editor by Don Kazak Don Kazak, Jocelyn Dong, Senior Staff Writers Bill D’Agostino, Alexandria Rocha, Staff Writers Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer Nicholas Wright, Staff Photographer And they’re off ... Tomomi Tsuda, Photo Intern Tyler Hanley, Assistant to the Editor onday marked the first day 1983 because of a job transfer to the & Online Editor Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Palo Alto City Council and Seattle area. He returned to Palo Alto Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Benson, Lynn M Palo Alto Unified School and was elected again in 1989, serv- Comeskey, Tim Goode, Jim Shelby, District board candidates could take ing through 2001, including two Jill Slater, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors out filing papers to run in the respec- years as mayor. Aurora Masum-Javed, Patricia Bass, tive Nov. 8 elections. And Mike Cobb served from 1981 Chuan-Mei Lee, Loren Temple, Editorial Interns But what had been shaping up as a to 1993, including two years as may- DESIGN mildly interesting council race be- or, but was defeated when he sought Carol Hubenthal, Design Director Judith Alderman, Assistant Design Director came more lively last Thursday election again in 1999. Diane Haas, Lynda Lumish, Sue Peck, Senior evening when former Mayor Larry This November, two of the five Designers; Klein held his kick-off event in the council seats up for election won’t Dana James, Scott Peterson, Designers Sarah McAleer, Design Intern back yard of the home of a supporter. have incumbents defending them. PRODUCTION The event drew former long-ago Burch never planned to seek another ,/3!,4/36!5,43!&% Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager mayors Ed Arnold, three years in the term while Councilman Vic Ojakian Dorothy Hassett, Joan Sloss, Sales & Production 1960s, and Alan Henderson, two- is being term-limited out.