The Magic Theater
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Vol. XXVIII, Number 30 • Friday, January 19, 2007 ■ 50¢ Dragon shines with ‘Humble Check out the Weekly’s new online classifieds Boy’ at fogster.com WeeklyWeekend Edition www.PaloAltoOnline.com Page 11 THE MAGIC OF THEATER Palo Alto Children's Theatre celebrates 75 years of wonder Page 7 Norbert von der Groeben Worth A Look 12 Eating Out 13 Movie Times 17 Goings On 21 ■ Upfront Days may be numbered for Eichler’s Edgewood Plaza Page 3 ■ Sports Local prep soccer teams getting their kicks Page 23 ■ Home & Real Estate Sustainable, low-impact gardening Section 2 &OUR LEGGED&RIENDS 4AKEA"ITEOUTOF0AIN 7HATCANHELPACHILDACTUALLYLOOKFORWARDTOGOING TOTHEHOSPITAL0ACKARD#HILDRENSANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPYPROGRAMCAN*USTASK#AITLIN WHOSEMONTHLY VISITSFORTREATMENTINCLUDESPENDINGTIMEWITH SPECIALLY TRAINEDPETSTHATREDUCEHERSTRESS ANXIETY ANDDISCOMFORT4HEREISNOTHINGLIKEHAVINGAFRIEND BYYOURSIDE 2ANKEDTHECHILDRENSHOSPITALIN #ALIFORNIABY53.EWS7ORLD2EPORT ,UCILE0ACKARD#HILDRENS(OSPITALAT 3TANFORDISAWORLDCLASSHOSPITALDEVOTED ENTIRELYTOTHECAREOFCHILDRENANDEXPECTANT MOTHERSRIGHTINYOURBACKYARD 2EADMOREABOUT#AITLINAND ,UCILE0ACKARD#HILDRENS(OSPITAL ATWWWLPCHORG ,5#),%0!#+!2$ #(),$2%.3 (/30)4!, Page 2 • Friday, January 19, 2007 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Bigger schools or a 13th elementary? School board asks hard questions about Today, demographers are predict- ing class sizes are all on the table. manent modular classrooms and in- ing the district will grow by almost The alternatives all pit the district’s creasing enrollment at three others. projected student boom over next four years 1,000 students in the next five years. severe financial constraints against Three elementary schools — Du- by Alexandria Rocha And some parents already believe too its educational philosophies. veneck, Escondido and Walter Hays many schools are “super sized.” “There are no easy answers,” — are already beyond the board’s decade ago, the Palo Alto streets and kids swarming the city, The district’s Board of Educa- Superintendent Mary Frances Cal- desired student capacity of 450. Cal- school district predicted a board member Mandy Lowell face- tion Tuesday began wrestling with lan reminded the board and public lan’s recommendation would push A swell of student enrollment tiously recalled Tuesday night. complex and controversial options Tuesday. “A number of variables Fairmeadow and Nixon elementary that caused a panic among school The school board responded by to accommodate the forecast: Ex- and factors have to be considered.” schools’ limits beyond the 450 cap officials. They imagined strollers opening Barron Park Elementary panding existing schools, opening a Callan has recommended expand- and allow increased enrollment at on every corner, toddlers in the School. 13th elementary school and increas- ing five elementary schools with per- (continued on page 5) LAND USE LAND USE Residents Preservation protest not part of ‘hazmat’ Edgewood zoning Plaza plans Neighbors of Stanford Many in favor of new Research Park firm worry mixed-use development new city zoning rules don’t offer enough safeguards by Molly Tanenbaum by Sue Dremann hough far more civil than last year’s tumultuous gather- roposed Palo Alto zoning Norbert von der Groeben T ing, Wednesday’s community regulations won’t adequately meeting on Edgewood Plaza con- P protect nearby residents from firmed that developer John Tze will extremely hazardous materials, a have a hard time finding consensus group of Barron Park residents is among Palo Alto residents who ei- alleging. ther want to tear down or save the Last February, the neighbors were shopping center. exposed to a cloud of nitric acid ac- “I purposely came with no draw- cidentally released over Barron Park ings tonight,” Tze told the 100 by Communications and Power In- Men of steel people who came to the meeting he dustries (CPI). Construction workers assemble the steel framing on a new office building at the corner of Embarcadero organized, held at the Palo Alto Mu- They also allege the proposed Road and East Bayshore Thursday morning. nicipal Golf Course. standards serve only two entities: But Tze verbally shared his gen- CPI and the city itself, because Palo eral plan for the plaza — which does Alto’s Water Quality Control Plant PALO ALTO not include historic preservation of uses large amounts of chlorine. Both the 50-year-old plaza at Embarcade- come under a special “Title 19” clas- ro Road and U.S. Highway 101. sification under state law. City challenges failing grade in police audit When pressed, Tze said he in- CPI operates a plating facility at tended to tear down the Albertson’s 811 Hansen Way in the Stanford Re- Leaders say ‘F-’ not deserved, cite inconsistencies in scoring, adherence to state law building and rows of shops to bring search Park and manufactures mi- by Becky Trout in the organic grocer Wild Oats, a crowave devices for radar, satellites coffee shop, 12 to 18 single-fam- and electron accelerators. more in-depth look at the state- were based on the agency’s response But the San Rafael Police Depart- ily row houses and some condos or On Feb. 2, 2006, some Barron Park wide audit that bashed law to a single request. ment — which received an A-, the top apartments. residents reported a noxious, chok- Aenforcement agencies for inad- The auditors visited agencies on grade received by only three agencies The bulk of the audience sounded ing odor. No long-term health effects equately responding to public records Dec. 4, requested several items, and — provided the same response and enthused about Tze’s general plan were reported, fire department offi- requests — making headlines in the then left a written request to provide had no points deducted. and unconcerned with preserving cials said. But officials only learned process — reveals inconsistent scor- additional information. Palo Alto lost 24 points for pro- famed developer Joseph Eichler’s of the accidental release after being ing, small sample size, and grading Palo Alto lost points because the viding crime and arrest information only shopping center. contacted by a Weekly reporter. An criteria not based strictly on public re- auditor was asked his name, even online rather than having it available Many cheered when neighbor investigation is continuing. cords laws, according to city officials. though the city employee who re- for immediate copying. Dixon Po- Andy Robin stood and said of the In response to the leak, the city The Palo Alto Police Department quested it admitted she was just lice Department, which also scored 50-year-old buildings, “They may be created new regulations for firms scored an F- on the audit, which curious. According to CalAware’s an A-, lost only four points for saying historic, but they’re also hideous.” storing, using or handling hazardous was administered by Californians audit methodology, “normal human it did not have the information at all. But a vocal group of historic pres- materials, requiring minimum dis- Aware, a non-profit organization curiosity was not to be held against “They were hoping we’d have open ervationists believes it would be a tances from residences, emergency dedicated to enhancing open gov- the department.” records, but not too open records,” sin to demolish the Eichler center, contingency plans and notification of ernment and information exchange. In several cases, there were discrep- Larkin said. whose design ties the neighborhood residents of any proposed changes. “It seems the survey was some- ancies between Palo Alto’s grade and The audit and its shocking grades together. But residents said the proposed what arbitrary,” Senior Deputy City those of other agencies providing the raised eyebrows in a city accustomed “Incorporate the gem. Don’t de- standards as approved by the city’s Attorney Donald Larkin said. same or less helpful answers. Accord- to besting its peers. stroy it. We really, really have some- Planning and Transportation Com- The audits were performed by ing to the auditor’s scorecard, Palo “I was alarmed by it,” Council- thing here,” Eichler homeowner Le- mission are inadequate. journalists who did not immediately Alto lost five points for saying it does woman LaDoris Cordell said. At nore Cymes told Tze. (continued on page 5) reveal their affiliations. The scores not have a “death in custody” report. (continued on page 6) (continued on page 5) Palo Alto Weekly • Friday, January 19, 2007 • Page 3 Can a Fiction Writing Workshop Change Your Life? 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 Maybe. It certainly can change your writing, help- (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER ing you take it to the next level and see your work with William S. Johnson ReaderReaderWire comments via e-mail, voice mail and U.S. mail newfound clarity. EDITORIAL A driving force and a feasibility study that recom- Jay Thorwaldson, Editor mends implementation of a Mandarin- Learn how the pros do it from a real pro. Former Stan- Jocelyn Dong, Acting Managing Editor As a longtime Menlo Park resident ford and UC Berkeley writing instructor, prize-winning Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors and old car buff, I enjoyed the article Immersion pilot program, the board Keith Peters, Sports Editor appears to be more interested in short story writer and novelist, and longtime Palo Alto Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor on Leonard Ely (Weekly, Jan. 10). Weekly fi ction contest judge Tom Parker is offering a Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor He is one of the great people in the discussing logistics than delivering Don Kazak,