High School District's Champion of Minority Students Set to Retire No
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Neighborhood haunt 1st Place GENERAL WEEKEND | 19 EXCELLENCE California Newspaper Publishers Association MARCH 17, 2017 VOLUME 25, NO. 8 www.MountainViewOnline.com 650.964.6300 MOVIES | 22 No one behind the wheel ... or inside the car ‘GHOST CARS’ COULD BE ZIPPING AROUND MOUNTAIN VIEW STREETS UNDER DMV PROPOSAL By Mark Noack The new rules announced on Friday, March 10, come as or nearly three years, the latest step in a fast-paced Mountain View residents industry that, in many cases, is Fhave become accustomed leaving regulators racing to catch to seeing self-driving cars zip- up. Currently, 27 manufacturers ping around town, but the tech- have permits with the Califor- nology could soon be kicking off nia DMV to test autonomous its training wheels. vehicles in the state, and many In a big leap, the California of those firms are either based in Department of Motor Vehicles Mountain View or have an office MICHELLE LE last week published new pro- nearby. Eateries and offices are thriving on Castro Street, but it’s been tougher for retail shops to survive amid posed rules that would allow While self-driving cars would rising rents and changing customer habits. autonomous car companies to no longer need a human behind test cars without any human the wheel, car manufacturers driver inside — meaning self- would need to have someone driving cars would be truly monitoring the vehicles remotely. Downtown study finds retail on the ropes driverless. If so, it could become It isn’t clear exactly how this a common sight to see unoccu- would be accomplished, but BUSINESS IS GREAT FOR EATERIES AND OFFICES, BUT SHOPS AREN’T KEEPING UP pied “ghost cars” zipping around reportedly the technology is Mountain View’s streets. sufficient to allow the moni- By Mark Noack on the Castro Street area Brick-and-mortar retail shops “This is really the next step to tors to remotely track autono- found that restaurants and like bookstores, art galler- moving forward the driverless mous vehicles. DMV officials here’s money to be made the demand for tech office ies and knick-knack sellers testing and also the public use,” are not specifying how many in downtown Mountain space are lifting Mountain are lagging behind, showing said DMV spokeswoman Jessica vehicles one person could moni- TView these days — that View’s downtown to unprec- modest sales while facing the Gonzalez. “A number of (self- tor simultaneously. is, if you’re in the right line of edented growth and sales. rising costs that come with a driving car manufacturers) will Many details of the new regu- business. But that prosperity isn’t being be ready to move forward with lations are being left vague as A new city economic report shared among all businesses. See DOWNTOWN, page 10 driverless testing over the next year to make this happen.” See DRIVERLESS CARS, page 7 High school district’s champion of minority students set to retire ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT BRIGITTE SARRAF WILL TAKE A PART-TIME ROLE By Kevin Forestieri High School national recognition March, according to Superinten- minorities up to speed, and Advanced Placement (AP) class- last year. dent Jeff Harding. ensuring that they take the es regardless of past performance fter almost half a century Sarraf, who spent most of her Although Sarraf will quietly be classes that allow them to apply — even though the move was working in Mountain career overseeing curriculum exiting, her colleagues have no for the top colleges in the state. hotly debated and well-outside AView’s education system, and instruction including the problem extolling the work she’s That framework includes at-risk of standard practices in 2001. Associate Superintendent Bri- recent roll-out of Common Core done for the district. Harding youth counselors at both Moun- Sarraf recalled that there were gitte Sarraf announced she will state standards, told the Voice she praised Sarraf for being a con- tain View and Los Altos high no other districts with an open be retiring from the Mountain “technically” retired in Decem- stant advocate for open access schools, more Spanish-speaking access policy in the immediate View-Los Altos High School ber last year, but made no formal and breaking down barriers staff and bilingual community area, and her extended search District. Sarraf is credited for announcement and continues to that used to prevent lower-per- liaisons to help parents navigate wasn’t exactly promising. relentlessly championing efforts maintain her role in the district forming students from enrolling the school system. “We only found one or two to raise achievement among the office. The district is currently in rigorous academic classes. The district was among the schools at the time that were dab- area’s underrepresented minority reviewing applicants to replace Under her watch, the district put first in California to adopt bling in it, and in both cases the students since the 1970s, which Sarraf, and is expected to make together a framework dedicated “open access” policies — which ultimately won Mountain View a final decision by the end of to bringing underrepresented allow students to take rigorous See SARRAF, page 8 INSIDE VIEWPOINT 15 | GOINGS ON 23 | MARKETPLACE 24 | REAL ESTATE 26 / / Alain Pinel Realtors® FIND YOUR PLACE LOS ALTOS $3,195,000 LOS ALTOS $2,988,000 MOUNTAIN VIEW $2,695,000 631 Manresa Lane | 3bd/3ba 27022 Dezahara Way | 5bd/3.5ba 925 Valencia Avenue | 4bd/2.5ba Bogard-Tanigami Team | 650.941.1111 Jim & Jimmy Nappo | 650.941.1111 Patricia Lawton | 415.923.9700 LOS ALTOS $2,395,000 LOS GATOS $1,799,000 SUNNYVALE $1,499,000 752 S. El Monte Avenue | 4bd/3ba 252 Edelen Avenue | 3bd/2ba 1169 Susan Way | 3bd/2ba Kathy Bridgman | 650.941.1111 Rick & Suzanne Bell | 650.941.1111 Lynn North | 650.941.1111 MOUNTAIN VIEW $998,000 SUNNYVALE $900,000 SAN JOSE $898,000 819 Montgomery Street | 2bd/2.5ba 530 La Conner Drive, Unit 23 | 3bd/1.5ba 1375 Kimberly Drive | 3bd/2ba Tori Atwell | 650.941.1111 Joanne Fraser | 650.941.1111 Carol & Graham Sangster | 650.941.1111 APR.COM Over 30 Offices Serving The San Francisco Bay Area 866.468.0111 2 Q Mountain View Voice Q MountainViewOnline.com Q March 17, 2017 QA+E BRIEFS Take the first ‘BEAUTY AND step in getting the THE BEAST’ radiant smile The classic “tale as old as time” of “Beauty and you deserve the Beast” (as interpreted by Disney) will be the first with Invisalign! musical performed in Palo Alto High School’s new performing-arts center (50 Embarcadero Road). The production, which runs Thursdays-Sundays, March 17-26, involves more than 100 Paly stu- dents as actors, singers, musicians and techni- cians. Starring seniors COURTESY OF PALO ALTO HIGH SCHOOL Alia Cuadros-Contreras as Alia Cuadros-Contreras and Jackson Free Consultation Beauty and Jackson Kien- Kienitz in “Beauty and the Beast” at Palo itz as the Beast, the show is Alto High School. A $250 Value! appropriate for ages 7 and up. Tickets are $10-$15 and showtimes vary. Go to palytheatre.com/ Plus $500 Off tickets/. Your Treatment! ‘REFLECTIONS ON WATER’ Second opinions welcome. Maryland-based artist Katherine K. Allen’s vivid, colorful, nature- Call for details. inspired paintings will be featured in a new exhibition titled “Reflec- tions on Water,” on display at Los Altos Hills Town Hall through September. A free opening reception with wine and other refresh- ments will be held Sunday, March 19, 2-5 p.m., including a tour of the exhibition by the artist at 3 p.m. The paintings focus on Allen’s 100 W. El Camino Real, Suite 63A personal, transient impressions of water and landscape. The Los Altos Mountain View ( Corner of El Camino & Calderon ) Hills Town Hall is located at 26379 Fremont Road. Go to tinyurl.com/ h2shj8k. SmilesDental.com | 650.665.5001 ‘LOVE SICK’ “Love Sick,” a new musical based on the erotic, Old Testament text “The Song of Songs,” will run for one more weekend at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts (500 Castro St.), with shows March 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 19, at 2 and 7 p.m. The show, set in ancient Jerusalem, tells the story of a woman stuck in a Larry’s knows Subarus. passionless marriage who embarks on an intense love affair with an V[OLY1HWHULZL=LOPJSLZ admirer. Ofra Daniel, founder of Jewish Circle Theatre and co-creator of the show, stars as Tirzah. The ensemble features a mix of Israeli, Palestinian, and Syrian musicians/actors. Tickets are $28-$52. Go to You know you are dealing tickets.mvcpa.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=113. with experts when … BELA FLECK AND ABIGAIL WASHBURN ;LJOUPJPHUZHYL5H[PVUHSS`*LY[PÄLK4HZ[LYZ Dueling banjos, anyone? Jazz-and-classical composer and banjo Technicians receive over 40 hours master Bela Fleck will team up with fellow banjoist and singer/song- VMZWLJPHSPaLK[YHPUPUNL]LY``LHY writer Abigail Washburn for a concert on Thursday, March 23, at 8 ;OL`HYLJLY[PÄLKLU]PYVUTLU[HSS` p.m. at the Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto. The MYPLUKS` pair’s differing styles of playing banjo (Washburn using old-time (SSYLWHPYZHYLN\HYHU[LLKPU^YP[PUN clawhammer technique and virtuosic Fleck using a pick and three MVY`LHYZTPSLZ· fingers) will accompany Washburn’s lead vocals (with some backing vocals by Fleck). Tickets are $55-$70. Go to paloaltojcc.org/Events/ UVV[OLYZOVWKVLZ[OPZ b233la-fleck-and-abigail-washburn. Each technician is a specialist on the vehicle they service. CREATIVE ECOLOGY: MARI ANDREWS 2 0 1 4 The latest in the Palo Alto Art Center’s Creative Ecology series ¸;OLMVSRZH[3HYY`»Z(\[V^VYRZYLHSS`[HRL ¸@V\YHYL[OLILZ[H\[VZOVW0OH]L,=,9 (which brings together art, science and an appreciation for the natural care of you.