Vol. XXXIV, Number 49 N September 6, 2013 Architectural tastes tested downtown Page 3 Paly students find cozy home in glassblowing program page 38 Transitions 17 Spectrum 26 Movies 30 Eating 31 Seniors 33 Puzzles 62 NArts Artists record history on canvas Page 28 NHome Chinese homebuyers hone in on Palo Alto Page 41 NSports Stanford QB more comfortable this season Page 64 Open House | Sat. & Sun. | 1:30 – 4:30 27950 Roble Alto Drive, Los Altos Hills $4,250,000 Beds 5 | Baths 5.5 | Offices 2 | Garage 3 Car | Palo Alto Schools Home ~ 4,565 sq. ft. | Lot ~ 43,130 sq. ft. video tour | www.schoelerman.com Jackie Richard 650-855-9700 650-566-8033 [email protected] [email protected] BRE # 01092400 BRE # 01413607 www.schoelerman.com CITY OF PALO ALTO TIME & PLACE PRESENTS THE 29TH ANNUAL 5K walk 7:00pm, 10K run 8:15pm, 5K run 8:45pm. Race-night registration 6 to 8pm at City of Palo Alto Baylands Athletic Center, Embarcadero & Geng Roads (just east of the Embarcadero Exit off Highway 101). Parking — go to PaloAltoOnline.com to check for specific parking locations. 5K WALK, 5K & 10K RUN COURSE Great for kids and families 5k and 10k courses around the Palo Alto Baylands under the light of the Full Harvest Moon. Course is USAT&F certified (10k only) and flat along paved roads. Water at all stops. Course maps coming soon. REGISTRATIONS & ENTRY FEE Adult Registration (13 +) registration fee is $30 per entrant by 9/13/13. Includes a long-sleeved t-shirt. Youth Registration (6 - 12) registration is $20 per entrant by 9/13/13. Includes a long-sleeved t-shirt. Youth (5 and under) run free with an adult, but must be registered through Evenbrite with signed parental guardian waiver, or may bring/fill out a signed waiver to race-night registration. Late Registration fee is $35 for adults, $25 for youth from 9/14 - 9/18. Race night registration fee is $40 for adult; $30 for youth from 6 to 8pm. T-shirts available only while supplies last. Refunds will not be issued for no-show registrations and t-shirts will not be held. MINORS: If not pre-registered, minors under 18 must bring signed parental/waiver form on race night. SPORTS TEAM/CLUBS: Online pre-registration opportunity for organizations of 10 or more runners; e-mail [email protected]. DIVISIONS Age divisions: 9 & under; 10 - 12; 13 - 15; 16 - 19; 20 - 24; 25 - 29; 30 - 34; 35 - 39; 40 - 44; 45 - 49; 50 - 54; 55 - 59; 60 - 64; 65 - 69; 70 & over with separate divisions for male and female runners in each age group. Race timing provided for 5K and 10K runs only. COMPUTERIZED RESULTS BY A CHANGE OF PACE Chip timing results will be posted on PaloAltoOnline.com by 11pm race night. Race organizers are not responsible for incorrect results caused by incomplete/incorrect registration forms. AWARDS/PRIZES/ENTERTAINMENT FRIDAY SEPT 20 7PM Top three finishers in each division. Prize giveaways and refreshments. Pre-race warmups by Noxcuses Fitness, Palo Alto BENEFICIARY A benefit event for local non-profits Palo Alto Weekly Holiday Fund. A holiday-giving fund to benefit Palo Alto area non- profits and charitable organizations. In April 2013, 55 organizations received a total of $380,000 (from the 2012-2013 Holiday Fund.) supporting kids and families MORE INFORMATION Call (650) 463-4920, (650) 326-8210, email [email protected] or go to www.PaloAltoOnline.com. For safety reasons, no dogs allowed on course for the 5K and 10K runs. They are welcome on the 5K walk only. No retractable leashes. Bring your own clean-up bag. Jogging strollers welcome in the 5K walk or at the back of either run. Presented by REGISTER ONLINE: PaloAltoOnline.com/moonlight_run Corporate Sponsors Event Sponsors Community Sponsors UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Downtown development sparks architecture debate Opponent of ‘modernist’ building design asks public next to Reposado Restaurant. Lippert calling it a “handsome stucco walls, arched doorways The new development would re- building” and Alex Lew praising and decorative pilasters. to weigh in via a survey place an existing two-story corner it for being mixed-use. “The proposed design is nei- by Gennady Sheyner building, best known for having Smith isn’t so adoring. In his ther high quality nor considerate once housed Radio Shack. appeal, which is co-signed by of its surroundings,” the appeal ith its glassy walls, boxy las Smith, that’s exactly the It would include 9,190 square 23 other residents, Smith argues states. “It is a modernist glass shape, 50-foot height and problem. feet of office space, mostly on that in approving the modernist box which would be entirely out W preponderance of office On Monday, the City Council the second and third floors, 2,337 design, city staff and the architec- of place at Ramona and Hamil- space, a four-story building pro- will consider Smith’s appeal of square feet of retail on the ground ture board ignored its incompat- ton, surrounded on three sides by posed for 240 Hamilton Ave. is the project, a 15,000-square-foot floor and two residential units on ibility with the dozens of nearby heritage structures.” perfectly emblematic of down- building designed by architect the fourth floor. heritage buildings, many of which The immediate area around town Palo Alto’s latest develop- Ken Hayes and developed by Sal The city’s Architectural Review bear the classical decorative 240 Hamilton, Smith wrote, “is ment trends. Giovanotto, which would stand Board approved the project last Spanish features popularized by For downtown resident Doug- across the street from City Hall, month, with board member Lee Palo Alto architect Birge Clark: ­VÌÕi`ÊÊ«>}iÊ£ä® TRANSPORTATION East Palo Alto mayor wants answers on Newell parking Misinformation led to Palo Alto’s sudden ban on overnight parking, he says by Sue Dremann ast Palo Alto Mayor Ru- percent, staff noted. ben Abrica wants to know Abrica Tuesday directed staff E why people living in apart- to find out why the parking prob- ments along his city’s Woodland lem has suddenly arisen between Avenue are parking their cars in the two cities. He instructed staff Palo Alto’s Crescent Park neigh- to craft a letter from him that borhood, and he wants to put an would ask Equity for documents end to theories and speculation, related to its policies and prac- he told East Palo Alto city staff tices on parking. on Tuesday night. He wants Equity to disclose how A frustrated Abrica voiced many apartments are occupied, 6iÀV>Ê7iLiÀ concerns about what he said was the number of parking spaces that lingering misinformation from are provided, how they are allo- City of Palo Alto staff that has in- cated and whether residents are flamed the situation between the being charged for additional park- two cities. ing spaces. Abrica instructed staff “They created an environment to also obtain parking-space data Winged wonder ... that East Palo Alto was not and parking policies from other A blue dragonfly perches on a plant beside Matadero Creek in Palo Alto on Sept. 4. concerned about the problem. apartment complexes in the area. Our city manager has done her “I am not satisfied with that due diligence,” he said. piece that is missing. This is the He instructed staff to get data area that is most speculated on. EDUCATION about the parking policies of Eq- Everyone has a theory about why uity Residential, which owns the there is a parking problem,” he apartments whose residents are said. “A lot of damage was done parking in Palo Alto. already by misstatements and the Arduous educational journey On Aug. 12, the Palo Alto City perceptions that were created.” Council approved a parking ban In an Aug. 16 letter to Palo for chronically ill student from 2 to 5 a.m. along several Palo Alto Mayor Greg Scharff, Abrica Alto streets near San Francisquito pointed out some of the alleged Palo Alto teen shares story of patchwork schooling, poor coordination Creek to deal with the problem. misstatements, which were made Palo Alto residents had com- by Palo Alto city staff during the by Chris Kenrick plained East Palo Alto residents Aug. 12 council meeting. lijah King of Palo Alto is five-hour-per-week tutor provided While not claiming they would were parking on Newell Road be- “It was very unfortunate that doing well a month into his by the Palo Alto Unified School have received any better service cause there are not enough park- the staff report made no refer- E freshman year at Ohio Uni- District (PAUSD). from another school district, re- ing spaces at the Woodland Apart- ence and did not elaborate on the versity, but getting there was a Frustrated by what he believes source-rich Palo Alto should be ments in East Palo Alto. fact that East Palo Alto staff has nearly impossible journey. is a lack of adequate coordination able to do a lot better, they said. Palo Alto residents also said been working closely with your The once athletic, active “regu- for students like himself, he ulti- “Why did they provide little they were plagued by trash and by staff on this issue. By the time lar student” was stricken with mately left Gunn, took the GED guidance, fragmented solutions, vehicles that blocked driveways. this was brought out at the end Crohn’s disease in his sophomore test and got himself to college, no coordination and minimal Several factors might be con- of the proceedings several com- year at Gunn High School.