www.PaloAltoOnline.com Vol. XXXIV, Number 14 N January 4, 2013 Looking forward to 2013 …and beyond Page 3 Donate to the HOLIDAY FUND page 26 Transitions 12 Spectrum 14 Eating Out 19 Movies 21 Puzzles 30 NArts Previews of coming attractions: 2013 Page 17 NSports Stanford moves on from Rose Bowl win Page 23 NHome January: Time for pruning, cleaning up Page 32 My home has 128,180 bedrooms and 72,086 baths. I call it Palo Alto. ! " ! ! ! Follow us to Brian Chancellor ChancellorHomes.com Brian Chancellor 650.303.5511 BrianCSerenoGroup.com AHF>LI:EH:EMH DRE # 01174998 Page 2ÊUÊ>Õ>ÀÞÊ{]ÊÓä£ÎÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V Goal $350,000 See who’s already contributed to the As of Dec. 28 Holiday Fund 362 donors on page 26 $225,990 Donate online at PaloAltoOnline.com with matching UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis funds 2013: The Year of the Future Palo Alto looks decades ahead as it tackles that could have dramatic implica- ambitious studies and master plans ter? And how can the city enhance tions for local parks, downtown that seek to answer complex ques- its stock of street trees? problems of today residents, street trees and the city’s tions near and dear to the hearts of by Gennady Sheyner housing. With the post-recession residents. These include: Does down- Unfinished business triage now in the past and local town have room for more buildings aster plans in Palo Alto Palo Alto “year” rarely fol- looking well beyond 12 months. So sales-tax revenues climbing, 2013 and workers? What should be done come in all shapes and siz- lows the standard calendar. as the council continues its work promises to be a year of regrouping, to improve recreational opportuni- M es. Some, like the city’s pre- A When then-Mayor Sid Es- this year, biking improvements and soul-searching and looking far into ties throughout the city? How can the vious plan for bike improvements pinosa proclaimed 2011 to be the infrastructure repairs will again the future in Palo Alto. city’s infamously poor cell reception and the early 1990s’ proposal by “Year of the Bicycle” and when show up on the agenda. It will be the year during which be balanced with residents’ distaste a “Dream Team” of architects and outgoing Mayor Yiaway Yeh called These projects, however, will the city is expected to approve a new for cell antennas? What should be planners to reconfigure downtown’s 2012 the “Year of Infrastructure In- vie for attention with a variety of Comprehensive Plan (its official done with the decrepit but heavily vestment and Renewal,” each was broader, more abstract discussions land-use bible) and plow ahead with used Cubberley Community Cen- (continued on page 6) EDUCATION New school board president: Public education key to state’s future Dana Tom backs multi-pronged approach to addressing academic stress by Chris Kenrick ike many couples with young given to grand statements and takes children, Dana Tom and Nan- an incremental approach to issues. L cy Kawakita moved to Palo His statewide experience has Alto mainly because of its reputa- taught him that “there are a lot of tion for good schools. aspects to schools that are com- That was 15 years ago. pletely foreign to our region and Before long Tom, a software en- our citizens. We cover the full gineer, threw himself into school spectrum of school districts — very Andre Zandona Andre volunteering and youth sports rural, urban, pro-tax, anti-tax. coaching. “It shows how hard it is to have Last month, he took the gavel to one-size-fits-all regulations and become president of the Palo Alto practices.” Board of Education for 2013. In rare split votes on the consen- Palo Alto’s own winter wonderland “I can think of nothing more im- sus-oriented Palo Alto board, Tom Aaron Kelly, left, skates at the Winter Lodge with Amaya Kelly and Mika Kameda during a break from portant we can do for our future,” generally has gone with the major- the rain on Dec. 26. Tom said of investing time, effort ity. and resources into public schools. He supported reforms to the aca- “The education I received as a demic calendar being implemented child was the greatest gift as far as this year, which moved the school NEIGHBORHOODS creating opportunities for me in my start date to mid-August in order adult life.” to squeeze in first semester before Educated in San Francisco public the December holidays. Reform Quality of life tops neighborhood goals for 2013 schools, Tom earned his bachelor’s advocates argued that a work-free and master’s degrees in electrical December vacation could provide Watchdogs plan to keep an eye on flooding, traffic and development in the coming year engineering from Stanford. He first a healthy break from academic by Sue Dremann ran and won a seat on the school stress. board in 2005. He was unopposed “I think this is the right move in ew Year’s resolutions are as heads told the Weekly. ers Authority is doing some useful for re-election to the board in 2010 the right direction for our students,” varied as Palo Alto’s resi- On Dec. 23, San Francisquito things, but the city should make the and has served one earlier stint — Tom said at the time of the calen- N dents, but for leaders of the Creek came close to overflowing Chaucer Bridge a top priority.” in 2008 — as board president. dar debate, adding that it would not city’s neighborhood associations, in north Palo Alto after a series of A subset of the neighborhood is After a career creating business- fully “solve” the problem of aca- addressing three issues — creek holiday-weekend storms. The near opposed to expanding the Newell applications software and later demic stress. flooding, new development and disaster reignited demands to quick- Bridge, Beamer said. City officials video games, Tom now works part- “Every time I meet somebody traffic — top the shortlist of goals ly rebuild or demolish the narrow will discuss the latest proposal at a time as a trainer of video-game de- from a place that has finals before for 2013. Chaucer Street and Newell Road community meeting on Jan. 8. velopment teams. winter break, I ask about it, and it’s These issues could have the most bridges. That debate will continue “On the one hand, the bridge The time commitment required just overwhelming the number of immediate impact on quality of life, in early 2013, as plans to expand the needs to be fixed to no longer for school-board work — as well people who support it — parents, some leaders noted, and in 2013, bridge at Newell move forward. present a flooding problem; on the as his additional involvement as teachers, board members, even they plan to ask city leaders to make “The recent rains have reminded other hand, there is concern about a board member of the California people who were initially skepti- the concerns a priority. everyone in the Crescent Park neigh- increased traffic as a result of add- School Boards Association — cal.” In addition, the ongoing chal- borhood that the flooding problem ing another lane to the bridge,” would make it difficult to hold a In the bruising 2007 battle over lenges of crime, disappearing of the Chaucer Bridge is something Beamer said. full-time job, he said. Tom also has creation of a Mandarin Immersion mom-and-pop retailers, the po- that the city should take a more Further south, the Adobe Meadow served as president of the Asian/ program, Tom initially voted with tential impact of increased train proactive role in addressing,” said neighborhood is also concerned with Pacific Islander School Board the majority who said the district service and the downsides of pro- Norman Beamer, president of the flood-control issues along the Adobe Members Association. couldn’t afford to launch the pro- posed dense development continue Crescent Park Neighborhood Asso- A staunch believer in public edu- to need attention, the neighborhood ciation, in an email. “The Joint Pow- (continued on page 7) cation, Tom nonetheless is rarely (continued on page 9) ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ>Õ>ÀÞÊ{]ÊÓä£ÎÊU Page 3 Upfront PINEWOOD 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 QUOTE OF THE WEEK (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505) SCHOOL EDITORIAL ‘‘ Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516) Experience Express & Online Editor Tyler Hanley (223-6519) Open House Arts & Entertainment Editor Are we going to be better off the Rebecca Wallace (223-6517) Lower Campus Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) investing in education — or in January 12, 2013 Difference Spectrum Editor Tom Gibboney (223-6507) 10am — 12noon Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris prisons? Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) Editorial Assistant, Internship Coordinator — Dana Tom, Palo Alto school board president, Eric Van Susteren (223-6515) on California’s need to adequately fund its public Founded in 1959, Pinewood is an independent, Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) ‘‘ schools. See story on page 3. Contributors Colin Becht, Dale F. Bentson, Peter FRHGXFDWLRQDOQRQSURÀWFROOHJHSUHSVFKRRO Canavese, Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti VHUYLQJJUDGHV.6WXGHQWVEHQHÀWIURPVPDOO Editorial Interns Pierre Bienaimé, Lisa Kellman FODVVVL]HDULJRURXVDFDGHPLFFXUULFXOXPDQG DESIGN Design Director Shannon Corey (223-6560) DZLGHFKRLFHRIHQULFKPHQWDFWLYLWLHVIURPVSRUWV Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Diane Haas, Scott Peterson, Paul Llewellyn WRÀQHDUWVWRFRPPXQLW\VHUYLFH2XUOLPLWHG Designers Lili Cao, Rosanna Leung Around Town PRODUCTION A NEW DAY ... Palo Alto’s mayoral of Jan.