Palo 6°Ê888]Ê ÕLiÀÊ{ÊUÊ"VÌLiÀÊÎä]ÊÓääÊN xäZ Alto City workers stay on the job — for now Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com No way out? For victims of domestic violence, leaving is a complex, dangerous challenge page 18 Spectrum 16 Movies 31 Eating Out 35 ShopTalk 36 Crossword/Sudoku 64 NArts Vivid images of Day of the Dead Page 26 NSports Huge football game for Palo Alto Page 41 NHome Pumpkin ‘bling’ for holiday tables Page 49 HACKMANN WILL WORK FOR YOU “John is for the old people, he will Hackmann is the… stand up for them.” —Edith Molton, SRI, retired TEACHER s4AUGHT%NVIRONMENTAL0OLICY ,AWAND-EDICINEAND %THICSAT3TANFORD5NIVERSITYASA0ROFESSOR “A true fi scal conservative.” s-ENTORSANDWORKSWITHYOUNGPEOPLE —Paul Gardner, Whole House Building Supply Hackmann is the… “Having known John for more than ENVIRONMENTALIST 20 years, I’m confi dent that he will s&OUNDED3TANFORDFOR%NVIRONMENTAL%DUCATION be a hardworking, attentive council s#REATEDBIKELANESPROJECT &REEBUSSERVICE CARSHARING member and a guardian of Palo Alto’s s5NDERSTANDS#2%%+&,//$).'PROBLEM public pocketbook.” —Lisa Van Dusen, Community Leader Hackmann will… CONTROL SPENDING s0ENSIONSARESKYROCKETING WECANTAFFORDTHIS s)FWEDONTCONTROLSPENDINGANDBENElTS 0ALO!LTOWILL HAVETOLAYOFFWORKERS WHAT I STAND FOR ❑✔ NO to MEASURE A s4OOCOMPLICATED s.OTO!5$)43OF(/-%"53).%33%3 John Hackmann has goodEXPERIENCE: s#ONTROLSPENDINGlRST s7RONGTIMETOHURTBUSINESSES "OARD ,EAGUEOF7OMEN6OTERSFORMER "OARD #ONSUMERS#O OP-IDTOWN'ROCERY NO to high wall dividing "OARD -AYVIEW(EALTH#ENTER ❑✔ NEAR#ALIFORNIA!VE Palo Alto 4EACHER 0ROFESSOR #ON!SSTAT3TANFORD 5NIVERSITY No to dense development ❑✔ that overwhelms schools l would like to YES to Stanford Hospital hear from YOU. ❑✔ 0LEASECALLMEAT Yes to CONTROL SPENDING 650-323-5646 ❑✔ OREMAIL YES to a fair shake for hackmann@ ❑✔ SOUTH PALO ALTO stanfordalumni.org www.HackmannforCouncil2009.com (!#+-!..ACCEPTS./5.)/.-/.%9 ORENDORSEMENTSANDURGES!,,CANDIDATESTODOTHESAME Page 2ÊUÊ"VÌLiÀÊÎä]ÊÓääÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞ UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis SEIU plans to stay on the job — for now Union rejects city’s imposition of ‘last, best on the 617 workers represented by voted against the city’s newly im- what they want to do next,” Wein- the SEIU. The council reached its posed offer. berg said. and final offer,’ ponders its next actions decision after five months of tense Workers also filled out question- City officials have been prepar- by Gennady Sheyner negotiations, including 26 meet- naires asking them what the union ing for a workers’ strike and have ings between negotiators from both should do next. Weinberg told the already won an injunction barring alo Alto’s largest labor union Employees International Union sides. Weekly that a strike is “still on the 87 “essential employees” from strik- voted Tuesday night to op- (SEIU) also said Tuesday night that The council vote was 7-1, with table,” but said workers have agreed ing. But Brian Ward, a member of P pose city-imposed benefit re- the union workers are willing to re- Yiaway Yeh dissenting and Sid Es- to remain on the job at least for the the union’s bargaining team, said in ductions and vowed to take “strong main on the job — at least for now. pinosa absent. very near future. a prepared statement that workers actions” in coming weeks to dem- The union meeting came one Khanh Weinberg, spokesperson “The negotiating team leaders will decided to stay on the job despite onstrate its displeasure with the day after the Palo Alto City Coun- for the SEIU, said about 200 union be going over the questionnaires in dwindling morale. city’s negotiation tactics. cil voted to impose what the city members attended the meeting the coming days to see what the ma- But officials from the Service called its “last, best and final offer” Tuesday night. About 90 percent jority of the workers say in terms of (continued on page 10) COURTS Attorneys probe ‘Who shot first?’ in May case Answer could determine a life sentence or death for Alberto Alvarez, accused of killing police Officer Richard May by Sue Dremann n a literal life-sentence-or-death twice. ... (Alvarez) was in the drive- courtroom drama, San Mateo way so he turns around. ... First he I County prosecutors sought this put his hand inside his, ah, jacket week to determine who shot first in and he turns around and put the gun the death of East Palo Alto police out and Officer May ... at that mo- Officer Richard May. ment he took out his gun ... and they Witnesses testified they saw sus- were both firing at each other but I pect Alberto Alvarez on Jan. 7, 2006, guess the guy shot first,” Marquez fire at May first during a shootout in said. a Weeks Street driveway. Two wit- In a separate audio recording nesses also testified they saw Alva- with San Mateo County investiga- rez shoot twice at the fallen officer tors, Marquez said Alvarez aimed as he lay on the ground. somewhere toward May’s neck or Whether Alvarez shot May in the upper torso. face — the fatal shot — during a May and Alvarez were only about gun battle or if he coldly executed 5 feet apart. him after the officer lay stunned “It was face to face,” he said. Shawn Fender Shawn from non-fatal wounds could mean “I heard and I saw the shot ... But the difference between life or death then I looked up a little bit. And I for Alvarez. saw the, uh, shell casing flew off. So Defense attorneys have stipulated I knew it was him that shot Officer that Alvarez killed May, so that is (May) first,” he said. A skeleton dangles from the street lamp on Vernon Terrace, a spooky Palo Alto block that’s more not at issue in the trial. On Tuesday, Virginia Rodriguez, than ready for Halloween. On Monday, prosecutors played a petite, Spanish-speaking woman, separate video and audio recordings provided compelling testimony and spot for Halloween haunting. of two interviews with Marco Mar- the most complete picture yet of COMMUNITY “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could quez, 19, the police Explorer who May’s shooting death. be Halloween Gulch or Vernon accompanied May on a ride-along. The man she later identified as Terror? I want to say, ‘Ha ha! Take During both interviews, Marquez Alvarez moved between two cars Alien invasion, spooky sights that, Christmas Tree Lane!’” said said he saw Alvarez fire the first — a white truck and an older Olds- Doree Tschudy, resident of the so- shot at May. mobile parked in the driveway. He called alien house. In a video interview two hours went toward the house and moved descend on Midtown street Tschudy and her husband, Mi- after the shooting, a frightened- into the corner between the front chael, have hosted the alien in- looking Marquez told East Palo bumper of the Oldsmobile and the Halloween displays attract hundreds vasion in their front yard for the Alto Detective Sgt. Jeff Liu that he garage door, she said. on Vernon Terrace past five years. It’s the creation of and May followed Alvarez to Weeks May also moved between the cars by Sue Dremann their friend John Russell, a self- Street in East Palo Alto. They had but went only a short distance to- described sci-fi geek from Colora- received a dispatch call about a fight ward Alvarez. orget Nightmare on Elm Grim Reaper greets trick-or- do Avenue who, with his brother, at the Villa Taqueria on Cooley Av- Alvarez moved toward May, who Street. The real horror takes treaters. have made extraterrestrials part of enue. Previous testimony last week backed up behind the cars, closer F place this Halloween week- Perhaps one of the eeriest sights the Halloween tradition. by witnesses established that Alva- to the street. Alvarez advanced to- end on Vernon Terrace, a normal- is the alien on a dissection table Tschudy said it all began when rez was involved in that fight but did ward the officer, to the middle of the ly quiet horseshoe-shaped street in a nearby extraterrestrial labora- their children became friends in not initiate it. driveway between the cars, near the in Palo Alto’s Midtown neighbor- tory, guacamole oozing out of its kindergarten. When she and Mi- The officer pursued Alvarez into truck’s back bumper, she said. hood, according to residents. little green body. chael asked the Russells if they a residential driveway at 579 Weeks “They were within arm’s reach of There, skeletons hang from the These creations, along with a wanted to take their kids trick- St., where Marquez said he saw Al- each other. They tried to grab each lamp posts, and giant tarantulas rooftop UFO and a baby-alien in- or-treating together, John and his varez pull out a handgun. other again. I saw the second per- dangle from the trees. Haunted cubation lab, could make Vernon “Officer May takes out his ba- houses come alive, and even the Terrace the Palo Alto destination (continued on page 12) ton and ... he strikes at him once or (continued on page 13) *>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ"VÌLiÀÊÎä]ÊÓääÊU Page 3 Upfront VOTE FOR DAN 450 CAMBRIDGE AVE, PALO ALTO, CA 94306 QUOTE OF THE WEEK DYKWEL (650) 326-8210 ON NOVEMBER 3! PUBLISHER ‘‘ William S. Johnson ✓ Experienced Leadership EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor ✓ Responsible Fiscal Decisions Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor ✓ A New Vision for Palo Alto Keith Peters, Sports Editor I’m feeling like I’m being asked to look at Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor trees, and I don’t know what the forest is. Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor “ an knows Palo Alto – its neighborhoods, Chris Kenrick, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers —Susan Fineberg, a Palo Alto planning commis- schools and business community – in his Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor sioner, regarding replanting of California Avenue.