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Vol. XXVI, Number 101 • Friday, September 16, 2005 ■ 50¢ Shoot for the moon Page 31 Check out the Weekly’s new online classifieds at fogster.com WeWeekend eEdition k l y HORNwww.PaloAltoOnline.com PLENTYOF UPCOMING MONTHS BOUNTIFUL FOR ARTS. SEE OUR SPECIAL GUIDE, PAGE 9 photo illustration by Norbert von der Groeben Worth A Look 23 Movie Times 27 Eating Out 31 Goings On 30 Crossword Puzzle 45 ■ Upfront Flickering hopes for Gunn stadium lights Page 3 ■ Sports Stanford’s pair of unlikely running backs Page 35 ■ Home & Real Estate How to build a livable kitchen Section 2 /.3!,%./7 DEPRESSED? -)+%3 FIND OUT WHY. Dianetics explains in detail the source of your depression and what you can do about it. 2/#+9-/5.4!). &,/7&3 Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard has been an -320 international bestseller for over 50 years for 3!,% just two reasons: s&REERIDE!LLMOUNTAIN9%3 1. It makes sense. sv#OILSUSPENSION 2ACE&ACECRANK ,8 2. It works. i½ÃÊ iÃÊÊ Available in paperback $7.99 + tax. Buy it. Read it. Use it. vÊ*>ÊÌ Call (650)969-5262 to order your © 2005 CSMV. All Rights Reserved. Èxä®ÊnxnÇÇää copy. All orders shipped within 24 DIANETICS is a trademark and service mark owned by Religious Technology Center and are Îää£Ê Ê >Ê,i>Ê hours, postage paid. used with its permission. Printed in the USA. ÜÜÜ°ià iðV Follow me home to the Islands of Hawai‘i. Only one airline is Hawaiian. Our island-style cuisine, hospitality and entertainment travels across the Pacific daily non-stop from San Jose’s Mineta International Airport. Come home with us. You can book flights at our lowest fares online. HawaiianAirlines.com HAWAII STARTS HERE Page 2 • Wednesday, September 16, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Hopes flickering for Gunn stadium lights It has prompted board president money, but then when you give is for Americans with Disabilities Lack of funds could delay plans John Barton to call for a district pol- money and say I want you to do this Act (ADA) upgrades that need to be by Alexandria Rocha icy outlining how future donations with it, that’s a different matter,” done to the field regardless of the for specific projects are used. A few board member Cathy Kroymann lights project. lthough boosters wanted to in- Palo Alto High School did when a years ago, the district adopted a sim- said, adding she is in favor of a sec- Another $65,000 is because the stall stadium-quality lights at major donor came forward last year ilar policy regulating how PTA do- ond practice for specific donations. district gave Paly that much for its A Gunn High School in time for and lights were installed within nations are applied because of claims “We need to be very clear with our current pool project, and the re- this fall’s football season, it could be months. In fact, Gunn parents are that certain sites held fundraising ad- donors what costs they need to be maining $23,000 is for inspection another three years before the proj- still $180,000 short of funding the vantages, either because of more responsible for and what we’ll be costs, consultant and advertising fees ect is completed. plan, and that’s after the school alumni in the area or a broader vol- responsible for.” that the board couldn’t decide who Gunn’s boosters simply have not board voted this week to pay for unteer base. About $150,000 of the district’s was responsible for and just decided met the same fundraising success nearly half of the $482,000 project. “It’s one thing to give the district total $238,000 toward Gunn’s lights (continued on page 5) UTILITIES The high cost of going underground City could offer relief for property owners asked to pony up thousands by Bill D’Agostino new program could allow Palo Alto property owners to A defer their share of the cost for undergrounding utility lines. The city’s ambitious 40-year-old program to place all of Palo Alto utility lines underground was criti- cized this summer by residents who complained they couldn’t afford their share, which can cost more than $10,000. The city and the partnering communications company pay for most of the undergrounding work. Norbert von der Groeben But owners have to pay for the portion of the project that connects the lines to their individual prop- erties. That cost has been spiraling in recent years due to a combination of factors, including inflation and decreased competition from con- Creekwalk tractors. Scott Conway and his seventh-grade classmates from Menlo School help clean up San Francisquito Creek Thursday morning. The event is the first Under the new plan, which the City Council will review and likely of three cleanup days planned for this year, and is designed to help restore habitat for steelhead trout and other endangered or threatened species. approve on Monday night, the city would place a lien on a property in “business registry fee,” which would noted via e-mail. the amount of the owner’s share of FINANCE only raise enough revenue to cover Councilwoman Yoriko Kishimo- the work. the cost of generating the list, or a to, a Finance Committee member, When the owner sells the proper- Business tax proposal “business license tax,” which would feels a modest annual tax — from ty, the undergrounding costs would raise additional revenue for other $50 to $75 per business — could be repaid with interest, according to city projects or services. give the city financial stability as Tomm Marshall, the interim assis- igniting fall candidates According to a city staff report, a other revenue sources dwindle. Re- tant director of utilities engineering Issue to come before Finance Committee registry tax would require a vote of tailers already paying other city fees “That sounds good to me,” said the electorate but a registry fee could be exempted, she added. Mary Emard, who lives on Bryson by Bill D’Agostino would not. The report notes that a Candidates favoring a business li- Avenue and has been leading the n issue sharply dividing this a mandatory fee to be included. registry fee would cost businesses cense registry include John Barton, a group asking the council for help. fall’s candidates for the Palo Palo Alto is one of the very few approximately $35 to $50 a year. school board member; Karen Hol- Emard’s neighborhood is the first A Alto City Council — whether cities in California without such a The candidates have a range of man, a planning commissioner; and to actively lobby the city for help. or not the city should begin charging fee and, as a result, it doesn’t know opinions on the issue. Environmen- Roger Smith, the founder and for- Labeled “District 41,” it stretches a new fee on all its businesses — is how many businesses are in the city tal activist Peter Drekmeier felt the mer CEO of Silicon Valley Bank. from Oregon Avenue to just past coming before the council’s Finance or have a way to track those that business license tax could be “a good Barton, who’s also on the board Colorado Avenue, and from Mid- Committee next week. come and go, according to city offi- source of revenue.” of the Palo Alto Chamber of Com- dlefield Road to Cowper Street. In recent years, city leaders have cials. It’s also lacking a revenue “If some of the funding is used to merce, said the city should be friend- “I can’t believe for 40 years not discussed creating a business license source common to other cities. revitalize our business climate, lier to businesses. A registry would one block has spoke up,” Emard said. registry and charging all businesses The council could either start a everyone would benefit,” Drekmeier (continued on page 5) (continued on page 5) Palo Alto Weekly • Friday, September 16, 2005 • Page 3 Upfront 4- 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 /&& #OMPUTER PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL %LECTRONICS2ECYCLING Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Marc Burkhardt, Managing Editor #ONSUMER$ROP /FF"USINESS0ICK 5P Jennifer Aquino, Associate Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors ReaderReaderWire comments via e-mail, voice mail and U.S. mail (ARD$ISK$ESTRUCTION #ELL0HONE%RASURE Keith Peters, Sports Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Local lesson ly, with very little traffic, a nice view s3AVEONMODESTRECYCLINGFEES Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Don Kazak, Jocelyn Dong, Senior Staff Writers I was very saddened by the news and near silence. /0%. s3ELECTITEMSRECYCLEDFREE-ONITORS 46S Bill D’Agostino, Alexandria Rocha, Staff Writers Aug. 31 of the closing of Kepler’s Take the road less traveled. It will LAPTOPCOMPUTERS CELLPHONES MORE Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer Bookstore. After 50 years as one of do wonders for stress levels. %6%29$!9 Nicholas Wright, Staff Photographer ANDUNDER3MALLHANDLINGFEEAPPLIESTOLARGER46S Tomomi Tsuda, Photo Intern the major influential bookstores on In Ms. Okuzumi’s case, she should Tyler Hanley, Assistant to the Editor the West Coast they could no longer have taken Wilkie Way south, crossed & Online Editor afford to do business in this area. over the creek on the bicycle bridge 0ARK"LVD 0ALO!LTO\ Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections and on to San Antonio. Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Benson, Lynn I feel strongly that there is a major Mike Sowers %80)2%3 WWWGREENCITIZENCOM Comeskey, Tim Goode, Jim Shelby, lesson to be learned here. Both Palo Jill Slater, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Alto and Menlo Park have seen many Puu Hale, Ka’anapali, Hawaii "EHIND&RYS%LECTRONICS0ALO!LTO Contributors Aurora Masum-Javed, Patricia Bass, small to medium-sized businesses Chuan-Mei Lee, Loren Temple, Editorial Interns leave the area or close all together Cooperative example DESIGN because the public is lured to shop I find it terribly disconcerting that Carol Hubenthal, Design Director at large franchise or chain stores by Judith Alderman, Assistant Design Director President Bush and his administra- Diane Haas, Lynda Lumish, Sue Peck, Senior lower prices.