Vol. XXVI, Number 54 • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 ■ 50¢ NewNew policepolice alertalert systemsystem forfor residentsresidents PagePage 33
www.PaloAltoOnline.com Norbert von der Groeben Check out the Weekly’s new online classifieds at fogster.com ■ Upfront Brutality trial pits police against police Page 3 ■ Title Pages Author extols the virtues of a stress-free life Page 21 ■ Sports Stanford baseball shares Pac-10 lead Page 27 apr.com
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Page 2 • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Palo Alto police versus Palo Alto police Two police investigations conflict in trial of officers accused of beating African American by Bill D’Agostino The second investigation was per- In the San Jose courtroom, both the Lee approached him first, and was hen jurors begin deliberating the case against two Palo Alto police of- formed by an internal affairs team prosecution and defense attorneys later joined by Kan. The prosecuting ficers, there will be not one, but two, Palo Alto police department in- that included Lt. Dennis Burns, who tried to discredit the investigation attorney, Deputy District Attorney Pe- W vestigations to consider. testified this week. Burns, the acting most damning to their side, putting ter Waite, argued the officers did not The first investigation into the actions of officers Michael Kan and Craig Lee captain in charge of investigations, is Palo Alto police officials in the awk- have just cause to detain and beat on the night of July 13, 2003 landed them before the jurors. The officers are the highest-ranking Palo Alto police ward position of disparaging the work Hopkins, but made up reasons later. facing felony assault and misdemeanor battery charges for beating and pep- official to take the stand to date. His of fellow officers. The officers’ attorneys argue Hop- per-spraying 59-year-old Albert Hopkins. probe cleared the officers, a fact the Hopkins was sitting in his car on kins was in an area of high crime, That criminal investigation was conducted by various sergeants in the de- judge barred the jurors from learning the corner of El Camino Real and Ox- acted belligerently, spooked neigh- partment, many of whom testified last week. earlier in the case. ford Avenue on the night in question. (continued on page 10)
CITY COUNCIL New alert upgrades to debut City to hire call center to notify residents during a crisis by Jocelyn Dong he next time a mountain lion roams a Palo Alto neighbor- T hood, residents will find out in a timely manner — at least, that’s the hope of the city’s police depart- ment. Starting in May, the city will debut some upgrades to the community- notification system that was roundly criticized nearly a year ago, when parents sent their children to school unaware a puma had been spotted in the area.
Norbert von der GroebenNorbert That animal was eventually shot and killed. The new system will call upon an outside firm to phone residents with a recorded message during a crisis. The city’s current automated phone system can make about 2,500 calls an hour. But Palo Alto has some Roberta Durham and Doreen Pereira lawn bowl on Thursday at the Palo Alto Lawn Bowls Club, where green fees are being considered. 26,000 households, and a number of those have more than one phone line. At the current rate, it would take at problem. We want to help,” said at the field during a bright, beauti- COMMUNITY least a half-day to alert the whole club president Terry Hogan. ful day last Thursday. Like most city of an emergency situation. “We’re agreed we should pay of the club’s 124 members, they In about six weeks, the city is ex- Lawn bowlers more. Everybody should do their were retired seniors. A few were pected to contract with the Bay Area part to get us through this thing.” glad to explain the nuances of the call center DCC to provide addition- Despite the president’s claim deceptively simple game to a vis- al phone power, enabling the city to debate green fee though, many members said last iting stranger. reach hundreds of residents at a time, week they were opposed to the “First you hold the ball and pray according to Sheryl Contois, police Future of Palo Alto’s historic new fee, concerned the higher like hell,” said a cheerful Al communications coordinator. The price would drive players away. Pereira, who travels from Belmont cost of the service is $15,000 a year. lawn bowling club up in the air There is already a $55 annual to play with friends in Palo Alto. In addition, the city will create its by Bill D’Agostino membership fee. To play, two teams compete by own phone directory, foregoing the “The club’s been in existence rolling numerous balls — techni- one used by the police dispatch cen- alo Alto’s lawn bowling contentious issue being the possi- since 1936 and never charged,” cally “bowls” — from one end of ter — which doesn’t contain cell- green is a quiet oasis on Em- bility of charging green fees. former club president Peter Knopf the 120-foot green to the other. phone numbers or Stanford Univer- P barcadero Road, one of the The idea of having players pay said. “They don’t charge fees in Players try to land their black and sity numbers. city’s most frenzied thoroughfares. a $2 fee for every game stems San Francisco. They don’t charge brown bowls near a smaller, white The city’s new database will allow Pale green benches, framed by red from the city’s $5.2 million pro- fees in any other club I know of.” ball, known as the “jack.” The each household to specify two phone pergolas, surround the specially jected deficit for 2005-2006. The Membership dues are also pro- bowls are lopsided to allow players numbers to be called: one during the manicured field. city owns the park and pays posed to double next year. The to curve them into tight spots. day, and another in the evening, Con- But currently, the historic club $50,000 to $60,000 a year to club’s board will discuss the pro- At the end of each round, the tois said. That will cut down on hav- that plays at the site is vigorously maintain the green. posals at its May meeting. team with the bowl closest to the ing to call multiple phone lines per debating its future, with the most “We don’t want to be another Around 25 people were playing (continued on page 10) (continued on page 10) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Page 3 S YMPHONY I N F LOWERS XVI 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 ATHERTON (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Our Jay Thorwaldson, Editor GARDEN TOUR Marc Burkhardt, Managing Editor Jennifer Aquino, Associate Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors Keith Peters, Sports Editor Friday & Saturday April 22 & 23 Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Townby Don Kazak Robyn Israel, Arts & Entertainment Editor 10 am to 4 pm RAIN OR SHINE Don Kazak, Jocelyn Dong, Senior Staff Writers Bill D’Agostino, Alexandria Rocha, Staff Writers ◆ Four beautiful Gardens Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer ◆ Horticultural Speakers Nicholas Wright, Staff Photographer Criticism with a smile Tyler Hanley, Assistant to the Editor ◆ Musical Interludes & Online Editor ob Holmgren has a sly sense just fun to have a say. I’m not inter- ◆ Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections of humor. He is quick to see ested in changing the minds of Plein Air Painters Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Benson, Lynn Comeskey, Tim Goode, Jim Shelby, B the lighter side of things that hordes of people.” Jill Slater, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, the rest of us sometime take too se- But he pokes wicked good fun at For tickets & information Contributors riously. the Daily News and, once so far, at Tai Khandaker, Carol Palinkas, Editorial Interns The 59-year-old Menlo Park pho- the Weekly, for how it covered the Call (650) 329-8187 Naomi Brookner, Photo Intern DESIGN tographer started a blog in mid-Feb- recent buy-out of the Daily News E-mail:[email protected] Carol Hubenthal, Design Director ruary about his careful reading of chain by Knight-Ridder. Judith Alderman, Assistant Design Director the Palo Alto Daily News. The com- He’s not a journalism professor Diane Haas, Lynda Lumish, Sue Peck, Senior Designers; ments and funny photographs are a and he has no pretense about what TICKETS: $25 before April 15 Mindi Casillas, Ben Ho, Dana James, hint at how he looks at things: In a he is doing. But he is smart and fun- $30 at the garden gate Scott Peterson, Designers discussion of storm drains, he post- ny. PRODUCTION ed a photo of a giant plunger. “If someone has a laugh, if some- (by pre-order only) Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager Lunch ticket $20 Dorothy Hassett, Joan Sloss, Sales & Production His blog is: http://burningsquir- one gets it, all the better,” he said. “I Coordinators relreport.blogspot.com. don’t want to be the town grouch.” PRESENTED BY THE MID-PENINSULA LEAGUE ADVERTISING Burning Squirrel Report seems He and a few like-minded friends OF THE SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY Michael Howard, Advertising Manager Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Assistant like a nonsense name. It derives meet most mornings for coffee and Michelle Bayer, Jasbir Gill, Colette Jensen, from a Daily News headline — talk in a Palo Alto coffee shop. Their Display Advertising Sales about cops chasing a flaming squir- good cheer is as warm and welcome Kathryn Brottem, Real Estate Advertising Sales rel — that Holmgren thought epito- as the coffee they drink, and no one Joan Merritt, Real Estate Advertising Asst. Linda Franks, Classified Advertising Manager mized the paper’s fast-and-loose is spared some good fun. Justin Davisson, Ana Gonzalez, style of journalism. Mike Liveright, a technology guy, Evie Marquez, Irene Schwartz, Classified He has posted a photo of a cat said he and Holmgren are “not Advertising Sales Who are Blanca Yoc, Classified Administrative Assistant wearing a lime-peel (for a story on working regularly” (which is also ONLINE SERVICES bicycle helmets) and called the what my editor says of me). Liv- Lisa Van Dusen, Director of Palo Alto Online writer of a Daily News editorial “ir- eright, a Downtown North resident Shannon White, Assistant to Webmaster responsible or crazy.” But he did with an unruly head of whitening BUSINESS credit the Daily News for running a hair, is also quick to smile. you going Iryna Buynytska, Business Manager Miriam Quehl, Manager of Payroll & Benefits headline “Mummified body . . .” on Holmgren told me later about how Claire McGibeny, AR Supervisor page four instead of the front page. British actor John Cleese once Paula Mulugeta, Senior Accountant He’s also taken a potshot at the walked into the coffee shop. Sivanthy Siva, Business Associate Tina Karabats, Cathy Stringari, Doris Taylor, Weekly. Cleese, of course, is a member of to call Business Associates “I’m a tick on the butt of local the famous comedy group, Monty ? ADMINISTRATION journalism,” he said. Python. Holmgren had the audacity Amy Renalds, Assistant to the Publisher & Holmgren, a native of Rockford, to say hello and Cleese, in perfect Promotions Director; Nikki McDonald, Promotions Need a ride to the & Online Coordinator; Ill., has a master’s degree in fine arts Monty Python form, looked at Liv- Janice Covolo, Receptionist; from the San Francisco Art Institute. eright’s hair and said he must be a Ruben Espinoza, Jorge Vera, Couriers His photographs have appeared in Stanford professor. (He isn’t.) grocery store? EMBARCADERO PUBLISHING CO. William S. Johnson, President Time, Newsweek, Fortune and The Daily News is an obsession of Robert A. Heinen, Vice President, Operations; Forbes, with others pending in Na- sorts to this lively morning coffee Michael I. Naar, Vice President & CFO; Robert D. tional Geographic. group. Have a leaking Thomas, Vice President, Corporate Development; During our interview at a down- “The headlines are amusing and Franklin Elieh, Vice President, Sales & Marketing; Frank A. Bravo, Director, Computer Operations & town Palo Alto coffee shop, he took strange and don’t represent the sto- Webmaster out a tiny camera and shot photo- ries below them,” Liveright said. faucet? Connie Jo Cotton, Major Accounts Sales Manager; Bob Lampkin, Director, Circulation & Mailing graphs of me. “They are either cute or extreme.” Services While he makes his living behind Holmgren does have a serious in- Chris Planessi, Computer System Associates a lens, he’s also comfortable banging tent: He would like more people to Parents coming for an out words. be interested in local issues, whether The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Wednesday and Friday by Embarcadero Publishing When I asked him what his inter- or not they agree with his views. extended Co., 703 High St., Palo Alto, CA 94302, (650) 326-8210. est was in newspapers he said he “I assume a lot of people think I visit? Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional reads Romenesko, the Web page am wrong,” he said. mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is (www.poynter.org/column) that is a He’s also a family man. I had to delivered free to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, morning necessity for many of us squeeze in a second interview Looking for a chess Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff media types. That he would even around his time with his son, who households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. If you are not currently receiving the paper, know of it attests to his media savvy. was out of school after Easter. you may request free delivery by calling 326-8210. He said he’s always read newspa- I asked him if the Burning Squir- partner? POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302. Copyright pers, including the Daily News, the rel Report would ever extend its in- ©2003 by Embarcadero Publishing Co. All rights Weekly and the Country Almanac terest to the Weekly. reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly for local news. “Anything is possible,” he said, Can’t remember prohibited. Printed by SFOP, Redwood City. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: “The world is a big enough place smiling. http://www.PaloAltoOnline.com for a lot of ideas,” he said. “Everyone has a fair chance of be- where your Our e-mail addresses are: [email protected], And he doesn’t have a larger po- ing knee-capped.” car keys [email protected], [email protected]. litical agenda. “The common ap- Weekly Senior Staff Writer Don Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Call 650 326-8210, or e-mail [email protected]. You may proach here is center-left,” he said. Kazak can be emailed at dkazak are? also subscribe online at www.PaloAltoOnline.com. “I’m more center-right. For me, it’s @paweekly.com. Subscriptions are $40/yr ($25 within our circulation area).
SUBSCRIBE! Support your local newspaper by becoming a paid subscriber. $25 per year for residents of INDEX our circulation area: $40 for businesses and residents of other areas. Pulse ...... 12 Name: Transitions ...... 13 Address: Spectrum ...... 14 City: Movies ...... 19 450 Bryant Street, Palo Alto • (650) 326-5362 Zip: Sports ...... 27 www.avenidas.org Mail to: Palo Alto Weekly, Classified ...... 32 P. O. Box 1610, Palo Alto CA 94302 Page 4 • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly LOS ALTOS – Hillslope Estate Vineyards! ATHERTON – Wonderful updated four bed- ATHERTON – Incredible value on approximately Mediterranean hm with amenities galore located room, three bath, home in excellent west one level acre in Atherton. Spacious four bed- in foothills of Los Altos. Resort like setting with Atherton cul-de-sac location. Dramatic vaulted room, five bath home of nearly 4000 s.f., in sought lush tropical landscaping and palm trees. Adjacent ceiling living and family rooms. Spacious, formal after Lindenwood. Open floor plan features high to Los Altos Community College. dining room, fabulous remodeled kitchen with ceilings, oversize rooms, and expansive picture PIERRE BULJAN $5,298,000 huge informal dining area. Gorgeous profession- windows with garden views in the living, family and ally landscaped gardens featuring expansive lawns, dining rooms; detached bonus room behind the mature shrubs, specimen trees and redwood two car semi-detached garage; private treed yard, grove. Sparkling pool. Outstanding Las Lomitas outstanding Menlo Park schools. schools. 1+ acre lot, superb for development. REBECCA PICKART/ ELIZABETH DASCHBACH/ ELIZABETH DASCHBACH $2,895,000 KRISTIN CASHIN $3,995,000 ■ MENLO PARK ■ Located on a quiet street in Sharon Oaks, this lovely four bedroom, three bath home boasts new paint, carpet, crown moldings and decks. Separate living room and dining room. Close to stores, restaurants, transportation and excellent schools. JULIA KEADY $1,070,000
■ P ALO ALTO ■ Charming classic Spanish style 2 bd/ 1.5 ba home in Professorville. Vaulted ceilings living room with fireplace and separate dining room. Eat in MENLO PARK – Prime park lane condo. Private PALO ALTO…Stately Tudor home lining presti- kitchen, indoor laundry room and detached one end unit at rear of complex. Only six years young. gious University Avenue. Built in 1925 and loving- car garage. Short distance to downtown and top Beautifully upgraded. Maple cabinets, granite ly maintained, this 5 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom Palo Alto schools nearby. counters, crown moldings, recessed lights. home is a treasure trove of period details. French PAUL SKRABO $1,164,000 Security building. Pool, spa, exercise room. doors open to a brick patio and lushly landscaped LILLY CHOW $669,000 grounds of over half an acre. Top-rated Palo Alto ■ ■ schools. Close proximity to commute routes and PORTOLA VALLEY downtown Palo Alto. Beautifully remodeled two story traditional home GINNA LAZAR $2,995,000 on level lot of approximately one acre. Warm and elegant yet relaxed floor plan offers the best of indoor/outdoor living. Tennis court, and room for additional outdoor activities. MARK BENSON $3,750,000
■ REDWOOD CITY ■
Beautiful house in move in condition! Approximately 2,400 SF 4 bedroom, 3 bath home with fireplace in living room, separate family room, remodeled kitchen, separate dining room, master bath with jetted tub, pool and spa! CHI-RAIE CHEUNG $1,235,000
■ SAN CARLOS ■
Hyde Park Masterpiece. Peace and serenity with WOODSIDE – Five bedroom, three and one-half WOODSIDE – This central Woodside 4 bedroom, tranquil bay and canyon views highlight this gor- bath home situated on just over four and one-half 3 bath home has granite kitchen and recessed geous home. 4 suites including Master, 5.5 bath- acres. Potential two+ buildable acres. Easy access to lights, pool, large flat lot, close to school and rooms and gourmet kitchen. town and 280. Enjoy the character of the existing downtown. SHERRY COTTONARO $2,988,000 home or build new. Beautiful grounds include LARRY SCHREIBER $2,495,000 panoramic views, mature trees, swimming pool Custom 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath estate on cul-de-sac. and rolling lawn. Portola Valley School District. Features include spiral staircase, formal dining KRISTIN CASHIN/MICHELLE ENGLERT $5,280,000 room, oak panel library, eat in kitchen with break- fast nook. 3-car garage. MATT YOUNGER $2,295,000
1377 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (650) 614-3500 • 2989 Woodside Road, Woodside (650) 529-1000 496 First Street, Suite 100, Los Altos (650) 948-8050 • 300 El Camino Real, San Carlos (650) 598-4900 430 N. El Camino Real, San Mateo (650) 343-3700 • 1412 Chapin Avenue, Burlingame (650) 340-9688 400 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto (650) 853-7100
Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Page 5
Upfront Community Health
Education Programs QUOTE OF THE WEEK April 2005 Community Based, Not For Profit Web site • www.pamf.org E-mail • [email protected] ‘‘ Events & Lectures “What the Traveler Needs to Know,” Tuesday, “Exercise Considerations for the Active Senior,” We’re so close to a cure. April 12, 7-8:30 p.m., Gary Fujimoto, M.D., Thursday, April 21, 10-11:30 a.m., Elizabeth PAMF Travel Medicine Burg, certified fitness instructor I don’t just hope for it, I believe it. Paly teacher Kris Brockmann, who was recently This talk will focus on food and sanitation in some This talk will focus on the important components of diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. See facing page. overseas travel destinations, the latest vaccination an exercise program for seniors. New guidelines and recommendations and requirements, avian influenza specific concerns for the currently active seniors and ‘‘ and other emerging infectious diseases, malaria those interested in beginning a modest exercise prevention, travelers’ diarrhea and jet lag. regimen will be discussed. Events & lectures are free and open to the public. Hearst Center for Health Education, Level 3, Jamplis Building, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 795 El Camino Real, Palo Alto. RSVP to (650) 853-4873. Classes Around Town “Supermarket Tour,” Thursday, April 7, 2-4 p.m. Learn techniques for making healthier food choices in a local supermarket tour with dietitian Karen Ross, M.A., R.D. FORM FITTING ... Form Fitness, mail: “Not everyone has the time, “Skills for Stress Management,” Thursdays, April 7-May 12, 5-6:30 p.m. the gym that received the Palo Alto opportunity or desire to pick up A six-week program designed for people who want to better understand how the mind and body react to stress, and who are City Council’s approval last year to the Daily, whereas the Weekly interested in learning more effective ways of coping. move into a city-owned building comes to 90 percent of Palo Alto’s “Cholesterol and Your Heart,” Thursdays, April 14 & 21, 6-8:30 p.m. next to the new parking garage on households.” A two-session class on understanding cholesterol, major risk factors for heart diease, taking steps to reduce cholesterol (diet, Bryant Street, recently settled a exercise and medication), and staying motivated and informed. quandary. It turns out the city did “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program,” Starts Monday, April 18, 6:30-9 p.m. not know that the architect failed Free orientation on Monday, April 11, 6:30-9 p.m. Program designed to help people learn how to deal effectively with physical to make one of the entrances ADA and emotional stress by providing training in breathing, meditation and gentle yoga. compliant. After this was discov- “Taking Charge of Your Body,” Mondays, April 18-May 23, 6-8 p.m. ered, the gym’s owner, Sassan Go- A six-week course focusing on healthy living and managing your lifestyle through exercise and healthful eating. lafshan, agreed to wall off the door “Good Nutrition and Feeding Practices for Infants & Toddlers,” Tuesday, April 19, 10-11:30 a.m. to solve the problem. “I’m more This 90-minute class will address parental concerns regarding nutrition and feeding practices. This class should be attended by than happy to pay for that to get parents or caretakers only. the business off the ground,” he “Healthy Eating and Type 2 Diabetes,” Wednesday, April 27, 2-5 p.m. said. That issue was one of two Who knew cows were Lutheran? Appropriate for type 2 diabetes patients, this program will discuss diet and lipid management, blood pressure management, reasons the gym’s opening had to meal planning, carbohydrate counting, weight-management principles, label reading and dining out. be delayed weeks, Golafshan said. HOLY COWS ... If you were on In- For information on class fees and to register, call the Education Division at (650) 853-2960. Contractors also discovered there terstate 280 passing the Dish were cables underneath the gym’s early Easter morning, you weren’t floors that were necessary for imagining things when you saw a structural support of the building herd of some 30 cows racing and the garage. As a result, they across the grassy hills in a single needed to do an X-ray of the floor file line. The odd spectacle was before drilling holes for the show- apparently brought on by the an- ers. The gym is now planning to gelic singing of a group of 30 open in its new location on June 4. congregants gathered at the Dish for the University Lutheran Cam- Green by Design: FOSSIL FOOLS DAY ... Talk about pus Ministry’s annual Easter serv- mixed messages! The City of Palo ice. The Dish opens early on the Alto is busy trying to do everything morning of the service, allowing A healthier, happier home. possible to keep car dealers, a vi- attendees to hike to the large tal sales tax generator, happy. But dish for the sermon. According to last Friday, numerous local groups attendee Susan Huch, the cows — including the Stanford Univer- came “galloping” across the field sity Radical Cheerleaders and when the congregants began Saturday, April 16, 9:00 am – 12:00 pm the ubiquitous Peninsula Raging singing. They lined up in a perfect Grannies — demonstrated at the row behind the attendees and re- 1954 Old Middlefield Way, Mountain View, CA 94043 Ford dealership on El Camino mained there during the entire earn about green building in an informative workshop designed specifically Real, protesting the company’s service. Huch captured the mo- environmental policies. It was all ment with her camera, discreetly for homeowners. part of Fossil Fools Day. The shooting the phenomenon. This class will answer your questions and teach effective ways to include green building into groups paraded hybrid cars and showcased classic Ford models ST. MICHAEL’S LAKE ... It was a your remodel. that get better gas mileage than busted water pipe that prompted some of the manufacturer’s cur- spring cleaning at St. Michael’s Topics will include: rent models. “It’s not that we’re Alley on Emerson Street earlier • Costs associated with green building • Live more comfortably • Improve indoor air quality opposed to them; we just want to this week. After the 30-year-old • Less maintenance • Improve durability • Good for the environment • How to prioritize choices nudge them along,” said protestor cast-iron pipe broke under the Larissa Keet. kitchen floor last week, crews Harrell Remodeling, one of the greater Peninsula's premier had to jack hammer the floor to remodeling contractors, will lead this workshop and take you step NO ENJOY!MENT HERE ... A Palo fix it, “leaving a nice layer of dust” Alto resident was baffled as to why all over the place, said owner by step through the design and construction process so you can go the city’s summer Enjoy! catalog, Jenny Youll. So staff of the into your remodel confidently and intelligently. Your home is which lists recreational programs, restaurant, which has played host an important part of your life—make it reflect who you are by hadn’t come in the mail as per to the President of the United usual. So the Palo Altan com- States, found themselves hauling giving it your very best! plained to the City Council, noting their tables, chairs and kitchen ® that a tardy catalog creates havoc equipment outdoors Monday for At Harrell Remodeling, we never forget it’s your home. for parents trying to plan their chil- a thorough wipe down. But Youll For more information or to pre-register, dren’s summer schedules. The expected to have the place reason for the missing catalog? cleaned up and serving cus- call Kelly Bandlow at (650) 230-2900. Harrell Remodeling Design + Build The city started distributing the tomers again Tuesday, April 5 for This workshop is being offered as a publication in a local on-the-street lunch. One presumes that dust www.harrell-remodeling.com newspaper, the Daily News, rather will not be on the menus, and community service at no charge. License: B479799 than tucked into the pages of the any water that flows will be from Weekly. Wrote “BBJGuinn” in an e- the bottle. ■
Page 6 • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly Upfront
SCHOOLS Brock’s flock Paly teacher battles MS and uses it as a teaching tool by Alexandria Rocha very Friday night, Palo Alto dozens of stickers, reading “Wage High School teacher Kris Peace,” “John Kerry,” and “What if E Brockmann hunkers down in the hokey pokey is what it’s all her family’s kitchen with a basket of about?” A cup full of white daisy medical supplies and her 5-year-old pens, inspirational posters, and hand- son, hoping for another bout of blown decorative glass ornaments bravery. hanging from the walls and windows, Standing 3-feet-tall, Jackson all work together to warm the room. swabs a small area of his mom’s leg “She is just wonderful, a real per- with an alcohol-doused cotton ball. son, not just some teacher you see von der GroebenPhotos by Norbert Bracing for the pain, Brockmann, for one period of the day,” said jun- 38, gives herself the weekly injec- ior Kathryn Molitor, 17, who has tion and Jackson quickly puts a been Brockmann’s student for three Band-Aid over the wound. years. “She is there for me in every- Last November, Brockmann was thing in my life. She even joked diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a about finding me a prom date this chronic, unpredictable disease of the year because she really wants me to central nervous system that has af- go with someone I like.” flicted about 400,000 people in the When Brockmann was diagnosed, United States. There is no cure for she decided right away to be open MS, but advocates say researchers about it with everyone she knows, Paly teacher Kris Brockmann, recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, is facing the disease head-on. are within 10 years of finding one. including her students. She wanted The Friday night injection routine to break down the stigmas sur- is just one way Brockmann’s life has rounding MS. For example, not changed. Her family — husband everyone with the disease ends up in Steve Clough; her son Jackson; and a wheelchair or with slurred speech. daughter Amelia, 3 — have hired a Her candidness has hit home with neighbor to do their laundry and most of her students. cook the daily meals. Because one “It’s empowering to know that be- symptom of MS is loss of cognition, cause when you see someone with a Brockmann has lost three cell possibly terminal disease with a pos- phones and a set of keys since No- itive outlook all the time, it makes it vember. The other effects, such as seem like all my problems are noth- fatigue, tremors and dizziness, ing and I can fight right through among others, are unpredictable and them,” said junior Cameron Sava- vary from person to person. ree-Ruess, 17, another one of Brock- “You think about putting dishes in mann’s third-year students. the dishwasher. There are nights I A true educator, Brockmann has can’t do anything. On the nights I used her diagnosis as a teaching tool. can, I think, ‘How could I not do this? To illustrate how the disease works It’s so easy,’” said Brockmann, sit- for her students, she coils up a long ting in her classroom at Paly over last piece of electrical wire and cradles week’s spring break. “That’s what’s the wad in her hand. so hard about it. It’s all random and Think of this as your brain, she that’s the worst part of the disease.” says. With MS, white cells incor- With her tremendous sense of hu- rectly attack the brain, causing the mor — she wears a tiara in this year’s various side effects. school picture — and a passion to “If you ever have a short in a continue a normal life, Brockmann lamp, you could wrap electric tape has taken her condition head on. On around the wire and it would work, Saturday, for example, she will par- right?” she said. The brain is similar, ticipate in the 2005 Silicon Valley it’s protective shell grows back, “but MS Walk alongside a team of Paly if it gets attacked again, it will get teachers, staff and students, walking cut,” she added. under the name, “Brock’s Flock.” The medical world doesn’t know Each walker has pledged to raise why some people develop MS. Any- $250 toward finding a cure for MS. one can be diagnosed, but there are Brockmann said 25 percent of all some patterns. Twice as many walk money stays in the area be- women as men have the disease, and cause of Stanford University and it occurs more often in people with UC San Francisco’s extensive MS northern European ancestry. research labs. Because the symptoms of MS “We’re so close to a cure. I don’t vary from person to person, it is in- just hope for it, I believe it,” she said. credibly hard to diagnose and some- “Once that happens, because it’s a one with MS may not know they neurological disease, the floodgates have it for a long time. Brockmann will open for other debilitating dis- knew something was wrong after eases like Alzheimer’s.” she had Amelia in 2002 and didn’t Brockmann holds a naturally pos- return to her full level of energy — itive outlook about everything in for two years. life. She doesn’t hide behind any The six months before diagnosis pretentious fronts, she laughs loud- were the worst, she said. She was ly and freely and will have an ani- dizzy to the point of falling down, mated conversation with anyone bumping into walls and throwing up. about any topic. Her classroom at She could not close her eyes without Paly, where she has taught students tumbling over. When a fatigue hit with learning disabilities for five that “even sleep doesn’t cure,” she years, is proof of her optimism. was compelled to see a doctor. A collage of student school pic- At the Palo Alto Medical Foun- tures fills a huge cork board by her dation, she was tested for various desk. The photos are joined by (continued on page 10) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Page 7 Watch for your Upfront mail-in ballot to arrive April 5! News Digest PALO ALTO HAS A PROBLEM... Emerson Street nonprofit burglarized Palo Alto’s storm drain system fails national and regional standards. The United Nations Association Gift Shop and Information Center on Some of our storm drains are nearly 100 years old. Pipes are undersized, Emerson Street was robbed sometime between Saturday evening and ear- severely deteriorated and need repair or replacement. Parts of Palo Alto ly Monday morning, suffering about $380 in damages to the front door and losing about $5,000 of ethnic jewelry. have no storm drains at all. Police told volunteers that the robber, or robbers, used a manhole cov- er to smash in the front door after trying unsuccessfully to enter the store through a barred back window. The store closed at 5 p.m. Saturday and police did not notify a store as- sociate until early Monday morning after a passerby saw the shattered front door and called police, leaving a more than 30-hour window for the crime, said store volunteer Maria Meyer. Police could not be reached for comment. Meyer said about four trays of the store’s most expensive jewelry, in- cluding rings made of old silver and garnished with coral and turquoise, Homer Avenue at Bryant Street, 3/9/1995 Embarcadero Road, 3/9/1995 Clara Drive, 12/29/2003 were stolen. Most of the jewelry was antique and came from Afghanistan and India. WE HAVE THE RIGHT SOLUTION... As of Monday afternoon, police told volunteers they had no suspects. Officers also said jewelry thieves usually sell the items at flea markets, The 7 most critical projects have been identified by an independent citizens’ said Meyer. panel. These projects, which extend across Palo Alto and include nearly the The UNA Gift Shop and Information Center is staffed entirely by vol- entire length of Alma, are: unteers. It is a nonprofit organization that supports the United Nations. T Construct new pump station at To view the map “It just seems so strange that that could happen. It doesn’t seem like of proposed projects, something that would happen in downtown Palo Alto, using a manhole San Francisquito Creek cover to smash in a store,” said Shelly Kosak, a management team mem- T visit Install new trunk line on Channing and www.sd4pa.com ber of the store. ■ Lincoln Avenues —Alexandria Rocha T Install storm drain system in Southgate neighborhood Vote YES T Extend Gailen/Bibbits storm drain to Adobe Creek pump station on T Extend Clara Drive storm drains to Matadero pump station ‘It Oughta be a law’ contest nets five proposals Storm T Improve Matadero pump station and feeder storm drains From consumer privacy to prescription drugs to sales tax, proposed state Drains T Install new catch basins and pipelines in southbound Alma Street laws in State Sen. Joe Simitian’s “There Oughta Be A Law” contest are for an eclectic mix. Palo Alto This Measure provides the most benefit for the lowest cost. Pay-as-you-go Simitian (D-Palo Alto) reviewed 129 bill ideas submitted by citizens for a eliminates the need for bond and finance charges. The typical homeowner will within and outside of his district for his annual contest. low-cost, see a fee increase of less than $70 per year. “In past years, I’ve selected two or three winners,’’ Simitian said in a written statement. “But there were just so many exceptional proposals this common- Safeguards are included in this Measure: year. ... It’s an eclectic mix.’’ sense T 12-year sunset clause The five winning entries propose to require drivers passing tow trucks approach. T and emergency crews to move into the next lane or to slow down to a rea- Specific list of capital improvements sonable speed; stop businesses from showing entire debit card numbers T Cap on potential inflation increases on receipts; reduce the California Secretary of State Office’s fees for pro- T Independent oversight committee cessing adoption-related documents; establish a program to allow certain pharmacies to accept and dispense unused prescription drugs; and reduce This is a fiscally responsible Measure. An independent citizens’ panel has sales tax paperwork for self-employed individuals and small businesses thoroughly researched our storm drain system needs and developed a sensible, from quarterly to yearly filings. pragmatic plan to fix the most critical problems first—without paying finance Three of the five winning entries will first be heard in the Senate on charges. Tuesday. Local contest winners will travel to Sacramento to testify on be- half of their proposals. ■ HOW THIS MEASURE WORKS... —Bay City News Storm drain fees are based on impervious surface or property size. Since it is Bomb threat evacuates Paly campus impractical to measure the impervious surface of all single family homes in Palo On their first day back from spring break, Palo Alto High School stu- Alto the following formula determines their monthly charge. dents were evacuated from their classrooms onto the football field after T Vote YES Less than 6,000 square feet $ 8/month someone made a bomb threat on the campus Monday morning. and T 6,000–10,999 square feet $10/month Palo Alto Police Officer Tom Pohl said an unidentified male called 911 return T 11,000 square feet or larger $14/month about 9:45 a.m. from a pay phone at the Town and Country Village your shopping center across the street, telling the dispatcher there was a bomb For all other properties—commercial, industrial and multi-family residential— at the school. ballot by the storm drain fee is determined by the amount of impervious surface. After hearing from police, the school’s administration decided to evac- April 26. uate students onto the campus’ football field. Police searched the empty Homeowners will pay 36% of the total fees collected and the remaining 64% campus for anything suspicious with the help of Paly staff members. will be paid by the commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential prop- Sgt. Steve Herrera said officers focused on scouring areas where stu- dents and administrators congregate, such as the tower building, cafete- erty owners. The Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce; Silicon Valley Association of ria, library, student center and bathrooms. Realtors, Palo Alto District; Palo Alto Unified School District; Roche Palo Alto; After 30 minutes, police declared the campus safe for students to re- Hewlett Packard Co.; Stanford University; and Varian Medical Systems under- turn to their rooms. Parents were sent an e-mail advisory and the school stand the critical need and have endorsed this Measure. day continued as normal. Both Herrera and Pohl said they didn’t know if it was a student. “Unless somebody comes forward with some information, we’re prob- ably not going to be able to solve this,” Herrera said. Paly Principal Scott Laurence, who has a 20-year-long career with the school, said he could not recall any other bomb threats made on the campus. “From what I know there isn’t anything going on at school that would have caused this,” Laurence said Monday afternoon after the school day had resumed. “It’s the first day back from a week off, and I know there is not testing going on.” Pohl has asked anyone with information regarding the bomb threat to call 329-2637. ■ —Alexandria Rocha ON THE WEB: The latest local news headlines at www.PaloAltoOnline.com Paid for by Storm Drains for Palo Alto; John P. Melton, Treasurer; 369 Calcaterra Place; Palo Alto, CA 94306-4613 1Page 8 • Wednesday, April 6, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly Phony Ad Contest Find the phony ad in this issue of April 6, 2005 Stanford University Please help me the Palo Alto Weekly and enter with this ad find the phony ad! the drawing to win a fabulous prize. Just follow the rules below COOLPRODUCT EXPO 2005 • 4-Wheel Walkers and you could be a winner. • Lift Chairs This month’s prize: Cool Product Expo 2005 • Manual Wheel www.coolproductexpo.com chairs Weekend stay for two • Identify MCCAW HALL • Power Wheel the phony chairs FRANCES C. ARRILLAGA ALUMNI CENTER ad by • Scooters name, 326 GALVEZ STREET page number and • Monthly winner contacted by phone STANFORD, CA 94305 publication date. or e-mail. • Drawing once a month of correct DBA • Limit of one entry per household. April 6, 2005: 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM answer determines winner. • Previous winners ineligible. Check out the High Tech Conference from 1:30pm to 6:30pm. 650.813.9300 • Deadline to enter is the last Friday of More info at http://techconference.stanford.edu every month. 3910 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto • Enter at www.PaloAltoOnline.com and Palo Alto Sponsored by the Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing, (Charleston Shopping Center) click on “Find the Phony Ad.” online Product Design & Manufacturing Club, and Stanford University. www.bentonmedical.com
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