Two Teens Shot Dead in East Palo Alto Page 3
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Vol. XXVIII, Number 31 • Wednesday, January 24, 2007 ■ 50¢ Two teens shot dead in East Palo Alto Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com School parents debate proposed Mandarin-language immersion program Page 27 Photo illustration by Carol Hubenthal, Norbert von der Groeben Talk about the news at Town Square, www.PaloAltoOnline.com ■ Upfront City reaches settlement with polluting firm Page 3 ■ Neighborhoods Residents sue city over ‘oversized’ development Page 7 ■ Sports Stanford men host USC, UCLA in Pac-10 basketball Page 33 In Business KGO’s Len Tillem & Michael Gilfix MEDI-CAL, TRUSTS, Len Tillem Esq. & Michael Gilfix, Esq. Len Tillem & Associates ASSET PROTECTION Gilfix & La Poll Associates, LLP Host of KGO’s “Legaltalk” Stanford Law School Tuesday, February 13, 2007 33 yrs Experience 2:30-4:30 pm or 6:30-8:30 pm Crowne Plaza Cabaña Mediterranean Room, 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA. 94306 • Medi-Cal to pay Nursing Home Costs Seating is limited! FREE Seminar • New Medi-Cal Law Explained You can also register on our • Protect Residence from Medi-Cal Claim Call 650-493-8070 website • Special Needs Trust for Disabled Kids or 408-971-7292 • Pros & Cons of a Living Trust www.gilfix.com • Family Protection Trusts to Protect Assets you leave your children from Divorce, Lawsuits, and Tax. We were driving to the store on a rainy day last week, and my son looked out the window and told me, “Mom, there are lots of puddles of precipitation outside today.” Precipitation? What four-year-old knows what precipitation is? I asked him how he knew that, and he told me he learned about the water cycle at school. You know, I wasn’t so impressed that he simply knew how to say a big word—I was amazed that he could apply something he’d just learned to what he saw going on around him. I’m so glad I chose Challenger School for my little guy. HE Open enrollment begins February 1 see our open house schedule at www.challengerschool.com AMAZES ME EVERY DAY Because You Know the Value of Education ©2007, Challenger Schools Page 2 • Wednesday, January 24, 2007 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Tighter ‘hazmat’ rules voted by City Council Decision follows $20,000 settlement with polluting firm over nitric-acid incident by Molly Tanenbaum according to city officials. controls over facilities with certain would be “thwarting their ability to n the heels of a $20,000 settlement signed last Friday between the The Friday agreement includes levels of hazardous materials. adjust their businesses whatsoever,” City of Palo Alto and Communications & Power Industries, Inc., payment for penalties and the city’s “We’re treading into an area that City Attorney Gary Baum said. O (CPI) the City Council tightened zoning regulations for hazardous costs of the investigation. has not been tread by other cities,” The new zoning also requires materials Monday night. Monday night, a packed audience Director of Planning and Commu- firms to notify residents within a CPI accidentally released a ni- according to city and fire department of about 70 residents turned out for nity Environment Steve Emslie said 150-foot radius if they propose to tric-acid cloud over the Barron Park officials. The Palo Alto municipal the hearing on new zoning regula- of the new rules. exceed a threshold for hazardous neighborhood on Feb. 2, 2006, and code requires the fire department be tions. The council voted 7-0 to adopt The motion, by Councilman materials. did not notify the city, the fire de- informed of any release of hazard- the rules, which will cap the amount John Barton, allows companies to Councilman Jack Morton tried partment or residents of the release, ous materials into the environment, of hazardous substances firms can increase their hazardous-materials store and handle and increase city storage up to 10 percent. Any less (continued on page 5) EAST PALO ALTO CRIME Gangs fuel Shooting shootings, deaths jar police say East Palo Alto City has experienced 19 shootings in 22 days Family, friends mourn loss by Don Kazak of two teenagers killed he wave of shootings in East Sunday Palo Alto — in which 19 people Twere shot in the first 22 days of by Alexandria Rocha the year, including three homicides tudents at Cesar Chavez El- — has been caused by conflict be- ementary School in East Palo tween street gangs, according to East S Alto handed out white ribbons Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis. on Monday to commemorate Stop Most of the shootings, including the Violence Week — one day after seven people wounded between last their classmate Moises Jimenez, 13, Wednesday night and last Sunday was shot and killed in a carport on night, were from a conflict between Cooley Avenue. two East Palo Alto gangs, Davis The week-long schedule of events said. had been planned months in advance “Most (involve) narcotics and are but took on a sudden and pointed retaliatory. Most (victims) are being relevance with Jimenez’s death. targeted,” he added. Police said Jimenez and a second The shooting Sunday afternoon victim, Tomas Hernandez, 18, were that left 13-year-old Moises Jimenez standing in the carport of a small and 18-year-old Tomas Hernandez apartment complex on the corner of dead was also gang-related, Davis Cooley and Scofield avenues Sunday said — though likely not connected when two Hispanic males in hooded to the same East Palo Alto groups. sweatshirts walked up around 12:30 Instead, Davis said police believe p.m. the Sunday killings were retalia- Witnesses said the four exchanged tion for a shooting in Redwood City words before one of the men shot Ji- Saturday night that left three men menez, who died on the scene, with wounded. And the Saturday night a semi-automatic handgun. Hernan- and Sunday afternoon shootings are dez tried to run and was shot, col- a conflict between two local Latino lapsing at the corner of the parking gangs affiliated with the large, pris- lot. He died later at Stanford Medi- on-based Latino gangs, Nortenos cal Center. and Surenos, which could indicate The two suspects fled on foot the beginning of a conflict between and were still at large as of Tuesday gangs in Redwood City and East morning, police said. Jimenez and Palo Alto. Hernandez became the city’s first “Now, we need to target those two homicides of 2007. (East Palo Alto) gangs and make At Cesar Chavez Elementary sure there isn't any conflict between School on Monday, Principal David Redwood City and East Palo Alto Herrera made personal visits to each gangs,” Davis said. seventh- and eighth-grade classroom In response to the shootings over to deliver the news. He said counsel- the last week, the East Palo Alto po- ors were on hand and a number of Weber Veronica lice announced new efforts last Fri- students sought their services. day to step-up anti-violence efforts, The school serves fourth- through including increased patrols and of- eighth-graders. fering $500 and $1,000 rewards, “no This is Herrera’s fourth year at questions asked,” for information Cesar Chavez and his 10th in the A torn strip of police tape still remains on the site where Tomas Hernandez, 18, and Moises Jimenez, 13, (continued on page 5) leading to recovery of handguns and were fatally shot Sunday afternoon. (continued on page 5) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, January 24, 2007 • Page 3 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER Our William S. Johnson EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Acting Managing Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors Keith Peters, Sports Editor Town Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor by Don Kazak Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Don Kazak, Senior Staff Writer Alexandria Rocha, Molly Tanenbaum, Becky Trout, Staff Writers A long way from home Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer Veronica Weber, Photo Intern Tyler Hanley, Assistant to the Editor & s a boy, Imtiez Ali used to but denied that his village harbored Since 1992, the fi rst and fi nest Online Editor take stories from his father’s al-Qaida members. in consigned furniture. Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Cammie Farmer, Calendar Editor Abooks, edit them and make Mohammed was killed in a mis- Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, them into stories that were pub- sile attack a few days after Ali in- Open 10-4 Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday Lynn Comeskey, Kit Davey, Tim Goode, Jack 67 Encina, one block north of Embarcadero Rd., off El Camino Real, Palo Alto McKinnon, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, lished in a children’s magazine in terviewed him, by either the Paki- Contributors his native Pakistan. stan military or Americans, who 650 324-8791 Justin Bull, Editorial Intern Caitlin Berka, Arts & Entertainment Intern “I was always curious and in- had identified him as a “known quisitive,” he said of his becoming target.” DESIGN Informational Carol Hubenthal, Design Director a journalist. Now 30, Ali is a BBC In a freak coincidence, Moham- Diane Haas, Sue Peck, Senior Designers; radio reporter who also writes for med was killed just “two or three Meetings Nathan Hammer, Dana James, Paul Llewellyn, Charmaine Mirsky, Scott Peterson, Designers the London Telegraph. minutes” after Ali’s taped inter- Feb. 15 - Thu. We read about the “war on ter- view was broadcast on BBC radio, PRODUCTION Mar. 7 - Wed. Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager ror.” Ali reports it, from his base in the main source of Pashto-language Dorothy Hassett, Blanca Yoc, Peshawar, Pakistan. news to which villagers listen.. 4:45PM; RSVP Sales & Production Coordinators Ali is a visiting Knight fellow at “They thought I had something ADVERTISING Stanford University, one of eight to do with him being killed because Vern Ingraham, Advertising Manager Feb.