Palo 6°Ê888]Ê ÕLiÀÊ£ÈÊUÊ>Õ>ÀÞÊÓÎ]ÊÓää N xäZ Alto Business license tax proposed Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com Eyewitness to history Locals relate personal experiences of the Inauguration page 18 Movies 35 Eating Out 37 Crossword/Sudoku 64 NSports Stanford men emerge from own tennis shadow Page 26 NArts & Entertainment Musical vagabonds return to Palo Alto Page 31 NHome & Real Estate Take a deep breath — indoors Page 41 @6É6E:=6/HJGK>K:9 6CJCEG:8:9:CI:9-% =DJGHL>I=DJI6A>K:G 8JGG:CIAN/A:6K>C< I=:B:9>8>C:IDBDB# ?JHI6CDI=:GG:B6G@67A:96N>CI=:C:><=7DG=DD9# Nine years ago, Ka’apeha was in dire need of a new liver. Until they could find a suitable donor, Ka’apeha’s doctors gave him the next best thing: time. They did it using a new method of “liver assistance” known as CVVH (continuous venovenous hemofiltration). The treatment was unconventional to say the least. But CVVH allowed Ka’apeha to remain stable until a donor © 2009 Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital became available (an unprecedented 80 hours). The results were ideal. Ka’apeha got a healthy new liver and his mom, Averi, got a healthy new profession. She was so inspired by the care her son received that she changed her career path. Today she works at Packard Children’s Hospital Lucile Packard as a nurse. And Ka’apeha, well, he spends his time elsewhere. Children’s Hospital Visit www.lpch.org for more information. AT STANFORD Page 2ÊUÊ>Õ>ÀÞÊÓÎ]ÊÓääÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞ UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Business tax could be on November ballot Facing budget shortfalls, Palo Alto ponders start participating in its enactment. “I encourage you guys to be real “The goal of staff is to ensure we As City Council member John Bar- clear, as a business group, about what don’t put a burden on the business collecting revenue from businesses ton told a Chamber of Commerce it is that’s important to you,” Barton community,” Perez said. audience Wednesday, many voters said. “You’re going to influence it by Just about every city in Cali- by Gennady Sheyner would see this proposal as a “slam being united, by being clear about fornia has some sort of business- reating a new tax in the midst With the city facing a $2.6 million- dunk” and would likely support it. what you want, and by participating license tax, Perez said, with Palo of a recession is never a popu- and-growing fiscal gap in this year’s Because the tax would require ap- in every step of the way.” Alto being a rare exception. Some, C lar proposition, even a tax with budget, and a projected gap of $5.3 proval from only 50 percent of the But the details remain fuzzy. including San Mateo, Menlo Park as appetizing a name as the BLT. million next year, city officials be- voters, the proposal’s passage may Staff and consultants have been and East Palo Alto, base their But as business leaders learned lieve most residents would support be inevitable, in his estimation. compiling a list of local businesses taxes on gross receipts and gener- Wednesday morning, Palo Alto’s the new tax, which could keep the Business owners ought not to fight over the past few months and sur- ate $2.9 million, $1.3 million and long-discussed but never actualized city from cutting services. the tax, but rather, clearly communi- veying surrounding communities $400,000 in revenue per year, re- plan to institute a business-license The prospect of a BLT may seem cate their concerns to city officials to see what methodologies they use spectively. tax could be on the ballot as early as scary to some business owners, but between now and November, the for taxing their business, said Lalo The average annual tax rates at this November — whether or not the many were urged Wednesday to earliest time the proposal could face Perez, the city’s director of admin- business community approves of it. stop opposing the new tax and to the voters, Barton said. istrative services. (continued on page 8) EDUCATION District proposes two stories for Garland Palo Alto school district is taking into account earthquake-safety standards by Emilie Doolittle o make room for more class- rooms, the Palo Alto Unified T School District is considering adding two-story buildings to Gar- land Elementary School before it re-opens in 2010. The district staff presented sever- al design concepts for the Garland campus at a Board of Education meeting Jan. 13. The elementary school site, located next to Jordan Middle School and currently leased by the private Stratford School, would be re-opened by the district in November 2010. The retrofitted North California Avenue campus would have a new Dana Ullman Dana library, multipurpose room and 24 classrooms. Construction would be- gin in June 2010. “This community is not ready for two-story buildings,” Superinten- Funds needed to keep donkeys ‘out to pasture’ dent Kevin Skelly said. However, Barron Park neighborhood’s two donkeys, Niner (right) and Perry, graze in their pen at Bol Park last week. Their caretakers are seeking “The safest place for our kids is in funds to secure future veterinary care. See story on page 13. these two-story buildings. ... There is a safety element in these build- ings that you won’t find in shopping ect, which includes a grocery store, lic hearing for Alma Plaza, at the malls and other buildings.” CITY COUNCIL 37 homes, a commercial building Nov. 19 meeting of the Planning and The new facilities would have to with 14 below-market-rate apart- Transportation Commission. Mem- adhere to seismic-safety standards ments, a park and a community bers of the neighborhood group in accordance with the California Battle over Alma Plaza’s room. “Friends of Alma Plaza” and several Building Code, he noted. Several issues are expected to planning commissioners argued at Skelly also said that the district come into play Monday night, in- that time that the room should be would like community input regard- future resumes Monday cluding how the South Palo Alto open throughout the day and char- ing design concepts for Garland. development in the 3400 block of acterized the proposed time restric- “We want to be good neighbors City Council to discuss mixed-use project, Alma Street would be subdivided tions as a bait-and-switch tactic by with the process,” Skelly said. community room hours and whether the proposed commu- the developer. Elisa De Martel lives next to nity room could still be considered a McNellis has vehemently denied Garland and has four children, one by Gennady Sheyner public benefit if it’s closed between any switch, citing early discussions who attends Stratford School, and fter 14 public hearings span- milestone Monday night. 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily, as the de- about the time restrictions on use a baby who will attend Garland El- ning more than two years, That’s when the City Council is veloper has proposed. of the room due to peak shopping ementary. A John McNellis’ effort to rede- scheduled to discuss and possibly The community room emerged velop Alma Plaza could hit a crucial decide on the widely debated proj- as a hot-button issue at the last pub- (continued on page 11) (continued on page 9) *>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ>Õ>ÀÞÊÓÎ]ÊÓääÊU Page 3 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 Our PUBLISHER William S. Johnson EDITORIAL AND Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Jocelyn Dong, Managing Editor Carol Blitzer, Associate Editor Town Keith Peters, Sports Editor by Don Kazak Tyler Hanley, Express™ and Online Editor Rebecca Wallace, Arts & Entertainment Editor Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Tony Ciampi’s vindication Don Kazak, Senior Staff Writer Emilie Doolittle, Gennady Sheyner, Staff Writers t was one of those cases that timony, then burst out of his van, Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections Editor Karla Kane, Editorial Assistant turn up on the daily police log yelled at the officers, and went Veronica Weber, Staff Photographer I and get a few paragraphs on- back into his van, slamming the Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Bentson, Colin Becht, line or in the paper. door. Kit Davey, Iris Harrell, Jack McKinnon, Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Palo Alto police rousted a home- An officer then opened the van Megan Rawlins, Susan Robles, Johanna Toivio, less man who had been living in door and another then reached into Kris Young, Editorial Interns his van in a residential neighbor- the van and pulled Ciampi out of DESIGN hood just south of downtown. it, resulting in the melee in which Shannon Corey, Design Director The homeless man, Tony Ciam- Diane Haas, Sue Peck, Senior Designers Ciampi struck all three officers. Dana James, Paul Llewellyn, Scott Peterson, pi, 42, was arrested for assaulting The story just gets worse for the Designers police officers. It seemed to a be police. PRODUCTION clear-cut case because if you hit a One officer testified that he Jennifer Lindberg, Production Manager cop that’s a crime. thought Ciampi was a drug user be- Dorothy Hassett, Blanca Yoc, Sales & Production Coordinators There is no question, according cause of pock marks on his arms, ADVERTISING to police testimony, that Ciampi which he cited as justification for Walter Kupiec, Advertising Director fought with three police officers pulling Ciampi out of his van. Cathy Norfleet, Display Advertising Sales Asst. until he was subdued when one of- But Ciampi is an Army veteran Judie Block, Janice Hoogner, Gary Whitman, Display Advertising Sales ficer used his Taser on Ciampi not and has been treated at the Palo Kathryn Brottem, Real Estate Advertising Sales once but twice to subdue him.