Vol. XXXV, Number 31 N May 9, 2014 City seeks citizens’ hopes for future Page 5 PAGE 23 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Summer Class Guide 35 Transitions 19 Spectrum 20 Eating 29 Movies 31 Puzzles 65 NArts TEDxStanford: Thinking, acting outside the box Page 27 NHome Multi-residential real estate: a way to diversify Page 39 NSports Stanford women’s water polo takes title shot Page 68 Know the signs of stroke Balance Face Arms Eyes Speech Time Page 2ÊUÊ>ÞÊ]ÊÓä£{ÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V Palo Alto Median Price – 2013 Year End San Fancisquito Creek Crescent Park $3,010,000 Hamilton Green Gables University Ave Lincoln Channing $2,160,000 Downtown Community Ctr $2,165,000 $2,875,000 Addison Road Newell Bayshore Road Professorville Embarcadero Road $3,800,000 Middlefield Road Highway 101 Oregon Expy El Camino Real Old Palo Alto Ross Road $2,866,000 Churchill Alma Street Midtown Loma Verde AveSouth Palo Alto College $1,950,000 Stanford Middlefield$1,795,000 Road $2,335,000 $1,950,000 Ventura $1,199,000 Stanford Ave El Camino Real California Ave East Meadow Alma Street Barron Park San Antonio Road Charleston Road $2,195,000 Page Mill Road Foothill Expy Green Acres $1,916,000 Palo Alto Hills $2,500,000 Information Based on MLS Arastradero Road Single Family Homes / Highway 280 Map Courtesy of Google Maps Call Jackie and Richard to Sell Your Home Sold Over $212,000,000 of Homes Jackie Richard 650-855-9700 650-566-8033 [email protected] [email protected] BRE # 01092400 BRE # 01413607 www.schoelerman.com ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ>ÞÊ]ÊÓä£{ÊU Page 3 4563:#,%"&,%" #$%& PT5SBODPT3PBEPSUPMB7BMMFZ $$'"""" &CE!% 'CB]$(""!TG]YRVJTJUFOFX DFSUJlFEMVPNFFYFNQMJlFTTVTUBJOBCJMJUZ FţBOE4UFWF DPN Fţ4USJDLFS 4UFWF5FOSPFDL SPLFSUUPSOFZ SPLFSSFTJEFOUTMVC ('" *$% *"') ('" &'" "#(" KTUSJDLFS2BQS DPN TUFOCSPFDL2BQS DPN #3FBMUPS5FBNJO PTMUPTBOEBMPMUP PNCJOFE4BMFTGPS$"#% Page 4ÊUÊ>ÞÊ]ÊÓä£{ÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Officials seek residents’ vision for city by Gennady Sheyner ew Palo Alto residents have the time and appetite to come to City F Hall for discussions about the fu- ture, unless that future includes new buildings going up on their blocks, traf- fic lanes being reduced on their streets or parking spaces disappearing from their neighborhoods. With that in mind, City Hall will kindly come to them. Starting this week and continuing throughout this year and much of the next, city officials are preparing to host a wave of community hearings, social events, online forums, expert panels and coffee meet-ups as part of an ambitious effort to get residents buzzing about the Comprehensive Plan. The city is now in the midst of updating the plan, which is often referred to as the city’s “land-use bible,” and will outline the city’s official vision on everything from land-use and transportation to housing and commu- nity services. On Monday, the City Council dis- cussed and tacitly approved staff’s broad plan to engage the populace, a strategy that seeks to inject some vitality into a process that has been quietly simmer- ing behind the scenes for the past eight years. Since the council decided in 2006 to update the Comprehensive Plan, the revision process has been outpaced by the facts on the ground. With the econ- omy now booming, the council’s former focus on sustaining commercial devel- opment in town has been upended by angst about protecting local neighbor- hoods from too much growth. Recent trends and events (including proposals for dense new development, downtown’s worsening parking shortage and the public’s rejection of a housing develop- ment on Maybell Avenue in a vote last November) have added urgency to the effort and prompted the council to hit the reset button on the entire process. Now, the city is on a new path to com- plete the update by the end of 2015. To that effect, the council Monday night discussed an engagement plan that includes (among many other efforts) in-person and virtual meetings, coffee sit-downs with city planners and street stalls in neighborhoods throughout the city. A new citizens-advisory panel will also be formed to aid the city in get- ting feedback from groups that have been traditionally underrepresented at City Hall, including ethnic minorities, renters and residents between 20 and 40 À>« VÊLÞÊ- >Ê ÀiÞ years old. The city will also continue to hold its Our Palo Alto panel series, which kicked off on April 23 with a dis- cussion titled “Who Are We?” The Comprehensive Plan update ­VÌÕi`ÊÊ«>}iÊ£x® ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊ>ÞÊ]ÊÓä£{ÊU Page 5 Upfront 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306 QUOTE OF THE WEEK (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson (223-6505) EDITORIAL Editor Jocelyn Dong (223-6514) Associate Editor Carol Blitzer (223-6511) Sports Editor Keith Peters (223-6516 Arts & Entertainment Editor If you somehow have really good Nick Veronin (223-6517)) Express & Online Editor Elena Kadvany (223-6519) jobs data, everyone in this town Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) would love to hear it. Spectrum Editor Tom Gibboney (223-6507) Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris — Pat Burt, Palo Alto City Council member, Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) to a consultant who said he based his study of Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator Sam Sciolla (223-6515) development fees on reliable data about Palo Alto Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) employees. See story on page 9. Contributors Andrew Preimesberger, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Tyler Hanley, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Kevin Kirby, Terri Lobdell, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Editorial Interns: Melissa Landeros, Lena Pressesky Around Town ADVERTISING LEADING THE CHARGE ... $53,035; and Downtown Streets Vice President Sales & Advertising Palo Alto’s vocal legion of electric- Team, $24,580. East Palo Alto’s Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) vehicle advocates scored a victory Project WeHOPE brought in Multimedia Advertising Sales Christine Afsahi (223-8582), Adam Carter (223- last year, when the city adopted $43,838; and Second Harvest 6573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), Connie Jo Cotton a new rule requiring all new Food Bank of Santa Clara and (223-6571), Janice Hoogner (223-6576) single-family homes to include San Mateo Counties received Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), circuitry that accommodates $48,083. The Community Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) vehicle-charging stations. Next Foundation raised $2.8 million in Inside Advertising Sales week, a City Council committee preparation for the event, to fund Irene Schwartz (223-6580) Real Estate Advertising Assistant will consider extending the matching gifts and incentives for Diane Martin (223-6584) requirement to new multi-family nonprofit organizations. Donations Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) complexes and nonresidential were made through the Razoo ADVERTISING SERVICES developments. In the interim, it’s Foundation, a crowdfunding Advertising Services Manager celebration time. On Monday, nonprofit, which will forward 95.1 Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) members of a citizen task force that percent of each donation on to the Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596) helped draft the new ordinance designated nonprofit. Still have that DESIGN received kudos, and a special giving feeling? Online donations will Design Director Shannon Corey (223-6560) proclamation, from the council for continue to be accepted all year at Assistant Design Director Lili Cao (223-6562) its contributions. Peter Pirnejad, www.svgives.org. Senior Designers Linda Atilano, Paul Llewellyn the city’s development services Designers Rosanna Leung, Kameron Sawyer director, lauded the fact that Palo WHAT PROBLEM? ... An out- EXPRESS, ONLINE AND VIDEO SERVICES Alto has one of the highest per- of-town visitor touring Palo Online Operations Coordinator capita rates of electric-vehicle Alto’s downtown garages would Ashley Finden (223-6508) drivers in the state (and, thus, in be justifiably shocked to learn BUSINESS the nation). Yet both city officials that the area is going through Payroll & Benefits Susie Ochoa (223-6544) and residents Monday, clearly a parking crisis. According to Business Associates Elena Dineva (223-6542), Mary McDonald (223-6543), Cathy Stringari (223-6541) enjoying road-related puns, said a new survey by city planners, ADMINISTRATION that more needs to be done. “We about 30 percent of “permit” Assistant to the Publisher need to pave the way for electric spaces in downtown’s parking Miranda Chatfield (223-6559) vehicles and remove barriers if we structures remain empty outside Receptionist Doris Taylor Courier Ruben Espinoza are to be leaders in the promotion the busy lunch hour. At the same EMBARCADERO MEDIA of electric vehicles,” Pirnejad said. time, residential streets around President William S. Johnson (223-6505) “We are the icebreakers,” said downtown’s commercial core Vice President & CFO Michael I. Naar (223-6540) Sven Thesen, a resident who has have parking-congestion rates Vice President Sales & Advertising Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) installed a charging station in front so high they defy mathematical Director, Information Technology & Webmaster of his Evergreen Park home, of the boundaries (in some cases, the Frank A. Bravo (223-6551) city. “We are the ones leading this, occupancy rate on the streets