Palo Vol. XXVII, Number 51 • Wednesday, March 29, 2006 ■ 50¢ Alto ParentsPalo Alto’surged ‘dirty to stoplittle collegesecret’ admissionsPage 3 'frenzy' Page 3 www.PaloAltoOnline.com The gambler Palo Alto resident a household name in high-stakes poker Page 14 Norbert von der Groeben ■ Upfront Mayor emphasizes global warming, natural disasters Page 3 ■ Sports Stanford women’s basketball season is over Page 29 ■ Upfront Mixed reviews for 800 High St. project Page 5 apr.com REDEFINING QUALITY SINCE 1990 Reading between the emotional line makes the difference between finding a house and a home. PALO ALTO Lovely Crescent Park four bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a separate dining room, family room with built-in entertainment center. Elegant living room with lighted display shelves. Lush landscaping with pool on a 12474+/-sf lot. $2,850,000 LOS ALTOS Beautifully remodeled home with the finest materials in quiet Country Club area neighborhood. 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Unusually large expansive lot with patio and lawn area. $738,000 apr.com | PALO ALTO OFFICE 578 University Avenue 650.323.1111 APR COUNTIES | Santa Clara | San Mateo | San Francisco | Alameda | Contra Costa | Monterey | Santa Cruz Page 2 • Wednesday, March 29, 2006 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Palo Alto’s ‘dirty secret’ COMMUNITY Parents, youth leaders launch campaign against intolerance State OKs emergency by Alexandria Rocha not getting it,” said Kate diverse place.” and students spoke on this SF creek funds group of Palo Alto Hill, Gunn High School’s Monday night’s panel week’s panel, which about parents and youth PTA president, during a was the kick-off event for 50 people attended. Slumping levee, fissures, prompted East Palo Alto A leaders are bring- panel Monday night at the a month-long campaign to The campaign was ing what they call the school district. battle hate and intolerance sparked by a hate crime mayor to declare state of emergency city’s “dirty little secret” “I grew up in Oakland in the schools called “Not at Palo Alto High School to the forefront and have and went to Berkeley, and In Our Town/Not In Our earlier this year (detailed by Lauren McSherry neighborhood, which abuts the le- launched a campaign when I got to Palo Alto it Schools.” The campaign in the Weekly’s Feb. 1 s a powerful storm system vee, would be among the first to be against hatred and intol- was a culture shock. There — which includes further cover story), in which a threatened the Bay Area Mon- flooded. erance in the schools. weren’t any dips in the panels, art exhibits and Gay-Straight Alliance A day with several days of rain, Some of the money will be used to “Kids are mean. We’re sidewalk for special-needs dinners — will continue (GSA) member’s belong- the state approved $475,000 to repair purchase and install riprap — coarse not teaching tolerance people. The vision of through April. Nearly a a weakened levee in East Palo Alto. stones or boulders used to stabilize to our kids, or they’re Palo Alto is that it’s not a dozen parents, teachers (continued on page 10) The city was also preparing to stream banks — said East Palo Alto request approximately $1.3 million police Lt. Rahn Sibley, who has been for longer-term fixes as of Friday. working to secure funds for the city STATE OF THE CITY The levee, which stretches east from since Feb. 17. Highway 101, borders the Palo Alto The number of government stake- Municipal Golf Course. holders involved in fixing the creek Mayor Ruben Abrica declared has increased since the mayor’s a local state of emergency Feb. 27, emergency declaration. Count the issues during a week when emergency re- At least 14 agencies and govern- sponders feared heavy rains com- ment groups — from East Palo How the hot-button words of the day add up bined with a high tide could breach Alto’s police department to the the San Francisquito Creek levee. governor’s office and the Federal in mayoral State of the City addresses The declaration was intended to free Emergency Management Agency the city of red tape so it could fix the (FEMA) — were notified of the lo- creek before the next rainy season. cal emergency, creating a tangle of If the levee were to fail, 13,000 bureaucracy that has complicated people could be inundated with wa- who has jurisdiction over the creek, ter up to several feet deep in places, what kinds of fixes can be made and said Matt Lucett, district coordinator how money can be allocated. for the San Mateo County Sheriff’s For example, the city cannot im- Office of Emergency Services and plement any permanent fixes until Homeland Security. the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) JUDY KLEINBERG JIM BURCH BERN BEECHAM DENA MOSSAR VICTOR OJAKIAN Houses in the city’s Gardens (continued on page 8) 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 Budget (10) Library (10) Process (17) Housing (8) Housing (19) Daily News Editor Housing (6) Budget (7) Budget (10) Process(7) Traffic (11) Emergency (6) Infrastructure (5) Traffic (5) Infrastructure (6) Diana Diamond fired Abrupt termination after a year in position relates to policy differences, not content issues, according to Diamond ‘A City on the edge’ by Jay Thorwaldson iana Diamond, who for the only hint she had Mayor Judy Kleinberg unveils major initiatives for disasters, past year has been executive was a review last D editor of the six-newspaper week in which environment in annual ‘State of the City’ speech Daily News Group, was abruptly Daily News Pub- by Bill D’Agostino terminated Monday. She was re- lisher Shareef placed with a new editor, Lucinda Dajani discussed alling Palo Alto a assume that others will cent successes, including “Palo Alto is certain- Ryan, the former editor of the Al- her objections to “city on the edge be there to help us,” upcoming playing fields, ly a city on the cutting ameda Journal. recent decisions Cand at the edge,” Kleinberg said Monday recent awards for the edge,” she said. “But as “I was let go,” Diamond con- to eliminate the Mayor Judy Kleinberg night, citing the Bush city’s budget and positive we celebrate, we must firmed Tuesday to the Weekly. Monday issue of Diana Diamond used the annual “State administration’s failure ratings from a city-fund- also acknowledge that Staff members of the newspapers the San Mateo of the City” speech to to adequately aid New ed survey. But Kleinberg Palo Alto is also a city at were told at a special meeting at 4 Daily News and moving deadlines announce the formation Orleans during and after also offered new initia- the edge — we face ma- p.m. Monday that Diamond was forward to conform to San Jose of a pair of new commit- Hurricane Katrina. tives, not just analysis. jor challenges.” leaving “to pursue other interests,” Mercury and Contra Costa Times tees to address two large Regarding global In addition to suggest- Among those chal- not told that she was being termi- evening deadlines. issues: global warming warming, she said: “We ing the two committees, lenges: taming the nated. “He graded me not at all on my and emergency prepared- can’t wait for the state she also proposed the city flood-prone San Fran- There was no announcement of work as editor, my editorials or ness. and federal governments develop new events to cisquito Creek, breaking the change in Tuesday’s Palo Alto columns or the management of the The mayor repeat- to solve this — we must boost tourism and estab- the stalemate and de- Daily News. newsrooms,” she said in an inter- edly noted that Palo Alto take responsibility at our lish an annual report card ciding the future of the Dajani told the Weekly Tuesday view Tuesday morning. needed to lead locally, local level.” to track its progress. city’s library system, and that Diamond’s departure is “basi- Previous to the termination, rather than relying on the As in recent years, Kleinberg also didn’t rebuilding the outdated cally just a parting of the ways. We “there was not one note, one e-mail state and federal govern- much of the 30-minute shy away from pointing police headquarters. both agreed to go our own way; I or phone message criticizing my ment. speech was dedicated to out the city’s challenges don’t want to comment beyond work,” she said. “I was shocked.” “We cannot afford to celebrating the city’s re- and shortcomings. (continued on page 10) that.” Diamond, who wrote columns Diamond, clearly shaken, said the (continued on page 8) Palo Alto Weekly • Wednesday, March 29, 2006 • Page 3 Oregon Sante Fe Shakespeare Tour Opera Tour June 5-9, 2006 August 6-11, 2006 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 PUBLISHER William S. Johnson Our CREATIVE TRAVEL ARRANGERS (650) 854-4412 EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor Fax (650) 854-2102 • Email: [email protected] Marc Burkhardt, Managing Editor Lic# cst 2040042 www.creativetravelarrangers.com Jocelyn Dong, Associate 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 Bill D’Agostino, Lauren McSherry, Alexandria Rocha, Staff Writers BodyKneads SPA+SALON Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer Imagining the worst Nicholas Wright, Staff Photographer Marjan Sadoughi, Photo Intern Tyler Hanley, Assistant to the Editor & Online Editor awrence Wein is a low-key, Wein testified before a Congres- Sue Dremann, Staff Writer, Special Sections affable guy, considering he sional committee on the fingerprint Start Fresh & Cammie Farmer, Calendar Editor Jeanne Aufmuth, Dale Benson, Lspends his time thinking about issue in the fall of 2004 in what Lynn Comeskey, Tim Goode, Jill Slater, things that would give other people turned out to be a highly charged Pamper Yourself Susan Tavernetti, Robert Taylor, Contributors Adena DeMonte, Benjamin Lincoln, the willies.