Vol. XXXV, Number 39 N July 4, 2014 PaloAltoOnline.com Airport faces financial uncertainty in takeover Page 5 Palo Alto celebrates the Fourth of July with annual Chili Cook-Off PAGE 18 Pulse 15 Transitions 16 Seniors 20 Movies 27 Eating Out 28 Shop Talk 29 Puzzles 42 NArts Community connections make theater work Page 24 NHome Bidding wars and cash offers Page 31 NSports Stanford runner makes up for lost time Page 44 #!"#! # #!"#)"3!" $"!% 2 !( % ""##! $#(!!##"&# !!!""" $!"- $!#!"""!$!"-"#!!#" 2 !####( !&#!#""##!*"&!,!& #!("&# (""""#"- &##- "# ##%"#"!# &#1.$#"- "#!"###!"#*"&!& ! 2 !( $!!""!(!###1.. $!!( !"$#"- '#"+#!+" !!#" $!!#" - 2 ##!##" /0#"!%- ($'!!(+1// !##!"#!(!##- Page 2ÊUÊÕÞÊ{]ÊÓä£{ÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÕÞÊ{]ÊÓä£{ÊU Page 3 Thank you for making the DeLeon Team #1 in Silicon Valley and #5 in the Nation. *Wall Street Journal/Real Trends (650) 488-7325 | www.deleonrealty.com | CalBRE #01903224 Page 4ÊUÊÕÞÊ{]ÊÓä£{ÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°V UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis City braces for financial uncertainty in airport takeover Palo Alto hopes to reach deal with county Following the operation’s trans- the facility has exceeded revenues airport plans to hire a new manage- in August over small but busy hub fer, however, the city will still have by $808,000 in the first 39 years ment analyst (who will earn a sal- to navigate its way through bureau- of the lease, which was originally ary of $155,000) and spend close by Gennady Sheyner cratic obstacles before the airport set to expire in 2017. to $300,000 on maintenance work, s Palo Alto prepares to take take over the airport from Santa becomes economically viable, as Even in the best case scenario, inspections and ground support for full control of its namesake Clara County for about eight years, council members had envisioned the airport’s operations will be fu- the airport’s control towers, ac- A airport for the fist time a process that is finally expected to when they directed staff in 2010 eled for at least three years by loans cording to the budget. in nearly half a century, city of- be completed later this year. Both to negotiate an early termination from the city’s General Fund. The The facility is expected to stay ficials are wrestling with gaping the City Council and the county’s of the county’s 50-year lease. council agreed last year to loan in the red at least until fiscal uncertainties about how much it Board of Supervisors are sched- The county, which runs three $325,000 to the newly created year 2018. will cost to fix up the small but uled to consider in August a trans- airports, has had a hard time mak- Airport Fund. Earlier this month, The city has at least one big rea- bustling Baylands facility — and fer agreement for Palo Alto Air- ing Palo Alto Airport profitable. the council adopted a budget that son for optimism, though. In 2010, where the money will come from. port, which hosts about 180,000 According to a 2006 business raises the sum by $235,000 for a The city has been preparing to landings and takeoffs annually. plan, the county’s investment in total loan amount of $560,000. The ­VÌÕi`ÊÊ«>}iʣή ELECTION 2014 Council race adds one College Terrace resident Seelam Reddy hopes to join city leadership by Gennady Sheyner s a retired aerospace en- gineer and a newcomer to A Palo Alto, Seelam P. Reddy is at once a perfect representative of the city’s technological might and a total outsider to the local political scene. Reddy, who announced Tuesday that he plans to run for the City Council, is not at all deterred by his status as a political neophyte. He also seems to be the only can- didate in the race with no strong opinions about the types of issues 6iÀV>Ê7iLiÀ that have dominated City Hall con- versations in recent years: parking, building density and downtown growth. He is quite confident that if elected, he’ll have no trouble World War II veteran Ned Gallagher, 99, talks with his daughter Mary Gallagher about his memories surviving the attack and bringing himself up to speed and sinking of the USS Houston in 1942. He later became a prisoner of war. doing his part to improve the way the city functions. Born in India, Reddy moved to the United States more than four HISTORY decades ago to attend Texas Tech University. After living in Sweet- water, Texas, he moved to Califor- At 99, Palo Altan recalls WWII ship’s sinking nia in 1977 and lived in Newport Beach before arriving in Palo Alto Ned Gallagher is one of a handful of living USS Houston survivors a year and a half ago. His resume by Sue Dremann includes stints at McDonnell Douglas, Ludlum Measurements, eventy-two years after a to abandon ship, and the Hous- Battle of Sunda Strait. hits during the Battle of the Java Hughes Electronics and Boeing Japanese ship fired 8-inch ton was listing about 20 to 25 The Houston was the flag- Sea, but it was not enough to Company, where he spent a de- S shells into the USS Hous- degrees. He simply stepped off ship of the Pacific fleet, a suc- knock the ship out. cade before retiring in 2010. These ton, Palo Alto resident Ned Gal- the side and dropped into the cessfully elusive target dubbed On Feb. 28, 1942, only two days, the College Terrace resident, lagher still vividly recalls how sea, he recalled. “The Galloping Ghost of the Allied ships were still afloat: who goes by “Sea,” works as a he escaped the sinking ship As his shipmates struggled for Java Coast.” It was President the Houston and the Austra- consultant in mergers and acqui- near the island of Java during survival, Gallagher saw the ship’s Franklin Roosevelt’s favorite lian light cruiser HMAS Perth. sitions for VMWare while looking World War II. chaplain, a man named Rentz, ship, Gallagher said. The ship Shortly after midnight on March for ways to contribute to the city From his battle station near give his life preserver to another was part of an Allied force that 1, a Japanese onslaught over- where he chose to retire. the quarter deck, Gallagher, a man. Then the chaplain drowned, included British, Australian, whelmed them. The Perth went In discussing with the Weekly U.S. Marine, could see the dark he said. More than 700 men of Dutch and American ships. A down first; the Houston fought his desire to serve, Reddy focused water was just 4 feet below. The the approximately 1,000-person few days prior to sinking, the on his personal attributes rather on bugle call signaled for all hands crew lost their lives during the heavy cruiser had taken a few ­VÌÕi`ÊÊ«>}iÊ£Ó® ­VÌÕi`ÊÊ«>}iÊ® ÜÜÜ°*>Ì"i°VÊUÊ*>ÊÌÊ7iiÞÊUÊÕÞÊ{]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 We’re basically ignoring Nick Veronin (223-6517) Express & Online Editor Elena Kadvany (223-6519) the elephant in the garage. Assistant Sports Editor Rick Eymer (223-6521) Spectrum Editor Renee Batti (223-6528) —Jim Barbera, an electric-vehicle advocate, Staff Writers Sue Dremann (223-6518), Chris on the need to deal with cars as emitters Kenrick (223-6512), Gennady Sheyner (223-6513) of greenhouse gases. See story on page 7. Editorial Assistant/Intern Coordinator Sam Sciolla (223-6515) Staff Photographer Veronica Weber (223-6520) Contributors Andrew Preimesberger, Dale F. Bentson, Peter Canavese, Kit Davey, Tyler Hanley, Iris Harrell, Sheila Himmel, Chad Jones, Karla Kane, Ari Kaye, Kevin Kirby, Terri Lobdell, Jack McKinnon, Jeanie K. Smith, Susan Tavernetti Interns Benjamin Custer, Christina Dong, Around Town Melissa Landeros, Ciera Pasturel FOR THE BIRDS ... Architecture retail price (MSRP) of just under ADVERTISING is always a hot topic in Palo Alto, $177,000 — far away from Palo Vice President Sales & Marketing but it’s rarely framed as a matter Alto, in Los Angeles. Palo Alto Tom Zahiralis (223-6570) of life and death. Unless, of Det. Sgt. Brian Philip said an Multimedia Advertising Sales Adam Carter (223-6573), Elaine Clark (223-6572), course, you’re a bird lover. Shani initial report stated the car had Connie Jo Cotton (223-6571), Janice Hoogner Kleinhaus, an environmental been parked for a “significant (223-6576), Meredith Mitchell (223-6569) advocate with the Santa Clara amount of time, six weeks or Digital Media Sales Heather Choi (223-6587) Valley Audubon Society, something,” on Stanford Avenue Real Estate Advertising Sales Neal Fine (223-6583), Carolyn Oliver (223-6581), says buildings with too much though he didn’t yet know if the Rosemary Lewkowitz (223-6585) glass pose a danger for birds, owner had reparked it in the same Inside Advertising Sales Irene Schwartz (223-6580) particularly ones that are young or area or if it hadn’t been moved Real Estate Advertising Assistant Diane Martin (223-6584) in the midst of migration. To that during that time. Residential Legal Advertising Alicia Santillan (223-6578) end, she is trying to encourage Palo Alto streets generally have ADVERTISING SERVICES Palo Alto officials to adopt bird- a 72-hour limit on continuous Advertising Services Manager friendly design guidelines for new parking. The car was noticed Jennifer Lindberg (223-6595) buildings (she was set to give a missing when the owner went Sales & Production Coordinators Dorothy Hassett (223-6597), Blanca Yoc (223-6596) presentation on the topic to the to retrieve it just after 8 p.m.