Vol. XXXIX, Number 37 Q June 15, 2018 Historic downtown Palo Alto hotel to re-open Page 5 PaloAltoOnline.com Winning authors write of life, loss and new beginnings Page 13 Pulse 11 Transitions 12 Eating Out 20 Movies 21 Puzzles 40 QArts Local summertime jazz season heats up Page 18 QHome Can fruit trees and bugs be friends? Page 24 QSports M-A football player details life on recruiting road Page 42 Paid for by Stanford Health Care “I quickly realized I was in the right place when I came to Stanford. My experience with Dr. Fernandez-Becker has been nothing but positive. I feel like she cares about me personally as a patient.” —David strict diet. Instead, Fernandez-Becker put him Patient finds relief in treatment for inflamed esophagus on a proton pump inhibitor (PPI), a medication For David the simple act of eating had become a fear-inducing commonly prescribed for patients with acid reflux. The medication has been found to help some experience. David suffers from eosinophilic esophagitis, a chronic patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. allergic immune condition that causes his esophagus to become “Fortunately for me, the proton pump inhibitor inflamed. At any given moment, the tube that sends food from his seems to have helped manage it,” said David, who has only had two food blockages since going mouth to his stomach can swell, making swallowing difficult and on the medication more than five years ago. extremely painful. When the inflammation is most severe, food gets Because the condition is chronic, and requires lodged in his esophagus. The only remedy is an emergency endoscopy. constant management, Becker follows patients like David for years. “Every time I meet a new “Once you’ve had a couple of these episodes, swallowing difficulties and food blockages. patient, it’s a great journey,” she said. “I get to there’s always this fear when you’re eating that They talked about what triggers might be at play, know them as a person, which is a real privilege. you’re going to have another episode,” said David. and considered further allergy testing or an They feel like family.” “You get to a point where you’re very careful elimination diet. To confirm the diagnosis of about what you eat and how well you chew. But eosinophilic esophagitis, Dr. Fernandez-Becker “I feel like she cares about me personally as a even then, you never know when it’s going to adhered to an evidence-based approach, taking patient,” said David. “When I’m there, I have her happen again.” a tissue sample of David’s esophageal lining, undivided attention. She knows me, she knows examining it under a microscope for the presence my history and she remembers it all.” “Eosinophilic esophagitis is a chronic of eosinophils, and then correlating those findings Today, David’s quality of life is improved and his inflammatory disease,” said Fernandez-Becker, with his medical history and symptoms. MD, PhD, Clinical Assistant Professor, condition is mostly under control. “I’m no longer Gastroenterology & Hepatology at Stanford walking around all the time concerned that this Health Care. Inflammation causes the esophagus is going to happen again,” he said. “It’s something to become stiffer and narrower over time, and “ The first time I came that Dr. Fernandez-Becker and I are managing some patients develop scar tissue, which leads here, I quickly realized together right now.” to food blockages. US News & World According to David, managing his condition I was in the right place…” Report recognizes for the past 10 years has been a series of trial Stanford Health Care and error, working with multiple doctors unsuccessfully to resolve the issue. His general “For a lot of these patients, I’m the fourth or fifth in the top 10 best practitioner suggested he see Dr. Fernandez- gastroenterologist they’ve seen, so they don’t hospitals in the nation. Becker at Stanford Health Care because of her come in completely naïve,” said Fernandez- extensive experience treating this condition. Becker, who uses her PhD training in molecular Discover more patient stories on genetics to tease out factors that may be causing StanfordHealthNow.org “My experience with Dr. Fernandez-Becker has the inflammation. “I have a very frank discussion been nothing but positive,” said David, who began with them about what’s happened before, why his care at Stanford in 2012. “The first time I I think they’re having these symptoms and what came here, I quickly realized I was in the right the plan is for us to sort it out.” place,” he said. “She was somebody who got it. She understood what I was going through. She had the Discovering the cause of the allergic reaction can background, and there was no question that I was be difficult. Allergy testing is often inconclusive, in the right spot.” she said, which is why she also prefers having patients undergo a six-month elimination diet. In that first appointment, Dr. Fernandez-Becker But David, who travels extensively for work, and David discussed the frequency of his worried that he wouldn’t be able to adhere to a Page 2 • June 15, 2018 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com JUST LISTED 785 BERKELEY AVE MENLO PARK MENLO OAKS NEW LISTING BY ESTATE HOME eb 785Berkeley.com elysebarca 650.743.0734 Offered at $7,500,000 [email protected] License #01006027 5 Bedrooms | 5 Full baths + 2 powder baths | 4-car garage(s) | 5,335± SQFT | 20,995± SQFT lot OPEN SUNDAY 1:30PM to 4:30PM Disclaimer: All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • June 15, 2018 • Page 3 By Appointment Only SUMPTUOUS MEDITERRANEAN IN PRESTIGIOUS LOCATION BREATHTAKING CUL-DE-SAC RESIDENCE 1117 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto 5 Lassen Court, Menlo Park Offered at $7,988,000 Offered at $5,550,000 www.1117Hamilton.com www.5Lassen.com IDEALLY SITUATED WITH POTENTIAL TO THRIVE EUROPEAN ALLURE IN OLD PALO ALTO 242 Cinnabar Road, Woodside 1818 Bryant Street, Palo Alto Offered at $6,988,000 Offered at $7,988,000 www.242Cinnabar.com www.1818Bryant.com CLASSIC ELEGANCE TOUTS STATE-OF-THE-ART AMENITIES LEND MODERN SOPHISTICATION CONTEMPORARY LIVING 2312 Loma Prieta Lane, Menlo Park 1565 Edgewood Drive, Palo Alto Offered at $5,988,000 Offered at $10,888,000 www.2312LomaPrieta.com www.1565edgewood.com 650.900.7000650 900 7000 | [email protected] ichael@deleonrealty com | www.deleonrealty.comwww deleonrealty c om | CalBREC alBRE #01903224#01903224 Page 4 • June 15, 2018 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis Historic President Hotel sold to developer Score of residents must vacate lobby coffee shop, street-level re- received official confirmation “There’s just this feeling of downtown Palo Alto building by November tail and the restoration of its origi- until letters from AJ Capital were helplessness,” he said. nal rooftop garden, according to placed under their doors Tuesday Neighbor Diane Boxill also by Linda Taaffe a June 13 company press release. afternoon. moved into the building 30 years Scores of residents living at Iqbal Serang, who lives in a ago and has remained ever since. he one-time fashionable company AJ Capital has pur- the President Hotel Apartments, studio apartment two stories be- Boxill, an undergraduate student President Hotel, whose chased the six-story Spanish Co- as it’s currently known, received low his daughter and former wife, at Stanford University at the time, T iconic rooftop sign defined lonial apartment complex at 488 notice Tuesday, June 12, that they has lived in the building for 30 said the price was right and it was Palo Alto’s downtown skyline University Ave. for an undisclosed will have to move out of the build- years. An architect, he also leases close to school. When the building during its heyday, will once again price. The company plans to reno- ing by Nov. 12. They had heard the sixth-floor penthouse for his manager offered her use of a large open its doors to hotel guests for vate and reopen it in 2020 as the rumors for the past few weeks office. closet on the third floor as part of the first time in 50 years. Graduate Palo Alto hotel, which that the 75-apartment complex He was in shock over his im- Chicago-based development will include 100 guestrooms, a had been sold, but they had not pending eviction. (continued on page 9) ELECTION 2018 Battle over health care costs hits Palo Alto City Council reluctantly places SEIU initiative on November ballot by Gennady Sheyner alo Alto City Hall became any action, staff and council an unlikely frontier in a members indicated later in the Pbroader battle over health meeting that they have major care costs Monday night, when a reservations about the proposal, crowd of medical professionals which would require the Admin- Veronica Weber packed into the council chambers istrative Services Department to to debate the merits of a citizen take on the unfamiliar role of initiative that would limit how health care regulator. much local hospitals can charge City Manager James Keene patients. noted that the city didn’t get any Lucy Shen, right, a software engineer at Intuit, and Maya Medina, left, an East Palo Alto middle school Dozens of supporters and op- advance notice from the union student, assemble their display board on K-pop bands and music at the Mountain View company, as ponents of the initiative held about the petition, much less a re- fellow Spark mentors and mentees put together their final projects to present earlier this month.