Vol. XXVI, Number 37 • Friday, February 4, 2005 ■ 50¢ Check out the Weekly’s new online classifieds WeWeekend eEdition k l y Ribs to die for at fogster.com www.PaloAltoOnline.com Page 15 Nicholas Wright Worth A Look 13 Eating Out 15 Movie Times 21 Goings On 23 Crossword Puzzle Section 2 ■ Upfront Fry’s area possible target for redevelopment Page 3 ■ Sports Stanford’s new men’s tennis coach makes home debut Page 27 ■ Home & Real Estate Chocolate is the perfect Valentine Section 2 CHURCHILL-CROCKER * since Our BIGGEST SALE Together, we can save a life. 1978 Up to AUCTION GALLERIES 50% Now accepting Consignments for our Off WINTER AUCTION, Sunday February 20, 2005 American Lowest Seller’s Fees Red Cross Teaching CPR, first aid and In Northern California disaster preparation. Helping with fires, floods and earthquakes. Churchill-Crocker has been chosen as the Official We still need your help. Auctioneer for Classic Residence by Hyatt, Palo Alto TOM’S Call 650.688.0415 Teak Outdoor Furniture For information & FREE appraisals, contact us at: 1470 El Camino Real, Menlo Park www.paarc.org 704 Santa Cruz, Menlo Park WED – SUN 9 to 6 (650) 330-0411 This space is donated as a community service by the Palo Alto Weekly. (650) 462-ARTS * www.ChurchillCrocker.com Downtown Palo Alto Exclusively at DARREN 231 Hamilton Avenue, MCCLUNG Palo Alto PRECIOUS JEWELRY (650) 321-1680 Page 2 • Friday, February 4, 2005 • Palo Alto Weekly UpfrontLocal news, information and analysis “It’s very preliminary,” Planning For some, the idea that any area of qualifies under the state redevelop- LAND USE Director Steve Emslie said. this posh city — especially one that ment definition of a blighted area.” To create a redevelopment project, boasts a Mercedes dealership — The ramifications of the designa- the city would need to designate the could be considered blighted is at tion would be extremely serious — Into the Fry-ing pan area as “blighted,” a controversial best humorous and at worst illegal. property tax dollars could be legal label that has sparked lawsuits “Blight is relative. This is Palo siphoned to the city away from other Fry’s area under scrutiny for and protests throughout California. Alto,” said commercial property public agencies, including the school possible redevelopment project The legal hurdle the city must manager John Tarlton. “Show me an district and community colleges. jump is high — it would need to area of Palo Alto that would pass “It makes us nervous because by Bill D’Agostino show the blighted area “constitutes muster with a Chicago council and I we’re property-tax based,” school he neighborhood just south of Palo Alto community? The city a serious and growing menace ... to will give you a prize.” board member John Barton said. Page Mill Road, between El believes it might be and is consid- the public health, safety and wel- “I do not believe that redevelop- Those tax dollars would have to T Camino Real and the Caltrain ering a redevelopment project, fare” that “cannot reasonably be ment law was written to benefit be used to revitalize the area, with tracks, is not inspiring: shuttered centered on the Fry’s Electronics expected to be reversed or alleviated relatively affluent communities 20 percent automatically earmarked storefronts, low-end hotels and store, to revitalize the area. City by private enterprise or government like Palo Alto,” former Mayor for affordable housing. Under the messy auto shops are rampant. officials refused to say how large action, or both, without redevelop- Gary Fazzino said. “I do not law, the city would also gain a But is it a burden on the entire an area they were studying. ment,” according to California law. believe that any area of Palo Alto (continued on page 5) HOUSING A granny unit on every lot? Zoning changes aim to ease housing crunch but stir fears too by Jocelyn Dong hen Whitclem Drive resi- dent Don Marquardt looks W into his crystal ball, he sees — much to his consternation — a crowded future. The reason for his vision? The city could adopt a regulation in March to allow nearly 80 percent of Palo Alto’s single-family properties to potentially build second dwellings or granny units in their back yards. More units will bring more neighbors, traffic and noise, some opponents feel. “It would be a zoo,” said Marquardt, who lives on a corner lot. “There’s no way they could put a granny unit in any of these lots. Where are the cars going to park?” Whitclem has rental homes now, Nicholas Wright and, he contended, “every (rental) house has eight cars in front of them.” Currently, about 20 percent of single-family property owners in Palo Alto have the option to add on. Sixth-graders Petra Eberspacher (far right) and Sweta Bhattcharya (second from right) explain the workings of their solar-powered alarm The new regulation, in theory, could clock at the JLS science fair Wednesday night. allow four out of five homes on Whitclem to build a small second Glue sticks, poster board and moldy French fries home. The neighbors of Whitclem are Students display their home-grown, creative science experiments low-tech particularly sensitive about the issue — they sent two dozen letters to the by Alexandria Rocha City Council about it in December fter watching last year’s played more than a dozen tubs of handful of community members paper cut outs. It was clear the — for understandable reasons. The greasiest documentary, molding French fries and Tater acting as “judges.” glue stick was king. street in Charleston Meadows has A “Super Size Me,” sixth- Tots, representing every fast With computer programs like Projects ranged from “Which been fighting for years with the grader Zachery Stanton-Sabitz got food joint from Palo Alto to PowerPoint fast replacing tradi- popcorn tastes best?” to “Do bub- next-door Hyatt Rickeys, and more to thinking. Redwood City. tional cardboard displays as the bles last longer in warm or cold recently the Elks Lodge, over their Much to his mom’s relief, he “In the movie, the French fries desired science project medium, temperatures?” to “Does eating building plans and how it could didn’t decide to gorge McDonald’s didn’t deteriorate at all after three especially on the East Coast, it was fresh fruit protect against breast affect the neighborhood. cuisine for a month. He did, how- months. I disproved that,” he said almost refreshing to see Palo cancer?” With each project, stu- The city, however, has a seeming- ever, want to incorporate some of smiling, all braces and dimples. Alto’s middle schoolers sticking to dents were required to include a ly intractable housing crunch. Sky- the film’s concepts into his science Stanton-Sabitz was just one stu- the basics. purpose, hypothesis, procedure, high housing costs have led to project. On Wednesday, the crowd dent who took part in this year’s Tables in the JLS cafeteria were results and conclusion, as well as a teachers, police officers and service at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle annual JLS science fair earlier this crowded with dozens of tall dis- box for who helped. workers being priced out. Rents and School’s third-annual science fair week. The event attracted more play boards, folded into three sec- Unlike many science fairs, the rental occupancies have also smelled the end results. than 100 student scientists, a horde tions and creatively designed with annual event at JLS is not a remained high. The 11-year-old’s project dis- of parents and teachers and a colored markers and construction (continued on page 5) The addition of granny units — (continued on page 5) Palo Alto Weekly • Friday, February 4, 2005 • Page 3 Upfront EANNE AKEFIELD J B. W 703 HIGH STREET, PALO ALTO, CA 94302 (650) 326-8210 Jeanne Wakefield died on Monday, January 24, 2005 at her home in PUBLISHER Millbrae, California. Jeanne was born to Alice and Arnold Barber on November William S. Johnson 22, 1923 in Broken Bow, Nebraska. After moving to Southern California in EDITORIAL Jay Thorwaldson, Editor 1946, she met Bill Wakefield and they were married in 1948. She and Bill Marc Burkhardt, Managing Editor moved to Palo Alto in 1956 where they raised their two children. Jeanne also Jennifer Aquino, Associate Editor Allen Clapp, Carol Blitzer, Assistant Editors ReaderWireReader comments via e-mail, voice mail and U.S. mail had a successful career as an executive secretary and retired in 1970. Jeanne Keith Peters, Sports Editor had many talents and hobbies including growing cymbidium orchids, bonsai Rick Eymer, Assistant Sports Editor Saving space Auto propaganda gardening, and playing bridge. She also was an active volunteer with Mills- Robyn Israel, Arts & Entertainment Editor Don Kazak, Jocelyn Dong, Senior Staff Writers While no single action will solve Palo Just like Joel Henner wrote (Weekly, Peninsula Hospital for over 20 years. She is survived by her son, Mark Bill D’Agostino, Alexandria Rocha, Staff Writers Wakefield; and her grandchildren, Brian and Alison Wakefield. At her request, a Norbert von der Groeben, Chief Photographer Alto’s budget problems, may I suggest Jan. 19), I also don’t like people using small family memorial was held on Monday, January 31, 2005 at Alta Mesa Nicholas Wright, Staff Photographer the following for a start: Limit all traffic- their cars for “over-the-top” and vulgar Tyler Hanley, Assistant to the Editor Memorial Park in Palo Alto, California. Family and friends may remember her calming projects for the next year or propaganda for one issue or another. I & Online Editor two to a $5,000 maximum. happen to not like President Bush, but with a contribution to the charity of their choice.