The Almanac 04.18.2012 - Section 1

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T H E H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R F O R M E N L O P A R K , A T H E R T O N , P O R T O L A V A L L E Y A N D W O O D S I D E

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2 The Almanac April 18, 2012

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April 18, 2012 The Almanac 3

UPFRONT

By Jane KnoerleAlmanac Lifestyles Editor

They met at age 4. Fifty years later, Peter Katz and Bob Holland are

celebrating five decades of friendship with 150 of their nearest and dearest on Satur-day, April 21, at Portola Valley Town Center. The party will include live music, a buffet supper, a slide show, and the return of five childhood friends, who will once again “roast the hosts.” “For many with local roots, it’s a wonderful reunion and journey home,” says Peter. Bob and Peter both moved with their families to Portola Valley in 1961 (Bob to Zapata Way, Peter to Mapache Drive). The 4-year-olds met when Peter and his mom went for a walk in their Westridge neighborhood and happened on Bob and his older brother, Tom, sitting on the corner fire hydrant. They became instant friends. The boys went a l l through school together: Ormondale, Por-tola Valley Junior High, and Raven-swood High School. Their parents, Bob and Sue Katz and Harry and Sally Holland, became good friends. Mr. Katz, a member of a commission that helped Portola Valley incorpo-rate in the 1960s, still lives in the Portola Valley house Peter grew up in. They’ve always shared a love of the outdoors, especially skiing and backpacking, as well as music and the arts, says Peter. They performed on stage together in school pro-ductions of “Guys and Dolls” and “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” They remember an idyllic childhood in the close-knit Portola Valley community. “We rode our bikes every-where. We’d go off all day long. Our parents would say ‘So long. Be home by dark,’” Bob says. There was trick-or

treating on Halloween, carol-ing at Christmas and annual “Turkey Bowls” played at

Thanksgiving. “We were pretty much insep-arable. We had a spare bed at our house that was referred to as Bob’s bed,” says Peter. “Even our dogs visited each other.” Peter went on to UC Berke-ley; Bob played soccer at

Canada College and Hayward State. Peter started a career in high tech and settled on

the Peninsula. He works with tech startups as a marketing con-sultant and lives in Menlo Park’s Sharon Heights area with his

wife, Meg Marks, and sons Zack, 14, and Ben, 13. Bob pursued music, includ-ing attending Berklee Col-lege of Music in Boston and later performing and teaching music in Taiwan. He has his own blues band, “Souls of Blue,” which will play at the party, and gives private les-sons, mostly in guitar. He lives with his wife, Kelly O’Connor, in Redwood City. Bob was best man at Peter’s wedding (1994); and Peter at Bob’s (1999). During three summers in high school, Peter’s grand-parents took both boys to Drakesbad Guest Ranch in Lassen National Park. While there, the boys met “two old

Celebrating 50 years of friendship

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C A L L I N G O N T H E A L M A N AC

‘We rode our bikes everywhere. We’d go off all day long. Our parents would say “So long.

Be home by dark.”’

BOB HOLLAND

Almanac photo by Michelle Le

Best friends Peter Katz, left, and Bob Holland—here and below.

See FRIENDS, page 14

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M E N L O P A R K | A T H E R T O N | W O O D S I D E | P O R T O L A V A L L E Y

Mayor, Facebook smiling over development terms■ Council to vote on agree-ment this week.By Barbara WoodSpecial to the Almanac

Both Facebook and Menlo Park officials say they are happy with the terms of an agreement the two have

come up with that will allow Facebook to have as many as 6,600 employees on its current campus. The agreement is scheduled for a vote by the Menlo Park City Council when it meets next Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Menlo Park City Council Chambers, 701 Laurel St. After 10 weeks of negotiations between

Facebook and city officials, a draft of the terms for the development agreement between the social networking giant and the city was released on April 12. Mayor Kirsten Keith said she is “very hap-py” with the proposed terms. “I’m very please and I think everybody worked very well on creating this and I hope to see it approved on Tuesday,” she said. Mayor Keith said most of items that were important to the city ended up in the agreement including items that ben-efit East Palo Alto. Facebook is “a fabulous addition to Menlo Park and we are very fortunate to

have them here,” she said. Facebook spokesman Tucker Bounds said Facebook plans “to be a very good neighbor and these generous propos-

als strongly underscore that commitment.” The terms, he said, include “a comprehensive range of commitments to

Menlo Park that build upon the inherent benefits we believe flow from Facebook’s entry into the community.” In addition to the changes Facebook wants to make at its current site near the intersection of Willow Road and Bayfront Expressway, it is also seeking permission to eventually expand even further by building new offices and a

parking garage on the nearby Constitu-tion Drive site that could house another 2,800 employees. That development will be the subject of future negotiations and is not part of this development agree-ment. After Tuesday’s meeting, the Menlo Park Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the Facebook project, including the environmental report and the development agreement on May 7; the council will hold another hearing on May 29, with June 5 expected to be the date for final action by the council. Among the development agreement terms

MENLO PARK

See FACEBOOK, page 7

City reveals details of proposed downtown plan in memos■ EIR scheduled for release Thursday.By Barbara WoodSpecial to the Almanac

Refinements in the long-range plan that will govern development in downtown

Menlo Park and along El Camino Real for the next 30 years will be released by the city on Thursday afternoon, April 19, when it pub-lishes the environmental impact report and final version of the El Camino Real/Downtown Specific Plan in preparation for Planning Commission discussion on Mon-day, April 30. Go to tinyurl.com/plan-42911 if you can’t wait to read the details of the final EIR and want to read city memos that were posted Friday on more than a dozen items the coun-cil had asked to explore further. Among the highlights:

■ Parking garage in Plaza 2. The memo says a parking structure on Parking Plaza 2 could provide between 250 and 310 parking spaces, depending on whether part of the parcel is left as a small park. The five-level structure would replace 95 existing spaces, with one level underground. ■ El Camino roadway and sidewalks. The memo suggests that four lanes with bike lanes and on-street parking is the preferred configuration for El Camino Real, and also suggests including curb extensions to improve pedestrian safety. ■ Senior housing. The memo recommends allowing senior housing in mixed-use zones, but without creating a separate zoning designation. Suggested developer incentives include reduced park-ing requirements and increased

Community has new venue to mingle while sampling range of ‘street food’

Photo by Michelle Le/The Almanac

Lilly Mallinckrodt, left, and her sister Amanda enjoyed traditional Neopolitan pizza fresh from a wood-fired oven run by the mobile restaurant Rolling In Dough Pizza on April 5 in Portola Valley.

By Dave BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

The evening of March 22 in Portola Valley saw an upward bump in the number of popular places to eat, and the town may

never be quite the same. The status quo returned later that night, but a Thursday evening routine had begun, one that is expected to continues until some time in August. People now gather in the parking lot of Christ Episcopal Church at 815 Portola Road between 5 and 7 p.m. to line up in front of food trucks for street food, or what passes for it on the Pen-

insula. The church is hosting the event to build community awareness, members told the Alma-nac. “I think the food truck is Northern Califor-nia’s equivalent of street food,” said Jill Horn, the chief operating officer of Mobile Gourmet, an umbrella company that arranges for the varied offerings from some 28 food trucks. Ms. Horn, who happens to live in Portola Valley, co-founded the company with Lorring Jones of Pleasanton. While these trucks may sell tacos, they do not announce their arrival with La Cucaracha

Noisy nights for Caltrain neighbors Caltrain has announced that nighttime training of new train engineers may disrupt the sleep of nearby residents for several weeks. The training started on April 11 and runs through May 24, and may occur from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., Monday through Thursday, and also during some daytime and weekend hours. Jayme Ackemann, Caltrain’s government affairs officer, warns “communities located near the corridor will notice an increase in horn noise and

gate down time during the overnight hours as the train-ing runs operate through their area.” The training will also take place on weekends when trains may be running at off-schedule times but will not pick up pas-sengers. The training is planned to make the new engineers more familiar with local crossings and other local characteristics. Those who want to leave comments or concerns can call 508-7726.

See SPECIFIC, page 8

See STREET FOOD, page 9


N E W S

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■ Trails Committee might find itself with a new name and a new mission.By Dave BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

It’s crowded on Woodside’s roads, paths and trails. Cyclists, equestrians, pedestrians and

motorists, residents and non-residents, contend sometimes for their right to proceed, whether to a beach, a park, a winding rural road, a garage, a parking space. Weekends are notoriously dif-ficult, and any day can be risky going by foot or bike to the town center or the school. It’s an old story for residents, and there are inflexible realities that bear on it, including narrow roads and fixed rights of way. A knotty problem, to be sure. Sounds like a job for a citizens advisory committee, the Town Council said at its April 10 meet-ing. Citizens advisory committees happen to be on the minds of council members. With the town’s general plan recently revised, it is an opportune time, they said, to consider the missions of the nine advisory committees and whether they line up with the goals in the revised plan. One goal addresses the issue of getting around town, referred to as circulation: “Improve the circulation system to balance the needs of motorists, bicyclists, equestrians, and pedestrians.” The council considered the idea of a Circulation Committee that could perhaps absorb purviews of the Trails Committee, which tends to focus on equestrian issues, and the Bicycle Commit-tee. If there is a third rail in Wood-side politics, it is equestrian issues. The council touched it, albeit gently, in appearing to question the existence of the generically named Trails Committee. An equestrian focus, council mem-bers said, may be better suited for a new committee dedicated solely to equestrian interests and heritage. Then there are the cyclists. If there is a thorn in the side of Woodside culture, it is out-of-town cyclists. The town is inun-dated with them on weekends and visited by a knot of 50 to 100 every weekday around noon. The Bicycle Committee rarely meets; reaching a quorum is reportedly difficult. Significantly, observers have described the bicy-cle and trails committees as not on speaking terms. A Circulation Committee could start a dialog.

Go for it, said Bicycle Commit-tee Chair Millo Fenzi and some 12 other residents in a letter to the council. A postscript names 30 more residents who wrote letters for the record, including “con-cerned parents” and members of the local school board and PTA. Not so fast, said Trails Com-mittee member Mary Fentress Hall, who said she was speaking for herself. The Trails Committee embodies important and esoteric knowledge on how to oversee a complex system of horse trails. Pedestrians are “in the mind-set” of the committee, but because pedestrians never attend meet-ings, “something is getting lost,” Ms. Hall said. “If the pedestrians don’t feel represented, they need to come to the meetings and tell us what we’re not doing prop-erly.” “Bicycles, I admit, we’ve done nothing for,” she said. “The Bicy-cle Committee needs a lot more help in trying to solve their thing with cars.” “The situation around Town Center ... is a disaster for every-body,” Ms. Hall added. “I know what the solutions are, it’s just that the California Department of Transportation doesn’t want them.” (Caltrans regulates state Highway 84, Woodside’s artery.)

Fighting it out? On the council, Mayor Dave Tanner and members Ron Romines and Deborah Gordon expressed support for the idea of re-examining committee mis-sions. Councilwoman Anne Kasten said she wanted to hear more from the committees. (Councilmen Dave Burow and Peter Mason were absent.) Councilman Tom Shanahan spoke up for preserving the committees as constituted, with a trial run for a Circulation Committee focused on con-gestion in the center of town. If interests on the circulation and trails committees were to overlap, “let them fight it out,” Mr. Shanahan said. “I think you guys are in a cloud of never-never land.” Don’t disband what’s work-ing, said Alexis Bartlo, of the Livestock and Animal Control Committee, whose members are mostly equestrians. Equestrian concerns are the ones “most endangered when it comes to pragmatic solutions,” she said. Mayor Tanner asked her how she would deal with an overlap

See CHARTER, page 7

WOODSIDE


N E W S

in committee interests. The Circulation Committee should focus on Town Center congestion, Ms. Bartlo replied. Mr. Romines asked about the idea of creating an Equestrian Committee. “My concern is that if it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Ms. Bar-tlo replied, and suggested that the Trails Committee simply contribute two members to the Circulation Committee.

Centers of passion Mr. Fenzi said the council should think about committees as serving centers of community passion, one of which is the con-venience or lack of it in getting around Woodside. As for equestrian concerns,

they represent “an immense passion that needs its place to be,” Mr. Fenzi added. Bicycle issues are a four-watt bulb compared with the 5,000 watts around equestrian concerns, he said. There’s more to come. Town Hall staff will be developing a draft charter for a Circulation Committee, based on Portola Valley’s recently formed Bicycle, Pedestrian & Traffic Safety Committee. A

are:■ Facebook will make annual

payments to Menlo Park, to make up for the sales taxes that a dif-ferent type of business might pay, once the agreement to allow more than the current limit of 3,600 employees on campus is in place. The payments would be $800,000 per year for years one to five; $900,000 per year for years six to 10; $1,000,000 per year for years 11 to15; and then adjusted annually above $1 million. based on changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the remaining years. The first 10 years of payments are guaranteed, but after that Face-book can revert to the previous cap of 3,600 employees or lower the number of vehicle trips allowed in and out of the campus and reduce the payment.

■ Facebook will make a one-time-payment to the city of $1.1 million that the city can use for any capital improvement projects.

■ Facebook will make an addi-tional payment to the city if the city secures other funding for measures that are required by the Environmental Impact Report, such as roadway improvements.

■ Facebook will create a local community fund with an initial $500,000 contribution. The fund will be created in partnership with an existing nonprofit organization and will have at least three board members appointed by Facebook, one appointed by Menlo Park and one appointed by East Palo Alto.

■ Facebook will create a high school internship program for stu-dents who live in the Ravenswood School District boundaries with at least 10 internships each summer.

■ Facebook will sponsor job-training programs and events. It will work with a local train-ing program such as Jobtrain to expand training for local residents, create an ongoing quarterly series of career development workshops, and host a session on how to become a Facebook employee as well as requiring future vendors to notify local residents when they are hiring.

■ Facebook will provide hous-ing assistance through potential investments in low-income hous-ing tax credits and will support a housing project in Menlo Park, by either investing in the project, committing to leasing units or allowing the developer to market the project to Facebook employ-ees.

■ Facebook will cooperate to underground electrical transmis-sion lines.

■ Facebook will work to help close the Bay Trail Gap and may

help pay some of the costs of the project. ■ Facebook will participate in the Caltrans Adopt-a-Highway program for five years. ■ Facebook will continue the Facebucks program with local businesses for at least three years. It will try to use local vendors for on-campus goods and services and will use the Menlo Gateway hotel if that project is developed. ■ Facebook will promote local volunteer opportunities for Face-book employees. ■ Facebook will improve the Bayfront Expressway undercross-ing. ■ Facebook will explore the cre-ation of a Willow Road business improvement district and contrib-ute seed funding of up to $50,000. ■ Facebook will make ecologi-cally sensitive improvements to the existing public trails around the perimeter of the east campus, working to make the area more pedestrian friendly. ■ When performing work that might affect the baylands, Face-book will hire an environmental consultant. ■ Facebook will cooperate with the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge and adopt various policies to protect the local wildlife and ecosystem. ■ Facebook will maintain and improve nearby levees. ■ Facebook will adhere to a vehicle trip cap of 15,000 per day, with no more than 2,600 each in the morning and evening com-mute hours, from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to 6 p.m. ■ Facebook will try to get a Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design (LEED) gold award for the energy efficiency of every building on the campus. ■ Facebook will pay for bicycle and pedestrian improvements in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. ■ Facebook will pay up to $1 million for pedestrian crossing improvements at Willow Road and US-101. ■ The agreement is contingent on Facebook’s coming to an agreement with East Palo Alto. Although not part of the term sheet for the development agreement, the staff report for Tuesday’s meeting says that Facebook has agreed to stiff financial penalties for violating the trip cap. The penalty would be $50 per trip per day, with the penalty doubling if the cap is exceeded in two consecutive months or for four months within any six-month period. The penalty would double again if the cap was exceeded for six consecutive months. The staff report also says that because the Facebook offices are so close to East Palo Alto part of any penalties paid will probably

be shared with East Palo Alto, but that the percentage has not yet been agreed upon. Facebook announced it would be moving to Menlo Park, tak-ing over the former Sun Micro-systems site at Willow Road and Bayfront Expressway, in Febru-ary 2011, moving the last of its nearly 2,000 local employees onto the campus by late Decem-ber of last year. This February the company announced plans to sell its stock to the public, with the terms of the initial public offering put-ting the value of the company at $5 billion. Under state law development agreements enable a city to grant a longer-term approval in exchange for demonstrable public benefits. The terms of the development agreement must be acceptable to both parties and the terms cannot be imposed. Facebook has entered into a separate agreement with the Menlo Park Fire Protection Dis-trict, addressing some of the district’s concerns. While dis-trict officials were not immedi-ately available for comment, the staff report for Tuesday’s coun-cil meeting says Facebook has agreed to install special traffic signals near the site that emer-gency vehicles can use to over-ride signal timing. A

Officials smiling over termsFACEBOOK continued from page 5

A number of public meetings to consider the Facebook develop-ment are scheduled between now and June. Here are some important dates:■ Monday, April 23, the final environmental Impact Report (EIR) and final financial impact assessment (FIA) are scheduled for public release. The docu-ments will be available on Menlo Park’s Facebook Campus Project page, at menlopark.org; and in hard copy in the Community Development department at City Hall, 701 Laurel St.; and the Menlo Park library, 800 Alma St.■ Monday, May 7 — Planning Commission public hearing to review and make a recommenda-tion on the requested East Cam-pus Conditional Development Permit amendment, heritage tree removals, final EIR, final FIA and development agreement.■ Tuesday, May 29 — City Council public hearing to review the requested East Campus Conditional Development Per-mit amendment, heritage tree removals, final EIR, final FIA, and introduction of an ordinance for the development agreement.■ Tuesday, June 5 — City Council second reading of the ordinance for the development agreement.Contact Rachel Grossman at [email protected] or 330-6737 for more information.

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Woodside advisory committeesCHARTER continued from page 6

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density allowances. ■ Retail grouping along El Camino Real. The memo sup-ports making El Camino Real a mixed-use neighborhood with pedestrian-friendly retail, includ-ing restaurants and small stores, along with offices and residences. It suggests grouping retail uses along El Camino near downtown Menlo Park and at Middle Avenue and El Camino. ■ Economic analysis of regula-tions for potential projects. The memo says mixed-use residential development with the proposed densities should generate a profit for the developers at current land

values, but residential develop-ment with the proposed densities might have more financial prob-lems. Worse off are mixed-use office projects at current market rents, which do not appear economi-cally feasible even with increased density. “Under current market con-ditions, it is unlikely that new office development will occur in the study area for most small and large parcels,” the memo says. Other items discussed in the memos include building heights and setbacks, bike lanes, sustain-ability, live/work zoning and res-taurants. A


Over the first three months of 2012, donors gave a total of $79,896 to the eight

candidates running for the District 4 seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, according to campaign finance reports provided by the county Elections Office. Although the candidates rep-resent districts, they run-county wide, and that can be expensive. Among the expenses: buying a refined list of likely voters, and hir-ing a campaign consultant who can develop an effective strategy. With turnout expected to be low in the June election, candidates focus on the 100,000 or so people expected to vote in a county of 333,000 registered voters. Impress-ing those likely voters with key endorsements from elected officials is seen as crucial.

In the June election, if none of the eight candidates in the District 4 race gets more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two voter-getters run again in November, when the presidential race will attract a far larger voter turnout. The District 4 seat is now occu-pied by Rose Jacobs Gibson, who is termed out. The district includes Menlo Park, Redwood City, East Palo Alto and unincorporated North Fair Oaks and Oak Knoll. Running unopposed for re-elec-tion in their districts are incumbent supervisors Dave Pine and Adri-enne Tissier.

Money raised Shelly Masur, a member of the Redwood City School Board, continues to lead in fundraising. She has raised $60,940, including $32,738 during the most recent reporting period, Jan. 1 to March

17. Kirsten Keith, the mayor of Men-lo Park, joined the race in early Feb-ruary and has raised $15,342. She also lent her campaign $10,000. Guillermo “Memo” Morantes, a member of the county Board of Education, has raised $23,997, and has lent his campaign an additional $25,000. Warren Slocum, the former San Mateo County chief elections officer and assessor-county clerk-recorder, joined the contest in early March and has raised $10,950. Carlos Romero, a member of the East Palo Alto City Council, has raised $6,450 and lent his campaign an additional $35,000. Ernesto “Ernie” Schmidt, a Red-wood City planning commissioner,

has raised a total of $12,299. Andy Cohen, a member of the Menlo Park City Council, joined the race in early February and has raised $1,610, and lent his campaign an additional $8,000. David E. Woods, a member of the East Palo Alto City Council, has raised a total of $1,000. Three candidates spent money on political consultants: $23,300 spent by Mr. Morantes, $6,250 by Mr. Schmidt, and $4,000 by Ms. Masur.

Donors The eight candidates for District 4 collected contributions from 203 donors during the first three months of the year. Some of the better-known donors are listed below. (A more complete list will be posted on AlmanacNews.com.) ■ For Shelly Masur: Woodside investment manager Ken Fisher gave $1,000, while San Mateo County Supervisor Don Horsley gave $500 from his 2010 campaign

fund. Former Menlo Park mayor Heyward Robinson gave $250. ■ For Kirsten Keith: Property developer David Bohannon gave $1,000. Former county supervisor Mike Nevin of Daly City gave $500, as did Menlo Park architect Sam Sinnott. Former council members Lee Duboc and Dee Tolles each gave $250; Menlo Park Fire Protec-tion District board member Robert Silano gave $200; former council-man Chuck Kinney, community activist Henry Riggs and Stanford University spokesman Larry Hor-ton each gave $100; and Council-woman Kelly Fergusson gave $50. ■ For Warren Slocum: Former deputy assessor Terry Flinn of San Mateo gave $1,000. Former county controller Tom Huening gave $500. ■ For Carlos Romero: Portola Valley Mayor Maryann Moise Derwin gave $1,000. Giving $100 each were former Menlo Park mayors Mary Jo Borak and Steve Schmidt. A

Supervisor candidates raise $80,000 E L E C T O N

2 0 1 2

■ Mitt Romney’s local take: $399,000.By Dave BoyceAlmanac Staff Writer

Individuals listing ZIP codes in the Almanac’s area — Atherton, Menlo Park, Por-

tola Valley and Woodside — have given approximately $1.26 million to the Democratic and Republican presidential cam-paigns as of Feb. 29, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks money in politics. President Barack Obama’s campaign received a total of $802,993 as of Feb. 29 from indi-viduals who listed ZIP codes in Atherton, Menlo Park, Portola Valley and Woodside, according to the OpenSecrets.org, the web-site of the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C.

Former Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign take from those same four communities was about half that: $399,390, according to the website. Under the law, individuals are limited to donations of $2,500 per campaign for each election. Since there are two elections this year — the primary in June and the general in the November — an individual’s total gift can reach $5,000. If such donations count for anything in an era of no limits at all for “super” political action committees, local donors to Mr. Obama’s campaign appear to be blowing the doors off the fund-raising of his likely opponent in the fall, Mr. Romney. However, because Mr. Obama is the unopposed choice of his party, his donors have been allowed to give for both the pri-

Local donors give $803,000 to Obama

By Barbara WoodSpecial to the Almanac

The Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed Kirsten Keith in the crowded

race for a seat on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, Men-lo Park Mayor Keith announced in press release on April 8. What Ms. Keith didn’t say, however, is that the Sierra Club has also endorsed another can-didate, Redwood City School Board member Shelly Masur. At least one local newspaper ran the news of Ms. Keith’s endorse-ment without mentioning Ms. Masur, and was asked to run a

correction by the Sierra Club. “Both are really good candi-dates — the county would be lucky to have either of them,” said Melissa Hippard, endorse-ment team leader for Loma Prieta Sierra Club Chapter. She said the chapter has not issued its own press release about the endorsement because they cover three counties and are mak-ing endorsements in dozens of races, so want to issue only one press release per county after all the endorsements are decided. Six of the eight supervisor can-didates went through the Sierra Club’s rigorous endorsement pro-cess, Ms. Hippard said, including

face-to-face interviews and written responses to questions. The club looks for environmental leaders it thinks it can work with, she said, and both Ms. Keith, whom the chapter had endorsed when she ran for a City Council seat, and Ms. Masur met their criteria. “It’s unusual if not unheard of” to endorse two candidates, Ms. Hippard said, but they have made other dual endorsements. Lest one think Ms. Keith an opportunist for not mentioning the endorsement was a dual one, Ms. Masur on her website also claims the Sierra Club endorse-ment, without mentioning Ms. Keith. A

Sierra Club endorses Keith, Masur

mary and general elections, and some 107 individuals listing ZIP codes in the Almanac’s circula-tion area have done that. Mr. Romney’s donors are lim-ited to individual donations of $2,500. If he is nominated, they can give up to $2,500 more.

With the general election donations factored out, Mr. Obama’s total drops to about $619,500. Just one resident is on record as having given significantly to both parties: Timothy Draper, a principal at the Menlo Park ven-

ture capital firm of Draper Fisher Jurvetson. Mr. Draper gave the $2,500 maximum to Mr. Romney for his primary campaign, and gave that same amount twice to Mr. Obama, once for the primary and once for the general election. A

SPECIFIC continued from page 5

Local presidential campaign donors Atherton Menlo Park Portola Valley Woodside Candidate totals

Barack Obama $211,662 $270,393 $114,863 $206,075 $802,993* from 71 donors 143 donors from 76 donors from 98 donors from 388 donors

Mitt Romney $155,950 $85,900 $63,940 $93,600 $399,390 from 86 donors from 59 donors from 40 donors from 64 donors from 249 donors

Ron Paul $5,500 $2,407 $2,750 $16,204 $26,861

Newt Gingrich $18,750 $1,250 $1,500 $2,500 $24,000

Rick Santorum $3,250 $2,000 $1,250 -- $6,500

Community totals $204,612 $361,950 $184,303 $318,379 $1.26 million

* Barack Obama’s numbers are skewed because he is the unopposed choice of his party and, therefore, his donors can give up to $5,000 — $2,500 for the primary election and $2,500 for the general election. Mitt Romney donors are limited to $2,500 donations until he is nomi-nated.

Source: Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets.org)


Menlo Park’s library will close for up to a month starting some time in May

to install new carpeting, remodel the circulation area and ready the library for a new radio frequency identification (RFID) check-out system. The City Council approved the project at its March 13 meeting, yet the exact dates of the closure had not been made public by the

Almanac’s press time. Library Director Susan Holmer told the Almanac that she is work-ing on a press release and “FAQs” — frequently asked questions — which should be available by early this week. According to a report made to the council by Ruben Nino, assistant director of public works, the library carpeting has not been replaced since 1991. The new carpeting will be installed in the form of tiles so worn areas can more easily be

replaced, Mr. Nino reported. The upgrades to the circulation area, which were approved in 2006, will make it easier for patrons to check out their own items and improve the staff work areas, he said. The RFID system will offer the library more security and ease of checkout, and better inventory con-trol, Mr. Nino reported. The system will be purchased and installed by the county library system. The carpet replacement is expect-ed to cost about $115,000, while the remodeling of the circulation area will cost another $90,000, Mr. Nino’s report says. A

playing from a loudspeaker. A 2012 Michelin star shines over Sanguchon, a truck associated with the Peruvian restaurant La Costanera in Montara. The Sanguchon truck visited Portola Valley on April 5 and eventually ran out of $8 pulled pork sandwiches, one of which went to this reporter who, while eating it, paused to look around for angels and other indications of a heavenly venue. Sanguchon will return, but probably not right away, Ms. Horn said. “We kind of juggle what we think the people would like,” she said. “We always have something that will appeal to the kids in addition to some-thing that the adults can’t nor-mally get.” The kids meal that night: pizza

from a wood-fired portable oven, at $12. Participation has grown from Mobile Gourmet’s first days at the Hiller Aviation museum in San Carlos, where a noon routine continues. The ball really got rolling with the arrival of Viet-namese sandwiches by Nom-Nom, a regular on the reality TV show Great American Food Truck Race, Ms. Horn said. “It boosted our attendance there and encouraged other trucks to work with us,” she said. “Lots of trucks are now calling us.” She and her partner vet would-be participants in the obvious way: They try their food. If they like it, the truck is invited to the Hiller Aviation event, and if that works out, they graduate to places like Portola Valley and the 3rd Door restaurant in Palo Alto,

Ms. Horn said. Is cleanliness a factor? “It actu-ally is really important,” Ms. Horn said. “We’re close with the different health departments. The health inspectors are really thorough.” And imagination in the menu, where does that rank? “It’s really important” to have food that can’t be easily found in a restau-rant, she said. Part of the charm is the novel-ty. “People like to be outside and they like the tables and chairs and they like umbrellas and they like it to be a good atmosphere,” she said. The run on pulled pork sand-wiches is a growing pain, an indication that they’re still working on how many people to expect, Ms. Horn said. “In gen-eral, they don’t run out,” she added. A


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They lined up for Peruvian street food in Portola Valley on April 5, a selection that night from among 28 food-truck gourmet menus managed by Portola Valley resident Jill Horn, co-founder of Mobile Gourmet.

Community mingles and feasts

Menlo library to close for month some time in May for renovation

STREET FOODcontinued from page 5




The pain in Carol Driesen’s left shoulder started out as the kind of garden variety arthritis ache that many people usually begin to notice sometime in their 50s. Driesen tried a variety of arthritis medi-cations with little effect. Then came the day when she decided to do something more. “I was taking a class, sitting at a desk, not doing anything physical and still practically whimpering from the pain,” Driesen said.

First, she tried arthroscopy, a mini-mally invasive procedure to smooth the roughened edges of bone within her left shoulder joint. Finding little relief from that procedure, she took the next step, a full joint replacement, in 2000. A year after that surgery, not only was there again little change in pain, but she also lost much of her shoulder’s range of mo-tion. Driesen gave up. “I just figured I had to make do with it.”

Driesen did her best to make do. She is right-handed; after several years, however, she noticed that her increas-ing dependence on that right arm had a downside: The pain in that shoulder increased, too. Not wanting to push that shoulder beyond its limits, Driesen finally decided to risk another surgery. This time, she would make certain that she would choose the most experienced orthopaedic surgeon she could find and someone who specialized in shoulder replacement. “I really wanted to make sure that this time it would be done right,” she said. Even at 76, she was still active, a busy woman who often baby-sat

her toddler granddaughter. She was not willing to settle for pain reduction only; she wanted function, too.

After some considered looking, she found John Costouros, MD, at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. Costouros told her what she already suspected: Her only option was a surgery very different from her original. To restore her ability to move her shoulder, she needed a reverse shoulder replacement.

The anatomy of the shoulder presents a special challenge for repairs. The ball-shaped top of the humerus bone fits neatly into the glenoid, the curved space at the end of the scapula. A standard shoulder replacement puts a new cap on the humerus and a new lining on the curved wall on the glenoid. But the joint gains most of its mobility from a ring of muscles and tendons called the rotator cuff. If that cuff is torn beyond repair, the standard shoulder replacement will do little to restore the shoulder’s func-tion or to eliminate pain.

Different Thinking

With the reverse shoulder replacement, the humerus is transformed into the new base for the socket, capped with a socket-shaped top; the curve of the gle-

noid becomes the new ball, implanted with a rounded platform. The deltoid muscle then takes over for the rota-tor cuff and acts as the lever for the arm, becoming the prime mover of the shoulder joint.

Driesen’s bone loss was so substantial and her rotator cuff so damaged that the reverse shoulder pro-cedure was the only option. Costouros also would need to take

A community health education series from Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Reversing Anatomy Remakes Shoulders

“ I really wanted to make sure that this time it would be done right.”

– Carol Driesen, patient, Stanford Hospital & Clinics The pain in Carol Driesen’s left shoulder started out as the kind of garden variety arthritis ache that many people

usually begin to notice sometime in their 50s. Driesen tried a variety of arthritis medications with little eff ect.

Carol Driesen wanted to make sure her second shoulder replacement would be done right. Even at 76, she was still active, a busy woman who often baby-sat her toddler granddaughter. She was not willing to settle for pain reduction only; she wanted function, too. Three months after her surgery at Stanford, she’s well on her way.

Norbert von der G

roeben

Norbert von der G

roeben

part of her pelvic bone as a graft to re-construct her glenoid so it would be sta-ble enough to support the new implant.

It would be a complicated surgery, but Driesen had confidence in Costouros. The reverse shoulder procedure was performed in Europe for decades before it was approved for use in the United States, in 2004. Costouros did an ad-ditional fellowship in Switzerland with one of the field’s most prominent sur-geons to gain additional experience with the reverse shoulder replacement and other innovative procedures.

“I really had the opportunity to learn from everything they’d learned over the years in Europe,” Costouros said. By the time Driesen came to see him at Stan-

ford, he had completed more than 300 reverse shoulder surgeries. He had also become a well-known trainer of other surgeons throughout the country.

“I liked him very much,” Driesen said. “He didn’t push and he told me what I might expect. He was very confident and his confidence built mine.”

“ In the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve really seen an explosion in our understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder and of things that happen at the molecular level.”

– John Costouros, MD, orthopaedic surgeon, Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Driesen’s surgeon, John Costouros, did a fellowship in Switzerland with one of the world’s foremost experts in reverse shoulder procedure. “I really had the opportunity to learn from everything they’d learned over the years,” Costouros said. By the time Driesen came to see Costouros at Stanford, he had completed more than 300 reverse shoulder surgeries.


Shoulder replacements are a rela-tively new procedure. The first widely used shoulder implant be-came available in the early 1950s and was based on designs for hip replacements. It was very much a one-size-fits-all, Costouros said, with little adaptability for differ-ences in body size. “They didn’t perform very well,” he said. By the 1990s, the parts for shoulder replacements had become more modular, so surgeons could choose the proper size for each patient.

Discovering New Options

The combined improvements, and the introduction of the reverse shoulder procedure, have made shoulder replacements the fastest growing segment of joint replace-ment types, Costouros said. “In the last 10 to 15 years, we’ve really seen an explosion in our understanding of the anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder, better surgical techniques, and things that happen at the mo-lecular level,” he said. “Because of that, we’ve been able to design better implants and better implantation methods. Outcomes and longevity of shoulder implants today are far supe-rior, enabling patients to obtain predict-able pain relief and function that in past years was not possible”

In Driesen’s shoulder, Costouros saw the kind of deterioration that has become well known to occur in older implants. “The prosthesis had loosened in the socket, and its plastic showed wear. It had all shifted and migrated due to the development of a rotator cuff tear.” Without the surgery, Driesen would have lost more and more function, he said, and her pain would have increased. “This procedure really is a life-changing and dramatic intervention for patients,” he said.

In the future, Costouros said, such replacements may be outdated by cell-based therapies to modulate conditions like arthritis.

Driesen was hospitalized for just two days after her surgery. “I was progress-

Stanford Hospital & Clinics is known worldwide for advanced treatment of complex disorders in areas such as cardiovascular care, cancer treatment, neurosciences, surgery, and organ transplants. It is currently ranked No. 17 on the U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” list and No. 1 in the San Jose Metropolitan area. Stanford Hospital & Clinics is internationally recognized for translating medical breakthroughs into the care of patients. The Stanford University Medical Center is comprised of three world renowned institutions: Stanford Hospital & Clinics, the Stanford University School of Medicine, the oldest medical school in the Western United States, and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, an adjacent pediatric teaching hospital providing general acute and tertiary care. For more information, visit http://stanfordhospital.org/.

special feature

Looking over the Shoulder How It Works

Its boney structure is simple−the ball at the top of the arm bone, or humerus, and the socket, the curved portion of the scapula, called the glenoid.

It has the widest range of motion of any joint in the body, and so is prone to a variety of unique injuries.

The motion of shoulder is enabled by soft tissue structures: the circular set of muscles that form the rotator cuff provide elevation and rotation of the shoulder; the deltoid muscle; a part of the biceps muscle; ligaments; tendons; joint capsule; and several bursa, fluid-filled sacs that act as buffers between the bones and tendons.

How It Goes Wrong Ironically, the more active we are the more likely we are to injure the shoulder. Age is another aggressor against the shoulder as are genetics: Osteoarthritis often affects the shoulder joint.

The most commonly injured part of the shoulder is the rotator cuff, the combination of muscles, tendons and ligaments that provides the shoulder its widest range of motion. Unfortunately, the rotator cuff is sensitive to repetitive motions like pitching a baseball, swinging a tennis racquet, or swimming. Contact sports like wrestling or football, however, often cause sprains, strains, dislocations and occasionally tears of important structures of the shoulder.

Many shoulder injuries can be treated with injections of anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy and activity modification. Surgery might be required if conservative treatment fails or will not cure the problem. Many procedures to repair the shoulder are now possible with the minimally invasive approach called arthroscopic surgery, performed through small incisions and as an outpatient procedure.

Norbert von der G

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For more information about the reverse shoulder procedure at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, visit stanfordhospital.org/reverseshoulder or call 1.866.742.4811.

Join us at http://stanfordhospital.org/socialmedia. Watch the new Stanford Hospital Health Notes television show on Comcast: channel 28 on Mondays at 8:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.; channel 30 Saturdays at 10:30 p.m. It can also be viewed at www.youtube.com/stanfordhospital.

On the left, Driesen’s original shoulder replacement implant; on the right, her reversed shoulder implant, with the ball shape implanted into the glenoid and a new socket at the top of her humerus.

ing so quickly and I was off all pain medications after 10 days,” she said. “I’ve had no pain since then.” She began physical therapy, which she said hasn’t been painful either and continues now at two months following surgery. “It has increased my range of motion to the point where lying down I can lift my arm from down at my side to up over my head and hold my arm straight up pretty much indefinitely,” she said.

Working with a physical therapist is very important, Costouros said, “be-cause of the complexity of the shoulder, it can be predisposed to stiffness. It’s important to work with a therapist throughout the different phases of re-covery, which usually take three to four months.”

Even though Driesen’s recovery will con-tinue as she builds back strength in her left arm, she is happy with the improve-ment. “It certainly has made me more comfortable and more able to do the things I want to do,” she said.

“ Outcomes and longevity of shoulder implants today are far superior, enabling patients to obtain predictable pain relief and function that in past years was not possible.”

– John Costouros, MD, orthopaedic surgeon, Stanford Hospital & Clinics

Working with a physical therapist is very important, Costouros said, “because of the complexity of the shoulder, it can be predisposed to stiff ness. It’s important to work with a therapist throughout the diff erent phases of recovery, which usually take three to four months.”


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Camp ConnectionG U I D E TO 2012 S U M M E R C A M P S F O R K I D S

Athletics

Bald Eagle Camps Mountain ViewBald Eagle Camps is the only camp Approved by the nationally recognized Positive Coaching Alliance, teaching their principles to every camper through our Certifi ed Coaches. We off er 3 uniquely FUN Summer Camps, each of which exude our encouraging team culture: Non-Traditional Sports Camp (1st-8th), Basketball Camp (3rd-8th), and Leadership Camp (7th-8th only). Come experience our positive atmosphere, great coaching, unique structure, inspiring life message and 5-STAR service. Bald Eagle Camps is guaranteed to be a highlight of your child’s summer.

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California Riding Academy’s

Camp Jumps For Joy! Menlo ParkJoin us this summer for fantastic and fun fi lled week with our beautiful horses and ponies! Each day Campers have riding instruction, develop horsemanship skills, create fun crafts and enjoy with our kids’ jump course. In addition, campers learn beginning vaulting, visit our Full Surgical Vet Clinic, and much more! Voted the best horse camp by discerning young campers. Choose English, Western or Cowboy/Cowgirl. Ages 5-15 welcome. Convenient close-in Menlo Park location and online Registration and Payment with either PayPal or Google Checkout.

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or [email protected] for more

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Champion Tennis Camp AthertonCTC programs provide an enjoyable way for your child to begin learning the game of tennis or to continue developing existing skills. Our approach is to create lots of fun with positive feedback and reinforcement in a nurturing tennis environment. Building self-esteem and confi dence through enjoyment on the tennis court is a wonderful gift a child can keep forever! Super Juniors Camps, ages 4 – 6. Juniors Camps, ages 6 - 14.

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Earl Hansen Football Camp Palo AltoNo tagline, no logo, just football. Earl Hansen Football camp is a non-contact camp for participants ages 9 to 14. Develop fundamental skills with proven drills and techniques. Sessions are 9:30 to 3:00, July 30 to August 3. Save 10% with Early Bird registration through April 30. Four morning practice days and 7 on 7 games in the afternoon. Lunch provided daily. Palo Alto High School Football Field.

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Glenoaks Stables’ Horse Camp Portola ValleyGiddy up your summer at Glenoaks Stables’ horse camp. Each full day of equestrian fun includes supervised riding, horsemanship, vaulting, pony games and arts & crafts. 6 one-week sessions. All skill levels welcome, ages 6+.

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Nike Tennis Camps Stanford University Dick Gould’s 43rd Annual Stanford Tennis School off ers day camps for both juniors a&dults. Weekly junior overnight & extended day camps run by John Whitlinger & Lele Forood. Junior Day Camp run by Brandon Coupe & Frankie Brennan.

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Oshman JCC Palo AltoExciting programs for preschool and grades K-12 include swimming, fi eld trips, crafts and more. Enroll your child in traditional camp, or specialty camps like Pirates, Archery, Runway Project, Kid TV and over 25 others!

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Palo Alto Elite Volleyball Club Palo Alto/

Summer Camp Menlo ParkGirls Volleyball - fastest growing, non-impact sport for girls, emphasizing team work. Camp provides age appropriate fundamentals; setting, hitting, passing, serving, plus; off ense vs defense strategy and learning rotations. 3rd - 12th grades (separate camps). High coach to player ratio. Email: [email protected]

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Spartans Sports Camp Mountain ViewSpartans Sports Camp off ers multi-sport, week-long sessions for boys and girls in grades 3-5 as well as sport-specifi c sessions for grades 6-9. There are also strength and conditioning camps for grades 6-12. Camps begin June 11th and run weekly through July 27th at Mountain View High School. The camp is run by MVHS coaches and student-athletes and all proceeds benefi t the MVHS Athletic Department. Lunch and extended care are available for your convenience. Spartans Sports Camp is also hosting two free basketball clinics on April 21st and May 6th from 10 am - 1 pm. Register today for the camps and free clinics on our website!

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Spring Down

Equestrian Center Portola ValleySpring Down camp teaches basic to advanced horsemanship skills. Ages 6-99 welcome! Daily informative lecture, riding lesson, supervised hands-on skill practice, safety around horses, tacking/untacking of own camp horse, and arts/crafts.

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Summer at Saint Francis Mountain ViewSports & Activity Camp (ages 6-12): This all sports camp provides group instruction in a variety of fi eld, water and court games. Saint Francis faculty and students staff the camp, and the focus is always on fun. The program is dedicated to teaching teamwork, sportsmanship and positive self-esteem. After camp care and swim lessons available.

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Summer at Saint Francis Mountain ViewAdvanced Sports Camps (5th-9th grades): We off er a wide selection of advanced sports camps designed to provide players with the opportunity to improve both their skill and knowledge of a specifi c sport. Each camp is run by a Head Varsity Coach at Saint Francis, and is staff ed by members of the coaching staff .


YMCA of Silicon Valley PeninsulaSay hello to summer fun at the YMCA! Choose from enriching day or overnight camps in 35 locations: arts, sports, science, travel, and more. For youth K-10th grade. Includes weekly fi eldtrips, swimming and outdoor adventures. Accredited by the American Camp Association. Financial assistance available.

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Academics

Galileo Los Altos/Palo Alto/Menlo Park/

Learning Woodside/HillsboroughGalileo Learning operates award-winning summer day camps at 31 Bay Area locations. Camp Galileo (pre-K - rising 5th graders): Inspires campers to bring their ideas to life through art, science and outdoor activities. Galileo Summer Quest (rising 5th - 8th graders): Campers dive into exciting majors like Chefology and Video Game Design.

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For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at http://paloaltoonline.com/biz/summercamps/. To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210

Summer 2012

(continued on next page)

Menlo council votes to continue 3-city high-speed rail lawsuit


Despite recently announced changes in the plans for high-speed

rail in California that lower the price and address other Pen-insula cities’ concerns, Menlo Park’s City Council agreed in an April 9 closed session meet-ing to continue a lawsuit it has filed with Atherton and Palo Alto against the California High Speed Rail Authority. In November a judge deliv-ered a mixed ruling on the suit, which was filed under the provisions of the Cali-fornia Environmental Qual-ity Act (CEQA). The ruling agreed with the Peninsula cities that the environmental impact report’s traffic analy-sis needs work. But the local cities also want the EIR to re-examine the projected ridership numbers, the effect of a two-track system that would combine Caltrain with new high speed trains, and the effect of elevated tracks on the areas, such as Menlo Park, that they would pass through, according to Menlo Park Public Works Director Chip Taylor. A press release issued after

the meeting said the council members believe “the newly proposed ‘blended system’ serves as a promising long term solution as it would improve the use of the exist-ing right of way, provide electrification and potentially provide a quieter, more effi-cient system.” However, council members still fear that the more inten-sive four-track system that was originally proposed could still be built because that option is focused on in all the environmental documents for the rail project. “None of the EIR versions have adequately considered or analyzed the ‘blended’ system set forth in the new business plan. In addition, the EIRs do not address the impact of having an elevated structure along the Peninsula,” the press release states. Mayor Kirsten Keith said in a statement that the city cannot fully support the proj-ect until the rail authority “provide(s) certainty that the four-track system is no lon-ger under consideration, that the ridership study will be redone, and that the project will not be exempt from the current CEQA process.”

guys” who said they’d been friends for 50 years. “We could do that, and a lot younger!” they thought. That was the genesis of their 10-year celebrations. The first: “Blast from the Past” took place in 1982 when each was 24. Two hundred people attended their first “Celebra-tion of Friendship” at Peter’s parents’ house, including six close friends leading a “celebrity roast.” “I catered it myself at $1.50 a head,” says Bob, with a laugh. The party was such a huge success they decided to repeat the event every 10 years. “It’s the ultimate schmooze fest.

Everybody catches up with each other,” says Bob. Last year the two families returned to Drakesbad, where Bob and Peter posed as the “two old guys” on the bench, who now could celebrate 50 years of friendship. The April 21 party will be multi-generational. Friends will f ly in from Washington, D.C., Seattle and Southern California. Steven Ullman of Los Angeles, a producer of stage plays, will return again to serve as master of ceremonies. June Fuji, their second-grade teacher, will be a special guest. After the party’s over, Peter and Bob will stop by that corner fire hydrant in Westridge and drink a toast to a friendship that has lasted 50 years.

FRIENDS continued from page 3

Good for Business. Good for the Community.

Good for You.


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Camp ConnectionG U I D E TO 2012 S U M M E R C A M P S F O R K I D S

Academics

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Summer School Camp Menlo ParkLearn German by way of Fairytale! GASPA is taking Summer Camp into the world of fairy tales and everything that comes with it…in German of course! Off ering a 4 week program for children ages 3-12.

www.gaspa-ca.org 650-520-3646

Harker Summer Programs San JoseK-12 off erings taught by exceptional, experienced faculty and staff . K-6 morning academics - focusing on math, language arts and science - and full spectrum of afternoon recreation. Grades 6-12 for-credit courses and non-credit enrichment opportunities. Sports programs also off ered.

www.summer.harker.org 408-553-0537

iD Tech Camps -

Summer Tech Fun! StanfordTake hobbies further! Ages 7-17 create iPhone apps, video games, movies, and more at weeklong, day and overnight programs held at Stanford and 60+ universities in 27 states.. Also 2-week, Teen-only programs: iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD visual Arts Academy (fi lmmaking & photography).

www.internalDrive.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)

iD Teen Academies StanfordLearn diff erent aspects of video game creation, app development, fi lmmaking, photography, and more. 2-week programs where ages 13-18 interact with industry professionals to gain competitive edge. iD Gaming Academy, iD Programming Academy, and iD Visual Arts Academy are held at Stanford, and other universities.

www.iDTeenAcademies.com 1-888-709-TECH (8324)

ISTP’s Language Immersion Summer CampISTP Summer Camp is designed to give participants a unique opportunity to spend their summer break having fun learning or improving in a second language. Students are grouped according to both grade level and language of profi ciency. Our camp off ers many immersion opportunities and consists of a combination of language classes and activities taught in the target language. Sessions are available in French, Mandarin, Chinese and English ESL and run Monday through Friday, 8am-3:30pm, with additional extnding care from 3:30-5:30pm.

www.istp.org 650-251-8519

Mid-Peninsula High School

Summer Program Menlo ParkMid-Peninsula High School off ers a series of classes and electives designed to keep students engaged in learning. Class Monday-Thursday and limited to 15 students. Every Thursday there’s a BBQ lunch. The Science and Art classes will have weekly fi eld trips.

www.mid-pen.com 650-321-1991 x110

SuperCamp Stanford Increases Grades, Confi dence and Motivation. Academic pressure to stand out. Social pressure to fi t in. It’s not easy being a high school or middle school student. Straight A or struggling, kids are overwhelmed by homework, activities, and technology distractions. SuperCamp provides strategies to help kids succeed. Bobbi DePorter created SuperCamp to empower kids. Now in its 30th year with 64,000 graduates, SuperCamp builds study skills, self-esteem, and test scores. SuperCamp works. Parent Patty M. says, “We saw a jump in grades … the things she learned about her worth are of lasting value.”

www.supercamp.com 1-800-285-3276.

Summer at Saint Francis Mountain ViewSummer at Saint Francis provides a broad range of academic and athletic programs for elementary through high school students. It is the goal of every program to make summer vacation enriching and enjoyable!


Synapse School & Wizbots Menlo ParkCutting-edge, imaginative, accelerated, integrated, and hands-on academic summer enrichment courses with independent in-depth, project-based morning and afternoon week-long programs for children ages 4-12. Young Explorers, Thinking Math, Leonardo da Vinci’s Inventions, Nature Connections, Girls’ & Soccer Robotics, and more!

synapseschool.org/curriculum/summer 650-866-5824

Write Now!

Summer Writing Camps Palo AltoEmerson School of Palo Alto and Hacienda School of Pleasanton open their doors and off er their innovative programs: Expository Writing, Creative Writing, Presentation Techniques, and (new!) Media Production. Call or visit our website for details. Also Pleasanton.

www.headsup.org 650-424-1267, 925-485-5750

Arts, Culture and Other Camps

Community School of

Music & Arts (CSMA ) Mountain View50+ creative camps for Gr. K-8! Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Musical Theater, American Idol Workshop, more! Two-week sessions; full and half-day enrollment. Extended care available. Financial aid off ered.

www.arts4all.org 650-917-6800 ext. 0

Creative Kids Camp Menlo ParkChildren entering Grades 1 to 8 are invited to explore the arts July 16 - 20, 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Workshops available in guitar, dance, voice, and songwriting. Put together a musical from start to fi nish. Performance on Friday night. Register online.

www.mppc.org 650-323-8647

India Community Center Palo Alto/ Sunnyvale/

Summer Camps Milpitas/OlemaJoin ICC’s Cultural Camps which give campers a quick tour of India and its vibrant culture. These camps include arts, crafts, folk dance, bollywood dance, music, yoga, Indian history and geography. Over 10 diff erent camps all through the summer for Grades K-12. To register or for more details visit:

www.indiacc.org/camps 408-934-1130 ext. 225

Pacifi c Art League Palo Alto,Art camps are fun, and stimulate visual perception and cognitive thinking. Week-long camps are available for kids and teens 5 – 18, from June 18 to August 19, including Glass Fusing, Cartooning, Printmaking and Claymation.

www.pacifi cartleague.org 650.321.3891

Palo Alto Community

Child Care (PACCC) Palo AltoPACCC summer camps off er campers, grades kindergarten to 6th, a wide array of fun opportunities! K-1 Fun for the youngest campers, Nothing But Fun for themed-based weekly sessions, Neighborhood Adventure Fun and Ultimate Adventure Fun for the more active and on-the-go campers! Swimming twice per week, periodic fi eld trips, special visitors and many engaging camp activities, songs and skits round out the fun off erings of PACCC Summer Camps! Registration is online. Open to campers from all communities! Come join the fun in Palo Alto!

www.paccc.com 650-493-2361

TechKnowHow Computer Palo Alto/

& LEGO Camps Menlo Park/SunnyvaleFun and enriching technology classes for students, ages 5-14 Courses include LEGO and K’NEX Projects with Motors, Electronics, NXT Robotics, 3D Modeling, and Game Design. Many locations, including Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Sunnyvale. Half and all day options. Early-bird and multi-session discounts available.

www.techknowhowkids.com 650-638-0500

Theatreworks Summer Camps Palo AltoIn these skill-building workshops for grades K-5, students engage in language-based activities, movement, music, and improvisation theatre games. Students present their own original pieces at the end of each two-week camp.

www.theatreworks.org/educationcommunity 650-463-7146

For more information about these camps, see our online directory of camps at http://paloaltoonline.com/biz/summercamps/. To advertise in a weekly directory, contact 650-326-8210

Summer 2012

(continued from previous page)

Council, commission gearing up for month of big-issue reviewsby Barbara WoodSpecial to the Almanac

Menlo Park’s City Council has approved a brutal schedule of meetings for

itself in the four-week period from May 22 to June 12 to discuss and take final action on a number of issues that could affect the city for decades to come, including Face-book, the downtown/El Camino Real specific plan, and the city budget for the next fiscal year. The schedule was unanimously approved at a special council meet-ing on April 9. The meeting schedule was pro-posed by new City Manager Alex McIntyre, who warned the council that hearings on Facebook and the specific plan could each last five hours. In an acknowledgement of how difficult the pace might be, the council also reserved on additional meeting, on June 19, in case the items can’t be completed on time. The meeting dates are: ■ Tuesday, May 22, for a public hearing on the proposed fiscal year 2012-13 budget and capital improvement program. ■ Tuesday, May 29, for a public hearing on the Facebook land-use entitlements, development agree-ment, and final environmental impact report. ■ Tuesday, June 5, for a pub-lic hearing on the downtown/El Camino Real specific plan and its final environmental impact report. ■ Tuesday, June 12, to adopt the ordinances finalizing the council’s actions concerning the Facebook

project, finalizing the council’s actions concerning the specific plan, and adopting the budget and capital improvement program. ■ Tuesday, June 19, any items that can’t be completed under the proposed schedule. Council members also respond-ed to public comments at the meeting by asking that all staff reports for Planning Commission meetings on Facebook and the specific plan for downtown/El Camino Real be released at least a week before any meetings on those items to give the public time to review them. Nancy Couperus of the Down-town Alliance had protested the proposed schedule before the meeting, calling it in an email “alarming” because “it provides little time for the public, the Plan-ning Commission and other com-missions to review and provide input on the documents.” It is not only the City Council that will be kept busy considering all these items. In a move he calls in his report “unprecedented,” Mr. McIntyre also has advised the council to tell the Planning Commission “that it has a limited timeframe” to consider and make recommendations on each of these items before the council hears them. “No matter what the council decides to do with its own calendar for hearings, the Planning Com-mission still will need to expedi-tiously, yet still thoughtfully, work through its own hearings on these,” he said in his report. A

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Portola Valley Menlo Park


N E W S


In Portola Valley last week, 50 horses escaped their enclo-sures amid five wildfires —

or so 12 firefighting crews from departments across San Mateo County were told to imagine as they assembled for drills on fighting fires in forested com-munities. With the Woodside Fire Pro-tection District hosting the weeklong event from April 9 through 13, fire trucks cruised Portola Road between set ups at the fire station near Alpine Road, at the Spring Down Open Space just south of Town Center, and at the parking lot of Christ Episcopal Church just north of Town Center. “It’s a big, (annual) multi-disciplined exercise” in wildfire fighting skills, Training Captain Jake Pelk of the Central County Fire Department said in an interview. “It’s more or less to get us prepared for what we know is a viable threat.” The focus this year: transport of water, a scarce resource in fighting a wildfire, Mr. Pelk said. A fire truck with a 500-

gallon water tank was refilled at the exercise’s one “working” hydrant and shuttled to the scene, where it was pumped into another truck that supplied a firefighter with a hose pointed at a supposedly burning tree. The gear is designed for wild-fires. The hoses are bright yellow for visibility in low-light condi-tions, lighter in weight so as to be easier to drag over longer dis-tances and rougher terrain than in urban settings, and smaller in diameter in recognition of the likelihood of scarce water, Mr. Pelk said. Also lighter in weight and bright yellow are the firefight-ers’ outfits, a color that could protect them by being seen from aircraft dropping water on a fire. “Water’s like 8-1/4 pounds per gallon, so when you have 500 gallons dropped on you, it can hurt,” Firefighter/paramedic Ernesto Marin of the Redwood City Fire Department told the Almanac.

Evacuating horses Fifty horses board at the Spring Down Equestrian Center just south of the Town Center

and just west of the town’s open space. Firefighters said they contact-ed Spring Down personnel to ask about their plan for evacu-ation of the animals and were

told they could transport about 10 at a time. Spring Down owner Carol Goodstein said in an interview that she has six acres into which the horses could be released

in an emergency, but that she would like to have the town’s six-acre open space fenced so the horses could be released there as well, but only in an emergency.

Fighting imaginary wildfires: part of the drill


Ernesto Marin, a firefighter/paramedic with the Redwood City Fire Department, went through the motions of fighting a wildfire behind Christ Episcopal Church in Portola Valley on April 12. A weeklong drill had firefighters from across the county converging to hone their wildfire fighting skills.

See FIGHTING WILDFIRES, page 20

By Lisa Bair

Frederick’s Follies celebrates 10 years of entertaining the Corte Madera school community with an anni-

versary production on Friday, April 27, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Corte Madera School. This momentous event will be free to students and their families, alumni and the community at large, and promises to be a special evening as William Freder-ick’s fifth-grade class and alumni classes from 10 years past all come together to celebrate this milestone anniversary. The production, staged in the school’s multi-use room, will feature imperson-ated rock band performances from Mr. Frederick’s current fifth-grade class and special appearances from his alumni classes. Frederick’s Follies is about bringing the community together to celebrate the power of visual and performing arts. Ten years ago, William Frederick decided that he wanted to enhance his students’ curriculum with more than just the usual day-to-day math, English, science and social studies lessons. He wanted them to learn how to be com-fortable and confident while standing in front of their peers, whether it was reciting a poem or singing an old U2 melody.

He also wanted to deepen their char-acter skills, and hoped to teach them life-skills such as cooperative learning, sharing of ideas, leadership, presenta-tion, research, and project organiza-tion. His goal, he said, was to encourage each student he taught “to take forth this gift of feeling empowerment in front of an audience,” a life lesson that would help them every step of the way through mid-dle school, high school, college and beyond. He started at the grass roots of such a concept with his class in 2001. After two months of ongo-ing practices inside and outside the classroom, the first Fredericks Follies production was born on a small beaten-down stage in his classroom in front of the children’s parents and some fourth-grade classes. Mr. Frederick recalls the experience as “challenging yet extremely rewarding. I learned through student and parent evaluation that the project was fun, but needed something more substantial. “I also came to empathize with my

students as I had to perform a number as the show’s grand finale. The terror that slithered through my veins was almost debilitating. After the first Frederick’s Follies and its strong praise, I knew that the project could soar even higher, but wasn’t sure how to get it off the ground.” So he went back to the drawing board to revamp the project. He, along with language arts consultant Kathy Glass

strengthened the project by thread-ing together pieces more aligned with state educa-tional stan-dards, and

adding more components. Momentum grew over the next several years, and Fredericks Follies became more and more “fine-tuned,” drawing a larger audience, and more “lights, cam-eras and action.” Conner Sweetnam, from the class of ‘04, reflects: “To this day I can still vividly remember performing “Beauti-ful Day” by U2 in Mr. Frederick’s class-room. I know that experience will stick with me forever.” Fast forward to the hallway or cof-

fee chit-chat of more recent classes of ‘08-’11, and you will hear that Fredericks Follies has become quite a phenomenon. It’s a yearly school event that no one wants to miss. The production is held for the entire school and the lights, sound and decor are all choreographed by local community talent and volunteers. Elise Gabrielson, a mom who was instrumental in helping with the class of 2011’s production recalls, “Frederick’s Follies was a learning experience in all ways for both students and parents. ... It taught us patience; it taught us cop-ing mechanisms while under stress and while performing; it taught us how to handle difficult situations and person-alities; and most importantly it taught us confidence and a feeling of accom-plishment ... a wonderful life lesson!” Did we mention, everyone wants a piece of the action? This year, as Fredericks Follies cele-brates its 10th anniversary, Mr. Freder-ick wants just that — for everyone to share in a piece of the action — and has invited alumni students, parents, grand-parents, neighbors, friends and the com-munity at large to come share what’s been growing stronger and stronger at CMS for the last 10 years: A decade of kids who love to perform in front of oth-ers and can take that gift with them wherever they go. A

Lisa Bair is the parent of a fifth-grade student at Corte Madera School.

C O M M U N I T Y


GREAT SOCCER STARTS HERE!

Portola Valley-Woodside-La Honda

Everyone Plays…Everyone Wins! REGISTER NOW FOR FALL. Safe, fun, affordable, and memories that last a lifetime. Every child plays at least half of EVERY game!

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REGISTER: before May 31, 2012 to play this Fall season

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COST: $185 1st to 12th grades $135 Kindergarten

MILLIONS OF PLAYERS GOT THEIR START IN AYSO

…INCLUDING LANDON DONOVAN

For complete info, visit ayso25.org find us on facebook.com/ayso25

or call Commisssioner Don Yates at 650-851-2690

K it e DayFor $6 you will receive a kite,

hot dog and drink.

All ages are welcome!

Come fly a kite with us at Bedwell-Bayfront Park!

Saturday, April 21st Noon- 4:00 pm

For more information please call 650.330.2200 or visit www.menlopark.org.

“We create community through people, parks & programs.”

Bedwell-Bayfront

Park is

located at

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and Bayfront

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Fredericks Follies is back in town

Teacher William Frederick hoped to inspire his students ‘to take forth this gift of feeling

empowerment in front of an audience.’

Richard TryceCommunity leader

A memorial service will be held Saturday, April 21, for Richard Stanley Tryce, a fifth-generation Californian and 57-year-resident of the Penin-sula, who died March 15 at his home in Portola Valley following a long illness. He was 80. The service will start at 1 p.m. at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road in Portola Valley. Born in Los Angeles to Stanley and Dorothy Tryce in 1931, Mr. Tryce attended the California Mil-itary Academy and then graduated high school at Chadwick School in Rolling Hills, California. He later earned two degrees from Stanford University — a bachelor of science in industrial engineering (1955) and a master of business administration (1959). Mr. Tryce married Stanford classmate Yvonne Bergen in 1955. The couple moved to Menlo Park in 1957 and subsequently to Por-tola Valley in 1964. Mr. Tryce served in the U.S. Air Force as a procurement and guided missile officer, stationed in Dallas and at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, an experience that led to an interest in pursuing a business degree. He retired as a captain, fol-lowed by many years as a member of the National Defense Executive Reserve. His lifelong interest in amateur

radio, as a “ham” licensed at the age of 14, led to engineering posi-tions at Eitel-McCullough in San Carlos, Melabs in Stanford Indus-trial Park, and Lockheed Aircraft Corp. in Sunnyvale. He held a license as a registered professional engineer. After serving as a consultant to Coopers and Lybrand, he became a controller and project manager for Bechtel Corporation. He then earned a real estate broker’s license and served as a vice president for Coldwell Banker Commercial/Industrial Real Estate, which also utilized his industrial engineer-ing background and eventually brought him to Arthur Andersen in San Francisco as consulting director of real estate/construc-tion. He was a past president of the Vista Verde Community Asso-ciation in Portola Valley and was an active supporter and leader of the Boy Scouts of America. He played the saxophone, trumpet, and banjo, and enjoyed dancing — especially doing the Charleston. Mr. Tryce was a longtime mem-ber of Valley Presbyterian Church in Portola Valley, serving as an elder and on numerous task com-mittees. He was well known as being an excellent “greeter” to first-time visitors at the church on Sunday mornings. Mr. Tryce is survived by his wife of 56 years, Yvonne; his daughter, Kathy Tryce of Redwood City; his son, Robert Tryce of Etna; and his brother, Donald Tryce of Austin. The family requests that memorial donations be made to Valley Presbyterian Church or a charity of the donor’s choice.

— Chris Preimesberger

Elizabeth BiberWoodside naturalist Elizabeth “Betty” Martha Bib-er, mother of five and a longtime resident of Woodside, used to take pleasure in walking in the woods with her kids and their friends, nam-ing plants and animals as she went along. “We would all go hiking and she would k now t he names of many of the flora and fauna,” Ms. Biber’s daughter Linda Triplett of La Honda said. “She loved to hike (and) she was a real avid birdwatcher.” At home on Jane Drive in Woodside Knolls, and sur-rounded by her family, Ms. Biber died on March 16. She was 94. Ms. Biber grew up in San Francisco, graduated from Pre-sentation High School, and worked for a time as a dental hygienist, her daughter said. She married Paul E. Biber in 1939; the couple built a house in Woodside in 1956 and settled into a semi-rural life. “She was a very beautiful woman, but she never wanted to be a socialite,” Ms. Triplett said. “She never went to a beauty salon, she never had her nails done.” The Biber home was like a country club for kids, Ms. Trip-lett recalled. Sleepovers were common and longer stays not uncommon. A Redwood City friend once needed shelter when her mother abandoned her in her senior year in high school;

she stayed for two years, Ms. Triplett said. “Everyone was welcome for a chat, a swim, a horseback ride or a meal,” Ms. Triplett said. “This welcome often lasted for days or weeks. Holidays always had extra guests who sometimes had no other place to celebrate the day.” Her mother could light up a room with laughter, Ms. Triplett said. “It was a very lively house-hold for years and years and years.” And lively, too, being in her company, given her sense of herself. “She would sit in church and if she didn’t like the guy who was talking, she would put in ear plugs and sit there and look quite pleasant,” Ms. Trip-lett said. “She lived according to her own bible.” Mr. Biber died in 1978. In recalling the services, Ms. Trip-lett remembered her mother, in the presence of her husband’s casket, asking the funeral direc-tor: “Don’t you have tubes that you could just drop him into the earth and save room?” Environmental issues were important to her. She worked hard to help incorporate the town so as to preserve its rural character, her daughter said. While Interstate 280 was in the planning stages, Ms. Biber involved herself in preserving the mineral-deprived serpentine soil and the unique habitat it created along the freeway corridor. On vacations “all over Califor-nia,” Ms. Biber would lead fam-ily and friends on hikes, singing around the campfire, swimming in rivers and sometimes fishing, her daughter said. Ms. Biber is survived by her son Paul; daughters Linda Trip-lett, Betsy Biber and Heidi Biber; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A memorial gathering is set for the afternoon of Saturday, June 16, at the family home.

— Dave Boyce

Mary Jane MartinActive volunteer

Mary Jane Martin, a former resident of Portola Valley and a former teacher at Ormondale Elementary School, died April 3 in Vancouver, Wash i ng ton, where she and her husband Richard Mar-tin had retired in 1995. Ms. Martin was 64. Mary Jane Spellman grew up in Portland, Oregon, taught school as a Jesuit volunteer in Fairbanks, Alaska, and worked as a flight attendant for Western Airlines, where she met Mr. Martin, a pilot, relatives said. The couple settled in the Bay Area, had two children and lived in Portola Valley for 18 years, retiring to Vancouver in 1995, relatives said. During her Portola Valley years, Ms. Martin coordinated volunteer work at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and was an active participant in “some of the most important (political) campaigns of the time,” relatives said. In Vancouver, Ms. Martin vol-unteered her time with a local symphony orchestra, and helped build a volunteer services pro-gram for a hospital and chaired the board of the foundation, relatives said. Ms. Martin is survived by her husband Richard; son Dan-iel; daughter Allison; brothers Edward Jr., Pete and Alison; and five grandchildren. Memorial services were held on April 7. The family asks that donations in Ms. Martin’s name be made to the Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation. Go to www.legacyhealth.org/salmoncreekgiving.


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NONPROFIT PROFILE: An Occasional Series Highlighting Local Nonprofi t Organizations

PROJECT READ-MENLO PARK

Since 1985, Project Read-Menlo Park has been

serving the Menlo Park community with a free

volunteer driven library-based literacy program

that enables adults and families to improve their basic

reading and writing skills. Gaining literacy skills helps

them achieve their goals and function more effectively

at home, in the community, at work, and as life long

learners. Since its inception in 1985, Project Read

has helped more than 2600 adults and trained over

1300 volunteer tutors. In 2010, the non-profi t Project

Read-Menlo Park Literacy Partners was established

to further support Project Read and facilitate adult &

family literacy in Menlo Park and surrounding areas.

OPERATIONS OVERVIEWWith a budget of $185,000, 5 part-time staff members run a

program that serves approximately 250 adults and children

annually. The program is comprised of:

STATE OF LITERACYAdult low literacy can be connected to almost every socio-

economic issue in the United States. In the US, approximately

32 million cannot complete a job application, read to their

children, understand a prescription label, or obtain a driver’s

challenged in their basic reading and writing skills.

Low literacy’s effects cost the U.S. $225 billion or more each

year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of

tax revenue due to unemployment.

DIRECT IMPACTImproving adult literacy builds a stronger Menlo Park in

many ways:

wages

ter skilled workers

for the next generation

HOW YOU CAN HELP

on website)

transaction is donated to us

Changing Lives Through Literacy


C O M M U N I T YNOTICE TO BIDDERS

PROJECT: 12-01: Bear Gulch Creek - Creek Bank Stabilization for the Woodside Elementary School (“Project”).

Engineer’s estimate: $150,000

1. Notice is hereby given that the governing board (“Board”) of the Woodside Elementary School District will receive sealed bids for the following project (“Project”), Bear Gulch Creek - Creek Bank Stabilization at Woodside Elementary School.

2. Sealed bids will be received until 2:30 P.M. on Monday, April 30 2012, at the Woodside Elementary School District office, 3195 Woodside Road, Woodside, CA 94062, at which time the bids will be opened and publicly read aloud. Any claim by a bidder of error in its bid must be made in compliance with section 5100 et seq. of the Public Contract Code. Any bid that is submitted after this time shall be non-responsive and returned to the bidder. Faxed or emailed Bid Documents will not be accepted.

3. The project consists of construction services for stitch piers and associated work to stabilize Bear Gulch Creek as described in the contract documents.

4. All bids shall be on the form provided by the District. Each bid must conform and be responsive to all pertinent Contract Documents, including but not limited to, the Instructions to Bidders.

5. It is the responsibility of the bidder to be licensed by the State of California to perform the work as described in the scope of work noted above. Bidding Contractors shall possess a Class A or B California Contractor’s license(s) in order to perform the work. The Bidder’s license(s) must remain active and in good standing throughout the term of the Contract, including any extension periods granted in accordance with the project contract.

6. A bid bond by an admitted surety insurer on the form provided by the District, cash, or a cashiers check or a certified check, drawn to the order of the Woodside Elementary School District, in the amount of ten percent (10%) of the total bid price, shall accompany the Bid Form and Proposal, as a guaranteed that the Bidder will, within seven (7) calendar days after the date of the Notice of Award, enter into a contract with the District for the performance of the services stipulated in the bid.

7. The successful Bidder shall be required to furnish a 100% Performance Bond and a 100% Payment Bond, if it is awarded the contract for the Work.

8. Pursuant to section 22300 of the Public Contract Code, the successful Bidder may substitute securities for any monies withheld by the District.

9. The Contractor and all Subcontractors under the Contractor shall pay workers on all work performed pursuant to this Contract not less than the general prevailing wage rate of per diem wages and the general prevailing rate for holiday and overtime work as determined by the Director of the Department of Industrial relations, State of California, for the type of work performed and the locality in which the work is to be performed within the boundaries of the District, pursuant to sections 1770 et Seq. of the California Labor Code. Prevailing wage rates are available on the Internet at: http://www.dir.ca.gov.

10. A mandatory pre-bid conference and site visit will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 3:45 PM and will run for 45 minutes. All participants are required to sign in the Administra-tion Building at 3195 Woodside Road, Woodside, CA 94062. Bidders that fail to attend, or are more than fifteen (15) minutes late to, the mandatory pre bid conference shall be ineligible to respond to this Notice.

11. Each bid shall be in accordance with the Contract Documents. Contract Documents will be available for review after Tuesday April 17, 2012 at the District office (3195 Woodside Road, Woodside, CA 94062), or may be requested electronically, free of charge, from Bruce Thomp-son, WESD Facilities Consultant ([email protected]). Hard copies of the documents may be requested in writing to the District at the time of the Pre-Bid Conference, and shall include a non-refundable deposit in the form of a cashiers check in the amount of fifty ($50.00) dollars.

12. All project inquiries shall be directed to:

-phone: (650) 851-1571 Ext. 284; Fax: (650) 851-5577

[email protected]).

13. The Board reserves the right to reject any and all bids and/or waive any irregularity in any bid received. If the District awards the Contract, the security of unsuccessful bidder(s) shall be returned within sixty (60) days from the time the award is made. Unless otherwise required by law, no bidder may withdraw its bid for ninety (90) days after the date of the bid opening.

14. The District shall award the Contract, if it awards it at all, to the lowest responsive and respon-sible bidder, qualified to complete the scope of work for the project. The Basis of Award shall be on the Base Bid amount.

For the fourth year, restau-rants in Menlo Park, Palo Alto and Los Altos will devote a day when they will donate a percent-age of total net sales to Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. This year the Dine Out for Packard day is Thursday, April 19. Visit DineOutforPackard.org for names of participating res-taurants, hours and other infor-mation. Those without time to dine out that day can become a vir-tual diner by making an online donation on the website.

Sidewalk art event in Menlo Park Downtown Menlo Park’s San-ta Cruz Avenue is the site for the 30th annual Sidewalk Fine Arts Festival on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 20-22. The festival starts at 10 a.m. each day, closing at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The free event is sponsored by the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce. Original works by 90 artists will include jewelry, photog-raphy, ceramics, painting, and sculpture. All artists will be on site and some will practice their

crafts during the show. For more information, call the Menlo Park Chamber of Com-merce at 325-2818 or Pacific Fine Arts at (209) 276-4394. PacificFineArts.com is the website.

Learn about education opportunities in Ireland Local high school students, parents and educators are invit-ed to an Irish Universities open house at Menlo School to learn about education opportunities in Ireland. The event, sponsored by the Irish government, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 23, at Menlo School, 50 Valparaiso Ave. in Atherton. Among the universities to be represented at the open house are Dublin City University, National University of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and the University of Limerick. Email [email protected] to register for the event or sign up through the Education in Ireland Facebook page.

Chow down for children’s hospital AROUND TOWN

further,” Mr. Young wrote. Getting horses into the claus-trophobic environment of a trailer would be difficult at best in an emergency situation, Ms. Good-stein said. In any case, the roads

may be impassable. Owners of the farm next door have offered their fields, but they are open to the road and Spring Down would be liable for any damage to the orchards there, she said. “We don’t have any other contin-gency plan,” Ms. Goodstein said. “We would like to.” A

FIGHTING WILDFIRES continued from page 16

Meeting on country club rescheduled The town has rescheduled the April 18 meeting of the Wood-side Planning Commission on a proposal from the Menlo Country Club to renovate its facilities. The commission will meet on Wednesday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. at Independence Hall at the corner of Woodside and Whiskey Hill roads. The club’s proposal would renovate the golf course, relo-cate two tennis courts, con-struct a tennis court building

and, in the process, cut down 53 native significant trees, 166 non-native significant trees and 126 trees too small in diameter to be considered significant, according to a staff report. The country club property is home to 5,000 trees, the report said. To proceed with work that takes place within a stream corridor, the club is asking the commission to amend the club’s conditional use permit.

Kite Day in park this Saturday Kite-f lying enthusiasts, from novices to experts, can take part in Kite Day on Sat-urday, April 21, from noon to 4 p.m. at Bedwell-Bayfront Park, located on the edge of the San Francisco Bay at Bay-front Expressway and Marsh

Road in Menlo Park. A kite, hotdog and drink can be purchased for $6. Assistance with kite assembly and flying will be available. For more information call 330-2200.


NONPROFIT PROFILE: An Occasional Series Highlighting Local Nonprofit Organizations

TH IS SPACE DONATED AS A COMMUNITY SERV ICE BY THE ALMANAC NEW S

OF THE PENINSULA

The Boys & Girls Clubsof the Peninsula offers

places where youngpeople from six to 18

are welcome every dayafter school and all

day in summer.At each of the Club’sthree clubhouses and

five school-campus sites,trained and caring staff

and a cadre of volunteerswork through a broad

range of programshelping kids develop

attitudes and life skillsthey need for good

educations andproductive lives. Now in

its 50th year, the Clubfocuses on academics,

science and technology,social education and life

skills, athletics andfitness, and the arts.The club also offersprograms designed

specifically to engageand support teens from

13 to 18. These includeCOLLEGE BOUND, which

provides mentoring andguidance to help teens

graduate from highschool with a plan for

their futures.Many of the Club’s

programs are offered inpartnership with local

schools and communityorganizatioins.

The Club’s annualbudget, this year nearly$5 million, depends onsupport of individuals,

foundations, corporationsand public partners.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael Gullard, PresidentWendy AdamsPaul BainsAmy BoyleBarry CarrNina DemmonRoy DemmonDavid DoolinCathy Friedman-DuaneAndrea GandolfoDaniela GaspariniPatrick GoodenoughConstance HeldmanDavid KannerTracy KoonDennis LenehanMatt MayersonDebra McCallMilbrey McLaughlinTom MohrBill RingTheresa RutledgeBarbara SilvermanMatthew SonsiniJohn StraubelDana WeintraubQuin WhitmanMarcia Wythes

E X E C U T I V E D I R E C T O R

Peter Fortenbaugh

P R E S I D E N T ’ S A D V I S O R Y

C O U N C I L

Lloyd CarneySusan Ford-DorseyJeffrey HenleyDave HouseRobert JaunichRobert McNeilPhyllis MoldawMervin MorrisRaymond O’BrienAlejandro Zaffaroni

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBSOF THE PENINSULAPROGRAM SITES

MENLO PARKMcNeil Family ClubhouseBelle Haven Community SchoolJames Flood Magnet SchoolEAST PALO ALTOMoldaw-Zaffaroni ClubhouseEast Palo Alto AcademyREDWOOD CITYMervin G. Morris ClubhouseHoover Community SchoolTaft Community School

ADMIN & DEVELOPMENT

401 Pierce Road, Menlo Park,California 94025Tel. 650-646-6128

Visit us at www.bgcp.org

Community conditionsfaced in the challenged areas served by the Club.

Too few places for childrento learn and play. 80% of students score below

grade level in reading and math. Nearly 70% of kids don’t

graduate from high school. Average per capita income is

$19,000 (in a normal economy). Many families are working

multiple jobs. Too few affordable childcare

options. Many families don’t speak

English or have limitededucation and cannot helpchildren with homework. Gangs are prevalent.

Guiding the youth of our community to develop attitudes and life skills they need to thrive: that’s the mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?Volunteer -- The Club has both ongoing and done-in-day opportunities.

Become a Mentor -- Inspire a young person ro realize his or her potential.Donate -- Support us in maintaining the youth development so families depend on.

Club solutions working in partnership with schools and families.

Club offers safety and support for children ateight sites in the community. Provides after-school academic programs, focuses

on literacy, and aligns with programs at schools. Runs prep operations like COLLEGE BOUND,

designed for teens. Volunteers and staff mentors offer positive adult

role models for youth at all ages. Provides “Whole Child” nurturing, that blends

technology, science, social and leadership skills,graphic and performing arts, as well as fun, healthygames and sports. Encourages full Club membership at affordable

fees so young visitors can participate in all programs to benefit from added continuity andprogress measurement.

3,000 kids participate in the Club’s programsannually. 1,000 attend daily.

T H I S S PA C E D O N AT E D A S A C O M M U N I T Y S E R V I C E B Y T H E A L M A N A C

Guiding the youth of our community to become self-sufficient adults by developing the academic and life skills they need to complete high school and their first year of post-secondary education or training.

The Boys & Girls Clubs

of the Peninsula offers a

safe-haven where young

people aged 6 to 18

are welcome every day

after school and in the

summer. At each of the

Club’s three clubhouses

and seven school-

site programs, trained

and caring staff and

a cadre of volunteers

help members develop

academic and life skills.

Now in its 54th year,

the Club focuses on

academics, science

and technology, social

education and life skills,

athletics and fitness,

the arts, and college

and career planning.

Over the past six years,

in neighborhoods

where less than half

the youth graduate

from high school, 85%

of the Club’s school-

site members have

graduated from high

school with a plan. In

partnership with schools,

community partners

and families, Boys & Girls

Clubs of the Peninsula is

helping to make Silicon

Valley a great place for all

our children to grow up.

Community conditions in neighborhoods served by BGCP:

The Club offers the following solutions in partnership with schools and families:

1,800 youth attend the Club programs regularly.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?Volunteer: Contribute your time, talent and energy and help a young person to realize his or her potential.

Donate: The Club’s annual budget of $6 million depends on individual, foundation, corporation and public

partner support. Please support these programs that are transforming our community.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

PRESIDENT’S ADVISORY COUNCIL

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF THE PENINSULA PROGRAM SITES

Menlo Park

East Palo Alto

Redwood City

ADMINISTRATION

VISIT US AT WWW.BGCP.ORG


Last week the Almanac pub-lished “When background checks miss the mark,”

about the hiring of an alleged child molester by a local school, which was unaware of past crim-inal investigations of the teacher in California and two other states that would have surfaced during an Internet search. While researching the story, the Almanac discovered that many public and private schools in the epicenter of Silicon Valley don’t use even a simple Google search when vet-ting candidates for teaching positions. Of 18 schools contact-ed, only three used the Internet and social media searches, and had only begun doing so after applicants started including links on their resumes. The Almanac found that schools usually limit back-ground searches to the state-mandated criminal history

check, which indicates only charges or convictions. Although the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing main-tains a confidential database of complaints against teachers in public schools, it can disclose only “final adverse actions” taken after charges or convic-tions. There is no credentialing database for private schools, which are considered indepen-dent businesses by the state. The teacher in question was

brought to our attention by former students who were aghast

that he was continuing to teach despite the decades-long history of allegations. His tenure at the local school ended soon after the Almanac asked the principal about the prior allegations and the school conducted its own investigation. But the school was tight-lipped about details of the hiring process, and decided not

to tell parents about the man’s background after his departure. Some Almanac readers were frustrated about our decision not to name the school or teacher. But in this case, the decision was made because the most recent alleged incident happened 10 years ago, the teacher has never been arrested or charged, and he now denies all allegations through his attor-ney, despite confessing to police during an earlier investigation. With the assertion via his attor-ney that he had left California and retired from teaching, the Almanac decided to publish a story without naming either him or the school. In addition, not naming the school forces each school and parent to evaluate their own poli-cies. Unless California schools dig deeper when vetting potential teachers, this will happen again. State Sen. Joe Simitian told the Almanac that he’s surprised by how many employers do not

conduct minimal background checks by using the phone or a Google search. Of course the results of any search must be used carefully, and the search must be conducted within the guidelines of employment law. If administrators of the local school in this case had searched online, they would have found numerous postings and news stories about the teacher’s alleged inappropriate conduct with stu-dents. The school would then have been able to ask the teacher to explain the incidents. And what about the school’s failure to inform parents about the situation? Sen. Simitian said he “would encourage every school or school district to ask themselves, can we in good conscience simply brush this under the carpet? Or do we have an obligation to confront the problem in a way that helps ensure that this is not a prob-lem simply passed along to the next school?”

Time to change teacher hiring policy

Rules for sewer lines are‘crazy and unfair’

Editor: In another local source, Plan-ning Commissioner Henry Riggs mentions how Menlo Park residents are responsible for their sewer lines, all the way to the main artery. Thank you to Mr. Riggs, who pointed out a major situation that many of us were not aware of. Take note Menlo Park residents — your sewer line is your responsibility from your house to the connection in the street. And here is the kicker: you can insure the line, but only up to the street line. If there is root damage, clogging, or pipe problems from the street line to the central artery, it is your problem, and you can’t insure it. This apparently means a resident would have to pay to dig up the street to fix any issues, and that would be extremely costly. As Mr. Riggs mentions, you are looking at about $20,000, give or take. Pressure should be put on the West Bay Sanitary District to work with insurance providers and give residents the option to insure all the way to the artery.

It seems crazy and completely unfair that residents are respon-sible for the segment of the line that is beyond the owner’s prop-erty line, and underneath public streets, but can’t insure it.

Carla PosthauerClaremont Way, Menlo Park

Over-population contributes to global warming trend

Editor: We hear a lot about global warming and how we need to turn to alternate sources of energy, as in the March 28 story titled “Scientist sees dire cli-

mate-change impacts.” But why don’t we hear anything about the dire effects of over-popula-tion? What is it that consumes our natural resources? People, in my opinion. As world population becomes

Ideas, thoughts and opinions about local issues from people in our community. Edited by Tom Gibboney.

Woodside History Committee

Our Regional HeritageWoodside resident George Whittell Jr. hosted a party for San Francisco fire chiefs at his estate on Kings Mountain Road in 1932. He added the dramatic effect of having his guests brave a curtain of spray from hoses manned by the Woodside Fire Department.

All views must include a home address

and contact phone number. Published

letters will also appear on the web site,

www.TheAlmanacOnline.com, and

occasionally on the Town Square forum.

TOWN SQUARE FORUM Post your views on the

Town Square forum at www.TheAlmanacOnline.com

EMAIL your views to: [email protected] note this it is a letter to the editor in the subject line.

MAIL or deliver to:Editor at the Almanac, 3525 Alameda de las Pulgas, Menlo Park, CA 94025.

CALL the Viewpoint desk at 223-6507.

Serving Menlo Park,

Atherton, Portola Valley,

and Woodside for 44 years.

■ WHAT’S YOUR VIEW?

Editor & PublisherTom Gibboney

NewsroomManaging Editor Richard Hine News Editor Renee BattiLifestyles Editor Jane KnoerleStaff WritersDave Boyce, Sandy Brundage Contributors Marjorie Mader,Barbara Wood, Kate DalySpecial Sections Editors Carol Blitzer, Sue Dremann Photographer Michelle Le

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Published every Wednesday at 3525 Alameda De Las Pulgas, Menlo Park, Ca 94025

Newsroom: (650) 223-6525Newsroom Fax: (650) 223-7525Advertising: (650) 854-2626 Advertising Fax: (650) 854-3650

Email news and photos with captions to: [email protected]

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The Almanac, established in September 1965,

is delivered each week to residents of Menlo

Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside and

adjacent unincorporated areas of southern San

Mateo County. The Almanac is qualified by decree

of the Superior Court of San Mateo County to

publish public notices of a governmental and

legal nature, as stated in Decree No. 147530,

issued December 21, 1969.

Subscriptions are $60 for one year and

$100 for two years.

EDITORIALThe opinion of The Almanac

LETTERSOur readers write

Continued on next page


balanced so will our natural resources, along with affordable housing and, in general, “the cost of living.” The problems over-population produce will not go away. It is time to address this issue. As population decreases so will greed coming from fear of not having enough. People, as a whole, might even be happier and healthier.

Jackie Leonard-DimmickWalnut Avenue, Atherton

Using wireless a third option for town’s libraryEditor: There is a third Atherton library option as yet unconsid-ered that may be the best. Book reading is changing to wireless digital. This trend is strong but not yet mature. The Amazon Kindle system seems best now but with time better systems will be devel-oped. Present library wireless books lean on Amazon’s system but that will surely change. All Atherton concerns about the library could be avoided by saving some of the $8 million for a future system to provide vehicles that traverse Atherton displaying and dispensing wireless books and, if warranted, loading them on resident’s hardware. There would be no traffic concern, no park impact, bet-ter library service, immunity to high-speed rail and so on. The rest of the $8 million can be used for seismic fixes and per-haps a slight expansion of our existing library.

Thomas A. CroftMoulton Drive, Atherton

Time to install fire alarms in local schoolsEditor: Virginia Chang Kiraly, the new-ly elected board member of the fire protection district, promoted the idea of installing fire alarms connected to the fire department in schools around Menlo Park that don’t already have them. I am a big supporter of this idea, for I am a student at Hill-view Middle School. The fact that many schools do not have fire alarms directly connected to the fire department baffles me, for this is dangerous for students and teachers. A fire could happen in a school, and the fire department would not even know. I hope your newspaper supports and promotes this topic and makes this issue heard in the Menlo

Park community.Robert Lane

Hillview School, Menlo Park

Costly death penalty needs to be voted outEditor: According to a recent Califor-nia report, it costs $185 million each year to administer the death penalty. Since its rein-statement in 1978, there have

been 13 people executed. We have thus spent roughly $471 million per execution or a total of roughly $6 billion in the past 34 years. There are currently 720 inmates on death row in California. Donald J. Heller, who drafted the death penalty initiative in 1978, now regrets it. “The cost of our system of capital punish-ment ... is so dollar-wasteful that it serves no effective purpose,” he told the New York Times.

Ron Briggs, who helped get the death penalty on the ballot back then has also changed his mind and has put another initiative on the ballot in 2012 to convert all death sentences to life imprison-ment without parole. Administer-ing life sentences is far cheaper than capital punishment, accord-ing to a recent state report. “We’re laying off teachers, we’re laying off firefighters. This is just crazy,” says former Los Angeles District Attorney Gil

Garcetti, who favors abolishing the death penalty. There seems to be a consensus among law enforcement experts that the death penalty represents a very poor allocation of pre-cious and dwindling resources regardless of moral or political considerations. Vote to repeal the death penalty and replace it with life in prison without parole this November.

Kaia Eakin Redwood City

V I E W P O I N T

By Jim Dobbie

The controversy over the Atherton library is between those residents who use logic in their decision-mak-

ing processes and those who are governed by personal emotions or bias. The logic is simple. Atherton has money, set aside for the library, based on distribu-tions from Proposition 13. By the time the library is built that amount will be about $8 million, enough for the building. This money can be spent only on library projects. Approxi-mately $720,000 in library funds accumulate each year and if the library is in Holbrook-Palmer Park, some of this money can help pay for much needed main-tenance Whether the library is in the park or in the site of the present library, the draft environmental report concludes the traffic problem, if any, will be the same. Considering that Menlo Park and Red-wood City have excellent libraries, it is

highly unlikely that everyone will decide to use our new library. The park will provide a beautiful serene setting highly desirable for this building Even at the present, train noise at the library and Council Chambers is over-whelming to say the least. If high-speed rail goes ahead there will be years of con-struction, pollution, shoefly tracks, visual

blight, catenaries and 20- to 30-foot berms, increased vibra-tion and then a huge increase in train traffic. Not the site for a library. It is illogical that the same City Council members, who are against the library in the park, want to continue weddings there, which caused serious park-ing problems, especially on week-ends when many residents would

want to be there. Those weddings were almost always for non-Atherton residents and despite statements to the contrary, lost money. Where is the logic? Those who are concerned about the loss

of green should know that the library at 10,000 square feet replaces the main house and no green space is lost. It is noteworthy that the tennis courts serve only 29 Ather-ton residents yet take up more than four times the space of the library. Council members are elected to represent the best interests of the residents and they will not always agree, but the democratic system works when members support council decisions even if not unanimous. Calls for referendums are misplaced in this instance, where more than 50 public meetings have been held and over a dozen community meetings. The issues have been intensely studied by volunteer committees for over two years. In addition, in a referendum large amounts of money can be spent to influence the outcome by only a very few. If a small number of residents focused on decisions made by other than logic stop the library construction it will be golden opportunity lost for the town.

Jim Dobbie is a member of the Atherton City Council.

GUESTOPINION

LETTERSOur readers write

Continued from previous page

Atherton Heritage Association

Our Regional HeritageEven before it was paved, Valparaiso Avenue was a beautiful road leading from El Camino Real to the Alameda de las Pulgas. This view, looking west from El Camino, is from around 1914.

Logic says library should go in the park

This information was supplied by Seller and/or other sources. Broker believes this information to be correct but has not verified this information and assumes no legal responsibility for its accuracy. Buyers should investigate these issues to their own satisfaction.

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