1. education
2. school

Menlo incumbent candidates comment
on Greenheart’s campaign support | Page 9
T H E H O M E TO W N N E W S PA P E R F O R M E N LO PA R K , AT H E RTO N , P O RTO L A VA L L E Y A N D W O O D S I D E
O C T O B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 4 | VO L . 5 0 N O. 7
W W W. T H E A L M A N AC O N L I N E . C O M
Woodside Community Theatre stages
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Dozens of locals
are involved
in all phases of
the production
SECTION 2
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2QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
Scott Dancer
650.888.8199
[email protected]
CalBRE# 00868362
2969 Woodside Road
Woodside, CA 94062
R EAL E STATE Q&A
U PFRONT
by Monica Corman
How to Handle
Multiple Offers
Dear Monica: My wife and I have been
going to open houses for weeks now and
have observed how various agents conduct them. We have concluded that certain agents tend to price very low and tell
prospective buyers that they expect the
selling price to be much higher. They no
doubt tell their sellers to expect higher
prices as well. How can a buyer know
what to offer in these situations? David S.
Photo by Michelle Le/The Almanac
Menlo Park Mayor Ray Mueller listens to Shaokang Zhang, president of the Guangdong Urban & Rural
Planning & Design Institute, during a reception at the Rosewood Sand Hill hotel in Menlo Park.
Mayor hosts Chinese delegation
By Tom Douglas
Special to the Almanac
A
Chinese delegation seeking to strengthen economic ties between the
United States and China visited
Menlo Park on Oct. 17 as part of
a two-week trip to several U.S. cities. The stop in Menlo Park was
the culmination of a West Coast
visit that included Silicon Valley.
On Friday, the Chinese delegates participated in a crosscultural discussion hosted by
Menlo Park Mayor Ray Mueller,
followed by a reception held in
their honor. Mr. Mueller had
visited China in June as part of
a U.S. delegation that included
local officials.
In welcoming remarks at the
Rosewood Sand Hill hotel in
Menlo Park, the mayor noted
that buildings along Sand Hill
Road in Menlo Park house the
premier venture capital firms in
the world. “I believe that Menlo
Park is the driving force of the
Silicon Valley economy,” he said.
“We are a town that lives and
breathes innovation.”
The leader of the Chinese delegation, Deputy Secretary General Zhang Qi from the Chinese
Overseas Friendship Association
in Beijing, said that Mr. Mueller‘s
visit to China in June helped Mr.
Zhang decide that he wanted
to return the favor by leading a
delegation from China to Silicon
Photo by Michelle Le/The Almanac
Zhang Qi led the Chinese delegation.
Valley, with a Menlo Park visit
being central to their plans.
Mr. Zhang said that his delegation comes from a wide variety
of cities and regions throughout
China and that this demonstrates there is strong interest
in enhancing commercial ties
between the two countries and,
in particular, between Silicon
Valley and China.
Both Mr. Mueller and Mr.
Zhang noted that Silicon Valley has a high concentration of
Chinese residents, which makes
enhanced cooperation even more
compelling and attractive.
“We need to remember that
relationships are dynamic,
and always in flux,” Mr. Mueller said. “This means that we
must continuously monitor our
friendships and ensure that they
remain strong. ... We must guard
against what often happens when
superpowers emerge, because
relationships can drift apart.”
He added: “We also need to
analyze how we handle intellectual property issues.”
Burlingame Mayor Michael
Brownrigg commented that, like
the United States, China is one
of the major emitters of greenhouse gasses. He also stressed
that China shares a water crisis
with the United States and urged
the members of the Chinese
delegation to work toward finding acceptable ways to balance
their desire to bring hundreds
of millions of people into the
middle class without sacrificing
the environment in the process.
“It can’t be business as usual” he
said.
Others in attendance were
Woodside Mayor David Burow,
Atherton Mayor Cary Wiest,
and San Mateo County supervisors Warren Slocum and Don
Horsley.
Upon leaving the Rosewood
event and boarding their bus,
members of the Chinese delegation enjoyed posing for pictures
alongside expensive and brightly
colored Italian sports cars in the
hotel’s driveway. “Someday this
will be us,” one of the members
of the delegation commented.
The group will travel from the
Bay Area to New York for additional meetings, followed by a
return trip to China from the
East Coast. A
Dear David: The market is still very tight
in this area and what you describe of pricing properties artificially low and then
hyping buyers and sellers to expect selling
prices to be much higher, only adds to the
frenzy. Sellers are wise not to price a property too high because buyers will be put
off by this. But they should price at a level
where if they only receive one offer, and it
is full price, that they will be satisfied. If
they really think they should get more, then
they should price their property higher.
If a property is priced substantially lower
than recent sales, buyers need to know how
many other offers there are in order to compete. Good agents keep track of how many offers are likely and they continually communicate with agents about this right up to the
time when offers are due. And unless there
is a good reason not to, they allow agents to
present offers directly to the seller. The process is open and more or less transparent.
I represented buyers in two multiple offers
this week and one was handled well and one
wasn’t. The first agent accurately predicted
the number of offers there would be and
my buyer was able to make an offer based
on good information. The second agent
didn’t know how many offers were expected,
wouldn’t allow me to present my client’s offer
directly to the seller, and expected me to just
drop off an offer at a certain time. The entire
process was handled poorly and didn’t serve
anyone well. My advice is to have a good agent
vigilantly represent you and you will have the
best chance of succeeding in this market.
For answers to any questions you may have on real estate, you may
e-mail me at [email protected] or call 462-1111, Alain Pinel Realtors.
I also offer a free market analysis of your property. www.MonicaCorman.com
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October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ3
More than just a home, it’s an
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MENLO PARK | WOODSIDE
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4QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
Local News
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A L L E Y
More than 200 at hearing for Mandarin school
By Barbara Wood
Almanac Staff Writer
A
public hearing on a Mandarin immersion charter
school that has been
proposed in the Menlo Park City
School District drew a standingroom-only crowd of more than
200 people on Tuesday night,
Oct. 14.
The district’s board has a little
less than a month before it must
decide whether to authorize the
proposed charter school. Charter founders want to start with
100 total students in two classes
each of kindergarteners and
first-graders in the fall of 2015,
expanding by one grade level
each year with the ultimate goal
of a K-eighth-grade school with
450 students.
There was lots of applause,
and even a few standing ovations, on both sides of the issue
as the audience had a chance to
talk about why they do, or do
not, support the petition for the
proposed charter school.
A longtime Menlo Park resident and former district science
teacher made a plea for civility in the debate. “We want to
model how we want our children to behave,” said Nancy
Rankin. Ms. Rankin said she
was “chilled” by some negative
online posts about the charter
founders. “Change is scary,” she
said. “That fear often turns to
anger and anger sometimes can
be very destructive.”
Carol Cunningham, a district
resident and mother of a kindergartener and preschooler, made
a presentation about the school
to lead off the hearing.
“The founders of the Menlo
Mandarin Immersion Charter School are here tonight
because we ultimately believe
The district has
scheduled a study
session focusing on
the charter proposal
on Monday, Oct. 27,
at the district office in
Atherton.
in having the freedom of choice
and expanded opportunities
for Menlo Park families when it
comes to public education,” she
said.
That idea did not sit well with
several teachers who spoke. “I
believe the children of parents
in Menlo Park have many choices in the types of educational
opportunities that are offered,”
including Spanish immersion,
art, music, PE, librarians, sci-
ence labs, multi-age learning
and school gardens, said Sheila
Warren, a librarian at Laurel
School and co-president of the
Menlo Park Education Association. “We are continually striving to be better and are continually meeting our goals for high
achievement. We set the bar
high and we go after it.”
But Ms. Cunningham said
the state’s charter law does
not require charters be only in
troubled districts. “Nowhere in
the law does it state that charters were intended to benefit
only poor-performing, failing
or struggling public school districts. Charters are intended to
benefit all kids,” Ms. Cunningham said.
Several speakers urged the
charter backers to withdraw
their petition.
“I really invite, request,
beseech, beg, the Mandarin
immersion charter advocates to
reconsider and withdraw their
petition and work within our
community to bring about the
change that we all are interested
in, in improving and expanding
foreign language opportunities
for our children,” said Neil
Swartzberg, a district parent.
“While they may, and I’ll stress
may, be legally entitled to pursue and even potentially obtain
a charter school, just because
you can do this under the law
doesn’t mean that you have to ...
pursue it.”
Other parents said they worry
the charter will take money
from the district’s existing programs. “I am very concerned
about the introduction of a
charter school into our district,”
said Sydney Merk. “I worry
about our district not having
See MANDARIN page 8
Atherton moves toward
study of reducing lanes
on El Camino Real
By Barbara Wood
Almanac Staff Writer
A
therton’s City Council on
Wednesday night, Oct.
15, approved sending
out a request for proposals for
a study of the traffic conditions
on El Camino Real, the first step
toward making changes on the
1.6-mile stretch of highway that
runs through the town.
“It’s a necessary first step
required by Caltrans,” said
Community Services Director
Michael Kashiwagi.
El Camino is a state highway
and the decision to change the
lane configuration must be
approved by Caltrans.
Firms interested in doing the
study for the town have until Nov.
12 to submit a proposal. The study
will look at how traffic delays and
safety would be affected if the
road is narrowed from six lanes to
four. The area studied will stretch
from Oak Grove Avenue in Menlo
Park to Redwood Avenue in Redwood City.
Council members voted unanimously to approve the request
for proposals, but only after
making it clear that they want to
study the overall issue of safety
on El Camino, not just the possible lane reduction. They asked
to have the name of the study
changed to Phase I: El Camino
Real Safety and Lane Reduction Traffic Study and asked
Community Services Director
Michael Kashiwagi to return
with a phase two study that
would look at the effects of other
safety measures on El Camino
including stop lights, crosswalk
changes and turn restrictions.
The study, Mayor Casy Wiest
said, is a “step that we have to
take, and it’s in the right direction, to increase safety and give
us more information.”
City Manager George Rodericks
said the actual contract for the
study will probably return to the
council for approval in January.
Mr. Kashiwagi’s report said
that while 31,000 vehicles pass
through Atherton on El Camino
Real each day, there is only one
signal at an El Camino intersection completely within the
town boundaries. Pedestrians
and bicyclists who wish to cross
from one side of town to the
other must use Atherton/Fair
Oaks Avenue, where the traffic signal is, one of five other
marked crosswalks, or the crosswalks with signals at either end
of town in shared intersections.
Go to tinyurl.com/ecr159 to
see the staff report. A
Photo by Natalia Nazarova
Public officials gather at the Pulgas Water Temple site near Woodside to observe the arrival of the first
drinking water to travel from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir through the new Bay Tunnel to Crystal Springs.
Water from new tunnel reaches here
By Barbara Wood
Almanac Staff Writer
E
ighty years ago, the arrival
of the first drinking water
to make the long journey
from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir
in the Sierra Nevada to Crystal
Springs Reservoir was greeted
at the site of the Pulgas Water
Temple off Canada Road north
of Woodside by a crowd estimated at 20,000 people.
On Wednesday, Oct. 15, a
much smaller group met in the
same place to greet the arrival of
the first drinking water to travel
from Hetch Hetchy to Crystal
Springs via a newly completed
Bay Tunnel, which goes under
the San Francisco Bay.
The new tunnel should make
the water supply for the Peninsula and San Francisco much
more likely to be available after a
major earthquake, officials say.
According to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission,
the water system that serves San
Francisco and the Peninsula was
built in response to the 1906
earthquake and the devastat-
ing fire that followed it. The
completion of the system was
celebrated on Oct. 28, 1934, at
the water temple site. The classical temple that is now at that
location had not yet been built,
so a plywood mock-up stood
nearby.
The Loma Prieta earthquake,
which happened 25 years ago
on Oct. 17, was similarly the
impetus for the Bay Tunnel
and much of the other recent
work that has been done to
See TUNNEL, page 8
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ5
N E W S
Home burglar sentenced
to prison for 33 years
Justin Ralph Mitchell, 27, of
Redwood City, who was convicted in June of two Woodside
residential burglaries, was sentenced to 33 years in state prison
on Friday, Oct. 17.
Mr. Mitchell’s “crime spree”
in October 2013 included two
nighttime burglaries of occupied residences in Woodside,
five commercial burglaries and
several identity theft felonies,
San Mateo County prosecutors
said. A jury convicted him on 20
of 21 counts.
According to a report from
District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe, prosecutors had asked
for 33 years, a sentence that
Mr. Mitchell’s defense attorney, Michael Hroziencik, called
“Draconian,” asking instead for
15 years and eight months. Mr.
Hroziencik was not available for
comment.
Mr. Mitchell was on parole
at the time of the burglaries,
prosecutors said. His conviction added a “third strike” to his
record, Chief Deputy District
Attorney Karen Guidotti told
the Almanac.
Burglary of an occupied residence is considered a violent
felony, which means that Mr.
Mitchell will have to serve at
least 85 percent of his sentence,
Ms. Guidotti said.
Mr. Mitchell had been in
custody on $405,000 bail. His
sentence included credit for 420
days of time served.
Teen dies in I-280 incident
The California Highway
Patrol reported the death at
about 12:45 p.m. on Oct. 14 of a
17-year-old Woodside girl who,
witnesses said, jumped from
the Sand Hill Road overpass at
Interstate 280 and was struck
by a vehicle driving north on
the freeway.
The San Mateo County Coroner’s Office identified the girl
as Shelby Lauren Drazan.
CHP officers were enroute
to the scene after witnesses
reported a girl standing on the
guardrail of the westbound
lanes of the overpass, Officer
Art Montiel said. Medics pro-
nounced the girl dead at the
scene.
The vehicle that struck the
girl was a 2007 Toyota SUV
driven by a Santa Clara resident. The driver was not
injured, the CHP said.
Officers rerouted northbound
traffic via the off- and onramps at Sand Hill Road and
traffic was backed up to just
south of Alpine Road, the CHP
said. The freeway section was
reopened to traffic at about 2:55
p.m., the CHP said.
The CHP is asking witnesses
to contact Officer William Torr
at (650) 369-6261.
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6QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
N E W S
Sweep nets 207 traffic
citations, 93 in Menlo
By Dave Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer
T
wenty-two
officers
from around San Mateo
County, most of them
on motorcycles, made more
than 240 traffic stops locally on
Wednesday, Oct. 15, and issued
207 citations — 114 in the morning in East Palo Alto and 93 in
the afternoon in Menlo Park,
according to Cpl. Brett Murphy of the Burlingame Police
Department.
The top three citation categories: 58 tickets for talking on
a hand-held cellphone, and 43
tickets each for driving without
a seat belt and speeding, Cpl.
Murphy said.
The day of enforcement
was the 10th such event in
2014, always held on the third
Wednesday of the month.
The communities receiving
extra patrols change with each
month. For October, the focus
was Menlo Park and East Palo
Alto. Menlo Park was also the
focus in September, but was
paired with Atherton. Woodside and Portola Valley were up
in August.
Other citations this time
included 25 tickets for failure
to stop at stop signs, 13 for road
sign violations such as making an illegal right turn, eight
for unlicensed driving, and
three for driving on suspended
licenses, Cpl. Murphy told the
Almanac.
Police made two arrests based
on outstanding warrants, and
two people were cited for possession of narcotics.
Police also issued 10 tickets
to bicyclists for not stopping
at stop signs or red lights, nine
of those in Menlo Park. Traffic
violations by bicyclists were a
particular focus because of the
high volume of complaints to
local police from residents about
cyclists ignoring stop signs, Cpl.
Murphy said.
One person received a ticket
for stopping in the vehicleexclusion zone marked on the
pavement in front of the fire
station at 3322 Alameda de las
Pulgas, Station 4 of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. That an officer was there
to issue a ticket came about
through complaints from firefighters to police about drivers
ignoring the marked pavement,
Cpl. Murphy said.
The Saturation Traffic
Enforcement Program (STEP)
is a San Mateo County initiative,
in effect since January 2013, that
brings together for a day some
25 motorcycle officers, more
or less, from law-enforcement
agencies in the county. The
Burlingame Police Department
organizes the events.
The purpose is to enforce the
law and to educate drivers on the
need to obey the law, Cpl. Murphy said. A
Iverson’s ‘Capturing Grace’
wins honors at film festival
“Capturing Grace” by Dave
Iverson of Menlo Park was honored as the Audience Favorite
Documentary at the 37th Mill
Valley Film festival held Oct.
10-11.
“It’s been exciting to have our
film screened in front of a soldout audience, Mr. Iverson said,
“and to now receive this award
is both humbling and incredibly
gratifying.”
“Capturing Grace” documents
a year in the life of a group of
Parkinson’s disease patients in
Brooklyn who are part of a
dance therapy program offered
by the Mark Morris Dance
Group. Mr. Iverson had done a
short piece about the program
for the PBS News Hour, then
decided the story would be
worth a documentary. Several
patients shared their life stories
and their struggles.
Mr. Iverson grew up in Menlo
Park and attended Stanford University. He spent the bulk of his
career in the
Midwest after
earning a graduate degree in
telecommunications from
Indiana University.
He went on Iverson, David
2014
to have a successful career
as a producer, writer and correspondent for public broadcasting. In 2004 he returned to the
Bay Areaa and hosted Friday
Forum for KQED until recently.
“Capturing Grace” will also
be shown on public television
next April as part of Parkinson’s
Disease Awareness Month.
Atherton Mayors Say
Why They SUPPORT Rose
“From personal committee experience, Rose
Hau offers thoughtful and sound judgment
when dealing with town matters. She
consistently demonstrated independent and
objective reasoning when assessing difficult
issues. Rose will be an excellent
member of the Town Council.“
Jerry Carlson, former Atherton Mayor
“Hau also would
be a good choice
for council as it
embarks on
the $30 million
civic center and
library project.
Her professional
experience would
help the town
avoid costly
mistakes”.
Daily Post 10-10-14
Endorsed By
Jerry Carlson
“I have known and worked with Rose Hau for the better
part of two decades. Rose is independent, strong-minded,
and fair, and speaks with her own voice, not that of any
group or special interest. Rose listens to all sides and
considers all the issues before reaching a decision. And
when she has a position, she vigorously advocates for
it. Rose represents the best of Atherton! Please
vote for Rose Hau for Atherton Council!”
Jim Janz, former Atherton Mayor
“Rose and her family have lived in Atherton
for twenty two years, their children have
attended our local schools, she has
served in leadership roles on our Planning
Commission, our Audit Committee and
our Civic Center Advisory Committee.
She represents everything Atherton stands
Malcolm Dudley
for. She will be a superb council
member. I unabashedly support Rose for
Atherton Council.“
Malcolm Dudley, former Atherton Mayor
Endorsed By SIX Former
Atherton Mayors
20 Years of Atherton Town
Service
20 Years of Independent
Decision-Making
22 Year Resident of Atherton
www.rose4council.com
Support Local Business
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ7
N E W S
Water from Bay Tunnel
reaches Crystal Springs
TUNNEL
continued from page 5
improve the system bringing water from Hetch Hetchy
to the Bay Area. The tunnel
replaces two aging pipelines
that sat on the bottom of the
Bay.
San Mateo County Supervisor Dave Pine was among the
officials at the Oct. 15 ceremony,
which followed a gush of water
that sped through the water
temple and down a culvert
behind it to the reservoir.
“San Mateo County has been
pivotal to the water supply of
San Francisco going back to
1852,” when the first water storage reservoir was built here, he
said. Today, as scientists warn
that another major earthquake
could be imminent, the system
is ready, he said, “This work
was done ahead of” a possible
disaster, he said.
Nicole Sandkulla, CEO of
the Bay Area Water Supply and
Conservation Agency, said she
was “happy and relieved to see
this water from the Bay Tunnel.”
“This is a project that will
ensure a reliable supply ...
through the future,” she said.
The Bay Tunnel is just one
part of the Hetch Hetchy Water
System Improvement Program,
with a $4.6 billion budget, primarily designed to assure water
will still be available after an
earthquake. The project also
will develop new sources of
groundwater and a supply of
recycled water. A
Support
7KH$OPDQDF·V
print and online
coverage of
our community.
-RLQWRGD\6XSSRUW/RFDO-RXUQDOLVPRUJ$OPDQDF
TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY
NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING
ON A NEW PORTOLA ROAD
CORRIDOR PLAN ELEMENT OF THE
TOWN OF PORTOLA VALLEY GENERAL PLAN
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Planning
Commission of the Town of Portola Valley will hold a
public hearing on the draft Portola Road Corridor
Plan Element of the Portola Valley General Plan on
Wednesday, November 5, 2014 at 7:30 p.m., in the
Town Council Chambers (Historic Schoolhouse), 765
Portola Road, Portola Valley, California. Copies of the
draft Corridor Plan and related materials are available
on the Town Website at www.portolavalley.net and at
Portola Valley Town Hall, 765 Portola Road, Portola
Valley, California.
Comments may be submitted in writing prior to the
Planning Commission meeting, and all interested
persons are invited to appear before the Planning
Commission to be heard at the time and place herein
above mentioned.
Public hearings provide the general public and interested
parties an opportunity to provide testimony on these
items. If you challenge a proposed action(s) in court,
you may be limited to raising only those issues you or
someone else raised at a Public Hearing(s) described
above, or in written correspondence delivered to
the Planning Commission at, or prior to, the public
hearing(s).
Dated: October 22, 2014
Signed: Karen Kristiansson, Deputy Town Planner
8QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
Photo by Natalia Nazarova
Cool view
The Ladera Recreation District pool on Andeta Way stays open until the end of October.
Menlo conference: trafficking of women, girls
A morning conference on the
trafficking of women and girls
will be held from 10 a.m. to
noon Saturday, Nov. 1, at Trinity
Church, 330 Ravenswood Ave.
in Menlo Park.
A panel of experts will include
Carissa Phelps, who was trafficked at age 12 and is founder of
Runaway Girl; David Batstone,
co-founder of the Global antislavery organization, Not For
Sale, and professor at the University of San Francisco; and the
Rev. Becca Stevens, Episcopal
priest and chaplain at Vanderbilt
University and founder of Mag-
MANDARIN
continued from page 5
control of a program that would
be draining resources from our
kids.”
But Ms. Cunningham said
that because the charter school
would require less money per
pupil from the district than is
currently spent educating each
student, the district would not
lose money as long as fewer
than 50 percent of the charter
students come from outside the
district.
“With the data that we know
today, such as the district’s overenrollment situation, the financial impact will likely be inconsequential to beneficial,” she said.
“These are still district kids that
will need space, anyway.”
The grounds on which the district board can make a decision
on the charter school are limited
by the state law, and some of the
speakers tried to give the board
dalene, residential communities
of women who have survived
trafficking, prostitution, and
addiction.
The morning will also feature
a Shared Trade marketplace of
global handmade home and
body products. Local organizations that work in prevention
and trafficking survivors will
also be on site.
Q B R I E F S
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed
a bill providing veterans with
increased access to home-based
assisted living care. Authored
by Assemblyman Rich Gordon,
D-Menlo Park, the bill creates a
three-year medical foster home
pilot program, which provides
veterans the option to choose to
live and receive care in a private
home.
Many California veterans seek
home-based care rather than
being institutionalized, Mr.
Gordon said. The pilot program
goes into effect on June 1, 2015.
some of those reasons to use.
One of the grounds is whether
the school is likely to succeed
in implementing the program
outlined in its petition.
“I do not think the charter will
be successful if it does not have
the support of our community,”
said Caryn Wasserstein, a district parent. She and other parents started their own petition at
Change.org in opposition to the
school on Oct. 6 and by Oct. 14
had more than 1,000 signatures,
she said. “The support of the
community is just not there.”
Arlina Ahluwalia said she supports the charter school. “We
should embrace this group’s
proposal,” she said.
A similar program in Palo
Alto has far more applicants
than it has room for, and Menlo
Park’s Spanish immersion program turns down two out of
three applicants, Ms. Ahluwalia
said. “Let the charter take a
bunch of district kids off the
district roster,” she said. “Don’t
let doors close for our Menlo
Park kids.”
If the district board turns
down the charter, backers may
appeal to the county school
board, and if that fails, to the
state board of education.
The district has scheduled
a study session focusing on
the charter proposal at 6 p.m.
Monday, Oct. 27, in the district
office’s TERC Building at 181
Encinal Ave. in Atherton.
The board is scheduled to
make its final decision on
the proposal at a meeting on
Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the same
location. That meeting starts at
6:30 p.m. The districts has a list
of frequently asked questions
and answers on the proposal on
its website, MPCSD.org, as well
as a copy of the Menlo Mandarin Immersion School petition.
Go to tinyurl.com/no656 to
see the change.org petition
against the charter. A
New law establishes
veterans’ program
N E W S
Mayor asks council to study
public benefit thresholds
By Sandy Brundage
Almanac Staff Writer
M
ayor Ray Mueller said
he would ask the rest of
the Menlo Park council
on Tuesday, Oct. 21, to schedule
a study session on the public
benefit thresholds of the downtown/El Camino Real specific
plan.
(Check AlmanacNews.com for
updates. The meeting took place
after the Almanac’s deadline.)
During a review of three
amendments proposed for
the specific plan, the Planning Commission on Oct. 6
discussed how large a project
should be before the developer
is required to negotiate public
benefits.
Mr. Mueller was recused during the 2013 review of the specif-
Q MEN LO PARK
ic plan because he owned property within the plan’s boundaries at the time; it has since been
sold.
Several
commissioners,
including Vince Bressler, Katie
Ferrick and John Kadvany,
thought the topic needed review
again after the council failed
to recommend any changes to
that aspect last fall, with Mr.
Kadvany referring to the lack of
action as “the biggest mistake”
the council has made in recent
years.
Measure M, which is on the
November ballot and would
modify the specific plan, does
not make any changes to the
public benefit thresholds despite
frequent criticism from the mea-
sure’s supporters that too much
development is allowed before
public benefits must be negotiated.
Of the two mixed-use projects
currently proposed, one would
meet the threshold and require
public benefit negotiation —
Greenheart’s proposal at 1300 El
Camino Real. The other, Stanford’s proposal for 500 El Camino
Real, would not meet the threshold, but the university is negotiating with the city anyway.
According to the agenda, the
meeting kicked off at 6 p.m. in
council chambers at the Civic
Center (701 Laurel St.) with a
study session to consider installation of a new antenna for the
city’s police and public works
departments at the administration building. A
Incumbent candidates comment
on Greenheart’s campaign support
By Sandy Brundage
Almanac Staff Writer
G
reenheart’s quest to
defeat Measure M, the
specific plan initiative,
during the November election
has dug deep into the developer’s pockets — with about
$200,000 earmarked for campaigning.
The company has also made
nonmonetary donations to
the three council incumbents
running for re-election, which
raised questions about whether
there’s a conflict of interest in
accepting that support when
Greenheart’s mixed-use project will need the council to
sign off on the environmental
impact report and public benefit negotiations.
Incumbent Rich Cline, running for a third term, said
Greenheart had asked if he
wanted to have his campaign
literature dropped off with its
own, and to add his photo to
“No on M” door hangers.
He said yes. “I don’t view any
funding or any support as any
See GREENHEART, page 19
Should Portola Valley allow deputies
to deploy license-plate-reading cameras?
By Dave Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer
T
he San Mateo County
Sheriff ’s Office has placed
automated license plate
readers in Portola Valley on occasion, but they’ve been temporary.
After a series of residential burglaries in late March, deputies
— without informing Town Hall
— placed cameras on vehiclespeed-monitoring trailers to look
for a suspect vehicle. They did
not find it.
In June, deputies asked to
deploy the cameras again and
were denied pending a Town
Council discussion with law
enforcement authorities. That
discussion is set to happen
Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the
Historic Schoolhouse at 765
Portola Road. The meeting
begins at 7:30 p.m.
Sheriff’s Office Captain Mike
Sena, who directs the Northern
California Regional Intelligence
Center (NCRIC), is expected to
give a presentation. Mr. Sena met
with a council subcommittee and
the town attorney in September
to “identify key issues of concern
at the policy, legal, and logistical levels,” according to a staff
report.
The town has also invited representatives from American Civil
Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, both
of which are skeptical of indiscriminate data-storage practices
employed by agencies using these
cameras. NCRIC says it stores
every plate photographed for one
year.
The “hit rate” — the percentage of license plates found to be
of interest to police — is tiny,
according to a 2013 ACLU analysis. In Maryland in 2012, only
0.2 percent of the total number
of plates read were hits; of those,
97 percent were for vehicle registration or smog inspection
problems, the ACLU says. The
Minnesota State Patrol reported
a hit rate of 0.05 percent over two
years.
NCRIC has policies to prevent abuse of the data, Mr. Sena
said in response to emailed
questions from Councilman
Craig Hughes. Anyone using
the database must provide “a
lawful purpose” for accessing
data and must agree to federal
privacy policies, Mr. Sena says.
The system also monitors user
activities and NCRIC personnel
periodically audit the process
“to confirm that it is functioning properly,” he says.
The San Carlos City Council
didn’t buy it. By a 3-2 vote on Oct.
13, a majority rejected a proposal
by its police chief to purchase
one mobile and one fixed license
plate reader, according to the San
Jose Mercury News. The concern
was the use and safeguarding of
data collected by the cameras.
,WWDNHVWHDPZRUN
[
I have never had anyone put in
as much personal elbow grease
as Steve. He has a wonderful
team at his fingertips and can
get a house beautifully ready in
a hurry. With integrity, wisdom
and no allergy to hard work,
Steve is not a ‘surface’ realtor.
He did the work it took to get
our house sold.
30+ years of
local knowledge.
Born in
Menlo Park.
Raised in
Atherton.
A Woodside
resident.
[
67(9(*5$<
%5(
VJUD\#FEQRUFDOFRP
ADAM SILER
ADAM GRADUATED
FROM UNIVERSITY OF
VIRGINIA WITH A B.A.
IN PHILOSOPHY AND
POLITICAL
SCIENCE AND ALSO
EARNED HIS M.ED IN
PHILOSOPHY OF
EDUCATION FROM
STANFORD UNIVERSITY.
As a Social Sciences teacher he helps prepare students live “authentic” lives by challenging and
encouraging student’s personal and academic growth
in critical thinking and empathy for others. He says,
“At the end of the day, I want students to leave my
classroom a little better prepared to call upon their
capacity to think, a little better prepared to call upon
their capacity to feel, and a little better prepared to
help others do the same.”
When Adam isn’t teaching he enjoys reading, walking
his shih-tzu, and playing pickup basketball.
ONE OF THE MANY REASONS TO SEND YOUR CHILD TO:
Woodside Priory School
Admissions Office
302 Portola Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028
650/851-8223 Q www.PrioryCa.org
OPEN HOUSE For Prospective students and families
Middle School Program (Grades Six to Eight):
Saturday, December 6, 2014 - 10 AM
Upper School Program (Grades Nine to Eleven):
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For information and to R.S.V.P. contact Admissions at 650.851.8223
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ9
N E W S
Inspirations
a guide to the spiritual community
WOODSIDE
VILLAGE
CHURCH
Sunday Worship 9:30 a.m.
with
Sunday School and Nursery Care
Pastor Mike Harvey
Rev. Dorothy Straks
3154 Woodside Road Woodside
650.851.1587
www.wvchurch.org
To include your
Church in
Inspirations
Please email
Blanca Yoc at
[email protected]
or call
650-223-6596
TOWN OF WOODSIDE
2955 WOODSIDE ROAD
WOODSIDE, CA 94062
INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR COMMITTEES
ARTS AND CULTURE COMMITTEE
Meets first Thursday of each month, 5:00 p.m.; appointed for two-year term
The Committee strengthens multigenerational community involvement by
initiating, sponsoring and celebrating local art, creativity and cultural activities
including, but not limited to, the areas of art, photography, design, music, horticulture, culinary arts, literature, drama and dance. The Committee will create
opportunities to educate, inform and engage the community about cultural
affairs and will organize and supervise events to showcase local creative talent
CIRCULATION COMMITTEE
Meets third Thursday of each month, 7:30 p.m.; appointed for two-year term.
The Committee supports the General Plan goal to balance circulation
system user needs and works to foster a community of all users of the public
roadway system, including motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and equestrians; works with the Town Engineer, Sheriff ’s Department and local and
regional organizations to develop educational programs to promote traffic
safety; advises staff and the Council about ways to make the roadway system
safer for all users, to encourage effective traffic enforcement and to promote
safe, convenient access to schools, Town businesses, public and private institutions and neighborhoods; reviews applications for special event permits
for the Town’s roadways, offers expert participation on the C/CAG Bicycle
and Pedestrian Advisory Committee and makes recommendations regarding grant applications that seek to improve the Town’s bicycle and pedestrian
systems; confers with the Trails Committee on programs and recommendations of mutual interest.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE
Meets second Wednesday of each month, 5:30 p.m.; appointed for two-year term.
The Committee supports the General Plan Policies to institute or participate
in education related to natural hazards and to support emergency preparedness education; works with Town staff to develop and maintain appropriate
plans and procedures for responding to disasters, including wildfires, earthquakes, flood and other emergencies; supports the work of the Citizens’
Emergency Response and Preparedness Program (CERPP) to develop a
network of volunteers to respond to emergencies at the neighborhood level;
works with staff to recruit, organize, train and maintain a team of volunteers
who can assist staffing an Emergency Operations Center when Town staff is
partially or wholly unavailable; works with staff to develop emergency communication facilities and capabilities and to provide residents of the Town
with information and training in emergency topics.
OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE
Meets fourth Thursday of each month, 5:30 p.m.; appointed for two-year term.
The Committee advises and assists the Town Council, Planning Commission
and staff in implementing the policies and goals of the Open Space and Conservation elements of the General Plan, specifically with respect to acquisition
and maintenance of conservation easements and open space preservation.
RECREATION COMMITTEE
Meets first Thursday of each month, 7:30 p.m.; appointed for three-year term.
The Committee guides the activities of the community recreation programs.
SUSTAINABILITY AND CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
Meets fourth Monday of each month, 6:00 p.m.; appointed for two-year term.
The Committee advises and assists the Town Council, Planning Commission, and staff on conservation, open space, noise, public services and facilities as pertaining to the elements of the Town’s General Plan.
WOODSIDE HISTORY COMMITTEE
Meets second Thursday of each month, 10:00 a.m.; appointed for two-year term.
The Committee advises the Town Council and staff regarding actions, policies and plans relating to historic preservation.
Committees are volunteer positions and serve in an advisory capacity to the Town
Council.
Interested residents may request information and applications Monday through
Friday, 8:00 a.m.-12 noon and 1-5:00 p.m., from the Town Clerk’s Office at Town
Hall, 2955 Woodside Road, or telephone (650) 851-6790, or through the Town’s web
site at www.woodsidetown.org. Vacancies are open until appointments are filled.
10QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
New laws aim to level playing field
for LGBT community members
Two bills by Assemblyman
Rich Gordon, D-Menlo Park,
to improve healthcare and economic opportunities for the
LGBT community have been
signed into law by Gov. Jerry
Brown.
The two bills were among 17
authored in 2014 by Mr. Gordon
that passed in both houses of the
state Legislature and received
the governor’s signature.
t
c
e
l
E
Re
The signing of AB 496 establishes a task force to report to the
Legislature on LGBT cultural
competency among healthcare
providers and requires them
to become familiar with LGBT
healthcare issues.
Studies have shown that the
social and health challenges
of the LGBT community are
unique, and that discussion of
those challenges by healthcare
Peter
OHTAKI
Menlo Park CITY COUNCIL
PeterOhtaki.com
Paid for by Ohtaki for MP City Council 2014 FPPC# 1369351
providers would improve the
level of care, according to a legislative analysis.
“Understanding a patient’s
unique needs and background is
crucial to providing comprehensive and individualized health
care,” Mr. Gordon said.
The other key bill on LGBT
issues, AB 1678, is meant to provide economic growth opportunities for certified LGBT business owners.
Under current law, public
utilities with annual revenues
of more than $25 million must
submit “detailed and verifiable”
plans to the Public Utilities
Commission that encourage
contracting with enterprises
owned by minorities, women or
disabled veterans. The new law
adds LGBT-owned enterprises
to this list, Mr. Gordon said.
“Not only does this legislation
establish equity for LGBT business owners, but it generates
opportunities, spurring continued recovery and economic
growth throughout California,”
Mr. Gordon said.
Other bills
Mr. Gordon had a good legislative session in 2014 if the
measure is having one’s bills
pass both houses and be signed
into law.
Among the 17 bills he authored
that were signed into law are:
Q AB 800, which adds transparency to reporting of late
expenditures in election campaigns. It also expands the realm
of candidate records subject to
investigation by the Fair Political
Practices Commission and the
Franchise Tax Board, including
an option to compel expedited
disclosure. The vote was on party
lines in both houses.
Q AB 1624, which extends
until 2020 incentives to encourage residents to participate in
the self-generated energy program, with rebates for renewable
energy and clean combustion
processes.
Q AB 2351, which improves
chances for smaller political
parties, such as Peace & Freedom, Libertarian and Green,
to remain qualified to appear
on the ballot. The legislation
addresses imbalances created
by the 2009 “top two” primary
election system, in which only
the top two vote-getters advance
to the general election.
Q AB 2193, which cuts red tape
for local governments and property owners trying to restore
ecological health to urban and
rural lands.
— Tiffany Lam and Dave
Boyce contributed to this story.
Measure M is a Mistake
Measure M Is Opposed By The Entire
Menlo Park City Council
“Our families deserve
to enjoy an El Camino
Real corridor that is free
of vacant lots, free of
blight and is not
crumbling in decay.
Measure M will delay
those improvements for
years. It’s time to move
forward. Please vote
no on Measure M.”
“Measure M doesn’t
limit the size of any
project, it just limits the
office space and allows
that to be replaced by
more retail, bigger
residential units or
medical offices. So the
net result is higher
traffic and bigger
burden on our schools.”
“Currently, the city has
the ability to change
zoning for downtown
at any time, but this
initiative takes away
that ability and locks us
in. Measure M puts us
at a real disadvantage
relative to our
neighboring cities.”
Ray Mueller
Catherine Carlton
Rich Cline
Mayor, Menlo Park
Vice Mayor, Menlo Park
Former Mayor
“The current plan has
been thoroughly vetted.
I have concerns that if
M passes, it could lead
to high traffic
medical offices
replacing the current
proposals, which have
no medical, leading to
much more traffic.”
NO
ON
MEASURE
“We have the
opportunity to create
a tech village near
Caltrain that would
bring vibrancy and
new customers to our
downtown. Measure
M’s limit on office space
will squash that
opportunity.”
Kirsten Keith
Peter Ohtaki
Former Mayor
Former Mayor
M
For More No On Measure M Endorsements go to
www.MenloParkDeservesBetter.org
or www.mpcdforum.com
Paid for by Committee for a Vibrant Downtown No on M With Major Funding by Greenheart Land Company
68 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, FPPC ID# 1369207
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ11
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October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ13
N E W S
THE BOOK CARREL
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From Estates & Individuals
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Voter info available to
candidates, journalists
By Tiffany Lam
Special to the Almanac
I
t may come as a surprise to
voters that much of the information they provide when
they register to vote — including
name, party affiliation, address
and whether they voted — can
be legally obtained by candidates
and ballot measure committees,
as well as scholars and journalists.
In a recent seminar for candidates and campaign committees, Hillary O’Connor, elections specialist for San Mateo
County, explained how to get
and use voter data.
Applicants for the information must state their purpose for
wanting the information. Those
with a “political, governmental,
journalist or scholarly” purpose,
for example, can obtain the
information, according to the
county elections website.
For $125, an applicant can
obtain data for all active voters in a voting district, such
as school district or even the
whole county. The information includes voter contact data
(address and phone number),
voting history (whether a person voted, not how the person
voted) for the past five elections,
and party affiliation, said Ms.
O’Connor.
Applicants can also get a
printed list of voter information
for 50 cents per 1,000 voters.
The information is commonly
used by candidates and election
committees to contact voters
See VOTER DATA, page 15
END OF THE
SEASON SALE
UP TO 50% OFF
Expires 10/31/14
THE CLIMATE CONVERSATION YOU
HAVEN’T HEARD Moderator Lesley Stahl
Many of us don’t want to talk or think about it, but extreme weather and a
changing planet are a given for the 21st century. It’s a daunting problem —
however, developing new techniques and technologies to deal with global
problems is at the heart of what Stanford and Silicon Valley do best. Join
moderator Lesley Stahl and a panel of global leaders to address what may
be the most compelling issue of our time.
Friday, October 24, 2014
Maples Pavilion, Stanford University
9:30 a.m. President’s Welcome / 10 a.m. Roundtable
Free and open to the public.
terrapatio.com
Mountain View Store
1064 W. El Camino Real
(Located between Castro St. &
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10 - 6 Everyday
, media partner
roundtable.stanford.edu
14QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
650.969.2200
N E W S
Phyllis Van De Mark, former Lions Club president
Phyllis Havens
Van De Mark
died
Sept.
29 at the age
of 87. A resident of Corte
Madera since
2012, she lived
Phyllis Van De
in Menlo Park
Mark
for 51 years and
served multiple terms as president of the Menlo Park Live Oak
Lions Club.
Ms. Van De Mark grew up in
Chicago and graduated from
Ripon College. While living
in Menlo Park, she worked for
SRI and taught chemistry at
West Valley and Ohlone community colleges and San Jose
State University. She volunteered
with Westwind 4-H Riding for
the Handicapped program and
helped start and maintain the
Menlo Park farmers’ market.
Her happiest times began when
she turned 50 and married her
neighbor, Raymond Van De
Mark, say family members.
Ms. Van De Mark is survived by
her sister, Elizabeth Heininger;
niece Diane Heininger; and
Diane’s husband, Chris White.
Donations in her memory may
VOTER DATA
continued from page 14
by phone and by door-to-door
canvassing. The campaign staffs
want to contact people who are
likely to vote and likely to vote
for their candidate or ballot
measure.
Journalists may not publish
confidential information, which
is outlined in the application,
and may only use the data for
statistical reporting with no reference to particular voters, Ms.
O’Connor said.
The law prohibits commercial
use of voter registration information. Driver’s license and
Social Security numbers, and
signatures cannot be released.
Go to shapethefuture.org and
click on the link, “Candidates &
Campaigns,” then “Voter File
Information,” for more information. A
New CFO at
Sequoia Hospital
Kim Osborne is the new chief
financial office/vice president
of finance at Dignity Health
Sequoia Hospital in Redwood
City.
Ms. Osborne served for more
than three years as chief financial officer for Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage
and seven years as vice president
and controller for Stanford
Health Care, formerly known as
Stanford Hospital and Clinics.
Q O BIT UAR IES
be made to the Westwind Riding Institute (for the Westwind
4-H Riding for the Handicapped
program) and the Menlo Park
Live Oak Lions Club.
Wiley Thomas Birkhofer
English teacher and artist
Wiley Thomas Birkhofer, who
grew up in Menlo Park, died
Sept. 30 at the age of 27.
Mr. Birkhofer
attended Oak
Knoll
and
Menlo Schools.
He flourished
in
academics and sports,
especially basWiley Thomas
ketball, soccer
Birkhofer
and lacrosse,
say family members. He was an
avid skier and surfer.
After graduating from Stanford University in 2009, he
completed his master’s of fine
arts in creative degree (poetry)
at New York University in
2014. He recently taught at the
Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City and
was planning to teach creative
arts to underserved children
through Community-Word
Project in the New York City
school system.
He previously taught at Sacred
Heart School on Maui, the Boys
& Girls Club, and undergraduate writing and poetry courses at
NYU.
His passion for creating art and
music grew while he was living in
New York City, say family members. He made a lasting positive
impression on many people and
deeply loved his family and
countless friends, they say.
He is survived by his parents
Wendell and Celeste Birkhofer;
sister Elise Birkhofer; grandfather G. Wendell Birkhofer; and
10 aunts and uncles
Donations may be made in
his memory to the National
Alliance on Mental Illness
(na mica lifornia.org)
or
Community-World Project
(communityworldproject.org)
Continue
to push
boundaries
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The best way to fight breast cancer is to have a plan that helps you detect the
disease in its early stages. Stanford Medicine physicians and researchers have
been instrumental in developing leading technologies to understand and
screen for hereditary cancer syndromes. Stanford Women’s Cancer Center
physicians are pushing the boundaries to better identify breast cancer and to
offer advances in screening, diagnosis and treatment.
For more information, call 650.498.6004 or visit
stanfordhealthcare.org/breastcancer
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ15
N E W S
Earthquake! Atherton gets ready for a big one
By Barbara Wood
Almanac Staff Writer
I
t has been 25 years since
the Loma Prieta earthquake
shook the Bay Area with a
6.9 intensity jolt, resulting in
63 deaths, buckled bridges, collapsed freeways, cracked foundations, fallen facades and power
and phone outages affecting
millions — long enough to forget
the damage an earthquake can
cause.
But scientists are now warning that another major quake is
almost certain to hit California
some time in the next 30 years.
Atherton wants to be ready
for that inevitable quake, and on
Oct. 16, a day before the Loma
Prieta anniversary, the town and
the Lindenwood neighborhood
each tested their readiness with
an earthquake response drill.
In Lindenwood, Wally Sleeth,
with the help of Scott Barnum
from ADAPT (Atherton Disaster and Preparedness Team)
organized at least 45 neighbors
to do what will be needed in
a major disaster. Teams went
door-to-door checking on their
neighbors, reporting back to
their staging point via ham
radio or in written reports
ferried back and forth by Phil
Lively and Marion Oster in Mr.
Lively’s 1945 Willys Jeep.
One of the town’s three mobile
supply trailers, packed with
everything needed to set up an
emergency response — from
hard hats and tools to radio gear
and a generator, plus food and
water — was towed to the staging point.
The exercise was made all
the more realistic because Lindenwood neighbors were told
in advance about the drill and
given roles to play, reporting
problems including a heart
attack, downed trees, gas leaks,
minor injuries and downed
power lines.
Menlo Park Fire Protection
District director and Lindenwood resident Peter Carpenter
praised the participants for
their efforts to prepare for a
disaster.
“You won’t be standing around
waiting for someone to tell you
what to do” when a disaster
strikes, he said, “because you
know what to do.”
Manny Navarro, division chief
for the fire district, told the residents that in a major disaster,
local emergency responders may
Photo by Barbara Wood/The Almanac
Wally Sleeth, center, explains to Lindenwood volunteers who took part in an earthquake drill on Oct. 16
what they will be expected to do in a major disaster when first responders are busy elsewhere.
be too busy to immediately help
out. “It’s extremely important
that you gather like this and do
what you can in a major event,”
he said.
-05,,<967,(5-<950;<9,
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Across town, City Council
members and city staff members were gathered in the town’s
historic council chambers on
Thursday morning when lights
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16QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
N E W S
Then they hurried over to the
town offices that serve as the
Emergency Operations Center
to deal with the aftermath.
The scenario was a magnitude
5.8 earthquake on the northwest
fork of the San Jose Fault, which
runs through the town, much
of it under El Camino Real. The
fault has not moved in 1.6 million years, but as with all earthquake faults, is unpredictable.
Participants from all the
town’s departments had roles
in the drill, which was designed
to test their training and preparation, and to give them an idea
of additional work that needs to
be done.
Through the morning, drill
participants were bombarded
with new emergencies: El Camino was buckled and closed, a
home collapsed, trees blocked
streets, a fire required a neighborhood evacuation, a police
officer was injured while checking on the status of a small local
dam, and a truck spilled hazardous materials.
Drill participants figured out
how they might respond, seek
outside help, communicate and
cope.
The first thing learned was
that the key to the town’s emergency supply cache needs to
be better marked. At the end
of the drill it was apparent the
room available as an operations
center in the town’s most seismically up-to-date building is
far too small and ill-equipped
for an actual emergency.
Police Chief Ed Flint, who
served as public information
officer for the drill, said more
practice is needed. “If we do this
frequently enough, it becomes
second nature,” he said.
Atherton residents who are
inspired to join their town’s
efforts at emergency preparedness can take the advice of
ADAPT’s Scott Barnum:
Q Go to getreadyAtherton.
org — the ADAPT website —
to check out the resource links
and learn how to prepare for an
emergency.
Q Take a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)]
training class from the Menlo
Park Fire Protection District.
Q Get involved in your neighborhood’s response and preparedness through ADAPT and
CERT. A
Photo by Natalia Nazarova
Paul Jemelian uses a ham
radio to transmit information
during the drill.
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ17
C O M M U N I T Y
The Girls’ Middle School
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[email protected]
OPEN HOUSES
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OPEN HOUSE
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Saturday,
Sunday
2FWREHUǣSP
November 14, 1 pm
December
6XQGD\ 7
Thursday,
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1-4pm
December
10, 7 pm
IGNITING THE SPARK
OF KNOWLEDGE AND
SELF-DISCOVERY
Book sale Saturday at Woodside Library
The Friends of the Woodside
Library will hold a book sale on
Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. at the library, 3140
Woodside Road.
The Friends’ Margaret MacNiven said this yearís selection
includes children’s books, art
and coffee table books, leather
bound classics, a herd of horse
books, bibles, foreign language
books and dictionaries (French,
Spanish, German and Italian),
and cook books, many in pristine condition. Also, CDs and
DVDs will be for sale.
Prices are 50 cents for paperbacks, $2 for hardcovers and
$1 for CDs and DVDs. Special books will be individually
priced.
Proceeds benefit the Friends
organization, which sponsors
the library’s children’s programs, provides computer sup-
Q ARO U N D TOW N
port, and supplements the
book, video and audio collections.
While there is usually no
parking on Woodside Road,
parking restriction will be lifted on the south side of the road
across from the library during
the sale.
For more information, call
the library at 851-0147.
Ty Cobb event
Herschel Cobb, Menlo Park
resident and author of the
memoir, “Heart of a Tiger:
Growing up with My Grandfather, Ty Cobb,” will speak
at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at
the Menlo Park City Council
chambers at 701 Laurel St. in
the Menlo Park Civic Center.
The public is invited to this
free event on the legendary
baseball player. Refreshments
will be provided by the Friends
of the Menlo Park Library. Call
330-2501 for more information.
Morgan Stanley
Scott Rash, managing director of Morgan Stanley Wealth
Management’s Menlo Park
complex, and Lindsay Romig,
vice president, presented a
check for $10,000 to the MidPeninsula Boys & Girls Club,
based in San Mateo, in a ceremony on Sept. 18.
The complex was awarded
grant money after its employees
were named top participants
in the firm’s Global Volunteer
Month. Morgan Stanley Wealth
Management’s complex is at
2882 and 3000 Sand Hill Road.
Richard Joseph Kusa
March 1, 1927 — October 5, 2014
It’s with a heavy heart that
we announce the passing of
Richard (Dick) Joseph Kusa on
October 5, 2014.
Dick was a native of
Ohio, born March 1, 1927,
in Cleveland, Ohio. He
later moved to Menlo Park,
California (God’s Country as
he would call it).
He attended Ohio University
and played both baseball and
ice hockey. After college he
enlisted and served in the Navy.
Dick was a loyal family man who lived life to the fullest
and was an avid San Francisco fan (49ers, Giants, and all
Stanford sports). He was such an avid fan that he passed
on his favorite day of the week, NFL Sunday. When not
watching sports he was an avid golfer. Dick was best known
for his smile and his ability to talk to anyone around him.
He could make you laugh with his jokes and make you feel
like you had known him for years.
Even at his young age of 87, Dick would meet his friends at
the “Goose” every week for deviled eggs, burgers and a beer.
He would spend every Thanksgiving in Atlanta with his
daughter and her husband, and was such a regular they had
the NFL package ordered so he wouldn’t miss a 49er game.
He was never a sad man and would not like those around
him to be sad with his passing. Instead, every time you have
cocktails, think of Dick; every time you watch football,
think of Dick; every time you listen to Frank Sinatra, think
of Dick.
Dick had quite a great ride in life and left a great impression
on many because of it. Dick leaves behind a loving wife
Elna; a daughter, Kyle Kusa-Henry; son-in-law Stuart’ stepson Mike Doyle; step-daughters Kathleen Doyle, Cindy
Walker and Shelia Doyle; five grandchildren; two greatgrandchildren; and way too many friends to list here.
Dick will be deeply missed but his image and his impact
on those around him will live on forever.
PA I D
18QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
O B I T U A RY
N E W S
GREENHEART
continued from page 9
connection to the job. I have
had lots of resident political
action committees support me
and I received funding from
them, but even if they wanted
me to, I did not vote because of
that support. I vote on the data
in hand, the moment in time
and the collective community
feedback. Nothing will alter
that approach.”
Mr. Cline, who tends to be at
the rear of the pack in terms
of campaign fundraising, said
that was deliberate.
“Money does not win Menlo
Park elections. This community knows better,” he said.
Saying he’s sensitive to the
concern about a conflict of
interest, he noted that his past
campaigns also saw literature
distributed in the same way
with no collaboration or interaction. “I think my record
speaks for itself — no special
interest has ever influenced
any vote at any time. I did not
take any cash contribution at
any time. I do this for the love
of my community, not for the
glory of being on City Council
in a 35,000-person town.”
Fellow incumbent Peter
Ohtaki also declined any monetary support, limiting Greenheart’s efforts to assistance
with two mailers and some distribution of fliers. “Volunteers
and I have distributed most
of my fliers around town,” he
commented.
Mr. Ohtaki described the
nonmonetary contribution as
“not significant” in his overall
campaign budget.
He said he would, however,
decline any contribution from
Stanford, which also has a contentious mixed-use proposal
currently under negotiation
with the council, because it “is
so controversial.”
Kirsten Keith, who along
with Mr. Ohtaki is running
for a second term, said Greenheart’s efforts are “completely
independent” of her campaign.
Support Local Business
The
online guide
to Menlo Park
businesses
ShopMenloPark.com
“No candidate has control over
independent expenditures.”
She said that whatever someone contributes has absolutely
no influence on how she votes
as a council member.
“I will always vote in a
manner that I think is in the
best interest of Menlo Park.
I always have voted this way,
and I always will. I have agreed
and disagreed with people who
have supported me in the past,
and that will continue to be the
case.”
As for any conflict of interest, she said there is none.
“Many people and groups con-
tribute to candidates who they
support. I have disagreed and
agreed with people who have
contributed to my campaign.
I supported pension reform
when I ran in 2010 and a few
unions have now contributed
to my campaign.”
The Greenheart campaign
finance filing of Oct. 7 reports
that the “nonmonetary” spending for the candidates were for
“slate cards” and “carrying campaign literature door to door”
at these costs to the Greenheart
committee: $992 for Mr. Cline,
$867 for Ms. Keith, and $992 for
Mr. Ohtaki.
RUTH CATHERINE BENTLEY
August 26, 1929 – October 13, 2014
Ruth Catherine Bentley, beloved
and cherished wife of John Bentley
for 63 years, and phenomenal
mother of 6 children, passed away
peacefully on October 13, 2014.
She was surrounded by John, her
husband, and their 6 children. Ruth
was born in Palo Alto, CA on August
26, 1929 to the late James Henry and
Ruth Catherine Marshel (Simpkin).
She was one of four children; her
late sisters, Dorothy Marshel, Doris
Starbody, and her late brother, James
Marshel. Ruth attended St. Monica’s
Grammar School followed by Presentation High School in San
Francisco. While at Presentation High School she met her husband,
John M. Bentley, where they attended her senior prom together and
fell in love. Married at old Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in San
Francisco’s Chinatown on November 17, 1951, John and Ruth enjoyed
almost 63 years of marriage. Ruth initially worked as a secretary and
was recognized with a PHT (Putting Husband Through) certificate
in June of 1955 from USF School of Law after the birth of their first
child. In 1964 the family moved to Menlo Park in San Mateo County,
where they remained.
While raising her family, Ruth was active in the WoodsideAtherton Auxiliary, benefitting Packard Children’s Hospital and
was a member and past president of the St. Raymond’s Mothers
Club. She also enjoyed being a volunteer with the WoodsideAtherton Auxiliary at Allied Arts in Menlo Park. Always ready with
a contagious smile, her entertaining sense of humor and charm won
the hearts of many. Ruth loved interior design and had a knack for
flawless style. Even battling serious health issues and challenges in
the last several years, Ruth will be remembered for demonstrating
elegance, poise and grace throughout her life. She cherished her
family, to whom she showed unwavering love and dedication. Ruth
adored her role as a dedicated wife, devoted mother, and caring
grandmother and committed to this with the utmost warmth and
compassion. Her biggest joy was shepherding and guiding her
children into the world and watching them achieve adulthood and
success with their families, and in their chosen fields. She is survived
by her beloved husband, John M. Bentley, six devoted children and
their spouses; John Bentley Jr. (Patti), Julie Bentley Winder (Peter),
Jim Bentley (Pam), Joe Bentley (Ashlee), Josh Bentley (Emily), and
Mark Bentley (Sheri), and her grandchildren; Marshel, Rachael,
John III, Kaitlin, Olivia, Will, Kate, Luke and Luci Bentley, and step
grandchildren; Emily See-Winder, P.J., Kim and Alan Winder, Paige
Fiander, and Angela and Milan Florez.
The family is deeply grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers
and support by those who knew and loved her. Her gift of joy will
never be forgotten. We are honored by this beautiful life well lived.
Ruth will be interred at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma beside
her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Daisie and Mark Bentley.
Private funeral mass and services will be held. In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made to Cristo Rey San Jose Jesuit High School,
1390 Five Wounds Lane San José, CA 95116 or St Anthony’s
Padua Dining Room, 3500 Middlefield Rd, Menlo Park, CA 94025
(paduadiningroom.com).
PA I D O B I T U A RY
Phyllis Havens Van De Mark
January 19, 1927 — September 29, 2014
Phyllis Van De Mark passed away
on Sept. 29. Though she resided in
Corte Madera since 2012, her real
home of 51 years was Menlo Park.
While living here she worked for SRI,
received her Master’s in Chemistry
from San Jose State, taught Chemistry
at West Valley, Ohlone, & San Jose
State, volunteered with the Westwind
4-H Riding for the Handicapped
Program, helped start and maintain
the Menlo Park Farmers Market, and
served multiple terms as President of
the Menlo Park Live Oak Lions Club.
Her happiest times began when she turned 50 and married her
neighbor, Raymond Van De Mark. They travelled extensively in
the U.S. & abroad but loved returning to their home and friends
in Menlo Park.
Phyllis grew up in Chicago, got her Biology degree from Ripon
College, worked for the University of Chicago, then headed to
California for research work at UCLA. In the late 50’s, she became
a year-round employee of the Grand Teton Lodge Company,
spending summers at Jackson Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National
Park and winters in San Francisco.
Always adventurous and independent (she climbed the Grand
Teton more than once and made her last solo drive to Wyoming
at 78), she decided Menlo Park was where she wanted to live and
bought her home there as a “single woman” in 1961. Phyllis is
survived by her sister, Elizabeth Heininger, her niece, Diane
Heininger, Diane’s husband, Chris White, and cousins.
Donations in Phyllis’s memory may be made to the Westwind
Riding Institute (for the Westwind 4-H Riding for the Handicapped
Program) Westwind Riding Institute, 27210 Altamont Rd., Los
Altos Hills, CA 94022 and the Menlo Park Live Oak Lions Club,
Menlo Park Live Oak Lions Club, P.O. Box U, Menlo Park, CA 94026
http://westwind4h.org/about/get-involved/support/
PA I D
O B I T U A RY
Virginia Nell Hart Johnston
Passed away July 30, 2014 at Stanford
Hospital at the age of 83. She was born
March 13, 1931 to Robert Netherland
and Virginia Piers Wathen Hart in
Miami Beach, Florida. She is survived
by her loving husband Clint; daughters
Ginger Bamford, Judy Johnston and
May Borello and beloved grandchildren
Holden, Charles and James Bamford;
Sophia and Mira Borello.
Ginny grew up in Louisville,
Kentucky and majored in art history at
the University of Louisville.
She loved to dance and enjoyed
teaching others. Her dance training
began at age 3 with ballet. Ballroom dance training commenced at
age 10. At 17 she assumed responsibility for teaching all classes. She
continued taking lessons and teaching all her life. In 1988 she formed
a senior dance troupe that performed at retirement homes, hospitals,
churches and civic events. She taught the dances, choreographed some
and designed most costumes.
Ginny met her husband, Clint when they were both 17 years old and
attending the University of Louisville. Clint visited one of her ballroom
dance classes and quickly became enamored of ballroom dancing
and Ginny in particular. He soon was helping her teach classes and
continued to share their enjoyment of dance the rest of their lives.
Ginny was a very kind and loving person. She was beautiful, very
intelligent and creative (flower arranging, oil painting and jewelry
designing) excelling in most endeavors. She was president of most
organizations she joined. These included garden clubs, art museums,
theatres, newcomers and Peninsula Volunteers among others.
Memorial donations to Peninsula Volunteers will be appreciated (800
Middle Avenue, Menlo Park 94025 (650) 326-0665) in lieu of flowers.
A celebration of Ginny’s Life will take place on Saturday, November 8,
2014 at 2pm to 4pm at Gordon Manor, 1616 Gordon St., Redwood City,
CA 94061 (650) 562-0555. ½ Block off Woodside Road. A few blocks
East of Alameda De Las Pulgas. Please email cjdanceswithvj@yahoo.
com if you are coming will be helpful.
PAID O
BITUARY
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ19
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he does the same.
20QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
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Proposition 2: Fiscal fitness run amok
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Call
the Viewpoint desk at
223-6528.
Menlo Park City Elementary, for example, gets about $13 million
twice a year, and carries about $15 million forward on June 30. This
he governor’s revised “rainy day fund” in Proposition 2 may gives it a 6 percent reserve ($2 million) plus property tax funding
improve the state’s fiscal fitness regimen, but it has become for July 1 through Dec. 20. Las Lomitas behaves similarly; Sequoia
simply too risky for our local schools. It now threatens their Union High School District sails a bit closer to the wind, but still
manages to carry over a quarter of its April payment forward on top
financial stability. Please vote no on 2.
On the surface, Proposition 2’s revisions serve to make some of its reserves buffer.
The clause was inserted without any Legislative
reasonable changes to the state’s base rainy day fund
Analyst’s Office review, committee discussion, or public
mechanics. Not so reasonably, an additional school rainy
comment. When asked why anything so antithetical
day fund was added. While ostensibly created to help
to “fiscal prudence” was injected, legislators state that
schools, it is funded by pulling money out of California’s
payments to the state’s school rainy day fund “will only
constitutional minimum school funding guarantee.
happen once every 25 years or so.” The legislative analyst
While the state promises to slosh these funds back dursimply says it’s unlikely to happen before 2020. While not
ing downturns, the state has a horrible school payment
very reassuring, these responses make one ask, “Why the
history. Nevertheless, this combination was put on the
rush then to insert the carry-over cap?”
ballot by the Legislature this spring, and then something
GUEST
Possibly the governor believes that the school savweirder happened.
OPINION
ings fund will be triggered much sooner. This is bad news.
In June the governor used the budget negotiations to
When the schools’ constitutionally guaranteed 40 percent
insert a destructive clause into the education code. Triggered if Proposition 2 passes, it restricts all school districts to less share of the state budget actually out-paces inflation, we are not
than three weeks of year-end operating cash the year after any dollar going to give it to schools, but “save” it for them instead. (Please
flows into that state school “rainy day” fund. Currently, districts consider how this thinking keeps us ranked in the bottom 10 — 50th
across the state hold about $8 billion at the end of each year — currently — nationwide in per-pupil spending.)
Theoretically, we are doing this for the schools’ sake because state
roughly two months’ operating expenses — in line with standard
government financial guidelines. So over $5 billion of local school funding is so volatile and because 80 percent of our schools are heavsavings statewide would have to be spent if anything ever sloshed ily dependent upon state funding. But why are they so dependent
on volatile state funding? Because California actively and passively
into the school fund.
For most of our local districts, this would mean dumping April has drained stable, reliable property tax revenue away from schools
property and parcel taxes by the end of June. Normally this first tax for its own obligations and political objectives.
installment funds operations from July through November, before
See PROPOSITION 2, page 22
the second annual property tax installment arrives in December.
T
LETTE RS
Our readers write
Council blocked
commission review
Editor:
Traffic impacts are one of the
major issues associated with
the specific plan, the subject of
several consultant studies, the
concern of many local residents,
and the issue that triggered the
resident uprising and activity to
bring Measure M to the ballot
box.
As a recent six-year member
of the city’s Transportation
Commission, I bear witness to
the city staff’s and the council’s
early and continued efforts to
block its own Transportation
Commission from analyzing
the traffic impact of the specific
plan.
It started with the city manager and staff presenting the
council with their plan for how
the specific plan should be
analyzed and presented to the
public, and eventually approved
by council. Their plan included
a series of public presentations,
and a formal review by the Planning Commission.
Initially, their plan did not
include a formal review by the
Transportation Commission.
When members of that commission requested an opportunity
to review and make recommendations to the council, the staff
stalled, and our requests were
eventually denied, citing the
fact that the council had already
approved a formal plan that did
not call for that commission’s
review.
Our direct requests to council
members for such an opportunity were also denied. We were
told that we could always speak
up as individuals at a council meeting (Right! The most
recent traffic presentation to the
council by staff took 25 minutes
without question time. I’m supposed to do it in three minutes?)
And if we commissioners met
together to discuss it outside
of the scheduled commission
meetings, we’re liable to be in
violation of the Brown Act.
The result was that people in
our community who were very
experienced with local traffic
issues were repeatedly denied
the opportunity, as a group, to
review and comment on the
traffic impact and proposed
mitigation measures associated
with the specific plan. I view
this as a deliberate effort by the
city manager, staff, and council,
from the beginning, to railroad
this project through. Don’t let
this happen. Vote yes on M.
This railroading wasn’t the
first time. We were also excluded from doing a critical review
of the traffic issues associated
with the Facebook EIR; we faced
the same stalling by staff, and in
fact we were told by staff that it
was the council’s wish that we
not prepare a report. They also
suggested that we could make a
three-minute report at a council
meeting. We see now how the
Facebook traffic has turned out!
It would seem that city staff
does not want to hear any negative comments that could introduce some resistance to new
project developments in the city,
and possibly hinder some resulting staff growth and security,
and that the council is too weak
to resist the staff.
Charlie Bourne
Santa Cruz Avenue, Menlo
Park
For downtown vibrancy,
defeat Measure M
Editor:
How can anyone who supports downtown vibrancy also
support Measure M? I don’t
understand.
Downtown is defined as the
area around Santa Cruz Avenue,
bounded by Oak Grove, Menlo
Avenue, El Camino Real and
University Avenue. It includes
stores on the brink of insolvency, restaurants in desperate
need of customers, and seven
second-hand stores at a time
when all other cities are booming. (Second-hand stores are
fine, but do we need seven?)
How can restricting customers,
as Measure M most admittedly
will do, increase vibrancy downtown?
Office space provides the
foot traffic that Menlo Park so
desperately needs. That is why
the Chamber of Commerce
is opposed to Measure M. As
many people now realize, office
space creates the least amount
of traffic of all commercial uses.
Expect at least 40 percent of
office workers to not commute
by car.
Traffic Management programs, which the recent traffic
report did not account for, are
very successful. For example, at
SRI, 40 percent of workers do
not commute by car. At the huge
Bayland complex in San Mateo,
also near the train, the number
is 50 percent. The folks who
Continued on next page
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ21
V I E W P O I N T
Measure M would take away council’s negotiating power
By Catherine Carlton
A
s the vice mayor of Menlo
Park and parent of two
children at Las Lomitas,
I have the opportunity to speak
with a variety of residents. Many
people are confused about Measure M and what will happen to
Menlo Park if it passes, so I am
writing to clarify a few issues.
Measure M proponents claim
that they are saving Menlo Park
from “mega-office buildings.”
The truth is that the Measure
M does absolutely nothing to
change the size of the buildings,
nor the total amount of development overall, but it will change
the mix of what is in them.
Please note that the majority of
the development planned for El
Camino Real is residences, and
less than half of the buildings
would be offices and retail. This
balance was designed to create
the minimum traffic impact,
LE TTE R S
Our readers write
Continued from previous page
scream about out-of-town office
auto commuters at rush hour are
not being completely honest.
Yes. If you really want downtown vibrancy (and less traffic),
please vote no on Measure M.
W. Scott Lohmann
Doris Drive, Menlo Park
Measure M neither
confusing, too restrictive
Editor:
Re Measure M: I am a retired
land use attorney who has
worked in this area since the
1960s. I have worked with several land use initiatives.
The anti-M claim that M is
confusing and too restrictive is
dishonest. It is neither.
In truth M changes only four
specific items in the 2012 specific plan. All else is left entirely
under council control. A public
vote is required only for those
four changes, nothing else. For
proof, voters need only read the
impartial summary of M in the
voters’ handbook, which every
voter has just received in the
mail. Its author is the Menlo
Park city attorney.
M’s four changes are:
Q No single office project may
exceed 100,000 square feet.
Q Total net new office space
may not exceed 240,820 square
feet.
Q Total net new commercial space may not exceed the
and to provide vibrancy, safety sure M would cause delays for
and financial sustainability for years in eliminating the ugly,
our community. The result blighted parcels along El Camiof Measure M is that the City no Real. A recent economic
Council would no longer be able report by Brion & Associates
to negotiate with developers if concluded that each year we
the change “frustrates Measure delay allowing projects to move
forward results in the
M,” including building
loss of over $3 million
size or usage changes.
a year to schools. With
Measure M propothe increasing number
nents claim that they
of students in our comare saving Menlo Park
munity, our schools
from traffic, but the
need additional funds
truth is that Measure
to continue delivering
M would likely make
the high level of edutraffic much worse
GUEST
than current uses OPINION cation they provide.
Further, the fire disallowed under the
trict could be out more
specific plan. By significantly increasing retail and than $800,000 annually, and the
potentially re-introducing med- town’s general fund more than
ical offices, Measure M would $1.4 million annually.
Finally, Measure M locks
greatly increase the resulting
traffic on El Camino Real Menlo Park into many details
and the surrounding neighbor- that will be extremely difficult
to change. The proponents of
hoods.
To make matters worse, Mea- Measure M make false asser-
tions that development plans
for El Camino Real are almost
approved — we don’t have plans
submitted by Stanford (they
haven’t started their redesign
yet), and only have preliminary
plans from Greenheart for an
environmental impact report
(EIR).
Council member Kirstin Keith
and I negotiated with Stanford
and received an agreement for
a plaza larger than the Cafe
Borrone plaza, a safer route to
school via a bike and pedestrian
undercrossing, and a ban on
medical offices, and we started
down the path for a development that would provide
attractive vibrancy, safety and
financial sustainability to Menlo
Park. We are not finished.
However, if Measure M passes,
these agreements as well as the
City Council’s ability to negotiate with developers further will
go away. Under Measure M,
the long list of items that will
require elections to make even
the smallest future corrections.
Start with Section 3, eight
pages long, which includes at
least 10 definitions and many
development rules and tables
that will be frozen into our zoning rules by Measure M. Then
read Section 4, which clearly
states that virtually all of those
definitions and rules cited
in Section 3 can be changed
only by city-wide elections, a
requirement that will bog down
any effort to update the specific
plan to fix errors, or to accommodate changing conditions
over time.
Finally, having confirmed
that Measure M supporters
are trying to conceal the true
impacts their initiative, ask
yourself if you should believe
anything else that they are telling you about it.
Measure M is a mistake. Vote
no on M.
Frank Tucker
Politzer Drive, Menlo Park
amount stated by the council
itself in the specific plan (were
they not truthful?).
Q A commonsense definition
of open space, which excludes
upper floor balconies and rooftops.
The first three items can be
increased if voters approve.
That is it. Confirmed in the
impartial summary by the city
attorney. See the voters’ handbook.
Palo Alto passed such an
initiative in 1965 to protect its
parks. For 49 years it has done
the job, neither confusing nor
too restrictive, with only one
contested election.
Unable to win by defending
their aggressive pro-development policies, anti-M spends
obscene amounts of money
to deceive the voters. Voters
should not be deceived.
Tom Jordan
Palo Alto
Read Measure M,
then vote no
Editor:
The supporters of Measure
M want you to believe that
their 12-page initiative is a
minor tweak to Menlo Park’s
downtown specific plan, and
that only a couple of items will
require future city-wide votes
if changes are needed. Nothing could be farther from the
truth, and you can confirm that
yourself.
If you are undecided on M,
you owe it to yourself to read
the actual text of the initiative
on the city’s web site (menlopark.org/MeasureM) to see
22QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
PROPROSITION 2
continued from page 21
For example, every school
district in San Mateo County
should receive all its base
funding from local property
tax. We pay it, the county collects it, but then the county
has been instructed to divert
$150 million of educationallocated taxes to satisfy two
of the state’s obligations. The
county gets this by redirecting all the property tax away
from Redwood City Elementary, Ravenswood Elementary, and the other less-well-off
districts. Leaving them 100
negotiations like these, as well as
fixing unintended consequences
and small changes that evolve
over time, can be managed only
through a full ballot measure,
requiring about $100,000, volunteers, lawn signs, and contentious campaigns.
Measure M does not fix the
issues that its proponents claim.
It is a poorly written document that does nothing to limit
growth or traffic, but instead
adds many negative impacts on
our city and schools that will be
extremely difficult to fix. I urge
you to respect the thousands
of residents who participated
in forming the specific plan
over six years. The current plan
supports vibrant growth that is
environmentally and financially
sustainable. Please take the time
to understand the facts and join
me in voting no on Measure M.
Catherine Carlton was elected
to the Menlo Park City Council
in 2012. She is currently the
city’s vice mayor.
Editor:
In the downtown visioning
meetings and community surveys, residents’ top concern was
preserving the “village character” of Menlo Park, and they
cited Cafe Borrone as an example of the kind of communityfriendly development they’d like
to see more of.
Fast-forward: The City Council, cozying up to Stanford
behind the scenes, threw out the
community’s vision, and gave
Stanford what amounts to Redwood City or San Jose-style zoning. No surprise that Stanford
came back with an unprecedentedly gargantuan office park/
housing project nearly a third of
a mile long, four- and five-stories
high, and over 440,000 square
feet — half of it offices. This is a
far cry from Cafe Borrone-style
retail, or from the hotel and
senior housing Stanford led the
city to believe it intended to build
on El Camino.
Measure M, though much too
modest to fix the entire specific
plan, at least downsizes the proposed 200,000 square feet of
offices sought by both Stanford
and Greenheart, to a more reasonable 100,000 square feet per
project.
The rest of the specific plan
remains in force, and the council
can, and should, amend it further
to preserve our suburban character while attracting more retail
that benefits residents.
The incumbents have bent
over backwards to benefit big
developers at the expense of
residents. Time to send them
packing, and to vote yes on M.
Cherie Zaslawsky
Oak Lane, Menlo Park
percent dependent on ... yes,
volatile state funding. The
state was late paying them
$29 million it owed them
just this June 30, at the end
of the fiscal year. Down from
$52 million two years earlier.
This is why earlier versions
of state rainy day funds never
dared touch school funding.
Schools have already given at
the collection box. But institutional memory has fallen
victim to term limits.
Proposition 2 is a jerryrigged solution and a nonstarter. Yes, the state has been
historically unwilling to contribute to its existing rainy day
fund. But Gov. Brown fed the
existing fund $1.6 billion this
year, and paid down $1.6 billion of debt. He can continue,
or cut this back to the $1 billion each that the new Proposition 2 regulations would
allow. Meanwhile, the risk to
our schools is just too great.
Gov. Brown can bring back
better mechanics on a 2016
ballot — without baggage that
threatens our schools. Please
vote no on 2 to keep local
control in our local schools.
Jennifer Bestor is the volunteer and research director of
Educate Our State. She lives
in Menlo Park.
Send incumbents packing,
vote yes on M
V I E W P O I N T
City didn’t have to destroy
Fremont Park heritage tree
Where scholarship and values matter
By Michael Closson
and I challenged their dire
assessment. We urged them to
n Tuesday, Sept. 16, I honor the 15-day appeal period,
chained myself to a tree rope off the area so no one
in Fremont Park in a would be hurt if it did fall, and
futile attempt to prevent the city use the time to explore other
of Menlo Park from cutting it remedies. A number of us sugdown. The tree was a heritage gested that the tree’s trunk could
tree, a large and beautiful Ital- be propped up with one or more
ian Stone Pine (pinus pinea) steel braces. But they rejected
measuring at its base 5 feet in that solution, saying the bracing
diameter and 14 feet in circum- could damage the tree’s roots
ference. It boasted a tilting trunk and require moving a sidewalk.
It appeared to me the
supporting great curvcity officials thought
ing limbs that swept
bracing the tree was
out over the park.
just too much trouble.
City officials said
But my question is:
the tilt had increased
Why should we not
recently and therefore
take a lot of trouble
the pine tree was a
to preserve beautiful
hazard that required
heritage trees? Accordimmediate destruction.
GUEST
I question both the OPINION ing to Wikipedia, “a
heritage tree is typishort-term and longcally a large individual
term handling of this
tree with unique value that is
situation by city staff members.
City staff members posted a considered irreplaceable.” This
removal notice on the tree the beautiful and unique Italian
afternoon of Sept. 15. The notice Stone Pine certainly met those
stated that citizens had 15 days criteria. And, since it was growto appeal the decision to take ing on city-owned land, the city
down the tree if they submitted of Menlo Park had a responsibila signed letter along with a $175 ity to nurture that tree.
I believe that the city and its
“appeal fee.” Despite this notice,
city staff immediately removed arborists must demonstrate betseveral of the tree’s limbs and ter attention to its heritage trees
branches. The next morning in the future. This beautiful tree
they showed up intent upon rap- could have lived for many more
idly finishing the tree’s removal years if the city had taken good
— thereby making a mockery of care of it. It had been tilting for
the 15-day appeal period. That is decades. Why didn’t city staff
when I decided to protest their prop it up years ago? Then we
behavior by chaining myself to would still have a live tree and
the city would have avoided
the tree’s trunk.
Shortly thereafter, the police killing a beautiful living thing,
and higher-level city offi- loved by many people.
Menlo Park’s official logo
cials arrived on the scene and
attempted to placate the gather- boasts a large tree. It is high time
ing crowd. They explained that, the city lives up to its logo!
Michael Closson is the retired
although the tree was healthy,
executive director of Acterra
its tilt had recently increased,
and a resident of Menlo Park.
due in part to not watering it
during the drought, and it had
Michael Closson
become such a public hazard
978 Menlo Ave.
that it needed to be removed
Menlo Park, CA 94025
immediately.
650-450-2025
A number of the protesters
O
Q TOW N S Q UA R E
Post your news and views on TownSquare at:
www.TheAlmanacOnline.com
Support
7KH$OPDQDF·V
print and online
coverage of
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-RLQWRGD\6XSSRUW/RFDO-RXUQDOLVPRUJ$OPDQDF
PRESCHOOL THROUGH 12th GRADE ON ONE CAMPUS
2014 Open House Schedule
Preschool & Kindergarten
October 4
November 15
Middle School
October 18
November 8
Preparatory
October 19
November 9
Please visit our website for open house details
150 Valparaiso Avenue
Atherton, CA 94027
Inquiries and RSVP:
[email protected]
www.shschools.org
/SacredHeartSchoolsAtherton
/SHSAtherton
/SacredHeartSchools
Town of Portola Valley
Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration
A notice, pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970, as amended (Public
5HVRXUFHV&RGHHWVHTWKDWWKHIROORZLQJSURMHFWZLOOQRWKDYHDVLJQLÀFDQWHIIHFWRQWKH
environment.
Project Title:
Town of Portola Valley Housing Element
Contact Person:
Karen Kristiansson
Project Location:
Affects all of Portola Valley
Phone Number: (650) 851-1700 x212
Project Description:
The project is to update the Housing Element of the Town of Portola Valley General Plan as required
by Government Code Sections 65580 et seq. The Housing Element is a comprehensive statement by
WKH7RZQGHVFULELQJWKHKRXVLQJQHHGVRI3RUWROD9DOOH\DQGKRZWKH7RZQ·VSODQVSROLFLHVSURJUDPV
and regulations facilitate and encourage the development, improvement and preservation of housing
for all economic segments of the community. The draft 2014 Housing Element update contains eight
SURJUDPV,QFOXVLRQDU\+RXVLQJ$IÀOLDWHG+RXVLQJ6HFRQG8QLWV6KDUHG+RXVLQJ
Fair Housing; 6) Energy Conservation and Sustainability; 7) Explore Future Housing Needs and
Potential Housing Programs; 8) Transitional and Supportive Housing Ordinance Amendment. These
SURJUDPVVHWIRUWKWKH7RZQ·VVWUDWHJ\IRUHQKDQFLQJDQGSUHVHUYLQJWKHKRXVLQJVWRFNIRUH[SDQGLQJ
housing opportunities for various economic segments, and for meeting state requirements. The
+RXVLQJ(OHPHQWDOVRSURYLGHVSROLF\JXLGDQFHIRUGHFLVLRQPDNLQJUHODWHGWRKRXVLQJ
Purpose of Notice:
The purpose of this notice is to inform you that a Negative Declaration has been recommended for
this project. Approval of a Negative Declaration does not constitute approval of the project under
consideration. The decision to approve or deny the project is a separate action.
Address where document may be reviewed:
Portola Valley Town Hall, 765 Portola Rd., Portola Valley, California
Public Review Period:
Begins 10/22/14
Ends:11/20/14
Scheduled Public Hearings (date, time, place), if known:
• 3ODQQLQJ&RPPLVVLRQKHDULQJRQ1RYHPEHUSP+LVWRULF6FKRROKRXVH
765 Portola Rd.
• 7RZQ&RXQFLOKHDULQJRQ-DQXDU\SP+LVWRULF6FKRROKRXVH
765 Portola Rd.
October 22, 2014QTheAlmanacOnline.comQThe AlmanacQ23
Ed Kahl presents the very best of Woodside.
Woodside – This beautiful
sunswept home combines the
stateliness of a traditional East
Coast manse with the inviting
expanse of a California country
estate – light-filled rooms,
vaulted ceilings, walls of glass
opening to the lawn, garden
and the large fruit orchard.
exclusively listed at $6,600,000
1.1 acre
F built in 2010
views of Mt. Diablo
F 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths
F fireplaces in LR and family room
F luxurious master suite w/balcony
F office on first floor, bonus media room
F separate 3-car garage w/storage
F excellent Las Lomitas schools
F
F
D
L
SO
D
L
SO
PORTOLA VALLEY – 2.9 acre lot with great views.
exclusively listed at $3,250,000
MOUNTAIN HOME RD, WOODSIDE – Fabulous estate
home on 3 acres.
exclusively listed at $7,750,000
Ed Kahl
www.EdKahl.com
400-2796
24QThe AlmanacQTheAlmanacOnline.comQOctober 22, 2014
Ed Kahl - Over $1 Billion Sold
• MA in Economics from UC
• Real Estate Broker since 1972
• Top 1% of Coldwell Banker agents
• Real Estate experience you can trust