Palo Alto Weekly August 2, 2019 by Palo Alto Weekly

Palo Alto

Vol. XL, Number 44 Q August 2, 2019

City utilities bills pass the $300 mark Page 5

w w w. P a l o A l t o O n l i n e.c o m

PICKLEBALL'S POPULARITY Palo Alto adds more courts Page 26

Pulse 14 Spectrum 17 Eating Out 21 Movies 25 Sports 40 Puzzles 43 Q Arts In ‘Singular Stories,’ personal one-person shows Q Shop Talk Midtown gluten-free bakery to change hands Q Home Culinary herbs spice up garden, kitchen

Page 19 Page 24 Page 31

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SILICO N VALLE Y H O M ES

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129 Lowell Ave, Palo Alto Offered at $4,550,000 Gloria Young · 650.380.9918 Lic. #01895672 John Young · 650.862.2122 Lic. #02036387

2151 Manzanita Ave, Menlo Park Offered at $2,495,000 Michael Dreyfus · 650.485.3476 Lic. #01121795 Noelle Queen · 650.427.9211 Lic. #01917593

626 Jay Street, Los Altos Offered at $3,850,000 The Campi Group · 650.917.2433 Lic. #00600311

1236 Los Trancos Rd, Portola Valley Offered at $4,495,000 Chris Iverson · 650.450.0450 Lic. #01708130

177 Ramoso Road, Portola Valley Offered at $6,900,000 Alex Bouja · 408.489.0025 Lic. # 01744054

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Page 4 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Upfront

Local news, information and analysis

Rate hikes push utility bills over $300 Higher gas and water costs drive $15 increase in the average residential bill in July by Gennady Sheyner

alo Alto’s elected leaders often tout the many achievements of the city’s municipal utilities, from its “carbon neutral” electricity and profitable fiber-optic network to its practice of buying “offsets” to

make up for the environmental impact of natural gas. Last month, however, Palo Alto Utilities hit a milestone few are anxious to brag about: residential bills that, for the first time, top $300 per month on average. And

according to city utilities staff, the number will continue to go up in the years ahead. The City Council approved in June an array of rate increases that collectively add 5% — or $15.65 — to the residential monthly bill, bringing the average to $312.15 per month, according to staff. The new rates kicked in on July 1, the first day of fiscal year 2020. The biggest factor is gas rates,

which went up by 8.4% in July, adding $4.91 to the average monthly residential bill. Wastewater rates went up by 7%, adding another $3.83, while electric rates jumped by 5.5%, or about $2.98. Water rates increased by 4.4%, tacking on another $2.71 bill. Smaller increases to the stormdrain fee and the rising utility user tax, combined, bump up the average monthly bill by another $1.22,

according to Utilities Department staff. Refuse rates did not increase this year but are included in the $312.15 total. The latest round of hikes marks the fifth year in a row in which the city has raised utility rates. Since 2014, the last year in which there were no rate increases, the average residential (continued on page 8)

CITY AUDIT

20,000 businesses in Palo Alto — or 3,000? New review shows city’s business registry is still woefully inaccurate by Gennady Sheyner

(continued on page 12)

Sinead Chang

Adolescent Counseling Services (ACS) are completely full except for a few hours reserved for emergency appointments, which is typical, ACS Executive Director Philippe Rey said. Children’s Health Council (CHC) in Palo Alto typically sees a 30 to 40 percent dip in demand for services over the summer. This

espite vowing to reform its beleaguered businessregistry program and hiring a consultant to lead the effort last year, Palo Alto has little to show for its efforts, according to a new review by the Office of the City Auditor. The review, which is a followup to a damning audit that the city auditor released a year ago, makes clear that even with a new administrator, some of the most significant problems that have plagued the business registry since its inception in 2015 continue to fester. The registration remains woefully unreliable and incomplete, with only a small fraction of local businesses apparently complying with the law and getting the required business certificate. When the registry launched, city staff was put in charge of collecting data about Palo Alto’s businesses. Dissatisfied with those results, the City Council gave the go-ahead to hire MuniServices LLC in 2018 to manage the program and make the data more reliable. According to a July memo from the city auditor, however, the data that MuniServices collected from March to August 2018 “was not sufficiently reliable (i.e., complete and accurate).” Auditors used other existing data sources — including the Office of the Secretary of State, Infogroup, Guidestar and

Stars and stripes for everyone Current and former Palo Alto residents gather at the intersection of Page Mill Road and El Camino Real on July 23 to protest the treatment of immigrant children and asylum seekers along the U.S. border with Mexico. The daily, three-week-long protest — organized by Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish group, and other activists — is scheduled to conclude on Aug. 11. Read the story on PaloAltoOnline.com.

MENTAL HEALTH

More youth are seeking counseling this summer — and that’s a good thing, experts say Local organizations see spike in demand for services by Elena Kadvany

arah Pistorino saw a therapist through the end of her freshman year at Sacred Heart Preparatory School. Then summer came — and with it, the end of her academic stress and fatigue — so she pressed the pause button on her therapy. But when school started up again in the fall, she felt a decline in her mental health. She now continues therapy through the summer months.

“When there is no stress about school, it allows me to talk about other things going on in my life,” she said. “When you remove (school) from the equation, it allows you to talk about some of the deeper issues and more personal things going on.” Pistorino’s experience is not uncommon and illustrates the need to continue mental health care during the summer, providers say. As

local youth-counseling organizations work to spread that message, they’re seeing a rise in demand during a time of the year when many teens and families historically haven’t sought as much mental health support. Both of Bay Area Clinical Associates’ (BACA) intensive outpatient programs in Menlo Park and San Jose are full this summer. Therapists at Redwood City-based

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 5

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The Palo Alto Weekly (ISSN 0199-1159) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306, (650) 326-8210. Periodicals postage paid at Palo Alto, CA and additional mailing offices. Adjudicated a newspaper of general circulation for Santa Clara County. The Palo Alto Weekly is delivered to homes in Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, East Palo Alto, to faculty and staff households on the Stanford campus and to portions of Los Altos Hills. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Palo Alto Weekly, 450 Cambridge Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94306. ©2019 by Embarcadero Media. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. The Palo Alto Weekly is available on the Internet via Palo Alto Online at: www.PaloAltoOnline.com Our email addresses are: editor@paweekly.com, letters@paweekly.com, digitalads@paweekly.com, ads@paweekly.com Missed delivery or start/stop your paper? Email circulation@paweekly.com. You may also subscribe online at PaloAltoOnline.com. Subscriptions are $120/yr.

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I’m not surprised no one is using it. —Tom DuBois, city councilman, on Palo Alto’s business-registry program. See story on page 5.

Around Town

PORT-A-PARDEE ... After faltering in its initial effort to build a restroom at Eleanor Pardee Park, Palo Alto is now considering a more modest proposal for the popular park: renting and installing temporary restrooms. Under a “pilot” proposal that the Parks and Recreation Commission discussed on June 23, the city would keep modern, high-end restrooms at Pardee Park for about a year. The move is a response to neighbors who have opposed prior proposals to add permanent bathrooms at Pardee Park, citing security and cleanliness as top concerns. If approved by the council, the restrooms would be similar to those that were used during the recent construction of the Baylands Golf Links. Daren Anderson, a manager at the Community Services Department, described the temporary structure as “significantly nicer than a port-a-potty.” By adding the bathroom on a pilot basis, the city is hoping to reduce opposition to a new bathroom from the park’s neighbors. “If we’re confronting a lot of opposition to it, it’s a tool where we can say, ‘See if your fears are realized. Let’s put a restroom there without the enormous cost or the permanency.’” Though commissioners didn’t take any formal votes at the meeting, most supported the proposal. “Bathrooms are really different now,” Commissioner Anne Cribbs said. “They can be locked at night. They have particular designs that enable them to be kept clean. The old objections probably aren’t as strong.” That said, most commissioners continue to support building a permanent bathroom at Pardee Park. Commissioner David Moss said it’s critical for residents who would like to see the added amenity to talk to neighbors and address the hyperlocal opposition. “It’s really important that neighbors talk to neighbors of these bathrooms because that was probably the reason we didn’t move faster two years ago,” Moss said. While the city is treading cautiously at Pardee Park, it is moving more aggressively at Ramos Park, which will undergo a major renovation next year that includes new playground benches, a new drinking fountain and a resurfaced basketball court. As part of that project, the city is also adding an amenity that the City Council has consistently

encouraged for local parks: a permanent restroom. SAVING THE PLANET ... For the first time in its nearly 50-year history, the Midpeninsula Open Space Regional District awarded community grants to six Bay Area environmental organizations. The Los Altos-based district gave away a total of $250,000 in grants to support projects that line up with its mission and revolve around its open space preserves. Environmental Volunteers received $25,000 to install interpretive panels between Cooley Landing in East Palo Alto and the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center in Palo Alto. The largest grant went to Vida Verde Education Center, a San Mateo County group that was awarded $50,000 to support its summer leadership camp for 30 high schoolers from underresourced schools in the region. “We are excited for this opportunity to build deeper connections and strengthen and diversify our community partnerships,” district General Manager Ana Maria Ruiz said in a press release issued Tuesday. Projects by the grant beneificiaries are expected to start next month and wrap up by September 2022. DON’T TAKE THIS TREAT ... Are you a dog owner who likes to reward your four-legged friend with a pig ear treat? Think again before offering it to Sparky — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found that the treats are linked to 127 human cases of salmonella. In light of this discovery, the agency is advising the public to avoid the treats and encouraging retailers to stop selling them for the time being. Oakland-based Pet Food Express, which has a location in Palo Alto, announced plans this week to remove the treats from its 65 stores across the state. Pet Food Express is allowing any pet owners who have purchased pig ear treats at one of their locations or any other store to exchange the pig ear treat for a safe treat or toy at no cost. The chain has also provided guidelines to prevent employee and customer illness related to the treats, including washing and sanitizing all bins or surfaces that may have come in contact with the treats. Q

Upfront DEVELOPMENT

History of Fry’s site could hinder redevelopment New analysis finds former cannery to be ‘historically significant,’ prompting calls to preserve the building by Gennady Sheyner

Veronica Weber

ong before Palo Alto’s elect- recently conducted by the consulted leaders proclaimed the ing firm Page & Turnbull. The cannery continued to exPortage Avenue site that’s now home to Fry’s Electronics as pand over the next two decades, the city’s most promising location first under Chew and later under for new housing, a Chinese immi- the Sutter Packing Company, a grant named Thomas Foon Chew peach consortium that took over came to the Ventura neighborhood the factory from Chew in 1928 and continued operations until with grand plans of his own. Chew, who owned the Bayside the cannery’s closure in 1949. For Canning Company in Alviso, pur- a time, the cannery was the city’s chased the 4-acre parcel in what largest employer and canning was was then the town of Mayfield in the largest industry. Though largely forgotten, the April 1918. By July, he had constructed and began operating a cannery’s historical significance cannery that within a year also is now becoming a topic of interest and contention, included 19 housone that could dies for employees rectly influence and a large new ‘Real places are the city’s housing warehouse. With a goals. Palo Alto spur of the railroad the ones that is in the middle of tracks adjacent teach history, not putting together to the cannery to recreated ones.’ the North Venmake for efficient —Laura Bajuk, tura Concept Area transportation of executive director, Plan, a land-use the goods, the operation by 1920 Palo Alto History Museum document that will lay out a new viwas the thirdlargest cannery of fruits and veg- sion for a 60-acre portion of Venetables in the world, behind only tura as a walkable neighborhood Del Monte and Libby, according with apartment buildings, retail, a to a historic-resource evaluation public park and improved biking

A man heads into the Fry’s Electronics store at 340 Portage Ave., a building that was originally used for canning fruit. The cannery was once the city’s largest employer. office building next to it as “individually significant” and eligible for listing in the California Register means that, at the very least, the city will have to perform a supplemental environmental analysis before any redevelopment can occur, according to Elena Lee, the city’s long-range planning manager. “That will require its own lengthy process and analysis,” Lee told the Historic Resources Board, which discussed the Page & Turnbull report at its July 25 meeting. The determination also is prompting new calls for the city to preserve the Fry’s building — or at least portions of it — as part of any potential redevelopment. This despite the conclusion by Page &

and pedestrian amenities. The Fry’s site, which is generally viewed as underdeveloped, is at the heart of the planning area. It is also a critical component in the city’s Housing Element document, which identifies states the broader 12.5-acre area could accommodate up to 249 housing units. Because the section of Ventura is already zoned for multifamily residential use (RM-30), the housing development could potentially occur without the need for a zone change. The recent historical determination by Page & Turnbull could force the city to scale back or delay any proposed redevelopment for the parcel. The designation of the Fry’s building and an associated

Turnbull that the building itself is not, in of itself, historically significant. Rather, its significance comes from its association with Santa Clara Valley’s cannery industry, of which it is a chief example. In describing her firm’s conclusion, Christine Dikas of Page & Turnbull called the former cannery building “a rare surviving example of Palo Alto’s and Santa Clara County’s agricultural past.” After Chew’s death in 1933, Sutter Packing Company greatly expanded the building and ramped up production to meet the demands of World War II, according to the historic evaluation. The additions (continued on page 10)

RECREATION

Black and White Ball fundraiser returns this fall Dual anniversaries put a historical spin on the crowd-pleasing fundraising event

fter a seven-year hiatus, the Black and White Ball is back. First held in 1987 as the key fundraising event for the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation, this year’s ball will be held on Friday, Oct. 4, at the Lucie Stern Community Center and will feature 10 different areas of entertainment throughout the venue. The renewed interest in the ball is largely due to two important local anniversaries, organizers said: the 125th anniversary of Palo Alto’s founding and the 40th anniversary of the Palo Alto Weekly. “The primary reason for (the Foundation’s) existence is to raise funds for the city so that we can put on free (events) to celebrate all that is spectacular about Palo Alto and the people who live here,” said Kristen Podulka, a volunteer organizer who serves as the marketing co-chair for the event. Among the free or low-cost community events that the Ball funds are the annual Chili CookOff, the May Fete Parade and

World Music Day. In accordance with the twin anniversaries, there will be several different areas of the ball showcasing Palo Alto’s history, including an exhibit of historical newspaper clippings from the Palo Alto Weekly in the Fireside Lounge and a compilation of local stories and photographs presented by the Historical Association in Lucie Stern’s Community Theatre. Instead of a sit-down dinner, food will be served in the Lucie Stern ballroom in a section called “The Taste of Palo Alto.” “We have brought on 20-plus local restaurants to showcase their chefs, their cuisine, all in bite-sized portions,” Podulka said. Restaurants such as Lulu’s, The Counter, Asian Box, Mayfield Bakery &DIH DQG 7HUÜQ DUH DPRQJ WKH establishments participating, and additional vendors will be serving beverages. Food and drinks in the “Taste of Palo Alto” are included in the price of the ticket. Several different live musical

groups, including Grateful Dead tribute band The China Cats, Neil Diamond cover band Super Diamond and soft-rock band Mustache Harbor, will perform throughout the venue. There will also be a silent disco with DJ Celeste (headphones are available at no additional cost) and a performance by the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra string quartet in the Secret Garden courtyard. The dress code is black tie-optional — tuxedos, suits, gowns or semi-formal dresses. The organizers have also chosen orange as a theme color. “We encourage people to wear orange accents, so maybe an orange bowtie or orange heels or earrings,” Podulka said. “You will definitely see the splash of orange showcased throughout the event.” Podulka said that the organizers have been spending upwards of 30 hours a week planning the event. In previous years, the Foundation has struggled to get enough volunteers to put on the Ball, which was last

Courtesy city of Palo Alto

by Maya Homan

Black and White Ball attendees dance to live music at the 2012 ball. held in 2012. “My husband says I work more than he does and he has a full-time job,” Podulka said. “I volunteer for this and I have other volunteer obligations, but this one is definitely the majority of my time.” Black and White Ball sponsors include the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, Stanford University, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, HP and Postmates. The Palo Alto Weekly is a partner for the event. Tickets are available on Eventbrite for $150, and attendees must be 21 or older. Tickets will be available at the door, but the organizers urge attendees to purchase tickets online before they sell out.

Valet parking is available for a fee, but there will be no street parking, so guests are encouraged to walk, bike or use a rideshare service such as Uber or Lyft. By incorporating two anniversaries into the festivities, Podulka said, “We have made the (Ball) the signature birthday event celebration.” Q Editorial Intern Maya Homan can be emailed at mhoman@ paweekly.com. IF YOU’RE GOING More details on the Black and White Ball can be found at parecfoundation.org/2019black--white-ball.html

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 7

Upfront CITY HALL

Meghan Horrigan-Taylor tapped to lead city’s community-engagement efforts by Gennady Sheyner

ity Manager Ed Shikada filled another key leadership position this week when he tapped Meghan Horrigan-Taylor to be Palo Alto’s new chief communications officer. Horrigan-Taylor, who has been working as public-communication manager in Redwood City since 2014, will be in charge of coordinating the city’s communications activities, including proactive outreach, responding to media inquiries and strategic communications

initiatives, according to Shikada’s announcement. In hiring Horrigan-Taylor, Shikada touted her 18 years of experience in local government. In her most recent stint in Redwood City, she facilitated the overhaul of the city’s website management, established agreements with the Port of Redwood City and Silicon Valley Water for communications and marketing services, and worked with department directors to enhance civic participation,

Rate hikes

Adding it all up

(continued from page 5)

Are Palo Altans paying more?

How Palo Alto’s average monthly residential utilities bill increased

the city’s community-engagement strategies, as well as Palo Alto’s ongoing effort to redesign the Caltrain corridor so that the tracks don’t intersect with streets at rail crossings. She succeeds Claudia Keith, who was the first person to hold the position and who resigned in May. Horrigan-Taylor will receive a salary of $180,000, according to the city. “As the birthplace of Silicon Valley, the city of Palo Alto is known for its innovative approaches, progressive community and civic involvement,” HorriganTaylor said in a statement. “I’m excited by the opportunity to help expand communications and community-engagement strategies to strengthen the city’s sense of community and collaboration.” Q

Comparable monthly bills in Midpeninsula cities** Palo Alto

$241.66

Menlo Park

$333.31

Redwood City

$316.34

Increases approved by the City Council in June

Mountain View

$259.93

Gas

$4.91, or 8.4%

Los Altos

$251.61

Wastewater

$3.83, or 7%

Santa Clara

$207.87

Bill in FY 2019*

$293.50

Bill in FY 2020

$312.15

Including only gas, water, wastewater and electricity. Refuse cost is not included.

Electricity

$2.98, or 5.5%

Water

$2.71, or 4.4%

Source: city of Palo Alto Utilities

Storm-drain fee and utility user tax, combined

$1.22

Fiscal year began on July 1, 2018

and more than two dozen other municipalities. Many other water systems throughout California will have to make similar investments, Elvert said. And given the sizzling construction market, costs for such projects are only expected to increase. “The benefit of completing the project when SFPUC did is that we continue to see labor costs increase, and you likely can’t expect that to go down,” Elvert said. “Hopefully, we were able to achieve cost savings.” On gas rates, higher transmission costs are a major driver in the increases, she said. Even though the city owns its own electric utility, it relies on PG&E’s transmission lines to bring natural gas to customers. With PG&E rebuilding and upgrading its gas lines and increasing inspections, particularly in the aftermath of the San Bruno pipeline explosion in 2010, the city has to deal with the rising costs of transmission. PG&E’s projects to update both its gas and electric systems are also impacting the area’s construction market, further driving up the costs of capital repairs. The expense to the city of replacing gas pipelines has

Page 8 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

increased dramatically in recent years, she said. “Since PG&E is doing so much work on their system, it’s hard for us to find contractors to complete the work on our system,” Elvert said. Elvert said the city utility has taken some actions to curb future increases. This includes scheduling its upgrades so that major projects can be undertaken in alternate years, increasing the economy of scale and potentially lowering construction costs. It has been negotiating with PG&E to keep the rate increases more modest than the company had initially proposed. And it recently negotiated a prepay arrangement for the city’s gas supply that she expects will save about $1 million annually. The utility is also now reforming its billing system to make it more efficient, an upgrade that Elvert said will save money once it’s in place. The utility is also continuing to review its staffing levels and adjusting positions to make operations more efficient, she said. Even with these changes, however, bills are expected to continue to rise in the coming years. The city’s preliminary projections show electric rates rising by

about 4% annually over the next three years and by 3% the year after that. Gas rates are expected to go up by 9% and 7% over the next two years, respectively, followed by more modest increases (between 2% and 3%) in each of the two following years. When coupled with increases in water, wastewater, refuse and storm drain rates, the average residential bill is expected to go up by a total of 5% in fiscal years 2021 and 2022 and by 4% in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The projections indicate that residential customers should expect to see their monthly bills go up by between $13 and $15 every year between now and 2024.

During the June 17 discussion of the most recent rate hikes, Councilman Greg Tanaka objected to rising rates. He and Councilwoman Lydia Kou both voted against most of the rate increases, with the exception of wastewater rates. Tanaka suggested that because the city owns its utilities, it should be realizing more savings. “I know one resident who just moved out of Palo Alto after 40 years because it just got too expensive here, with utilities going up and taxes and what not,” Tanaka said. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

File photo/Veronica Weber

utility bill has gone up by more than $70. The biggest increase occurred in 2016, when the council approved various rate hikes that raised the average bill by more than 8%, or about $22. Utility bills then went up by another 2.5% in 2017 and by 3.9% in 2018, reaching $293.50, according to Utilities Department reports. Utilities officials note that even with the recent rate increases, Palo Alto Utilities still compares favorably with neighboring jurisdictions, most of which are served by PG&E. Local residents still pay about 30% less for electricity than PG&E customers, Catherine Elvert, communications manager for Palo Alto Utilities, said. And when it comes to gas costs, the city’s rate is about 10% lower than PG&E’s, Eric Keniston, rates manager for Palo Alto Utilities, told the City Council in June. A comparison of rates from fiscal year 2019 shows Palo Alto’s total utility bills below those in Mountain View, Redwood City, Los Altos and Menlo Park (which has the highest combined bill for water, wastewater, gas and electric). It is, however, higher than the city of Santa Clara, which also runs a municipal utility. Elvert attributed the bulk of the increases to factors that aren’t entirely in the city’s control, including the higher costs of both acquiring and delivering commodities to customers. In some cases, she said, the nearterm increases were necessary to avert higher hikes further down the road. She pointed to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s recent effort to upgrade the Hetch Hetchy water system, a $5 billion project that required contributions from all SFPUC customers, including Palo Alto. The project, she said, is an example of a “very proactive investment” in the aged system that is used by San Francisco

according to the news release. Before Redwood City, she worked as director of communications and public affairs for Team San Jose, the publicprivate partnership that operates the San Jose Convention Center. Before that, she developed public affairs and communications strategies for the San Jose Mayor’s Office. “I am proud to announce the selection of Ms. Horrigan-Taylor to Palo Alto’s leadership team,”

Courtesy city of Palo Alto

Palo Alto hires new chief spokesperson

said Shikada, who worked as city manager in San Jose before coming to Palo Alto. “She has distinguished herself through her career in public service Meghan in the Bay Area Horriganand demonTaylor strated experience in a wide variety of issues that could face Palo Alto. “We will put her experience to work right away as we review our methods of community engagement.” According to the announcement, Horrigan-Taylor will begin on Aug. 20 and will be tasked with reviewing and enhancing

Palo Alto utilities workers assess the damage to a gas pipeline after an accident in December 2017.

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 9

Upfront

Photos courtesy Gloria Hom

Left: Thomas Foon Chew, center, stands with two cannery foremen in front of his Bayside Canning Company in Alviso, which was built before the Mayfield (now Palo Alto) cannery. Right: Thomas Foon Chew, second from right, poses for a portrait with his family, circa 1920.

Fry’s site (continued from page 7)

from the period include what is now an office building at 3201-3225 Ash St. just southeast of the cannery. When the cannery ultimately shuttered in 1949, it employed about 1,000 workers, according to the evaluation. Safeway, which purchased the Sutter, reportedly chose to close the cannery because it didn’t fit the company’s business model, which focused on obtaining canned goods from other packers rather than processing its own foods. Since then, the building has hosted a variety of commercial tenants, including Coca-Cola, which used it as a bottling plant, and Maximart, a store that sold home goods and appliances from 1964 to 1978. Also in the 1960s and 1970s, tenants included shipping, packaging and manufacturing businesses. Later, technology-related stores and offices came to populate the area. Yet it is the building’s original function as a cannery that may complicate its future. To become eligible for the California Register, a property has to meet one (or more) of four criteria: events (Criterion 1), persons (Criterion 2), architecture (Criterion 3) and information potential (Criterion 4).

The review from Page & Turnbull found that the cannery appears to be individually significant under Criterion 1, with the period of significance stretching from 1918 to 1949. “The trajectory of canning operations at the plant — which began in the early twentieth century, peaked in the 1920s, increased production to meet the demands of World War II, and then quickly declined as residential development and new industries began to replace agriculture industries in the postwar period — corresponds closely to the broad pattern of the history of the canning industry in Santa Clara County,” the Page & Turnbull report states. “The building is a rare surviving example of Palo Alto’s and Santa Clara County’s agricultural past.” As for other criteria, the review also concluded that despite Chew’s contributions to the region, the cannery building isn’t eligible under Criterion 2. Chew’s most groundbreaking innovations — including his introduction of a successful method for canning green asparagus (which earned him the moniker, “The Asparagus King”) — were apparently developed in other plants. And the cannery building in Palo Alto underwent so many changes after Chew’s death that it “does not retain enough integrity to be

CityView A round-up

of Palo Alto government action this week

City Council

The council did not meet this week.

Architectural Review Board (Aug. 1)

702 Clara Drive: The board discussed a proposal to demolish a four-unit apartment building and construct three detached single-family homes totaling 5,000 square feet. The board agreed to continue the discussion to a future meeting. Yes: Unanimous

LET’S DISCUSS: Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at PaloAltoOnline.com/square

Page 10 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

significant for its association with Thomas Foon Chew,” the review found. The buildings don’t qualify under Criterion 3 either. “Neither of the buildings appear to exhibit artistic value nor are they particularly distinctive examples of cannery buildings or industrial warehouse typology such that they would rise to a level of significance on the California registry,” Dikas said. Nor is the site eligible under Criterion 4, which generally applies to archaeological resources rather than built resources, according to the Page & Turnbull study.

How much preservation, if any? The report’s findings mean that the city now has to wrestle with the question of the extent to which the former cannery should be preserved. While the Historic Resources Board didn’t take any formal votes on the issue, all members who were present agreed that any future plans for the site must take account of

the past. Board Chair David Bower spoke for himself and his colleagues when he said that the Fry’s building “needs to be preserved and incorporated into the new project.” Board member Margert Wimmer, meanwhile, suggested that the building’s historical significance can be accommodated without actually retaining the entire structure. Bringing the building up to modern codes so that it can be safely used by the public would require such a drastic redesign that many of the old cannery’s original aspects would be lost, Wimmer said. She suggested that the city can honor history by keeping the footprint of the building, retaining some of its architectural features, such as the roofline or taking images of the existing site and incorporating these images into the design of the future redevelopment. Laura Bajuk, executive director of the Palo Alto History Museum, advocated for preserving an actual portion of the building, rather than simply acknowledge the past with a picture or a commemorative plaque. While the city probably can’t preserve the entire building,

Public Agenda A preview of Palo Alto government meetings next week CITY COUNCIL ... The council plans to hold a study session with the Palo Alto Center Foundation and approve the appointment of Geoffrey Blackshire as fire chief. The council will then go into closed session to discuss the city’s lease of Cubberley Community Center from Palo Alto Unified School District and to consider the employee evaluation for city manager, city attorney and city clerk. The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. The closed session is scheduled to start at about 6:20 p.m. UTILITIES ADVISORY COMMISSION ... The commission plans to discuss the Renewable Portfolio Standard Compliance Strategy for the electric utility; the city’s water supply reliability; and outreach and response required for wildfire safety, PG&E’s public safety power shutoff program and local outages. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION ... The commission plans to meet at 7 p .m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 250 Hamilton Ave. The agenda was not available by press time.

it could identify a section of the cannery that perhaps has particular significance for Thomas Foon Chew’s legacy and contributions. “Real places are the ones that teach history, not recreated ones,” Bajuk said. Another proponent of preserving the legacy of Thomas Foon Chew is Gloria Hom, Chew’s granddaughter. Hom, a Palo Alto resident, called the cannery an “important contribution to the area.” The local cannery, she said, focused on peaches, pears and other fruit grown in Palo Alto, while the Alviso plant canned primarily tomatoes. “Certainly, I’d like to see it highlighted in some fashion and certainly maintained,” Hom told the board. Former Mayor Karen Holman, a longtime proponent of historic preservation, also weighed in and argued that the city should be thinking more creatively about how to achieve the North Ventura vision without compromising the past. She lauded Chew’s legacy of both operating one of the world’s largest canneries and in having a diverse, multicultural employee pool. The city, she argued, has not considered “adaptive reuse” as an option for the new building. As an example, she cited The Barlow, a former apple cannery in Sebastopol that has been repurposed as a shopping district and farmers market. The development, she said, remains “hopping busy.” “In no plan are you going to accomplish everything, but I think much can be accomplished by retaining the building,” Holman said. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

TALK ABOUT IT

PaloAltoOnline.com How do you think the history of the cannery should be commemorated? Share your opinion and read others’ on Town Square, the community discussion forum at PaloAltoOnline. com/square.

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 11

Upfront

Counseling (continued from page 5)

Businesses (continued from page 5)

the state Department of Tax and Free Administration — to get an estimate of the number of businesses in Palo Alto and determined that the number of businesses identified by MuniServices falls well short of the numbers in other databases — by about 85%. The auditor’s office concluded that there are about 20,594 businesses operating in the city. The data provided by MuniServices included just 3,056 businesses. Some of the disparity can be attributed to how different data sets define “business,” according to the auditor’s review. The city’s registry applies only to those businesses with “a fixed place of business” in Palo Alto; other data sets don’t have that requirement. Businesses without fixed locations may account for some of the 17,538 businesses not included in

Sinead Chang

summer, though, demand is down only by about 20 percent. “Mental health doesn’t go away over the summer,” said Ramsey Khasho, chief clinical officer at Children’s Health Council. “People are really realizing — and what we tell parents — is summer is a really good time to actually continue the treatment because there’s less stress and distraction. They can focus on getting better and building coping strategies that they can use during the school year when stress levels go up.” It also provides more consistency for therapists who otherwise have to make up for lost time when teen patients stop therapy over the summer and then return in the fall — often when they’re having some sort of crisis, Khasho said. While CHC encourages families to take summer vacations, “It’s all about building the skills when people are relatively well,” he said. All of these organizations offer the same services over the summer as they do during the school year, including individual and family therapy and support groups. ACS sees an increase in attendance at its LGBTQ support groups over the summer, which Rey attributed to

students being disconnected from school resources like gay-straight alliances. While teens might initially feel relieved to be out of school, over the summer they may grapple with feelings of isolation and unstructured time, Rey said. “The lack of structure creates a lot of chaos and sense of loss,” he said. “We see that in the parents, too.” Teenagers said their peers still perceive summer as time off from not only school but also from personal work on their emotional well-being. “I think a lot of my friends would like to think that, ‘As soon as school’s out, I’m OK; everything is back to how I remember being before I ever had any mental health challenges,’” said Meher Sandhu, a rising senior at Castilleja School and youth board member at SafeSpace in Menlo Park, a teen mental health advocacy and support nonprofit. “When you have that mindset of ‘It can go away as soon as the stress drops and as soon as the grades are in the grade book,’ that is going to continue the cycle of people not wanting to address their own mental health challenges,” she said. Walter Li, who graduated from Menlo School this spring and is

Sarah Pistorino, a member of the SafeSpace Youth Action Board, talks to the Menlo Park Rotary Club on July 17. Pistorino said she values continuing counseling during the summer, even though school is out and she no longer has to deal with academic stress.

the MuniServices registry. Others may be businesses that had begun the process of forming but have not actually conducted business in Palo Alto, the review states. Aside from the discrepancy in totals, the registry data that has been collected isn’t always accurate, according to a Weekly review. In fact, it can be grossly incorrect. Tin Pot Creamery, a Town & Country Village establishment that looks and acts like an ice cream shop, is described in the registry as a “cyber security/ fraud detection business.” The Palo Alto Daily Post, meanwhile, is described as an “ice cream shop” and classified as an eating establishment. The General Atlantic Services Company, a private equity firm with a location on Hamilton Avenue, is called a “fast casual café serving fresh made to order juice sandwiches and coffee.” The audit also noted that the number of business certificates

File photo/Veronica Weber

A customer at the b8ta store in downtown Palo Alto tests out many of the store’s tech products. Palo Alto leaders are seeking to improve a registry of businesses in the city. Page 12 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

also on SafeSpace’s youth board, said he sees school stress as the trigger rather than underlying cause of his peers’ mental health struggles, underscoring the need to continue care over the summer. For youth mental health organizations, summer is also a time to lay the groundwork for the coming school year. They are all trying to hire more therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists to build capacity — a challenge given a national shortage in mental health providers and the Bay Area’s high cost of living, they said.

“The demand continues to knock on the door and we continue to hire to meet the demand,” Khasho said. They’re also working this summer to develop new services to meet emerging needs, such as an outpatient family skills group for local middle school students and their parents starting this fall at CHC and a vaping-prevention program Adolescent Counseling Services is launching with the Palo Alto school district. (Rey said ACS’ longtime substance-abuse program has seen an explosion in

issued to local businesses declined from 1,929 in 2017 to 1,639 in 2018, the year MuniServices took over. At the same time, the 2018 registry showed that Palo Alto’s business locations comprised about 77 million square feet, compared to about 30 million square feet in the 2017 business registry. “The difference was due to at least in part to unusually large, erroneous values entered for some businesses,” the new auditor’s report states. As part of its initial August 2018 audit, which did not include an analysis of MuniServices’ work, the Office of the City Auditor looked at the city’s contract with the company, which called for the firm to institute numerous measures to improve data quality, including removing duplicate business addresses, assigning unique user accounts for local businesses and comparing registry data with listings in the downtown Business Improvement District to identify businesses that show up in one dataset but not the other. The August 2018 audit found that while these steps should improve accuracy, the comparison with Business Improvement District data may be of “limited value” because that program exempts businesses not within its boundaries. And while the company was charged with collecting the data and administering the program, it did not include services to improve data reliability, according to the new report. To correct that oversight in direction, in December 2018, the city signed a contract with Avenu

Insights & Analytics (the parent company MuniServices) to administer the business-license program, which includes the requirement to “research and ensure the city’s database of business is accurate and reliable.” This includes cross-referencing and merging business records from various local databases, utility bills and use-and-occupancy applications. Not all of the problems with the business registry are technical. Some are existential. During a meeting of the Policy and Services Committee last September, then-City Manager James Keene attributed the many problems with the registry to confusion over why the program exists and what it is meant to accomplish. When the city created the registry in 2014 — spurred by a colleagues memo from former council members Larry Klein, Pat Burt, Karen Holman and Marc Berman — the chief stated goal was to get a better understanding on how commercial development impacts the community. The memo noted that traffic and parking impacts are at the “forefront of community concerns” and city staff argued that the business data can help the city “measure employment trends and business activity throughout the City in a cohesive and coordinated manner,” according to a report from Keene’s office. But last September, Keene told the committee meeting that no one really uses the registry and everyone seems to be dissatisfied with it. And despite earlier arguments that a registry would be a useful tool for addressing traffic and parking problems, Keene told

demand for vaping and nicotine addiction over the last two years.) Bay Area Clinical Associates is hoping to add tele-health services in the next six months to a year — using video to make therapy more accessible if teens live far from one of the organization’s clinics or even if traffic makes getting to appointments difficult, said Joel Child, BACA psychiatrist and vice president of operations. At SafeSpace, summer is a time for teenagers who are passionate about mental health advocacy to plan projects for the upcoming school year. They’re holding retreats, training peers on empathetic listening and making presentations to the community. They’re also filming interviews for the second year of a video campaign meant to lift the stigma around mental health. This year’s project features three segments: one talking to teens and their parents and grandparents about mental health; a second on teens who have sought support from therapists and school counselors; and a third that will feature interviews with more than 20 teenagers about providing or receiving help from a friend during a mental health crisis. Q Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@ paweekly.com. the committee that he has “never worked in a situation where the public is screaming for access to business registry data at all.” That said, no one is proposing to eliminate the registry. Councilman Tom DuBois, who supported the additional analysis by the city auditor, said at the September meeting that the quality of the registry data may be a reason for why people aren’t using the data. “It hasn’t been good, so I’m not surprised no one is using it,” DuBois said. The need for accurate business data could become more acute in the coming months, as Palo Alto moves ahead with placing a business tax on the November 2020 ballot. While the council has yet to determine whether the tax should be based on employee counts, square footage or payroll (the various approaches taken by Mountain View, East Palo Alto and San Francisco, respectively), any approach would depend on an accurate accounting of local businesses (and employees) to achieve accurate revenue projections. The council is scheduled to review an accept the audit of the business registry on Aug. 5, its first meeting after the summer break. Q Staff Writer Gennady Sheyner can be emailed at gsheyner@ paweekly.com.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION PaloAltoOnline.com There’s a discussion of the business registry taking place in Town Square, the online community forum. Go to PaloAltoOnline.com/ square to join in.

Upfront

News Digest Group demands district retain ‘Cesar Chavez’ name The name of the new middle school that will operate at the Cesar Chavez Academy’s campus in East Palo Alto will be the chief topic of a community meeting organized by the Latino advocacy group Comunidad Unida on Thursday night. Questions about whether the school, located at 2450 Ralmar Ave., would be renamed or divided into two separate school campuses started circulating in the community when a sign for Ravenswood Middle School, which is also located on the campus, was hung outside the campus, according to East Palo Alto City Councilman Ruben Abrica. He then sent a letter to the Ravenswood City School District’s Board of Education in June opposing the idea of removing Chavez’s name. Abrica has been investigating the situation on behalf of Comunidad Unida. “The Cesar Chavez name has been a source of pride and connection to broader issues,” Abrica said, adding that Chavez’s family is aware of the controversy and also opposes removing the name of the late labor leader and activist. “It would be a step backwards, and it would be insulting to remove a name like that,” he said. Board of Education President Tamara Sobomehin said that the only sign other than the main Cesar Chavez Academy marquee that she is aware of is a banner announcing that middle school and high school students currently at the 49ers Academy would be moving to Ravenswood Middle School, which she believes may have sparked the confusion. The name Ravenswood Middle School came about after the district’s decision to consolidate the six different middle schools in the district into one. It was a temporary, working name for the new school, according to Sobomehin, but the board has not yet discussed

or voted on a permanent name. Since Ravenswood Middle School opened in 2017, it has been sharing the campus with Cesar Chavez Academy, but this fall will mark the first year that the school will operate as only one entity, exclusively serving sixththrough eighth-grade students, Sobomehin said. The board now plans to discuss what the official name of the school will be at the next board meeting, set for Aug. 8, according to Sobomehin. Q —Cierra Bailey

Swim team photographer accused of sexually abusing boys A Menlo Park man who worked as the Ladera Recreation Center swim team photographer is being accused of of sexually abusing young boys and was arrested Thursday, July 25, according to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. The alleged assaults of boys from 8 to 13 years old by Randy Haldeman, 47, occurred at the Ladera Recreation Center in Portola Valley and at the suspect’s home, for possibly as long as 30 years, according to the Sheriff’s Office. During an investigation by sheriff’s deputies, which had begun in January, multiple victims came forward saying that they had been assaulted by Haldeman, according to Rosemerry Blankswade of the Sheriff’s Office. The last incident reported was in 2015, Blankswade said. Haldeman was arrested at his home on two counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14 years old, and was booked into San Mateo County Jail, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He posted bail on Thursday, Blankswade said. On his LinkedIn page, Haldeman describes himself as a “CEO, CMO, Innovator, Mentor.” He is chief executive officer and president of Code-N, a Menlo Park-based “next-generation cloud computing company,” according to the company’s website.

Since 2011, he has worked with grad students at Stanford’s School of Engineering as a strategy and innovation mentor, according to his LinkedIn page. He also identifies himself as an “alumni interviewer of high school seniors at Duke University” and is on the Stanford campus “weekly” working with professors, according to a posting on the website Quora. Sheriff’s investigators believe that there are more victims who haven’t come forward, Blankswade said. The San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office encourages anyone who had contact with Haldeman or whose children had contact with him or know of someone who was victimized to contact Detective Joseph Fava at 650-3634192 or e-mail jfava@smcgov.org, or Detective Sergeant Joe Cang at 650-363-4008 or jcang@smcgov.org. Q —Rick Radin

Water company faces allegations of election fraud, mismanagement The Palo Alto Park Mutual Water Company, which mainly serves households in East Palo Alto but a few in Menlo Park as well, has long been criticized for its lack of transparency, according to people at public agencies and jurisdictions that work with the company. It has also received nine citations from the state water resources board for water quality and monitoring violations since 2008. Some water customers say that they have been unfairly billed by the company, and many said they don’t drink the water because they don’t believe it is safe or because its mineral concentration is too high. The water company’s current leadership now faces a lawsuit alleging that it interfered with a court-ordered election process. The grassroots group Neighbors for Better Water filed the lawsuit against the agency in February alleging that the water company used methods of forgery, fraud and manipulation to declare the re-election of the incumbents. Q —Kate Bradshaw

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Pulse A weekly compendium of vital statistics

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Palo Alto

July 24-July 30 Violence related Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Child abuse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Domestic violence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Elder Abuse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Strong arm robbery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Residential burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle related Abandoned bicycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Auto burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Auto theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 5 Vehicle accident/prop damage. . . . . . . 6 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Drunk in public . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Miscellaneous Found property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Misc. penal code violation . . . . . . . . . . 2 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Suspicious circumstances . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vandalism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Warrant/other agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Menlo Park

July 24-July 30 Violence related Attempted sexual assault . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft related Commercial burglaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Grand theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Identity theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Petty theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Shoplifting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Theft undefined. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Vehicle related Auto burglary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Bicycle theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Driving w/ suspended license. . . . . . . . 2 Driving without license . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Hit and run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Lost/stolen plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Misc. traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Theft from auto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle accident/minor injury . . . . . . . . 4 Vehicle accident/no injury. . . . . . . . . . . 2

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Vehicle tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Alcohol or drug related Driving under influence . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Possession of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Possession of paraphernalia . . . . . . . . 1 Under influence of drugs . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Miscellaneous Coroner case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Disturbance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Found property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Info. case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lost property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Medical aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Missing person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Other/misc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Outside assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Property for destruction . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Psychiatric subject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Warrant arrest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Welfare check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

VIOLENT CRIMES Palo Alto

Dana Avenue, 6/9, 7:20 a.m.; elder abuse. Lytton Avenue, 7/13, 2:22 a.m.; strong arm robbery. Emerson Street, 7/20, 1:59 a.m.; battery. Irven Court, 7/22, 3:16 p.m.; domestic violence. Middlefield Road, 7/22, 6:56 p.m.; robbery. Middlefield Road/Marion Avenue, 7/22, 8:46 p.m.; robbery. Middlefield Road, 7/23, 4:08 p.m.; elder abuse. Encina Avenue, 7/24, 12:31 p.m.; child abuse.

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Van Roy Southworth, a resident of Palo Alto, died on July 23rd surrounded by his family. He was 70 years old. Roy was born in Olympia, Washington, on June 10, 1949, to Harry and Georgiana Southworth. Along with his older sister, Kay, he was raised in Yelm, Washington. Roy earned a BA from Washington State University in Economics in 1971 and was Phi Beta Kappa. He then joined the Peace Corps and traveled to Ethiopia, where his love for international service was born. Upon returning from the Peace Corps, Roy earned a Masters and Ph.D. from the Food Research Institute at Stanford University. In 1976, after a late-night dare, he eloped with Cathy McLain of San Leandro, to Reno, Nevada. They went on to be married until his death, 43 years later. Following a brief research stint in Ghana, Roy accepted a role at the World Bank in Washington DC, where he spent the remaining 29 years of his career. While at the World Bank he lived and worked in Tanzania and Croatia, before ultimately retiring in the country of Georgia in 2008. Cathy and Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for the country led them and a local partner to co-found The McLain Association for Children (MAC), benefitting vulnerable children and adults in Georgia. As country manager for the World Bank, Roy was also instrumental in the founding of ISET, an economic university in Tbilisi. Cathy and Roy became citizens of Georgia in 2018 and split their time between Palo Alto and Georgia in his final years. Roy will be remembered for his irreverent humor, his unwavering optimism, and his open heart for all family and friends. Affable and good-natured, he was a peacemaker and fervently altruistic. Roy loved spending time with his many grandkids and discovered a passion for kiteboarding late in life. Roy is survived by his wife Cathy McLain, his sister Kay Martin of Oro Valley, AZ; his three children, Carrie Southworth Johnson of Los Angeles, Lucy Southworth of Palo Alto, McLain Southworth of Woodside, CA, his many grandchildren, and his loyal dog Harry. A celebration of his life will take place at a future date and details will be shared with friends and family later in the year. Online condolences may be shared on Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook profile, and in lieu of flowers, Roy wished for donations to MAC. PAID

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Editorials, letters and opinions

Letters Why deny Castilleja? Editor, I urge my fellow residents to engage on the issue of Castilleja School’s expansion plans as has often been covered by your publication. Thank you for bringing this to the local attention. The city is soon to review the school’s plans — so let’s get behind Castilleja and support its leadership to make this expansion happen. Castilleja’s mission is to “educate motivated young women to become confident thinkers and compassionate leaders with a sense of purpose to effect change in the world.” As the mother of a daughter who significantly benefitted from attending an all-girls high school, and grandmother to a little girl growing up in Palo Alto, my hope is that all girls who might benefit from this type of education get the opportunity. Castilleja is looking to open more places for more girls to realize their potential. Why would we deny this outstanding school the ability to build more independent, positive changemakers in our community? I hope my neighbors will positively review the details and note how the school is responsibly addressing residents’ concerns. If you care about the future for our children, this is an issue that matters. Olga Sawtell Bryant Street, Palo Alto

Disappointed by coverage Editor, In response to the July 19 Castilleja School development plan article, I am disappointed that our local newspaper would present the story with an unbalanced perspective. I understand the neighbors’ concerns about the school’s modernization project, but I feel they need to focus on how to help the school move toward the future because we are fortunate that Castilleja calls Palo Alto home. The school strives to minimize the impact on the neighborhood, but it’s never good enough, and the arguments against modernization are straying from reality. The school self-reported five years ago that they were over-enrolled and publicly acknowledged wrongdoing, made open apologies and met the city’s demands for financial retribution. What is the point of continuing to bring this up? It is not a valid argument against Castilleja’s desire to modernize. Focusing on the past

sends the wrong message to our community: If you make a mistake, you will never be forgiven — even if you identify the error yourself, tell the truth and face the consequences. Personally, this is not the lesson I wish to teach to my tween. The school’s classrooms are over 60 years old; why shouldn’t they be allowed to update them? The footprint of Castilleja will remain the same, not expand. I feel that’s a win for both sides. The above-ground square footage will be reduced and the buildings will be the same height or shorter. The argument against modernization at Castilleja has gone on long enough. Approving Castilleja’s new conditional-use permit application is not going to “reward bad behavior,” as critics said in the article. Change can be hard, but we can’t halt opportunities for our city and our future generation of women leaders because we refuse to grow with the times. Trisha Suvari Iris Way, Palo Alto

We don’t oppose Castilleja Editor, Thanks to Gennady Sheyner for a well-balanced analysis of the numerous complications regarding Castilleja School’s expansion plans. The neighbors have been working to influence the school to reduce the proposed expansion and limit enrollment since the school’s application was submitted to the city on June 30, 2016. The draft environmental impact report (DEIR) is the first of many reviews the school’s plans and conditional-use permit request will undergo in the next months. All Palo Alto residents should be interested in seeing how this project works its way through the city, as there are zoning exceptions and a 30% private school enrollment increase at stake. Surrounding neighbors do not oppose Castilleja but oppose the school tearing down houses to increase the school site, taking over residential lots to be replaced by an underground garage exit and leaving a lone house on the corner of Embarcadero Road and Emerson Street. For all the cutting edge, environmentally sound attributes the school touts for the new buildings, digging a deep hole to store automobiles and concentrate the flow of cars into narrow streets not only changes the character of the neighborhood but defeats their claims for forward-thinking sustainability for the next 100 years. Reducing traffic

with off-site satellite parking and shuttling in students is the wave of the future. We encourage the school to renovate, rebuild and modernize their classrooms, limit enrollment increases and get back to a good relationship with neighbors. Andie Reed Melville Avenue, Palo Alto

Castilleja is a good neighbor Editor, Having lived near Castilleja for 40 years, I can attest to its many contributions to our community. With respect specifically to environmental impact, Castilleja is a very respectful neighbor, having gone to great lengths to mitigate traffic and parking demands as the town has grown up around it. In my view, the school provides a park-like buffer for the residents that surround it. The school’s master plan proposes a green and architecturally inspired design and asks for no additional square footage above ground. Within just a few blocks of Castilleja, prodigious additions have been constructed at Stanford University, Palo Alto High School and Addison Elementary School. Why should one of our most historic and consequential schools, the 100+ year old Castilleja, be denied improvements and to extend its reach to a modest number of new women students? I found the latest headlines and articles regarding Castilleja to be front-loaded with negativity. You had to read well into the articles to find the many positives, which most readers won’t do. I am confused by the argument that “redevelopment would overwhelm their quiet neighborhood.” Development, growth and increased traffic are the norm throughout town given the extraordinary economic growth of the day. The notion that Castilleja has no business being in an R-1 neighborhood is preposterous. Castilleja was there first and, if Sacramento has its way, there won’t be any more R-1 zoning in the so-called “jobs and education rich” towns. I ask the media to report on the treasure we have in our community. I implore the City Council to enthusiastically support the school’s application to continue its centurylong mission of educating young women and, in doing so, ensure that exceptional education continues as a foundational and timeless value in Palo Alto. Barbara Hazlett Emerson Street, Palo Alto

Give Castilleja a chance Editor, I moved here in 1982, opened my studio and raised a family here. I have a daughter with close friends who attended Castilleja School, who are doing rather amazing things (pause for a breath here). Schools are good for all of us. And, this battle is empty-headed. Castilleja is worth our support. They have been run through the ringer and, while still wet, made to jump through Mobius feedback hoops. Where are the alarming signs aimed at the Bowman School? I live here, I have looked. No “save our backyard” signs along the Arastradero Road reconstruction corridor. I am happy to see that school, along with others in Palo Alto, getting their zoning exemptions and growing. Palo Alto cares about schools. Castilleja, a small middle/high school for girls, is kind of being demonized (a sign of the times, eh?), and as such, is being dragged through a series of tedious biopsies on the Palo Alto ordinances. What a malignant travesty that there were 450 students instead of 415; good god someone call security and Andrew Acosta! This “overenrollment” seems a benign mistake that was made years ago, and the school has been working to correct it for years now. Palo Alto is reconstructing everywhere, starting at 39 feet below ground and up, well above four stories — El Camino Real, Birch Street, Park Boulevard, Sherman Avenue. Visa, Amazon, Houzz and Survey Monkey — heaven forbid a unique small girls school summon the gumption to grow with the times. What would Elizabeth Gamble say? Actually, student Divya Ganesan did say it well: “People are talking at each other and not with each other.” This is silly. Palo Alto, please, give the school a chance. Tom Upton Ramona Street, Palo Alto

Support for KIPP Editor, I am writing to ask for help for Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), which wants to establish a high school in East Palo Alto. When KIPP came to East Palo Alto, I invited them to use our hall to promote their elementary and middle school. I attended the opening day of the school and I was happy to see so many of our parishioners there who have children in the school. In some ways, East Palo Alto today is not much different than

Redwood City when my family arrived in the 1800s. I am proud of the fact that we were part of making San Mateo County habitable for people. My grandmother was one of the early teachers who began teaching in the one room Denniston School in Half Moon Bay. My grandfather was a charter member of the Sequoia Unified School District together with Mr. Kavanaugh from East Palo Alto. Almost all of my family members have been teachers or nurses. Now, with the influx of tech workers and the rising cost of living, teachers and nurses can’t afford to live here, which means we’re going back in time to when the county was not so habitable, when a good education was not readily available especially for immigrant children with special needs. That’s who was here in the 1800s and that’s who is here in East Palo Alto today. St. Francis Church, where I’ve been pastor for 16 years, takes care of the spiritual needs of almost all of those immigrant children. They deserve an opportunity to achieve their potential at the high school level. If given the chance that KIPP gives to them, these children will not disappoint. Father Lawrence C. Goode Bay Road, East Palo Alto

Tarantino got it wrong Editor, Regarding Peter Canavese’s review of “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” published in the July 26 edition of the Weekly, isn’t what Bruce Lee’s daughter said accurate — that the only non-white character was not written like the Steve Macqueen one, as sympathetic and positive, but as a stuck-up, hot-head blow hard personality who needed to get his come-uppence by a white cowboy? Isn’t it a fair criticism to say that not only did Quentin Tarantino get Lee’s personality so very wrong, he manufactured animosity between Lee and Mohammed Ali that did not exist. In fact, they were friends. To add further absurdity to the scene, although Lee was a great martial artist in his early 20s, here he is badly beaten up by a 55-yearold Brad Pitt, just as Kato was beaten up by (225-pound?) Seth Rogan in the last “Green Hornet” movie. Maybe Tarantino just knows how to please his chosen audience: white men in America. Chen Kai Wen Bryson Avenue, Palo Alto

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PLA NTING!

Arts & Entertainment A weekly guide to music, theater, art, culture, books and more, edited by Karla Kane

What: “Singular Stories: Celebrating Unique Voices.” Where: Dragon Productions Theatre Company, 2120 Broadway St., Redwood City. When: Aug. 7-11 (performance times vary; see online). Cost: $20-$25. Info: dragonproductions.net.

Dragon Theatre hosts a trio of autobiographical shows in its first ‘Singular Stories’ festival

‘Mutti’ When Laura Jane Bailey began exploring the idea of doing solo work, she recalled the advice of a friend, who said to think about a topic that makes a good story at a dinner party. Her thoughts turned to how she met her husband. “It’s a romantic, funny little story but then it always kind of segued into this story about his mother, my new mother-in-law,” she said. “Her story is fascinating to me.” Bailey’s mother-in-law grew up in Germany, survived World War II and immigrated to the United States shortly after. “Mutti,” the show that resulted, is a weaving together of stories about Bailey’s mother-in-law’s experience and her own experience falling in love with her husband and becoming part of his family. It’s a monologue, according to the Dragon’s press

‘Working for the Mouse’

Courtesy Laura Jane Bailey

Laura Jane Bailey’s “Mutti” is inspired by her mother-in-law.

Trevor Allen worked for four years as a costumed character at Disneyland, and his adventures in the Happiest Place on Earth form the basis of “Working for the Mouse,” giving audiences a glimpse behind the scenes at the Magic Kingdom. “I do many different character voices in the show. It may strike some folks as cartoonish but that’s the point. That’s sometimes hard to pull off because you’re just one body playing multiple characters in a scene,” he told the Weekly. “Making that clear, funny and entertaining can be a challenge but when it works, the characters come alive and the audience is with you ... well, that’s the best feeling there is.” Park employment involved working for “part-time, minimum

Fred Pitts’ personal experiences and love of history came together to form “The California Missions and Race Tour.” wage in hot fur costumes and stifling conditions without ‘voice clearance’ or medical insurance,” but there were magical moments, too, he said. Some favorite memories chronicled in “Working for the Mouse” include playing an imaginary game of baseball, dressed as the Mad Hatter, with children along the parade route when a float broke down; celebrating a “mad luau” with other costumed characters, and helping make a terminally ill child’s wish come true. Allen has been performing versions of the show, including at the Dragon, for several years. “It’s a period piece now because it’s about a time and a place that doesn’t really exist anymore, but it still feels fresh and new every night because it has to be. Each audience is different,” he said. “I am happy to be coming back to the Dragon. It’s a wonderfully intimate theater.”

solo trip to satisfy my love of history turned into a journey about what it’s like to live as an African American man in this world.” As his trip went on, Pitts (whom local theater fans will recognize from frequent appearances as an actor, including most recently with Palo Alto Players) updated his friends about his adventures via social media, he found he had an eager audience following along. “Everyday, people were asking ‘What happened today?’ and ‘You gotta make this into a solo show at some point,’” he said. “I am not a solo guy; that’s not what

‘The California Missions and Race Tour’ For Fred Pitts, a self-professed history geek, it was a 2012 tour of the California missions that inspired his one-man show. At each stop along the way, he encountered numerous friendly folks who were all eager to tell him he resembled “someone famous and black,” he said. “Me taking a

Courtesy Trevor Allen

release, “about a Midwest, middle-aged woman finding who she is through women’s work.” Bailey’s a familiar name and face on the local theater scene as an actor and director, but “Mutti” marks her foray into writing and solo-performing. The show made its debut at the Dragon’s Monday Night Play Space, so it’s fitting to bring it back to the Redwood City stage. “Being a middle-aged actress in the Bay Area, there aren’t always a tremendous amount of work opportunities,” she said in a phone interview from Sacramento, where she was performing with Capital Stage. Creating her own show, she said, is a good way to “take agency over my career.” What does Bailey’s husband, whom she described as “in no way a performer,” think about her sharing his family’s memories with the public? While she said he felt a little “exposed” when seeing the full show in the company of friends, all of whom were looking to him for reaction, he appreciates the honor being paid to his family’s story. “I’d ask him all along the way, when there’s something personal about him or his mother, I’d run it by him and ask, ‘Is this OK?’ He hasn’t said no yet so, so far so good,” she laughed.

reating a one-person show takes a certain amount of chutzpah, relying on just one bold soul to connect with an audience and hold its attention throughout. It’s even more of a personal investment when the story being told on stage is actually drawn from the real life of the performer. Dragon Productions Theatre Company is highlighting the art of the solo show with its first “Singular Stories: Celebrating Unique Voices” festival this month, featuring three Bay Area writer/actors.

Courtesy Fred Pitts

by Karla Kane

I do.” Nevertheless, he dutifully copied his reports into a file and when years later he took a class on creating a solo show, “The California Missions and Race Tour” was ripe for revisiting. The show made its debut at the PlayGround Solo Performance Festival in San Francisco. What makes a successful solo show, he said, is “a story that’s compelling and a performer that can keep you interested from start to finish.” For Pitts, who portrays around 34 characters in his piece and named San Juan Capistrano as his personal favorite mission site, it’s important that audiences are both entertained and gain a bit more knowledge of history and culture. “I ask the audience, ‘How many of you grew up in California and built a mission out of sugarcubes in the fourth grade?’ I like to have people walk away understanding that history is not all that sugarcoated history we were taught. There’s a pretty side to this and a really ugly side, especially with the missions, and in terms of Native American and African American history,” he said. “I’m not judging anyone. We get taught history as kids and the history we’re told is usually slanted, depending on what they want you to remember or not remember,” he said. “The history you’re taught can’t be the whole story. Find out the details. It’s much more fascinating!” Q Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane can be emailed at kkane@paweekly.com.

Trevor Allen spent four years as a costumed character at Disneyland, inspiring his one-man show, “Working for the Mouse.” www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 19

Arts & Entertainment

SF Mime Troupe takes on ‘Treasure Island’ Longtime satirical musical-comedy group returns to Palo Alto Aug. 7 by Karla Kane hen British-raised Lizzie attempt to thwart them. The adaptation was written by Calogero first moved to the Bay Area in 1994, Michael Gene Sullivan, with Ellen one of the first things she did was Callas and Marie Cartier. Sullivan, catch a performance by the vener- who also performs in the show, able San Francisco Mime Troupe is a familiar face to local theater in Dolores Park. Calling it one of lovers, not only from his frequent her foundational San Francisco work with SF Mime Troupe but experiences, she’s been a fan ever also his performances with TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (he also since. “I’ve always been excited by wrote the well-regarded adaptathe idea of theater that happens tion of George Orwell’s “1984” in public places, about issues that recently staged in Los Altos). Calogero plays naive London matter to the regular people,” she said. A veteran of several past expat Jill Hawkins, an earnest shows with the troupe, this year, San Francisco deputy director of she’s starring in “Treasure Island,” housing and development. She which returns to Palo Alto’s Cub- dreams of helping make her disberley Amphitheatre for a perfor- trict a place where regular people mance on Aug. 7 (it first appeared from all walks of life can afford to live (rather than just “be alive” there July 10). The Tony Award-winning, un- in) and faces off with developers apologetically left-leaning, politi- who claim to offer “affordable cally savvy theater company — housing” when really what they’re celebrating its 60th anniversary after is building lucrative, highthis year — performs free, origi- end condominiums and snapping nal musical comedies at parks and up prime real estate locations. other outdoor spaces throughout When a mysterious pirate tips her off about nefarious developthe Bay Area each summer. “Treasure Island,” very loose- ment plans for Treasure Island, ly based on the classic Robert which falls within her district, she Louis Stevenson novel, tells the heads out to the dilapidated forstory of greedy developers — mer military base — armed with “pirates!” — in San Francisco a top-secret thumb drive — on a and one idealistic civil servant’s quest for truth and justice. Singing,

Annual blues festival returns Aug. 3 and 4 by Sue Dremann

his weekend, East Palo Alto will be rocking and stomping during two days of music at the annual East Palo Alto Blues Festival. Now in its ninth year, the festivities on Aug. 3 and 4 will feature 19 musical acts. Among them are Johnny Rawls, R&B/Soul singer Lenny Williams (formerly lead singer of Tower of Power), the West Coast Blues Society Caravan of Allstars, J.C. Smith Band, Tebo, Fillmore Slim, Oakland Blues Divas, Dee Dee Simon (with her five-octave range) and many others. A special “Church in the Park” gospel service courtesy of St. Mark AME Zion Church will take place on Sunday at 11 a.m. The musical range of the performers swings from the honeyvoiced soul of Karl Bracy to the gutsy belter Willie G. Menlo Park’s own R&B/soul/ hip-hop/funk artist Tebo will perform, as will big-voiced 2019 Grammy nominee Ladee Chico. Barbecue from Sue’s Good

Cooking, Earl’s Barbecue and more will be available for sale, alongside plenty of vendor booths, and admission to the festival at Bell Street Park is free. The event is produced by longtime entrepreneur Patrick Brock and Company. Brock, who was raised in south Palo Alto and attended Terman Middle School and Gunn High School, moved to East Palo Alto at age 18. He’s been a mainstay of the city ever since. He’s been a community outreach specialist, permit expediter and property manager, event producer and facilities manager. He’s founded and led multiple nonprofit organizations in East Palo Alto, including substance-abuse-recovery center Free at Last, tech-access center Plugged In, and Start-Up, a business training and support center for entrepreneurs, according to his company biography. As an impresario, he’s handled the city’s popular Collard Greens and Juneteenth festivals and has been a longtime event coordinator

Page 20 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Gunn (Michael Gene Sullivan) encounters Jill Hawkins (Lizzie Calogero) in San Francisco Mime Troupe’s “Treasure Island.” about, and he’s spent a couple of years designing public housing so I feel like I’m around it even when I’m not in a show about it.” Though the issues are serious, the play is most assuredly, as always, a zany, satirical musical comedy. The music, by Michael Bello, with lyrics by Daniel Savio (son of the late free speech activist Mario Savio), includes some songs, as befitting the theme, with a sea-shanty flavor and are performed with a three-piece live band — including a hurdy-gurdy . Calogero’s personal highlight has been engaging in some spirited, choreographed sword-fighting.

dancing, pirate-based humor and swashbuckling also ensue. The show’s themes of gentrification, lack of affordable housing and developer-tied politicians no doubt resonate deeply in the Bay Area, including in Palo Alto. For Calogero, it hits close to home. “So many of my artist friends have had to move out or give up their art because they can’t afford to live here and be an artist. My daughter’s favorite teacher had to move to Sacramento,” she said. “My husband has a Ph.D in city planning, so I hear a lot about this stuff at home. Housing is his issue, the thing he’s most passionate

handling many musical acts, including international names such as Buddy Miles, Ronnie Stewart, the O’Jays, the Whispers and others. Jazz trumpeter Fred Berry took Brock to gigs, where he got his introduction to the music scene, he said. Brock doesn’t play any musical instruments, he just emcees. He loves the vibe people get from the East Palo Alto Blues Festival. “There’s no drama; no violence; no alcohol; no weed. People just come together. International Blues Day is the first Saturday in August, so we hold it every year on that day,” he said. Brock is already looking forward to next year: the blues festival’s 10th anniversary. He’s looking to help to put the city on the map of destination places. What’s his favorite thing about East Palo Alto? “We still here. We ain’t went nowhere. We used to be the ‘Murder Capital.’ Now it’s the ‘Best Capital,’” he said. To wit, Brock said that this year’s event has been especially well funded, with more than 25 sponsors from local businesses and nonprofit organizations such as the East Palo Alto-Belle Haven Chamber of Commerce, Computers for Everyone, the YMCA, Drew Center Pharmacy, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, Recology, Jones Mortuary, Pan African City

“I’d never been in a full-on sword fight. I look forward to that every single time we do it,” she said, laughing. “I hope everyone gets to see my fighting!” Q Arts & Entertainment Editor Karla Kane can be emailed at kkane@paweekly.com. What: San Francisco Mime Troupe’s “Treasure Island.” Where: Cubberley Amphitheatre, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. When: Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 7 p.m. (music starts at 6:30). Cost: Free; donations solicited. Info: sfmt.org.

Sinead Change

‘Good food, good music and good weather’ in East Palo Alto

Mike Melnyk

Local entrepreneur Patrick Brock is the producer of the annual East Palo Alto Blues Festival, returning this weekend. Alive!, local mom-and-pop grocers Pal Market and Oakwood Market, Sunrise Towing and Transport and A-1 Auto Service and Towing, and heavy hitters such as Facebook, Woodland Park Communities, The City of East Palo Alto, The Sobrato Organization, McDonalds and 2020 Bay Road. Music and barbecue bring people together, and Brock said he aims to bring the best of both. “All of the music comes together and there’s every kind of people. Everybody comes there and eats. They just kick back and do music, and we just got good food. I feed the bands myself,” he said. “It’s

all just good food, good music and good weather.” Q Staff Writer Sue Dremann can be emailed at sdremann@ paweekly.com. What: The East Palo Alto Blues Festival. Where: Bell Street Park, 550 Bell St., East Palo Alto. When: Saturday, Aug. 3 and Sunday, Aug. 4, noon-7 p.m.; Sunday gospel church service from 11 a.m. to noon. Cost: Free Info: facebook.com/ events/442115966640830/.

Eating Out Nick the Greek brings Hellenic street food to a fun corner of Redwood City

Story by Monica Schreiber | Photos by Sinead Chang

he leafy block of Broadway Street between Jefferson and Main is one of the liveliest streets in downtown Redwood City. Summer evenings on this little stretch are delightfully energetic, with jam-packed bars and bustling sidewalk tables in front of restaurants showcasing a large swath of the world’s cuisine: Korean, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Japanese and so on. Nick the Greek sits at the center of the international action. With a huge window opening to the sidewalk, this bright little souvlaki and gyro house is part of a rapidly expanding chain that launched in 2014 in San Jose. There are 10 Nick the Greeks from Santa Cruz to San Carlos, most of which are owned by the founding trio of cousins. They recently started franchising. Nick the Greek’s backstory reads like something a scriptwriter might come up with: three first-generation cousins, each with exactly the same name — Nick Tsigaris — leverage their

families’ collective restaurant experience and set out to prove wrong a naysayer business professor who didn’t get the whole street food trend. A successful business ensues. American dream realized. Let’s call it “Three Cousins and a Big Fat Restaurant Chain” or maybe “My Three Nicks.” “Big Nick,” “Little Nick” and “Baby Nick” are riding the fastcasual wave, offering a small but well-curated menu of fairly priced Greek standards in a friendly environment. A Mediterranean blue palette, cute logo and an order-atthe-counter setup give the place a decidedly corporate, cookiecutter feel, but that’s exactly what they’re going for: Greek street food tweaked a little for California palates and served with American-style efficiency that can be easily replicated in each location. The menu is pretty much what you would expect: gyros, salads, souvlaki plates, pitas, hummus and, of course, “bowls,” because any self-respecting fast-casual joint has to have a bowl option

The beef and lamb gyro includes french fries tucked inside pita bread. these days. I’m not complaining. I love the bowl trend and happily dug into one of Nick the Greek’s with tender, nicely seasoned grilled chicken, basmati rice, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta, topped with tzatziki and a yogurt sauce ($9.50). A little red wine vinaigrette added zing. It was a substantial lunch. I was much less happy with Nick the Greek’s limp, lukewarm and utterly uninteresting French fries ($3.50 for a side; $5.95 for “Greek fries” with chunks of garlic, feta crumbles and the same

yogurt sauce that was drizzled atop the bowl). I ordered fries on each of my three visits, primarily because it is so easy to give into the combo upsell (order a main dish and for $3 more you can tack on a drink and fries or a small salad). The thin, sad fries were lackluster every time. I was also unimpressed by a chicken souvlaki plate ($13.25). The chicken was nicely seasoned, but instead of the grilled cubes that were promised by the menu, we received a pile of scrappy bits. On the other hand, the Grecian

beef-teki burger ($9.50) was fantastic. Beef-teki is Greek meatloaf seasoned heavily with oregano, garlic and other spices. Here it is served hamburger-style on a brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onions and feta. It was a flavorful alternative to a traditional hamburger. The beef/lamb gyro ($9.50) was another meaty winner. A huge pile of well-seasoned beef and lamb was enveloped by a pillow-soft pita, along with tomatoes, onions, (continued on page 24)

Loukoumades are similar to donut holes, doused with honey syrup and topped with chopped walnuts.

Are you getting the new Peninsula Foodist newsletter?

Nick the Greek offers outdoor seating on a busy stretch of Broadway Street in Redwood City.

The second edition of our free, emailed Peninsula Foodist newsletter came out this Wednesday, with more entertaining coverage of everything food-related along the Peninsula. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can sign up at PaloAltoOnline.com/express/.

If you did subscribe but didn’t receive the most recent edition, check your email spam folder. Find the Foodist newsletter and then report it as “Not Spam” so your email provider can recognize it as a legitimate email in the future. Happy eating and reading! Q

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 21

Page 22 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 23

Eating Out

ShopTalk

Local food & retail happenings

GLUTEN-FREE BAKERY TO CLOSE ... Palo Alto’s Gracie Jones Gluten Free Bakeshop is closing next month but will continue as a gluten-free bakery under new ownership. Mina Makram, owner of Misfits Bakehouse (formerly Ducks and Dragons in San Carlos), is taking over the 2706 Middlefield Road space. Grace Jones, the executive chef of local fast-casual eatery Asian Box, opened her bakery

spin-off in 2017. In an Instagram post announcing the bakery’s closure, she said the business has been successful financially but that “it is time to go in a new direction and move on in a very positive manner. We wanted to bring healthy and dietary friendly but delicious, creative and fun baked goods and lunches to the local community and we feel that we have accomplished that mission,”

she wrote. Gracie Jones Bake Shop will close for good on Friday, Aug. 16. Until then, the bakery will be open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and closed on Saturday. Jones will continue to sell her glutenfree flour mix at local restaurants and retail stores; follow the bake shop’s Instagram for updates on that front. — E.K. DI PIETRO TODD SALON CLOSES ... Di Pietro Todd Salon closed the doors on its high-end Palo Alto shop permanently on July 13 after operating on Birch Street for the past 21 years. Chris David, stylist and coowner of the Palo Alto location, told customers in a letter posted on the salon door that it was time to move on. “As you can imagine, this was a huge decision,” he wrote. David

had been with the company for 22 years. He told customers he will “start the next chapter” of his career at the Monica Foster Salon on 2699 Middlefield Road this week. There are Di Pietro salons still in operation in San Francisco and Mill Valley. — L.T. Singapore’s oldest cafe coming to Palo Alto ... Come this fall Killiney Kopitiam, known as Singapore’s oldest cafe, will have its first U.S. outpost in downtown Palo Alto. Amanda Steckler, a Singaporean native who has lived in Palo Alto, is opening an outpost of the nowfranchised cafe chain at 552 Waverley St. in early fall. The space between Tai Pan and The Prolific Oven last housed longtime office-supply store Congdon and Crome. Steckler described herself as a food lover and

avid home cook who felt University Avenue’s dining scene was “lacking in southeast Asian comfort food — some place casual that individuals and families could go to enjoy great food,” she said. “This is something that not only I missed, but my Asian friends and others that had lived in or visited Singapore missed.” The Palo Alto Killiney will be a “trial cafe” for future locations in Silicon Valley and Southern California, Steckler said. She’s aiming to open in September. — E.K. Compiled by the Weekly staff; this week written by Elena Kadvany and Linda Taaffe. Got leads on interesting and news-worthy retail developments? The Weekly will check them out. Email shoptalk@ paweekly.com.

Nick the Greek (continued from page 21)

“MARVELOUSLY CLEVER! A KNOCKOUT CAST!” The Mercury News

“STELLAR! SPELL-BINDING! FABULOUS!” Talkin’ Broadway

THE LANGUAGE ARCHIVE By Julia

Cho DON’T MISS IT! Must close Aug 4 Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto theatreworks.org 650.463.1960

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STAGED READINGS OF FIVE NEW PLAYS AND MUSICALS, PLUS MORE!

Aug 9–18 Lucie Stern Theatre, Palo Alto theatreworks.org 650.463.1960

Page 24 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Nick’s Fries, a specialty of Nick the Greek, served at the Redwood City location.

tzatziki and a few French fries stuffed in for good measure. My gyro was tasty, but a little bland for my palate, so I enlivened it with some Sriracha, a decidedly nontraditional but smart condiment offering. Interestingly, even though I didn’t like Nick the Greek’s fries as a stand-alone item, they are a great addition to the gyros. The kitchen just needs to include more than four or five of them. Avgolemono ($5.50) is a classic chicken soup thickened with egg yolk and made tangy by lemon juice. Nick the Greek’s version is made with orzo rather than the rice I expected — a nice riff on the traditional recipe. A simple side of hummus with pita bread ($5.95) was elevated from boring to noteworthy by one simple detail: the pita triangles were deliciously grilled. The loukoumades ($5.95) didn’t quite measure up to the fried pieces of heaven I’ve encountered at the Belmont Greek festival, but it is hard to go wrong with Greece’s version of donut holes, bathed in a honey syrup and topped with walnut pieces. Nick the Greek offers exactly what one would expect from a fast-casual restaurant. Prices are fair, service is friendly and the food is a little hit and miss, but there’s clearly local demand for budget-friendly Greek fare. Nick the Greek is helping to fill the niche with its bright little eatery on a fun Redwood City street. Q Email Monica Schreiber at monicahayde@yahoo.com. Nick the Greek, 2014 Broadway St., Redwood City; 650-260-0081; nickthegreeksj.com Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Credit cards Reservations

Catering

Parking: Street/ public garage Alcohol: Beer

Takeout

Bathroom: Excellent

Outdoor seating

Noise level: Quiet to moderate

Movies Courtesy of A24

A family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decides to keep her in the dark in “The Farewell.”

Family lies Comedy-drama ‘The Farewell’ notes what’s left unspoken with loved ones 0001/2 (Century 20, Aquarius) (Awkwafina), a firstWhite lies are typiOPENINGS generation Chinese cally framed generously as politesse or selfishly as social American immigrant living in lubricant. In “The Farewell,” writ- Brooklyn and struggling to make ten and directed by Lulu Wang, ends meet as a writer. Billi’s parents, Haiyan (Tzi the white lie manifests as all of the above and more: a cultural reflex Ma) and Jian (Diana Lin), relucand a perverse expression of love. tantly break the news that Billi’s When a Chinese family launches grandmother, or “Nai Nai” (Zhao into a cover-up of one member’s Shuzhen), hasn’t long to live, and stage-four lung cancer, even a col- as Haiyan explains, “The family luding doctor casually tells a skep- thinks it’s better not to tell her.” The tension of that moral decitic, “It’s a good lie.” Wang first told her version of the sion, which must be remade in evstory, which she bills as “based on ery moment with Nai Nai, suffuses an actual lie,” on a 2016 episode every scene in “The Farewell,” of “This American Life.” Like the pressing the audience to adopt true story, the fictionalized version their own moral stance. Most viewtaps a rich vein of gentle humor ers will struggle along with proconcerning the idiosyncrasies and tagonist Billi, viewing the choice foibles within family dynamics through a predominantly Western lens favoring the rights of the inand generational differences. Wang creates an avatar in Billi dividual. Haiyan’s older brother

Haibin (Jiang Yongbo) articulates the other side: “In the East a person’s life is part of a whole. Family. Society. It’s our duty to carry this emotional burden for her.” And so the family conspires to hasten a wedding between Billi’s cousin Hao Hao (Chen Han) and his girlfriend Aiko (Aoi Mizuhara) as a pretext for an international family reunion at the home base of Changchun, China. In safetyby-numbers fashion, the family can enjoy the company of Nai Nai and bid an unspoken farewell. An aghast Billi must process the injury of this news and the insult that her parents forbid her to attend. As someone who wears her heart on her sleeve — perhaps especially when it comes to her beloved Nai Nai — Billi cannot be trusted to maintain the lie. Her regular longdistance phone conversations are one thing; her expressive face is quite another. The setup makes for genuinely amusing light farce, but in their patient observation, Wang and cinematographer Anna Franquesa Solano conjure a heartfelt intimacy with the family. The actors’ subtleties of expression — revealing to us but not quite to Nai Nai, the truth of their suffering and yearnings — contribute to the film being more of an emotional experience than an intellectual one (consider Awkwafina and Zhao, along with Wang, early Oscar frontrunners). Even at a slim 100 minutes, the dynamic becomes somewhat repetitive, but the actors always offer up finely etched emotional truths about the ways generations of family communicate and fail to communicate, the domestic implications of immigration, and the transcendence of blood-bound familial love. Even when half a world away, even when alone, one intuits that love of family and of home remain strong and, as Wang suggests, free as a bird. Rated PG for thematic material, brief language and some smoking. One hour, 40 minutes. — Peter Canavese

MOVIES NOW SHOWING Aladdin (PG) ++ Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. The Art of Self Defense (R) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. The Biggest Little Farm (PG) Guild Theatre: Fri. - Sun. Crawl (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Echo in the Canyon (PG-13) Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun. The Farewell (PG) +++1/2 Aquarius Theatre: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. The Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. ShowPlace Icon: Fri. - Sun. It Started with Eve (1941) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Friday The Last Black Man in San Francisco (R) Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun. The Lion King (PG) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Maiden (PG) +++ Guild Theatre: Fri. - Sun.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Sat. & Sun. Midsommar (R) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood (R) +++ Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Pavarotti (PG-13) Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun. Rocketman (R) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. The Secret Life of Pets 2 (PG) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Spider-Man: Far From Home (PG) +++ Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. This Happy Breed (1944) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Sat. & Sun. Three Smart Girls (1936) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Friday Toy Story 4 (G) +++1/2 Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Yesterday (PG-13) ++ Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

+ Skip it ++ Some redeeming qualities +++ A good bet ++++ Outstanding

Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 327-3241) tinyurl.com/Aquariuspa Century Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View tinyurl.com/Century16 Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Road, Redwood City tinyurl.com/Century20 CineArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (For information: 493-0128) tinyurl.com/Pasquare Guild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (For recorded listings: 566-8367) tinyurl.com/Guildmp ShowPlace Icon: 2575 California St. #601, Mountain View tinyurl.com/iconMountainView Stanford Theatre: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 324-3700) Stanfordtheatre.org

Find trailers, star ratings and reviews on the web at PaloAltoOnline.com/movies

Answers to this week’s puzzles, which can be found on page 43.

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www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 25

AUGUST 2019

A monthly special section of news & information for seniors

Ambassador of pickleball With new courts on the horizon, Monica Williams celebrates the game by Chris Kenrick | photos by Sinead Chang

Top: Monica Williams, left, speaks to a group of her pickleball students during class at the Mitchell Park tennis courts. Williams, who is president of the Palo Alto Pickleball Club, is known as the sport’s unofficial “ambassador” in Palo Alto. Above: Adam Donovan is among Williams’ students. Page 26 • August 2, 2019 • Palo Alto Weekly • www.PaloAltoOnline.com

he’s been dubbed the goddess, the courts available to both sports. The project is queen or the ambassador of pickleball. expected to be complete by Thanksgiving. Williams is delighted. Whatever she’s called, 77-year-old “It’s an amazing sport because people from Monica Engel Williams displays boundless enthusiasm for the paddle sport and has re- age 9 to 90 can play it together,” she said on a cruited hundreds of local residents to the recent Tuesday at Mitchell Park, where about 30 drop-in pickleballers were tennis-like game, which is playing with temporary nets played on a small court with on tennis courts. a whiffle ball and a 34-to ‘I could play “It’s just so healthy to play. 36-inch-tall net. Four pickle- pickleball seven (It’s) easy on the joints, it has ball courts can fit in the space days a week.’ a social aspect and it keeps of one tennis court. As president of the Palo —Monica Engel Williams, seniors moving — and that’s Alto Pickeball Club and a president of the what we have to do, keep designated ambassador of the Palo Alto Pickeball Club moving,” said Williams, who had not heard of the game unUSA Pickleball Association, Williams has led a years-long campaign to til 2013 when she played her first match while secure public courts for the game in Palo visiting friends in Arizona. She quickly became addicted. Alto. Her crusade is getting results: This Williams said the game replaced her earlier September, Palo Alto is set to break ground addiction to tournament bridge. on six new courts. “I could play pickleball seven days a week,” The city will convert one tennis court at Mitchell Park into four permanent pickleball she said. “I know a guy who lost 40 pounds; courts and construct two additional courts on it’s helped people with pre-diabetes. nearby space. In addition, two existing tennis courts nearby will become multi-purpose (continued on page 28)

Living Well

Senior Focus SONS IN RETIREMENT ... Branch 35 of Sons in Retirement is a group of active, mature men who meet monthly at the Palo Alto Elks Lodge to enjoy food and speakers. The 330-member group, which draws from Palo Alto, Los Altos and Mountain View, organizes activities, such as bicycling, hiking, book discussions, bocce ball, golf and travel, for members, spouses and significant others. For more information, go to sirinc2.org/ branch35 or contact Paul Schutz at pschutz3@comcast. net or call 408-313-6852. EMOTIONAL WORK ... Social work manager Paula Wolfson will speak on “the emotional work inherent within caregiving,” on Saturday, Aug. 3. The event is part of a series called the Avenidas Care Partners Forum, featuring topics of interest to caregivers. The free event will be at Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center, 270 Escuela Ave., Mountain View. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call 650 289-5400. Wolfson also runs a free, drop-in support group for caregivers every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Avenidas, 450 Bryant St., Palo Alto. For more information call 650-289-5438. JOURNEY TO IRAN ... “Our Summer in Tehran,” a documentary offering a glimpse into the homes of middle-class families in Iran, will be shown Monday,

August 12, at 3 p.m. at the Channing House Auditorium, 850 Webster St., Palo Alto. The 60-minute movie, following producer/director Justine Shapiro and her 6-year-old son through their visit to Tehran, is part of the United Nations Association Film Festival. Free and open to the public. WISE OWLS ... The Wise Owl Players, an age 50-plus drama program sponsored by Avenidas, will perform “Deleted” by Enid Davis Saturday, Sept. 14, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 15, at 3 p.m. The dramatic staged reading is a comedy/murder mystery/literary romp, featuring desperate fictional characters who join an emotional support group for characters rejected by their authors. Cost is $16 through MVCPA box office or by calling 650-903-6000. For more information on the Avenidas drama program, email Davis at enid@ storyfriends.org. SEEKING DRIVERS ... The Avenidas Door to Door Transportation Program needs more volunteer drivers, especially Wednesdays and Fridays, to take seniors to medical appointments and grocery shopping. Volunteers drive their own cars and mileage reimbursement is available. For more information about this two- to fourhour per week volunteer job, call 650 289-5453.

Items for Senior Focus may be emailed to Palo Alto Weekly Contributing Writer Chris Kenrick at ckenrick@paweekly.com.

2020 EDITION IS COMING IN NOVEMBER

Living Well

The Peninsula’s resource guide for seniors and their families Living Well is a comprehensive source of local information for seniors with content including nutritional counseling, financial planning, home care hospice, recreational activities, computer training and more.

Look for your copy of Living Well at over 100 locations throughout the Midpeninsula this November. Including: Community Centers, Town Halls, Hospitals, Health Centers, Libraries and Senior Centers/Facilities

Be part of Living Well 2020 Contact your advertising rep for more information or call/email Connie Jo Cotton at 650.223.6571 ccotton@paweekly.com

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www.channinghouse.org Lic #430700136 www.PaloAltoOnline.com • Palo Alto Weekly • August 2, 2019 • Page 27

Living Well

Monica Williams shows Sipkje Dykstra how to spin a pickleball paddle during the class she teaches at the Mitchell Park tennis courts.

Pickleball (continued from page 26)

Kathy Herman is among the estimated 300 people who play the paddle-and-ball sport at Mitchell Park every week.

The Right Care at The Right Time

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love taking somebody whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never had a sport before and teach them how to play, and you can see it change their life.â&#x20AC;? Palo Alto resident Susan McConnell, who played competitive tennis for 20 years before being sidelined by knee problems and her aging body, is among those whose lives have been changed by the game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Along came pickleball, and I was back on the courts again,â&#x20AC;? McConnell told the Parks and Recreation Commission during a meeting where commissioners were pondering whether to establish permanent courts in the city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to say being back on the courts again was life changing for me.â&#x20AC;? At the same meeting, former longtime Stanford University employee Jerold Pearson said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been planning to move out of the area before he discovered pickleball. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ability to play a sport again and to meet people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created a social network â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and to remain healthy and active has completely changed my plans and kept me here,â&#x20AC;? Pearson said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty much the main reason Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve decided to stay.â&#x20AC;? Williams, along with other players, have been sharing their pickleball passion at monthly Commission meetings since 2017. Williams regularly updated commissioners on the growing membership of the Palo Alto Pickleball Club (formerly the Silicon Valley Pickleball Club), which went from a handful of players at Mitchell Park in 2013 to 400 members with drop-in

activity seven days a week. And when tennis players expressed concerns about possibly losing space to pickleball, Williams reminded commissioners that she, too, is a lifelong tennis player â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in fact, a former board member of the Palo Alto Tennis Club â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and that many tennis players eventually take up pickleball. Though especially popular with people over 50, pickleball appears to be attracting younger players as well. Palo Alto High School coach and physical education teacher Peter Diepenbrock called it â&#x20AC;&#x153;a great sport for kids that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a sport by the time they get to high school. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to pick it up fairly quickly in class. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really, really been growing in popularity over the years.â&#x20AC;? Palo Alto resident Lee Caswell, a longtime competitive tennis player, said he caught the pickleball bug from his collegeage son. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a community-building experience,â&#x20AC;? Caswell told the Commission. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When was the last time you saw a competitive game between an 18-year-old and an 83-yearold? I saw it; it happened (at Mitchell Park). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing.â&#x20AC;? Q Contributing writer Chris Kenrick can be emailed at ckenrick@paweekly.com. About the cover: Pickleball enthusiast Monica Williams has been at the forefront of the push to add more public courts to Palo Altoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city parks.

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Adam Donovan, left, and Melinda Ballew share a laugh between games. Page 28 â&#x20AC;˘ August 2, 2019 â&#x20AC;˘ Palo Alto Weekly â&#x20AC;˘ www.PaloAltoOnline.com

Living Well

AUGUST 2019

Aug 1

Musical Jam Session, 2 to 4pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Bring your uke, harmonica, guitar, percussion or acoustic instrument. $3 at the front desk

Avenidas Programs Offer Something for Everyone!

Aug 2

• Avenidas Door to Door Helping meet transportation needs! • Avenidas Village Supporting those who want to age-in-place! • Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center Caring for clients in safe, nurturing day program!

First Friday Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center Open House 10-11am, tours; 11am-12pm, caregiver support group. 270 Escuela, Mountain View. Call 650289-5499 for more info. Free.

Aug 3

Care Forum: The Emotional Work Inherent Within Caregiving, 11am-2pm, Avenidas Rose Kleiner Center, 270 Escuela, Mountain View. RSVP required. Call 650-289-5400. Free.

• Avenidas Health & Wellness Keeping adults informed and active!

Aug 5

• Avenidas Care Partners Guiding people through life’s transitions!

Yuanji Dance Every Monday, 9:30-10:30am, Avenidas@ Cubberley. Offered in English and Mandarin. Call 650-289-5409 for info. 0/$5

• Avenidas Handyman Keeping homes safe and accessible! • Avenidas Volunteer Corps Putting people’s time and talent to work!

Aug 6

• Avenidas Lifelong Learning & Leisure Offering opportunities for personal growth & development!

Collage Club Every Tuesday, 9:30-11:30am, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Bring your own project and supplies. Drop-in, free.

Aug 7

• Senior Planet@Avenidas Older Adults Technology Services (OATS) brings their innovative, award-winning technology programming to Avenidas @450 Bryant • The Redwood@Avenidas CateredToo, a local catering company, runs The Redwood@Avenidas, making tasty and healthy meals for Avenidas participants and the community.

Avenidas@450 Bryant (650) 289-5400 www.avenidas.org

Santa Clara County House Sharing Program lobby table 11:30-1:30, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Stop by for info and a free gift! Caregiver Support Group 11:30am-1pm – every Wednesday, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Call Paula 650-2895438 for more info. Drop-in, free.

Aug 8

Avenidas Hikers 9:30am – every Thursday. Email Susan at Susanj1942@gmail.com for trailhead info or to schedule. 0/$5

For complete schedule or info about Avenidas events, call 650-289-5400

Calendar of Events

Aug 9

Tuina Every Friday, 10-10:50am, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Drop-in, free

Aug 12

Aug 21

Current Events 1:30-3pm – every Wednesday, Avenidas@450 ÀÞ> Ì° /ÀÞ Þ ÕÀ wÀÃÌ iiÌ } vÀiit > Èxä 289-5400 for more info.

Sound Bath 3-4pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Space is limited. RSVP required. 650-289-5400. $25/$30 UNA Film Festival: Our Summer in Tehran 3-4:30pm @ Channing House. Drop-in, free.

Aug 22

Aug 13

Senior Adult Legal Assistance Appts available for Santa Clara County residents age 60+, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Call 650-289-5400 for appt. Free.

Avenidas Walkers 10am – every Tuesday. Call 650-387-5256 for trailhead info or to schedule. Free.

Aug 14

Parkinson’s Support Group 2:30-4pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Contact Robin Riddle rriddle@stanford.edu Book Club: State of Wonder by Anne Patchett 2:30-4pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Drop-in, free.

Aug 15

Tinnitus Support Group 6:30-8:30, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Contact Ken karntac@aol.com for more info. Drop-in, free.

Aug 16

Duplicate bridge 1-3:30pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Come with or without a partner. $12 entry payable at the front desk. Avenidas Village Coffee Chat 2pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Space is limited. RSVP required. Call 650-289-5405. Free.

Aug 19

Classical Chinese Mah Jong Every Monday, 1-4pm, Avenidas@459 Bryant. Call Sylvia 650-327-6216. Free.

Aug 20

Spinal Screenings 10:15am-12:15pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Provided by University Chiropractic. RSVP required. Call 650-289-5400. Free.

Book Club: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate 2:30-4pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Drop-in, free.

Aug 23

Aug 26

Avenidas Choir Program Informational Meeting with CSMA 10:30-11:30am, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Call 650-289-5436 for more info. Free. Chinese Calligraphy Demo 12:30-2pm, Avenidas@Cubberley. Presented in English and Mandarin. Call 650-289-5404 to pre-register. Free.

Aug 27

Avenidas Village Coffee Chat 2pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Space is limited. RSVP required. Call 650-289-5405. Free.

Aug 28

Mindfulness Meditation Every Wednesday, 2-3pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. Drop-in, free.

Aug 29

Forever Young Lecture Series with University Wellness 12-1:30pm, Avenidas@450 Bryant. RSVP required. Call 650-289-5400. Free.

Aug 30

Avenidas Village Vistas Lecture Series: Anatomy of an Acquisition by Dick Smallwood 11:45am-1pm. RSVP required. Call 650-2895405. Free.

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Home Front

Send notices of news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening to Home Front, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302, or email editor@ paweekly.com. Deadline is one week before publication.