MARCH 16, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 8 Churches offer safe ... › morguepdf › 2018 › 2018_03_16.mvv.section1.pdfFARRUCA Spanish flamenco master Rosario “La Farruca” Montoya, who

By Mark Noack

As more people are living out of their vehicles, Mountain View’s resi-dents have been caught in a bind between their sense of compassion and their comfort levels. Now the best outcome might be to move the problem off the streets.

For that goal, the city is looking to local do-gooders to help. In the coming weeks, a coalition of local churches will start testing out a “safe park-ing” program, opening up their facilities to overnight campers. This would mean families liv-ing out of their vehicles on the street could instead park in the church lots and use their restrooms. It’s an idea that has gained traction among policy-makers as a possible alternative to growing car encampments on city streets.

If all goes according to plan, a test pilot of the safe park-ing program should begin in April, said Pastor Brian Leong of the Lord’s Grace Church in Mountain View. He and his partners recently launched a

new nonprofit, Lots of Love, to provide insurance and man-agement for the program.

“We want to alleviate as much as possible,” he said. “It’s not the end-all, be-all solu-tion for the city, but we hope it makes a difference.”

Numbers vary on how many people are currently living out of vehicles on Mountain View streets. The most recent sur-vey conducted by local police officials in December counted 291 inhabited vehicles, more than half of which were large RVs and campers. These make-shift car camps are clustered in certain areas of the city, such as Crisanto Avenue near Reng-storff Park, Shoreline Boule-vard and Continental Circle.

Leong and other Lots of Love participants say they realize their safe-parking program can help only a fraction of these vehicle campers, especially in the program’s early days. For the pilot, he expects only three churches to participate, and each would take only four vehicles.

One of those churches will

By Kevin Forestieri

After more than a year of waiting and traveling along detours, bicyclists and pedestrians who frequent the Stevens Creek Trail will be relieved to hear that a perma-nent fix is on the way.

The Santa Clara Valley Water District is seeking bidders to rebuild the Stevens Creek embankment that sloughed off

into the creek after series of powerful, rainy storms in Janu-ary 2017. If all goes according to plan, the newly paved asphalt trail, from El Camino Real to Yuba Drive, will be ready for use by September.

Water district board members were scheduled to approve the plans on Tuesday, March 13, but moved the item to the April 10 agenda. The move is not expected to delay the project.

The troubled segment of the creek trail, north of El Camino, has been out of commission for nearly 14 months due to safety concerns. The collapsed area became an urgent prior-ity for the water district during the dry summer months when erosion unexpectedly worsened. The creek bank crumbled in late July and early August, causing a 60-foot length of paved trail to collapse. The water district CEO

declared an emergency, saying the erosion threatened adjacent private property, and prompted emergency repairs to shore up what was left of the embankment.

Although the trail is used by thousands of people during the morning and afternoon com-mute hours, bicyclists and pedes-trians have been forced to take detours along surface streets — and later a temporary detour trail veering through private property

adjacent to the damaged trail — until the water district completes a permanent fix.

The repair work is expected to cost between $1.2 million and $1.6 million and includes rebuilding the creek embank-ment that was shored up by the emergency repair project, fol-lowed by “re-establishing and re-aligning” the asphalt trail

NATALIA NAZAROVA

Students at Mountain View High School joined the National Student Walkout on Wednesday morning to protest gun violence and call for more gun control.

VIEWPOINT 13 | GOINGS ON 20 | MARKETPLACE 21 | REAL ESTATE 23INSIDE

Permanent fix on the way for Stevens Creek Trail

Churches offer safe parking for RV dwellers

CITY LOOKS TO BUDDING NONPROFIT TO AID GROWING HOMELESS POPULATION

By Kevin Forestieri

Hundreds of students flooded the quad at Mountain View High School Wednesday morning, walking out of class to voice a resounding message: the gun violence status quo in America

is unacceptable.Carrying signs calling on law-

makers to protect students — rather than guns — and to put student safety above kowtowing to the National Rifle Association (NRA), students at the March 14 protest blasted what they called meager background checks and

a failure to pass common-sense gun control legislation. Gun deaths are far more frequent in the United States than any other developed country, with 96 deaths on average each day, but it doesn’t have to be that way,

Local students walk out to protest gun violence

IN WAKE OF PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING, TEENS CALL FOR ACTION ON GUN CONTROL

www.MountainViewOnline.comMARCH 16, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 8 MOVIES | 19650.964.6300

Succulent seafoodWEEKEND | 17

See STEVENS CREEK, page 8

See WALKOUT, page 6 See SAFE PARKING, page 9

2 Mountain View Voice MountainViewOnline.com March 16, 2018

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FLAMENCO BY LA FARRUCA Spanish f lamenco master Rosario “La Farruca” Montoya, who hails from a family of fla-menco legends, will perform “Destiny of Fire” (“Fuego del Destino”) in collaboration with dancer Natalia Del Mar, singers Juanilloro de Jerez and El Quini, and guitarist Raul Vicenti on Saturday, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. Presented by the Flamenco Society of San Jose, the show will include original music and choreography celebrating the beloved flamenco tradition of southern Spain. Tickets are $42-$58 (depending on seat location). Go to tickets.mvcpa.com.

‘A CELEBRATION OF IRELAND’ Celtic/Folk/World music duo Four Shillings Short will perform a St. Patrick’s Day concert featur-ing traditional Irish songs in Irish and English, jigs, reels and slow airs, Irish poetry and stories, using a variety of international instruments. The husband-wife band, which was formed in Palo Alto more than 20 years ago, also offers cultural tours in Ire-land, where co-founder Aodh Og O’Tuama grew up. The concert will be held on Saturday, March 17, at 8:30 p.m. at Angelica’s, 863

Main St., Redwood City. Tickets are $17-$32 (depending on seat) online or $25 general admission at the door on the day of the show. In addition to the cover charge, Angelica charges an $18 food or bar tab minimum per guest. Go to tinyurl.com/4shillingsRWC.

‘ODYSSEY’ “Odyssey,” an exhibition of the paintings of local artist Judy Git-telsohn, will be on display in the the Los Altos Hills Town Hall, 26379 Fremont Road, through September. Gittelsohn described her recent work as “large acrylic color studies of words, letters, symbols and potions.” An artist’s reception will be held Sunday, March 18, 2-5 p.m. The artist will also lead an “art walk and talk tour” on Friday, April 20, as well as several more events throughout the summer. Go to judyg.com/.

UTE LEMPER AND THE VOGLER STRING QUARTET German jazz vocalist Ute Lem-per, along with the Vogler String Quartet and clarinetist/pianist Stefan Malzew, will present “Paris Days, Berlin Nights,” a concert exploring the music of 1920s Europe and Argentina, on Satur-day, March 17, at 7:30 p.m. at Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University. Tickets are $15-$70, depending on seat. Go to live.stanford.edu.

—Karla Kane

Voices

A R O U N D T O W Nwill return.

SEE MORE ONLINE

MountainViewOnline.com

A + E B R I E F S

COURTESY OF LED, FLAMENCO SOCIETY

Rosario “La Farruca” Montoya performs at a flamenco show at Mountain View’s Center for the Performing Arts on March 17.


LocalNews

MVHS THREATS UNFOUNDED Reports of a potential threat by a Mountain View High School student turned out to be a false alarm spread primarily through rumors online, according to a statement released by the Moun-tain View Police Department on Tuesday afternoon. Police officials tweeted in the morning on Tuesday, March 13, that they were investigating a potential threat posted on social media by a student at Mountain View High, noting that there was no clear, present danger at the school at the time. The school district also sent a message to parents notifying them of the incident, according to the statement, which was posted on Tuesday afternoon. After an “extensive” investigation, police found that the student in question did not threaten others online, but that other students had “begun spreading rumors that ultimately led to what was perceived to be a public safety issue,” according to the statement. Police say that parents and students should alert law enforce-ment or a trusted adult immediately, but should avoid “sharing speculations with others” in order to prevent false alarms.

C R I M E B R I E F S

CHAC BREAKFAST The Community Health Awareness Council is hosting a fundraising breakfast on March 28 at LinkedIn, including a Santa Clara County prosecutor who will talk about the effect of smart phones and social media on youth relationships and emotional development. The event will be at LinkedIn’s Mountain View office at 700 E. Middlefield Road, in the “Together All-Hands Space” of Building 4, according to the CHAC website. The speaker at the event is Angela Alvarado, a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s office and a former Mountain View High School student, who will dive into how the digital-rich world may be affecting children growing up. A large majority of teens, 73 percent, have access to a smart phone and typically send and receive 30 messages per day, and a recent study found that kids who frequently use social media are 13 percent more likely to report depressive symptoms,

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The Mountain View Voice (USPS 2560) is published every Friday by Embarcadero Media, 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto CA 94306 (650) 964-6300. Periodicals Postage Paid at Palo Alto CA and additional mailing offices. The Mountain View Voice is mailed free upon request to homes and apartments in Mountain View. Subscription rate of $60 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mountain View Voice, 450 Cambridge Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94306.

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FEATURESLocalNews

MOUNTAIN VIEWVOICE

By Kevin Forestieri

A group of parents and school staffers are split on whether Mountain View Whisman School District should drop its long-standing policies on open enrollment, which would restrict families from attending schools outside of their neighborhood and could have major implications for schools’ diversity. The district’s Enrollment Pri-orities Task Force, which began meeting in the fall, has put together two d ia met r ic a l ly opposed draft recommenda-tions on alter-ing the district’s enrollment pri-orities, which d e t e r m i n e s where families can send their children within the district. One recommenda-tion calls for the status quo, which would con-tinue open enrollment and allow families to attend any school in the district so long as there is room. The other recommendation calls for a total shake-up: elimi-nating intradistrict transfers entirely, in order to level out enrollment across the district and push the concept of “neigh-borhood schools” within safe walking distance. The idea of neighborhood schools gained traction and won the favor of Mountain View Whisman school board members during the drawn-out process of drawing new school attendance boundaries. Creat-ing boundaries for the new Slater Elementary — which is expected to open next year — encompasses all of the North Whisman region because of the stated goal to keep communi-ties together. The Shoreline West neighborhood was placed within one boundary — Landels Elementary School — instead of being split between two schools for similar reasons. With open enrollment the way it is, boundaries are more guide-lines than anything else, and the

percentage of children attending their own neighborhood school fluctuates radically from one area to the next. Community members in the Monta Loma area have told trustees that many parents in the region go for other options — like the Stevenson PACT program or private school — before considering the nearby public school. Reports from past years show that only about a third of the families living within the Theuerkauf, Castro and Monta Loma boundaries requested their

own neighbor-hood school as the first choice for kindergar-ten enrollment, compared to 86 percent for Huff Elementary. Intradistr ic t transfers would still be possible under the rec-ommendation, said Superin-tendent Ayinde

Rudolph, but only on a case-by-case basis reviewed by district staff. Picking from a menu of schools and requesting a campus other than the designated neigh-borhood school would no longer be part of the formal enrollment process, he said. What’s unknown at this point is whether children using intradistrict transfers would be allowed to stay at their current school under the new enrollment priorities, or whether they would be required to relocate back to their neighborhood schools. The task force will need to make a decision on that sometime this spring, Rudolph said. “Part of the conversation is going to be, are you talking about a hard start, where every-one is reset, or whether it’s from here on out,” he said. Board members are expected to weigh in on both recommen-dations at the March 15 meeting, after the Voice’s press deadline. District officials say the plan is for the task force to choose one of the recommendations and present it to the board by May — with possible modifications

Dave Fork, left, the founder of Silicon Valley Bike Exchange, and board member Gordon Hamachi at the group’s garage on Leghorn Street. The nonprofit, which repairs bikes and gives them to needy residents, is looking for a new home.

School district could ditch student transfers

TASK FORCE DIVIDED ON OPEN ENROLLMENT POLICIES

By Mark Noack

After more than 25 years of repairing bikes for donation, the Silicon Valley Bike Exchange based in Mountain View is now search-ing for a new home. For nearly its entire history, the scrappy club of bike enthusiasts has operated out of a Leghorn Street garage, but members say they will soon need to leave. Through its history, the Bike Exchange and its small crew of volunteers have fixed up thousands of abandoned or neglected bicycles. On average, about 900 bicycles are repaired each year and put back on the road, said Jack Miller, an active member. After being fixed up, most of these bikes are donated to local charity groups such as the Community Services Agency, Hope’s Corner, Life

Moves or similar nonprofits. For a nonprofit, the Bike Exchange has kept a low profile and its membership is relative-ly small, consisting of about 25 active members. The group has no professional staffing and it operates on a lean budget of about $12,000 a year, much of which goes to purchase repair supplies. But what it lacks in resourc-es, it makes up in passion, Miller said. The members love bicycles and are eager to teach their know-how to others. The club’s workshop, tucked behind an auto shop, is bustling with activity on its scheduled workdays on the second or fourth Saturday of each month. “All of our guys just want to share their fixing skill and take bikes that were abandoned and return them to the community.

That’s always been the driving force,” Miller said. Part of what helped the Bike Exchange prosper for so many years is the low rent charged for its 2,500-square-foot work-shop. That situation changed recently after the longtime owner of the property died, and his family indicated they planned to sell the property, according to Bike Exchange members. Now, the Bicycle Exchange is actively searching for a suitable new home, one large enough to house its inventory of tools and about 100 bicycles in various states of repair. Members say they will need to move by July. Anyone with suggestions on a new location for the Silicon Valley Bicycle Exchange is encouraged is contact the group at (650) 691-5989, or [email protected]. V

By Kevin Forestieri

Santa Clara County offi-cials are preparing another round of grant funding to aid undocumented immigrants facing the threat of deportation amid heightened immigration enforcement activity in the Bay Area. In June, Santa Clara County

Supervisors committed $3.5 million to more than a dozen nonprofits in order to increase legal aid available to the coun-ty’s immigrant community. The decision was largely a response to rhetoric from President Don-ald Trump — and later Trump’s executive orders — shifting pri-orities toward heavy-handed immigration enforcement.

Since then, there have been multiple well-publicized sweeps by U.S. Immigration and Cus-toms Enforcement (ICE) target-ing the Bay Area as recently as last month. ICE released a statement on Feb. 27 touting the agency’s arrests of more than 150 people in the Bay Area, about half of whom had criminal con-victions, in a week-long effort targeting so-called sanctuary jurisdictions. In an effort to react quickly to what they saw as a threat to its constituents, county supervisors

Bike Exchange needs a new home

Nonprofits scramble to get legal aid to immigrants

COUNTY SUPERVISORS PLAN TO BOOST FUNDS AMID ICE RAIDS

See ENROLLMENT, page 10 See IMMIGRATION, page 10

Some of the current enrollment

priorities are so specific they only

affect a single family in the

district.


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said Alex Myers, a junior.“It’s time for change when it

comes to gun control,” she told the crowd. “It’s time to save some of those 96 daily lives.”

Mountain View High School joined an estimated 2,500-plus schools in a nationwide protest calling on members of the U.S. Congress to pass meaningful gun-control legislation. Similar student-organized events took place simul-taneously at Los Altos High School and Palo Alto High School.

Mountain View City Coun-cil member Ken Rosenberg told students that he was happy to see so many students stepping up to speak their minds on the gun-con-trol debate, and encouraged them to take the next step by voting and talking to local, state and federal lawmakers. The youth voting rate in this country is abysmal, he said, but students can change that. The League of Women Voters set up a booth at the event to register students to vote at the rally.

“You have to write, you have to march, you have to talk, and more importantly, you have to vote,” Rosenberg said. “Legisla-tion is being stopped by tons of money, and if you can’t convince somebody to change their mind, you have to vote them out.”

The catalyst for the student-run event was the Parkland shooting last month, where 17 students and educators were killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14. Student organizers at Mountain View and Los Altos high schools said they were inspired by the students at the Florida high school for rallying against gun violence and calling for more strict gun-control legislation, and said they wanted to use the

local walkout as an opportunity to stand in solidarity with them.

Mountain View High School senior Zack Moore said he will always remember Valentine’s Day as the date when a gunman, wield-ing a “weapon of war,” gunned down 17 people despite all the precautions — like emergency drills and limits on campus access — that were supposedly there to protect the teens at the school.

“The (Florida) students look like us, they talk like us, they take the same classes, and I know many of you have come to realize that this could have hap-pened to you,” Moore said.

Mountain View senior Serena Myjer said she has been shooting guns since she was 10 years old in a safe, controlled environment, and that gun hobbyists have the right to collect firearms, but she said there has to be a clear line drawn between hobby guns and guns designed to fire virtually at the speed of automatic weapons and enable mass shootings.

“Some guns are simply too dangerous for public sale,” Myjer said.

Councilwoman Margaret Abe-Koga said she was excited and honored to stand by the stu-dents, not only to remember the 17 victims in Parkland but also as a means for calling on the nation to rise up and create change that will make it safer for kids to go to school, go to con-certs and live their lives without the fear of gun violence.

Abe-Koga said there are local measures that can be taken by the city of Mountain View to limit gun violence that go beyond California law, point-ing out that Sunnyvale has local measures restricting the size of magazines to no more than 10 rounds. Last week, the Sunnyvale City Council also unanimously voted to explore

whether the city can ban the sale of firearms to anyone under the age of 21. Abe-Koga said she wants to consider similar restric-tions in Mountain View if her fellow council members would be willing to follow suit.

“It’s something the state and federal government should do, but until then, it’s up to us,” she said.

School and district admin-istrators largely took a hands-off approach to the walkout, which lasted about 40 minutes at Mountain View High School. In a message to parents earlier this month, Superintendent Jeff Harding said measures would be taken to ensure student safety and classes would follow the normal schedule, and that stu-dent organizers would be given the room to express themselves.

“We encourage our students to exercise their First Amendment rights to peacefully and thought-fully express their views on myr-iad issues,” Harding said in the statement. “Students have told us that they feel very strongly about standing in solidarity with their fellow students in Florida and across the nation.”

Mountain View High School Principal Dave Grissom said he was frequently in touch with student organizers, and that he was proud of the way they handled the event. The walkout was designed to be a safe, peace-ful demonstration, and he said students were fully aware that it was an act of civil disobedi-ence. He said the walkout should hopefully spur a meaningful dialogue about the hot-button national issue of gun violence.

“It’s time for parents to start listening to the students,” he said. “Not just at Mountain View High School but around the country.” V

Email Kevin Forestieri at [email protected]

WALKOUT Continued from page 1

COURTESY OF ANDREW YEE

Students at Los Altos High School formed a heart on the field at Wednesday’s demonstration against gun violence.


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adjacent to the bank. Water district staff are hoping to heav-ily reduce the costs by seeking reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the California Gov-ernor’s Office of Emergency Ser-vices, which could cover a com-bined 93 percent of the project costs, according to a staff report.

The staff report also states that the city of Mountain View will

be on the hook for the cost of reconstructing the asphalt trail itself.

Because trail repair projects depend on dry conditions, the work will have to take place dur-ing the water district’s desig-nated “summer season,” which spans from June 15 to Oct. 15. Water district staffers plan to have regulatory approval and award the contract prior to then, according to the report. V


STEVENS CREEK Continued from page 1

according to the event page.The event runs from 7 a.m.

to 9 a.m. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased online at https://tinyurl.com/chacmv28.

MV GETS TOP MARKS FOR WATER CONSERVATION

The Silicon Valley Water Con-servation Awards, a coalition of government agencies and non-profits, has named Mountain View the top water-conserving

city in the region this year. The city of Mountain View received the award for its two-fold efforts to reduce water use among its residents and park management, while at the same time making strides to support recycled water use, according to an announcement by the coalition. During the height of the drought, city-wide water use plunged from 13.3 million gallons per day in 2013 to just under 8.3 million gallons per day in 2017. At 64 gallons per person per day, residential water in

Mountain View is among the lowest in the entire state, accord-ing to the announcement. The coalition also commend-ed Mountain View for its recy-cled water system, which was completed in 2009 and pumps recycled water into the North Bayshore region of the city, saving a cumulative 1 billion gallons of drinking water. The region competing for the award includes San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as the southern half of Alameda County.

—Kevin Forestieri

CITY’S FIRST HYDROGEN STATION OPENS Mountain View’s first hydro-gen-fueling station opened for business recently at the Flyers gas station at 830 Leong Drive. The gas station installed the hydrogen pump last month, making it the 32rd station offering the fuel in California. Hydrogen fuel cell technology generates zero carbon emission and its only byproduct is water vapor. The fuel technology has become a major component in California’s ambitious goal

to cut petroleum usage, yet its adoption has lagged behind electric cars. In 2015, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) announced it would put $2.2 million toward building hydrogen-fuel stations in 12 Bay Area cities, includ-ing Mountain View. The gas supplier company Linde North America received $300,000 in subsidies to build the Moun-tain View hydrogen pumps, according to a BAAQMD spokeswoman.

—Mark Noack

COMMUNITY BRIEFS Continued from page 4

THREE ARRESTED IN PACKAGE THEFTS Mountain View police arrest-ed two men and one woman last week after they were report-edly caught driving from house to house stealing packages. Police said the suspects were later found in possession of stolen mail and other personal belongings from residents in the region. Police say that an officer spotted the suspects commit-ting the heists on the 900 block

of Marilyn Drive, near Castro Street, around 11:40 a.m. on Thursday, March 8. The officer saw one of the sus-pects, a 25-year-old man, exit the idling vehicle — a maroon Honda Civic — run up to the front porch of a home and grab a box from the porch before running back to the car, accord-ing to a statement released by the Mountain View Police Department. Police stopped the vehicle a short distance away, and found three stolen packages from homes on Marilyn Drive along with stolen mail and a driver’s license that had recently been

reported stolen from a nearby city, police said. Methamphetamine and a meth pipe were also allegedly found in the vehicle. All three suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit a crime, theft and pos-session of stolen property. The driver and one of the passengers were also charged with narcot-ics possession. The man seen grabbing a box from one of the homes was also arrested for outstanding warrants for his arrest, and was charged with violating his probation.

—Kevin Forestieri

CRIME BRIEFS Continued from page 4

LET’S DISCUSS:Read the latest local news headlines and talk about the issues at Town Square at

MountainViewOnline.com


be St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church. Speaking for the con-gregation, Rev. Lisa McIndoo said many members have been pushing for the church to get involved as a social justice issue. A couple years ago, about a dozen congregation members camped out overnight in the parking lot to better under-stand the homeless experience. Some have made it an annual sacrifice for Lent, she said.

The safe parking program had “overwhelming support” in the parish, McIndoo said.

“We’re living in this very aff luent part of the Bay Area, but then there’s people around us that have significant hous-ing issues,” she said. “We want this to be a learning process for us to find out how we can be better servants of the community.”

Leong and McIndoo both acknowledged the program is starting small, yet they believe the idea could quickly catch fire and inspire other churches to join once they can show it’s working well. Already, about six other faith groups and property owners have expressed strong interest in opening up their parking lots for the program, Leong said.

Lots of Love plans to partner with the Community Services Agency by having outreach staff identify clients. As of right now, priority will be given to families with children, seniors and single women. No drugs, alcohol or weapons will be tolerated. Participants would also need to sign up for case management through the Community Services Agency, including joining a waiting list for permanent housing. Those participants must have a work-ing vehicle, with valid registra-tion, insurance and a driver’s license.

It’s likely that those require-ments may exclude some of the city’s homeless living in cars. Dozens of people living out of trailers actually don’t own the vehicles, but rather are renting them from others. These “car landlords” typically don’t hand over the ignition keys, leaving the renters unable to move the vehicles, Leong said.

Nevertheless, city officials see a lot of potential in the program — in fact, the City Council voted last week to contribute $55,000 to help it start. Mayor Lenny Siegel said he hoped the city could eventually help bring more lots into the program, including the large city-owned parking lots near Shoreline Amphi-theatre. That area wouldn’t be

available during the summer concert season, but it is mostly vacant during the cold weather months.

If Lots of Love can demon-strate that its safe-parking pro-gram is successful, then it has the potential to rapidly grow, Siegel said.

For now, the council has held off on ramping up police enforcement of people living out of their vehicles on the street, despite growing com-plaints about trash and crime. Siegel wants to refrain from harsher enforcement until the safe-parking program can accommodate the majority of car campers. He expects that to take at least a year.

“I see this as the first proof of concept to demonstrate we can create safe parking,” Siegel said. “We can’t do broad-brush enforcement without this.” V

Email Mark Noack at [email protected]

LocalNews

Peninsula Easter Services

Staffed child care available on Easter Sunday

ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

PALO ALTO Holy Tuesday — March 27

7:30pm Tenebrae: A Meditative Service of Candlelight & Shadows Maundy Thursday — March 29

6:15pm Agape Meal and Liturgy of the Word, Holy Eucharist and the Stripping of the Altar

Good Friday — March 30 12:00-2:00pm A Service focused on the Seven Last Words 2:00-3:00pm Rite of Reconciliation and Labyrinth Meditation

Easter — April 15:30am The Great Vigil with Renewal of Baptism Vows, the Great Fire

and Story-Telling8:00am Festive Easter Breakfast in the Parish Hall and

Family Easter Activities10:00am Festive Holy Eucharist in the Church celebrating

the Festival of the Resurrection

600 Colorado Ave, P.A. (650) 326-3800 www.saint-marks.com

Join Us for Easter!

www.fprespa.org • 1140 Cowper St. • 650-325-5659

Community Breakfast 8:30-10:00am, Fellowship Hall

Early Church: Small Group Gathering 8:30-9:30am, Chapel

Communal Worship Service with Brass 10:30-11:30am, Sanctuary

Children’s Easter Egg Hunt 11:30am-12:00pm, Courtyard

Los Altos Lutheran Church PALM SUNDAY: March 25 9:30 10 AM TRIDUUM: The Three Days

Maundy Thursday –

Good Friday –

Easter Vigil –

EASTER SUNDAY: April 1 10 AM Worship / 11:15 AM Patio Brunch

www.LosAltosLutheran.org / 460 S. El Monte Ave.

For Mountain View or any other city trying to create a safe-parking program, the first stop is Santa Barbara.

Since 2004, the Southern Cali-fornia county has successfully coordinated a safe-parking pro-gram, which currently takes about 130 lived-in vehicles off the streets, settling them at various parking lots. Today, the Santa Barbara program is considered the model that Mountain View and many other areas are trying to emulate.

That interest has been surging lately, said Cassie Roach, a senior case manager at the nonprofit New Beginnings, which man-ages Santa Barbara’s program. Pretty much every week, her office phone rings with another call from a U.S. city — mostly on the West Coast — that’s trying to start its own safe-parking program. Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco,

Portland, Los Angeles — these are just some of the big cities with officials that have recently reached out to her team, she said.

The story she hears is often the same: homelessness on the rise, and city leaders trying to staunch the blight. That has led her to believe that the infamous housing crisis is reaching new levels of desperation.

“More working poor are fall-ing into vehicular homelessness because housing is ever more expensive,” she said. “But they’re still able to maintain a vehicle, so that’s how they live.”

Her top piece of advice? Case management, she said. It’s vital for program managers to con-nect homeless individuals with resources and set trackable goals. While liability insurance may seem like a necessity, she says her program has never

once had to use it. Any property damage is usually handled by auto insurance, which clients in the safe-parking program are required to have.

Board members with Moun-tain View’s new Lots of Love program say they’ve received various forms and guidance from the counterparts in Santa Barbara. Mountain View pas-tor Brian Leong pointed out that Santa Barbara had some significant advantages, such as more available land and parking lots. Still, the city’s expertise was valuable, he said.

“I don’t think anyone can expect this to end all parking on the street, but I hope we can make a big enough difference,” he said. “This will be very new, so we’ll have to work hard to gain trust and make it work.” V

—Mark Noack

Safe parking: MV looks to Santa BarbaraSAFE PARKING Continued from page 1


LocalNews

agreed to distribute the $3.5 mil-lion to 18 nonprofits in the coun-ty that provide a broad range of services, including “Know Your Rights” education and legal defense during deportation proceedings. County administrators say the need for legal representation still far exceeds the demand, and they will return to the Board of Super-visors with recommendations this month to renew funding through the 2018-19 fiscal year. Although specific details are still to come, the funding will likely shift away from education ini-tiatives and focus more on legal defense. Among the nonprofits help-ing North County residents is Community Legal Services of East Palo Alto (CLSEPA), which received $320,000 in county grant funds this year and recently opened up a new office on Fair-child Drive in Mountain View. Reports from the county say that

as of December, the nonprofit provided “direct representation” to 86 unaccompanied minors and families with children who were in expedited deportation proceedings in the San Francisco Immigration Court since June. All of them were Latino, with many from Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

“Many of these children and families have fled violence and abuse in Central America,” according to the staff report. ICE activity has ramped up since fall, with quite a few arrests in San Jose as well as other cities in Santa Clara County, according

Misha Seay, a senior immigration attorney for CLSEPA. Although the name suggests otherwise, she said the organization opened the Mountain View office in order to expand its outreach to North County residents, and wants to let the immigrant community know that legal help is available. Unlike other court proceed-ings, immigration courts are not required to provide a legal defense to the defendant. “As you can imagine, that cre-ates a huge gap in services and a big need for the immigrant popu-lation who can’t afford private counsel on their own,” she said. In August, Santa Clara County launched the Rapid Response Network, which calls on commu-nity members to alert immigra-tion advocacy groups whenever ICE is suspected of detaining someone in the community. Once an arrest is confirmed, the network calls on attorneys like the ones at CLSEPA to offer legal representation to whoever was picked up.

“That’s the part we’re heavily

involved in, and it’s actually been occurring quite frequently,” Seay said. “We’ll go to ICE and meet with the (detainee) before they get transported to the detention center.” One of the major hurdles for CLSEPA and similar advocacy groups is that the immigration courts were already clogged up before Trump took office, and it’s only gotten worse since then. In a report to the county, CLSEPA staffers noted that the backlog has gotten so bad that initial hearings for unaccompanied children at the San Francisco Immigration Court are being scheduled for 2021, and hearings for asylum applicants are being pushed out between two and five years, depending on the judge. “These backlogs create uncer-tainty and anxiety for clients, who have to wait years for their cases to be resolved,” according to the report. “This backlog also places pressure on our immigra-tion program; because cases are not closing, it limits the number of new cases that we can initiate.”

Delegating the immigrant sup-port to nonprofits using tax-payer dollars hasn’t been without its own set of problems. At a Finance and Government Opera-tions Committee meeting last week, County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said that the partner-ship comes with a higher level of accountability that, frankly, none of the nonprofit partners seems to want. At the same time, some of the nonprofits in the latest reports aren’t meeting the goals or spending the money allocated by the county, which Chavez worried is locking up money that could be better spent elsewhere. “I want to make sure we can take some of the remaining money that’s not being spent and redirect it, because we are in a crisis,” she said. “And I don’t think it’s okay to leave money that’s not really being drawn down while we have individuals who are literally in crisis right now and we can help.” V


IMMIGRATION Continued from page 5

along the way — before trustees make a final decision. Both recommendations are aimed at cleaning up the dis-trict’s enrollment priorities. Cur-rently, there are 26 priorities used to decide which schools students are allowed to attend, some of which are so specific they only affect a single family in the district. The changes would apply at the same time that the district’s new school attendance boundaries take affect, and each recommendation takes a differ-ent approach to grandfather-ing students under the old boundaries. Under the status quo option, dubbed “Recommendation A,” attendance boundaries remain an important factor in whether students are allowed higher or lower priority during the enrollment lottery process. But with new boundaries set to take effect in the 2019-20 school year, would current students be sub-ject to the new boundaries, or be “grandfathered” in with the old boundaries? Task force members backing Recommendation A opted to allow no grandfathering at all, meaning families would need to reapply for their children with-out the advantage of living with-in the old attendance bound-ary. The option to strip away intradistrict transfers, dubbed “Recommendation B,” also does not allow grandfathering, with the exception of incoming fifth-grade students who would be allowed to complete their final

year at elementary school. Grandfathering has been a hot-button issue for parents living near crowded schools, particu-larly Bubb and Huff Elementary, after recent enrollment increases threatened to force nearby stu-dents into involuntary transfers to schools elsewhere in the dis-trict. After expanding the size of kindergarten classes at Bubb and Huff last year to accommodate an overflow of kids, Rudolph said the schools have sufficient space to avoid turning away any children from their own neigh-borhood school this year.

A change of pace for choice programs?

The outlier in the conversation about neighborhood schools are Mountain View Whisman’s choice programs, the parent-participation PACT program at Stevenson Elementary School and the dual immersion pro-gram at Mistral Elementary School, which draw from every region of the district and, by their very nature, draw from beyond the local neighborhood. Both have huge waiting lists for enrollment each year, and both could see big changes in the way families score one of the coveted spots in the program. Recommendation B, according to a district staff report, proposes creating a tiered system for Mis-tral and Stevenson that could give priority to students from specific attendance boundaries within the district, or to children from lower-income families who qualify for free and reduced-price meals. The ideas of priority

enrollment for choice programs is still in its infancy, but Rudolph said there has been a lot of inter-est and receptiveness to the idea from PTA presidents, the District Advisory Committee (DAC) and even some school staff. One of the reasons for the proposed changes is that Steven-son Elementary has historically

under-enrolled students from low-income families, leaving the school with the least eco-nomic diversity in the district despite drawing from every sin-gle neighborhood. Although 34 percent of the district’s students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, those students make up only 5 percent of Stevenson’s

enrollment. Rudolph said that PACT staff and community members want more diversity in the school and they struggle to figure out ways to do it — a shift in enrollment priorities could be the answer to the problem. V


ENROLLMENT Continued from page 5

COURTESY OF ELLEN CLARK

RUN FOR ZIMBABWEThe 19th annual Run for Zimbabwe Orphans & Fair will be held Sunday, Mar. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. at St. Joseph School, 1120 Miramonte Ave. This event features 13 cross country races, including a 220-yard race for pre-schoolers, a 1/2-mile race for kindergarteners, and a multitude of one-mile races for various age groups, ranging from first-graders to adults. There is a $5 entry fee per runner, and all proceeds will go toward providing the youth of the Makumbi Children’s Home with micro grants in order to aid them in furthering their educations or starting their own small businesses. The event also features an African art contest and prizes will be awarded in each grade from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade. Visit zimbabweparaguay.net or email [email protected] for information.

‘We have individuals who are literally

in crisis right now and we can help.’ SUPERVISOR CINDY CHAVEZ


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EDITORIAL

YOUR LETTERS

GUEST OPINIONS

COUNCIL GETS IT RIGHT ON RV DWELLERS The MV City Council got it right on Tuesday night when they voted to continue allowing community members who have not found better housing to live as best as they can in their cars or RVs (“Council rejects RV restric-tions,” March 9). Developing bet-ter options will take time. I’m also proud of the voters of Mountain View for passing Mea-sure V in 2016. Measure V limits rent increases to the inflation rate. If an RV dweller does find an affordable apartment, what’s the point if they get priced out in a year by a large rent increase? Yes, some landlords are com-plaining about a $13 a month fee they now need to pay, but when they are charging $1,500 for the smallest apartment, and up to $2,500 or more for larger apart-ments, is $13 a month really a problem? All of Mountain View is better off when the city takes steps that support housing. I’m glad that Measure V is there so that all renters can have a bet-ter chance of keeping adequate housing near their jobs and community. Over time, Measure V will also protect more work-ing families as they find better options than living in RVs. It’s not perfect, but it’s compassionate.

Joan MacDonaldEmmons Drive

TRAFFIC LIGHT REMOVAL As a resident of Castro City, using the traffic light on Reng-storff/Leland helped tremen-dously with making a left onto Rengstorff Avenue as the city grew. About a month ago that light stopped working, taking away the ability to make a safe left out of the neighborhood. A divider was placed in the middle of the street that only allows right turns. The city of Moun-tain View has plans to replace the traffic light on Rengstorff/Stanford sometime in April. I contacted the city and asked why would they leave us without a traffic light out of the neighbor-hood, as it is difficult to make lefts during peak hours. A spe-cific date for the new light wasn’t given due to PG&E delays. The city suggested that we make a right onto Rengstorff and make a U-turn on California Street. That would also be hard to get through the lanes during peak hours. I then asked if it was possible to

remove the divider and let us use the traffic light on Rengstorff/Leland until the new light was ready. The answer given to me was that they will need to see if the divider can be removed and hire another contractor to remove it. Temporary signs were supposed be placed along Reng-storff to leave space open to make it easier for vehicles to make that left; nothing has been done as of today. Not having any type of light is dangerous and could lead to car accidents. I wish the city had thought this through how it affects us Castro City residents. Getting through Rengstorff and across the train tracks is a chal-lenge enough, and now you’re adding an unsafe left turn. In this situation, it feels like the city doesn’t hear its residents.

Elena TorresCollege Avenue

NO TO BULLIS AT SAN ANTONIO SITE Watching the Jan. 16 Moun-tain View City Council meeting on television, it appeared that a majority of council members had already decided before the meeting to give to the Los Altos School District (LASD) a pack-age of $23 million in park funds and “transferable development rights” (TDRs) worth perhaps another $80 million toward the (forced) purchase of real prop-erty on California Street near San Antonio Road (including the former Safeway) for a 10th school site — without any assurance that the site would not simply be used to house Bullis Charter school. Five of the seven council mem-bers voted to move forward with the city’s contribution, leaving use of the school site to the future determination of the Los Altos school board After the meeting, I requested a copy of public records from the city and the school district concerning recent meetings and communications between coun-cil members and school board members (and other officials). The city provided records showing that every council mem-ber had been courted by one or more school board members in the months before the meeting. The school district has yet to even respond to the records request. It is not in Mountain View’s best interests to have Bullis Char-ter School at the site — let alone for $100 million. No member of

the LASD board lives in Moun-tain View. It seems pretty obvi-ous that their plan is to unload the charter school on Mountain View. There is still time for the council to condition the contri-bution on the property not being used for the charter school. Any such guarantee could be re-negotiated later if events warrant.

Gary WesleyContinental Circle

JUDGE PERSKY RECALL WARRANTED Judge Persky’s recall is not just about the Stanford swimmer sexual assault case. He has a his-tory of giving special treatment to privileged men, particularly athletes, convicted of sex crimes. Just since August 2016: Robert Chain was convict-ed of possessing pornographic images of toddlers. Persky gave him a four-day sentence and the opportunity to reduce his felony to a misdemeanor after only one year of probation. Ikaika Gunderson was con-victed of domestic violence after punching, strangling, and push-ing his girlfriend out of a car. Following the conviction, Persky allowed Gunderson to delay his sentencing for over a year so he could play football at the Uni-versity of Hawaii without having to notify the state’s probation department. During this time, Gunderson was rearrested for domestic violence against a dif-ferent victim. Tony Chiang was convicted of domestic violence for beat-ing his girlfriend and pulling out fistfuls of her hair. Persky sentenced him to 72 days of “weekend jail” so it wouldn’t interfere with his work schedule. Keenan Smith too was convicted of domestic violence against his girlfriend; Persky again tailored

his sentence around his football schedule. This pattern of doing special favors for convicted sex offenders warrants an immediate recall of Judge Persky.

Natalia LimaSanta Clara

MEASURE V PROPOSAL Why do the landlords that own properties that were built prior to 1995 have to carry the entire cost of rent control when the problem is a lack of affordable housing? If this is truly something that our community feels is right then all of us should have a stake in sup-porting it. Some landlords pay $155 per unit per year ($13 per month). I say some because it doesn’t seem to apply to the many large complexes built more recently. And don’t forget who pays those property taxes that fund this community and the school bond measures that are included in our property taxes that support our local schools. How about if all those compen-sated renters out there throw in a buck a month toward a fund that the city could propose to help those in need of affordable hous-ing? If the city of Mountain View can approve money for helping out the homeless and subsidizing the tow companies for hauling away “leaking vehicles that cause health hazards” then you would think they could help out those who already have a roof over their head. Perhaps those people that do not live in Mountain View but have so much to say about rent control in our city can kick in too. After all, lack of affordable housing isn’t just about Moun-tain View.

Muriel Sivyer-LeeVelarde Street

L E T T E R SV O I C E S F R O M T H E C O M M U N I T Y

View

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G U I D E TO 2018 S U M M E R C A M P S FO R K I D S

ATHLETICSDance Connection Palo Alto Palo AltoShare the joy of dance with us! Our studio is an extended family and a home away from home for many community members, and we value the positive energy and atmosphere that we strive to provide. For children and teens. Jazz, Hip Hop, Ballet, Tap, Lyrical/Contemporary, Children’s Combination. Events/Summer Dance Camps - Summer Session for ages 3 - adults: June 11-August 4. www.danceconnectionpaloalto.com (650) 852-0418 or (650) 322-7032

Kim Grant Tennis Academy Palo Alto Summer Camps Monterey BayFun and specialized junior camps for Mini (3-5), Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, High Performance and Elite tennis levels. Weekly programs designed by Kim Grant to improve player technique, fitness, agility, mental toughness and all around game. Weekly camps in Palo Alto and sleep-away camps at Meadowbrook Swim and Tennis. www.KimGrantTennis.com (650) 752-8061

Mountain View Tennis Summer Camps Mountain ViewChoose from 10 weeks of Tennis Camp – plenty of play time, focus on fundamentals & sportsmanship, talented coaches, Cuesta courts. Full day or morning camp for 7 to 14 year olds and new, morning camp for 5 to 6 year olds. Discounts for residents and registering by 3/31.www.mountainviewtennis.net (650) 967-5955

Nike Tennis Camps Bay AreaJunior overnight and day tennis camps for boys and girls, ages 9-18 offered throughout June, July and August. Adult weekend clinics available June and Aug. Camps directed by head men’s coach, Paul Goldstein, head women’s coach, Lele Forood, and associate men’s and women’s coaches, Brandon Coupe and Frankie Brennan. Join the fun and get better at tennis this summer. www.ussportscamps.com (800) 645-3226

Run for Fun Camps Palo Alto/La HondaRun for Fun’s mission is to provide creative and engaging play for all youth by getting kids active in an inclusive community centered around outdoor fun! We pride ourselves on hiring an enthusiastic, highly trained staff who love what they do. Summer 2018 features four weeks of Adventure Day Camp and two weeks of Overnight Camp High Five. Adventure Day Camp is a new discovery every day filled with sports, crafts and nature, including explorations to Camp Jones Gulch, Capitola Beach, Foothills Park, Shoreline Lake and Great America. Camp High Five is six days and five nights of traditional overnight camp mixed with challenge-by-choice activities, campfires, friendships and lots of laughter.www.runforfuncamps.com/summer-camps-and-school-holiday-camps/camp-overview (650) 823-5167

Spartans Sports Camp Mountain ViewSpartans Sports Camp offers multi-sport, week-long sessions for boys and girls in grades 1-7, sport-specific sessions for grades 2-9, color guard camp for grades 3-9, and cheerleading camp for grades pre-K – 8. We also offer a hip hop dance camp for grades 1-7. Camp dates are June 4 through July 27 at Mountain View High School. The camp is run by MVHS coaches and student-athletes and all proceeds benefit the MVHS Athletic Department. Lunch and extended care are available.www.spartanssportscamp.com (650) 479-5906

Stanford Baseball Camps StanfordAt Sunken Diamond on the campus of Stanford University. Four or five day camps where the morning session includes instruction in several baseball skills, fundamentals, and team concepts. The afternoon session will be dedicated to playing coach pitched games and hitting in the batting cages. Session 1: June 18 - 22 Session 2: June 25-29 Session 3: July 16-20www.stanfordbaseballcamp.com (650) 725-2054

Stanford Water Polo Camps StanfordNew to water polo or have experience, we have a camp for you. Half-day or full-day options for boys and girls ages 7 and up. All camps provide fundamental skills, scrimmages and games.www.stanfordwaterpolocamps.com (650) 725-9016

Wheel Kids Bike Camps Palo AltoAt Addison Elem. Adventure Riding Camp for grades 1 - 8, Two Wheelers Club for grades K - 3. Week long programs from 8:30 - 4, starting June 4th. Join us as we embark on bicycling adventures for the more experienced rider or help those just learning to ride.wheelkids.com/palo-alto (650) 646-5435

YMCA of Silicon Valley Summer Camps Silicon ValleyAt the Y, children and teens of all abilities acquire new skills, make friends, and feel that they belong. With hundreds of Summer Day Camps plus Overnight Camps, you will find a camp that’s right for your family. Financial assistance is available.www.ymcasv.org (408) 351-6473

ACADEMICSHarker Summer Programs San JoseThe Harker School’s summer programs for children K-grade 12 offer the perfect balance of learning and fun! Programs are led by dedicated faculty and staff who are experts at combining summer fun and learning. Strong academics and inspiring enrichment programs are offered in full-day, partial and morning-only sessions.www.harker.org/summer (408) 553-5737

i2 Camp at Castilleja School Palo Altoi2 Camp offers week-long immersion programs that engage middle school girls in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The fun and intimate hands-on activities of the courses strive to excite and inspire participants about STEM, creating enthusiasm that will hopefully spill over to their schoolwork and school choices in future years.www.castilleja.org/i2camp (650) 470-7833

iD Tech Camps Campbell Stanford/Bay AreaThe world’s #1 summer STEM program held at Stanford, Palo Alto High School, and 150+ locations nationwide. With innovative courses in coding, game development, robotics, and design, our programs instill in-demand skills that embolden students to shape the future. iD Tech Camps (weeklong, 7-17), Alexa Café (weeklong, all-girls, 10-15), iD Tech Academies (2-week, 13-18).iDTechCamps.com (844) 788-1858

KCI Summer Camp Los Altos HillsStudents ages 11-16 discover endless possibilities as they design and engineer their own projects. Hands-on learning of latest technologies including virtual reality, 3D printing, video production, and more in KCI’s new makerspace.bit.ly/kcisummercamp (650) 949-7614

Stanford EXPLORE: A Lecture Series on Biomedical Research StanfordEXPLORE biomedical science at Stanford. Stanford EXPLORE offers high school students the unique opportunity to learn from Stanford professors and graduate students about diverse topics in biomedical science, including bioengineering, neurobiology, immunology and many others.explore.stanford.edu [email protected]

Summer at Sand Hill School Palo AltoJune 26 to July 20; If you’re looking for a great summer learning plus fun option for your child and you want them to be ready for fall, please join us at Sand Hill. The morning Literacy Program (8:30 to noon) provides structured, systematic instruction for students with learning challenges entering grades 1-8 in the fall. The afternoon Enrichment Camp (Noon to 4) focuses on performing arts, social skills and fun. Choose morning, afternoon or full day. Visit www.sandhillschool.org for more details and application.www.sandhillschool.org (650) 688-3605

Write Now! Palo Alto Summer Writing Camps PleasantonImprove your student’s writing skills this summer at Emerson School of Palo Alto and Hacienda School of Pleasanton. Courses this year are Expository Writing, Creative Writing and Presentation Techniques. headsup.org Emerson: (650) 424-1267 Hacienda: (925) 485-5750

ARTS, CULTURE, OTHER CAMPSArt and Soul Camp Palo AltoArt, cooking, tinkering, yoga and mindfulness. We celebrate multiple perspectives and recognize the many ways for our children to interpret their world. Summer Unplugged! is appropriate for ages 5-13 years. Located at Walter Hays School.www.artandsoulpa.com (650) 269-0423

Castilleja Summer Camp for Girls Palo AltoCastilleja Summer Camp for Girls Palo Alto Casti Camp offers girls entering gr. 2-6 a range of age-appropriate activities including athletics, art, science, computers, writing, crafts, cooking, drama and music classes each day along with weekly field trips. Leadership program available for girls entering gr. 7-9.www.castilleja.org/summercamp (650) 470-7833

City of Mountain View Recreation Mountain ViewCome have a blast with us this summer! We have something for everyone: Recreation Camps, Specialty Camps, Sports Camps, Swim Lessons, and more! Programs begin June 4 – register early!www.mountainview.gov/register (650) 903-6331

Community School of Music Mountain ViewCommunity School of Mountain View Music and Arts (CSMA) Mountain View 50+ creative camps for Gr. K-8! Drawing, Painting, Ceramics, Sculpture, Musical Theater, Summer Music Workshops, more! One and two-week sessions; full and half-day enrollment. Extended care from 8:30am-5:30pm. Financial aid offered. www.arts4all.org (650) 917-6800 ext. 0

Let’s Go Crafting Palo AltoLet’s Go Crafting’s Studio is where your child will have fun while learning many different fiber related arts. We teach sewing, knitting, crochet, weaving and jewelry making to children ages 8 years to 15 years. AM or PM camps $275/week. Full day camps $550/week. 5 student minimum for all sessions; 10 student maximum. Contact Connie Butner at [email protected] (650) 814-4183

Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) Palo AltoPACCC summer camps offer campers, grades 1st to 6th, a wide variety of fun opportunities. We are excited to announce all of your returning favorites: Leaders in Training (L.I.T.), PACCC Special Interest Units (S.I.U.), F.A.M.E. (Fine Arts, Music and Entertainment), J.V. Sports and Operation: Chef! Periodic field trips, special visitors and many engaging camp activities, songs and skits round out the fun offerings of PACCC Summer Camps. Open to campers from all communities. Register online.www.paccc.org (650) 493-2361

Stanford Jazz Workshop StanfordOn campus of Stanford University, Week-long jazz immersion programs for young musicians in middle school (starts July 9), high school (July 15 and July 22), and college, as well as adults (July 29). All instruments and vocals.stanfordjazz.org (650) 736-0324

TheatreWorks Los Altos Silicon Valley Menlo Park, Palo AltoKids can have fun, be a character, and learn lifelong performance skills at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s Theatre Camps. Spring Break and Summer camps for K-6.theatreworks.org/youth-programs/for-youth (650) 463-7146

For more information about these camps visit paloaltoonline.com/camp_connection. To advertise in this weekly directory, call (650) 326-8210.

Camp Connection


R E S TA U R A N T R E V I E W

RESTAURANT REVIEW

MOVIE REVIEWS

BEST BETS FOR ENTERTAINMENTWeekend

MOUNTAIN VIEWVOICE

OLD PORT LOBSTER SHACK SERVES UP SATISFYING CAPE COD-STYLE SHELLFISH Story by by Dale F. Bentson | Photos by Veronica Weber

The best lobster roll I’ve ever eaten was last summer at the Kettle-Ho Restaurant and Tavern in Cotuit, Massachusetts out on the Cape. I was with Cape Cod natives and they, too, pro-claimed the $32 lobster roll the standard of excellence.

In Redwood City, the Old Port Lobster Shack’s version wasn’t quite up to Kettle-Ho standards, but it wasn’t that far behind.

The lobster chunks were fresh, mixed with mayonnaise and green onions, and served on a lobster roll, which was like a deep pocket hot dog bun without the ends cut open. The coleslaw was a tad too sweet for my taste but overall, it was pretty darn good lobster in the land where Dungeness crab reigns supreme. At $22.75 with French fries and coleslaw, I had no complaints at all.

That wasn’t the only good food at Old Port. The lobster bisque ($8.75 cup, $10.75 mug) was creamy, lobster-y, warm and luscious. The perfectly thickened New England clam chowder ($5.75 cup, $7 mug) had plenty of clams, potatoes and vegetables. My litmus test on clam chowder thickness is sticking a spoon perpendicular in the middle of the chowder. If it stays erect, the chowder is too thick. If it falls over quickly, it’s too thin. If the spoon slowly lists towards the edge of the bowl, it’s perfect.

The Ipswich fried clam roll ($23) had more clams than I could eat. The clams over-flowed the lobster roll and filled the basket shared with French fries. The clam strips reminded me of those made famous by

restaurant chain Howard John-son (HoJo’s) way back when — lightly battered, quick fried and served hot.

The fried calamari ($11) was as good as any. The batter was just right, fried quickly. The greaseless calamari, served with two side sauces, was piled high and hot with plenty to share.

The grilled salmon burger ($9) came with a huge patty — easily a quarter-pound — that was lightly fried and served on a thick, toasted roll with lettuce. While filling, it didn’t scream salmon as other dishes screamed lobster, clams or calamari.

Better was the fried haddock sandwich ($13.75), served on a thinner roll with tomato, let-tuce and red onion. It was easier to eat than the salmon and the crunchiness made for a satisfy-ing sandwich.

The key lime pie ($5) was disappointing. While Old Port gets high marks for not adding artificial coloring to make the pie green, it was simply too dense, more like a New York cheesecake. The pie didn’t look or taste particularly fresh either and the graham cracker crust was mealy.

There is a lot going on in this little corner of a strip mall in Redwood City. Old Port moved two years ago here from its Veterans Boulevard location. Former owner Russell Deutsch announced in 2015 that the property had been sold and he was expanding to both Los Altos and San Francisco but neither restaurant material-ized. Subsequently, he merged

The lobster roll at Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City contains chunks of fresh lobster mixed with mayonnaise and green onions and is served with french fries.

The restaurant moved from a spot on Veterans Boulevard to its current location in Woodside Plaza two years ago. See SEAFOOD, page 18


Weekend

D I N I N G N O T E S

Old Port Lobster Shack 20 Woodside Plaza,

Redwood City 650-366-2400

oldportlobster.com

Hours daily: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Beer and wine

N/A

Mall lot

Low

Fair

Reservations

Credit cards

Happy hour

Children

Takeout

Outdoor dining

Alcohol

Corkage

Parking

Noise level

Bathroom cleanliness

Old Port into his other Redwood City restaurant, Rack & Roll BBQ Shack, in Woodside Plaza. For this review, I focused solely on the lobster-shack side of the business. Inside, the restaurant looks more lobster shack than bar-becue pit. Customers order at the register before sitting at tables adorned with red-and-white checkered tablecloths and a bucket of condiments. Plates were ceramic but utensils were plastic. There’s a lobster tank towards the back but it was badly in need of cleaning. One can only hope the tasty lobster roll ingredients didn’t come from that tank. Deutsch first opened Old Port Lobster Shack in 2006 and has since operated in various loca-tions including San Jose, a pop-up in Palo Alto, a food truck, Rusty’s Roadside Grill in Portola Valley and an Old Port Lobster Shack in Portola Valley, which is still operating as of this writing. Deutsch sold the business after he was charged in 2016 with sales tax evasion; the case is still winding its way through the San

Mateo County court system. The new ownership group did not respond to interview requests. Despite Deutsch’s hovering legal cloud, the food was worth seeking out at Old Port Lobster Shack. V

Email Dale Bentson at [email protected].

The crispy haddock sandwich is one of the sandwich options, along with other seafood offerings like clam chowder.

A statue of Elvis greets diners at the Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City.

SEAFOOD Continued from page 17


(Century 16 & 20) One can see the wheels turning

— literally and figuratively — in “Tomb Raider” as young adven-turer Lara Croft frequently finds herself twisting some hand-held

puzzle box, bike racing around London or turning the wheel of some ancient machinery to unlock a door. And just as clearly, we can see the film’s producers deciding what will make this

reboot of the two-film 2001-2003 Angeline Jolie franchise click with audiences: big-scale action, a few familiar character actors and a hard sell on the ostensibly sexy, smart, strong heroine, now embodied by Oscar winner Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”).

Vikander’s Croft, a 21-year-old Londoner who can’t pay her bills, kickboxes for fun (and therapy?)

when not dashing about on her bike delivering food for “Snack-Cycle.” It’s an ignominious fate for someone who grew up in the sprawling Croft Manor as the daughter of Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), CEO of Croft Holdings and part-time globetrotting archeologist. He disappeared seven years ago, but Lara can’t accept that he’s dead and, as such, won’t claim her inheritance.

Just as she’s about to give up the ghost, Lara discovers the truth about her father’s final mission: to find and protect the tomb of Himiko from an ancient militant organization named the Order of Trinity. In flashback, Richard oddly claims, “All myths have a foundation in reality” to defend the notion that Himiko retains the power of a “touch of death.” In his mind, Himiko poses a global threat should her grave be opened, but all Lara cares about is the possibility that her father may still be out there, alive but lost to the world.

And away we go, on an action-adventure built for as many cliffhangers as possible, many of them literal. One begins to suspect Vikander was paid by the dangle, as she clings to cliffsides, a construction crane, a rusted airplane perched over a waterfall and, of course, the crumbling

innards of a tomb. Working with a $90-million budget, Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug (“The Wave”) successfully gives the impression of a big production effectively realized, in spite of its poker-faced silliness.

Partly because Vikander’s skills don’t lie with charismatic com-edy, this “Tomb Raider” doesn’t so much grasp for fun as for thrills and melodrama, tugging mightily at the father-daughter plot thread.

In fleeting appearances, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and Sir Derek Jacobi bring the gravitas, and Nick Frost brings the comic relief, but they’re only around long enough to make you wish they were around more. Mostly, this “Tomb Raider” amounts to another politely dull blockbuster, lacking in originality and wit. The enterprise puts a female hero front and center, but it’s hard to get a bead on her: one minute she’s an all-heart blunderer, the next an unaccountably skilled (or just extraordinarily lucky?) puzzle-solving warrior. And in a coup de grace of bad timing, we get to watch Lara enthusiastically learn that happiness is two-fisting guns.Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, and for some language. One hour, 58 minutes.

— Peter Canavese

Weekend

M O V I E O P E N I N G S

7 days in Entebbe (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

A Farewell to Arms (1932) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Friday

A Wrinkle in Time (PG) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Annihilation (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Black Panther (PG-13) 1/2 Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Bombshell: The Hedy Lemarr Story (Not Rated) Guild Theatre: Fri. - Sun.

Call Me by Your Name (R) Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun.

Death Wish (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Game Night (R) 1/2 Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Gringo (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

I Can Only Imagine (PG) Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

I’m No Angel (1933) () Stanford Theatre: Saturday

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (PG-13) Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

The Leisure Seeker (R) Aquarius Theatre: Fri. - Sun.

Love, Simon (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Peter Rabbit (PG) 1/2 Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Phantom Thread (R) 1/2 Aquarius Theatre: Fri. - Sun.

Red Sparrow (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

The Shape of Water (R) Century 20: Fri. - Sun. Palo Alto Square: Fri. - Sun.

The Strangers: Prey at Night (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Tarnished Lady (1931) (Not Rated) Stanford Theatre: Friday

Thoroughbreds (R) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (R) 1/2 Aquarius Theatre: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

Tomb Raider (PG-13) Century 16: Fri. - Sun. Century 20: Fri. - Sun.

You’re Telling Me! (1934) () Stanford Theatre: Saturday

N O W S H O W I N G

Skip it Some redeeming qualities A good bet Outstanding

For show times, plot synopses, trailers and more movie info, visit www.mv-voice.com and click on movies.

Aquarius: 430 Emerson St., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 327-3241) tinyurl.com/AquariuspaCentury Cinema 16: 1500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View tinyurl.com/Century16Century 20 Downtown: 825 Middlefield Rd, Redwood City tinyurl.com/Century20

CineArts at Palo Alto Square: 3000 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (For information: 493-0128) tinyurl.com/PasquareGuild: 949 El Camino Real, Menlo Park (For recorded listings: 566-8367) tinyurl.com/Guildmp

Stanford Theatre: 221 University Ave., Palo Alto (For recorded listings: 324-3700) Stanfordtheatre.org

COURTESY OF ILZEK KITSHOFF/WARNER BROS. AND METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER PICTURES INC.

Daniel Wu and Alicia Vikander in the rebooted “Tomb Raider.”

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‘Tomb’ muchLARA CROFT GETS A REBOOT IN ‘TOMB RAIDER’

A WRINKLE IN TIME 1/2From a distance, Disney’s sci-fi fantasy “A Wrinkle in Time” appears to be a sure thing. The project comes with the name recognition and goodwill of Madeleine L’Engle’s evergreen YA novel, a boatload of splashy visual effects, an Oscar-nominated director in Ava DuVernay (“Selma,” “13th”) and a multicultural trio of stars in Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling. But a closer look reveals a downright awkward kiddie blockbuster.The movie wants desperately to be “The Wizard of Oz,” with its journey to a colorfully wondrous world and its trio of comical adults helping a child overcome

an unambiguous evil. Storm Reid stars as Meg Murry, a grade-schooler still reeling from the sudden disappearance of her father four years earlier. NASA scientist Dr. Alex Murry (Chris Pine) theorized and experimented with radical space and time teleportation, launched not with a rocket but the human mind. A breakthrough in his work left his partner and wife, Dr. Kate Murry (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), Meg and her precocious little brother, Charles Wallace Murry (Deric McCabe), to wonder if they’ll ever see him again. Then, one evening, a trio of women — Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which — transport the siblings and their friend, Calvin, to the far-flung world where Meg’s father languishes, lost. What follows is a series of weightless scenes, empty sensation and platitudes with a final destination of “That’s it?”Rated PG for thematic elements and some peril. One hour, 49 minutes. — P.C.

M O V I E R E V I E W S


THEATERFoothill Music Theatre Pres

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MARCH 16, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 8 Churches offer safe ... › morguepdf › 2018 › 2018_03_16.mvv.section1.pdfFARRUCA Spanish flamenco master Rosario “La Farruca” Montoya, who