Around Town Around Town (March 31, 2004)

TRUST NO ONE ... Somebody in Palo Alto clearly has faith in the honesty of locals. A black Honda hatchback spotted downtown last week in the middle of the afternoon on Emerson Street had its driver-side window rolled down. On the front passenger seat rested a wallet and set of keys. Anybody interested in a new set of wheels?

FIGHTING THE MAN ... If you've ever wanted to fight an unfair ticket Richard Poe is your kind of attorney. He is currently battling the City of Palo Alto over a ticket he received on June 11, 2003 for parking in front of a fire hydrant on College Avenue. Poe said the hydrant was not visible, due to untrimmed shrubbery. But even worse was what happened afterward: The appeal procedure was "riddled with inconsistencies which call into question the accuracy and fairness of the entire process," according to a brief Poe has filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The city's forms and dates were "unreasonably vague," "poorly reproduced," and "over-reaching, unfair, and unlawful," his brief noted. "I am not in the habit of appealing $30 parking tickets," Poe wrote in an e-mail to the Weekly. "I have paid many in Menlo Park where I live and work without objection." A hearing is currently scheduled for April 30.

FOR SALE ... If you're in need of some formerly museum-worthy tchotchkes, check out the Museum of American Heritage's garage sale this Saturday. Duplicate and unneeded items from the museum's warehouse will be available for purchase. The sale will be held in front of the museum's garage at 351 Homer Ave. from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The museum is open regularly from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday and admission is free. For more information visit www. Moah.org.

STANFORD DEMAPPED ... Andy Coe , who since 1993 has been the community face of Stanford University as director of community relations, will be heading east in May to return to an area where he and his wife, Liz, were raised and have extended family. Coe has worked with and served on boards of numerous community organizations, including the Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce and YMCA. "Andy has done a splendid job representing Stanford to the local community," Larry Horton, associate vice president for public affairs, said of Coe's tenure. "He was a key member of the Stanford team that won approval of the Sand Hill Road projects and the General Use Permit" of 2000. In addition to his community activities, he "has been a general all-around problem-solving agent and helpful friend to our neighbors."

TESTIFY! ... Rep. Anna Eshoo , D-Palo Alto, said that National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice should testify before the 9/11 Commission in Washington, which Rice has declined to do. Eshoo, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, told CNN this week that Rice should appear before the commission investigating intelligence failures before 9/11. "The precedent has been set by others from other administrations when they testified," Eshoo said. "So I think her lack of presence says something."

Rice, a longtime professor of political science at Stanford, was the university's provost for eight years before joining President Bush's election team before the 2000 election.

TICKET TO RIDE ... Locals accustomed to buying plane tickets at the airline ticket office at Town and Country Village will have to find a new way to staunch that craving. The office closed last Friday, and at the time of closure only one airline - Northwest - was still a resident.

UNWELCOME PAINT JOB ... The school district is making amends next week for a not-so-legit spray painting by either a P.E. teacher or coach of lines on city-owned tennis courts at Terman Middle School. The damage will cost about $4,000 to fix, deputy superintendent Bob Golton said. He confirmed the district will pay for the damages.

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