News digest News digest (June 30, 2004)

Peace rally slated for Wednesday

A rally "to bring the troops home" will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Palo Alto Civic Center Plaza.

The rally is being held as American authorities are expected hand over governing responsibilities to a new Iraqi council.

Featured speakers at the rally include author David Harris and Fernando Suarez del Solar, whose son was one of the first American soldiers killed in Iraq.

The rally is being sponsored by the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center. --Don Kazak
Palo Alto Heritage Park set for fall debut

It's been a big month for a little park in the University South neighborhood. After years in the waiting, the planned 2.4-acre park on Homer Avenue and Waverley Street -- informally known as the SOFA (South of Forest Avenue) Park -- got both a name and a contractor.

Earlier this month, the City Council unanimously approved its new moniker, "Palo Alto Heritage Park." The decision will be formalized with a second vote at the council's July 12 meeting.

The choice is unorthodox for a Palo Alto park since it is not named after a person. But both the Palo Alto Historical Association and the Parks and Recreation Commission, which reviewed a list of names to recommend to the council, agreed the more general name would serve as an umbrella, allowing noteworthy individuals to be honored on benches, plaques and other means.

Some possible honorees include Russel Van A. Lee, a co-founder of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic; Joe Davis, a clinic pediatrician; and Anna Zschokke, a Palo Alto pioneer. All three had their names submitted for consideration for the park.

The city also awarded a $234,000 contract to Loral Landscaping Inc. to remove the parking lot currently on the land and develop a park with basic amenities. Construction is expected to begin Aug. 1 and will take about three months. The finished park will largely consist of a grassy field, with two walkways and a corner entryway with benches at Homer and Waverley. Numerous shrubs will line the perimeter.

The construction will also include adding some irrigation and minimal landscaping along the rear of the historic Roth Building, site of the original clinic. It is expected to become the Palo Alto History Museum. --Jocelyn Dong
VTA rapped by Grand Jury

The Santa Clara County civil grand jury has released a report detailing the alleged inability of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors to effectively function as a governing body.

According to the report, the 12 voting board members are inexperienced and rely heavily on staff members and committees to compile information regarding board matters.

The report highlights the fact that each member of the board is an elected official to another office and claims that the board members would not be able to devote adequate time to VTA business.

Ten of the voting board members are city council members in Santa Clara County while the other two sit on the county's Board of Supervisors, according to grand jury Foreperson Rich Woodward.

"This is really the core issue behind the VTA's governance," Woodward said. "These board members are stretched too thin with their other duties and could not properly govern a major business with a $350 million budget."

The report found that attendance at board meetings fluctuate due to other duties required of the board members and that a large portion of board meetings are spent explaining financial information rather than acting on proposed legislation.

Woodward said the financial status of the VTA is quickly deteriorating as revenues declined by 19 percent between 2001 and 2004.

Wages and benefits rose 40 percent since 2001 and forced the VTA to deplete reserves and borrow more than $275 million against future tax revenues, according to Woodward.

The grand jury also found that the board's priority of building a BART extension to San Jose would not allow for other transit improvements outlined in the voter approved Measure A.

Based upon financial projections, the VTA would not be able to build the extension any time in the near future due to budget concerns, according to the report.

"They have been focusing on an extension that doesn't seem to be a possibility any time soon," Woodward said. "There are many other improvements like extending light rail services and increasing the number of buses that would have an immediate, substantiated impact on the community."

The entire grand jury report can be found at http://www.sccsuperiorcourt.org/jury/GJ.html

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