Around Town Around Town (March 16, 2005)

GRANNY VS. O'REILLY ... Ruth Robertson, a Palo Alto resident and member of the peace group Peninsula Raging Grannies, was a guest on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor last week, protesting military recruitment on high school campuses, along with another activist from Seattle. "Ms. Robertson, let's begin with you," host Bill O'Reilly said, with his typical sneer. "You don't like the military or what is your take on them?" A nervous-looking Robertson, her head topped with a purple hat with a yellow flower, responded: "You know, Bill. We support the troops. It's not that we don't support our military. We want our troops to come home in one piece, psychologically and mentally." Later in the six-minute interview, O'Reilly spoke again to Robertson: "When people see you trying to dissuade young Americans from defending their country, you understand, madam, that they may take a negative view of that? You understand that madam, don't you" "Well," she responded, "if they listen to what we're saying, they will understand that we're just asking students to be good consumers, to think carefully about all their options for career and military and for other careers." Of course, O'Reilly got the last word: "Here's where I think both of you are going wrong. I feel that anyone entering the U.S. military at this point should be applauded and encouraged because they're making a great sacrifice to protect their country."

ELPALOALTO ... A group of long-time residents have formed ElPaloAlto a new group to oversee the city's budget. The brainchild of Dick Placone, a former president of the Barron Park Residents Association, ElPaloAlto plans to present reports about how the city spends its money, and says it will promote transparency and accountability. Placone has compared the city's expenditures to other nearby cities, and doesn't like that it spends nearly double, paying for twice the staff. City officials have long argued Palo Alto has many more services than other cities, citing its 4,000 acres of open space, Junior Museum and Zoo, citywide shuttle and numerous other community programs. Placone is unconvinced. The museum, he said last week, giving an example, is "glorified day care." ElPaloAlto, he added, plans to be a voice against "pressure groups" that support specific community services at the expense of the "common good." The group's Web site is www.elpaloalto.org.

MOSSAR'S EXODUS ... During last week's City Council meeting, Palo Alto Councilwoman Dena Mossar left early, after the council voted to study reworking the city's golf course. Mossar had strongly protested the action, saying it didn't make sense since the Army Corps of Engineers is currently studying the nearby San Francisquito Creek and the golf course could be needed for flood control. Mossar said she left the meeting because she had a cold and wasn't feeling well, not out of protest. Still, the next day she had harsh words for her colleagues, calling their vote a "bad decision." The proposal originated with Councilwoman Judy Kleinberg, who called the decision a potential "legacy" vote. Kleinberg hopes to reconfigure the golf course to create new playing fields, which are desperately needed for youth. "It's very political," Mossar said of the vote, "to get out in front of an issue that allows you to say you're going to build more playing fields."

TO THE POINT . . . Brevity being the soul of wit, one concerned citizen wrote a haiku poem to the City Council this week. In a mere 17 syllables, letter writer wmswan@aol.com tackled both the topics of the possible use of Palo Alto's golf course for athletic playing fields and the city's budget deficit: "Lease golf course acres to Toyota dealership. Gain tax revenue!"

POLICE CRITIC CONVICTED ... Redwood City resident Richard Shapiro has been one of the fiercest critics of the Palo Alto Police Department in recent months, calling for officers to carry tape recorders at all times. He's come to numerous public events, from Human Relations Commission meetings to the City Council's goal setting meeting in January. Last week, Shapiro was convicted on four offenses stemming from an incident where an officer found him masturbating in his car in a public park in Sunnyvale. In addition to being convicted for performing a lewd act, Shapiro was also convicted for possession of a billy club, having a tear gas weapon and obstructing an officer. He was sentenced to 50 days in a county prison and three years probation. He's also required to get a psychiatric evaluation. After the conviction, Shapiro e-mailed fellow PAPD critics, blaming his attorney for telling him not to testify. He also plans to appeal.

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR SPRING BREAK IS? . . .Get ready to hang up your backpacks and briefcases because spring break is on its way. The Palo Alto Unified School District will close down its 17 campuses from March 28 to April 1. Gunn High School sophomore Anastasia Kostioukova breaks down vacation hot spots in her column, "Top Five Spring Break Destinations," in this month's "The Oracle," Gunn's student-run newspaper. Topping her list: Disneyland, followed by San Diego, Whistler, Canada, Australia and Fiji. "It's paradise on Earth with low crime rates and the longest average life span. If that does not spark your interest, you can take scuba lessons," writes Kostioukova of Australia.

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