March 30, 2005

Back to the table of Contents Page

Classifieds

Palo Alto Online

News Digest

Curious about the latest last mountain lion was sightings?

The city has put a new Web site online to update visitors about the latest mountain lion sightings in its open space. The URL is www.city.palo-alto.ca.us/ross/naturepreserve/lions.html.

There have been 10 as of March 23. The Web page also includes tips for living with the large cats. Despite ongoing mountain lion sightings, the City of Palo Alto won't be closing any of its parks or open space preserves to people or dogs anytime soon.

"Not at this point because the sighting have all been normal," said Greg Betts, the city's open space division manager. That is, the animal hasn't displayed aggressive actions toward people or been seen outside its natural environment.

The city recently sent cautionary letters to homeowners within 2,000 feet of preserves where mountain lions have been sighted, Betts said.

Last May, the police shot a mountain lion that traveled into a residential Palo Alto neighborhood. Since then, the city's naturalist and rangers have been closely monitoring sightings and trying to increase public education.

-- Bill D'Agostino

Stanford announces charter school plan

Students from East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park will see their education choices multiply if plans announced last week by Stanford University School of Education officials come to pass.

Pending approval by the state Board of Education, the board of the Ravenswood City School District has voted unanimously to grant a charter to Stanford to operate a K-12 school in the district, said Deborah Stipek, the dean of the Stanford School of Education.

In July, the Stanford Schools Corporation -- a new nonprofit entity founded by the university -- will assume operation of the 4-year-old East Palo Alto High School from Aspire Public Schools, said Stipek. Stanford's School of Education has been a partner with Aspire at EPA High. The amicable split was a collaborative decision seen as a way to invigorate high school opportunities in the community, said Aspire spokeswoman Laura Noss. The school is located in the Willows area of Menlo Park.

The new Stanford corporation plans to also open a charter elementary school in the Ravenswood district, starting with 80 to 100 kindergarteners and first-graders and perhaps some middle school sixth-graders, building to about 400 students over six years, Stipek said.

"We hope to use this as a school where we can do some really effective practices and use it as a resource for teachers and principals in the Ravenswood district," she said.

Meanwhile, Aspire -- which also runs a K-8 charter school in East Palo Alto -- will be looking for a site to open another charter high school in 2006.

Aspire president Don Shalvey said two college-prep high school programs in the Ravenswood district "will be a powerful force in creating a renaissance in the community." Aspire's new school would open no later than September 2006, Mr. Shalvey said.

Concern for kids tops poll

A poll of Californians conducted for the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health in Palo Alto shows that "the well-being of children" is their chief concern among California adults, scoring ahead of the cost of living, taxes, the war in Iraq and terrorism.

The poll, conducted by the Field Research Corporation for the foundation, was released Thursday and conducted in both English and Spanish Feb. 8-17. It included a random sample of 1,009 California adults.

Three-quarters (75 percent) of the respondents said they are "extremely concerned" about the well-being of children, with "education and the schools" ranking as the second-highest concern (69 percent) of those polled.

"It's striking to see so much unanimity on this issue, particularly the extent to which parents and non-parents alike list children as their foremost concern," said Stephen Peeps, president and CEO of the foundation. He added that the well-being of children had not been included in previous polls by the Field Research Corporation, "so this is the first time we have seen how the issue compares to other important topics."

-- Don Kazak

Simitian to chair coastal committee

State Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) has been appointed as the chairman of the Senate's Select Committee on Coastal Protection and Watershed Conservation, Senate Pro Tem Don Perata announced Thursday.

"I'm gratified by the appointment," Simitian said. "It allows me to build on my previous environmental work in the Assembly, and do good work for the folks I represent."

"We have worked with Senator Simitian closely over the years on many tough issues," said Gary Bailey, executive committee member of the Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter. "He's in a good position to continue working on behalf of the environment."

Simitian, who was elected to the Senate last November, previously served on the Palo Alto Unified School District Board, the Palo Alto City Council and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.

-- Don Kazak


PAGE hosts meeting on making community better

The group Palo Altans for Government Effectiveness, or PAGE, is hosting another community forum on Saturday, April 9.

This time the topic is "How do you make a good community better?"

State Sen. Joe Simitian will speak at the event. There will also be a panel discussion with Mayor Jim Burch, School Board President John Barton and other city leaders.

The event will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the Garden Court Hotel (520 Cowper St.) in Palo Alto. To RSVP, e-mail juliejjj@aol.com or call (650) 493-8645.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.