News Digest News Digest (June 13, 2003)

Tree-trimmer scammers on loose, police warn

The Palo Alto Police Department is warning residents of a tree-trimming scam in which the suspects prey on the elderly.

The first reported incident in Palo Alto occurred on May 31 when an 89-year-old woman answered her door to find a "smooth talking, well-dressed man in his 30s" who told her he was trimming trees on the property behind hers and would like to cut an overhanging branch.

Police said he insisted on taking her into the backyard to show her the tree and, while she was distracted, a second suspect entered her home and ransacked her bedroom, making off with some jewelry.

When the woman confronted the two men, one threw water on her, told her it was acid and the pair fled. Police said an artist's sketch of the two suspects is available online and can be downloaded at www.sketch-artist.com/paloalto/03-1510130.html.

The second incident occurred Saturday afternoon when a senior couple in Palo Alto reported that six men in a van pulled into their driveway and gave them the same tree-trimming story, authorities said.

While three suspects were in the backyard with the couple, the other three entered the home and ransacked the house until the victims figured out what was happening and ordered the men to leave. The suspects fled in a blue 1990s minivan similar to a Chevrolet Astrovan.

According to Palo Alto officials, similar crimes have also occurred in Milpitas, San Jose and South San Francisco and the scam is well known to law enforcement.

Police said there are many "nomadic" organized families or groups that travel the country using the tree-trimmer scam -- having one suspect distract the homeowner while another commits a burglary and uses water as "acid" to get a victim to remove jewelry.

Residents should be aware of the tree-trimming scam and other similar crimes that target the elderly, officials warned. Seniors are advised not to open their doors to strangers and never take anyone into their backyards, no matter how convincing the story may sound.

Those who have been a victim of this or other scams are advised to call 911 immediately to report the incident to authorities. Anyone with information on the incidents or the suspects is asked to call Palo Alto Police Detective Jim Coffman at (650) 329-2558 or Elder Crimes Detective Lori Kratzer at (650) 329-2219. -- Bay City News Service
City Council to approve budget but Mayor, Vice Mayor want more cuts

The City Council is expected to approve a leaner budget on Monday night, cutting $10 million in spending due to tough times, but Mayor Dena Mossar and Vice Mayor Bern Beecham don't think that goes far enough.

"We haven't really done the organizational review and structural budget reductions that we really must do," Mossar said. "Relying on staff to do that independently is a tough sell to the public and I'm not certain that the end result will be ideal."

The two are asking the city auditor to help them find ways to cut $2 million more in expenses in the future, so that the city can beef up its reserves for capital spending. One idea is to have an independent audit of the community services department, which encompasses libraries, parks, open space, art, theatre and recreation classes.

The council meeting begins at 7 p.m. in city hall.

Some of the cuts the council is expected to make are to permanently close Terman Library, reduce spending on overtime in the fire department, and eliminate most of the city's special events like the Black and White Ball.

The city is not, however, making any layoffs even though nearly 40 vacant positions are being eliminated. --Bill D'Agostino
PAUSD Plans for Future

The Palo Alto school board received a blueprint for coping with future budget catastrophes Tuesday night. Superintendent Mary Frances Callan presented the board with a plan to address the diversion of local property taxes to the state or future budget cuts. The district wants such a plan in place in case the state tries to take away $6 to $8 million from the district and property taxes do not increase accordingly. Callan said the district hopes it never has to enact the plan. The proposal has six phases and includes proposals of 25 percent reductions from schools, freezing all non-essential expenses and community input. "We have to do it thoughtfully and we have to include members of our community," Callan said.

-- Rachel Metz
Chamber to host affordable-housing meeting Tuesday

The Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce will host its fourth Neighborhoods, Business & City (NBC) meeting on Tuesday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the Chamber's offices at 122 Hamilton Ave. The topic: affordable housing.

The meeting will feature speakers and a non-Chamber facilitator. It is intended to kick off a conversation about Palo Alto housing that will extend over future meetings, said Audrey Jacob, the business group's director of government relations.

The NBC meeting is open to the public. For more information, call Jacob at 324-3124.
Kniss, Simitian promise health help

Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, and Santa Clara County Supervisor Liz Kniss said they will work on various measures to protect or increase health care when they attended a forum last Sunday night sponsored by Peninsula Interfaith Action (PIA).

Kniss said she will try the get the county to add a dental assistant to the county's dental mobile unit and to restore funding to the Fair Oaks Clinic in Sunnyvale.

Simitian said he will work against proposed cuts in Medi-Cal, and noted that the Assembly has voted to remove a proposed 15 percent cut in Medi-Cal from the pending state budget.

The PIA meeting Sunday night at Congregation Beth Am in Los Altos Hills was one of 23 similar events held around the state the same day, sponsored by the Pacific Institute for Community Organization (PICO), of which PIA is a member. --Don Kazak