2-25-26 by Daily Post

Attorney: Mom lied to cops

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT Daily Post Staff Writer

A woman told police that a man inappropriately touched her son in downtown Palo Alto so that she could get a larger police response to a stolen wallet, according to a motion filed by the man’s defense attorney.

DA dropped child assault case

while she cleaned San Agus at 115 Hamilton Ave.

THE UPDATE

‘A GOLDEN AGE’: President Trump yesterday during his State of the Union address said the country is in a golden age and is “bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever.” He also threatened military action in Iran as leaders there haven’t agreed to not build a nuclear weapon.

SKIPPED SPEECH: Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-San Mateo, skipped last night’s State of the Union speech as a form of protest and said he expects Trump to use the occasion “for selfpromotion and turn it into a political spectacle where he incites division.”

GUTHRIE FAMILY’S OFFER:

“Today” show host Savannah Guthrie says her family is now offering a $1 million reward for information leading to the recovery of her mother. It has been three weeks since Nancy Guthrie went missing from her Arizona home.

AIRCRAFT BILL KILLED:

Legislation to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems to prevent midair collisions failed to win approval in the House yesterday. The head of the National Transportation Safety

[See THE UPDATE, page 4]

Joshua Keenan Brass, 31, of East Palo Alto, spent four months in jail and is still affected by the false accusation,

“When the police get here, I want you to tell them a man was in the car and stole your dad’s money. Tell them he touched your huevos and grabbed your chile,” Yansy Garrido Aguilar allegedly told her 7-year-old son.

his defense attorney said. The alleged crime happened around 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 13, 2024, when Garrido Aguilar and her boyfriend were cleaning four downtown restaurants.

Garrido Aguilar’s 7-year-old and 11-month-old sons waited in the car

SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

Caltrain crews have installed panels with soft rubber cones that are difficult to walk across to improve safety at the Churchill Avenue crossing. Palo Alto City Council on Monday voted to hire security guards to watch the crossing 24/7 for the next year while the city pursues a temporary closure. Post photo by Braden Cartwright.

Garrido Aguilar told police that she found Brass touching himself in the front seat while holding a knife against her 7-year-old son, and that Brass took the infant out of a car seat and hit him in the head.

Police found Brass around 4 a.m.

[See LIED, page 18]

Board picks acting chief see story on PAGE 23

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT

Post Staff Writer

The Palo Alto Unified School District will pay former Superintendent Don Austin $596,802 in exchange for his resignation, according to a settlement agreement obtained by the Post yesterday.

That includes his $35,106 monthly paycheck through June 30, a $331,272 payment on Aug. 1, and a $90,000 payment on Jan. 15. The payments add up to 17 months of his salary. Austin and his wife will get full

[See $500K, page 18]

Report: Women harassed by CEO

BY EMILY MIBACH Daily Post Managing Editor

Valley Water CEO Rick Callender sexually harassed two female employees, including sending inappropriate photos, pressuring them to spend time with him outside of work, in-

cluding watering his house plants, and commenting on physical attributes of the women, according to documents released by the water agency yesterday.

Callender had been on paid leave for 14 months and on Friday, Valley Water announced he would

retire as CEO on March 1 and stay on as a paid advisor for the next year at his current salary. The district has agreed to pay Callender’s attorney’s fees in an amount not to exceed $65,000, according to the settlement agreement. The board

[See HARASSED, page 18]

AUSTIN

Locally owned, independent

3 take plea deal in Stanford case

Three of the Stanford pro-Palestinian protesters have taken a plea deal. Kaiden Wang, Gretchen Giumarin and Cameron Pennington pleaded no contest to misdemeanor vandalism and conspiracy on Monday after Judge Deborah Ryan agreed to reduce the charges down from felonies. They will have to perform community service and pay restitution. Judge Ryan will determine how much in restitution and the parameters of the trio’s community service at their Sept. 9 sentencing hearing.

Deadlocked jury

This comes two weeks after Judge Hanley Chew declared a mistrial in the case of five of the other protesters — German Gonzalez, Maya Burke, Taylor McCann, Hunter Taylor-Black and Amy Zhai.

Judge Chew declared the jury “hopelessly deadlocked” after five days of deliberation at the San Jose courthouse.

Jurors were divided 8-4 for guilt on a conspiracy charge and 9-3 for guilt on a vandalism charge.

During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Rob Baker said jurors should convict the five because they intentionally planned to take over the offices on June 5, 2024, to use as leverage to cause Stanford to sell investments in companies that sell products to the Israel Defense Forces, such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

$300K

in damages

Protesters had splattered fake blood and broke windows, doors and furniture on June 5, putting the damage at more than $300,000, according to the DA’s office.

But defense attorney Avi Singh, who represents Gonzalez, insists the occupation was peaceful and only meant to raise awareness about the students’ desire to have Stanford sell its stock in companies that do business with Israel.

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AG Bonta refuses to help ex-sheriff

BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer

State Attorney General Rob Bonta says in a scathing letter that his office won’t help former San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus’ attempt to remove the District Attorney’s office from proceedings related to a civil grand jury’s accusation against her.

Corpus’s attorney claims DA Steve Wagstaffe’s office has a conflict of interest due to its dual role as administrator of the civil grand jury and as prosecutor.

Last year, Corpus asked Bonta to intervene “to stop an unlawful and dangerous abuse of power in San Mateo County,” before her firing.

Supervisors fired Corpus on Oct. 14 for allegations of nepotism and retaliation. If she is found guilty in the civil grand jury case, she will be barred from holding public office ever again.

But Bonta said Corpus’s reasoning to remove the DA’s office is not genuine. Asking for another prosecutor is another tactic to delay a case or shop for a less aggressive prosecutor, Deputy Attorney General Sharon Loughner wrote in a Jan. 30 filing.

Latest defeat

This is the latest defeat in the litany of lawsuits Corpus has filed against various county officials in the attempt to reverse her firing or slow down civil grand jury proceedings.

In a case that she filed against the county’s board of supervisors in an attempt to halt its removal proceedings, the case was dismissed last month, with both sides agreeing that the case is over, according to court records.

The civil grand jury has filed four “accusations” against Corpus for failing to disclose her close relationship

with her former chief of staff Victor Aenlle, for firing Assistant Sheriff Ryan Monaghan after participating in an investigation into Corpus, reassigning former Capt. Brian Philip for refusing to start an internal affairs investigation into Sgt. Javier Acosta, brother to the sergeant's union president Hector Acosta and for arresting deputy's union president Carlos Tapia for alleged timecard fraud. Wagstaffe’s office declined to file charges against Tapia.

Is DA biased?

Corpus claims that Wagstaffe is biased because he hired Monaghan after she fired him. Monaghan worked for the DA's office from June 23 to Dec. 20 before returning to the sheriff's office under new Sheriff Ken Binder.

Loughner said Corpus’s credibility is questionable because of her reason for firing Monaghan. Corpus fired

Monaghan on Sept. 20, 2024, because she was disappointed in him and no longer trusted him after he sat for an interview with retired Judge LaDoris Cordell, who was investigating her and Aenlle, not because of his performance, according to Loughner.

Corpus has speculated in past court filings that Monaghan’s work in the DA’s office in the human trafficking operations creates a conflict, Loughner said.

But since Monaghan didn’t even work in the DA’s offices, he worked at the Redwood City Police Department’s offices, there is no conflict, according to Loughner.

Hearing next week

A hearing is scheduled for March 5, where Judge Mark McCannon will decide if the DA’s office should be recused, according to court records.

Board said the system that her agency has been recommending since 2008 would have prevented last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.

LOUVRE DIRECTOR OUT: French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted the resignation of the Louvre Museum’s president. Laurence des Cars had been under fire in the wake of a stunning and embarrassing heist of the French crown jewels.

HOCKEY TEAM VISIT: The gold-medal-winning U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team landed at Joint Base Andrews and visited President Trump at the White House before attending his State of the Union address last night. The gold-medal-winning women’s team declined the president’s invitation.

UCLA LAWSUIT: The Justice Department is suing University of California over allegations that UCLA failed to protect Jewish employees from antisemitic harassment amid pro-Palestinian protests that roiled the campus in 2023 and 2024. The lawsuit, filed yesterday, is the latest escalation in the Trump administration’s campaign to punish top universities that it says have been “soft on antisemitism.”

SNOWBALL INVESTIGATION: New York City police are investigating after officers were pelted with snowballs while responding to a massive snowball fight at Washington Square Park in Manhattan. A police spokesperson says multiple officers had been hit in the face with snowballs while responding to the snowball fight and were brought to a hospital in stable condition.

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Editor: Dave Price

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Distribution: Amando Mendoza III

Account Executives: Jena Hollister, Mike Ireland and Winnie Reyes

Letters: Limit to 250 words. Author’s full name, address and phone number are required. See policy at padailypost.com under “letters.”

Deaths

San Mateo County Coroner:

Feb. 24

Clarence R. Wagoner, 85, no hometown listed Victor Silva, 63, no hometown listed

Feb. 23

Jack R. Bookter, 81, of El Granada

Rachel Marie Gepiga, 54, of San Mateo

Feb. 22

Hermelinda Aramburo De Osuna, 79, of East Palo Alto

Gary Nigel Durrans, 53, of Belmont

Feb. 21

Robert Ken Quon, 78, of Millbrae

Xioa Mei Wu, 63, of South San Francisco

William Stephen Haskins, 72, of Pacifica

William Joseph Casey, 71, of Redwood City

Births

Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City:

July 31

Harper Caian Tang, a girl

Ethan Alexander Wong, a boy

July 30

Bear Brook Byers, a boy

Manda Zhang, a girl

July 29

Chloe Noelle Castellanos, a girl

Adelie Lyra McNamee, a girl

Camila Isabela Velasquez, a girl

July 28

Astrid Isabel Sosa, a girl

Charlotte Ivy Whitener, a girl

July 26

Isabelle Jane Bates, a girl

Usman Faizad, a boy

July 25

Ezekiel Sandoval, a boy

July 24

Eva Bagherian, a girl

Henri Robert Conte, a boy

Anran Han, a girl

July 23

Camilo Jose De La Torre, a boy

Savar Moghe, a boy

Clara Perrottireis, a girl

Elania Mila Maren, a girl

July 22

Zia Xu, a girl

July 21

Sophie Celine Soohoo, a girl

July 20

Amelia Jane Lammert, a girl

Raha Summer Tabrizian, a girl

Zander Xu, a boy

July 19

Noam Sarnat Bazri, a boy

July 18

Anika Ostrowski, a girl

Victoria Rezaeian, a girl

July 17

Teo Aptekar, a boy

Avir Jain Sheth, a boy

July 16

Catalina Miranda Martinez Diaz, a girl

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Council eyes RV permit

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT Daily Post Staff Writer

Palo Alto City Council has endorsed a permit program for RV dwellers as a way to cap their numbers and manage bad behavior.

“If we have a permit system we can say, ‘No, you violated your code of conduct. You’re losing your permit.’ We have much more leverage,” Councilman Keith Reckdahl said Monday.

Growing problem

Reckdahl is on a committee with council members Julie Lythcott-Haims and Ed Lauing that has been looking at how to deal with RVs — a growing problem that’s angered residents and business owners who don’t like the smell, trash and traffic hazards on their street.

“I drive down Park Boulevard and I smell the urine. I understand it,” Reckdahl said.

On the other side are RV dwell-

ers who say they have nowhere else to go.

“They’re choosing a vehicle over an encampment,” Lythcott-Haims said.

Permit program

The committee suggested a permit program, starting with a limited number permits in a small area.

The city could offer services like trash and sewage removal to entice RV dwellers to get a permit, City Manager Ed Shikada said.

The committee still needs to figure out how to spread RVs throughout the city and the number of RV dwellers to allow.

Councilman Pat Burt said he wanted to cap the number at the city’s RV count from a few years ago, before neighboring cities cracked down and pushed RV dwellers into Palo Alto’s business areas.

Mayor Vicki Veenker said she is against a permit program and wants to work with other cities

first. She’s afraid a permit program would have a more severe impact on certain parts of the city.

Council members agreed that banning RVs citywide isn’t an option. Tow yards don’t have enough space, and other cities have been sued and ordered to drop their bans after spending millions on legal bills, Stone and Reckdahl said.

Parking area

Lythcott-Haims said she wants cities to work together to buy or lease a parking lot for RVs in Santa Clara County, outside of Palo Alto where commercial land costs around $10 million an acre.

Councilman Ed Lauing said the city has tried to find a parking lot for RVs, but churches and private property owners aren’t willing to take them.

The city is in talks with Caltrans about an area bordered by Highway 101, San Antonio Road and Transport Street that’s currently leased to Ciardella’s Garden Supply.

Leaf blower rebates to proceed

BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer

San Carlos Councilman John Dugan is worried landscapers will abuse the city’s rebate program for those who make the switch to electric leaf blowers.

Council on Monday moved forward with a program to pay residents and landscapers to switch to electric leaf blowers. Residents can receive $100 to $250, while local businesses and gardeners can get up to $1,000 for switching to electric tools.

To receive money, the tools must have been purchased on or after Dec. 15, according to Senior Management Analyst Akanksha Chopra. The city will accept applications in March until the $30,000 allocated runs out, Chopra said. Businesses will be limited to rebating two leaf blowers a year, Chopra said.

Program abuse fears

Dugan said he is worried people will abuse the program by buying gas-powered equipment at Home

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Depot, getting the rebate, and still using their own gas-powered tools. Dugan said landscapers should sign a pledge, and that the city should post a list of all those who have signed it. The rest of council was not in favor of a pledge but agreed to publish a list of landscapers who switched to electric leaf blowers.

“Whatever risk is involved, I think we need to be willing to take that risk on the amount of money to try to get them into the program to achieve our goals,” Councilman Neil Layton said.

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City mulls street vending changes

BY ADRIANA HERNANDEZ Daily Post Staff Writer

Redwood City Council wants to look into having designated spaces for street vendors after residents complained about noise, littering and sidewalks being blocked.

Council on Monday discussed changing the city’s regulations regarding street vendors to comply with state law. Council hasn’t changed the regulations for 40 years, according to Councilman Jeff Gee.

Council did not take any action, but will decide at a future meeting whether to require vendors to have a trash can and to set regulations on hours and locations.

Designated space

Mayor Elmer Saballos said he has fond memories of buying food from vendors when he was younger. Vendors are important for residents who don’t have easy access to food and those who are coming from vulnerable situations, he said. Saballos suggested looking into a designated vendor spot, like the city’s previous RV parking lot. The city previously attempted to help RV dwellers in 2020 by allowing them to park in a city lot and access resources while staying there.

There are two kinds of street vendors — those who walk around and those at a fixed location, Economic Development Manager Amanda Anthony said.

Anthony Persons, who lives on Redwood Avenue, said there is a food stand that uses an open flame and sets up chairs next to his home. The vendor sells food until midnight and leaves trash everywhere.

“They’re defecating. They’re urinating. They’re leaving all kinds of plates and stuff all over my house. It’s a pain,” Persons said.

Vendors should be moved out of residential areas because they create a fire hazard and make too much noise at night, Persons said.

Gee said vendors should be following the city’s noise ordinance and shouldn’t be allowed to sell at 6 a.m. Every part of the city is different, and the regulations should be more flexible in downtown areas than in residential areas, with possibly different hours, he said.

Next steps

Council will be revisiting the ordinance in the summer and asked Anthony to reach out to vendors and business associations to gauge whether there is appetite for vendors.

Is there anything better than happy hour? How about happy hour… with lobstah.

Get your favorite crew together and go check out the happy hour deals at New England Lobster Market & Eatery in Burlingame. From 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday you can get any beer for just $3 and a bucket of lobster claws for $19.95. Oysters of the day are $1.95 each, too. They’ve also got deals on their tacos, shrimp cocktail, Dungeness crab sliders and more. Who knows, maybe you’ll even decide to stay for dinner.

If all that tasty seafood puts you in the mood to enjoy some at home later, stop by their market – or order

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your items online and have them delivered right to you the next day, Tuesday through Saturday. You can order any time all the way up to midnight and still get your seafood the next day. New England Lobster’s own drivers bring your food in their refrigerated trucks straight to your door. Delivery is $50 for all customers between San Francisco and San Jose. If you’re ordering for more than yourself, you really have to try New England Lobster’s “party in a pot” lobster boil bucket. Each DIY home lobster boil pot comes with four 1.25-pound live lobsters, four artichokes, a pound of shrimp, four Louisiana hot links, four pieces of corn, potatoes, onion and garlic, along with seasoning and lemon. All you have to do is follow the included

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Heart attacks can strike women too

Lori Sepich smoked for years and sometimes skipped taking her blood pressure medicine. But she never thought she’d have a heart attack.

The possibility “just wasn’t registering with me,” said the 64-year-old from Memphis, Tenn., who suffered two of them 13 years apart.

She’s far from alone. More than 60 million women in the U.S. live with cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease as well as stroke, heart failure and atrial fibrillation. And despite the myth that heart attacks mostly strike men, women are vulnerable too.

Overall in the U.S., 1 in 5 women dies of cardiovascular disease each year, 37,000 of them from heart attacks.

Cardiovascular disease is “the No. 1 killer of women. It will affect you or someone you know,” said Dr. Sharonne Hayes, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “Knowing what to do if you have symptoms of a heart attack and taking action if you do, that’s really important.”

Lowering your risk

There are several ways anyone can reduce their risks.

The American Heart Association has created a list called “Life’s Essential 8”: eat better, quit tobacco, get healthy sleep, be more active, control cholesterol, and manage weight, blood sugar and blood pressure.

Dr. Stacey Rosen, association president, advises getting regular checkups to talk about these preventive measures, keep tabs on your health and discuss any family history of heart problems.

Doctors also suggest discussing risk

factors that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.

Women are more likely to have autoimmune conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, which cause inflammation that can raise heart disease risk. They’re also more likely to suffer from depression, which is associated with inflammation and unhealthy behaviors like staying in bed.

Other conditions associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease are a history of high blood pressure or diabetes while pregnant, miscarriages or stillbirth. Hot flashes and night sweats during menopause have also been linked to a greater risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Likely symptoms

When people think about heart attacks, many envision a middle-aged man suddenly clutching his heart and falling to the ground.

But in reality, Hayes said, “it’s not going to probably be one of those Hollywood heart attacks.”

Chest pain or discomfort is a usual symptom, but far from the only one.

“What’s different about women is that they are more likely than men to have other symptoms,” Rosen said.

Those include back pain, shortness of breath, cold sweats, tiredness, nausea, lightheadedness, an anxious feeling, jaw pain and finger tingling.

Symptoms may come on a bit more subtly for women than men. Hayes hears a common refrain: “I got the symptom and it waxed and waned a little bit over time, but I knew something wasn’t right.”

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States challenge vaccine changes

More than a dozen states sued the Trump administration yesterday over its rollback of vaccine recommendations for children, calling the move an illegal threat to public health.

The states argue that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put children’s lives at risk when it announced last month that it would stop recommending all children get immunized against the flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, some forms of meningitis and RSV. Under the new guidance, which was met with criticism from medical experts, protections against those diseases are recommend-

ed only for certain groups deemed high risk or when doctors recommend them in what’s called “shared decision-making.”

The new vaccine recommendations ignore long-standing medical guidance and will make states have to spend more to protect against outbreaks, the states, including Arizona and California, said.

“The health and safety of children across the country is not a political issue,” said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, at a news conference. “It is not a culture war talking point.”

Times shown are when a report was made to police. Information is from police department logs. All of the

here are innocent until proven guilty in court.

PALO ALTO

JAN. 26

6:58 p.m. — Naomi Louise St. Louis, 65, transient, arrested for creating a public nuisance, 500 block of High St.

FEB. 3

8:27 a.m. — Robbery, 700 block of E. Meadow Drive.

FEB. 5

1:10 a.m. — Cindy Richardson Toledo, 55, of Menlo Park, arrested for creating a public nuisance, 300 block of Homer Ave.

5:20 p.m. — Flavio Huerta Tinoco, 44, of Morgan Hill, arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license, W. Meadow Drive and Wilkie Way.

11:05 p.m. — Jesus Delarosa Moreno, 25, of Palo Alto, arrested for vandalism, Downtown Palo Alto Caltrain Station.

FEB. 12

7:18 p.m. — Petty theft at Whole Foods, 774 Emerson St.

FEB. 13

10:28 p.m. — Elizabeth Taumoepeau, 45, of East Palo Alto, arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license, Town & Country Village.

FEB. 14

7:32 a.m. — Home burglary, 300 block of Oxford Ave.

FEB. 16

2:13 p.m. — Jamir Sebastian Ortiz, 21, of San Mateo, arrested for shoplifting, Stanford Shopping Center.

FEB. 17

1:45 p.m. — Scam, 500 block of Hilbar Lane.

8:31 p.m. — Michael Gabriel Fisiiahi, 23, of Palo Alto, arrested for theft at Nick the Greek, 322 University Ave.

FEB. 18

5:11 a.m. — Kirk Fitzgerald Ford, 60, of East Palo Alto, arrested for trespassing, Stanford Hospital.

9:24 a.m. — Auto burglary, 100 block of Hamilton Ave.

THURSDAY

11:15 a.m. — Shelagh Bryn Krainer, 59, of La Honda, cited on a warrant, 4000 block of Nelson Drive.

2:25 p.m. — Auto burglary, 400 block of Emerson St.

3:36 p.m. — Vandalism, 1900 block of El Camino.

4:34 p.m. — Grand theft, 500 block of Ramona St.

6:48 p.m. — Sex with a minor reported, Harker Ave.

FRIDAY

11:48 a.m. — Maurice Lajuan Hicks, 53, of Palo Alto, arrested on warrants, 400 block of Waverley St.

2:43 p.m. — Petty theft from a vehicle, 3800 block of Park Blvd.

6:22 p.m. — Identity theft, 500 block of St. Claire Drive.

MENLO PARK

SUNDAY

1:45 p.m. — Tools stolen from a work site, 200 block of Independence Drive.

MONDAY

8:35 a.m. — Grand theft, 200 block of Robin Way.

2:34 p.m. — Kenneth Jensen, 58, of Mountain View, arrested for violation of a court order, 1300 block of Crane St.

7:28 p.m. — Grand theft, 1000 block of Marsh Road.

EAST PALO ALTO

MONDAY

9:36 p.m. — Taniela Lui, 33, of Manteca, arrested for possession of burglary tools and violation of a court order, University Ave. and Bay Road. Arrest made by Menlo Park police. Sina Faasolo, 36, of East Palo Alto, cited on a warrant.

STANFORD

FEB. 14

9:45 a.m. — Jonathan Payne, 63, of San Francisco, cited for possession of stolen property, Palm Drive and Arboretum Road.

MOUNTAIN VIEW

FEB. 13

8:07 a.m. — Sexual assault, 1000 block of Villa St.

8:29 a.m. — Theft at Chevron, 45 W. El Camino. Adrian Molina, 22, of Santa Clara, arrested for theft, public drunkenness and obstructing police.

8:56 a.m. — Vehicle stolen, 1900 block of Latham St.

11:50 a.m. — Theft at Walmart, 600 Showers Drive.

2:20 p.m. — Vandalism, 100 block of Farley St.

7:29 p.m. — Home burglary, 700 block of Rustic Lane.

9:49 p.m. — Home burglary, 2400 block of Betlo Ave.

10:29 a.m. — Auto burglary, 1000 block of Joaquin Road.

10:42 p.m. — Juan Rodriguez, 27, of Mountain View, arrested for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and on warrants at 7-Eleven, 615 S. Rengstorff Ave.

11:55 p.m. — Vehicle stolen, El Camino and Grant Road.

Midnight Home burglary, 1100 block of Fordham Way.

FEB. 14

1 a.m. — Kevin Guarcas, 27, transient, arrested for public drunkenness, 800 block of N. Rengstorff Ave.

1:19 a.m. — Vehicle stolen, 700 block of Telford Ave.

10:11 a.m. — Vandalism, 1000 block of Varsity Court.

1:20 p.m. — Auto burglary, 500 block of Showers Drive.

2:31 p.m. — Luis Santamaria Arevalo, 35, of San Jose, arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license and on warrants, Terra Bella Ave. and Shoreline Blvd.

2:35 p.m. — Home burglary, 200 block of Mariposa Ave.

3:15 p.m. — Robbery, 2300 block of California St.

5:10 p.m. — Travis Pastori, 46, of San Francisco, arrested for grand theft, credit card fraud, identity theft and possession of burglary tools and drug paraphernalia at Target, 555 Showers Drive.

6:34 p.m. — Auto burglary, 1300 block of Shorebird Way.

6:57 p.m. — Battery, 100 block of Del Medio Ave.

8:37 p.m. — Josue Alvarez Garcia, 22, of Sunnyvale, arrested for DUI, failure to comply with sex offender registration requirements and on a warrant, 400 block of Ortega Ave.

8:39 p.m. — Vehicle stolen, 700 block of Villa St.

9:35 p.m. — Justin Matthews, 43, transient, arrested for petty theft and public drunkenness, 100 block of E. El Camino.

LOS ALTOS

SUNDAY

12:05 p.m. — Thomas Dinh, 55, of Palo Alto, arrested for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and theft of someone else’s lost property, Springer Road and El Monte Ave.

ATHERTON

MONDAY

7:24 a.m. — Vehicle accident causes minor injuries, Atherton and Elena avenues.

NORTH FAIR OAKS

THURSDAY

7:48 p.m. — Joshua Santilla Munoz, 20, cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license, Dumbarton and Devonshire avenues.

FRIDAY

12:53 a.m. — Yonni Morales Garcia, 24, of Redwood City, arrested

for possession of meth and resisting police, Bay Road and Douglas Ave.

1:37 p.m. — Joshua Cruz Torres, 45, cited for driving with a suspended or revoked license, Fifth Ave. and Bay Road.

REDWOOD CITY

THURSDAY

1:04 p.m. — Electric bike stolen, Broadway.

1:05 p.m. — Resident reports a burglary that occurred a few years ago, with a loss of a necklace and earrings, Bradshaw Terrace.

2:14 p.m. — Stolen Maserati recovered, Redwood Shores Parkway.

3:17 p.m. — Vacant home broken into, Edgewood Road.

6 p.m. — Seema Devi Chaudhry, 32, of Redwood City, arrested on a warrant, Beech and Marshall streets.

FRIDAY

8:33 a.m. — Vehicle stolen, 18th Ave.

11:41 a.m. — Vehicle stolen, Chantal Way.

12:53 p.m. — Garage of a home broken into, Goodwin Ave. Two backpacks, survival supplies and a solar generator are stolen.

3:27 p.m. — Battery, Florence St.

3:53 p.m. — Business reports a grand theft by a former employee, El Camino.

4:51 p.m. — Vehicle window smashed, Winslow St.

6:50 p.m. — Man says another person slapped him in the face, Hillview Ave.

8:08 p.m. — Guy Anthony Harper, 69, of Redwood City, arrested for DUI after driving into a tree, Alameda de las Pulgas and Brewster Ave.

10:56 p.m. — Woman says her brother punched her in the head, Charter St.

SAN CARLOS

FEB. 6

5:39 p.m. — Man steals merchandise worth about $1,300 from a store, 1200 block of Industrial Road. FEB. 18

12:45 p.m. — Traffic collision causes minor injuries, 600 block of Elm St.

THURSDAY

9:52 p.m. — Kevin Alexander Banals, 28, of San Francisco, arrested for shoplifting, possession of drug paraphernalia and on a warrant, 1200 block of Industrial Road.

BELMONT

SATURDAY

7:15 p.m. — Justin Michael Basri, 32, arrested for shoplifting, 900 block of El Camino.

Real Estate

closed Jan. 14 (last sale: $900,000, 05-30-06)

PALO ALTO

1111 Juana Court, 94303, 3 bedrooms, 1541 square feet, built in 2025, Summerhill West Bay-Shore LLC to Sue and Keun Song for $590,000, closed Jan. 26

153 California Ave.

#F215, 94306, 2 bedrooms, 1247 square feet, built in 1982, Marcotte Family Trust to Golgoun Habibi for $970,000, closed Jan. 27 (last sale: $1,300,000, 0724-20)

2500 Columbia St. #301, 94304, 2 bedrooms, 1339 square feet, built in 2018, Zhandry Living Trust to Leland Stanford Junior Unvi for $1,260,000, closed Jan. 27 (last sale: $3,252,000, 09-11-24)

EAST PALO ALTO

2670 Illinois St., 94303, 3 bedrooms, 970 square feet, built in 1952, Tamara and Margaret Lawyer to Bonjour Staging LLC for $700,000, closed Jan. 13

2232 Euclid Ave., 94303, 4 bedrooms, 1980 square feet, built in 1949, Joaquina Trujillo to Yao-Liao Family Trust for $1,200,000, closed Jan. 15 (last sale: $600,000, 06-15-07)

MENLO PARK

2146 Sand Hill Road, 94025, 3 bedrooms, 2030 square feet, built in 1971, Sun Living Trust to Roja Decande for $1,648,000,

1330 University Drive #66, 94025, 2 bedrooms, 1490 square feet, built in 1973, Onalson Inc to View Capital Ventures Lp for $1,800,000, closed Jan. 15

MOUNTAIN VIEW

748 Cottage Court, 94043, 2 bedrooms, 1150 square feet, built in 2004, Anne Puyt to Annie and George Toderici for $1,150,000, closed Jan. 29 (last sale: $1,302,000, 01-31-19)

1269 Verano Road, 94043, 3 bedrooms, 1471 square feet, built in 2022, Tongyu Chen to Asif Khan for $1,635,000, closed Jan. 28 (last sale: $1,640,000, 02-09-23)

LOS ALTOS

920 Oxford Drive, 94024, 5 bedrooms, 3278 square feet, built in 1975, Vigil-Galcher Family Trust to Chen Trust for $4,725,000, closed Jan. 30 (last sale: $2,425,000, 10-09-08)

1440 Oakhurst Ave., 94024, 3 bedrooms, 2228 square feet, built in 1954, Nancy Franck to Yaqin and Xiaowei Li for $6,180,000, closed Jan. 29

PORTOLA VALLEY

11 Hawkview St., 94028, 3 bedrooms, 3670 square feet, built in 1981, Elke and Franz Janker to Hempel Trust for $4,025,000, closed Jan. 12

1 Grove Court, 94028, 3

bedrooms, 4597 square feet, built in 2006, Hrm-Cmg 2000 Trust to Jmy Living Trust for $14,500,000, closed Jan. 15 (last sale: $2,882,000, 11-03-20)

REDWOOD CITY

200 Baltic Circle #232, 94065, 1 bedroom, 927 square feet, built in 1996, Lee Family Trust to Matthew Liu for $721,000, closed Jan. 16 (last sale: $525,000, 01-11-05)

3021 Glendale Ave., 94063, 3 bedrooms, 1260 square feet, built in 1945, Lourdes Navasca to Cali Cash Homebuyer LLC for $765,000, closed Jan. 14

603 Warrington Ave., 94063, 2 bedrooms, 1010 square feet, built in 1961, Flock-Church Little to Hermenegildo Barrera-Banderas for $950,000, closed Jan. 14

657 2nd Ave., 94063, 3 bedrooms, 1370 square feet, built in 1966, Benita Varona to Jennifer Zhang for $1,180,000, closed Jan. 14

SAN CARLOS

151 Highland Ave., 94070, 4 bedrooms, 2450 square feet, built in 1973, Whiteley Trust to Whiteley Living Trust for $2,700,000, closed Jan. 15 (last sale: $183,000, 10-01-79)

865 Somerset Court, 94070, 4 bedrooms, 2552 square feet, built in 1965, Mary Harler to Ilvina and Azat Mubarakshin for $3,550,000, closed Jan. 12 (last sale: $3,650,000, 08-23-23)

Takes the Gold for Senior Empowerment

For their dedication to active engagement, Palo Alto Commons just took the LifeLoop Communities That Shine Award for Resident Empowerment. LifeLoop is a proactive engagement, communication and wellness platform used by more than 4,700 senior living communities across North America. Of those, 12 were recognized this year for using the technology to improve resident quality of life. Want to ﬁnd out more about exceptional, worry-free senior living? Call (650) 494-0760 or go to paloaltocommons.com.

North

or ﬁnding

FREE SOCIAL SECURITY WEBINAR. Are you a baby boomer? Join Jack Dominge, Managing Partner at Uptrex Wealth Advisors, for an educational webinar to learn critical information about your retirement income and making the most of your Social Security Beneﬁt. Save the date: Thursday, February 26 at 12 p.m. To register, please go to: www.uptrex.com or email him at: jack@uptrex.com.

DONNA MARIE

BALDWIN HOSTS Erica Lyons this Saturday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. for a Hands-Only CPR Class. Join them for an informative session on how to perform handsonly/compressiononly CPR, choking relief and Automated External Deﬁbrillator (AED) usage. Erica is a CPR Instructor at Stanford Children’s Health, dedicated to teaching lifesaving skills to individuals of all ages. Register at DonnaMarieBaldwin.com/Events. *This class does not offer CPR certiﬁcation. Compass | DRE #00560346

JOIN THE CALIFORNIA TASK FORCE 3 FOUNDATION and the Menlo Park Fire Protection District for their 1st Annual Crab Cioppino Feed. The event will feature a canine demonstration, a meet-and-greet with handlers, and photo opportunities with the K9 teams. Guests will

also enjoy live music throughout the evening and the opportunity to connect with the community in support of those who serve during challenging times. Saturday, Feb. 28, from 5 to 11 p.m. at the Menlo Park Fire Protection District | CA-TF3 Warehouse, 2470 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto.

PORCHETTA NIGHT IS BACK AT ITALICO. Chef Kristjan’s slow-roasted porchetta returns this Saturday, Feb. 28. Come enjoy authentic Italian ﬂavors, featuring crisp skin and a juicy center. iTalico is located at 341 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto. For reservations, call (650) 473-9616. Please extract the image below from their old Porchetta ad with people in it.

FAMILY MUSIC BRUNCH AT ROGER. Enjoy a dining experience the whole family will love. Featuring live music from Mariana Bonetti with songs kids know and love, guests are invited to sing, dance, and move along. The event takes place every second Sunday of the

month from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 800 Moffett Blvd., Mountain View. To reserve your spot, please call (650) 880-1030.

back to the Sundance very soon. Come by 1921 El Camino Real and see why Sundance is such a special place. Call (650) 321-6798 for a reservation and check the website for more info.

THE PALO ALTO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE INVITES THE COMMUNITY to an evening of inspiration and connection celebrating local women leaders. Registration is now open for the free Women in Enterprise event on Tuesday, March 3, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Hosted by the Palo Alto Art Center, the event celebrates the women fellows of Leadership Palo Alto, who will share the impact the program has had on their lives and businesses. To learn more and register, please visit paloaltochamber.com. Shown in the photo is Christina Hood, Chamber Board President and Event Co-chair.

MAKING MARTINI’S OR SERVING PRIME RIB DINNERS IS WHAT BRANDON IS ALL ABOUT.

At Sundance the Steakhouse Brandon is either working the lounge or the dining room. In the lounge have Brandon pour you tall cool one or maybe mix you up a tasty attitude adjusting martini. As for dinner there is a whole world of delicious dishes to choose from. Prime rib, ﬁlet mignon, lobster and a wide selection of thick, juicy steaks. Throw in the gourmet appetizers, a world-class wine list, desserts to die for and you know you’ll be coming

DO YOU HAVE LEAKY WINDOWS or roof that is in need of repair? Contact Palo Alto Builders today. They are a full-service local construction company that has become known for high-quality craftsmanship. Palo Alto Builders employs the best craftsmen and skilled artisans to help bring your home and ofﬁce projects to life.

From the simple remodel to a new building, their stamp of quality is on every job and they have many happy local clients who’ll be happy to vouch for this. Call Sassan today at (650) 422-4119 to set up a consultation for your next project.

WHEN IT COMES TO DEPENDABLE ELECTRICAL WORK, Bay Area residents and business owners alike turn to Keith Davey Electrical. With years of hands-on experience, Keith offers all phases of electrical specializing in recessed lighting. Now offering electric car charger installations. References and free estimates available. Please call Keith at (650) 759-0440 for more information.

LIED –––––––––

near the intersection of Emerson Street and Lytton Avenue.

Brass told Officer Yolanda Franco-Clausen that he reached through the window to unlock the car door and took a wallet, and he didn’t see the kids in the back seat.

Brass was booked on suspicion of six felonies, including kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon and sexually assaulting a minor.

Conflicting stories

Police tried interviewing the 7-year-old boy on Oct. 7, 2024, but he only responded with partial sentences and a sequence of events that didn’t make sense, according to the police report.

The boys also missed follow-up doctor’s appointments, the police report said.

Garrido Aguilar’s boyfriend Jonathan Garcia Palacios told police on Dec. 26, 2024, that both children were still sleeping when he went to the car.

Garrido Aguilar was upset about losing $200 in the stolen wallet and said police wouldn’t have done anything if she didn’t make up the touching, Garcia Palacios said.

“She’s a liar. She lied about the homeless guy touching the kids,” Garcia Palacios said, according to the police report.

Garcia Palacios said Garrido Aguilar would hit herself so she could report him for domestic violence, and he only stayed in the relationship to remain in their son’s life.

Doesn’t want an innocent man in jail

Garcia Palacios said he was telling the truth because he didn’t want an innocent man in jail.

Officers went back to the original police report and found that Garcia Palacios wasn’t interviewed at the scene.

Agent Juan Valle talked to the older son, but Garrido Aguilar was there asking leading questions, a supplemental police report said.

Deputy District Attorney Nik Warrior dismissed

the case due to insufficient evidence on Jan. 2, 2025, and Brass was released from jail, court records show. She’s not facing charges

Warrior said he isn’t planning to file charges against Garrido Aguilar.

“The information we have currently is conflicting, and we do not believe we have sufficient evidence to file charges at this time,” Warrior said in an email on Monday.

Today, Deputy Public Defender Tom Cummins will ask Judge Kelley Paul to declare Brass innocent and destroy his arrest record.

The arrest continues to affect Brass’s life, reputation and opportunities, Cummins said.

“A simple internet search of Mr. Brass’s name still links him to the false and harmful accusations of being a violent child sex offender,” Cummins wrote. “Any job, friend neighbor or inquisitive person will see ‘Knife-wielding man in Palo Alto exposes himself, assaults children inside vehicle.’ None of which is true.”

$500K –––––––

health benefits from the district until June 30, 2027, the agreement said. Austin will also get $500 per hour to cooperate with the district on any “claim, dispute, negotiation, investigation or proceeding” that he was directly involved with, the agreement said.

Both sides agreed not to sue or talk negatively about each other.

The agreement was approved by the board in closed session on Friday and released by the district yesterday in response to a California Public Records Act request.

Board member surprised

In an interview yesterday, board member Rowena Chiu said she was surprised to hear Austin left, and her first time seeing the agreement was when she voted on it.

She said she wasn’t sure how the agreement came about and wasn’t a part of negotiations.

“I personally don’t think I could have influenced the settlement agreement in any way,” Chiu said. Chiu said she wants more transparency at the district, both for herself and for the public.

“A lot of these things are opaque to me, and I am the board vice president. And I think that’s quite concerning,” she said.”

Chiu said she doesn’t know why Austin left.

Heated meeting

At his last board meeting on Feb. 10, teachers packed the room and booed at some of his comments, and Austin went back and forth with a student board representative over labor negotiations.

The meeting was particularly emotional following a student suicide at a Caltrain crossing the week before — the third student to die by suicide in the last year.

The board also approved a $3.25 million payment to Fletcher Middle School teacher Peter Colombo, who sued the district after he was falsely accused of rape, according to his attorney.

“I do think that was an unfortunate meeting, and I think we all made choices that were perhaps — reconsidered in the light of day — not the wisest of choices,” Chiu said.

Job took a toll

Austin led the district for eight years, the longest in his position since 1975. He said he left because working in education for 30 years took a toll on him, and the timing felt right.

“There was no event. There’s no single thing to point to,” Austin said in an interview. “It’s just one day you wake up and think, ‘Maybe I’ve gone as far as I’m going to go here.’”

Austin will have to move out of his district-provided condo by April 30, the agreement said.

HARASSED

hired law firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Rudd and Romo to investigate both the sexual harassment complaints and allegations that Callender used Valley Wa-

NAACP State Conference.

Callender’s response

Callender’s attorney Lori Costanzo sent a response to the investigation’s findings on Dec. 16. His rebuttal was also released along with the executive summaries of the investigations, as agreed upon in the settlement agreement.

“They mischaracterize his work, impugn his integrity without basis, and appear calculated to damage his reputation and undermine public confidence in Valley Water’s leadership,” Costanzo wrote.

Costanzo also said the accusations rely on “clear racial animus and stereotypical images of African American men.”

But the investigators found that Callender regularly gave “evasive, argumentative and sarcastic answers.”

The investigators also wrote that some of Callender’s explanations for his actions “defied logic.”

List of unwanted remarks

As for the sexual harassment claims, one employee provided the district with a list of occasions Callender made her feel uncomfortable, including:

• Sent her a photo of his clothed crotch,

• Asked the woman to water his tomatoes at his home while he was on vacation. When she went to his home to learn how to care for the plants, he hugged her without asking,

• Callender sent the woman photos of other women he was in relationships or flirted with,

• Made comments about her menopause-related symptoms,

• Made comments about her attire, including once telling her a dress “fit nicely,”

• When she wore high heels in the office, Callender allegedly asked her to move around so he could see the shoes better,

• Would take the employee with him when he ran errands, such as taking her to his girlfriend’s house to pick something up,

The second employee who complained about Callender had fewer allegations, but they mostly related to Callender trying to go to events, such as Sharks games, with the woman outside of work hours, which she found to be flirtatious.

Other allegations from the second woman included Callender regularly asking about the woman’s weekend or birthday plans, often hinting that he’d like to be invited to her “happy hour party.”

The investigation sustained many of the women’s sexual harassment complaints, but didn’t sustain complaints about Callender allegedly using Valley Water resources for the NAACP.

The only allegation related to the NAACP the investigators sustained was that Callender would use the district’s office to host NAACP events.

The agreement

As part of the settlement agreement, Callender cannot represent the district in any capacity unless expressly permitted by district officials. He will report to Board Chair Tony Estremera.

Estremera will grant Callender permission to attend meetings or events at the district offices. The board can end Callender’s stint as an advisor if he is found to be in breach of the settlement agreement or unsatisfactory performance.

Legal Notices

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School board elevates insider as acting chief

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT

Daily Post Staff Writer

The Palo Alto school board has picked former Superintendent Don Austin’s right-hand man to lead the district through the end of the school year.

New acting Superintendent Trent Bahadursingh, 60, of East Palo Alto, worked with Austin at his previous district in Southern California and is one of three employees at Austin’s leadership coaching business, called SimpleWins.

Bahadursingh was Austin’s chief of staff and deputy superintendent.

Bahadursingh will be acting superintendent through June 30, board president Shounak Dharap announced on Monday.

“Bahadursingh will be basically running the district, keeping the lights on, giving us continuity and stability as the board dedicates its efforts to a (hiring) process,” Dharap said.

Bahadursingh declined an interview through district spokeswoman Lynette White. In a statement,

he said he has no aspirations to lead the district beyond the temporary role.

“My immediate focus is simple: stability,” he said.

Career journey

Bahadursingh grew up in Rio Linda, north of Sacramento, and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona, according to his district profile.

He was hired from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District in December 2020, replacing Deputy Superintendent of Human Resources Karen Hendricks.

“Trent knows this district, its people, and its priorities from the inside,” Dharap said in a statement.

Lone dissenter

The board voted 4-1 in a closed session to approve Bahadursingh’s appointment, with board member Rowena Chiu voting no.

Chiu said appointing Austin’s deputy doesn’t do enough to change the district’s culture.

“There are sections of our community — parents, students and teachers — that do feel really disenfranchised, that have felt that their opinions have been written

over, and that their voices have been ignored,” Chiu said.

Chiu said she believes Bahadursingh is good at his job, but the district needs a “clear and irrevocable break” from Austin’s leadership style.

Bahadursingh was the only candidate who was seriously considered, Chiu said.

Search process

The board also voted 4-1 Monday to reach out to search firms that would look for a new superintendent, with Chiu again voting no.

Chiu said she wanted to put out a formal “request for proposals,” or RFP, that allows any search firm to bid its services.

But Bahadursingh and Chief Business Officer Charen Yu said the RFP process would take longer than the district reaching out to search firms.

The district will tell potential search firms to get community feedback and involve all five board members, Dharap said.

So the majority of the board voted to skip an RFP and solicit proposals from five to seven firms, including at least one that would do a nationwide search.