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Menlo Watch: New Menlo Park officers to be sworn in

by Sean Howell

Menlo Park will celebrate the hiring and promotions of several new police officers at a swearing-in ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 17. The ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers in the Civic Center complex between Laurel and Alma streets.

Kevin Paugh will be honored for his promotion to sergeant; he has spent 11 years with the department, most recently as a canine officer.

Ed Soares, snatched from the East Palo Alto police department, will be sworn in as an officer. Mr. Soares played a key role in the March gang bust in Menlo Park and East Palo Alto that resulted in the arrests of more than 30 alleged gang members.

Cristela Solorzano has also been promoted to an officer position, after working as a secretary with the department.

After serving for nearly seven years with the city as records officer, Claudio Ruiz will be sworn in as property and court officer.

Longtime community activist moving

Elizabeth Lasensky, who has been involved in a variety of community groups and activities during her 19 years in Menlo Park, is moving to San Carlos.

A member of the Housing Commission and an advocate for below-market-rate housing, Ms. Lasensky said her landlord forced her hand by raising her rent by 62 percent. Almanac readers might recognize her name through her many letters to the editor over the years.

Check next week's issue for a feature on Ms. Lasensky.

Dramatic rebound in child care revenue

With a decision looming on the future of the city-run child care program in Menlo Park's Civic Center complex, a recent report indicates that the program's revenue has far exceeded even optimistic expectations in the first quarter of the current fiscal year.

After becoming a drag on Menlo Park's budget to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars, the program more than covered its inter-departmental costs in the quarter, according to the report.

Earlier information provided by the city would suggest that the program is recovering roughly all its overhead costs as well, though business manager Nancy Nuckolls said it was only recovering 22 percent of those costs.

Regardless, the program is far outpacing earlier estimates, which forecast that the program would not be able to cover any of its overhead. The city attributed the increase in revenue to higher fees and better-than-expected enrollment.

The program had been under-subscribed, despite the fact that the city maintains a wait list for it.

The program serves 56 preschool-age children and toddlers. The city also runs an after-school program in the Civic Center for older children; that program recovers its costs in full, according to city estimates.

Redevelopment plan approved by council

Menlo Park's City Council unanimously approved a five-year implementation plan for the city's redevelopment area at its Nov. 10 meeting.

While the council did not add recent suggestions by the Belle Haven Neighborhood Association to the list, city officials said that wouldn't prevent the city from adding those items at any time in the next five years.