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Menlo briefs: Work starts on tunnel to save 'Granny'

"Granny," the centuries-old North Fair Oaks tree spared by a utilities commission after neighbors protested plans to cut it down, now sits between two pits.

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission dug the pits in preparation for boring a tunnel underneath the tree during the next few weeks. The commission originally planned to chop Granny down to make way for a new Hetch Hetchy pipeline, but changed its mind in the face of staunch opposition by the tree's advocates.

Charles Berkstrasser owns the property that shelters the tree. He said the construction is going well. "Personally I am relieved they are finally doing the work. No chance now they can change their minds!"

Kaygetsu owner now cooks for Apple

When Menlo Park's Kaygetsu restaurant closed in September, owners Keiko and Toshi Sakuma weren't quite sure what would come next for them.

But according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Steve Jobs didn't let them wonder for long. Before his death, the entrepreneur convinced Mr. Sakuma to take a job in Cupertino as a sushi chef at Apple headquarters.

Ms. Sakuma said in an online forum post that Mr. Jobs made the offer while eating lunch at Kaygetsu, after somehow finding out that the restaurant was for sale. "Steve has been very good to us, being one of our regular customers for many years. We didn't treat him any different from other customers; and I regret that I had to turn him away many times when we didn't have seats for him and his guests. But, I think he liked the fact that he wasn't getting any special treatment," she wrote.

Union, HSR, fees on council agenda

The Menlo Park City Council returns after a week off to tackle topics as varied as high-speed rail and National Library Week.

The agenda for the March 27 meeting includes a closed session discussion of the city's high-speed rail lawsuits at 6:15 p.m.

The regular meeting then commences at 7 p.m., with the council expected to discuss a proposed contract with the Service Employees International Union that would get benefits in line with pension reform legislation passed in 2020, as well as potential fee increases for city services.

The council is also scheduled to vote on whether to move forward with selling land on Terminal Avenue to Beechwood School.

Go to tinyurl.com/bn2atp6 to review the agenda for Tuesday's meeting. The regular meeting will be held in council chambers at the Civic Center at 701 Laurel St.