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28-699: The park is located in Palo Alto in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, bordered on most of its eastern boundary by Page Mill Road. To the north and the lowlands is the Arastradero Preserve also owned by Palo Alto and to the south is Los Trancos Open Space Preserve owned by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District . The small Foothills Open Space Preserve also owned by

56-534: A Las Vegas couple, Anna Ayala and Jaime Placencia, who planted a severed human finger in a bowl of Wendy's chili. On January 18, 2006, Davila sentenced Ayala to 9 years in prison and Placencia to 12 years and 4 months in prison. However, the Sixth District California Court of Appeal ordered Davila to resentence Ayala in 2007 on the grounds that Davila improperly added years to the sentence based on extenuating circumstances without

84-568: A deputy public defender in the Santa Clara County Public Defender's Office and later in private practice at the law firm of Davila & Polverino from 1988 to 2001. On August 8, 2001, Governor Gray Davis appointed Davila to serve as a judge on the Superior Court of Santa Clara County . Davila replaced Judge Donald Clark. While a superior court judge, Davila presided over the high-profile case of

112-569: A collaborative stewardship program on the preserve in cooperation with the City of Palo Alto since 1997. Volunteers and Grassroots Ecology staff work to improve the Preserve by eliminating invasive weeds such as non-native thistles, planting native species such as blue wild rye and engaging local youth and community members. Portions of Arastradero Preserve border Foothills Park (on the South side),

140-665: A jury's findings. Davila subsequently modified the sentence to four years in 2008. During the 111th Congress , Senator Barbara Boxer recommended Davila to fill the United States District Court for the Northern District of California vacancy created by Judge Marilyn Hall Patel , who assumed senior status . On May 20, 2010, President Barack Obama formally nominated Davila to the Northern District of California. The Senate Judiciary Committee recommended his confirmation on December 1, 2010, but

168-615: A large grassy field, picnic sites, a walk-in, tent-only campground, and a nature interpretive center. Boronda lake is used for fishing, rowing, and canoeing. The park also has 15 miles (24 km) of trails. The Bay-to-Ridge Trail, which when complete will link the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve to the Bay Area Ridge Trail , runs through the park connecting Arastradero Preserve and Los Trancos Open Space. Non-Palo Alto residents could use

196-402: A miniature scale model of the park and exhibits explaining the ecology, flora, and fauna of the region. 37°23′13″N 122°10′29″W  /  37.38694°N 122.17472°W  / 37.38694; -122.17472 Edward Davila Edward John Davila (born June 21, 1952) is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2011 as a U.S. district judge of the U.S. District Court for

224-483: A misdemeanor for a nonresident to enter the park, unless they were traveling through on specific trails on foot. Enforcement was limited due to budget constraints; the gate was unstaffed on non-holiday weekdays and some weekends in the winter. The city also limited the total number of visitors at one time to 1,000 (approximately 370 vehicles). Activists painted "DESEGREGATE" outside the front gate in July 2020, in protest of

252-482: A portion of the expenses associated with the existing cost of staffing the entry gate". Upon completion of the pilot study, the issue of whether or not to open the preserve to the general public will be placed on the ballot so that the residents of Palo Alto can vote on the issue. In September 2020, the ACLU filed a lawsuit on behalf of the local NAACP , calling the restriction "unconstitutional". The lawsuit contends that

280-667: Is a 622 acres (252 hectares) nature preserve that protects most of the Arastradero Creek watershed, including its ephemeral Mayfly Creek tributary. It also includes the upper reach of the Felt Creek tributary to Stanford 's Felt Reservoir . The preserve is owned and operated by the City of Palo Alto, California . The main parking lot hosts an interpretive center and is located at 1530 Arastradero Road ( 37°23'13" N, 122°10'29" W ). Arastradero Preserve consists of rolling savanna grassland hills and evergreen forests ;

308-561: The California puma ( Puma concolor is also locally known as mountain lion). There are regular sightings of puma and coyotes in the areas, and people hiking with dogs or small children should be cautious. From 2016 through 2020, a pair of bald eagles ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) has nested in a large eucalyptus tree near Felt Lake and the preserve. The Pearson–Arastradero Preserve has 10.25 miles (16.50 km) of trails for hiking , biking and horseback riding . While many of

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336-616: The City Council authorized the City Manager to set the visitor limit between 300 and 650 people at a time, a decrease from the initial plan of 750 increasing to 1000 after 90 days. On January 25, 2021, federal district judge Edward Davila issued a permanent injunction order prohibiting Palo Alto from bringing back the residents-only requirement. On February 22, 2021, the Palo Alto City Council voted to change

364-674: The Northern District of California . He was previously a California state court judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court from 2001 to 2011. Davila was born in Palo Alto, California . He received a Bachelor of Arts from San Diego State University in 1976. He then attended the University of California, Hastings College of the Law and earned his Juris Doctor in 1979. From 1981 to 1988, he served as

392-751: The Palo Alto Golf Course (on the East side), open land owned by Stanford University (to the North), and one of the campuses of Palo Alto University (to the West). From the hills on the North Side, one can see Felt Lake which is otherwise difficult to see from public lands except Vista Hill in Foothills Park. Because most of the golf course in on a flat mesa at a higher elevation than the preserve,

420-539: The Senate decided to recess without confirming him. Obama renominated Davila on January 5, 2011. That nomination was approved by the Judiciary Committee on February 3, and he was confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2011, by a 93–0 vote. He received his commission on March 3, 2011. Davila presided over the criminal trial of former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and COO Sunny Balwani . Holmes

448-405: The district is adjacent for part of the east side. Los Trancos Creek is the southwestern boundary of the park and is joined south of the park by Buckeye Creek which flows through the park. The damming of a tributary of Buckeye Creek created Boronda Lake. The park contains nearly one tenth of all land in Palo Alto. About 90 acres (36 ha) of the park are developed with amenities including

476-405: The golf course is largely invisible from the preserve. There remains a small piece of private property adjacent to Arastradero Road surrounded on all sides by the preserve which currently has no structures. There had been a private home deep within the preserve until the late 1990s which has now been torn down. In 2006 a small visitor center was erected near the parking lot entrance which contains

504-508: The name of the park from "Foothills Park" to "Foothills Nature Preserve". Towle Campground at Foothills Park has eight tent only campsites, they are open May 1st through October 31st, each site has a picnic table, barbeque, food locker and water. The campground has two campfire circles and portable toilet facilities shared between the sites, with full use facilities a mile down the road. Arastradero Preserve Arastradero Preserve , officially known as Enid W. Pearson–Arastradero Preserve,

532-481: The part of trail through the park when established in 2007 even though the rest of the park was restricted at that time. Most of the land for the park was bought from Russel V. Lee, a founder of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic (now Palo Alto Medical Foundation ), who offered, in 1958, 1,294 acres of his land at $ 1,000 an acre ($ 1.3 million total) to the city to preserve as open space. The total cost

560-464: The policy "infringes on the plaintiffs’ fundamental rights of freedom of movement, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly". Due to the lawsuit, on November 3, 2020 the city council agreed to rescind the policy by a 5–2 vote. On November 16, the decision was finalized to open the park on December 17, 2020. Entrance fees are charged on weekends starting February 27, 2021. Annual passes have a discount for city residents and employees. On February 22, 2021,

588-423: The policy that limited access to residents of Palo Alto and their guests. The policy did not discriminate by race, but they believed it "is closely tied to racist practices of the past". In August 2020, the City Council voted to run a one-year pilot study that would open the nature preserve for limited permits to non-residents on a "revenue-neutral" basis, which in practice means a minimal ($ 6) entry charge "to recover

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616-404: The preserve protects seasonal Felt Creek, which runs beneath Arastradero Road and is diverted to Felt Lake . In wet years, Felt Lake releases flows which reach Los Trancos Creek , a San Francisquito Creek tributary. The preserve contains an abundance of wildlife, including deer , bobcats , coyotes , snakes , and many species of birds . The preserve and the surrounding area are habitats for

644-538: The preserve varies in elevation from 275 feet (84 m) in the northeast to 775 feet (236 m) in the southwest. There are four gates (labeled A, B, C, and D) into the preserve, though public parking is available only at Gate A on the North side. Gate D connects to Foothills Park as part of the Bay-to-Ridge Trail. The park is also accessible from a pedestrian footpath that leads to the residential area on

672-402: The restriction limiting access to Palo Alto residents and their guests was put into place in 1969. In 2005, the county provided $ 2 million in grant funding to go towards the purchase of 13 additional acres of adjacent land, in exchange for which Palo Alto allowed anyone (nonresidents included) to freely pass through that area and enter Foothills Park, on trails from Arastradero Preserve . It was

700-464: The street Paseo del Roble. The east portion of the preserve protects Arastradero Creek , which flows into Matadero Creek at the junction of Arastradero Road and Page Mill Road. Near the East side about a quarter mile south of the entrance is Arastradero Lake, and further south up into the preserve is Sobey Pond. The lake is also about 0.2 miles from the Paseo del Roble entrance. The southwest portion of

728-425: The trails are open year-round, some trails are designated as "seasonal" and are closed at the trailhead temporarily after heavy rain . The trails at Arastradero Preserve include Acorn, Arastradeo Creek, Bay Laurel, Bowl Loop, Juan Bautista de Anza, Meadowlark, Ohlone, Paseo del Roble, Portola Pastures, Redtail Loop, Wild Rye, Woodland Star, and Woodrat. Grassroots Ecology , a local environmental nonprofit, has run

756-458: Was found guilty on four counts on fraud in January 2022 and sentenced to 11.25 years (135 months) in prison on November 18, 2022, while Balwani was convicted of 12 counts of fraud in July 2022 and sentenced to nearly 13 years (155 months) in prison on December 7, 2022. Davila is married to Mary Greenwood, who formerly served as Santa Clara County Public Defender and is presiding justice of

784-444: Was high so Palo Alto put it to a citywide vote in 1959 which passed with 62% of the voters supporting buying the land. The council also asked the neighboring communities of Portola Valley and Los Altos Hills to share in the cost, but they declined. Santa Clara County offered to cover about 40% of the cost ($ 500,000) in 1964, on the condition that the park be opened to all, but Palo Alto declined. The park opened on June 19, 1965, and

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