Around Town: Stop your engines!; Taking the plunge

In this week’s Around Town column, the Palo Alto City Council approves a new law banning idling and a local woman sets her sights on creating a one-piece swimsuit emoji.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, STOP YOUR ENGINES! … After squabbling over office development and approving a negotiated compromise on a new hotel tax, the Palo Alto City Council banded together on Monday on the one issue to date that hasn’t encountered any organized opposition: car idling. By a unanimous vote, the council approved a new law banning idling, the practice of keeping your engine on while the car is standing still (sitting in traffic doesn’t count). The council also agreed that the new law will not be strictly enforced, at least not by the Police Department. Rather, the new law amounts little more than an educational campaign involving signs near schools and informative cards issued by the city, explaining the new law and describing the negative impacts of idling on the environment. In lieu of fines, drivers may see some nudging — namely, a council member or a police officer knocking on their car window and asking them to turn their car off. Councilwoman Karen Holman said she occasionally does that when she sees a line of trucks idling at a construction site. Usually, they comply, she said. Despite the law’s general toothlessness, the council united behind the proposal, which came out of a memo issued last year. “I’m waiting to knock on someone’s car window and say, ‘You’re breaking the law!’ Then hand them the card,” Mayor Liz Kniss said. City Manager James Keene also suggested that the city empower a specific kind of outreach consultant to help spread the message. “I think we just need to give this to a bunch of fourth-graders to pass out to folks as they’re waiting near the school and idling,” Keene said.

TAKING THE PLUNGE … After leading a successful campaign last year to add a flat shoe emoji to the popular collection of characters, Florie Hutchinson has launched a new effort to add a one piece swimsuit character to the list. The self-proclaimed emoji enthusiast from Palo Alto has teamed up with Jennifer 8. Lee, founder of Emojicon. The duo’s nine-page application argues that the one-piece swimsuit, also known as a maillot, would complement the bikini currently available. “Given the proliferation of choices within the swimwear category generally — ranging from tankinis, to burkinis, to board shorts and swim trunks — it seems fitting that the instantly recognizable and globally worn one-piece swimsuit join the apparel category for the many individuals who universally identify with it for water-based activities,” they wrote. “With the rise of competitive water-based sport for both sexes, year-round access to water-based recreational activities, increased global travel, and the ubiquity of the swimsuit as the default uniform for the enjoyment of these activities, an emoji of a maillot seems not only timely but necessary. “The application goes on to show charts displaying a comparable amount of search results for swimsuit and bikini on Google, YouTube and Instagram. They also request shorts and briefs emojis be added to give users a comprehensive selection of “modern swimwear.”