The men’s a cappella chorus Chanticleer performs in Stanford University’s Memorial Church. | P14
Making Merry with the arts. | P.11 NOVEMBER 26, 2010 VOLUME 18, NO. 47
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INSIDE: WEEKEND | PAGE 16
MountainViewOnline.com
Neighbors offer deal on McKelvey baseball fields By Daniel DeBolt
at Shoreline Park. Thompson said that change eighbors of McKelvey would leave plenty of room Park say they have a at McKelvey for neighborhood “win-win” solution to enjoyment and Little League the controversy about how to baseball, while also eliminating revamp their neighborhood park, noise and the bright lights used but youth baseball leagues aren’t for nighttime baseball games on entirely happy about it. the larger fields, which kids play Ever since the Santa Clara on after they turn 12. Valley Water District proposed “It seems to work out really rebuilding McKelvey Park so it’s well,” Thompson said. Little 15 feet lower, in order to use it as League teams will have two fields a Permanente Creek flood basin, at McKelvey and “we get a pretty residents of the St. Francis Acre decent space to have neighborneighborhood have been seek- hood park.” It makes for a more ing more useable space in their “neighborhood-friendly envineighborhood park. McKelvey ronment.” has been taken up completely by “We don’t want to displace” two basethe baseball fields ball teams, for over 50 McKelvey’s central location Thompson years. said. “We Last week allows a lot of kids to ride a understand the Voice that there is reported on 50 years of bike to their games. a new prohistory” of ELAINE SPENCE posal from baseball at park neighMcKelvely. bor Lloyd B u t Yu that would completely remove one of the main users of the McKelvey’s two baseball fields larger field at McKelvey was not in favor of a smaller multi-use pleased with the proposal. Elaine sports field for football, soccer Spence, president of Mountain and lacrosse. Yu argued that city View Babe Ruth Baseball, said policies say the neighborhood that the 12 and older kids “would should lead the redesign of the lose field time” under the propark, and pointed to a petition posal for a number of reasons. signed by 200 neighbors that One is that the Shoreline ball “would like McKelvey to be fields in the works have already transformed from a single-use been designated as multi-use baseball facility to a multi-use fields, which means that baseball neighborhood open space.” teams would be “lobbying socBut since then a different cer, softball, lacrosse and everygroup of neighbors has presented one else for field time.” another idea to the Voice, which The proposal would also split neighbor Elizabeth Thompson up some families when their said has been discussed for over 8-year-old is playing on the Little a year. It involves trading the League fields at McKelvey and larger of the two baseball fields their 13-year-old has to play with at McKelvey with another Little the bigger kids out at Shoreline, League-sized field proposed for she said. the Shoreline area along Garcia “Having both fields together Avenue. The result would be two near downtown Mountain View Little League fields at McKelvey See MCKELVEY, page 6 and two major league-sized fields
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MICHELLE LE
At the grand opening for the Day Worker Center on Nov. 18, from left, Ana Bazquez holding daughter Valeria, Alma Bolanos and Matilde Rosales pull off the ribbon
A warm welcome for Day Worker Center LABORERS RECEIVE SERVICES, EDUCATION IN RETURN FOR HELPING COMMUNITY By Nick Veronin
“O
ne, two, three!” On t hat count, about 100 people — laborers, City Council members, school officials and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce — simultaneously tugged seg-
ments of the long cloth ribbon which stretched around the side of the squat building. A cry went up as the knots in the sash were undone, signifying the grand opening of the Mountain View Day Worker Center. After 14 years of bouncing from one temporary location to the next, the center finally
has its own home. Located at 133 Escuela Ave., it will serve multiple roles. It is first and foremost a community center of sorts, where day laborers can congregate in the morning and wait to be hired for odd jobs. See DAY WORKER, page 9
Church neighbors appeal cell tower decision NEIGHBORS UPSET, SAY CHURCH’S OUTREACH WAS LACKING By Daniel DeBolt
T
he City Council will soon weigh in on a controversy involving a cell tower approved for the top of First Presbyterian Church, near a preschool and dozens of homes where many are concerned about cancer-causing radiation.
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Neighbors of the church at Cuesta Drive and Miramonte Avenue have pulled together $500 to appeal the zoning administrator’s approval of the cell tower earlier this month, said neighbor Jared Waxman in an e-mail. “Apparently, the Zoning Administrator takes the position that any owner of a residential
parcel could build a commercial telecommunications facility on that parcel without obtaining a conditional use permit, a variance, or a rezoning,” Waxman said. “That does not make a lot of sense to us, and we are eager to hear what the City Council has to See CELL TOWER, page 6
GOINGS ON 19 | MARKETPLACE 20 | MOVIES 18 | REAL ESTATE 23 | VIEWPOINT 15