Let’s read aloud this winter! HOLIDAY SECTION | P.21 DECEMBER 3, 2010 VOLUME 18, NO. 48
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MV company: firing soldier was no crime By Daniel DeBolt
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Amberlin Wu, who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, grimaces in pain as she is helped back into bed by Lua Finau.
Sick and tired of chronic fatigue LOCAL WOMAN STRUGGLES WITH DISEASE THAT MANY DON’T TAKE SERIOUSLY By Nick Veronin
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mberlin Wu is sick and tired of being sick and tired. It’s pretty safe to assume anyone in her position would feel the same — the 38-year-old Mountain View woman has been exhausted, off an on, for the past 15 years.
She has what is known as chronic fatigue syndrome — CFS for short — a complex condition that is not very well understood by the medical community, and which can present a wide range of symptoms. Patients diagnosed with CFS See FATIGUE, page 10
City seeks input on pot club rules NEW ORDINANCE WILL GOVERN HOW MARIJUANA IS SOLD IN MV By Daniel DeBolt
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“very challenging” set of regulations on medical marijuana dispensaries in Mountain View needs some direction from the city’s residents, says City Attorney Jannie Quinn. A meeting for Mountain View residents to discuss a draft medical marijuana ordinance is set for Thursday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m. in the
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City Council chambers. The issue has urgency because Quinn said the council will likely vote on whether to allow medical marijuana dispensaries in February, before a temporary ban expires in early April. Quinn is drafting a set of regulations on pot clubs in case the council decides to allow them in Mountain View. Among the problems for the city is where pot clubs would be permit-
ted to operate. Quinn said a new state law requires that they be 600 feet from schools, and the council has discussed a rule requiring them to be up to 1,000 feet from homes, parks and schools. That leaves only a few small pockets in the city where a dispensary could locate, mostly in the industrial areas along Highway 101. See POT CLUB, page 13
itan Labs of Mountain View is denying charges from the U.S. Justice Department that it fired an Army reservist called to duty, saying he was never actually deployed. Last week the Justice Department said it was suing Titan Labs for firing Mountain View resident Miguel Orozco Garduño after he was deployed as an Army reservist. Through a widely circulated press release, the Justice Department claimed this was a violation of the 1994 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which prohibits employers from firing employees for being called into active military service. The Justice Department pointedly claimed in the press release that the company “terminated Orozco’s employment because of his military obligations.” But Titan’s president Harvey Berger denied that allegation, saying “this is a very unusual case, a lot of unusual things have happened. He never went, that’s the whole problem. He was never sent overseas even though we have orders he was to be gone 400 days. Had he gone, we would have hired him back immediately.” The Justice Department apparently believes Orozco did perform some military duties while he was away as the press release mentions Orozco completing “honorable military service” before being denied his job upon his return. Berger said Orozco had worked at Titan Labs for nine years and had been given his job back once before after he was deployed to Iraq for two years. “We’re mindful of our obligations,” Berger said. The Justice Department also claims that Orozco had been replaced by an employee who does not have military obligations. Berger said he was surprised by the lawsuit, which he said was “premature” as the company has been
GOINGS ON 20 | MARKETPLACE 26 | MOVIES 19 | REAL ESTATE 29 | VIEWPOINT 15
in settlement talks with Orozco. Berger said he still hoped to reach a settlement agreement. The Justice Department had strong words of warning for companies that might fire deployed members of the military. “Rather than face discrimination because of their military obligations, our service members should be honored for the sacrifices they make, and they should know they will not have to also sacrifice their jobs to serve our country,” said Thomas E. Perez, assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, in the press release. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing federal laws that protect the employment rights of our service members.” Titan Labs is located on Wright Avenue and manufactures various degreasers, hand cleaners and solvents. V
HSR to debut in Central Valley By Gennady Sheyner
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alifornia’s proposed high-speed rail line, which state officials say will compete with airplanes and connect San Francisco to Los Angeles, will make its debut between the small Central Valley cities of Borden and Corcoran under the latest proposal from California High-Speed Rail Authority engineers. The staff recommendation, which the rail authority’s board of directors is scheduled to consider on Dec. 2 (after the See HSR, page 11