Comfort by the bowlful WEEKEND | P.14
MARCH 30, 2012 VOLUME 20, NO. 10
650.964.6300
INSIDE: MOVIES | PAGE 17
MountainViewOnline.com
No end to schools’ battle over space By Nick Veronin
and the Los Altos School District are no closer to reaching a facilities nother court ruling has sharing agreement, and that the two been handed down in the organizations hold divergent interyears-long battle over class- pretations of the term “contiguous” room space between Bullis Charter as it is defined by California law. School and the Los Altos School The school district continues to District. Yet, despite the latest propose space-sharing arrangejudicial order, and even with pro- ments with Bullis that would have fessional mediation between the the charter split between two two parties conLASD campuses, tinuing, neither the and officials from Judge’s ruling Bullis continue to charter school nor the school district those prosupports Bullis reject appear to be anyposals as illegal — where near a comnoting in the press promise. release, “According Superior Court Judge Patricia to Proposition 39 (California’s Lucas ruled in favor of Bullis on charter school law) facilities must March 23, issuing an order declar- be contiguous,” meaning that the ing that LASD “violated Proposition school must be located on one cam39 and its regulations...” by (among pus or an adjacent site. other things) housing Bullis stuIn the most recent facilities-shardents on a temporary campus with ing plan, passed unanimously by significantly less student space the LASD board on March 26, the than at comparison group schools, school district proposes splitting according to a press release put out the charter between Egan Junior by the charter school. High School and Blach IntermeIn other words, the judge found diate School. The district board that the district did not give Bullis voted 5-0 in favor of the plan, which adequate space, compared with proposes putting the charter’s kinother district schools of a similar dergarten through sixth-graders at size. Egan and the remaining seventhHowever, in the wake of the rulSee BULLIS, page 7 ing, it remains clear that the charter
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MICHELLE LE
Steve Nelson, standing outside the Mountain View Whisman district office, is asking the courts to step in on a dispute over school bond measure language.
District bond measure challenged By Nick Veronin
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politically active local man has gone to court to force the Mountain View Whisman School District to remove “misleading” language from literature in support of Measure G — a bond measure the district plans to place on the June 5 ballot. On March 19, Steven Nelson filed a petition with the civil division of the Superior Court aimed at forcing the elementary and middle school district
to change the wording, which was to appear in county-issued voter guides under the pro-Measure G argument. That bond measure — recently approved by the district’s board of trustees — will ask voters to pass a $198 million school bond to pay for various improvements to local educational facilities. The district-drafted argument in favor of Measure G, submitted to the county’s registrar of voters, states See NELSON, page 7
Cash mob pumps bucks into Ava’s market By Daniel DeBolt
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va’s Downtown Market and Deli saw a spike in business last weekend when it was visited by an organized “Cash Mob” which socialized and spent money in the store. Owners Ann and Juan Origel say they saw a 20 percent increase in business on Saturday during “International Cash Mob Day,” a variation on the flash mob phenomenon designed to bring attention and revenue to deserving mom-and-
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pop businesses. The store’s gradual transformation from a mostly Asian market has been impinged by a lack of funds for many improvements, including a $300,000 refrigeration system and a deli-counter to bring in lunchtime traffic. While the event didn’t produce a tidal wave of money, Juan Origel said he hoped the support would help raise awareness about the store and its improvements. “What a phenomenal community,” he said after Saturday’s event.
“It motivates me to keep going, really.” The event was organized by resident Marn-Yee Lee who read about the grocery store in the Voice. Reflecting on the event, organizer Lee said, “I found meeting other members of the community while shopping there on Saturday was a reward in itself. It makes Mountain View feel more like home, like a small, tight-knit community, a less anonymous place.” See CASH MOB, page 6
GOINGS ON 19 | MARKETPLACE 30 | REAL ESTATE 32 | VIEWPOINT 12
DANIEL DEBOLT
Carter Coleman chats with Angela Gonzalez at the “cash mob” at Ava’s Downtown Market and Deli on Saturday.