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Inside this issue | 32
DECEMBER 7, 2012 VOLUME 20, NO. 47
www.MountainViewOnline.com
650.964.6300
MOVIES | 25
Council OKs plastic bag ban STARTING IN APRIL, PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS WILL BE THING OF THE PAST By Daniel DeBolt
cities in Santa Clara County to do the environmental impact he days of plastic gro- report necessary to propose the cery bags in Mountain ordinance, saving the city the View are numbered. City costs of the analysis. Palo Alto, Council members voted on San Jose and unincorporated Tuesday to ban the distribution Santa Clara County already of most plastic bags in Moun- have similar bans and council tain View starting on Earth Day members said it’s been well next year. received in those areas. “There have been a few emails Council member Laura Macias saying, ‘This is silly, don’t you noted that in San Jose, after have more important things to its ban was put in place, “the do? “ said council member Ronit number of plastic bags found Bryant. “This is in a storm drain not silly. This is was reduced by 89 about our waterpercent” and the ‘Life can go ways basically number of bags being clogged by on streets was on very plastic bags, this “reduced by 59 is about islands percent.” well without of plastic bags in “I would love the ocean. There to see that decrease single-use are serious costs of bags in Mounfor the city every tain View,” she plastic bags.’ year.” said “Every time I COUNCIL MEMBER With council see one, I think it’s RONIT BRYANT members Tom a waste.” Means and John Not everyone Inks opposed, is happy about the council members voted 5-2 ordinance. Two residents raised in favor of the ban, which is concern about germs spreading designed to encourage the use of in grocery stores from unwashed reusable bags, beginning April reusable grocery bags. 22, 2013. Grocery stores will still Tim James, a representative be able to offer paper bags, but of the California State Grocers at a minimum cost of 10 cents Association, supported the ban per bag, going up to 25 cents in and said he had not heard any two years. Restaurants and non- concern about the spread of profit thrift stores are exempt. germs from grocers or health “Protective” plastic bags will inspectors. The association is in still be allowed for such items as contact with “health safety offimeat, nuts and bolts at hardware cers in all 58 counties and we’ve stores, prescriptions, newspa- never heard any concern,” James pers, dry cleaning and greeting said. cards, said Cynthia Palacio, Inks and Means opposed what senior analyst for the city’s pub- they saw as a limit on personal lic works department. freedom. Mountain View joined San See BAG BAN, page 7 Mateo County and several other
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MICHELLE LE
SEASON’S MISGIVINGS Julian Mendez experiences a change of heart about meeting Santa. The 4-year-old clings to his mother, Clotilde Gres, as she tries to deposit him on Santa’s lap. The visit from the jolly old elf was part of the city’s annual Community Tree Lighting Celebration, held on Monday, Dec. 3. For more photos from the festivities, go to page 10.
Neighbors threaten to sue over McKelvey plan By Daniel DeBolt
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plan to turn McKelvey Park into a flood detention basin has drawn the ire of neighbors who say they may sue over plans that may increase noise from the park’s baseball fields while removing the large redwood trees that shade their homes. Neighbors Elizabeth Thompson and Tapan Bhat said on Tuesday that a group of will oppose the redesign of the park as a flood basin at the Dec. 11 City Council
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meeting. It is up for a vote along with a larger Permanente Creek flood project that may or may not include a similar basin at the Cuest Annex. Neighbors say the plan to lower the park by 15 feet flips the orientation of the park’s highly used baseball fields, putting the bleachers up against neighboring homes where there is now just an outfield. And nearly all of the park’s trees will be removed, including a row of “old, big, gorgeous redwood trees” along their back fences that create a noise
buffer with the park, Thompson said. The footprint of the trees would be replaced by the concrete walls around the edge of the flood basin that double as bleachers and walkways. “They’ve got all the noise and lights where the people’s houses are, which doesn’t seem terribly logical,” said Bhat, one of a dozen homeowners adjacent to the park. “It seems that once it was brought up it should have been See MCKELVEY, page 9
VIEWPOINT 20 | GOINGS ON 27 | MARKETPLACE 54 | REAL ESTATE 56