Re-inventing a classic WEEKEND | 15 JANUARY 11, 2013 VOLUME 20, NO. 51
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MOVIES | 18
Big discussion due on pedestrian plan By Daniel DeBolt
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JAMES TENSUAN
Al Jehning gives tours of the Jehnings Family Lock Museum on Castro Street.
A keyhole into the past FAMILY-RUN LOCK MUSEUM HOUSES PRIVATE COLLECTION SPANNING CENTURIES By Daniel DeBolt
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t is safe to say that even many longtime residents of Mountain View have walked by the tiny Jehnings Family Lock Museum on Castro Street and never gone inside. Perhaps it is because Northern California’s largest collection of locks and safes requires a bit of explanation to make any sense. Fortunately, three days a week, the elder member of the family that founded the locksmith business next door,
Al Jehning, provides a tour of modern history’s relentless quest to secure private property. Among what’s on display is a huge collection of padlocks from as far back as the 1600s, including one made for Wells Fargo when it was in the railroad business. There’s a set of shackles used in the African slave trade. There’s a lock that would wrap around the wheel of an early automobile so if stolen, it would leave marks in See LOCK MUSEUM, page 8
Hospital suing to stop salary cap By Nick Veronin
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l Camino Hospital has filed a lawsuit aimed at overturning Measure M — the voter-approved initiative that caps top executives salaries to no more than twice that of the governor of California. While the hospital’s biggest union played a key role in gathering the necessary signatures for the initiative, the health-
INSIDE
care organization’s lawyers are not challenging the El Camino chapter of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers (SEIUUHW). Instead, the complaint has identified two mid-level hospital employees as the defendants in the case, as they are the ones who signed the paperwork to get Measure M on the ballot. The suit, which has six of the
hospital’s highest paid top officials as plaintiffs, names Kary Lynch and Laura Huston as defendants in the case. Lynch and Huston, co-sponsors of the initiative, are being sued as the official proponents of the measure, and “have a legally recognized interest in defending Measure M’s validity.” See HOSPITAL, page 11
VIEWPOINT 14 | GOINGS ON 19 | MARKETPLACE 20 | REAL ESTATE 22
like any of these plans the city develops, we’d like to see this plan actually used.”
plan that could take the city’s walkability up a notch is going in front of Recent accidents the City Council on Tuesday, Jan. With widespread concern over 15, but those who have studied it several recent pedestrian deaths closely say it lacks specific plans on California Street and Shoreand measurable goals. line Boulevard, and the three The 134-page children hit by “Pedestrian Mascars in front of ter Plan” has Graham Middle ‘You only have School last year been posted on the city’s webon a wide portion site for review at so much space to of Castro Street, mountainv iew. “it just seems gov/pedestrian. achieve your goals.’ to be the time It calls for conis right, people JARRETT MULLEN tinued improvereally want this ments to the kind of thing to city’s network of happen,” England crosswalks, sidewalks, trails and said, noting recent community pedestrian bridges. But resident meetings. Jarrett Mullen and commissionLeading an effort called the er Bruce England say it doesn’t go Rengstorff Great Streets Initiafar enough. tive, Mullen has called for the “It seems like in this plan they narrowing of expressway-like want to create another plan to streets in the Rengstorff area, figure out what details are going including Shoreline Boulevard to be,” said Mullen, expressing and California Street. But the disappointment. “It seems like plan leaves out Shoreline Bouthat should happen and that it levard as a street that can be should happen here.” put on a road diet to slow traffic England, a member of the city’s and make room for protected bicycle and pedestrian advisory bike lanes, even though Shorecommission which reviewed the line’s six lanes between Central plan in October, said, “The con- Expressway and El Camino Real sensus was that it’s in pretty good is by many accounts an egregious shape.” design that encourages speeding “It’s not just boiler-plate mate- and leaves little room for bikes. rial,” England said. “It does a “Is this going to be vehicle for good job of talking where we are change or the boat anchor for the coming from and what direction status quo, I didn’t know,” Mulwe need to go in.” It describes len said of the plan. “Right now “the trials and amenities already I’m leaning towards the status there.” quo.” But England says he hopes it Mullen noted a chart in the will become a “living document” plan showing that pedestrians when the council approves it on have only a 5 percent chance of Jan. 15 that would be immedi- dying when hit by car going 20 ately opened for additions and miles per hour, but the risk jumps revisions by the commission.” to 40 percent at 30 miles per hour “What would be nice is if we and over 80 percent when a car is could open up the document See PEDESTRIAN PLAN, page 6 right away,” England said. “And