Fusion street food finds a home WEEKEND | 17 FEBRUARY 1, 2013 VOLUME 21, NO. 1
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Google promises WiFi upgrades AMID COMPLAINTS, THE HIGH-TECH COMPANY COMMITS TO IMPROVING NETWORK By Daniel DeBolt
She says service returned, but hile Google says it is was “noticeably slower” before committed to improv- another blackout over the last ing its network of light- three months. pole mounted WiFi nodes in Perhaps more frustrating is Mountain View, some users say having a service that works they are tired of how unreliable much of the time, and quits the free service has been. unexpectedly. Branyon’s frusSince 2006, residents have been trations mounted when her pulling Google’s daughter’s evening free WiFi internet online homework service into their was interrupted homes using special ‘When you are by Google WiFi signal repeaters, cut off, it’s your failures. She says saving the expense she would have to of paying for an lifeline that’s drive to her office internet provider. in Palo Alto so her been cut off.’ daughter could use But Google’s service has never been the internet late at MARIA VENTURINI as reliable as regunight, something lar internet service, that’s happened users say, and commultiple times. plaints appear to “We will be have increased recently. in middle of an assignment A Google representative told — working, working, workthe Voice that the company is ing — and all of the sudden, no planning upgrades that could internet,” Branyon said. “Then improve the service’s reliability. we have to get in the car and go Old Mill resident Kathleen someplace so she can finish the Branyon says she and her neigh- assignment. That shouldn’t hapbors have had little or no Google pen.” WiFi since Thanksgiving of To Whisman neighborhood 2011. resident Maria Venturini, the “Like many in Mountain View, free service has definitely come we bought one of the recom- with a cost. She said she was buymended WiFi modems, and ing a plane ticket for her husband enjoyed free Google WiFi with to fly to a funeral when the servirtually no hitches until Octo- vice stopped. When she was able ber 2011,” Branyon said in an to finally buy the plane ticket the email. “At that time, we began next day, the price had gone up experiencing periodic service “several hundred dollars.” blackouts, without any warnings, “When you depend on this lasting from a few minutes to service, it costs you money,” several hours. Finally, just before Venturini said. “Most likely we’ll Thanksgiving 2011, our neigh- have to get paid service because borhood, along with several oth- this is not working.” ers, experienced a total blackout, Google has created a hotline which lasted until mid-January See GOOGLE WIFI, page 9 2012.”
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MICHELLE LE
Libbie Katsev, a Los Altos High School senior, is winning acclaim for her writing.
A way with words LAHS SENIOR’S POEMS WIN HER A PLACE IN NATIONAL YOUNGARTS FINALS By Nick Veronin
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Los Altos High School senior has been recognized for her way with words by the National YoungArts Foundation. Mountain View resident Libbie Katsev was one of 152 YoungArts Finalists picked from a pool of about 10,000 applicants from all over the coun-
try and U.S. territories. Thanks to her writing ability, she recently joined the other 151 finalists in Miami for a series of seminars, lectures and speaker panels intended to nurture the young dancers, actors, musicians, writers and visual See TEEN POET, page 12
Council saves Immigrant House By Daniel DeBolt
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he City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to save a tiny home once lived in by migrant workers, but left the fate of the home of early Mountain View businessman Charles Pearson in the hands of a developer who’s anxious to tear it down. The council unanimously
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approved council member Mike Kasperzak’s motion at its Jan. 29 meeting to “take no further action on the Pearson house — its final disposition is solely at the discretion of the developer.” The two homes that now stand at the corner of Villa and Bryant streets downtown must make way for a 21,745 square foot, fourstory office building the council
approved last year. The council agreed to allow developer Roger Burnell move the 400-squarefoot “Immigrant House” on Feb. 17 to the city’s Municipal Operations Control yard on Whisman Road for temporary storage, budgeting $32,000 for the job. The city would then own it. See IMMIGRANT, page 6
VIEWPOINT 15 | GOINGS ON 22 | MARKETPLACE 24 | REAL ESTATE 26