A culinary hipster comes to the ‘burbs WEEKEND | 20 JUNE 7, 2013 VOLUME 21, NO. 19
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Celebrating a ‘second chance’ ALTA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES MAKE GOOD AT COMMENCEMENT CEREMONY By Nick Veronin
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ontinuation high schools are often thought of places where people are sent — shipped off to spend their days doing busy work away from the “good kids” at the local comprehensive high school. That’s not Alta Vista High School. It’s true, Michael Aguilar ended up at Alta Vista because he was performing poorly, but it was his choice to attend the
school — and looking back, he said he couldn’t be happier. “It was the best decision I ever made,” Aguilar said, positively beaming in his cap and gown outside Mountain View High School’s Spartan Theatre — where he and the rest of the Alta Vista class of 2013 commemorated their graduation on May 29. It is likely that Aguilar was pleased with the scholarship he received, which he will use to MICHELLE LE
See ALTA VISTA HIGH, page 14
Michaela Carson wipes away a tear after receiving a rose from Alta Vista High School’s principal, Bill Pierce, on May 29. More graduation stories and photos, along with a list of graduates, starts on page 12.
You got a license for that cat, Mister? By Daniel DeBolt
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or the first time, the city of Mountain View is poised to require that pet cats be licensed. The City Council voted Tuesday to replace its 1972 animal control ordinance with one requiring that cats, just like dogs, be licensed, among other rules. New rules will also affect those with dogs or beehives, among other animals.
‘I’m not sure what problem we are trying to solve.’ COUNCILMAN JAC SIEGEL
The ordinance is based on a model ordinance proposed by the Silicon Valley Animal Control Authority, recently
adopted by Santa Clara and being considered by Campbell. It passed 6-1, with Mayor John Inks opposed, though several members were hesitant to require the licensing of cats. “I question the licensing of cats, I don’t know why we are doing that,” said council member Jac Siegel, who is also now the chair of SVACA’s board. “There hasn’t been a rabies outbreak or situation in Santa Clara County caused by a dog or cat.
I’m not sure what problem we are trying to solve.” The cat license, which also requires a rabies vaccine, costs $10 for a year, $26 for three years or $50 for a lifetime. Owners of cats that are not spayed or neutered must pay a higher $50-per-year fee. Police Capt. Max Bosel said licensing cats is “a common and best practice” while SVACA director Dan Soszynski said one reason for the license requirement is to improve the number of stray cats returned to their owners. See CAT LICENSE, page 11
Google wants to incorporate wildlife into new office project PLANS UNVEILED FOR OFFICE COMPLEX ON WETLAND’S EDGE By Daniel DeBolt
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he planners behind Google’s first ground-up office development in Silicon Valley want to bring wetland wildlife into the project, plans which a wildlife advocate described as “hopeful.” The 1.1 million-square-foot campus slated for NASA Ames Research Center
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will include incorporate existing and some man-made wetlands throughout, and may even include nests for birds in an effort to stimulate the creativity of employees by watching nature up close, said Google’s John Igoe to a crowd in the NASA Ames conference center on May 29. A panel of planners hired by Google promised one of the most environmentally friendly office building ever built, with green roofs, man-made wetlands to treat waste-water and ultra-efficient radiant heating and cooling. Lighting will be
100 percent natural light in most rooms, for a 46-percent reduction in energy use and using 80 percent less tap water use than typical buildings. The campus could house over 3,600 employees and is slated for a 42-acre parcel adjacent to the Bay’s wetlands at NASA Ames Research Center, where Google has been a partner in various NASA projects since 2006. Rather than “completely separate” the building from its surroundings, the design “invites people to come out of their her-
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metically sealed box and become a part of what’s outdoors,” said Ryan Mullenix of Ohio-based NBBJ, the architecture firm hired by Google. “We actually call it ‘NASA to Nature,’” bridging the industrial side of NASA Ames to the natural side of the wetlands, he said. Mullenix added that focusing on the surrounding environment was a way to go above and beyond what is usually measured in ratings for green design. See GOOGLE, page 6