Bubble tea bonanza WEEKEND | 18
MARCH 28, 2014 VOLUME 22, NO. 9
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MOVIES | 21
Ordinance would soften gentrification’s sting DISPLACED LOW-INCOME RENTERS WOULD RECEIVE COMPENSATION FROM LANDLORDS By Daniel DeBolt
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MICHELLE LE
Steve Rasmussen, owner of the Milk Pail market, talks to longtime customer Leane Reelfs on Tuesday. Reelfs, who has been coming to the Milk Pail since she was a child, says there’s nothing else like it in Mountain View.
Will the Milk Pail survive? SHOPPING CENTER DEVELOPMENT MAY FORCE GROCER’S CLOSURE AFTER 40 YEARS By Daniel DeBolt
T
o many residents, the Milk Pail market is a charming Mountain View institution, celebrating its 40th year selling affordable produce and gourmet cheese in a quirky, open air European-
style setting. But its future has been uncertain ever since a developer arrived on the scene, threatening a critical part of the Milk Pail’s business: a friendly agreement allowing the Milk Pail’s customers to use a neighboring property’s parking lots. “My life these days is filled
with the word ‘parking’,” said Milk Pail owner Steve Rasmussen, who has only five parking spaces on his property, but needs 22 to meet city requirements to stay open. He says his current arrangement isn’t a See MILK PAIL, page 6
Teens trash, burn home while owners away 14 MV YOUTHS ARRESTED AFTER ‘PARTY HOUSE’ IS TORCHED By Andrea Gemmet
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olice said Tuesday that 14 people have been arrested in connection with a fire that burned a house in the 1700 block of Fordham Way in the early hours of March 16. Investigators say a series of drug- and alcohol-fueled illicit parties at
INSIDE
an empty house went awry, leaving the home seriously damaged when a fire started by three juveniles burned out of control. While the residents were away on vacation, the house was also burglarized, and an Audi A4 stolen, said Sgt. Saul Jaeger, spokesman for the Mountain View Police Department. The
car appears to have been stolen on March 14 and was recovered in San Francisco, he said. Jaeger said he expects more arrests to be made in the coming days. The parties were attended by students from local high schools and Foothill college. Twelve juveniles and two 18-year-olds have
VIEWPOINT 14 \ GOINGS ON 22 \ MARKETPLACE 24 \ REAL ESTATE 26
esidential landlords may soon have to pay higher compensation costs to renters being displaced by renovations and redevelopments around the city, City Council members indicated Tuesday. “Rents have gone up very, very steeply,” said council member Jac Siegel. “I don’t believe this is going to keep anyone in Mountain View, I really don’t. This will at least help to keep their dignity (to) get by and live in a decent place.” Council members voted 6-1 for city staff and planning commissioners to develop an ordinance in which landlords would have to pay three months rent to displaced households, based on average market-rate rents (now $2,320 for a two-bedroom, onebathroom apartment). Renters would qualify if they earn less than 80 percent of the “area median income” or AMI, which was $101,000 for a family of four in 2013. The ordinance may see final council approval by summer break at the end of June and go into effect 30 days later. It was found that a 2010 tenant relocation ordinance was inadebeen arrested in connection with the case, said Jaeger. Brandon Pak and Gilbert Gomes, both from Moun- Brandon Pak tain View, were arrested this week on charges of burglary and child endangerment, with Pak facing an additional charge of providing marijuana to juveniles.
quate, serving only 17 households since 2010 because few displaced tenants met a requirement that they earn less than 50 percent of the AMI. It also provided only two months of rent to displaced tenants, based on their rent at the time of being displaced. There was also $2,154 for households with “special circumstances,” which would be raised to $3,000 in the new ordinance. “A special-circumstances household is defined as having at least one person that is either over 62 years of age, handicapped, disabled or a legally dependent minor child (less than 18 years of age).” Lauzze wrote. Council members did not support an option to provide significantly more assistance to displaced renters. That option was based on a state-required practice which was used to relocate tenants living above La Costeña Taqueria. Because state funds were used for the affordable housing project that displaced them, tenants had to be given enough funds to help cover 42 months of higher rents (residents are still expected to pay rent equal to 30 percent of See TENANT, page 12
The juveniles, whose names and ages were withheld by police, face charges ranging from arson, Gilbert Gomes burglary and auto theft to drug possession and drug sales, Jaeger said. Most of the students attend Mountain View High School, with a few See ARSON ARRESTS, page 12