Seemingly treading water WEEKEND | 16 APRIL 18, 2014 VOLUME 22, NO. 11
www.MountainViewOnline.com
650.964.6300
MOVIES | 20
County seeks new site for north county homeless shelter WITH ARMORY CLOSED, 136 BEDS NEEDED By Daniel DeBolt
The Armory was one of three major shelters for the homehe Santa Clara Coun- less in the county, the others ty Board of Supervisors being in San Jose and Morgan unanimously voted Tues- Hill. Simitian noted that in the day to find a replacement for northern half of the county the north county’s cold-weather there are now “a dozen comhomeless shelter at the Sunnyvale munities with roughly a third Armory, now being demolished. of the county’s population that The shelter closed its doors for don’t have a large shelter in the last time on March 31, and place.” “we are now without a facility According to the 2013 county to serve the 136 folks who put homelessness survey, Mountheir heads down there every tain View had 136 unsheltered night, during the four cold- homeless that year, while the weather months of the year,” northern 12 cities in the county December through (basically the entire March, said Supercounty minus San visor Joe Simitian, ‘But right here, Jose, Morgan Hill, whose district Gilroy and unincorright now, spans Mountain porated areas such View and Palo as San Martin), had people need 1,098 of the county’s Alto, among other north county 5,674 unsheltered a roof over cities. “This has homeless. raised very legitiSimitian added their head.’ that without mate concerns such a about what are the SUPERVISOR JOE SIMITIAN shelter, other resinext steps.” dents “shouldn’t be In recent years surprised” if some of the county has those 1,098 homeless moved towards a “housing “are going to be out in the neighfirst” model that seeks to fund borhood” where, he noted, they subsidized housing for the have inevitably caused a “quality chronically homeless, including of life issue” for other residents. 124 such units to be built at the As now required by law, Sunnyvale Armory site. (The Mountain View city staff National Guard decided to end released a general plan housits deal with the county to use ing element report this week the site for free.) But housing identifying areas of the city funds are scarce, which is why where such a shelter could go. Simitian and fellow supervisor The report identifies the “genDavid Cortese proposed the eral industrial” zoned areas move to find a new shelter site. in the city totaling 248 acres, “I think ‘housing first’ is long- particularly several dozen lots term strategy and I think it’s on Pioneer Way. It’s an area important we have a long-term where auto shops, offices and strategy,” Simitian said. “But warehouses are now common. right here, right now, people need See HOMELESS, page 11 a roof over their head.”
T MICHELLE LE
Guadalupe Garcia prepares a breakfast order during the morning rush at Posh Bagel.
Campaign to raise MV’s minimum wage heats up By Daniel DeBolt
L
ocal activists are organizing residents to speak to the City Council on Tuesday, April 22, in an effort to have the city’s minimum wage increased Organizers of the effort are pointing to San Jose’s success in
raising its minimum wage from the state’s $8 an hour to $10.15 an hour, and want Mountain View to follow suit, possibly going even higher. “Silicon Valley has the highest per-capita number of millionaires and billionaires,” said campaign organizer Meghan Fraley. “With that kind of eco-
nomic situation we can afford to have a community where people who work hard are able to support themselves and have a fair shot. We all know that housing prices are skyrocketing and it’s becoming more difficult for low-wage families See MINIMUM WAGE, page 10
Four more juveniles arrested in connection with arson fire CASE NOW IN THE HANDS OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY’S OFFICE By Kevin Forestieri
T
he Mountain View Police Department arrested four more juveniles in its ongoing investigation of the drug- and alcohol-fueled parties and subsequent arson fire that destroyed a house on
INSIDE
Fordham Way last month. While the residents of the house were away on vacation, students from nearby high schools and a local college hosted parties with drugs and alcohol for over a week. On March 16, three juveniles allegedly started a fire in the house; the two-alarm fire
severely damaged the house. Since the initial arrests of 12 juveniles and two adults, four more juveniles were arrested as of March 31 — a total of 18 arrests on charges including arson, burglary, vehicle theft, drug possesSee ARSON, page 11
VIEWPOINT 12 | GOINGS ON 22 | MARKETPLACE 23 | REAL ESTATE 25