Star of the valley WEEKEND | 19 MAY 1, 2015 VOLUME 23, NO. 14
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MOVIES | 22
El Camino bus plan faces backlash COUNCILMAN EXPLAINS SHIFTING VIEWS SINCE ELECTION By Mark Noack
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MICHELLE LE
GETTING INTO THE SWING OF SPRING Trianna reaches for a hula hoop during the games and festivities following Mountain View’s annual Spring Family Parade on Saturday, April 25. More photos from the parade are on page 15.
South Bay Nepalese rush to provide earthquake relief FAMILIES CONCERNED DEATH TOLL COULD RISE IF NEEDED AID DOESN’T ARRIVE SOON By Mark Noack
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small cluster of Nepalese expatriates living in the South Bay are racing to raise funds and coordinate relief efforts to aid their distant families and countrymen impacted by a devastating earthquake on Saturday. As many as 5,000 people were reportedly killed and nearly 10,000 injured as a result of a
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7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday, April 25. Within minutes of the disaster, Sunnyvale resident Pratik Pande began hearing dispatches from his home country 7,500 miles away. It was about 11 p.m. and his family began shouting for him to come see a cascade of urgent messages from relatives and friends in Kathmandu See EARTHQUAKE page 13
uesday’s meeting on Mountain View’s annual budget was overshadowed by a crowd of public speakers wanting to talk about the council’s controversial move last week to support creating dedicated bus lanes on El Camino Real. In the days since the decision, a groundswell of irate Mountain View residents have blasted council members for backing the bus plan. Meanwhile, city leaders have struggled to explain why they believe streamlined bus service, at the expense of two lanes on the six-lane road, was ultimately in the city’s best interest. The decision last week to endorse the Bus Rapid Transit plan came as a surprise for many in Mountain View. Expectations were for elected leaders to come out against the plan, as they
had on multiple past occasions when the Valley Transportation Authority brought it forward for the city to review. At a cost of $233 million, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) proposal would enhance bus service by providing an express route running from Palo Alto down to San Jose. The plan by the Valley Transportation Authority calls for two lanes of El Camino Real — one in each direction — to be closed off to all motorists except public buses. For the first time last week, VTA officials indicated the exclusive lanes could also be considered for emergency vehicles and possibly private company shuttles. But many say they saw little reason to think last week’s review by the Mountain View City Council would go differently. The three new council members See EL CAMINO, page 7
MVHS narrows achievement gap SCHOOL RECOGNIZED BY COUNTY FOR BOOSTING MINORITY ENROLLMENT IN AP CLASSES By Kevin Forestieri
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hree years ago, staff at Mountain View High School set out to increase the number of Latino and other underrepresented minority students in Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes. The idea was that plenty of minority students are capable of taking the rigorous courses that look great on a college application, but they just needed that extra level of encouragement from teachers and counselors. Three years later, the school
VIEWPOINT 17 | GOINGS ON 23 | MARKETPLACE 28 | REAL ESTATE 30
is now calling it a success. The Santa Clara County Office of Education recently announced that Mountain View High School now ranks in the top percentile of schools in the nation for fully reflecting the school’s student diversity in its AP and honors class enrollment, making it one of only four schools in the county to pull it off. “It’s one of the most incredible accomplishments I’ve seen in 37 years of my career,” said Superintendent Barry Groves, noting that the school has doubled AP enrollment among underrepre-
sented minorities in just one year. Between the last school year and this year, Latino students enrolled in AP courses at the high school grew from 81 students to 132 students. An additional 129 underrepresented students took AP courses for the first time this school year, according to Associate Superintendent Brigitte Sarraf. Starting in the 2013-14 school year, the Mountain View-Los Altos Union High School District signed a contract with Equal Opportunity Schools, a See LATINO STUDENTS, page 12