Grill like an expert WEEKEND | 14
JUNE 30, 2017 VOLUME 25, NO. 23
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MOVIES | 17
Calls for North Bayshore housing cap sparks concern GOAL OF 10,000 NEW UNITS REMAINS, DESPITE PLAN TO REASSESS IMPACTS AT 3,000 By Mark Noack
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f you read the recent headlines, it would seem that Mountain View officials were scheming to slash plans for new housing in North Bayshore. But that’s not actually what played out on Tuesday night as the City Council met once again to debate the future of the city’s high-profile tech hub in North Bayshore. In a 3-3 impasse with Mayor Ken Rosenberg absent, the council failed to reach a decision over how to gradually phase in thousands of new homes to build up a bustling new neighborhood. The Tuesday, June 27, meeting was dominated by concerns that a staff proposal for an early “check-in” cap on housing could be exploited to block construction on thousands of apartments. Conversely, supporters described the proposed limit as a crucial review to ensure the city was growing responsibly. At the meeting, passions over North Bayshore reached a fever pitch. The site of Google’s headquarters, the area has also captured headlines for the city’s ambitious plans for nearly 10,000
units of new housing. Plans called for the construction of 9,850 new apartment units in an area consisting almost entirely of corporate tech offices. For Bay Area housing advocates — as well as those in need of a cheaper rents — this aggressive push for residential growth became a hopeful sign that one city was ditching provincial politics to help solve the regional crisis. Best of all, Mountain View had found a way to harness the tech industry, long seen as the force behind gentrification. Google officials have signaled eagerness to partner with the city and help foot the bill for building most of the 9,850 new apartment units. The reasons aren’t entirely selfless — the company desperately needs to house its growing workforce. At Tuesday’s meeting, Bay Area housing advocates heaped praise on Mountain View officials and reiterated the importance of North Bayshore housing for the wider Silicon Valley region. “We really appreciate Mountain View and your leadership,” See NORTH BAYSHORE, page 6
NATALIA NAZAROVA
GO FOURTH AND CELEBRATE What to do when Independence Day falls on a Tuesday? You pick from a wide array of local festivities, of course. A patriotic array of parades, pancake breakfasts, festivals, music and fabulous fireworks are on offer this Fourth of July. See page 10 for our roundup of your best options.
City budget holds big payday for employees HIGHER LEASE REVENUES FROM GOOGLE BOOST RAISES IN CITY HALL By Mark Noack
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ity budgets are complex documents — a tangle of employee positions, infrastructure projects and accounting jargon that all come to a head each year around June. But the big theme of Mountain View’s $125 million budget is the city is due to get
a huge windfall — and officials have already figured out how to spend some of it. The city recently has been conducting appraisals on various properties leased to Google. And as luck would have it, Mountain View financial staff are reporting the value of these sites has skyrocketed. For example, the 21.6-acre
North Bayshore site known as North Charleston was reevaluated last year and saw a 141 percent increase in value. That translates into an extra $3.3 million each year in lease revenues for the city’s coffers. Another Google-leased property, the Crittenden site, has See CITY BUDGET, page 7
Senate bill would slash Medi-Cal coverage in Santa Clara County REPUBLICAN PLAN’S CUTS TO MEDICAID AMOUNT TO OVER $200 MILLION LOSS FOR COUNTY HOSPITAL SYSTEM By Kevin Forestieri
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alifornia politicians and hospital officials are speaking out against the Senate Republican health care bill, released to the public last week, that would claw back key provisions in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) including Medicaid
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expansion, premium subsidies and requirements for “essential” health care benefits in insurance plans. The Senate majority leadership’s “discussion draft” of the health care bill, dubbed the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, is a 142-page bill calling for defunding the expansion of
Medicaid authorized under the ACA beginning in 2021. Future spending by the federal program would be limited by a “per capita” cap, which would leave California with significantly less money for the state’s Medi-Cal program. Other provisions in the bill include eliminating the requirement for individuals to have
health insurance insurance — the so-called individual mandate — and for employers to offer insurance plans to employees. The proposed bill also would allow individual states to determine what qualifies as essential benefits in insurance plans, which would give insurance companies latitude to not
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cover treatment for pre-existing conditions. Add it all up, and the bill would increase the number of uninsured American by 22 million by 2026, slash $772 billion in Medicaid funding and reduce subsidies available for insurance See SENATE BILL, page 8