INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Delish Spring 2018
MAY 18, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 17
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MOVIES | 27
Council nixes left turns at Castro train crossing DIFFICULT INTERSECTION LEAVES PEDESTRIANS IN HARM’S WAY busiest morning hours, according to a staff report. But with recent housing develrring on the side of caution for pedestrians seeking opment now complete on the safe passage across Central corner of Moffett Boulevard and Expressway, Mountain View City Central, and Caltrain’s future Council members voted Tuesday electrification project likely to night to get rid of left-turn lanes bring more trains through the for traffic heading north out of corridor, the number of pedestrians at risk of being hit is only downtown. By a narrow 4-3 margin, the going to increase. Getting rid of the left-turn council agreed on plans that would reconfigure northbound lanes would solve the problem, but wouldn’t be Castro Street as without its own it approaches consequences. Central, add ‘I’m going to err Recent counts a bike lane and another on the side of safety.’ by the city show 1,936 vehicles through lane in COUNCILMAN KEN ROSENBERG use Castro to lieu of the two get onto westleft-turn lanes, bound Central which city staffers warn have been an intractable Expressway each day, and there safety problem that’s bound to get are few alternative routes to get onto the expressway north worse. The idea won the support toward Palo Alto. Traffic studof Mayor Lenny Siegel and ies show that most of the drivers council members Pat Showalter, would opt to take Shoreline BouChris Clark and Ken Rosenberg. levard instead, with 44 percent Council members John McAli- of the vehicles likely taking Villa ster, Margaret Abe-Koga and Street as an alternate route. The proposal won the support Lisa Matichak voted against the proposal, raising concerns about of the Bike and Pedestrian Advidiverting traffic onto neighbor- sory Committee and the Downhood streets and questioning the town Committee, but couldn’t need for the $1.7 million project. muster majority support from The conflict lies in the way council members on the Countraffic is funneled past the tracks cil Transportation Committee to make way for incoming trains. (CTC) in June of last year or As a train approaches the inter- February this year. Despite the section, vehicles heading onto weak support from elected offiwestbound Central Expressway cials prior to the May 15 meeting, are abruptly given the green light traffic engineers were “unable to to proceed directly toward pedes- identify any workable options that trians who were given the signal provide the same benefit to pedesto cross the street just moments trians crossing the expressway” before. That leaves about 60 without axing the left-turn lanes, pedestrians “in conflict” with 148 left-turning vehicles during the See INTERSECTION, page 8 By Kevin Forestieri
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JAMES TENSUAN
Students are eager to be called on in Samantha White-DeSilva’s second-grade class at Gabriela Mistral Elementary, the district’s dual language immersion school.
Report: Dual Immersion leaves English learners behind By Kevin Forestieri
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ual-language education programs have a strong track record of improving test scores and being an effective tool for narrowing the achievement gap, with the
added benefit of bilingual fluency in an increasingly diverse world. But as Mountain View Whisman School District officials weigh expanding the Dual Immersion program at Gabriela Mistral Elementary School into
the district’s middle schools, a recent study has thrown into question whether all of its students are reaping the intended benefits. The longitudinal study of Mistral’s students, reviewed See DUAL IMMERSION, page 9
City to end free waste dumping COUNCIL ENDS SEPTIC PROGRAM FOR RV DWELLERS AMID LOW TURNOUT By Mark Noack
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eople living out of motor homes on the streets of the Mountain View will no longer be provided with a free service for cleaning out their septic tanks, based on Tuesday night’s City Council decision. The free waste disposal service was launched earlier this year as a way to prevent people living in
INSIDE
RVs from illegally dumping their sewage down the stormwater drains. The council decided to end the program in a 5-2 vote with council members Ken Rosenberg and Pat Showalter opposing. Even though it was free, the service was apparently not used by many RV campers. Only about one in seven people who received a voucher for the free waste dumping ended up using
it, according to city officials. This muted response opened a wider debate among the council on whether the city’s tolerant approach to the growing homeless population was proving ineffective, if not misguided. “This is another example of us trying our best and spending money, but there’s a population See RV WASTE, page 9
Italian classics WEEKEND | 22
VIEWPOINT 20 | GOINGS ON 28 | MARKETPLACE 29 | REAL ESTATE 31