Sweet summer grilling WEEKEND | 15 JUNE 29, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 23
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Is Mountain View losing its trees? NEW CITY DATA STILL LEAVES QUESTION UP IN THE AIR By Mark Noack
See HERITAGE TREES, page 11
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Meanwhile, Google — by far the city’s largest employer with new headcount tax its 23,000-person workforce aimed at the city’s high- — would pay up to $150 per profile tech compa- employee. Small businesses with less nies will go before voters this November. In a heated Tuesday than 50 workers would not night meeting, the City Council face a per-employee fee; howunanimously backed plans for ever, the cost for most busia top-heavy tax increase that ness licenses would increase would raise about $6.1 million from the current price of $34. each year if approved — with Licenses would cost $100 for Google alone paying more than businesses with one employee, $200 for two to 25 employees, half that amount. What some are calling the and $400 for 26 to 50 employees. Businesses “Google tax” earning less is Mountain than $5,000 View’s strat‘We won't be in revenue per egy for funding a suite of cramming this down year would be exempt. transportation Despite havimprovements, anyone's throat.’ ing the most at especially an COUNCILMAN CHRIS CLARK stake, Google ambitious goal has been offito build a new cially silent on automated transit system. Given that tech the proposed tax increase. employers are causing much of In private conversations with the area’s traffic, council mem- Google officials, elected leaders bers say it is appropriate for say the company’s representathose companies to carry most tives haven’t signaled any major of the costs of the new business opposition to the proposal, yet the company hasn’t taken any license tax. For that concept there was formal position. The company widespread agreement, but the has declined to comment on the finer details of crafting a tax tax to the Voice. Nevertheless, the tech giant structure led to a painfully long debate during the council’s seemed to have no shortage of final meeting before a summer proxy defenders on Tuesday night. Business representatives recess. In the end, the council from organizations including endorsed a tiered tax system the Silicon Valley Leadership similar to what they approved Group and the Mountain View in past meetings. For any Chamber of Commerce made companies with more than 50 a last-ditch effort to urge city workers, this tax system would leaders to exercise restraint on charge a headcount fee that the tax plan. Chamber of Commerce CEO would increase with the size of the business. As an example Bruce Humphrey presented on the lower end, Trader Joe’s an alternative plan to lower with its 63 employees would See GOOGLE TAX, page 9 pay up to $75 for each worker.
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PHOTO BY NATALIA NAZAROVA
Paul Kim and Adam Reay pose for a photo next to their coastal redwood. A growing number of residents are concerned that the city’s heritage trees are being treated as an afterthought amid the aggressive push for development.
LASD OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE CLOSER THAN EVER TO BUYING LAND FOR A MV SCHOOL
ountain View City Council members agreed Tuesday night to allow the Los Altos School District to pursue land for a school within the San Antonio shopping center, with a narrow majority deciding not to impose restrictions on the school’s design
‘Google tax’ heads to voters in November By Mark Noack
Council gives the green light to shopping center school plans By Kevin Forestieri
MOVIES | 18
NEW TAX WOULD DRAW $6.1 MILLION FROM PRIVATE EMPLOYERS
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s Mountain View losing trees from breakneck development, or is the town planting enough younger trees to replenish them? It’s sort of like asking if a cup is half empty or half full — it depends on who you ask. A new draft report by the city’s Forestry Division finds that nearly 2,400 trees have been chopped down across town over the last three years. On the bright side, city arborists report that they are replanting 60 percent more new trees and saplings compared to what’s been removed. Yet tree advocates in Mountain View remain skeptical. Not all trees are equal, said Katherine Naegele, an arborist with the Mountain View Tree nonprofit who previously served on the city’s Urban Forestry Board. While a higher tree count might seem like proof of success, it could also mean that a developer ripped out healthy mature trees only to be replace them with saplings from the nursery, she said. After winning their
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or demand the school serve local students in the area. The 4-3 decision marks the latest checkpoint in an ongoing debate between the city’s elected officials over whether to extend major financial support for the district’s land acquisition plans with or without strings attached. A majority of the council has voted in favor of giving broad
flexibility to the school district on what to do with the future campus, and declined to reverse course at the June 26 meeting. Mayor Lenny Siegel and council members Chris Clark, Ken Rosenberg and John McAlister voted in favor, while council members Pat Showalter, See LASD SCHOOL, page 8
VIEWPOINT 14 | GOINGS ON 19 | MARKETPLACE 20 | REAL ESTATE 22