Fall Class Guide PAGE 9
AUGUST 10, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 29
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MOVIES | 16
City seeks dismissal of sexual harassment case against police chief By Bay City News Service
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NATALIA NAZAROVA
Jane Williams leans against her van in the St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church parking lot on Aug. 7. She’s one of the first participants in Mountain View’s Lots of Love program, which offers parking in church lots as a safe haven for people living out of their vehicles.
Lots of Love gets off to a slow start LOCAL CHURCHES OPEN UP FOR HOMELESS SAFE PARKING PROGRAM By Mark Noack
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p until recently, Jane Williams’ home has been the parking lot of an office complex off Old Middlefield Road. After a day of running packages for a delivery startup, the Mountain View native would park her minivan in the back of the lot to settle down for the night. She’d been living this way ever since losing
her apartment in a bad breakup. It wasn’t a great lifestyle, but there were some benefits, she said. As a 55-year-old woman, Williams felt much safer staying in an enclosed parking lot than on the street. Plus, she became caretaker for some feral cats, and feeding them every day gave her a renewed sense of purpose. “I can handle roughing it, but it’s really getting old. I know
I would do much better in an apartment,” she said. “I always wanted a home in this area, but it’s become an unrealistic goal.” Naturally, her decision to camp out at the office lot has miffed some of the neighbors. One business tenant has repeatedly called the police on her, particularly when she used the office’s restroom. After the See SAFE PARKING, page 6
ountain View has asked a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge to dismiss a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against the city and police Chief Max Bosel by a former dispatcher in 2016. Annie Lohman joined the Mountain View Police Department in 2003, then became a SWAT team dispatcher in 2005 under then-Cmdr. Bosel. The lawsuit alleges that Bosel and the team sexually harassed Lohman in 2006 and 2007, and eventually forced her out of the department because she wouldn’t participate in their behavior. The city’s request to dismiss the case was scheduled for a hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 8, but it was continued to October. The city filed a motion July 20 to dismiss the lawsuit, saying Lohman did not meet the oneyear statute of limitations for reporting the harassment, and that her claims were not backed by evidence. City attorneys dismissed Lohman’s allegations of retaliatory behavior, saying she was placed on administrative leave in 2015 due to poor performance as a dispatcher.
The motion lists several complaints from other police officers, saying Lohman forgot to take the name of a Max Bosel caller reporting a homicide at Shoreline Amphitheatre, told police an incorrect address for a drowning victim and failed to give CPR instructions to help a victim “turning purple” at a gym basketball court. Two months after she was placed on administrative leave for her alleged mistakes, city attorneys said Lohman filed a human resources complaint about sexual harassment within the department. Lohman resigned from her job on May 21 of this year. Her lawsuit alleges nudity, simulated sexual acts, lewd jokes and explicit sexual banter from SWAT officers. The suit seeks a jury trial and more than $25,000 in damages, but Lohman’s attorney James McManis said the city is doing its best to avoid both consequences. “They don’t want this ever See CASE DISMISSAL, page 7
District offers support services after death of student By Kevin Forestieri
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ountain View High School officials told parents in an email Monday afternoon that one of the school’s students, Eddie Keep, has died. Principal Dave Grissom’s letter to parents said that despite the summer break, support services will be available for students
INSIDE
affected by the loss, including CHAC therapists as well as district administrators and teachers. Grissom said the district will not share information about the cause of death, honoring a request from the family, but acknowledged that there are rumors that Keep died by suicide. Grissom’s message does not confirm or deny the rumors, instead stating that now is an “opportunity” for
parents to have an open dialogue about mental health. “Suicide, when it does occur, is a very complicated act,” Grissom said in the letter. “It is usually caused by a mental disorder such as depression, which can prevent a person from thinking clearly about the problems of his or her life and how to solve them.” Some students already grieving the loss of relatives or loved ones
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may have a heightened reaction to their classmate’s death, and parents may need to keep a “watchful eye” on them, he said. The Mountain View-Los Altos High School District has a range of student wellness services, including in-house therapists, who are available to assist students. Several hotlines are available on the district’s website, and families are encouraged to call
Clinical Services Coordinator Susan Flatmo at 510-387-6271. V
Any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal can call 1-800-784-2433 to speak with a crisis counselor. People in Santa Clara County can call 1-855-278-4204. Spanish speakers can call 1-888-628-9454.