Downright dreamy ‘Daddy Long Legs’ ARTS & EVENTS | P.21 JANUARY 29, 2010 VOLUME 18, NO. 4
INSIDE: WEEKEND | PAGE 23
MountainViewOnline.com
Many hope to open pot dispensaries in city; others make house calls By Daniel DeBolt
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n 2005, Mountain View native Jonathan Lustig came to the City Council with a seemingly radical proposal: Let him open a medical marijuana dispensary somewhere in the city. “I believe that all patients should be entitled to safe and affordable and practi-
cal means for obtaining their medicine,” he said at the time. The idea was short-lived, however, after the council rejected Lustig’s proposal in a 4-3 vote after a great deal of contention — and what some felt to be intimidation from the federal DEA agents present at the meeting. Council member Laura Macias explained her no vote by saying,
“We’re in the most awkward of positions because the federal government has taken a very firm position here.” With that the issue seemed to die, but recent shifts in policy at the federal and state level have led to a resurgence in requests to open medical marijuana dispensaries in Mountain View. So many requests are coming in, in fact, that
the city manager is putting the topic of regulating such operations on the council’s to-do list this spring. Among the new crop of requesters is Brian David, whose family ran Eddy’s Sport Shop from 1950 to 2002. David says his “Shoreline Wellness Collective” See MARIJUANA, page 14
Navy renews vow to strip Hangar One TO SAVE LANDMARK STRUCTURE, ‘THERE NEEDS TO BE A PLAN’ FOR REUSE, ESHOO SAYS By Daniel DeBolt
of leaving the historic structure ongresswoman Anna as a steel skeleton. Eshoo said Tuesday that To address the problem, Eshoo a serious plan for reusing said she would be meeting “as Hangar One must be in place if soon as possible” with NASA, Congress is likely to fund resto- which owns Hangar One, and ration of the historic landmark at the Navy, which is responsible Moffett Field. for cleaning up the toxic asbestos “If part of the partnership and PCBs embedded in Hanis the Congress gar One’s sidof the United ing. The White States, they are “Is it going to be House Office going to want of Manageto know what used for a museum ment and Budwe want to do get, which has with the money,” or used by others in been arbitrating Eshoo told the agreement the community?” an Voice. “They are between the going to want to Navy and NASA REP. ANNA ESHOO know if it makes on Hangar One’s sense. Is it going restoration, has to be used for a museum or used also requested to be a part of the by others in the community? meeting, she said. There needs to be a plan.” The comments from Stewart Concern over Hangar One has on Jan. 14 appear to contradict reached new heights since Jan. previous comments from Navy 14, when Navy spokesperson Secretary Ray Mabus, who had Kathryn Stewart told the Mof- said in a letter to Eshoo that it fett Restoration Advisory Board was his “intention” to wait for a that the Navy plans to tear off decision from the OMB before Hangar One’s siding in Novem- removing Hangar One’s siding. ber of this year. With no plan When asked if she was suror funding in place to re-skin prised about Stewart’s comments it, local elected officials have See HANGAR, page 12 unanimously opposed the idea
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INSIDE
MICHELLE LE
SHE’S A RAINBOW:
Bethani Semple takes cover under her Cirque du Soleil rainbow umbrella Tuesday as she walks down Castro Street on her way to Book Buyers. Semple says she enjoys the rain, which had been falling steadily for more than a week.
Council gets early start on this year’s budget By Daniel DeBolt
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t’s only January, but the City Council and interested residents spent nearly five hours in a public meeting Tuesday night wrestling with how to fix an estimated $5 million general fund deficit in 2010-11. The general consensus dur-
ing the meeting, one of several meant to prepare everyone for June’s budget decision, seemed to be that “incremental” and “nickel and dime” cuts to city services would no longer suffice following the cuts already made last year to fill a similar deficit. This year, many agreed, major, consequential changes will have
GOINGS ON 28 | MARKETPLACE 30 | MOVIES 26 | REAL ESTATE 32 | VIEWPOINT 18
to be made. These might include having the county run the city’s Fire Department and library, which council members seemed to believe would reduce costs. Finance director Patty Kong estimates that without a way to reduce growing costs, the gap See COUNCIL, page 16