This bird won’t sing ARTS&EVENTS | P.19 APRIL 30, 2010 VOLUME 18, NO. 17
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INSIDE: WEEKEND | PAGE 22
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After much ado, City Council finally approves Minton’s project By Daniel DeBolt
T
he City Council gave the green light once and for all on Tuesday night to a 203-unit luxury apartment complex which will take the place of Minton’s Lumber and Supply at 455 W. Evelyn Ave. — but not without a word from a few council members. After much controversy and debate in the downtown neighborhood about the project, council members Jac Siegel and Laura Macias were the only opponents in a 5-2 council vote. Public comment was
largely taken at a previous meeting. was a whole range of perspectives in each cat“There was a revolt in this neighborhood egory,” said council member Margaret Abe over this Koga. “Can project,” said I say there is Siegel, who “I don’t know why we aren’t listening to a majority spent more or a voice than 20 min- the neighborhood and what they want.” one way or utes railing the other? I JAC SIEGEL against the would have proposal. “I to say no.” don’t know why we aren’t listening to the Council members in favor of the project neighborhood and what they want.” said its location, across the street from the Other council members disagreed. downtown train station, was ideal for the “I heard opinions from both sides — there relatively large buildings, which will be four
stories tall along Evelyn Avenue and transition to two stories along Villa Street. It is estimated that the high-end apartments, to be built and managed by Prometheus Real Estate Group, will garner rents ranging from $1,800 a for a one bedroom apartment to $2,500 for a two bedroom apartment. Council member Mike Kasperzak said paying such rents will likely be more attractive than putting a $300,000 down payment on a $1 million home downtown, where the council believes many people want See COUNCIL, page 8
Pot club owner initiates court battle with city By Daniel DeBolt
legal under state law. But that question may soon be settled in n hopes of taking the issue all an appellate court in Southern the way to the state Supreme California in the case of QualiCourt, the operator of a fied Patients Association vs. the newly opened medical marijuana City of Anaheim, which could dispensary in Mountain View decide the legality of that city’s is suing the city over its ban on ban on medical marijuana dispot clubs. pensaries. A ruling in that case, Matt Lucero, a well-to-do law- expected within the next few yer who lives months, could in Campbell, have major filed the suit “I’m going to spend i mpl ic at ion s after the City for city bans Council voted millions of my own on dispensaries last week to money to do this.” statewide. take legal action If Anaheim to close down wins, Lucero MATT LUCERO Buddy’s Cansaid, he will nabis Patient continue his Collective, which he runs with a lawsuit in hopes a Northern dozen other members. California appellate court disThe dispensary opened April agrees. “Then it goes to Califor10 at 2632 Bayshore Parkway nia Supreme Court — that’s my despite Mountain View’s tem- strategy,” he said. porary ban, which took effect in “I’m going to spend millions March and was supposed to buy of my own money to do this,” the city time to craft regulations he added. “Maybe they will fine on medical marijuana dispensa- me thousands of dollars a day. ries — an idea which, ironically, Maybe they will fine our landa council majority seems to sup- lord. I already told them — ‘I’ll port. pay it.’” The central issue in Lucero’s But if Anaheim loses its case, lawsuit is whether Mountain “basically we win,” Lucero said. View’s temporary ban on mediSee POT CLUB, page 9 cal marijuana dispensaries is
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MICHELLE LE
A Stanford engineering degree — and no job By Kelsey Mesher
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ountain View resident Chad Bowling, 23, never thought he would fall a victim to the down economy. As a chemical engineering student at Stanford University, “I assumed that I would not have a hard time finding a job,” he said. His plan was to work for a few years before applying to graduate programs in his field, a move
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TALES
RECESSION TALES This story is part of a series exploring ways the recession has affected Mountain View and its residents
often encouraged by professors to broaden a student’s perspective. In the fall of his senior year, Bowling casually began his search.
“I never considered that a year or two break would be a hard ordeal,” he said. Fall passed, and winter and spring quarters rolled by. It was graduation time and Bowling still didn’t have anything lined up. By that time, he was “desperate,” he said. He decided to widen the pool of jobs he would apply for, and continue his search from See RECESSION, page 9
GOINGS ON 26 | MARKETPLACE 27 | MOVIES 25 | REAL ESTATE 30 | VIEWPOINT 15