7JFXQPJOU N EDITORIAL
N S TA F F Publisher Tom Gibboney
Editorial Managing Editor Andrea Gemmet Staff Writers Daniel DeBolt, Nick Veronin Intern Nadezhda Banchik Photographer Michelle Le Photo Intern Nick Gonzales Contributors Dale Bentson, Angela Hey, Sheila Himmel, Jennifer Pence, Alissa Stallings
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Advertising Advertising Representatives Judie Block, Brent Triantos Real Estate Account Executive Rosemary Lewkowitz Real Estate Advertising Coordinator Samantha Mejia Published every Friday at 450 Cambridge Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 964-6300 fax (650) 964-0294 E-mail news and photos to: editor@MV-Voice.com E-mail letters to: letters@MV-Voice.com News/Editorial Department (650) 964-6300 fax (650) 964-0294 Display Advertising Sales (650) 964-6300 Classified Advertising Sales s fax (650) 326-0155 E-mail Classified ads@MV-Voice.com E-mail Circulation circulation@MV-Voice.com The Voice is published weekly by Embarcadero Media Co. and distributed free to residences and businesses in Mountain View. If you are not currently receiving the paper, you may request free delivery by calling 964-6300. Subscriptions for $60 per year, $100 per 2 years are welcome. Copyright ©2010 by Embarcadero Media Company. All rights reserved. Member, Mountain View Chamber of Commerce
N WHAT’S YOUR VIEW? All views must include a home address and contact phone number. Published letters will also appear on the web site, www.MountainViewOnline.com, and occasionally on the Town Square forum.
TOWN SQUARE FORUM Post your views on the Town Square forum at www.MountainViewOnline.com E-MAIL your views to letters@MV-Voice.com. Indicate if it is a letter to be published. MAIL to: Editor Mountain View Voice, P.O. Box 405 Mountain View, CA 94042-0405 CALL the Viewpoint desk at 964-6300
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■ MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE ■ JUNE 3, 2011
■ GUEST OPINIONS
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
Shoreline revenue may be running out he warm and fuzzy deal struck by the city and the two local school districts in February to share funds from the Shoreline Community development district over the next three years made everyone happy, at least for the moment. The city magnanimously agreed to part with a portion of the revenue from the development district, which was formed in 1969 to create and maintain Shoreline Park and the surrounding business district. The special legislation that created the district funnels away property taxes that otherwise would go to schools. Over the years, income to the district has grown and is expected to produce $26.9 million this year. In their agreement to share revenue with the school districts, the city agreed to fork over $8.2 million in three payments over three years to Mountain View Whisman and $5.4 million to the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District. After years of receiving nothing from Shoreline tax revenues, school officials were ecstatic, even though there was no commitment for revenue-sharing after the three-year period. And although not all the district’s income is committed, what will be available got considerably smaller when the City Council agreed last week to “borrow” an additional $26.5 million for district projects. The new bonds will take 29 years to pay off at the rate of $2 million a year from the Shoreline Community fund. The money will be used to build new soccer and baseball fields for $9 million, a new fire station near the Shoreline Amphitheatre for $10 million and a pedestrian/bike bridge over Highway 101 for the Permanente Creek Trail that will cost $4 million. In the current estimate of investment earnings and property tax income, the Shoreline district is expected to produce about $26.9 million this year, but decline to $25.4 million in 2011-12 with virtually the same performance in 2012-13. And if current revenue estimates and expenditure plans hold, the city might not have quite enough to meet an obligation similar to the $4.8 million yearly average being paid to schools today through 2014, although there could be a surplus in the Shoreline fund that could accommodate school payments in 2015 and 2016. In the past, the City Council has been more than willing to pledge Shoreline district income to bankroll various projects to improve the Bayshore neighborhood, where many high-tech companies are located, including Google and Microsoft. But the city has now reduced its budget for such expenditures by $2 million next year and in 2012-13, with estimates rising to $3 million available for projects the following two years. If school supporters, who helped convince the city to provide the $13.6 million schools will receive over the next three years, want to continue getting a share of the Shoreline Community district revenue three years from now, they may have to ask the city to hold off on new investments at Shoreline. Otherwise, this revenue could be invested in other bond issues or projects that will take away the ability of the city to share this revenue, which is so important to the school districts.
■ YOUR LETTERS
N GUEST OPINION
THE OPINION OF THE VOICE Founding Editor, Kate Wakerly
■ EDITORIAL
Low income parents can insure their kids By Jennifer Shelton
I
n the fall of 2010, my niece and nephew lost their health coverage due to their father changing employers. At the time, they were 3 and 5 years old. At such a young age, having health coverage was extremely critical. Children at younger ages tend to need to visit the doctor more frequently for regular checks, illnesses, and
immunizations for school. Thus, my sister was immediately concerned with the potential cost of doctor visits. Like many families who cannot find affordable health coverage, my sister would not be able to pay out-of-pocket for a family doctor. If her children became ill, she worried as to how she could afford Continued on next page
N LETTERS
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
WHO PAYS FOR DAY WORKERS? Your May 13 day worker story tells how Harold Black picked up Juan Antonio at the Mountain View Day Worker Center to take care of Black’s garden and orchards in Los Altos. Antonio works about two days in a typical week, apparently most of his work is from contacts at the Day Worker Center, which does not ask workers about their legal status in our country. Antonio, with his wife and three children, came here from Mexico because life is so miserable in that country. One thing that Black does not address is the cost to American taxpayers to take care of Antonio and his
family. If his kids are in public schools they are each costing taxpayers about $6,000 per year, or a total of $18,000 per year, about $50 a day. If any family member gets sick they can get free medical care at a hospital emergency room, and they may also qualify for some welfare programs. People who are not legal residents are costing taxpayers lots of money, and if they were not encouraged by places like the Day Worker Center we could balance state and local budgets and Black would have to pay more for someone to help him garden. Charlie Larson Sylvan Avenue