7JFXQPJOU Founding Editor, Kate Wakerly
N S TA F F
Editorial Managing Editor Andrea Gemmet Staff Writers Daniel DeBolt, Nick Veronin Intern Emily Efland, Rebecca Alger Photographer Michelle Le Photo Intern Daniella Sanchez Contributors Dale Bentson, Angela Hey, Sheila Himmel, Ruth Schecter, Alissa Stallings
Design & Production Design Director Shannon Corey Designers Linda Atilano, Lili Cao, Diane Haas, Paul Llewellyn, Scott Peterson
Advertising Vice President Sales and Marketing Tom Zahiralis 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 Email news and photos to: editor@MV-Voice.com Email 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 Email Classified ads@MV-Voice.com Email 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 ©2012 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.
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■ YOUR LETTERS ■ GUEST OPINIONS
N EDITORIAL
N LETTERS
THE OPINION OF THE VOICE
VOICES FROM THE COMMUNITY
A game of chicken
Editor & Publisher Tom Gibboney
■ EDITORIAL
Chik-Fil-A has gotten off to a rocky start in its quest to open a restaurant in Mountain View, and the path is unlikely to get smoother any time soon, thanks to a growing controversy over the company’s stance on same-sex marriage. The chain of fried-chicken sandwich restaurants first ran afoul of the City Council in February with its request for a drivethrough for its proposed location at 1962 W. El Camino Real. Citing concerns over pollution from idling cars, a majority of council members said they’d like to look into a moratorium on new drive-throughs. But with no moratorium yet on the books, Chick-Fil-A managed to get approval of its restaurant from the city’s zoning administrator, Peter Gilli — with a drive-through. That success is tempered by the fact that two groups of Mountain View residents are pursuing an appeal over the Chick-Fil-A approval, one of which was clearly spurred by the company’s anti-gay rights stance. The Georgia-based company’s funding of causes such as Proposition 8, the state initiative banning same-sex marriage, has galvanized gay rights groups. Comments from Chick-Fil-A president Dan Cathy in a recent article in the Baptist Press only reinforced the growing perception that the company actively pursues a homophobic agenda. “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit,” Cathy is quoted as saying. According to a report by advocacy group Equality Matters, Chick-Fil-A’s WinShape Foundation in 2010 donated more than $2 million to groups with anti-gay agendas, including the Marriage & Family Foundation. Even the Muppets are abandoning Chick-Fil-A. The Jim Henson Co. announced July 20 that it would no longer provide toys for Chick-Fil-A’s children’s meals, saying the company “has celebrated and embraced diversity and inclusiveness for over fifty years and we have notified Chick-Fil-A that we do not wish to partner with them on any future endeavors.” Money from Chick-Fil-A is being donated to GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, according to a post on the Henson Co.’s Facebook page. Locally, three groups have emerged to try to overturn the approval of what would be the first Chik-Fil-A restaurant in the Bay Area. A group of employees of the Mountain View startup HighlightCam quickly raised $1,000 on wepay.com to pay for an appeal to the City Council. One of the organizers of the appeal, David Speakman, told local newspapers that he and his husband were the first gay couple to be legally married in Santa Clara County. He said, “It’s not just a bigoted evil company. It’s a company that wants a bad restaurant in a bad spot.” The problem faced by the appellants is that council members say that disagreeing with a company’s philosophy may not be grounds for keeping it from operating in Mountain View. For the council, whether the proposed restaurant site, which is currently a Sizzler, is in fact a bad spot for a drive-through restaurant may become a main issue, along with concerns about adding more cars to an El Camino Real that council members say they want to be more pedestrian friendly. Most companies are careful to hide controversial political stances for fear of alienating customers, but some, like ChickFil-A, trumpet them. Chick-Fil-A’s founders and owners are free to support whatever causes they wish, and direct their profits toward organizations that mirror their beliefs. Mountain View residents should decide whether mixing an intolerant agenda with chicken is a recipe for success.
■ Mountain View Voice ■ MountainViewOnline.com ■ July 27, 2012
FOIS GRAS PUZZLER With an almost infinite variety of foods to choose from, one has to wonder why Joey Elenterio, executive chef of Mountain View’s Chez TJ restaurant, has continued to serve foie gras in defiance of the law. Perhaps Chez TJ officials believe that any publicity is good publicity. However, their action risks more than raising the ire of animal rights activists. Laws are typically passed with majority public support and many of us are tired of special interests seeking a “loophole.” The law of the land should be decided in court and not in the kitchen. Christine Crosby 110 Woodleaf Way
CANCER HELP STILL AVAILABLE I was dismayed to see in a recent edition that the Cancer Support Community in Mountain View was closing its doors. I know how vital those types of services are to the community and what a loss it is to all of us. But I was doubly dismayed to see patient Peggy Liou’s comments about how devastating it was to her not to have anywhere to go now for the sorts of resources that help patients and families through the non-medical part of the cancer journey, because I wanted her to know that isn’t true. Please help to spread the word to Peggy and survivors like her that there is a new non-profit organization called Cancer CAREpoint (www.cancercare-
point.org), which provides that very critical, non-clinical support to patient/survivors, caregivers and families. Cancer CAREpoint’s focus is on providing free resources to clients and if we don’t have the resource they need, we will do our best to find it for them. Although we are located in San Jose, we are right at 85/Los Gatos Boulevard, so it is very easy to reach our location. It is only a straight-shot, 10-minute trip from Mountain View. I’m looking forward to hearing from Peggy and any others who want to be welcomed and cared for with compassion and expertise. Pam Lehner Patient Services Director, Cancer CAREpoint
LONG VIEW ON HIGH-SPEED RAIL A big thank you to Silicon Valley’s state legislators, including Assembly Members Jerry Hill, Rich Gordon, Jim Beall, and Paul Fong, who have taken the long view and voted to support highspeed rail. The project has been scaled back to reflect the needs of the Bay Area and will modernize Caltrain, dramatically improving regional mobility. As a resident of Mountain View and staff member at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, I believe this is the right move for the city and region, and thank our legislators and Gov. Brown for their leadership and vision. Bena Chang Evandale Avenue