-PDBM/FXT MOUNTAIN VIEW VOICE
■ CITY COUNCIL UPDATES ■ COMMUNITY ■ FEATURES
Think tank looks to solve housing woes By Daniel DeBolt
I
BRANDON CHEW
Golfers enjoy a sunny Tuesday at Shoreline Golf Links. An unknown golfer is suspected to be responsible for the deaths of two rare burrowing owls at the golf course.
Did golfers kill burrowing owls? BOTTLE STUFFED IN BURROW AT GOLF COURSE TRAPPED PAIR OF OWLS By Daniel DeBolt
C
ity officials revealed this week that a pair of the city’s rare burrowing owls were found dead in their burrow on the Shoreline Golf Links course in March, apparently killed by a plastic sand bottle from a golf cart. City wildlife biologist Phil Higgins said the pair was found trapped in their burrow — the bottle shoved into its opening — on Monday, March 17. The ground-dwelling birds suffered from “dehydration and environmental stress.”
Both owls appeared dead until one began moving and was quickly rushed off to a wildlife rescue center. It eventually had to be euthanized “due to the severity of its injuries,” Higgins said in an email. That particular owl had also suffered from a significant physical blow of some sort, as a “degloving injury” is also noted as a cause of its death, Higgins said. Found stuck into their burrow was a seed and sand bottle supplied to golfers to help repair divots in the turf caused by golf club swings. While there are records that
Mayor proposes flying rainbow flag By Daniel DeBolt
T
he city’s first openly gay mayor, Chris Clark, has proposed another first, flying the rainbow flag on a city hall flag pole. “The rainbow flag is a symbol not just of the LGBT community but tolerance and diversity in general,” Clark said Tuesday, making his pitch to fly the flag “for a day or two, or a weekend”
at some point in June, which is pride month for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Clark asked the council’s procedures committee to consider it, as he said he took a look at city policies about flags and “there wasn’t anything around nonofficial flags.” Council members were largely supportive, though there were some concerns about how the
may show who used the course over the weekend after the owls were last seen alive on March 14, Higgins said he was not aware of any suspects in the case. “We are so puzzled, as nothing like this has ever happened in the past,” Higgins added. “We are aware of the incident and the Department of Fish and Wildlife’s law enforcement division is investigating the incident,” said Andrew Hughan, public information officer for the state agency. “We can’t really say any more than See BURROWING OWLS, page 8
city would now have to figure out how to treat other groups wanting to fly a flag. They voted 5-1 to consider the idea and maybe draft a policy allowing use of city flag poles. John Inks voted no. “I don’t know how I would react if someone wanted to display a flag on pro-marriage or right to life,” Inks said. “Until we’ve had a policy in place to determine what’s appropriate, I think I’ll hold off on this.” Council member Margaret Abe-Koga noted that the city of San Jose often flies flags of other countries, and member Ronit Bryant said having a flag pole
n an event sponsored by a San Francisco. coalition of residents con“Housing is a regional probcerned with the Mountain lem, but it doesn’t mean any one View’s housing problems, a San city can step back and say, ‘We Francisco-based group is com- don’t have any responsibility to ing Monday, June 16, to present the rest of the region,’” Terplan ways to bring affordable hous- told the Voice, addressing a sening back to Mountiment expressed tain View and the by some Mountain region. View City Coun‘Housing is Egon Terplan cil members and of San Franciscocouncil candia regional based SPUR — a dates. 113-year-old hous- problem, but it S PU R is ing and tenant known in San doesn’t mean Francisco for advoadvocacy organization — is set to new zoning any one city cating speak on Monday to allow adequate at 6:30 p.m. at the growth can step back housing Adobe building at to meet demand 157 Moffett Blvd. lower housing and say, ‘We and The event is sponprices along with sored by the Moun- don’t have any supporting a host tain View Chamof other projects, responsibility such as experiber of Commerce, the Mountain menting with variView Coalition for to the rest of the ous building types Sustainable Planto reduce develregion.’ ning, Peninsula opment costs, Interfaith Action, increasing subsiEGON TERPLAN Friends of Caltrain dized housing and and the Campaign t ra nsit-or iented for a Balanced development, and Mountain View. empowering regional organiThere is growing interest zations such as the Association among San Franciscans in of Bay Area Governments to Mountain View’s housing provide incentives to cities to shortage, now seen as driving build adequate housing. factor in the gentrification of More information is at spur. San Francisco, symbolized to org. many by Google’s white comEmail Daniel DeBolt muter buses taking employees at ddebolt@mv-voice.com between Mountain View and
to “fly ‘a flavor of the day flag’ would actually be a lot of fun.” “In 2011, an Armenian group asked us to fly a flag and some Germans asked us to fly a flag and we said no,” said council member Jac Siegel. “It’s not that I’m not in favor of it but I’m trying to be fair to everybody.” No one from the public opposed the idea. “If you do something for one group, you really should do it for others as well,” said council candidate Jim Neal. Resident Don Bahl talked about the importance of the American flag and the city and federal rules for how it is used at City Hall. “The flag is wrapped up with
our feeling of American pride,” Bahl said. “This flag was flown over the White House on Sept 11 2001. It was flown for Trina Bahl, my wife.” Holding another flag, he said, “This flag covered the coffin of my wife’s brother,” a combat fighter pilot in Vietnam. “We should honor the flag and we should abide by the rules.” Clark clarified that the rainbow flag would not replace any of the flags flown at City Hall: the U.S. flag, California state flag and city flag. “This would fly below the city flag,” Clark said. Email Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com
June 13, 2014 ■ Mountain View Voice ■ MountainViewOnline.com ■
5