Just two months after he was honored by Palo Alto’s elected leaders for nearly three decades of service, retired Fire Chief Geoffrey Blackshire has filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming the city illegally withheld wages for him for more than five years. The legal dispute revolves around a 3% wage premium Blackshire said he...
Major Mountain View intersection gets new traffic signal
A new traffic signal system and other road safety improvements, including the use of artificial intelligence to detect issues at the intersection, have been installed at Rengstorff Avenue and Latham Street in Mountain View, which has seen frequent collisions. In December, the City Council authorized final construction payments for the roadway improvements, which cost $874,468. The...
Thomas Fogarty, winery founder and medical innovator, dies
Dr. Thomas J. Fogarty, a longtime Portola Valley resident who became as well known for his Fogarty Winery as for his invention of the balloon catheter, a groundbreaking medical device, died on Dec. 28 in Portola Valley. He was 91. Born on Feb. 25, 1934, Dr. Fogarty grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father died...
Mountain View allocates $295K for Super Bowl, World Cup events
Looking to boost local businesses, Mountain View is planning to host watch parties and other community events to draw visitors to the downtown area during the Super Bowl and World Cup this year. At a Dec. 16 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the allocation of $295,000 to fund activities related to the mega-sporting events. With the money, the city plans...
Palo Alto tries to rein in Zuckerberg’s Crescent Park expansion
The complaints from residents of Palo Alto’s Crescent Park neighborhood about the recent changes on their block began more than five years ago via letters to planning staff, phone calls to City Hall and reports filed on 3-1-1, an online portal that residents use to report everything from potholes and downed branches to zoning violations....
Santa Clara County supervisors show support for allcove funding
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors expressed dedication on Tuesday, Dec. 16, to partially funding allcove Palo Alto, a youth mental health center, despite facing approximately $1 billion in annual federal funding cuts countywide. Santa Clara County uses half of its $13 billion yearly budget on health and hospital services. Under President Donald Trump’s...
Palo Alto affordable housing project begins to welcome tenants
An affordable housing project on Charleston Road in Palo Alto that is meant to support adults with developmental disabilities is finally welcoming tenants to the building, and expects to fill all of the apartments later this month. The 50 apartments that have been built at 525 E. Charleston Road are being rented out at below market rate,...
Mountain View and school district aim to fix crumbling creek banks
The city of Mountain View is partnering with the Mountain View Whisman School District to fix a treacherous stretch of Stevens Creek, where extensive erosion of the creek bank has threatened to encroach upon both the Stevens Creek Trail and a nearby school campus. Mountain View Whisman’s board voted unanimously on Thursday, Dec. 18, to commit $990,000...
Earning $250K? Mountain View wants to help residents buy a home
The price of housing in Mountain View has gotten so high that the City Council is now looking for ways to help people earning up to nearly $275,000 a year afford a home, with the limit going higher for couples and families. Last week, the City Council reviewed a plan that staff has been developing...
Mountain View backs plan for more housing south of El Camino Real
Amid objections from some community members, the Mountain View City Council has backed a plan to allow for more housing in select areas south of El Camino Real, a part of the city that is currently made up of mostly single-family homes. In a 6-1 vote, the city council approved a motion to update land use...