Last Month with the Mayor: June 11-July 1

It's hard to believe July is here already.

I basically have two dates by which I measure time: the 4th of July and Christmas, and they seem to follow each other by mere weeks. Given that this week is the fourth, that must mean the Christmas is just a few short weeks away. Of course, I am talking about time from the point of view of the 50-somethings.

A lot happened in the latter half of June. The first big event was the opening of the , connecting the western side of town with the North Bayshore. This project was conceived of in 2004.  It's great to have it open. The same day I hosted the winning bidder of from the Mtn View Education Foundation Gala. Hafsa Mirza won the right to read the City Council Packet, attend my weekly agenda preparation meeting, join in a meeting and presentation for a delegation from China, meet with the developers of an apartment complex along El Camino, attend the Permanente Creek Dedication and sit at the Dais for the Council meeting where she got to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and adjourn the meeting. It was indeed a full day and a bit of an eye opener for her.

Later in the week, my wife and I made good on an auction item we donated to the ; a gastronomic tour of Castro Street with the Mayor. Four lucky couples spent the evening with us as we sampled delectables and beverages from some of Mountain Views favorite spots, including Cascal, Steakout, St Stephens Green, Tied House and Savvy Cellar. A good time was had by all and CSMA was of course the big winner.

Sunday morning saw me and a number of Mayors and Councilmembers from surrounding Cities at Stanfords graduation ceremonies.  It is always an honor to be asked to participate: suiting up in cap and gown with the colors of your school and degree and marching into the stadium in the academic procession.  This year the speaker was Stanford Alum Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, NJ.  He was inspiring, funny and heartfelt, and he spoke for 45 minutes without notes, something that was noticed by even members of the Board of Trustees.

During the course of the following week, I started working on my final message for the League of Cities magazine, Western Cities, then did a video interview on the SkyTran transportation system. This was followed by another Corporate Visit with Game Closure, a new, but growing rapidly, company in town that develops social gaming platforms. Again, this company encourages its employees to work in town and over 90 percent do.

The Council meeting on June 19 covered a number of issues, including reviewing the proposal submitted by our waste-hauling service Recology, consideration of a development proposal to reconstruct two buildings at the apartment complex at 111 N. Rengstorff (which were approved), the annual review of the Downtown Parking District and reviewing a letter and comments to Senator Simitian on issues related to High Speed Rail. 

Later in the week, the City Manager and I met with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to discuss a number of items including the status of the Permanente Creek Project in Mountain View which, once complete, will remove over 1000 homes from the federal requirement to get flood insurance, and various other issues related to Mountain View. Earlier that same day, the Cities Economic Development staff and I met regarding Ava's Downtown Market. By the way, if you haven't visited lately, it just keeps getting better.

June was also the month for the Council Neighborhood Committee. The committee hosted the leaders of all the Neighborhood Associations in the City so that they could share best practices and tips, and we finished the evening with an open forum and the awarding of the Neighborhood Grants, a fairly unique program to encourage and support the development of strong neighborhoods in the City. A week later, the Committee met with residents of the mobile home parks in Mountain View to discuss the very different issues that arise in these unique neighborhoods.

The end of the week found me making Welcoming Remarks to a forum on Wireless Technology in Silicon Valley.  I learned something pretty startling: if I understood correctly, there is virtually NO 4G cell service in Silicon Valley. Sure glad I haven't paid for a 4G phone.

Later the same day, I had another meeting at SkyTran to meet with more interested parties and saw a demonstration of how the "linear motor" works. I really believe this system, or a system like it, could be the future of transit. The day ended with the Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting of new store on El Camino, across from Whole Foods. A great store with great prices and selection.

One more big dedication occurred on Saturday June 23, and that was the Opening of the over Highway 85, connecting the Dale Avenue area of Mountain View, behind the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, with the rest of the City. It is now no longer necessary to fight the traffic and on and off ramps along El Camino to get to the eastern most part of the City. It will also be the connecting link of the trail to stages that are being considered by Sunnyvale, Los Altos and Cupertino. It is a great addition to the trail!

The last week of June started with an ice cream social hosted by the Wagon Wheel Neighborhood Association in the Whisman Area of town. Tuesday's council meeting included a major appeal of a planning decision about the Shell Station at El Camino and Shoreline. The Council decided to deny a project to add a 2000 square foot convenience store and car wash at this site.

We also took the necessary steps to call an election in November. Elections just don't happen, they have to be called and organized, so it is official, we are having an election for City Council in November. And, we approved a new apartment project on El Camino near Lozano's car wash at the current site of the San Antonio Inn. This promises to be a great addition to El Camino.

Wednesday found the Economic Development Team and I meeting with yet another innovative company, Vasper. You may have heard about the exercise equipment that gives you a 2 1/2 hour workout in 20 minutes. Well, that machine is made here in Mountain View, and there is REAL science behind it. It's all about building up concentrations of lactic acid which then stimulates the brain to produce more natural human growth hormone.  The sports world is all over this as are the Navy Seals and many others. It is quite a system and anyone interested can sign up for sessions.

As the week drew to a close, several members of the Council, City Staff and I attended the , who tragically died .  There was a true outpouring of support for his family and he will be missed.

Friday ended the week with a number of new experiences.  I attended a Muslim Prayer Service in Belmont as part of a program sponsored by the Peninsula Clergy Network. This is a great organization that brings clergy from all religions together to foster dialogue and serve the community.

Later in the day I attended the graduation ceremony for the Fire Academy which was a joint effort of Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Mateo. It was a great collaborative effort in this day of scarce resources and produced a great class of new recruits. Finally, we welcomed a new office of Morgan Stanley to Mountain View with another Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting.

Well, as you can see, there is never a dull moment in Mountain View. I will try to get back on a more regular schedule so these "blogs" aren't so long. Have a great 4th of July!