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As the year comes to a close, one thing is clear: 2024 was a packed one when it came to local news in Mountain View. From repeated controversies plaguing the Mountain View Whisman School District to major local elections this November to substantial changes in the development landscape, the past 12 months saw no shortage of big stories in town.
In between the day-to-day news, Voice reporters also carved out time to do deep dives on topics like the long waiting list for affordable housing and the status of a potential new school site in Mountain View that has been in the works for a decade.
Read on to see the list of the Voice’s 10 most popular articles of 2024. The results reflect the amount of time readers spent viewing our articles from Jan. 1 to Dec. 15.
#10: Tensions run high as Mountain View residents share pain of living next to loud VTA bells
In the #10 spot was an April article about residents living near Whisman Station who spoke out about the impact of loud train bells on their quality of life. The Valley Transportation Authority upgraded its train bells to a higher pitch and added more horns to the rail-crossings between Middlefield Road and Central Expressway a few years ago.
Residents said their community has been besieged by a constant bombardment of noise broadcasting the arrival and departure of trains that run from a little past 5 a.m. through midnight, nearly every day of the week. However, officials said their hands were tied by the California Public Utilities Commission.
#9: Parents grill Mountain View Whisman over coaching, mindfulness contracts
In a year of multiple controversies for the Mountain View Whisman School District, one of the most heated was over district spending on six-figure contracts to offer meditation sessions for district leaders, hire executive leadership coaches and bring in an external public relations firm.
Community members compiled evidence of various contracts they believed were evidence of irresponsible spending on the part of the district. While district officials in some cases defended the expenses, they ultimately cancelled many of the contracts.
The scrutiny of the district’s finances remains ongoing. An external state agency has agreed to audit the district for possible fraud, misappropriation of funds or other illegal fiscal activity. The district also currently has an interim superintendent, after its longtime leader resigned last month (see more on that below).
#8: Google to close child care centers, impacting two Mountain View sites
Near the beginning of the year, the Voice reported that Google was planning to close its employee child care centers, including two facilities that it rented from the Mountain View Whisman School District.
Google has paid roughly $3 million annually to rent space at Theuerkauf Elementary School and the former Slater Elementary School campus from the school district. The announcement of the planned closures prompted questions for the school district about how to handle potential lost revenue.
#7: Kaady Car Wash opens in Lozano’s iconic Mountain View location
Lozano Brushless Car Wash was a longtime Mountain View institution, with its retro architecture and towering parrot a well-known fixture along El Camino Real. Manny Lozano, the car wash’s original owner, has retained the land but sold the business to his close friend Chuck Kaady.
Kaady Car Wash got its start in 1976 in Portland and Vancouver and has since expanded to Northern California. The business opened a Mountain View location in Lozano’s former location earlier this year. Kaady Car Wash retained the same look at Lozano, but has a different business concept: a $10 wash in three minutes.
#6: Mountain View looks to close off street after decades of dangerous driving
Sometimes what may seem like a small, local story captures substantial reader interest. That was the case in November, when the Voice wrote about the city’s plans to close off a residential street near Mountain View High School to cut-through traffic to curb dangerous driving practices.
At an Oct. 29 meeting, the Council Transportation Committee unanimously supported a recommendation to close Wasatch Drive to vehicles at Diericx Drive after hearing from residents who spoke about decades of drivers using the street as a race track.
Drivers often use Wasatch Drive, a L-shaped street, to bypass traffic at the intersection of Levin Avenue and Diericx Drive. The street becomes particularly busy during school travel times. Adding speed bumps and electronic signage would not deter student drivers, residents said, but rather would incentivize them to drive more dangerously to beat the traffic on the other streets.
At a Dec. 10 meeting, the City Council ultimately gave its approval to close the street, which will be reevaluated after ten months.
#5: Mountain View Whisman superintendent announces resignation
After nearly a decade leading the Mountain View Whisman School District, Ayindé Rudolph announced his resignation as superintendent at the beginning of November. Prior to his resignation, Rudolph had been on a leave of absence since Oct. 7.
His departure came at a time of significant turmoil for Mountain View Whisman. The district has faced controversies on multiple fronts, including over spending decisions, disputes with the city of Mountain View and a state audit.
Rudolph said in a letter posted on social media that after a “recent health scare,” he had realized the “demands of the job continue to have an adverse impact on my health.”
The school board formally approved a resignation agreement with Rudolph at a Nov. 7 meeting, which called for the district to pay Rudolph nearly $100,000 and included language to prevent lawsuits over Rudolph’s departure.
The district is currently being led by Interim Superintendent Kevin Skelly, with plans for former Los Altos School District Superintendent Jeff Baier to take over, also in an interim capacity, in February and stay for the rest of the school year.
#4: Mountain View residents spend years waiting for affordable housing
Voice reporter Emily Margaretten spent months diving into the issue of affordable housing in Mountain View, culminating in a story published last month that detailed how the demand for below-market rate homes far exceeds the supply.
As of November,there were 216 BMR units in Mountain View’s existing housing stock, the vast majority of which are rentals, according to the city. Three years is the average amount of time to get into a BMR rental, with more than 4,000 households on the waitlist – which operates as a kind of interest list for applicants, the city said.
This past fiscal year, there were 1,742 applications for 14 BMR units, according to the city. The previous year, there were 833 applications for 46 BMR units.
The supply of BMR units has increased in recent years, with more in the pipeline. The city hopes to continue seeing increases in the city’s affordable housing stock.
#3: Decisions loom as Los Altos School District plans for long-awaited school in Mountain View
Another deep-dive story that the Voice published this year, which drew readers’ attention, was about a complex set of interlocking decisions that the Los Altos School District faces regarding what to build on a plot of land in Mountain View that it bought for a new school.
The school district purchased the 11.7-acre property in the San Antonio shopping center back in 2019, but construction has yet to begin. The district was in the midst of a community input process when the pandemic hit, and district officials have since resumed the planning process.
What to build there is intertwined with a $350 million bond measure that the school district put on the November ballot, which ended up passing by a narrow margin, as well as long-standing disputes over where to house Bullis Charter School. The district is also facing obligations to the city of Mountain View to provide space for a public park, as well as make certain facilities available for public use.
#2: ShowPlace Icon movie theater in Mountain View abruptly closes
Readers took notice when the Showplace Icon theater at San Antonio Center abruptly announced that it had ceased all operations this summer.
With a sign posted to its front window on July 1, the luxury multiplex closed up shop, much to the dismay of movie-goers who were unaware of its imminent closure. At the time, it wasn’t known what would happen to the site.
That became clear this month, when Alamo Drafthouse Cinema announced plans to have the theater ready for movie-goers next summer. The Austin-based company plans to do some renovations to the theater, including adding 1,100 luxury recliners, according to a representative for Brookfield Properties.
#1: Google quietly terminates mega office project in Mountain View
Far and away the most popular story that the Voice wrote this year was about Google quietly ending its plans for a major office development in North Bayshore. The decision left an undeveloped construction site and questions about what it would mean for the city’s future growth.
Back in 2020, Mountain View approved Google’s plans to expand its presence in North Bayshore with an ambitious 800,000 square feet office development – dubbed “Google Landings” – near Highway 101 between Rengstorff Avenue and Permanente Creek.
As part of the package, Google pledged more than $44 million in community benefits. At the time of the Voice’s April article, city officials said they were still exploring the impact of the loss of at least some of these benefits.
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Zoe did a good job this year providing an even balance on most stories.
Great summary of great local reporting. Thanks, MV Voice!