Journey back through 2003 Journey back through 2003 (January 02, 2004)

A recap of the year's news and a forecast of the new year

By Julie O'Shea

From the shocking Jardin Drive murder and a heated school parcel-tax election to a historic gubernatorial recall and the onset of the tumultuous war with Iraq, 2003 has been anything but dull for Mountain View.

And now just days into the new year, 2004 is already promising some new changes -- City Council, school board and hospital board elections -- as well as some old challenges -- a school funding crisis and a still grim-looking economy.

"I think 2003 was a great year for the city and the city council. We got through a tough budget. ... That was one of my goals," said Mayor Mike Kasperzak, who hands over the mayoral gavel later this month to Matt Pear. "That's going to be the big question for next year -- What do we do about the money; where do we make the cuts?"

As the recession dragged on last year, businesses, city leaders and school officials were forced to make major slashes to their budgets. And with many uncertainties still swirling around the state capitol, this fiscal cautiousness is likely to continue into the new year. It falls on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to try put a stopper in a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit, which grew more precarious after he repealed the vehicle license fee increase minutes after taking office in November.

This move would have cost Mountain View $6 million through June 30, 2005, but a few weeks later, Schwarzenegger evoked his emergency powers, bypassing the legislature and making $150 million in state spending cuts; thus setting the tone for the unveiling of his first 2004 budget proposal later this month.

"I think 2003 was a very challenging year for businesses in Mountain View," Chamber of Commerce president Carol Olson said. "We (saw) some excellent business leave."

Indeed, there are several vacant storefronts lining Castro Street now, including Global Village Café and The Limelight nightclub, which closed down last summer.

Still, business and city leaders remain optimistic that 2004 will be the year the economy rebounds.

"There was some good news (in 2003)," Olson said. "Google committed in a long term lease here in Mountain View." And in early December, McDonald's launched its first West Coast McCafe on El Monte Avenue.

"It's pretty much been bad news until a few months ago," Olson said. "I think people are feeling positive for 2004. ... Business is starting to pick up."

This is a welcome change from last New Year's Day, when, Olson remembers, there was a lot of fear and anxiety in the business community.

"I think people are hesitant, but optimistic," Olson said about the forecast for 2004. "It's a sense of optimism I haven't felt in two years."

On the other hand, school officials, who were threatened with some of the worst state education cuts in years, seem to be moving a little more tentatively toward 2004. They expect to see a slew of education-based taxes, including an undetermined countywide measure sponsored by the Santa Clara County Office of Education and a $4.5 billion tax from the California Teachers Association and film director Rob Reiner.

And in March, the Mountain View-Whisman School District will try to pass Measure J -- a $1.6 million parcel tax measure. Voters last spring narrowly rejected the district's Measure E proposal, which would have funneled $2.5 million annually into the school system.

"Obviously, the most challenging issue for us was balancing the budget. I think that will be the challenge for next year," said Rich Fischer, superintendent of the Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District. "It's very unpredictable, ...(but) we are very prepared to do the budget battle."

In early 2003, the high school district, along with all the other "basic aid" districts in the state, were hit with a proposed $126 million property tax takeaway plan that then-Gov. Gray Davis wanted to implement as a way to assuage California's mounting budget woes. "Basic aid" districts get the majority of their funds from property taxes.

The plan, which would have stripped Mountain-Los Altos of $10 million per year, was ultimately rejected by state legislatures.

Schwarzenegger made a campaign promise to leave education dollars untouched. However, in a move that shocked educators last month, the governor announced that unless he could get a $15 billion bond measure on the March ballot, he may have no choice but to look at suspending Prop. 98 funding, which sets aside money for K-12 education.

Schwarzenegger got his "recovery" bond on the spring ballot, and talk of snatching education funding has evaporated -- for now. But as Fischer pointed out, if the governor considered it once, what will stop him from making education cuts in 2004 if voters reject the bond in March?

"It's really unpredictable," Fischer said. "The state economy is very dynamic."

Other stories that shaped 2003 include:

Higher risk range for toxic solvent

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in January that trichloroethene (TCE) -- a cancer-causing solvent leaked from semiconductor plants and into Mountain View's ground water -- is up to 65 times more toxic than thought. The discovery led to more air testing around city.

War in the Middle East

As U.S. military action in Iraq began to escalate, Mountain View Voices for Peace started protesting national involvement in the Middle East. Saddam Hussein was finally captured in December.

The Limelight

Unwilling to abide by stricter city and state regulations, Limelight owners put the Castro Street nightclub up for sale. After failing to close the deal, the owners closed the club in August.

Castro School

Castro Elementary was the subject of a searing independent audit contacted in May. The audit blasted the school for not teaching up to state standards. It eventually led to a revamp of the school's English-Spanish dual immersion program. The changes are set to be implemented next fall.

Hospital bond measure and protest

Months before voters approved a $148 million bond measure to go toward a seismic retrofit of El Camino Hospital, hospital workers went without a contract as they argued for better health benefits.

Clear Channel lawsuit

Clear Channel, the media giant which operates Shoreline Amphitheater, sued the city for breach of contact. The city counter-sued in October.

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

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