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Local volunteers clean up Stevens Creek
Twenty volunteers organized Sunday morning, Jan. 9, to clean up trash along Stevens Creek Trail in Mountain View, hauling away numerous bags of trash.
The effort, spearheaded by resident Rashi Jindal, recruited volunteers on Nextdoor in partnership with the nonprofit Friends of Stevens Creek Trail. The group started at the Sleeper Avenue trailhead around 11 a.m. and spent hours cleaning up a five-mile stretch of the trail up to La Avenida, according to Jim Meyerson, a board member with Friends of Stevens Creek Trail.
Volunteers removed trash ranging from soda cans, bottles and wrappers to two tires.
The cleanup effort was supported by the city’s Fire and Environmental Protection division of the fire department as well as parks staff.
Mountain View holds off on in-person city meetings amid omicron surge
Anyone yearning for the days of in-person meetings at City Hall is destined for disappointment, at least for now. The City Council approved a resolution Tuesday that will keep all meetings – including advisory bodies – remote through Feb. 10.
City officials say the loss of public access is outweighed by the public health risks of bringing back crowded council meetings during a worldwide surge in COVID-19 cases, prompting them to keep virtual meetings through the beginning of 2022. The county’s public health officer, Sara Cody, gave official recommendations in September that cities continue to meet remotely, and those recommendations remain in effect today.
Since those recommendations, things have only gotten worse. The county has hit record-breaking numbers of new COVID cases, and tests are once again in short supply as people grapple with the more infectious omicron strain. City officials say the virus continues to pose an “imminent risk” to the health and safety of meeting attendees.
Cities across California are allowed to suspend in-person meetings and certain teleconference requirements under a state law, AB 361, passed in September last year. The law is short-term in nature, meaning the city has to reassess the public health risks and pass a new resolution to stay remote each month.
Mountain View Whisman board set to participate in anti-bias training
The Mountain View Whisman Board of Trustees is slated to host a special meeting at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 13 to participate in an anti-bias training from the district’s Director of Equity Megan Henderson.
The three hour workshop will be held virtually and is set to cover topics including bias-related thinking, racism and bias, and examining privilege.
To view the agenda, visit mvwsd.org/about/board_of_trustees/board_meetings.
Have ideas for events, achievements or other local happenings we should be featuring in our weekly listing of community briefs? Contact reporter Zoe Morgan at zmorgan@mv-voice.com.
