Monta Loma

More than 50 residents attended the Annual Meeting on May 28 to hear guest speaker City Manager Kimbra McCarthy.  She showed slides as she explained how the City works and the council’s seven Strategic Priorities, then addressed three topics that will affect our neighborhood.

– The future park at 538 Thompson Ave.  Monta Loma residents will be invited to participate in the design, scheduled to begin later this year.  The City has purchased one adjoining property, 2231 W. Middlefield Rd., and hopes to purchase adjacent properties to enlarge the future park.

– The Rengstorff Avenue Grade Separation Project.  Due to the increase in cost, the project to lower Rengstorff Avenue to pass under the Caltrain tracks has been postponed.  The City is looking for Federal money to fill the gap.

– The San Antonio Corridor Plan.  This will impact our neighborhood directly due to our proximity.  Monta Loma residents were urged to participate in Palo Alto’s planning process by applying for a seat on the Community Advisory Group by the May 30 deadline.

Police Chief Mike Canfield came with Kimbra and explained the newly installed ALPRs (Automated License Plate Readers) with FLOCK brand cameras.  Working with other police departments, the MVPD tracked a car that had been used multiple burglaries.  When the car was identified, a SWAT team was sent to the driver’s location, where jewelry and firearms were found.

The Mountain View Transparency dashboard.  Monta Loma is in Beat 3.  This shows a decrease in the number of crimes in our area.  Chief Canfield encouraged residents to use the Portal and to give feedback.

The Monta Loma Community Portal.  Monta Loma is the first neighborhood to pilot a portal to upload digital evidence to the Mountain View Police Department.  Content would include footage from Ring or security cameras that may be useful to track down burglary suspects. Feedback is encouraged.

Join the Monta Loma Neighborhood Association for our annual meeting on Wednesday evening, May 28.  Plan to attend to chat with neighbors, welcome our newer residents, elect your board members, and listen to guest speaker Kimbra McCarthy, Mountain View City Manager.

Google X/Rails has again generously offered the use of the large meeting room at 250 Mayfield Ave.

Please arrive early to allow time to socialize with neighbors, board candidates, and guests.  Refreshments will be provided by the Monta Loma Neighborhood Association.

Schedule

6:45 p.m.  Doors open for socializing.

7:00 p.m.  Meeting begins with President’s update and election of board members.

7:20 p.m.  Mountain View City Manager Kimbra McCarthy will discuss several projects that will affect our neighborhood:

• • Updates on parks and open space.
  • New development projects along San Antonio corridor, including information about plans underway by the City of Palo Alto.
  • The Rengstorff Grade Separation Project.
  • Safety updates, including newly installed Automatic License Plate Reader cameras (“Flock” safety cameras).

8:15 p.m.  Meeting ends to allow time for socializing before the building must be vacated by 8:30.

More information about the annual meeting and the board election is on the first three pages of the May newsletter.

Mountain View Police Chief Mike Canfield, Lieutenant Evan Crowl, and a dozen other members of the MVPD came well prepared to discuss local property crimes with the more than 50 neighbors who attended the March 26 meeting at Monta Loma School.

Links to the crime prevention and reporting information presented by various Police Department staff members is here on the Department’s website.

A printable color handout of Burglary Prevention Tips is here.

An article summarizing the information presented is on page 6 of the May newsletter.

John Bianco once again ran his dad’s model trains at the Bianco home on Adele for six evenings every week between Thanksgiving and Christmas night.  The children of several families came every evening to see the different train sets.
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Karla Valente was able to reinstate the Holiday Progressive Dinner, with ten attendees who enjoyed a wonderful evening hosted by Olga and Tony Bright and Linda and Pat Harvey.  Photos are here and here.
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Karla also again created a page to encourage Monta Loma neighbors to donate to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.  Our contributions provided a nutritious mix of fresh produce, protein, and pantry items so that local families could enjoy a holiday meal together.  Each dollar helped provide food for two meals.  This year’s fundraiser raised $2,130, well over last year’s total of $1,050.

The MLNA Ice Cream Social is our biggest social event of the year, and our best opportunity to meet our neighbors.  In 2024 it was on Sunday, August 25, and drew close to 400 people.  Among the things to see and do in Monta Loma Park were:

• Meeting our neighbors, both long-time and newcomers.
• Visiting the ice cream table for a free individually wrapped frozen treat.
• Meeting members of the Mountain View Whisman School District Board of Trustees and representatives of the District and visiting their display.
• Welcoming Monta Loma Elementary School’s new principal, Meghan Jinguji.
• Volunteering to help our Monta Loma Elementary School at its PTA table.
• Volunteering to help Crittenden Middle School at its PTA table.
• Learning about the Mountain View Educational Foundation (MVEF).
• Meeting  members of the Mountain View City Council.
• Meeting candidates for the City Council and two school boards.
• Picking up copies of City information on the Parks Strategic Plan, and Sustainability Initiatives and Programs.
• Learning more about the city’s Zero Waste and Food Scraps & Recycling programs.
• Visiting the Recreation Department‘s table for upcoming classes and events.
• Learning about the city’s Multicultural Engagement Program that offers information in Spanish, Chinese, and Russian.
• Experiencing a rainbow and summer shower created by a Fire Department engine and crew.
• Visiting our Community Emergency Response Team’s (CERT) display for emergency-preparedness information.
• Bringing your new neighbors to the Welcome Team’s table.
• Receiving a balloon creation from Gizmo Gary or his daughters.
• Participating in the Monta Loma Junior Olympics.
• Contributing some local lore or artifacts to the Monta Loma History display.
• Receiving gardening advice and free plants at the plant-exchange table.
• Chatting with Robert Cox about the Mountain View Historical Association.
• Learning about about Monarch and Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies and their host plants.
• Learning about the Friends of Mountain View Parks.
• Visiting the Living Classroom display.
• Learning about Girl Scouts.
• Watching (or riding in) a buggy pulled by robot horses.
• Picking up free COVID test kits brought by the Community Action Team (CAT).
• Enjoying some pink cotton candy after 4:00.

At the Annual Meeting on May 30, guest speaker Mayor Pat Showalter showed slides as she explained how the City works, stressing that the key is the long tradition of civility, within the City Council and with the staff.  The councilmembers take turns filling the positions of mayor and vice mayor, a year at a time.  The “top-notch” staff carries out the policies the Council decides, and the advisory boards make recommendations to the Council.  Each councilmember also represents the City on a range of other local and state boards and commissions.  Pat mentioned the council’s seven Strategic Priorities, and then addressed the three topics that the MLNA Board had requested.

– The Rengstorff Avenue Grade Separation Project.  After 20 years in the planning, work will begin in 2026 to lower Rengstorff Avenue to pass under the Caltrain tracks.  The project will be very disruptive for two years, but will improve traffic flow and safety.  The City has made plans to minimize the disruption, and residents will know who to call to report immediate problems.

– The future park at 538 Thompson Ave.  The City is well aware of the shortage of park space in Monta Loma.  Residents will be invited to participate in the design, scheduled for 2025-26.  The City would like to purchase adjacent properties to enlarge it.  (In June, the purchase of one adjoining property, 2231  W. Middlefield Rd., was approved.)

– The San Antonio Corridor Plan.  Mountain View residents are welcome to participate in Palo Alto’s planning process.

Mayor Showalter ended with reminders to make use of the city’s website; to use the Ask MV button to ask questions or report problems; and to stay connected with the City via its various publications, listed at https://www.mountainview.gov/whats-happening.

City Manager Kimbra McCarthy accompanied Pat and also spoke, mentioning again that civility is a hallmark of Mountain View.  More park space for Monta Loma is a priority with the City.  The City mailed a questionnaire earlier this year asking residents to rank priorities for a potential revenue measure.  The Rengstorff Park Aquatics Center will be finished this summer.

During the question period, Pat answered many questions about traffic and traffic mitigation.  Incoming MLNA President Olga Bright asked her to explain the sea-level rise mitigation at Shoreline Park, which Pat did by describing how the former salt ponds are being turned into marshes and other climate-resilience plans and maps.

Another audience member recommended the city’s Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan.

The meeting on May 30 was the best one in recent memory, with at least 45 attendees.  Tricia DelGaudio used newsletter file photos for a slide show that ran on a continuous loop before the meeting.  Outgoing MLNA Board President Nirvana Nwokidu had prepared slides illustrating what the neighborhood association does, and the many ways that residents contribute to the neighborhood.  She began by introducing Andrea Thomas of the Welcome Team, who in turn asked the new residents to stand and introduce themselves.  The three couples had been greeted at the welcome table in the lobby by putting gold stars on their nametags so they could be welcomed by all.

Nirvana named the ways in which residents are kept informed (the quarterly newsletter; the email list; and the website, and encouraged to meet (the neighborhood garage sale in May, numerous block parties, and the ice cream social), plus Neighborhood Watch and CERT.

Because the election was not contested, Nirvana asked for a voice vote to confirm the election of the board candidates.  The 2024/25 board  took office on July 1, with only the positions of president and changing when Nirvana Nwokidu and First Vice President Olga Bright exchanged roles.

The business portion of the meeting was followed by illustrated talks by the guest speakers Mayor Pat Showalter and City Manager Kimbra McCarthy, who addressed topics of concern to our neighborhood, including the Rengstorff Grade Separation Project.

As the electrification of Caltrain nears completion, bringing more frequent trains, the lowering of Rengstorff Avenue to pass under the tracks became more urgent.

The long-planned project is expected to begin work in 2026, and be completed in about two years.  The project is headed by Caltrain, but other government and transportation agencies are involved.  The City of Mountain View drafted its “shovel ready” plan in 2014.  The environmental study has been completed.  Illustrations of the project are on pages 5 through 13 here with a May 2023 update here.

Other relevant websites are the Caltrain site, and two Mountain View Voice articles, January 24, 2024, and February 14, 2014.

In March 2024, one of the companies bidding to oversee the project contacted our neighborhood, seeking input from the neighborhoods most affected.  Three neighbors, including an MLNA board member, volunteered to represent Monta Loma.  They raised these questions during an online discussion with representatives of the company:

• Traffic: How will vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians be impacted during deconstruction and new construction?  How will traffic be restricted from driving through Monta Loma to escape the construction?
• Neighborhood entry and exit: How will residents get into and out of the neighborhood?  Will there be additional traffic lights?
• Safety: How will the fire station on Rengstorff at Montecito be able to function?  The MVPD?  What about access to schools?
• Businesses and business access: Which businesses will remain at the corner of Rengstorff and Central after the Shell gas station has left?  Can customers reach them?
• Artesian well: Might this city well in the alley behind the shopping center, which was plugged in 2022-23, cause a problem?

Neighbors enjoyed meeting their neighbors and finding bargains on a lovely Saturday, May 11, making our fifth annual neighborhood garage sale another huge success.

The almost-fifty households that had registered to participate had their addresses, sale hours, and items listed on a printable document, and their locations marked on a map.  When other neighbors noticed all the foot (and bicycle) traffic, they also put their no-longer-needed items out in their driveways, boosting participation.

Feedback included these comments:  “We had so much fun!!!”  “Loved the grid with location, times, and types of goods!”  “What a wonderful neighborhood.  We are a multicultural group with people from all over the world.  We met, we talked …”  “It was great to see the neighbors, find new homes for useful things, and make room in the house on a pleasant day.  I feel that I had a better turnout than when the whole city is doing it.”  “It was a great way to socialize with our neighbors and feel a deep sense of community.  I look forward to doing this every year.”

John Bianco once again ran his dad’s model trains at the Bianco home on Adele for six evenings every week between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.  The children of several families came every evening to see the different train sets.

Articles about Ernie’s trains appeared in the Mountain View Voice in 2010; 2012 (pages 1 and 9); 2016; and 2018 (pages 1 and 17).  A 2015 article in the San Francisco Chronicle features photos by James Tensuan, son of neighbor Donna Tensuan.