Spring has sprung WEEKEND | 21 APRIL 13, 2018 VOLUME 26, NO. 12 www.MountainViewOnline.com 650.964.6300 MOVIES | 24 City accountants regret business license mess OWNERS DIDN’T GET FIRST NOTICE OF HIGHER FEES By Mark Noack said it was the second and final notice, but we never received ountain View’s anything before.” finance department So in late March, Lehner went Mis sending out a mass to City Hall with his wallet, apology after thousands of and he found he wasn’t alone. local businesses were sent let- A crowd of other frustrated ters warning they were delin- business owners was lining up quent in paying a new fee. outside the Finance Depart- The pink warning letters ment office, angry about the were mailed in mid-March abrupt warnings over $3. City to about 2,700 businesses, staff seemed to be struggling to or roughly two-thirds of the control the livid group, he said. licensed businesses in the city. The city did offer an online Business owners were notified payment system, but many JAMES TENSUAN in the letter that they were business owners were miffed Western tussock moth caterpillars had a population explosion this spring and are infesting Mountain behind $3 on their license pay- that they would be charged a View and neighboring cities. ments. If the business didn’t $1.25 convenience fee for using immediately rectify the unpaid it. bill, owners would face addi- Finance Director Patty Kong A plague of caterpillars tional fines or penalties, the agreed it was quite the mess. letters said. The last week of March her Mountain View resident team had to deal with hun- hits Mountain View Mike Lehner said he was dreds of irate business owners, baffled as he read the notice in person and over the phone. UNUSUAL WEATHER FUELS AN EXPLOSION OF HAIRY CRAWLERS ALL OVER TOWN sent to his wife Jennifer’s health “It was an unfortunate event consulting business. He felt like that this had gone out in this By Kevin Forestieri all over Mountain View and crawling critters tend to make the city was about to revoke manner,” she said. “There were neighboring cities dangling their debut around this time their license. quite a few people who had t’s hard to get around down tree branches and wrig- every year, Mountain View “This was the first we heard thought they had paid their town without running into gling on cars, playgrounds and parks staff acknowledge that about this,” he said. “It gave us Ithem. Hordes of hairy cat- garbage bins, leaving behind there’s an usually high number less than a week’s notice, and it See BUSINESS LICENSE, page 8 erpillars, freshly hatched after trails of stringy silk. a warm February, can be found And while the hairy, See CATERPILLARS, page 9 Family plans to sue over Tesla crash LAW FIRM ALLEGES FAULTY TECHNOLOGY LED TO DEATH OF SAN MATEO MAN By Kevin Forestieri collided with a median on High- Tesla, and could potentially extend way 101 in Mountain View on the suit to any subcontractors he family of a man who March 23. Vehicle logs recovered involved in the design and con- was killed in a fiery crash by Tesla showed that Huang had struction of the Autopilot system. Tinvolving a Tesla Model been using the vehicle’s Autopilot An early review by the law firm X vehicle plans to file a wrong- function at the time of the crash, indicated that the Autopilot sys- ful death lawsuit against the car when the vehicle hit a cement tem installed in the Model X may company over allegations of a barrier between Highway 101 and have misread painted lanes on the faulty Autopilot system, accord- the Highway 85 carpool flyover, roadway, failed to detect the con- ing to an announcement by a according to the company. crete median and failed to brake legal firm representing the family. In an online post Wednesday, the car, according to the post. NATALIA NAZAROVA San Mateo resident Walter the law firm Minami Tamaki “The firm believes Tesla’s Jennifer Lehner was one of about 2,700 owners who received a Huang, 38, suffered major injuries stated that the family intends to surprising warning notice claiming they were behind on paying business and later died after his 2017 Tesla file the wrongful death suit against See TESLA, page 12 license fees. Mountain View city officials later apologized for the misfire. INSIDE VIEWPOINT 19 | GOINGS ON 25 | MARKETPLACE 26 | REAL ESTATE 28 THE ADDRESS IS THE PENINSU THE EXPERIENCE IS AIN PINEL LOS ALTOS $2,795,000 MENLO PARK $2,395,000 PORTO VALLEY $1,950,000 1468 Frontero Avenue | 5bd/4ba 1143 Woodland Avenue | 3bd/3.5ba 145 Santa Maria Avenue | 2bd/1ba Kathy Bridgman | 650.209.1589 Erika Ameri | 650209.1508 Janis Ahmadjian-Bear | 650.740.5390 License #01189798 License #01727613 License #00980993 SAN CARLOS $1,850,000 SAN JOSE $1,699,000 LOS ALTOS $1,498,000 111 Exeter Avenue | 3bd/2.5ba 1711 Willowhurst Avenue | 3bd/2ba 24 Farm Hill Road | 3bd/2ba Bryan Sweeley | 650.793.0355 Rick Zea | 408.205.8050 Lynn North | 650.209.1562 License #01877044 License #00880772 License #01490039 SUNNYVALE $1,150,000 MENLO PARK $1,150,000 CAMPBELL $989,000 543 Romberg Drive | 3bd/1.5ba 1055 Pine Street #4 | 3bd/2.5ba 103 El Patio Court | 2bd/2ba Jack Earl | 650.823.7402 Bogard-Tanigami Team | 650.924.8365 Denise Welsh | 415.999.0727 License #00498428 License #00298975 License #00939903 APR.COM Over 30 Real Estate Offices Serving The Bay Area Including Los Altos 650.941.1111 Square footage, acreage, and other information herein, has been received from one or more of a variety of different sources. Such information has not been verified by Alain Pinel Realtors®. If important to buyers, buyers should conduct their own investigation. 2 Q Mountain View Voice Q MountainViewOnline.com Q April 13, 2018 QA+E BRIEFS Healthy Teeth and Gums That Last a Lifetime! • Experienced and Gentle Dentist, and Friendly Staff • New Patients Welcome! • Free Consultations and Second Opinions • Saturday Appointments Available COURTESY OF MATTHEW WEIL Then-and-now photos of the Bay Bridge taken 85 years ago by one of its engineers and recreated by his grandson-in-law, are on display at Voted Best Cafe Borrone in Menlo Park. Dentist ‘’THE BAY BRIDGE: AN PIANIST LARRY VUCKOVICH THE THE Best of ENGINEER’S PERSPECTIVE’ Celebrated jazz pianist Larry VOICE Best of Don’t Wait! VOICE MOUNTAIN Menlo Park native Matthew Vuckovich will perform a con- MOUNTAIN VIEW cert of jazz standards and world Call 650.969.6077 VIEW Weil is presenting an exhibition 2016 2017 of Bay Bridge photographs at music (with classical influences) for your appointment today! 2014 Cafe Borrone, 1010 El Camino, on Sunday, April 15, at 3 p.m. Menlo Park. The show (on display at the historic Wunderman through May 8) features a series of House, 655 Eunice Ave., Moun- Conveniently located tain View. Vuckovich survived 650.969.6077 paired photographs: the first taken in Downtown Mountain View nearly 85 years ago by Charles Nazi rule and a communist dentalfabulous.com 756 California Street, Suite B Joseph “Joe” Knedel during his takeover, immigrated to San time as a civil engineer and sur- Francisco from Montenegro (in Mountain View 94041 veyor on the original construction the former Yugoslavia) in the cross street: Castro, next to Bierhaus of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay 1950s, studied classical piano at Bridge, and the second taken over San Francisco State University the last year by fellow civil engi- and became part of the Bay Area neer (and grandson-in-law) Weil, jazz scene, eventually playing who retraced Knedel’s footsteps. with the likes of Mel Torme and “The exhibit’s photographs dem- Vince Guaraldi and developing onstrate the remarkable evolution his own blend of jazz, classical The of San Francisco while highlight- and Balkan folk, as well as a love ing the permanence and artistry of of Latin styles. Tickets are $25. this iconic engineering structure,” Go to larryvuckovich.com or according to a press release. Cafe call 707-299-9964. Borrone is open from 6 a.m. to 9 40th p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and from ‘LONDON, 1845: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Go to makintoshphotography.com. GRATITUDE TO HAYDN’ Downtown Spring Throughout its current sea- son, The New Esterhazy Quar- ‘STILL OFF CENTER’ AT tet (Kati Kyme and Lisa Weiss, Family Parade GALLERY 9 violin; Anthony Martin, viola; The playful oil-on-canvas and William Skeen, cello) have Can you dig it? 40 years of movin’ & groovin’ paintings of local artist Steve been celebrating highlights Curtiss are on display through from throughout string-quartet April 28 at Gallery 9, 143 Main history. The group will recre- Saturday, April 21 St., Los Altos. Curtiss’ exhibition, ate an 1845 London concert in titled “Still Off Center,” demon- tribute to 18th-century master 10 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. strates his traditional skills with composer Joseph Haydn, per- offbeat, clever sense of humor, forming four quartets span- Parade starts at Castro and Villa Streets with subjects including the local ning Haydn’s career on Sun- landscape, humans and animals day, April 15, at 4 p.m. at All with post-parade activities in Pioneer Park (particularly cats), art history, Saints’ Episcopal Church, 555 paradoxes and cultural habits. Waverley St., Palo Alto. Tickets Live music by Pop Fiction The gallery is open Tuesday- are $30 general admission/$25 Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.