I would love to see the land at the corner of Moffett Boulevard and Highway 101 turned into a revenue-generating shopping center! That whole area has a lot of potential but has just been sitting around unimproved.

I work here in Mountain View for a small software company. 85% of our budget is for employees. Due to the economy, no one has gotten a raise in over 3 years. We've been able to contain costs and keep the business running. It's absurd that the unions are getting increases every year. That's got to stop. And by the way, we don't get a pension, either. And we pay a lot for our health care.

I'll be damned if I'm raising my taxes to fund their raises, pension and health care. I'm not getting a raise and they shouldn't either.

The article says "The city will also consider a maintenance district for Castro Street that would assess a tax on downtown businesses, unless those businesses protest it en masse."

Why would the city consider a maintenance district downtown? Is this related to the expiration of the revitalization district? If so, maybe we could generate revenue with parking fees instead. Done carefully, this could be a good source of revenue and a way to manage parking downtown. Redwood City has a nice system in place in their downtown.

With 80% of the budget going to employee costs, any strategy moving forward that doesn't include an employee cost component is symbolic at best. Eliminating automatic annual increases serves only to stop the bleeding; it does nothing to reduce the cost structure already in place. Without additional contributions from employees to help pay for their own benefits (salaries, health benefits, and pensions), there is precious little the City can do to reign in costs, without additional income.

What the City is planning is a good start, but its only a start. Much more needs to be done.

I'm just a poor Rex Manor Guy.... No North or El Camino..

When the hell will the Council get the word... Stop Spending.. Cut the huge pensions... Any pension of 50 or so percent is plenty, and each employee, during 20 or so years should contribute at least 30 or so percent... Jeeze.. life ain't free..
If an employee saves (Pension Contripbution) of 15 or 20 Percent, should be well compensated..

Come on Council.. get your heat out... and,, looking back over the years,... there is NO REASON why YOU should get a pension for your "Community Service of being on the council".. that is nuts...

George....