No bigotry in Mountain View, please.

The political views of the founder (which are pretty mainstream anyway -- shared by over half of Californians even) should have no bearing on the City Council's decision.

Mountain View needs to be pro-business, and should let anyone start a business here that will help job creation and our economy.

Revoke the approval. Don't condone corporate intolerance for freedom.

Let's try to get an Arby's or Popeyes instead.

Bigotry is not "political views". Bigotry is hate speech. Just say no.

What hypocrites here, who don't support free speech and call opposing viewpoints as "bigotry". Don't you realize the approximately half the business owners in California have the same view, given that Prop 8 just passed recently? It's better to live in a society where people are free to express their opinions. Go move to North Korea if you prefer a more totalitarian state!

Funny how the diversity supporters are the first to demand that others must be silenced and run out of town.

Are you opposed to diversity USA? What aspect of it?
I'm a diversity supporter who thinks it should be permitted to open if it has all its ducks in a row. I have faith that the community won't support it much and it will eventually close, but it its not for the city to decide unless they are violating a law.
Between the terrible for you food and worse for you politics, I don't see it being around very long.

Meanwhile, over at MEW, there's a TCE plume giving people cancer.

I agree with Funny. Let Chick Fil A open up in Mountain View, and let the restaurant fail miserably. People (like me) who are disgusted by the founder's views on same-sex marriage will stay away. Their few supporters will eat their fat-and-sodium laden food and their health will suffer for it. How is this not a win-win?

@just say no: I agree, no bigotry in Mountain View. Which is why we should ALLOW Chick-fil-A to open. We should not tolerate the bigotry and intolerance of diversity that is represented by those who would block it just because they disagree with the founder.

I am VERY pro-rights for ALL groups, including the gay community. I was very clear in my views to those who were picketing against gay marriage (while you probably just drove quietly by). But I am also VERY VERY pro free speech. We must NEVER tolerate the effort to shut it down on EITHER side.

USA is correct, people who claim to support diversity are often the first to attack it in others.

This is not about anything more than a local business decision and a small group trying to kill it out of intolerance.

Good to know the Voice is as out of it as the city council. The big boss at CFA already said he will no longer donate to the offending party....

How about the city council do something about the gang graffiti directly across the street from Castro school:

Web Link

For your information, the City of Mountain View Human Relations Commission is putting on the third in its Civility Roundtable discussion series on November 15th at the Mountain View Senior Center beginning at 6:30pm. The topic will be: "Gay Marriage in Mountain View." It is sure to be a lively and informative discussion.

Ken Rosenberg, Commissioner
Vice Chair
Human Relations Commission
City of Mountain View

Doing business in MV once a month and a MV graduate from last century I am disturbed by this lynching of people that are different. If a person's religious beliefs aren't the same as mine should I send them to the gas chamber unless they keep quiet about it? I don't think so. If I don't support the homosexual agenda that insists a conventional wedding with unconventional participants be called conventional then I am guilty of having hateful thoughts and will be banished by the Thought Police. Well then, the Thought Police will have to come and get me too.

Those of you who think it will fail obviously haven't visited the one that just opened in San Jose off of 237. Non-stop lines out the door. Considering 45% of Santa Clara county residents voted Yes on Prop 8, I think CFA will have plenty of supporters to survive in Mountain View.

If you don't like the CEO's free speech rights, then vote with your wallet and don't visit them.

Telling a company they can't operate in our city because we disagree with the CEO's opinion is setting a dangerous precedent. Should we not allow churches to open? Should we investigate all CEO's of all companies that want to do business in Mountain View? We've lost the aspect of what makes Democrats a great party - protecting citizens rights to live, say what they want to say, and do business according to laws governed to them.

I agree with Funny and Agree with Funny. If I didn't already have a user name, I would have chosen "2 x (Agree with Funny)". The right thing to do if you don't agree with the policies of a business is to not patronize them. Not try to prevent anyone who disagrees with you from being able to live, work, or operate a business inside your political unit.

I happen to think that the restaurant will be quite popular though, like most of their other locations are. The one in San Jose is 'off the hizzle', as the kids are saying these days (or did they used to say that back in the 90s?).

As an aside, eating a chicken sandwich hardly seems like the worst meal in the world, especially a grillen chicken sandwich.

Whats with the snobby attitude.. "it will fail"

just like jack in the box, and burger king, and mcdonalds, and the other jack in the box and the other taco bell failed huh?

Sorry but your other restauants in MV and nearby are gone...like Marie calenders, Farmer Joes or whatever it was called.... That bbq place... the sushi place.

Yet fast food is going strong. Get over yourselves MV

I don't believe that just because someone doesn't like something automatically means it is 'hate speech'. I think certain groups in our liberal society is falsely accusing people who disagree with their sexual orientation as hate mongers. I think it is completely false and people should be able to express their opinion without fear and threat. As long as no one uses physical violence and verbal abuse to express their views, we should learn to accept it. The gay groups are going out of its way to glamorize their life style and change the next generation into their way of life which I think it goes too far. I am all for equal rights and same sex marriage but definitely I don't agree with all their methods.

Bigot - one who is intolerantly devoted to his/her own opinions and prejudices.
I agree, no bigotry in Mountain View, let others express their views whether you agree with them or not. Exercising the right of Free Speech should not bar a business from opening in Mountain View or elsewhere in the USA.
Disagree with their opinions? Then don't patronize the business.

What's a "biblical family" - is that just a man and woman? Or do they need to have children, go to church... I really don't care if half of CA doesn't believe in gay marriage - we don't (and should not) have majority rules in this country, we should be protecting the minority. Trying to prevent groups or businesses who are activitely promoting unequal rights from opening up in our city is not intolerant. Taking way people's rights is intolerant. Don't marry someone of the same sex if you don't believe in it. But why should anyone get to decide what someone else is allowed? And if you are worried about gays promoting their glamorous lifestyle (and possibly turning you or your kids gay?), I think you might need a biology class.

Chick-fil-A was voted as having the best food among America’s quick-service chains. Also, they topped the list for cleanliness, service and value; according to a survey of 38,000 customers. Los Angeles Times, Oct. 3rd, 2012

CFA offers healthy lifestyle options with 10 menu items with 10 or fewer grams of fat. Chick-fil-A cooks in 100 percent refined peanut oil which is naturally trans-fat and cholesterol free. In fact, the entire menu is free of trans fat. Try the chargrilled-chicken sandwich on whole grain bread, with a fruit cup and low-fat milk.

Why do we even want another fast food. restaurant.in MV? We should be supporting healthier eating. You know most people aren't eating the "healthy" menu items.ju st because they offer them.

A Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich, fries and coke = 1210 calories, 43 grams of fat and a vomit-inducing 1625 mg of sodium. This is according to the nutritional info on their own website. For a medium sized person, that's almost an entire day's worth of sodium in one meal. Irrespective of their political views, their food has no place in my lifestyle.

And for those of you who can effectively use the internet and were aware YOU get to choose not only where you eat, but WHAT you eat when you get there--

Chargrilled & Fruit Salad 230 calories, 6 g fat

Southwest Chargrilled Salad 250 cal

Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad 180 cal

Chargrilled Chicken Sandwich 290 calories

Ice tea 0 calories

This is according to the nutritional info on their own website

First: The most important speech to protect is the speech with which one disagrees - even if one considers it "hateful" in their opinion. Blocking a enterprise because one doesn't believe in the views of its owners is a very dangerous and slippery slope. Remember some day the "other guy" might be in power and he might just label your speech hate speech.

Second: Those of you who are bleating incessantly about the harmful effects of junk food are free to avoid it. Stop imposing your dietary fascism on the rest of us, it is quite irritating.

Corporations are not people. You cannot be bigoted against a corporation. If the Chick-Fil-A CEO wanted to move to Mountain View, I would not try to stop him and I would not protest in front of his house.

When a corporation associates itself with hate speech, then protesting the corporation is legitimate freedom of expression.

If you are opposed to gay marriage, then the non-bigoted solution is to not marry a gay person. Trying to prevent another couple from getting married for bigoted reasons is hate, pure and simple.

There are 44 states that do not recognize same-sex "marriage", but believe in traditional marriage just as Mr. Cathy. Are you saying that the majority of citizens in these states are bigoted and hateful?

Ya gotta love Americans. Our government is massacring innocent people at wedding parties all over the Middle East with flying killer robots, and Americans have their knickers in a twist about who can marry whom. We truly live in the most psychotic empire of all time.

Sure MV needs to be pro business, but we don't need any more fast food. The proof is 33% obesity rates, and Adult onset diabetes being renamed to Type II, since so many kids have it now. No one will starve if they eat less whole healthy foods. More nutrition, less calories is the key, and you'll never get it eating fast food. Eating out should be a treat, not the norm. And with so many fine family owned restaurants that actually CARE about our community, and care even more about the quality of their products, it's a tragedy that anyone living in the area would even support fast food chains (excluding In N Out, of couse:-)

William Symons -- even if you think fast food causes obesity, why not just let people make their own decisions? And Chick-Fil-A has much healthier options (check out the grilled chicken) than many of the existing fast food joints on El Camino. Allowing new ones creates competition that causes the existing ones to go out of business unless they offer better and healthier products. Blocking Chick-Fil-A just allows the bad ones to stay busy.

I'm amazed at how many people here don't seem to understand or believe it competition as being best for the consumer, and seem to think the City Council should just pick exactly which businesses should be at each address.

Please do not allow a business with a proven track record of bigotry and hate into our town.

@William Symons, I love the In N Out exemption. :) Apparently a lot of other people feel that way about Chik-Fil-A, here's the URL for the LA Times article describing the survey in which CFA was ranked first:

Web Link

@Nick, well put! "many people .. seem to think the City Council should just pick exactly which businesses should be at each address." I get the same impression from some people, they say "This business should be there, not here", "We don't need more of that product/service/etc" , "Why does the city want more of XYZ". Of course, it was even more explicit when residents and even city council members were saying things like "We need a grocery store or a shoe store in such and such a place". Wishing for things like that is fine, but using central planning to achieve such ends is often not the way to go.

@Old Ben: Thank you for bringing some reality back into this discussion. I was driving through San Antonio and Rengstorff last week, and saw a man holding a sign that said "Obama murders women and children", and the sign had a large paper-mache(accent) predator drone on top of it. I parked and walked over to the corner to thank him for his civic mindedness and outrage at obvious tyranny, murder and mayhem. Likewise I thank you for reminding everyone of same.

I love the people here who denigrate their own country and label it as a "psychotic empire", yet blithely take full advantage of all the benefits that being a super power brings to their lives. The hypocrisy is outstanding. You really have to love the Bay Area.

Putting a drive-thru restaurant at that location is a safety issue. It is a very popular restaurant and during peak times will cause traffic problems along El Camino and in the neighborhood. The council should consider their application without the drive-thru option.

It is possible to care about our own civil rights and at the same time the monstrosities going on overseas. There does not have to be one or the other. Additionally, just because other states believe in "traditional" marriage doesn't make it right. We need to be progressive, move forward and acknowledge that the bible, religion, or decisions made in the past should not dictate our actions going forward. This may seem like a small issue, but the prevalance of bigotry and hate, against gays and other groups, causes serious damage.

I'm curious, those of you who think we should not prevent a business from opening for health or other reasons, as we are free to not eat there, how much to you defend people's right to marry whomever they want?

How many businesses in Mountain View have political views opposed to our own, and how many of them oppose gay marriage, and how many of them give money to anti-rights groups? People are living in a dreamland if they think that these kinds of businesses do not exist in Mountain View. What about the oil companies? We have so many people living here from around the world with varying political and religious views. I don't care for the Koran or the lack of women's rights in most middle eastern countries (let alone gay rights!) but I certainly wouldn't say that people who do support it couldn't open a business or place of worship. There are MANY conservative business owners in Mountain View.

Get off your high horses, you are making yourselves look bigoted, foolish and intolerant. If you don't like Chik Fil A, then don't go there.

The idea that the city council should have veto power over what restaurants are allowed to operate in town is a preposterous one. Why should food choices be up to them, rather than individual consumers?

This is plainly, and simply discrimination against a company based on the Christian values of it's owner and board members. Everyone has a right to express their opinion...even Christian business owners. How dangerous a society becomes when faith based ideals and morals become a determinant as to whether or not someone can do business within a community.

Will there be the same public outrage and complimentary city council pandering if a business with islamic values wants to come to town?

A. No

B. No

C. No

D. No

E. All of the above

Bigots need to eat too. This place can be for them. In fact I hope they eat this food every single day. Give them extra sauce and extra cheese.
Once the obesity runs its course our society will be better off. This issue is just a growing pain for an evolving society, and hopefully those who chose the wrong side of history won't be around as long after a steady diet of this stuff.
Open the doors, then open the mouths of the bigots, then shovel all that "food" into their faces, then just let it work its magic. Patience people, cholesterol and hear disease take time, but it will help cull the ignorance out of our society. Open, Open, Open!

City Council is arguing about the curtains while the house is on fire.

There seems to be plenty of suggestions here that gays and those who support gay marriage don't eat junk food. I'm gay and most of the gays I know are just as overweight (a few actually obese) as the average American slob. So I'm not sure of the merits of such ridiculous arguments. Back them up with facts. Otherwise this sounds more like the work of the bicycle fanatics.

Hating the haters makes you a hater!

Let's be more innovative!
Lets bring our first organic/vegetarian/healthy fast food restaurant with a drive thru.

:-)

This is great idea! I should start it

Edgar, I think the suggestion is that many will go to CFA to make some sort of bigoted statement, thus eating there more often than usual. That's where the karmic payback will occur.
Fat gays? OK, ya, I guess I know a few, but otherwise, its a running joke about how all my gay friends are the ones getting all the looks from the girls because of their uber-healthy physiques. Maybe I just hang w/ a different crowd.

I never heard about this place until they made their opinions public.

It is a marketing move to get the public aware they exist.

Just don't support it!

They used to have one at the old Sunnyvale Town Center back in the 80's.
I ate there...once...'nuff said.

Sorry, Breeder, I should have been more specific. I was referring more to some of the heavier lesbians I know. But thinking about it now, I know just as many overweight make gays. It's just more stereotyping that should be avoided. We don't want to discriminate against gays who like to eat even junk food.

Putting aside Chick-fil-a's views on gay rights - which I totally disagree with - does this mean that MV will not longer allow ANY new drive thru restaurants? Or will they only allow ones that agree with their political views?

I totally agree with CFA wanting to protect the family household. Why do we not have a CFA coming to MTV, because some are prejudice against wholesome family values.


Vote them out!!!!!

I want a true Biblical marriage, where I can have four wives and sell the children into slavery. It worked in the Bible, and it sounds pretty recession-proof to me.

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