Thanks to Maria Rutenburg for sharing her pain.

This is the primary reason why there are insufficient housing units in MV.

I hate to say this but in many ways I agree with Maria,

But the public safety is an absolute priority no matter what.

Another issue is that she isn't a resident of Mountain View, thus NOT a citizen. Simply the idea that she owns property here is irreleavent. And over and over again, I point out that there is not "private property" in the U.S. HOW?

Because you pay "rent" in the form of property taxes. If you don't pay them, your property is taken. Thus there is no such thing as "private property rights".


In the U. S. Constitution you are entitled to compensation (except if not paying property taxes) when your land in taken by a government, nothing more.

THe California Constitution does entitle you to a "fair rate of return" but the courts and common sense clearly allows for a "loss" nonetheless if owners make bad decisions. Or if the economy goes south.

WHEN will the "private property rights" advocates understand they are making up this idea, and is not real.

Bloated bureaucracy is a burden on efficient government and the taxpayer, but it also obviates the civic logic of the entrepreneurial process.

In response to Tina you said:

“Bloated bureaucracy is a burden on efficient government and the taxpayer,”

What scientific proof do you have to declare that the bureaucracy is bloated? You have to provide some kind of substantiation or evidence that this is a “bloated” agency. For example, what are the other agencies doing that distinguishes the benchmark of efficiency? You also said:

“but it also obviates the civic logic of the entrepreneurial process.”

The Government is not obligated to support or advocate for the entrepreneurial process. The U.S. and California Constitutions provide no basis to support that. The Declaration of Independence does have an unalienable right to the PURSUIT of happiness. But that is the PURSUIT and not the achievement.

The Government is obligated under U.S. Supreme Court rules to allow for free speech regarding business, but NOT any SPECIAL treatment. The Government must balance the constitutional rights of citizens from the financial interests of business. So if the policies are related to the needs of the citizens of a city for example versus a business in the city, the reality is the citizens come first.

Maria’s complaint seems emotionally charged. Replacing a commercial HVAC to meet modern safety and energy requirements will need consultation and involving all those people is smart. The price seems reasonable for a commercial space visited by many people.