Gil is the Post’s publisher, managing the paper’s finances and legal status. He is also the administrative chair, overseeing its operational and administrative policies. Previously, Gil was the Los Altos beat reporter, and a staff writer at the Los Altos High School Talon. Gil joined the Post in October 2020 as a founding member.
Under the elderly exterior: Tomoki Chien does it all
Note: This article belongs to a collection of features of the Post’s staff members in the graduating Class of 2022. Tomoki Chien’s just finished sprinting at track practice, and now, he’s popped on a collar and hopped into his VW Golf for a marathon of its own: a Mountain View-Los Altos School District board meeting.…
Continue reading ➞ Under the elderly exterior: Tomoki Chien does it all
“The brightest, most sunshiny day”: Carly Heltzel radiates passion and positivity
Note: This article belongs to a collection of features of the Post’s staff members in the graduating Class of 2022. It’s 8 p.m. on a Tuesday night and Carly Heltzel’s hunched over a computer in the Oracle classroom, hard at work. The recent Mountain View High School graduate has spent countless nights like this: staying…
Continue reading ➞ “The brightest, most sunshiny day”: Carly Heltzel radiates passion and positivity
Publisher’s picks: Our top 3 cookie recipes
Over the hundreds of days I’ve had the privilege of being a member of the Post’s staff, many people have asked me many different questions — yet no question tops the one that led to the inception of this piece. It was first brought to my attention when I was presenting to a group of…
Continue reading ➞ Publisher’s picks: Our top 3 cookie recipes
12 books to read in 2022, according to Books Inc. and the Midpeninsula Post
There are a lot of books out there, so we asked the staff at Books Inc. in Downtown Mountain View for 12 essential books for high schoolers to read in 2022. This list is made up of their answers. It’s a mix of fiction and nonfiction, made-up characters and autobiographies, mythology and realism, academic reads…
Continue reading ➞ 12 books to read in 2022, according to Books Inc. and the Midpeninsula Post
California mandates universal masking in schools, diverging from CDC guidance
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN Students in California will have to wear masks until at least early November, the California Department of Public Health said on July 12. The CDPH’s policy diverges from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation made three days prior, which said that vaccinated students and teachers don’t need to wear masks…
Continue reading ➞ California mandates universal masking in schools, diverging from CDC guidance
Local non-profit Mentor Tutor Connection continues to serve Mountain View and Los Altos students through pandemic
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN AND RODRIGO SEPULVEDA SAGASETA, PHOTO COURTESY MENTOR TUTOR CONNECTION A wedding or baby shower guest list typically includes parents, neighbors and long-time friends. For some former Mentor Tutor Connection students, their mentors — thanks to their patience, kindness and advice — also make the guest list. Mentor Tutor Connection is a…
Local activist group Justice Vanguard to host Juneteenth celebration in Los Altos
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO COURTESY MARIE GODDERIS Local activist group Justice Vanguard is set to host a Juneteenth celebration at Lincoln Park in Los Altos from 1–5 p.m. on June 19, with the goal of raising $10,000 to fund the group’s initiatives. Juneteenth celebrates the day that the last slaves in the United States were…
Continue reading ➞ Local activist group Justice Vanguard to host Juneteenth celebration in Los Altos
Los Altos City Council passes resolution acknowledging activist Moos did not threaten Councilwoman Lee Eng
STORY AND PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN The Los Altos City Council on Tuesday voted 3–2 in favor of a resolution acknowledging that local activist Kenan Moos did not, among other things, physically threaten Councilwoman Lynette Lee Eng or her family. The resolution, brought forward by Mayor Neysa Fligor and Councilman Jonathan Weinberg, follows six months of…
Los Altos to draft ordinance mandating safe storage of personally owned firearms
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY ALLISON HUANG The City of Los Altos is set to draft an ordinance mandating lock boxes and trigger locks for all personally owned firearms, following a resolution made by Councilman Jonathan Weinberg at last week’s city council meeting. The exact timeline for the ordinance is unclear. Under current law, an individual…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos to draft ordinance mandating safe storage of personally owned firearms
Los Altos Councilwoman Lee Eng denies falsely accusing activist Kenan Moos for first time publicly
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY ALLISON HUANG Amid persistent calls for her resignation and a failed attempt at mediation, Los Altos Councilwoman Lynette Lee Eng at a council meeting on April 27 denied allegations that she falsely claimed Los Altos activist Kenan Moos threatened her, addressing the allegations directly for the first time since the incident…
Journalist, author, citizen scientist; Mary Ellen Hannibal to deliver talk at Los Altos History Museum
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTOS COURTESY MARY ELLEN HANNIBAL When picking up a book titled “Evidence of Evolution,” one would hardly expect that the same author also wrote “Good Parenting Through Your Divorce.” But as a freelance author, and later a citizen scientist, Mary Ellen Hannibal just took the jobs she could get. “When you’re…
More drama: Mediation between Los Altos Councilwoman Lee Eng and activist Kenan Moos terminated
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY EMILY MCNALLY Following five months of controversy surrounding comments made by Los Altos Councilwoman Lynette Lee Eng about activist Kenan Moos, an attempt at mediation — something which many hoped would bring peace to the issue — was terminated by the mediator, whose identity is currently confidential. At a council meeting in…
Los Altos aims to build 2000 affordable housing units by 2031
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY EMILY MCNALLY Los Altos is aiming to build 2000 affordable housing units by 2031, in accordance with new state housing requirements and legislation. In the state of California, each municipality is given a regional housing needs allocation (RHNA) number, which sets out affordable housing requirements. The housing element, which is sent to…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos aims to build 2000 affordable housing units by 2031
‘Light at the end of this tunnel’: Gov. Newsom unveils plan to fully reopen state in mid-June
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN AND GIL RUBINSTEIN Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday unveiled a plan to fully reopen the state on June 15, given that the vaccine supply is sufficient to accommodate the 16-and-up age bracket and hospitalization rates are “stable and low.” “With more than 20 million vaccines administered across the state, it is time to turn the…
Los Altos Library opens to 50% occupancy, continues expanded contactless pick up
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN Following the county’s drop to the orange tier of coronavirus restrictions, the Los Altos Library will continue to expand its in-person services after first opening for lobby service in March. Effective April 19, all libraries in the Santa Clara County Library District — which includes the Los Altos Library…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos Library opens to 50% occupancy, continues expanded contactless pick up
HHS won’t use Moffett Field as detention center
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY SADIE HINE / SPECIAL TO THE MIDPENINSULA POST The Department of Health and Human Services will not use Moffett Field as a temporary detention center for migrant children, according to a statement from U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA-18) on March 18. HHS had been searching for a potential temporary…
Continue reading ➞ HHS won’t use Moffett Field as detention center
‘It’s about hope and action’: Partners of 34 years inspire change through art
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTOS COURTESY ROB BADGER AND NITA WINTER After quitting his job in 1986, Rob Badger went to his local photo lab to develop a photography portfolio for potential clients. While waiting for his film to develop, Rob met Nita Winter, a fellow photographer, who would later become his wife. “I was…
Continue reading ➞ ‘It’s about hope and action’: Partners of 34 years inspire change through art
Los Altos Library opens for limited-capacity service, continues expanded online resources
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN Last week, the Los Altos Library opened its lobby service in limited capacity, allowing residents to partake in restricted browsing and book pickup. The reopening follows Santa Clara County’s fall to the red tier of coronavirus restrictions, which allowed the library to begin operation at 25–50% lobby…
Calls persist for Los Altos Council Member Lee Eng to resign
STORY AND PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN Calls persist for Los Altos Council Member Lynette Lee Eng to resign over comments made at a Nov. 24 meeting, where she falsely accused Keenan Moos, a Black Los Altos resident, of threatening her and her family. During that November meeting, the previous council voted on findings from the…
Continue reading ➞ Calls persist for Los Altos Council Member Lee Eng to resign
“It could be days”: The state of Los Altos’ emergency preparedness, and what you can do to help
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY EMILY MCNALLY As winter storms ravage much of the United States, many residents in cities like Los Altos lie in wait of “the big earthquake” to come in the next few years. While many envision first responders rushing down their streets with sirens blaring, much of the assistance citizens…
Los Altos seeks input on hiring city manager
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY ALLISON HUANG The City of Los Altos, continuing its months-long search for a new, permanent, city manager, has created an online survey for residents and business owners to provide input. In a recent press release, Mayor Neysa Fligor urged residents and business owners to fill out the survey. “We…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos seeks input on hiring city manager
Local professor presents research on Black people in Santa Clara County
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN AND ARI STROBER, PHOTO BY EMILY MCNALLY Local author and historian Jan Batiste Adkins will be speaking at the Los Altos History Museum in a Zoom event on Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. to commemorate the contributions of Black visionaries in the Bay Area. African Americans have a long, yet relatively…
Continue reading ➞ Local professor presents research on Black people in Santa Clara County
CIF reverses, allows athletes to participate in same-season club and school sports
STORY BY GARV VIRGINKAR, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN Note: At the moment, Santa Clara County cohorting restrictions still prohibit participation on multiple teams. The California Interscholastic Federation has reinstated its waiver of Bylaw 600-605, allowing student athletes to participate in both school and club sports through the same season. This latest development, according to the…
DeMartini Orchard: Oldest business in Los Altos sticks to its roots
STORY BY DANA HUCH AND GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTOS BY DANA HUCH AND EMILY MCNALLY June 26 might just seem like a regular summer Sunday, but here in Los Altos, it’s officially known as DeMartini Day, commemorating the oldest business that still operates in the town today: DeMartini Orchard, a farmstand on the side of San…
Continue reading ➞ DeMartini Orchard: Oldest business in Los Altos sticks to its roots
County to vaccinate residents age 65 and up regardless of healthcare provider or insurance
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN AND GARV VIRGINKAR Santa Clara County will now begin vaccinating all residents age 65 and up regardless of health care provider or insurance. This latest development comes after county officials just weeks ago expressed frustration with a “chaotic” distribution process, and as the county now approaches 1,500 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic…
County walks back 25-foot rule for youth sports, but adds new restrictions
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN The Santa Clara County Health Department appears to have walked back its previous mandate that athletics cohorts maintain a 25-foot distance from one another, a restriction that sparked outrage among the high school sports community. The new guidance notes that participants in youth athletic activity must maintain…
Continue reading ➞ County walks back 25-foot rule for youth sports, but adds new restrictions
County guidelines could spell disaster for high school sports competition
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN Note: Santa Clara County has walked back its guidance mandating a 25-foot distance between athletics cohorts. Click here for the most recent updates. Santa Clara County safety restrictions could thwart high school sports competitions set to begin in just over two weeks. County guidelines allow practice and…
Continue reading ➞ County guidelines could spell disaster for high school sports competition
Los Altos Police Department to encrypt public radio channel
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY ALLISON HUANG Starting in March, the Los Altos Police Department will be encrypting its radio communications following new guidance from the California Department of Justice. The justice department’s order mandates that police departments statewide encrypt personal information such as names, driver’s license numbers and other personal identifiers when transmitted…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos Police Department to encrypt public radio channel
Teachers speak out against LASD return at board meeting
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN While for many, school commutes now consist solely of the distance between bed and laptop, the Los Altos School District Board’s decision on Jan. 11 to continue as planned with in-person learning means that many LASD teachers are now forced to return to campus. For fourth grade…
Continue reading ➞ Teachers speak out against LASD return at board meeting
MV Council elects Kamei and Ramirez as mayor and vice mayor
STORY BY CARLY HELTZEL, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN As outgoing Mountain View City Council Members Chris Clark and John McAlister said their heartfelt goodbyes to a teary-eyed council, they were anticlimactically moved to the attendees box on Zoom while elected Council Members Margaret Abe-Koga, Sally Lieber, Lisa Matichak and Pat Showalter were sworn in by…
Continue reading ➞ MV Council elects Kamei and Ramirez as mayor and vice mayor
A look into the MV Housing Justice Coalition: activists protecting renters and mobile home owners
STORY BY CARLY HELTZEL, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN Logging onto the Mountain View Housing Justice Coalition (MVHJC) Zoom call, you’d hardly expect to be greeted with a tight-knit, welcoming group of advocates laughing about how many trout brains makes a serving of food — but the amicable environment took nothing away from the gravity of…
Neysa Fligor continues breaking barriers
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO COURTESY NEYSA FLIGOR Los Altos City Council meetings used to look a certain way: white, often older individuals coming together to discuss the various, sometimes trivial issues they perceived to be important. Like constructing bocce ball courts. Two years ago, that changed when Neysa Fligor became the first Black council…
Through biting criticism, MV City Council votes unanimously to form police advisory board
STORY BY CEDRIC CHAN AND ALLISON HUANG, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN The Mountain View City Council voted unanimously last night to implement a “Public Safety Advisory Board” (PSAB) to oversee the Police Department, following a recommendation from the Ad-Hoc Subcommittee meeting on Race, Equity and Inclusion (REI). The PSAB will be made up of up…
“We went from being thanked to driving by nine year olds with ACAB signs”: MVPD Deputy Chief Chris Hsuing set to take over Dept.
STORY BY CEDRIC CHAN AND GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY ALLISON HUANG Deputy Police Chief Chris Hsuing is set to become Mountain View Police Department’s Chief this December, taking the place of Max Bosel, who announced his retirement Friday, November 6. The Post spoke to Hsiung — who’s set to assume his role on Sunday, December…
Los Altos City Council votes to remove SROs from LAHS
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN In a unanimous vote, the Los Altos City Council moved to eliminate school resource officers from the Los Altos High School campus and implement a variety of reforms to the police complaint process. These decisions come following over 19 hours of police task force meetings, culminating in…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos City Council votes to remove SROs from LAHS
Los Altos task force to recommend elimination of SRO program
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN The Los Altos Citizens’ Police Task Force is set to advise the City Council to permanently eliminate the school resource officer (SRO) program from Los Altos High School. The task force chose to leave the creation of a replacement up to the Council, hopefully before students return…
Continue reading ➞ Los Altos task force to recommend elimination of SRO program
Mountain View may implement community advisory board to oversee Police Dept.
STORY BY CEDRIC CHAN, PHOTO BY GIL RUBINSTEIN As a long-term solution for community oversight of the Police Department, Mountain View may implement a “Public Safety Advisory Board” (PSAB), following a City staff recommendation at tonight’s Ad-Hoc Subcommittee meeting on Race, Equity and Inclusion (REI). The PSAB would be tasked with hosting public forums, reviewing…
Continue reading ➞ Mountain View may implement community advisory board to oversee Police Dept.
A conversation about Los Altos police reform with Council Member Neysa Fligor
STORY BY TOMOKI CHIEN AND GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTO BY TOMOKI CHIEN Formed in August in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement and increased conversation around police reform, the Los Altos Citizen’s Police Task Force is charged with presenting the City Council recommendations for changes to the school resource officer (SRO) program at Los Altos…
Continue reading ➞ A conversation about Los Altos police reform with Council Member Neysa Fligor
LASD staff presents possible reopening plans for sixth through eighth graders
STORY AND PHOTOS BY GIL RUBINSTEIN The Los Altos School District Board met last night to review different schedules presented by staff for in-person learning for sixth through eighth grade. Sixth grade students are currently slated to return on Monday, January 11, while junior high students will return on Wednesday, January 20. The deadline to…
Continue reading ➞ LASD staff presents possible reopening plans for sixth through eighth graders
Demonstrators gather for a ‘count all votes’ rally in Mountain View
STORY BY GIL RUBINSTEIN, PHOTOS BY TOMOKI CHIEN Amid brewing uncertainty surrounding the presidential election, a group of roughly 60 demonstrators gathered in Mountain View to express support for a fair, democratic election process, with the pervading theme of the night being to “count all the votes.” The group of demonstrators — largely older long-time…
Continue reading ➞ Demonstrators gather for a ‘count all votes’ rally in Mountain View