This is the first in a series of investigations into the status of highly publicized churches and missions.
Thanks to Special Correspondent Ronn Stacy who took this shot of the Mountain View “Ideal Org” Test Center today.
If you cannot see clearly — those are “For Lease” signs in the window. Ronn tells us that he doesn’t know if they relocated but that would seem odd since this was a prime downtown location they have had for a decade or more. At one time they ran most of Div6 here, OCA testing, basics bookstore, pinch tests, Div6 Crs Room, Book 1 auditing.
Mountain View was one of the first orgs to renovate their own building and much was made of Jan Silber by Miscavige. He held her out as a “model” ED at Maiden Voyage because she was OT VIII and had an upstat, renovated building. Mountain View began promoting itself as an “Ideal Org” but of course their current premises were soon determined to be inadequate in the overall grandiose scheme of things. So in 2008, two adjacent buildings were purchased in a semi-industrial area. Click the google street view to the left and the building alongside the glass front building is the second part of the “Ideal Org”. Keep rotating and you will see this is at the very end of a cul-de-sac with NO body traffic. The assessed value of these two is $10.25 million, how much was actually paid I don’t know. Interestingly, both these buildings were purchased by CSRT. Yes, that is the same CSRT that promotes itself as “The Super Power Project”, so maybe this is where some of that Super Power money went!
The property taxes on these buildings are reported to be $125,000 a year. So, Mountain View has shelled out $625,000 for empty buildings over 5 years. Or maybe CSRT is paying it and this is why they have to keep regging people for “Super Power.”
Another angle of the insanity of the great “Ideal Orgs” boondoggle that is the ONLY thing happening in the Church of Scientology these days outside of IAS regging and status presentations.
Thanks to Ronn Stacy for sending in this info. We have a report on another nearby, very prominent Scientology Center also anointed by Miscavige coming very soon.
Jan is a good person and someone who I consider to be a friend. Between her and her husband, Marc, they have seven children. Two of the children are in the Sea Org and all the rest, except one, are actively involved in Scientology. Jan and Marc’s roots run deep in the San Fran Bay Area Scientology community. This makes it very, very hard for them or anyone else in a similar position to look. They are GOOD people. Do not forget that.
No question about that Kevin. I feel for them along that same regard. My dig isn’t so much with Jan or Marc but the situation Miscavige is putting all of those still in “in”.
Oddest part perhaps of all this, aside from the obvious waste, is the new building is IDEAL because it is on a cross section of Hwy 101 and 85, and the big deal is the planned humongous Church sign and cross will be visible above the building for all these cars flying through. No joke, that was touted at the first big fundraiser hoorah.
Yea, a BIG sign on their building, “SCIENTOLOGY'”. Someone sees it and Googles Scientology. What could go wrong with that?
I lived in Mountain View for a few years and regularly went to Castro St., which is the main drag in Mountain View. The org bookstore could not have been in a more prominent location, right next door to a busy restaurant. Tons of foot traffic. But never anybody that I saw in the test center. The closed it and put for sale signs on the building (I think the org owns it). Then the signs came down and the place opened back up, just in time for the Anonymous protests. And now this: For Lease. This is proof for sure that the Church of Scientology has transformed itself into a real estate operation. They have convinced themselves that making rent off their prime location in the city will be more remunerative than doing what LRH said to do which is deliver training and processing. And I am positive this has DM’s blessings. Jan Silber is an idiot.
I believe Karen tried to post this link: http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/histSecured.jsp
The link above is very specific, you have to enter the street number, then the street name only (no Ave. etc) and then click on Mountain View from the drop down list. 1080 Linda Vista for example, and compare that to 117 Easy.
Very enlightening.
Did I read that right? CSRT bought this building?
Then this explains it all! While the SP building is unfinished (after 15 years) due to lack of funds, they continue to fundraise for Super Power while funneling the money to other projects. Projects that are, obviously, more important than the opening of Super Power.
Do I smell deception? Treachery? Just plain cheating? Nah, it can’t be. His Highness would never lie to his congregation. Slappy is beyond reproach.
I am wondering if there is a way to give this info to Luis Garcia and wife to help their lawsuit regarding being regged for Super Power and promised that is what their money would go to and it never opened? If you could show that some of the Ideal Orgs were bought by CSRT , which as stated above, is the Super Power entity, then that would be proof that the Super Power donations were funneled off into other projects and thus would be good ammo for the Luis Garcia lawsuit. Is there a way to do that? (What does CSRT stand for anyway?)
Jane — don’t worry your pretty little head. The information gets to the lawyers…
CSRT = Church of Scientology Religious Trust
Father Finigan, unfortunately it’s true. Like he told me the last time I sat in for a Div6 briefing, circa 09, when I asked Marc, as an old friend, “hey Marc, how you been” ? and he as he walked away he told me, “I’ve been here”.
Mark Silber must be shitting bricks!
lol
How come all the Ideal Orgs are put in areas with no body traffic? I’ve been to three and all of them were in areas with virtually zip in body traffic. I’ve written that Phoenix was in a three story building with quite a bit of unused space to expand into and tremendous body traffic. It was a short walk to the central bus station, an Arizona State University campus, major leauge baseball, basketball and hockey stadiums.
I could go on for paragraphs about its location. Twice a month the city closed the streets around the org for arts and craft festivals, flooding the org parking lot with a river of thousands of college kids and middle to upper midle class adults who would form lines to do stress and pinch tests on the emeter.
We would set up the VM tent and play videos and have banks of people at tables enlightening people and selling books. Now the Phoenix “Ideal Org” is in a residential area miles away from anything. Maybe a handful of people walk by the org per hour? Guys who dont have cars or people jogging. Before this the org was right on a prominent corner (3rd street and Roosevelt) and really stood out. Now the “Ideal Org” is in a nondescript office building. The kind you see all over Phoenix- or not. They sort of become invisible because they usually contain a number of businesses and offices, phone sales and stuff that doesnt require personal contact.
Las Vegas Ideal Org seemed to be in an even worse location.
“How come all the Ideal Orgs are put in areas with no body traffic?” Because “public” are lowest in seniority!
Just because they keep the lights on and the buildings there doesn’t mean jack shit.
Look on the bright side. Less people will be suckered in and faster the corporate hell will go down. 🙂
My guess is that is because the real estate is cheaper out where there is no traffic. The cost per square foot is lower in industrial areas, and we all know it’s all about the SIZE not the QUALITY. They are looking for the largest building, not the one that will reach the most PEOPLE. The Stevens Creek Idle Org is also in an area with no foot traffic whatsoever.
“How come all the Ideal Orgs are put in areas with no body traffic?”
Because Miscavige, covertly, wants them to fail.
“How come all the Ideal Orgs are put in areas with no body traffic?”
That’s totally unfair! The Portland Ideal Org has plenty of foot traffic on its street. The problem is that all that foot traffic is going into or out of the gay bar across the street!
Because Scientology Inc does not reveal any accounting or what it does with the exorbitant sums of money it extorts, it reeks of Financial Irregularities.
Case in point Mountain View Org. It got the status of so called “Ideal org” (Empty building with flashy interiors.)
This was around 2002-2003
It bragged that the local Mayor of Mountain View was on its Org Board !
The poor dupe attended the grand opening as a Hollywood prop braying about “welcoming the new ideal org Church” to the Mountain View community. Jan Silber, the Executive Director announced the Mayor is part of the Organizational command chain (Org Board) Crowd Cheers.
Where is the Mayor now !? LOL
Property tax was reasonable. The square footage was about 15000 square feet.
And even though that was previously counted as an Ideal Org, 10 years later, the Money extortion racket went into FULL gear once again ~~ TO PURCHASE another Ideal org.
Probably the audience who paid for the last Idea org had departed…..
So voila !
A 65,000 sq ft behemoth located at the end of a cul de sac, in an Industrial Complex !
1080 Linda Vista Ave, Mountain View, CA
And their Property tax bill alone is $100,000 ANNUALLY !
It is empty, they are requiring a fund raising of $7 million for its lavish interior…..meanwhile as it stand empty, it costs $100,000 a year in property tax
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“The poor dupe…” Laughter! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ata79KsR-H0
I am very familiar with the MV org. I used to visit it from AOLA all the time to rape and pillage. I was there when Jan comped OT 8 and then the day she cam home she signed the lease for that first new building.
The supervisor there was a huge ethics case and used to yell at students. The stats in the academy were on a 2 year danger trend ending in Non E. We visited every clear in the area and either crossed them off the list or recovered them or got doors slammed in our faces. They had the least amount of public of any of the orgs in that area. The as Karen stated they did this big relaunch and I got my first taste of Int Management lies in PR. The event showed people flooding into the org. HAHAHA. Utter bullshit. They had to round up everyone from the bay area to make it look good. No this org has been fucked for years.
If you search 1066 Linda Vista, Mountain View, CA in gmaps, you will get a good view of the 2nd annex next to 1080, reminds of a dilapidated goolag. Maybe its a future HOLE for Bay Area Execs? … one can only speculate… what else, lets see… staff housing of the Central and South American recruitment campaigns perhaps? Or storage of millions of Basics or Way to Happiness?
Anyway, you can confirm the tax debacle alone, 5 years on, for yourself, here: http://payments.scctax.org/payment/jsp/histSecured.jsp
Type in 1080 LINDA VISTA and select Mountain View from the drop down cities. Last I knew they were still gathering the estimated $7mil for “required” renos.
Me, hell I wouldn’t have accepted that dumb ass deal in the first place, but given no choice at least they could sell 117 Easy St., use the profits to just move in, then get the whales to buy their way out of actual contributions and rah rah free labor to sort it out, but no, no manner of common sense will ever prevail under Miscavology… so forget I said that.
As the original Ideal Org with its own initiative and leadership, Mountain View needs to continue to show the way to the future by recruiting Mitt Romney or Bain Capital to unwind Corp Scn.: Eliminate all non-productive personnel, all crimilally liable executives turned over for prosecution, and consolidate all assets by selling off unused buildings to hedge funds and private equity groups. Maybe even Donald Trump will be interested in cherry picking the prucahse of a few of the best properties.
So Linda Vista is supposed to be the replacement for Easy Street?
This was the location of my very first protest on the first day Anonymous began protesting Scientology. As you can see it’s empty now and from what I hear the new Mountain View mission is in a private home. LOL @ down stat Dave.
Aren’t they still at 117 Easy Street in Mountain View? I am not in the area anymore so I can’t just drive by to check… this is John “Squirrelbuster” Allender’s org IIRC. Paul maybe able to add some details, but Squirrelbuster John and Patrick Wehner have a small Dianetics storefront (only sporadically open) in San Jose that feeds to Mtn. View. Word on the street is that their construction venture, Sterling Construction, is in some financial trouble. I know they do work on the Stevens Creek Idle Org because I have seen their trucks there, but don’t know if they get a lot of work outside scn.
The Mtn. View org had a stress test table set up in downtown San Jose as late as last summer. I have seen the both Willow Glen mission and the Stevens Creek folks set up tables in front of the downtown Starbucks to steer people to the Lundy (Stevens Creek) org location. During the whole Superbowl push I saw Stevens Creek staff walking the streets near the campus of San Jose State surreptitiously handing out their “free movie tickets” to a Dianetics showing at the Org. They had a dumpy looking lady in the white shirt/navy blue skirt/comfortable shoes walking around with a paper bag just kind of shoving these things into the hands of whoever passed her on the sidewalk (including me). It was stealthy and weird.
There is definitely an organized attempt to recruit to students at San Jose State, but their creepy fake smiles just come across as strange and a little manic. The only people I ever saw talking to them at the tables were the area homeless (and me, of course, how could I resist?)
As I recall the center on Castro Street was started as an FSM activity by Marc Silber. I do not think that either Mark or the org own the property. I believe Marc had a certain amount of success with the center and then turned it over to the org either because he no longer wanted to be involved or perhaps the org wanted it for themselves. My guess is that with additional financial burdens on the org, especially the real estate tax on the empty building, the continued leasing of the Castro center was no longer possible. It is also possible the center simply wasn’t successful anymore for whatever reason so they shut it down.
Now you may ask yourself, “Why did the former OT VIII, Cl VIII Mission Holder of Mountain View (who refused to sign a Cl V staff contract when Mountain View became an org) decide to open up a center as an FSM?” Two words: Air cover.