MOUNTAIN VIEW MEDIATION SERVICES

The Mountain View Mediation Service has been helping people in the city for more than 30 years and is free for anyone who lives or works in Mountain View. The program services are provided by Project Sentinel under the auspices of the City of Mountain View Community Development Department.

Contact Us At

Mountain View Mediation Services
c/o Project Sentinel
298 S. Sunnyvale Ave., Suite 209
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

650-960-0495 ext 15 or  408-720-9888 ext 15

What is mediation?

Mediation is a process in which a neutral third party assists two or more people in resolving a dispute by guiding open communication in a confidential, non-adversarial environment.

How does it work?

A mediator helps people come together to talk about the issues in a calm, organized way. In the process of doing so, possible resolutions arise and the mediator guides the participants toward a final agreement of their own making. The mediator does not give legal advice, voice opinions or decide who is right or wrong.

Cases we've successfully handled include

• A landlord and tenant disagree over cleaning and damage charges deducted from a security deposit.
• A landlord and tenant disagree about the need for repairs in the rental unit.
• A neighbor's dog barks late into the night and has also caused damage to the common fence.
• A couple has a dispute with a local merchant regarding a product they purchased.
• An employee at a local company has an ongoing personality conflict with a co-worker.
• A consultant claims a business owes her additional fees for work performed on a project.

Why try mediation?

You participate in the outcome.
Rather than putting a dispute in the hands of a judge who has limited knowledge of the people and the situation, mediation allows disputing parties to explore all of the possibilities, after fully hearing each other's views, and to choose a mutually acceptable outcome for themselves. For those who've agreed to participate in mediation, the program has helped them to reach a satisfactory resolution over 86 percent of the time.

Mediation is confidential.
The mediation process is informal and confidential. People who participate in mediation can feel comfortable discussing their dispute openly because nothing anyone says, does, or writes down at the meeting itself can be used later as evidence in civil court. The process does not result in court or police records.

It's fast, it's convenient and it's free!
Compared to the months or even years that it often takes for a dispute to be settled in court, mediation can usually be set up within a week or two, at a time and date convenient to the parties. Most mediation sessions are held at locations in Mountain View. And the cost is absolutely FREE!

There's always court.
If participants can't resolve their conflicts in mediation, or if one of the people involved refuses to take part in the meeting, the dispute can still be brought before the court. The content of mediation discussions cannot be used by either party in court.

Who are the mediators?

The City of Mountain View recruits and trains volunteers from the community to become mediators for the program. These people are your neighbors and peers from all professions and backgrounds. The application process to become a volunteer mediator is opened up once a year in the spring. The professional staff at Project Sentinel are also trained in mediation skills. They process all of the requests for mediation in the City, including determining the appropriateness of a particular dispute for mediation, assigning the case to a mediator and keeping basic statistics on the efforts of the program.

Staff also provide explanations of the applicable rights and responsibilities to both sides in tenant/landlord and neighbor/neighbor situations. When appropriate, staff will also make referrals to other social service or government agencies.

These counseling and referral services are also free of charge and confidential.

For more information, call us at 650-960-0495 ext 15.

City of Mountain View - Mediation Services