The City site also provides, through links to external sites, information about cultural, educational, recreational, and certain other programs and activities in Mountain View.

The City's web site and all links are subject to control by the City. Except as expressly permitted by the City of Mountain View, no link (explicit or implied) may be created from mountainview.gov without the prior written approval of the City of Mountain View. Such approval may be in any written form, including an e-mail correspondence. The City may not grant any approval under this policy that is inconsistent with this City Link policy.

Whenever a user selects a link to a site not controlled by the City of Mountain View, the site will open in a browser window separate from the City's website advising the user that he/she is leaving the Mountain View site, that Mountain View does not endorse any product or entity for which a link may be provided, and that Mountain View is not responsible for the content or availability of these outside resources. The City of Mountain View reviews all requests for links from the City's web site to worldwide web sites based on the following criteria and conditions:

• The web site link will assist the City of Mountain View in fulfilling its stated web site and general missions.
• The web site link has a natural affinity or logical nexus to information printed on the City's official web site and is consistent with City goals, policies and the mission of the City's web site.
• The City has adequate availability of system resources and personnel to monitor the proposed link.
• The requested link has a sufficient relationship and importance to the ordinary and necessary functioning of the City.
• The material contained on the linked site is significant and timely.
• The external web site is managed in a professional manner (i.e., fully operational and available most of the time).

The City of Mountain View does not generally link to:

• Candidate sites or sites advocating a position on City, political or election issues.
• Commercial or retail sites; however, exceptions may be made to the policy, at the sole discretion of the City, for companies or organizations associated with the City and which promote or support City programs, services, or events.
• Individual personal home pages, non-City newsletters, opinion sites or editorial sites.
• Sites with content written by many different people (e.g., chat rooms, interactive bulletin boards, etc.)
• Sites that are inappropriate or inconsistent with the City's criteria or which link (i.e., linked from the index of a requesting site's home page) to inappropriate sites (e.g., illegal activities including, but not limited to gambling, graffiti, sites with obscene content such as X-rated descriptions or graphics) or sites which offend common standards of decency and propriety).