Activists gather outside Walmart for Obama appearance

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Activists and schoolchildren gathered outside a Mountain View shopping center Friday in anticipation of President Obama's visit to a Walmart there.

Obama appeared at the store shortly before 10 a.m. to give a speech touting renewable energy initiatives. He selected Walmart because the chain has been working to boost its use of green energy.

Labor groups were angry with the president's choice, noting complaints that the company has worked to keep unions out of its stores and wages and benefits low.

As a teacher instructed a group of elementary-school students where to stand to watch the president's motorcade, a handful of demonstrators held signs across the street from the store on El Camino Real, calling for a raise in the minimum wage and better working conditions for Silicon Valley's working class.

"People think of Silicon Valley as this rich area, but there's this group of people who are contributing to the region and haven't found a way to share the wealth," said Alison Hicks, 56, of Mountain View. "Raising the minimum wage is a good start."

Elena Pacheco, a 56-year-old teacher from Mountain View, said many of her students' families can't afford the $1,800 average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city.

"Here, you have a private dog park," she said, gesturing to the neighborhood next to Walmart. "Ten minutes from here, my students are sleeping in living rooms because their parents can't afford bedrooms."

Meghan Fraley, 31, of the Raise the Wage Mountain View Coalition, said she wanted to show Obama that local residents support his call to increase the national minimum wage, an initiative that has been blocked in Congress. She said her group wants the City Council to consider raising the minimum wage in Mountain View.

"We want to make sure action is taken," Fraley said. "With all these people sleeping in their cars, we can't wait."

Dozens of other protesters gathered at the far end of the Walmart parking lot before Obama arrived, holding signs asking for him to support the chain's workers. Mixed in among the demonstrators were activists holding signs calling for an end to drone-aircraft attacks. An activist dressed as Darth Vader held a tongue-in-cheek sign supporting government surveillance. Maria Noel Fernandez, 31, director of organizing and civic engagement at the nonprofit Working Partnerships, expressed disappointment that Obama chose to visit Walmart instead of actively support its workers.

"Obama needs to listen to the workers and make sure all workers can live with dignity," she said. "Today's economy is really leaving people behind. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, and it doesn't have to be like that."