MOUNTAIN VIEW — Two new politicos are going up in opposition to three incumbent metropolis leaders for a shot at three open seats on the town council within the November election with the housing disaster dominating the political dialog.
Mountain View has lengthy been seen as Silicon Valley’s beacon for housing building, main in workplace and housing building amongst its neighbors within the north aspect of Santa Clara County. However with the post-pandemic setting in amid fears of a recession, the looming query is whether or not Mountain View can sustain with the housing building growth whereas additionally increasing metropolis companies and shaping new neighborhoods.
The council’s three seats are at the moment held by incumbents Ellen Kamei, Mayor Lucas Ramirez and Alison Hicks, and their newcomer opponents will likely be Justin Cohen and Li Zhang. All candidates answered questions in a Bay Space Information Group questionnaire this week, and outlined main points dealing with the town and methods to sort out it.
Kamei, who served as mayor in 2020, mentioned she is operating to “proceed to carry my collaborative, balanced and pragmatic method to tackling the town’s most troublesome public coverage challenges” which embody the housing disaster, transportation and infrastructure wants and psychological well being.
Kamei is a Mountain View native who has spent the final eleven years within the metropolis. She is a full-time working mother and has been in metropolis politics for the final 10 years, together with six as a Environmental Planning Commissioner, 4 as council member and one as mayor.
If elected she hopes to give attention to “offering housing options for residents at varied earnings ranges,” growing multi-modal transportation and pedestrian choices within the metropolis and enhancing public parks and open house.
“One of the best ways to sort out any difficulty is to be daring and collaborative,” Kamei mentioned. “I'm operating for re-election to proceed to carry my collaborative, balanced, and pragmatic method to tackling the Metropolis’s most troublesome public coverage challenges like our housing disaster, addressing transit and infrastructure wants, and psychological well being.”
Mayor Ramirez, who has been on the town council since 2018, is focusing his marketing campaign on the work he’s carried out to deal with the area’s housing disaster. Since his foray in native politics as a member on the Environmental Planning and Human Relations commissions, Ramirez has targeted on funding reasonably priced housing, tenant relocation help, hire management for cell houses and streamlining housing manufacturing by establishing tips just like the East Whisman neighborhood plan.
A lifelong resident of Mountain View, Ramirez hopes to proceed to work on the housing disaster and homelessness whereas additionally tackling site visitors congestion points within the metropolis and the COVID restoration. Ramirez is additionally one in every of solely two present council members to vote in opposition to the position of Measure D within the 2020 poll — which might have primarily dismantled the town’s hire management program — and in opposition to the RV ban, together with Hicks.
“Our Council has authorised progressive and forward-looking land use insurance policies that may meaningfully deal with the housing disaster and considerations about site visitors congestion and security,” Ramirez mentioned. “We're changing suburban workplace parks into thriving mixed-use neighborhoods. By planning for housing development in our job facilities, with vital reasonably priced housing necessities, we offer alternatives for low- and moderate-income individuals to stay in Mountain View and cut back the necessity to commute from lengthy distances.”
Since becoming a member of the council, 20-year-long Mountain View resident Hicks — a metropolis planner by commerce –has advocated for extra environmental protections and housing building to take care of the world’s homelessness and affordability crises. Along with her expertise as a planner and reasonably priced housing advocate, Hicks has served on the council for 4 years together with as vice mayor and has chaired a number of committees, together with the council’s reasonably priced housing committee which has created reasonably priced housing initiatives which have served as a mannequin for the area.
Hicks mentioned her high three priorities are the town’s monetary and authorized liabilities, environmental sustainability and reasonably priced housing. She’s most pleased with her work in championing the town’s car-free downtown space and its grasp plans for parks and recreation, in addition to her efforts in making Mountain View extra bike and pedestrian pleasant.
“I’m operating as a result of we stay in a rising metropolis and area. I consider that we've to make that development livable,” Hicks mentioned. “I need Mountain View to have extra parks and bushes, ample housing and thriving small companies. My schooling, expertise and previous 4 years on Council are invaluable belongings for the town as we face the challenges forward.”
Additionally operating for council are two new faces in Zhang and Cohen. Cohen didn't reply to the questionnaire.
Zhang has referred to as Mountain View house for twenty years and is anxious concerning the metropolis’s high quality of life, and would love to see the town develop whereas retaining its good high quality of life for all residents. She believes new developments must be suitable with current neighborhoods and that the quantity of parkland and entry to items and companies ought to sustain with inhabitants development.
Zhang has been a lifelong member of the Sierra Membership and Audubon Society, and since 2001 has been an energetic neighborhood chief and volunteer for native organizations like Mountain View Excessive Faculty, her son’s Boy Scout troop and the UC San Diego Regional Alumni Membership. She has not beforehand held public workplace.
“All through my schooling and profession, I've targeted on using know-how for progressive and breakthrough options to our many societal challenges,” Zhang mentioned. “I've been a drive in bringing all events collectively to create pragmatic options for very sophisticated issues. I'll carry my eager monetary acumen and may work with employees to proceed the apply of structurally balanced budgets for our metropolis, and a long-term view of the town’s funds to make sure continued monetary well being.”