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Say this for Mountain View. It’s doing its part to tackle the region’s housing crisis. And then some.
Working with Google, a major landowner in the city, the city has two massive projects in the works. North Bayshore would add 7,000 housing units, including 20% that are affordable, making it one of the largest residential projects in Bay Area history. The Middlefield Park plan, located in the East Whisman area, calls for an additional 1,900 housing units. Google is donating sufficient land to the city that will allow Mountain View to build the equivalent of 20% affordable housing for the project.
The City Council also has acted prudently during the pandemic, resulting in a $3.5 million projected surplus for this fiscal year. Mountain View continues to have a strong financial outlook.
The city wisely dedicated $5 million of its federal relief funding during the pandemic to prevent further homelessness. And it converted Castro Street into a pedestrian friendly, car-free downtown area, helping small businesses survive.
Mountain View voters should reward the council’s efforts by reelecting incumbents Alison Hicks, Ellen Kamei and Lucas Ramirez in the Nov. 8 election.
Five candidates are vying for the three open seats on the seven-member council. The two challengers are Tesla senior manager Li Zhang and Tesla engineer Justin Cohen.
Hicks, Kamei and Ramirez bring varying backgrounds to the City Council, providing valuable expertise in a wide range of areas.
Hicks is retired after serving as a planner for the city of San Jose and as associate director at the Northern California Land Trust, the nonprofit that advocates for affordable housing and homeless transitional housing. The City Council is determined to make the North Bayshore and Middlefield Park projects bicycle and pedestrian friendly. Hicks, who brings work
experience and a UC-Berkeley master’s degree in city planning, will be invaluable in creating walkable streets that allow residents of all incomes to live closer to their workplace.
Kamei, an external affairs manager for AT&T, is a native of Mountain View who previously served as a district director for Assemblyman Marc Berman and as a policy aide for Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian. Kamei is hard-working and pragmatic. She is determined to ensure that Mountain View’s housing projects increase multi-modal transportation and pedestrian options in the city and that the City Council provide additional public parks and protect open space.
Ramirez, a policy analyst for the city of San Jose, is laser-focused on maximizing the number of affordable housing units in Mountain View. He is well-versed on land-use issues and the impact of state laws on cities. And like Hicks and Kamei, Ramirez is a good listener who has helped create a congenial atmosphere on the City Council. Prior to being elected to the council in 2018, he served on the city’s Environmental Planning Commission, helping him provide input on the city’s sustainability efforts.
Zhang has no experience serving on a city commission and has only recently become engaged in the city’s politics. She would like to see the city slow its housing projects and questions whether Mountain View has developed the infrastructure to support the planned growth. She is bright and well-versed on environmental sustainability issues. We would like
to see her gain more experience on a city commission and then run again for office.
Cohen did not respond to our requests for an interview. His effort to make his biggest weakness a strength doesn’t wash. He reportedly has never attended a council meeting and has no previous political experience. He wants to build an app to allow citizens to vote on every issue that comes before the council so he’ll know how to vote. Um, that’s why voters elect councilmembers with the knowledge, expertise and political savvy to make those decisions.
Hicks, Kamei and Ramirez have shown the ability to do just that. Mountain View voters should give them another four years on the City Council.
