On the Issues
COVID-19 Recovery
The COVID-19 crisis represents an unprecedented health, social, and economic challenge for our community. In addition to managing the spread of COVID-19 and assuring for equitable sheltering in place, we must begin planning to help our residents return safely to work and stay in their homes after the emergency ends.
As your City Council representative, it is my responsibility and bond to help all of our residents receive the help they need to fully recover from the detrimental impacts of this crisis.
While on the City Council I will lead on Mountain View's COVID-19 response by:
Making sure that renters and housing providers are able to arrive to mutually beneficial rent repayment terms by eliminating eviction from any civil remedies for non-payment of rent
Partnering with non-profits and faith based organizations to identify particularly vulnerable populations such as senior citizens and assure their access to staples such as food
Enabling emergency land use designations to allow unhoused individuals to have secure shelter to prevent spread of COVID-19 and to allow for large scale food bank distribution operations
Prioritizing access to discretionary Below Market Rate housing and Safe Parking access for any Mountain View residents due to displacement for COVID-19 related non-payment of rent
Establishing a clear preference from our City Council for revenue generation as the primary method for recovering from any budget shortfalls as opposed to austerity budget cuts impacting our resident services and employment
Helping our private businesses prepare for a phased-in comeback approach complying with state and county standards but customized by the City of Mountain View to meet the specific needs of our community
Ensuring that businesses maintain physical distancing and make modifications as necessary to keep employees, customers and the public safe with close support from the City of Mountain View to maximize economic stimulus
Helping our public employees return safely to work by implementing best practice health policies which can help us re-open recreational activities, community centers, and facilities in a staggered or socially distant manner
Housing Supply & Affordability
The affordability and availability of housing in Mountain View continues to be a significant challenge for working families and our community's long term economic sustainability. I have worked for years to successfully advance housing protections against the displacement of our long term residents, prevent significant and ungrounded rent increases, and expand our city's housing supply.
As your City Council representative I will take the lead against our housing supply and affordability crisis by:
Adopting strong anti-displacement protections to keep Mountain View's local service workers, senior citizens, and differently abled residents in our community and enable safe, streamlined development
Modifying our multiple-family residential zoning to allow for greater housing supply and increased densities required for new development under SB 330
Protecting our citizen-implemented rent stabilization by appointing qualified members to our City's independent Rental Housing Committee
Restoring rent stabilization and eviction protections to our mobile home park residents through any means necessary
Identifying opportunities to expand or improve our Safe Parking programs for unhoused residents while emboldening our county and neighboring city leaders to match Mountain View's contribution levels
Climate Change & Energy Resilience
Climate Change represents an immediate and consequential threat to the continued existence of human civilization as we know it.
The economic and environmental impacts are already here and worsening every year. It is critical for Mountain View to act now and establish leadership as a blueprint for climate change response and adaptation strategies at the municipal level.
As your City Council representative I will take the lead on our Climate Change response by:
Modernizing building codes and implement retrofitting incentive programs for older housing to adapt to increased temperatures
Ensuring energy availability for our public safety services, hospital partners, and critical infrastructure during wildfires and other extreme weather events through the use of microgrid and distributed energy resource (DER) technologies
Reducing vehicle emissions through increased opportunities for workers employed by Mountain View companies to live close to their place of work
Establishing strategic investment funds or grants for companies taking on advanced climate adaptation and response technologies
Civil Liberties & Privacy
The foundations of our national society are rooted in the preservation of individual liberties and guaranteed protection from government intrusions without due process.
The rapid rate of evolution in our modern technologies makes it extremely important for Mountain View residents to decide for themselves which technologies should be used by our government agencies, the reasons for when these technologies should be used, and how any data captured will be used and protected.
As your City Council representative I will take the lead on protecting our sacred civil liberties by:
Championing the creation of a resident-led Civil Privacy Commission to review public-facing technologies and recommend privacy-first policies for their use and data protection
Reviewing all partnerships between private companies and Mountain View's government agencies to strictly limit the access of backend data without a lawfully established just cause
Establishing City ordinance preventing any sharing, access, or transmission of data captured by our Mountain View agencies with federal immigration authorities
Public Safety & Police Reform
The number one priority of every public official is the safety and well-being of every resident and visitor to our city regardless of race, socioeconomic standing, and/or gender identity. Mountain View's police department is well commended and has generally not been faulted for abusing their use of force. For this reason, Mountain View is primed to adopt innovative police accountability and service reforms which can lay the foundation for reimagined community policing in America.
As your City Council representative I will take the lead on maintaining public safety and innovating our community policing by:
Relieving pressures from our on-duty police officers by repurposing police funds for specially trained mental health and social worker units to respond to mental health crises, domestic disputes, and unhoused individuals needing help
Disallow employment to Mountain View PD for anyone who has been fired from any police department in any capacity and for any reason
Enabling a community review of our police department's policies & budgets, including but not limited to officer accountability, acceptable use of force, racial bias controls, and desired scope of service responsibilities with direct participation of of residents through a city sanctioned panel making official recommendations
Assuring that police officers who have been fired from employment with any other police department are ineligible to serve with MVPD
Prioritizing the expansion of Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to every neighborhood and providing funding for their appropriate resourcing and recurring training
Castro St. Downtown & Small Business Development
In addition to serving our community as a restful gathering place, small business commercial corridor, and transit center, Mountain View's downtown Castro Street reflects Mountain View's identity to the world. We must ensure that unique businesses have the support they need to thrive in our downtown, that we keep the successful pedestrian mall currently in place, and integrate world-class design into our future transit center development.
As your City Council representative I will take the lead on enhancing the character and vibrancy of our downtown by:
Supporting historic preservation of buildings located on Castro Street's historic core
Supporting the conversion of Castro Street into a permanent pedestrian & dining mall
Championing the creation of a Small Business Entrepreneurship Academy modeled after our current leadership programs to support creation of new small businesses that can fill vacant retails space in our downtown
Ensure that Mountain View's future transit center redevelopment incorporates world-class design through a global competitive bid process
Ensure that all the ground floor of all commercial development projects in the downtown are available for public-facing and accessible retail space
Infrastructure Growth & Transportation
Our city's infrastructure is already impacted by the high demands and growth of our local economy. While the COVID-19 crisis has currently reduced transportation demand as many working commuters shift to remote work, it is critical for us to make concrete infrastructure plans for the resumption of future growth.
As your City Council representative I will take the lead on assuring the availability and resilience of our public infrastructure by:
Modifying our City's General Plan or Precise Plans to facilitate partnerships with developers and local school districts for school site acquisitions
Dedicating existing business tax revenues from Measure P to new and truly innovative capital improvements
Partnering with Mountain View's Chamber of Commerce to engage our business community and create coordinated and staggered remote work day initiatives
Championing greater interconnectivity between all of the Bay Area's regional transit agencies for a seamless public transportation network