Lisa McLain League News, Observer Reports, Rental Housing Committee

Mountain View Rental Housing Committee Update June 2017

News from the Mountain View Rental Housing Committee

Background:

On November 8, 2016, the residents of the City of Mountain View voted to adopt Measure V, also known as the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), to stabilize rents and to provide just cause eviction protections for certain rental units in Mountain View.

Effective April 5, 2017, rent levels and rent increases for covered rental units, built before February 1, 1995 must comply with the CSFRA. Single family homes, condominiums, and duplexes are not covered by the CSFRA.

Key Provisions:

1.   Rent Rollback:

a. For tenancies commenced on or before Oct. 19, 2015, the allowable rent 

is the rent in effect on Oct.19, 2015, 

b. For tenancies commenced after Oct. 19, 2015, the allowable rent

is the rent the tenant paid at the start of the tenancy.  

 2.   Allowable General Annual Rent Increases

In September of each year, including 2017, landlords may increase rents in an amount equal to the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the prior year (as determined by the Rental Housing Committee). On May 22, 2017 the Rental Housing Committee announced that the annual general adjustment of rent for 2017 is 3.4%. This rent increase for covered units is allowed to take effect starting September 1, 2017. Landlords must provide tenants with at least 30 days’ advance written notice of such rent increase. A rent increase is only allowed if landlords are in compliance with all provisions of the CSFRA.

 3. Initial Rent Levels and Rent Increases for New Tenants

Landlords may set the initial rents for new tenancies if the prior tenant voluntarily vacated the Rental Unit or was evicted for a just cause. After a tenant moves in, rent increases are limited to the annual general adjustment.

4. Eviction protections applicable to Covered and Non-Covered Rental  Units

Just cause is required for evictions from Rental Units with an initial certificate of occupancy prior to April 5, 2017. Just cause reasons include a tenant’s failure to meet the obligations of a rental agreement, non-payment of rent, and demolition of the unit or owner move-in, subject to limitations in the Law. Any notice to terminate a tenancy for just cause must state with specificity the basis of the termination. Certain just cause evictions require tenant relocation assistance and compliance with other provisions.  Please refer to the CSFRA for the full provisions.

City Council appointed the following people to be on the Rental Housing Committee:

Chair Vanessa Honey, Vice-Chair Evan Ortiz

Committee Members: Matthew Grunewald, Tom Means, Emily Ramos, Julian Pardo de Zela (alternate)

Rental Housing Committee Meeting, 5/22/2017

The meeting was called to order at 8:00pm

Oral Communications from the Public began.  Most of the public communication was from landlords. Below are some sample comments.

  • The regulation states that landlords should refund over payments because of roll back since January 2017.  Landlords questioned how that would be monitored.
  • A previous Councilman, who had been against Measure V, commented that it was going
  • to be difficult to manage
  • Landlords who kept rent at below market rates will be hurt the most
  • Rental property expenses (water, sewer, electricity, garbage, and repairs) are going up but rent income will not.
  • Measure V benefits some people that may not need it.

Action taken:

  • Committee adopted an annual general adjustment of rent 3.4% for 2017, however, landlords wanted 6%.
  • Committee adopted ‘Rules of Conduct’ similar to Mountain View City Council’s.

For future meetings:

  • Committee will be discussing ‘What is a fair rate of return for landlords’
  • Committee will be schedule two Stakeholder meetings, one for Tenants, one for Landlords.  They will be posted on the city website and will ask the audience to be ready to answer a list of perhaps 3 prepared questions.

Meeting adjourned 11:15pm

— Tamara Lewis, Observer

Lisa McLain League News

Convention Report – League of Women Voters of California 2017

Convention Report – League of Women Voters of California 2017

The Pre Convention Briefing was held on May 24th at Sue Graham’s home to prepare and introduce the new League members to the working sessions and the fun sessions for the up coming conference.  We discussed convention registration, hotel, mileage, parking, meals, etc. as well as all things work related and as requested had brought copies of selected sections of the Convention Workbook to review.

At 7:00am, Friday, June 2, several cars departed Los Altos Mountain View area for Sacramento and made excellent time arriving around 9:15am.

A Capitol Connection, the California League of Women Voters Convention 2017 Plenary Session was called to order on Friday, June 2 at 10 AM and concluded on Sunday, June 4 at 11:45 AM or thereabouts.

The business portion of the convention included adopting the following:
The Rules of the Convention
The Order of Business
The Budget which achieved a 100% clean audit.
The following two items although passed did generate quite a lot of discussion.

The Program which emphasizes three Issues
(1) Making Democracy Work in California
(2) Natural Resources
(3) Response to Changing Federal Policies and Budget Actions.
The three issues were adopted but there was lengthy debate about the ‘Not Recommended Program Items that went through their own votes but eventually failed.

The Bylaws Revision were also passed but likewise went through much debate concerning verbiage on Article III Sec 2 Types of Membership.

The officers and the directors were elected with no objections

The conference had some free time and opened it up to the attendees to discuss anything they wished.  The issue that was brought up was ‘Why are there not more Black women represented in the league and why is there not more outreach to the black members?’  Very well thought out and articulate discussions began and resulted for me in vowing to be more aware  of life.

We had excellent speakers joining our convention:

Chris Hoene – Executive Director of California Budget and Policy Center. They are an independent nonpartisan organization like the LWV who neither support nor opposes political parties or candidates running for office.  They focus on how public policies affect low and middle-income Californians and help to create outcomes that benefit all Californians.

Celinda Lake – Lake Research Partners – What a dynamic speaker.  Definitely a ‘womans woman’, an expert on electing women and framing the issues to what matters to women.  Her research and focus groups generate powerful information for political parties, candidates and clients.

Michael Tubbs – Mayor of Stockton, California.  What an amazing young man.  At the age of 22 he was serving as a City Councilmember for Stockton, the youngest in their history and one of the youngest elected officials in the United States and then announced his candidacy for Mayor.  He grew up in poverty in South Stockton to a teenage mother and a father who was incarcerated.  As a high school student he wrote an essay about overcoming the mistakes of his parents which was published in the San Francisco Chronicle and went on to be a member of a team of three who won a National debate competition in Cincinnati Ohio sponsored by the NAACP. He went on to graduate from Stanford University with a BA and a Masters Degree.  This young man is our future and how exciting it will be to watch him develop.

Brooke Binkowski – Managing Editor of Snopes.com  Brooke is a smart very engaging journalist who believes we all must question what we read when we read something that just doesn’t ‘sit right’.  It use to be pretty easy identify ‘fake’ news but now that is not the case.  News is coming fast and furious, it may be quite complex, media outlets no longer have the resources they need to do the back checking and the public wants their news now. Once the truth is established it has to be repeated again, and again, and again.

Workshops and Caucuses Attended by our Members

ELIZABETH HANSON

I attended the Friday afternoon workshop titled

Impact, Engagement & Sustainability: Future Framework presented by Melissa Breach-

I thought she did a good job of presenting changes that are potentially coming up for the League from the National to the State and Local levels. I can’t say that I agreed with her (and other’s analysis of the weaknesses of the League), but who am I to say…I just joined and there must be some sort of consensus among long time members that these structural changes need to be made.

I was concerned that there was so much attention being paid to structural issues withing the League and not enough attention to the idea that there is an immanent threat to our form of Federal government. How to have Impact regarding that would have been the discussion I would have liked to have heard.

I also attended the Saturday afternoon Caucus titled

Meet the Slate of Nominees-

It was an awkward room set up to begin with but the group managed.

The meeting consisted entirely of going around the room and everyone introducing themselves (not just the Nominees). That took the whole hour and a half set aside for the meeting.

I was glad to hear the stories of each person. It would have been good to get a more in depth idea of where each of the nominees felt the League should put their energy this coming year. Nobody addressed the urgency of the alarming National situation.

I also attended the Saturday afternoon Workshop titled Impact & Influence-

While the web site Voter’s Edge is great, it will not change any upcoming election.The “strategy” you took away from this workshop was totally inadequate to address the “next election season” that we face.

I also took in some of the Saturday workshop titled

Engaging New Members Around Local Issues-

Again an awkward room for the assembled crowd. I was not able to hear well enough to stay long.

I also realized it was not my real interest.

SUE GRAHAM

Impact, Engagement and Sustainability: Future Framework Workshop

Melissa Breach, Executive Director, LWVC

 LWVUS is currently conducting meetings with state and national leaders to explore ways that our organization can change and grow in order to become more resilient, better positioned to engage more people and to have a bigger impact on public policy as we strive to Make Democracy Work. Ideas include: reach new audiences, attain more community visibility, streamline local Leagues to make more time for advocacy, and reorganize to make all the Leagues work more as one entity. LWVUS will be communicating with us this summer about their plans.

Fix Proposition 13! Caucas

LWV Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville

 LWV Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville has assembled a team to study what it would take to reform Prop 13, the People’s Initiative to Limit Property Taxation, passed in 1978. It is hoped that the State Legislature will soon initiate a bill to remove commercial real estate from the Prop 13 regulations, thereby, increasing property tax revenue for the state. The first step for the League is to educate the public about what this change would mean and how it would impact homeowners. For more information about what LWV Berkeley, Albany, Emeryville is doing, go to this website.

https://www.lwvbae.org/civics-ed-prop-13/

 

BARBARA WARDENBURG

Caucuses are the best part of Convention – passionate members talking about their favorite topics.  And, an easy way for newbies to get up to speed on a topic.  I attended the Single Payer Healthcare for California caucus hosted by Pat Snyder of LWV Diablo Valley.   Information about Senate Bill 562 – the Healthy California Act was distributed.  See www.HealthyCA.org    There is a Yahoo group for Leaguers to exchange information:  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/lwvc_healthcare_reform/info     I also attended League Survival: Recruiting and Engaging New Members.  The emphasis was on recruiting young people.  Leagues host after work “socials”  in bars or libraries with a speaker on a current topic.  They do serious follow up with the attendees.  The last caucus was Bridging the Divide: Sharing the work of local Leagues.  LWV Pasadena reported on a project which both involved a number of members and produced useful information for the communities in their area.  They gathered information on the number of men and women on each appointed board and commission in the cities.  Planning boards were likely to have all male members and youth commissions and senior center commissions were likely to have all female members.  The aim was to encourage cities to strive for more diverse boards and commissions.   Another League (name forgotten) offers help to cities in which boards are at loggerheads.  Each board member is talked with individually and then board members meet in small groups.  The aim is to get the members to realize what they have in common and then provide tools for dealing with issues.  And, of course, I attended the Impact & Influence workshop which discussed the current status of Voter’s Edge (formerly Smart Voter).  With the help of local League volunteers Voter’s Edge is able to provide information about all candidates and measures on the ballot.   After one of the caucuses, which ended at 10pm, I spent a very satisfying 3 hours talking with a Leaguer from southern California.   If you need more information about the caucuses please contact me:  Barbara Wardenburg, barbward@pacbell.net

TAMARA LEWIS

 Friday, June 2 Climate Change: Taking it Local 

Presented by Diz Swift of LWV Berkeley Albany and Emeryville League of Women Voters and Gloria Chun Hoo of League of Women Voters San Jose Santa Clara.

The League of Women Voters has been at the forefront of the environmental protection movement for decades and Berkeley has been holding the flag.  In October 2015 SB 350 the California Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act was signed into law and states by 2030 all buildings must use 1/2 the energy they use now. This workshop dealt with how to take this policy and bring it home and implement it locally.  Some very interesting suggestions were to have our elected officials show their support by taking public transit one day a month or have the public transit be free one day a month so everyone can participate in this effort.  There are many ways to deal with climate change such as planting more shade trees to cool the earth and help absorb the carbon dioxide, reduce permit fees and streamline permitting requirements for energy efficient and renewable energy related building renovations implement building energy audit in retrofit programs in residential solar programs replace public lighting with energy efficient lighting, implement more water efficient landscaping.

National Voter Corps: Voting Rights Action for All Leagues USA

Host Alice Schaffer Smith LWV Palo Alto  Ensure all citizens are able to vote , encourage registered voters to exercise their right to vote with reminders of how when and where to participate.  Help voters get to the polls on Election Day.  Work with local organizations community colleges United Ways of California Civil Liberties Union’s to increase greater voter registration and participation. Additional information www.nationalvotercorps.org

Impact and Influence! Using the voters edge California project.

I actually used this in the 2016 election and found it extremely helpful but found that it was more than just a ballot look up tool. The panel that presented this workshop each had different stories to tell and how it appealed to their constituencies.

Bridging the Divide Sharing the Work of Local Leagues

There were over 20 leagues that did some amazing work and a number of them got up and spoke a bit about their work.  One group from San Diego worked with building their young professional membership by organizing an after work informal meeting with wine and small bites to discuss relevant political topics.  They called this gathering ‘Sip & Civility’.

The Orange Coast League of Women Voters collaborated with the Orange County Registrar of Voters in in creating a pamphlet for college students called ‘Voting 101: A College Student Guide to Voting in Orange County which was very successful

The League of Women Voters in Los Angeles through the Trans Voter Empowerment Project created a ‘Tip Sheet for Poll Workers’ which raised awareness of the challenges that are faced by transgender voters in the community

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View City Council, Observer Reports

Mountain View City Council Meeting May 2017

Water Supply Transfer Agreement with the City of East Palo Alto

On May 23rd, 2017, the City Council approved an agreement to permanently transfer a portion of its San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) water supply guarantee to the City of East Palo Alto. The agreement stipulates that, for a one-time payment of $5 million, East Palo Alto will receive 1 million gallons per day (MGD) of Mountain View’s 13.46 MGD supply guarantee from the SFPUC. East Palo Alto’s supply guarantee, in contrast, is only 1.963 MGD, and because current consumption is near that maximum allocation, a moratorium has been established on new development.

Under the supply agreement with the SFPUC, Mountain View must purchase a minimum of 8.93 MGD – even if the City does not use that amount. Because of significant changes in industrial water use and successful conservation efforts, the City has used less water than the minimum purchase requirement in five of the past seven fiscal years (FY), using only marginally more than the minimum in FY 2012-13 and FY 2013-14. City staff indicated that “water consumption has not come within 1 MGD of the supply guarantee since the last 1980s,” and was only 6.78 MGD in FY 2015-16. In fact, despite the increase in population and development, water use has declined significantly, and is half of the 13.5 MGD that the City used in FY 1986-87. Assured that the City would not run out of water anytime soon, the Council approved the agreement on a 6-1 vote.

Automated Guideway Transit Study

Also on May 23rd, the Council provided additional direction on the scope of the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) feasibility study. The intention is explore the possibility of developing a fully automated, driverless, off-street (exclusive right of way) transit system connecting Downtown Mountain View to the North Bayshore area. Four technologies will be studied:

  1. Automated Transit Network – these include Personal Rapid Transit and Group Rapid Transit systems. They provide point-to-point service and can bypass other stations to get to the passengers destination.
  2. Automated People Movers – these include rubber-tired or steel-wheeled systems, monorails, and Meglevs. They allow for the highest speeds, offering scheduled service with small headways (3 to 5 minutes).
  3. Autonomous Transit – driverless vehicles capable of integration with mixed-flow (non-exclusive right of way) traffic.
  4. Aerial Cable (Gondolas, Aerial Trams, Funitels)

In providing input, the Council expressed interest in possibly expanding the system to serve the Shoreline Amphitheatre and the San Antonio and East Whisman areas. Council also sought to minimize negative impacts to neighborhoods. The feasibility study will provide cost estimates and a timeline for implementation.

North Bayshore Affordable Housing Administrative Guidelines

Although the final number of housing units that will be allowed in North Bayshore has not yet been determined, the Council provided input on the robust affordable housing program that city staff is developing for the area. The program provides incentives to developers: in exchange for greater building height and density, developers must provide affordable housing. The Council’s ambitious goal is to have 20% of the new housing be affordable to individuals and families at low and moderate levels of income.

On May 16th, the Council made several technical changes to the guidelines, including establishing the density and height bonuses provided in exchange for housing, setting the individual and family income eligibility for affordable units (based on the “Area Median Income” for the county), and exploring making units affordable in perpetuity (instead of the typical 55-year deed restrictions placed on affordable units currently). The Council also directed staff to investigate preferences for anyone who lives or works in the area.

— Lucas Ramirez, Observer

Lisa McLain Bullis Charter School, League News, Observer Reports

Bullis Charter School Board Meeting May 2017

BULLIS CHARTER SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MAY 15, 2017

There were four items on this board agenda of particular interest to the League of Women Voters of Los Altos-Mountain View Area:

  1. BCS LCAP 2017-2018.  Every school district in California is required to fill out a form of their Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP), present it to their board, and submit it to their county office of education. Cynthia Brietson, Principal/Director of Educational Services for Bullis Charter School, described at length the highly detailed form requirements that continue from year to year so that they can compare their progress over time. This time she could point to the brand new “state report card” that all schools and districts are compared by. This new system is meant to show a “dashboard” of colors, with blue rankings the highest possible, next green, next yellow, next orange, and finally red. Principal Brietsen was able to show the BCS board members that BCS scores “blue” in all the reported categories. Since BCS is all blue, the key for them now is to focus on fidelity, meaning they should continue with the programs, processes, teaching, and parent involvement that make BCS a successful school. One specific recommendation was to continue with professional development for their teachers and staff.
  2. With two BCS board members leaving the board at the end of their term the Ad Hoc Nominating Committee searched and interviewed interested new board members. Nominating Committee Chair David Jaques described their recommended choices; the board will vote to approve them at the next board meeting. Expressions of appreciation were extended to departing board members Jennifer Carolan and Tom Dennedy.
  3. Board members all over the region are grappling with the high cost of housing as they work to attract and retain quality teachers and staff. At tonight’s board meeting the board heard a presentation on teacher housing issues and options by Dr. Mary Ann Dewan, Deputy Superintendent of the Santa Clara Office of Education. In addition to this presentation Dr. Dewan also alerted the board members of two potential options to help teachers with their down payment for a home in the Bay Area. One option is via a start-up called Landed. (Los Altos School District and Mountain View Los Altos Union High School District are also looking into the Landed investment model.) Another potential option is AB 1182 (Evan Low) which would help provide a down payment for teachers in high cost counties who teach in the fields of bilingual education, STEM, or special education. (This bill is currently in the Appropriations Committee. LWVC has not taken a position on this bill since it doesn’t cover all of California.)
  4. Board members heard a presentation by Betsy Nikolchev, Executive Director of the Foothill College Family Engagement Institute, on “Stretch to Kindergarten.” STK is a tuition-free six plus week pre-K spring/summer program for underserved families that operates in many local school districts including at Bullis Charter School. The priority for enrollment is for children who have not attended a quality preschool and who come from low income families. There’s a strong parent education component as well as providing internships for youth interested in this field. The STK class of 2017 has 16 children enrolled, 14 of which are Spanish speaking. These children are from Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, East Palo Alto, and Oak Grove School District in San Jose.

— Ellen Wheeler, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View Los Altos High School District, Observer Reports

Mountain View – Los Altos High School District (MVLA) May 2017

MOUNTAIN VIEW LOS ALTOS HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT MAY 8, 2017

Five Reports/Discussions/Action items were on the agenda of the May 8, 2017 MVLA Board of Trustees meeting that are of particular interest to Leaguers.

  1. Assistant Superintendent Mike Mathiesen gave the board an update on the Facilities Master Plan they’ve been working and reporting on since March of this year. The draft Ed Specs were received by the District Administration on April 27, but were not ready for public viewing or comment for tonight’s meeting.  They’ve scheduled two public Master Plan meetings to show and explain their work – one at Los Altos High School on May 17 and one at Mountain View High School on May 24, and the plans will be available for viewing before those meetings. These draft plans were created by Quattrochi Kwok Architects (QKA). The plans will include recommendations to expand both high schools to accommodate expected growth in student population. Mr. Mathieson noted that the last tine MVLA drafted a Facilities Master Plan was over 20 years ago.
  2. The board heard a presentation and recommendation by Superintendent Jeff Harding of SB 751 (Hill/Glazer). SB 751 would modify the state education budget reserve cap “to restore governing board flexibility over the use of reserves to adequately prepare for economic difficulties and save for investments in educational programs.” Currently there exist conditions where school districts like MVLA would be limited to having a 6% reserve. SB 751 would allow school districts to carry a 17% reserve. The board voted unanimously to endorse this bill.
  3. The board heard a recommendation to approve the tentative collective bargaining agreement with their teachers union. This agreement reached back to last year (2016-17) to approve a 5.75% raise for district teachers. The agreement shown to the board shows a budget that can healthily maintain this raise for three years. This budget also includes the rise in STRS/PERS contribution rates from 12.58/13.88% in 2016-17 to 14.43/15.8% in  2017-18 and 16.28/18.70% in 2018-19. (Trustees know that these rates will continue to rise.) The board voted unanimously to approve this raise.
  4. The board then approved the identical raise for their classified staff.
  5. The board then approved the identical raise for their “unrepresented employees” (confidential, supervisory, and management).

— Ellen Wheeler, Substitute Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Los Altos City Council, Observer Reports

Los Altos City Council Meeting May 2017

Los Altos City Council – May 2017

May 9, 2017

The City Council approved the revised University Avenue Crosswalk Improvement Project. Council provided input on the robust affordable housing program that city staff is developing for the area. The program provides incentives to developers: in exchange for greater building height and density, developers must provide affordable housing. The Council’s ambitious goal is to have 20% of the new housing be affordable to individuals and families It authorized the City Manager, Chris Jordan, to execute the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for FY 2017-18 and authorized up to $170,050 of CDBG funds for the University Avenue Project. The CDBG funds are awarded from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to the county, and then through the county to small cities to remove barriers for public safety and for the disabled, both of which were the main issues for residents on University Avenue. The Project modifies the crosswalk section of University Avenue at Burke Rd. A prior use of funds modified University and Lincoln Avenue. By approving use of the CDBG funds, $170,050 remains in the Capital Improvement Project monies for other improvement projects to the city.

The city council reviewed and concurred that the starting point for identifying affordable housing opportunities are the goals, policies and programs of the Housing Element of the city’s General Plan. The current plan continues from 2015-2023. The City Council reviewed Goal 2 – strive to maintain variety in housing by location and type – and Goal 4 – variety of densities and types are found in appropriate locations and that the housing accommodates needs in all income categories. Mayor Mary Prochnow urged council members to adopt new ordinances in order to open new housing opportunities. Several solutions were suggested such as, micro-units; offers to lease city-owned property to developers to defray costs to affordable housing; offer rent subsidies to city employees and teachers; and alternate dwelling units. Arguments pro and con on the “granny units” dominated the meeting time. Should larger size units (more than 800 square feet on less than 15,000 square feet lots) be allowed? The May 23 meeting will make final decisions.

May 23, 2017

The affordable housing decision on accessory dwelling units (granny units), assigned to the May 23 meeting for resolution, was continued.

From the Consent Calendar, the City Council awarded the construction contract to Wattis Construction Inc. to proceed with the next part of the University Avenue Crosswalk Improvement Project. The West Edith and University Avenue intersection adjacent to Foothill Expressway will be improved by constructing a crosswalk with bulb-outs and an in-road flashing light system. The council appropriated an additional $97, 318 from Capital Improvement Project monies to assign $234, 34 in total to implement the construction.

The city council interviewed 35 candidates for the Hillview Community Center Project Task Force and voted for 11 at the meeting. The council appointed the following:  Claudia Coleman (Chair), Maria Bautista, Philip Chou, Brian Cilker, Katherine Cushing, Stuart Eckmann, Stuart Klein, Barbara Loebner, Susan Mensinger, Dennis Young, and Cathy Lazarus. (Cathy Lazarus, Susan Mensinger, and Claudia Coleman are all League members.) Mary Prochnow, Mayor, stated that the council looked for a diverse group of residents, a variety of skills, and an ability to stay on task. The ad hoc committee will work for 6-8 months.

—Claire Noonan, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Los Altos City Council, Observer Reports

Los Altos City Council Meeting April 2017

Los Altos City Council – April 2017

April 25, 2017

Daniel Varela, Assistant Civil Engineer, presented the construction contract award proposal for the Covington Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements Project. Bids were initiated with direction from the comprehensive December 2010 Blach Neighborhood Traffic Study for safety and mobility needs. The low bid of $387,632, submitted by and awarded to Watt’s Construction, will cover upgrades on Covington from Miramonte to Eastwood Drive, including bike lanes on both sides, a sidewalk gap closure on the south side, and ten-foot wide driving lanes. An extra appropriation of $150,000 from the Capital Improvement Project covers the additional cost from the original budget appropriation.

Christopher Lamm, Engineering Services Manager, presented the community center feasibility assessment with an original budget of $20 million. There are three options possible.

Renovation

Because the Hillview buildings are very old renovation costs per square foot ($720) would exceed the cost of new construction.

A phased build out

This plan would include a two-story building to allow for outdoor open space for programs and an 11,000 square foot gymnasium.  A 500seat theater would be added later. The cost would be $58 million.

New community center

The staff recommended this option and the city council approved it. New construction would cost $605 per square foot and create a Capital Improvement Project budget of $25 million. As for financing, in November 2016 the staff identified $27 million unrestricted funds, and a transfer over ten years of $30-35 million can be made from General Funds to the Capital Improvement Program. The city council directed the staff to select a qualified architect.

To ensure community engagement, the city council adopted the establishment of a Hillview Community Center Plan Task Force ​consisting of 11 members appointed by the Council​.

—Claire Noonan, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View City Council, Observer Reports

Mountain View City Council Meeting April 2017

Council Goal Setting – Phase 2

Previously, the City Council set four major thematic goals for the coming two-year cycle. On April 18th, the Council ranked from among dozens of possible projects to fulfill those goals. City staff will further evaluate the feasibility and cost of the priority goals and return to Council for final approval before the budget is adopted in June. Here are some of the highly ranked projects organized by goal:

1. Protect Vulnerable Populations and Preserve Socioeconomic and Cultural Diversity

    • Study of registry, Sanctuary City, and Freedom City policies
    • Age-Friendly City initiatives (World Health Organization designation)
    • Homelessness and mental health services
    • Additional access to information and resources for immigrants
    • Initiatives for workers (local hire, wage theft)

2. Improve the Quantity, Diversity, and Affordability of Housing

    • Short-term residential rental regulations (Airbnb)
    • Request for proposals for development of downtown parking lot 12
    • Terra Bella area Visioning and Development Principles
    • Below Market Rate Ordinance update – Condo Mapping
    • Exploration of strategies to increase ownership

3. Strategies to Achieve Mobility, Connectivity, and Safety for People of All Ages

    • Comprehensive modal plan involving regional transit agencies and stakeholders.
    • An automated guideway connecting downtown to North Bayshore.
    • Exploration of a tax on employers to fund transportation improvements
    • Transit Center Master Plan
    • Bicycle corridor on Evelyn

4. Promote Environmental Sustainability with Measurable Outcomes

    • Reform the Environmental Sustainability Task Force
    • Explore new strategies for acquiring park land
    • Participate in South Bay Salt Ponds project with CA State Coastal Commission
    • North Bayshore Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Measures & Performance Measurements

Appointment of Rental Housing Committee Members

Also on April 18th, after a lengthy and contentious interview process lasting several months, the Council formally appointed the five members and one alternate to the new Rental Housing Committee, established by the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (adopted as Measure V in November 2016). The Committee is charged with developing the regulatory framework for the rent stabilization program, appointing hearing officers, and adjudicating petitions by tenants and landlords.

In a surprise change, the Council decided by a 4-3 vote to appoint Human Relations Commissioner Evan Ortiz to the Committee instead of designating him as the alternate. Attorney Julian Pardo de Zela was instead appointed as the alternate. The remaining members of the Committee are former Mayor Tom Means, landlord Matthew Grunewald, property manager Vanessa Honey, and mechanical engineer Emily Ramos. Of the members, only Ortiz and Ramos are renters.

City Budget and Five-Year Capital Improvement Program

Council continues to craft the budget for the next fiscal year. In a special study session on Thursday, April 27th, City staff reported an estimated $18.9 million operating balance for Fiscal Year 2016-17, prior to $4 million contributions to City employee retirement and post-employment health benefits and $2.5 million to reserves. The remaining $12.4 million is recommended to fund limited-period expenditures, supplement reserves, and make additional contributions towards the City’s unfunded employee benefit liabilities. The Council largely approved the staff recommendations, the most significant of which is to allocate a one-time $10 million contribution to pay down the unfunded liabilities and use revenue generated from the Google Amphitheatre parking agreement to pay down an additional $10 million. The first public hearing of the budget is scheduled for June 13, and final adoption is scheduled for June 20.

On the same evening, the Council reviewed the Five-Year Capital Improvement Program. Again, the Council largely accepted the staff recommendations. Significant projects include the Rengstorff Aquatics Center design and construction, All-Inclusive Playground, Shoreline Boulevard Interim Bus Lane (a reversible bus-only/transit lane down the median of Shoreline Blvd), Shoreline Blvd at Highway 101 Pedestrian/Bicycle Overcrossing Construction, El Monte Corridor Study (for bicycle/pedestrian safety), and Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Second Stage Addition (to allow concurrent use of the Main Stage and Second Stage). “Community Benefits” funding, a new source of money from development that precedes precise plans or receives exceptions to development standards, was also discussed by Council. Four projects received priority for Community Benefits funding: Rengstorff Grade Separation Environmental Clearance, Mayfield Tunnel (extending the San Antonio Caltrain Station tunnel across Central Expressway), Library Remodel, and Transit Center Master Plan Next Steps.

—Lucas Ramirez, Julie Lovins, Observers

Lisa McLain League News

Celebrating Women’s Month with Anna Eshoo

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, California Congressional District 18, opened the afternoon conference on March 18, 2017, organized by three local women’s organizations, to address what Silicon Valley women can do to promote the positions we share for government action.

Ms. Eshoo began by observing that trusted organizations across the country have come together because they are patriots and wish to overcome the backward steps being taken in Washington, D.C. Right now in Congress there is one female representative to every three male representatives resulting in legislative action that often favors men and disadvantages women. Ms. Eshoo reaffirmed the need for persistent tenacity, regardless of the vote outcomes on legislation in Congress.

Ms. Eshoo asked participants to focus on three actions. Make your voice heard – rally, march, phone, and email. Focus on a mission and follow through by advocacy and by getting yourself or helping another woman get elected. Be a community leader – informed, respectful, listening, relentless.

Finally, Ms. Eshoo reminded us that there is a list of cuts in funding and regulations being made by the current administration “longer than El Camino Real”. It is up to us to find out the facts, take a position, and support it.

The participants divided into groups to develop one action on each of five topics. Jack Hamilton, a partner in Learn2Resolve, led the group on Unconscious Bias, affecting one’s ability to come to a resolution. Marcia Bianco, PhD, led the Gender Discrimination group. Beth Edmonds, Ambassador of Hope, led a group on Human Trafficking. Ruth Patrick, Director of WomenSV, led the talk about Domestic Violence found in high and low-income communities. Holly Pederson, PhD, hosted a discussion on Bullying.

The coordinators of the conference will compile the information and identify the one action for each topic as an outcome for the conference.

The meeting was organized by the Los Altos Women’s Caucus and co-sponsored by Los Altos-Mountain View American Association of University Women and Los Altos-Mountain View League of Women Voters.

—Claire Noonan

Los Altos-Mountain View American Association of University Women

Los Altos-Mountain-View League of Women Voters

Lisa McLain League News, Los Altos City Council, Observer Reports

Los Altos City Council March 2017

Los Altos City Council-March 2017

March 14, 2017

The City Council approved the draft implementation schedule for the 2017 Strategic Priorities as requested at the February 28, 2017 council meeting. The schedule includes the staff’s list of objectives and tasks with dates for implementing, and dates for stated objectives for each of the seven priorities. Also included are the financial and human resources required for implementation and completion. Staff has been divided into teams to deliver on each priority with quarterly updates and notification of changes that come up. Note that Hillview Civic Center is scheduled to break ground for the new project in December 2018 and be completed in December 2020. In addition, staff have scheduled the $2.5 million for improvement of safe school routes in Los Altos by 2018/19.

City Council concurred with the Community Engagement Plan (Priority 7) aligned with the Downtown Vision Process (Priority 1). The council heard from RRM Design Croup, represented by Debbie Rudd, and Land Econ Group, represented by Bill Lee. The presentation analyzed the strengths, challenges, constraints and offered policy recommendations. First, the consultant, Debbie Rudd, recommended ten ways to engage the community, including using an available commercial space as a “Step In” for city staff to get input, and sponsoring a “kick-off” event in March (if possible) to start the process.

Consultant Bill Lee presented four future scenarios for the downtown area, especially recommending the downtown as ideal for a pedestrian district. Scenario 1 describes small tweaks to downtown as it now stands. The next 3 describe plans with different levels of building height limits and amount of parking space per 1000 square feet. Of interest is Scenario 3 which accounts for public use like a theater and parking structures. After viewing the possible scenarios, seven recommendations from types of services to historic importance of structures were outlined. The final recommendation is to institute a review, using the community engagement strategies outlined to city council members.

March 28, 2017

Every two years the council is required by state law to reconsider speed limits in the city. Currently, Los Altos residents are troubled by the traffic on residential streets. City Council did not adopt Resolution #2017-12 that would have approved an engineering and traffic survey for raising the speed limit by 5 mph on Cuesta between Springer and San Antonio Road, one of many identified street segments of concern in Los Altos. Fourteen speakers who live on or near Cuesta said “no”, and, instead, asked for traffic calming measures, such as blinking lights at cross walks, speed bumps, raised curbs, mobile speed trailers, and increased visible speed limit signs.

Related to traffic concerns, the City Council by vote of 3/1 directed council members Jeannie Bruins and Lynette Lee Eng to act as liaisons with staff to coordinate changes for and to reconsider the responsibilities of the Planning and Transportation Commission and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission. Three speakers addressed the city’s problems with transportation commissions, suggesting a complete street commission and looking at resolutions by Fremont in the East Bay. Council member Jan Pepper requested a schedule and date when the group would come back with a result and/or options. Bruins suggested a month from now, April 2017.

—Claire Noonan, Observer