Lisa McLain League News

Environmental Sustainability Task Force 2 (ESTF-2) Public Input Meeting

Mountain View’s residential population could grow more than 40% by 2030. With this as a backdrop, the Environmental Sustainability Task Force 2 (ESTF-2) hosted a “Public Input Forum” on January 31, 2018 for community members to share their ideas for a sustainable Mountain View. Participants brainstormed and shared their vision for what they want the future of the City to look like, and ideas for how to get there.
There were 86 participants ranging in age from nine to more than 70 years old, with about half having lived in Mountain View for more than ten years and quite a number for more than 40 years. From newcomers to those who have been here decades, a common feeling shared was that Mountain View is unique, beloved, and a place people want to stay, so creating a sustainable future mattered greatly to everyone. The participants were a passionate, engaged group, with overwhelmingly positive ideas and attitudes for how they envision the City.
After welcoming and providing background information to the participants, ESTF-2 facilitators then guided the audience through an exercise to envision what they want Mountain View to look like in 2030. A series of breakouts followed: ten groups, each with 6-10 participants, organized by topic. Each group brainstormed ideas around their topic, facilitated by a member of ESTF-2, and wrote their best ideas on a flip chart. Participants then walked around to each group’s chart and put dots next to ideas they liked the best.
The three ideas that received the most dots were “walkable, connected, green spaces,” “public transportation improvements,” and “zero waste.” Other popular ideas centered on housing (dense, affordable, zero carbon), land use (mixed-use developments, more trails), sustainable living (local food production, sharing resources), and transportation (more electric vehicles, better bike lanes). Similar themes appeared across groups, proving that residents are keenly aware of the interconnected nature of environmental and overall community sustainability.
With the community eager for ways to stay involved, the ESTF-2 is already planning another community event in April tied to Earth Day.

A separate topic came up informally: many people are unsure what programs the city offers, and it is clear that education and outreach are needed and desired.

Lisa McLain League News

Report on League Forum: “Campers and RVs in Our City”

The League forum “Campers and RVs in Our City” featured three speakers from the community, followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

Tom Myers, Executive Director of Community Services Agency (CSA), indicated that the distance between the “haves” and the “have-nots” in our community is getting wider. A few years ago, CSA would typically serve 3000 people/year and now they are on track to serve 10,000 people/year. CSA serves anyone who is living in poverty, not just the homeless.

Our local housing crisis is getting national attention as evidenced by recent coverage by CBS This Morning and the PBS Newshour.

When people lose their apartment or home, they have three choices: become homeless, move away or “get creative.” There are now more than 300 vehicles

(RVs, campers, trailers, cars) serving as residences on the streets of Mountain View.

In 2017, CSA added a full time staff member to reach out to vehicle dwellers. Over 20 people are now getting help through CSA.

Sgt. Wahed Magee, Neighborhood Officer at Mountain View Police Department (MVPD), said the MVPD received daily calls/emails with concerns about RVs. 90% of “neighborhood and event services” time is now focused on homelessness. Public safety is always the police department’s top priority.

The MVPD balances compassion and enforcement. If the MVPD can see that a person is getting help, then the person will not be arrested for minor infractions of the city code. Officers are conscious of the fact that these vehicles are people’s homes. The MVPD collaborates closely with CSA to connect people in need with community services. A close relationship with Palo Alto Review/Recovery (PAR) Court also helps direct offenders to help, rather than the criminal justice system.

That said, criminal activity does occur within these dwellings. Officer Magee related his own experience with finding drugs in two RV homes.

Kimberly Thomas, Assistant o the Mountain View City Manager, spoke about the city’s approach to vehicle dwellers and the housing crisis.

The number of homeless people living in Mountain View has increased dramatically over the last several years — from 139 people in 2013 to 416 people in 2017.

The city has committed one million dollars to address the rise in homelessness. This money is funding a three-pronged approach:

  • Short-term initiatives to help people currently living in vehicles and connect them to services
  • Long-term strategies to address the housing crisis, with an emphasis on increasing extremely low income affordable housing
  • A full-time community outreach police officer

More information on the city’s response can be found at http://www.mountainview.gov/homeless

The evening ended with questions from the audience.

Ms. Thomas fielded several questions about additional ordinances and permitting for RVs. She indicated this topic would be discussed again at the March 6, 2018 Mountain View City Council meeting as the city continues to explore options.

In response to a question about the role of “big tech” in the housing crisis, Mr. Myers said it’s tempting to point fingers but housing is a structural problem going back decades. In the last 20 years only two units of housing have been created for every five jobs created. Several local technology firms support CSA financially.


Finally, an audience member offered to share his perspective as someone who had lived in a vehicle on the streets of Mountain View for several years. While he appreciated the city of Mountain View for generally taking a hands-off approach to vehicle dwellers, he indicated many “good people” did suffer from harassment and judgment. He appealed to the audience’s common humanity in dealing with the issue of homelessness.

— Prepared by League member Beth Hondl

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

Los Altos City Council Meetings January 2018

January 9, 2018

The City Council extended the existing interim urgency moratorium, determined on 11/28/2017, for 10 months and 15 more days on any establishment, creation, or expansion of commercial cannabis activity in all zoning districts for the City of Los Altos. City Council directed the staff to explore allowing commercial cannabis activity along El Camino Real and delivery within city limits. A public hearing will be held.

The PFM Group (asset managers and financial professionals) provided an update on the 10-Year Financial Forecast Model for Los Altos, first presented in June 2016. The question was whether to increase the allocation for Hillview Community Center renovation above the current apportioned $25 million or not. The update includes the funds for 5 years of Capital Improvement Projects, including the $25 million for Hillview, and an estimated significant revenue growth in property taxes at 6% annually. Anticipated expense increase includes estimates for CalPERS Unfunded Liability Payments, likely an optimistic outlook, but payments may increase.

There are three options regarding the Hillview Community Center allocation:

First, maintain the allocation of $25 million for Hillview Community Center and adjust the scope of the project which is preferred by the city financial commission, but is less than recommended by the Community Center Task force (CCTF) and means delay in design for the project.

Second, increase the allocation to $34.7 million which finances the project as presented in December 2017 and preferred by CCTF. The disadvantage is the city will take on debt to complete the construction and is unlikely to have funds for other Capital Improvement Projects in the foreseeable future unless private funding is found.

Third, the city may allocate $30 million for the renovation, eliminate only some enhancements to the concept, and accrue a small debt. The staff recommends Option 3 which is fiscally prudent.

After five public comments, councilmember Jan Pepper moved and member Mary Prochnow seconded to set the total project budget limit for a new Hillview Community Center at $34.7 million. Council member Jeannie Bruins offered an amendment to include a bond measure to avoid debt, but it was not accepted. Members Lynette Eng and Bruins support funding but had concerns about committing $34.7 million without reviewing other facility needs or funding options. The original motion passed 3 yes, 2 no.

January 23, 2018

The City Council authorized the city manager to execute a professional services agreement with Mountain View, Los Altos, and CSDA Design Group to provide information on airplane noise from the South Flow Arrivals to San Jose International Airport. The cities are to split the contract cost.

The City Council asked the staff to take temporary measures to protect Halsey House, a city historical resource site, which has considerable environmental and preservation needs. Theodore and Emma Halsey built the home in 1923 and planted the redwood seedlings which form the Redwood Grove Nature Center Preserve. The property and grove were given to the city, and until 2008 when the property was closed because of safety issues, was used for educational and recreational activities planned by the Los Altos Parks and Recreation Department. In 2015 the city council heard proposals to restore Halsey House at $3.5 million or demolish and rebuild at $4.4 million. The council directed the City Historical Commission to work with the community, and then the staff to submit a grant application to the Santa Clara County Heritage Commission to preserve Halsey House.

— Claire Noonan, Observer

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

Mountain View City Council Meeting January 2018

Election of Mayor and Vice Mayor

In the ceremonial first meeting of the year, the Council elected Lenny Siegel and Lisa Matichak as the new Mayor and Vice Mayor. Outgoing Mayor Ken Rosenberg spoke about his proudest moments, including Mountain View’s self-designation as a Human Rights City and the adoption of the North Bayshore Precise Plan revision, which allows for up to 9,850 new housing units to be built in the office park north of Highway 101. In his remarks, Mayor Siegel emphasized the remaining work to be done on the East Whisman Precise Plan and the new Terra Bella “visioning” to determine the land uses in what are predominantly commercial areas. The Mayor also spoke about the City’s work in resisting the initiatives of the federal government.

Summary of Council Actions

The Council took action on a number of items in January. Previous reports have described the new regulatory framework the City is creating for commercial cannabis activity; consistent with that work, the Council extended the temporary moratorium necessary to prevent a “regulatory gap” (the absence of municipal regulations while an ordinance is being created). The Council also provided additional direction related to an agreement with the Los Altos School District to secure a site in Mountain View north of El Camino Real for a 10th school (described in a separate report).

Additionally, the Council adopted a work plan and established a subcommittee to work on 3 potential revenue measures that would appear on the November 2018 ballot: a tax on cannabis activity; an increase in the transient occupancy tax (TOT); and an update of the Business License Fee. The Council also approved an agreement with a consultant to assist the City with issues related to noise from South Flow Arrivals at the San Jose International Airport, sharing costs with the City of Los Altos.

Finally, the City approved an expansion of an affordable housing project at 460 North Shoreline Boulevard (Shorebreeze Apartments). The expansion replaces 12 existing affordable units with 62 new units. The residents of the 12 units would be temporarily relocated and ultimately moved back into the new units.

— Lucas Ramirez, Observer

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

Mountain View – Los Altos High School District Meetings January 2018

January 8 and 22, 2018

The main attraction of these meetings continued to be the Facilities Master Plan, which was approved at the Jan 22 meeting.  The Jan 8 meeting was preceded by a 3-hour study session on the Plan during which the master plan was presented in some detail and community members had an opportunity to speak.  Several speakers were neighbors of LAHS, concerned about the two-story building on the edge of the campus which would be very close to their homes.  Other comments concerned the parity of facilities between MVHS and LAHS, including classrooms, cafeterias, and performing arts facilities.  At the Jan 22 meeting, the architects presented a table showing the number of classrooms and the square footage of various facilities at the two schools.  In the new plan, storage and practice rooms were added to the LAHS Instrumental Music building to provide facilities comparable to MVHS. The architects also described various ways to mitigate the impact of the two-story building on neighbors.  With the Facilities Master Plan approved, design will begin immediately on the new buildings to be constructed.  The first step is schematic design, during which the architects will work with a committee of teachers, administrators, students, parents, and community members.  The classroom buildings could be built by 2020, with all of the facilities finished in 6 to 6.5 years.  The approved Master Plan will require a $295M bond, which needs to be approved before the March 9 deadline for the June election.

A report was presented by the Instructional Support Team about developing common assessments, including final exams, for all courses.  A survey of MVHS and LAHS course team leaders in all departments found that significant progress has been made toward aligning curriculum, grading systems, and practices, and that alignment improves student achievement.  Providing more time for collaboration and more leadership in collaboration would sustain and extend progress in these areas.  

The board approved: 

     – a California School Board Association resolution calling for full and fair funding of California’s public schools, by funding schools at the national average or higher by 2020, and at or above the average of the top 10 states by 2025.

     – a contract for the College Board Pre-AP Program for LAHS in World Studies and Algebra 1, which includes an intensive teacher training and improves critical thinking, reading, and writing skills in the curricula.

     – the School Accountability Report Cards for all three high schools.  

     – contract negotiation re-openers for the District Teachers Association and the California School Employee Association. Items that will be negotiated will be compensation, health and welfare benefits, and two items chosen by each side.  Public hearings were held with no speakers in either hearing.

Principal Bill Pierce presented the Alta Vista High School Annual Review.  Starting 1/22/18, Leyla Benson will be the new Associate Superintendent for Personnel.  Brenda Harris is the new Director of the Adult School.  The board accepted the independent auditor’s report for 2016-17, which had no audit findings.  

—Sally Ahnger, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Mountain View Whisman School District, Observer Reports

Mountain View Whisman School Board Meetings January 2018

MVWSD Board Meetings, January 4th and 18th,  2018

The Mountain View Whisman Board of Trustees met on January 4th and 18th, 2018. Trustee Gutiérrez, Jr., was not present at the January 4th meeting.

SchoolMint – New Online Student Enrollment System

For the first time ever, registration for the upcoming school year can now be completed online thanks to a partnership with SchoolMint. The open enrollment period for the 2018-2019 school year is January 5th – February 2nd.

California Dashboard

The California School Dashboard is a new accountability system that replaces API (Academic Performance Index) and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress). Rather than looking only at academic achievement, the Dashboard includes additional indicators such as suspension rates, chronic absenteeism rates, and English Learner progress. School and District dashboards are available to the public online.

The Dashboard has 8 priority areas that are measured through both local and state indicators. The Dashboard itself is portrayed using a circle cut into five pieces and with a color scale from blue (highest performance) to red (lowest performance). The academic achievement indicator was revised this year with different cut points for whether students met or exceeded standards due to wide swings in scores.  These cut points are expected to move again in the future as the state gathers more stable data over three years or so.

While the academic achievement indicator for students in the district overall was green, students in many subgroups, including English Learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, lagged behind.

 

Middle School Schedule Change

Trustees voted to adopt a new middle school schedule beginning in the 2018-2019 school year. The new eight period cascading schedule will allow all students to take at least one elective and some to take as many as three. Under the previous schedule, students who received English Language Development instruction and special education instructional support did not have a chance to take an elective.

Report on Workforce Housing Study

The District partnered with DCG Strategies to complete a workforce housing study in the hopes of finding a location and a strategy for building housing for teachers and staff. After a site review, DCG presented two possible sites for building teacher/staff housing on land owned by MVWSD. Funding for workforce housing construction could come from bonds, certificates of participation (COPs), a land lease, or selling off District owned land.

Adjacent to Cooper Park on Eunice Avenue, the District could build 82 workforce housing units in four buildings and fund the construction by selling 36 single family lots at the same site to an outside developer. The second option presented was to build workforce housing at the Whisman School site with funding through a land lease to a developer. The District could also fund construction at Whisman by selling off fifty single family home lots at Eunice.

Some trustees were reluctant to sell off MVWSD land, and all of the trustees agreed not to pursue construction at the Whisman School site due to population growth already projected for that part of town. Most board members were in favor of pursuing a project at Eunice after more study, and the board also asked DCG to look at the possibility of building a mixed use structure at Sylvan Park with a small school on the ground level and housing above.

— Devon Conley, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Observer Reports, Rental Housing Committee

Rental Housing Committee Update January 2018

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 December 23, 2016 rent levels and rent increases for covered rental units built before February 1, 1995 must comply with the CSFRA.  As of this writing, single family homes, condominiums, and duplexes, are not covered by the CSFRA.

For more background go to the Mountain View website:

http://www.mountainview.gov/council/rental_housing_committee/default.asp

Rental Housing Committee Meeting 1/22/2018

The Rental Housing Committee (RHC) met this evening to proceed on advice from Mountain View’s Legal Team with establishing regulations to apply the CSFRA to Mobile Home Park Spaces.

This however did not occur as the motion was defeated in a 2-3 vote perhaps based partly on a letter that had been recently received by the RHC from an attorney representing one of the largest Mobile Home Parks in the City.  This letter implied future litigation if these regulations were to proceed. 

The Legal Team once again reminded the committee that their advice is to cover Mobile Home Parks under CSFRA although the law never specifically mentions ‘mobile homes’ and that none` of the exemptions listed in the CSFRA applied to mobile homes.

The committee was firm with their decision rejecting the legal advice and suggested that rather than include the Mobile Home Park Owner/Tenants in the CSFRA that they should campaign for their own measure and use language that specifically covers Mobile Homes.

The RHC decision brought angry comments from the Mobile Park Tenants who stated thy had no choice but to sue the City.

—Tamara Lewis, Observer

Lisa McLain League News

Program Planning Notes 2018

January 20, 2018

Members of the LWV of Los Altos-Mountain View met to review and discuss our priorities for the years 2018-2020 for LWVUS and for the year of 2018-2019 for our local League. The following is a summary of our discussion.

League members agreed to accept LWVUS request that we not add any new studies or reviews to their program for 2018-2020. We agreed that focusing on Voting Rights, Improving Elections, Campaign Finance Reform/Money in Politics and Redistricting were the most important issues facing LWVUS and our country and should, therefore, receive the most attention. The request by the LWV of Palos Verdes Peninsula to recommend a study on Artificial Intelligence was not agreed to. Members cited the complexity of Artificial Intelligence and the fast-moving changes in the field, made it a difficult issue for us to study as we lack the technical expertise.

Our discussion about local priorities centered on growing our membership and elevating our public profile. We all agreed that while the League is well regarded, most people don’t know what we do. We captured the following ideas:


Other recommendations –

  • write to city councils and commissions
  • write and call legislators
  • improve our outreach by using Nextdoor, PTAs, parent groups, MV Moms, Tech Bay Area, Lean-In, neighborhood associations, Facebook, twitter, text messages
  • tell the Leopold story and history
  • develop an elevator pitch
  • connect LWV positions to local issues
  • ‘think before you sign’ regarding all of the petitions that circulate
  • e-blast to non-members
  • determine what is our essence and what makes us unique

We agreed that we should continue to focus on housing and transportation in our community. We did not add Criminal Justice Reform to our list of priorities as requested by the LWV of Los Angeles.

We discussed our current teams and committees and what they are doing. Members wishing to get more involved were encouraged to join a team. The upcoming elections, June and November, will create work for us as we prepare to offer our signature events – candidate forums and ballot measure presentations.

Lisa McLain League News

Campers and RVs on the streets of Mountain View

Why are people living on our streets?     How do we, as a community, work with this situation?

An increasing population of vehicle dwellers is making the streets of Mountain View their home. This educational forum will explore who is living in these vehicles, why and what impact this is having on city services and our neighborhoods. Our speakers will discuss the challenges our city faces and how we can balance the needs of this struggling population with the concerns of our residents.

Speakers:
  • Tom Myers, Exec. Director, Community Services Agency (CSA)
  • Kimberly Thomas, Assistant to the Mountain View City Manager
  • Sgt. Wahed McGee, Mountain View Police Dept.
Event:
  • Thursday, Feb 8th, 2018
    Forum: 7:00-8:30pm  (Doors Open: 6:30)
  • Mountain View Senior Center
    Multipurpose Room A
    266 Escuela Avenue,
    Mountain View, CA
Register at Eventbrite: https://vehicle-dwellers-mv.eventbrite.com
Open to the public but space is limited
To prepare for the event you may want to watch the PBS Newshour video on vehicle dwellers in Mountain View:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG0_KiM9Mv8
Lisa McLain League News, Los Altos City Council, Observer Reports

Los Altos City Council Meeting December 2017

Notes on Los Altos City Council meetings – December 2017

December 12, 2017

City Council authorized the Public Works director to record a notice of completion of University Avenue crosswalk improvements. This project began in June 2017 and finished in November 2017.

City Council received an update from Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) of the El Camino Real Bus Rapid Transit project with no further recommendations by the council. The project has been presented four times since 2011, the last in June 2016.

City Council received the concluding report for the Conceptual Design for the new Hillview Community Center Project. After presenting Concept I, Site 4 design, the Council directed Noll and Tam Architects to move forward with the Design Development phase based on a budget of $34.7 million to be completed by February 2018. It is understood that the budget may be adjusted depending on the 10-Year Financial Forecast to be presented in January 2018.

The design team, Noll and Tam Architects, accounted for elements gleaned from meetings with the Hillview Community Center Task Force (appointed city residents) and 400 community responses to surveys: to increase building quality, functionality, square footage, and outdoor program space; to provide pedestrian connectivity to downtown; and to refinish the existing parking lot. Provision for Children’s Corner access is not part of the design. Eight public speakers commented on design parts they did and didn’t like, gave alternative ideas for the location of Children’s Corner, and requested assurances of senior friendly design development, eg. few stairs. Council members were concerned about square footage, enhancements to buildings, and accommodations for the community’s growth in service needs – all related to a future rise in costs.

No meeting December 26, 2017.

— Claire Noonan, Observer