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

Mountain View City Council Meetings March & April 2018

Update on Initiatives to Assist Homeless and Consideration of Parking Enforcement Options

On March 6, the City Council received an update on many initiatives previously approved to assist homeless people in Mountain View. A biannual count conducted Countywide revealed that the homeless population increased from 276 in 2015 to 416 in 2017. The Council voted to continue a number of programs with some minor refinements based on experience gained over the past 10 months. These programs include: rapid rehousing (short term financial assistance); biohazard waste cleanup and waste dump pilot (for RV dwellers); safe parking program pilot for vehicle dwellers; RV/vehicle repair assistance; Dignity on Wheels (mobile shower and washer/dryer services for hygiene support); and rental assistance.

The Council also provided direction on parking enforcement policy options to address concerns about RV and vehicle dwellers on public right-of-way. A December 2017 count by the Mountain View Police Department identified 291 inhabited vehicles in the City. After considerable deliberation, the Council voted 4-3 to “use current tools with enhancements to parking and towing enforcement in order to enhance the management of City streets.” Under this direction, the Police Department would continue to enforce existing parking regulations, and additional traffic measures and parking signage could be installed to enhance safety.

Short-Term Rental Regulations

Short-term rentals (like Airbnb) are currently prohibited under the municipal code – that is, hotel and motel uses are not permitted in residential areas. On March 20, the Council directed staff to study allowing and regulating short-term rentals. Short-term rental operators would pay the transient occupancy tax (TOT), which is paid by hotel and motel operators. Additionally, the Council directed staff to explore placing a limit on the number of days homes can be rented out unhosted (that is, without the homeowner occupying the home).

Amendments to the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance

The Council approved modifications to the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance on March 6 to conform to the voter-approved Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), also known as Measure V. This included increasing the eligibility threshold for relocation assistance from 80% area median income to 120% area median income. (As a baseline, the median income in Santa Clara County is $113,300 for a four-person household.)

The other key decision was related to the “First Right of Return” provision in the CSFRA. This pertains to the Ellis Act, a law passed by the state legislature in the 1980s that allows landlords to legally withdraw their rental units from the housing market. The Council on a 5-2 vote approved the staff recommendation, which was to be consistent with provisions previously approved by the Rental Housing Committee. Under this direction, tenants who are displaced when their landlord withdraws their unit from the rental market have certain rights and protections. If that landlord returns that unit to the rental market and re-rents it to a new tenant (or fails to provide the former tenant with a First Right of Return) within two years of the withdrawal, then the former tenant has a right to collect actual and exemplary damages. For up to five years after the withdrawal, the former tenant has a right to renew their tenancy under the same monthly rental amount as when the tenancy was terminated. For up to ten years after the withdrawal, the former tenant has a First Right of Return, but no longer at the original rental amount as at the time of the termination of the tenancy.

Gatekeeper Process Update

On March 27, the Council approved modifications to the gatekeeper process. Development proposals that require discretionary actions by the Council (such as General Plan Amendments or re-zonings) must first receive Council permission before they can be processed by City staff. This preliminary “approval” is referred to as the “gatekeeper process” – in other words, for development proposals that do not comply with existing zoning or General Plan regulations, the Council needs to explicitly allow the project to move forward to the entitlements process. This ensures that City planners do not spend a lot of time on a project that the Council will definitely not support.

Previously, gatekeeper proposals did not require public noticing beyond what is required for regular meeting agendas. The Council voted to require that notifications be mailed to property owners near gatekeeper sites and to any tenants living in units that would be demolished or affected by the gatekeeper project. Additionally, gatekeeper proposal applicants would need to provide more information about their proposal to the Council, and approved gatekeepers would require Council reauthorization if significant changes are made to the proposal. (In other words, if the Council allows a gatekeeper proposal to move forward, and the developer makes substantial changes to the proposal, then the proposal would need to go through the gatekeeper process again.)

Public Comment Regarding Newly Proposed Charter Amendment

On April 17th, nearly 20 members of the public used the portion of the meeting reserved for comment on items not on the agenda to speak about the effort to place a charter amendment on the November 2018 ballot that would significantly modify the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), also known as Measure V. Six speakers expressed concerns about the impact of the CSFRA on their rental property and supported the effort. The remaining speakers urged residents to not sign the petitions circulating to put the charter amendment on the ballot.

The most significant provision in the charter amendment would reduce the vacancy threshold at which the CSFRA would be suspended entirely. The CSFRA grants the Rental Housing Committee the authority to suspend the law (terminating the rent stabilization program and the just cause eviction protections) if vacancy rates exceed 5%. If approved by voters, the proposed charter amendment would reduce that threshold from 5% to 3% and make the suspension mandatory. The current vacancy rate is approximately 4.4%.

Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory

Despite strong support from the Council for environmental sustainability efforts and programs, the updated Community Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory revealed that 2015 emissions were significantly higher than the baseline 2005 levels. The inventory is a regular measurement of the total amount of greenhouse gas emissions being generated citywide.

On April 24, City staff alerted the Council that, even with the 100% carbon-free electricity being procured by the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority, 2020 emissions are projected to be significantly higher than the goal for that year. Transportation and energy together comprise more than 90% of all emissions, and while emissions from energy are down from 2012, transportation emissions have increased significantly. This means that, despite very positive progress on reducing emissions from electricity, increased emissions from transportation not only wipe out the progress made with cleaner energy, but in fact is making things much worse than projected.

The Council approved the staff recommendations to increase the frequency of developing greenhouse gas inventories, conduct a transportation greenhouse gas analysis, and begin working on the next Environmental Sustainability Action Plan (ESAP-4), which includes a number of programs and initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Human Rights Analysis Pilot

In December 2016, the Council approved a resolution designating Mountain View a “Human Rights City” and adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as guiding principles. On April 3rd, 2018, the Council approved a pilot program based on a recommendation from the Human Relations Commission to “implement a human rights policy analytical framework to analyze policy decisions through a human rights lens.” The pilot program would assess the impacts of policy proposals on four priority concerns: housing displacement, housing affordability, social equity (disparate impacts on racial, ethnic and economic groups in Mountain View), and economic prosperity (fiscal impacts on small businesses and specific demographic groups in Mountain View).

The Council approved the staff recommendation to apply the pilot to three upcoming policy issues: Short-Term Rental Regulations, the East Whisman Precise Plan, and Vision Zero, which is a goal to eliminate all bicycle and pedestrian fatalities and injuries caused by collisions with cars. During the pilot, the Council will evaluate the usefulness of the additional analysis and the impact on staff time and resources.

VTA North Bayshore Transportation Access Study

On April 17, the Council provided input on a study conducted by VTA in partnership with Google regarding transportation access to the North Bayshore area. Originally a feasibility study on a Light Rail extension project from the Bayshore/NASA Station, the study scope expanded to evaluate several transportation technologies. Based on a number of factors including capital and operational costs, the study recommends a “hybrid option of buses and autonomous vehicles (AVs)” in the near term, and further analysis of AVs and possible light rail in the long term. The Council generally agreed with the analysis and directed staff to work with VTA to identify funding partners and integrate this work with the Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) study, which is investigating alignments and transportation technologies that will connect North Bayshore with the Downtown Transit Center.

— Lucas Ramirez, Observer

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

Mountain View-Los Altos High School District Board Meeting April 2018

This meeting was notable because it showcased two methods the MVLA School District uses to try to improve student achievement. As always, it was demonstrated that while MVHS and LAHS work together, each school has its own specific approach to topics and these approaches are often dependent on the teachers leading the way. Both of these items were for information and discussion only. No action by the board was requested.

DELAC Update

Every district in the state with a substantial number of students whose first language is not English has a DELAC (District English Language Advisory Committee) that works to help those students (called English Learners, or ELs) and their families. At tonight’s meeting the board heard a detailed presentation on their work by Associate Superintendent Margarita Navarro. (Dr. Navarro was hired for the curriculum post after the retirement of Brigitte Saraff, whom experienced Leaguers remember as MVLA’s prior long-time respected curriculum guru.) This observer report covers some highlights of this detailed report. As always, interested readers may learn more by going to the Mountain View-Los Altos High School District website http://www.mvla.net/

There are three main goals of their DELAC: [1] To have communication between the District Office, schools, parents, and families to support their EL students AND for ELs to be as successful as possible; [2] To advise the district’s trustees on programs and services for ELs; and [3] To provide leadership training for parents so that they can provide meaningful feedback.

DELAC members advise on five items: [A] the Master Plan for ELs; [B] the District-wide needs assessment; [C] Goals and objectives for programs and services for ELs; [D] the Annual Language Census; and [E] Reclassification procedures and written parent notifications. (“Reclassification” refers to the process whereby an EL student is considered to be sufficiently proficient in their English language and their academic work that they no longer need extra help with their academics. Students are reclassified every year from grade one through twelve.) Tonight the focus was on items B. and C.

While Dr. Navarro noted that she was “reclassified” in 1st grade, she and all other reclassified EL students are considered “Ever ELs.” School districts work with three main profiles of ELs: Newcomers (those in the U.S. for 0-5 years), LTELs (Long-term ELs who have been in the U.S. for 5+ years and have yet to be reclassified), and RFEPs (Reclassified to Fluent English Proficient.) (The mark of a thorough reclassification process is that RFEPs do as well or better than non-ELs.)

There are 269 total ELs in MVLA – 164 at MVHS, 79 at LAHS, and 26 at Alta Vista HS. As you can surmise, MVHS is structured to have more support systems for less proficient EL students. The primary languages spoken by MVLA ELs is Spanish (by 78% students), Mandarin (by 5.5% students), Russian (by 2.3% students), and a variety of other languages (by 12.1% students). A fairly large number of LTELs are also special education students.

Trustees heard about the extensive professional development provided for MVLA teachers and staff for ELs. Additionally, related to DELAC, trustees heard of multiple activities done with and for parents. They also were told of the 2017/18 DELAC meeting topics for parent training and community building. For example, DELAC members spent one meeting learning how to analyze their child’s test score data.

After that extensive background information five DELAC members came up to the podium, one by one, to offer five recommendations to the board from their committee work. Those recommendations are: [1] Offer an academic support class for students in English Language Development (ELD); [2] Create an adult to student mentor program, especially for LTEL students; [3] Offer parent education workshops to learn about curriculum and ways to support students at home; [4] Offer field trips to universities for all EL students; and [5] Monitor the progress of EL students through “EL Learning Plan” meetings with staff, students, and parents.

Goals for 2018/19 are [A] To update the EL Master Plan; [B] Examine reclassification criteria (noting that the state of California will be publishing this; does MVLA want to adopt the state’s plan?); [C] Explore the “English Learner Road Map” (a new state policy); [D] Expand opportunities for parent training; and [E] Examine RFEP data.

Science program update

In preparation for the statewide implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), trustees heard from enthusiastic MV and LAHS teachers about how they are already implementing the “hands on” and research-based NGSS model. In addition to what we consider to be the “traditional” 3-course model of science courses (biology, chemistry, and physics), our high schools offer many more options for students. Advanced Placement courses are available in Physics (AB and C), chemistry, biology, environmental science, as well as honors courses in these subjects. And, multiple science class electives are offered at each school (with different offerings at each school depending on the availability of having a teacher for them). Examples of electives are forensics, biotechnology, and robotics. Students at both of these high schools are very excited about taking lots of science classes, so much so that there is a need for more classroom space.

— Ellen Wheeler, Substitute Observer

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

Mountain View-Los Altos High School District March 2018

March 12, 2018

The board passed the Resolution on Student Safety, which states (in part):

MVLA district holds regular drills, works with local agencies to take any threats of violence seriously, and fosters a positive school climate, free from harassment and violence.  The district urges the state of California and the U.S. Congress to invest in wraparound services to prevent bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence in schools and to provide funding for programs to support students’ mental, physical, and emotional health.  The district urges the U.S. Congress to pass legislation to reduce gun violence on school campuses and to repeal the prohibition against data collection and research on gun violence by the Centers for Disease Control.

The board passed the Resolution in Celebration of the Right to Vote, declaring 2/23/18, the 47th anniversary of the 26th Amendment, as the Day of Student Registration to Vote.

Associate Superintendent Mike Mathiesen presented the Second Interim Budget Report, reporting revenues of $87.4M, Expenses of $86.0M, and Transfers out of $1.0M, with no significant differences from the First Interim.

The board approved adjustments of Developer Impact Fees on residential development from $1.16 to $1.26 per square foot and on commercial development from $0.19 to $0.20 per square foot.  A Public Hearing on the fees was held, but there were no speakers.

The Adult Education Annual Review was held, highlighting the Job and Career Fair in October 2017.  Job placement for Adult School students has been very successful.

The board voted for the incumbents in the CSBA Delegate Assembly Election: Joe Mitchner, Frank Biehl, Cynthia Chang, and Jodi Muirhead. 

— Sally Ahnger, Observer

March 26 Meeting

   March 26: Recognizing that success at school is connected to the feelings of mental health and safety, MVLA puts time and money into student wellness. Tonight the board heard about the clinical services that are provided at MVHS, LAHS, and Alta Vista High School. Some context for this need: most high school students were born after 9/11 and have grown up with the tragic norm of school shootings. Added to these unsettling sociological factors is the fact that students feel more pressure to perform academically and get into colleges that are increasingly harder to get into. According to a California Healthy Kids survey, the percentages of students who report “chronically sad or hopeless feelings” has gone up for the past three years, with 20% of MVLA 9th graders feeling anxious or depressed and one third of 11th graders feeling this way. MVLA hired Dr. Susan Flatmo to be their clinical services coordinator to help these students, with Huang Vo as student services coordinator at MVHS and Kristin Castillo as student services coordinator for LAHS. A grant from El Camino Hospital helps pay for these positions. They work with a team of mental health counselors through CHAC (the local Community Health Awareness Council) who help students at both schools plus Alta Vista. What are the top five student issues via referrals? They are (in descending order) academic difficulties, depression, anxiety, family issues, and frustration tolerance. These counselors utilize three tiers of support for students: Tier One (for all students via school-wide mental health awareness events, teacher training, and more); Tier Two (early intervention for some students using individual counseling, services and support groups, and more); and Tier Three (intensive intervention for a small number of students including acute crisis intervention and support, referrals to outside services, clinical groups, and case management).  Looking forward, goals of this extensive and evolving work are to help students have an increased capacity to self-regulate and problem solve via student wellness centers and school-wide awareness work. Additionally they strive to help reduce mental health stigma (including that for parents who feel alone and stigmatized if their child has mental health issues).

     The other major agenda item at this meeting was a discussion about the increasing difficulty in finding qualified substitute teachers. According to a recent survey done by MVLA, over a two-week period there was only one day where they had enough substitute teachers. On all the other days other teachers had to fill in for that absent teacher during their prep period (and sometimes even the principal had to fill in). One way MVLA hopes to be able to attract more substitute teachers to work for their district is to raise their pay. Currently MVLA pays a daily rate of $152. Several surrounding districts (including Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountain View Whisman) offer these substitute teachers $160 per day. In order to remain competitive with these surrounding school districts MVLA is recommending to the board that they raise their daily substitute teacher pay to $180. The board heard this recommendation and made a few comments. This recommendation will come back as an action item (in the consent agenda) at a future board meeting.

— Ellen Wheeler, Substitute Observer

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

Los Altos City Council Meeting March 2018

March 13, 2018

The City Council adopted the Historic Preservation Amendment and the Zoning Code amendments pertaining to accessory structures in residential districts, both discussed at previous meetings. The ordinance to amend accessory dwelling units (ADU) regulations discussed at a previous meeting was remanded again to the staff and Planning Comission for further study and was not amended or adopted.

The City Council received and discussed the Hillview Community Center Schematic Design by Noll & Tam Architects. Seven public speakers commented on the schematic. Two were in favor of the project as is, commenting on the walkability of the design, appreciation for the open meetings of the Hillview Task Force which took into account community desires, and approval of the open space that provides a buffer to residents and possibility for future uses.

The speakers and council members also had questions about the ‘whistle stop’ too near to the soccer goal and too far from other areas where people might want to wait. The option for solar panels instead of immediate placement in the design was debated. The issue is to find additional money for panels now  or later when more about finances for the final project are certain. Resident Gary Hedden commented on the green aspects of the project, asking Noll & Tam architects to make sure the structure used electricity and not natural gas and aimed for health and efficiency of the project. He then advocated for a possible community garden in the open space and agreed that solar panels are not to be placed over parking lots.

The schematic design fit the budget goal of $34.7 million, increased size to 24,500 square feet, had an interesting walkway connection to other buildings at the location, and had the main entry facing San Antonio. After hearing that the design fit the budget and space increase, there were still concerns about triangular shape of design, the courtyard, solar panels, and various small structural details. The City Council directed Noll & Tam to proceed with the design but to provide feedback on the elements of concern to the council.

March 27, 2018

It was of concern to council member Jan Pepper that the Minutes of March 13 did not reflect the concerns about design elements in the schematic for the Hillview Community Center. After debate, Chris Jordan, City Manager, assured the Council that the concerns (mentioned in the final paragraph of the March 13 notes above) were to be addressed by Noll & Tam as the design proceeded.

Further restrictions to smoking in Los Altos with certain exceptions was adopted. A public speaker raised concern that excessive barbecue pollution was not addressed in the new ordinance.

The city council adopted re-establishment of the Los Altos Disaster Council and Emergency Preparedness Program. They agreed to abide by California Disaster and Civil Defense Master Mutual Aid Agreement and adopt Workers’ Compensation Benefits for registered Disaster Service Worker volunteers.

A Public Comment of interest addressed the work of the Los Altos Historical Commission’s sub-committee to find funds to begin work on the Halsey House restoration. The project was last discussed at city council meeting on January 23, 2018. The most promising grant application will be to the Certified Local Government (CLG). They grant $40,000 if the city can match the funds. The commission has raised $25,000, some of which is currently used for cleaning vegetation and pest control. One commission member has found pro bono workers for grading. Some mini grants from the Water District may be found.

— Claire Noonan, Observer

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

Mountain View Whisman Board Meetings Feb & Mar 2018

MVWSD Board Meetings 2018: February 1st and 15th, March 1st and 15th

The Mountain View Whisman Board of Trustees met on February 1st and 15th, and March 1st and 15th. Trustees reviewed curriculum, construction, budget assumptions for the 2017-2018 school year, and voted to pilot a full day preschool program next school year. The board also released and/or reassigned administrators, voted to close the independent study program, and heard two draft recommendations from the Enrollment Priorities Task Force. Due to the volume of items taken up in February and March, this report focuses on the latter.

Principal Release and Reassignment

During closed session on March 1st, board members voted unanimously to release three principals at the end of the 2017-2018 school year: Steve Chesley of Landels Elementary School, Marcela Simões de Carvalho of Mistral Elementary School, and Kim Thompson of Graham Middle School. For the 2018-2019 school year, Assistant Principal Heidi Galassi of Graham was reassigned to be the new principal of Landels, and Principal Ryan Santiago of Theuerkauf Elementary School was reassigned to be an assistant principal at Graham.

At the March 15th board meeting, community members filled all of the seats in the Graham multi-use room, and dozens more stood in the back. Speakers questioned the principal evaluation process, the quality of the school climate results that may have been used in the evaluations, and what they felt was a lack of transparency in the principal release and reassignment process. The meeting was also attended by Telemundo, and the Mountain View Voice has written articles about the original release decision and the parent response. At the April 5th meeting,

Superintendent Dr. Rudolph gave a presentation on the evaluation process for district leaders.

Independent Study Program

After a presentation on the Independent Study Program (ISP) by Assistant Superintendent Carmen Ghysels on February 1st, the board voted on February 15th to end the program in June 2020. Four parents of students who attended or graduated from the program and the program’s teacher addressed the board at the second meeting, asking board members not to end the ISP.

Assistant Superintendent Ghysels presentation included background on the ISP. The program is about seventeen years old and currently has twelve students enrolled. A credentialed teacher works on an hourly basis to support students using a classroom at Monta Loma. The district also funds field trips and curriculum for students. MVWSD is the only district in the area that still has an ISP – other local districts have discontinued similar programs. Newer home schooling options for families include the California HomeSchool Network, the California Virtual Academy, and The Home School Association of California.

The Mountain View Voice published an article about the program closure, the parent response, and an opinion piece calling on the board to rescind the decision to close the program.

Enrollment Priorities Task Force

At the March 15th meeting, the board reviewed two draft recommendations from the Enrollment Priorities Task Force (EPTF) and gave direction for the continued work of the task force.  The EPTF is tasked with revising the enrollment priorities for the district and deciding whether to grandfather students slated to change schools when the new school boundaries go into effect in 2019-2020. There are currently 26 enrollment priorities, and the district has an open enrollment policy that allows families to apply for an intradistrict transfer to any school in the district if there is space available. When the new school boundaries go into effect with the opening of Slater School in 2019-2020, some students will be rezoned to new schools.

Recommendation A from the EPTF is to reduce the existing twenty-six enrollment priorities to nine, continue to allow intradistrict transfers between schools, keep a similar lottery process for the two choice programs with weight given to siblings, and not grandfather students when the new school boundaries go into effect. Recommendation B is to require students to attend the the school they are zoned for, grandfathers fifth graders who are impacted by the new school boundaries, and calls for measures to increase the diversity of the district’s choice schools.

The superintendent, Dr. Rudolph, shared the process to date undertaken by the district and the task force. The district has solicited feedback from a range of parent groups and stakeholders, all of whom called for grandfathering at least fifth graders. Seven community members addressed the board, with several parents asking for the board to allow students to finish school at their current location.  

Trustees gave direction that fifth graders should be grandfathered and possibly fourth or third graders. Younger siblings of grandfathered students should be allowed to attend the same school until the grandfathered sibling finished fifth grade, then would be required to transfer to their neighborhood school under the new zoning. The board had mixed feelings about allowing intradistrict transfers.

— Devon Conley, Observer

Lisa McLain Bullis Charter School, League News, Observer Reports

Bullis Charter School Meetings March & April 2018

Bullis Charter School

   March 5: Every year up and down the state school districts are required to prepare and submit their “Second Interim (financial) Report” for examination and approval by their board. After that board process, the Second Interim Report is sent to their County Office of Education. At this meeting the Bullis Charter School Board of Directors heard their Second Interim Report, asked questions, and then voted unanimously to approve it and send it on to the Santa Clara County Office of Education. Bullis Charter School contracts with an organization called edtec to prepare this report for them. Peter Taub of edtec made his company’s presentation to the board.

   Also at this meeting the board provided input on budget discussions that are under way for the 2018-19 budget. A few items of particular interest arose here: [1] Board members recommended that they budget for one or more assistant teachers for next year so that they have more flexibility when master teachers go out on family leaves in the middle of the year; [2] There are fewer students in grades 7 and 8 than they had planned for, so board members discussed options for that. One question was “Do we have a wait list for these grades?” The answer was no, because they are capped at 105 students for each grade per the Five Year Agreement with Los Altos School District. They hear from 105 students that they plan to attend next year, so budget for 105 students. But, students also apply to private schools, and if they get in, they sometimes drop their place at Bullis, resulting in a smaller 7th or 8th grade class than originally planned for.

     The Bullis Board of Directors also reviewed and voted to approve their Finance Committee’s recommendation for a new auditor for next year. That auditor is Vincenti, Lloyd, Stutzman LLP. This auditor was approved unanimously by the board.

     Lastly, another thing all schools in California are required to do every year is prepare, adopt, and submit a SARC (Student Accountability Report Card). SARCs are done via a state template. Categories in the template are: “About Our School” (a narrative description of the school and area), Contact Information, School Description and Mission Statement, Student Enrollment by Grade Level, Student Group (race, economically disadvantaged, English Learners, Students with Disabilities, and Foster Youth), Textbooks and Instructional Materials, School Facilities conditions, State Test Score Results grades 3 – 8 (and 10) by student group, types and levels of Parent Involvement, Average Class Size and Distribution, Academic Counselors/Support Staff, Expenditures Per Pupil and Teacher Salaries (compared to the state), and lastly, a narrative on Professional Development utilized by the school. (High schools also report on a few more items.) At this meeting the Bullis Board heard a presentation on their latest SARC and unanimously approved it.

   April 2: Three items of note were presented and discussed at this meeting. The report of item one is by Greg Coladonato, our LWV alternate BCS Observer. [1] A presentation was given by two teachers from Huff Elementary school in the Mountain View Whisman School District, who took part in BCS’s STEAM Practicum, in order to learn how to implement PBL + RTI at Huff. I believe there were five teachers from Huff who took part in this program. 

For context, BCS Superintendent Wanny Hersey explained that the STEAM Practicum has been a three year effort in partnership with the Santa Clara County Office of Education’s STEAM Team. 

The three approaches they mentioned trying to teach to their students were inquiry thinking, design thinking, and a growth mindset. They mentioned how amazed they were that 5 year olds were teaching their parents what it meant to be a dendrochronologist (their word usage!).

(STEAM is a popular acronym representing work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. This is distinguished from typical STEM learning. “PBL” refers to Project Based Learning; “RTI” refers to Response to Instruction.)

[2] BCS learned that it has been selected as the only school in North America to be part of P21 Global Schools Network. It joins 14 other schools around the world who were carefully selected as school models that focus on global awareness, global competence, cultural competence, and linguistic development. [3] The BCS ad hoc nominating committee has been searching for and interviewing people to potentially fill the board positions of the four board members whose terms end in June. They’re looking for people who can add to the skill sets of the current board.

— Ellen Wheeler, Observer

Lisa McLain League News, Observer Reports, Rental Housing Committee

Rental Housing Committee Update February 2018

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 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 2/12/2018
This evening the Rental Housing Committee met to address the following issues:
The RHC agreed for the staff to proceed with the process to select an information technology vendor to develop an IT system to effectively implement the CSFRA.
They also agreed to authorize an amendment to services with Project Sentinel for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2017-2018 in a ‘not to exceed contract’ of $364,800.
They created a uniform Relocation Assistance and First Right of Return policy under the CSFRA as a policy guide for the Environmental Planning Commission and City Council.
The tenant will have a First Right of Return for a period of 10 years with no punitive damages.
The tenant will have a First Right of Return for a period of 5 years at the lawful rent in effect when the notice was delivered, plus annual adjustments.
The tenant will have a First Right of Return for a period of 2 years to seek actual and exemplary damages from a landlord who withdraws a unit from the rental market but then re-rents the unit within that stated period.
Because the ‘ethics’ of some of the members of the board have come into question more than a few times it was decided that the RHC would adopt the same ‘Code of Conduct’ that the Mountain View City Council follows. A vote was taken and all members agreed.

Rental Housing Committee Meeting 2/26/2018
The RH Committee maintained and reaffirmed its decision not to cover Mobile Homes under the CSFRA. The Committee’s attorneys agreed with them and are now offering advise on how to support this decision even though they had previously recommended against this judgement.
Tenants for the Mobile Home Alliance are seeking a lawsuit against the City of Mountain View.

— Tamara Lewis, Observer

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