League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 7, 2000 Election
	Matt Pear Answers Questions Candidate for Councilmember; City of Mountain View

The questions were prepared by the Los Altos - Mountain View League of Women Voters and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. How would you address the long term fiscal needs of the city?

Mountain View needs to carefully plan and monitor its financial future so that we do not experience the disequilibria that plagued the budget forecast over the past months, which indicated a projected deficit of approximately eight million dollars. Currently the budget has been revised to reflect strong first quarter revenue growth, that if it continues for the next three quarters, will greatly enhance the City's financial position. It is difficult to forecast sales tax revenues due to a number of factors but it is essential to seek approximately two million dollars annually in revenue increases in order to cover expenditures. The forecast has recently been revised due to better than expected permitting fees and sales tax revenues for the first quarter. However, we still need to address revenues over the next four years through increased business-to-business sales in order to generate the revenues required to maintain and enhance youth programs, fire and police protection, open space and city infrastructure. The Council must take a proactive position by meeting with businesses, much as I have done as an economic development consultant on behalf of municipalities, counties, and the California Trade and Commerce Department.

2. How should the city address its needs for affordable housing?

We need to encourage a mix of housing in an environmentally sensitive manner, especially at higher densities (up to four-stories), when the sites are at transportation nodes and are supported by the appropriate infrastructure. The Environmental Planning Commission and Community Development should work with neighborhoods in order to listen to concerns and openly discuss the impacts and how best to mitigate these impacts. This process would shorten the time in which to receive entitlements, which would presumably lower the costs. We need to consider using former school sites and city and county surplus properties. Since housing will continue to be provided by the private sector for the foreseeable future, incentives are necessary to spur housing development. Incentives include accelerated depreciation schedules, reduction in city permitting fees, the underwriting of tax-free bonds, etc., policies that directly benefit all concerned parties.

3. What is the most important challenge facing Mountain View and how would you address it?

The most important challenge facing the city is it's fiscal stability followed by affordable housing and traffic congestion. My position on the first two is recited above, with traffic congestion being resolved through regional cooperation by alternative forms of transportation (e.g. bike boulevards) and the electrification, triple tracking, grade separation, etc. of the CalTrain right-of-way along with improved bus service to these transportation nodes, all designed to increase the frequency and range of public transportation.