League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
	Nicholas B. "Nick" Galiotto Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Mountain View; 2 Year Short Term

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

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. Do you see any links between local traffic congestion and cuts in public transit services, "help wanted" signs and insufficient low cost housing? If so, what might the Council do to improve the situation?

The Council needs to implement the new Housing Element of the General Plan and continue locating housing near public transportation whenever possible. Infill zoning of under-utilized commercial property with emphasis on mixed use where appropriate. Facilitate pedestrian friendly streets and shops in the downtown area to augment MV's transit hub. Participate in regional action for oversight and development of transit, highway, road, and bicycle projects that benefit Mountain View residents either directly or indirectly.

2. What specific concerns, if any, do you have about the recommendations in the NASA Ames Development Plan which was released in late July?

The NASA Ames Development Plan will produce a significant job-housing imbalance that negatively impacts MV. With 7100 new jobs plus 3000 students, the projected 4900 housing units on site are inadequate. The increased traffic will further clog our surface streets. NASA needs to expand their planned housing by replacing existing military housing units with new higher density civilian-oriented housing, and contribute to resulting infrastructure costs in MV.

3. As a Councilmember, how would you bring together members of the community to address local issues?

I would work through community outreach to implement programs like the new Housing Element that I assisted in developing as a Planning Commissioner. The neighborhoods are the key to communication with city administration on local issues, and neighborhood associations can be kept informed via mail or internet. To complement the present Council Neighborhoods Committee meetings, I would add informal meetings with a couple council members without staff, where residents could talk to them as they do with candidates for council, hitting the issues they like or don't like about our community. This feedback is important for the setting of Council priorities, which will be constrained by budget impacts from a sluggish economy for several years.