League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 2, 2004 Election
	Matt Pear Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Mountain View

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. Passing a balanced City budget each year has become a major challenge. What specific strategies will you promote in response to a continuing revenue shortfall?

Maintain our City's AAA credit rating and balance the City's budget through effective use of taxpayer dollars and increase revenues through economic development rather than taxes. (California is one of the most expensive states in which to do business.) I volunteered for the SCCCA Economic Development Policy Committee to work with businesses and Councils to develope a regional strategy for consideration and adoption at the local council level to stimulate more sales, which is a significant source of revenue for Mountain View.

2. What would you do, if anything, to make home ownership possible for more families of local public safety workers, other City employees, District teachers and medical personnel?

Our current housing crisis is the result of special interest and political impediments in the entitlement and depreciation of multifamily housing. Affordable housing can only be achieved through rental housing, which requires strong fiscal incentives. Government is the biggest impediment to affordable housing due to the numerous fees and the 1986 Tax Reform Act. The Home Builders Association of Northern California estimates City fees between $50,000 to $100,000 per unit. The objective is to allow investors to recoup their expenses through lower costs and shorter depreciation schedules, rather than completely through rents, as well as provide public assistance loans for home ownership.

We need to review zoning and surplus properties for housing in an environmentally sensitive manner that is supported by the appropriate infrastructure so that you do not diminish the character and charm of Mountain View.

3. On which local and regional committees, boards, and task forces would you like to serve? If your personal views on issues before these bodies do not coincide with those of the Council as a whole, how will you handle this?

I support Smart Growth, transportation, and water conservation; therefore, I'm interested in the Santa Clara Valley Water Commission, the SF Bay Area Regional Water System, the CalTrain Policy Advisory Board, and the SCCCA Economic Development Policy Committee.

A Councilmember's committee vote is governed by the City's Legislative Guidelines and Policy Briefing book that represents the Council's position. For those issues not addressed by the City, the Councilmember is free to express their opinion.