First Candidate to Address Jobs/Housing Imbalance

By James R "Jim" Neal

Before there was a 'Balanced Mountain View", I was speaking out on this subject and talking about the need for more housing using a 'smart and balanced' approach. Here is the article I wrote in the Voice in January

I just finished reading the article about titled "Surprised by local housing costs? You shouldn't be". The article goes in depth into the history of jobs and housing in Mountain View. However, at the end of the article it states:

"Three of the four city council members who have opposed housing in North Bayshore and often elsewhere, Margaret-Abe-Koga, Ronit Bryant and Jac Siegel (Siegel and Bryant were also the biggest opponents to North Bayshore office growth), will be forced out by term limits at the end of year. Candidates for their seats have yet to step forward."

While this statement may be technically true since it will be months before papers can be officially filed, it would not have been difficult to look through comments that I have made in the MV Voice online edition or even to talk to people that regularly attend City Council meetings to discover that I intend to run again for City Council this year!

I have not made any secret of my intentions since the last campaign. I have been dedicating myself to learning more about the issues and events that affect our city by attending almost as many Council Meetings as the current City Council Members, as well as attending EPC meetings and community events. I am also a regular speaker at almost all the meetings as well. This has been no mean feat as I have a full time job in Berkeley as well as other responsibilities.

I also spend a lot of time speaking with current and former City Council members, city staff, and residents to get their impressions on what is going on and changes that are needed.

Almost everyone agrees that Affordable Housing is the number one issue facing the city at this time. This will be my number one priority if the residents of Mountain View decide that they would like for me to represent them. I know that there are no fast and easy solutions, but I can promise that I will listen to what the residents want and need.

What I have heard so far is that most residents agree that we need some new housing here in Mountain View, but they are alarmed at the pace of the growth and they believe that it will lead to a decreased quality of life, disruption to their neighborhoods, and a loss of local businesses such as Rose Market, The Milk Pail, and Cucina Venti. I believe that a smart and balanced approach to growth is what is needed in order to preserve these local gems.

Right now, Mountain View is providing far more jobs than housing and there is no way at the current rate of job growth in the area that this city could ever provide housing for everyone who wants to work here. In my opinion, we should be trying to add a reasonable amount of housing, yet still maintain the quality of life that we currently have. It is the quality of life here that is the reason that most people, including myself, have either chosen to live here or have remained here. We are not Manhattan or San Francisco nor should we try to become them.

If you agree with me or if you simply want to know more, please visit my campaign website:

http://www.electneal.org

Please note that my website is still in its early stages and I will be adding more content as I am able. Please feel free to use the "Contact Us" page on the site to leave feedback or you can email me at:

info@electneal.org

I look forward to hearing from you and I would appreciate your vote in November.

Jim Neal Old Mountain View