Affordability Across All Stages of Life
Housing is the headline, but it's not the whole story. For families to stay in Mountain View, not only do they need to be able to afford housing, but also access to childcare, transportation, healthcare, and other essential services. Homeowners on fixed incomes face their own pressures. From rising cost to limited opportunities to downsize or aging in place while remaining in the community they helped build. While we cannot solve every affordability challenge on our own, we can make thoughtful decisions that help families, seniors, and workers continue to call Mountain View Home. Childcare access: Mountain View already invests in childcare access, including support for low-income families through the City Child-Care Center. But the need is larger than what the current program can meet. I will work to expand childcare affordability partnerships with trusted community based organizations, childcare providers, Santa Clara County, and school districts, to make sure that no one falls through the cracks even for families who may earn too much to qualify but still cannot absorb the cost of child care. That means exploring local gap-funding, provider support, and better outreach so families know what assistance already exists. Senior stability and aging in place: Too many seniors face a difficult choice: stay in a home that no longer fits their needs, or leave Mountain View entirely. I will support the goals of R3 zoning update, including more diverse housing types, stacked flats, and middle-income ownership oppotunities. I will also advocate for expanding home safety and accessibility assistance (like grab bars, ramps, fall prevention upgrades, basic repairs) for low-income seniors, renters with landlord approval, and residents with disabilities. Transportation and transit access: Reliable, affordable transportation matters for everyone, but especially for workers and families who cannot afford the cost of a car or a second car. Mountain View already has free shuttle options, including the Mountain View Community Shuttle and MVgo. I will support safer walking and bicycle infrastructure that are paired with anti-displacement protections, so that improved transit access doesn't come at the expense of the residents it's meant to serve. Protecting youth and school programs: Many families depend on after school and youth programs not just for enrichment, but for stability. I will protect funding for these services in any budget negotiation and work with school districts and nonprofits to close gaps wherever they exist.
Smart, Equitable Housing That Works for You
Mountain View needs more housing, but it must serve the people who live and work here, not just those who can afford the most expensive units. That means building at all income levels, protecting those most at risk of displacement, and navigating state housing law in a way that reflects our community's values. SB 79 and transit-oriented housing: State Bill 79 allows higher-density housing within a half-mile of major transit stops and went into effect July 1, 2026. I support the goal, more homes near transit is good for the environment and for affordability. But I will push for Mountain View to use the local alternative plan provision to ensure that implementation protects historic corridors, mobile home parks, and existing lower-income neighborhoods from displacement-driven demolition. Being pro-housing and pro-tenant are not opposites. Missing middle housing: I support completing the long-overdue R3 zoning update with form-based standards that favor stacked flats, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes over large townhome developments. This "missing middle" infill fits into existing neighborhoods, generates more affordable units, and reduces reliance on mega-developments. Protecting mobile home and RV residents: Mobile home and RV residents are among Mountain View's most housing-insecure community members, and they are directly threatened by new development pressure. I will defend and strengthen the Mobile Home Rent Stabilization Ordinance, ensure that the SB 79 local alternative plan exempts mobile home parks, and require that any infrastructure project that would displace inhabited RVs include a funded relocation assistance plan before it can move forward. Deeper affordability requirements: The city's data shows nearly 4 low-wage workers competing for each affordable unit in Mountain View. The city's homeownership strategy currently targets households at 80–120% AMI, I support that, but will push to ensure affordability programs also reach families at 50–80% AMI and below, who are the most at risk of displacement and the least served by market-rate housing. Real displacement response: The Housing Department is developing a displacement response strategy as part of the 2023–31 Housing Element. I will push for it to include funded community liaisons who speak residents' primary languages, direct relocation assistance, not just referrals, and proactive outreach before displacement happens, not reactive support after someone has already lost their home.
Safe, Healthy, and Connected Neighborhoods
A city that works is one where people feel safe walking to school, can get around without a car, and have access to the community spaces and services that make a neighborhood feel like home. Safety is about infrastructure, prevention, and services, not just policing. Vision Zero and pedestrian safety: I fully support Mountain View's Vision Zero commitment to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2030. That means investing in bike lanes, protected intersections, safe routes to school, and traffic calming measures, and doing so with real community input. When infrastructure improvements conflict with the needs of vulnerable residents, as we saw with the Terra Bella bike lane, I will require anti-displacement plans to be in place before any project moves forward. Mental health co-response: Public safety must include mental health. I will advocate for a fully funded, standing mental health co-responder program — not a pilot — that deploys trained civilian mental health workers alongside or instead of police for appropriate calls. This reduces pressure on MVPD, improves outcomes for people in crisis, and treats mental health as the public health issue it is. Libraries as community infrastructure: As a Santa Clara County Library District outreach specialist, I know that libraries are far more than books. They are safe spaces for children after school, resource hubs for seniors, navigation centers for immigrant families, and warming centers for unhoused residents. I will defend library funding in every budget negotiation and advocate for library programs to be formally recognized as part of Mountain View's public safety and community health ecosystem. Climate resilience for renters: Most city climate programs — weatherization, energy retrofits, green infrastructure — benefit homeowners. I will push for renter-benefiting programs funded through Measure G's green infrastructure allocation: weatherization and energy-efficiency upgrades in rental housing that lower utility bills for low-income households. Green infrastructure and parks: Tree canopy, accessible parks, and green space are part of neighborhood livability for everyone — and they disproportionately benefit lower-income neighborhoods that have historically had less of them. I will support equitable distribution of parks investment, including the Terra Bella Park project, and ensure new development includes meaningful public open space.
A City Government People Can Actually Rely On
Residents deserve a city government that listens early — not just during a comment period after decisions have already been made — and that follows through with clear, accessible communication. This especially matters for residents who face language barriers, have limited time to attend city hall meetings, or have historically been left out of civic processes. Early, multilingual community engagement: The R3 zoning update was in process for seven years before council gave final direction. SB 79 became law months before the city briefed residents on its impacts. I will push for community briefings within 60 days of any major state law or policy change, translated materials as the default (not an afterthought), and neighborhood-level meetings — not just hearings at city hall — so that participation doesn't require a car or a half-day off work. Small business roundtable: The council made a good step in March 2026 by streamlining planning permits for businesses under 4,000 square feet. I want to build on that with a standing, council-led small business roundtable — a direct-feedback mechanism so local businesses have a voice before decisions are made, not after. I will also advocate for commercial anti-displacement protections: right-of-first-refusal policies for small businesses displaced by city-approved redevelopment, especially longtime community-serving businesses in neighborhoods facing upzoning. Measure G accountability: Measure G allocates 20–25% of proceeds to affordable housing, and I will hold the council to that commitment. I will push for annual public reporting — clear, plain-language, and translated — on how Measure G funds are spent: how many units created, at what income levels, serving which communities. Specific projects like the Lot 12 affordable housing development on Castro Street must be delivered on time and on budget. Federal and state funding flexibility: Rep. Liccardo has introduced federal legislation inspired by Mountain View's own advocacy to unlock restrictions on how cities spend federal affordable housing money. I will make pursuing that flexibility a city priority — because every dollar we free from bureaucratic restrictions is a dollar that can go directly to housing our most vulnerable residents.
