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The questions were prepared by the the League of Women Voters of the Los Altos-Mtn. View Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
See below for questions on
Traffic and housing,
NASA Ames,
Community input
Click on a name for other candidate information. See also more information about this contest.
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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?
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Answer from Nicholas B. "Nick" Galiotto:
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.
Answer from Bruce Karney:
Traffic congestion is one sign of the imbalance between jobs and housing. When we create thousands of jobs in Mountain View, but the new housing is built in Tracy and Watsonville, commuters will be on the road for 50 miles each way. If we built homes and apartments in Mountain View to match the jobs created here, commuters would face only a 2 or 3 mile trip to work, and many would walk or bike rather than clogging freeways. The Council must work to create more housing here and encourage more efficient use of the housing we already have.
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2. What specific concerns, if any, do you have about the recommendations in the NASA Ames Development Plan which was released in late July?
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Answer from Bruce Karney:
The plans for research and teaching are very exciting, but I believe NASA/Ames should be developed so that it improves the jobs/housing balance, not worsens it. In order to do this the current plan should be revised to add substantially more housing.
I also do not think the plan adequately addresses toxic waste clean-up.
Answer from Nicholas B. "Nick" Galiotto:
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.
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3. As a Councilmember, how would you bring together members of the community to address local issues?
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Answer from Bruce Karney:
I have a great deal of experience in community-building and communications, both in my work at HP and in my civic activities. I know first-hand that many people attend their first Council meeting only after being surprised to learn about some important change that affects them. These individuals often learn about the issue too late to have an impact on the outcome, and become angry and frustrated by what they perceive as lack of openness.
We can address this with things as simple as notice boards in City Parks where news bulletins can be posted, and as modern as e-mail groups that people can subscribe to on subjects of interest. Many non-profit groups use e-mail lists like this with great results, and the City should sponsor them too.
Answer from Nicholas B. "Nick" Galiotto:
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.
Responses to questions asked of each candidate
are reproduced as submitted to the League.
Candidates must limit their answers to 300 words total so that a paper Voter Guide may be published. After noon on Sept 27 word limits will no longer apply. Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.
The order of the candidates is random and changes daily.
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LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
