Dear Mayor Jesse Arreguin, President, Association of Bay Area Governments,

As I wrote in an Op-ed in the Mountain View Voice last year, regional coordination is the only way we can solve the Bay Area’s regional challenges of housing affordability and transit. Now, more than ever, we need ABAG to provide bold leadership to get out of the hole we’re in.

So it was with great disappointment that I read about the dubious assumptions going into our RHNA needs determination. The status quo is a disaster and we shouldn’t extrapolate from it to guide the future! The proposed figure of 440,000 homes is not enough.

Dear Mayor Abe-Koga and Members of the City Council:

MV YIMBY, a local volunteer advocacy group, expresses its wholehearted support of the proposed development at 1001 N Shoreline. This development will provide 303 much-needed new homes, close to major employers, with zero displacement and minimal impact on existing neighborhoods.

The site is walking distance from employers in Terra Bella and North Bayshore. For those residents who will work outside the area, it is conveniently located to Highway 101 and future transit routes to the downtown transit center. And, since the new buildings will replace a surface parking lot adjacent to an existing office building of similar height, they will only minimally affect the character of the neighborhood.

Dear Mayor Abe-Koga and City Council:

The Mountain View chapter of South Bay YIMBY expresses its support for repurposing downtown street space for restaurant seating. We have long supported making Castro Street more walkable. We believe that auto traffic on the street’s downtown core is unnecessary, and that street parking there is especially detrimental to visitors’ experiences. We agree with Mayor Abe-Koga that “the social distancing requirements of COVID-19 makes this an opportune time for us to try this concept [pedestrianization]” (as quoted by Elena Kadvany in the MV Voice, May 13).

Dear Mayor Abe Koga and the members of council:

We are excited to see the first project in the East Whisman Precise Plan area coming to council for approval!
There’s much to like about this project:

• Located walking and biking distance to offices in the East Whisman neighborhood
• 427 much needed homes, including 157 missing middle ownership homes
• Addition of a 16000 sq foot public park
• Walking distance to Middlefield light rail station
• $4 million community benefit contribution ($1.5 million more than is required)

We urge the council to expedite the approval of this project, ensuring it can continue forward.
David Watson
Team Lead,
Mountain View YIMBY (30+ members)

Election Results

The results are in from the Primary election for Mountain View.

State Senate - District 13

Our endorsed candidate for State Senate race, Shelly Masur, will not continue into the General Election in the Fall. It will be a match up between Josh Becker and Alex Glew. We thank Redwood City Councilmember Shelly Masur for boldly taking pro-housing stances, including supporting SB-50, and we were proud to endorse her.

To the Environmental Planning Commission:

MV YIMBY, a local volunteer advocacy group, expresses its wholehearted support of the proposed development at 1001 N Shoreline. This development will provide 303 much-needed new homes, close to major employers, with zero displacement and minimal impact on existing neighborhoods.

The site is walking distance from employers in Terra Bella and North Bayshore. For those residents who will work outside the area, it is conveniently located to Highway 101 and future transit routes to the downtown transit center. And, since the new buildings will replace a surface parking lot adjacent to an existing office building of similar height, they will only minimally affect the character of the neighborhood.

Dear City Manager Kimbra McCarthy:

The Mountain View chapter of South Bay YIMBY would like to congratulate you on your recent appointment to the City Manager position.

We are a group of grassroots volunteers across the political spectrum that advocates for all types of new housing and fair housing policies. As Mountain View residents, our priority is to increase the availability and affordability of housing in walking distance to jobs, services, and mass transit.

Looks like our former president has noticed what’s going in California.

Here are a couple of articles that are worth reading -- from housing to health, these stories use data to explore challenges we face and demonstrate how policy solutions along with civic engagement can make a real difference in people’s lives.https://t.co/G6EIUwuMqV

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) February 19, 2020

If you’ve been following the news, you’ve certainly noticed that it’s primary voting season again. When you’re making your decision for nominee for president, don’t forget that there’s exciting races down the ballot as well!

Senate District 13: Shelly Masur

Shelly Masur has a history of supporting affordable housing production in Redwood City and is a self-identified YIMBY and a supporter of SB 50. This makes her the clear YIMBY choice for SD13.

Senate District 13: Shelly Masur

Shelly Masur is currently Vice Mayor of Redwood City and Vice President of the Peninsula Division of California League of Cities. She believes the state should increase funding to build more affordable housing, and wants to incentivize housing built near transit and walkable areas. She has a history of supporting affordable housing production in Redwood City and is a self-identified YIMBY and a supporter of SB 50.