January 7, 2020 Special Meeting of Mountain View City Council

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Transcript

[00:04:47] Mayor Lisa Matichak: In the gavel, so I'm glad you all heard the uh, clinking of the glass there. So we'll start with the pledge of allegiance, if you will all join me. of the United States or America, which just stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Wow, it's a full crowd. We'll start with roll call.

[00:05:25] City Clerk Lisa Natush: All council members are present.

[00:05:26] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Thank you. Thank you. And also like to recognize a lot of elected officials who are here tonight. And as they say, this is always dangerous to do. So, at the end, if I haven't spotted you, please let us know. So we've been watching as folks came in. We have county supervisor Joe Samidian. Are we going to do the one clap method? Because once you see this list, you'll understand why. We have, um, something member, ebon low, I think. See here? Is he here? He's not here. Ah! We thought he was. Los Gatos, council member Marico Sayoc. Where is she? Fiona Walter from Mountain View, Los Altos School District. Patrick Erins from Foothill, D'Anza College. Um, Liz Nis, Palo Alto's City Council. Rosemary Kamet, Santa Clara County Board of Education. Wendy Ho, San Jose Evergreen Community College Board. And, let's see, Naomi Nakano, Matsumoto from Fremont Union High School District. And Gilbert Wong from Foothill Dianza. And then we have some representatives from the office of Jerry Hill. And the office of Susan Ellenberg. Okay, did we miss anyone? I see somebody pointing, but I can't see who you're pointing to. Did you? Oh, Mark Berman's office. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, well, if anyone arrives, let us know. It's, um, always nice to recognize folks here. Okay, so we will start with the oath of office for advisory board members. And, um, we have quite a few and I'd like them to, um, please come down in front of the dais. And these are folks who have been newly appointed or reappointed to the city's advisory bodies. So for the downtown committee, We have Maria Lang and Jamil Sheikh. For the Human Relations Commission, we have Annette Lynn. For the library board, we have Phyllis Mizmanovsky. For Parks and Rec. We have Ronit Bryant. Steve Filios and Joe Mitchner. For the senior advisory committee, We have Myrna, Aragon, and Vicki Gilfix. And for the Visual Arts Committee, We have Cliff Bryant and Tutu Thompson. And our city clerk will administer the oath of office.

[00:09:20] City Clerk Lisa Natush: If you'll go ahead and raise your right hand and repeat after me. I say your name. do solemnly swear or affirm, that I will support and defend, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of California, against all enemies, foreign and domestic, against all enemies, foreign, that I will bear true faith and allegiance, to the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of California, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation, or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge. the duties upon which I'm about to enter.

[00:10:25] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Thank you. Congratulations. His congratulations, and thank you so much for volunteering your time to participate in these advisory bodies. We greatly appreciate it. Next is the consent calendar. The item. There's only one. We'll be approved by one motion unless any member of the council or audience wishes to remove it for discussion. Any council members have any comments on the one item? It's the minutes. Is there any member of the public who wishes to comment on the item? Okay, seeing none. Motion is in order. Cancel member Clark.

[00:11:19] Councilmember Chris Clark: I move the consent calendar.

[00:11:22] Mayor Lisa Matichak: So we have a motion by Council member Clark, and a second by Council member Romirez. There's no further discussion, we can vote. And the consent calendar passes unanimously. Next is oral communications. This portion of the meeting is reserved for a person's wishing to address the council on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are allowed to speak on any topic for up to three minutes during this section. State law prohibits the council from acting on non agenda items. Is there anyone who wishes to address the council on an item that is not on the agenda tonight? Okay, seeing none will close that portion. And we will move on to new business. And at this point, what we're gonna do is open it up for public comment on any item, as part of number 7, which is 71, 72, 73, and 74, and 75. So is there any member of the public who wishes to address the council on anything on item seven? Okay, seeing none, we'll close the public input portion. and bring it back to council. Oh, did you have something? Oh, sorry. We'll open up public comment again.

[00:12:52] Patrick Arrons: It's going to be the only one doing this, but I wanted to speak. Um, thank you so much, uh, Madam Mayor and city council. My name is Patrick Arrons. I have the pleasure of working with you this past year, and just wanted to say thank you so much for, it is a tireless effort to be mayor in Silicon Valley in these very troubling current times, and wanted to thank you so much for all of your service. I especially wanted to give a special shout out to my former boss, uh, vice mayor, Margaret Abby Koga. Um, we have had a lot of heated discussions over, um, all kinds of different priorities over the years, and especially when, when I was working with you and the assembly member's office, and I can say that, uh, Mountain View has a fierce fighter for them. And I've witnessed that personally. And I'm so grateful for the leadership that you've given this city. I've seen you, um, and many, many nights work so diligently and hard on, on fighting on behalf of people when all of the cameras and the people are away. You still fight for Mountain View families. And so I wanted to, to acknowledge that and especially wanted to acknowledge also my, um, fellow millennial, uh, colleague, uh, council member Alan Kame. It's, um, it's really great to see, um, young people step up with you and council member Ramirez winning your elections. Um this past year. Um, and it's just been a really amazing to see, see you on this dais, and it's really an honor to be here tonight, and and you are a trail blazer, council member Kame, and I'm looking forward to your leadership in the years ahead. So thank you so much.

[00:14:44] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Thank you. Is there anyone else who wishes to address the council on any of the items under new business? Okay, seeing none will close the public input portion, and bring it back to council. And, um, did you want to say anything? Okay.

[00:15:06] Vice Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: So, I'm gonna chime in here for item 7.1. We have a proclamation and recognition of our outgoing mayor, at least, I'm at a check. So, if you will join me at the front of the podium, we'll do the presentation there. All right. So, um, we have a tradition where we present a proclamation to our outgoing mayor, and, um, I am going to read it. So please bear with me, it's quite long, which is indicative of all of the accomplishments. Mayor Matachek has had this past year. Yeah, she told us as we were walking. She said, I don't want to do this, but it's like, no, this is your time. So, um, it's a real honor for me to be the one to present the proclamation. Lisa and I, wait, whoops. We, uh, ran together, uh, in 20 gush already 2016. Um, and I know, Lisa, before that, actually, as, um, the head of the wagon wheel neighborhood association, um, when there was a housing project in the neighborhood, and that's how we met. I'm gonna say maybe 10 years ago, we'll go or more. Um, and then uh, Lisa has served on our planning commission for many years. Um, and then we ran together and um, were elected at the same time. And it's been a real honor to serve with, um, Lisa. And, um, with, as council members, you know, the late nights we have on Tuesday nights. There's also a lot that goes behind the scenes, and oftentimes we spend more time with each other than our own families. Um, and so over the several years. Lisa has really become a true ally, and a real true friend. And, um, we've had a, you know, difficult year, I'd say 2019 was pretty tough. Um, and, uh, I have sat next to her in awe, and inspired by her strength, and her commitment, and, um, her, her will to, to do what's best for this community, and to get through those, those tough issues that we've had. So I just want to thank you, personally, for all of what you've done. Um, so with that, I'm gonna read this. Whereas Lisa Manachek was selected mayor by her fellow council members on January 8, 2019. And whereas, as mayor Lisa helped develop and supported projects to implement the city council's major goals in promoting a community for all with a focus on strategies and protecting vulnerable populations and preserve the socio and cultural diversity of the community. Improve the quality, diversity, and affordability of housing by providing opportunities, for subsidized middle income and ownership housing, develop and implement comprehensive and innovative transportation strategies to achieve mobility, connectivity, and safety for people of all ages, and to promote environmental sustainability, and the quality of life within enjoyment of current and future generations, with the focus on measurable outcomes. And, whereas during her tenure as mayor, the city council provided direction on and adopted major projects and initiatives, such as the East Wisman precise plan, the vision 0 plan to prevent fatal and severe injury traffic collisions, the El Camino streetscape plan to improve multimodal mobility, approval of new affordable housing projects, and completion of affordable housing projects at 779 West Evelyn Avenue and 1701 West El Camino Royale, modifications to enhance the below market rate housing program, expansion of the safe parking program, and final design of the state Route 237 and Middlefield Road Inter Exchange Improvement Project, and my mouth is getting dry. Whereas presiding as mayor, Lisa supported significant advancements in the city's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and achieve the city's sustainability goals, including adoption of the 0 waste policy to divert landfill waste, approval of a partnership with Valley Water, and the city of Palo Alto, to establish a new recycled water advanced treatment facility, adoption of a 3-year sustainability action plan, and creation of a $7500000 Sustainability Fund to support its implementation. And adoption of reach codes to require new buildings to be all electric and increase electric vehicle charging infrastructure to achieve a shift to renewable energy sources. And, whereas, while serving as mayor, Lisa held regular link up with Lisa, open meetings to hear from residents, connected with the business community through corporate visits, and represented the city when she presided over numerous. Events, excuse me, including Arbor Day, the grand reopening of the Community Center, opening of Lathan Community Garden, the grand reopening of the Stevens Creek Trail, Pickleball Court opening at Rankstove Park, the Veterans Day Ceremony the annual holiday tree lighting, and visits with delegations from the city's sister city, Iwata, Japan. And whereas, in performing her duties as mayor, Lisa represented the city, through leadership on regional organizations, including serving on the Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency Board of Directors, San Francisco Bay Area Regional Water System Financing Authority Board of Directors, Cities Association of Santa Clara County Board of Directors, Cities Association of Santa Clara County Selection Committee, County of Santa Clara, Emergency Operational Area Council, Moffat Field Restoration Advisory Board Rancho San Antonio County Park and Open Space Preserve Stakeholder Working Group, Santa Clara County Airport Land Use Commission, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara County Airport Community Roundtable, Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Authority, and the VTA Policy Advisory Committee. Ooh, all right. And whereas, throughout her term as mayor, Lisa also served on several council subcommittees, including, as chair of the appointments, review committee, chair of the policy and procedures committee, member of the finance investment review committee, and, whereas, during her tenure as mayor, Lisa emphasized the importance of community and employee engagement by attending and making friends with residents of all ages, at an extraordinary number of community including the spring parade, the multicultural festival, summer outdoor movie nights. Kid Shock, concerts on the Plaza, Thursday night, live, Monster Bash, Rita Fons, at local elementary schools, and breakfast with Santa, as well as connecting with employees, by attending and engaging with city staff, at employee recognition events and service celebrations. And, whereas in her role as mayor, Lisa Metachek supported the city's continued economic stability while providing increased resources for key priority areas and maintaining a credit rating of AAA. Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Mountain View City Council, on behalf of its members, city staff, and the community, does hereby express appreciation to Lisa Metachek for her year of dedicated service to the community as mayor. Signed the seventh day of January 2020.. Thank you. This is the actual approximation. Thank you. That's very.

[00:24:11] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Well, thank you very much, Margaret. I appreciate that. Um, I have appreciated um, your friendship. Um, and working with you this past year, especially, um, but all the years we've known each other before, so thank you very much. So, I do have a few things. I want to say, this is my one opportunity. It really has been an honor to be mayor this past year. Mountain View is a very special city. And I think you all know that. We have a wonderful downtown that's the envy of many other cities. Our transit center, while it's bursting at the seams, plays a key role in transportation in the region. Our residents are very engaged and diverse. which really gives us a great opportunity to expand our cultural experiences and learn from others. That's something I've certainly valued this past year. And let's not forget, where I recognized leader in the region in many, many areas, including housing and sustainability. And I'm personally very proud of that. So when I say it's been an honor to be mayor of this city, it's because this is such a forward thinking, diverse, unique city, that has the well earned reputation of being a leader. I have a few thank yous that I want to do. I want to thank my colleagues on council. A year ago, I said that I hope that we could have collegial relationships as we work together, through our goals, and the issues that the city faces, and other topics that come before us. And I'm happy to say that while we sometimes have different perspectives. I think we've done a great job of working very well together. And we've had great discussions, we've had some good compromises. And frankly, I think we've had a good time, too, working with each other. And I really greatly appreciate each one of you. So thank you. Thank you to our retired city manager, Dan Rich. Dan provided great guidance and advice to me, and I really enjoyed working with him. And to our former and current city attorney, Jenny Quinn and Christian Chopra. Thank you. You two provided a great deal of help. and are really great to work with. And our city clerk, Lisa Natush, I have spent a great deal of time with Lisa this year, and I really, I can't say enough good things about her. Thank you and your team for all the support you've provided. It has been an absolute joy to work with you. And, let's see, interim city manager, Chief Bozelle. Um, it's just been a short time, but it's been great. Now, wait a minute. And I want to thank the entire city staff. This year, I've had the opportunity to get to know more of you and work more closely with you. And that has been such a great experience. The residents of Mountain View are incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful, talented, caring employees of the city. Thank you so much for everything you do, for the council, and for the residents and the businesses here in Mountain View. And last but not least, I want to thank all the residents. It really has been great, getting to know... to know more of you this year. I met quite a few through my regular link up with Lisa meetings, and just all the other events that I attended. It was a great opportunity to get to know more people. And that has been incredibly valuable. I've had some great conversations. I appreciate hearing about your concerns and your issues. And, um, I hope to you won't stop doing that, um, even though I will not be mayor next year. But thank you for great conversations this year. At the beginning of my term, as mayor. I talked about some priorities for the year, and I'm happy to say that we've made progress on them. I appreciate my colleagues supporting an increase in resources focused on pushing back on state and federal legislation that is aimed at taking away local control. It's definitely been a challenging year in that regard, and it looks like it will continue on. But fortunately, we have prioritized increasing resources here at the city hall, to help us with, um, keeping track of, and providing input on, and trying to influence, uh, proposed legislation at both the state and the federal level. And I think we're finalizing that in February. When it comes to the region, I think many of us would like to see greater collaboration and consistency. And as I look back at this, I thought, well, the challenge here is, Mountain View is a leader in so many areas, that actually other cities are looking to us to see what to do. Um, and we need them to hurry up and get there. Uh, so that we do have greater consistency and collaboration in the region. But the area where we've made the most progress. I think is in addressing quality of life issues. And while it takes a while for all of those projects to come to fruition, I'm particularly happy to see some projects that I want to mention. And that's the preservation of the character and the historic resources in the first three blocks of Castro. It's a gem in the city, and we need to make sure we keep it that way. I'm excited about the expansion of the free community shuttle, and the adoption of a vision zero policy, and also the plans we have for bike lanes on El Camino real. And we have a whole bunch of other projects that are on our work plan, and I'm hoping we get to them in the next year. And that's updating the historic preservation ordinance, updating our community tree master plan, creating a comprehensive wildlife and habitat management plan. A review of the neighborhood traffic management plan. program, sorry. Looking at additional parking downtown. And we've got a lot more, and I know that we are going to take a look at, um, do we really have capacity to do all those projects? Um, it'll be a challenge, but, um, it's a good goal that we set out there. Closely tied to quality of life is sustainability. And we've certainly put aggressive plans in place to reduce our carbon footprint. The investment we've committed to in this area is really unprecedented. And for the first time, we just learned, we've actually reduced our carbon footprint. even as the community is growing. I think that is quite an accomplishment. Over this past year, we took up some very challenging issues that were very important for us to address displacement of residents due to development, homelessness, safe parking, public health and safety concerns, rent stabilization, and the list goes on and on. I think many of us feel like this has been a very challenging year, um, with lots of very, um, difficult issues to address. But I'm very happy that this is the group of colleagues that were the ones addressing those issues. Thank you. As I said before, it's been really great to work with you all. So, as my year? Of being mayor comes to a close. And I returned to my regular seat on the council, and I wasn't gonna do this. I really want residents to know that I'm still always open to your input. As I said earlier, it's been great getting to know more and more residents here, and I really treasure the relationships, the friendships, the conversations, and I look forward to that continuing next year. So thank you again for the honor of being mayor of this absolutely wonderful city.

[00:34:02] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Thank you. So at this point, um, we will move on to the, um, election of a, the mayor and vice mayor for 2020. And we'll start with the mayor, Council member Ramirez.

[00:34:27] Councilmember Lucas Ramirez: Thank you, Mayor, and thank you for your service to our city and community. I am pleased to nominate Margaret Abikoga for mayor. Margaret has been serving the city of Mountain View for close to 20 years as the Human Relations Commissioner, Environmental Planning Commissioner, and city council member for three terms. She has also represented our city on numerous regional boards, including in her current positions as chair of Silicon Valley Clean Energy, a member of the Bay Area Quality Management District Board, and Treasurer and Secretary of the City's Association of Santa Clara County. Her background, working for Congresswoman Anna Esu, and assembly member Evan Lowe, and a reformer service as trustee on the Santa Clara County Board of Education, gives her a well rounded and extensive understanding of government at all levels, as well as relationships with a wider variety of stakeholders. Of most relevance, is Margaret's previous service as Mayor of Mountain View during the Great Recession of 2009. Please join me in supporting Margaret from Mayer.

[00:35:27] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Thank you. So, we have a motion by council member Ramirez, and I seconded the motion. The nominations? Close the nominations. We'll close the nominations. And if there's no further comments, we will... vote.

[00:35:47] City Clerk: We'll proceed with a vogue, I will call vote. Oh, okay. Council member Clark?

[00:35:51] Councilmember Chris Clark: Yes.

[00:35:52] City Clerk: Council member Hicks?

[00:35:53] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Yes.

[00:35:54] City Clerk: Council member Kumay?

[00:35:55] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Yes.

[00:35:55] City Clerk: Council member McAllister.

[00:35:57] Councilmember John McAlister: Yep.

[00:35:57] City Clerk: Council member Ramirez.

[00:35:59] Councilmember Lucas Ramirez: Yes.

[00:35:59] City Clerk: Vice Mayor Abbe Koga.

[00:36:01] Vice Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: Yes,

[00:36:01] City Clerk: Mayor Mayor Matachek.

[00:36:04] Mayor Lisa Matichak: Enthusiastically, yes.

[00:36:06] City Clerk: Thank you. Thank you. That passes unanimously.

[00:36:29] Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: Thank you very much. Thank you to my colleagues. Um, I have some remarks at the very end, so I'll, uh, save my comments from then, for then, um, and we'll move on to item... 7.3. I guess it's part B. The nomination, an election of vice mayor. Are there any nominations for vice mayor?

[00:36:53] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Oh, let's see, how do I do this? That's right, we have switch seats. Do I just have that? Yeah, okay, yeah. Thank you. So, um, it gives me great pleasure to nominate Ellen Kumet for vice mayor. Ellen is in her second year on the council, and was on the city's environmental planning commission for six years. prior to being elected to counsel. And Ellen and I served together for four years on the EPC. Ellen definitely hit the ground running when she was elected to city council, and she was very prepared to take on this role. She brought a wealth of public sector experience to counsel, and a couple of the noteworthy roles that I want to mention. She worked as the district director for state assembly member, Mark Berman, and worked as the policy aide for Santa Clara County supervisor, Joe Smithian. She is currently employed by AT&T in the role of external affairs manager. And I think she's managing to strike a really good balance, given the demands of a full-time job, and also being on council. So hats off to you. One of Ellen's priorities is addressing housing for the missing middle. And she has said herself that she's a member of the missing middle. and that she and her fiancé would like to buy a home in Mountain View, but it's really challenging to do so. Ellen holds a bachelor's degree in English and Japanese from UC Santa Barbara. And she earned a master's degree in public administration from the University of Pennsylvania. I know Ellen will do a great job in the role of vice mayor.

[00:38:42] Councilmember Chris Clark: And I second that nomination.

[00:38:46] Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: Thank you. So, we have a motion in, uh, from, uh, council member, Matachek, and a 2nd from council member, Clark, are there any other comments, or discussion? If not, we'll take a roll call vote, please. Council member Clark.

[00:39:02] Councilmember Chris Clark: Yes.

[00:39:02] City Clerk: Council member Hicks.

[00:39:03] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Yes.

[00:39:03] City Clerk: Council member Commay.

[00:39:05] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Thank you.

[00:39:06] City Clerk: Counselor? Council member Mattachek?

[00:39:09] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Yes.

[00:39:11] City Clerk: Council member McAllister. Council member Ramirez.

[00:39:13] Councilmember Lucas Ramirez: Yes.

[00:39:14] City Clerk: Mayor Abbe Koga.

[00:39:15] Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: Thank you. Congratulations. Vice Mayor, Ellen Kameh.

[00:39:30] Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: We will now move on to item 7.4, which is remarks by our incoming Vice Mayor, Ellen Clay.

[00:39:39] Vice Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great. Thank you, Mayor Abbe Kuka. Uh, so, uh, first, I'd like to thank council member Mattachek and council member Clark for their nominations tonight. It's a great honor to be nominated by such great individuals and public servants, like the both of you. And both of you yourselves have served as vice mayor, and I look forward to all the advice you'll give me. I'd also like to express my appreciation to all of my colleagues for their support tonight. Over the course of the last 12 months and over 40 city council meetings, I counted. We have had the opportunity to collaborate and compromise on the region's most pressing policy issues. And these policy issues tend to be complex and challenging for a multitude of reasons. And I feel extremely fortunate to work with such dedicated, passionate, and respectful individuals like yourselves. Together, we have built a collegial environment. And this helps foster innovative ideas. And I believe it can do spirit as a governing body. I also like the opportunity to thank our city staff. Council's goals and priorities are implemented through all of your hard work. I'm grateful for the staff's commitment and dedication to the city. You are with us every step of the way, and sometimes very late at night, and whether it's meeting with residents facilitating meetings. You're always providing your creative solutions. As was mentioned, I started my career in the public sector. And now being on the policy making side of things. I appreciate staff's role and partnership with us even more. As we start this new year and new decade, I'm filled with cautious optimism. All of us love this community and are working to make it the best it can be. The city has moved forward in improving multimodal transportation options, tackling environmental sustainability, and we've generated 6500 units of new housing at a variety of different income levels. We have also made strides in becoming more accessible as public facing organization. The city has increased our staffing in our multilingual outreach program. We've begun streaming our meetings on YouTube. And we provide feminine hygiene products at no cost at our city hall facility and for all city employees. This year, we also have an opportunity to play a critical role in important federal issues like the upcoming 2020 census, of which I sit on the county steering committee. Yesterday, I was meeting with some of our city's custodial staff and was asked by one of the members of the group, uh, you know, what to use kind of the most important part of being a council member. And I said, meetings like this. meetings with Mountain View residents, talking about opportunities for people to be able to live and work in the city, that they're from. And having a good quality of life at that. Many of you know, the story of my family started here in Mountain View in the 1930s. And tonight continues the chapter of this story. I'd like to thank my friends, my relatives and my family, those with us, and those with us in spirit tonight. I particularly like to thank my mother, whose over 30 years in public service has been an example for me. And, uh, many times people ask if we talk shop. For me, she's just my mom. And I'd like to thank Mia, my fiancé, Chris, who still wants to marry me, even though I can never do anything on a Tuesday night. And lastly, I want to thank our incoming mayor, who encouraged me 8 years ago when I moved back to Mountain View to live with my grandfather, to think about getting involved and to join our cities' environmental planning commission. It's really grown into one of the loves of my life, serving this community. So thank you, Mountain View, for another year of doing what I get to love, which is serving all of you. Thank you.

[00:44:36] Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: Thank you, Vice Mayor Kamei, and I really look forward to working with you closely in this coming year. We move on to item 7.5, uh, which are my remarks, and, um, my colleague here was looking at my speech and with big eyes. I tried really hard to cut it down as much as I could, but, you know, been around a while, so there's a lot to say. So please bear with me, but I, um, we have a big party across the way. So I'll try to cut him down as much as possible. But 1st of all, I just want to thank all of you for being here. It's just quite overwhelming to see so many friends, family, supporters. It's like, this is like, this is your life. oftentimes. And it just is really overwhelming to see the love and the support here. So thank you all for making time to come out this evening. Um, I never thought I would be in the seat again, uh, when I left it back in 2010. Um, and actually looking, I went back and looked at old records, and, um, there've only been 20 people, uh, in the city who've had the chance to serve as mayor more than once. And so, um, I really feel fortunate to have this 2nd chance. And, um, I know how unique and special this opportunity is. Um, so I look forward to, um, doing my best and working, my heart is to, to, um, do right in this seat and to, um, make Mountain View, continue to make, maybe the great place that it is. I want to thank you all, our residents, for supporting me and voting for me, uh, three times so far. Um, and, um, I hope that I've been able to, and I can continue to convey how much I love our city and how committed I am to the city. So thank you to our residents. To my colleagues, thank you to Councilman Ramirez, for nominating me, and to former mayor, Metachek, for seconding that. I appreciate all of your unique perspectives, skills, and experiences, you bring to our deliberations, your commitment to collaboration, your compassion, and your sincere interest in doing what is best for our community. I know not all councils are that way. So, I sincerely appreciate how we work together, to find common ground and build consensus to move our city forward, so I'm really honored to serve with you. In particular, I want to thank Mayor Matter check for her great leadership in helping navigate us through 2019, as I mentioned, was a really tough year. And we had some extremely complex and controversial issues to address. And I want to thank you for your strength and thoughtfulness in how you led us. So, I hope this year is a lighter one, and I hope you get to take a little break. But thank you for your leadership. To my family and friends. Um, I, you know, thank you for your unwavering support and love throughout the years. I'm especially grateful to my husband, Yoto. It's been my rock for what will be 25 years of marriage this summer. And to my girls, my younger one's not here. She's doing volleyball. I try not to be a tiger mom, but for volleyball, I am. And then my older daughter, Ilee, um, and they were my real inspiration to run for elected office. Um, I first ran for the Board of Education when Ilee was eight months old, and, um, you know, I was 30 something. A little shy, a little unsure of myself, but when I had Ilee, I thought, You know what, if I can bring life into this world, I can do anything. And so she was my inspiration, um, for running for office, and I do what I do, because I want to build the right future for them and our future generations. And so thank you to my family, for your patience, understanding and sacrifice, in allowing me to serve this community. I'm really delighted this evening to welcome and introduce to all of you, my extended family members. Um, my second cousins, who were, like, my siblings growing up, um, Elaine, Honadara, and, um, her son, Kenan, is here. Um, so the first, yeah, the 1st row in the 2nd row, part of the 2nd row, our family, which is really amazing to me as an only child. Um, and then Edmund Shinosaki is my big brother and his wife, Cheryl, and their son, Sage, Spencer, Simon, Stellen. My grandnephew. Robert Caleb. And my other 2nd cousin, Steve Abbe, and Frank Abbe, who, we share, I think, an interest and passion for political empowerment. I consider him one of the OGs of the Asian American civil rights movement as a journalist, writer, and historian who's been telling the story of the Japanese American internment during World War II. when the U.S. government incarcerated its own people. And so, thank you for all of you for being here. I'm just really honored to have you here with me. And although my parents are no longer with me, I do want to thank them and acknowledge them. I often think of them, and their struggles, as immigrants, with limited English language skills, and the lack of a voice in the society. And I've shared with many of you how my upbringing inspired me to pursue public service so I could work towards ensuring everyone has a voice. More than ever that this concept is being challenged in our nation. So it calls for increased vigilance and fortitude, and ensuring that everybody is heard. Mountain View, on the other hand, has generally valued diversity, and I cherish that very much. 11 years ago, I was proud to be the first Asian Pacific American female in Mountain View's history to become mayor. I see Art Takahara, our first Asian American mayor in the back. Welcome, and thank you for being here. He's been a mentor to me. And since then, the progress has been incremental at times, and sometimes we've gone backwards. We now have a council that I think is much more reflective of our diverse community. And tonight, we may be. I'm still trying to verify this, but we may be the first city in at least the Bay Area, if not the state, and perhaps the nation outside of Hawaii, to have two Japanese American females in these roles. I want to congratulate our vice mayor again. I've known Ellen and her family for decades now, and so it's a real delight to be on the team, same team here. Looking ahead, in terms of our goals, I'm, you know, definitely committed to them. Mayor Metachek mentioned them protecting vulnerable populations, improving housing, opportunities, and transportation strategies, as well as environmental sustainability. And as I just quickly wanted to go through each one, I think, in terms of housing, it's fair to say that we've made great strides, particularly in this last year. We have 6,500 units of housing in the development pipeline right now. And we've also zoned for another 15,000 units through our general plan and precise plan updates since 2012. So, we're on track to increase our housing stock by about 60% of all of those units are built. We've also improved, funded, and partnered to build hundreds and now thousands of units of subsidized housing, addressing the needs of a variety of populations, workforce, veterans, the disabled, educators, and we've certainly done our part as a city to plan and zone for more than our fair share of housing in the region. Now, it's up to the development community to get those units built. Despite a strong economy, we've seen the challenges that have come with it. Some have called it the perils of prosperity. I'm proud that back in 2014, with my former colleague, I see Mayor Roney Bryant, we work to raise the minimum wage, and that has led us now to be the city in the nation with the highest minimum wage. So I'm proud of that and being able to provide workers with the opportunity, more of an opportunity to live here. I look forward to continuing our work to address the affordability gap and further protect vulnerable populations, by working on anti displacement, housing stability, and unfair labor practices, such as wage theft. Of course, everybody talks about traffic in the Bay Area, and traffic congestion is one of those big issues. And I believe that this year, along with housing, traffic, or transportation, will take center stage. I've always said, housing and transportation, go hand in hand, and I think we will be seeing a bigger spotlight on transportation this year, as we look at the state of VTA, and possibly another regional transportation funding measure. As my colleague has said, We need to actively advocate for a transformative approach to transportation and transit rather than mere incremental changes to the status quo. And we also need to ensure that Mountain View gets its fair share of resources. So I look forward to engaging in these conversations, regionally, and voicing our city's concerns and priorities. In terms of climate change, as mentioned, we've made great strides with the formation of Silicon Valley Clean Energy. The adoption of our ambitious sustainability, action plan, and the passage of reach codes, where we will require all new buildings to be all electric. Climate change is real, and we need to take bold actions to combat it. But I've realized, as we've done this work, that we have a lot of work to do in terms of community outreach and education, so that we are all on the same page. We also need to keep a close eye on the status of PG&E and advocate to ensure that we don't repeat history and simply allow the agency to go back to business as usual. I wanted to make special note of our young people. Being a mom is my biggest pride. And our young people have stood up to climate change, as they know their future depends on it. I circle back to, again, as I mentioned, my daughters, um, inspiring me to run for office. And so, I want to increase our focus on our youth, this year, and the issues that they are champani, whether it is climate change, gun safety, or health and wellness. So, we can assure that they do have a bright, a bright future ahead. Looking inward into our city organization as our city grows, we need to remember that it's not just about housing units, but we need to ensure the right level of city services, programs, and infrastructure to maintain our high quality of life. We've commissioned service level and infrastructure needs studies. And I look forward to discussing those issues in depth as we plan for the future. As our city has grown, so has the workload of our organization, and I want to take this opportunity to thank our city staff, each and every one of them for the hard work, commitment, and dedication that they give to the city and our residents, they go above and beyond, and I believe that we have the best city organization in the nation, at least. And so thank you for all that you do. But I have to be honest, I think that the frenzied pace that we have been working at is not sustainable, and we really need to take a closer look at our goals and prioritize them more carefully to find ways to be more efficient, while being transparent and inclusive. So, because I really don't want to burn out our organization. To that effect, I'm excited to welcome our new city manager. I don't think she's here today, but there was a press release that was put out earlier today. Um, it's Timra McCarthy. Um, familiar face, she was with us before, and she come, will come from Redwood City to us as our city manager in a few months, and I know that she will lead us in our efforts to maintain our excellence, as well as provide a fresh set of eyes, um, and perspective on our operations to find ways for improvement. We had a lot of retirements at the end of 2019. So, there are a lot of new faces around. And I am confident that we will continue to maintain our excellent surface levels. And I'm also looking forward to some new beginnings and looking at things in different ways. Um, I was asked the other day by Mark Noak at the voice. I saw him back there somewhere. If being mayor, this time, is easier, will be easier, harder, than my first time, and my response was that it'll probably be different. I definitely look forward to utilizing my experience, having done this once before, and taking lessons learned. So, in that sense, I hope the job will be easier. But, um, back in 2009, um, the job was very challenging in that we had, we were in the midst of the Great Recession. And we were focused on our budget and the deficit. There were many sleepless nights I had when I worried about cuts to service, as well as cuts to our staff. But we managed to withstand the challenges by banding together, and everyone pitching in. Today, our city has grown. The economy is strong, and there are many more eyes on us as we become the center of innovation in Silicon Valley. in the tech industry. So I think the challenges are different. In many ways, more complex, with less clear cut solutions, there's more scrutiny on our actions. And we also have had to be active at the regional, state, and national stage, as the issues we deal with have no borders. So, some of these challenges, at times, have divided our community in the last few years. But just as during the Great Recession, I hope that we can band together again, work together collaboratively, respectfully, with reason and understanding, and the issues we face maybe a scene dire at times, and the tenor at the national level does not lend to civility. But Mountain View has been the special place that it is because folks have shown compassion for one another. regardless of our backgrounds. So let's see each other for who we are, rather than what we represent, and build relationships with one another, so that we can unite again as a community. On a personal note, this is a big year for me, and in addition to my 25th wedding anniversary. I'll be turning 50 this year, and I'm working my way towards my 4th anniversary of being cancer free. And... Um, certainly the chance to be mayor again adds, um, even more specialness to this year, and, um, definitely with the cancer. I've said this before, but the cancer experience. It really puts a different perspective on life, and I really cherish every moment that I have here with all of you. And so I commit myself to, you know, to doing my best to serve this committee to the best of my ability. And on top of that, though, I do hope that we can have fun, because that's what makes the community, is having fun, and in that way, we can build relationships. So let's make sure to have fun along the way. I look forward to connecting with many of you throughout the year, just as Lisa had her link ups. Um, I'm updating my 2009 chat with Mac sessions to meet ups with Mac for 2020. So please check the website for updates on when I'll be having those meetups and please come to them. And, um, again, thank you so much for the opportunity to serve, um, thank you again for being here. Your support is what sustains me. And I would like to now, invite you all to join the vice mayor and me for a reception across the way at the Center for Performing Arts. You should be, you'll probably hear them. The sounds of the Jun Taik, the Japanese drummers. They'll be performing for it. And we have some good food and drink. So please join us and be merry, and thank you again for being here, and that adjourns our meeting. Actually... Actually, I think I jumped the gun. I should have to ask for council staff committee reports. Anybody have anything? Nope. And is there a closed session report?

[01:02:31] City Attorney Krishan Chopra: No close picture.

[01:02:33] Mayor Margaret Abe-Koga: Great. Then we will now adjourn, and to our next meeting, next Tuesday, January 14th, at 5 o'clock in the Plaza conference room. Thank you very much.

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