City Council Meeting - January 11, 2022

Video

Agenda

• 1. CALL TO ORDER: Welcome, meeting rules, and opening remarks (00:00:00)
• 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance (00:01:48)
• 3. ROLL CALL: City Clerk takes attendance of council members (00:02:13)
• 4. CONSENT CALENDAR: Approval of consent calendar items including the AB 361 Resolution (00:02:41)
• 5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC ON NONAGENDIZED ITEMS: Public comments on matters not listed on the agenda (00:04:37)
• 6. NEW BUSINESS: Public comment period for all New Business items (6.1 through 6.6) (00:10:48)
• 6.1 Presentation of Proclamation in Recognition of Outgoing Mayor Ellen Kamei: Reading of the proclamation and remarks from council members and staff (00:44:09)
• 6.2 Remarks by Outgoing Mayor: Outgoing remarks and reflections from Mayor Ellen Kamei (01:08:44)

Transcript

1. CALL TO ORDER

[00:00:32] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Good evening everyone, welcome to the City Council meeting of January 11th, 2022. I'm going to read the usual announcement as required. This meeting will be conducted in accordance with Assembly Bill 361 and City of Mountain View City Council Resolution Number 18629. All members of the City Council are participating in this meeting by video conference, with no physical meeting location.

[00:01:41] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Members of the public wishing to observe the meeting live may do so at mountainview.legistar.com, on YouTube at mountainview.gov/youtube, and on Comcast Channel 26.

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

[00:01:48] Mayor Ellen Kamei: And we'll move on to item number two, which is our Pledge of Allegiance. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1. CALL TO ORDER

[00:01:55] Mayor Ellen Kamei: As noted on the meeting agenda, members of the public may provide oral public comments during the public comment period by visiting mountainview.gov/meeting to enter the Zoom webinar, or by dialing phone 669-900-9128 and entering webinar ID 843 5126 7142. Any emails received by 6:00 p.m. today were received directly by the City Council.

2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

[00:01:55] Mayor Ellen Kamei: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Great. Thank you.

3. ROLL CALL

[00:02:13] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. We'll move on to item three, which is our roll call. The City Clerk will take attendance by roll call.

[00:02:20] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Abe-Koga?

[00:02:21] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: Here.

[00:02:22] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Hicks?

[00:02:23] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Here.

[00:02:25] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Matichak?

[00:02:26] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Here.

[00:02:27] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Lieber?

[00:02:28] Councilmember Sally Lieber: Here.

[00:02:30] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Sorry. Councilmember Showalter?

[00:02:32] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Here.

[00:02:33] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Vice Mayor Ramirez?

[00:02:36] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Here.

[00:02:37] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Mayor Kamei?

[00:02:38] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Here.

[00:02:39] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Thank you.

[00:02:40] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you.

4. CONSENT CALENDAR

[00:02:41] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. So I'll move on to item 4, which is our consent calendar. The reading of the full text of resolutions and ordinances will be waived unless a council member requests otherwise. Would any member of the council like to pull an item listed on the consent calendar?

[00:02:58] Mayor Ellen Kamei: I'm not seeing any hands. So would any member of the public on the line like to provide comment on the item listed on the consent calendar? If so, please click the raise hand button in Zoom or press star nine on your phone.

[00:03:17] Mayor Ellen Kamei: And I see no hands. City Clerk, I don't think we have any calls in either, right? Perfect. So I'll bring the item back for council action and note that a motion to approve the consent calendar should also include reading the title of the resolution attached to item 4.1. Councilmember Showalter.

[00:03:39] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yes, I'd like to move the consent calendar, that we adopt a resolution of the City Council allowing all legislative bodies of the City of Mountain View subject to the Brown Act to continue to meet remotely in accordance with AB 361 and making required findings.

[00:03:56] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. So we have a motion by Councilmember Showalter. Councilmember Hicks.

[00:04:03] Councilmember Alison Hicks: I'll second that motion.

[00:04:05] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, and a second by Councilmember Hicks, so we will do a roll call vote.

[00:04:10] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Showalter?

[00:04:12] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yes.

[00:04:13] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Hicks?

[00:04:16] Councilmember Alison Hicks: What's that?

[00:04:18] City Clerk Heather Glaser: I'm calling the roll.

[00:04:19] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Oh, oh, yes, I vote for it.

[00:04:21] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Okay. Councilmember Abe-Koga?

[00:04:24] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: Aye.

[00:04:25] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Lieber?

[00:04:26] Councilmember Sally Lieber: Aye.

[00:04:27] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Matichak?

[00:04:28] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Yes.

[00:04:29] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Vice Mayor Ramirez?

[00:04:31] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Yes.

[00:04:33] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Mayor Kamei?

[00:04:34] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Yes.

[00:04:35] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Motion carries unanimously.

[00:04:37] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great. Thank you.

5. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS FROM THE PUBLIC ON NONAGENDIZED ITEMS

[00:04:40] Mayor Ellen Kamei: So move on to item five, Oral Communications. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons 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.

[00:04:56] Mayor Ellen Kamei: State law prohibits the Council from acting on non-agenda items. Would any member of the public on the line like to provide comment on this item? If so, please click the raise hand button in Zoom or press star nine on your phone. We'll display the three-minute timer on the screen and then I'll call on the first person.

[00:05:23] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Okay, and the first person I have queued is Albert Jeans. City Clerk Glaser, do we have a presentation from Albert? Just checking. Okay. All right. Can't seem to-- oh, here we go. Hi Albert.

[00:05:49] Albert Jeans: Sorry, had a hard time finding that window.

[00:05:51] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Yeah, me too.

[00:05:52] Albert Jeans: Yeah, okay. Good evening Mayor Kamei and Vice Mayor Ramirez and Council Members. I'm of course Albert Jeans, 38-year resident of Mountain View. I'm sure that all of you know that Senate Bill 9 is now the law. And for all practical purposes, single family home zoning, R1, no longer exists in California.

[00:06:10] Albert Jeans: However, I think that many homeowners are not even aware that this has happened. So I would like to take this opportunity to show them and you what it could possibly mean for our neighborhoods and Mountain View. I've studied the law, and it's rather vague in some parts, but here is my best guess as to what could happen. Next slide, please.

[00:06:28] Albert Jeans: Here's a model I made of my home with one of these new developments next door. The law allows almost anyone who owns a single-family home lot to divide it in two and build two housing units, i.e. a duplex, on each lot. With only four-foot setbacks from the property lines, a driveway, and a one-car garage, it turns out you can build four 750 square foot homes and there's nothing the city or the neighbors can do to stop it.

[00:06:52] Albert Jeans: If the lot is within half a mile of a high-quality transit corridor like El Camino Real or a major transit stop like the transit center, even the garage is not required. Homes larger than 800 square feet could be precluded if the city chose to enact the appropriate objective zoning standards, but it would be difficult to prevent a second story from being added.

[00:07:13] Albert Jeans: How likely is it that anyone would actually want to do this? Developers are posing this as a great way for you and them to cash out some of the equity in your property. Next slide. With no money down, they are offering to handle the lot split, design and build the homes, and handle the sale of the second duplex. Next slide, please.

[00:07:34] Albert Jeans: All you have to do is give them a 20% cut from the profits. But won't this generate, you know, new housing which we need? Next slide, please. Yes, but none of this new housing needs to be affordable. It's all market rate. In fact, upzoning will increase property value, so all housing becomes more expensive.

[00:07:54] Albert Jeans: If people end up using their garage, if they have one, for storage, street parking will explode. And of course there's no money for parks and schools, which larger developments are required to pay for. So what can we do? Last slide, please.

[00:08:09] Albert Jeans: There's a statewide grassroots drive to put an initiative called Our Neighborhood Voices on November's ballot, which would allow local jurisdictions to override SB9 if they choose to do so. Many cities and civic leaders have already endorsed this initiative. I encourage Mountain View to do so as well.

[00:08:26] Albert Jeans: I also feel that the city has a responsibility to educate its residents on this very important issue which affects our neighborhoods so greatly. Thank you very much.

[00:08:37] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. Tim McKenzie. We'll just wait for the timer, Tim, just a second. There we go.

[00:08:48] Tim McKenzie: Hi all. Happy New Year. I know usually when I speak I'm sort of a little bit adversarial sometimes, but I do hope that we can have some pleasant moments here and I'd just like to take a brief moment to do a little reflection.

[00:09:05] Tim McKenzie: The first time I ever commented at City Council was because there was a broken mirror at the Caltrain underpass at San Antonio Road. And during the fall I was biking past the underpass and I noticed that the mirror was covered in spray paint and I made a note in my head to go report it on the city website and I forgot to, and a few weeks later I biked past and the mirror was fixed and taken care of.

[00:09:33] Tim McKenzie: And that is a very big difference from the first time I showed up to City Council a few years ago. I made comment about it and then it took several months to get fixed. So, I just want to point out positive things of good governance, things that are done well, and in the past year, Mountain View has decided to stock public bathrooms with free period products.

[00:09:57] Tim McKenzie: So I just wanted, while we're dealing with the Omicron surge, have a little moment of lightness and memories of things that have been done well. And I know I don't often say it, I'm usually more adversarial, but I wanted to thank you all sincerely for your service and thank you very much for the work you do and keep on doing the things that we can do to make the city more livable.

[00:10:23] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thanks Tim, appreciate the positive note. We'll move on to Alex Brown.

[00:10:30] Alex Brown: Hey, welcome back Jannie. I've missed you. Bye.

[00:10:36] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thanks Alex. Right, anyone else wanting to provide oral communications? All right, not seeing any, I'll bring this back...

6. NEW BUSINESS

[00:10:48] Mayor Ellen Kamei: For item 6, which is our new business. Vice Mayor, should I keep reading or did you want to take over? Okay.

[00:11:04] Mayor Ellen Kamei: We will now take public comment on all new business items, which will include recognition of the outgoing mayor and nomination and election of the incoming mayor and vice mayor.

[00:11:15] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Would any member of the public on the line like to provide comment on the new business items listed on the agenda? If so, please click the raise hand button in Zoom or press star nine on your phone.

[00:11:30] Mayor Ellen Kamei: And I believe this is for items 6.1 through 6.6. So if anyone would like to provide public comment on any of the items listed under 6.1 through 6.6, now is the time to raise your hand.

[00:11:48] Mayor Ellen Kamei: And we will do a three-minute timer. Great. Just waiting for the timer. Okay. Salim.

[00:12:04] Salim: Hi, yeah. I just wanted to thank Mayor Kamei for the last year of public service. Great meetings, great leadership. It's awesome. And I also want to congratulate the future mayor. I don't want to jinx it, so I won't say their name, but congrats. Take care.

[00:12:22] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. Former Mayor and Councilmember Ken Rosenberg.

[00:12:29] Ken Rosenberg: Sorry about that. I think I was muted. Can you hear me now?

[00:12:42] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Yes, we hear you.

[00:12:44] Ken Rosenberg: Outstanding. Firstly, Mayor, I'd just like to say congratulations on a fantastic term, and the city certainly appreciates your service. And to all council members, thank you for continuing on in your efforts.

[00:13:00] Ken Rosenberg: I primarily wanted to endorse the selection for Lucas Ramirez for mayor. I'm very excited for him to take the reins. Lucas, speaking directly to you, it's a big responsibility and I know you're up to the task.

[00:13:17] Ken Rosenberg: So from my house here in Mountain View, I'm going to be watching and listening, and I'm very, very excited for you. So congratulations. And Jenny, welcome back. Bye.

[00:13:30] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. All right. And I think we have a panelist that's joined us, Assemblymember Marc Berman. Please feel free to unmute, yeah, and join us by video. Hi, Assemblymember.

[00:13:43] Assemblymember Marc Berman: Hi, Mayor Kamei. I just wanted to add my voice to those who are giving a big thank you to you. Congratulations to outgoing mayor and my former district director and friend, Ellen Kamei. The job of mayor in normal times is thankless, and it's that much more difficult during year two of the COVID pandemic. But Mayor Kamei has done a remarkably admirable, wonderful job leading the city.

[00:14:14] Assemblymember Marc Berman: It was an honor to march beside you in Mountain View combating AAPI hate, to speak with you at the Project Homekey Mountain View site with Governor Newsom, and to rally with you supporting women's reproductive rights. You've represented your city and the people of Mountain View so well over the past year.

[00:14:39] Assemblymember Marc Berman: And I also do want to congratulate incoming mayor Lucas Ramirez, not to jump the gun too much. It's been great working with you over the years, and I look forward to working more closely with you in your new role moving forward.

[00:14:50] Assemblymember Marc Berman: But thank you so much to both of you, and a huge congratulations to you, Mayor Kamei, for not only surviving but really thriving during your year as mayor.

[00:14:56] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you, Assemblymember. Really appreciate your remarks, and it's so nice to see you.

[00:15:01] Assemblymember Marc Berman: Great to see you too.

[00:15:03] Mayor Ellen Kamei: All right, we have Patrick Ahrens, Trustee, Foothill-De Anza Board President, Trustee Ahrens.

[00:15:20] Patrick Ahrens: Hello. Thank you so much, Mayor Kamei. Hi everyone, Patrick Ahrens. I'm honored to be the president of the Foothill-De Anza College Board of Trustees that proudly encompasses the entire city of Mountain View on our board. So it's great to be here, and I just wanted to stop and sort of reflect as we end out our year and start a new one, and so does the changing of our roles in the city.

[00:15:49] Patrick Ahrens: And Mayor Kamei, you've certainly served the city of Mountain View with distinction. I want to express my sincerest thanks to Mayor Kamei and all of you on the City Council. It's always been very clear to us at the college board how much you've protected the city and made it better, how much you love the city, how much you've sacrificed a lot for this community, how seriously you all take your roles, and how much you've tried to do what is right.

[00:16:22] Patrick Ahrens: In particular, I know that Mayor Ellen Kamei and the rest of the council, how precious our lives are, and we only have so many heartbeats in this life, and you've given so much in service to Mountain View. It's so remarkable and inspiring. And in light of that, as president of the Board of Trustees, we have a special distinction that we wanted to give Mayor Kamei for her service on the occasion of completing her service as the Mayor of Mountain View.

[00:16:55] Patrick Ahrens: A lot of it is in Latin, so I will not read it, because I don't know how. But I will say that we are going to be awarding her with the Amicus Collegii, which is an official distinction as a friend of the college, for both Foothill and De Anza. It's the highest distinction that we can give out, and we're going to give it to you, Mayor Kamei, for all of the service that you've done for our students during this pandemic, for all the things that you've done for Mountain View. You certainly are a friend, a dear friend. So thank you so much for your service.

[00:17:36] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. Appreciate it, President Ahrens. Okay, Office of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo.

[00:17:57] Nicholas: Hi everyone. Congresswoman Eshoo sends her regrets this evening. She's in Washington DC for votes and committee work and won't be able to make it. However, on behalf of Congresswoman Eshoo and her office, I'd like to congratulate Mayor Kamei and thank you for your service as mayor for the last year.

[00:18:20] Nicholas: You did a fantastic job crafting and implementing an achievable agenda. And I would like to particularly say thank you for always providing translating services to help our Spanish-speaking residents participate in the civic process.

[00:18:38] Nicholas: I'd also like to congratulate prospective Mayor Ramirez and whoever the Vice Mayor will be, for their selection as the leadership for 2022. I want to thank the City of Mountain View for its continued partnership in the all-of-government effort in getting the vaccine to everyone and implementing testing, as well as putting measures in place to help our tenants and businesses and the entire city through the pandemic.

[00:19:13] Nicholas: The Congresswoman looks forward to our continued partnership, and no one should hesitate to reach out to Congresswoman Eshoo's office for assistance. We're here to help.

[00:19:25] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. Thank you, Nicholas. Appreciate you sharing the Congresswoman's words and hopefully she's staying well in DC. And I see we have our State Senator, Senator Josh Becker with us. Hi, Senator Becker.

[00:19:41] Senator Josh Becker: Hello. Good to see everyone. And just wanted to add my voice as well. Congratulations on an excellent year, excellent leadership. I remember back in March touring the vaccine clinic with you, and it seems like in some ways a very long time since then, and also a short time given where we are today. But hopefully we'll get through this surge much more quickly.

[00:20:12] Senator Josh Becker: I appreciate your efforts, your leadership there. Your leadership teaming up with Assemblymember Berman and the rest of you with Project Homekey and the whole council, and that was a phenomenal event having the governor there. I remember afterwards texting him saying, 'We need to do a few more of these.' He said, 'We need to do dozens more of these.' So I'm very excited to see that model now proliferating after the leadership of Mountain View.

[00:20:39] Senator Josh Becker: And as Assemblymember Berman mentioned, your leadership with the anti-AAPI hate crime rallies that were had. And it's a great reminder now with MLK Day coming up to the importance of all of us being there, all of us speaking out, and appreciate your leadership. So congratulations on a year of excellent leadership, and I look forward to working with the incoming council in the next year.

[00:21:07] Senator Josh Becker: And also on affordable housing, which I think you're going to mention. But on affordable housing, I will say, because we were told that we may have some money at the state level. So I called some cities and said, 'Hey, do you have some good projects?' Ellen immediately said, 'Here's five fantastic projects.' And we were fortunately able to get substantial amount of money to help with affordable housing. But thanks for you and the council and your leadership there.

[00:21:30] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thanks, Senator Becker. Yes, always tell us you have money, and we'll have a list for you. Much appreciated. Thank you so much for joining us virtually. We really appreciate it.

[00:21:46] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Okay, and I think, here we go, back to our queue. Jesse Cupp. Okay, so it says I need to allow Jesse to be promoted to panelists because he has an older version of Zoom. So I'm going to click that and see if that works. Jesse, are you there? I think you have to unmute there. There you go.

[00:22:13] Jesse Cupp: Yeah, I'm here. Okay, thank you Mayor Ellen Kamei, and congratulations on a year well done. A particularly challenging year. I want to thank you for your support on public art projects as a Visual Arts Committee member, and look forward to working with you more in the future. And now you can breathe a sigh of relief. So thank you.

[00:22:45] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. Okay, let's see. President Blakely.

[00:23:01] President Blakely: Good evening, Mayor. I'm the president of the Board of Trustees of the Mountain View Whisman School District. And I wanted to thank you for your leadership during this past year. We've had some, lots of different issues to face, and we appreciate your kind of can-do attitude and working together.

[00:23:19] President Blakely: And I've also enjoyed very much serving with you on the CHAC board. And we're wishing you lots of luck in your next adventures, and I'm glad you will continue to be serving our community on the City Council.

[00:23:34] President Blakely: And I also wanted to, in anticipation, welcome Councilmember, Vice Mayor Ramirez. Hopefully that, you know, I'm expecting that he will also be elected as our new mayor a little later on this evening.

[00:23:49] President Blakely: And we have lots of issues to work together with the city. We're looking forward to a collaborative relationship, and we really appreciate and value the community that you all bring to this job and working with the schools and various other segments in our community. So best of luck to both of you, and thank you so much for your service.

[00:24:31] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. Appreciate it. All right, and I think we have our County Supervisor joining us. So we've moved you, Supervisor Simitian. If you want to unmute, and if you want to turn on your video, you're welcome to.

[00:24:52] Supervisor Joe Simitian: What you see is what you get, Madam Mayor. How are you?

[00:24:56] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Good. It's good to see you too.

[00:24:59] Supervisor Joe Simitian: Good to see you. And let me add my thanks. And I have the added pleasure of letting all of your colleagues know, and reminding them that at one point you were the adult supervision for me at the county level. So it's just great to see what an extraordinary year you've had along with your colleagues.

[00:25:19] Supervisor Joe Simitian: I'm pleased to say I've known many of your colleagues for anywhere from a couple of years to a couple of decades. It wasn't that long ago that I had occasion to say that what I loved about representing Mountain View at the county level is that it was a caring community with a can-do city government. And we saw that again this past year.

[00:25:43] Supervisor Joe Simitian: So thanks to you. Thanks to Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez. I won't jinx him. We all can speculate about who the next mayor is going to be. I won't mention any names, but I'm thinking his initials might be Lucas Ramirez. But anyway, back to you, Madam Mayor.

[00:26:00] Supervisor Joe Simitian: I think it's hard sometimes to convey how much satisfaction we take in the work we do when we partner with one another. It's always harder, the more folks involved, the more potential there is to bump into one another, to miss a signal, to trip over your own two feet, four feet, six feet, however many.

[00:26:23] Supervisor Joe Simitian: But I think the lessons we have learned are that time after time after time, again, we can get more done if we do it with partners and partners who share the good values. And that has certainly been my experience with Mountain View, with you personally, with Vice Mayor Ramirez, and with your whole council.

[00:26:41] Supervisor Joe Simitian: And because they haven't gotten a shout-out yet that I know you will agree they deserve, and your staff, working with the manager's office, and the clerk's office, and the city attorney's, all of the folks we work with who sort of say, 'Yeah, the outcome is the thing, and that's what we ought to be focused on.' So thank you to you all. I look forward to working with you in the year ahead.

[00:27:04] Supervisor Joe Simitian: I do think that folks are perhaps not always aware, and no reason they should be I guess, of all we do collaboratively and together. There wouldn't be a vaccination site for the county if there wasn't a place to put it. Thank you, Rengstorff. We wouldn't have a social services agency in the North County but for the fact that we were able to move into that now known as Ralph Faravelli, former Mayor of Mountain View, Social Services Center.

[00:27:29] Supervisor Joe Simitian: The funding for various housing projects that we've talked about. Some easy to do, some contentious, and you know, your council has always stepped up and said we're going to listen to folks and then do the right thing. Safe parking, another challenge. The API hate rally. Thank you again for your personal leadership there. It was an honor to be part of all that.

[00:27:51] Supervisor Joe Simitian: Time after time after time, we found ways to partner together. I'd like to think the community is better for it, and I know it is better by virtue of your service, Vice Mayor Ramirez's service, and the service of your colleagues. Look forward to all of the ways that we can work together in the coming year. I would say don't be shy. I don't, I know I don't have to say that. So thank you so much and we'll see you again soon for the next piece of good work, I hope. Take care.

[00:28:15] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you, Supervisor. Always a pleasure to have you with us. Thank you. All right. We have Angelica Ramos-Allen.

[00:28:33] Angelica Ramos-Allen: Good evening, Mayor Kamei, Vice Mayor Ramirez, and the Mountain View City Council. My name is Angelica Ramos-Allen, and I'm actually the president of the National Women's Political Caucus Silicon Valley Chapter. I will not belabor the point because most of the fantastic elected officials like Supervisor Simitian and Senator Josh Becker had outlined all the achievements you have done in the past year.

[00:28:56] Angelica Ramos-Allen: But Mayor Kamei, we are grateful for your leadership, especially towards women and families in the city of Mountain View and regionally. Representation matters. Seeing women in office is one of our biggest priorities, and especially women of color, and we are even more fortunate that you are both API and Latina.

[00:29:19] Angelica Ramos-Allen: So we are just so happy and honored with all the work that you have provided us with your public service, not just in this past year, but in the past several years. In the words of our founder, Gloria Steinem, I'd like to say, don't think about making women fit the world, think about making the world fit women. And you and your City Council have done this for the women and families of Mountain View. We hope your successors will do the same. Thank you so much, Mayor Kamei, for all your hard work.

[00:29:49] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thank you. Alex Brown.

[00:29:58] Alex Brown: Hey, I'll keep it brief. Really enjoyed working with you as a council member. Enjoyed working with you as Vice Mayor, as Mayor, and I will continue to enjoy working with you. And as for the next Mayor, I think we're going to lose a virtue name tonight, and, you know, get a good new Mayor. I'm looking forward to it. Bye all.

[00:30:25] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Julia Miller.

[00:30:32] Julia Miller: Good morning, Councilmembers, Mayor and Vice Mayor. This is Julia Miller. I am Chair of the El Camino Healthcare District. And I wanted to add my commendation to Mayor Kamei and to Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez and all of the Councilmembers for doing a fine job, particularly with the challenge of COVID.

[00:30:56] Julia Miller: Thank you for being a good partner, as we are also in your city. And I look forward to continuing working with all of you in the future. So stay safe and stay healthy. Congratulations again on a fabulous term of office, Mayor.

[00:31:16] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thanks, Chair Miller. Appreciate it. All right. Rebecca Malis.

[00:31:28] Rebecca Malis: Hello. I'm Rebecca. I am a resident of Mountain View and I'm also the executive assistant at the African American Community Service Agency. I wanted to commend Mayor Kamei on a very, very well-done job. I have not been living in Mountain View for very long, but I have been able to see the work that has been done in the city over the past year, and I have been very impressed.

[00:32:02] Rebecca Malis: I also want to commend the mayor on your work on affordable housing and your willingness to meet with me and connect me to your team. I am very grateful for the time that I had to communicate my suggestions and my concerns with you.

[00:32:25] Rebecca Malis: I am very grateful for the opportunity that I currently have to advocate for the African American community, and I look forward to continuing to work with the new mayor and the City Council on racial equity issues and other issues that affect our community. So thank you so much, Mayor Kamei, and I wish you all the best.

[00:32:54] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. Would anyone else like to provide public comment for items 6.1 through 6.6? Okay, not seeing any other hands, I will bring the item back to 6.1.

[00:33:15] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you, Mayor, and thank you members of the public for providing your feedback and thoughts. It is my honor and privilege to introduce item 6.1, presentation of proclamation in recognition of outgoing Mayor Ellen Kamei.

[00:33:32] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: The proclamation reads: Whereas Ellen Kamei was selected by her fellow council members to serve as mayor of Mountain View, California in 2021; and Whereas Ellen Kamei began her tenure as mayor by inspiring hope in view, heralding the city's progress in recovering from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which included transforming the Mountain View City Community Center into a county vaccination site, offering convenient and free COVID-19 testing at all city facilities, continuing the rent relief program to help the most vulnerable residents, and continuing the small business grant program to help local businesses in need, and outdoor dining through the Castro Streets program; and

[00:34:16] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas in performing her duties as mayor, Ellen Kamei represented the city through leadership in regional organizations, including serving as the current president of the League of California Cities Women's Caucus and the treasurer of the Peninsula Division, the Policy Advisory Committee for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the General Assembly of the Association of Bay Area Governments, Board of Directors Alternate, Legislative Action Committee and Selection Committee of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County, and Community Health Awareness Council; and

[00:34:43] City Manager Kimbra McCarthy: And so I want to acknowledge all of that, how important it has been to you. As we've also heard, you've been a champion for our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, and a very strong supporter of our new and expanded communications.

[00:34:48] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas during her term as mayor, Ellen Kamei convened the Mountain View Resiliency Roundtable and served on several council subcommittees as the chair of the Appointments Review Committee, chair of the Council Race, Equity, and Inclusion Ad Hoc Subcommittee, member of the Council Transportation Committee, and chair of the Council Youth Services Committee; and

[00:35:09] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas during her time as mayor, Ellen Kamei led the adoption of the city's strategic roadmap for the next three to five years, which includes seven strategic priorities supported by numerous projects that will help achieve the vision of being a welcoming, vibrant city that plans intentionally and leads regionally to create livable, sustainable neighborhoods, access to nature and open spaces, and a strong innovation-driven local economy; and

[00:35:38] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas Mayor Kamei championed efforts to support the small business community through the adoption of the Small Business Action Plan and creating the framework for the Economic Vitality Strategy; and

[00:35:49] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas Mayor Kamei supported the council's strategic priority of Community for All efforts, including participation in United Against Hate Week, National Day of Racial Healing and Welcoming Week, adoption of the city's first-ever Race, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan, direction to develop wage theft and responsible construction ordinances, the return of the Spanish Language Civic Leadership Academy and the groundwork for the creation of the new Chinese Language Civic Leadership Academy, incorporating the use of an equity lens into the annual budget development process, and supporting efforts to expand youth mental health resources; and

[00:36:30] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas in recognition of the exceptional need in our community exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19, Mayor Kamei supported eviction protection efforts, represented the city in the grand opening of the LifeMoves Mountain View interim housing community, which was recognized for its boldness and innovation by state of California Governor Gavin Newsom, and also supported one million dollars in funding for the first year of a guaranteed basic income pilot program, one million dollars in funding to the Mountain View Solidarity Fund, and more than four million dollars in funding to the Community Services Agency to assist residents with basic needs and provide rent relief; and

[00:37:09] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas Mayor Kamei continued to champion sustainability, including collaboration with Valley Water and the city of Palo Alto on a new advanced facility for recycled water, adoption of food service ware and mandatory organic waste disposal reduction ordinances, and authorization of agreements related to the restoration of the South Bay salt ponds; and

[00:37:33] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Whereas being a strong advocate for the council's strategic priority of intentional development and housing options, Mayor Kamei saw the adoption of the North Bayshore Gateway Master Plan, submittal of the Google North Bayshore Master Plan, and the completion of Phase One of the Charleston Transit Corridor and Charleston Park refresh project.

[00:37:52] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Now therefore be it resolved that the Mountain View City Council on behalf of the council members, city staff, and the community does hereby express sincere and overwhelming appreciation to Ellen Kamei.

[00:38:04] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: So thank you very much for your service over the past year. It's been greatly appreciated, and I think the proclamation does a remarkable job just demonstrating the breadth of your commitment and your incredible accomplishments over the past year. Would any member of the council like to say a few words? Councilmember Abe-Koga.

[00:38:30] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: Thank you, Vice Mayor. I just want to offer my congratulations to Mayor Kamei for a job well done. I had hoped that after 2020, COVID would go away, and we would be back to normal, and unfortunately that did not happen.

[00:38:58] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: And so it was that much more difficult, I would say, to lead this community during these pandemic times. But I really believe that Mayor Kamei did a wonderful job, and I just want to commend her for her great leadership. Thank you.

[00:39:14] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. Councilmember Showalter.

[00:39:18] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yeah, in addition to all the things that have been said, all true, I wanted to add that I've just been really impressed by the breadth of proclamations that you put forward. I mean, it's really clear that you want to make sure that people feel welcome and that they're recognized for their efforts.

[00:39:48] Councilmember Pat Showalter: And you've really done a great job with all those proclamations, and I know that those all the organizations and individuals that got them will really treasure them. So thanks for taking the initiative to do that, and also thanks for being such a steady hand through our meetings and making sure that we all got an opportunity to talk. We really appreciated it. Thanks.

[00:40:22] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. Councilmember Hicks.

[00:40:25] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Well, I'm not going to repeat what so many people have said about the substance of your time as mayor. What I'm going to thank you for especially is as this is, I believe, you're the first mayor and hopefully the last that's been online from beginning to end.

[00:40:48] Councilmember Alison Hicks: The problem with being an online mayor is that you have to act as our tech support at the same time that you're doing all the other things that a mayor is doing. And I just want to tell you that I really, I know when you ran this is not what you ran for.

[00:41:03] Councilmember Alison Hicks: And I don't think the people at home don't know how many times we at least I have and I know other people have as well texted you saying our internet is down, can you help, all the kind of unpaid labor for just keeping these things going.

[00:41:16] Councilmember Alison Hicks: I really think you went above and beyond, and you know that I've texted you after meetings saying you've done a wonderful job. I really mean that from the bottom of my heart. I've been surprised at how smooth you've made our meetings. So thank you again.

[00:41:29] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. Councilmember Lieber.

[00:41:31] Councilmember Sally Lieber: Thank you, Vice Mayor. Well, I too want to add my thanks, Mayor, for your service during this very difficult year. You know that you and Councilmember Abe-Koga really caught the downdraft that is unprecedented. It's a time when our community is, has been in need in the way that it has not been for decades.

[00:42:15] Councilmember Sally Lieber: And I've watched closely as you've applied a real sense of professionalism and energy and optimism to a very difficult job during this year. In particular, I appreciate so much how you've been able to show respect, compassion, and warmth to people under pressure, to our shared constituents, our city staff, and to everyone that engages in our community. So thank you so much for that.

[00:42:49] Councilmember Sally Lieber: And it really means more to me than I can say, the emphasis that you put on youth leadership and taking the youth in our community seriously. This has been such a challenging time for them, and I think that you've really invested in them in a way that's been unprecedented and worked in a really substantive way to support their wellness and their mental health.

[00:43:35] Councilmember Sally Lieber: And I know that these are all things that you're going to continue as Mayor Emerita and you're still going to be in the saddle still working away on all these issues. But thank you so much for the substantive and important way that you've done things. You've really made a difference in our community.

[00:43:57] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. City Manager McCarthy.

[00:44:00] City Manager Kimbra McCarthy: Thank you, Vice Mayor. So, Mayor Kamei, on behalf of the city organization and our staff, I really want to thank you for your leadership over this past year. It's been a pleasure working with you through all of the twists and turns of COVID throughout 2020.

6.1 Presentation of Proclamation in Recognition of Outgoing Mayor Ellen Kamei

[00:44:09] City Manager Kimbra McCarthy: and our community engagement program. You've also consistently asked me about how our city staff are doing throughout this time and you're always quick to provide words of support and appreciation. So, Mayor Kamei, I want to thank you very much for your time as mayor. It's been extraordinary and the city organization is very appreciative of your support and leadership. Thank you.

6. NEW BUSINESS

[00:44:26] City Manager Kimbra McCarthy: I know none of us expected to be in the situation we're in now even now in 2022. And you've done all this at the same time as working on a lot of the positive developments on behalf of the City Council.

6.1 Presentation of Proclamation in Recognition of Outgoing Mayor Ellen Kamei

[00:44:38] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. And the only other thing I would add in addition to your accessibility to staff and your colleagues, also to the community. Um, we haven't had a mayor who can speak Spanish in many, many years and more than once you've stepped up to provide translation to members of our community when, um, they otherwise would have been deprived an opportunity to speak with their council. And I'm particularly grateful for, um, for your willingness and ability to do that. Uh, thank you for your service to, to our city and community. Um, any other final comments? And if not, I will yield the floor to you. Thank you, Mayor.

6. NEW BUSINESS

[00:44:42] City Manager Kimbra McCarthy: You have been, as many have noted, an extremely hard-working mayor. Very open and accessible not only to me but to staff and your council colleagues.

[00:44:54] City Manager Kimbra McCarthy: And you've also been very empathetic and compassionate, and you've really been willing to go the extra mile to help others in the community make everyone feel welcome and appreciated and really cared about, which is important especially during COVID because I think what we've seen is a lot of people having a hard time throughout these past couple of years, and I know that that has been something that's been extremely important to you.

6.1 Presentation of Proclamation in Recognition of Outgoing Mayor Ellen Kamei

[00:45:21] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. So I think this means that we can move on to item 6.2, um, which are just some outgoing remarks that I'd like to share. Um, so first of all, just want to thank you, uh, Vice Mayor Ramirez. I appreciate the opportunity to share a few words and reflections about my year, uh, you know, for lack of a better term, as a pandemic mayor. Um, so I want to thank you, uh, Vice Mayor, the rest of our City Council colleagues, Councilmembers Hicks, Showalter, Lieber, Matichak, and Abe-Koga for your unwavering support this year, especially in the continued challenging constraints of how to lead in a virtual environment. I have yet to share the physical dais, the physical dais with Councilmember Showalter and Lieber, um, and look forward to the day that we can all be together along with our City Manager Kimbra McCarthy and our City Clerk Heather Glaser, who also joined us during the pandemic. That's how long this has been going on. Um, and despite being in month 22 and year three now of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it's been the greatest honor and privilege of my life to serve as mayor of Mountain View, a community that I love so much and where I have deep roots.

[00:46:48] Mayor Ellen Kamei: I keep thinking about the City of Mountain View spirit of our hashtag here, TogetherMV. Our community's perseverance, resilience, and compassion have continued to inspire me again and again, particularly during difficult moments like right now, where things feel like a bit of a roller coaster, especially with the most recent surge. I am heartened by our city, by our staff, and our residents who choose optimism and hope in the face of adversity, trauma, and tragedy. We've united as a community and we continue to do so. My top priority this past year has been navigating the city and community through the pandemic and prioritizing recovery efforts in an inclusive, forward-thinking, and creative way, with significant efforts to keep people housed and our small businesses from shutting down. I just wanted to highlight a few regional and collaborative efforts that embody not only our TogetherMV spirit, but also our commitment to being a community for all.

[00:47:58] Mayor Ellen Kamei: As was mentioned in the public comment, the city stepped up to partner with the County of Santa Clara in providing a first-of-its-kind, appointment-only mass vaccination site at the Mountain View Community Center. City staff was ready and willing to convert our facility into a safe and convenient location for the public to get their free COVID-19 vaccine. This site is now also being used for boosters. The city also embarked on a citywide strategic plan to align major projects with City Council priorities. The strategic roadmap includes seven key priorities, two of which are a community for all and intentional development and housing options. These two strategies illustrate the city's commitment to increasing the quantity and diversity of housing options for our city's diverse population.

[00:48:52] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Dovetailing these efforts was the development of an economic vitality strategy, along with a new Economic Vitality Manager to pave the way for economic vibrancy that is compatible with our city's strategic priorities. A bright spot was the ability to hold ribbon cuttings with our small businesses again. Outdoors, of course, but to celebrate the opening or the reopening of businesses along with the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce. The close partnership of the chamber and the city solidified the extension of our Castro streets and outdoor Mountain View programs along our 100, 200, and 300 blocks of Castro Street into this year.

[00:49:35] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Though at first we were concerned about how our city budget may fare this year or this past year, we were able to use the federal government's American Rescue Plan funds to support three new COVID-19 relief programs: a million dollars for our guaranteed basic income pilot, which included joining the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income; a million dollars for the Mountain View Solidarity Fund in partnership with the Los Altos Mountain View Community Foundation; and a million dollars for the Community Services Agency of Mountain View Los Altos. The goal of all three of these programs is to help low-income residents struggling with a wide-ranging financial challenges, including the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our city budget process also included an equity lens to identify whether any potential budget adjustments might benefit or impact communities of color or our low-income residents. This was something new to this year's budget process, which was approved by our council last December as part of the city's Race, Equity, and Inclusion Plan.

[00:50:41] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Our community rallied together against the rise of racism and xenophobia towards the Asian American and Pacific Islander community through rallies, our ad hoc subcommittee on Race, Equity, and Inclusion, and joining the Santa Clara County's Hate Crime Task Force. Mountain View also continued to lead in two key policy areas, housing and transportation, through public-private partnerships and regional and state collaboration. The governor came to Mountain View to showcase our efforts to tackle homelessness through bold, innovative actions during the pandemic, like the LifeMoves Mountain View Homekey project supported by the state. This interim housing facility houses 124 people at a time, stabilizing homeless residents and putting them on the path to permanent housing, along with wrap-around services on site, which we were able to accomplish in six months. This was not done alone, and I'm grateful for all our partners because this is proof that government can move quickly and in a pandemic no less. Mountain View is exploring a second Project Homekey site in partnership with the County of Santa Clara at the Crestview Hotel, which would also accommodate families.

[00:51:59] Mayor Ellen Kamei: The city was able to entitle nearly 700 new units of housing across the price spectrum and facilitate more funding for our safe parking lot programs. We also received a much-needed $8 million allocation from the state, thanks to Senator Josh Becker, for our Lot 12 all-affordable housing development project. And the Foothill-De Anza Community College District will soon move forward with a housing development project in Mountain View for students, staff, and administrators. The city adapted to evolving and shifting transportation needs as long-term lasting effects of transit habits are still being studied. Yet we all know people still need safe connections to work, residences, transit, parks, schools, and community centers. We continue to prepare for Caltrain electrification, held an initial review of our Transit Center Master Plan, and focused on bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure throughout the city. Mountain View prioritizes being a walkable, bikeable, and transit-friendly community for all abilities and ages.

[00:53:08] Mayor Ellen Kamei: We were able to bring back our popular transit program, the Mountain View Community Shuttle, which is free to ride, expanded weekday service due to a new Santa Clara County VTA grant funding, and it was heartwarming to welcome VTA back to our city. I'm thrilled that this fall the city was able to continue a hybrid model for our Spanish Language Civic Leadership Academy for our Spanish-speaking residents to participate. This was the fourth year of the program and due to its popularity, a Chinese Mandarin language civic leadership academy will launch in the spring of this year. Our 2020 census shows Mountain View grew fast and was driven by an increase in our Asian population. The city is currently taking applications now, so please spread the word about this program. And through the program, participants are encouraged to increase their civic engagement, leadership, and volunteerism in our community. Some recent Academy graduates have gone on to be appointed by the City Council to serve on advisory bodies and committees.

[00:54:15] Mayor Ellen Kamei: The city also implemented regular translation services for our City Council meetings and will continue to do so. We envision a hybrid City Council meeting model so that people can still participate in the public meeting process in a manner that best works for them. As the pandemic has continued on, I've grown more and more concerned about the lingering mental health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on all our residents of all ages and backgrounds. Though top of mind was prioritizing our youth, as last year the City Council adopted youth wellness as a council goal. I continued to serve as chair of the Council Youth Services Committee and board member of the Community Health Awareness Council, also known as CHAC. And I am proud of our Youth Advisory Committee, also known as YAC, who held Wellness Wednesdays throughout the year and held their first-ever in-person youth wellness retreat.

[00:55:14] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Thinking of our youth, along with the city's assistance, we were able to host an inaugural Mayor for a Day contest for one elementary and one middle school student to hear directly from our youngest residents. With so much going on that affects them, it was great to hear their ideas on how to make Mountain View an even better place to live, work, and play. We had a few glints of normalcy this year. We had the return of our outdoor movie series, Concerts on the Plaza, our Monster Bash, and our Holiday Tree Lighting. Those feel like brief moments now, but they're ones that are most memorable and that I'll cherish.

[00:55:56] Mayor Ellen Kamei: The ongoing pandemic has taught me many things, and I feel like the biggest one is to meet people where they are. I hope to have championed that as mayor this year through our city programs and essential services. Looking ahead, I wish all the best to our incoming mayor. Vice Mayor Ramirez and I are both third-generation millennial residents of Mountain View. We started as city commissioners, and I think combined with our commission service as well as being on council, we've served this city that we love for over a decade. I'd also like to thank my family for their love and support. We look forward to welcoming the newest addition to our family in a few days. And I'm grateful for the city and council support as being the first person to give birth on our City Council.

[00:56:53] Mayor Ellen Kamei: From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you, our collective community, for everything you have done to keep our TogetherMV spirit going. It feels bittersweet to have spent my entire mayorship in a pandemic and being virtual, but I have cautious optimism and hope because of all of you. Thank you for the honor of serving. Thank you for your indulgence for my brief remarks, and we'll move on to item 6.3, our nomination and election of mayor. I'd like to call for nominations for mayor. Councilmember Matichak.

[00:57:39] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Thank you. So I nominate our current Vice Mayor, Lucas Ramirez, to be mayor in 2022. Lucas has been on the council now for three years, so he is very well prepared to be mayor. He has a really good command of the issues that the council addresses, as well as issues that other bodies are addressing that have an impact on Mountain View. Last year, I noted several things about Lucas when I nominated him for Vice Mayor, and you know what? Those still hold. Lucas is always well prepared for meetings. He actively participates in council meetings. He brings new ideas for consideration. He listens to input from the public, from staff, and from his colleagues, and he's collaborative with his colleagues on the council. Now I'm going to add a few more that I think are important to note. He reaches out to community members and organizations for input on topics. He's process-oriented, which I will say I personally appreciate. He's sensitive to the workload of staff. He has good intentions. And you know what? He has a great sense of humor, which is really helpful when the meetings run long and during these trying times. So I know Lucas will do a fine job as mayor this year.

[00:59:14] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. Councilmember Showalter.

[00:59:20] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yes, it's a great pleasure to second Councilmember Matichak's nomination of Lucas Ramirez for mayor. I've known Lucas for over ten years, working with him first with the League of Women Voters and his drive to study the financing of higher education in California so that the League of Women Voters could advocate on it. And I've watched him get involved in numerous issues over that ten-year period in the city, always being thoughtful, doing lots of homework to find out what was really going on, and being willing to participate in many, many meetings with stakeholders to get a wide perspective of ideas and make connections with many people in our community that is very valuable for keeping things moving smoothly. So I'm really delighted that you are going to have this opportunity, Lucas, and I look forward to serving with you yet a few more years. So, thank you.

[01:00:42] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great, thank you. So we have a nomination by Councilmember Matichak and a second by Councilmember Showalter. I'd like to close the nominations, not seeing any other hands, and turn it over to our City Clerk for a roll call vote.

[01:01:02] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Matichak?

[01:01:04] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Yes.

[01:01:05] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Showalter?

[01:01:06] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yes.

[01:01:07] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Abe-Koga?

[01:01:08] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: Aye.

[01:01:09] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Hicks?

[01:01:10] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Yes.

[01:01:11] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Lieber?

[01:01:12] Councilmember Sally Lieber: Aye.

[01:01:13] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Vice Mayor Ramirez?

[01:01:15] Vice Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Yes.

[01:01:16] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Mayor Kamei?

[01:01:17] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Yes. Motion carries unanimously.

[01:01:21] Mayor Ellen Kamei: Great. Thank you. Congratulations, Mayor Ramirez. I have one more item of business and then I get to turn it over to you. So get ready. Um, I will, uh... Oh no, I get to do it now. Perfect. Okay. So, I would like to virtually, I don't know if you can see this, pass over the gavel to our new Mayor, Lucas Ramirez, who will virtually accept the gavel.

[01:01:55] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you very much. I appreciate your, uh, your nomination, Councilmember Matichak, and your second, Councilmember Showalter, and I hope I can live up to, uh, those high expectations that you have set, uh, in your, in your remarks. Um, we'll proceed now to item 6.4, nomination and election of Vice Mayor. Uh, and I will open the floor for nominations. Councilmember Abe-Koga.

[01:02:23] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: Thank you, Mayor Ramirez, and congratulations to you. Um, I, uh, am delighted to, uh, nominate Councilmember Allison Hicks for the role of Vice Mayor. Um, Allison and I, and I'll call her Allison because we actually go back a long ways. Um, she and I were, uh, classmates in the Leadership Mountain View class of 2001, best class ever. Um, and so, uh, that was over 20 years ago now. Um, she's also a neighbor just across the street and a few doors down. Um, so I've gotten to know her quite well over the years, and we've worked on a number of projects, um, most notable was, uh, the mid, raising the minimum wage to what is now the highest minimum wage in the region, and I've heard maybe even in the country. And, um, we worked together, um, I was back on council back in 2014, and, um, Councilmember Hicks was, uh, organizing, um, our, our community members on that. Um, so, uh, when she joined council, um, I was, uh, happy to welcome her, and, um, over the last few years, um, I, we've had shared priorities of having a strong downtown, um, thoughtful and good planning, and, uh, fighting climate change and, and moving forward sustainability projects. Um, I appreciate her collaborative nature, her willingness to listen, um, and with that, uh, I am, uh, happy to nominate her for Vice Mayor. I think she'll do a fabulous job. Thank you.

[01:04:09] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. Councilmember Lieber.

[01:04:12] Councilmember Sally Lieber: Thank you, Mayor. Well, I am very pleased to second the nomination of Councilmember Hicks as Vice Mayor. Uh, Councilmember Hicks has a real curiosity about policy. She is willing to be exploratory and in a very substantive way thinking about policy alternatives. And she has a real commitment and a very strong ability to draw the threads of our community together and to engage everyone in our community in finding the solutions that we need. Uh, she has a, a special, uh, gift around what is probably our most important issue right now in terms of the environment and our sustainability as a, as a community. And I think that she will make an outstanding Vice Mayor for our city.

[01:05:13] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. Seeing no other hands, I will close nominations and ask the City Clerk to commence the roll call.

[01:05:21] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Abe-Koga?

[01:05:22] Councilmember Margaret Abe-Koga: Aye.

[01:05:23] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Lieber?

[01:05:24] Councilmember Sally Lieber: Aye.

[01:05:26] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Hicks?

[01:05:27] Councilmember Alison Hicks: Yes.

[01:05:28] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Kamei?

[01:05:30] Councilmember Ellen Kamei: Yes.

[01:05:32] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Matichak?

[01:05:33] Councilmember Lisa Matichak: Yes.

[01:05:34] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Councilmember Showalter?

[01:05:35] Councilmember Pat Showalter: Yes.

[01:05:36] City Clerk Heather Glaser: Mayor Ramirez?

[01:05:37] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Yes.

[01:05:39] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Motion carries unanimously.

[01:05:44] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. And congratulations, Vice Mayor Hicks. Uh, would you like to make any remarks?

[01:05:52] Vice Mayor Alison Hicks: I will make some short remarks. Uh, thank you, Mayor, and and thank you, Councilmembers Abe-Koga and Lieber for your nominations, and and all of council, I want to thank for your votes, um, and also for being such a civil and collaborative group, truly a really a pleasure to work with. I wish all levels of our government from our local to federal were as collaborative as this council is. Um, I look forward to serving under Mayor Ramirez. I first met the mayor at a meeting on, on, uh, not surprisingly, housing issues, uh, almost a decade ago. I was impressed with him then and I remain impressed with his work today. I'd also like to thank staff who've worked tirelessly to provide services throughout this pandemic, and in particular City Manager McCarthy who's done the, uh, near impossible, often with a smile and a sense of humor. I, I really don't know how she does it. Um, lastly, I'd like to thank members of our community. Um, I truly regret that we are not meeting with you in person, although I love your online comments and your, your, your slide shows and so forth. Um, I much prefer meeting in the same room. I think it really makes a, a difference, and I hope we can do so, uh, again very soon. Um, but I I don't want to end my remarks with regrets. Um, there are so many positive things that, uh, we, and by we I mean council, staff, community groups, and residents will work towards this year.

[01:07:38] Vice Mayor Alison Hicks: I, I'll, I'll just, I, I won't go on and on, but I'll name three big topics. The first is housing. I'm, uh, very eager to work to address housing, especially affordable housing, displacement, and gentrification through our housing element process. Um, I believe we can do so not in a cookie-cutter way, but in a way that truly suits Mountain View. Um, the second would be sustainability. I'm looking forward to plunging into our work, uh, supporting biodiversity, I'm really glad that we included that in our vision statement, and fighting the climate crisis. I'm particularly looking forward to collaborating with our new staff and, and with all of our members of the community who always have great ideas, uh, regarding this, uh, ongoing crisis. Um, and third, I believe livability is truly the heart of what we do, uh, on council, whether it's our cultural goals...

6.2 Remarks by Outgoing Mayor

[01:08:44] Vice Mayor Alison Hicks: visual arts, performing arts, a walkable downtown and village centers, parks, green space, great schools, collaboration on that, or other things that that bring us together. And I truly do want to be together with all of you again. So, um, again, thank you council members for your votes. And now I think it's time to hear from the mayor.

[01:09:11] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you Vice Mayor. Um, a few thoughts before we conclude the meeting. Uh, first, I'd like to acknowledge and and thank my family for for joining the meeting. Um, I have a healthy appreciation for how strange and surreal this feels. I feel that too. Um, growing up I was uh socially awkward and shy, and uh it's it's uh quite remarkable I think to to see the trajectory of of my career. Um, and over that time I'm grateful for your uh patience and support and love, and I would not be here without it. So thank you for for making the time to to to join me tonight.

[01:10:05] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Um, I have uh a short little speech, and don't worry, it it ends on an uplifting note. It doesn't start that way though. Um, and it's informed by a lot of the negative headlines that we've been seeing over the past several weeks. We, that is our country, not the city of Mountain View, not the council, um, but we feel it too. Uh, we have been beset by calamity after calamity. The challenges that we've had to contend with are numerous and unrelenting. The pandemic, climate change and severe weather, the housing crisis, homelessness, and to this list we've now added political strife, the erosion of trust in foundational governmental institutions, the January 6th insurrection, and even questions about the long-term viability of democracy and the rule of law in our country.

[01:11:09] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: It would be one thing if we were confronting this adversity together, but we're not. We are divided. We disagree even about whether there are these problems at all. And this disagreement has bred contempt and suspicion, which in turn have exacerbated the already intense polarization that impedes the ability of government to function.

[01:11:36] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Uh, but, in this difficult context, the residents of Mountain View have selected the seven of us to represent them, to advocate for them, and to conduct the business of the city. And, uh, maybe I'm a little biased, but I think they've assembled a stellar team.

[01:11:53] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Vice Mayor Hicks, who brings an an incredibly valuable perspective as an urban planner, and who has demonstrated a special appreciation for incorporating public comment into her deliberation. I look forward to serving with you over the next year in leadership.

[01:12:10] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Uh, outgoing Mayor and Councilmember Kamei, an ardent champion for youth and for non-English speaking residents in our community, who uniquely among us, and correct me if I'm wrong, brings experience from every level of government, and whose leadership has spurred a tremendous recovery from the depths of the pandemic. I'm proud to have served as your vice mayor.

[01:12:30] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Councilmember Abe-Koga, who brings extraordinary institutional memory to the council, and plays a significant role regionally, including serving as a rare, uh, representative for Mountain View on the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, MTC. Uh, you also have the distinction of having served Mountain View well, as mayor through two exceptionally challenging years. And for that we are all grateful.

[01:12:55] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Councilmember Matichak, who I am certain reads every word on every attachment for every item, because nothing escapes your eagle eye. And I have a a special appreciation for that, too, because I do my best to do the same, but I don't catch everything. You were also the first mayor I had the privilege to serve with, and I'm very grateful for your patience with me as I stumbled through, uh, my first year. Thank you.

[01:13:21] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Councilmember Lieber, a rare example of a state leader elected from our city, who serves with empathy and compassion, and who has demonstrated unceasing commitment to our most vulnerable communities.

[01:13:34] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: And Councilmember Showalter, our sole civil engineer and our resident expert on all matters water and environment, uh, as well as a strong proponent for good and open government.

[01:13:46] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Um, and there's Lucas, the Boromir of this fellowship. Or for those of you who are fans of Disney, we don't talk about Lucas.

[01:13:58] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: So this is the team that will be working on our community's ambitious work plan for the next year, or perhaps three, we'll see what happens. Uh, I couldn't be more honored to be a part of this team, and I want to I want to emphasize that. It's it's already a tremendous honor and a humbling experience to serve on the city council and to serve as mayor, um, but to be a part of the Mountain View City Council, and this council, which I think has done tremendous work in the three both short and long years that I've had the privilege to be a part of it, uh, it's it's truly remarkable. Um, and I think, uh, Councilmember Kamei spoke to that in her outgoing speech very well.

[01:14:40] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: I look forward to working with all of you and with our tremendous staff to achieve our shared goals and to demonstrate that our community and our country are worth fighting for.

[01:14:50] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: And that ends my speech. And we will proceed now to the closed session report. Interim City, thank you, I appreciate it. Interim City Attorney Quinn, do you have a closed session report?

[01:15:04] Interim City Attorney Jannie L. Quinn: There is no closed session report this evening.

[01:15:07] Mayor Lucas Ramirez: Thank you. Um, I regret to announce that the previously scheduled reception at the Mountain View, uh, sorry, the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts lobby has been canceled, uh, because of Omicron. But thank you all, uh, members of the public for joining us tonight. Our next city council meeting will be held on January 25th, 2022. Until then, stay healthy. The meeting is adjourned at 7:45 p.m.

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