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Bringing Bernie's agenda to Mountain View

Original post made on Aug 18, 2016

Over the last months, Ken "Kacey" Carpenter describes himself as experiencing a political awakening of sorts.

Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, August 18, 2016, 3:52 PM

Comments (19)

Posted by Vince Verducci
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Aug 18, 2016 at 5:44 pm

Yay! Rent control!
Because it's worked *so* well everywhere it's been implemented.


Posted by good luck newbie
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Aug 18, 2016 at 5:47 pm

It is very hard ti enter this type of election with no large funding / endorsement / volunteer system But Burnie did it for President! So, perhaps anything goes. good luck


Posted by Frank
a resident of Martens-Carmelita
on Aug 18, 2016 at 8:07 pm

No need to rush to judgment. Let's see who the landlord lobby supports and vote for other candidates.


Posted by Observer
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Aug 18, 2016 at 8:38 pm

He's got my vote. Feel the Bern!


Posted by oldabelincoln
a resident of Blossom Valley
on Aug 18, 2016 at 10:48 pm

He's got my vote. I lived under a very successful rent control ordinance in Cambridge, MA, for about 20 years, and even though I own a home here, I've seen that well thought out rent control is a great asset for communities where excessive demand leads to vicious unrestrained rent hikes. It's all in the details.


Posted by geo.
a resident of Gemello
on Aug 19, 2016 at 7:59 am

Kacey has my vote. We worked together years ago at a tech company in Santa Clara. He's one of the most upbeat people I've ever known, and he'll bring fresh, constructive thinking into the City Council.


Posted by Hugh Janus
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Aug 19, 2016 at 10:31 am

So sad. Progressive-liberal-socialist policies have never worked and never will. Bernie's "democratic socialism" is just more of the same garbage.

[Portion removed; keep it civil.]


Posted by Kacey
a resident of Cuesta Park
on Aug 19, 2016 at 10:53 am

Kacey is a registered user.

Thanks for everyone's comment and support!

So excited to bring my passion and energy into the Mountain View City Council race. I am so fortunate to have lived, worked, and raised family in Mountain View and committed to bringing new ideas to support us around the most important issues we are facing in our community!

My approach is to listen to people, get out volunteers (I would love 1,000 volunteers with $1 donations) to represent your key issues.

Please let me know what is most important to you here: http://www.carpenter4mountainview.com

Thanks for your interest and support!

Kacey


Posted by Hugh Janus
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Aug 19, 2016 at 11:15 am

So where else in the Bay Area have these fantastic utopian liberal socialist policies and ideas worked? Hmmm, let's see.... Oakland? SF? Berkeley? Santa Cruz?

None of these cities has benefitted from liberalism and so now Kacey wants to try these worn out old ideas in Mountain View. Such a shame - and the sheeple tend to fall for this every time.


Posted by Reader
a resident of Another Mountain View Neighborhood
on Aug 19, 2016 at 1:39 pm

If "oldabelincoln" actually lived for 20 years under Cambridge MA's grotesque rent control law, then that means he was among the lucky few who got "in" and stayed there indefinitely, enjoying below-market-rate rents. Those are the people who praise life under rent control -- because it benefitted them personally (which, to them, makes it good public policy).

Many other people were kept OUT of renting in Cambridge, myself included, under the same law -- because, as usual, it increased the demand for already scarce housing, it reduced turnover, and encouraged owners to take properties out of the rental market. Just as in Berkeley and San Francisco (though Cambridge's law has since been sensibly removed). There is no way to guarantee that the renters who benefit from rent control are the "needy," or the people hurting now under high rents -- affluent renters snap up vacancies, and those units are essentially gone from the market forever, or for 20 years (or are, illegally, sublet to someone else at nearer a free-market price, by the squatting tenant who then pockets the difference.) And no, I am not a landlord (or a Republican).

A quick, rough test for awareness of basic economics is whether (a) you supported Bernie Sanders or (b) you truly believe rent control is good public policy. ("Yes" to either question fails the test.)


Posted by Not a socialist
a resident of Cuesta Park
on Aug 19, 2016 at 1:48 pm



" Everything Sanders was saying made sense, Carpenter said."

This pretty much says it all. The only people that Bernie made sense to was spoiled elite rich kids.

How arrogant for someone without any political experience in decision making to think he can step up and run for council. My advice is to apply for a commission and show people how you would work in a group of diverse people. Its not the same as in the private sector. Even our best , smartest and overly qualified council members in the past have humbled them selves and served on local commissions before running for council. Kasperzak ( law degree), Galiotto (law degree) , Inks (masters) , Means (Ph.D.), Pear (MBA) and Perry(Harvard) , all served on PRC and or EPC before running for council.


Posted by Martin Omander
a resident of Rex Manor
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:41 pm

Good to see another outsider candidate in the City Council election. While I may not agree with Mr Carpenter's views on rent control, it is good for everyone when new people run for office. Best of luck!


Posted by Maher
a resident of Martens-Carmelita
on Aug 19, 2016 at 2:44 pm

Folks! Anyone who thinks the Sanders list of priorities originated with 'the bern' simply don't know political history. Most of his stances he "adopted" from Hillary's positions as far back as the 80's and early '90's esp the single payer option for national health care which she proposed in '93. The GOP members of congress and the insurance lobby were terrified because it was do-able and wanted to run her out of DC. So, they developed a virulent witch hunt to discredit her reputation. That witch hunt continues today.

Sanders, I hoped would bring a clear unbiased voice to the prez campaign with some original ideas but instead as he realized he couldn't beat Hillary he resorted to his witch hunt tactics and now he wants to play nice and (with a wink) asks his followers to do the same. I've no respect for him anymore. NONE.

And mindless, followers like Carpenter who want to use Sanders to slide into public office can't be trusted. They are not insightful or knowledgeable enough.

PS: IF Sanders was such an independent "outsider" why didn't he run as an Independent or Socialist? Since when can you be an "outsider" and run an insider campaign? Why did he run as a Democrat? Well, because he thought a boy candidate could steal Hillary's support within the party. He knows how much misogyny is at the core of everything in DC. It worked in 2008 but well, it didn't work this year. Duh?

PPS I am registered as a non-partisan Independent because of the way the DNC abandoned Hillary in 2008. I never donate to the DNC only directly to the candidates I support. I recommend this approach to all.


Posted by Beelia
a resident of North Bayshore
on Aug 19, 2016 at 10:34 pm

So what we needs is more lawyers and politicians in government? Wait, Isn't that how we ended up with the sick, dysfunctional, system we have now?

We don't need professional power brokers who know how to advance the causes of their own careers, wealthy old white men who buy elections, and the greedy lobbyists who prop up our broken health care system. So thanks, I'll pass on this piece of local "wisdom."

I'm far from rich or spoiled, and god knows I'm not young anymore. Kacey, welcome to the race, you have my vote.


Posted by Rent Items
a resident of Cuernavaca
on Aug 20, 2016 at 10:40 am

As much as some (The Voice & Others) will make Rent Control a (the?) major issue in this election, that ship has mostly sailed.

The initiatives are on the ballot and that topic will be decided by voters. For now, its out of the hands of Council.

Yes, a future council can have some say. For example, if the Council-sponsored initiative passes, then 2+ years after enacted, a future council could weigh in. And being renter-friendly might be a background favored by some voters, as it could have impacts in other areas.

But, I don't want this election cycle discourse drowned out by this topic. How do the candidates feel about growth? What are their SOLUTIONS for traffic congestion? What specifically will they do to improve everyday quality of life for CURRENT Mountain View residents? How would they augment and improve city services?

Last election cycle was locked in (largely via media) to a debate on housing in North Bayshore...candidates were either pro or con. Virtually no other issues got airtime. Let's not have that happen again...especially on a topic that's out of the hands of council.


Posted by AskQuestions
a resident of Whisman Station
on Aug 21, 2016 at 12:22 am

It would be refreshing for a candidate treat the root cause of this housing problem, not the symptoms. Why don't we address the property management monopolies currently plaguing mountain view and the greater area?


Posted by Mark
a resident of Old Mountain View
on Aug 21, 2016 at 7:42 am

Yeah, let's turn Mountain View into a showcase of progressive politics, like Detroit or San Francisco! And a wealthy, privileged MBA is just the person to do it!

Don't kid yourself: Carpenter isn't going took work for social justice of affordable housing, he is going took work to keep housing scarce, property prices high, and make it much more expensive to move to Mountain View. And those kinds of selfish policies are why you are going to vote for him, even if it destroys Mountain View in the long run.


Posted by ivg
a resident of Rex Manor
on Aug 21, 2016 at 9:09 am

This article helps me cross one candidate off my list without a second thought.


Posted by Name hidden
a resident of Gemello

on Sep 26, 2017 at 9:10 am

Due to repeated violations of our Terms of Use, comments from this poster are automatically removed. Why?


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