> He strongly opposed SB 50, the local zoning pre-emption bill to force cities to develop high density housing around transportation hubs. Instead, he advocates financial incentives, including state subsidies and tax breaks, for the preservation and creation of affordable housing

This right there disqualifies him. Who in the world is going to build "affordable housing" if it's not permitted to be built?

"he advocates financial incentives" --> there is plenty of financial incentive to build housing in the free market system. You don't need subsidies and tax breaks. You just need to let people build housing. It's so simple. MV Editorial board apparently doesn't understand basic economics, or is being willfully ignorant.

If you want a strong candidate, vote for Masur, who supports SB50 and building housing. If you want to continue with current broken policies, vote for any of the other status quo candidates.

SB 50 is a corporate con-job. It would authorize developers ("development applicants") to build mid-rise market-rate condos or apartments (their choice) in "jobs-rich" areas including areas otherwise reserved for single-family homes throughout much of metropolitan California. It is high-density for high-tech employees (current and planned) overlooking YOUR BACKYARD.

> YOUR BACKYARD.

I don’t have a backyard because I live in a mid rise condo. Like many other Mt View residents I live in medium or high density housing, and believe others have a right to do so as well.

Demonizing “corporate” developers is an age old scare tactic use by NIMBYs. A developer provides a useful service (building housing for others).

I’m glad you and others were able to afford $3M single family houses. For those of us who can not afford that, let us buy $1M condos. Anything else is hypocritical and selfish.

The developers are mostly corporations or LLCs. But I was referring to the men behind the curtain. The great and powerful executives of tech giants behind SB 50. If they can get more nearby housing, they can pay less to workers and gain more local control through local employees. Gaining control over governments and land use has always been among key corporate objectives. It is an old trick. A RICH tradition. And so is the use of political operatives ready to doubletalk any criticism of corporate power-brokers. Nimby is a concocted term. So is Yimby - straight from corporate PR. There is plenty of room for new housing of every kind without destroying bedroom communities. But folks realize that developers and some selfish high tech-sters want high-density overlooking single-family homes. Some tech-sters will pay for the view - even if there is no onsite parking. Streets and other people's driveways can be used for parking.

I hear a lot of scare tactics and demonization, and nothing to address the basic question of fairness: if I can "only" afford a $1M condo, and not a $3M single family home (like I assume you have), why am I not allowed to build / buy such a thing for myself? Whether a corporation builds my home is entirely irrelevant. I just want to buy a $1M condo for myself to live in.

I have to disagree with the Mountain View Voice criterion that candidates who self fund are the best: that is just a clear preference for wealthy candidates and there’s no reason to think they will be any more capable or focused on community (rather than self) interest than other candidates. I think it’s sufficient to offer Donald Trump as evidence of the utter folly of this criterion.

The Mountain View Voice also says it wants 2 Democrats to win the primary so that there can be good competition for the seat in this Democratic area — so, it’s good that Brownrigg converted to Democrat at some point so he wouldn’t be excluded on this basis.

Shelly Masur’s history of serving on both a school board and city council gives her the breadth of experience needed to tackle tough issues for our area and California as a whole. For California senate, I like candidates who have served in elective office — who have negotiated publicly with peers for policy solutions, made public votes, and been held publicly accountable by constituents. There are too few women in the California senate and from the greater Bay Area delegation, and we should change this by electing Shelly.

You can buy a million dollar condo. Just not overlooking single family homes. People bought those homes in light of the zoning. Now you want the zoning changed.

You are under the (understandable) misconception that if an area is zoned for density, it can be developed. This is not the case in California, thanks to NIMBY's:

Exhibit A: Web Link

Zoning rules allow it, NIMBY's hate it, nothing gets built, rents skyrocket. Welcome to the California nightmare, brought to you buy folks like Gary.

SB 50 (and whatever bill number is next used) would, in part, rezone single-family neighborhoods for midrise million or three million condos. ( or high-rent apts, developers' choice) with a view of the neighborhood. It would do other things to further encourage such a change in land use. Lots would need to be assembled. There are lots of barriers to development. But what is your argument for state rezoning? Is it simply that you want a condo overlooking a single-family neighborhood for $1 million?

Monday update. I received 3 political mailers today: (1) a hit piece against state senate candidate Sally Lieber from a Southern California PAC, (2) a slick piece from state senate candidate Shelly Masur who supports empowering developers to erect high-density housing in all single-family-home neighborhoods in the district (not mentioned in the mailer), and (3) another piece from the landlords in support of Measure D which would underline MV's limited rent control. This one is about retrofitting against earthquakes.

In response to Gary you wrote:

“
3) another piece from the landlords in support of Measure D which would underline MV's limited rent control. This one is about retrofitting against earthquakes.”

I think you meant undermine, but spell check can’t catch that.

What I found is it basically threatens that if Measure D does not pass housing will be unsafe.

Using grossly misleading highlighting and that there are unsafe housing units in Mountain View.

First, yes there are buildings not up to code and if tey are not, the landlords woill pay a VERY high cost in the case of an earthquake.

Second, it is not like they can threaten with not doing the retrofitting, it is required under STATE laws. If they do not, the City has no choice but to pull their license to operate their apartments, this will force them to pay relocation costs, and even make them pay for housing provided by someone else.

Or worse they are forced to have empty apartments that cannot be used until the retrofitting is completed. Thus leaving them with no operational income.

And if the use their Ellis Act rights, they cannot just sell the building without disclosing the violation of state laws. The prices they get will be mayber 25 cents to the dollar of their perceived value. But if they have a current mrtgage, I doubt that will cover the existing balances.

No the fact is this is required to be fixed no matter what happens. This is just another BIG LIE via selective editing of existing stories to mislead the voters.

BY THE WAY THE RETURN ADDRESS IS NOT TO A PERSONS HOME OR OFFICE IT IS TO A UPS STORE P. O.BOX, KIND OF REMINDS ME F A CAYMEN ISLANDS HEADQUARTERS TO US THEIR BANKING ANONYMITY. JUST GOOGLE 530 SHOWERS DRIVE #243 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA, 94040.

A point I keep making and others keep skipping is that many landlords are making a fortune in higher rents because of VACANCY DECONTROL. Each time a unit is vacated (lawfully), the landlord may establish the initial rent for the new tenant(s) at whatever the "market" will bear. A landlord who raises half of the units from $3,000 to $5,000 over, say, 3 years, is making on average $4,000 per unit - plus annual adjustments for all units. Opponents of the "sneaky reveal" of local rent control headed for the November ballot better make that point for voters.

Don't skip voting. Mail-in ballots can be dropped into collection boxes - including at city hall and the MV library - or postmarked by Tuesday. But the mail is picked up outside the MV post office at or soon after 5pm. So get it done. And don't waste a vote on a Presidential candidate who has dropped out.