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Occupation: Santa Clara County Library District community outreach specialist
Age: 32
Years living in Mountain View: 3
Top priorities: Solutions for housing, strengthening public services and safety, addressing global climate crisis
For Human Relations Commission member Erik Poicon, talking to people and hearing their concerns has been a long time passion, one that he also has cultivated as a community organizer. Now Poicon says he is ready to make a meaningful difference at a higher level, turning these conversations into action if elected to the Mountain View City Council.
The needs of the community are not just abstract concepts to Poicon. They also hit close to home, he said, referring to his family’s struggles with housing and food insecurity. For these reasons, finding solutions to housing is a top priority, as well as strengthening public services and safety, he said.
Mountain View has a solid blueprint to plan for more housing, Poicon said. But he has concerns about the affordability of homes that are being built. Even below market-rate apartments exceed the price range of many households, he said. For these reasons, Poicon supports a bigger focus on homes for very low-income families.
Poicon also says policies could be strengthened to require market-rate developers to set aside more than 15% of their units as affordable. Poicon prefers having developers build affordable inclusionary units rather than opting to pay in-lieu fees, but also says that the fees could support other housing projects too.
On the issue of increasing housing density, Poicon says he favors it. He supports building higher while also including mixed uses, like small retail and daycare options, in residential developments. Poicon expressed support for a diversity of housing options, stating that there was a lack of opportunity for entry-level home ownership in the city.
Poicon supports expanding safe parking sites as well. He says more services can be provided to help vehicle dwellers transition to stable housing – an issue that he has a deep familiarity with from his work as a Community Services Agency outreach worker. Helping to pay utility and credit card bills, or first month rents and deposits are good pathways to getting people back into homes, he said.
But it is not just in Mountain View that people are struggling with housing instability and homelessness, Poicon said, noting that the city could partner more with neighboring cities and the county to address the issue at a regional level.
With regards to city funding, Poicon backs Measure G, but also says he would prioritize the funding differently. Public safety is important, but Mountain View also has other critical needs, like affordable housing, he said.
On the topic of downtown revitalization, Poicon says more can be done to help businesses, like having more staff available to help with processing permits. He supports a storefront vacancy tax but opposes an office cap, noting that staff time could be better directed to other resources. Poicon also opposes paid parking, which he sees as an obstacle to getting people downtown.
Poicon has identified climate resiliency as another top priority, and supports putting in more parks and open space in Mountain View, particularly in underserved areas. Parks should be accessible to all residents, especially children, he said. Poicon supports increasing park fees on developments, but not if it discourages building more affordable housing, he said.
With public safety, Poicon backs the installation of automatic license plate cameras to assist law enforcement investigations, though he expressed concern about their use and impact on people of color. It’s important to have safeguards in place and for the technology to be deployed equitably, he said.
As a community organizer, Poicon backed state legislation supporting de-escalation methods for law enforcement officials. He also supports building strong relationships with the Mountain View Police Department, which he says is happening already.
Poicon ranked the relationship between the city and Mountain View Whisman School District as “poor,” citing conflicts over the Shoreline funding agreement. It’s important to negotiate in good faith, he said, but is hopeful the stalemate will be resolved with more mediation and discussion.
More information about Poicon’s policy positions and priorities can be found on his campaign website, https://www.votepoicon.com.
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