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The Mountain View City Council appointed a new member to the Environmental Planning Commission Tuesday evening, following the departure of Chris Clark who was elected to the City Council in November.
In a 5-2 vote, the City Council backed Tina Pham, a civil and environmental engineer, to fill the open seat at their meeting on Feb. 18.
Pham edged out IdaRose Sylvester, a Human Relations Commission member, after a third applicant dropped out of the selection process prior to the meeting.
Council members expressed support for both Pham and Sylvester, but the majority settled on Pham, citing her engineering credentials, public sector work experience and diverse background to round out the rest of the commission.
Council member John McAlister highlighted the importance of technical proficiency to serve on the EPC, as it acts as an advisory body on key land use issues. “I see the role of the commissioner as one who interprets the general plan, the precise plans, and makes sure that it is in compliance when it comes to the council,” McAlister said.
Council member Emily Ann Ramos raised a similar point, noting that Pham could serve as a valuable liaison on the EPC, given her experience as a public works employee for the city of San Mateo.
“Some of us may have strong disagreements with how staff does things. And I think she provides a really nice bridge,” Ramos said. “Because essentially, EPC kicks the tires of the staff report.”
Several council members also expressed a desire to round out the EPC by appointing members from different geographical parts of the city – an attribute that Pham fulfills as a resident of the San Antonio neighborhood.
During the interview process, Pham weighed in on Mountain View’s existing land use policies, praising the framework of the city’s general plan while noting that it was outdated. A lot has changed since the general plan was adopted in 2012, Pham said, emphasizing the need to reconsider how people get around the city, especially after the pandemic.
Pham also stressed the importance of taking a balanced approach to development. “We want to increase density where it makes sense because there are regulatory requirements and other motivations. Housing is so expensive, but we want to do it in a responsible way,” Pham said, adding that it is important to consider parking, transit and environmental impacts too.
“We basically just want to make sure that the folks who live here have their needs met now but also their needs met in the future,” she said.
Pham will join six other commissioners on the EPC that includes recently appointed incumbent Hank Dempsey, Paul Donahue, Alex Nuñez, Bill Cranston, José Gutiérrez and Joyce Yin. Pham’s appointment will run until the end of the year.
