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Occupation: Small local business owner
Age: 71
Years living in Mountain View: 67
Top priorities: Financial solvency, reprioritize projects for smaller scope, housing for all
John McAlister, a former Mountain View City Council member, is seeking a third term on the dais, and has some big ideas to get important things done quickly and more effectively.
“We need to prioritize all the different projects the city’s doing and narrow it down because we have way too many,” McAlister said. But whittling down doesn’t mean losing sight of Mountain View’s top priorities.
On the issue of housing, Mountain View has a good blueprint, McAlister said. But he also expressed concern that the plan for more than 11,000 new homes was out of sync with current market conditions. A lot of housing is slated for areas like North Bayshore and East Whisman, but if jobs are not being created, then housing likely will not follow, McAlister said.
Still, McAlister says he has a bold vision to turn things around – one that he has been advocating to do for 10 years. McAlister wants the city to buy apartments with bond money that then would be paid back by rents. Once the city controls the units, it can decide how to use the housing, whether for rapid rehousing or for low-income tenants, city employees, the school district and so on, he said.
In the end, it would be a lot quicker and cheaper than always looking for partners and grants to get projects through the pipeline, he said. The cost is only going up too, he said. When McAlister was a council member, it was about $500,000 per door. Now it’s a lot more, he said.
With the city budget, McAlister says Mountain View cannot afford to do all things for all people. The capital improvement projects need to be trimmed down as well. A lot of them are still five to 10 years out, McAlister said. The city has to figure out what is needed in the near term and then punt the rest, he added.
McAlister wants to declutter the downtown area too, which he said needs a more uniform look. Mountain View can also do more to figure out what kind of businesses would work well in the downtown area, McAlister said, especially in regard to retail. Also among his priorities are revamping the performing arts program, which he believes is not geared towards a young or diverse crowd.
McAlister opposes paid parking, seeing it as an obstacle to getting people downtown. He also does not back a vacancy tax, unless it would be used to reinvest in the downtown.
On the environment, McAlister expressed support for all-electric reach codes, as well as other interventions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
As for roadways, he wants the city to better time its signal lights so vehicles are idling less and wants to see more school buses. But he does not support adding a bus only lane on El Camino Real, citing a lack of ridership. Similarly, McAlister opposes putting in bicycle lanes on El Camino Real, expressing a concern about bicycle safety. Bicycle lanes would be a better option for parallel streets, like California Street or Latham Street, he said.
Parks and open space are important as well, McAlister said, expressing support for increasing park fees on residential developments. He also supports establishing fees for commercial developments. But transparency is key, he added, noting that developers should be aware of the fees upfront before they start a project. Ideally, though, the city should put out a bond and purchase land when it becomes available, he said.
On the issue of the city’s relationship with the school district, McAlister says both sides need to work together, as well as have a common set of facts and realistic expectations. Open communication is key, he said, and even if there is disagreement, it doesn’t need to lead to conflict.
On this front, McAlister says he’s always looking for solutions, and collaboration is key to getting things done. “That’s just my general philosophy, let’s be proactive, not reactive,” he said.
More information about McAlister’s policy positions and priorities can be found on his campaign website, https://jmac4mv.org.
