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Occupation: Retired civil engineer and Mountain View mayor
Age: 72
Years living in Mountain View: 40
Top priorities: Housing, climate resilience and equity and economic vitality
Mountain View Mayor Pat Showalter likes to take the long view, a perspective that she has honed after a lengthy career in public service, not just as a City Council member but also as a civil engineer.
“We’re not in this for the next quarter or the next two years. We’re in this for the duration, for in perpetuity, that’s such a different outlook than as a corporation,” Showalter said, referring to the work of local government.
Showalter is coming to the tail end of her second term on the City Council, including two stints as mayor. The experience has paid off, as Showalter has a deep knowledge of the issues facing the city, and plenty of ideas to get the most important projects across the finish line.
Showalter says Mountain View has a robust housing blueprint and is cautiously optimistic that it will meet its goals to plan for more than 11,000 new homes by 2031. But it is dependent on developers, she said, noting that the city can only do so much by providing incentives and good zoning.
Mountain View also has a strong below market-rate housing program, Showalter said. She supports the requirement for market rate developers to set aside 15% of their units as affordable, citing concerns that going higher would deter developers. Showalter also says that in-lieu fees are a good alternative to inclusionary housing in some cases, as it may provide more flexibility with getting homes built.
Showalter supports affordable housing, but says she also would like to see more options for moderate-income households too. The city doesn’t have a good track record of producing condominiums like Sunnyvale, she said. Showalter also would like to see more stacked flats to allow for higher density in parts of the city zoned for multifamily residences.
Showalter does not see a need to review the city’s single-family zoning or consider upzoning these neighborhoods, noting that state legislation, SB 9, has effectively already done that. Showalter doesn’t anticipate seeing a lot of duplexes or ADUs happening in Mountain View, as single family lots tend to be smaller than what is found in neighboring cities, she said.
On the topic of housing instability, Showalter is a big proponent of expanding safe parking sites. She says it has been difficult, however, to open lots that are not controlled by the city. Still, Showalter says she is committed to making safe parking work. “We know how to do it and it’s not terribly expensive,” she said.
Showalter also would like to see the city offer year-round shelters for unhoused residents, possibly in partnership with the county or churches. The social services they provide improve the wellbeing of unhoused residents, she said, but added that the city does not have any specific plans as of now.
On budget balancing, Showalter said the city has a good track record with a fiscally conservative history, a good credit rating and the ability to draw on funding from the Shoreline Park District for projects in North Bayshore. It also can prioritize its capital improvement projects, especially if Measure G fails to pass, and go after grant money more aggressively, she said.
Mountain View is on the right track with its revitalization of the downtown area, Showalter said. More full-time staff have been hired to implement the recommendations of the city’s economic vitality plan, which includes streamlining permitting processes to make it easier for businesses to open, she said.
Still, there are some needed improvements, Showalter said. She backs a storefront vacancy tax but also says this would be a last resort, as she would much rather have a landlord fill its store. A public blight citation might be more fitting, she added.
With the environment, Showalter is confident that Mountain View can reach its carbon-neutral goals by 2045, if not sooner. She supports the ban of natural gas infrastructure for new residential and commercial developments, noting that it makes sense to do as Mountain View can draw on clean energy sources.
Showalter said she has been an advocate of adding more parks and open space in Mountain View, though she opposes raising park fees on residential developments, citing concerns about creating barriers to housing. Rather, she would prefer to use other funding sources, even from the general fund if needed, she said.
Showalter also backs some of the city’s most ambitious climate resiliency projects, like its sea-level rise protection plan, as well as a shared water purification plant in Palo Alto. “We are the center of Silicon Valley. The eyes of the world are on us, so what we do matters,” she said.
As with most issues, Showalter took a long view when asked about the relationship between the city and Mountain View Whisman School District. “We’re going to be here forever. They’re going to be here forever. We got to work together,” she said.
Still, Showalter characterized the current relationship as “poor,” citing the conflict over the Shoreline funding agreement as a particularly troubling issue. The school district requested an agreement and then after seven months refused to sign it, she said. “That’s just not okay. So, I really want them to sign that agreement so we can move forward,” she said, adding that they planned on crafting a long-term agreement as well.
To move forward, Showalter says it’s also important to start with a shared set of facts. “I’m going to work hard to get that shared set of facts, but I can’t do that alone,” she said.
More information about Showalter’s policy positions and priorities can be found on her campaign website, https://patshowalter.com.
