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Sam Ali
Security specialist | samformountainview.com
Top priorities
- Building affordable housing so that people who work in Mountain View can live here
- Increasing investment in public safety
- Boosting city’s use of social media, including to promote small businesses
Community involvement
- Church volunteer
Although he’s a newcomer to local politics and city government, Sam Ali stresses that he is not new to Mountain View and that he’s ready to roll up his sleeves and make a meaningful difference.
“Mountain View had my back growing up and now I want to have Mountain View’s back,” Ali told the Voice.
In this November’s General Election, Ali is one of eight candidates vying for three seats on the Mountain View City Council, which sets policies and the overall direction of the city. There are seven Council members in total.
Ali identified affordable housing as a top priority, so that people who work in Mountain View can afford to live in the city. The issue hits close to home for Ali whose family relied on subsidized housing and food banks to make ends meet when he was a child.
Ali now rents an apartment near the downtown Mountain View Caltrain station, an experience that he said shaped his perspective on Senate Bill 79, a state law passed last year that allows for denser housing to be built near major transit stops.
While he supports SB 79, Ali also said he thinks local residents should be consulted more about housing development, especially when it directly impacts them.
“We serve the people of this community, not the other way around,” Ali said.
Ali wants to balance development with protecting historically significant resources, including preserving older buildings in the downtown area near the Caltrain station.
“To keep the historical character of a city is vital to its history and having people remember how beautiful the city truly is,” he said.
Ali pointed to downtown Sunnyvale as an example of a city that has successfully struck this balance, maintaining the historic character of Murphy Avenue, while building large housing developments on the surrounding streets.
On the issue of homelessness, Ali supports further restricting oversized vehicles from parking on public streets. At the same time, Ali wants to see the city offer more resources to vehicle residents and expand safe parking sites. There also could be more public awareness and understanding about the situation of vehicle residents, Ali said.
With respect to the budget, Mountain View is projected to face modest deficits over the next few years. Ali said it is important to prioritize essential work and programs that support housing and people in need. He also stressed the need for transparency when making budget cuts.
Ali supports the measure on November’s ballot to raise the city’s hotel tax. However, he said that he would generally prefer the city “to look inward” before asking the public for more money, and opposes the idea of raising fees for city services.
Ali identified economic vitality as another top priority, particularly emphasizing supporting small businesses. Communication and regularly engaging with business owners is key to ensuring their success, he said. Ali also wants to see the city do more to promote businesses with targeted social media campaigns.
Ali supports a vacancy tax to help compel property owners to fill empty storefronts but opposes charging for parking, which is currently free throughout downtown.
“We’re not trying to nickel and dime visitors who are coming here to Mountain View,” he said.
On the issue of the environment, Ali thinks the city is doing a good job of trying to reduce carbon emissions. To make bigger strides, Ali would like to see the city push for more public transit, including having trains run more frequently. The train schedule is overseen by Caltrain, a state agency. The city could also plant more trees, Ali said.
While Ali supports bike lanes in concept, he opposes the changes made to California Street, which included reducing vehicle lanes to make space for protected bike lanes. It has become difficult to find street parking, especially for working-class families that need more than one vehicle to get to and from their jobs, Ali said. He added that he would have liked more opportunities for community engagement and feedback before the changes were implemented.
Ali identified public safety as another top priority, and supports increasing funding for the police department. However, Ali opposes the reintroduction of automatic license plate readers in the city. The police department removed the cameras earlier this year after discovering major security and privacy breaches with the technology.
Ali also supports Mountain View’s efforts to prevent federal authorities from conducting civil immigration enforcement activities on city property.
“I think that we need to be protecting our community here in Mountain View,” Ali said.
In the coming days, the Voice will be publishing individual profiles of each City Council candidate. To compare the candidates side-by-side on the issues, check out our Candidate Comparison Grid. And head over to our 2026 Election Center to view all of our recent coverage.
