Q&A with the top dog Q&A with the top dog (July 01, 2005)

Teens put mayor to the test in town hall session

By Nikki Pritchard, sophomore, Mountain View High School

On a Wednesday in late May, more than 40 teens from Mountain View and Los Altos high schools came out to Cold Stone Creamery to talk with Mayor Matt Neely between bites of ice cream.

The conversation ranged from Internet blogs to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of the questions raised at the meeting were later passed on to other city officials, including MVLA High School District Superintendent Rich Fischer, traffic engineer Dennis Belluomini, recreation manager James Teixeira, and Mountain View Police spokesman Jim Bennett.

The event was co-hosted by the Mountain View High School Youth Advisory Group and Cold Stone owner Hideki Hirabayashi.

QUESTION: Since the Share with Mayor Pear event in August of 2004, what has been done to improve the parking situation at Mountain View High School?

NEELY and BELLUOMINI:
Due to the construction that is taking place at Alta Vista, the City Council approved temporarily lifting restrictions on Bryant and Truman, which has eased most of the problem for the time being. This temporary approval is scheduled to end in December 2005. Sometime between now and then, school officials may request a permanent change or other modifications to the standard parking restrictions. Currently, school officials are studying the impacts of these temporary parking changes.

"The school has grown considerably and those who live closest also drive the most, which is unfortunate," said Mayor Neely. "Few students get rides, walk or bike, which contributes to the demand problem. The supply will always be limited by space."

Q: What is the role of controversy at the Mayor's Youth Conference? How will you deal with hot topics that come up?

NEELY:
What I heard at 'In the Mix' was that students want controversy -- they want to take on issues that mean something and think there should be a role for that at the Youth Conference. At the same time, the age gap between 7th and 12th graders means that we have to be sensitive to the different ways that teens handle controversial material. Moreover, we have to honor the fact that these students are missing a day of school, so the event has to be educational.

Q: How can young people advocate for projects like the installation of football field lights at MVHS?

NEELY:
[Advocating for] lights on the field is really a school issue. The most effective lobbying would be with decision-makers for the district, namely, the Board of Education, the superintendent and the principals of the schools. Advocating effectively for anything means, a) knowing who is important, b) knowing the history of an issue, and c) assessing your allies, fence-straddlers and enemies.

Q: Is it true that you read Mountain View teens' blogs? If so, why?

NEELY: "I do read teen blogs. My interest, started, in fact, from an article in the 'Teen Voice!' I have also found that there is considerable amount of dangerous material on the blogs (sex, drugs, violence). When this relates to school (as in 'I am going to beat you up at school'), then I have an obligation to act. Reading blogs also helps me keep up on youth culture, which then guides my policymaking (i.e. teens need a 'space of their own').

Q: What is Freestyle High and how is MVLA art funding being spent?
FISCHER: "Freestyle High is planned to open in Fall '06. It will be a small academy with four or five teachers, focused on multi-media technology. The idea is to provide a project-based program that attracts juniors and seniors from the MVLA District who are interested in multi-media and who want a hands-on educational experience. The areas of focus in the first couple of years will be video, audio, graphics, and game design/development.
In the early stages, this program will be an elective that students choose to take, but within five years we plan to open a small high school at NASA/Ames in conjunction with higher education partners like Foothill College, SJSU and UCSC. By then, we expect to add several other programs, which will probably include bio-tech, nano-tech, engineering, robotics and whatever other "majors" that will prepare our students for both entry level work and transition to college with a focus on a career that has great potential in the Valley.
Regarding the funding for the arts in our schools, we're proud to have such strong programs in the visual and performing arts. At the district level, we allocate funds to our schools for all special programs and materials on a per-pupil basis. We do not designate specific programs, but leave the distribution of those funds to the school leadership teams. What usually happens at each school is the various departments submit budget requests, which usually include supplies, materials, equipment, transportation, and so on, and the school administration, working with the department coordinators, allocates funds to the departments. In departments with unusually high expenses, parent booster organizations raise funds to help in areas like music and athletics."

Q: What is all the controversy regarding the Cuesta Tennis Center? Are they going to start charging higher fees to play tennis?

TEIXEIRA: The contract with the current operator has been extended by mutual consent through Sept. 30. There will be no interruption in planned spring and summer programs. The contract extension provided the city an opportunity to consider additional comment and discuss the operating model for the Cuesta Tennis Center, the percentage of cost recovery for the facility, and the criteria for evaluating proposals from potential operators. The city council has endorsed a community-oriented operating model, and at this time, the council has taken no action to charge higher fees to play tennis.

Q: What are your political aspirations? Are you planning to go further into politics?

NEELY: I'm not ruling anything out, but to move to another level such as county or state would mean leaving my job, which would be difficult for a number of reasons. First, I love it and I am not sure if I am ready to leave education. Second, I do not have any other income. Even campaigning for such a position would put a strain on my family's finances. Unfortunately, running for office is quickly becoming for the rich, a trend I am very worried about, which takes me to the next question...

Q: What effect has Gov. Schwarzenegger's term in office had on your attitude and your experience as an elected official?

NEELY: The governor was able to use his own personal fortune to run for office and win to some degree. The benefit of the doubt that I have been giving him is wearing off. While it's great that an immigrant to our country can be governor, I am horrified at the governor's new trend of ignoring working people, parents and children. He is quickly becoming a governor for a very limited group, ignoring those who need leadership the most.

Q: How is the city going to increase the supply of low-income housing?

NEELY: The city is currently engaged in a six-month process regarding the appropriate strategies for housing. We are currently examining housing projects (actual homes) as well as housing programs. The first piece of good news is that the efficiency studio project at San Antonio Circle (Central and San Antonio) is scheduled to be completed in December with 120 units. There is also considerable work being done on senior housing, including an expansion of the Central Park apartments on Sierra Vista.

Q: What is the Click It or Ticket campaign and is it working?

BENNETT: In 2004, a seat belt safety use survey revealed that 90.4 percent of vehicle occupants wear their seatbelts. That means there are 3 million people who do not buckle up on California roadways. This alarming number reminds us of the importance of buckling up each time we get into a vehicle.
The Mountain View Police Department recently participated in the statewide "Click It or Ticket" campaign. With funding from a state grant, the department assigned additional officers to specifically enforce seatbelt laws. Last year's campaign showed an increase in seatbelt usage from 89 to 95 percent. Statistics are not yet compiled to show how many of the 300 violations issued in 2005 were received by teens.
A violation can be very costly. For persons 16 and older, the first violation is $89 and jumps to $191 for the second. However, the fines are much steeper when there is a person under 16 in your vehicle who does not have a seat belt on. The driver in those cases will face a fine up to $340 for the first offense and $871 for the second. If a teenager who is not wearing a seatbelt operates a vehicle in which their teen passengers are not wearing seatbelts, it could become a very expensive drive to the movies. Not wearing your seatbelt can result in more than just a fine; it can be the difference between life and death.

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