The five Mountain View residents vying for three open seats on the city council this November fielded questions on the big issues facing the city at the Mountain View Voice’s first virtual candidate forum on Thursday, Sept. 15.

After asking our readers what questions they’d like to see the candidates tackle, Voice editors asked council hopefuls about everything from bicycle safety to small business recovery, housing growth to greenhouse gas emissions, at the 90-minute forum. All five candidates – incumbents Lucas Ramirez, Alison Hicks and Ellen Kamei, and newcomers Li Zhang and Justin Cohen – participated.

Housing emerged as a clear top issue for both our readers and the candidates: How to build more of it, how to make it more affordable and how to help people access it. But the forum also had candidates to weigh in on the other facets of development that residents care deeply about: the removal of heritage trees, the neighborhoods that lack parks and open space, and the impacts on existing residents as the city grows.

If you missed the forum, find out where the candidates stand on all these issues and more, on the Mountain View Voice’s YouTube page at mv-voice.com/youtube or by clicking the link above to watch a recording of the event.