DATE:
October 17, 2023
TO:
Honorable Mayor and City Council
FROM:
Wanda Wong, Deputy City Clerk
Heather Glaser, City Clerk
TITLE: Rental Housing Committee and Environmental
Planning Commission Applicant Interviews
PURPOSE
Interview applicants for the Rental Housing Committee and the Environmental Planning Commission and make a recommendation for adoption at the November 7, 2023 City Council meeting.
DISCUSSION
The City Clerk’s Office conducted a recruitment to fill one opening on the Rental Housing Committee (RHC) (unexpired term ending April 17, 2025) and two openings on the Environmental Planning Commission (EPC) (two terms running from January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2027). Five applications were received for the RHC openings, and four applications were received for the EPC openings during the recruitment period that concluded on September 28, 2023 and October 6, 2023, respectively.
Rental Housing Committee
The RHC consists of five members and one alternate. The alternate member is permitted to attend all RHC meetings and to speak but is not authorized to vote unless a regular member of the RHC is absent at that meeting or is recused from voting on an agenda item. No more than two members of the RHC may own or manage any rental property or be real estate agents or developers. The names and term expiration dates for the current RHC members are as follows:
Name Term Expires
Alex Brown, Alternate April 17, 2027
Robert Cox April 17, 2027
Edie Keating, Chair April 17, 2027
Kevin Ma April 17, 2025
M. Guadalupe Rosas, Vice Chair April 17, 2025
Vacancy April 17, 2025
Rental Housing Committee and
Environmental Planning Commission Applicant Interviews
October 17, 2023
Alex Brown, Robert Cox, Edie Keating, Kevin Ma, and M. Guadalupe Rosas do not own or manage any rental property and are not real estate agent s or developer s. The Council may consider recommending a member who owns or manage s rental property or is a real estate agent or developer. City staff has noted the applicants that fall into this category on the Summary of Applicants (Attachment 2).
The Mountain View Charter outlines membership requirements, and City staff has determined that all applicants are qualified to serve on this body.
Environmental Planning Commission
The EPC consists of seven members . The names and term expiration dates for the current EPC members are as follows:
Name Term Expires
Chris Clark December 31, 2025
William Cranston December 31, 2026
Hank Dempsey, Vice Chair December 31, 2024
Jose Gutierrez December 31, 2026
Preeti Hehmeyer December 31, 2023
Alejandro Nuñez December 31, 2023 (incumbent)
Joyce Yin, Chair December 31, 2025
The Mountain View Charter outlines membership requirements, and City staff has determined that all applicants are qualified to serve on this body.
Interview Process and Questions
Pursuant to City Council Policy K-2, interviews are to be conducted in a panel format. Applicants will be interviewed in groups by body, each applicant will receive the same amount of time to answer each question, and the questions selected by the Council will be asked in randomized round-robin order. The Council may ask a limited number of clarifying questions in the event an applicant’s answer is unclear or otherwise not understood. Clarifying questions should not be used to allow an applicant an additional opportunity to expand on the original response.
Rental Housing Committee and
Environmental Planning Commission Applicant Interviews
October 17, 2023
On March 7, 2023, the Council gathered the following information from RHC applicants in the denoted time limit for each category:
1. 1 minute: Tell us about yourself and what unique perspectives or abilities you would bring to the Rental Housing Committee.
2. 2 minutes: Tell us about the role of the Rental Housing Committee and the role of its legal counsel in the Rental Housing Committee decision-making process.
3. 2 minutes: What do you think will be the most important issues in the next year and how would you go about thinking them through and addressing them?
On November 28 , 202 2, the Council posed the following questions to EPC applicants in the denoted time limit for each category:
1. 1 minute: What have you personally done to make a contribution to the Environmental Planning Commission, or, if you are not currently serving, what would you bring to the Environmental Planning Commission that is unique?
2. 2 minutes: What are your thoughts on the City’s existing plans like the General Plan and Precise Plans?
3. 2 minutes: How would you balance private property rights and community benefits, and how would you consider public comment from residents?
Voting Process
At the conclusion of interviews, the Council may discuss the applicants before voting. Pursuant to City Council Policy K-2, each member of the Council shall vote for as many candidates as there are open seats (e.g., if two seats are available, vote for no more than two). In the event there is a tie vote, each member of the Council shall revote for the candidate(s) of their choice , and the candidate with the highest number of votes wins. City Council Policy K-2 also states Council may choose another voting method by majority vote.
At the March 7, 2023 interview session conducted by the Council, each Councilmember voted for the candidate(s) of their choice by ballot. Ballots were collected , and the City Clerk publicly announced each Councilmember’s vote.
Rental Housing Committee and
Environmental Planning Commission Applicant Interviews
October 17, 2023
NEXT STEPS
The Council should determine the questions that will be asked of each body of applicants , the amount of time that will be allocated to each question to be asked, and confirm the process it will follow for interview s and voting. At the conclusion of the interviews of RHC applicants, followed by EPC applicants, the Council should vote on appointment recommendation s for adoption at the November 7, 2023 City Council meeting. Pursuant to City Council Policy K -2, a person appointed to serve on a board, commission, or committee may only serve on one body at a time.
PUBLIC NOTICING—Agenda posting.
Prepared by:
Wanda Wong
Deputy City Clerk
Heather Glaser
City Clerk
WW-HG/4/CAM
429-10-17-23SS
203224
Attachments: 1. Board/Commission/Committee Member Selection Guidelines
2. Summary of Applicants
3. Attendance Report
4. Interview Schedule
5. RHC Applications
6. EPC Applications