League of Women Voters of California
Santa Clara County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
	Bruce Karney Answers Questions Candidate for Council Member; City of Mountain View; 2 Year Short Term

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of Los Altos/Mtn. View Area and asked of all candidates for this office.

Read the answers from all candidates.

Questions & Answers

1. Do you see any links between local traffic congestion and cuts in public transit services, "help wanted" signs and insufficient low cost housing? If so, what might the Council do to improve the situation?

Traffic congestion is one sign of the imbalance between jobs and housing. When we create thousands of jobs in Mountain View, but the new housing is built in Tracy and Watsonville, commuters will be on the road for 50 miles each way. If we built homes and apartments in Mountain View to match the jobs created here, commuters would face only a 2 or 3 mile trip to work, and many would walk or bike rather than clogging freeways. The Council must work to create more housing here and encourage more efficient use of the housing we already have.

2. What specific concerns, if any, do you have about the recommendations in the NASA Ames Development Plan which was released in late July?

The plans for research and teaching are very exciting, but I believe NASA/Ames should be developed so that it improves the jobs/housing balance, not worsens it. In order to do this the current plan should be revised to add substantially more housing.

I also do not think the plan adequately addresses toxic waste clean-up.

3. As a Councilmember, how would you bring together members of the community to address local issues?

I have a great deal of experience in community-building and communications, both in my work at HP and in my civic activities. I know first-hand that many people attend their first Council meeting only after being surprised to learn about some important change that affects them. These individuals often learn about the issue too late to have an impact on the outcome, and become angry and frustrated by what they perceive as lack of openness.

We can address this with things as simple as notice boards in City Parks where news bulletins can be posted, and as modern as e-mail groups that people can subscribe to on subjects of interest. Many non-profit groups use e-mail lists like this with great results, and the City should sponsor them too.