Posts by Max Beckman-Harned

The two incumbent Mountain View City Council candidates outraised all seven other challengers vying for this race’s four open seats on the council. Mayor and Councilwoman Margaret Abe-Koga leads the pack of candidates with fellow incumbent Lisa Matichak and former mayor and councilwoman Pat Showalter following closely behind.

State election officials launched an investigation Thursday into the Mountain View Fire Fighters Political Action Committee (PAC) following a complaint that the organization has been on a spending spree supporting City Council candidates in violation of campaign finance laws.

Referendum seeks to uphold City Council’s ban on RVs, ‘oversized vehicles’ on most city streets.

Money from Realtors and unions is flowing in the Mountain View City Council election. The National Association of Realtors set up an independent expenditure committee on Wednesday (Oct. 7) and is spending $29,070 to support Councilwoman Lisa Matichak. The committee has already spent $13,787 on polling and $14,599 on a mailer and online ads. Unions are also playing a role …

MOUNTAIN VIEW — With a majority of seats on the city council up in November, a political shake-up is brewing as voters face an ideologically split candidate pool that could change the city’s policy framework as it deals with an economic crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

Mountain View voters have a deep bench to choose from with this year’s nine candidates for four seats on the City Council. Looking for experience? There are two incumbents and three former council members in the race — one of whom also served in the state Assembly. Prefer newcomers with a fresh take on things? Rounding out the race are …

At a time of great uncertainty, Pat Showalter said she believes she has both the experience and the values to represent Mountain View residents for another term on the City Council.

Mountain View voters rejected Measure D by a 70%-30% margin in March of this year.  Measure D had been crafted to undermine the 2016 legislated rent stabilization measure (the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act or “CSFRA”).  Under Measure D, rents this year would have risen 4%-8% when one includes amounts for liberalized pass through of costs to renters.  Under …

Showalter’s passion for Mountain View and public service shines through. She was elected to the City Council in 2014 but narrowly failed in her 2018 reelection bid. Despite losing, she remained active in Mountain View, serving on seven different boards and commissions. Showalter, a civil engineer, is a great listener and has a well-deserved reputation for helping the city work …

Showalter, edged out in her 2018 bid for re-election, has a handle on the intricacies of city projects thanks to her experience as a civil engineer. She embraces liberal issues, but has the wisdom of someone who is older and lacks the stridency of some of her opponents.