At the first regular meeting of the new year on Tuesday, Jan. 10, the City Council elected Alison Hicks as Mayor and Pat Showalter as Vice Mayor. Mayor Hicks served as Vice Mayor in 2022. She was elected to the Council in November 2018 and re-elected to her second term in November 2022. View her Mayor’s welcome message. Vice Mayor Showalter was elected to the Council in November 2020.

Mountain View has a council-manager form of government, in which the Council is the legislative body of the City, setting policy and establishing the City’s overall priorities and direction.

The seven councilmembers are elected at large for four-year terms. Service on the Council is limited to two consecutive full terms. In January of each year, the Council elects one of its members as Mayor and another as Vice Mayor.

City Council meetings are now being held in person in the Council Chambers at Mountain View City Hall, 500 Castro St. A virtual component is being offered for those who wish to address the Council by joining online.

For more information about the makeup of the City Council, visit the City Council Roster webpage.  

The City of Mountain View invites the public to help in the development of a Displacement Response Strategy. The first of several meetings will be held virtually on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Staff plans to bring policy and program options for a Displacement Response Strategy for City Council consideration this year. These options include:

• Acquisition and/or preservation of rent-stabilized units.
• Replacement requirements for existing units demolished as part of new residential development.
• Various other programs.

For more information, and to learn how to attend the meetings, visit MountainView.gov/DisplacementResponse.

One of the City of Mountain View’s long-standing strategic priorities is to be a "Community for All" to preserve our socioeconomic diversity and protect vulnerable populations. As part of this, the City Council adopted a Wage Theft Ordinance and Responsible Construction Ordinance in September 2022. 

These ordinances went into effect on Jan. 1, 2023 and established new requirements for Mountain View business owners and contractors on large construction projects. The purpose of the ordinances is to support compliance with existing State wage and hour laws and the City’s Minimum Wage Ordinance as well as to enhance the protection of workers’ rights.

For more information, visit MountainView.gov/WageTheft.

Several new traffic laws have taken effect in the new year. Here are few of them, with information provided by the California Department of Motor Vehicles and California Highway Patrol:

• Enhanced Safeguards for Bicycle Riders (AB 1909): Drivers are now required to change into another available lane, when possible, to pass cyclists, building on the current requirement for drivers to give cyclists at least three feet of space when passing. The law also permits Class 3 e-bike riders to use approved bicycle paths and trails, bikeways, and bicycle lanes. In addition, starting on Jan. 1, 2024, the law allows cyclists to cross an intersection when a walk sign is on.
• Vehicular Manslaughter: Speeding and Reckless Driving (SB 1472): This law expands the criteria for “gross negligence” as it relates to the crime of vehicular manslaughter. Drivers involved in sideshow activity, exhibition of speed, or speeding over 100 miles per hour, which results in a fatality, could now be charged with Vehicular Manslaughter with Gross Negligence.

The City of Mountain View is conducting a survey for the El Monte Avenue Corridor Study. The study proposes to identify and incorporate improvements along the El Monte Avenue corridor, from Springer Road to El Camino Real, to improve the overall safety for all modes of travel within the study area.

Responses will provide staff with feedback to further analyze alternatives to recommend to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Council Transportation Committee and City Council.

Take the survey online.

Join us for the 2023 Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center, 201 S Rengstorff Ave. in Redwood Hall.

All are welcome to enjoy a day of Asian arts and music, traditional performances, games and riddles to win prizes! Learn more about the meaning behind Lunar New Year and the rich customs of family, friends and neighbors as we welcome in the new year together.

Here’s what’s coming up at the Mountain View Public Library  this month:

• Thursday, Jan. 12: Landlord Property Registration Workshop - Join the City of Mountain View's Rent Stabilization Program as we provide an online property registration tutorial.
• Thursday, Jan. 12: Science Explorers — Hands on STEAM program that encourages curiosity and wonder about how science works.
• Thursday, Jan. 12: LinkedIn Hacks: Survive a Recession and Jumpstart Your Career — Get ready to recession-proof your career with some of the most powerful insider techniques.
• Saturday, Jan. 14: Lunar New Year Celebration and Painting Workshop: Year of the Rabbit — Learn about the customs of the Lunar New Year followed by a hands-on painting class.
• Tuesdays, Jan. 17–Feb. 28: Outdoor Winter Storytime — Stories, songs and rhymes in Pioneer Park.
• Tuesday, Jan. 17: Decluttering to Start Your New Year: Author Talk with Dana K. White — Start your new year calm and collected by learning to become better organized and clutter-free.
• Tuesday, Jan. 17: The Science and Non-Science of Star Wars – A look at Star Wars and other science fiction films from the point of view of a skeptical scientist.
• Wednesdays, Jan. 18-Feb. 22: Baby Storytime — A musical storytime for infants and toddlers with books, baby bounces and dancing.
• Friday, Jan. 20: Lunar New Year Lantern — Drop in to make a lantern to celebrate Lunar New Year.
• Saturday, Jan. 21: Drop-in Bike Clinic — Free advice and help from a professional bike mechanic.
• Saturday, Jan. 21: Human Library — Learn about the varied life experiences of people from your community by engaging in one-on-one conversations with human “books” through the Human Library.
• Tuesday, Jan. 24: Sewing with FabMo: Create Your Own Bowl Cozy — Learn to sew a bowl cozy to protect your hands from hot or cold dishes.              
• Wednesday, Jan. 25: Sing and Play Along Ukulele Jam — Learn to play fun songs on the ukulele. 

2023 – 2024 Mountain View Recreation Preschool Registration Opens Jan. 17

New year, new preschool registration date! Registration for the Recreation Division play-based preschool program starts on Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 8:30 a.m.

The 2023 – 2024 school year program runs from Sept. 6 – June 7. Three different preschool programs are offered during the school year, which includes Tot Time (ages 3 – 4), PlaySchool (ages 4 – 5) and Nature PlaySchool (ages 3 – 5).

Tot Time meets on Tuesday and Thursday mornings 9 to 11:30 a.m.

PlaySchool meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Nature PlaySchool meets Tuesday and Thursdays 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.

For more information on Preschool programs, visit MountainView.gov/Preschool.

Lap Swim Open to Teens at Eagle Pool on Select Days

Starting on Saturday, Jan. 7, Mountain View Aquatics is proud to offer a new teen lap swim program at Eagle Pool.

The program will be available to teens 13 – 17 years old on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 – 1:55 p.m. Guardians are welcome to lap swim with their teens during the session. This is an excellent opportunity to exercise as a family and promote a healthy lifestyle. Drop-in only. Current lap swim fees apply per person.

For more information on the Lap Swim program, visit MountainView.gov/LapSwim.

New Pilot Pickleball Lines on Rengstorff Park Tennis Courts

On Wednesday, Dec. 7, courts 3 and 4 at Rengstorff Park Tennis Courts were dual striped for a Pilot Pickleball Program which will run for six months.

Pickleball Court Hours of Play:  

• Monday through Friday and Sunday: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• Monday and Thursday: 6 – 8 p.m.
• Saturday: 2 – 7 p.m.

Hours not listed above are dedicated to tennis and times are subject to change.  

Pickleball Equipment Available: There are three rollaway pickleball nets available on courts 3 and 4 during playable hours. Extra portable nets will be available at the Community Center front desk Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Equipment use is free of charge.

Staff will monitor and collect feedback during the pilot program and return to the Tennis Advisory Board and Parks and Recreation Commission with an update in spring 2023. To provide feedback on the Pilot Pickleball Program please click here. 

Additional Pickleball information can be found at MountainView.gov/Pickleball.

OnStage at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

Jan. 14 | Feiyu Theater presents Every Brilliant Thing (fully in Mandarin) 每一件美妙的小事  | Tickets

Jan. 18 – Feb. 12 | TheatreWorks Silicon Valley presents In Every Generation | Tickets

Jan. 20 – 21 | Peninsula Youth Theatre presents The Snow Queen | Tickets

Jan. 27 | Socially Inept, LLC presents Socially Inept: Roast of Silicon Valley – January 2023 | Tickets

Feb. 4 & 5 | TheaterGames Productions presents The Snow Queen (in Russian) | Tickets

Feb. 10, 11 | Peninsula Youth Theatre presents Stuart Little | Tickets

Feb. 18 | Nova Vista Symphony presents Songs of Peace | Tickets

Feb. 18, 19 | Feiyu Theater presents A Behanding in Spokane (Mandarin) 断手斯城 | Tickets

Feb. 23 – 26 | Dance Arts Foundation presents California Dance Classics | More info

Order COVID-19 tests directly to your home

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Jan. 11 | Visual Arts Committee | 6 p.m. | online

Jan. 16 | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day | All Day | Most City offices closed in observance of the holiday

Jan. 18 | Development Review Committee | 2 p.m. | online

Jan. 18 | Senior Advisory Committee | 2 p.m. | online

Jan. 18 | Performing Arts Committee | 6:15 p.m. | online

Jan. 18 | Parks and Recreation Commission and Urban Forestry Board | 7 p.m. | online

Jan. 23 | Youth Advisory Committee | 5 p.m. | online

Jan. 23 | Board of Library Trustees | 7 p.m. | online 

Jan. 24 | City Council | 6:30 p.m. | Council Chambers, 500 Castro St.

Jan. 25 | Administrative Zoning Hearing | 4 p.m. | online 

Jan. 25 | Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee | 6:30 p.m. | online 

Jan. 26 | Public Safety Advisory Board | 7 p.m. | online