City of Mountain View
Nicholas Corso Hargis
Families are the foundation of our community. Supporting the wellbeing of parents and kids is a top priority for me. We can do this by lowering the high cost of living, supporting our schools, and getting families involved in city government. I want to live in a city where people treat each other like family and care about each other’s success.
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Over 80% of voters polled say they want elected officials to prioritize children and families. What are the top three issues affecting our children and families and how will you make our region a place where all families can thrive?
The top three issues affecting kids and families are income inequality, mental health, and climate change. I will combat inequality through more affordable housing, expanding childcare across the city, and implementing a laundry assistance program. We can stimulate wealth by investing in our workforce, creating jobs for residents, and supporting small businesses.
We should tackle mental health by banning the sale of vapes, making our city safer, and improving the public places where families like to spend time, like parks and our downtown. Climate change is an existential threat to our families. I will advocate for policy that helps us decarbonize and strengthen climate resilience. -
High quality childcare improves school readiness and parents' workforce participation. What will you do to improve access to high quality childcare and preschool programs in our diverse communities?
I propose that childcare should be a by-right land use across the city. That means changing the city code in every zone to allow for childcare businesses. This will eliminate red tape that makes it difficult to welcome new providers. We should also support small providers that may be operating a facility from their own homes. We can support small childcare providers through utility discounts and marketing assistance.
The City needs to work with our school districts to understand the effects of universal pre-K which was just rolled out in California. Investments should shift to meet the demand for facilities serving younger kids. -
Much of the student achievement gap has been linked to the opportunity gap that children in low-income families and children of color confront (e.g., lack of access to healthy food, preschool, tutors, and enrichment activities). If elected, what will you do to increase equity of opportunity?
Equity is one of my guiding principles. I want to implement equity-based budgeting and commit 40% of our Capital Improvement budget to help underserved and underrepresented community members. I modeled this proposal after the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative.
Budgeting for equity means analyzing our budget’s socioeconomic impacts in a transparent and inclusive way, considering the historical structures that have kept people down. It is our responsibility to affirmatively support members of our community who are underserved or underrepresented. We can design our budgeting process with the help of the National League of Cities Municipal Guide for Advancing Racial Equity. -
What steps will you take to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with disabilities and their families in our community?
Mountain View is beginning an ADA assessment of its infrastructure, and I’ve spoken publicly about hosting community meetings to solicit residents’ input. I think we should consult disabled residents, advocates, and caretakers for every public facility improvement project. Furthermore, the City should update its website to highlight the work we’re doing to increase accessibility, in order to educate the public and raise awareness.
We should bring the community together to learn and celebrate our disabled neighbors. The Library is a natural host for these events, and I’ve called on the Board of Library Trustees to increase monthly programs for disabled patrons. -
If elected, how will you use the resources of your new role to improve children's well-being and access to mental and behavioral health services?
Mountain View must continue to partner with mental health providers like the Community Health Awareness Council which is now part of Pacific Clinics. Counseling should be available to anyone who needs it. We can reach this goal by encouraging residents to sign up for health insurance. Additionally, the City needs to work hand-in-hand with our schools to understand what students need and how the City can assist. This means assigning a staff member to review the California Healthy Kids Survey and liaise with our districts.
We need to ban the sale of vapes and improve our Mountain View Teen Center. The City Council should also advocate for stronger cyberbullying laws at the state level.