Mountain view5/1/2023 ![]() ![]() She said that Mountain View should look to San Jose as an example for how to move forward on issues with RUBS. “We really are not following the CSFRA with our current process of allowing utility billing that’s distributed, but it’s on behalf of the landlord, because it’s really having rent changes every month and only one annual change in rent is allowed,” Keating said. He said he believes “(utilities) need to be paid for, but not on the backs of the people who are least able to pay,” and he supported the committee’s current approach of gathering stakeholder input.Ĭox added that as the city tries to move toward climate neutrality, requiring green appliances will come with its own set of challenges that the committee will have to face. Each candidate had to disclose this information on their application, because the committee has a rule that it cannot include more than two members who own or manage any rental property or are a real estate agent or developer.ĭuring his interview, Cox identified RUBS as a top issue. Today, Cox owns a home that he lives in in Mountain View, but does not own or manage any other properties. As a longtime resident, and someone who rented for most of his life, Cox said he has seen first-hand how the changing housing market in Silicon Valley has made it harder for low income residents to stay in the city. These are the five candidates the council selected for the open seats, and where they landed on hot button items like RUBS, as well as other issues.Ī 28-year resident of Mountain View, Robert Cox is no stranger to sitting on city advisory bodies: he previously served on the Environmental Planning Commission for eight years. Mountain View’s Rental Housing Committee is currently in the process of collecting stakeholder input through a series of public meetings to figure out what direction the city should go. Some cities like San Jose have outright banned RUBS for rent-controlled units. But because this system doesn’t track the exact usage for each tenant, it can lead to billing disputes if someone feels they’re being overcharged. It essentially takes the cost of utilities for the whole building and divides it among tenants based on a formula, which takes into account things like square footage of each unit or number of occupants. RUBS is an alternative utility billing method that landlords can implement in rental properties with multiple units. Nearly all the candidates touched on ratio-utility billing systems, or RUBS, which the committee already established as a top work plan priority for the next couple years. ![]() Five fresh faces are set to fill three soon-to-expire terms and two vacancies on the city body, and the city council decided Tuesday evening who those five will be.Ī pool of nine Mountain View residents applied for the five open seats, which consist of two full, four-year terms that will open after the current members’ seats expire in April two unexpired seats created by vacancies with terms that end in 2025 and one alternate member.ĭuring the March 7 interviews conducted by the city council, candidates were asked to talk about the biggest issues they see facing the Rental Housing Committee in the future. Mountain View’s Rental Housing Committee will soon be made up of almost an entirely new roster. Screenshot courtesy city of Mountain View YouTube. Mountain View resident Robert Cox is one the applicants who snagged enough votes to secure a term on the Rental Housing Committee. ![]()
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