Good evening, everyone.

Um, I'll call this meeting of the council appointments review committee to order at six thirty-eight p.m.

We have um and note that both um uh committee member Kamei and um myself, Vice Mayor Clark are present.

Um the mayor is currently not here, but we expect her to join shortly.

Um the first item on our agenda is the approval of the prior minutes.

Um these are from the November 17, 2025 council appointments review committee.

Um there any questions on the minutes.

Happy to move.

I don't see any, so we will um entertain a motion to approve the minutes.

Some of the motion of by committee member Kamei and seconded by and I'll go ahead and second it.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

So that carries unanimously.

We'll move on to oral communications from the public on non-agendized items.

So this is the portion of the meeting reserved for anyone wishing to speak on any matter that's not on tonight's agenda.

Um does anyone wish to speak on anything that's not on the agenda tonight?

I don't see any.

Um the only other item tonight is new business.

Um to discuss our community our committee openings and all uh if uh if the committee's okay with it, we'll just uh recess for a few minutes and uh and wait for the mayor or pause the meeting for a few minutes.

Are we still live?

Can I um if the committee's okay with it?

Can I also do item six?

Um any staff comments, questions?

Yes, first I don't have any, I did have one question maybe for a future um in the in the packet, it looked like there was one other HRC member turning out of the end of the year.

Do it we'll do that recruitment in the fall.

Is that right?

Now we have the AKC right here.

Yeah, yeah.

And then the magic will take that people for it.

Yeah, so this is interim.

Yeah.

And then we're kind of in open recruitment.

Okay, because there's two boy like we'll have another meeting.

Anything else on that item?

We'll give it till six forty-five, and then I'll just proceed.

Take talk.

We'll have been waiting.

We're not doing anything.

I have a question.

Once you once you're live, do you are you just live the whole time?

Do you like mute?

Um be live again.

No, like yeah, just curious.

Hi, I think you dressed.

Thank you.

Oh, I like credit.

I went ahead and started, but and I did everything with your business.

Sorry.

All right.

So we're in new business.

Um, I guess that you see click on the make uh brief remarks and we'll proceed with review and selection of interview questions.

Good evening.

Tonight you would interview one applicant for the downtown committee and another applicant for the human relations commission.

Uh suggested questions are on page two and three of the memo.

Oh thank you.

All right.

Is there any changes that anyone wants to do to the questions?

No.

All right.

I guess we all right.

Who wants to do the first second or third question?

I think since there's so few applicants if you want.

All right, let's you need to settle.

Uh let's let's go like one, two, three.

So Alan, you could cancel member committee.

You could do that from I'll be there.

All right.

All right.

Oh, yes.

Feel free to come up.

I think it's first.

Yeah, downtown first.

My name says how to pronounce nice to meet you.

Um so the first uh well, we'll tell you how much time you have uh for the questions for each of the uh questions that you'll ask for.

Oh no worries.

All right, we'll make you guys.

No, that's perfectly fine.

Uh stomping over to me.

Yep.

So for 30 seconds, are you gonna be time at one?

Are you on the timer?

Okay, great.

Um, why do you want to serve on the downtown committee?

Well, my business is in downtown number one, that's the main reason.

Um I'm in uh 300 blocks which is next to the morning and we are huge on improvement of our file doing other people to file.

Yeah, the only architecture firm here now is Bill L's left, and we are trying to improve the whole downtown along with the improvement programs.

So love the city, so I want to make sure since we have board the building.

We are planning to spend another 50 years here, so why not?

Wonderful.

Well, this next question is gonna be two minutes.

Um yes, like you start from 30 seconds and you get two minutes.

What do you think of downtown mountain view?

How would you improve it?

How would you balance the interests of businesses with those community with with those of the community?

Yeah, that's a long question.

No, that's very good.

In fact, I've read in your whole paper on that.

So um there are quite a few things.

First of all, kudos to people who blow the street for a tradition.

That's one of the best things downtown can do.

Um I think there if I can divide this answer in two parts.

There is a downtown improvement, and then there's a process improvement in downtown.

So I think first of all from the city side, there are a lot of businesses who are hurting.

We have gone through our process of improving, and everyone has the same same old concern that you could want to improve, but process takes time.

So that's the process part of it.

But your question is more towards the downtown part of what we do on that part.

I think it's a charming downtown.

This the way the sun hits it, it's just perfect.

It's not on one side or the other side, it's in the center of it.

This town, there has been discussion of making a street as one big street, like raising it up, making it a little bit European style or something.

I do strongly believe there is the precise plan, has too much restriction on facade improvements, way too much.

Uh we we have been doing multiple facades for multiple cities, uh multiple businesses along with our own.

Those I will ease a little more.

Um if you look at Palo Alto or other cities, uh, there is modernization that's coming.

We need to be a little more adoptive to modernization of the buildings also along traditional, so mix and match kind of thing.

So those are some common things, the other things which cities already start doing the street has to be more lively, more interactive.

So there's some things people have put uh cities put in, like ping pong table and other things.

So I think that's there's more room for it where kids come in and play weekend is amazing.

Right.

Already too many.

Yes.

Oh my god.

So those are even tougher for politics.

Um but yeah, there's so many things.

Um, I think sort of related to that, you know, we have a we have our economic vitality strategy um that we worked on sort of during the pandemic and at least is now in place.

Um I'm just curious how uh or one of the questions that we have is just how um city can assist you downtown businesses with um with implementing that, or um you've touched on a few, but can I give you an extra minute or so to keep going?

Yeah, I think it's around the same line.

Thank you very much for asking that same question.

I think similar question.

I I think process is a big part of it.

Um there is a lot of eagerness in small businesses to be part of it and to improve the downtown, but I would say majority of the business have talked.

They feel they are either not uh there's not enough support, there's not enough outreach, and when they reach out, there is not enough speed in the process that's out there.

And I've been past three years, we've been here two and a half or so.

Um three years now, and I think that's something we need to work on.

The big one kind of I truly welcome the team of Amanda and Kristen and Tony, they have done a marvelous job of being there.

That department itself was needed, I think.

Uh but I think there has to be a community involvement also, and businesses are not important as much.

Thanks.

All right, that completes all your questions.

Um thank you for joining us.

Well, let you know.

Um, first uh the way this works is that we'll write a recommendation to council and then council will formally add um the appointment.

Um, and that's I'm not entirely sure when the when we'll actually vote on that on council, but May 26.

May 26th.

So you'll hear from the council by uh that point that's like officially I might be out of the country on May 26th, but that's okay.

Well, you would like it'll be all right if you're not here.

They usually stick with our recommendation, but you never know.

I think we'll thank you very much.

I appreciate you following in thank you.

All right, the next the committee will now interview the applicant for the human relations committee, Mary.

You know the last night interview for this.

They gave me a time limit, y'all.

We're now more efficient.

Those oh, that's a long time ago.

Let me hear it.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, Rosenberg, I'm sorry.

Margaret, that's a no Lisa, Lisa Magic.

Oh.

All right.

So council member may start with the first question.

Why do you want to serve on the Human Relations Committee?

Thank you for the question.

As noted in my application, I spent nine years on a downtown committee, previous committee that was just being interviewed.

And the service uh during that period, uh the highlight of my of my sort of political life career, honestly.

I don't really want to have a very dramatic political life, but that was really the highlight.

Um I loved every minute, honestly.

I loved uh talking about the hotel, and hopefully that we did not build and um I know, I know, I know.

But anyway, um, my committee was the committee that uh recommended the closure of Castle Street to be BAQUE traffic, which I'm very proud of.

And uh, so I'm it's I took a year off, a couple years because I have the family stuff, personal stuff to attend to and that because I you deserve the city bound view, city I call home and uh continue my work.

Okay.

So the next question is two minutes.

What are the most pressing human relations needs in our community today?

So I can't say to that, you know, objectively, it just is gonna be my own personal take.

Um actually in the last election, I was speaking with um current council and Shovelter and expressed to her that you know members of our committee are having sort of fear and and um shock, right?

As to what's happening to the to some of the immigrant community, um, you know, evidenced by what happened in Minnesota.

And thankfully, right, none of the the harshness of sort of persecution and and attacks ever came into our community, but I thought like no, you could be a beacon, right?

We could be a safe haven for folks who needed that protection.

I don't actually know what how how much work HRC has done in this particular respect.

I I assume there's much.

I have not looked into it.

Um but I think that's something we could really invest um our time as a city of Mount View to be, and I don't want to say, oh, we're sancturistic, who knows what that means or some legal definition, etc.

But to provide um a sense of security and safety and protection to our citizens, right?

To our people who live here and work here, etc.

to hope you know I think everyone deserved to live without fear.

I myself an immigrant first generation, right?

And then I think how can anybody raise children in the community?

So yeah, I think that that's something that's really urgent, I think critical to me given the current political landscape.

Um further down the line, I would love to get more.

I myself and Chinese American, I would love to see more Asian American involvement.

This meeting notwithstanding uh Asian Asian Americans have historically right been uh some of the lowest percentages in terms of participation in public discourse and public um civic service, and I would like to change that by being serving myself, right?

As as demonstrating that it can't be done, it's not that hard, and then two by pulling people in and uh showing that this is something we really can invest our time and energy, and it's worthwhile, right?

My my dad was um, even though we're first generation immigrants, he served on the campaign to elect the first ever Chinese woman series.

Okay, is that my time working?

Yeah, sorry.

So um, and then just uh the last question is what do you think the job of the of the human relations commission should be rolling follow the work plan?

I just reviewed the work plan today, it all looked pretty reasonable to me.

I I'm only filling a role, I think, for six months.

The term expires literally in December, so I have even if I were appointed, I have a maximum of six months.

You gotta take the summer off, probably some are off.

So four meetings, let's say.

So yeah, I'm filling in for four meetings.

I'm not trying to, you know, spoil the ocean or change the tide or whatever this thing is.

I'm I'm trying to follow the work plan, execute what is currently in the works and do the job that was expected with particular committee.

That being said, if I were to re-interview and be reappointed to future HRC committee commissions, I have other thoughts.

But as of right now, it's to finish out the work plan for this fiscal year.

All right, thank you so much.

That concludes our interview with you.

I have comments.

Um, but thank you so much.

Um we will um we will the the recommendations will come to council on our May 26th meeting, and then you'll get a final uh approval then and not guaranteed.

Perfect.

You'll probably get several text messages to let you know.

You have a lot of ends in the room.

Well, that's not a whole blazer, you guys.

Oh, we'll have more questions for me up anyway.

Thank you so much.

Okay.

Thank you very much, council for your time and city clerk for department, as always.

I promise I will take the meeting theory seriously.

All right.

So uh we will now bring it back to council for deliberation.

Do we have to do any public comment for this part?

There's nobody.

Okay.

Good thing you share.

Seeing no public comment, do we have a motion for a recommendation to council?

Or did you want to do them separate or did you want to do them all together?

We'll do it all together.

All right.

Do we have a motion on the table?

I'm just second.

The only thing that kind of needs to decide for the downtown committee is which term you want to recommend that point.

Oh, that's right.

So it's up to you.

You want it to be a short camera?

And this is for the downtown business, right?

Right.

Okay.

And both of them are for the downtown business seat.

All of them.

Oh, okay.

There's but you know how that's like broken up.

Yeah, but they're all yes.

I'll move that we appoint or that we recommend that the council appoint very end of the human relations committee for the unexpired term ending December 31st, 2026.

And that we appoint um Janaid uh Harashi to the um to one of the two unexpired terms ending December 31st, 2028.

I think he'll be I think he'll be very good on it, and I think there's no reason not to uh especially since apparently they own the building, they're probably gonna be here.

All right, we have a motion by Vice Mayor Clark, seconded by council member Kamei.

All in favor, please raise your hand.

Yay, and that concludes this item.

Um, do we have moving on to item six?

Do we have committee staff comments, questions, or committee reports?

None.

Then we are hitting adjournment at exactly seven o'clock.

Okay, I think