Council reviews 2026 legislative platform; Sen. Becker briefs Mountain View remotely

Mountain View council members spent the study session reviewing the city's proposed 2026 legislative platform for state and federal advocacy and heard presentations from the city's lobbying consultants and a remote update from State Sen. Josh Becker.

Intergovernmental Relations Manager Christina Gilmore outlined the platform process and asked council to identify additions or priority edits. Dane Hutchings (California Public Policy Group) and Kiriakos Pagonas (MMO Partners) summarized 2025 work, flagged threats to local revenue (including proposed transfer-tax suspensions that would have significant fiscal impacts), and identified housing, local revenues, transportation and climate funding as priorities for 2026.

Sen. Josh Becker joined from the field and described a package of focus areas he is advancing in Sacramento — data-privacy implementation (including a central deletion button at privacy.ca.gov), energy and wildfire-resilience reforms, childcare subsidy reform, and workforce/AI planning. "You go to privacy.ca.gov, and you can fill this out now," he said, describing the privacy deletion tool for Californians.

Council members agreed to add several themes to the platforms: pro-housing city flexibility, condo/construction liability reform, soft-story retrofit funding, protection for local transfer-tax authority, and clarity on SB79 alternative-plan timelines. Staff said it will draft specific platform language and return to council for adoption on Feb. 24.

What happens next: staff and the consultant teams will convert council themes into platform language, monitor relevant bills (deadlines in February and committee season in spring) and provide recommended positions or letters as measures arise.