Mountain View City Council · Nov 3, 2026

Silja Paymer

Candidate for City Council

8 candidates · 3 seats14 sourced positions

Silja Paymer is running for Mountain View City Council in the Nov 3, 2026 election; 8 candidates are running for 3 seats.

Vote-by-mail ballots begin mailing (week of) · Mon, Oct 5, 2026

Today

Los Altos High School teacher. A founding member of the environmental group GreenSpacesMV and founder of the Cuesta Pollinator Habitat.

Occupation (from candidate statement): Teacher/Mother/Engineer
Endorsed by: Santa Clara County Democratic Party, Sierra Club, Santa Clara County League of Conservation Voters, 314 Action, Planned Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte and former Mountain View Mayor Ronit Bryant. Campaign website endorsements page (accessed Oct 2, 2026)
Campaign website: siljapaymer.com

Where Silja Paymer stands: positions on the record

Housing4 sourced positions

Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Opposes SB 79, the state law meant to increase housing density near major transit stops.
“I think it is an attempt at a simple solution to a complex problem and it does not allow much room for nuance or exceptions.”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors increasing housing density in parts of the city made up largely of single-family homes.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors the city's rent control ordinance.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
As reported by the Mountain View Voice; quote is verbatim, summary is not
Wants more homes, especially affordable housing, but opposes SB 79, saying it overrode community input on local housing plans.
“It kind of nullified all that work”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate profile · Sep 30, 2026

Vehicle residents2 sourced positions

Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors further restricting oversized vehicles from parking on city streets.
“I think it is hard to meet our carbon emission goals if generators are regularly used for energy production. We need to create other options instead.”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
As reported by the Mountain View Voice; quote is verbatim, summary is not
Supports further restricting oversized vehicles on city streets, citing environmental concerns; sees safe parking lots with amenities as the best current option.
“We have to have standards for housing and at some point hold those standards for the sake of everybody in the city, including those that are struggling to find housing”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate profile · Sep 30, 2026

Budget and taxes3 sourced positions

Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors raising the city's business tax on major tech companies to generate more revenue.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors Measure F, which would increase the city's hotel tax.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Abstained on the city asking voters to approve a general obligation bond to fund city initiatives.
“It would depend on what the bond money would be directed towards.”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026

Downtown2 sourced positions

Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors paid street parking in downtown Mountain View.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
As reported by the Mountain View Voice; quote is verbatim, summary is not
Supports paid parking on downtown streets but not in city garages, and backs a storefront vacancy tax.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate profile · Sep 30, 2026

Streets2 sourced positions

Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Favors the California Street changes, including fewer driving lanes and protected bike lanes.
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026
As reported by the Mountain View Voice; quote is verbatim, summary is not
Names street safety for children walking and biking as her top priority.
“My top thing is safety for kids in terms of their transportation”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate profile · Sep 30, 2026

Public safety1 sourced position

Answer to the Mountain View Voice candidate questionnaire
Opposes reintroducing automatic license plate readers in Mountain View.
“This question is vague. I oppose AI assisted surveillance camera's but approve of traffic law enforcement cameras which only activate for violations.”
Own statementMountain View Voice candidate questionnaire, published Sep 17, 2026 (table data) · Sep 17, 2026

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