Measure D on San Joaquin County ballots could decide if Mountain House officially becomes a city
(FOX40.COM) — After nearly 30 years as an established community, voters in Mountain House have the chance to decide if they want to officially become a city.
The vote for cityhood appears on the ballot for the March 5 primary election as Measure D.
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If approved by voters, Measure D will establish the San Joaquin County community as “an independent, self-governing city” without changing essential community services such as public safety, parks and public facilities without increasing taxes.
“Over the last eight years, our (Community Service District) board along with county officials and the community, has determined Mountain House is ready for cityhood,” the Mountain House Community Services District said on its website.
Officials from Mountain House said the measure won’t increase taxes and could potentially attract and attain businesses. As an unincorporated area, basic services like water, sewer, security and fire protection are provided by the county, according to the community’s website.
According to April 2020 census, Mountain House has a population of 24,499.
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How voters could decide future city elections
Along with voting for cityhood, voters will also determine the process of electing a city council and mayor with supplemental Measure E. Currently, Mountain House is governed by an elected, five-member community services district board.
Mountain House’s board of directors also appoints a general manager who is responsible for administrating all government activities for the community and appointing department heads.
A five-member city council will be established that includes four city council members and a mayor. Voters will decide if members of the city council be will elected by district, from district, or at-large.
A “by-district” election will allow people who live in a particular district to run for a city council seat and voters from that district could only decide on a city council representative from that district.
“From district” elections means will also allow people to run for city council district seats, but voters of the entire city could vote for all members.
An “at-large” type of election will allow anyone who lives in the city to run for a city council seat without any district boundaries. Every voter in the city could vote for all city council members.
How Mountain House was established
Similar to the proposed California Forever in Solano County, Mountain House, located about 9 miles west of Tracy, was built from the ground up.
Before Mountain House was established in 1996, the land was primarily used for agriculture years after the Bethany Post Office, the last remaining structure of the Byron-Bethany Irrigation District, was torn down, according to the community’s website.
Once Mountain House reached 1,000 registered voters, a vote was implemented for a vote for independence in Spring 2008 following by establishing a board of directors in Fall 2008.
Mountain House started to show signs of growth when its high school was set to open in August 2014. Mountain House High School is part of Lammersville Unified School District, which serves seven schools in the Mountain House community and one school in Tracy.
During the pandemic, Mountain House joined the list of hottest housing markets in December 2020, as remote work became more prevalent.
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