Tracy Press

Some say Mountain House is just a bunch of houses, but Jon Mendelson sees a spunky independent spirit in the town’s upcoming fall campaign.

In an already exciting election year, Mountain House residents have been entranced by the heady scent of democracy.

How else to explain the 18 candidates jostling for five spots on the never-before-formed Community Services District board of directors?

Given the first chance to elect its own leaders, the windswept community at the foot of the Altamont — dismissed by many county neighbors as an island of cul-de-sacs in a sea of nothing — is going for the gusto.

Since Mountain House was just a gleam in developer Gerry Kamilos’ eye, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors has been in charge of the town’s budget, infrastructure and land use decisions. But the town registered its 1,000th voter in 2007, paving the way for a petition and, ultimately, the upcoming election.

After Nov. 4, a home-grown quintet will effectively serve as the unincorporated town’s city council, handling all business except for land use, which will remain the purview of the county.

The transition can’t come a moment too soon for most.

"The community’s anxious for self-governance, and we’re anxious to make it happen," said Supervisor Leroy Ornellas, whose district encompasses the master-planned development.

This election, though, isn’t the first sign of an independent spirit in Mountain House. At every turn, the residents have stretched their legs and sought to turn what some see as a glorified subdivision into a true community.

Earlier this year, the Lammersville School District — Mountain House’s elementary district that promotes high schoolers to the Tracy Unified School District — began the process of unification. Under the plan, Lammersville would separate from Tracy Unified, with Mountain House residents eventually paying to build their own high school.

When consultant Art Thayer laid out a best-case-scenario timeline of six years for unification and a high school, all residents said was: Can’t we do it faster?

They certainly aren’t shy of asking for more.

While walking down the street at this year’s Fourth of July parade in Mountain House, Ornellas said he was peppered with requests for coffee shops, supermarkets — even a bar.

It’s no surprise. A dental practice and convenience store round out the town’s roster of businesses.

But with this, as in other matters of independence, residents will have to practice patience.

Mountain House was designed to be a self-sustaining community, replete with shops, a tax base, and even a community college (if the Delta trustees ever get their act together). It’s just not there yet.

The housing downturn has stalled the community’s development a couple of years, by Ornellas’ estimate. But when things get going, he expects Mountain House to truly take off.

It’ll be exhilarating to see shops and stores crop up in local strip malls (sorry, "lifestyle centers"), though the excitement will be paired with equally daunting challenges.

Such as: In a world of ever-more-expensive fuel, what can be done about public transportation in a town that will be, by necessity and history, mostly populated by commuters?

What happens when full build-out is reached at 45,000 people and there’s no further mandate for growth?

When, if ever, should Mountain House incorporate and achieve full independence as a city?

These are the questions that 18 men and women are competing to answer.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves.

For starters, the directors are better off focusing on the basics — as Ornellas put it, figuring out "who you are as a community."

Building an identity is a good place for Mountain House residents to begin as they continue down the path of self-governance.

Their future is a clean slate. And those five elected leaders will have first crack with the pen.

• Jon Mendelson is an award-winning columnist for the Tracy Press. Share your thoughts at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or for a daily dose of Second Thoughts, visit Jon's blog.

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written by Jim Lamb , August 16, 2008

Fore more information:
http://wiki.mhvillages.com/~wi..._Directors

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written by amy , August 19, 2008

Will the Mococo line affect Mountain Home, too?

-amy