Cupertino Matters
- COVID-19 -and the Schools, Sept. 9, 7 p.m.;
- Election campaigning has begun
- Recap – Aug. 25,2020, Planning Commission meeting;
Summer is over with Labor Day weekend coming up. Fall will be quite different this year with the cancellation of traditional festivals–not many opportunities for getaways for the three-day weekend! Though the immediate danger is over, the fires continue to burn, heralding a long fire season.
The next council meeting is Sept. 15, and many commission meetings have been cancelled. In Sacramento, the state legislative session ended at midnight on Mon., Aug. 31, with legislators frantically voting on bills to send to Governor Newsom for his signature by Sept. 30. Locally, AB 3088, which halted evictions through Jan. 31, 2021 passed as an emergency ordinance. AB2557, a “clean-up” bill exempts many freelancers from the certain requirements of AB 5 regarding contract workers also passed. Unfortunately, housing bill SB1120 which would have allowed duplexes in single family zones, failed at the last minute despite passing both houses with sufficient votes.
COVID-19 has certainly impacted our local schools. The League of Women Voters (LWV) Cupertino-Sunnyvale is hosting a Zoom webinar on Wed, Sept. 9, 7-9 p.m. with an outstanding panel of local parents and educators discussing the impact on both CUSD and FUHSD schools. Please register in advance at https://my.lwv.org/california/cupertino-sunnyvale/event/covid-19-and-schools
ELECTION CAMPAIGNING HAS BEGUN
Registered voters should have received a mailing this week from the Registrar of Voters explaining the options for voting in the general election, which are the same as the March primary: mail-in ;drop-box or in-person at a vote center. Readers can check their registration status at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/ Validation of ballots relies on matching your signature on file at the DMV, so if your signature has changed, consult https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/frequently-asked-questions/
The League of Women Voters (LWV), as well as other organizations, will be hosting candidate forums over the next 45 days. In addition, their Voters Edge website is a neutral source for information about the upcoming election, both local candidates and propositions, as well as registration information: https://votersedge.org/ca
Candidates are expecting many voters will vote early, rather than waiting until Election Day itself to cast their ballots, so campaign signs will be proliferating. The city of Cupertino has issued sign guidelines for political candidates, based on complaints about a pop-up political campaign at Cali Plaza, with signs for Mayor Steven Scharf and Planning Chair Kitty Moore. Mayor Steven Scharf faces criticism for inaction on a rainbow crosswalk requested by our young adult residents, along with his choice of a rainbow motif for his signs.
Your voice is important. Information on expressing your opinion via emails and oral communications with the city can be found at https://cupertinomatters.org/express-your-opinion/
RECAP – PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING – Tues., Aug. 25, 2020, Regular Meeting
YouTube: 1 hr. 5 min.
The sole substantive agenda item was a Hillside Exception to allow the construction of a new swimming pool, spa, adjacent patio, and related retaining walls and grading within the 15% site line of a prominent ridge line and on slopes greater than 30%. Application No(s).: EXC-2020-001; Applicant(s): Janet DeCarli; Location: 11640 Regnart Canyon Dr APN #366-33-00 After an hour of discussion during which some commissioners raised questions that fall under the building code, not the planning commission, the applicant was commended for a modest proposal on a large 4.12 acre lot. The item was approved unanimously.
CUPERTINO COURIER, August 28, 2020
The cover photo and article on page 5 is Project Mosquito Mapping: Teens’ NASA internships help take a bite out of infectious diseases, featuring two Monta Vista HIgh School teens. Community briefs on page 5 is (1) Council race with link to the city website with election information and (2) Y fall programs offered by students in TK-8. Page 6 is the previously published story, At 4:25 a.m. Cupertino City Council approves large residential/retail project, which is the Westport approval replacing the Oaks shopping center. Page 8, is the previously published story “Regnart Creek Trail proposal is in the home stretch, but not everyone is happy: One supporter says, ‘When we started out supporting the trail, I didn’t realize we would still be talking about it two years later”. Miscellaneous legal notices on page 20 include an agenda item for the city meeting on Sept. 15: Amended Fiscal Year 2020-21 Fee Schedule for Short-Term Rental Registration.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
