Cupertino Matters
- Ballots arrive
- Candidate Forums
- UPCOMING – Planning Commission, Tues. Oct. 8, 6:45 p.m.
- RECAP – City Council, Tues., Oct. 1, 2024
Don’t miss the annual multi-cultural Diwali Festival, this weekend, Sat., Oct. 12, from 11-6 at Memorial Park.
Ballots have arrived!! Be sure to check your registration and the candidates that you will be voting for at Vote11.org, a League of Women Voters site. This site is personalized to your address, so you may find district boundaries have changed your representative.
The League of Women Voters-Cupertino Sunnyvale is holding a virtual Candidates Forum for the Cupertino City Council on Oct. 9, 2024, 7 – 9 p.m. Registration is required to obtain the Zoom link Candidates are:
- Claudio Bono – Hotel manager
- Barry Chang – Former mayor
- Kitty Moore – Incumbent
- Rod Sinks – Former mayor
- Ray Wang – Technology conference speaker
- Hung Wei – Incumbent/Former mayor
- Gilbert Wong – Former mayor
San Jose Spotlight will also be holding an in-person City Council Candidates Forum on Wed., Oct. 16, 7-8 at the Senior Center. It’s your opportunity to meet candidates face-to-face.
On October 2, with a live audience and different questions, the League of Women Voters, the Chamber of Commerce, and Cupertino Rotary hosted a forum asking city council candidates about the real issues facing Cupertino. Candidates Rod Sinks, Barry Chang, Gilbert Wong, and Claudio Bono expressed their positions, as well as last minute Kitty Moore. Ray Wang was a no-show (which seems to be a pattern). Hung Wei, under medical advisement, though recovering well, provided a statement.
The League is also hosting a virtual Candidate Forum for California State Assembly District 26 on Monday, October 14, 2024, from 7:00 PM until 8:00 PM. Registration is required to get the Zoom link. Candidates are:
- Patrick Ahrens – Former President/Trustee, Foothill-DeAnza Community College District
- Tara Sreekrishnan – Vice President, Santa Clara County Board of Education
The League is hosting a virtual Candidate Forum for the Cupertino Union School District Board of Trustees on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM. Registration is required to get the Zoom link. Candidates are:
- Sylvia Leong – Incumbent
- Lakshmi Sharma – Technology Executive
- Doug Kunz – Engineer
- Long Jiao – Tech professional
- Nisar Ali – Retired Engineer Manager
- Rimi Khan – Certified Life Coach
In addition to candidates, the League is hosting a virtual Ballot Measure Pro & Cons on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, from 7:00 PM until 9:00 PM. Registration is required to get the Zoom link.
If you missed a League of Women Voters Forum, check the full calendar on the website, where recordings are posted after forums are over.
The “alternative facts” of Better Cupertino have once again invaded our city. Ignatius Ding and Xiangchen “Minna” Xu–previously in charge of the Friends of Better Cupertino and the Better Cupertino PAC (respectively), registered “Cupertino Facts” a political action committee (PAC) in 2022 to oppose various candidates for council and school board. Readers will recall that both individuals sued the city of Cupertino, costing it nearly one quarter of a million dollars in legal fees over the meaning of Measure C in 2016, after a judge had already struck their ballot arguments as objectively false and misleading by clear and convincing evidence. Readers may recall that Ignatius Ding was a party, along with candidate Kitty Moore, in the lawsuit against the Vallco SB35 development (it failed). The other officer, Minna Xu, was fined for misleading public financial statements per the state’s campaign ethics watchdog, the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC):
“Xu failed to timely file two pre-election campaign statements, in violation of Government Code Section 84200.5 (1 count); and for both committees, Wang, and Xu failed to maintain adequate source documentation and sufficient records to substantiate campaign reporting, in violation of Government Code Section 84104 and Regulation 18401 (1 count per committee). Fine: $6,500.”
Your publisher and Vice Mayor J.R. Fruen were personally attacked in the latest email with a host of objectively false claims about the Housing Element process. Telling was the lack of names on the email or the website. Would you trust people like this who’ve already been judged to lie and mislead? Better Cupertino and their “alternative facts” operate anonymously with no names, except promotion of candidates Kitty Moore and Ray Wang. Why would you vote for them to represent you on the city council?
Do you have friends who would like to become better informed about our community? Please encourage them to subscribe to our email newsletter at CupertinoMatters.org. Past issues back to January 2020 are posted on the website for research.
UPCOMING – PLANNING COMMISSION – Tues., Oct. 8, 2024, 6:45 p.m., Regular Meeting
The sole action item is Item No. 2 Sign Exception Permit to consider a ground sign with LED lighting, and four wall signs where only one is allowed, at an existing service station and associated environmental review. (Application No(s): EXC-2024-002; Applicant(s): Ed Hadad; Location: 19990 Stevens Creek Boulevard; APN: 369 05 007) The Alliance gas station at Stevens Creek and Blaney is being rebranded as an Arco station, so new signs are required. Industry standards have evolved, and require an exception to Cupertino Municipal Code to address business needs.
RECAP – CITY COUNCIL – Tues., Oct. 1 , 2024, 6:45 p.m., Regular Meeting
YouTube: 3 hr. 2 min
Consent Calendar: Item No. 9 Approve a design-build project delivery method for the Photovoltaic Systems Design and Installation Capital Improvement Program was pulled by Councilmember Chao. The primary driver for this approach is an accelerated schedule for completion to take advantage of rate savings. The project is complex, involving five city buildings. Approved 4-0-1 with Wei absent.
Item No. 11. Proposed amendments to Municipal Code Chapters 19.04 (General Provisions), 19.08 (Definitions), and 19.60 (General Commercial (CG) Zones) and Associated Environmental Review. On Sept. 10, this periodic update of land use and zoning regulations was thoroughly reviewed by the Planning Commission which recommended some additional changes that staff subsequently incorporated into council recommendations. (1) Definition of Farmers Markets, (2) Elimination of 20% restriction on outdoor seating, but still subject to parking requirements, (3) Convenience stores to remain a Planning Commission-approved use permit, and (4) Eating establishments with music to be a permitted use. Council discussion was primarily clarification, particularly the difference between an Administrative Hearing costing $10,000 and a Planning Commision Hearing costing $25,000 or more, to lower costs to businesses for minor permits. Approved 4-1-1 with Chao voting nay and Wei absent.
Item No. 12. City-Owned Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Program and award of a contract for the lease of ALPR cameras to Flock Safety for an amount not to exceed $300,000. This item has been under discussion since 2022, and has general public support, though effectiveness will need to be evaluated. Minimal discussion by council centered around data and privacy policies. Only law enforcement can access the data. Actual placement of readers will return to council for approval. Approved 4-0-0 with Wei absent.
CUPERTINO COURIER: October 4, 2024
The front page photo and article on page 3 is entitled ‘Encore’ performance: Cupertino TV Productions is bringing back its free festival on Oct. 16, 1:30 – 2:45 p.m. at the Senior Center. The sole community brief is Blue ribbon schools recognizing Lynbrook High School and Miller Middle School. Page 4 is a previously published Mercury News article entitled Wei jumps back into race for City Council: Councilmember announced previously that she was suspending her campaign. There are no legal notices
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
