Cupertino Matters
Elections are over, for better or worse, though votes will continue to trickle in for the next week or two. For the two seats on City Council, the leading vote-getters were Kitty Moore (10,265 votes) with Ray Wang (7,589 votes) presently edging out Rod Sinks (7,533 votes). Incumbent Hung Wei (7,072 votes) is in fourth place, followed by Gilbert Wong (3,314 votes), Barry Chang (2,896 votes) and Claudio Bono (2,218 votes). Results are updated daily, currently 5 p.m.
In other races of local interest, Patrick Ahrens, currently a Foothill-De Anza College Community College trustee, has won by a substantial margin in the race for the State Assembly District 26 seat (75,778 votes) against Tara Sreekrishnan (59,540 votes). His election will create a vacancy on the board. In the County Supervisor District 5 race to replace termed-out Joe Simitian, Margaret Abe-Koga (81,751 votes) is winning over Sally Lieber (66,231 votes).
For Cupertino Union School District, Incumbent Sylvia Leong has a substantial lead (29,267 votes) followed by Long Jiao (17,178votes), Lakshmi Sharma (15,178 votes), Doug Kunz (14,118 votes), Nisar Ali (2,790 votes) and Rimi Khan (2489 votes). Measure Z – Cupertino Union School District, School Bonds Measure passed with a 60% approval (only 55%+1 required to pass). Most of Cupertino did not vote on a Fremont Union High School District trustee in this election cycle. However, part of southeast Cupertino is included in Trustee Area 5 where Danny Choi (8,256 votes) leads Aegean Lee (7,254 votes). Pat Carpio is winning the Trustee Area 2 (North Sunnyvale) race in a landslide.
A Cupertino Citywide Community Survey will be conducted by Godbe Research Associates and McGuire Research, independent research firms, from November 12 through December 4, 2024. Since 1998, the City of Cupertino has conducted a Community Survey to get a pulse on overall resident perceptions about living in Cupertino and satisfaction with City services. This survey was typically conducted every two to three years, however the 2020 survey was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, and 2017 was the last year that the City conducted a Community Survey. This year’s survey is particularly valuable post-COVID. Further information and links to previous surveys are available.
The city is recruiting for commissions which serve as advisory bodies to the City Council by considering public input and providing recommendations to the Council. Commissions with upcoming vacancies in January 2025 include Arts and Culture Commission, Audit Committee, Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, Housing Commission, Library Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission, Public Safety Commission and Sustainability Commission. The application deadline is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 3, 2025. Council will interview and make appointments in late January. Applications can be submitted online at cupertino.org/vacancies via the new commission-specific application links.
Public transportation in Cupertino has always been challenging since our population is geographically dispersed on account of typical land uses, namely single-family homes. Recognizing this need, our city council approved an on-demand local shuttle service, originally named VIA, now called Silicon Valley (SV) Hopper. Originally limited to just Cupertino, it was expanded based on resident demand to provide transportation to Caltrain and major medical facilities at Kaiser and El Camino Hospital. In 2023, Santa Clara also joined the network to extend service to southern Santa Clara. Now, Sunnyvale is poised to significantly expand the Hopper network, as highlighted in a San Jose Spotlight article Silicon Valley cities get funding for ride-share service. Rod Sinks, Fremont Union High School District Trustee, with successful experience with Hopper in Cupertino, has been a strong advocate for a micro-transit service as a solution to the lack of adequate transportation for north Sunnyvale high school students. In addition, seniors and others who don’t drive will also benefit from an expanded network.
For research, past issues back to January 2020 of Cupertino Matters are posted on the website. Encourage your friends who would like to become better informed about our community to subscribe to our email newsletter at CupertinoMatters.org.
UPCOMING – CITY COUNCIL Tues., Nov. 19 , 2024, 6:45 p.m., Regular Meeting
The sole Ceremonial Item is Recognition of November 30, 2024 as Small Business Saturday. There are three Presentations:
- Item No. 2: Annual Report of the Technology, Information, and Communications Commission
- Item No.3: Presentation from Cupertino Bhubaneswar Sister City
- Item No. 4: Presentation from Cupertino Toyokawa Sister City
The Consent Calendar contains eleven routine items. Of note, Item No. 12 is Award a contract to Lifetime Activities Inc. for Sports Center Instruction, Court Maintenance, and Retail Services at the Cupertino Sports Center for a total not-to-exceed amount of $24,000,000. In addition to increasing the percentage paid to the city, $500,00 in capital improvements to the facility is included, including shifting the pickleball courts away from the townhouses north of the Sports Center. Item No. 14 is the City Manager’s First Quarter Financial Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25. Minor budget adjustments ($331,128) are requested. Members of the public may speak on any or all consent calendar items when the mayor asks for public comment on the Consent Calendar. If an item is pulled from the Consent Calendar, it will be addressed after all regularly scheduled action items. Members of the public may comment on that item when it is considered.
Item No. 16: Adopt an allocation plan for funds uncommitted from the Sales Tax Repayment reserve Study Session on Unhoused Services and Programs. Three options for allocating the $74.5 million from the settlement agreement resolving the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) disputed sales tax will be presented to council. Option A is a “do-nothing” option and that leaves the funds in the unassigned General Fund. Option B is to allocate some funds to the capital fund reserve, some funds for current use to restore certain services cut in the course of the present budget, and some funds for general fund reserves. Option C is to allocate funds to the capital fund reserve and current use, but not to general fund reserves (less flexible). Options B and C would add a three year limited term Grants Analyst, Assistant Director of Administrative Services, Senior Business Systems Analyst and Supervising Code Enforcement classifications to better align with operational needs to improve efficiencies, but not add headcount.
Item No. 17: Council Reports, (now submitted in written form) are provided by Mayor Mohan, Vice-Mayor Fruen, Councilmember Chao, and Councilmember Moore.
RECAP – CITY COUNCIL – Mon., Nov. 18, 7:00 p.m., Public Facilities Corporation Meeting; 5:00 p.m. Closed Session
YouTube: 35 min. 26 sec. (sound missing for part of meeting)
Cupertino Public Facilities Corporation Meeting
This is a vehicle for financing public improvements, most recently the library and community hall. It has met irregularly since establishment in 1986, generally due to lack of business. The meeting started almost an hour late following the performance reviews for the city manager and city attorney.
Item No. 1: Approval of the October 6, 2020 Cupertino Public Facilities Corporation minutes. That meeting was called to order at 10:58 p.m., and adjourned at 10:59 p.m. (one minute).
Item No. 2: Cupertino Public Facilities Corporation Management Report. This was a report to fulfill the pro forma requirements of this financial structure. Due to lack of business, it was overlooked during COVID and the city manager turmoil prior to the current city manager. Councilmember Kitty Moore dominated the discussion with questions about the city’s tax exempt status (now resolved) and intricacies of bond financing. The report was accepted.
Closed Session
Item No.1: Public Employee Performance Evaluation (Gov. Code § 54957(b)(1)); Title: City Manager
Item No. 2: Public Employee Performance Evaluation (Gov. Code § 54957(b)(1)); Title: City Attorney
CUPERTINO COURIER: November 15, 2024
The front-page photo and brief on page 5 is entitled Still serving the community: Cupertino nonprofit celebrates 50 years of service featuring West Valley Community Services. The sole legal notice is an Invitation to Bid on Stevens Creek Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Phase 2A project.
CUPERTINO COURIER: November 8, 2024
The front page photo and article on page 5 is entitled ‘Empowering Humanity’ :Silicon Valley Reads to ‘ignite conversations about AI’s potential’. The secondary title and article on Page 5 is Silicon Valley Reads explores AI’s potential impact on society: Books for 2025 are on themes of “Technology for a Better World”. Page 5 also has a photo entitled Students from Taiwan: Cultural exchange. Community briefs are (1) Compost site closed and (2) Library survey. The sole legal notice is an Invitation to Bid on Stevens Creek Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Phase 2A project.
CUPERTINO COURIER: November 1, 2024
The front-page story and article on page 5 is entitled Branching out: Former Ridge winemakers undertake a golden venture. The sole community brief is STAR awards. Page 8 is a previously published Mercury News article entitled Residents rally against potential hi-rise building: Builder’s Remedy project on Scofield Drive would include 20 housing units. Legal notices include (1) First and Second readings of changes to municipal codes, (2) Notice of CDBG and NOFA housing funds, and (3) Unclaimed funds.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
