Cupertino Matters
- In the News
- UPCOMING – Planning Commission, Mon., Mar. 24, 2026, 6:45 p.m.
- RECAP – City Council, Tues., Mar. 17, 2026, 5:45, Special; 6:45 Regular
Weather has been the hot topic recently, with unseasonably hot days for spring, and ski resorts closing early due to melting snow. Unpredictability seems to be the order of the day!
The city budget is under pressure due to the unexpected increase in its law enforcement contract. The County’s proposal, presented on December 31, 2025, would increase Cupertino’s annual contract cost from $19.0 million to $26.5 million beginning July 1, 2026, an increase of $7.5 million. In response, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills and Saratoga formed an ad hoc committee to develop an alternative proposal, which was announced in a March 23, 2026, press release by the City entitled Cupertino, Partner Cities’ Counter Proposal Funds Officers, Not Undefined Overhead The city also has a FAQ webpage with more details.
This budget discussion also triggered a city council agenda referred to below regarding polling for a potential tax measure for the general election ballot this fall, as described in this San Jose Spotlight article entitled Cupertino to poll residents on potential tax increase.
Concerns regarding fire safety have been expressed by the community, triggered by the recent adoption of updated fire maps with expanded boundaries for high risk areas: CAL FIRE’s Updated Fire Hazard Map for Cupertino’s Response Area. The City of Cupertino was required to adopt an Ordinance consistent with these designations, and did so in 2025. The Cal Fire maps, however, are based on a worst case probability modelling of events in the past 50 years, described as “hazard” maps. Residents have encountered issues with renewing their fire insurance, but insurance companies base their coverage on the “risk” of damage to an individual property, and take into consideration fire mitigation actions, such as replacing a shake roof. New buildings, such as at Evulich Court will be built to new standards, and are less prone to fire damage than older properties in the same area, as demonstrated in the LA fires.
Separately, the city also needs to plan for evacuations. The Health and Safety Element was supposed to be updated concurrently with the Housing Element, since it had been adopted in 2005 with minor edits in 2015, and no longer conformed to state law. However, the 2020 council with Paul as Mayor, Vice-Mayor Chao, and councilmembers Wei, Moore and Willey delayed initiation of the Housing Element during a time of city manager turmoil. As a result of this late start, the council chose to delay the Health and Safety update until the Housing Element was completed. The incoming council elected in 2022 (Mayor Wei, Vice-Mayor Mohan, councilmembers Fruen, Moore and Chao) were successful in ensuring adoption of the Housing Element in September 2024 thus forestalling additional Builder’s Remedy projects.
Under the incoming 2024 council (Mayor Chao, Vice-Mayor Moore, councilmembers Fruen, Mohan and Wang), work began on the Health and Safety Element , though it was not prioritized by this council, which was distracted by the turmoil in the city manager’s office and fallout from the CDFTA decision. Public meetings were held in 2025, with low turnouts. The draft was released for public review in March 2026, and is now under revision.
Included in this Element is a report by Fehr & Peers entitled Cupertino Evacuation Route Capacity Assessment which clearly states that emergency evacuations are unpredictable and emergency evacuation assessment is a new field. In Cupertino, the event with the greatest potential for loss of life or property and economic damage is an earthquake. Cupertino is located on three faults. Readers who lived here during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake recall the damage to traffic lights and bridge infrastructure which could not be predicted.
Wildfires are another major concern, though there are differences between (1) wildfires outside the city limits and (2) wildfires on the urban interface at developments like Seven Springs which border on unmaintained open space. The closest known wildfire was the Stevens Fire which occurred on August 30, 2007. This wildfire burned 151 acres in the dry brush-covered hills near Stevens Creek Canyon southwest of Cupertino. The fire burned for three days and was contained on September 2, 2007. This fire was the result of a downed power line, and no injuries or deaths were reported. Evacuations within the city were minimal.
The Health and Safety Element emphasizes the need for well developed communication protocols between the multiple agencies involved in providing safety, as well as organizing strong local emergency response teams through the city’s Office of Emergency Management.
In community matters, Dr. E. Lara Lash is the next speaker in the Science and Technology Speaker Series sponsored by the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, which will be held on Wednesday, March 25, 6:30 – 8 in Community Hall, 10360 Torre Avenue. She will be speaking on “Unsteady Pressure Sensitive Paint” at NASA Ames Research Center. Please RSVP.
March is nearly over, but there are some remaining festivals and fundraisers to support local causes. On March 28, Holi Festival will be held at Memorial Park, organized by the Chamber of Commerce. West Valley Community Services will hold their Chefs of Compassion benefit at the Computer History Museum on Friday, March 27, 6 p.m.
UPCOMING – Planning Commission, Tues., Mar. 24, 2026, 6:45 p.m.
Item No. 1 Consider a Use Permit, Tentative Map, Architectural and Site Approval, and Tree Removal Permit for the construction of a 122-unit residential development, consisting of 66 small-lot single family homes and 56 townhomes located at the Stevens Creek Office Center site, which includes a multi-tenant retail building (Voyager Coffee and Panera Bread). The project utilizes Senate Bill 330 and provisions of State Density Bonus law. (Application No(s): U-2024-008, TM-2024-006, ASA-2024-011, TR-2024-033; Applicant: Kevin Choy, Harvest Properties; Location: 20807, 20813, 20823 & 20883 Stevens Creek Blvd; APNs: 326-32-050, -051, -052, and -053. This project is located between Stevens Creek Boulevard and Alves Drive, adjacent to Whole Foods. Currently, most of the property is occupied by outdated office buildings. The biggest downside to this project is the loss of Voyager Coffee and Panera Bread retail along Stevens Creek.
These will be large homes, attractive to families with children who can attend local schools and can accommodate multi-generational families. The townhomes will range in size from 2273 sq. ft. to 3304 sq. ft., while the single family detached homes (rare these days) will be 2973 sq. ft. to 3541 sq. ft. The taller townhomes will be clustered along Stevens Creek, with the single family homes stepped down toward the single story homes on Alves Drive. There will be 24 below market rate homes, all townhouses. Staff is recommending an in-lieu park fee of $5,880,00 for the market rate homes.
RECAP- City Council, Tues. Mar. 17, 2026, 5:45 p.m., Special Meeting; 6:45 Regular Meeting, Council Chamber, and Teleconference Location: The Rosewood Hotel Lobby, 2825 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
NOTE: Councilmember Wang was present through roll call, left Zoom midway through Oral Communications, and did not rejoin the meeting despite being mere miles up the peninsula in Menlo Park – a disservice to city residents.
YouTube: 3 hr. 14 min.
Special Meeting
Item No. 1: Study Session on the Housing Development Project at 10333 N. Wolfe Road. This was a study session, not an action item by the council, since it is a by-right project, and the site is included in the state-approved Housing Element. The County of Santa Clara Office of Supportive Housing presented the background and evolution of the design based on community input. The proposed project will be in two phases: (1) 94 homes for Educator + School District Employee Housing, and (2) 157 homes for Affordable Housing for Low Income Families. One outstanding issue which remains to be resolved is the requirement by the Fire Department for two emergency access routes. The primary access route is the main entrance to the project. The secondary access remains to be resolved: (1) another entrance off Vallco Parkway has been rejected twice by Caltrans, and is currently under appeal to the next level, or (2) public right of way on Auburn Drive through a wall originally designed to separate the Vallco shopping center from the neighborhood, with a one foot strip controlled by the city. The submission to the city leaves this issue open as well as pedestrian and bike access (Safe Routes to Schools) to an elementary school, park and the under development Tamien Innu trail.
Regular Meeting
Item No. 10: Follow-Up Analysis of Potential Revenue Ballot Measure Options (Continued on February 19, 2026). Council continued deliberation on pros and cons of a tax ballot measure to meet increasing costs, particularly the unexpected 36% increase in the law enforcement contract. At the earlier meeting, the City Council requested further analysis of business tax, Utility Users Tax (UUT), and sales tax options; to evaluate reductions to the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget and staffing. Council expressed a preference for the UUT, and authorized staff to initiate community polling to determine feasibility of ballot measure. A Go/N-go decision on a ballot tax measure has to be decided in the next few months with an estimated $300,000 cost to the city and no assurance that such a measure would pass. Approved 4-0-1 with Wang absent.
Item. No 11: Blesch Property Study on Opportunities for Optimal Use. This property located at 22050 Stevens Creek Boulevard and located in a flood plain, was acquired by the City in 2014. It is not a historical structure and is in poor condition. Council considered the various options, and quickly determined that the staff recommendation to tear down the existing structure made the most sense. Council requested that the site be converted to parkland with native plants, pathways and seating.Approved 4-0-1 with Wang absent.
Item No. 12: Consider a Tentative Map, Architectural and Site Approval, and Tree Removal Permit for the construction of a 51-unit townhome condominium development on Housing Element Priority Housing Sites 25 through 28. The project utilizes Senate Bill 330 and provisions of State Density Bonus law. (Application No(s): TM-2024-009, ASA-2024-015, TR-2024-044; Applicant: SummerHill Homes, LLC; Location: 10857, 10867, 10877, and 10887 Linda Vista Drive; APNs: 356-06-001, -002, -003, and -004). Postponed due to late additional submissions by the developer.
CUPERTINO COURIER: March 20, 2026
The front page photo and article on page 5 are entitled Diverse ingredients: Competitors in this year’s fundraiser hail from around the world; Nonprofit pantry yields some diverse ingredients for Chefs of Compassion. Community briefs on page 5 are (1) Checking out art, (2) Festival of Colors and (3) Spring for education. There are no legal notices.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
