Cupertino Matters
- In the News
- TONIGHT – Planning Commission, Tues., April 28, 6:45 p.m.
- RECAP – City Council, Tues. Apr. 21, 2026, 6:45 p.m., 6:00 p.m. Closed Session
April is practically gone, along with its unpredictable weather. Indeed, this year’s Cherry Blossom Festival saw unusual amounts of rain, but nonetheless witnessed the customary high turnout that typifies Cupertino’s largest annual festival.
Cupertino-grown Apple, Inc., founded in 1976, celebrates its 50th anniversary. The Computer History Museum in Mountain View will feature a year-long program and exhibits on Apple’s history. The Mercury News took the occasion to publish two featured articles on Apple: (1) Apple promised Cupertino growth. It got that, and a pricier, more pressured city: How Apple Park brought wealth, housing pressure and traffic to the city it remade and (2) Apple at 50: How Cupertino’s tech giant changed what technology feels like: How Apple made tech feel cool — and hard to leave. No one owned a crystal ball to fully foresee the range and scope of impacts and benefits Apple would create for Cupertino in the original presentation for Apple Park on June 11, 2011 when Steve Jobs presented his vision of a new, landmark headquarters to city council.
Returning to public events, mark your calendar for the Live Well Age Well Health Expo, the annual Health Fair at on Friday, May 8, 2026,, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Cupertino Senior Center at 21251 Stevens Creek Boulevard next to Memorial Park. The event will include valuable health and wellness resources, informative presentations, and interactive activity demonstrations to support a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle for our age 50+ community.
City Council governance continues to be problematic. The Audit Committee received a report for the City of Cupertino’s fiscal year 25-26 internal audit program This reviewed the City’s Council-related policies to identify opportunities to improve clarity, consistency, and usability, determine whether there were any major gaps, and align Council operational procedures with industry best practices. The policies under review included:
- Council Procedures Manual: major gaps, including sexual harassment training and orientation for new councilmembers on duties and responsibilities.
- Code of Ethics and Conduct: lacks consequences for councilmembers for noncompliance.
- Policies and Guidelines on Sister Cities, Friendship Cities, and International Delegations: needs minor clarifications.
- Social Media Policy: does not provide sufficient guidance for councilmembers regarding personal or official social media accounts when communicating about city related matters.
- Technology Use Policy: needs specifics for elected and appointed officials.
In education news, Stacy Yao, the superintendent of our elementary school district, the Cupertino Union School District, has announced her retirement after 38 years in education, effective June 30, 2026.
Readers are urged to provide comment on the Safety Element of the General Plan has been extended to May 8. Readers are encouraged to review the draft at cupertino.gov/healthandsafetyelement. Questions and comments can be sent to planning@cupertino.gov.
UPCOMING – Planning Commission, Tues., April 28, 6:45 p.m.
Other than approval of the minutes, the agenda consists of Item No. 2: Review of the Fiscal Year 2026 – 2027 Capital Improvement Program proposal for consistency with the City of Cupertino’s General Plan. This is a pro forma review of the council-approved Capital Improvement Program. This program consists of the projects proposed for this year:
- Blesch Property Improvements
- Memorial Park Pickleball Sound Attenuation
- Blackberry Farm Golf Course Pro Shop Renovation
- Sports Center Courts Resurfacing.
- Stevens Creek Boulevard/SR 85 (NB) ramp intersection improvements (funded by developer in-lieu fees)
Planning Commission review is limited to examining General Plan consistency and does not allow for extensive discussion of the merits of specific projects. The Commission has previously struggled with staying on-topic within the confines of the Brown Act notice.
Agenda Item No. 3: Commissioner Kosolcharoen’s Report dated March 24, 2026.
RECAP – City Council, Tues., April 21, 2026, 6:45 p.m., Closed Session; 6:00 p.m.; Council Chamber and W Hotel, Lobby, 3940 S Las Vegas Blvd W, Las Vegas, NV.
YouTube: 2 hr. 18 min. Meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m., a record early end.
Consent Calendar Item No. 6: Award of construction contract for the Service Center Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project to Lilypad EV, LLC in the amount of $592,475; authorization to execute the construction contract, related change orders, and easement agreement for electrical facilities; and approval of budget modification #2526-438 accepting grant funding and increasing appropriations by $225,230 was pulled by Councilmember Wang. This item provides authorization to install EV charges for city use to comply with the state requirement that city vehicles be 50% EV. Council approved 4-1 with Wang voting nay.
Regular meeting
Item No. 13: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 Fee Schedule Update. There was little discussion of these annual fee updates, other than a handful of special fees on Schedule A. Council directed an informational memo on Bingo-related fees and approved the schedule unanimously.
Item No. 14: Introduction and first reading of an Ordinance to amend Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 9.17 Single-Use Carryout Bags, pertaining to regulation of single-use carryout bags at retail stores and restaurants. This item proposed an update to Cupertino’s single-use carryout bag ordinance to align with current state regulations banning stores from providing plastic carryout bags with handles at point of purchase. Council approved 4-1 with Wang voting nay.
Item No.15: Introduction and first reading of an Ordinance to amend Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 16; amend Resolution No. 25-092 (2025 Building Code Adoption) to conform to requirements from the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC). This was a straight-forward approval of changes to the Municipal Code to meet state building code requirements. Council approved unanimously.
Item No.16: Introduction and first reading of an Ordinance to amend Cupertino Municipal Code Title Five (Business Licenses and Regulations) to Establish Chapter 5.51 to Regulate Film Production. This Ordinance revised the original November 4, 2025 version to (1) exempt non-commercial filming from regulation, and (2) exempt commercial filming on private property, provided that all filming and equipment are on private property, not public property. Council approved unanimously.
CUPERTINO COURIER: April 24, 2026
The front page photo and article on page 5 are entitled Short stint: De Anza College president Omar Torres resigns following a leave of absence. Community college district names Dr. David Wayne Coon as interim president of Cupertino campus. A Community Brief on page 5 is entitled Suicide Prevention Workshop. There are no legal notices.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
