Cupertino Matters
- In the News
- UPCOMING – Planning Commission, Tues., May 12, 6:45 p.m.
- RECAP – City Council, Mon., May 11, 2026, Study Session
- RECAP – City Council, Tues., May 5, 2026, Regular Meeting
I hope readers had an enjoyable and relaxing Mother’s Day. This is the florists’ busiest season, along with restaurants with special menus.
The city council on May 5 was lively during Oral Communications when over 40 pickleball players protested a recent city memo proposing extraordinary restrictions on play at Memorial Park. The memo entitled Parks and Recreation Department residency, fees, and registration information was issued on April 30, 2026. It outlined the rationale for Parks and Recreation practices and fees, proposing modest increases in fees and increasing the differential for non-residents from the current 20% to 25%.
However, buried on page 7 is a recommended Memorial Park Pickleball Pilot, which overreacts to neighborhood complaints and one planning commissioner (Rao) protective of underutilized tennis courts. The restrictions include (1) no pickleball on Mondays, which reduces accessibility by 15% of the time, and (2) reduction of daily hours from dawn to 9 p.m. (15 hours daily) to 9 a..m. to 7 p.m. (10 hours daily), a 33% reduction in addition to the elimination of one whole day of play. The restrictions severely limit community access for this recreational group, by nearly 50%. This stands in stark contrast to lack of restrictions on use of tennis courts. The noise problem can be mitigated by fast-tracking the existing CIP project to provide a sound attenuation wall behind the pickleball courts. This low-cost project is estimated at $150,000, a small piece of the overall city budget and eligible for the use of restricted monies that do not impact the General Fund. Which option makes the most sense?
The new Santa Clara Valley Healthcare mobile health center at De Anza College is now available as part of a one-year pilot program. As covered by the San Jose Spotlight in West Valley gets first mobile health clinic, the health clinic is open to the entire community regardless of insurance, providing walk-in healthcare services to underserved De Anza students—as well as residents in Cupertino, Los Altos, Saratoga, Sunnyvale and West San Jose. This location is also readily accessible for members at the Cupertino Senior Center. The on campus clinic will be open to the community on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with a physician, NP, nurse assistant, and medical assistant. The van offers treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, family planning services, physical exams, health screenings, adult vaccinations and referrals to specialty care.
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 – Planning Commission, Tues., May 12,2026, 6:45 p.m., Council Chamber and Teleconference Location – The Woodlands Resort (Lobby), 2301 N Millbend Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77380
Other than approval of the minutes, the agenda consists of Item No. 2: Consider a residential project with 27 three story townhomes, including 5 affordable units, with associated site improvements and condominium map, to replace a commercial office building on a 1.55-acre site. The project utilizes Senate Bill 330 and provisions of State Density Bonus law. (Application No(s): ASA-2025-016, TM-2025-008, & TR-2025-033; Applicant: SummerHill Homes, LLC; Location: 10268 Bandley Drive; APNs: 326-33-097.)
This project sits in a neighborhood of aging one-story office buildings, but it is convenient to Target and other public-facing businesses, in addition to transit on De Anza and Stevens Creek Boulevards. The homes are generous in size ranging from 2120 sq. ft. to 2822 sq. ft., with garages. The project includes 5 deed-restricted affordable homes. Like all recent residential projects, this application relies on the state Density Bonus Law to waive various development standards. Though not included in the Housing Element, the project will count toward fulfilling Cupertino’s 4,588-home RHNA requirement.
RECAP – City Council, Study Session, Mon., May 11., 6:00 p.m.; Closed Session, 8:00 p.m.
YouTube: 1 hr. 53 min.
Special Meeting
Agenda Item No. 1 Initial Study Session on Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 Proposed Budget Reviewing the annual budget is always challenging, with 537 pages in this year’s version. The proposed budget of $155,528,145 is similar to last year. No full-time positions are requested. The major fiscal challenge is the increase in the sheriff’s contract from $19M to $25.5M, negotiated down $1M from the previous $26.5M. Readers are urged to browse the City Manager’s Budget Message, outlining city accomplishments of the past year. Councilmembers had one-on-one briefings prior to the public study session, then spent almost all of the dais time on the $32,500 in community grants, questioning the recommendations of the Parks and Recreation Commission. The council also voted (4-1, with Fruen voting nay) to form two subcommittees composed of Mayor Moore and Vice Mayor Chao, to reexamine the community grant policy citing concerns that non-residents might benefit from funding for Fremont Union High School District efforts and West Valley Community Services WeHOPE program. There were only two speakers from the public, one community group expressing support for the $150,000 pickleball sound attenuation project, and the other, an individual, speaking about the need to include additional funding for affordable housing preservation in the budget.
Closed Session
Agenda Item No. 1 Conference with Legal Counsel – Existing Litigation; California Government Code sections 54956.9(d)(1) & 54954.5(c): Mark Fantozzi v. City of Cupertino, SummerHill Homes, LLC (Real Party in Interest), Case No. 26CV492787 This legal action was filed by an Evulich Court neighbor who disagreed with the city council approval of this Housing Element townhome development.
RECAP – City Council, Tues., May 5, 2026, 6:45 p.m.; Special meeting, 5:45 p.m.; Closed meeting 5:30 p.m., Councilmember Wang was remote
YouTube: 2hr. 43 mIn. adjourned at 8:48 p.m., another record early end.
Study Session
Item No. 1: Silicon Valley Hopper: A program overview and proposed strategy for future grant funding. Students and seniors heavily use this popular microtransit service, which receives funding through a combination of different sources and grants. Cupertino piloted the program (then called “Via”), which has since grown to include Santa Clara and key destinations outside Cupertino. Staff is working to identify additional funding possibilities to maintain the service.
Regular Meeting
Item No.19: Introduction and first reading of an ordinance amending Cupertino Municipal Code Sections 1.10, 2.20, 2.24, 2.48, 2.88, 3.12, and 3.38 to reflect organizational changes related to departmental structure and responsibilities. These changes in the municipal code reflect a simple organizational change moving Human Resources from the Department of Administrative Services to the City Manager’s Office, and renaming the department to the Department of Finance responsible for Accounting, Budgeting, and Purchasing. Council approved unanimously.
Item No. 20: Introduction of an ordinance to make minor revisions to the Municipal Code amending Chapter 2.04 (Chapter 2.04: City Council-Election and Meetings): Section 2.04.020 Special Meetings; Chapter 3.23 (Public Works Contract and Bidding Procedures): Section 3.23.020 (Definitions) to align with AB 2192; Chapter 5.04 (Business Licenses Generally): Section 5.04.480 (Appeal Procedure); Chapter 5.32 (BINGO): Section 5.32.130 (Total Value of Prizes); Chapter 11.28 (Abandoned, Wrecked, Inoperative Vehicles): Sections 11.28.010 (Definitions) and 11.28.050 (Sale of Merchandise); Chapter 13.04 (Parks): Sections 13.04.130 (Behavior of Persons in Parks) and 13.04.180 (Advertising and Sale Restrictions); and Chapter 16.52 (Prevention of Flood Damage): Sections 16.52.011 (Lands to Which this Chapter Applies) and 16.52.053 (Standards for Manufactured Homes). These housekeeping changes ensured compliance with state law, and cleaned up parts of the municipal code. Council approved unanimously.
Item No. 21: Revisions to City of Cupertino City Council Procedures Manual. Council postponed these revisions in light of the Grand Jury Report: .Convenience vs. Compliance: Brown Act risks in Cupertino’s meeting practices
CUPERTINO COURIER: May 8, 2026
The front page photo and article on page 5 are entitled Creating something bigger: Santa Clara County supervisor honors AANHPI constituents. Awards program recognizes those who show up for their community. Community briefs on page 5 are (1) Health Expo and (2) DeAnza Open House.There are no legal notices.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
