Cupertino Matters
- In the News
- UPCOMING – City Council, July 7, 2026, 6:45 p.m., Study Session 5:45
- RECAP – Planning Commission, June 23, 2026, 6:45 p.m.
Hope you all enjoyed the 4th of July celebrations!
Concerned about housing issues? The League of Women Voters of Cupertino-Sunnyvale (LWVCS) and Braver Angels Silicon Valley are hosting a civic community conversation on “Working Together to Meet Our Housing Needs” on Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM at the Cupertino Library. Readers can join in the conversation as the community tackles this highly salient topic.
In recreation matters, pickleball continues to provoke controversy and divided opinions given the high demand for the restriped courts at Memorial Park. Following the city council’s failure to approve a budget allocation for a sound attenuation wall for the pickleball courts, the city has initiated a “trial” which reduces playing time by 50%, to attempt to appease a handful of adjacent homeowners. The Pickleball Club community has responded with a petition protesting the process which currently boasts over 900 signatures. The entire proposed sound wall project and related studies was estimated to cost less than $150,000, less than $3 per resident.
Finally, the operation of the Kaiser cement plant has been contentious in Cupertino for decades. Purchased by Henry Kaiser in 1939, prior to the incorporation of Cupertino, the cement plant and quarry were major suppliers to California infrastructure projects. But times change–with more regulation and the depletion of raw materials, the plant was closed in 2023. After obtaining necessary permits, demolition has started on the 123 acres containing manufacturing facilities, which is part of the larger 3,500 acre site. As outlined in San Jose Spotlight, Demolition begins at controversial Santa Clara County cement plant; the full cleanup process is expected to last 40 years.
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., July 7, 2026, 6:45 p.m. Regular, 5:45 Study Session
Special Session
Item No. 1 Study Session to Update the Health and Safety Element of the Cupertino General Plan: 2015 – 2040 Community Vision. California mandates that cities maintain General Plans to guide orderly growth. These General Plans address certain matters of broad public policy through required “elements.” The Health and Safety Element (HSE) is one such piece of the Cupertino General Plan. The HSE addresses the threats posed by natural and human-caused hazards within the jurisdiction of Cupertino and establishes goals and policies to reduce risk to the community. The process of updating this Element involves several iterations. The public was invited to comment, then the Proposed Element was presented to the Planning Commission and the City Council for comments which have been incorporated into the present draft. The proposed revisions then need to be submitted to various agencies for their approval, before coming back to the Planning Commission and City Council for final approval.
Regular Meeting
Ceremonial Items include (1) Recognition of the Parks and Recreation Department (Administration; Community Events, Facilities, Youth and Teen Recreation; Outdoor Recreation; Senior Wellness and Recreation; Sports, Fitness, and Recreation Divisions) in conjunction with July as Parks and Recreation Month, (2) Recognition of Monta Vista High School Science Olympiad Team for achieving first place in the National Science Olympiad competition, and (3) Recognition of the Kennedy Middle School Science Olympiad Team for their performance in the National Science Olympiad competition.
Oral Communications from the public on off-agenda items then precede the Consent Calendar, which contains eight routine items. Note Consent Item No. 4: Approval of the Exchange Agreement for 10480 Finch Avenue (“Finch Property”) and Allocation of $10.4 Million for Acquisition of the Finch Property (“Exchange Agreement”), and find the action to qualify for a categorical exemption from CEQA review.
Item No. 12: Receive a Report on Ballot Measure Survey Results and Provide Direction on Potential Ballot Measures for the November 3, 2026 General Municipal Election.
The City’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 Budget 10-Year Forecast identifies long-term structural budget challenges driven primarily by increasing public safety costs, overall reduced sales tax revenue based on an allocation decision from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA), and the anticipated expiration of the Utility Users Tax (UUT) in 2030. Considering this on March 17, 2026, the City Council directed staff to contract for ballot measure support services to evaluate expanding and/or extending and modernizing the UUT and pursuing a parkland rezoning protection effort. The survey indicated that 66% would likely vote to approve an extension of the UUT and 69% favor a parkland measure.
Item No. 13: Consider approval of response to the 2026 Civil Grand Jury of Santa Clara County Report entitled “Convenience vs. Compliance: Brown Act risks in Cupertino’s meeting practices”. On May 4, 2026, the 2026 Civil Grand Jury of Santa Clara County released a report on various aspects of the use of remote meeting participation in the City of Cupertino that was highly critical of both the extent and manner of its use by Councilmember Wang. The city is required to respond to the findings of the Grand Jury within 90 days of the report. This item would authorize the city’s response to the report.
Item No.14: City Manager Report, (submitted in written form).
Item No. 16: Council Reports (submitted in written form) are provided by Mayor Moore and Councilmembers Fruen and Mohan. Vice Mayor Chao and Councilmember Wang failed to submit reports.
Item No. 16: Upcoming Draft Agenda Items Report.
RECAP – Planning Commission, Tues., June 23,2026, 6:45 p.m.
YouTube: 2 hr. 57 min.
Item No. 2: Study Session on Housing Element update to add capacity at all income levels. Cupertino faces a difficult situation. The state-required Housing Element was approved in May 2024, which planned for 4,588 units with a 28% buffer for a total of 5,881 units. While the buffer was adequate for market rate housing, it has not proven aggressive enough to meet needed capacity for (1) Moderate income and (2) Lower income levels. As noted during the staff presentation, much of that shortfall stems from a lower-than-planned buffer because of the choice of Valley Church to remove all of its parcels from the inventory of sites. Several housing developments have been approved at densities of roughly 20 units-per-acre with a lower number of BMR (Below Market Rate) homes than anticipated in the Housing Element. In addition, the Vallco project has reduced the number of BMR homes in its current iteration. As a result, the city now lacks sufficient zoned capacity to satisfy the legal requirements of the Housing Element.
The discussion was generally productive as the commission reviewed, property by property, potential sites to add to the Housing Element, excluding some suggestions of rezoning sites for housing that will never be considered, such as De Anza College. The need for retaining retail capacity was discussed extensively since some recent housing projects have replaced existing or underutilized retail establishments. Based on commission comments, staff will develop a list of sites for future commission consideration.
CUPERTINO COURIER: July 3, 2026
The front page photo and article on page 5 are entitled Authentic Work: Cupertino native case in world premiere at TheatreWorks. Community briefs are (1) Talking housing and (2) Robotics workshops. The sole legal notice is a Public Hearing scheduled before the Planning Commission on July 28 regarding municipal code amendments to conform to state law..
CUPERTINO COURIER: June 26, 2026
The front page photo and article on page 4 are entitled Go-to guide for sake: Cupertino high school friends tackle myths around beverage in new book. The sole community brief is Festive Fourth, detailing Independence Day activities. The sole legal notice is a request to HUD to release Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
