Cupertino Matters
- Local election results
- UPCOMING – City Council meeting, Tues., Dec. 3, 6:45 p.m.
- RECAP – Council Meeting, Tues., Nov. 19, 6:45 p.m.
Hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving week, and didn’t overeat too much. Next up is the city Christmas Tree Lighting on Dec. 6, Friday, 6:00 p.m. at Quinlan Center.
All of the ballots have been counted and the election for city council is finally over. The close race between Rod Sinks and Ray Wang triggered an automatic recount, which was completed on Dec. 2. The results were reported by San Jose Spotlight in an article entitled Cupertino council race recount decided by 63 votes. The results will be certified on Dec. 5, and council members Kitty Moore and Ray Wang will be sworn in on Dec. 12.
There were a total of 41,147 votes cast in the city council race. The two winners, Kitty Moore and Ray Wang received a total of 17,985 votes, or 44% of the total votes, a minority of the total votes. The other candidates received 23,162 votes, or 56 % of the vote. Countywide, voter turnout was low for a presidential election at 73% for 2924. In 2020, there was 85% turnout; in 2016, there was 82% turnout, and in 2012, there was 80% turnout.
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.
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., Dec. 3 , 2024, 6:45 p.m., Regular Meeting; 6:15 Closed Session
Closed Session:
Item No. 1: Conference with legal counsel – existing litigation pursuant to Government Code § 54956.9 and initiation of litigation pursuant to Government Code § 54956.9(c) (Ali et al. v. City of Cupertino et al., Santa Clara County Superior Court Case No. 24CV439697), regarding property damage.
Regular Meeting:
There are no Ceremonial Items. The Consent Calendar has nine routine items. Of note, three items were continued from the Nov. 19, 2014 council meeting due to lack of time. 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. 11 City Manager’s First Quarter Financial Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 (Continued from November 19, 2024). The city is on track financially. Minor budget adjustments ($384,698) are requested.
Item No. 12 Capital Improvement Program Photovoltaic Systems Design and Installation Project. Council previously approved moving this project forward to significantly reduce city utility costs. Five locations were identified for installation. Staff is recommending moving forward on Quinlan Center, the Sports Center, and Community Hall. The library building is not ideal because cost savings would flow to the county library system instead of the city, and the county librarian recommends postponing this location for further study. The Blackberry Farm location provides the least benefit and a higher cost. Time is of the essence to complete the project to provide electricity under more favorable financial terms.
Item #13, Approve the third amendment to the City Attorney’s employment contract and revise the Appointed Employees’ Compensation Program. This modifies the contract for the City Attorney to provide an increase in compensation as well as more consistency with other senior staff contracts and compensation.
Item No. 14: Council Reports, (now submitted in written form) are provided by Mayor Mohan and Vice-Mayor Fruen. Councilmember Chao, Councilmember Moore and Hung Wei did not submit reports.
RECAP – CITY COUNCIL Tues., Nov. 19 , 2024, 6:45 p.m., Regular Meeting
YouTube 3 hr. 50 min.
Consent Item No. 12 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 was pulled and considered after the Action Item. The initial proposal was a ten year contract which would have increased the percentage paid to the city, $500,00 in capital improvements to the facility and shifting the pickleball courts. After public comment and extended council discussion centered around Councilmember Chao’s questions about the RFP process, council approved Vice-Mayor JR Fruen’s motion to extend the contract for five years without the additional benefits to the city on a 4-1 vote, with Chao voting nay.
Consent Item No. 14, the City Manager’s First Quarter Financial Report for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-25 was pulled and continued to the next council meeting. Two other consent items were also continued.
Item No. 16: Adopt an allocation plan for funds uncommitted from the Sales Tax Repayment reserve Study Session on Unhoused Services and Programs. Council considered 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. After public input and extensive discussion, Chao moved and Fruen seconded a motion to adopt an amended version of Option A, a $10 million allocation for a CalPERS Additional Discretionary Payment (ADP) with the remaining amount placed into a committed reserve fund. Chao amended the motion to bring the item back to Council in January to consider the budget allocation holistically in every area, including the reductions made by Council last year, with a study session in January. The amended substitute motion was approved 4-1 with Moore voting nay.
CUPERTINO COURIER: November 29, 2024
The front-page story and article on page 5 is entitled Plan to ‘prioritize people’: Speed limits reduced along stretches of five streets. Speed limits reduced along five Cupertino roadways. Community briefs are (1) Community tree lighting set for Dec. 6, (2) Duo from Trilogy performs Dec. 14-21 and (3) Re-energized eHub. Page 9 is a previously published Mercury News article entitled Tight City Council race headed to a recount. Legal notices are (1) Second reading of amendments to the municipal code, (2) Rezoning of a Priority Housing Element site, 20865 McClellan Road from R-3 to R3/TH scheduled for the December 10, 2024 planning commission meeting, and (3) Public hearing on municipal code amendment cleanup scheduled for the December 10, 2024 planning commission meeting
CUPERTINO COURIER: November 22, 2024
The front-page story and article on page 5 is entitled Path to safety: State grant to help protect bicyclists and pedestrians at city’s roadways. Cupertino looks to expand bike safety efforts beyond schools: $160,000 state grant to fund city-wide Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Program. Community briefs are (1) Survey says about the Godbe city-wide survey and (2) Commission positions. Page 5 is a previously published Mercury News article entitled Moore takes lead: Sinks and Wang tied for second in city council race. There are no legal notices.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
