Cupertino Matters
- In the News
- RECAP- Planning Commission, 7:30 p.m., Apr. 14, 2026
- RECAP – City Council, Tues. Apr. 7, 2026, 6:45 p.m., 5:45 Special Meeting
The rain this week is welcome, but the overall lack of moisture triggers some Tahoe ski resorts to close early this season. For now, enjoy the return of sunny skies and green hills.
Mark your calendar for the 42nd Annual Cupertino Cherry Blossom Festival scheduled for April 25–26, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 5:30 PM at Cupertino Memorial Park. This free event celebrates the Cupertino-Toyokawa sister city relationship with Japanese arts, crafts, cultural exhibits, food, and performances. The festival traditionally showcases Japanese food, taiko drumming, martial arts, Japanese art, koi fish, and performances from local high school groups. For more details, visit https://www.cupertinocherryblossomfestival.org/
This is an election year, with most of the attention locally focused on the gubernatorial primary election scheduled for June 2. Ballots for partisan offices will be mailed on May 4 (less than a month away). This will be a contentious election with no clear gubernatorial front-runner. The impact of congressional redistricting is also unknown, though it does not immediately affect the Bay Area. The races for city council and school boards are non-partisan and, with the exception of special rules, like in San Jose, and will appear on the ballot in November. City council candidates can formally file beginning July 13. But potential candidates often have to decide earlier whether they want to organize and run for office. On April 11, a new resident-led organization named Cupertino Together held a campaign kickoff for three candidates it is supporting for Cupertino City Council: Councilmember JR Fruen, running for reelection, Seema Lindskog, Planning Commissioner, and John Tang, a local business leader. The three candidates are running as a slate on a platform of positive vision, trusted leadership, collaborative partnerships, and economic and educational innovation.
In public safety matters, resident interest in evacuation routes and emergency response surfaced during the public hearings for Evulich Court townhomes on Linda Vista Drive located at the west side of Cupertino. Subsequently, public review of 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.
Revisions of the Safety Plan are required when the Housing Element or Local Hazard Mitigation Plan is updated, both of which happened recently. For context, the Health and Safety Element of the General Plan: Community Vision for 2015-2040, was last amended in 2005, with minor edits in 2015. The Element identifies natural hazards and outlines policies to protect the community from earthquakes, flooding, wildfires, extreme heat, hazardous materials, and other climate-related risks. The update reflects current science and includes strategies to strengthen community resilience, emergency preparedness, and climate adaptation.
In housing matters, the city of Cupertino has no homeless housing. As reported by the Mercury News in Cupertino to support other West Valley cities in homelessness task force: City’s unhoused population increased by 52% in two years, the city is working with other area cities in a West Valley Homeless Services Implementation Task Force. The task force involves representatives from Cupertino, Campbell, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno and Saratoga, along with county representatives, institutional stakeholders and select service providers. Together, they will develop a formal implementation plan and establish measurable goals, define a governance structure and financing strategy, and monitor its progress.
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.
RECAP – Planning Commission, Tues., Apr. 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m. Commissioners Rao and Lindskog were remote.
YouTube: 1 hr. 32 min.
The sole agenda item was Item No. 2: Report from the Community Noticing Sub-Committee on community noticing practices from other local cities. There have been complaints about the lack of noticing for major housing projects and rezoning. The commission discussed the findings of a sub-committee composed of Chair Kosolcharon and Vice Chair Scharf. They found that Cupertino’s noticing procedures were similar to other cities. Additional measures that could be taken were identified, but these would require additional staff time, and an increased cost to applicants at a time when the planning division is already stretched thin.
RECAP – City Council, Tues., April 7, 2026, 6:45 p.m., Special Meeting; 5:45 p.m. Councilmember Wang was absent.
YouTube: Part 1: 51 min.; Part 2: 3 hr. 29 min.
Special Meeting/Study Session
Item No. 1: An update on the development of the Active Transportation Plan, including a summary of Phase 2, explanations of plan edits, revised scoring criteria, and next steps. Council provided mixed feedback on the revised plan. This new, comprehensive Active Transportation Plan (ATP) combines recommended projects from the 2016 Bicycle Transportation Plan and the 2018 Pedestrian Transportation Plan to meet evolving community needs. The primary purpose of this plan is to provide a framework to apply for grants; the plan itself is already funded through outside sources.
Regular meeting
Item No. 11: 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.). Council had little discretion in approving this project since it complied with relevant zoning standards and state laws. The developer gave a presentation which explained the rationale for the site design. Council discussion centered around the loss of Voyager Coffee and Panera Bread. Retaining these two businesses was considered by the developer, but would have required starting the approval process all over with a very different project. Council directed staff to work with the businesses and the developer to relocate within Cupertino. Approved 4-0-1 with Wang absent.
Item No. 12: Award of a consultant agreement with PlaceWorks, not to exceed $468,450, to prepare a Housing Element update (and internal consistency updates to the General Plan), related rezoning, and all necessary environmental review as required under State law, and associated budget modification in the amount of $660,00, to address requirements of Government Code Section 65863 (No Net Loss) and authorize no-cost contract change. There was limited discussion on the scope of the project for this item. Time is of the essence for the consultant to develop amendments to the city’s Housing Element to comply with the No Net Loss findings required by State law since mid-December 2025. Council approved 4-0-1 with Wang absent.
Item No. 13: Consider updates to procedures administering the City’s Commissions and Committees and revising the City Commissioners’ Handbook to reflect the new procedures. Council spent over an hour wordsmithing the handbook, primarily by Councilmember Chao focusing on adding alternates for commissions (which may be unwieldy), commissioner communications, and tweaks to eligibility. Council approved 4-0-1 with Wang absent.
Item No. 14 Determine next steps for the agreement with the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. This matter was postponed.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 in memory of Rod Diridon, Sr., a former County Supervisor, who played a key role in developing local transportation who passed away late the prior week.
CUPERTINO COURIER: April 10, 2026
The front page photo and article on page 5 are entitled Golden Apple: Cupertino computer titan celebrates its 50th anniversary: 5 moments that changed how we live. Community Briefs on page 5 are entitled (1) Songbirds and Sonatas, and (2) Sticking the vote. The sole legal notice is Notice of Amendments to the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 Fee Schedule to be heard at city council on April 21, 2026.
Warm regards,
Jean Bedord
Cupertino Matters
Publisher and Editor
