The next iteration of the Cupertino City Council is slated to make significant decisions about housing and the budget. Candidates recently shared their perspectives.
Cupertino voters attended a candidate forum last Wednesday hosted by San José Spotlight, where six of the seven city council candidates fielded questions about public safety and The Rise, the city’s largest planned housing development at nearly 2,700 homes. Two council seats are up for grabs. Cupertino elects councilmembers at large, meaning voters can choose any candidate, unlike cities divided into political districts where voters are restricted to their area — the more common method used by nearby cities such as Campbell and Sunnyvale.
Participating candidates included former Mayors Barry Chang, Gilbert Wong and Rod Sinks, former Planning Commissioner R “Ray” Wang, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Claudio Bono and Councilmember Kitty Moore.
Councilmember Hung Wei, who is running for reelection, couldn’t attend. In a statement provided to San José Spotlight, she said she, “will continue to advocate for policies that prioritize housing affordability, environmental sustainability and smart growth while preserving the quality of life we all cherish” if reelected.
Housing
The forum started fiery, as candidates shared their views on The Rise. The development project, located on the former site of the Vallco Mall, has been stalled for nearly 10 years, sparking political and community division between anti- and pro-development groups such as Better Cupertino and Cupertino for All. Plans include 890 affordable homes and about 1.95 million square feet of office space.
Wang said he wants The Rise to succeed and bring entertainment to Cupertino with amenities such as a movie theater. He said the project has been stalled because concerns over the environmental impact of building on the site haven’t been assuaged. He said the project is in the hands of developer Sand Hill Property Company.
“You’re looking at a $3 (billion) to $4 billion project and there are opportunities for us to actually improve open space, improve different experiences, (ensure) retail tax revenue,” he said. “The challenge is we haven’t addressed the safety issue and that’s the question, right?”
Wang and Moore, who are running together, have historically taken issue with The Rise over aspects such as the amount of office space. Moore said she wants to ensure Sand Hill and other developers aren’t allowed to pay in-lieu fees to avoid providing affordable housing.
“We need to talk with the developer and see what they’re willing to do moving forward so that we have something the residents really want to have here,” Moore said.
Other candidates support The Rise’s plans and want it completed including Sinks, whose campaign largely promotes finishing the project. Sinks, who’s running alongside Wei, wants The Rise to become a vibrant downtown for Cupertino, something he said the city is missing.
“Do we simply want more housing there? We could easily just get a sea of townhomes because they offer a developer a good profit at low risk,” Sinks said. “Building a downtown takes negotiation and the right economic mix.”
Wong shared Sinks’ sentiments, calling out people who’ve slowed the project’s momentum.
“We can’t allow a minority of folks — of councilmembers and planning commissioners — to stop this project,” he said. “Let’s move it forward.”
The discussion moved to affordable housing, with candidates bringing up a 100% affordable housing development on Mary Avenue.
Bono said getting more affordable housing is about working toward a common goal.
“Not one person can make a difference — you have to be able to work with your fellow councilmembers and at the end of the day, (none) of that has been happening,” he said. “It’s not about millions of dollars, it’s about willingness.”
Chang also wants more collaboration.
“You have to be able to negotiate with the developer. All (anti-development people) are talking about is not hitting the nail at the head,” he said. “If the developer won’t do it, nothing can (be done) about it.”
Budget
Cupertino was hit with a $15 million budget deficit earlier this year, largely due to a loss in Apple sales tax revenue following a state audit. The state recently told the city it could keep about $75 million in sales tax revenue rather than giving it up. But city officials anticipate future budget shortfalls because of sales tax revenue changes that won’t allow Cupertino to rake in the millions it once relied on.
Multiple candidates talked about sales tax revenue boosts to make up for the changes, including Chang.
“To solve this problem now, we have to develop Vallco (and) build the commercial zone area so then we (can) increase the property tax and also increase the retail sales tax to accommodate the (multimillion-dollar) loss every year from now on,” Chang said.
Bono, who manages a local hotel and serves as vice president of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce, underscored the importance of expanding sales tax revenue sources and attracting and supporting small businesses.
“We need to be more sympathetic and (help) our business community,” he said. “We need to make sure they don’t leave our city. We need to collect their tax dollars.”
Moore and Wang called for more budget transparency. Cupertino has a history of mismanaging funds, including misallocating more than $100,000 from its affordable housing fund to pay legal fees this year.
Wang said councilmembers need to be better financial stewards.
“Just as we need to get to the waste, we also need to look at growth, so we need to bring back the Economic Development Committee,” he said. “We need to think about improving our small business relationships.”
Public safety
The candidates addressed a public safety question from the audience related to Proposition 36. The statewide proposition would allow harsher punishment for people convicted of retail theft and drug crimes. All the candidates at the forum said they support the initiative.
“This is really important because the street drugs that we have now are much more powerful and more potent than what was on the street years ago,” Moore said. “So we really need to help there.”
Wong’s top three campaign tenets include public safety, and he said he supports expanding emergency services.
“I will support building a fire station as Vallco is getting bigger, as we have more development on the eastern side because safety is important to me,” he said.
Sinks said the city can improve its crime deterrence and emergency response times to protect residents’ quality of life.
“Cupertino residents deserve to be safe and feel safe in their homes and in their neighborhoods,” he said. “In my prior service, I fostered good ties with our sheriff and our fire department.”
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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