Cupertino residents split on official’s lack of in-person attendance

Cupertino residents have mixed feelings about one official’s frequent travels overseas and what they mean about his ability to serve the community.

Councilmember R “Ray” Wang has virtually attended nine City Council sessions from national and international locations — ranging from Dubai to Texas — out of roughly 30 meetings this year, or about 30%. His travels have cut two meetings short because he needed to catch a plane, according to the city attorney in meeting recordings that have postponed council items for a week to more than a month. Some residents are concerned it’s becoming a pattern that’s affecting city business, while others see it as a strength.

Wang travels for his day job as the founder of tech consulting firm Constellation Research and can be gone for two weeks out of the month. He can attend council meetings virtually because of the Brown Act. The public meeting law states government officials can teleconference into meetings if their location is publicly available, in case a resident wants to attend the meeting from the same place.

Wang said his online attendance hasn’t affected his public service because he represents his constituents in the meetings virtually. He said there have been times when he can’t attend in-person sessions outside the bi-monthly council meetings, because he doesn’t have enough time to rearrange his calendar.

Wang said he takes his responsibilities seriously, no matter where he is.

“If anybody wants to reach out to me or has a question — if they can’t get a hold of me, I would be very surprised,” he told San José Spotlight. “I’m here for the residents.”

Residents are split on Wang’s presence in Cupertino.

A community advocate, who asked not to be named because they plan to push for an item the council will review soon, said Wang’s travel is concerning for significant topics such as the Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Study.

The multiyear effort plans to improve the busy street between Cupertino, Santa Clara, VTA, San Jose and Santa Clara County. Cupertino — one of the last jurisdictions to vote on the study — moved its review until after the council’s month-and-a-half-long recess because Wang was boarding a plane when it came up in July.

“By delaying action on a safety (project) because one of the councilmembers is out of the country, it gets in the way of staff doing their job that they’re being paid for,” the advocate told San José Spotlight. “For a regional collaborative effort, it strains the (government) relationships.”

Wang said that meeting went later than he planned for because the agenda was too packed.

Residents like Jennifer Shearin are also concerned how committed Wang is outside of council meetings. Shearin said if he’s only in the city half the month, he can’t be as involved in the community.

“I want to know that my councilmembers understand my life here in Cupertino, and understand what it’s like to live here,” she told San José Spotlight. “The only way to do that is to spend a significant amount of time here. If you’re not here every week, your heart is not here.”

Wang said it’s wrong to say he’s less in touch with the community because of his travels. He isn’t the first councilmember to spend time outside the country. Councilmember J.R. Fruen recently attended a meeting from Italy and former Mayor Hung Wei attended roughly six meetings from Taiwan as she sought medical treatment.

Muni Madhdhipatla, who’s lived in the city for decades, said residents shouldn’t be concerned about Wang’s travels, just like they weren’t about Wei’s or Fruen’s trips. Madhdhipatla served on the Planning Commission with Wang and said even when Wang attended virtually, he fulfilled his commitments.

“If I had any doubts, I would not have supported him,” Madhdhipatla told San José Spotlight. “I saw him in action… how much he showed up and he was prepared and involved.”
Cupertino resident San Rao voted for Wang last November. He said Wang brings a unique perspective because of his international business experience other councilmembers don’t have. Rao said Wang is more representative of Cupertino because of his work.

“Councilmember Wang represents the epitome of what we in Cupertino have, which is residents that are successful and that at the same time, are conscious of their civic duties,” Rao told San José Spotlight.

Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.