A tight West Valley city council race is headed to a recount with fewer than 10 days until the vote must be certified. The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters began a manual recount of the Cupertino City Council race Monday because of the slim margin separating candidates R “Ray” Wang and Rod Sinks. Wang...
Cupertino has millions to spend from Apple settlement
With Cupertino absolved from paying California millions of sales tax dollars it collected from Apple, city officials are strategizing how to use it. Cupertino was allowed to keep the roughly $74.5 million in Apple sales tax revenue it set aside from 2021 through August after reaching a settlement with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration...
LGBTQ+ families anxious about Cupertino school election
As one Cupertino Union School District candidate inches toward a win, alarm bells are sounding among LGBTQ+ advocates worried about his stance on inclusive curriculum. Parent Long Jiao’s apparent second-place finish for one of the two open seats on the five-person school board has families worried about what it could mean for queer students and...
Will Cupertino City Council’s majority flip?
Two opposing candidate duos are trying to nab the two available Cupertino City Council seats to have power over one of the city’s most divisive issues — development. Councilmember Kitty Moore and former Planning Commissioner R “Ray” Wang, want to flip the existing development-friendly council majority, while Councilmember Hung Wei and former Mayor Rod Sinks...
Cupertino candidates talk housing, budget before election
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...
Money flows into Cupertino City Council race
One mid-sized West Valley city’s council race is raking in cash, in what some residents are dubbing a high-stakes election with divisive housing issues on the table. The Cupertino City Council race has brought in about $222,000 among seven candidates vying for two seats in a city of about 60,000 residents, according to election data...
Silicon Valley city must pay after removing campaign signs
Cupertino election signs have been mysteriously disappearing, but it’s not the work of disgruntled residents or political opponents. It’s the city. Maintenance workers in Cupertino’s public works department removed and threw out more than 15 election lawn signs last week for Cupertino City Council Candidates R “Ray” Wang and Councilmember Kitty Moore — signs placed...
Settlement lets Cupertino keep millions in Apple sales tax revenue
Cupertino can keep millions of sales tax dollars from Apple, despite a lengthy state audit questioning the city’s tax agreement that left it with a budget shortfall. The city on Thursday announced a settlement with the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, allowing Cupertino to retain sales tax revenue from Apple since the state...
Meet the candidates running for Cupertino City Council
Cupertino voters will decide between seven City Council candidates vying for just two seats this November, with housing as a central, divisive issue. Councilmembers Kitty Moore and Hung Wei — who briefly suspended her campaign due to health concerns — are competing to keep their seats against several former officials. Cupertino elects councilmembers at large,...
Cupertino council candidate reports death threat
Cupertino City Council candidate Claudio Bono is used to the city’s polarization, with neighbors and officials often split over issues — but he never thought he would receive a death threat. Bono, area general manager of The Cupertino Hotel and one of seven council candidates, found a note on his car parked at home that...