1 CITY COUNCILMEMBER REPORT
Meeting: April 16, 2024
Reporting Councilmember: Councilmember Kitty Moore
Report Dates: 3/26/24 to 4/8/24
Event Date, Title, and Description:
March 27, 2024. Attended EOPA NY/NJ Offshore Wind Virtual Summit live webinar.
This 3-hour event included electeds from across the U.S. for an enlightening discussion about offshore wind farms and the challenges these energy sources face. From the webinar host: “The virtual summit will highlight state and local policy solutions for offshore wind investments, leasing, manufacturing, workforce development projects, supply chains, labor laws and
prevailing wage, and environmental
reviews to keep offshore wind moving
forward. Led by representatives of
frontline communities across New
Jersey and New York, our virtual
Summit will provide an educational
opportunity for how offshore wind will
benefit NY/NJ communities and why
offshore wind is the safest way of
providing energy for our communities
and future.” Source:
https://protectingamerica.net/events/eopa-ny-nj-offshore-wind-virtual-summit/ During the summit, Brown University’s Climate and Development Lab’s report on offshore wind opposition was mentioned with a complex funding network map included here, above, with a link below to their report “Against the Wind: A Map of the Anti-Offshore Wind Network in the Eastern United States” December 2023:
https://www.climatedevlab.brown.edu/post/against-the-wind-a-map-of-the-anti- offshore-wind-network-in-the-eastern-united-states
City Council Councilmember Report
2 January 8, 2024-March 27, 2024. Completed Winter quarter Environmental Studies courses: Environmental Management Tools: Environmental Management Systems & Environmental Performance Reporting and Environmental Resource Mgmt & Pollution Prevention: Air, Water & Land. Topics: quality management-related ISO 14001 sustainability planning standards, air pollution controls, water law and clean-up standards. This is the start of my third year in Environmental Studies. Class has reviewed our Cupertino GP, Sustainability elements, local Superfund sites, and studied groundwater contamination. The 11 courses in ES completed the Basic Environmental Studies Certificate Program, the current quarter will wrap up the Advanced Program.
March 27, 2024. Supervisor Joe Simitian’s Annual Lehigh Cement Plant/Heidelberg Materials Community Meeting. Attended this year’s update on the cement plant which is no longer producing cement. For a concise and interesting history of the plant read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanente_Quarry Information from the County is here: https://plandev.sccgov.org/policies-programs/smara/permanente Of note, it will take around ten years for the reclamation to begin, and that filling the pit is expected to take 30 years with 600 truck trips per day, and that is after going through a process with public engagement regarding the specifics of the plan. After the meeting I asked members of the panel about the potential for PFAS in the groundwater considering firefighting and metal manufacturing at the site.
March 29, 2024. Attended a prep session with Staff regarding Memorial Park and the City Work Program.
March 30, 2024. Big Bunny 5K. Competed in this fun and excellent run for kids of all ages. Placed 3rd for my age group for the 3rd year in a row and helped pass out medals to the participants donning our bunny ears.
April 3, 2024. City Council Meeting.
April 4, 2024. Attended the Catalyze SV tour of the Vitalia below market rate housing project in San Jose. This is a 79-unit affordable housing development on South Bascom Avenue which is very thoughtfully built for the residents. The development reduced the height to accommodate concerns from the single-family development which it backs to. In making this accommodation the developer needed to add a level of underground parking. Landscaping is beautifully done with attractive bioretention ponds as well.
With the pandemic in mind, there is plenty of outside air circulation to improve indoor air quality.
City Council Councilmember Report
3 You may read more about the Vitalia development here:
https://housing.sanjoseca.gov/listing/4a27d186-4bcb-4a4d-b731- d457b848abd1/vitalia_apartments_3100_s_bascom_avenue_san_jose_ca Here are some photographs of the tour showing the art glass mural in the lobby, a kitchen in one of the units, and the view of the Valley from the upper deck:
April 5, 2024. Represented the City at the County of Santa Clara “Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee” at 70 W. Hedding St. San Jose.
Meeting agenda may be found here:
https://sccgov.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=16207 This committee last met in 2022 and will likely only have this one meeting for the year.
After approving the minutes from the prior meeting, the Committee received a presentation on the FY 24-25 funding recommendations relating to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Act Program to forward to the Board of Supervisors for considerations. The Committee held a robust discussion on these funding sources and recommended the Board approve their use per staff recommendation.
City Council Councilmember Report
4 Because the City of Cupertino has over 50,000 residents, like other larger cities in the county, we do not receive county CDBG funds, and instead receive them directly from HUD. Cupertino is however part of the HOME Consortium and should an affordable housing development be “shovel ready” they should apply for HOME Consortium funding which is a little over $1M currently.
During the meeting I requested an update on the 2020-2025 Community Plan to End Homelessness which is a roadmap of strategies to end homelessness in the county which Cupertino endorsed. Here are the 3 strategies:
Source: https://osh.sccgov.org/continuum-care/reports-and-publications/community-plan-end-homelessness The following are the targets to be achieved by 2025 and the progress update provided in the meeting:
Target Progress
Achieve a 30% reduction in the
annual inflow of people becoming
homeless
Not at 30% yet, had significant pandemic
impacts
House 20,000 people through the
supportive housing system
Over 14,000 people have been housed
Double the temporary housing and
shelter capacity to reduce the number
of people sleeping outside
44% increase with 384 temporary units in the
pipeline
Address the racial inequities present
among unhoused people and families
and track progress toward reducing
disparities
See December 2023 year-end update here:
https://osh.sccgov.org/sites/g/files/exjcpb671/fil
es/documents/2023-year-end-progress-
report.pdf
City Council Councilmember Report
5 More information on the plan is here: https://osh.sccgov.org/continuum-care/reports-and- publications/community-plan-end-homelessness
Information on Destination: Home is here: https://destinationhomesv.org/ April 8, 2024. Attended 2:1 meeting with the City Manager and City Attorney.
April 8, 2024. Addressed constituent concerns regarding the newest SB 330 project, grants to small businesses, contracts, ACFR, Certificates of Participation, Housing Element, and City Budget.