1 CITY COUNCILMEMBER REPORT
Meeting: November 19, 2024
Reporting Councilmember: Mayor Sheila Mohan
Report Dates: 10/8/24 to 11/11/24
Item Date, Title, and Description:
10/8/24: Attended a meeting with representatives of The Indian Classical Music and Arts Foundation. This is a non-profit based in Cupertino whose mission is to nurture and celebrate Indian Classical Music. They were looking for venues and events in Cupertino where they could showcase their talents and collaborate with other existing cultural organizations.
10/9/24: Attended the monthly meeting of the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Board of Directors. The focus of the meeting was the Electric Vehicle Rebate Program available now to income-qualified customers of SVCE. The rebates are intended to reduce the cost barriers residents face when they transition from gas to electric.
10/10/24: Along with City Manager Wu and Planning Staff, I attended a meeting with Kevin Choy of Harvest Properties who recently submitted a SB 330 application for his property on Stevens Creek which includes Panera and Voyager Coffee. We emphasized the community’s need to retain retail space and asked them to re-consider their original design which includes single-family homes and townhomes.
10/10/24: Had an introductory meeting with representatives of League of Women Voters to solicit ideas to revive the Cupertino Leadership Academy. This program was discontinued during the pandemic, and the group wanted to know if there was interest in starting it up again.
10/10/24: Attended the monthly meeting of the Cities Association. We heard a presentation by Jay Donaghue who spoke about initiatives taken by the County’s
City Council Councilmember Report
2 Behavioral Health Prevention Services to support mental health problems. The 988 Service was described as a suicide and crisis lifeline.
10/11/24: Attended a prep session on the Unhoused issues in the City, and the Uncommitting of the Sales Tax Repayment Reserve. Both items were included on the City Council’s 10/15/24 agenda.
10/12/24: Welcomed the Cupertino community gathered at Memorial Park to the Diwali Festival of Lights celebration which was organized by the Chamber of Commerce and supported by a large number of vendors. Memorial Park was the scene of a variety of dance and music performances much appreciated by the large crowd. Many elected officials from around the city attended this family-friendly event.
10/12/24: Attended the Special 20th Anniversary celebration of the Cupertino Library. The Library organized a full day of events that included a petting zoo, a Chinese dance performance and a Robotics demo.
10/14/24: The monthly Chai and Chat with the Mayor was held at Paris Baguette and was well-attended by community residents who had questions about housing, builders remedy, and parking issues.
10/16/24 to 10/18/24: Attended the Cal Cities Conference in Long Beach along with hundreds of government officials. I attended talks on Housing Element controversies, Legal Issues, success stories in responding to homelessness, and the outlook on State Transportation funding.
10/21/24: As a member of the SVCE Audit committee, I attended the meeting with external auditors who outlined their plan and timelines for next year’s risk- based audit report.
10/21/24: Welcomed the delegation at a reception for the Toyokawa Sister City delegation and presented certificates to delegates and students in appreciation. An enjoyable evening with dinner and performances by the exchange students.
10/23/24: Hosted the monthly meeting of the West Valley Mayors Meeting which was attended by mayors and city managers of Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga and Monte Sereno. We were provided updates on City events and initiatives, including builders remedy and climate change policy amendments.
City Council Councilmember Report
3 10/24/24: Attended a Leadership Planning group meeting at FUHSD facility.
The intent was to discuss next steps in the event that the City was interested in moving forward with a leadership program for community residents.
10/25/24: Participated in an interview with Monta Vista students about the future of public transportation in City.
1029/24: Welcomed the delegation of students from Hsinchu, Taiwan, one of four sister cities of Cupertino. Highlighted the long and productive relationship with both our cities and thanked them for their visit and exchange of ideas and cultural initiatives. Beautiful works of art were presented for display in the Library. Along with Vice Mayor Fruen and City Manager Wu, I attended a luncheon for the delegation where school district officials were also present.
10/29/24: Participated in a follow-up meeting with representatives of the Bhubaneswar-Cupertino Sister City Initiative. This was to finalize details of City Manager Wu’s and my visit to Bhubaneswar from November 6 to 14.
10/30/24: Attended the Pizza and Politics event hosted by the Teen Commission and the City’s Parks and Recreation Department. A surprisingly large gathering of teen commission members and teen groups from Campbell and Saratoga attended. I joined Mayor Landry of Campbell and Vice Mayor Aftab of Saratoga in a question-and-answer session about challenges facing our cities, our vision for our communities, and ideas to attract young people to politics and community service.
10/31/24 Attended the Audit Committee meeting. Staff, along with Moss Adams, The Pun Group and Chandler Investments made presentations about Policy and Procedures Audits, the annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) and investment updates. For the first time in 3 years, the City’s ACFR will likely be finalized on time.
11/3/24: I was honored to attend the Eagle Court of Honor for Troop 2127 where two young women, Anna Nguyen and Kara Nguyen were honored as Eagle Scouts. Troop 2127 is a major participant in Cupertino’s Vietnamese community.
11/6/24 – 11/14/24: Visiting Bhubaneswar, India as part of the sister-city cultural exchange. Organizers have arranged for meetings with local officials about ways City Council Councilmember Report
4 both cities can enrich the sister-city partnership.