CITY COUNCILMEMBER REPORT Meeting: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 Reporting Councilmember : Mayor Liang Chao Report Dates : 8/1/25 to 8/31/25 ● Last Activity Report in the September 16, 2025 Council Meeting Agenda Section 1: Announcement - Message from the Mayor : ❖ Mayor’s Initiatives and other updates: ➢ Cupertino Stories : You are welcome to email entries to [email protected]. ■ Thank you to Cupertino Science Technology University (CSTU) for managing the project.
They
have
developed
tools
to
convert
audio/video
stories
to
text.
■ The website will be redesigned soon to accept story submissions. ❖ Monthly Chat with Mayor Community Meetings: These meetings will be generally held on the second Monday at 5pm each month, but it might be moved to other Mondays if needed. The location will rotate
so
that
we
cover
different
businesses
each
month.
❖ Process to Request Certificate of Recognition or Commendation: 1
➢ To ensure such requests are handled as smoothly and efficiently as possible, the City Manager’s Office
has
implemented
a
dedicated
process.
➢ We kindly ask that you complete the following form, which will allow Mayor Chao to present a certificate of recognition: https://cupertino.gov/councilmeetingrequest ❖ Proclamations at Council meetings : This year, I plan to follow a tradition upheld by some former Cupertino
mayors
and
other
mayors
in
recognizing
organizations
or
individuals
with
proclamations
during
Council
meetings.
My
goal
is
to
honor
those
who
have
made
consistent
and/or
significant
contributions
to
Cupertino,
with
an
emphasis
on
those
who
are
less
well-known.
If
you
have
any
suggestions,
please
feel
free
to
me
at
Proclamations for contributions will generally be presented at the second Council meeting of each month, while
the
first
meeting
will
continue
to
recognize
special
observances
(e.g.,
awareness
months
or
weeks)
as
before.
You
are
also
welcome
to
submit
suggestions
for
these
recognitions.
Section 2: Committee Assignment
2025-08-27 attended the West Valley Mayors and City Managers Meeting 2025-08-27 attended the Santa Clara County Recycle and Waste Reduction Committee meeting Section 3: Activities by Date (Date, Title, and Description): NOTE: ● This list does not include internal meetings with staff only, such as prep sessions or meetings with the City Manager. ● This list includes activities to “represent the community I am elected to serve”, “to respond to community needs and complaints,” and “to communicate policies and programs to residents,” among other responsibilities of a City Councilmember. ● Due to my work schedule, I have cut down on the event attendance for ceremonial purposes, especially those I have attended
almost
every
year
in
the
past.
Instead,
I
focus
more
of
my
time
on
constituent
services.
2025-08-06 Cupertino Bell Ringing for the World Peace, hosted by the Cupertino-Toyokawa Sister Cities
Association
at
Memorial
Park
- The 6th annual Community Bell Ringing for the World Peace event is attended by community members
and
members
from
the
4 sister
cities
and
students
who
participated
in
the
exchange
student
program.
- Toyokawa is closed to the sites of atomic bombs which ended the World War II and we remember the
civilian
victims
of
the
war
and
call
for
peace.
2025-08-06 Interview with Homestead FBLA on community engagement - From the invitation: “For this academic year, we are considering focusing our project towards sustainability
and
technology
challenges.
However,
we
are
still
in
the
planning
process
and
are
open
to
any
new
ideas
or
challenges
faced
by
people
and
businesses
that
high
schoolers
can
address.
We
are
contacting
you
in
hopes
to
receive
your
input
on
our
ideas
and
gain
some
insights
into
the
community’s
needs.”
2 2025-08-8 interview with El Estoque magazine of Monta Vista High School on the Mary Ave. low-income
housing
project
2025-08-09 Attended the Silicon Valley Youth Climate Summit at Campbell Heritage Theatre - The summit was well attended by many teenagers. The invited speakers come from nonprofits and
industry
and
also
knowledgeable
teenagers.
2025-08-09 India Independence Day Parade by Association of Indo Americans (AIA) at the Discovery Meadow
Park
and
brought
a
Cupertino
City
flag
to
display
on
the
car
- The parade route goes from downtown San Jose to the Discovery Museum, where there was a flag
raising
ceremony
for
India
Independence
Day.
2025-10-13 visited the San Jose Conservation Corps + Charter School in San Jose - They have a charter school to give those who didn’t finish high school to complete the missing classes
and
get
the
high
school
diploma.
They
also
provide
paid
on-the-job
training
for
students
and
corp
members
to
work
on
conservation
or
construction
jobs.
- They have a food pantry on site for the students and corp members and they have built tiny homes
on
site
for
the
students.
2025-08-12 participated in the Smart City Panel as a panelist at the Create the Future Summit in San Francisco
- Attended sessions on various topics for the future of work and artificial intelligence. 2025-08-15 India Independence Day Flag Raising at the Cupertino Civic Plaza, by the Cupertino-Bhubaneswar
Sister
City
Committee
2025-08-16 attended the Grand Opening of Dharma Drum Mountain Silicon Valley Center in Cupertino
2025-08-16 attended the West Coast Asian Foodie Festival and Expo at the San Mateo Event Center, hosted
by
O.M.G.
Entertainment,
in
collaboration
with
the
Peninsula
Economic
Alliance
- There are food booths from various cultures outside and many booths indoor with free tasting, including
vendors
who
have
just
gotten
adopted
by
Costco
or
are
just
entering
the
U.S.
market.
2025-08-16 attended the Night Market at the De Anza College - organized by the Cupertino Chamber of
Commerce
- There were performances around 3pm when the distinguished guests were introduced. There were
not
many
booths
from
vendors
in
the
afternoon
yet.
3 2025-08-16 attended the Sri Krishna Janmashtami Festival in Milpitas, by the India Heritage Foundation
2025-08-17 attended the HOG Parade at Fremont and brought a Cupertino City flag to display on the car
2025-08-17 attended the graduation ceremony of the 10-week volleyball summer program by the Tianmu
Valleyball
program
- The instructors were high school students and attendees are K-8 students 2025-08-22 attended Art Exhibition by the Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN) in their headquarter
in
Fremont
- Impressive art work and sculpture by children and adults with special needs. 2025-08-23 attended Kids Fun Festival (KFF) at Memorial Park, hosted by Taiwanese Culture and Sports
Association
(TCSA)
- The 15th Annual Kids Fun Festival is one of the largest family-friendly festival in the Bay Area.
This
year
welcomes
130
booths,
including
an
international
village
with
booths
from
multiple
countries.
This
year
added
the
“Dream
Big
Village”
to
inspire
children
to
explore
future
careers
through
interactive
exhibits.
2025-08-23 attended a meeting with Garden Gate neighborhood, regarding their concerns about the Mary
Avenue
project
- The meeting was well attended and residents were frustrated that they did not know about the project
when
it
was
first
proposed.
They
feel
Mary
Ave
already
has
a
lot
of
activities,
from
the
Memorial
Park
and
even
high
school
running
clubs.
The
reduction
of
parking
spaces
is
a
big
concern
since
the
area
already
feel
congested
to
them.
2025-08-23 attended the Musical Afternoon - Harmony with Heart by Balaji Seva Foundation in San Jose
2025-08-24 attended the speech from Inner Health to Outer Beauty, hosted by the Taiwanese Chamber of
Commerce
at
the
Jade
Tea
Garden
in
Cupertino
- The dining hall was jam packed with attendees for the event. 2025-08-28 attended Sunnyvale Leadership 40th Anniversary event in Sunnyvale Community Center - It was great to see that the organization started by a former Sunnyvale Mayor continued going strong
after
40 years.
The
10-month
long
program
costs
$1,500
with
monthly
meetings.
2025-08-29 visited the Hanover Winchester apartment next to the Winchester Mystery House 2025-08-29 attended the 92th Anniversary of Filipino Community Center in San Jose - A couple of Filipino community members had the foresight to purchase the land and build the community
center
92 years
ago.
4 2025-08-30 attended the Hebei Business Forum by the Hebei Chamber of Commerce at the Blackberry Farm
picnic
site
2025-08-31 attended the Indian Tech Icon Award Ceremony, hosted by Women Innovators in Tech (WIT),
at
the
Santa
Clara
University
- The Indian Tech Icon Awards is a global initiative recognizing the outstanding achievements of Indian-origin
professionals
in
the
technology
sector.
Section 4: Information of Interest to My Constituents: (updated on 4/8) ● Builders’ Remedy (BR) Projects (Status of Projects) ★ BR Projects with incomplete application status ( pursuant to Government Code Section 65941.1.) ● 20739 Scofield (one block from Faria Elementary School, zoned R1-10): The project will replace one single-family home with 20-unit, 5 story, condominium
on
15,004
sqft
(0.34
acre)
lot
● Vista Heights (near entrance of Linda Vista Park) : The vacant site, zoned RHS, will build 33 units (8 condominiums and 25 single family homes on vacant
hillside
property
of
86.1 acres.
● Upland Way (11841 Upland Way, zoned RHS-70) : 6 single family homes, including 2 affordable units, on vacant hillside property of 1.56 acres with average
slopes
greater
than
30%
★ Other active BR projects: ○ Dividend Homes (20085 & 20111 Stevens Creek Blvd) , to the east of the Fire Station, on 2.6 acres, zoned R4 and commercial mixed use. The project will replace two existing office buildings
with
57 for-sale
townhomes.,
including
12 affordable
units.
○ Dividend Homes (20045 & 20065 Stevens Creek Blvd), to the east of the Fire Station, on 1.77 acres, zoned commercial mixed use. The project will replace existing office buildings with
32 for-sale
townhomes.,
including
6 affordable
units.
★ Relevant News on the determination of incompleteness for BR projects: ○ “Los Gatos Files Declaratory Relief Action to Resolve Land Use Uncertainty” (Press Release from the City of Los Gatos) ■ “That section [Gov. Code 65941.1] provides that applicants for land use approvals have
90 days
after
an
initial
180-day
deadline
to
submit
any
missing
information
needed
to
complete
a
formal
application
for
a
so-called
“builder’s
remedy”
housing
project.
That
section
further
stipulates
that
if
the
missing
information
is
not
submitted
“within
the
90-day
period,
then
the
preliminary
application
shall
expire
and
have
no
further
force
or
effect.”
■ “In an apparently conflicting reading, in letters dated August 30, 2024 and February
12,
2025,
the
California
Department
of
Housing
and
Community
Development
(HCD)
stated
its
view
that
there
is
not
just
one
90-day
period
but
that
successive
90-day
periods
can
run
indefinitely
.
By
filing
this
lawsuit,
the
Town
is
acting
in
good
faith
so
that
it
will
know
how
to
comply
with
the
law
and
ensure
it
can
continue
to
serve
its
residents
and
property
owners,
while
lawfully
processing
land
use
applications.”
★ Other docs: ○ The July 25, 2024 info memo, titled “Scofield Drive SB330 Preliminary Application pursuant to Builder’s Remedy”, has information about proposed BR projects and their 5 review process.
● Other Residential Projects - complete applications submitted, not yet approved: ○ Pizza Hut/Staples/ Fontana's (20770, 20830, 20840, & 20850 Stevens Creek Blvd). adjacent to the Cupertino Crossroads Shopping Center): on 2.97 acres, zoned commercial mixed use. The project will
replace
existing
retail
stores
with
59 townhome
condominium
units
across
eight,
three-story
buildings
○ United Furniture (10065 & 10075 Stevens Creek Blvd, across from Vallco) , on 2.72 acres, zoned commercial mixed use. The project will replace existing retail stores with 55 townhome condominium
units,
with
10 ADUs,
three-story
buildings
○ Stevens Office Center (20813, 20823, 20883 and 20807 Stevens Creek Blvd) , on 6.93 acres, zoned commercial mixed use. The project will replace two office buildings and one retail building with 122
for-sale
units
(66
small-lot
single
family
and
56 townhomes),
including
24 affordable
units
○ 20865 McClellan Rd: on 0.99 acres, zoned R3TH. The project will replace one single-family home with 27 townhomes, including 4 affordable units, in three-story buildings ○ Evulich Court (10857, 10867, 10877 & 10887 Linda Vista Dr): on 2.53 acres, zoned R3TH. The project will replace 4 single-family homes with 51 townhomes, including 11 affordable units ● Other Residential Projects - SB 330 preliminary application submitted, but not complete applications:
○ Wolfe Road Housing Project (10333 N. Wolfe Road) : 250-300 total units across the 5-acre property. It will be 100% rental apartments. The affordable housing will benefit those making 80% or
less
of
the
area
median
income
(AMI).
■ a full report on our Listening Phase at this link. ■ February 12 Community Co-Creation Event at Collins Elementary School ● Other Residential Projects - Revision of already approved projects: ○ Westport Senior Assisted Living Housing (revision submitted): The developer Related has submitted
a
revision
to
add
more
units,
reduce
retail
space,
remove
the
underground
garage
and
request
a
waiver
of
Parkland
dedication
Fee.
It
is
going
to
the
Planning
Commission
in
May
■ Previous approval in 2021 and 2024: Westport (21267 Stevens Creek Blvd) ○ Marina Plaza (10145 N. De Anza Blvd, 10118 Bandley Dr.), on 5.1 acres, zoned commercial and mixed use: The project will add more units, slightly reduce retail space, deliver over smaller for-sale
starter
homes
under
1500
sq.
ft.
and
an
outdoor
amphitheater.
■ Previous approval in 2022L Marina Plaza.
● License Plate Reader Camera - City-operated or personal ones ★ The Council has adopted the Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) Camera program (Resolution 24-094) in order to alert the police when a license plate with previous record is detected. Some cameras are placed at major roads entering Cupertnio. ★ The residents or businesses can connect your home or business surveillance camera with the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. The registration form is at the bottom of this page. Section 5: Information Access Useful to My Constituents (not updated):
1. Public Comments Webpage and Email A new page has been added to the City’s website on how to submit public comments for Council 6 meetings. It explains the process for submitting written comments on City Council agenda and nonagenda
items. A dedicated email address, [email protected], was created for members of the public to send in their comments. This email address is also posted on City Council agendas.
The intent of using this dedicated email is to ensure comments are efficiently routed and tracked. Emails sent to this address are automatically distributed to the City Council, City Manager, Deputy City Manager, and City Clerk, and an autoresponder confirms receipt. This process is especially helpful during periods of high public input. Comment Submission Guidelines:
2. Information Memo posted on the City website: City Council Informational Memos are now available on the City website. The information can be accessed from the City website at cupertino.org/memos and the City Council page. You can also find the page by entering search terms “info memos” at the top of the website. ★ Anyone may use the eNotification signup to receive informational memo updates by email.
★ The info memos are now hosted in the digital archive as all other city records. ★ Click “+” to zoom in. ★ On a laptop: ○ To open the document as PDF, click on the Print icon and then click on “Download &
Print”.
The
downloaded
will
appear
in
a
new
tab
for
viewing.
○ This does not work on Safari browser on an iPhone. ★ To copy and paste text, you must open it as PDF and then copy & paste from there. New memos posted, since last report: ● No new info memos published since February 28 ● Recordings of Commission Meetings: Starting in June, commission meetings will be recorded for viewing later, although no teleconferencing
to
allow
remote
participation.
- Find the recordings here under each commission.
4. How to Search an agenda item: A community member showed me a way to search for items on the past city meetings: ● Go to this page: https://cupertino.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx ○ Make sure that “Calendar” is selected from the top row of tabs and the “List View” 7
is selected from the bottom row of tabs. ○ Enter the search term, such as “investment report”. Choose the year or select “All Years”
8