Larry Klein
Mayor
Omar Din
Vice Mayor
Russ Melton
Councilmember
Alysa Cisneros
Councilmember
Richard Mehlinger
Councilmember
Murali Srinivasan
Councilmember
Linda Sell
Councilmember
December 13, 2023
The Honorable Gavin Newsom
Governor, State of California
1021 O Street, Suite 9000
Sacramento, CA 95814
VIA Email: [email protected]
RE: 2024-2025 State Budget Proposal from the City of S
unnyvale
Dear Governor Newsom:
On behalf of the City of Sunnyvale, we respectfully request a budget commitment to the City of Sunnyvale for one or more of the projects outlined below in the 2024-2025 State Budget to help Sunnyvale meet the challenges that affect our community and that align with your environmental goals for the State. Sunnyvale is the seventh largest city in the Bay Area, and a center for technology and innovation. Our business community is a rich mixture of goods and services providers, including many icons in technology, manufacturing, retail, and R&D that continue to support the State’s prosperity.
We urge you to consider funding for this list of 10 worthy projects ranging from $1,100,000 to $5,000,000. These City of Sunnyvale projects specifically support State goals in the following areas:
•
Recycled Water
• Clima
te Change
• Bike Infrastructure
• Public Saf
ety
• Equity and Accessibility
Below we have provided detailed informati
on on the projects we have ready to move
forward with once funding is available. Your support with these initiatives will enable us to continue these important efforts and contribute positive impacts for the City of Sunnyvale and the State of California.
Attachment 1
The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor
December 13, 2023
#1. Decarbonizing Buildings – $5,000,000
This project will support a building electrification incentive and education program for existing buildings. As part of the City’s Climate Action Playbook, Sunnyvale aims to reduce natural gas use in buildings. Sunnyvale’s Reach Codes, adopted in 2020 and effective January 2021, ensures that all new construction in Sunnyvale is all-electric. In order to reach Sunnyvale’s 2030 greenhouse gas reduction goal, the City must also achieve Play 2.2: Support electrification of existing buildings. Game Plan 2028, currently in development, is the next work plan for implementing Sunnyvale’s Playbook. The draft of this plan and preliminary forecasting, shows that the City must support residents in electrification through incentive programs and education.
Sunnyvale will work with Silicon Valley Clean Energy, our local Community Choice Aggregator in crafting and administering the incentive and education program. The total project cost is $5 million.
#2. Rebuild Fire Station 2 - $5,000,000
California faces a growing threat from fires. In 2020, five of the largest fires in our state’s history burned at the same time. They destroyed thousands of buildings and forced hundreds of thousands of evacuations. Our firefighters are on the frontlines, called to emergencies locally and statewide. They need modern facilities and robust training to be effective first responders. For them to better prepare for and respond to emergencies, we need to rebuild the old and out-of-date stations. Of the six fire stations in Sunnyvale, a recent study indicated that Fire Station 2 is in critical need for replacement. Fire Station 2 is one of only two facilities to offer numerous required training courses for firefighters countywide. This includes the 18-week Joint Fire Academy. The Station also hosts emergency preparedness training for community volunteers and annual in-service training for Sunnyvale’s public safety officers.
Rebuilding the Station would allow us to meet the high local and regional training demand in a modern sustainable, all-electric (no natural gas) facility. The total project cost is $40.7 million.
#3. Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center – $4,000,000 The City and two local school districts are partnering to build this 20,000 square foot Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center at 760 Lakechime Drive. It will be a primary resource for literacy, learning and enrichment for north Sunnyvale. This area currently has less access to services. Its diverse population also has income and educational inequities. The new Library will address this by supporting education, skill Attachment 1
The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor
December 13, 2023
development and personal growth. This will strengthen quality of life and contribute to a healthy local economy. The total project cost is $28 million.
#4. Bernardo Avenue Bicycle Undercrossing – $4,000,000
Bernardo Avenue is a two-lane collector roadway that is located in the western portion of the City of Sunnyvale. It stretches from Homestead Road in the south near the City of Cupertino and Middlefield Road in the north in the City of Mountain View.
Currently the Caltrain tracks and Central Expressway are barriers to multimodal travel.
This project will enhance multimodal connection between two cities and will connect residential in Sunnyvale to job centers in Whisman Park, Mountain View. In September 2004, the Bernardo Avenue Bicycle Undercrossing Feasibility Study Report was published. The City of Sunnyvale, in partnership with the City of Mountain View, is seeking to continue the process toward building a pedestrian and bicycle undercrossing on Bernardo Avenue between Evelyn Avenue and Central Expressway. The requested funds will fill in the funding gap necessary to complete the design phase. The design phase includes $4M in consultant costs and $3.5M in Caltrain staff costs to support and manage the project. The City has already secured $0.5M in federal OBAG2 funds and $3M in local Measure B Sales Tax funding. The total project cost for design is $7.5 million.
#5. Recycled Water Production – $3,000,000
Recycled water is produced at the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Plant and supplies recycled water to more than 125 customers that use an average of 750,000 gallons/day. Unfortunately, due to a new form of algae in our oxidation pond system, the Plant has been unable to produce recycled Water for the past two years. This project will implement a packaged unit system called disc filters to enable the City to produce recycled water again. The total project cost is $3 million.
#6. Sunnyvale-Saratoga Class IIB Buffered Bicycle Lanes – $2,415,000 The project will upgrade the existing Class II bicycle lane on both sides of the road to Class IIB buffered bicycle lanes on Sunnyvale Saratoga Road. This project will include pavement treatment to modify the existing roadway striping and narrow the existing travel lanes to add a striped buffer to provide a physical separation between the bicycle lane and vehicular travel lane. This improvement will provide additional safety for bicyclists with the increased separation from vehicular traffic on this major north-south corridor in the City of Sunnyvale. The total project cost is $2.415 million.
Attachment 1
The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor
December 13, 2023
#7. Stevens Creek Trail Fremont Overcrossing – $2,000,000 The Stevens Creek Trail is a partially completed bicycle-pedestrian trail along the Stevens Creek corridor that connects to the Bay Trail to the north. This project will environmentally study and design a bike and pedestrian overcrossing of Fremont Avenue in the vicinity of SR85 and Bernardo Avenue to serve eastbound bicyclists and pedestrians on the southside of Fremont Avenue and obtain Caltrans reviews and approvals. The total project cost for pre-engineering and environmental is $2 million.
#8. Iris Avenue GSI and Safe Routes to School and Green Streets – $1,500,000 Iris Avenue is a two-lane residential collector street that connects major roadways such as Fair Oaks Avenue and Wolfe Road. There are two elementary schools (Braly and Ponderosa Elementary Schools) and two neighborhood parks (Braly and Ponderosa Parks) accessed via Iris Avenue. This project will construct intersection corner bulb- outs, ADA curb ramps and green stormwater improvements to improve visibility of pedestrians and bicyclists, reduce travel speeds in the vicinity of the schools and parks, reduce pedestrian crossing distances, provide elements to reduce turning traffic speeds, and treat surface stormwater run-off for improved environmental benefits. These improvements were identified in the City’s Active Transportation Plan. The total project cost for design and construction is $1.5 million.
#9. Replace Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) - $1,500,000 A Mobile Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) enhances the City's ability to maintain continuity of operations in the event of a major emergency or natural disaster.
The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety (DPS) is a unique agency in the Bay Area.
Sunnyvale DPS is the only fully integrated Police, Fire, and EMS provider in the region. Maintaining a Mobile Emergency Operations Center allows for command, control, and communications at the scene of critical incidents, natural disasters, community events and search operations. The MEOC is outfitted with a mobile communications center, with capability to sustain operations in the event our dispatch center is disabled or inoperable. Additionally, it can be deployed as a regional asset in event of a major disaster. This funding will aid in the purchase of a replacement vehicle. The total vehicle cost is $1.5 million.
Attachment 1
The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor
December 13, 2023
#10. Poplar Avenue Safe Routes to School/Transit Sidewalk Installation - $1,100,000
This project would construct missing sidewalk on Poplar Avenue south of El Camino Real leading to Peterson Middle School. The improvements were identified in the City’s Active Transportation Plan based on outreach collected from the school administration, school district staff, PTA and students. The sidewalk construction would include reducing the corner radius/bulb-outs at Poplar Avenue/Bryant Avenue and green stormwater infrastructure. The project would connect the neighborhood to high quality transit service along El Camino Real and would benefit a large percentage of school kids due to the close proximity to the school. The total project cost for construction is $1.1 million as the project is already funded for design and environmental.
The projects described above align with General Plan, Chapter 4, Policy CC-12.3 - to provide recreation and enrichment programs, services, facilities, and amenities to underserved areas and/or populations of the City and several of Council’s 2023 Strategic Priorities:
Ability of Infrastructure to Support Development and Traffic Accelerating Climate Action, the Active Transportation Plan and Vision Zero Plan
Equity, Access and Inclusion
Thank you for considering our request for assistance to protect our environment, our community, and our residents. Your financial assistance will help the City of Sunnyvale continue the Statewide environmental actions and keep Californians safe. Please do not hesitate to contact me or Michelle Zahraie, Sr. Management Analyst at [email protected], if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Larry Klein
Mayor
enc: Support Letter from Santa Clara County Supervisor Otto Lee Attachment 1
The Honorable Gavin Newsom, Governor
December 13, 2023
cc: The Honorable Aisha Wahab, State Senate
The Honorable Josh Becker, State Senate
The Honorable Assemblymember Evan Low, State Assembly
City Council
Kent Steffens, City Manager
Sarah Johnson-Rios, Assistant City Manager
Attachment 1
Otto Lee
County of Santa Clara Supervisor, Third District
County Government Center, East Wing
70 West Hedding Street, 10th Floor
San Jose, California 95110
Tel: (408) 299-5030 Fax: (408) 298-6637
[email protected] www.supervisorlee.org
March 2, 2023
The Honorable Alex Padilla
United States Senate
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
RE: FY 2024 Congressionally Directed Spending Request from the City of Sunnyvale – Rebuild Fire Station 2
Dear Senator Padilla:
I am pleased to support the City of Sunnyvale’s request for rebuild of Fire Station 2 located at 795 East Arques Avenue.
Fire Station 2 is nearly 60 years old and has quickly outgrown its original footprint and is well past due its expected useful service life. The station currently does not have enough restrooms or equipment storage. The facilities also lack features that are standard in most modern stations, leading to higher utility costs and inadequate living conditions.
The station serves as a vital training center, serving more than 400 people annually. It is one of only two facilities that offers required training for firefighters in Santa Clara County, a county home to more than 4 million people. With wildfires becoming more and more prevalent, it is critical that we continue to invest in facilities that support training our first responders. In addition, Fire Station 2 hosts emergency preparedness training for volunteers and city public safety officers.
Rebuilding the station will improve emergency response in east-central Sunnyvale, accommodate greater utilization by public safety personnel, and enhance regional training capacity. It will also help the City achieve its sustainability goals for green building design and construction.
Thank you for your kind consideration of this request. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my Chief of Staff, Wendy Ho at (408) 299-5030 or via email at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Otto O. Lee
Attachment 1