Form Name: Boards and Commissions Application
Unique ID: 1361840261
Applicant Information
Name Shandor Dektor
Are you a Sunnyvale resident? Yes
How long have you lived in
Sunnyvale?
8 years
Description Area Residence Notice:Unless otherwise noted, your principal place of residence must be in Sunnyvale. You must live in Sunnyvale at the time of appointment and at all times during service on a board or commission.
Current Main Residence
Email
Phone
Are you currently a registered
voter in Sunnyvale?
Yes
When was the last time you
voted? Month/Year
11/2024
Have you ever served on a City of
Sunnyvale board or commission?
No
Have you attended a meeting of
the City Council, or a board or
commission?
Yes
Briefly describe what you learned
by watching or attending a
meeting of the City Council,
board or commission. What
improvements would you
suggest?
Attended commission meeting on sustainability, attended parks + rec meeting, attended city council meeting on traffic calming. It is interesting to see the workings of Sunnyvale. There appears to be a gap between the workings of the council and boards and the practical running of city.
Generally it seems like there is little use in showing up in person unless you filed notes/requests ahead of time. Hard to provide feedback in any sort of "impromptu" fashion.
I do appreciate the the meetings are posted online and are relatively easy to find!
Shandor Dektor
Office Use Only
Date Received:
__________
Voter registration
verified:
Office Use Only
Date Received: __________
Voter registration verified:
On: ___________________
By: ___________________
Date Received:
Voter registration verified:
On:
By: ___________________
7/14/25
7/14/25
MH
I
Have you attended meetings of
the board(s) or commission(s) for
which you are applying?
Yes
How many meetings have you
attended?
2-3, but it's been a while.
Board or Commission Selection
First Choice Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission Applicant Qualifications
What motivated you to apply for
this board or commission?
I would like to get more involved in the City of Sunnyvale. I have lived here long enough to understand some of the strengths and weaknesses of our city, and would like to push our city to become more welcoming of cyclists and pedestrians.
In my 8 years in Sunnyvale (located in downtown) I have bike-commuted ~50% of my commutes. As an experienced
cyclist, the infrastructure is adequate, but biking with my elementary school aged children to and from school has made me acutely aware of the hazards to newer riders - sharing roads with traffic, navigating intersections, etc. Finding ways in which to develop novice-friendly riding routes will go a long way to making Sunnyvale a more pleasant place to get around on a bike.
As a pedestrian (and occasional jogger), I enjoy living in the walker-friendly downtown area, but think there's work to be done in the broader Sunnyvale. All too often, I find obvious pedestrian paths blocked by the car-dependent style in which Sunnyvale was developed. Adding more pedestrian (and bike) friendly
"shortcuts", when available, broadly boost the walkability of an area.
In short, I think our city is great, but also think there are lots of routes of improvement!
Shandor Dektor
What skills or attributes can you
bring to this board or
commission?
Practical skills:
-I have extensive experience working in mapping and
navigation, so have a good eye for making and analyzing maps. - I am also used to putting together presentations and giving talks on my work. (google workspace, lately)
- Lots of experience with stats and data analysis (PhD in navigation!)
Relevant to this particular project, I like to jog through new neighborhoods and discovering the "back roads" in my
community.
The primary role of a board or
commission member is to provide
advice to City Council on policy
issues that are within the scope
of the board or commission. What
steps would you take to
effectively exercise this specific
board or commission role?
1) Get a solid understanding of the scope of the board. 2) Get to know other members of the board, get up to date on the latest issues the board has been working on, and what the agenda is for the foreseeable future.
3) Get to know the council members in some fashion to learn how they process information and what forms of presentation are most useful.
4) Update plan based on feedback from 1-3 and go from there...
Education – List college degrees,
majors and any relevant training
or experience that demonstrates
your ability to effectively serve
on this board or commission.
BS Physics, Carnegie Mellon
BS Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon
MS Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford
PhD Aeronautics and Astronautis, Stanford
Working @Google since 2018. Previously had a failed startup! Describe your involvement in
community activities, volunteer
and civic organizations.
1) Ellis Elementary School PTA - all-around volunteer, and organizer of the schools "International Night" event for the last 3 years, with ~1000 attendees. Applied and received funding for 2024 event from CEGP.
2) Organizing S Bayview to try to get traffic calming measures to mitigate the traffic pattern changes related to the downtown construction.
3) At Stanford during grad school, managed a team of 20 volunteers for 2 years hosting graduate student events for a 700+ member . Managed a ~$60-$70k annual budget.
4) At CMU during ugrad, was president of our outdoors club.
Annual budget ~$3500
Description Area The City has a Code of Ethics and Conduct for Elected and Appointed Officials and an Attendance Policy (7.2.19), 2 G (II) that appointed members are required to follow.
Do you have any concerns related
to the above code and policy?
No
Shandor Dektor
Are you willing to accept a
temporary appointment for the
remainder of an unexpired term?
Yes
Board or Commission-Specific Questions
Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission
Category One: I am a bicyclist or
pedestrian residing in Sunnyvale.
Yes
Like many Santa Clara County
cities, Sunnyvale is faced with
problems stemming from traffic
congestion and air pollution.
Suggest ways the City can
improve facilities for bicyclists
and pedestrians. Also, how might
the City improve education and
safety programs for motorists,
bicyclists and pedestrians?
For cyclists:
More bike boulevards (e.g. Bryant in Palo Alto), thinking beyond bike lanes along major thoroughfares (El Camino, Fair Oaks, Alma, Evelyn). Increasing separation of bike lanes along major thoroughfares.
This is somewhat out-of-scope, but enforcing speed limits on e-bikes on bike/pedestrian trails would improve the safety and comfort of non-ebike users.
More separated bike routes around schools, more bike parking at schools. This often feels like an afterthought - navigating the morning school drop-off rush with kids on bikes is quite stressful! For pedestrians and cyclists: better connectivity between cul-de-sacs and Sunnyvale street network. Too many mazes to navigate force walkers and cyclists to less "pleasant" routes (i.e. the same routes the roads are designed to force cars to travel).
For pedestrians:
Add more trails, if at all possible (e.g. the east channel trail!) More pocket parks and benches to give opportunities to take rests on longer walks.
Description Area View the Active Transportation Plan
Have you read the Active
Transportation Plan?
No
Description Area View the Vision Zero Plan
Have you read the Vision Zero
Plan?
No
Shandor Dektor
Demographic Information
Your age
Your gender
Description Area LGBTQIA+ Identity (LGBTQIA+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and the “+” is an all-inclusive way to include additional terms used to describe one’s gender, romantic, and sexual identities for those who do not identify with heterosexuality or the gender binary.)
LGBTQIA+ Identity
Race or Ethnicity (select all that
apply)
Do you speak a language other
than English?
Which languages?
Household Income
Residence - Are you a
Do you live in a
Your Agreement
Description Area IMPORTANT NOTICE – READ BEFORE SIGNING:By selecting both “Yes” and “Submit Form” below I am adding my digital signature to this application. I am also agreeing with the following statements:All statements I have made on this application are true and correct.I authorize the City of Sunnyvale (City) to investigate the accuracy of this information.I release the City from all claims and liabilities arising from such investigation.I acknowledge that any false statement on this application will be grounds for the City to deny my appointment. A false statement discovered later, will be grounds to dismiss me from my appointment at any time.I acknowledge that any false statement on this application could lead to criminal charges. Charges could fall under California Penal Code, Section 115 or other applicable law.
I agree Yes
Your full name Shandor Dektor
Shandor Dektor
Date Jul 14, 2025
Shandor Dektor