City of Sunnyvale
Meeting Minutes - Final
Parks and Recreation Commission
7:00 PM Online and Redwood Conference Room,
City Hall, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale,
CA 94086
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Kesting called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
SALUTE TO THE FLAG
Chair Kesting led the salute to the United States flag.
ROLL CALL
Chair David Kesting
Commissioner Daniel Bremond
Commissioner Prashant Gattani
Commissioner Prakash Giri
Present: 4 -
Vice Chair Dona MasonAbsent: 1 -
Vice Chair Mason's absence was excused.
Council Liaison Sell (present)
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
Mike C., a Sunnyvale resident and longtime neighbor of Las Palmas Park urged the City to focus on repairing existing park infrastructure, such as restrooms and pathways, rather than making major changes to a park he believes is already well-loved and functioning effectively.
Henry S., spoke about the importance of maintaining respectful civic discourse and cautioned against allowing aggressive advocacy, personal attacks, or pressure campaigns to disproportionately influence public decision-making.
STUDY SESSION
A 26-0581 Council Priority Project ESD 17-01 Eliminate the use of Chemical Pesticides on City-Owned or Leased Property
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final Emma Hinojosa, Environmental Programs Manager, provided a presentation on Council Priority Project ESD 17-01 Eliminate the use of Chemical Pesticides on City Owned or Leased Property. Highlights included: study issue background, pesticide policies and regulations, City's current pesticide use and application, alternative approaches evaluated, benchmarking other cities, findings and draft recommendations.
The Commission generally expressed support for the City's pest management approach, endorsed exploring a pesticide-free park, and encouraged continued data collection.
Chair Kesting opened public comment.
Andrea W., supported the proposed pesticide-free pilot program and recommended using more than one site to ensure results are reproducible. She cited examples of successful organic turf management that improved soil health while reducing long-term maintenance costs.
Veronica B., expressed concern about the use of glyphosate and other pesticides in parks and around children, and urged the City to consider potential long-term health impacts from low-level exposure. She also supported efforts to improve soil health and suggested including multiple pilot locations.
Susan H., highlighted the impacts of pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers on biodiversity and ecosystems, and encouraged the City to focus on soil improvement and native plant landscaping as part of any transition away from pesticide use.
Carrie L., advocated for eliminating Roundup and other synthetic pesticides, citing health and environmental concerns, and requested more historical pesticide-use data and transparency regarding costs. She also supported the pesticide-free pilot park study.
Leah G., strongly supported the pesticide-free pilot study and requested increased signage and public education about pesticide applications in parks. She thanked staff for the detailed presentation and encouraged continued consideration of climate-related impacts.
Chair Kesting closed public comment.
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final MOTION: Chair Kesting made a motion and Commissioner Giri seconded, to support staff recommendations of the study and for City Council take the recommendations seriously.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Yes: Chair Kesting
Commissioner Bremond
Commissioner Gattani
Commissioner Giri
4 -
No: 0
Absent: Vice Chair Mason1 -
B 26-0587
Artificial Turf Policy Study
The Commission took a break at 8:15 p.m.
The meeting resumed at 8:23 p.m.
Madeline Khair, Environmental Programs Manager, and Alex Jewell, a consultant from Kimley-Horn, provided a presentation on the Artificial Turf Study. Highlights included: project overview and timeline, community engagement results, research findings, staff recommendations and next steps for City Council consideration.
The Commission expressed that it did not support a complete ban on artificial turf.
Members supported defining high-demand athletic fields as those with annual use exceeding 1,000 hours and recommended that primary field users help determine the appropriate surface type. The Commission also requested that alternatives to traditional natural grass, such as improved drainage systems and more resilient grass varieties be included for consideration.
Chair Kesting opened for public comment.
Manny D., spoke on behalf of Tencate Grass, supporting the use of artificial turf and encouraging the City to adopt performance standards rather than a ban. He highlighted advancements in artificial turf technology, including PFAS-free products, recyclability, water conservation, and increased field availability.
Mary B., urged the City to ban artificial turf, citing concerns about environmental
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final impacts, field temperatures, water use, and reduced usability during hot weather.
She questioned whether artificial turf provides the level of playable hours presented in the study.
Andrea W., supported a ban on artificial turf, expressing concerns about health risks, microplastics, PFAS, lifecycle costs, and the lack of viable recycling options.
She urged the Commission to reject the study's recommendations and instead prioritize natural grass.
Kitlin S., representing Sunnyvale Alliance Soccer Club, stated that the City's primary challenge is insufficient playable field capacity rather than the choice of playing surface. She noted that the club spends approximately $240,000 annually renting private fields and supported the selective use of artificial turf to increase field availability.
Sandra T., stated that the report confirmed the City's shortage of athletic fields and supported using artificial turf on high-use fields as a cost-effective solution. She also questioned the report's characterization of field inventory and seasonal field conditions.
Brent M., encouraged the Commission to continue pursuing objective park usage data and offered to share time-lapse observations and usage data he had collected at local parks to assist with future planning decisions.
Leah G., shared her personal experience with artificial turf becoming excessively hot and expressed support for investing in improvements to the City's natural grass fields and irrigation systems. She thanked the Commission for thoughtfully considering the issue from multiple perspectives.
Cynthia F., encouraged the City to prioritize natural grass by conducting a pilot project using best management practices before expanding artificial turf. She also raised concerns about PFAS, micro plastics, and the study's assumptions regarding natural grass field capacity.
Susan H., opposed artificial turf, citing concerns about microplastics, climate impacts, and excessive surface temperatures. She also questioned the consistency of the proposed policy approach for replacing and repurposing artificial turf fields.
Carrie L., challenged the study's analysis of water use, lifecycle costs, and
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final community survey methodology, arguing that artificial turf has greater environmental impacts than presented. She urged the City to continue using natural grass instead of artificial turf.
Chair Kesting closed public comment.
CONSENT CALENDAR
1.A 26-0493 Approve the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes of March 11, 2026
Chair Kesting opened for public comment.
Henry S., requested revisions to the March 11, 2026 meeting minutes, stating that they did not adequately reflect the Commission's discussion regarding the scope and policy implications of the future Lifetime Tennis and Pickleball report. He asked that the minutes be updated to more accurately capture the substantive discussion that occurred.
Chair Kesting closed for public comment.
MOTION: Chair Kesting moved and Commissioner Giri seconded the motion to approve the consent calendar with the following change on the March 11, 2026 meeting minutes:
Change this:
Staff clarified that, consistent with prior years, the presentation is typically focused on Lifetime’s activities at the Tennis Center. Further discussion was limited because the matter was not agendized for substantive discussion.
To this:
Following public comment regarding the upcoming Lifetime Tennis and Pickleball Report, the Commission briefly discussed the intended scope of the future presentation, including whether it would address broader tennis and pickleball trends, participation, and programming issues beyond the Tennis Center facilities.
Staff noted that prior presentations had generally allowed for broad discussion of tennis- and pickleball-related topics and trends; further discussion was subsequently discontinued because the matter was not agendized.
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Kesting
Commissioner Bremond
Commissioner Gattani
Commissioner Giri
4 -
No: 0
Absent: Vice Chair Mason1 -
1.B 26-0495
Approve the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting
Minutes of April 8, 2026
Chair Kesting opened public comment.
Henry S., stated that the draft April 8, 2026 meeting minutes did not adequately capture the Commission's discussion regarding limitations of park usage data and the distinction between reservation statistics and actual park utilization. He requested that the minutes be revised to reflect concerns about the City's ability to measure informal recreational use and its implications for future planning decisions.
Chair Kesting closed for public comment.
MOTION: Chair Kesting moved and Commissioner Giri seconded the motion to approve the consent calendar with the following note on the April 8, 2026 minutes:
Commissioner Kesting emphasized the distinction between reservation data and actual park utilization, noting that significant categories of informal and passive recreation are not currently captured through the City's permit and reservation system. The Commission discussed limitations in existing park usage data and the challenges of evaluating facility demand, capital improvements, and future recreational needs without a more comprehensive understanding of how parks are used by the public.
The motion carried with the following vote:
Yes: Chair Kesting
Commissioner Bremond
Commissioner Gattani
Commissioner Giri
4 -
No: 0
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final
Absent: Vice Chair Mason1 -
1.C 26-0592 Approve the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes of May 20, 2026
Chair Kesting opened for public comment.
Henry S., stated that the draft May 20, 2026 meeting minutes did not adequately capture the Commission's discussion regarding the proposed park usage study and the City's lack of comprehensive data on actual park use. He noted that several commissioners appeared to support the concept of gathering better park-use data but were unable to support the proposal because they lacked sufficient information about its scope, methodology, cost, and implementation.
Chair Kesting closed for public comment.
MOTION: Commissioner Giri moved and Chair Kesting seconded the motion to defer the approval of the consent calendar for the March 11, 2026 meeting minutes.
The motion carried by the following vote:
Yes: Chair Kesting
Commissioner Bremond
Commissioner Gattani
Commissioner Giri
4 -
No: 0
Absent: Vice Chair Mason1 -
NON-AGENDA ITEMS AND COMMENTS
-Commissioner Comments
Council Liaison Sell thanked staff and the Commission for their dedication, and announced that in July a new Councilmember will be the Liaison.
Commissioner Giri thanked Councilmember Sell for being a Liaison for Commission. -Staff Comments
None.
Attachment 2
June 10, 2026Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - Final
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Kesting adjourned the meeting at 10:12 p.m.
Attachment 2