RTC 26-0630—Accept the Community Equity
Assessment and Findings on Community
Access, Belonging, and Equity Gaps
Fernanda Perdomo-Arciniegas │ City of Sunnyvale
Sarah Romano, PhD │ MIG, Inc.
August 11, 2026
2City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Presentation Outline
Purpose of Community Equity Assessment
Key Findings
MIG Recommendations
Next Steps
Questions
3City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Purpose
of the
CEA
4City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Key Findings:
Strengths, Equity Themes, and
Universal Challenges
5City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 61% of residents feel
connected to their
community.
Four in five residents
agreed that their
neighborhood receives its
fair share of City services
and amenities.
Residents value the City’s
effective, responsive
government, and
welcoming staff.
Residents especially value
Sunnyvale’s libraries and
parks, along with its
community centers,
walkability, public transit,
and cleanliness.
Youth and adults view
Sunnyvale as a safe,
welcoming place to grow
up, raise children, and build
a future.
Strengths
6City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 In Their Own Words
“The library is great! I love
the classes and services
provided for various
groups.”
“The thing that I most like
about Sunnyvale is the
environment and the
security because you can go
to parks [in the] evening,
and you'll be safe.”
“A lot of immigrants come
here with small children,
and then the children move
on, and we stay on and
become embedded in the
community.”
7City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Equity Themes
Access and Service Gaps
Connection and Belonging
8City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Equity Themes: Access and Service Gaps
51% of residents reported it is
"easy" or "somewhat easy" to
access City services and programs.
Residents reported affordable
housing options and good paying
jobs as relatively more difficult to
access than other City services
and benefits.
Ease in accessing and
benefiting from existing City
programs, services, resources, and
opportunities varies by income,
race/ethnicity, primary language,
neighborhood, and disability
status.
There is interest in expanding
programs, social activities,
and recreational opportunities for
Sunnyvale teens.
Improvements to infrastructure
(e.g., sidewalks, streets, parking,
building entries and exits, etc.)
and supportive programming
could enhance quality of life for
residents with disabilities.
9City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 In Their Own Words
“Asian residents are plentiful, but
when approach the City they don’t
have bilingual staff who speak our
language.”
"If I could change one thing
about Sunnyvale, it would
probably be more job
opportunities for youth.
That's one thing that's been
difficult for me – finding a
job in Sunnyvale."
“Sunnyvale generally offers good
access to services and community
programs. The biggest opportunity
for improvement is making civic
participation easier through
outreach, plain language in project
information, better meeting
summaries, and expanded
language access.”
10City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Equity Themes: Connection and Belonging
Most residents see Sunnyvale as
welcoming, but their sense
of connection varies across the
City.
49% of residents in northern zip
codes (94089 and 94085)
reported not feeling connected
and engaged with their
community in Sunnyvale.
Residents who have lived in
Sunnyvale for 20+ years report
feeling more connected and
engaged than newer residents.
More than 2 in 5 residents with a
disability and those identifying
as Latino, respectively, do not
feel the opinions of residents are
included in the City's decisions.
11City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 In Their Own Words
"Most disabled people don't speak
up. And a lot of us are very
adaptable to our environment,
because we have to be, and so,
when we come and bring
something up to the City, it's
probably a big deal… Because
[when] they take the effort to write
a letter, to bring an email up or
something, and they feel it goes on
deaf ears.”
"There is a sense of
community if you [are part of]
a group of Chinese, Mexican,
Filipino.“
“Historically we've been on the
wrong side of the tracks... We are
not heard, we're not spoken to,
we're ignored, our sidewalks are
not flat, the trees are never
trimmed... Based on the [data] that
we used in order to file the first
district maps, we found that, in
fact, District 5, which is the district I
live in, is the poorest district in the
City of Sunnyvale."
12City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Universal Challenges
83% of residents ranked
affordable housing ranked as
a serious problem for
Sunnyvale residents, followed
by homelessness (62%) and
public infrastructure (43%).
Youth and residents in
northern zip codes, in
particular, shared challenges
with accessible public
transportation.
73% of residents reported it
was important to them that
the City prioritize "improving
public safety."
68% of residents reported it
was important to them that
the City prioritize "building
more affordable housing."
13City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 In Their Own Words
“The biggest issue in Sunnyvale is
affordability. I moved to Sunnyvale
in 2019 from Santa Clara and I
work two jobs to support my two
kids. As a single parent the cost of
housing is a huge barrier to
belonging to the community that is
Sunnyvale. I will also never be able
to buy a home here. It is
disheartening.”
“I think affordability is kind of a
given. I mean, we're all concerned
about [the] cost of living, how
expensive it is here for families who
are not in high tech, I mean, for
families who are on a lower
income... Living together in a one-
bedroom, two-bedroom, rented
with, like, 2 different families, 3
different families.”
“Sometimes when I see an
unhoused person, I get worried for
them because it's going to get cold
later on or it's going to be really
hot. And I want to know [where]
they can go or what happens to
them if they are able to get help.”
14City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 MIG Recommendations
15City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 MIG Recommendation
Develop and implement an Equity Framework
that advances equitable access to City services
and strengthens a sense of belonging for all
Sunnyvale residents, across demographic
groups and geographic areas.
16City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 MIG Suggested Guiding Principle
All residents should have the opportunity to achieve
the same outcomes. Because communities
experience different barriers, the City will tailor its strategies and investments to address those
differences while maintaining a common vision and
shared goals for the whole community.
17City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 MIG Suggested Strategic Focus Areas
• Community Partnerships
• Communications
• Inter-Agency Partnerships
• Use of Data
18City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Council Action & Next Steps
19City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Council Action and Next Steps
Development
of Interdepartmental Equity
Plan
Develop priorities,
strategies, and measures
Bring future funding or
policy requests to Council
as appropriate
Accept the Community
Equity Assessment
and Findings on Community
Access, Belonging, and Equity
Gaps
Today
What
Comes
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20City of Sunnyvale – Community Equity Assessment – August 2026 Questions