03.30.23 Minutes
UNOFFICIAL MINUTES
ALL CUPERTINO COMMISSIONS
Thursday, March 30, 2023
SPECIAL JOINT MEETING
At 6:00 p.m. City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia convened the Special Joint Meeting of the Cupertino
Audit Committee, Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, Arts and Culture Commission, Housing
Commission, Library Commission, Parks and Recreation Commission, Planning Commission,
Public Safety Commission, Sustainability Commission, and Technology, Information, and
Communications Commission in Community Hall Council Chamber, 10350 Torre Avenue. This
meeting was also recorded.
Commission and Committee Members Present:
Arts and Culture Commissioners Dana Ford, Carol Maa, and David Wang.
Audit Committee Chair Angela Chen and Committee Members Laura Hammer and Yan
(Sophie) Song.
Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Chair John Zhao, Vice Chair Herve Marcy, and Commissioners
Ilango Ganga and Grace John.
Housing Commission Chair Govind Tatachari and Commissioners Sue Bose, Connie
Cunningham, and Angan Das.
Library Commission Chair Liyan Zhao, Vice Chair Archana Panda, and Commissioners Janki
Chokshi and Qin Pan.
Planning Commission Vice Chair Muni Madhdhipatla and Commissioner David Fung.
Public Safety Commission Chair Eric Shan and Commissioners Bobby Toda and
Lakshminarasimha Ankireddipally (ALN Reddy).
Sustainability Commission Vice Chair Anna Weber and Commissioners Steve Poon and
Meera Ramanathan.
Technology, Information, and Communications Commission Chair Mukesh Garg and
Commissioners Prabir Mohanty and Eliza Du.
Commission Members Absent:
Arts and Culture Commissioners Kiran Varshneya Rohra and Esha Rao.
Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Vice Chair Joel Wolf.
Housing Commission Vice Chair Tessa Parish.
Library Commissioner Sheela Sreekanth.
Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Carol Stanek, Vice Chair Jennifer Shearin, and
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All Commissions Minutes March 30, 2023
Commissioners Sashikala Begur, Hemant Buch, and Seema Swamy.
Planning Commission Chair Steven Scharf, and Commissioners Seema Lindskog and Tejesh
Mistry.
Public Safety Commissioners Rohan Pandit and Tiffany Wang.
Sustainability Commission Chair Vignesh Swaminathan and Commissioner Sonali
Padgaonkar.
Technology, Information, and Communications Commission Vice Chair Rajaram
Soundararajan and Commissioner Emma Shearin.
City Staff Present:
City Attorney Chris Jensen
Director of Community Development Ben Fu
Interim Director of Public Works Chad Mosely
Director of Parks & Recreation Rachelle Sander
Interim Assistant Director of Community Development Luke Connelly
Planning Manager Piu Ghosh
Housing Manager Kerri Heusler
Recreation Manager Molly James
Recreation Manager Sonya Lee
Innovation Technology Manager Nidhi Mathur
Transportation Manager David Stillman
Administrative Assistant Jessica Javier
Administrative Assistant Janet Liang
Administrative Assistant Marilyn Pavlov
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia
Deputy City Clerk Lauren Sapudar
Senior Office Assistant Melissa Robertson
NEW BUSINESS
1. Subject: Commissioner training on City policies and procedures, Brown Act, and
conflicts of interest
Recommended Action: Receive Commissioner training on City policies and
procedures, Brown Act, and conflicts of interest
Written communications for this item included City Clerk and City Attorney
presentations and emails to City staff.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia opened the public comment period and, seeing no one,
closed the public comment period
City Clerk Squarcia gave a presentation on Cupertino’s Council-Manager Form of
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All Commissions Minutes March 30, 2023
Government, role of the Commissions and Staff Liaisons, and Commissioner
Responsibilities.
City Attorney Chris Jensen gave a presentation on The Brown Act, Conflicts of Interest,
and policy and legislation updates.
Commission and Committee Members asked questions and made comments.
Library Commission Vice Chair Panda asked about Brown Act procedures involving
emailing questions in advance of meeting, the definition of “quorum,” and the difference
between “community meetings” and “city meetings.”
Housing Commissioner Das asked for some examples of Brown Act violations and how
violations of the Act would be corrected.
Housing Commissioner Bose asked about the usage of social media, including
communicating with other commissioners and “liking” their posts.
Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Vice Chair Marcy asked about remote meeting
attendance allowances for commissioners on travel.
Arts and Culture Commissioner Maa asked about the basic rules that apply to
commissioners involving their communications outside of a public meeting.
Planning Commission Vice Chair Madhdhipatla asked about the usage of social media,
including “disliking” posts on social media; and the 1000-foot rule for conflicts of interest
involving real property.
City Attorney Jensen opened the public comment period and the following people
spoke.
Resident Lisa Warren asked about the 500-foot and 1000-foot rules for conflicts of
interest in government decisions affecting real property.
City Attorney Jensen closed the public comment period.
Commission and Committee Members continued with questions and comments.
Library Commission Vice Chair Panda asked about the rules and limits prohibiting
officials from receiving donations in excess of $250.
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Arts and Culture Commissioner Maa asked for clarification on the recusal requirements
for living near a property that comes before the commission for a decision.
Housing Commission Chair Tatachari asked about the standards for calculating the 500-
foot and 1000-foot distances for conflicts of interest involving real property; and the rules
for commissioner participation in adjudicatory matters involving City properties.
Bicycle Pedestrian Commissioner Ganga asked about recusal on legislative matters due
to common law interests or advocating for a project that comes before the body for a
decision; and requested clarification on conflict of interests for stock investments.
ADJOURNMENT
At 7:06 p.m., City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia adjourned the Special Joint Meeting.
Minutes prepared by:
Kirsten Squarcia, City Clerk