PSC 09-11-2014 r
CUPERTINO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
REGULAR MEE1rING MINUTES
Thursday, September 11, 2014, 6:00 p.m.
Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A
I. CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Huang called to order the regular meeting of the Cupertino Public Safety Commission at
approximately 6:06 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2014 in the Cupertino City Hall, Conference Room A,
located at 10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, California 95014.
II. ROLL CALL
Commissioners Present: Andy Huang
Robert McCoy
Gerald Tallinger
Steven Michael Jerbic
Commissioners Absent: Bob Cascone
Staff Present: Captain Ken Binder, Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Staff Absent: Battalion Chief Gary Cocroft, Santa Clara County Fire Department
Others Present: Benjamin Kelly, Stuart Kelly, Steve Vhaskar, Ms. Mallya, Lynn Yang, Jasper Lee,
Steven Hsieh, David Miguel, Jerry Ma, Ms. Zeng, Yanping Zhao, Ms. Zao, Mr.
Shao, Linda.Liu, Dong Tao Liu, Jane Cao, Georgia Ty, Eileen Li, Charles Kong
III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: MCCOY SECONDED: JERBIC 4 to 0
Commissioner McCoy motions to add the topic of the cell tower proposal to the next agenda for further
discussion; Commissioner Jerbic seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to add this to the agenda.
Mr. Vhaskar begins with two items. He is a father from Kennedy Middle School, here to talk about the bicycle
racks. They are in bad condition, school population has grown along with participation in the Boltage program,
and there are not enough bicycle racks for the studeunts. Commissioner Huang states they may discuss this
item during the allotted time on the agenda and tables it for the moment. He also reports that the emergency
supplies shed on campus is old and needs repair, or replacement with a larger unit and fresh supplies. A
larger shed would cost approximately $2,000.00 and the new supplies would fall between $2,000.00 and
$3,000.00. Commissioner Huang instructs him to contact Ken Ericksen who is in charge of the city's
emergency supplies. However, the school's assigned [?SC Liaison may help facilitate communication.
Next, Jerry Ma says he has come to speak about thc: cell tower issue. He believes the safety is debatable,
there are potential health hazards from RMF, and it is not needed at Cupertino High School because
reception is already good. He would Like more questions to be asked and a more thoughtful decision made.
Lynn Yang agrees.
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David Miguel lives right behind the proposed location, was not properly informed and sees potential safety
concerns. He believes more street lighting is needed in the surrounding streets, particularly on Tantau, and
better landscaping to lighten up the thick tree canopy.
Ruby Zao states she attended the Planning Commission's meeting at the end of August. She doesn't
understand why they have decided to add a cell tower at Cupertino High School when the reception is already
good. She overheard that Verizon Wireless proposed a $5,000.00 per month payment to the FUHSD if they
could place this cell tower there.
Yanping Zhao has two children at CHS and also attended the Planning Commission meeting. She explains
that there are two light poles attached to the CHS football field bleachers, and Verizon Wireless already
added six antennas to one of them years ago. They now want to add six more antennas to the other Fight
pole. The scientific studies on which the FCC standards are-set were originally conducted 30 years ago. The
most recent update is 10 years old. Verizon Wireless claims that the signal disperses to low levels when it
reaches the residential area, but has not addressed how high it may be for the students sitting right next to it
on the bleachers. Also, there is a city ordinance restricting antenna height to 55 feet, but the light poles
already exceed that and the antennas will add even more height. She believes there are safety risks related
to these antennas falling over in the event of an earthquake, high winds, etc. She would like more
investigation into safety concerns, since no.one has satisfactorily answered questions of possible dangers.
Steven Hsieh states concern regarding the power needed for these antennas. The plan is to place a diesel
generator holding 132 gallons on the CHS campus, and ,he worries about potential explosion hazards.
Yanping Zhao adds that the generator facility will be unmanned, with no patrolling for security, and the high
school has no security either. She questions how the (:ity plans to secure the new facility.
Dong Tao Liu adds that there are many alternative spots and CHS should be the last place they put these
antennas. Jane Cao agrees with everyone, emphasizing that there was insufficient disclosure to the
community and the parents and teachers were not given proper notice. Ruby Zao says that she received two
letters just two weeks before the August 26 meeting, one from a Verizon Wireless agent and one from the
City. Each letter briefly mentioned what's going on without much detail. At the meeting, the City Consultant
appeared very biased, already in favor of the project. Georgia Ty agrees, saying she received no mail before
the meeting notices. She adds that antennas can generate-10,000+ Watts, much more than the average cell
tower, and kids play right next to the site every day at this campus.
Eileen Li urges the City should have another, more comprehensive hearing. Yanping Zhao re-emphasizes
that Verizon Wireless had alternative sites, but all rejected this proposal, and that CHS is a sub-optimal site
for additional antennas. Charles Kong simply states that he is against this cell tower project.
Commissioner Jerbic summarizes the concerns brought up to verify all points were heard:
1. Concern for children spending time close to the tower and it's radiation
2. Need for additional lighting in surrounding neighborhood and tree trimming on Tantau
3. Improper process and insufficient notification
4. Physical safety in the event of earthquake or strong storms or fire
5. Fuel storage concern, improperly/insecur6y stored
6. The FCC standards the decision makers are relying on are at least 10 years old, and although
maybe not outdated there may be newer information available
7. Reception is already good in the proposed area, there is no need for this project at CHS, but
there are other areas in Cupertino that still have poor reception
8. Possible conflict of interest due to the potential rent money paid by Verizon Wireless to FUHSD
9. The height of the tower violates city code
The visitors agree that this list correctly highlights th6r concerns, and mention that they have collected over
200 signatures so far of people against this project. Commissioner Huang asks that they scan and email the
list to him and turn in the original to Captain Binder.
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Commissioner McCoy states that he watched the Planning Commission meeting online, and learned the City
is required to abide by a 1996 telecom law which restricts state/local government from deciding placement of
towers based on RMF concerns. Plus, the City Attorney advised that ignoring this law would open the City up
to litigation. Even worse, the Planning Commission was not previously aware of the current 92 feet antennas
on campus; they were only asked to consider waving the 55 foot limit set by City Ordinance for this new
project. Also, when representatives from Sedgwick School voiced seismic concerns, the Verizon Wireless
representative claimed the tower would be far enough away and wouldn't affect anything.
IV. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS
There are three written communications to discuss at this regular meeting. First they read an email from
David Bunzel, asking whether the emergency gate at the end of Sycamore Drive in the Cristo Rey
neighborhood could be opened during the extensive street paving construction. Commissioner Huang relays
information from Roger Lee, Deputy Director of Cupertino Public Works, explaining that the gate is co-
operated by Cupertino and Los Altos. The gate remains double locked due the safety concerns held by Los
Altos, and opening it requires approval by Los Altos City Council. Mr. Lee recommends it not be opened.
The second email, sent by Marianna Mehuys, requests that a U.S. Post Office mailbox be installed in the Oak
Valley (N1) neighborhood. There has been mail theft in the area, there are identity theft concerns, and she
does not know why a previous mailbox was removed from the area years ago. Capt. Binder agrees to forward
the email request to the appropriate party.
The third email was,sent by Fardad Baroumand, attaching a signed petition that "requests an expert
evaluation of the traffic pattern of Stelling Road near Hwy 85 Bridge". There are two stop signs,just north and
south of the bridge, which have helped the traffic safety but which have proven to cause significant traffic
congestion on Stelling Road. Especially during commuter hours, it is difficult for vehicles on side streets to
merge onto Stelling due to the back-up. They do not want the stop signs removed, but they would like a better
solution to improve flow. Captain Binder agrees to forward the request to the Public Works Department.
V. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. August 14, 2014
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: JERBIC 4 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger motioned to approve the minutes of August 14, 2014, with some corrections;
Commissioner Jerbic-seconded the motion; voter taken, all in favor to approve the minutes of July 10,
2014 with the following corrections:
a. Page 2, VI (1), "...to separate the WBC and Boltage programs under [a distinct sub-committee]"
b. Page 1, 11, "Others Present: [Shailee Samar], Monta Vista High School Green Society
c. Page 1, V(1), "about the absence of stethoscopes [and b.p. cuffs] in the...bags..."
VI.. OLD BUSINESS
1. Discussion.of Walk/Bike/Carpool to School (W13C) project (all), the Boltage program (Tallinger), and
Surveys to Schools (All)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: MCCOY 4 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger motions to add discussion of a proposal for new bicycle racks and cage at
Kennedy Middle School to the next agenda; Commissioner McCoy seconded the motion; votes taken, all
in favor to add this to the next agenda.
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Commissioner Jerbic addresses a proposal regarding the addition and/or replacement of bicycle racks
and cage for students at Kennedy Middle School. He does not think that the current version of the
proposal clearly aligns with the City's goals. It is important to know why the City should fund the project,
how it will benefit and how the benefit may be measured. He requests that the authors rewrite the
proposal to be well-formed and City-focused, and also to include how many bikes a newer facility could
store. Commissioner Huang questions whether the PSC can even approve a capital improvement project,
and suggests that the authors contact the VTA to ask if donations of bicycle racks are available first.
Commissioner Tallinger remarks that he just learned that Kennedy has two Boltage towers on separate
ends of the campus; he thought there was only one.
Capt. Binder mentions there will be a Bike Rodeo on October 4th near City Hall, asking if the PSC would
like a table at the event. Commissioner TallingE.,r volunteers to be the lead contact for the PSC and
Commissioner McCoy agrees to help him man the table.
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: MCCOY 4 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger motions to approve payment of the Boltage Program annual maintenance fee of
$950.00 for Kennedy Middle School, if payment was not approved previously; Commissioner McCoy
seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to approve payment of$950.00 if not a duplicate approval.
Commissioner Tallinger presents an invoice for the annual maintenance fee for the Boltage program at
Kennedy Middle School, dated May 2014. He reports that he met with the Special Programs Coordinator
of Eaton Elementary School about traffic/safety issues. The Coordinator stated that he always sees
students and parents jay walking, a steady strE�am of cars, and kids carrying their helmets on their
handlebars instead of wearing them. Eaton is not interested in Boltage, but very interested in the WOW
events, perhaps enough to hold it two to four times a year. Last year's WOW event had a significant
impact on school traffic, increasing walking students by three times. He agrees to promote CAS sign-ups
to parents in the school newsletter.
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: MCCOY 4 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger motions to add to the agEmda for next meeting a review of the age ordinance for
riding bicycles on the sidewalk; Commissioner McCoy seconded the motion; votes taken, all in favor to
add a review of the City age ordinance for biking on the sidewalk to the next agenda.
Commissioner Tallinger continues, reporting.that Hyde Middle School is interested in Boltage, but has
had issues in the past with low participation results, since many students travel from across the
Expressway to the school. Other safety concerns involve parents driving in the bike lanes and parents
improperly exiting and u-turning, all of which increases traffic congestion. Some possible solutions include
changing the `buses only' lane into a bike lane, since the school no longer uses buses, and changing the
City Ordinance that states only children under 10 years old may ride bikes on the sidewalk.
Commissioner McCoy asks whether there are crossing guards, but Commissioner Tallinger doesn't know.
Commissioner Tallinger would like all commissioner liaisons to ask their assigned schools for meetings to
discuss similar traffic safety issues. He would also like to poll parents waiting in their cars to pick up their
kids from school for a better snapshot of why parents choose to drive students to school. Commissioner
Huang advises that any survey or poll must receive approval by the City Council before performed, and
there must be a unique purpose for it to pass. Commissioner Tallinger also mentions that he plans to
attend the final EOP plan review meeting.
Commissioner Jerbic reports that he has attempted to make contact with Lincoln and Eaton with no
success. However, he did meet with the new Principal Steve Ham and the new vice-principal of Kennedy,
where 25-30% of students bike to school. Many students travel, an average of 1.4 miles, and there is
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heavy congestion at the bicycle racks. They will make CAS information more visible to encourage sign-
ups and plan to subscribe themselves. The biggest safety problem is congestion on Bubb Rd., where
parents wait an estimated average of 30 minutes to drop kids off in the morning. Commissioner Jerbic
suggests adding a time question to future surveys to test this estimate. Captain Binder confirms that the
Sheriff's SROs already do bicycle safety presentations at the school, with one scheduled soon.
Commissioner Jerbic witnessed afternoon traffic, with cars lining up early and vehicles parked on side
streets, waiting for students to walk to them. Principal Ham has seen many near-miss bicycle accidents,
and worries about the safety. Commissioner Jerbic gathers that parents are worried about traffic safety,
but at the same time are creating the traffic hazards with their current drop-off and pick-up procedures.
Another survey idea is to ask where the most dangerous traffic spots are.
2. Discuss participation in the Alert SCC Program, the CAS Program, and the Pulse Points App
(Huang/McCoy)
ACTION: YES
VOTE: YES
. MOTION: TALLINGER SECONDED: JERBIC 4 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger motions to make a statEMent that the Cupertino PSC expresses concern that
there is currently no MOU with the County for participation in AlertSCC; Commissioner Jerbic seconded
the motion; votes taken, all in favor make this state=ment of concern.
It was announced at the Disaster Council Meeting that the City no longer has a signed MOU with the
County for participation in AlertSCC. However, Cupertino is still the leading city regarding resident
participation, holding at 13.7% with Palo Also still second at 13.3% participation. Commissioner Huang
reports that after the recent sign-up push through the July 4th Celebration and the Dam Inundation Zone
Outreach, CAS sign-ups are close to surpassing f=acebook sign-ups on the City's page. Commissioner
Tal linger states that he expressed. concern at the last Mayor's Meeting about the failure to sign the
AlertSCC MOU. He says the Mayor asked him to email the concerns so he may work.towards passing it
through. The commissioners decide to make an official motion.
Vll. NEW BUSINESS
Teri Gerhardt begins a presentation about Cupertiino's GIS (Geographic Information System), which links
locational data with tabular information, to help visualize patterns/trends. It encompasses multiple layers
of information and data and spatial components to produce maps for applied analyses and a framework
to understand and better manage the City's assets. It can also create measurable and organized
geographic knowledge and apply it to meet the City's business needs. The biggest expense is data
gathering, due to the constant need to update information. There are currently 150 layers of data that
used to be scattered information among different: departments but which has been pulled together and
standardized into a useful application. It is free public data, except some items that require legal privacy,
so residents may request a copy of the data to use for their own analyses. Ms. Gerhardt mentions that
many students request the data for special projects, and there are open-source apps available to help
manipulate the data. They never guarantee accuracy, since each copy is just a current snapshot of the
available data and is constantly being updated. In the future, they would like to make it web-based.
Currently, they are creating a building collector app, which would allow emergency personnel in the field
to send updates about the safety status of buildings after a disaster, pulling together what is being seen
around the City, including road closures, damaged buildings, and feed maps regarding fires, weather,
traffic flow, etc. To avoid duplication, CERT volunteers will need to take their information to an ARC
meeting spot and the leaders will upload the information at once. It will be available through the App
Store, and require contact information be registered to download. The commissioners are impressed and
think it will be an invaluable resource during an emergency. Ms. Gerhardt offers to make a map for the
PSC of all the block leaders, CERT members and Neighborhood Watch members and send it to Captain
Binder to forward to the PSC. She also offers to rend along a web service that may help deputies in the
field on mobile devices.
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VIII. REPORTS
1. Santa Clara County Fire Department
Battalion Chief Gary Cocroft apologizes for having no report to submit at this regular meeting. There were
server issues when he attempted to access it, so there will be two months' worth of reports next meeting.
Commissioner Jerbic requests that the reports be emailed in advance for review, and B.C. Cocroft agrees
to do so. Beyond this, he remarks that the last month was fairly quiet, in spite of the extremely dry
conditions. The biggest event was a generator, that caught fire on the De Anza campus but was
immediately put out by De Anza Police Dept. before the Fire Department even arrived.
2. Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Captain Binder reports that a CAS message was sent regarding the big Apple event as a traffic alert. It
worked so well, there was less traffic than even a normal day. Deputies were stationed for traffic control if
needed and the event went smoothly.
He continues with the report for August 2014. The! Sheriff's Office met all goals for response times. There
were 820 calls for service, combining priorities 1-3. There were 18 residential burglaries, similar to April
and May, and deputies have made some good ,arrests finding suspects with burglary tools and stolen
items in their possession. Captain Binder strongly encourages people to call in suspicious behavior
because it can make all the difference in whether deputies can catch suspects in action. Also, he
emphasizes that people must shore up their own homes (lock doors and windows, set alarms, etc.) to
avoid giving burglars or thieves easy opportunities. There were 21 vehicle burglaries, 2 auto thefts, 3
cases of domestic violence and no sexual assault crimes.
In combined traffic and patrol statistics, deputies issued 1,028 citations, including 437 moving violations,
229 speeding violations and 362 other violations. There were 4 DUI arrests, and deputies conducted a
sobriety checkpoint on Labor Day Weekend through a grant from the Office of Traffic Safety. Out of 1500
cars that went through, they arrested 1 for DUI, and issued some citations. August also had a total of 39
vehicle accidents, 8 with injury and 31 involving property damage only.
3. Commission Reports
ACTION: YES
VOTE: NO
MOTION: N/A SECONDED: N/A 0 to 0
Commissioner Tallinger asks about the status of Captain Binder's article, and states that the Mayor
offered to help with the Boltage program at Lincoln.School. The Bike-Pedestrian Commission reports a
big problem with Apple employees on bikes around the new cafeteria behind Aloft Hotel, and not stopping
at the Stop Signs surrounding Lawson School. Commissioner Tallinger reports that Dave Jans, liaison
between the Library and Teen Commissions, expects the Teen Commission to take back over the lead
with the WOW programs this year. He also mE�ntions the upcoming Pizza and Politics event, where
political figures are invited to meet with local teens and discuss issues. Commissioner Tallinger agrees to
email Commissioner Huang the information.
Commissioner Jerbic attended the TICC meeting, where they consider the cell tower a non-issue and a
done deal. They have some ideas to suggest surrounding CAS, including to place notice in the ATT bills
that go out to every citizen, and to make sign-up outreach a public service project through the Teen
Commission and through schools. He also took note of a County Traffic Safety Report, which compared
demographics of which students walk/bike to school between the City and County.
Commissioner McCoy reports that he went to the City Council Meeting, and watched the Planning
Commission meeting on TV. He also attended a VTA Neighborhood Workshop at the Sunnyvale City
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Hall, regarding their intention to place a dedicated transit hub at De Anza College and add a BRT on
Wolfe Road. They plan to have a Cupertino Specific; meeting for October.
IX. FUTURE AGENDA FOR NEXT REGULAR MEETING
1. Discuss the PSC sponsored programs.
a. Sub-committee for Walk/Bike/Carpool to School Project and Boltage Program
1) Discuss proposal for bike racks and cage at Kennedy Middle School
2) Discuss age ordinance for riding bicycles on sidewalk
b. Discuss cell tower project to be installed at Cupertino High School
2. Discuss promotion plans for CAS, AlertSCC and the Pulse Points App.
3. Discuss the County Fire Report, County Sheriff's Office Report, and Commission/Liaison Reports.
X. ADJOURNMENT
This regular meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m..
XI. NEXT MEETING
The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 9, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.
SUBMITTED BY:
Jennifer Roth
Executive Assistant
West Valley Patrol Division
Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff
September 22, 2014
APPROVED BY:
.21
Andy Huang, Col mission Chair Date
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