03 - March 27, 2025 - Mayor and Commission Chairs Meeting on March 19, 2025
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM
Date: March 27, 2025
To: Cupertino City Council
From: Serena Tu, Executive Assistant
CC: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Re: Mayor and Commission Chairs Meeting on March 19, 2025
Background
On March 19, 2025, Mayor Liang Chao hosted the first Mayor and Commission Chairs
meeting of the year at the Quinlan Community Center. The meeting provided an
opportunity for each Commission Chair to share their key accomplishments, upcoming
initiatives, and workplan priorities for 2025.
Each Chair was allotted three minutes to provide highlights from their commission’s
recent activities and outline their focus for the year ahead. The updates reflected a broad
range of topics including housing and public service funding, public art and cultural
engagement, active transportation planning, cybersecurity and technology awareness,
sustainability outreach, youth involvement, library programming, and community
safety initiatives.
In response to the Mayor’s request, each commission’s three summary bullet points and
the meeting attendance sheet are attached.
Sustainability Impact
No sustainability impact.
Fiscal Impact
No fiscal impact.
_____________________________________
Prepared by: Serena Tu, Executive Assistant
Reviewed by: Pamela Wu , City Manager
Approved for Submission by: Pamela Wu, City Manager
Attachments:
A – March 19, 2025 - Mayor’s Commission Chairs Meeting Summary Bullet Points
B – March 19, 2025 - Mayor’s Commission Chairs and Vice Chairs Attendance
2025 Mayor and Commission Chairs Meeting
Quinlan Community Center, Social Room
10185 N Stelling Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014
MEETING AGENDA
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
5:00 PM– 6:30 PM
5:00 PM – 5:10 PM
Welcome and Introductions Mayor Chao
5:10 PM – 6:00 PM Commission Chairs Updates
(Three Minutes Each)
All
6:00 PM – 6:30 PM Next Meeting Format &
Closing Remarks
Mayor Chao
AGENDA ITEMS
Please use this space to include up to three summary bullets highlighting key activities from each
commission.
AUDIT COMMISSION
• Budget Format Review
• Quarterly financials
• Fraud, Waste and Abuse Reporting
ARTS AND CULTURE COMMISSION
• Successful 2024 Artists Awards Program
o Defined a theme: "Building a Sustainable Community"
Categories:
• Young Artist awards
• Emerging Artist awards
• Distinguished Artist Award
o Streamlined the process: new art pieces in entries, specific number of
entries.
o Encouraging more than visual arts: Drama, Music, Dance, Photography,
Writing.
o Artist Awards presented in the 1/27/25 meeting
4 Distinguished Artists
17 Emerging Artists
107 Young Artists Group A (6 to 10 years old)
88 Young Artists Group B (11 to 14 years old)
216 Total Submissions
• Reviewed Art Programs of neighboring cities (Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa
Clara, San Francisco) to think of new ideas to connect with our community.
• Upcoming topics:
o Study Session to revisit the Municipal Code standards for art in public
and private development, including the standards in the Municipal Code
and developing an Art-in-lieu fee policy.
o Commissioner elections in March meeting.
BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION
• Bicycle Facilities Work Plan Item Update
• Focus for 2025 – Active Transportation Plan development and Vision Zero Action
Plan implementation progress
• Stevens Creek Blvd Corridor Vision Study – BPC to hear item and make Council
recommendations
HOUSING COMMISSION
• Housing and Public Service Funding Recommendations – In response to the
Notice of Funding Available released on November 4, 2024 and opened on
February 4, 2025; the Housing Commission will make recommendations for
funding distribution of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG),
Below Market Rate (BMR), Human Services Grant (HSG); and will also make
recommendations for the Permanent Local Housing Allocation (PLHA) and
District 5 County unhoused services grant to address the City’s affordable
housing and low income service needs.
• 2025-2030 Consolidated Plan and 2025-2026 Annual Action Plan – The Housing
commission will receive and consider approval for submission the 5-Year
Consolidated Plan which studies future long term housing, economic,
demographic, infrastructure, and public service needs that can be addressed with
federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD); and the first year action plan of the Consolidated Plan, which outlines
specific activities and programs which will be funded to meet those goals.
• Anti-Displacement Strategy – During a Special Meeting on December 19, 2024,
the Housing Commission recommended an Anti-Displacement Policy for tenants
of expiring BMR units for approval to the City Council, consisting of both
priority waitlist replacement and tenant relocation assistance. Other strategies,
such as rent stabilization or regulations on deposit deductions may continue to
be studied and brought before the Housing Commission as part of development
of a larger Anti-Displacement Strategy for the city at-large during the sixth cycle
of the Housing Element.
LIBRARY COMMISSION
• Library commissioners are working with the Cupertino library, Cupertino library
Foundation, Asian American Associations, and AAPI SV on organizing AAPI
multicultural festival on May 24, 2025. Commissioners will host a booth to
promote library activities.
• Library commissioners have set up a Cupertino Poet Laureate recruiting
subcommittee to start the recruit process for new Poet Laureate.
• Commissioner are taking questions and requests from residents and address to
Cupertino Libraries, which include how to work together on promote the
Cupertino Story.
PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
• Reviewed all the proposals for funding. Will stack-rank the proposals in the
April meeting.
• The staff reviewed the plans for presentation of various reports including Senior
Center for the month of August.
• Voted the officers for the commission.
• Requested Sports Center Registration.
PLANNING COMMISSION
• Verbal Updates.
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
• Captain Valenzuela presented the detail crime statistics report and took questions from
the commission. The Sheriff’s Office representative reported that all kind of commercial
burglaries are reported in stats. Large numbers of tickets are related to traffic.
• Public Safety Fair will be held on Mar 22 at 12-4PM at Community Hall Plaza
• Deputy Fire Chief Estrada presented the new LRA Fire Hazard Zone map (Local
Responsibility Area) The Deputy Chief also showed a YouTube video on “Defensible
Space” to fireproof home and community. Such education needs to be propagated to all
residents and commission brainstormed on how that can happen via more involvement
of Block Leader and Neighborhood watch programs.
SUSTAINBILITY COMMISSION
• The Sustainability Commission successfully filled two commissioner positions,
Sonali Padgaonkar and Jack Carter, who will serve on the commissions for the
next four years.
• The Sustainability Commission’s January commission meeting was canceled.
• The Sustainability Commission will be tabling at Earth and Arbor Day Festival,
Cherry Blossom Festival, Farmers’ Market, and Holli Festival.
TEEN COMMISSION
• Since January Teen Commission has received presentations on Community
Development projects, upcoming spring events and festivals including Big
Bunny 5k, Golf events, and Earth and Arbor Day Festival, and the Streetlight
Banner Contest.
• Teen Commission has received presentations for the following Youth Led
Organizations: UpNext Scientists, Ecovalley, and Active Circle as well as
evaluating and approving the applications from these groups to receive a Teen
Commission highlight post on City of Cupertino social media.
• Teen Commission provided feedback to staff potential future Teen Speaker Series
topics with the highest priority being Personal Finance and How to Choose a
STEM major.
• Teen Commissioners have moderated and judged the Cupertino Youth Spelling
Bee, MC’d the Big Bunny 5K as well as represented the Teen Commission at the
Teen Resource Fair.
TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION & COMMUNICATION COMMISSION
• Cupertino Cyber Security Awareness Program – The commission decided to
take on 3 key initiatives in 2025. Details are being finalized with our CTO Teri
Gerhardt
o Panel Discussion
o Cyber Bullying Prevention for Young Citizens
o Cyber Security Competition for Middle and High School Students
• Augmented Reality (AR) McClellan Ranch App Tour Debrief – We provided an
update on our tour and provided feedback
• Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Camera Registry Program – Most of
Cupertino homes now are equipped with personal security cameras. In light of
increasing crimes in the city, we want our Sheriff department to be aware of
these cameras to assist them with their investigation. This is an awareness
program to encourage our citizens to register their personal camera with Sheriff
office
Mayor and Commissioners Chair and Vice Chair List
Audit Committee
Jonathan Orozco – Liaison
Janet Liang – Commission Admin
Eno Schmidt (ESchmidt@cupertino.gov) – Chair
Sheila Mohan (SMohan@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Arts & Culture Commission
Gian Martire – Liaison
Lindsay Nelson – Commission Admin
David Wang (dwang@cupertino.gov ) – Chair *won’t attend
Kiran Varshneya Rohra (krohra@cupertino.gov) – Vice Chair
Bicycle Pedestrian Commission
David Stillman – Liaison
Kim Lunt – Commission Admin
Ilango Ganga (IGanga@cupertino.gov) – Chair
Gerhard Eschelbeck (GEshelbeck@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Housing Commission
Nicky Vu – Liaison
Lindsay Nelson – Commission Admin
Connie Cunningham (CCunningham@cupertino.gov) – Chair *won’t attend
Ryan Golze (RGolze@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Library Commission
Molly James – Liaison
Jessica Suntay – Commission Admin
Liyan Zhao (lzhao@cupertino.gov ) – Chair
Janki Chokshi (jchokshi@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Parks & Recreation Commission
Jenny Koverman – Liaison ( Sonya Lee filling in during Jenny's leave)
Jessica Suntay – Commission Admin
Seema Swamy (sswamy@cupertino.gov) – Chair
Claudio Bono (cbono@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Planning Commission
Piu Ghosh – Liaison
Lindsay Nelson – Commission Admin
Santosh Rao (srao@cupertino.gov ) – Chair
Tracy Kosolcharoen (Tkosolcharoen@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Public Safety Commission
Marta Drown – Liaison
Melissa Robertson – Commission Admin
Nirmalendu Das (NDas@cupertino.gov) – Chair
Sidharth Rajaram (SRajaram@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Sustainability Commission
Victoria Morin – Liaison
Jasmin Lu – Commission Admin
Sonali Padgaonkar (spadgaonkar@cupertino.gov) – Chair
Susan Hansen (shansen@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
Teen Commission
Sonya Lee – Liaison
Jessica Suntay – Commission Admin
Shivika Biswari (sbiswari@cupertino.gov)
Peter Chen– Vice Chair
TICC
Teri Gerhard – Liaison
Marilyn Pavlov – Commission Admin
Prabir Mohanty (pmohanty@cupertino.gov) *won’t attend
Sudeep Kumar (SudKumar@cupertino.gov ) – Vice Chair
2025 Calendar
March 19 In Person/ Quinlan
May 21 In Person/ Quinlan
July 16 In Person/ Quinlan
Sep 17 In Person/ Quinlan
Nov 19 In Person/ Quinlan