CC 09-03-2025 Item No. 12. Accounts Payable_Desk Item1
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DESK ITEM
Meeting: September 3, 2025
Agenda Item #12
Subject
Ratifying Accounts Payable for the period ending July 18, 2025
Recommended Action
A. Adopt Resolution No. 25-XXX ratifying Accounts Payable for the Period ending July 18,
2025
Background:
Staff’s responses to questions received from councilmembers are shown in italics.
Q1: Could you please elaborate a bit what these items are for?
Staff Response: The first two payments are related to Economic Development:
• The Co-Star Real Estate Service subscription provides detailed data on commercial real
estate, including property listings, lease rates, vacancies, and market trends accessible
through the CoStar platform. Staff utilizes this service to search for available
commercial space for businesses looking to expand or locate in Cupertino.
• The Silicon Valley Economic Development Alliance (SVEDA) Dues is an annual
membership. The SVEDA membership collaborates by sharing resources and best
practices, while collectively promoting member cities to key industries within the
economic development sector. SVEDA is comprised of 30 municipalities spanning San
Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and southern Alameda counties. In 2024, SVEDA
hosted a Silicon Valley commercial real estate broker breakfast, featuring economic
development speakers from the cities of Cupertino, Mountain View, and Sunnyvale.
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The Public Investment payment is an annual payment that the City makes directly to Joint Venture
Silicon Valley for their efforts throughout the region. Cupertino is one of 70 public sector investors
(listed here), including ALL Santa Clara County cities. This investment allows Joint Venture to
provide analysis, research, and innovative solutions related to climate change, transportation, and
other regional issues.
Q2: Do we have a contract with SV Ventures to specify the services provided?
Staff Response: No, there is no contract with Joint Venture Silicon Valley. The payments for SVEDA
and the Public Investment are annual membership payments. The payment for Co-Star is an annual
subscription payment for data collection.
Q3: What's the total payment budgeted for in the FY 2025-26? What's the total payment in
the past 5 years?
Staff Response: For FY 2025-26, the budgeted amount for each payment is as follows:
• SVEDA: $5,160
• Co-Star: $8,500
• Public Investment: $7,500
For total payments in the past 5 years, the request is outside the scope of the Accounts Payable
ratification item. Staff will provide a response separately to City Council.
Q4: What services Cupertino receive from California Product Stewardship Council (CPSC)
with $3000 association fees?
In fact, I am glad to see that Cupertino contributes to California Product Stewardship
Council (CPSC) since I learned about the great work they perform at the County RWRC
Committee, where they give updates on their advocacy work.
However, I have been on the Council for 7 years and I am not aware of the services
provided by CPSC directly to Cupertino. So, I hope to get more clarify on that.
Staff Response: The services provided as described on the invoice include:
CPSC provides local governments with legislative updates and a toolkit that allows them to better
support current and future sustainability and producer responsibility programs.
The toolkit includes, although it is not limited to, monthly participation in the exclusive Policy &
Education Advisory Committee (PEAC), which discusses and monitors current legislation affecting
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solid waste and recycling in California as it relates to sustainability, product stewardship, and
extended producer responsibility. The PEAC also advises the CPSC Board on policy direction. Also
included is participation in the monthly Associates calls wherein the latest projects, programs, and
public education information is discussed in these same topic areas.
CPSC continues to push for the mitigation of end-of-life costs of products away from California local
governments to manufacturers in an effort to account for the full cost of recycling and disposal of
their products and get manufacturers to design greener and more sustainable products.
For total past services received in the last 7 years, this is outside the scope of the Accounts Payable
ratification item. Staff will provide a response separately to City Council.
Q5: What other associations the City pay membership fee to? Could we get a full of the
associations, their fees and the benefits to the City? I hope such information could be made
readily available so that we can take advantage of these membership benefits.
Staff Response: This request is outside the scope of the Accounts Payable ratification item. Staff can
compile a list of the City’s current association memberships, including annual fees and
corresponding benefits, and provide this information separately to City Council.
Q6: The quarterly payment for Grassroots Ecology is $24,034.26, which means the annual
cost is $96,137.04. I assume that this is for programs at the McClellan Ranch. But I hope to
get more clarify on that. Do we have a contract? Is this covered by a grant? Are there other
payments besides the quarterly payment?
Staff Response: Grassroots Ecology is for McClellan Ranch. The current contract went out for RFP
in 2023 and was later awarded at the July 6, 2023, Council Meeting (Agenda item #9). The quarterly
payments are the only payments made, but they are based on the work done in that quarter, but the
annual amount is $104,240.
Attachments Provided with Original Staff Report:
A – Draft Resolution 7.18.25
B – AP Payment Register for the Period Ending 7.18.25