HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 11-04-2025 Item No. 12 Municipal Code Amendments to Regulate Film Production_Written CommunicationsCC 11-04-2025
Item #12
Municipal Code
Amendments to
Regulate Film Production
Written Communications
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Dear City Clerk,
Would you please include the below in written communications for agenda item 12 the
upcoming Cupertino city council meeting on Tuesday November 4th 2025.
Dear City Clerk,
Would you please include the below in written communications for agenda item
12 the upcoming Cupertino city council meeting on Tuesday November 4th 2025.
[Writing on behalf of myself only as a Cupertino resident]
Subject: Strengthening Resident Protections in the Film Production Ordinance
To:
Mayor Liang Chao
Vice-Mayor Kitty Moore
Cupertino City Council
Interim City Manager Tina Kapoor
Deputy Interim City Manager Kirsten Squarcia
Dear Mayor Chao, Vice-Mayor Moore, Council Members, ICM Kapoor, and
DICM Squarcia,
I am writing as a Cupertino resident who values peace, safety, and quiet in our
neighborhoods. The proposed Film Production Ordinance needs significant
changes before it is adopted. As written, it gives too much discretion to staff,
allows filming with almost no notice, and creates the risk of serious disturbance to
residents.
From:
To:
Santosh Rao
Fw: Strengthening Resident Protections in the Film Production Ordinance
Saturday, November 1, 2025 4:07:22 PM
Subject:
Date:
City Clerk
meaningful community protection and transparency.
Please include the following changes before adoption:
1. Require a minimum of 15 days of advance written notice to residents,
businesses, and schools within at least a 2,000 foot radius of the filming
location. Further direct staff to permanently stop the use of 300 feet for
noticing in any future matters. 300 feet has been a bad idea for the city. It
was an anti-resident attempt to suppress public awareness and its continued
use is bothersome.
2. Require a public hearing for film permit approvals at the Planning
Commission or another public body, not an internal administrative
process.
3. Provide residents with a right to appeal any permit that affects their
neighborhood.
4. Limit filming hours to 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on weekdays only. Filming
must not be allowed on weekends or public holidays.
5. Use mandatory language throughout the ordinance. The City Manager or
designee must not be able to waive noticing, hour limits, or noise limits.
6. Apply Cupertino’s existing noise regulations to all film productions,
including generators, trucks, and lighting. Noise compliance must be
monitored by City staff.
7.Prohibit filming involving helicopters, drones, or any aerial vehicles or
devices in all residential areas and public spaces. These create excessive
noise, raise privacy concerns, and are unsafe in dense neighborhoods.
8. Do not allow film production that blocks or alters streets, driveways, or
parking in residential areas. Public roads must not be used for commercial
filming except in rare cases approved at a public hearing.
9. Require content creators and production companies using private
property for any commercial or monetized filming to get a film permit and
follow all rules. Private property filming that disturbs neighbors must not be
exempt.
10. Limit film permits to no more than two per residential block per year to
prevent repeated disturbance in the same area.
11. Require the City to publish all pending and approved film permits on the
City website with filming dates, locations, and a contact for residents to
raise concerns.
Two days of notice is not enough, and allowing waivers of noise, notice, and time
limits removes the basic protections residents should have. The ordinance should
also prohibit helicopters and drones, which can cause major noise, safety, and
privacy issues for residents. I urge the Council to revise this ordinance to ensure
Please strengthen this ordinance before it is adopted. Cupertino residents deserve
clear notice, fair process, and strong protection from noise, disruption, and aerial
filming activities.
Thank you for your vigilance to protect residents, limit discretionary powers of
staff and ensure quality of life and peace and quiet of neighborhoods is primary
and paramount in all decision making about current and future regulations in
Cupertino.
Sincerely,
San Rao (Writing on behalf of myself only as a Cupertino resident)
These changes are critical to make the ordinance fair, enforceable, and protective
of our community’s peace and quality of life. Filming can still occur, but only in a
way that does not harm residents or take away our quiet enjoyment of our homes.