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HomeMy WebLinkAboutScene May 2023 - 05.01.2023 MAY 2023SCENE A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE CITY OF CUPERTINO Connecting the World through Public Works Learn about National Public Works Week PLUS: RECOGNIZED AT SMART 50 AWARDS | JOIN THE SILICON VALLEY PEDAL POWER CHALLENGE | STAY CONNECTED THROUGH BLOCK LEADERS Would You Like To Serve on the City of Cupertino Teen Commission? Cupertino teens are encouraged to apply for five vacancies on the Teen Commission. Applications may be submitted online using the Online Teen Commission Application via cupertino.org/vacancies. The application deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 25. The City Council will conduct interviews beginning at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 12 and Tuesday, June 13 (as needed). For more details, please visit the URL or email the City Clerk’s office at cityclerk@cupertino.org. CONTENTS FEATURES 3 ARTour Recognized at Smart 50 Awards Cupertino’s augmented reality application, ARTour, was recognized at this year’s annual Smart 50 Awards. 4 Connecting the World through Public Works May 21 through 27 is National Public Works Week—read about how the City’s Public Works team keeps Cupertino running. IN S I D E 8 May is Bike Month Read about Silicon Valley Bike Coalition’s challenge and help contribute to the Pedal Power Leaderboard. 9 Celebrating AAPI Business Leaders May is AAPI Heritage Month, and we reached out to the Cupertino small business community to reflect on this year’s theme, “Advancing Leaders through Opportunity.” 10 Calendar of Events Find upcoming holiday events, classes, and more! 12 Directory and Contacts Keep this list of the most useful contacts for the City of Cupertino. Questions or comments about The Scene? Contact staff at scene@cupertino.org. 2 Cupertino’s ARTour Recognized at Smart 50 Awards 2023 CREST Awards Ceremony Save the Date: Thursday, May 25 at 5:30 p.m. The City of Cupertino is proud to announce that the City has been recognized at the 7th Annual Smart 50 Awards for implementing Cupertino’s first augmented reality application, ARTour. Out of hundreds of entries from cities around the world, Cupertino’s ARTour application has been chosen as one of the top 50 transformative smart projects. The Smart 50 Awards recognize the most innovative and impactful city projects and initiatives from around the world, and Cupertino has joined the ranks of other leading cities, including Dallas; Philadelphia; Frankfurt, Germany; and Shenzhen, China. You can check out the award-winning ARTour app by downloading it on the App Store or Google Play. Explore Cupertino’s public art and let Cooper, Cupertino’s robot mascot, guide you through the augmented reality Art Walk. Through the AR experience, you can learn interesting facts about the public art and historic sites located within the City of Cupertino. The City of Cupertino is proud to announce the winners of the 2023 CREST Awards. Each year, the City of Cupertino presents its CREST Awards, “Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken,” to honor the outstanding contributions of Cupertino community members. The 2023 CREST Awards winners are as follows: Lifetime Achievement Jim Walker Organization of the Year Friends of the Cupertino Library Volunteer of the Year Fari Aberg Public Safety Champion Fari Aberg Rising Star Adhya Kasamsetty The community is invited to celebrate and honor this year’s award winners at the annual CREST Awards Ceremony. This year’s ceremony will be held at Cupertino Community Hall, 10350 Torre Avenue, on Thursday, May 25 at 5:30 p.m. Nominations for the CREST Awards are being accepted year-round, and you can submit for the 2024 CREST awards through the online form. Learn more at cupertino.org/crest. Cupertino Recognizes Extra Steps Taken 3 NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK | MAY 21-27, 2023 City of Cupertino NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK | MAY 21-27, 2023 City of Cupertino THE THEME FOR PUBLIC WORKS WEEK 2023 IS “CONNECTING THE WORLD THROUGH PUBLIC WORKS”. The City’s Public Works professionals use a variety of channels to stay directly connected with everyone in Cupertino through developing infrastructure, maintaining on-the-ground service, and ensuring two-way communications to provide a high quality of life for the Cupertino community. These channels include using the Cupertino 311 application (cupertino.org/311), taking phone calls at the Service Center, going out into the community for inspections, and more. Take a look at what each of the Public Works Divisions is doing in the City: TRANSPORTATION • Oversees the operation and maintenance of the City’s 60 traffic signals, including eight traffic signals owned by the State of California. • Manages Silicon Valley Hopper (powered by Via- Cupertino), the app-based ride-share program that provides transportation anywhere in Cupertino. You can learn more at cupertino.org/shuttle. • Coordinates with the Cupertino Union School District, the Fremont Union High School District, and the Santa Clara County Sheriff Department to focus efforts on student safety and congestion relief around the City’s 14 public schools through the Safe Routes to School Program. TREES AND RIGHT OF WAY • Maintains and improves over 47 acres of median islands, landscape strips, trails, landscaped roadsides, public right-of- ways, and water efficient programming of irrigation systems. • Plants and cares for new water-efficient plants in public areas, and maintains them to ensure future plant health. • Maintains 17,252 street trees by proactively trimming, spraying, staking, managing pests, and responding to citizen requests to perform tree health-related services in a timely manner, removing diseased and damaged trees as needed. • Affixes and maintains tree identification badges on all City-owned street trees. Provides educational flyers to all residents with street trees adjacent to their property. • Actively engages in community outreach, including tree planting events. STREETS • Maintains sidewalks, curbs, gutters, and 142 miles of streets, inspects and cleans 2,200 storm drain inlets annually, and responds to isolated flooding issues during large rain events. • Maintains 10,350 traffic related signs and related roadway striping, 3,200 streetlights, 480 park and parking lot lights, and coordinates with engineering staff to install new street light poles in various neighborhoods throughout Cupertino. • Manages the street sweeping contract and maintains all environmental compliance materials. • Provides staff support and road closures for special events such as the Big Bunny 5K and Kids Fun Run, Earth and Arbor Day Festival, the July 4th fireworks show, and more. • Provides assistance to the Santa Clara County Sheriff Office and Santa Clara County Fire Department during emergency situations. FACILITIES AND FLEET • Maintains the Blackberry Farms pool, Civic Center fountains, and coordinates small tenant improvement projects. 4 NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK | MAY 21-27, 2023 City of Cupertino • Maintains 52 buildings (205,000 sq. ft.), 105 vehicles, and 623 pieces of equipment. • Supports maintenance operations, Parks and Recreation, and Corporation Yard programs. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS (CIP) • Manages 45 projects with approximately $50 million of funding. • Capital projects can be new construction or renovation of existing infrastructure, parks, facilities or bicycle-pedestrian pathways. Projects range in size from small sidewalk improvements to large multi- million dollar projects. GROUNDS • Responsible for maintaining 19 parks and open space areas. • Maintains nine Cupertino Union School District Athletic Fields for youth sports programs. • Maintains landscaped areas at 10 City owned buildings. • Maintains all playgrounds in accordance with California Playground Safety Requirements. • Responsible for graffiti removal. ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS • Manages compliance with a variety of environmental laws pertaining to stormwater pollution prevention, creek eco-system protection, recycling, composting, and reduction of waste going to landfill, and conducted 205 site visits to assist businesses with recycling and composting in 2022. • Develops extensive outreach, education, and monitoring for stormwater and resource recovery programs, including creek cleanups, tabling events, inspections, hazardous spill and discharge response, code enforcement, and waste audits. • Manages the City’s largest contract, its waste hauling franchise agreement with Recology South Bay, which includes collecting trash, recycling, and organics from 14,000 single-family homes, 60 multi-family properties, and 408 commercial properties. • Arranges for operation and staffing of the compost site, where Cupertino residents can pick up compost at no cost from spring through fall each year. The compost is made from residential food scraps and yard waste collected from Cupertino’s citywide organics recycling program, bringing the process full circle. ENGINEERING • Provides engineering support and oversight on both public and private improvement projects within the public right-of-way. • Provides engineering review and permitting of projects in the public right-of-way, including work related to utility company operations. They also provide inspection services to ensure improvements are installed and facilities are restored to City standards. • Supports all City Departments that work on construction and maintenance related activities within the City, including the Capital Improvement Program, Community Development, Transportation, Streets, Grounds, Trees and Right of Way, Facilities, Building Department, and Environmental Services. ASSET MANAGEMENT • Identified and logged more than 105,000 assets maintained by Public Works staff, which include any physical and digital tools and infrastructure that help improve the City -- and they’re still counting. • The sophisticated Asset Management system is also capable of tracking work orders. • Completed 9,085 work orders and responded to 704 Cupertino 311 requests submitted in 2021. NATIONAL PUBLIC WORKS WEEK | MAY 21-27, 2023 5 Build your own custom worksheet at education.com/worksheet-generator © 2007 - 2023 Education.com Public Works Week Crossword Puzzle 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Down:Across: 1.A way to reduce organic waste going into 3.Designed to move excess rain and the landfill groundwater from streets and curbs 2.The team that maintains all City buildings 6.A person who is knowledgeable about and including City Hall, Quinlan Community maintains trees and Cupertino’s urban Center, and more forest 4.AKA the Corporation Yard—the maintenance 7.The composite material used to build roads facility for the City of Cupertino located on and sidewalks, the second most used Mary Avenue substance in the world 5.A fun structure found at parks, maintained 8.A device found at road intersections that by the Grounds division lights up red, yellow, or green to direct the flow of vehicles 9.The portion between road lanes that provides a barrier between opposite flows of trac 10.___ to School—the program that focuses on safety and trac around the City’s schools ® Test Your Public Works Knowledge Now that you’ve read a little bit about what Cupertino’s Public Works Department does for the City, test your knowledge of Public Works vocabulary with this puzzle. Down Across 1. A way to reduce organic waste going into the landfill 3. Designed to move excess rain and groundwater from streets and curbs 2. The team that maintains all City buildings including City Hall, Quinlan Community Center, and more 6. A person who is knowledgeable about and maintains trees and Cupertino’s urban forest 4. AKA the Corporation Yard—the maintenance facility for the City of Cupertino located on Mary Avenue 7. The composite material used to build roads and sidewalks, the second most used substance in the world 5. A fun structure found at parks, maintained by the Grounds division 8. A device found at road intersections that lights up red, yellow, or green to direct the flow of vehicles 9. The portion between road lanes that provides a barrier between opposite flows of traffic 10. ___ to School—the program that focuses on safety and traffic around the City’s schools Check page 11 for the answers and see how you scored!6 Get Outside, Get Connected! Join Block Leaders Want to celebrate summer while gathering with your community? Host a Block Party! Through the Block Party program, the City temporarily closes residential streets so neighbors can gather in their front yards easily and safely. This program also provides opportunities for your community to get to know one another before an emergency happens. Request a visit from the Sheriff’s Office, County Fire, Cupertino Office of Emergency Services, or other City departments (subject to staff availability). Request representatives from the Sheriff’s Office or Fire Department at least two weeks in advance. Deputies and firefighters are on duty and may not be able to attend or may leave early to respond to a call. Want to go a step further? Become a Cupertino Block Leader and help us work towards a safer, healthier, happier Cupertino! Continue reading below to learn more about the Block Leader Program. For more information contact Marta Drown at martad@cupertino.org. There’s an easy way to stay informed with local updates while building community with your neighbors—join the Cupertino Block Leaders! Good neighborhoods are those where neighbors work together on common concerns and look out for each other. For example, one of our Block Leaders, Jack H. has worked with his neighbors to have solar panels and battery storage systems installed. “Beyond our volunteer Block Leader related roles for the City of Cupertino, we are also neighbors in our relative local Cupertino neighborhoods. As good neighbors, we assist with our community’s various needs - including helpful tips and planning to enable their homes for “green” renewable solar panels and battery storage for things like smart appliances. In our area of Cupertino, our neighborhood has occasional electrical power outages. This has prompted many homeowners to purchase and operate noisy and polluting gasoline generators on their driveways. As an alternative, many of us homeowners have already taken the “green” direction by installing solar panels and battery storage systems - including electrical hybrid heat-pump water heaters. Even now many homeowners are waiting in the queue for solar panel and battery storage installations. In some cases, many received rejection notices after initial site inspections. As neighbors we continue to share information, correction tips, guidance, meaningful shortcuts, and what to avoid from our own “green” installation experiences. We can help provide information tips, alternatives, feature comparisons and different solution perspectives. This allows our neighbors to weigh different perspectives and decide what fits best for their own needs.” Should I join Block Leaders or Neighborhood Watch? It’s up to you! Both Block Leaders and Neighborhood Watch members stay informed with bimonthly emails. Block Leaders go the extra mile to build a sense of community and are asked to attend at least one meeting per year, host a neighborhood gathering, and share information with their community. Learn more at cupertino.org/blockleader, contact Marta Drown at martad@cupertino.org, or come to the program meeting on Tuesday, May 30 – register through the online City calendar. 7 May is Bike Month! Spring is in the air, the days are getting longer, and the weather outside is delightful. This makes May the perfect month to celebrate one of humankind’s greatest inventions: the bicycle! Your local bicycle coalition is spreading the bike love all month by coordinating lots of ways to help you join the national Bike Month celebration at the local level. Important Dates: • Bike to School Day is Wednesday, May 3. • Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 18. • Bike to Wherever Days are Thursday, May 18 to Saturday, May 20. But really, you can bike any day! Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC) is hosting a competition between cities this year for Bike Month. Will Cupertino take the title in their Silicon Valley Pedal Power Challenge? You can help Cupertino take the lead by joining the challenge by Saturday, May 20. All you have to do is pledge to ride your bike at least one time in May. Your pledge is free, and you get goodies! You’ll receive a signature musette bag, which you can pick up at any energizer station on Bike to Wherever Days, and you will be entered into a drawing for giveaways throughout the weekend. Pledge to ride and find energizer stations, bike bashes, classes, volunteer opportunities, and more on SVBC’s Bike to Wherever Days webpage: bikesiliconvalley.org/events/btwd Special Note: Cupertino’s Bicycle Pedestrian Commission will be hosting an Energizer Station for Bike to Work Day in May. Find the details at the link above, and stop by for a snack, a smile, and a musette bag with swag! Make sure to pledge at the link above before stopping by, so you will be eligible for a musette bag. Whether you’re pledging to bicycle to work, run a quick errand, or take a trip to wherever on just one day or every day of month – every bike ride makes a difference. Together, we can put Cupertino at the top of the Leaderboard! Ride on! 8 Middle School Bike Skills Registration is Open! Cupertino’s annual Middle School Bike Skills summer workshops prepare participants on how to ride safely to school and beyond. As children enter middle school, they are developmentally ready to spread their wings of independence and go places on their own, but still need to learn how to keep themselves safe on the road. Also, middle school is often farther from home than a student’s local neighborhood elementary school, so they may need to cross bigger roads to get there. Middle School Bike Skills is a one-day bike workshop where participants learn how to become confident riders by learning the rules of the road, practicing bike handling skills, and putting it all into practice during a group neighborhood ride. One parent or guardian is required to attend with each student. Student and guardian both need to bring a bike and helmet. Give your child (and yourself!) the gift of independence this summer through bike safety skills. Sign up four weeks in advance to receive instructions on how to prepare for the workshop. Financial assistance is available upon request and is partially funded by VTA’s 2016 Measure B. Program brought to you by Cupertino Safe Routes to School (SR2S) in collaboration with Wheel Kids. Date Options (all workshops are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m): • Sunday, June 11 • Saturday, June 24 • Sunday, July 16 • Sunday, August 6 • Saturday, August 26 Location: Cupertino Senior Center 21251 Stevens Creek Boulevard Learn more and sign up at cupertino.org/msbs. Celebrating AAPI Leaders in Cupertino’s Businesses May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and this year’s theme is “Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity.” We reached out to AAPI leaders in Cupertino’s small business community to reflect on the theme. ““Advancing Leaders Through Opportunity” means using technology to create new opportunities for leaders to succeed. Technology can help leaders work more efficiently, make better decisions, and communicate more effectively with their team and community. By staying informed and learning about new technologies like AI (artificial intelligence), leaders can stay ahead of the curve and better adapt to future changes. For young students, learning about cutting-edge technologies is important to prepare them to be future leaders. By embracing technology and continuously learning, leaders can make a bigger impact in their organizations and communities, and ultimately advance their own careers.” -Eliza Du, Ph.D., CEO Integem “As an Asian business owner of the online landscape design business WaterEfficientGardens.com, I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to operate in and engage with many of my clients in Cupertino. I was given the great opportunity to design the Northwest YMCA’s community garden last year (a charity project), and lead, along with other leaders, a team of volunteers to build the whole garden over a six-month period. Now it is this beautiful garden everyone likes. It was with opportunities like these that my leadership grows.” -Shelkie Tao, Founder of WaterEfficientGardens.com 9 PARKS AND RECREATION EVENTS MCCLELLAN RANCH PRESERVE CALENDAR OF EVENTS Summer Camps With the end of the school year right around the corner, it is time to start planning your child’s summer. With more than 200 half-day and full- day summer camps to choose from, the City of Cupertino has the perfect camp for your child. Don’t wait! Find a Cupertino summer camp for your child at cupertino.org/camps. Environmental Education Center Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop by the Environmental Education Center on Saturdays between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and visit the City’s animal ambassadors, engage with preserve staff, learn about the local ecology, and participate in hands-on nature activities. Join-A-Ranger: Apex Predators Saturday, May 13, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. McClellan Ranch Preserve The Park Rangers invite you to an Apex Predator workshop! Learn about local Apex Predators like coyotes and owls and how they play an important role in the ecology of their environment. All attendees must register, and an adult must accompany children. Register at reg4rec.org. Join-A-Ranger: Wild Plant Uses Saturday, May 20, 1:30 to 3 p.m. McClellan Ranch Preserve Join the Park Rangers in exploring many native and non-native wild plants within the Riparian zones and Oak Savana grasslands of McClellan Ranch Preserve and Blackberry Farm. We will dive into these amazing plant species identification properties, edible uses, medicinal uses, and survival uses. Register at reg4rec.org. Bear Blacksmith Shop Saturday, May 27, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come to the restored Baer Blacksmith Shop and learn about early Cupertino history and the craft of blacksmithing. The forge will be fired up for blacksmithing demonstrations. Summer Recreation Schedule The summer recreation schedule is here! See what activities, classes, and camps the City has planned for this summer. 10 SENIOR CENTER BLACKBERRY FARM 50+ Scene Visit cupertino.org/senior and flip through the May/ June 50+ Scene to see what socials, events, and classes the Cupertino Senior Center has planned. Open Swim begins Saturday, May 27 Tuesday to Friday – noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday – 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jump In! Enjoy an afternoon of open swimming with family and friends at the Blackberry Farm swimming pools. For more information, visit cupertino.org/blackberryfarm. May 27 to June 25 - Open Weekends Only June 27 to August 20 - Open Tuesday to Sunday Picnic Site Rentals Blackberry Farm features six group picnic sites that can accommodate groups of 25 to 250. Sites can also be reserved in combination to accommodate larger parties. All sites are located in the west- bank picnic area, which is centrally located and fully accessible. Each site has a designated commercial-size barbecue, serving table, and a cold-water convenience sink. Make a picnic site reservation at cupertino.org/ blackberryfarm. Live Well Age Well Health Expo Cupertino Senior Center Friday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Find the resources you or a family member who is age 50 and older needs to live a positive and healthy life at our expo event! Booths and multiple educational sessions will provide information on community and health resources. Fitness demonstrations will be given for a chance to get active and learn new exercises. The first 100 participants will receive a free healthy box lunch with additional giveaways. Additional lunch boxes will be sold for $5 while supplies last. Expo is open to the public. ANSWERS: (1) Compost (2) Facilities (3) Stormdrain (4) Service Center (5) Playground (6) Arborist (7) Concrete (8) Traffic Signal (9) Median (10) Safe Routes 11 CUPERTINO SCENE Cupertino City Hall 10300 Torre Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 PRSRT-STD U.S. Postage PAID Cupertino, CA Permit No. 239 *******ECRWSSEDDM******* POSTAL CUSTOMER City Directory City of Cupertino Department Phone / Email Building Department ...................................(408) 777-3228 Building@Cupertino.org Business License ...........................................(408) 777-3221 BL@Cupertino.org City Clerk ......................................................(408) 777-3223 CityClerk@Cupertino.org City Manager ..............................................(408) 777-3212 Manager@Cupertino.org Code Enforcement .....................................(408) 777-3182 Code@Cupertino.org Planning Department .................................(408) 777-3308 Planning@Cupertino.org Recreation ...................................................(408) 777-3120 Recreation@Cupertino.org Senior Center ...............................................(408) 777-3150 Senior_Center@Cupertino.org Sports Center ...............................................(408) 777-3160 Recreation@Cupertino.org Street Light Maint. .......................................(408) 777-3342 StreetDivision@Cupertino.org Street Sweeping ..........................................(408) 777-3269 Engineering@Cupertino.org Tree Maint. ...................................................(408) 777-3410 Engineering@Cupertino.org Other Agencies Organization Phone Number Animal Control ........................................................(408) 794-7297 AT&T ..........................................................................(800) 331-0500 California Water Service .........................................(650) 917-0152 Chamber of Commerce ........................................(408) 252-7054 Comcast ..................................................................(800) 945-2288 Cupertino Library .....................................................(408) 540-3947 Cupertino Sanitary District ......................................(408) 253-7071 Cupertino Union School District .............................(408) 252-3000 Fremont Union High School District .......................(408) 522-2200 Hazardous Waste Drop-off .....................................(408) 299-7300 PG&E .........................................................................(800) 743-5000 Project Sentinel (Landlord/Tenant Issues) .............(408) 720-9888 Recology (Garbage & Recycling) ........................(408) 725-4020 San Jose Water Company .....................................(408) 279-7900 Santa Clara Registrar of Voters ..............................(408) 299-6863 VTA (Transportation Authority) ...............................(408) 321-2300 Vector Control, Santa Clara County ....................(408) 918-4770 First Responders Emergency Calls ...................................911 or (408) 299-3233 (Police, Fire, Medical) Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office ..............(408) 299-2311 (Non-Emergency) Santa Clara County Fire Department ...........(408) 378-4010 (Non-Emergency) Need to report an issue or have a City-related question? Visit: cupertino.org/cupertino311 or call (408) 777-3200. The Cupertino Scene is printed on post-consumer waste recycled paper with soy ink. The newsletter is produced by a certified Bay Area Green Business and is recyclable. For information on becoming a certified Green Business, visit cupertino.org/GreenBiz.