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Scene February 2017 - 02.01.2017
SCENEThe Cupertino A MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE CITY OF CUPERTINO FEBRUARY 2017 PLUS BE PREPARED: LEARN ABOUT THE L.I.F.E. FILE Page 4 HOW THE NEW MINIMUM WAGE AFFECTS YOU Page 5 WHAT IS THE MORION? Page 6 Sculpture of MYSTERY CHECK OUT THE COMMUNITY CALENDAR Page 9 PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS • DeVargas • Dilworth • Eaton • Eisenhower CLASSES OFFERED • Art • Chess • Communication & Debate • Science • STEM • Coding • Music REGISTRATION BEGINS: Week of January 9th CLASSES BEGIN: January 30th Questions? Contact the Cupertino Recreation and Community Services Department (408) 777.3120 OR visit www.cupertino.org/afterschoolenrichment *Participating schools and classes offered are subject to change* • Garden Gate • Meyerholz • Nimitz • Regnart • Steven Creek • West Valley Like to see these programs at your school? Contact your school administrator. This includes middle schools! ART • CHESS • COMMUNICATION & DEBATE • SCIENCE • STEM • CODING • MUSIC & MORE It’s a new year and a new Scene. Although the design looks different, this newsletter contains much of the same information residents have come to expect to receive. The new design—with a bigger page size—allows for the use of larg- er fonts (for easier reading), better use of images and photographs (to assist in storytelling), and more room for pullouts and graphs (to help ex- plain complicated information). Back in November 2016, the City surveyed the community and asked what it was that residents hoped to learn from reading the Scene. More than 170 people gave us their input. The top five topics of interest that were given (in order): 1. Public Safety (including the Sher- iff’s Office, Fire Department, and emergency services) 2. Community Events 3. Community Development (includ- ing building, planning, housing, and economic development) 4. Public Works (including capital projects, and parks and road main- tenance) 5. Environmental Services (including energy efficiency, waste reduction, and water conservation) These results are not surprising. They reflect everything one would ex- pect from an educated and well-in- formed community like Cupertino. But some difficult decisions had to be made. The Scene will no longer be divided into sections, such as Eco News and Library News, or the columns Roots and Simply Safe. Instead we’ve opened up the news- letter to allow for a greater variety of stories, voices, and information. However, much of the same infor- mation from those columns will still be highlighted in the Scene. It will just look a bit different. We understand that change can be difficult, but we believe the new for- mat will be a benefit to our residents. This is all part of a larger effort to ex- tend and expand the City’s com- munication efforts with the public. The City Council and staff are ded- icated to ensuring that residents have access to timely, engaging, and important information. The changes in this newsletter re- flect that ideology. So does the ap- proach the City has taken with its social media accounts, where staff has been working diligently to post more often and respond quickly to residents’ questions and comments. Residents will also notice City Coun- cil members, Commissioners, and staff more often at events as the City hosts more informational tables. We’ll see you out there. David Brandt City Manager MANAGING THE MESSAGE CONTENTS Page 3 FEATURES 12 The Scene Answers Check out the Scene’s new Q&A section on the back page.6 City Symbol Learn how and why the morion was chosen as Cupertino’s logo. IN S I D E 9 Community Calendar Check out what’s going on for the month of February. 8 The “Cuperti-know” What’s happening around town? Find out and take part.10 Council Actions Stay up to date on City Council decisions at its public meetings. 5 Shop Local Find out why it’s more important than ever to shop in Cupertino. Questions or comments about The Scene? Contact staff at scene@cupertino.org. 4 L.I.F.E. When responding to a medical emergency, firefighters and paramedics rely heavily upon the patient, caretaker, or family member to provide medical background information to help with the treatment and care of the patient. Occasionally patients are alone and unresponsive, or caretakers are not knowledgeable of the patient’s back- ground. But now residents are able to provide life-saving information in one place, located right on their refrigerators. Lifesaving Information for Emergencies The L.I.F.E. File is a vinyl magnetic pouch that can be placed on the front or side of your re- frigerator, where fire fighters and paramedics are trained to check for medical information. Personal, emergency contact, medical, and medication information needs to be filled out on the L.I.F.E. File form provided in the pouch. Instructions on how to use the form properly is on the right. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Fill out the L.I.F.E. File form in full (The Fire Department re- quests that it be completed in English). 2. Fold the L.I.F.E File form and place it inside the magnetic pouch. 3. Enclose copies of any advanced directives (Living Will, Physician Orders for the Life-Sustaining Treatment, Do Not Resuscitate, and others) in the pouch. 4. Place the L.I.F.E. pouch on the front, or side, of your refrig- erator. Obtain One of these Free Lifesaving Kits To receive a free L.I.F.E. kit, contact the Santa Clara County Fire Department at (408) 378-4010. For more information on the Fire Department’s services, visit www.sccfd.org. Page 4 After polling and engaging the community last fall, the Cupertino City Council approved an ordinance as part of a regional effort to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2019. This timeline is more aggressive than the minimum wage law signed by Governor Jerry Brown in April 2016, which increases the State minimum wage to $15 by 2022. The minimum wage has increased from $10 an hour to $12 an hour for all workers within Cupertino, which be- came effective January 1, 2017. The minimum wage will increase annually based on the consumer price index. These minimum wage increases in- tend to lift the standard of living for many workers in Cupertino, which is a positive step for everyone in our com- munity. However, it is also important to understand that all restaurants and small businesses are affected by hav- ing to adapt to these increases in la- bor costs. The increase in the minimum wage is likely to be reflected in slightly high- er prices at your favorite Cupertino restaurants or retail stores in order for business owners to continue operat- ing and serving our community. Show your support for the changes by continuing to patronize these busi- nesses and letting them know that you understand that our entire com- munity is in this together. When you consider how many small businesses surround you in your ev- eryday lives, it is inspiring to realize the amount of time, commitment, and labor these hard-working individuals put into making their businesses sur- vive and thrive to serve you. As you may have personally experi- enced, many local businesses gen- erously give back to our community through sponsorships and donations to local organizations and causes. Small businesses also help shape our community character, strengthen economic vitality, as well as develop strong partnerships among neighbors, residents, other small business owners, community leaders, and schools. Supporting small businesses is more important than ever, and deserves to be part of your everyday routine. For additional information on the minimum wage increase, please visit www.cupertino.org/wagewatch. ____________________________________ Economic Development Manager Angela Tsui contributed to this article. Page 5 shop local 2017 New Year’s Resolution: Shop and Dine More in Cupertino SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER, AND DESERVES TO BE A PART OF YOUR EVERYDAY ROUTINE. Minimum WageTimeline January 1, 2017 $12.00 January 1, 2018 $13.50 January 1, 2019 $15.00 More Information: www.cupertino.org/wagewatch The Storyof a Sculpture At the corner of Torre and Ro- drigues avenues stands a 20-foot- tall silent sentry to Cupertino’s past. Schoolchildren and their parents walk by the sculpture every day on the way to class, while bicyclists and drivers pass by on their way to work, City Hall, or the library. Some don’t notice the large rust-fin- ished helmet as they go about their daily routines, especially during the fall when it blends in seamlessly with the red- and orange-colored leaves of the trees that surround it. But those who do look up usually have the same question: What is that? The sculpture is a stylized version of a morion (pronounced mohr-ee-on) which is a Spanish conquistadores helmet. And it’s been Cupertino’s symbol since the 1970s. Why a Spanish Helmet? The area now known as Cupertino was claimed by the Spanish in 1776 by explorer Juan Bautista de Anza. That name is familiar to every Cuper- tino resident who uses De Anza Bou- levard, which cuts through the heart of the City between Prospect Road to the south and Homestead Road to the north. Fast forward 200 years when the City Council in the 1970s had a decision to make on artwork for an upgraded Civic Plaza. According to local history, the Coun- cil had to select either the morion sculpture—at a cost of approximate- ly $10,000—or a statue of Juan Bautis- ta de Anza on a horse for an amount anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000. The Council decided to be prudent with the taxpayers’ dollars and went with the cheaper option. Thus, the morion became the City of Cuperti- no’s official symbol. Interestingly, it’s believed that de Anza himself never wore a morion. Instead, he most likely wore a plain, black, wide-brimmed hat which was more comfortable to wear and helped protect his face and neck from the elements as he trail blazed through California. The Life of the Morion The morion sculpture was purchased by the City in 1971 and placed on a three-legged base in the Civic Cen- ter Plaza, where it sat for over a de- cade. In 1987, as a 25th anniversary gift, the City created a replica of the sculp- ture and presented it to its Sister City Toyokawa, Japan, where it still stands. (Fun Fact: There was a brief debate among Councilmembers on wheth- er the City would gift a replica of the statue or give the original statue to its Sister City.) One year later the sculpture was relo- cated to the side of the old Cuperti- no Library on Torre Avenue. When the building was demolished to make way for a new library and com- munity hall, the sculpture was dis- mantled, refurbished, and then finally moved to the corner of Torre and Ro- drigues avenues when the new Civic Center was completed in 2004. Learn More About Cupertino History Tucked away in a cozy corner of the Quinlan Community Center is the Cupertino History Museum. The mu- seum is open between Wednesday and Saturday from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m (depending on volunteer availabili- ty). Admission is free. The room is filled with historical docu- ments and artifacts, rotating exhibits, and a gift shop—where you can pur- chase Cupertino history books, book- marks, T-shirts, and even a “historical scenes” blanket. The museum is run by the Cupertino Historical Society with a purpose of creating a passion for the past. The Historical Society has collected more than 3,000 artifacts that span more than 100 years of Cupertino history. Visit the museum’s website at www.cupertinohistoricalsociety.com or check it our in person at the Quin- lan Community Center, located at 10185 N. Stelling Road. ____________________________________ The Cupertino Historical Society, Gail Fretwell-Hugger, and Donna Austin contributed to this article. ROOTS: A GOODBYE In thinking about what to write about for this last column, several things came to mind. First of all, “Roots” became a part of the Scene many years ago through the efforts of Cupertino old-timer Henrietta Marcotte, one of the found- ers of the Cupertino Historical Society and Museum. She had phenomenal recall for peo- ple, places, dates, sites, events, and the earliest history of Cupertino. She also helped with the “Traveling Trunk” and regaled schoolchildren in our district with tales of the old days in Cupertino as she shared farm, home, and school artifacts with them. When Henrietta’s eyes began to tire in her older years, she called me one day and asked me to come to visit her at her home. When I got there, she had historical articles and older Cupertino Scenes spread out on her large table. She handed one to me and commanded, “Here! You are going to write ‘Roots’ now!” One did not say “no” to Henrietta and that is how I started doing “Roots” in September of 1996. My first story was about the Louis Portal House, which once stood between present-day Blaney Avenue and Wolfe Road. Other contributors to “Roots” includ- ed Diane Zeigler Ikeda and Yvonne Holt. They were both long-time Mon- ta Vista residents. The early Cupertino Scenes were un- der the editorial supervision of Cuper- tino’s leading lights - Dan O’Keefe, James Jackson, and Reed Sparks - all served on the City Council and wrote the news for the Scene, often adding humorous comments. I’ll miss writing “Roots” and hearing from its readers. God bless you all and may you enjoy all the good rain we’ve been receiving. Come visit the Cupertino Museum at Quinlan Cen- ter and we’ll show you lots more in- formation about Cupertino’s “Roots”! by Gail Fretwell-Hugger Page 7 Page 8 What’s going on around town? GET IN THE CUPERTI- know WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 8 Cupertino Safe Routes 2 School Parent Meet-up Cupertino Community Hall 10350 Torre Avenue 3 - 5 p.m. TEEN CENTERCupertino Sports Center21111 Stevens Creek Boulevard A safe place for Cupertino teens to study, hang out, or meet new friends www.cupertino.org/teencenter CANADIAN ROCKIES BY TRAIN SEPTEMBER 14-22 FOR CUPERTINO SENIORS MORE INFO & SIGN UP AT www.cupertino.org/seniors CREST AWARDSNominate someone who is an outstanding volunteer Nominations must be submitted by Friday, March 10 www.cupertino.org/crest COMMUNITY CALENDAR © The Rotary Club of Cupertino 2017 Crab Feed and Auction Friday, February 3, 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. St. Joseph’s Church, Church Parish Hall 10110 De Anza Blvd. $50 per person (**$25 tax deductible) Tickets: http://bit.ly/CupRotaryCrabs © Cupertino Safe Routes 2 School Parent Meet-Up Wednesday, February 8, 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Cupertino Community Hall 10350 Torre Avenue A strategy session for creating safer routes to school, featuring City of Palo Alto’s Safe Routes to School program. © 19th Annual Lunar New Year Luncheon Friday, February 10 Dynasty Restaurant, 10123 N Wolfe Road The Cupertino Chamber of Commerce and The Asian American Business Coun- cil Proudly Present the 19th Annual Lunar New Year Luncheon. Celebrate the cul- tural diversity of the Cupertino Business Community. © Santa Clara County Legal Professionals Association’s 7th Annual Crab Feed Saturday, February 11, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. Quinlan Community Center 10185 N Stelling Rd. Adults: $45 – Children (4-12): $20 Tickets: www.sccolpa.org/drupal/Events © Save the Date! Fremont Union High School’s Foundation Annual Crab Feed & Vegetarian Feast Fundraiser Friday, April 7, 5:30 – 8:00 p.m. De Anza College 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard $55 for crab or veggie (including meat options) or $75 for both For more information on the Senior Cen- ter, or to sign up for classes or events, vis- it www.cupertino.org/seniors or stop by 21251 Stevens Creek Boulevard. Events / Socials Chinese New Year Celebration and Birth- day Bash Wednesday, February 8, 12 p.m. Enjoy a Chinese meal and cultural enter- tainment as the lion dancers ring in the New Year. Pre-registration is required, and a vegetarian option is available when registering. Members $12, senior guests add $5 day pass. © Lunch with Friends Thursday, February 15 & 22, 11:45 a.m. Pre-registration is required, and a vege- tarian option is available when register- ing. Member fee is $6, senior guests add $5 day pass. © Monthly Movie Wednesday, February 22, 1:30-3:30 p.m. “Shall We Dance” (2004) Members free, senior guests pay $5. Classes / Presentations Legal Planning for the Future Monday, February 6, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Attend this informational presentation to learn about all aspects of capacity plan- ning. Sign up at the lobby table. © Advanced Care Planning Monday, February 6, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Learn about choosing a health care agent and how to complete an Ad- vanced Health Care Directive for families and health care providers. Members are free, senior guests pay $5 guest pass. Sign up at the lobby table. © The Age of Love Monday, February 13, 1- 4 p.m. This documentary follows the humorous and poignant adventures of 30 seniors in Rochester, NY who sign up for a first-of-its- kind speed dating event exclusively for seniors. Open to the public. Sign up at the Senior Center lobby table. © Downloadable Music Wednesday, February 15, 10-11 a.m. Learn about Freegal, a mobile applica- tion, that is completely free and a legal way to access a collection of almost 7 million songs. Members are free, senior guests pay $5 guest pass. © Music and News Wednesday, February 22, 10-11a.m. Take this opportunity to learn about Medici.tv and the New York Times online! Members are free, senior guests pay $5 guest pass. Sign up at the lobby table. © Social Services Volunteer Nurse – Blood Pressure Checks Mondays, February 13, 27, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays, February 7, 21, 12:15-1:15 p.m. © Health Insurance Counseling (HICAP) Mondays, February 13, 27, 1-3 p.m. Consultation on Medicare and health insurance. Please call (408) 777-3150 to make an appointment. © Housing Monday, February 6,1:30-3:30p.m. A list of housing resources and contact in- formation are provided to help you inde- pendently search for housing. Please call (408) 777-3150 to make an appointment. © Senior Adult Legal Aid (SALA) Friday, February 3, 10, 17, 10:30-12:30 p.m. Provides free assistance to elders for ba- sic legal matters in public benefits, long- term care, elder abuse, housing, consum- er issues, incapacity planning, probate alternative, and simple wills. Must be 60 or older and live in Santa Clara County. Please call (408) 777-3150 to make an ap- pointment. © Drop-in Consultation with Case Manager Wednesdays, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. A Case Manager is available to discuss community resources, benefits, and care options during the drop-in hours. Case Manager is also available by appoint- ment. Cantonese/Mandarin available. © Caregiver Support Group Thursday, February 9, 3-4:30 p.m. Provides a safe place for family caregiv- ers to share their experiences and chal- lenges. Join our circle of support. Senior Travel Call (408) 777-3150 for info on trips. Marvelous Monterey, $116 Wednesday, February 1 Napa Valley Wine Train, $217 Friday, February 10 Steinbeck House and National Steinbeck Center, $113 Thursday, February 16 Sunday Brunch with Attitude, $129 Sunday, March 12 calendar continued on next page... Page 9 FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENTS SENIOR CENTER community calendar continued... For more information on library programs, visit the events section of the library’s website at www.sccl.org/cupertino. A Multimedia Talk from the Asian Art Mu- seum: Celebrate Lunar New Year Wednesday, February 1, 7 p.m. Cupertino Community Hall A speaker from the Asian Art Museum will present an educational and entertaining multimedia program in celebrating Lunar New Year. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cupertino Library. © Nothing But Noir! A Film Series Sponsored by the Cupertino Library Foun- dation. All showings are at 1:15 p.m. on Thursdays. Registration is free, sign up at www.cupertinolibraryfoundation.org. February 2: Mildred Pierce (1945) February 9: Murder My Sweet (1944) February 16: Kansas City Confidential (1952) © Introduction to Arduino (Two Workshops) Sundays, February 5, 12 from 2-5 p.m. Cupertino Library Story Room Instructors from CuperTinker Space maker group will provide hands-on introduction to Arduino. For Adults ages 18 and over. Seating is limited. Both sessions are the same; please register for only one. Online registration begins on Monday, January 16, 2017 at 10 a.m. © English/Mandarin Bilingual Storytime Monday, February 6, 11:15 a.m. Cupertino Library Story Room Stories, songs, fingerplays and a craft for children ages 2 - 5. Storytime will be con- ducted in English and Mandarin. © Trivia Contest Thursday, February 9, 7 p.m. Cupertino Library Story Room Come have fun, bring your friends, and join the Cupertino Library for an evening of trivia. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cupertino Library. (Adults 18+. Seating is limited. Online registrations begins on Thursday, January 26 at 10 a.m.) © Friends of the Cupertino Library Book Sale Saturday, February 11, 9-3 p.m. Sunday, February 12, 12-3 p.m. Cupertino Community Hall Come on in and browse the gently-read books for sale. You never know what trea- sures you can find! Cupertino City Council Meeting Tuesday, December 6, 2016 Closed Session City Council Meeting Present: Mayor Barry Chang, Vice May- or Savita Vaidhyanathan, and Council members Rod Sinks and Gilbert Wong. Absent: Vice Mayor Darcy Paul Gave direction to Staff for conference with legal counsel-existing litigation pur- suant to Paragraph (1) of Subdivision (D) of Government Code Section 54956.9. Name of Case: City of Saratoga; City of Cupertino; Town of Los Gatos V. Califor- nia Department of Transportation, Et Al. (Paul absent) Special City Council Meeting Present: Mayor Barry Chang, Vice May- or Savita Vaidhyanathan, and Council members Rod Sinks and Gilbert Wong. Absent: None Conducted Aircraft Noise Study Session and gave direction to Staff to identi- fy a Staff Liaison and to write a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration. The Mayor will work with the City Manager and Council Member Paul to represent Council in the letter. Regular City Council Meeting Present: Mayor Barry Chang, Vice May- or Savita Vaidhyanathan, and Council members Rod Sinks and Gilbert Wong. Absent: None Conducted a Study Session on Wireless Facilities within the Public Right of Way and provided direction on the proposed use of public street light poles to mount small cellular facilities @ Received Presentation of Teen Commis- sion FY 16-17 Work Plan @ Approved the November 15 City Council minutes @ Adopted Resolution No. 16-129 accept- ing Accounts Payable for the period end- ing October 7, 2016 @ Adopted Resolution No. 16-130 accept- ing Accounts Payable for the period end- ing October 14, 2016 @ Continued discussion of Item to Decem- ber 20 regarding resignation of Teen Commissioner Rishit Gundu @ Established Friendship City relationships with Luoyang, People’s Republic of Chi- na; Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; Wu- han, People’s Republic of China; Yilan, Taiwan, Republic of China; and Zhao- qing, People’s Republic of China; and Guro, Seoul, South Korea @ Authorized the City Manager to sign the Subordination Agreement with River City Bank and Joint Powers Authority Mem- bers of the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority @ Approved the budget allocations neces- sary to execute the approved contracts in order to complete work at Apple Cam- pus 2 through the end of Fiscal Year 2017 (Sinks recusing) @ Recommended approval to the Califor- nia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control of the Application for Alcohol Beverage License for Amami Shima Sushi Corp, 19068 Stevens Creek Boulevard @ Conducted the second reading and en- acted Ordinance No. 16-2157, “An Or- dinance of the City Council of the City of Cupertino amending the Cupertino Municipal Code, Title 19, Zoning, Section 19.08.030, entitled “Definitions” to add the definition of “Financial Institutions” and “Banks” to expressly exclude payday lending and check cashing businesses with the intent to disallow such uses from operating within the City of Cupertino” @ Conducted the second reading and en- acted Ordinance No. 16-2158: “an ordi- nance of the city council of the city of Cupertino to amend Chapter 8.07, bee- keeping, and Table 19.20.020 of Chapter 19.20, permitted, conditional, and ex- cluded uses in agricultural and residential COUNCIL ACTIONS @ Page 10 CUPERTINO LIBRARY council actions continued... zones, regarding the regulation, location, and the keeping of bees in the city and to make other conforming changes to Ta- ble 19.20.020 for clarification and internal consistency” @ Conducted the second reading and en- acted Ordinance No. 16-2159 “an ordi- nance of the city council of the city of Cu- pertino amending title 19, zoning, of the Cupertino municipal code including but not limited to Chapter 19.08 (definitions), Chapter 19.20 (permitted, conditional and excluded uses in agricultural and residential zones), Chapter 19.24 (agricul- tural (a) and agricultural - residential (a-1) zones), Chapter 19.32 (residential duplex (r-2) zones), Chapter 19.52 (reasonable accommodation), and Chapter 19.112 (second dwelling units in r-1, rhs, a and a-1 zones), in response to recently adopt- ed state legislation regarding accessory dwelling units for compliance with state law, and for internal consistency” @ Adopted resolution no. 16-101 regarding the appeal of Ms. Kimberly Sandstrom and affirming the recommendation of the housing commission regarding the eligibility of Ms. Sandstrom to purchase a BMR unit @ Adopted Resolution No. 16-131 approv- ing an amended Fiscal Year 2016-2017 Fee Schedule, effective February 6, 2017 (Chang and Sinks voting no) @ Directed Silicon Valley clean energy (SVCE) to upgrade the city’s electricity accounts to GreenPrime service, upon service launch in April 2017 @ Approved the request from the Taipei friendship city committee for the city to sponsor a Smart City Conference in 2017 with no financial support from the City of Cupertino with the exception of social media, logo and nominal staff. The com- mittee would be required to come back to council for any additional support @ Directed staff to add agenda item to December 20 meeting for discussion of a video contest for friendship cities and sister cities @ Council members highlighted the activi- ties of their committees and various com- munity events City Council Meeting Thursday, December 20, 2016 Closed Session City Council Meeting Present: Mayor Barry Chang, Vice May- or Savita Vaidhyanathan, and Council members Darcy Paul, Rod Sinks and Gil- bert Wong. Absent: Vice Mayor Darcy Paul. Gave direction to staff for conference with legal counsel - anticipated litigation: significant exposure to litigation pursu- ant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of gov’t code section 54956.9 - two cases (Paul absent) @ Gave direction to staff for conference with Real Property negotiators (gov’t code section 54956.8); property: Cuper- tino municipal water system; agency ne- gotiator: Timm Borden; negotiating par- ties: city of Cupertino and San Jose water company; under negotiation: terms for city leased asset (Paul absent) Regular City Council Meeting Present: Mayor Barry Chang, Vice May- or Savita Vaidhyanathan, and Council members Darcy Paul, Rod Sinks and Gil- bert Wong. Absent: Vice Mayor Darcy Paul. Approved the December 6 city council minutes (Paul absent) @ Approved the December 8 city council minutes (Paul absent) @ Adopted Resolution No. 16-133 accept- ing accounts payable for the period end- ing October 21, 2016 (Paul absent) @ Adopted Resolution No. 16-134 accept- ing accounts payable for the period end- ing October 28, 2016 (Paul absent) @ Adopted Resolution No. 16-135 accept- ing accounts payable for the period end- ing November 4, 2016 (Paul absent) @ Cancelled the January 17 regular City Council meeting and called a special City Council meeting for January 24 (Paul absent) @ 1.) Moved hearing date for objections to proposed removal of a public nuisance (weeds) to February 7; and 2.) Adopted Resolution No. 16-136 rescinding Resolu- tion No. 16-125 and adopting an amend- ed resolution declaring weeds on certain described property to be a public nui- sance to move the hearing for objections to proposed removal to February 7 (Paul absent) @ Accepted resignation of teen commis- sioner Rishit Gundu and directed staff to fill the unscheduled vacancy with the an- nual teen commission recruitment in May 2017 (Paul absent) @ 1. Adopted Resolution No. 16-137 rescind- ing Resolution No. 10-048 and revising the commission recruitment process for all commissions other than the teen com- mission to add designated alternates at the time of initial appointment of regular members; and 2.) Adopted Resolution No. 16-138 rescinding Resolution No. 09- 115 and revising the commission recruit- ment process for the teen commission to add designated alternates at the time of initial appointment of regular members (Paul absent) @ Authorized an increase in the construc- tion contingency amount by an addi- tional $8,000 with funds from the current appropriated project budget of $827,000 (Paul absent) @ Discussed video contest for friendship and sister cities and approved using the city’s name for Chang to send an invi- tation to the friendship and sister cities to ask students to participate in making a 15 minute video about their city; and subject to Chang providing a proposal to council members in writing noting the contest rules and no request for funding; and council has discretion to change its mind and not support the contest after seeing the proposal (Sinks voting no and Paul absent) @ Council members highlighted the activi- ties of their committees and various com- munity events (Paul absent) To view videos of past City Council meetings, visit https://cupertino.legistar.com/ Calendar.aspx Page 11 PRSRT-STD U.S. Postage PAID Cupertino, CA Permit No. 239 CUPERTINO SCENE Cupertino City Hall 10300 Torre Avenue Cupertino, CA 95014 *******ECRWSSEDDM******* POSTAL CUSTOMER The Cupertino Scene is printed on 40% 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 www.cupertino.org/GreenBiz. Q&A The Scene Answers Have questions for staff? Send them to scene@cupertino.org or call (408) 777-3212. Question: Do I need a permit to take out my tree? Answer: The City of Cupertino and its residents value the aesthetic, environmental, and economic value of public and privately owned trees. However, at times property owners may wish to remove trees on their property for various safety, maintenance, and structural issues. The Planning Division of the Community Development Department has a permit process for prop-erty owners to follow if they wish to remove a protected tree on their property. Cupertino Munici-pal Code Section 14.18 provides details on definitions and requirements. It is important to first determine if the tree is a City street tree or a privately owned tree. If the tree has a small green tag attached to its trunk, then it is likely a City street tree. Please contact the Public Works Department to verify whether it is a street or private tree and with respect to trimming, maintenance, and/or removal of street trees. If the tree in question is not a City street tree, the property owner will need to determine if it is a Protected Tree per Section 14.18. Generally, the following trees are protected and a Tree Removal Permit is required if the owner wish-es to remove them: 1) Mature Specimen Trees, 2) Approved Development Trees, 3) Approved Privacy Protection Plantings in Single Family Residential (R1) Zones, and 4) Heritage Trees. If your tree is any of those listed above, then you are required to get a Tree Removal Permit from the Planning Di-vision. The Tree Removal Permit process requires the submission of fees, application form, justification statement, and depending on the type and size of tree, may require an arborist report, onsite posting notice, and neighbor mailings. Replacement trees are required to be planted in conjunction with approval of a Tree Removal Permit. Contact the Planning Division for further detail regarding the permit process at (408) 777-3308. Benjamin Fu is the Assistant Director of Community Development. He is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and supervising assigned divisions and sections of the Community Development Department.