HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSC 01-08-2026 MinutesAPPROVED MINUTES
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
Thursday, January 8, 2026
At 6:03 p.m. Vice Chair Sidharth Rajaram called the Regular Public Safety Commission meeting
to order at the Quinlan Conference Room, 10185 North Stelling Road and via Teleconference.
ROLL CALL
Present: Vice Chair Sidharth Rajaram and Commissioners Sashikala Begur, Gregory Klein, and
Ravi Kiran Singh Sapaharam (arrived at 6:04 p.m.). Absent: None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1.Subject: November 13, 2025 Public Safety Commission Meeting Minutes
Recommended Action: Review and approve the November 13, 2025 Public Safety
Commission meeting minutes
MOTION: Rajaram moved and Klein seconded to approve the November 13, 2025 Public
Safety Commission Meeting Minutes. The motion carried with the following vote: Ayes:
Rajaram, Klein, Sapaharam. Noes: None. Abstain: Begur. Absent: None.
POSTPONEMENTS – Begur moved and Rajaram seconded to reorder the agenda to hear item No. 2.
llast, and move item no’s three and four to precede item two. The motion carried with the following
vote: Ayes: Rajaram, Begur, Klein, Sapaharam. Noes: None. Abstain: None. Absent: None.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS –
San Rao spoke about increasing enforcement of red-light violations at Highway 85 and Stevens
Creek due to severe traffic backups: also requesting the city explore ways to reduce cut-through
traffic caused by this congestion.
OLD BUSINESS – None
REPORTS / UPDATES
2.Subject: Report by the Santa Clara County Fire District
Recommended Action: Receive Report by the Santa Clara County Fire District liaison
Public Safety Commission Minutes January 8, 2026
Santa Clara County Fire District liaison Hector Estrada gave a presentation.
Commissioners asked questions which Santa Clara County Fire District liaison Hector
Estrada responded to.
Vice Chair Rajaram opened the public comment period, and the following people spoke:
• San Rao
Vice Chair Rajaram closed the public comment period.
3. Subject: Report by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office
Recommended Action: Receive report by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office liaison
This item was not heard.
MOTION: Rajaram moved and Begur seconded to skip this item. The motion carried with
the following vote: Ayes: Rajaram, Begur, Klein, Sapaharam. Noes: None. Abstain: None.
Absent: None.
NEW BUSINESS
4. Subject: 2026 Meeting Topics
Recommended Action: Review and discuss list of potential meeting topics for 2026
Block Leader Coordinator Marta Drown gave a presentation.
Commissioners asked questions which Block Leader Coordinator Marta Drown responded
to.
Vice Chair Rajaram opened the public comment period and, seeing no one, closed the
public comment period.
Begur moved and Rajaram seconded to keep the list as is with the exception of changing
priority four to become a sub-topic of priority number three. The motion carried with the
following vote: Ayes: Rajaram, Begur, Klein, Sapaharam. Noes: None. Abstain: None.
Absent: None.
STAFF AND COMMISSION REPORTS
Marta Drown updated the Commission on emergency preparedness efforts, storm coordination,
Public Safety Commission Minutes January 8, 2026
vegetation management reviews, cybersecurity assessments, and encouraged signing up for
AlertSCC.
Commissioners asked questions which Block Leader Coordinator Marta Drown responded to.
Vice Chair Rajaram opened the public comment period, and the following people spoke:
• San Rao
Vice Chair Rajaram closed the public comment period.
Commissioner Begur discussed a wildfire preparedness presentation held by the Cupertino
Library Foundation featuring local fire agencies and CERT programs. She recommended that the
Commissioners and City participate in future preparedness presentations and emphasized the
importance of these events. The Commissioner also mentioned that similar presentations would
be held in the future.
Vice Chair Rajaram shared anecdotal feedback from encouraging friends and family to register for
AlertSCC over the holidays, noting that people across age groups found the sign-up process
unnecessarily complicated, particularly due to password requirements. Vice Chair Rajaram
suggested the Commission may want to further examine the issue this year to improve accessibility
and participation.
Commissioner Klein reported on attending the Lawson open house and noted the monthly
GMRS/Ham Radio check-ins for zone-based reporting.
Commissioner Sapaharam discussed sending e-mails to Library Commission about AlertSCC
awareness and potentially attending one of their meetings.
FUTURE AGENDA SETTING –
Commissioners added the following future agenda items:
• Determine ways to increase AlertSCC registration (Rajaram, Klein)
• Gather and compile all necessary information on red light cameras and speeding,
sufficient to make an informed recommendation to the Council. (Rajaram, Klein)
• Identify and review the City of Cupertino’s fire hazard mitigation plans for the
hills and surrounding areas. (Rajaram, Begur)
Public Safety Commission Minutes January 8, 2026
•Each Commissioner to research and return with two concrete recommendations
regarding the second workplan item: potentially receiving a presentation or
having a discussion with IT and the Sheriff’s Office, with the objective of
determining what initiatives to implement and push out across all
communication channels. (Rajaram, Begur)
ADJOURNMENT
At 7:59 p.m. Vice Chair Rajaram adjourned the Regular Public Safety Commission Meeting.
Minutes prepared by:
Lindsay Nelson, Administrative Assistant