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CC 01-26-2021 Commission Interviews_Written CommunicationsCC 01-26-21 Commission Interviews Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Written Comments 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Sophia Chan <sophia_y_chan@yahoo.com> Sent:Thursday, January 21, 2021 8:46 PM To:City Council; City Clerk Cc:Seema Lindskog; Jennifer Shearin Subject:Candidate for Bicycle Pedestrian Commission - Sophia Chan Attachments:CV for the Bike Ped Commission - Sophia Chan 2021.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear City Council members and City Clerk, I'm really excited to be a candidate for the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission. Since submitting my application, I have been looking at our city roads and neighborhoods through different lenses. I look forward to meeting the council members at my interview. Until then, please review my attached CV. Thank you. Best Regards, Sophia Chan Sophia Chan Background Relevant to the Commission I’ve always enjoyed biking, and as my family has grown, I’ve encouraged them to bike for exercise and commuting to school here in Cupertino. I grew up in Davis and everyone biked. When I went to UC Santa Cruz, walking or taking the shuttle and local bus was the main way to travel around the large campus. Shortly after graduation, I settled in the Bay Area where my co-worker encouraged me to sign up for bike touring events once or twice a month on the weekends. Now after two kids, my focus has shifted to finding ways to make our neighborhoods safer for children to walk or bike to school. I have been a liaison with Cupertino SR2S since its initiation, starting first as a Parent Champion at Garden Gate and today continuing to be a PTA/Parent Champion at Lawson Middle School. I’ve participated actively in the Walk Audit project process there, and have been working with City Staff and the District to improve safety for student cyclists on their commute to Lawson by creating a designated use path in the heavy school traffic area and encouraging safer walking for students by modifying crosswalks and signage near the school. Community Experience Community service to Cupertino, especially its students, has been a key part of my life for many years. I’ve lived in the Cupertino area since 1990 and became a homeowner in 2000. Since becoming a CUSD parent in 2010, I have been heavily involved in my local schools’ PTAs starting with being the lead for the The Future Is Now (TFIN) at Garden Gate. I have held PTA Board Positions at Garden Gate for nine years and Lawson for six years, including PTA President at both. I have also participated in the Cupertino Education Endowment Foundation (CEEF) meetings and the 5K run where I help sort T-shirts, distributed packets, directed and cheered runners along the course. Most recently, I am the leader of the CUSD United Fundraising Committee to work with all 25 school sites' parent organizations in formulating a plan to generate recurring funds for the district. Professional Experience Throughout my career, my strength has always been to collaborate with people across departments and management levels. My academic background is a BA in Economics from UC Santa Cruz and an MBA in International Business from Middlebury Institute of International Studies (formerly Monterey Institute of International Studies). During my MBA program, I spent a year in Nepal working under USAID to support the Janakpur Women’s Development Center. I was then a Project Manager for Network Equipment Technologies and then Sales Support and a World Wide Order Processing Manager for Extreme Networks. All of these positions reinforced my collaborative strengths as I worked to balance each department’s objectives and the goals of the company. One success was the implementation of the Oracle order to cash software implementation. Since retiring and spending time volunteering and supporting my children’s school, I have taken this experience to work with administrators, school staff, parents and students. By working closely together, we have been able to complete capital projects such as a colorful play structure and digital marquee for Garden Gate and shade structure for Lawson quad area. I look forward to working in a new way with the Cupertino City Council, Staff, and other Cupertino Commissioners to enhance walking and biking for everyone here in Cupertino. 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Andrea <indie_00@yahoo.com> Sent:Friday, January 22, 2021 6:26 PM To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager's Office; City Clerk Subject:Appoint Bike Ped commissioners with the right experience, goals, and past actions CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Mayor Paul and Esteemed City Council members, I urge you to appoint commissioners to the Bicycle‐Pedestrian Commission who: ‐ Walk or bike regularly within the city so that they have relevant experience to bring to the commission ‐ Want to improve walking and biking infrastructure in the city ‐ Have not opposed a major walking and biking project in the city in the past 5 years. Appointing, or reappointing, a commissioner who has not done much biking or walking in the city or has a demonstrated history of opposing a major walking or biking project reduces the commission%2��s credibility and makes its advice suspect. The charter of the commission is to improve walking and biking in the city. The relevant experience, goals, and past actions of the commissioners need to be aligned with this charter. Appointing such a commissioner for a %2��diversity of opinion%2�� is the equivalent of appointing someone who wants less art to the Arts Commission or wants fewer parks to the Parks & Recreation Commission‐‐ it goes against the fundamental purpose of the commission. There are eighteen candidates for the two Bicycle‐Pedestrian Commission appointments, so there are many options. I urge you to choose carefully and to appoint commissioners who will be strong advocates for walking and biking residents in our city. Thank you for your work on behalf of Cupertino. Sincerely, Andrea Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Stephanie Miller <smithereens97@icloud.com> Sent:Friday, January 22, 2021 7:06 PM To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager's Office; City Clerk Subject:Appoint Bike Ped commissioners with the right experience, goals, and past actions CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Mayor Paul and Esteemed City Council members, I strongly urge you to appoint commissioners to the Bicycle‐Pedestrian Commission who: ‐ Walk or bike regularly within the city so that they have relevant experience to bring to the commission ‐ Want to improve walking and biking infrastructure in the city ‐ Have not opposed a major walking and biking project in the city in the past 5 years. Appointing, or reappointing, a commissioner who has not done much biking or walking in the city or has a demonstrated history of opposing a major walking or biking project reduces the commission’s credibility and makes its advice suspect. The charter of the commission is to improve walking and biking in the city. The relevant experience, goals, and past actions of the commissioners need to be aligned with this charter. Appointing such a commissioner for a “diversity of opinion” is the equivalent of appointing someone who wants less art to the Arts Commission or wants fewer parks to the Parks & Recreation Commission‐‐ it goes against the fundamental purpose of the commission. There are eighteen candidates for the two Bicycle‐Pedestrian Commission appointments, so there are many options. I urge you to choose carefully and to appoint commissioners who will be strong advocates for walking and biking residents in our city. We have had enough drama in the political arena both locally and nationally. It’s time to do the right thing and appoint officials who are suitably qualified to speak to the issues at hand though experience and advocacy. Thank you for your work on behalf of Cupertino. Sincerely, Stephanie Miller 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Mary Edbrooke <edbrooke@yahoo.com> Sent:Saturday, January 23, 2021 3:15 AM To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager's Office; City Clerk Subject:Please select Bike Ped Commissioners with relevant walking and biking experience CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Mayor Paul and respected Council members Willey, Chao, Chien, and Moore, Commissioners are a valuable position in our community to give knowledgeable advice to the Council on their specific areas of expertise. As such, it is important that they know a great deal about the subject matter and support the goals of the Commission. The Bicycle Pedestrian Commission’s goals are to advise the Council on how to improve walking and biking for our residents. To be credible in this role, Bike Ped Commissioners need relevant experience as a regular walker or biker in the city as well as a demonstrated desire to support walk bike projects. Unfortunately, we currently have two Bike Ped commissioners who primarily do long bike rides in the broader Bay Area, spending little time biking in the city itself, and one commissioner who has never biked in the city until a couple of months ago and rarely walks. Commissioners should also not have opposed a city infrastructure project to improve walking and biking at least in the last five years. Having these three traits in a commissioner should be the bare minimum for an appointment and can be easily verified during the interview process. Appointing or reappointing someone that doesn’t meet them doesn’t constitute “diversity” on a commission‐‐it is opposite to the stated goals of the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission and would be equivalent to appointing someone to the Fine Arts Commission that knows little about art and wants less of it in Cupertino. This week you are able to make a real difference in the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission by appointing two new members. I ask you to appoint members that walk and bike regularly, want to encourage and improve walking and biking, and haven’t worked to stop city walking and biking projects. As a longtime resident, this is an issue that I care deeply about and I hope that you understand its importance. Thank you for your hard work on behalf of all residents. Sincerely, Mary Edbrooke 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Seema Lindskog <seema3366@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, January 24, 2021 12:54 PM To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager's Office; City Clerk Subject:Please appoint only qualified Bike Ped Commissioners CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Respected Mayor Paul and Esteemed City Council members, I urge you to appoint two new commissioners to the Bicycle‐Pedestrian Commission who:  Have not opposed a major walking and biking project in the city in the past 5 years.  Walk or bike regularly within the city so that they have relevant experience to bring to the commission  Want to improve walking and biking infrastructure in the city Appointing, or reappointing, a commissioner who has not done much biking or walking in the city or has a demonstrated history of opposing a major walking or biking project reduces the commission’s credibility and makes its advice suspect. The charter of the commission is to improve walking and biking in the city. The relevant experience, goals, and past actions of the commissioners need to be aligned with this charter. Appointing such a commissioner for a “diversity of opinion” is the equivalent of appointing someone who wants less art to the Arts Commission or wants fewer parks to the Parks & Recreation Commission– it goes against the fundamental purpose of the commission. Of the 18 candidates for the Bike Ped Commission, there are 10 candidates that seem eminently qualified based on their answers. I urge you to choose the 2 new commissioners from among these 10 candidates. They are:  Matt Widmann  Sophia Chan  Deepa Mahendraker  Sundar Narayanan  Gary Newman  Eric Crouch  Matthew Hurley  Roger Chen  Maanya Condamoor  Jack Carter Thank you for your work on behalf of Cupertino. Sincerely, Seema Lindskog ___________________________________________________________________ "You must be the change you want to see in the world." ‐ Mahatma Gandhi 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Jennifer Shearin <shearin.jen@gmail.com> Sent:Sunday, January 24, 2021 7:35 PM To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager's Office Subject:Bike Ped Commissioners appointments CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Esteemed City Councilmembers and Mayor Paul: It is vitally important that commissioners are appointed that have relevant experience and want to further the purpose of each commission. This is true for all commissions, including the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission. Bike‐Ped Commissioners should want to improve walking and biking in the city, and have personal experience walking and biking around our city. They should not have opposed a major project in Cupertino in the past five years. Appointing, or reappointing, a commissioner who has done very little biking or walking in the city or has a demonstrated history of opposing a major walking or biking project makes the advice the Council will receive lose credibility. The goals of the Bike‐Ped Commission are to make it easier and safer to bike and walk, and to encourage residents of all ages to do so. The relevant experience, goals, and past actions of the commissioners naturally should be the basis of their fitness for the role. Appointing commissioners for other reasons—especially as there are so many other much more qualified candidates—is not “diversity”, but opposite to the purpose and goals of the commission. There are 10 candidates that appear to be very qualified based on their answers in their applications. I ask that you pick the next two commissioners from one of these candidates.  Matt Widmann  Sophia Chan  Deepa Mahendraker  Sundar Narayanan  Gary Newman  Eric Crouch  Matthew Hurley  Roger Chen  Maanya Condamoor  Jack Carter Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of the residents of Cupertino. Best Wishes, Jennifer Shearin 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Lauren Sapudar Sent:Monday, January 25, 2021 2:19 PM To:Matt Widmann Cc:City Clerk Subject:FW: Commission interview appointment details Attachments:matt-widmann-bpc-cv.pdf Hi Matt, I have blind copied the City Council on this email to ensure they have your attachment. Thank you, Lauren Lauren Sapudar Deputy City Clerk City Manager's Office LaurenS@cupertino.org (408) 777-1312 From: Matt Widmann <widmannm@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, January 25, 2021 1:11 PM To: Lauren Sapudar <LaurenS@cupertino.org> Cc: City Clerk <CityClerk@cupertino.org> Subject: Re: Commission interview appointment details CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi Lauren, One more thing: can you confirm that the Councilmembers have received my CV? I sent it to them over the weekend, but at least one of them had trouble with the attachment the first time around. I've attached it to this email, just in case. – Matt On Jan 25, 2021, at 12:33, Matt Widmann <widmannm@gmail.com> wrote: Hi Lauren, Thank you! I did not receive those emails, but I can confirm that I'll be at the interview on Tuesday evening at 7:30pm. 2 – Matt On Jan 25, 2021, at 12:05, Lauren Sapudar <LaurenS@cupertino.org> wrote: Hi Matt, Please see the attached email that was sent out regarding interview times and registration information. Let me know if you have any questions. Your interview is scheduled of tomorrow at 7:30pm. Thank you, Lauren Lauren Sapudar Deputy City Clerk City Manager's Office LaurenS@cupertino.org (408) 777-1312 ‐‐‐‐‐Original Message‐‐‐‐‐ From: Matt Widmann <widmannm@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, January 25, 2021 11:53 AM To: City Clerk <CityClerk@cupertino.org> Subject: Commission interview appointment details CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello, I have an interview scheduled tomorrow evening for the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, but I haven't received any details of how I should join the interview or how it will be conducted. Did I miss an email, maybe? Or is there a place on the website where I can find the information? Looking at the agenda, there seems to be a Zoom sign up link, but I'm not sure if that's for members of the public or for those who are being interviewed. – Matt <Mail Attachment.eml><Mail Attachment.eml> Matt Widmann • • Background I grew up in Los Altos, biking to school any chance I got. When I went to college, ﬁrst at UCSB, I experienced a fully-integrated bicycle network. Later at the University of Michigan, I relied on walking and public transportation to get around the car-dominant and often-snowy campus. When I ﬁnished school in 2014 and returned to the area, I started walking and biking to work. In 2018 my ofﬁce moved to Apple Park and in 2019 I moved to the other end of Cupertino, when I sold my car and bought a rain cape and pannier rack. Community Experience I volunteer with the Friends of Stevens Creek Trail, helping with their Trailblazer Race, IT needs, and creek cleanups. We've hiked through prospective extensions of the Stevens Creek Trail in Cupertino and are planning a major overhaul of their contact database. In 2019 I attended the Cupertino Bike Fest and took a ride with Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition around Cupertino. I am also a regular observer of Bicycle-Pedestrian Commission meetings. Before the pandemic I commuted by bike, rain or shine, across the length of the Cupertino. Over the last six years, I've biked on most Cupertino streets and experienced its transportation network ﬁrst-hand. Professional Experience I'm employed as a software engineer by Apple, where I work on the common operating system kernel for its Macs, phones, tablets, and watches. Before Apple, I earned a Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Through college, I worked as a barista at Peet's, sandwich maker, and IT consultant for venture capital ﬁrms. &\UDK&DEXULDQ )URP.LUDQ.DYRRULGHHSDP#\DKRRFRP! 6HQW0RQGD\-DQXDU\30 7R&LW\&OHUN 6XEMHFW)ZG0\&9IRUWKH&RPPLVLRQLQWHUYLHZV $WWDFKPHQWV'HHSD0DKHQGUDNHU&9SGI hd/KE͗dŚŝƐĞŵĂŝůŽƌŝŐŝŶĂƚĞĚĨƌŽŵŽƵƚƐŝĚĞŽĨƚŚĞŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƚŝŽŶ͘ŽŶŽƚĐůŝĐŬůŝŶŬƐŽƌŽƉĞŶĂƚƚĂĐŚŵĞŶƚƐƵŶůĞƐƐǇŽƵƌĞĐŽŐŶŝǌĞƚŚĞ ƐĞŶĚĞƌĂŶĚŬŶŽǁƚŚĞĐŽŶƚĞŶƚŝƐƐĂĨĞ͘ ,ŝ<ƌŝƐƚĞŶ ĂŶǇŽƵƉůĞĂƐĞĐŽŶĨŝƌŵƚŚĂƚƚŚĞĐŝƚǇĐŽƵŶĐŝůŵĞŵďĞƌƐƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚŵǇs͍ /ƐĞŶƚƚŚŝƐĞŵĂŝůůĂƐƚtĞĚŶĞƐĚĂǇďƵƚ/ǁĂƐŶŽƚƋƵŝƚĞƐƵƌĞŝĨƚŚĞǇƌĞĐĞŝǀĞĚŝƚ /ĂŵƐĐŚĞĚƵůĞĚĨŽƌŝŶƚĞƌǀŝĞǁƚŽŶŝŐŚƚĂŶĚƚŽŵŽƌƌŽǁ dŚĂŶŬǇŽƵƐŽŵƵĐŚ ĞĞƉĂ ^ĞŶƚĨƌŽŵŵǇŝWŚŽŶĞ ĞŐŝŶĨŽƌǁĂƌĚĞĚŵĞƐƐĂŐĞ͗ &ƌŽŵ͗ĞĞƉĂDĂŚĞŶĚƌĂŬĞƌфĚĞĞƉĂŵΛǇĂŚŽŽ͘ĐŽŵх ĂƚĞ͗:ĂŶƵĂƌǇϮϬ͕ϮϬϮϭĂƚϭ͗ϭϲ͗ϱϵWDW^d dŽ͗ĐŝƚǇĐŽƵŶĐŝůΛĐƵƉĞƌƚŝŶŽ͘ŽƌŐ ^ƵďũĞĐƚ͗DǇsĨŽƌƚŚĞŽŵŵŝƐŝŽŶŝŶƚĞƌǀŝĞǁƐ 'HDU&XSHUWLQRFRXQFLOPHPEHUV ,KRSHDOOLVZHOOZLWKHDFKRQHRI\RX ,DPDSSO\LQJWRWZRFRPPLVLRQVDQGZLOOEHSDUWLFLSDWLQJLQWKH&LW\&RXQFLOLQWHUYLHZVQH[WZHHN $KHDGRIWKHPHHWLQJV,ZDQWHGWRVKDUHP\EDFNJURXQGLQIRUPDWLRQZLWK\RXVRZHFDQPDNHHIIHFWLYH XVHRIP\WLPHGXULQJWKHUHDOO\EXV\VHVVLRQV ,DPTXLWHH[FLWHGDERXWWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WRSHUIRUPP\FLYLGXWLHVLQSDUWQHUVKLSZLWKWKH&LW\ WKDQN\RX 'HHSD Deepa Mahendraker · · Background My family and I have lived in Cupertino for 20 years. We live in a single family home in the Jollyman neighborhood. My son and daughter go to local public schools. I work at Cisco in San Jose. We moved to Cupertino because we enjoy the small town feel and the quality of life. Over the years, I have been very involved in the community and value the opportunity to give back to our beautiful city. I’m applying to two commissions - Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and Planning Commission. As the mother of children who have spent a combined 11 years biking to school, and as a dog owner, I know how important it is for the city to have safe and easy biking and walking infrastructure for residents of all ages. As a homeowner in the city for 20 years, I would like to help ensure that the city plans for growth in a sensible and balanced manner, while still meeting state growth mandates and affordable housing needs within the city. Community Experience As a parent, I have been very involved with my son and daughter’s Scout activities. I was Den Leader for my son’s cub scouts pack for 5 years, then an active volunteer in his Boy Scouts troop. He is now an Eagle Scout. I am continuing as a volunteer with the troop since my daughter is now a Pioneer Girl Scout there. I have a sweet golden retriever named Ace whom we spoil shamelessly. As dog owners, we walk a lot around the city and have met a lot of other dog owners and residents. I am one of the residents who led the creation of the Jollyman Dog Owners group, a very active group of about 120 local residents. We worked closely with the city staff and the Parks & Rec commission since 2017 to introduce a collaborative plan between the community and the city, for the trial of a Dogs Off Leash Area in the Jollyman Park which was started in Oct 2019 and is currently running very successfully. We have created a very tight-knit community of dog owners. In addition to social interaction, we ensure the safety and security of dogs who sometimes get lost or are abandoned or up for adoption. In the last year alone, we have had dozens of incidents of lost dogs, which our group worked actively to find and restore to their owners. Professional Experience I have over 25 years experience in the engineering and technology field as a technology leader in disruptive markets. I am currently working as a Senior Product Manager in Cisco Systems for the Webex family of products (Teleconferencing, business messaging). In my current role, I focus on privacy and security of our user bases. In the past I have worked in other technology companies such as eBay and Sun Microsystems. 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Sheela Sreekanth <sheela@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, January 25, 2021 4:56 PM To:City Council; City Clerk Subject:City of Cupertino - Library Commission Interview - Candidate: Sheela Sreekanth Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Completed CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi City Council, My name is Sheela Sreekanth. My husband Sreekanth and I have been residents of Cupertino since early 2005 and our twin boys graduated from Monta Vista in fall of 2020. I have been working at Apple in Cupertino for 10+ years as Product / Program Manager. When the kids were growing up we have always been involved in the community by volunteering and taking leads on major initiatives in schools, cub scout/boys scout troops, science olympiad, destination imagination, FLL, and now neighborhood activities. Along these years we have built a great network in the community. Given that our boys stepped into college this year, I would like to spend my extra time on hand by giving back to the community. After chatting with my neighbor Shashi Begur I realized that the best way to serve the community is to join the city commission. And my primary areas of interests are Library Commission and Bicycle Pedestrian Commission, mainly because we as a family have extensively used library benefits and I walk/hike a lot in the neighborhood. I would like to share my inputs to the interview questionnaire prior to tonight's interview as you may not have time to hear my perspective completely. Please see below my responses and I am looking forward to meeting you all at the virtual interview tonight: Library Commission Questionnaire: 1. How do you and/or your family use the services provided by the Cupertino Library? - Check out books/videos for the entire family, including for visiting parents - Book clubs - Use of facilities for tutoring sessions, group projects etc. 2. Have you attended any Library Commission or other City meetings during the past year? - Not in person, but I went through the online presentations and agenda recently. 3. What qualities do you possess which make you the right candidate for this commission? - I am a good long time resident, a patron of the library system, have a lot of friends and very involved in neighborhood activities. 2 4. What do you see as the role of the library in Cupertino -- how would you improve or change the current operation? - Library plays a key role in every resident of all ages. It's almost the necessity for kids to grow and learn. - I would contribute ideas towards some of the areas of improvements like structuring better parking around the library, get involved in library renovation project and participate in other projects where needed. 5. What new ideas or creative approaches for improving library services in Cupertino can you bring to the commission? - Initiate and facilitate library sponsored programs like speech & debate or homework helpers or any other program where teen commission needs help with. 6. What is your vision for the library over the next ten years? - Combining the answer for #6 and #7 below 7. If you could accomplish one thing next year on this commission, what would it be? - Being new to the commission, my initial goal is to learn the existing process, goals and problems well. Once I get on board then I can suggest recommendations for any existing challenges based on feedback from residents that will be beneficial for the residents. ===================================== Bicycle Pedestrian Questionnaire: 1. Do you walk or bicycle for: a. Commuting? b. Utility purposes, such as shopping? c. Recreational and/or physical fitness? - I used to walk to work (one of the Apple campuses) until pandemic work from home scenario. When campuses open up I plan to walk to work. I also walk a lot for b and c. 2. How much have you used alternatives to cars for the purposes listed above? - I walk about 5 miles per day for recreational / physical fitness, utility purposes. 3. What are some projects in Cupertino that you are interested in? - Carmen road bridge project - Reduce cars in the surrounding area for some schools. - Make is safe for the school kids to bike or walk. 4. What can the City of Cupertino do to encourage more bicycling and walking? - Make it safe by implementing regulated traffic and put restrictions on pass through traffic. - Provide separate bike lanes so parents are encouraged to make kids to bike. 5. Are there any special projects we should undertake to help seniors get around Cupertino? - Junipero Serra trail 6. How do we reconcile the concerns of neighbors about having 3 trails near their homes? - Plant privacy trees (if needed), install security cameras 7. If you could accomplish one thing next year on this commission, what would it be? I read about the below current goals of bike commission. I would like to learn the current priority and status of each of these initiatives and provide my support in achieving these goals. If I have to pick one to accomplish I would choose the second bullet here which is expanding middle and high school student bicycle and pedestrian trips.  Be one of the top 5 cities in California for biking and walking and achieve Gold status from the League of American Bicyclists.  Expand middle and high school student bicycle and pedestrian trips to 40% of total school commutes.  Expand intra-city trips for errands and leisure by adults and seniors via bicycle/walking to 20% of trips.  Expand resident bicycle/pedestrian commuting to major Cupertino employers and De Anza College to 15% of total trips. Thanks & Regards, Sheela Sreekanth. ********************* 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Matt Widmann <widmannm@gmail.com> Sent:Monday, January 25, 2021 6:34 PM To:City Council Cc:City Clerk Subject:Answers to Bicycle Pedestrian Commission questionnaire CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear Councilmembers, I wanted to provide my answers to the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission's questionnaire, in addition to the CV I previously sent. I'm not sure we'll be able to cover all of it during the 5 minutes we have, so I thought it would be good to send my responses for you to review: Do you walk or bicycle for commuting? utility purposes, such as shopping? recreational and/or physical fitness? Mostly commuting and recreational, but typically not for shopping. I don't use a bike for shopping because I haven't found a safe bike parking system in Cupertino that's near the shops I patronize. The new racks at the library would be ideal -- they just need to be as ubiquitous as parking spaces! How much have you used alternatives to cars for the purposes listed above? Before the pandemic, I commuted by bike almost every day, rain or shine, 5 miles there and 7 miles back, across the east-west span of Cupertino. My family even downsized to a single car. The only thing that would prevent me from biking was an air quality index over 100, during an active fire. For shopping, I bike to downtown Los Altos and get lunch or into Loyola Corners, but I don't typically use Cupertino's shopping districts, as they force me onto roads like Stevens Creek or Homestead with too many cars for the existing bike infrastructure to feel safe. When I do bike for recreation, it's usually outside of Cupertino, along the Stevens Creek Trail and up to the Baylands, or into the hills of Portola Valley. For walking, I take as many opportunities as I can get to hike into the foothills in the Rancho San Antonio Preserve. What are some projects in Cupertino that you are interested in? I'm interested in all of the projects, as my commute takes me across the city, but in particular, I'd love to see the Junipero Serra Trail, UPRR Trail, and the Homestead Corridor Study completed and built out. In addition, I'm excited for a viable connection for the Stevens Creek Trail in Cupertino, as well as a Hammond‐Snyder Bridge. Carmen Road Bridge would be a fantastic way for residents to connect the north and south parts of Cupertino without biking on Stevens Creek Blvd. or Foothill Rd. What can the City of Cupertino do to encourage more bicycling and walking? For the City itself, continue enhancing arterials with bike safety improvements, and take advantage of Measure B funds to build out the network as outlined in 2016's Bike Plan. Showing that it's possible with the current system by engaging one-on-one with residents is also important, but is an uphill battle. More guided bike 2 tours through the city would help, especially if they were broadcast on the YouTube channel or written up in the Cupertino Scene. Clear signage and proposed routes from getting between different points in Cupertino would help a lot. Ensuring that approaches to popular destinations like Main St. and De Anza College are safe and low-stress, by doing bike audits, similar to the existing walk audits. At these destinations, make sure locking bike racks are present so bikers don't feel concerned about their bike being stolen. Work with local bike shops to find out where bikes are crashing and make residents aware of mobile repair companies that can fix up their old bikes. Are there any special projects we should undertake to help seniors get around Cupertino? I think volunteer‐led, guided walks from the senior center and neighborhoods to parks would be a great start. Ease into the routes by driving to the park and walking around it, and once there's a familiarity with the route built up, start walking to the nearby park. Conduct walk audits explicitly around The Forum, Sunny View, and the senior center. This would give seniors a reason to walk or bike, to talk with friends, or as part of volunteering activities. Absolutely encourage e‐bike use and make sure the bike rack locking systems don't require a lot of strength to use. A lot of this will have to wait until the vaccines come online and we can mingle safely, of course, likely towards the end of the year. How do we reconcile the concerns of neighbors about having trails near their homes? Community outreach by the commission itself is extremely important, but I also think that showing evidence that there's not much to fear when a trail is added to a neighborhood is also important. We have lots of case studies of this across the state from many advocacy routes. It would also be good to canvas residents who already live adjacent to existing trails or parks and have them speak on how the trail has affected them: anyone near Rancho San Antonio, Blackberry Farm, Memorial Park, the de-facto UPRR Trail, Don Burnett Bridge, and Creekside Park. This could take the form of a web survey that the BPC conducts, even. Above all, I think it's important to listen to these concerns and address them directly, with evidence and empathy. If you could accomplish one thing next year on this commission, what would it be? Start a metric‐gathering system for bike and pedestrian usage so that the subsequent 3 years of improvements can be shown to increase biking and walking. But that's a close tie with filling out the Work Program schedule with the City Staff with bike parking, bike-only throughway improvements, and senior center walk audits. And I'd like to the commission to have a wider breadth of knowledge of contemporary studies and research being done on transportation across the country. I'm looking forward to talking with you all tomorrow night. Best, Matt 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Sophia Chan <sophia_y_chan@yahoo.com> Sent:Monday, January 25, 2021 6:34 PM To:Lauren Sapudar; City Clerk; City Council Subject:Candidate for Bicycle Pedestrian Commission - Sophia Chan Q&A answers Attachments:Q and A for Commission - Sophia Chan.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hello, Given that the interview process is rather fast, I am submitting my answers to review. Looking forward to the interview tomorrow. Thanks. Best regards, Sophia Questions for Bicycle Pedestrian Commission Applicants 1. Do you walk or bicycle for: I grew up in Davis where I biked everywhere but now I walk mainly for social purposes around nearby parks. My son enjoys biking around town with his friends and my husband also bikes around the neighborhood for recreational purposes. 2. How much have you used alternative to cars for the purposes listed above? I walk for physical fitness and for social purposes with my friends. I would like to do it more often when time allows. 3. What are some projects in Cupertino that you are interested in? I would like to see the completion of the Regnart Creek Trail Project. I am also very interested in the Junipero Serra Trails as it forms a loop within Cupertino. I think a lot of middle school and high schoolers and families would enjoy doing that loop. 4. What can the City of Cupertino do to encourage more bicycling and walking? Speaking for myself and my friends that are stay home parents, our day is filled with many responsibilities and limited free time. How can we make it easier for people like me to fit in biking or walking into our daily schedule? Some ideas might be: ●Providing day time bike rental for people who don’t bike often enough to justify purchasing a bike. ●Leveraging the Via Cupertino Shuttle Service to help people get together to walk at a park or shopping area. ●Offering better/safer parking areas for bikers throughout the city. ●Providing day time lockers for bikers so they can store items at key shopping and park locations. 5. Are there any special projects we should undertake to help seniors get around Cupertino? We could highlight parks and shopping areas for seniors to walk within their neighborhood and provide recommendations for other areas they could visit. I would like to see more shaded rest areas or benches throughout the city that would allow seniors to rest if they get tired. For seniors who require some type of equipment to assist their walking, we should really take into consideration when doing new build or sidewalk improvements, that we take into consideration widening the sidewalks. We could collaborate with the Senior Center to provide incentives for Seniors to participate in walk or bike programs. We can offer quarterly walk challenges for seniors to visit various parks or shopping areas. Sophia Chan 6. How do we reconcile the concern of neighbors about having trails near their homes? I think we should engage the community as well as neighborhood schools or students/families that benefit from the trails to take care of it.This is a great opportunity for the commission or the SR2S team to reach out to school PTAs and have them engage in civic duties. It is also an opportunity to teach young and old users of the trails on etiquette of using the trails especially in residential neighborhoods. We can provide email hotlines for concerns or suggestions users or neighbors might have to make it better and safer for the neighborhood as well as the people using it. 7. If you could accomplish one thing next year on this commission, what would it be? I would like to strengthen our engagement with the community both young and old on ways to enjoy our city without using our cars. What I have learned in my 12 years of being a PTA leader at the Elementary and Middle School level is that given the opportunity to ask and listen to people, people have really great ideas . I would love to continue my engagement at the school sites and start collaborative work with the Senior Center to create programs for seniors. Sophia Chan 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Deepa Mahendraker <deepam@yahoo.com> Sent:Monday, January 25, 2021 6:39 PM To:City Council; City Clerk Subject:Deepa Mahendraker CV and Q and A Attachments:Deepa Commission Interview Prep (1).pdf Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Completed CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Dear city Council members, I am applying for The Planning Commission as well as BikePed commision. Please see attached my CV as well as answers to the questions sent by Lauren. with kind regards Deepa Deepa Mahendraker 10917 Festival Drive, Cupertino, CA 95014 · deepam@yahoo.com · 408 823 9844 Background My family and I have lived in Cupertino for 20 years. We live in a single family home in the Jollyman neighborhood. My son and daughter go to local public schools. I work at Cisco in San Jose. We moved to Cupertino because we enjoy the small town feel and the quality of life. Over the years, I have been very involved in the community and value the opportunity to give back to our beautiful city. I’m applying to two commissions - Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and Planning Commission. As the mother of children who have spent a combined 11 years biking to school, and as a dog owner, I know how important it is for the city to have safe and easy biking and walking infrastructure for residents of all ages. As a homeowner in the city for 20 years, I would like to help ensure that the city plans for growth in a sensible and balanced manner, while still meeting state growth mandates and affordable housing needs within the city. Community Experience As a parent, I have been very involved with my son and daughter’s Scout activities. I was Den Leader for my son’s cub scouts pack for 5 years, then an active volunteer in his Boy Scouts troop. He is now an Eagle Scout. I am continuing as a volunteer with the troop since my daughter is now a Pioneer Girl Scout there. I have a sweet golden retriever named Ace whom we spoil shamelessly. As dog owners, we walk a lot around the city and have met a lot of other dog owners and residents. I am one of the residents who led the creation of the Jollyman Dog Owners group, a very active group of about 120 local residents. We worked closely with the city staff and the Parks & Rec commission since 2017 to introduce a collaborative plan between the community and the city, for the trial of a Dogs Off Leash Area in the Jollyman Park which was started in Oct 2019 and is currently running very successfully. We have created a very tight-knit community of dog owners. In addition to social interaction, we ensure the safety and security of dogs who sometimes get lost or are abandoned or up for adoption. In the last year alone, we have had dozens of incidents of lost dogs, which our group worked actively to find and restore to their owners. Professional Experience I have over 25 years experience in the engineering and technology field as a technology leader in disruptive markets. I am currently working as a Senior Product Manager in Cisco Systems for the Webex family of products (Teleconferencing, business messaging). In my current role, I focus on privacy and security of our user bases. In the past I have worked in other technology companies such as eBay and Sun Microsystems. BikePed one minute intro 1) Brief intro who you are: My name is Deepa Mahendraker and I’m pleased to have the opportunity today to apply for the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission. 2) State a claim then give supporting information/evidence: ●My entire family enjoys walking and biking here in Cupertino. My kids have commuted to school for 11 years by bike, and have enjoyed using the new McClellan bike lanes last year. I like to take longs walks, which is why I created and led the group of residents that wanted an off-leash dog time at Jollyman Park. I’m very pleased that it has been so successful and a great example of a cooperative effort between residents and the city. ●I enjoy giving back to my community in a multitude of ways. I’ve been a scout leader and active in Cupertino scouting troops for 12 years, and have helped many local students, including my own son, to obtain an Eagle Scout. Scouting is one of the key ways that I have given back to the community, through mentoring and encouragment of community service and community projects. ●I’d really like the Bike-Ped Commission to reflect our community more with a diversity of ages, genders, and ethnicities. As a mother and female community member, I would be able to provide much-needed diversity of thought on the commission as I noticed the commission membership today is all male. 3) Wrap up: Hiking, walking, community service, volunteering, community leadership, ethical decision making: these all are values and activities I cherish. Thank you for the opportunity to give back in a new way to Cupertino. Planning commission 1 min intro Brief intro who you are: My name is Deepa Mahendraker and I’m pleased to have the opportunity today to apply for the Planning Commission. 2) More introduction: ●When I moved to Cupertino, I loved the small town feeling of this place. Over the years, I have appreciated it even more as I have been involved in so many community activities. I would like to find the right balance as we progress to make modifications to our beautiful city, so our pristine and small city is enhanced in a way that is balanced and remains friendly to the City dwellers as well as its small business employers. 3) State a claim then give supporting information/evidence: ●A partnership relationship between residents and the city would be the most beneficial to create a city we all want to live in. I created and led the group of residents that wanted an off-leash dog time at Jollyman Park. It has been an extremely successful cooperative effort between residents and the city. I’d like to work to make it so that residents to feel they had a real voice and working relationship with the Planning Commission. ●I am currently Senior Product Manager in Cisco Systems for the Webex family of products. In my current role, I focus on privacy and security of our user bases, which makes me acutely aware of legal privacy requirements across globe, including but not limited to US Government and EU GDPR. I am quite adept at reviewing legal contracts as a result. This would be applicable to understanding the sometimes arcane government legislation the Planning Commission must deal with. ●I’d really like the Planning Commission to reflect our community more with a diversity of ages, genders, and ethnicities. As a mother and longtime female homeowner, I would be able to provide much-needed diversity of thought on the commission as I noticed the commission memrship today is all male. 4) Wrap up: Community service, ethical decision making, and deep understanding of difficult concepts are all values and activities I cherish. Thank you for the opportunity to use these skills to serve in a new way to Cupertino. BikePed Questions Responses QUESTIONS FOR BICYCLE PEDESTRIAN COMMISSION APPLICANTS 1. Do you walk or bicycle for: a. Commuting? b. Utility purposes, such as shopping? c. Recreational and/or physical fitness? Deepa Response: I walk quite a lot in the neighborhood parks and streets, quite often near the train tracks from Bubb Rd To Prospect Rd with my dog. My children have a combined biking experience of over 11 years, biking to school and back. 2. How much have you used alternatives to cars for the purposes listed above? Deepa Response: Biking has been the main mode of transportation for both my children to get to school. For me personally, I like walking and leveraging easy access walking paths to get many of my work done, which includes daily walks with my dog as well as getting some errands completed. 3. What are some projects in Cupertino that you are interested in? Deepa Response: Here are some projects you can mention: ●The protected bike lanes on McClellan as they help kids from west cupertino to bike safely to city center and city library ●The UPRR trail, the Linda Vista trail and the Regnart Creek trail are all great resource for walking for all ages - enjoyable walk in nature, away from cars. 4. What can the City of Cupertino do to encourage more bicycling and walking? Deepa Response: I think it would love to see projects for walking paths that connect some of our local shopping facilities to the main intersections so I can or my children can safely get things done – like connecting the library to schools or near major residential intersections 5. Are there any special projects we should undertake to help seniors get around Cupertino? Deepa Response: There’s nothing specific here you need to mention, so I would just sy whatever ideas you might have. Ideas could be - offering weekly guided walks in partnership with the Senior Center, putting more benches throughout neighborhoods so seniors can stop and rest, maybe partner a dog owner with a senior to give them someone to walk with? 6. How do we reconcile the concerns of neighbors about having trails near their homes? Deepa Response: This is a challenging problem to solve. Community outreach, listening, and education is very important. There’s a lot of data that shows residents are very happy with trails once they are open, so we need to understand their concerns, mitigate real issues, and help residents understand that trails are a real asset for the community and for them as well. 7. If you could accomplish one thing next year on this commission, what would it be? Deepa Response: Possible idea you could mention based on your answer to Q4: ●Improve connections between neighborhoods, to shopping centers, library, and schools, so that it’s easier and safer for residents of all ages to walk and bike around the city using smaller streets. The Bicycle Pedestrian Commission is subject to the Political Reform Act and members are required to submit Statements of Economic Interest upon appointment and annually thereafter. QUESTIONS FOR PLANNING COMMISSION APPLICANTS 1.What is your vision for Cupertino over the next ten years? When I moved into Cupertino city, I liked the exclusivity of the neighborhood in the middle of a giant melting pot. My vision of Cupertino is to maintain the small town look, feel and management of the city, to encourage local businesses and to allow opportunities for the city residents to stay connected with each other, and the city administration. 2.Where and what type of growth should be encouraged? Discouraged? Growth in Bay Area is a given, I would like to see sensible and balanced growth in Cupertino - which takes into account sustainability, density of population and impact to neighborhoods, including public school systems, local parks and other shared city resources. 3.What portions of the General Plan do you strongly support? Develop cohesive neighborhoods Improve connectivity Ensure a balanced community Support education 4.What are your views on affordable housing? Where should it be and what sacrifices should be made? This is not an easy issue to decide by one person. I would like to work in partnership with the council on making the right recommendations on carefully reviewed and agreed upon growth and location of affordable housing, as well as design to make it fit harmoniously within the character of the city. 5.How do you view the role of the Planning Commission? If the Council sets a policy that you do not agree with, would you support it? I see my role is to work with the vision the council would like to set forth and work in partnership with the council, while keeping my ears to the ground and listening to feedback from the residents of Cupertino. I consider this role to be bridging the residents with the administration in a collaborative, cohesive and transparent manner. 6.Please describe your understanding of the planning function in local government. Every city and town has its own model or vision of their city. Cupertino’s is as distinct and unique as any other. I see the planning function to be very critical in local governance because all potential real estate growth, city growth and planning has to go through the planning function. Without the planning function, what you have is unrestrained, unplanned or semi-planned growth, leading to long term issues which stem in many areas. Growth and planning of a city are complex, taking into account many existing and new basic infrastructure requirements, ensuring that all aspects from water, electricity, internet, shared resources and such are taken into account 7.Should the planning process in Cupertino be proactive? That is, establish policy based on public objectives or be reactive and merely accommodate present and future economic trends with the least disruption to private objectives? No questions about it - planning has to be proactive. There should be defined and clear frameworks in place, so any planned activity can be referenced to - these frameworks should stand the test of time and changes, and in turn be reviewed fairly frequently to keep these updated. 8.Planning Commission decisions rarely involve a black and white issue. There are several shades of gray in making land use decisions. Would you be willing to suppress your personal land use philosophy and design preferences in order to reach consensus, or would you prefer to press on with your personal convictions because compromise may result in mediocrity? Yes, I will 9.Please describe, as concisely as possible, your basic philosophical position regarding past, present and future growth within the City of Cupertino. I love the small town nature of Cupertino. I know over 150 neighbors personally through the Dogs group I have set up, through my walks in the neighborhoods, through the scout troop and through my various volunteering activities in the community. I do not want to lose that. I want to see the success of my neighbors as my success. I want every individual voice to count, and every small local business to thrive - to give us the individuality we deserve. I model our city’s growth after Saratoga or Palo Alto - with its own distinct flavor and identity. 10.Describe your plan reading skills. In this area, I have experience on the legal and contractual reading skills, due to my current professional role. I am the regulatory, security and privacy prime in the Product management team for Cisco Webex. I have reviewed and defined service requirements and delivered services which met US Federal governments’ needs, and EU GDPR needs from privacy and regulatory perspective. In addition, my experience with building and planning departments has been personal and first hand. I was developing my own single family home with the addition of a bathroom. Rather than pay an architect, I went through the designing, planning and implementation on my own, with support from consultants to design the extensions. I am aware of what the planning and building departments typically look for when home construction, renovation and upgrades are occurring. 11.If you could accomplish one thing next year on this commission, what would it be? Here’s some ideas: Two major problems are a) small businesses are struggling, before the pandemic, and even more so now after the pandemic and b) we have steep housing targets coming down from the state. -Work with local small businesses to understand how city planning can best benefit them to help them thrive -Work with local residents and neighborhoods to develop community-led plans on how we can meet our housing targets while maintaining the small town feel we all love. -Maybe a combination of the two? Hold community townhalls with both small businesses and residents to identify planning policies that will help us meet our housing targets and support our small businesses, while maintaining our small town feel. The Planning Commission is subject to the Political Reform Act and members are required to submit Statements of Economic Interest upon appointment and annually thereafter. CC 01-26-21 Commission Interviews Audit Committee Written Comments 1 Cyrah Caburian From:Khyati Upadhyay <kupadhya@hotmail.com> Sent:Sunday, January 24, 2021 7:33 PM To:City Clerk Subject:Document for candidate Attachments:Cover letter CCity.docx; Upadhyay Resume City.docx CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. Hi, I have my interview for Audit commission on Tuesday at 9:35 pm. I am attaching my resume and cover letter for council members and interviewer. Thanks! Khyati Dear Council member & Staff, My name is Khyati Upadhyay. I am a CPA and have run my personal practice for the last 20+ years. I have been a Cupertino residence for over 11 years, and have been involved in the community through participating in local school PTAs as treasurer, serving as an event auditor in the Lions Club, and engaging with the Cupertino City Council and leaders. I have always enjoyed working with numbers and have been lucky to get experiences in different parts of finance ‐ tax, accounting, review engagements etc. I have been a regular consultant to various businesses with clients in senior corporate management, doctors, farming entities, manufacturing and food processors. I have also worked on taxes for sole proprietors, partnerships, and corporations. As a CPA in Sandridge Partners, I have worked closely for the last 8 years with our outside auditor Moss Adams on financial statements and reviews. Through my many years of experience in the industry, I have grown extremely skilled at analyzing financial statements and identifying what is most critical in any operation. For example, while working on farm, I was able to identify a regulation that would enable us to reclaim some of the excise tax we had filed, saving my company over $300,000 dollars. This type of detail orientation and investigation approach to any numbers would be extremely important as an auditor. I work very well with people and on team projects. I would love to bring my extensive finance background to the Audit committee and work with other committee members to contribute the city goals. Thanks for your time. Khyati Upadhyay KHYATI UPADHYAY Phone: Email: Qualifications Profile 15+ years of extensive experience in all phases of Tax, Finance, Budgeting and analysis. Exceptional collaborative and interpersonal skills; dynamic team player with well-developed written and verbal communication abilities. Highly skilled in vendor relations and negotiations; talented at building and maintaining winning partnerships. Passionate about providing excellent viable facts and possible outcomes. Excellent organizational and analytical skills with great motivation. Sandridge Partners & Subsidiaries, Controller, Cost Analyst & Tax Manager Los Altos, California 2003-Present Primary Responsibilities: Manage accounting, tax and finance of multiple entities for presentation to executive team at multiple locations. Work on vertically integrated company on all aspect of business. Including Managing Finance, Cash Flow, inter‐ company transactions, managing and training staff. Manage staff of various off‐site offices. Research, implement various computer software and accounting systems. Tax Manager:  Prepare the corporate and partnership annual reports as well as review and Compliance with Federal, State & Local tax requirements for multiple entities for 20+ years.  Manage and review the preparation of the US income tax returns, US sales & use tax, personal property, and annual returns for various tax entities.  Implement process improvement in company tax procedures and develop strategic tax planning and projections for taxes. Tax research and support with various tax audits and tax related projects.  Work on Depreciation, year-end adjustments and General entries to close books. Maintain proper trail with work papers and footnotes.  Successfully defended tax positions taken with state taxing agencies for excise tax saving thousands of dollars. (Excise tax for past)  Major contributor to the successful settlement of an IRS examination for multi-year tax audit (partner active or inactive)  Primary interface with EDD regarding employee and payroll related issues  Knowledgeable of some of the Foreign taxes like FinCEN and FBAR.  Researched Farm related fuel purchases and discovered federal excise refund opportunities for 100% of fuel used  Overseeing multiple office with monthly on-site visit to plants for greater level of effectiveness and in charge of 25+ staff Cost Analyst:  Create Budget by departments and consolidated. Analyze monthly & quarterly variance for Budget to Actual.  Monitor daily material and labor costs and perform root cause analysis for product cost to assist operational team to develop and maintain accurate standards.  Set Standard cost, break‐even point for various products  Implement process for proper document trails, inventory system  Set up new accounting software, data management system with integrated add-ons  Accumulate and apply various fixed cost base on different allocation factors  Assist Management & sales team on deciding prices and cost controls  Investigate and help plant manager with various process cost analysis  Create multiple excel based reports to measure direct labor efficiency Finance Analyst/Accounting Manager:  Manage all finance and accounting activities with the primary responsibilities being the monthly, quarterly and yearly accounting financial closing process  Create master budget for multimillion-dollar company and work with various departmental budgets  Perform analysis and work on Budget to Actual variance plus cash flow forecast for overall business to departmental level.  Work with sales team to create tools and reports that track customer account, volume and margins.  Actively manage A/ P, A/R, GL Fixed Assets and payroll staff for accurate data input  Review books for monthly closing process, including journal entries, analysis, reconciliations including A/R & AP  In charge of multiple construction and expansion phase of plant. Work with county and tax assessor on valuation by keeping detail of each phases  Work with auditors on consolidated financial statement preparation for tax liability planning plus financial institution reporting.  Oversee payroll, health insurance, vision, dental for 50+ employees Key Achievements  Experienced in real estate accounting, rent rolls, DOEs, Construction accounting including soft cost, site cost etc.  Successfully completed clients multiple ad hoc projects worth multimillion dollars  Designed and implemented a new ERP software from beginning with transition and optimal set up  Established close relationships with vendors, purchasing agents and clients Education California CPA Exam Passed California CPA examination & Active license holder Bachelor of commerce, Major: Accounting (US Equivalent: BS in Business Administration with Major in Accounting) Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India, Bachelor of Law, Major: Company Law Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India, Computer skills Software: Microsoft Office, Microsoft Dynamics, Quicken, QuickBooks Enterprise with advance Inventory & Reporting, Sage, Turbo Tax, Lacerate, Tenant Pro 6.0, Pro Pack, Drake, Skyline Property Management Software, Conservis, Agri- Tracking Systems, Mettler Toledo, Famous