CC 11-16-2021 Item No. 2 Cupertino Mayor's Corner November 16,2021_Written CommunicationNovember 16, 2021
Mayor’s Corner
Recently, our Vice Mayor, Liang Chao, has been in the news regarding certain comments that she made
in a closed email‐group discussion with CUSD parents.
Regarding the part of Vice Mayor Chao’s comments related to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, I was
asked for comment by members of the media, and I stated, “The Chinese Exclusion Act was obviously
racist legislation. I have no further comment on this matter.”
I don’t have any further comment on what I view as the fact of the racism of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
However, I would like to make two other statements. First, although I may have certain political
disagreements with each and every person at one point or another, I view it as highly inappropriate to
misuse those disagreements as motivations for attacking a person with such gusto for other purposes.
For instance, in our City, valid disagreements over perspectives on land use and development have, over
time, led to smear attacks online and over email, both of the anonymous and the disingenuous varieties.
We do a severe disservice to the integrity of a discussion when we engage in political opportunism to
attack others not in an effort to discuss the substance of an issue, but to incite or to teach a lesson
about who gets to have an opinion. When we do this, even if there are reasonable underlying points,
they tend to get lost in the shuffle of the unnecessary parts. My advice, to everyone, is, drop the
smirking. Just address the substance of an issue. If your perspective is then the perspective of the group,
our system is about finding a fair and effective way to pursue courses of action. I use the plural term
“courses” in “courses of action” deliberately. This is not winner‐take‐all. But it is something that requires
that we be honest with ourselves, and not vicious to each other. And it becomes functional only when
we recognize that this is not some variation of a food fight.
The second statement that I will make is that, in the aftermath of the treatment of the Vice Mayor’s
comments, I have looked into how we can, as a community, have an intelligent and complete discussion
about the topic of race and exclusion within the context of the Chinese Exclusion Act and critical race
theory. With that in mind, I’ve taken a few different approaches for a future panel discussion. First, I
spoke to a couple of former elected officials representing Cupertino in our State Assembly. Then I
approached a Stanford Law professor who specializes in critical race theory. Neither of those avenues
panned out. But now I am currently in discussion with a group of people who helped produce a
documentary aired in 2017 on PBS regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act. I would like the community to
know that I will continue to work to set forth to Cupertino an event in which we will hold a showing of
this documentary, followed by a discussion panel which I will moderate. The basic ground rule for this
event, however, is that we are there to create a safe and democratic space not just for you or for me,
but for each and every one of us. More details forthcoming. Given the current restrictions we have on
gathering, I am not sure if this takes place live, only virtually, or by some combination of both, but I do
anticipate that we will put together a high‐quality discussion sometime within this next quarter.
Cupertino is a wonderful place. We have been successful in many ways, including when it comes to
having a highly diverse and functional community. But as with everything, we can always do better, as
we are constantly reminded. And the aspirations that we have as a society, as Americans, tell us that we
are here to help each other do better as well. I ask that we understand this and that we don’t adopt a
mentality where such and such a person needs to be taught a lesson for this reason or that. Work harder
for a more honest conversation. That is what we have been doing on City Council, and I know that is
what we will continue to do. I thank the many members of our community and the broader community
for your concern and compassion on this topic. Happy Thanksgiving. See you in December.