CC 03-07-2023 Late_Oral_Written CommunicationsCC 03-07-2023
Written Communications
Oral
Communications
From:Janny Choy
To:City Clerk
Subject:for the written record - March 7, 2023
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 7:25:45 PM
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Mayor Wei and Councilmembers:
Thank you so much for all of your work in support of nature. When we save nature-
including the native plants, animals, and small organisms that are its components- we are
really saving ourselves.
I understand that the Council has directed staff to refine the tree canopy list to include
California native trees. I am really pleased to hear that, because we desperately need to
make changes in our urban environment to create habitat wherever we can. The City of
Cupertino has an urban tree canopy of 23%, which means there’s a lot of opportunity to
help ameliorate climate change by planting trees - not just any trees - but native trees that
check all the boxes of carbon sequestration, air quality improvements, noise abatement,
shade, AND crucial habitat for all the insects and birds that evolved in tandem.
California is one of the great biodiversity hotspots in the world, and as such, we are
blessed with many native trees species big and small that are suitable as street trees that
can be added to the tree list - from our own local valley, coast live, and blue oaks on the
bigger end to the smaller western redbud and mountain mahogany. According to the
historical ecology of the South Bay done by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, the area
that is now Cupertino was oak woodland, oak savanna, and chaparral.
Today, almost half of the City of Cupertino- about 48% - is covered by impervious
surfaces. Let’s think about how we can bring more nature back into the remaining half.
With Cupertino at the heart of Silicon Valley, with all the technological marvels we’ve
created, I am positive that we can apply some of that creativity and ingenuity towards
creating an urban environment that better integrates with nature. Let’’s prioritize the
little guys that run the world, to paraphrase entomologist Doug Tallamy. Professor
Tallamy’s research shows the importance of caterpillars and insects, and the native
plants they’ve evolved with, as the basis of our entire ecosystem.
I also want to say that night lighting can be very disorienting and detrimental to our
nocturnal insects and birds. Street lights and other urban lightings should be kept to
what is essential, brightness should be appropriate the need, and lights should be pointed
downwards, with rims on lighting fixtures to prevent lights spiling over a large area.
Thank you again for all the work you are doing for nature on behalf of all of us.
From:Connie Cunningham
To:City Clerk; City Council
Subject:Fwd: 23-3-7 Oral Communications; Council Procedures Manual
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 7:07:51 PM
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Please add this to Written Communications .
Connie
From Connie's iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: Connie Cunningham <cunninghamconniel@gmail.com>
Date: March 7, 2023 at 3:19:58 PM PST
To: Cunningham Connie <CunninghamConnieL@gmail.com>
Subject: 23-3-7 Oral Communications; Council Procedures Manual
23-3-7 Oral Communications; Council Procedures Manual
Good evening Mayor Wei, Vice-Mayor Mohan, and Councilmembers:
Councilmember Chao and Councilmember Moore are not following the Council
Procedures Manual. Their actions at Council on February 21, showed intention to
stall discussions of City business, to the detriment of residents.
Point One: Paragraph 8.8.3 of the Manual states that there will be five minutes of
discussion. If necessary, the Mayor MAY allow additional time. The correct
framing is that the speaker is being allowed EXTRA time.
Councilmember Moore has framed the Mayor’s decision as “cutting off
discussion”. Not accurate. Discussion is properly over after five minutes. It is at
the discretion of the Mayor to allow EXTRA time.
Point Two: The Manual requires that pulled routine Consent Items be discussed
after other non-routine Agenda Items. This allows staff, Council, applicants, and
residents, to hear the scheduled non-routine Agenda Items at the expected time.
Because they are routine, Consent Items are expected to be voted on as a group
without discussion. All questions can be handled by Staff prior to the
meeting. Councilmembers Chao and Moore pull Consent Items regularly. They
discuss each one at length. After discussion, they often use “friendly
amendments” and “substitute motions” to continue discussion. Both techniques
add time and stall decisions.
On Feb 21, Consent Items 5 & 6 were pulled.
Consent Item (5) about a new Bench Donation policy was discussed in detail.
Councilmembers Chao and Moore each put in, either a “friendly amendment,” or
a ”substitute motion,” to this policy. Both techniques failed to add substance, in
addition to adding nearly an hour to this discussion.
Since only 2 benches have ever been donated previously this is not a major issue.
The applicant had been waiting since last June for a decision. This Council
meeting had to be extended two times due to these delaying actions.
As Mayor Wei stated so well, our excellent Staff is capable of creating such a
policy without long discussion or suggestions from the dais.
Pulled Consent Item (6) about missing data on a monthly report was easily
explained. The reason for pulling it was clearly to point out a mistake and
disrespect Staff. Councilmembers Chao and Moore showed us again what was
meant by the Grand Jury report about some Councilmembers disrespecting Staff,
causing a hostile work environment.
Since City Council agendas have many non-routine matters to consider, this poor
use of time is disrespectful of everyone involved, including residents.
Councilmembers Chao and Moore are both well-educated. They read the items
ahead of time. All the answers are included in the Written
Communications. Residents of Cupertino can see and hear what this is about.
Micromanagement and unwillingness to accept Staff answers even though other
Councilmembers have. Stalling and Disrespect
Thank you, City Council, for reforming the Council Procedures Manual to place
pulled Consent Items after the noticed Agenda items.
Thank you for this time to speak.
Connie
Excerpt from Council Procedures Manual
8.8.3 Council Questions and Deliberations. Councilmembers may obtain the floor
by seeking recognition from the Mayor. Following presentations to Council on an
agenda item, Councilmembers shall each be given five minutes to ask questions
of any presenter. The Mayor may allow additional time for questions where
appropriate. Following public comment, the Mayor may request that a motion be
made and seconded. After the motion has been stated to the Council and
seconded, any member of the Council has a right to discuss the motion after
obtaining the floor. A member who has been recognized shall limit their time to
five minutes. The Mayor may allow additional time for deliberations where
appropriate. This rule shall displace any conflicting rule in the City’s adopted
rules of procedure.
See also 8.8.4, 8.8.5 Civility, and 8.8.6 Role of the Mayor.
***end of email***
From:Jamie Katayama
To:Hung Wei
Cc:Sheila Mohan; J.R. Fruen; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; City Clerk; City Council
Subject:Re: No Illuminated Public Storage Signs facing the Freeway
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 6:46:28 PM
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Dear Madam Mayor,
It was so nice to chat with you this morning. Thank you for listening to my concerns.
Let me recap and reiterate it.
The building lights from Public Storage are very bright in the living room windows of my
condo unit and they are disrupting a peaceful and quiet living. I attach the photo herewith.
Even a small flood light from Cupertino Storage from two stories down is frankly annoying. If
the illuminated signs are approved, I'm sure other businesses, including Cupertino Storage,
want to follow and build more illuminations; and our neighborhood will be full of lights. I
believe you would agree that the residents' quality of living matters. I sincerely hope the
illuminated sign request won't be approved.
Please advise me anything further if you would need from my end. I am happy to
accommodate them to keep the living space comfortable.
Thank you for your attention to my and all the neighbors' concerns.
Jamie Katayama, (408) 598-7184
On Wed, Feb 15, 2023 at 9:32 PM Jamie Kata <chiemi.katayama@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello again,
Please find the attached photo. I thought it was a good idea how the new building looks from
the windows. It’s flashy as it stands, not very harmonious in our residential area.
I hope this would take to the better decisions.
Jamie
Sent from my iPhone
> On Feb 14, 2023, at 8:29 PM, Jamie Katayama <chiemi.katayama@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Dear City Council,
>
> Please do not allow Public Storage to have illuminated signage facing the freeway until
11pm daily. This signage would be visible from my property. It will surely disrupt the
quality of life.
>
> The proposed lighted sign is 165 square feet on an orange background measuring over 800
square feet. In October, the Planning Commission denied any signage facing the freeway per
CMC 19.104; in February, the City Council ignored their decision.
>
> As a compromise, I am respectfully requesting that the signage have no illumination. The
sign does not help prospective customers to find the building and is big enough for
advertising the business during daylight hours.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Jamie Katayama
> (408) 598-7184
From:rennberg@earthlink.net
To:Hung Wei; Sheila Mohan; J.R. Fruen; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; City Clerk; City Council
Cc:rennberg@earthlink.net
Subject:Please rescind approval for Public Storage"s illuminated sign
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:26:35 PM
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Dear City Council:
We are deeply disappointed and troubled that the City Council has allowed Public Storage to install
very large illuminated signage, that will face the 280 freeway and our condo at the De Anza Forge.
We implore you to please rescind the approval, since the huge bright sign will be detrimental for the
residents and homeowners of the De Anza Forge community.
The bright and disturbing indoor lights of the Public Storage buildings, which are left on 24/7, are
already really disruptive for the De Anza Forge residents. However, adding huge illuminated
lettering, spelling out “Public Storage”, would only further increase the buildings brightness and
make it an even bigger visual eyesore. Public storage doesn’t care about what their impact is on the
neighborhood or community, they only care about making money. Nor can they be trusted to follow
Cupertino Sign Ordinances, which require them to turn off their illuminated signs at 11pm. Public
Storage currently has an east-facing sign, which is illuminated all night long and shines directly into
the windows of the adjacent condos. We fear this same scenario will occur with the newly approve
sign. The illuminated sign shouldn’t have been allowed, nor should Public Storage’s bright indoor
lights be allowed to be left on all night long.
When the newly approved sign is erected, it will further increase the amount of light pollution the
De Anza Forge residents will be subjected to, coming inside our homes. Not to mention, it will make
our homes less desirable and decrease our property values, if we were to rent or sell it in the future.
The light emanating from the Public Storage buildings and sign are not a nightlight we want in our
homes.
Unfortunately, the two newly-built, 4-story Public Storage buildings are now the first thing you see
when you look out of our bedroom and living-room widows, since they are now at eye level with our
condo. We bought our condo in 1985, even before the Cupertino Hotel (formerly Cupertino Inn) was
built, when our condo still had the beautiful unobstructed views of the mountains and there was a
lot more greenery. I think around that time, the one-story Public Storage facility was originally built,
as well. In fact, in all the 40 years that it’s been at that location, Public Storage has never had a sign
facing the freeway to advertise its location, much less needed one that was illuminated. We don’t
think it should have been necessary for them to have one now. Plus, due to the large size of both
buildings and their trademark burnt orange and grey color, they are very hard to be missed from the
freeway and have easy brand recognition from the building’s color scheme. The buildings are the
sign. (A sign that sticks out like a sore thumb.)
The problem is, we have put the wants of a corporation over the wellbeing of the Cupertino
residents. We fear, we are also setting a dangerous precedent for future businesses to erect similar,
very large illuminated signs, at the expense of the community. Once completed, Vallco will surely be
the next location, where businesses will be requesting freeway-visible sign approval from the City
Council. Let’s leave the bright lights and lit signs for Las Vegas and not Cupertino. The only entity
benefiting from the approved illuminated signage is Public Storage; not OUR overall community. We
respectfully implore you to please rescind the approval of Public Storage’s illuminated sign.
Sincerely,
Rolf and Karin Meyer
20271 Reinell Place
Cupertino, CA 9504
Owners of:
20696 Celeste Circle
Cupertino, CA 95014
From:Rhoda Fry
To:Kirsten Squarcia; City Clerk
Subject:FOR CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 3/7/2023
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:00:11 PM
Attachments:Presentation1.pptx
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Hi Kirsten,
FOR CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL ORAL COMMUNICATIONS 3/7/2023
Thank You!
Rhoda
“The Sign Ordinance provides the regulations that the City has adopted
to ensure that signage does not impinge upon the aesthetics of the city and does not inconvenience the public”
https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/community-development/planning/non-residential-mixed-use-development/sign-information
Public Storage already has a FREEWAY-FACING sign and it is a Public Nuisance
The lights are on ALL NIGHT LONG and shining into resident’s homes next door
(Light on sign appears brighter than the building)
Aerial View –off of the picture is De
Anza. Next to the “P” are adjacent
condos
Daytime Highway View
Lights and Sign are off
Nightime Highway View
Existing sign is prominent
Interior lighting facing condos
are prominent
What the People Across the
Freeway See at Night
upper stories illuminated
But here is the very modest directional sign on Valley Green
and the back of the building during the day and at night
Now they want an even BIGGER sign facing Highway 280!
4’6” tall letters until 11PM (the other is on all night long –not okay)
< -------------51’ 4” ------------->
fdasfdsafdsaNot In My City|
|
11’
6”
|
|
Person is about 6’ tall
Let’s Fix this!
Turn off the lights on the side of the building adjacent to the condos. It is good enough for someone looking for the building
Turn off the lights inside of the building so that residents are not bothered at night
No not allow a big new freeway facing sign
If you allow a freeway-facing sign ---then everyone will want one! We don’t want Cupertino to look like Las Vegas.
In 2006, the Planning Department recommended against a replacement that would have been 3X the original size (the new building is 4X larger!).
Staff was concerned that a new 3-story tall building would be prominently visible from Interstate 280. “The proposed mini-
storage facility is a non-office use that does not promote these General Plan policies for maintaining cohesive office parks
and, therefore, staff believes that the project, which will significantly intensify the use of the site as a mini-storage facility by
almost tripping the amount of existing mini-storage building area, will conflict with these policies.”
. . . the applicant has not met the burden of proof required to support said application; and has not satisfied
the following requirements:
1) The proposed use, at the proposed location, will not be detrimental or injurious to property or improvements in the
vicinity, and will not be detrimental to the public health, safety, general welfare, or convenience;
2) The proposed use will be located and conducted in a manner in accord with the Cupertino Comprehensive General Plan
and the purpose of this title; and
3) The proposed development is consistent with the North De Anza Boulevard Special Center area.
WHAT HAPPENED?
My Theory –Fewer Eyes
Reduction of Design Review
and Environmental Review
meetings. And moving forward
there will be none!
Original 2006 2019
Square Feet 53,890 155,253 263,671
Stories 1 3 4
Parking 80 32
Units 1168 2600
Tree Removal 0 17 Protected Trees
What Now? City Must Keep the 2019 Promise Resolution No. 19-072
•Minimize Impact of Lighting
“Lighting for the development has been reviewed and design to minimize impacts to
adjacent developments by preventing spillover light to adjacent properties.”
•Advertising Signs in Harmony with Neighborhood
The number, location, color, size, height, lighting and landscaping of outdoor advertising
signs and structures shall minimize traffic hazards and shall positively affect the general
appearance of the neighborhood and harmonize with adjacent development
•Protect Residents from Light and Visually Intrusive Effects
With respect to new projects within existing residential: neighborhoods, new development
should be designed to protect residents from noise, traffic, light and visually intrusive
effects . . .
•Improve Look of Building Facing Adjacent Condos
EAST ELEVATION The applicant shall work with the City to neutralize the building color
and materials along the eastern elevation, and shall modify the vegetation, as necessary,
to improve the aesthetics of the project. The modification shall be reviewed and approved
by the Director of Community Development prior to the issuance of building permits.
Adding Insult to Injury –no reason to have lights on the building on the upper stories
annoying residents across freeway
Applicant’s Desires are at odds with Community’s Needs
We don’t want to turn 280 into Las Vegas
If you approve this, then you will have a hard time rejecting other freeway signs
What makes Public Storage different?
Faces Residents
Non-Conforming Use –needs to look like an office
The sign parallel to the freeway is not needed to find the business
Take a Tour and See for Yourself
WE CAN FIX THIS!!! : )
From:Tessa Parish
To:City Clerk; City Attorney"s Office; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; City Council
Subject:Electronics during City Council Meetings?
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 7:56:09 PM
Attachments:IMG-6922.PNG
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I’m not saying that this is happening but I have heard some public say it appears comments are
being exchanged during the City Council meeting. Please remember it could a Brown Act
Violation if there is a chain message or 3 members on the same topic. This is from the Ethics
course 1234 Local.
CC 3-7-2023
Item No. 11
Removal of Planning
Commissioner R Wang
Written Communications
From:MARTY STEIN
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 9:52:23 PM
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City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
ABSOLUTELY remove Ray Wang from the Planning Commission. He is responsible for a lot of
chaos and ill-will, and stands in the way of much needed progress on so many Commission
matters.
MARTY STEIN
marty-s@sonic.net
23500 CRISTO REY DR.
CUPERTINO, California 95014
From:Gail Smith
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 9:11:06 PM
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City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I am a Cupertino community member. This community means a lot to me, and I believe we are
home to some of the brightest and most compassionate minds in California. Unfortunately, we
are still recovering from prior leadership that has greatly damaged our reputation, including the
past actions of Planning Commissioner R. Wang. That is why I am here today to voice my
strong support for the removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
Gail Smith
smithgail18@att.net
23700 Paloma Court, Villa 10
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Pamela Wu
To:City Clerk; Christopher Jensen; Matt Morley
Subject:FW: Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R
"Ray" Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 9:00:28 PM
Kirsten, not sure if you were bcc’d. If not, please share with council.
Thanks
Pamela
Pamela Wu
City Manager
City Manager's Office
PamelaW@cupertino.org
(408)777-1322
From: R Wang <info@sg.actionnetwork.org>
Sent: Tuesday, March 7, 2023 8:59 PM
To: Pamela Wu <PamelaW@cupertino.org>
Subject: Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of
Planning Commissioner R "Ray" Wang
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City Manager Pamela Wu,
March 7th
Good evening council, residents of Cupertino, and guests.
It’s heartwarming to see a number of friendly faces, dissenting views, and interested
citizens here. Let’s be honest, today’s decision is really the city council’s to make. I do
serve at the pleasure of the council. But keep in mind we ultimately serve at the pleasure of
our residents and voters. For those in power, when we forget that we work for all of our
residents in an inclusive manner, we commit hubris. I fundamentally know we are all better
than that.
Before we begin I want to thank the 1000s of supporters who believe in resident rights and
community first. More than 200 people sent over a 1000 letters to the city. Our opposition
barely sent 91 letters and many of those letters were not from Cupertino residents.
Your support means the world to me and rest assured regardless of the decision we all
need to remain vigilant or we will lose the democracy we cherish and the quality of life we
worked hard for
We need to put an end to the vindictive politics of JR Fruen and his crowd.
Let’s start there. Mr Fruen’s carefully orchestrated attacks on me and organized defamation
through the non- profit he created, Cupertino For All, is a gross violation of the ethics code
and handbook he signed. Just because he’s not on the organization’s website, he’s still
listed as a director with the Secretory of state. He’s actively working with his group to
coordinate attacks and work with the numerous organization’s outside of Cupertino who DO
NOT share our resident’s interests in sensible growth. He even sent an email to his
supporters with the same talking points. In fact, his small but vocal group have deliberately
distorted facts in a thinly veiled attack on democracy and due process in Cupertino and also
in other unsuspecting cities. Many of these organizations have a network paid for by
developer interests and lobbyists fighting against your best interests
Despite his harmful actions, I am more than willing to give the benefit of doubt for the many
that are and have been misled by Mr Fruen and his small band of activists. Sometimes you
get caught up in the heat of the moment and you forget to do some due diligence.
Sometimes you don’t have time to get all the facts and hear the other side. There is really
no need to continue this type of division in the City. We are all better than that.
As you have heard from the countless letters and conversations from 1000s of supporters,
the case made before you is false. The allegations made on sexual harassment are not
true. A legal opinion of the case shows this despite Ms Foust’s veiled attempt at double
jeopardy on a case that was sealed 20 years ago per her agreement, she was not the
victim of sexual harassment, she was the victim of a developer interest who hacked my
network to sign her up onto porn sites. Their attempt to frame me for standing up injured
me personally and financially. But I would stand up for my residents again as I am today.
Re-writing history like this is a form of defamation.
More importantly, the allegations on criticizing staff are justified as the consultant was
ultimately let go for poor performance. The questions about our former assistant city
managers behavior were proven accurate as she left and has a history of being let go for
poorly treating both residents and other staff. You can read about this in the papers and talk
to other city staff who worked with her. Our residents also have every right to have the
issue of 5g towers on our agendas and they should be heard by from the staff.
If our jobs as a commissioner is not to provide oversight then what is it?
Certainly, not rubber stamp bad decisions.
No. Our job as commissioners is to provide oversight, guidance , and input. Sometimes we
have to point out when things are upside down or not correct. Otherwise why have
commissions?
Some planning commissions in the past have rubber stamped decisions that could have
massive health impacts on today’s residents and future residents such as Vallco. Did you
know that the land there is contaminated and listed as a Geo Tracker site. The developer
cannot build unless they clean up the site, or rewrite legislation in Sacramento to make an
exception which they are trying. If that was under our planning commission, we would never
have let that happen. In fact, we did do that with a pro-resident and community interest
council.
The bottom line - none of the allegations thrown at me have merit and more importantly
none of the majority council has made an effort to reach out to me to hear my side.
Let that sink in for a second. NONE.
The mayor, the vice mayor and Fruen never once asked me about these allegations. They
never once sought out the truth or to learn about my side of the story. This is their first
instance of hearing this side of the story and I hope they take this to heart.
Part of the democratic process is forgiveness, especially when the facts dispel
misinformation and lies told at the heat of the moment This is why we have due process
and for those experienced council members, one often waits to hear the facts before
making a decision, unless motivated by political means.
In my case it should be apparent that the allegations raised by JR and his Cupertino for all
non Profit, outside housing activist groups are patently false and politically motivated. They
don't’ want any resident focused leaders to emerge and fight back for resident rights. They
want you to back down and not fight back. I want you to take this aa a moment in history
when we rise up and put an end to this vindictive behavior filled with Sal Lewinsky tactics of
vilification, shaming, bullying, and threats for removal. Those actions are not what a
democracy should tolerate.
So I ask the council, if you choose to remove me purely on political grinds, at least be
transparent to the public that is your intention. Be clear it is purely political. Do not hide
under fake charges.
So I appeal to our Chinese heritage Mayor and our South Indian heritage Vice Mayor. Your
decision today will have consequences on future councils. Your constituents are watching
to see how fairly you treat another member of the API community.
Will commissioners be removed at whim for political purposes or will their removal truly
have grounds for merit. Will commissioners have a waning period if they truly do make a
mistake?
More importantly, how will your community view your actions today if you eliminate a
planning commissioner for political reasons with broad community support, despite the
case before you.
I seek your support in keeping my role as a planning commissioner. I hope the public
understands that I’ve been wronged and defamed by voices in the community and mainly
outside of the community who do not believe in the diversity of thought and who do not
seek compromise only political retribution.
I hope in your hearts and minds that you set the right precedent that removal should be
based on merit, performance, and real facts with due process, not political theater. We are
all better than that.
R Wang
R Wang
suzyq@protonmail.com
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Lawrence Dean
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 6:16:29 PM
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City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Mayor Chien, Fellow Council and City Staff. As a 42 year+ resident and volunteer
community supporter, I strong recommend that you remove Raymond Wang from his position
as an Appointed City Planning Commissioner.
All city leaders - both elected and appointed are community role models and should be held to
a high standard of behavior and comportment. You know better that I, that Ray Wang would
not meet the most minimal standards. Character counts and Mr. Wang is deficient in that
dimension.
The city has been left with an incredible deficit of actions and plans to address our lack of
affordable housing, and slow response to needed capital improvements. Wang has been
instrumental in putting our city in this position. It’s time for some new blood who can clean up
the mess left behind by the previous administration.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
Lawrence Dean
22159 Rae Lane
Cupertino. CA 95014
Lawrence Dean
LDean95014@yahoo.com
22159 Rae Lane
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Abdullah Memon
To:City Clerk; City Council
Subject:Video for Public Comment 03/07
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 6:10:17 PM
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Dear Cupertino City Council and City Clerk,
I'd like to use the following time stamped video at 35 min and 47 seconds for my public
comment tonight regarding item #11. My name is Abdullah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC4wMTqW7lA#t=35m47s
Sincerely,
Abdullah Memon
From:John Geis
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 6:07:16 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I am a Cupertino resident. Unfortunately, we are still recovering from prior leadership that has
greatly damaged our reputation, including the past actions of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
That is why I am here today to voice my strong support for the removal of Planning
Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity and respect back to Cupertino.
John Geis
jgeis@yahoo.com
10714 Deep Cliffe Dr
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Kiran Kundargi
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 5:19:39 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I am a Cupertino community member. This community means a lot to me, and I believe we are
home to some of the brightest and most compassionate minds in California. Unfortunately, we
are still recovering from prior leadership that has greatly damaged our reputation, including the
past actions of Planning Commissioner R. Wang. That is why I am here today to voice my
strong support for the removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
Kiran Kundargi
kundargikiran@yahoo.com
10890 Santa Teresa Drive
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Hema Kundargi
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:59:10 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I am a Cupertino community member. This community means a lot to me, and I believe we are
home to some of the brightest and most compassionate minds in California. Unfortunately, we
are still recovering from prior leadership that has greatly damaged our reputation, including the
past actions of Planning Commissioner R. Wang. That is why I am here today to voice my
strong support for the removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
Hema Kundargi
hema.kundwrgi152@gmail.com
10890 Santa Teresa Dr
Cupertino , California 95015
From:Candy Carter
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:40:44 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I am a Cupertino community member. This community means a lot to me, and I believe we are
home to some of the brightest and most compassionate minds in California. Unfortunately, we
are still recovering from prior leadership that has greatly damaged our reputation, including the
past actions of Planning Commissioner R. Wang. That is why I am here today to voice my
strong support for the removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
Candy Carter
candycarter@alumni.stanford.edu
23800 Amapolo Court V8
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Tom Scannell
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:28:10 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I writing today to voice my strong support for the removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
The new Council should hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
To complaints from his supporters that this is all "political", I respond they are 100% correct.
Elections have consequences. Mr. Wang was clearly, obviously and painfully originally a
"political" appointment by the previous City Council members. He was appointed to carry out
their strong anti-housing "agenda" at the Planning Commission. Well, there has been a new
election and the new majority is well within their rights replace Mr. Wang with someone who
better reflects the ideas and thoughts of the majority of the citizens as reflected in the new City
Council majority
Thank you for your time.
Tom Scannell
tscannell01@earthlink.net
10208 Cass Place
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Andrew Siegler
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:27:10 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
My name is Andrew Siegler, and I am a Cupertino community member--I attend De Anza
College and enjoy the greater Cupertino community.
This community means a lot to me, and I believe we are home to some of the brightest and
most compassionate minds in California. Unfortunately, we are still recovering from prior
leadership that has greatly damaged our reputation, including the past actions of Planning
Commissioner R. Wang. That is why I am here today to voice my strong support for the
removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
Andrew Siegler
siegler669@gmail.com
1060 S Third Street, Unit 286
San Jose, California 95112
From:jeremy xue
To:City Clerk
Subject:In Support of Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray “R” Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:19:46 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
I am a Cupertino community member. This community means a lot to me, and I believe we are
home to some of the brightest and most compassionate minds in California. Unfortunately, we
are still recovering from prior leadership that has greatly damaged our reputation, including the
past actions of Planning Commissioner R. Wang. That is why I am here today to voice my
strong support for the removal of Planning Commissioner R. Wang.
While a sitting Planning Commissioner City official, he urged fellow residents to call the
employers of pro-housing activists to try to get them fired from their jobs. He has disrespected,
insulted, and alleged conspiracy theories against core community partners like Cupertino
Rotary and the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce. He continually harassed a City
Councilmember in Redwood City (was a planning commissioner), signing her up for porn.
Instead of admitting the truth, he lied that developer interests hacked his computer.
Commissioner Wang even acts on misinformation to propel his political agenda, instead of
listening to legal advice, putting the city at risk of being sued. For example, when the City
sought to fix a density bonus ordinance to comply with state law, he compared this to free and
fair democratic elections in the Soviet Union.”
I believe in Cupertino and its future–that’s why I am here speaking for democracy and for
ethical leadership. It’s past time for the Council to hold Commissioner Wang accountable.
Please honor the lived experiences of those who have been personally harmed by Mr. Wang
and do the right thing. Please honor the intelligence and character of our good residents, who
deserve to have genuine trust in their officials.
Thank you for your time. It’s time to bring dignity back to Cupertino.
jeremy xue
jeremyxue@gmail.com
10407 colby avenue
cupertino, California 95014
From:Eric Schaefer
To:City Clerk; Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Agenda Item 11 Slide for Rick Resident
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 6:31:19 PM
Attachments:ForRayDisplay.pdf
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City Clerk Squarcia,
At the March 7, 2023 City Council meeting, I plan to speak on agenda Item 11 "RETAIN, do
not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang".
I will attend via Zoom.
Would you please display the attached 1-page document when it is my turn to speak?
Thank you!
-- Rick
Leads successful projects
- Owns a successful business
- Planning Commission chair and vice-chair
- Completed Housing Element work on time and per specs
- Approved the large Westport and Marina projects in
support of housing that is needed and State-mandated
Serves residents
- Small business owner perspective
- Has integrity to stand up to aggressive growth interests
that threaten residents’ quality of life:
o Redwood City: Removed treated wastewater from
parks and residential areas
o Petition-gathering Cupertino residents vs. hired
agitators from out of town
o Cleanup of toxic Vallco
- Enables sensible growth of the city:
o Housing Element contains the required 4,588 housing
units and no extras
o Approved Westport and Marina projects, which
balances the growth of office and housing
o Supports local control of planning decisions
- Saves our tax dollars by calling out inefficient processes
and personnel
From:Liang Chao
To:City Clerk
Subject:Meeting record for 3/7 meeting
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:57:51 PM
Here is the statement I read in the meeting. There might be slight variation to the spoken
record.
Please enter it into the meeting record.
-------
It is interesting to see that we have many “cupertino community members” outside of
Cupertino who sent template letters to us. Many are in San Jose, in Campbell, Los Gatos,
Sunnyvale and Oakland and even Los Angeles.
I’d like to speak from my lived experience of someone who has been attacked by many who
have spoken here today. Even when I know first hand of the words I said and the context I
said it, I have found that often your seemingly convincing claims against me are totally
false. This has happened repeatedly here both outside of the Council meeting and here in
this Council meeting. Therefore, I am afraid that I cannot trust any one-sided narratives
against someone without evidence showing exactly what was said and under what
circumstances. Let alone that most of the speakers today asking for the removal of RW did
not have any first-hand experience with their claim.
Many of the claims made in the Civil Grand Jury Report on Cupertino are false or
inaccurate, as indicated by the city responses. Many were made by someone who totally
did not understand how things work in city government, since a simple email to the City
could have clarified some issues, but they never wrote to the City. This is why one-sided
narratives are not trustworthy.
Now when such one-sided negative narratives are spread by people who seek to gain
political power, one must wonder about the accuracy of such narratives. When you have
100 people repeat the same one-sided narrative, it does not make them come true.
Today the handful of people who likely had the first hand narrative today happen to be
those who repeatedly mischaracterized my comments in order to attack me. I am afraid that
I cannot trust their narrative without hard evidence.
I am asking you to respect the lived experience of someone who has been attacked
multiple times by those with political aims. This is why we don’t commit people for a crime,
merely one-sided narratives. We have a due process and cross examination before
committing someone for a crime. Here we are trying to commit someone in the eyes of
public opinion based on one-sided narratives.
The reality is that even if the Council doesn’t like the recommendation made by the
Planning Commission. On the Council, you can always not take their recommendation. And
I have always requested to see, not only majority, but also minority recommendations, in
case there is a split vote, and I have asked to include rationales for the recommendations.
Therefore, there is no need to remove R Wang in reality.
As we have praised the city staff when they have done a good job, R Wang has done the
same. But when there is an issue in the performance of the city government,
How much truth is in the statements said today? Some of these people have attacked me
by twisting my words to manufacture a perception they wish to create.
Mayor Wei, I motioned to support you to be the Mayor because I put my trust in you that
you will be collaborative and not be utilized by those with political gains. I trust that you will
use common sense and try to mend the community, rather than further divide us.
As you have demonstrated today to allow RW 5 minutes to speak and allow a member’s
comment to be read by another member. You are a person who is reasonable.
Every City Council before today has the discretion to remove commissioners. But they did
not. They did not.
No newly elected City Councilmembers have attempted to remove commissioners as soon
as they got on the Council
Don’t set such a divisive precedent for Cupertino to remove a commissioner based on one-
sided narratives apparently brought on by those with political aims in mind.
Councilmember Mohan You are another person who has commons sense also.
You are not like them. You are better than them.
I would ask you to reflect. What first-hand evidence you have, which has been verified
through cross examination today on everything said today? I hope that you base your
action on due process and sound democracy.
Liang Chao
Council Member
City Council
LiangChao@cupertino.org
408-777-3192
From:Kitty Moore
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Item 11 Comments Moore
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 8:24:47 PM
Attachments:20230307 City Council Ray Wang.pdf
Hi Kirsten,
If possible, please add the 5 minute speech I gave during this item into the record.
Kitty Moore
Kitty Moore
Councilmember
City Council
Kmoore@cupertino.org
(408) 777-1389
Councilmember Moore Comments
RE March 7, 2023 Item 11, Consider the Removal of Planning Commissioner Ray Wang
Cupertino City Council recently adopted restrictive policies for the City Council, commissioners,
and members of the Public to follow, eliminating council’s ability to speak on the individual
Informational Items, and prohibiting Council members to exercise their lawful right to do public
records requests. I did not agree with a number of these restrictions, and noted that there was
no process in place for any violations by Council members and as we see here today, there is no
policy in place for due process regarding any warning, admonition, probation, or removal of our
Commissioners.
The City Council has the curious position here of being the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
branches all rolled into one. That is because Commissioners in Cupertino merely serve at the
“Pleasure of the Council” and may be removed by a majority of Council for the offense of
causing the Council to not be pleased. I have tried to formulate some metric for whether
Commissioner Wang’s work has been acceptable, because we have no supportable process.
I could fill a book between the smear blog, the 2016 $7M campaign by the developer, the 2018
ballot initiative disrupters, and the continued hounding.
I was appointed to the Planning Commission at the start of 2019 along with Commissioner
Wang. That very first day, when I came into these chambers, I was pulled aside by our Assistant
City attorney and advised that I was going to be verbally abused by members of the public and
was offered some friendly advice, and sure enough current newly elected Sunnyvale
Councilmember Mehlinger came to Oral Communications, brought up a Nextdoor post I had
made in 2018, expressed his offense at it and told me I needed to resign on my first day. In
2019, the negative attention appeared to move off of me and onto Commissioner Wang with
Sunnyvale Councilmember Mehlinger and other familiar individuals.
Commissioner Wang has been extremely thorough about the agenda packet reviews, does his
site visits with diligence, provides thoughtful and interesting comments, and has a global
perspective from this extensive worldwide travel, advanced economic and financial
information, Public Health education, television appearances, and not only does he do the
homework on the agendas, he finds time to author books, do interviews, and host conferences
and events. Commissioner Wang’s bio is amazing, and he has an outgoing personality which
goes along with it.
I recall Commissioner Wang’s struggle trying to agendize 5G, and it was a frustrating struggle I
have also faced trying to get items on the Agenda. I have had multiple struggles with that and
having multiple meetings I was chairing be canceled by staff without checking in. Commissioner
Wang rightfully complained about the very tardy Housing Element. The City Council has been
publicly admonished by members of the public for being exposed to the builder’s remedy
because the contractor was not able to complete the Housing Element in time, the City
Manager even ended their contract. And tonight, after months have elapsed, we have a new
consultant contract on the agenda. Commissioner Wang’s frustration was more than echoed by
even his opponents.
Council needs to formulate a policy like Los Gatos’ for Commissioners which would address
Censure and removal, they have a commissioner who was recently censured and that has
drawn the attention of the ACLU, for example. The policy should be thoughtfully formed. I
cannot agree with simply removing Commissioner Wang with the pleasure or not metric,
without a process.
Barring a knowable training and removal process, after witnessing how it unfolds here with no
process in place, I request that Council agendize a policy process for admonition, probation,
censureship, and removal of any commissioners, and also provide some process also for
Council, so that we are not relying on subjective views, and have steps in process. I am deeply
concerned for all of our Commissioners who volunteer their time, effort, and energy, that we
are sending the message that Council is vengeful. In the history of Cupertino, no Planning
commissioner has been removed by Council, which is likely why there has not been a discussion
regarding policy to do so, and I request that be done now. We should also have some set of
limits so we are not having vengeance on old news and retroactively punishing, when we want
to grow our Commissioners and Councilmembers and encourage young people and those who
find this kind of meeting truly off-putting, to want to join in the community engagement
process and feel comfortable participating in civics.
Thank you.
Councilmember Moore
From:penny zhang
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 6:17:52 PM
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you
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City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
penny zhang
pennyzvan@gmail.com
western drive
cupertino, ca95014
From:Shuang Yang
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 3:42:52 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Shuang Yang
eeshyang@gmail.com
10018 Oakleaf pl
Cupertino , California 95014
From:Lyudmila Gutnik
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 2:37:28 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Lyudmila Gutnik
lgutn@yahoo.com
10406 Avenida lane
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Shiqi Wang
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 1:50:24 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Shiqi Wang
shiqi.king@gmIl.com
To I see you,
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Yanlin Wang
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 1:46:49 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Yanlin Wang
yanlinw@yahoo.com
Cupertino , California 95014
From:Gail Cleveland
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 1:36:22 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Gail Cleveland
gailanne@sbcglobal.net
19715 Wheaton
Cupetino, California 95014
From:Eddie Lee
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 11:54:35 AM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Eddie Lee
eddiecy2015@gmail.com
10502 Rampart ave
Cupertino, California 95014
From:xin Wang
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Wednesday, March 8, 2023 10:27:29 AM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
xin Wang
xinxwang@gmail.com
Cupertino, California 95014
From:R Wang
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 8:58:48 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
March 7th
Good evening council, residents of Cupertino, and guests.
It’s heartwarming to see a number of friendly faces, dissenting views, and interested citizens
here. Let’s be honest, today’s decision is really the city council’s to make. I do serve at the
pleasure of the council. But keep in mind we ultimately serve at the pleasure of our residents
and voters. For those in power, when we forget that we work for all of our residents in an
inclusive manner, we commit hubris. I fundamentally know we are all better than that.
Before we begin I want to thank the 1000s of supporters who believe in resident rights and
community first. More than 200 people sent over a 1000 letters to the city. Our opposition
barely sent 91 letters and many of those letters were not from Cupertino residents.
Your support means the world to me and rest assured regardless of the decision we all need to
remain vigilant or we will lose the democracy we cherish and the quality of life we worked hard
for
We need to put an end to the vindictive politics of JR Fruen and his crowd.
Let’s start there. Mr Fruen’s carefully orchestrated attacks on me and organized defamation
through the non- profit he created, Cupertino For All, is a gross violation of the ethics code and
handbook he signed. Just because he’s not on the organization’s website, he’s still listed as a
director with the Secretory of state. He’s actively working with his group to coordinate attacks
and work with the numerous organization’s outside of Cupertino who DO NOT share our
resident’s interests in sensible growth. He even sent an email to his supporters with the same
talking points. In fact, his small but vocal group have deliberately distorted facts in a thinly
veiled attack on democracy and due process in Cupertino and also in other unsuspecting cities.
Many of these organizations have a network paid for by developer interests and lobbyists
fighting against your best interests
Despite his harmful actions, I am more than willing to give the benefit of doubt for the many that
are and have been misled by Mr Fruen and his small band of activists. Sometimes you get
caught up in the heat of the moment and you forget to do some due diligence. Sometimes you
don’t have time to get all the facts and hear the other side. There is really no need to continue
this type of division in the City. We are all better than that.
As you have heard from the countless letters and conversations from 1000s of supporters, the
case made before you is false. The allegations made on sexual harassment are not true. A
legal opinion of the case shows this despite Ms Foust’s veiled attempt at double jeopardy on a
case that was sealed 20 years ago per her agreement, she was not the victim of sexual
harassment, she was the victim of a developer interest who hacked my network to sign her up
onto porn sites. Their attempt to frame me for standing up injured me personally and
financially. But I would stand up for my residents again as I am today. Re-writing history like
this is a form of defamation.
More importantly, the allegations on criticizing staff are justified as the consultant was
ultimately let go for poor performance. The questions about our former assistant city managers
behavior were proven accurate as she left and has a history of being let go for poorly treating
both residents and other staff. You can read about this in the papers and talk to other city staff
who worked with her. Our residents also have every right to have the issue of 5g towers on our
agendas and they should be heard by from the staff.
If our jobs as a commissioner is not to provide oversight then what is it?
Certainly, not rubber stamp bad decisions.
No. Our job as commissioners is to provide oversight, guidance , and input. Sometimes we
have to point out when things are upside down or not correct. Otherwise why have
commissions?
Some planning commissions in the past have rubber stamped decisions that could have
massive health impacts on today’s residents and future residents such as Vallco. Did you know
that the land there is contaminated and listed as a Geo Tracker site. The developer cannot
build unless they clean up the site, or rewrite legislation in Sacramento to make an exception
which they are trying. If that was under our planning commission, we would never have let that
happen. In fact, we did do that with a pro-resident and community interest council.
The bottom line - none of the allegations thrown at me have merit and more importantly none of
the majority council has made an effort to reach out to me to hear my side.
Let that sink in for a second. NONE.
The mayor, the vice mayor and Fruen never once asked me about these allegations. They
never once sought out the truth or to learn about my side of the story. This is their first instance
of hearing this side of the story and I hope they take this to heart.
Part of the democratic process is forgiveness, especially when the facts dispel misinformation
and lies told at the heat of the moment This is why we have due process and for those
experienced council members, one often waits to hear the facts before making a decision,
unless motivated by political means.
In my case it should be apparent that the allegations raised by JR and his Cupertino for all non
Profit, outside housing activist groups are patently false and politically motivated. They don't’
want any resident focused leaders to emerge and fight back for resident rights. They want you
to back down and not fight back. I want you to take this aa a moment in history when we rise
up and put an end to this vindictive behavior filled with Sal Lewinsky tactics of vilification,
shaming, bullying, and threats for removal. Those actions are not what a democracy should
tolerate.
So I ask the council, if you choose to remove me purely on political grinds, at least be
transparent to the public that is your intention. Be clear it is purely political. Do not hide under
fake charges.
So I appeal to our Chinese heritage Mayor and our South Indian heritage Vice Mayor. Your
decision today will have consequences on future councils. Your constituents are watching to
see how fairly you treat another member of the API community.
Will commissioners be removed at whim for political purposes or will their removal truly have
grounds for merit. Will commissioners have a waning period if they truly do make a mistake?
More importantly, how will your community view your actions today if you eliminate a planning
commissioner for political reasons with broad community support, despite the case before you.
I seek your support in keeping my role as a planning commissioner. I hope the public
understands that I’ve been wronged and defamed by voices in the community and mainly
outside of the community who do not believe in the diversity of thought and who do not seek
compromise only political retribution.
I hope in your hearts and minds that you set the right precedent that removal should be based
on merit, performance, and real facts with due process, not political theater. We are all better
than that.
R Wang
R Wang
suzyq@protonmail.com
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Jiwu Sun
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 7:58:17 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Jiwu Sun
rosemarysun55@yahoo.com
Cupertino , California 95014
From:Vasanth Krishnamurthy
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 7:01:39 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Vasanth Krishnamurthy
vasanthk@yahoo.com
19056 Tilson Ave
Cupertino , California 95014
From:Martin Won
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 5:15:00 PM
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City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
I support Commissioner Wang and his efforts to faithfully and accurately represent the interests
of Cupertino citizens. I urge the City Council to retain him in his current position and seek out
others like him who will also put the interests of city residents ahead of external operators who
are working to limit the power of our citizenry to govern ourselves.
The people of Cupertino are paying attention. Take notice and uphold your duty to represent
your fellow city residents and empower them to create the future they desire, rather than
limiting their participation in it.
Regards,
-Martin Won
Martin Won
martin_won@yahoo.com
20378 Clay Street
Cupertino, California 95014
From:Rachna Tripathi
To:Kirsten Squarcia
Subject:Written communication, Council Meeting, 3/7/2023, Agenda Item 11, in support of Planning Commissioner R "Ray"
Wang
Date:Tuesday, March 7, 2023 4:56:02 PM
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.
City Clerk Kirsten Squarcia,
Dear Cupertino City Council, City Attorney, City Manager, and City Clerk
Please include my letter as written communication for the 3/7/2023 City Council meeting,
Agenda Item 11, RETAIN, do not remove, Planning Commissioner Ray Wang."
Stop The Divisiveness And Dirty Politics - Do Not Remove Planning Commissioner Wang
The attempted removal of Commissioner Wang is unjust and politically motivated by the two
newly elected City Council member Sheila Mohan and J.R. Fruen, who was elected by a thin
margin of less one percent of votes casted. But under the leadership of Mayor Hung Wei, this
3-person WMF (Wei, Mohan, Fruen) Council Majority has taken swift actions to change long-
standing city practices in less than 3 months. They are causing massive levels of mistrust.
Your actions are divisive for Cupertino residents and in total disregard to the few thousand
residents who voted for your opponents, We are your constituents too. Will you do everything
in your power to gain majority control, not only in the City Council, but also in every
commission? Are you this shameless?
The 2023 WMF Council Majority :
-have removed the resident-focused council members from key committees.
-have adopted procedures to shut down commissions where their views do not prevail.
-have adopted procedures to silence public commentary on agenda items at council and -
commission meetings in the "name of efficient meetings"
You have lost the community's trust and faith by breaking your campaign promises to be
collaborative and be inclusive and to bring the community together. Instead, every action you
have taken so far seems to show that you are unwilling to compromise and work with the other
side, which still represents almost 50% of Cupertino residents.
I urge you to do due diligence to investigate any allegations made against a city official so that
your one-sided perception, often taken out of context, and often politically motivated won’t
become the grounds for your decision to remove a beloved Planning Commissioner.
I urge you to give any city official a warning with findings and recommendations based on solid
evidence before you take any formal action for removing anyone from their appointed position.
This is the basic decency that Cupertino voters expected of you, yet you were so eager to
agendize this item without a proper inquiry.
As the City Attorney has confirmed that in the “A House Divided” report, the Civil Grand Jury’s
accusation of a Council member’s action to direct staff was mistaken. Many of the other claims
made in the Civil Grand Jury’s report about the City of Cupertino were false too since they rely
on one-sided interviews without any cross examination. The Civil Grand Jury is limited in what
they could do, but Cupertino City Council has the ability to conduct an investigation. Why have
you not done so?
The City of Los Gatos has formed a subcommittee to investigate an accusation on their
Planning Commissioner, even when the accusation is based on an email with written evidence.
Eventually the Los Gatos City Council decided to censure the Commissioner.
The accusations you have received on Planning Commissioner R. Wang have been anecdotal
and made by people with clear political motives (follow the money and the donations in the last
election). We have the campaign disclosure forms.
Wouldn’t it be much more necessary for Cupertino to form a subcommittee with balanced
members to investigate the accusations made before the Council take any formal action?
Anything less would appear to demonstrate that the WMF Cupertino City Council is politically
motivated to remove a commissioner for political gain and that the Cupertino City Council does
not care about the truth nor cares about hurting the reputation of one of their own citizens
based on potentially false accusations by a vindictive council member in Sunnyvale and one in
Cupertino?
Mayor Wei, can we put our renewed trust in you to do the right thing and not remove a
Planning Commissioner without an investigation to establish evidence?
Vice Mayor Mohan and council member Fruen, can we put our trust in you that you will serve
ALL Cupertino residents whether they support your political views or not?
Can we trust all of you to do the diligence before taking drastic actions, in response to those
who are politically motivated to remove their opponents?
Here are all the contributions of Commissioner Wang, which you should take into consideration
before taking any action:
+ Continued perseverance, hard work and determination to represent the resident's interests.
+ Wang and the current planning commissioners Steven Scharf and Muni Madhdhipatla have
worked hard for sensible growth:
- Approved the Westport Project, which provides a large contingent of the housing that is
mandated by the State of California. The project is sensible because it does not jeopardize
future housing elements by adding excessive office space.
- Approved the new hotel at Cupertino Village, which provides a plentiful tax revenue stream to
Cupertino.
- Approved the Bateh Brothers site for new mixed-use housing. The developer followed
appropriate processes and did not insist on overbuilding.
- Completed their duty in housing element site selection.
+ Commissioner Wang has a long history of defending his community from developers and
business interests who seek to take advantage of residents and their rights. Wang has been a
strong advocate for resident-focused causes and keeping the city staff accountable.
+ Wang questioned why staff have taken no action to create 5G tower architectural standards
to protect our neighborhoods. The community has been frustrated with the lack of action by the
city.
+ Wang asks tough questions that both the residents and the decision makers need in order to
have sufficient information. Wang pushes to get more information and to speed up the site
selection for Housing Element, while providing ample time for the residents to comment.
+ His care for public concerns are well appreciated by many who spend time attending these
meetings.
+ We need officials like Wang who keep the consultants and staff accountable in order to
provide excellent services to the city residents.
+ We need more residents like Wang who represent the interests of residents. We feel Wang
has represented us well and should continue to serve as our voice on the Planning
Commission.
Commissioner Wang should serve out his term and continue his oversight of the cities planning
activities.
Please reconsider the council’s actions to remove Wang from the Planning Commission.
Do not remove him!
Rachna Tripathi
rachna_tripathi@yahoo.co.uk
10680 Stokes Avenue
Cupertino, California 95014