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CC 11-16-2021 Oral Communications_Late_Written CommunicationsCC 11-16-21 Oral Communications Written Comments From:Jenny Griffin To:City Council Cc:grenna5000@yahoo.com Subject:SB 9 and SB 10 Will Mean Tree Canopy is Cut Down in Cupertino Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:10:19 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. Dear City Council: Implementation of SB 9 and SB 10 will mean that much of the tree canopy in Cupertino Will be lost. There will be no room to plant new trees because every building in the city From SB 9 and SB 10 will be only four feet from property lines so no tree can grow In these areas. Cupertino will be a concrete jungle. Sincerely, Jennifer Griffin From:Mars Cheung To:City Clerk; Darcy Paul; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Jon Robert Willey Subject:In Support of Liang-Fang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:21:56 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. To Whom It May Concern on the Cupertino City Council, I have had the pleasure of knowing Liang-Fang Chiao for some time now. In that time, I have known her to be an individual of integrity and respect as well as a person who has had the courage to speak the language of nuance in the face of difficult narratives. Recently, there has come about a series of accusations that her commentary about the Chinese Exclusion Act implied that the Act was not racist. There is no doubt that the act was indeed racist but her point in raising her ideas was to address other elements and effects having to do with the Act itself. Ideas like these should not be strawmanned by bad faith actors. Regrettably, racism is a terrible entity that we must still contend with in the modern era but blanket accusations should not be used to stifle nuanced discussions. Doing so inhibits the process of ideas necessary to solve very real problems and we hurt only ourselves and members of all communities should we do so. I humbly request that the council please bear this in mind moving forward. Sincerely, Mars Cheung From:Sujuan Cai To:City Clerk; City Council Subject:Political bully should stop! Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 7:10:09 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. Dear Cupertino city council members, It has been a week of gut wrenching and apprehension for me! I am shocked to learn the ex Mayor and former city council member Mr. Gilbert Wang, who used common tactics during the chinese cultural revolution era to denounce Liang- Feng Chao. The ex Mayor Wang simply distort Liang- Feng’s words out the context regarding the notorious Chinese exclusion act. I am scared, I am anxious, I could not believe how ugly of the Cupertino politician act like a coward against Liang-Feng! Ex Mayor Wang needs to stop his political bully and be a civil, honest citizen of Cupertino. His action makes my brain frozen and worry about what we said or act can be distorted, denounced, and labeled with “ a racist” or other high charged term! Cupertino is a scared place to live with this Ex Mayor Wang’s political bully! Stop political bully now! Apologize to all Cupertino citizens for frozen our thoughts process! Best regards, Sujuan Cai phone: 408-832-4205 Sent from my iPhone From:Rich Altmaier To:City Council; City Clerk Cc:Rich Altmaier Subject:Liang Chao - supporting position Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:46:55 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. To Cupertino City Council, I speak in strong support of Ms Chao and the fact she did not in the slightest express any support for the Chinese Exclusion Act or deny its racist nature. Although I have policies upon which I disagree with Ms Chao, in this matter anyone who has worked with her for even a few months knows her detailed nature and exacting methods of reviewing an issue. Her review and commentary upon the Chinese Exclusion Act was within a discussion about parent engagement on CRT related issues in the Cupertino Union School District. Many parents are seeking methods to stop CRT and reviewing past Acts which held a similar racist nature to CRT was helpful to parents. Please stop the ridiculous claims against Ms Chao. She has absolutely nothing to apologize for. Stop listening to political opponents pretending they have some issue here. Dismiss this matter without further comment. Thank you, Rich Altmaier Cupertino, CA From:du vote To:City Clerk; City Council Subject:Strongly support Liang Chao and please do not mislead people with manipulated words and understanding Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:04:35 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. Dear cupertino city council, As a cupertino citizen, I just want to express my strongest support to Mrs. Chao Liang on recent event related to the discussion about CEA. There are people who is trying to mislead cupertino citizens so much and create a very bad atmosphere to try to knock down people who did so many good things for cupertino community. Please stop playing these type of political game and think more about what is the good for people. Thanks & Regard, Du From:Paulette Altmaier To:City Council Subject:Strongly support Liang - no to cancel culture Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:30:21 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. Dear City Council, The controversy around Liang is a phony cancel-culture attempt to silence a powerful voice for our children. Liang's comment came from a deep knowledge of the politics around the Chinese Exclusion act - it was both to protect domestic workers AND motivated by racism. The context was a discussion of the racist CRT curriculum children are being indoctrinated with. But the cancel-culture mob is unable or unwilling to grasp the complexity of history and has ginned up this controversy for its own ends. She is a strong voice for us and for children against the racism of CRT, and it is the CRT mob trying to silence her with this fake outrage. I stand by Liang, and totally reject this trumped-up controversy and the cancel-culture mob. Paulette Altmaier From:Susan G To:City Clerk; Darcy Paul; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Jon Robert Willey Subject:Support for Vice Mayor Liang Fang Chao! Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 4:36:49 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. Honorable Mayor Paul, Vice Mayor Chao, and Council Members Moore, Wei, and Willey: Please include my letter as written communications for the 11/16/2021 Council meeting, public comment agenda item, and please help me to read it in the public comment section. My name is Susan Guo, and I'm a resident in Santa Clara County. Vice Mayor Liang Chao has been a highly respected community leader. If you read the whole email thread sent in the CUSD-parents group, you can definitely draw your own conclusion that Liang has not said anything that is out of place. She does think CEA was a racist bill, but she firmly believes that racism was not the only factor for the bill. And I agree with this observation. For those who claim Liang Fang is a racist and she tried to defend the CEA, without even the attention to listen or examine what was said by Liang, I condemn their attempt to cancel Liang using this hoax. And I especially condemn Neil Park who has posted a screenshot of a private (though big) school district forum discussion to Twitter, for cyberbullying. Neil has done this kind of despicable thing before and he was expelled from that group for the same reason. Yet again, he started another fuzz against Liang last week! Also I condemn Gilbert Wong, who repeatedly ignored the other parents' comments on him about his understanding of the situation, and repeatedly urged Liang to "apologize" for something that Liang has never said or done. Liang never said that CEA was not racist but we know Gilbert was an avid supporter of the racist bill Prop 16. Gilbert, please stop your ugly attempts to stir the emotion among our Chinese community! Gilbert, you are no leader of us, by any means! And you do not stand for us at all! So stop pretending to be an Asian leader! Vice Mayor Liang, I would like to let you know that all of our "No on Prop 16" campaign volunteers are standing behind you. And all of our common sense voters are standing behind you. Do not give in to the "cancel culture", and please continue your wonderful work for the benefit of the greater Bay Area!, as well as California! Thank you very much! Sincerely, Susan Guo From:Ching Lien To:City Council Subject:support Liang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 4:33:24 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. Hi Cupertino city council members, I'd like to support the Vice Mayor Liang Chao. She did nothing wrong. She does NOT need to apologize to anyone. She really takes our community's interests into consideration when making public decisions, not from businessmen's perspective. On the contrary, you should condemn the ex-Mayor Gilbert Wong. He spreaded toxic words into the community and tried to put those words into Liang's mouth. What a shame! Respectfully, Ching a CUSD parent From:Jun Ma To:City Council Subject:Support Liangfang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 7:58:06 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. Dear city council members, Recently there have been rumors that Vice Major Liang Chao said "Chinese exclusion act is not racism", which is total nonsense. Vice Major Chao never said that, and this has been deliberately misconstrued. In fact, Vice Major Chao is against all forms of racism. Vice Major Chao has done a lot for Cupertino residents before and while she's serving on the city council, and we wholeheartedly support her! Please put my email in the public record. Sincerely, Jane Ma Sent from my iPhone From:Yixue Qiu To:City Clerk; Darcy Paul; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Jon Robert Willey Subject:Support Ms. Liang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:03:45 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. Dear Cupertino Clerk and Council Members, My name is Yixue Qiu. I am writing this email for today's city council meeting, and request to have this email be included in the public record. I got to know Ms. Liang Chao more than two years ago along with my involvement with CUSD. I saw how much time and effort she had been spending for the district, for the students and for the community. I also searched media and read the reports and stories about her earlier work and contribution to the School District and the Cupertino City. In my impression she is very objective and professional. Her thoughts were based on abundant data and facts. She often worked late into evening to share the info and facts with us. One of the most important thing is that she speaks truth and is always open to discussions. It's been acknowledged and appreciated by significant number of Chinese, Indian and people of other races. It's heartbreaking to see she was attacked by false accusation right now. We should protect the City Council Members who work for the City and the communities rather than hurting them. I am requesting the Cupertino City Council take action to stop the misinformation and condemn the people who twisted her words for false accusation. Best Regards, Yixue From:J Z To:City Clerk; Darcy Paul; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Jon Robert Willey Subject:Support Ms. Liang-fang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 4:42:32 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. I intended to send this email before 4:00pm today but somehow I could access the web email server. Dear Cupertino city council member: I'm a CUSD parent. I'm writing this email to express my support for the Vice Mayor and our dear community leader, Ms. Liang-fang Chao on the recent incident in regards to her comment about the Chinese Exclusion Act. I fully understand that her intent was to address the historical background around the labor issue on top of the discrimination issue. She never said it's not racial discrimination. Some people might have misunderstood her comments in the beginning. We all understand that misunderstanding happens. But with her explanations and statements, I don't think people should keep misunderstanding her and even use it to attack her. Liang-fang has worked so hard to fight for the community, especially for the Chinese community where she is deeply rooted. I don't have any political stance and I haven't been following political issues closely until recent school closure discussions. From an objective perspective, I found that Liang-fang's analysis on the school district issues is always based on the facts/data/truth, very logical and convincing from a neutral view. Just from observing what she has been contributing to the community, I have no doubt that she has no racial discrimination against anybody, especially to the Chinese community. Everybody knows that taking part of a screenshot as "evidence" and interpreting it out of context is not right. Accusing her of "defending the Chinese Exclusion Act" or "being racist" is illogical. It really doesn't make sense. Again, I don't have any political stance. I judge matters based on the matter itself, based on right or wrong, not right or left. For this matter, I support Liang-fang! Thank you for taking your time to read this email. Jun From:Yonghui Mou To:City Clerk; City Council Subject:support of vice Major Liang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 3:59:31 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. Dear Cupertino City Council, I'm writing to support Cupertino Vice Major Liang Chao. Liang Chao has been under attack by some so called civil rights activists with faked facts. Liang is a very respected community servant and has the majority of community support. Liang has done so much service to the community and a lot of people benefit from her. Please put my comments in the public record. Thanks a lot, Yonghui Mou (Cupertino resident) From:Wenyu Cai To:City Clerk; City Council Subject:We wholeheartedly support Vice Major Liang Chao Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:32:09 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. Dear city council members, Recently there have been rumors that Vice Major Liang Chao said "Chinese exclusion act is not racism", which is total nonsense. Vice Major Chao never said that, and this has been deliberately misconstrued. In fact, Vice Major Chao is against all forms of racism. Vice Major Chao has done a lot for Cupertino residents before and while she's serving on the city council, and we wholeheartedly support her! Please put my email in the public record. Sincerely, Vera From:Jenny Griffin To:City Council Cc:grenna5000@yahoo.com Subject:A BAG and Heart of the City Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:00:29 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. Dear City Council: What is ABAG trying to do with Heart of the City? They should not do anything With Heart of the City. Heart of the City is a part of Cupertino and not something For HCD or MTC or ABAG to be involved with. Thank you. Sincerely, Jennifer Griffin From:Jenny Griffin To:City Council Cc:grenna5000@yahoo.com Subject:Heart of the City Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:33:43 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. Dear City Council: I hope that nothing is going to be done to impact the Heart of the City. I don't Think it is a good idea to do anything to change the setbacks and characteristics of Heart of the City. Thank you. Sincerely, Jennifer Griffin From:GMAIL To:City Clerk; City Council Subject:Supporting Our Cupertino Vice Mayor Date:Wednesday, November 17, 2021 11:11:28 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. Dear Clerk and City Council Members, Thank you so much for reading my email. My name is Li and I live in West San Jose, but my kids went to CUSD before our school was announced to be closed. I know Vice Mayor Chao Liang through school closure. I strongly support her. Ms LiangFang, zhao’s made comments in a members-only local parent group regarding the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act. Please do not twist Ms. Liang Fang Zhao’s statement and frame her for something that she didn’t say or imply. This is defamation. She never stated that “The Chinese Exclusion Act was NOT racist" ever. Her comment in that original discussion was along the lines of: "The Chinese Exclusion Act is not ONLY based on racism, but also based on many other issues, such as a fear of foreigners, a fear of competition by foreigners and a distrust of Chinese Americans with ancestry originally from a foreign country, China. Thus, we cannot ONLY address racism when examining prejudice against Chinese Americans.” It is really a shame for the persons who intensionally tried to harm her. To have council members like Liang, who really put community interests first, can make our city better. Thank you so much again. Best regards, Li CC 11-16-21 Study Session #1 Housing Element Update Written Comments From:Jenny Griffin To:City Council Subject:Rezoning of Land in Cupertino Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:54:51 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. Dear City Council: I am glad to hear the information of the actual zoning and rezoning of land in conjunction With the Housing Element. It is indeed a complicated process. Is it possible that a land owner could submit a piece of property to the Housing Element Just to get the property rezoned to higher density and have the property be worth more Money? Land is worth more money when it is zoned for higher density. This seems like An easy way to change the zoning of parcels of land. Using the Housing Element to rezone Land like this seems to too convenient a way of making more money on land. I would hate to think the intent of Housing Elements is to make more money on land. One might draw this conclusion based on current housing laws. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Jennifer Griffin From:Cupertino ForAll To:City Clerk; City Council Cc:Darcy Paul; Hung Wei; Kitty Moore; Liang Chao; Jon Robert Willey; Kirsten Squarcia; Cupertino City Manager"s Office Subject:Re: 11/16/2021 City Council Study Session Item 1: Housing Element Update; 2. Climate Action Plan update Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:12:55 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. Mayor Paul and Members of the City Council: On behalf of Cupertino for All, I write to you to encourage your consideration of the following points andactions in order to ensure that Cupertino not only crafts a Housing Element that the Department of Housing and Community Development will certify, but that truly reflects the varied needs and aspirations of current and future residents, and which allows us to actualize our Climate Action Plan goals. 1. Give staff direction on a neutral selection process for the stakeholder representatives. Selecting stakeholders yourselves will prolong the process and leave the community wondering if the matter had been politicized. De-politicizing every part of the Housing Element process, but most especially the stakeholder selection process, should be a priority. 2. Ensure that stakeholders reflect the full diversity of housing needs in Cupertino. Whoever does the selection of the stakeholders,should ensure that younger voices and renters' voices are represented in proportion to our population. The city's households are 39% renter at present and their concerns deserve proportionate weight. Similarly, the typical make-up of public comment at public meetings rarely sees as much participation from the population aged 40 and under, and especially aged 30 and under. The should apply similar considerations to the needs of our growing senior community, as well as the developmentally disabled in need of extremely low income housing. You can rectify these representative disparities with the direction you give staff on stakeholder selection, and ensure that the city's new Housing Element fulfills the intentions of AB 686's affirmatively furthering fair housing mandate. 3. The Housing Element update should be coordinated with the Climate Action Plan update. One of the prime drivers of the methodology underpinning the Regional Housing Need Allocation is the reduction of vehicle miles traveled so that we are planning, on a regional basis, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These goals clearly overlap with the principles behind the city's Climate Action Plan. Focusing our housing around job centers, creating mixed use centers that allow people alternatives to driving, creating development policies that foster biking and walking infrastructure to serve new housing, revisiting our minimum parking standards that encourage too much driving, and ensuring that we have viable transportation demand management policies will allow these two planning exercises to knit together. Coordinating between them would have the collateral benefit of saving staff time during a period when the city continues to suffer from critical vacancies. We direct you to the work of the CoolClimate Network attached to UC Berkeley. Their mapping tools graphically and clearly demonstrate the benefits of three metrics for Cupertino: infill development, vehicle miles traveled reduction, and electrification. Infill housing impacts all three as it reduces sprawl, allows people to live closer to where they work, and because new buildings can be required to meet new building electrification standards.You can find these maps here: https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/maps 4. Partner with the community to satisfy new legal requirements for the site inventory analysis. Consistent with the requirements AB 1397, Cupertino for All stands ready to help the city identify properties whose owners would be interested in building new housing during the 6th RHNA Cycle production period. Because AB 1397 requires cities siting over half of their low-income housing on non-vacant sites to support the nomination of those sites with substantial evidence, we believe that this requirement poses an important challenge for Cupertino. Very little legally "vacant" land of suitable size to support affordable housing exists in Cupertino, so the city will almost certainly need to fulfill this specific evidentiary requirement. We want to help the city overcome that challenge. We invite you to partner not only with us, but with the rest of the NGO community in Cupertino and the region so that sufficient sites of appropriate size and density can be identified. We hope that you look on this process as we do--as a special chance to shape the future of Cupertino as a place of inclusion and opportunity. Many thanks, J.R. Fruen Policy Director - Cupertino for All CC 11-16-21 Study Session #2 Climate Action Plan Written Comments From:Dan Marshall To:City Council Cc:Andre Duurvoort; City Clerk Subject:Comment related to Cupertino City Council meeting with Sustainability Commission Nov 16, 2021 Date:Wednesday, November 17, 2021 3:42:49 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. 11/17/2021 Cupertino City Council members, Thank you for permitting me to view your Nov 16 meeting with the Sustainability Commission. I applaud the Sustainability Commission's goal to achieve net zero green house gases by 2040. Also, the current focus on transitioning Cupertino's natural gas powered energy consumption to electrical energy makes sense. But I have two suggestions which are not in the plan. The first suggestion is for the City to lobby federal and state governments to take actions to stimulate transition to net zero. For example, imagine if Federal and/or California offered citizens tax credits for converting a furnace from gas to electrical power. This would turbo boost our rate of transition. City Council members, because you represent 60,000 citizens, Ro Khanna, our representative in the House, will place substantial weight on a statement or request from you. He would probably have time to meet with you if you ask. The same goes for Evan Low, our California state representative. My other recommendation is to employ the Pareto Principle in our effort to transition from natural gas to electricity. In case you're not familiar with the Pareto Principle, it posits that a very few contributors cause most of an issue. So the most effective way to make progress is to identify the few things causing most of the problem. I applied the Pareto Principle to my families' carbon footprint. Within the context of natural gas consumption, I found that annually our furnace uses 5 times as much natural gas as the sum of our gas stove, gas clothes dryer, gas water heater, and natural gas bar-b-que. So to make rapid progress, we should focus on replacing gas furnaces with electric heat pumps. (Note that we have solar hot water so it would be wise to repeat my analysis on a sample of homes before reaching final decisions) Thank you for considering my suggestions, Dan Marshall 408-859-6628 DanMarshall22@Gmail.com From:Lisa Warren To:City Council Subject:Tree canopy - CAP Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:45:26 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. Council, When I spoke for 2 minutes this evening, I was not aware of the request for enhanced tree canopy to be 80% 'native trees'. Please keep in mind that trees/plants that are considered 'native' are vulnerable to climate change, like any living thing. Climate appropriate trees is a far better goal. Also, tree diversity is important to avoid disease . .... oh, Councilmember Moore is speaking about some of this as I type. With tall buildings and narrow alleys between, don't let commercial developers make you think they will plant sufficient trees that will have a chance to thrive. Sun and water are ever so important. Thanks. Lisa Warren From:Tara Sreekrishnan To:City Clerk Subject:PLEASE READ ALOUD - RE: Study Session Item 2 - Public Comment from Kunal Gupta - Consider Climate Action Plan Update draft measures Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:00:59 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. PLEASE READ ALOUD - Public Comment from Kunal Gupta - RE: Study Session Item 2 - Consider Climate Action Plan Update draft measures ------- Good evening Council Members, My name is Kunal Gupta, and I’m a senior at Cupertino High School. As a member of the Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action Team and CHS Environmental Club, I would like to articulate my support for ambitious carbon reduction goals in Cupertino. Unfortunately due to schedule restrictions I have to keep my comment brief. The drastic effects of climate change have already begun to take shape: destroying communities from more prevalent and powerful natural disasters, making regions of the world inhabitable from drying rivers and a crossed wet-bulb temperature threshold, and resulting in the greatest extinction event in recorded human history. It’s really important for our future that we cut net carbon emissions as much as possible, which requires strict policy on a state and local level. I think, though quite difficult, the least our community can do to literally save our world is striving for carbon neutrality by 2030. From:Tara Sreekrishnan To:City Clerk Subject:PLEASE READ ALOUD - RE: Study Session Item 2 - Public Comment from Elise Chiu - Consider Climate Action Plan Update draft measures Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:00:59 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. PLEASE READ ALOUD - Public Comment from Elise Chiu - RE: Study Session Item 2 - Consider Climate Action Plan Update draft measures ------- Elise Chiu, Cupertino Youth Climate Action Team Member “Hello Councilmembers! My name is Elise. I am a high school student at Monta Vista High School and co-lead of the Cupertino Youth Climate Action Team of SVYCA. I’d like to make a brief statement on some general areas of improvement I’d love to see the city focus on. First, I urge the development of Climate Action Plans within schools so that aspiring youth activists such as myself can see action taken on this climate problem firsthand. Second, a great interest of mine is saving native plants, so in the Climate Action Plan I hope more public encouragement or even regulation of limits to invasive plants and planting native species would be stressed. Especially given issues such as the continued selling of invasive plants and endangered plant species, hopefully Cupertino can take more action in some way so that the spread does not continue. Overall, it’s just as urgent that we are more efficient with our goals, so that we may have carbon neutrality by 2030. While it is ambitious, I really hope we can raise our goal and be more impactful in climate activism, as a city with so many youth leaders and climate activists. Thank you for hearing me out!” From:Tara Sreekrishnan To:City Clerk Subject:PLEASE READ ALOUD - RE: Study Session Item 2 - Public Comment from Gwyn Azar - Consider Climate Action Plan Update draft measures Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:00:56 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. PLEASE READ ALOUD - Public Comment from Gwyn Azar - RE: Study Session Item 2 - Consider Climate Action Plan Update draft measures ------- Gwyn Azar, Cupertino Youth Climate Action Team Member "Hello Councilmembers, My name is Gwyn Azar, I’m currently a senior at Cupertino High School, and representing the Cupertino chapter of Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action (SVYCA). I am unfortunately not able to attend this meeting live due to school extracurriculars, but wanted to make sure the youth voice was present to communicate the urgency that we feel as young people for concrete climate action. I have been following the CAP update process since it started, attending Sustainability Commission meetings and CAP workshops. Mainly I have been advocating for a stronger GHG reduction goal, as well as generally representing the youth voice and pushing for a strong and ambitious plan. San Jose recently joined cities like Menlo Park in setting a goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. I believe we too can set this goal, and encourage the council to press for a goal far more aggressive than the current draft goal of 2040. We simply do not have the time to afford to taking this process at a leisurely place. The recent IPCC report shows us what science has already told us: that we need to make drastic changes in order to minimize human suffering from climate change. Us young people have not been impressed by our global leaders and governments at the COP26 conference in Glasgow. It’s becoming increasingly clear to us that global leaders are not willing to make the emission cuts required to give us a liveable future. This reinforces the importance of climate leadership from local governments. Targets like net neutrality by 2030 are simply the necessary sweeping change for a global crisis this dire. I strongly encourage Cupertino to live up to its reputation as a climate leader and set emission reduction targets as strong as San Jose and other cities. In 2018, the council declared a Climate Emergency. I believe to live up to that declaration, we need to take leadership and set stronger reduction goals. Additionally, as a high school student, another thing that I am interested in seeing is Climate Action Plans within our schools. Another topic SVYCA has been pursuing is climate literacy in students, and I believe this would help raise awareness for climate issues amongst our students, as well as contribute to reducing our carbon emissions, water use, and food waste within our schools, and by extent our cities. Again, I would like to reiterate the need for the strongest possible GHG reduction goal, which I believe is carbon neutrality by 2030. We youth are looking for climate leadership right now in our governments, to give us a sense of hope for our futures. I believe that Cupertino can and should provide that, and lead the rest of the county, state, country, and world in real, effective, climate action." From:Peggy Griffin To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager"s Office Cc:City Clerk Subject:FW: 11-16-2016 CC Study Session - Climate Action Plan CORRECTION Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:45:48 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. Dear City Council, City Manager and Staff, I forgot to add “AND parking lots” to Item #10 WATER (see in RED). Sincerely, Peggy Griffin Staff Report 1. In the tables, it needs to show the current numbers. How can you come up with percentage increases without knowing where you currently are today? Comments on Attachment A “Draft Climate Action Plan Update Measures and Actions” 1. EQUITY (throughout document) …Remove “of color” from the phrase “low-income community of color” because low income has no color. If you’re low income you can’t afford it and it doesn’t matter what color you are! Climate action applies to everyone! 2. Page 2, Measure BE-1, Funding…should include rebates like commercial buildings. 3. What does neighborhood level electrification mean and what are the impacts to residents? 4. PARKING (throughout document)…do not reduce parking! With today’s state housing laws coming down on us, parking will become limited. 5. Page 5, Measure T-2, Partnerships…Remove specifically listing Walk-Bike Cupertino. This elevates one organization over all others. The Bike-Ped Commission is chartered to handle this issue and all organizations have equal access to them. 6. Page 5, Measure T-3, 2nd to last row Structural Change…Requiring ALL employers will be a huge financial hit for smaller businesses. 7. Page 5, Measure T-3, last row Funding…new position communicating with VTA – really not sure about this. Darcy and Kitty would know if this is worth it. 8. TAXING…Between the state tax, local taxes and property taxes and existing vehicle taxes, residents and businesses are TAXED OUT! 9. WASTE…Page 7-8…Landfill and organics…require the same trash cans everywhere and in all businesses so that people get trained as to what to put in what bin! 10. WATER…add requirements for permeable driveways and hardscapes AND parking lots! 11. ROOFS…require lighter colored roofs Sincerely, Peggy Griffin From:dinosaddr3-email@yahoo.com To:City Clerk Subject:Comments on the Climate Action Plan Update Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 3:58:48 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. Dear Mayor, Council Members, City staff - I appreciate the effort invested in developing the CAP update and especially the extraordinary effort to assure everyone is heard. I have a couple of comments which I believe will fast track the electrification of buildings. 1) Focus on quantifying and eliminating Natural Gas Water Heaters. Approximately 50% of building CO2e emissions are a result of heating water. There are significant incentives (approx $3000) to replace them and even more rebates available to low income citizens. I suggest this is be separate metric under electrification of buildings and businesses. -Reduction/Elimination of the permit cost for Heat Pump Water Heaters -Elimination of the nes permits for Natural Gas Water Heaters asap 2) De-carbonize 100% of municipal buildings by 2026 and remaining facilities by 2035. 3) Electrify or otherwise de-carbonize the municipal fleet by 2026. 4) Provide annual updates to progress on the CAP items. 5) Add a new measure to gain transparency into the Direct Access Customer`s energy usage to assure it is consistent with this CAP. This may require working with the California Utilities Commission. Dino Sakkas 30 year Cupertino Citizen From:Peggy Griffin To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager"s Office Cc:City Clerk Subject:11-16-2016 CC Study Session - Climate Action Plan Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 6:16:06 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. Staff Report 1. In the tables, it needs to show the current numbers. How can you come up with percentage increases without knowing where you currently are today? Comments on Attachment A “Draft Climate Action Plan Update Measures and Actions” 1. EQUITY (throughout document) …Remove “of color” from the phrase “low-income community of color” because low income has no color. If you’re low income you can’t afford it and it doesn’t matter what color you are! Climate action applies to everyone! 2. Page 2, Measure BE-1, Funding…should include rebates like commercial buildings. 3. What does neighborhood level electrification mean and what are the impacts to residents? 4. PARKING (throughout document)…do not reduce parking! With today’s state housing laws coming down on us, parking will become limited. 5. Page 5, Measure T-2, Partnerships…Remove specifically listing Walk-Bike Cupertino. This elevates one organization over all others. The Bike-Ped Commission is chartered to handle this issue and all organizations have equal access to them. 6. Page 5, Measure T-3, 2nd to last row Structural Change…Requiring ALL employers will be a huge financial hit for smaller businesses. 7. Page 5, Measure T-3, last row Funding…new position communicating with VTA – really not sure about this. Darcy and Kitty would know if this is worth it. 8. TAXING…Between the state tax, local taxes and property taxes and existing vehicle taxes, residents and businesses are TAXED OUT! 9. WASTE…Page 7-8…Landfill and organics…require the same trash cans everywhere and in all businesses so that people get trained as to what to put in what bin! 10. WATER…add requirements for permeable driveways and hardscapes 11. ROOFS…require lighter colored roofs Sincerely, Peggy Griffin From:Liana Crabtree To:Darcy Paul; Liang Chao; Kitty Moore; Hung Wei; Jon Robert Willey Cc:City Clerk Subject:written communication, 11/16/2021 Council Study Session, Agenda Item 2, Climate Action Plan Update. Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 5:25:16 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. Honorable Mayor Paul, Vice Mayor Chao, and Council Members Moore, Wei, and Willey: Please include my letter as written communication for the 11/16/2021 Council Study Session, Agenda Item 2, Climate Action Plan Update. First, Thank You to Everyone responsible for helping Cupertino achieve ambitious and necessary goals of carbon neutrality and zero waste. I have a few comments and questions related to information provided in Attachment A - Draft Climate Action Plan Update - Measures and Actions: Measure T-3, Structural Change, (Pilot). Conduct a free public transit pilot program for students, foster youth, and unhoused youth in Cupertino that makes it free for participants to travel via VTA and Via with funding from [X]. Measure T-3, Structural Change (Pilot), Comment/Question: I understand that in Riverside, CA everyone age 18 and under and all college students ride the local public transit, RTA, for free. It seems like a great plan because young people who seek independence are rewarded for learning how to navigate the bus network. These are skills that can carry over into their adult habits. Is “free for everyone ages 18 and under and all college students” the same group as “students, foster youth, and unhoused youth”? If no, how are the groupings different? School buses. CUSD has announced school closures, which means some younger students will now travel farther and cross busy streets to reach their assigned schools. Many families already choose to drive their children to magnet schools or neighborhood schools that are a located a long walk or bike ride away from home. It seems like restoring school bus service could go along way reducing GHG emissions from so many cars idling during school drop off and pick up. What would it take to restore school bus services for Cupertino students? Measure T-3, Funding. Dedicate staff time or create a staff position for supporting Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in obtaining grant funding for region-wide service expansion Measure T-3, Funding, Comment/Question. Thank You for expanding the Via Cupertino network to include Rancho San Antonio County Park. Is it possible to prioritize bus access to other parks in the area, including Stevens Creek County Park, McClellan Ranch Preserve/Blackberry Farm, Sanborn County Park, Villa Montalvo, Baylands Park, and Los Gatos Creek County Park? Today, there are few or no options to travel to these hiking and recreation destinations using public transit, especially on weekends. Multiple references. When “People of Color” and “BIPoC” are referenced, which groups are included and which groups are excluded? Measure CS-1, Equity. Prioritize low-income areas of Cupertino with less existing tree canopy for tree plantings Measure CS-1, Equity, Comment/Question. In the plan, the City commits to planting 24,000 new trees by 2030. What does “prioritize low-income areas of Cupertino” look like? How will low-income areas be identified? What kind of tree canopy improvements can be expected in prioritized areas? Sincerely, Liana Crabtree Cupertino resident CC 11-16-2021 #2 Brief Reports on Councilmember Activities and Brief Announcements Written Communications November 16, 2021  Mayor’s Corner  Recently, our Vice Mayor, Liang Chao, has been in the news regarding certain comments that she made  in a closed email‐group discussion with CUSD parents.  Regarding the part of Vice Mayor Chao’s comments related to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, I was  asked for comment by members of the media, and I stated, “The Chinese Exclusion Act was obviously  racist legislation. I have no further comment on this matter.”  I don’t have any further comment on what I view as the fact of the racism of the Chinese Exclusion Act.  However, I would like to make two other statements. First, although I may have certain political  disagreements with each and every person at one point or another, I view it as highly inappropriate to  misuse those disagreements as motivations for attacking a person with such gusto for other purposes.  For instance, in our City, valid disagreements over perspectives on land use and development have, over  time, led to smear attacks online and over email, both of the anonymous and the disingenuous varieties.  We do a severe disservice to the integrity of a discussion when we engage in political opportunism to  attack others not in an effort to discuss the substance of an issue, but to incite or to teach a lesson  about who gets to have an opinion. When we do this, even if there are reasonable underlying points,  they tend to get lost in the shuffle of the unnecessary parts. My advice, to everyone, is, drop the  smirking. Just address the substance of an issue. If your perspective is then the perspective of the group,  our system is about finding a fair and effective way to pursue courses of action. I use the plural term  “courses” in “courses of action” deliberately. This is not winner‐take‐all. But it is something that requires  that we be honest with ourselves, and not vicious to each other. And it becomes functional only when  we recognize that this is not some variation of a food fight.  The second statement that I will make is that, in the aftermath of the treatment of the Vice Mayor’s  comments, I have looked into how we can, as a community, have an intelligent and complete discussion  about the topic of race and exclusion within the context of the Chinese Exclusion Act and critical race  theory. With that in mind, I’ve taken a few different approaches for a future panel discussion. First, I  spoke to a couple of former elected officials representing Cupertino in our State Assembly. Then I  approached a Stanford Law professor who specializes in critical race theory. Neither of those avenues  panned out. But now I am currently in discussion with a group of people who helped produce a  documentary aired in 2017 on PBS regarding the Chinese Exclusion Act. I would like the community to  know that I will continue to work to set forth to Cupertino an event in which we will hold a showing of  this documentary, followed by a discussion panel which I will moderate. The basic ground rule for this  event, however, is that we are there to create a safe and democratic space not just for you or for me,  but for each and every one of us. More details forthcoming. Given the current restrictions we have on  gathering, I am not sure if this takes place live, only virtually, or by some combination of both, but I do  anticipate that we will put together a high‐quality discussion sometime within this next quarter.  Cupertino is a wonderful place. We have been successful in many ways, including when it comes to  having a highly diverse and functional community. But as with everything, we can always do better, as  we are constantly reminded. And the aspirations that we have as a society, as Americans, tell us that we  are here to help each other do better as well. I ask that we understand this and that we don’t adopt a  mentality where such and such a person needs to be taught a lesson for this reason or that. Work harder  for a more honest conversation. That is what we have been doing on City Council, and I know that is  what we will continue to do. I thank the many members of our community and the broader community  for your concern and compassion on this topic. Happy Thanksgiving. See you in December.  1 Lauren Sapudar From:Kirsten Squarcia Sent:Thursday, November 18, 2021 1:33 PM To:City Clerk Subject:CC 11-16-21 Item #2 - Vice Mayor Chao's Personal Statement Follow Up Flag:Follow up Flag Status:Flagged   ============  The Chinese Exclusion Act was racist, no doubt about it.  The current California Constitution states: “The State shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or public contracting.” In 2020, I have campaigned against Prop. 16 to preserve this clause specifically because I detest any policies that divide people by race, either in the past, present or in the future, whatever was the “good intention”. I am glad that 57.2% of California voters choose to uphold this equal treatment clause.  Throughout history, racism has been used by opportunist self-serving politicians to divide people. In this incident, racism has been manipulated again for political gains by taking snippets out of a long discussion on K-12 education in a members-only local parent group.  And their goal is to bring down me, an outspoken Chinese American woman who has always fought to give voices to powerless grassroots residents.  And here I’d like to thank everyone for the outpouring of support by many of you. Those who supported me in the past and even those who disagreed with me on some issues have expressed their appreciation of what I do.  Today, Chinese Americans are still being treated as “forever foreigners” in our own country. Chinese American scholars and engineers are targeted by the FBI, Homeland Security and the State Department, even after they have passed security clearances. The kind of discrimination Chinese Americans face is not merely racism. It is much more than that, and that was my point. Failing to see other factors affecting the discriminatory treatment ignores the nature of the injustice many Asian Americans faced in the past and still face today, being treated as “forever foreigners,” who somehow cannot be trusted as fellow Americans, and who can be scapegoated to achieve other means. This is wrong. We are proud Americans, just like everyone else.  I am sorry that many people were misled by what they read in social media or headlines in the print media. You are upset because you are against racism. And so am I.  I invite you to join me to stand up against all racist policies that divide people and also injustice against anyone on the basis of race, ethnicity or country of origin, not only in the past, but also today and in the future.  We will solve complex problems facing us only through thoughtful consideration of the issues, while respecting each other's viewpoints with fairness and civility.  Let's be role models for our future generations.  2 Let's make a commitment to a clean election in 2022 without dirty smear campaigns to demonstrate the American values of democracy and freedom of speech.     Kirsten Squarcia City Clerk City Manager's Office KirstenS@cupertino.org (408) 777-3225          CC 11-16-2021 #14 City Manager Approval of Employment Agreement Written Communications Oral Summary Read Aloud by the Mayor at the November 16, 2021 Meeting Prior to Council’s Approval of the Item Regarding City Manager’s Employment Agreement In accordance with Government Code section 54953(c)(3), I am providing an oral summary of the recommended action. The item before the Council tonight is to set the salary and terms and conditions of employment for the City Manager position, effective January 3, 2022. The proposed base compensation is $288,000, effective January 3, 2022. The employment agreement also provides for an automobile allowance of $500 per month and for reimbursement of relocation expenses not to exceed $5,000. The total annual compensation is $417,496.48, inclusive of fringe benefits, payroll taxes, and retirement contributions. Additional details regarding this item are set forth in the agenda and resolution associated with this item. From:JOHN KOLSKI To:Rhoda Fry Cc:City Council; Darcy Paul; City Clerk; Greg Larson; Roger Lee; Jean Bedord; Jean Bedord Subject:Re: Date:Wednesday, November 17, 2021 8:46:09 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. On Nov 16, 2021, at 9:14 PM, JOHN KOLSKI <ducksfly10@gmail.com> wrote:  since a new city manager has been appointed. ANY DECISIONS ON THE CUPERTINO WATER UTILITY AND WHAT SHOULD BE DONE NOW WITH THE EXPIRATIONS OF THE LEASE TO SAN JOSE WATER. MUST BE PUT ON HOLD TILL THE NEW CITY MANAGER CAN UNDERSTAND AND MAKE THE DECISIONS TO ADVICE THE COUNCIL THAT ARE ILLEGAL AND RIGHT FOR THIS CITIES FUTURE. ROGER LEE AND THE CURRENT TEMP. CITY MANAGER ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THIS CITY ON THIS EXCEPT DOING WHAT THEY WANT TO MEET THEIR OWN PERSONAL AGENDAS. AND HAVE BEEN FOR YEARS NOW. IT IS TIME THE CORRUPTION IN THE CITY STOPS! AND THE RESIDENTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE PROCESS OF WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN TO THE CITY WATER SYSTEM SINCE IT IS OWNED BY THE RESIDENTS AND WE ARE THE RATEPAYERS. EVERYTHING THAT IS BEING DONE NOW IS BEING DONE IN SECRET AND ILLEGALLY. JOHN KOLSKI THIS IS A CASUAL COMMUNICATION AND ALL STATEMENTS ARE MY OPINION The information contained in this e-mail message is intended only for the CONFIDENTIAL use of the designated addressee named above. Recipients should not file copies of this email with publicly accessible records. If you are not the designated addressee named above or the authorized agent responsible for delivering it to the designated addressee, you received this document through inadvertent error and any further review, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication by you or anyone else is strictly prohibited. CAUTION: . Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe. CC 11-16-21 #17 Vista Drive and Merritt Drive On-Street Parking Removal Written Comments From:Peggy Griffin To:City Council; Cupertino City Manager"s Office; Greg Larson; City of Cupertino Bike and Ped Commission; David Stillman Cc:City Clerk Subject:11-16-2021 City Council Meeting - AGENDA ITEM #17 ISSUES Removing parking around Lawson MS Date:Tuesday, November 16, 2021 10:19:19 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. Dear City Council, City Manager, Mr. Stillman and Bike Pedestrian Commission Members, I realize that as of this time, this agenda item is postponed but there are several issues that seem to pertain to process. The proposed ordinance and subsequent Class IV bike plan was a complete surprise to many people in the neighborhood. After reading the material I was appalled that this seemed to come out of the blue! I thank City Manager Larsen for sending this item and all the future bike projects back to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission for review. There are several items that concern me regarding the handling of this project and the project itself: 1. This project is not listed anywhere that I could find on the City website under the Bicycle Transportation Plan! It’s not listed as one of the Class IV Bike Plan Projects either! See what’s listed below https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/public-works/transportation- mobility/bicycle-and-pedestrian-travel/bicycle-transportation-plan-implementation/class-iv- separated-bike-lane 2. This project is NOT listed as a prioritized Transportation project that is to be implemented! https://www.cupertino.org/our-city/departments/public-works/transportation- mobility/bicycle-and-pedestrian-travel/bicycle-transportation-plan-implementation Q: So how did staff time get allocated on this project above those that were higher priority? 3. The Staff Report has an incorrect statement. a. “…Currently, parking is already prohibited along the north side of Forest Drive.” This is NOT TRUE! Parking is allowed and is used although it makes the turn and congestion difficult to maneuver. 4. The Staff Report does not mention that parents who currently park on the west side of Vista to pickup and drop off their students will be impacted. These parents and students will likely move into the neighborhood to park or add to the long pickup/drop-off lines. Also, sports teams using the fields after school or on the weekends will need to park elsewhere. 5. The Staff Report does not address how cyclists traveling past Lawson (not to Lawson) say from Donut Wheel to Blaney Ave. move from a “normal” bike lane on Lazaneo to this two-way bike lane on Forest Ave. Then from Vista Ave two-way bike path to the normal bike way on Merritt Dr. to get to Blaney Ave. These 2 transitions are dangerous! It forces cyclists to cross against traffic 2 times. 6. The Staff Report says nothing about emergency services access/response time impacts to our neighborhood. a. How much clearance does a large fire truck require width-wise? How much would be available? b. How much clearance does a large fire truck require to make a turn? How much would be available? c. Emergency vehicle response times i. Emergency vehicle response times have already increased in our neighborhood with the addition of speed bumps around the neighborhood and bollards at both ends of Vista Dr. They also were trying to narrow the curve on Lucille Ave which is a critical exit to our neighborhood and would further reduce response times for emergency vehicles coming down Blaney Ave. 7. The Staff Report does not address how these special bike lanes are going to be kept debris- free. It’s one thing to have an open bike lane where cyclists can dodge debris but these do not allow any escape routes. The street sweeper cannot clean these paths. REQUEST: Please look into these issues both from a project planning and bike project perspective. Sincerely, Peggy Griffin