CUPERTINO CITY COUNCIL MEET JOSEPH FRUEN, KITTY MOORE, STEVEN SCHARF AND HUNG WEI BY DEVIN GUPTA AND NIKA ZAMANI
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n Nov. 3, Cupertino residents will vote in the municipal general election for their City Council members. Among the many prevalent issues this year, candidates will debate two main issues: regional housing and public transportation. Every eight years, the California state legislature assigns each city a minimum amount of required housing, called the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). In the 2012 to 2019 cycle, Cupertino developed just 19 of the 1,400 units that they were allocated. The 2020 City Council members will be responsible for planning the next eight years of regional housing. One issue under public scrutiny is the Vallco property development. For the past 6 years, the Cupertino has been in negociation with Sand Hill properties, the owners of Vallco, with few results. Last year, state legislature passed SB 35, a state bill that fastracks housing with a 50% affordable allocation, and Sand Hill announced a new plan that satisfies the requirements. City council will now be responsible for working with Sand Hill properties, or renegociating a better deal. *Candidates preference.
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In the 2018 city council election, less than 20% of residents voted. This year, with additional obstacles caused by shelter-in-place orders, candidates will not be door-knocking or conducting meet and greets, placing a larger emphasis on monetary campaigning, such as mail flyers. The results of this election host future consequences for development initiatives, open-transportation and school programs.
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Joseph Fruen Candidate Joseph Fruen is a thirdgeneration Cupertino resident, and attended Miller Middle School and Lynbrook High School. Fruen has grown to love Cupertino and places immense emphasis on the city’s education system. For the future of Cupertino education, Fruen strives to make Cupertino housing more affordable. He places the utmost priority in constructing more apartments and condos to lower living costs and bring younger families into the city. According to Fruen, this will result in both cheaper properties and a better environment. “[Condensed] communities are a lot more walkable [and] bikeable,” Fruen said. “You don’t have to get into a car … and frankly, I think that’s a more livable city than what we’ve got right now.” Additionally, Fruen says he encourages diversity in the City Council stating that if he won, he would vote to eliminate candidates with prior allegiance to political special interest groups. “I genuinely think that if we’re going to appoint people, [it should be of] merit or what they bring to that position that is unique or reflective of Cupertino, and not necessarily just that they are people who agree with you,” Fruen said.
EL ESTOQUE | SEPTEMBER 2020
Kitty Moore Catherine (Kitty) Moore became an active community member since her children began attending kindergarten in the CUSD district. As the Chair of the Planning Commission and Environmental Review Committee, Moore’s primary campaign focuses include housing, transportation, budgeting, and environmental protection. Moore worries about a cement plant in Cupertino, Lehigh Cement, and it’s upcoming reclamation plant that calls for an additional 600 truck trips per day on Cupertino’s Foothill expressway. “The City should look into what they’re planning and make sure that the residents are protected,” Moore said. Moore proposes implementing an underground subway line to combat increasing traffic, which allows residents to use public transportation and decreases carbon emissions. She also hopes to encourage electric vehicles, increase the number of charging stations and pressure buildings in Cupertino to do their part to reduce carbon emissions. “I suggested that we... encourage white painted roofs, green roofs with vegetation or [roofs with] solar [panels],” Moore said. “I think [it] would be particularly beneficial [and] increase energy efficiency.”