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Six file for city council election in November
Mayor Sandra James is only incumbent to enter the race
By KEVIN FAYLE
The papers have all come in, and now the campaign begins.
The Cupertino City Council election on Nov. 6 looks as though it could be tight, with six candidates in the running for three seats. Voters will make their three choices, and the three candidates who receive the most votes will ascend to the council.
Candidates filed their campaign papers on Aug. 10. Now they face their real task--winning the support of the voters.
The candidates have all agreed to abide by Cupertino's campaign financing ordinance, which limits election committees to a total budget of $20,000. One candidate has filed a financial disclosure so far, but all will be required to file in September.
Only one incumbent, Mayor Sandra James, will join the race. Don Burnett has reached his term limit, serving two 4-year tearms so his seat will go to a fresh face. The other seat has remained vacant after John Statton resigned his position on the council in January.
The candidates have written common themes into their ballot statements. They all focus on the residential aspect of Cupertino versus its role in the Silicon Valley economy. Issues of traffic, growth, density and housing appear throughout the statements, which the city has posted on its website at www.cupertino.org.
Every candidate brings a great deal of experience to the campaign. Each candidate has a record of public service, though only two, Dolly Sandoval and Sandra James, currently hold elected office.
The candidates come from a
variety of educational, ethnic and philosophical backgrounds. They range in age from Geoff Patnoe, 28, to Robert Levy, 71. Despite their differences, however, they all share a long history of involvement in the Cupertino community.
The first candidate to file, Robert Levy, has lived in Cupertino for 33 years and penned two books about Cupertino's growth between 1991 and 1996. A retired systems analyst, Levy decided to run for council after witnessing the conflict that erupted over the parking around Monta Vista High School.
Levy would like to reinstate busing for students within both the primary and high school districts in order to relieve the traffic problems in the area surrounding the high school. The area also contains Kennedy Middle School and Lincoln Elementary School. Levy would like to see the students riding to school in buses as soon as possible and appreciates the interest on the part of the existing council.
However, he admits that a quick solution would strip him of a strong political tool. "That's my number one plank, and that may be gone by the time the election even comes about," he said.
Levy said he has other issues to work with, though. The situation revealed a problem with the exchange of ideas between the city council and the residents of the city. Levy said the council often overlooks the input it receives from the community.
"I'm concerned about the city council's lack of responsiveness," he said.
Orrin Mahoney, a longtime resident of Cupertino and employee of Hewlett-Packard's Cupertino office shares this sentiment. "I think there's a perception among some sections of the community that the current council hasn't been listening to their concerns," he said.
Mahoney vows to establish a series of town hall meetings if elected, at which residents could discuss the issues they see as important to the city in a more informal setting than a city council meeting.
Mahoney also wants to use the input the city receives in a more direct fashion. He said he wants residents to participate in city affairs long before the final vote on a project. However, he said he also recognizes that the city needs to move ahead with projects like the new library planned for the city center. The city especially needs to keep an eye on its budget in the new economic climate, he says. Mahoney believes that his eight years as a planning commissioner, together with his experience in the business world, will help him balance the needs of the community with the city's fiscal reality.
Geoff Patnoe, a current planning commissioner, would also like to see the needs of the community better represented in the city government. Patnoe is quick to point out he grew up in Cupertino and would like to raise his own family here. He said he understands the features of Cupertino that cause its residents to strive to preserve the city's suburban nature.
"I'm someone who understands what's unique about Cupertino," he said.
Patnoe said the next city council would make decisions on matters such as the new library, the Vallco redevelopment and the General Plan update that will affect the feel of the city for years to come. This fact made him realize, "I should get involved now," he said.
Patnoe has previous experience in government, having worked as an aide to former Gov. Pete Wilson. He has also run campaigns before, including a redevelopment campaign in San Diego and Jim Cunneen's bid for the state assembly.
Patnoe names housing as his primary issue. He has raised the matter in the planning commission in regard to the Association of Bay Area Governments' housing element for Cupertino. Patnoe said he would like to see Cupertino exceed the element without affecting the intimate feel of the city.
"It's possible to do that; you just have to be smart about it," he said.
Patrick Kwok, the current chairman of the planning commission, has said he wants to use his experience as a civil engineer to promote that kind of smart growth. Kwok, a three-year veteran of the commission and a 20-year Cupertino resident, stresses his education in environmental issues as a strong point in his campaign.
Kwok said he supports the idea of a heart of the city, a place where people can live, work and shop without having to rely on automobiles. He believes this will reduce traffic and air pollution, as well as increase community cohesiveness.
This issue in particular resonates with Kwok. As an immigrant and an ethnic minority, Kwok feels that he can build bridges between the diverse cultures present within Cupertino.
"The more cultures understand each other, the more people can work and live in harmony with each other," he said.
Kwok said he wants to preserve open space to provide wholesome activities for the community, especially the city's youth. A father of six, Kwok also raises funds for the YMCA to assist in after-school programs.
Kwok has experience in the workings of city and state government as well. He currently works as the principal sanitary engineer for the San Jose Environmental Services department, and worked on the California Water Quality Control Board prior to that.
One of only two candidates currently in an elected position, Dolly Sandoval points to her own experience in public service as a major difference between herself and her fellow candidates.
"I think part of what sets me apart is that I've been held accountable for a $170 million budget," she said. "None of the candidates has been accountable at that level before."
Sandoval, a teacher for 13 years, currently serves as a trustee for the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, a position she has held for the past 10 years.
Sandoval, who made an unsuccessful bid for a position on the board of Santa Clara County Supervisors in last year's general election, doesn't rule out a bid for a higher office sometime in the future.
"I've learned to never say never," she said. "[However], right now I'm putting my focus and energy to work on behalf of the citizens of Cupertino."
The main issue facing Cupertino during the next four years will be the overall vision for the city, she believes. She said she sees housing and education as two major components of that vision, and she pledges to find a balance between the need for housing and the residents' desire to avoid an increasingly dense Cupertino.
Mayor Sandra James was not available for direct comment at press time. However, her ballot statement expresses her ideas on the need to limit developers and focus on expanding the library, increasing open space and solving the traffic problems that plague the city.
James has long resided in Cupertino. She attended Fremont High School, San Jose State University and has raised her family here. She served for eight years on the board of education for the Cupertino Union School District, and rose to be that organization's president.
In addition, James has long been a proponent of partnerships between local government, local institutions and business. She has encouraged the development of a skate park with the help of corporations in the area and acted as a driving force behind the association of the new library with Hunter Storm Property's proposed town center development.
The candidates all seem to realize the struggle this campaign could become. "We have a very strong slate of candidates," Kwok said. However, each believes that his or her chances are good, as long as they put in enough hard work. "Right now I feel like I have two full-time jobs," Mahoney said.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
