The Cupertino Courier
News
The race is on for 2 seats on the Cupertino City Council
By Crystal Lu
Six candidates are currently campaigning for two seats on the Cupertino City Council in the Nov. 6 election. Kris Wang, current mayor of Cupertino, is the only incumbent in the race. Councilman Richard Lowenthal is termed out.
Besides Wang, the candidates are Raj Abhyanker, Barry Chang, Albert Chu, Mark Santoro and Gilbert Wong.
In their campaign statements, the candidates have listed housing, taxes, health services, public safety, education and environmental protection as among the major issues in the campaign.
Name Raj Abhyanker
Age 32
Occupation Patent attorney and CEO of Fatdoor, a neighborhood networking site.
Education B.S. in electrical engineering, M.B.A and J.D. degree from Arizona State University.
Community involvement Cupertino Kiwanis, Cupertino block leader, Lawyers in the Library; Cupertino Veterans Memorial; Cupertino Active and Determined Hanson Oversight Committee; Concerned Citizens of Cupertino; Cupertino Chamber of Commerce; Cupertino SILVAR member.
Issues Creation of a downtown, no new taxes, health services for seniors, more retail, cleaner air and a culture of entrepreneurship in schools.
Background Born in San Francisco, Abhyanker and his wife have two children. He has worked at various law firms and as an electrical engineer at H-P. He also worked at Juniper Networks.
Website: www.cupertino2007.com.
Name Barry Chang
Age 55
Occupation Owner, real estate agency
Education Bachelor's degree in Taiwanand master's degree in civil engineering from the University of Cincinnati.
Civic involvement Cupertino Union School District governing board; Cupertino Public Safety Commission.
Issues Customer service for the community, fundraising for the Cupertino Veterans Memorial Project, more consistency in city policy.
Background He came from Taiwan to the United States in 1977 as a foreign student and stayed after graduation to work as a structural engineer. In 1984, he changed his career to real estate in order to spend more time with his wife and children. He moved his family to Cupertino in 1985 so his children could attend local schools.
Website www. barrychang.com.
Name Albert Chu
Age 52
Occupation Aerospace engineer
Education B.S. in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo; graduate studies in mechanical engineering and aerospace engineering at Santa Clara and Stanford universities.
Civic involvement NorCal referee representative; School Site Council at Monta Vista High School.
Issues Quality of life, safety, limiting student enrollment to preserve quality education.
Background Born in Hong Kong, Chu immigrated to the United States with his family in 1969. He has worked for the aerospace program of Lockheed Martin for most of his career. He is married and has three children.
Website Magicivy.com/albertchu
Name Mark Santoro
Age 50
Occupation Electrical engineer
Education Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford University.
Civic involvement Cupertino for Fair Government.
Issues Less restrictive building codes, a city government "for the people."
Background Born in Miami, Santoro moved to California with his family when he was 5. He has held design positions at several companies in the Bay Area, including Apple Computers and Sun Microsystems, before starting his own company in January 1995. He sold his company and in 2001 built a home in Cupertino, where he resides with his wife and daughter.
Website www. Cupertinomark.com
Name Kris Wang
Age Not stated
Occupation Current mayor
Education Bachelor's degree in statistics and master's degree in business management from University of Phoenix; graduate studies in computer science at San Jose State University.
Civic involvement Cupertino City Council; Santa Clara County Parks & Recreation Commission; Cupertino Parks and Recreation Commission; Fremont Unified High School District Community Committee; Modernization Committee and School Site Council at Monta Vista High School; General Task Force.
Issues A greener Cupertino; a safer Cupertino; an advanced educational system; no tax dollars wasted.
Background Born and raised in Taiwan, Wang came to the United States to pursue higher education. Before she took early retirement in 2002, Wang worked in management-level positions in such companies as Hewlett Packard, Sun Microsystems and Portal Software Inc. She is married and has two sons.
Name Gilbert Wong
Age 40
Occupation Small business owner
Education B.A. in business administration from San Jose State University.
Civic involvement Cupertino Planning Commission; Cupertino Rotary; Cupertino Chamber of Commerce board of directors; West Valley Elementary School Site Council; Leadership Cupertino; Cupertino Chamber's Asian American Business Council; Asian American Parent Association; Economic Development Committee; Organization of Special Needs Families advisory board; Lunar New Year Unity Parade board of directors.
Issues Small-town character; open space; school quality; reduction of traffic congestion; affordable housing.
Background Born and raised in the Santa Clara Valley, he is married and has two daughters. He has worked for a family-run property management and real estate investment company for more than 15 years.
Website www.gilbertwong.org
