CC 11-07-23 Item No. 19 Information regarding hybrid commission meetings_Written Communications (2)CC 11-7-2023
Written Communications
Item No. 19
Information regarding
hybrid options for
commission meetings
From: Santosh Rao <santo_a_rao@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, November 6, 2023 7:09 PM
To: Kirsten Squarcia <kirstens@cupertino.org>
Subject: Fw: City council meeting agenda item 19. Hybrid access to commission meetings.
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 Clerk,
Kindly include the below mail in written communications for the 11/7/23 city council meeting.
Thanks,
Santosh Rao
Begin forwarded message:
On Friday, November 3, 2023, 10:09 AM, Santosh Rao <santo_a_rao@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear Honorable Mayor Wei, Vice-Mayor Mohan and council members,
I wish to draw your attention via the below that working groups are still running hybrid zoom meetings.
Why have residents lost access to engage with the city on commission meetings due to removal of
zoom feature. Why the inequity with working group meetings vs. commission meetings. Why are
working groups allowed to use zoom? Because you cannot get school kids and parents joining in-
person.
If you can accommodate that for working groups we should be accommodating likewise for all
commission as well as council meetings.
I request all of you to please kindly be inclusive of young Cupertino families with kids that are unable to
spend hours in-person at community hall. Please commit to the cause of stakeholder engagement and
equity of all stakeholders.
I appeal to you to make a decision at the 11/07 council meeting in itself to immediately bring back the
zoom feature for all commission meetings. I realize city staff wants to present information which means
we wait another set of weeks before we get to a decision.
Please kindly direct city manager and staff on 11/07 to immediately restore zoom feature for all
commission meetings and maintain the same for council meetings.
Thank you for your consideration of all your stakeholders and city residents.
Thanks,
Santosh Rao
Begin forwarded message:
On Friday, November 3, 2023, 10:01 AM, City of Cupertino <cupertino@public.govdelivery.com>
wrote:
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
November 2023
Cupertino Safe Routes to School Working
Group: Hybrid Meeting
Wednesday, November 8 at 4 p.m.
Cupertino Safe Routes to School's monthly Working Group meeting is next Wednesday and
will be hybrid. Join us in person (there will be snacks!) or online.
To join in person (which we highly encourage), come to City Hall, downstairs:
10300 Torre Avenue, Conference Room C
To join online, register for a Zoom link at our website below.
You will find the agenda at the website below, too.
Website: SR2S Working Group
Contact: saferoutes@cupertino.org (408)777-7609
Cupertino Safe Routes to School's mission is to create a safer environment for students and
families in Cupertino to travel to and from school actively. Safe Routes to School Working
Group meetings bring together the program's partners to discuss how to accomplish this
mission and expand the program. Partners include Cupertino Union School District,
Fremont Union High School District, all public schools in Cupertino, parents in the
community, high school student representatives from each high school, and community
groups. Members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings.
cupertino.org
City of Cupertino, California
Website | 408.777.3200
10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014-3202
Manage Preferences | Help
This email was sent to santo_a_rao@yahoo.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud, on behalf of: City of
Cupertino, California · 10300 Torre Avenue · Cupertino, CA 95014-3202
From:Peggy Griffin
To:City Council; Matt Morley
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-11-07 City Council Mtg-AGENDA ITEM19-Request save 30-day audio recordings
Date:Tuesday, November 7, 2023 11:12:12 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.
PLEASE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING EMAIL AS PART OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION FOR THE ABOVE
CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA ITEM.
Dear City Council,
I understand the need for cost cutting measures, although it appears that the impacts are primarily
on the public.
The city currently records the audio for every meeting covered under the Brown Act to help staff
write up the minutes. These audio recordings are kept for 30 days then deleted.
REQUEST: Since the audio recording of the meetings are already being done and will continue,
rather than deleting them after 30 days, I am requesting that the city save these 30-day recordings
and post them under the associated meeting date.
This request would be a very minimal change and improve transparency. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin
Reference: ITEM19-Informational Memorandum.pdf, page 1, last paragraph
From:Kirsten Squarcia
To:Santosh Rao
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:RE: City council meeting agenda item 19. Hybrid access to commission meetings.
Date:Tuesday, November 7, 2023 11:11:10 AM
Attachments:image001.png
image002.png
image003.png
image004.png
image005.png
image006.png
image007.png
image008.png
image010.png
image011.png
image012.png
image013.png
image014.png
image015.png
image016.png
image017.png
image018.png
image019.png
Good morning Santosh (Council Bcc’d), your comments have been received for the November 7 City
Council meeting and will be included with the written communications for agenda item #19.
Regards, Kirsten
Kirsten Squarcia
City Clerk
City Manager's Office
KirstenS@cupertino.gov
(408) 777-3225
From: Santosh Rao <santo_a_rao@yahoo.com>
Sent: Monday, November 6, 2023 7:09 PM
To: Kirsten Squarcia <kirstens@cupertino.org>
Subject: Fw: City council meeting agenda item 19. Hybrid access to commission meetings.
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 Clerk,
Kindly include the below mail in written communications for the 11/7/23 city council meeting.
Thanks,
Santosh Rao
Begin forwarded message:
On Friday, November 3, 2023, 10:09 AM, Santosh Rao <santo_a_rao@yahoo.com> wrote:
Dear Honorable Mayor Wei, Vice-Mayor Mohan and council members,
I wish to draw your attention via the below that working groups are still running hybrid
zoom meetings.
Why have residents lost access to engage with the city on commission meetings due to
removal of zoom feature. Why the inequity with working group meetings vs. commission
meetings. Why are working groups allowed to use zoom? Because you cannot get school
kids and parents joining in-person.
If you can accommodate that for working groups we should be accommodating likewise for
all commission as well as council meetings.
I request all of you to please kindly be inclusive of young Cupertino families with kids that
are unable to spend hours in-person at community hall. Please commit to the cause of
stakeholder engagement and equity of all stakeholders.
I appeal to you to make a decision at the 11/07 council meeting in itself to
immediately bring back the zoom feature for all commission meetings. I realize city staff
wants to present information which means we wait another set of weeks before we get to a
decision.
Please kindly direct city manager and staff on 11/07 to immediately restore zoom feature
for all commission meetings and maintain the same for council meetings.
Thank you for your consideration of all your stakeholders and city residents.
Thanks,
Santosh Rao
Begin forwarded message:
On Friday, November 3, 2023, 10:01 AM, City of Cupertino
<cupertino@public.govdelivery.com> wrote:
Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.
November 2023
Cupertino Safe Routes to School Working
Group: Hybrid Meeting
Wednesday, November 8 at 4 p.m.
Cupertino Safe Routes to School's monthly Working Group meeting is next Wednesday and
will be hybrid. Join us in person (there will be snacks!) or online.
To join in person (which we highly encourage), come to City Hall, downstairs:
10300 Torre Avenue, Conference Room C
To join online, register for a Zoom link at our website below.
You will find the agenda at the website below, too.
Website: SR2S Working Group
Contact: saferoutes@cupertino.org (408)777-7609
Cupertino Safe Routes to School's mission is to create a safer environment for students and
families in Cupertino to travel to and from school actively. Safe Routes to School Working
Group meetings bring together the program's partners to discuss how to accomplish this
mission and expand the program. Partners include Cupertino Union School District,
Fremont Union High School District, all public schools in Cupertino, parents in the
community, high school student representatives from each high school, and community
groups. Members of the public are welcome to attend these meetings.
cupertino.org
City of Cupertino, California
Website | 408.777.3200
10300 Torre Avenue, Cupertino, CA 95014-3202
Manage Preferences | Help
This email was sent to santo_a_rao@yahoo.com using GovDelivery Communications Cloud, onbehalf of: City of Cupertino, California · 10300 Torre Avenue · Cupertino, CA 95014-3202
From:Lisa Warren
To:City Clerk; City Council
Subject:Public Comment for CC Nov 7, 2023 meeting agenda ITEM 19
Date:Tuesday, November 7, 2023 10:44:41 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.
Mayor and City Council Members,
Please help me to understand what the purpose of Informational Item #19
is, and what it is meant to ‘do’, if anything. Subject: Information regarding
hybrid options for commission meetings Recommended Action: Receive the information
regarding hybrid options for commission meetings
The information consists of two documents – one created in February of
2023, the other created in March of 2023. There is no current document
that might help inform the purpose of the ‘item’. 3 documents are
attached here.
Based on a public communication, some are feeling that the goal is to
remove the ability for the public to attend city meetings (commission
meetings and others?) via Zoom. If that is the case, why is that not
specifically indicated, and why would that not be a public hearing item?
I admit to being increasingly concerned about the minimizing of public
input being a goal of Staff/Council Majority.
In reading the attachments, I also wonder whether the recent decision
that the Vice Mayor attend a meeting remotely was supported by these
rules... not sure.
As I understand things, the new structure of your meetings does away
with Public Hearings, and casually states things as ‘information’ and
potentially creates or dictates changes without public discussion. If I am
correct, then I question the legality of this approach and find it
troublesome that neither the Council nor the public are allowed to discuss
‘the item’.
n Lisa Warren
From:Peggy Griffin
To:City Council; Matt Morley
Cc:City Clerk
Subject:2023-11-07 City Council Mtg-AGENDA ITEM19-Offering Hybrid Options to meetings
Date:Tuesday, November 7, 2023 1:09:50 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 INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING EMAIL AS PART OF WRITTEN COMMUNICATION FOR THE ABOVE
CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA ITEM.
Dear City Council,
This whole topic should be DISCUSSED openly in a City Council meeting where the Council and the
public can provide input rather than burying it in an Informational Memo. The expectation these
days is that meetings have a hybrid option.
There are several high-visibility commissions that at a minimum should provide the hybrid option to
the public such as:
Planning Commission
Parks and Rec Commission
Bike-Ped Commission
These are actual commissions yet the city continues to provide the hybrid option for the Safe Routes
to School meetings which is not an actual commission yet you can’t manage to do it for the few
remaining commissions we have!
This informational memo had no data. Just general statements.
Q1: How much does it cost to provide/support a hybrid meeting per hour?
Q2: What facilities are required to do so and which rooms are equipped with these requirements?
Q3: How many people were attending during the pandemic? Are there counts or was just one
meeting in the summer used as the benchmark?
REQUEST
I just sent a minimal request to save the 30-day audio recordings and post them for public access
rather than deleting them. This would be the ABSOLUTE MINIMAL REQUIRED BUT I believe that the
MINIMUM/compromise should be a hybrid option for the above 3 commissions (Planning, Parks
and Rec and Bike-Ped) which have direct impacts on our community on a day-to-day basis plus
saving the audio recordings!
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Peggy Griffin